17 Days and Counting

My baby sister is getting married in 17 days.  I cannot believe how fast it is coming.  Our house sort of feels like a zoo trying to get everything ready in time.  It is weird how I never realized how much work it takes the family to pull off a wedding reception.  There are favors and chocolates to be made, 700 of each to be exact.  We are still waiting on our bridesmaid dresses to be delivered, which is making me a little nervous.  I am hoping that they aren't going to need altered but they probably will since we are all different sizes.

It is really weird how the time has gone by waiting for the wedding.  First it felt like it was far away and now it feel like it is rushing at us head on.  I think we are going to have a collision soon.  In some ways it makes me sad to think that my baby sister is going to be moving out and no longer living so close.  We have become really close over the last few months and I am really going to miss having her around to hang out with.  I will definitely miss her humor and fun personality around the house making all of us laugh.  But at the same time I am very happy for her.  I know she is extremely happy and loves Kelton with all of her heart.  They are a cute couple and very good for each other.

On Sunday we went up to Brigham City, where Kelton lives, for the bridal shower they had for Kari.  It was a lot of fun to be able to meet his family and see how big it is.  There are a ton of them.  I couldn't believe how many people were there and how many great gifts Kari got.  But after the shower we got to see the house that Kari and Kelton will be living in after they get married.  The house is a cute little farm house and is right next to the Calf Barn.  By the way Kelton lives on a Dairy Farm.  We had a blast going on a tour of the farm and seeing all of the cows.  We got to go through the calf barn and see the cows that are pregnant.  We also got to see them milking the cows and cleaning out the milk barn.  It was really fascinating to see how it all works.  I will have to go up to Kari's often so I can hang out with her and see all the cute baby animals.

"Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life." -Mortimer J. Adler

As many of you know, I LOVE to read.  It is a rare occasion when I do not have a book with me.  Last night I found myself lying in bed staring at my bookshelf . . . reading the titles of the books I own.  I have read a lot of great books throughout my life.  Some weeks I can go through 3 books and other weeks I will only read a few pages.  Either way, I absolutely love to read, it helps me relax and just escape to another place and time.  So as I was lying in my bed reading over my book titles I thought I would share some of my favorite books.  Some of them have really touched me or taught me.  While others are just a great story that I like to read over and over again.

One of my all time favorites is

The Secret Journal of Brett Colton

By Kay Lynn Mangum

A Classic. . . 

Pride & Prejudice

By Jane Austen

I also love the Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites Series

By Chris Heimerdinger

(They have helped me learn a lot about the Book of Mormon and the Bible)

And one of my most recent favorites. . . 

The Hunger Games Series

By Suzanne Collins

I also really liked the Twilight Series 

By Stephenie Meyer

(But don't worry, I'm not overly obsessive about it like the Twi-hards)

And one other that I absolutely loved was the Jayson Wolfe Series

By Anita Stansfield

(If you are going to read them, let me warn you that the first three are great, the last two are good, but a little bit too much.)

These are just a few of my favorites, that I like to read over and over again. 

Currently I am reading a series by Josi S. Kilpack, they are Culinary Mysteries.  My Aunt gave me the first two for Christmas.  It took me two tries to get through the first book but it was good.  It also is taking me a bit to get through the second book as well.  And after I finish it I am going to re-read Eclipse, so that I can remember what is happening before the movie is released on June 30th.

Of all the diversions of life, there is none so proper to fill up
its empty spaces as the reading of useful and entertaining authors.
~ Joseph Addison ~

Books are not made for furniture,
but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.
~ Henry Ward Beecher ~

Bridal Showers = Sleep Deprivation

I have always loved going to bridal showers and celebrating the upcoming marriage with friends and family.  However this week it was my lovely privelege to join forces with my fabulous Aunt and throw one for my baby sister.  We had the shower last night at my Aunt's house at 6pm.  We decided that since the shower was going to be on Cinco de Mayo that it would be fun to have a mexican themed bridal shower.  So we ended up having Chicken Enchiladas and Tacos for dinner.  We also had mexican themed decorations as well, including a cow shaped pinata (which we did not break).  We played a couple of games, ate dinner, and watched the bride open all of her gifts.  It was great to be able to sit around and chat with the family and have a good time.  Everybody seemed to love the mexican theme and we ate a ton.  It was GREAT!!!!

However. . . . . due to combining forces to throw the shower, it was my job to make dessert and the tacos.  The tacos were most definitely the easy part.  The dessert however was a BIG job.  You know how bridal showers are, you have to have it all cute and wedding themed.  Well on Tuesday night I ended up staying up until 1:20am making chocolates to decorate the cupcakes with.  It was quite a task that I undertook and definitely took me a lot longer to accomplish then I had expected.  Lets just say that squishing melted chocolate out of a piping bag into the shape of a K is a lot easier said then done.  But I just have to say the final product turned out rather well.  I was pretty happy with how they turned out.

The funny thing is that I did not even feel the lack of sleep yesterday.  I thought for sure that I would be dead all day (due to the fact that I have to be at work at 6am and had gone to bed at 1:20am).  I was pretty happy with how energetic I was feeling yesterday.  However, today I am beyond feeling that lack of sleep.  Combined with staying up until 2:30am Saturday evening putting together Wedding Announcements, I have missed out on quite a bit of sleep within the last week.  I was so tired this morning that I fell asleep at work.  Luckily it was a slow day in our call center so I slept quite a bit this morning in between calls.  Now I am just trying to fight a losing battle of taking a nap.  I know if I take a nap now I won't be able to fall asleep when I go to bed tonight.  Lets just pray I can get to bed at a decent hour tonight!!!

Disneyland 2010 Trip

Here are some pictures of our Disneyland 2010 trip. . . .

Kari & Kelton on Dumbo

Lisa, Kelton, Kari, Me

Newport Beach Temple

Bride & Groom

Apparently they got confused. . . .

Las Vegas, NV Temple

Waters at the Bellagio

Weddings and Womens Conference

Life in my house has become pretty crazy lately.  With both of my sisters engaged and planning weddings it seems there is never a calm moment.  There are addresses to type, dresses and tuxedos to be measured for, flowers to order, decorations to be booked, guest books to be made, and the list goes on and on.  Needless to say, it is quite exhausting and somedays I wish it was all over.  However, a lot of the time it is fun and exciting and watching my sisters get happier and happier as the weddings get closer is a lot of fun. 

Last Saturday we had a family reunion and a triple bridal shower (triple because my cousin is getting married also).  The first time in over 8 years my mom and all of her siblings were together.  Plus all of us grandchildren were all in attendance as well.  We had a lot of fun getting to see all of our family and having a bridal shower with all of them as well.  It was pretty funny to see all of the presents stacked up on the table because there was three of everything.  But they all got some great gifts.  The shower was a couples shower, so all of the men were there too, it was a lot of fun. 

After all of the wedding stuff going on last weekend I was in need of a break, thankfully we had already booked our trip to BYU Womens Conference.  It is a tradition in our family for us to go to the conference every year.  So on Wednesday night we headed down to Provo for our girls only weekend.  We stayed at the Best Western Cottontree with my Aunt and Cousin for two nights and spent two days wandering the BYU Campus.  I absolutely loved the last two days, I was in serious need of the spiritual feeding that we received.  We heard a lot of great talks which concluded with Elder Dallyn H. Oaks and his wife Kristin Oaks.  I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to attend the conference and have a lot of fun with the girls and be spiritually fed.  It was also great to do some service while we were there, making things to go to Primary Childrens Hospital and Haiti. 

And before I finish my post I better update you on the Frozen Yogurt project.  My friends and I have all been so busy that since attending Red Mango, we have not all gone again together.  They went once without me while I was gone to Disneyland (oh right, I forgot to post about that, I'll put pics up soon) so I don't know where they went or how it was.  However, I did try a new Frozen Yogurt location while I was in Provo and it was pretty good.  My mom and sisters and I went to Spoon It Up, next to the Cafe Rio on University Parkway.  It was a self serve place, they had a ton of flavors and a lot of toppings.  I really liked it.  Plus the atmosphere of the store was GREAT!!!  They had couches and chairs and tv's which were playing Friends while we were there. 

I am going to try a lot better to keep this updated, I promise!!!  With 3 weddings coming up I am sure I will have plenty of great stories to share ;)

Frozen Yogurt and Disneyland!!!

My friends are by far the greatest!!!  They have recently become addicted to Spoon Me, a frozen yogurt place, of which I have still never tasted.  Because of this sudden obsession with frozen yogurt, we now have a new project.  We are going to go to all of the frozen yogurt places in the valley to find the absolute best.  This project started last night as we ventured out to our first location.  We decided to start at Yogurt Vibes, a self-serve kind of place.  After we all rated it in the seven categories, it became a 3.7 star location. 

Our next yogurt tasting event will be on Saturday at Red Mango.

Hopefully it will be another successful event.

Also in the last month I have been doing a few other fun singles activities with two of my friends.  One night we went speed dating at the Taylorsville Institute.  If you have never been speed dating, let me just tell you, you are seriously missing out.  It really is a lot of fun if you don't get stuck on the row with all of the weird guys, which is exactly what happened to us.  We learned a very good lesson that night, do not be the first ones to sit down, you have to scope it out after others sit down and then pick your seat.  However, we did get a few good laughs out of the weird guys that we did meet.  One of the guys put his name tag on the back of his shoulder, so that when you asked his name he could "flex" his so called muscles and show you his name tag.  It was one of the cheesiest things I have ever seen.  The friend I was sitting next to rolled her eyes at him even, because he was doing it to every girl.  And besides that annoying little fact, he was wearing what seemed to be a womans cardigan.  I was definitely not a fan!!  All in all though it was a fun evening that got me out of the house and into the meat market *wink, wink*. 

The thing that I am most excited to post about though is the fact that I am leaving for Disneyland in 5 days.

  I know you are all thinking, "didn't you just go there?", and yes I did.  However, every March we go as a family.  I am so excited to have a break from work and be able to go to the beach and spend 4 days at Disneyland.  It is going to be a lot of fun, especially since my little sisters fiance will be going with us as well.  I can't wait!!

Life is GREAT!!!

Do you ever have those moments where you feel like life is just wonderful?  These past couple of weeks I have really been feeling that way.  I am seriously enjoying life.  I cannot believe how happy I have been feeling. 

My goal for the year has been to work out and eat healthy so that I can lose some inches/weight, whichever makes me look good.  Anyhow, for the past 3 weeks I have been doing rather well at working out.  I typically work out 3-4 days a week, depending on how crazy my schedule gets.  I have a set schedule where every other day I do weight training and on the other days I use the eliptical cross trainer.  In one week I lost 2.5 lbs and was so incredibly shocked with the results.  I know that it probably won't be that much every week, but that was improvement and it made me happy.  I have also been doing really good at watching what I eat and making sure that I don't eat more Calories then I can burn off in one day.  I just hope the results continue.

I am also finding that I am doing much better at keeping a positive attitude.  I have decided that I absolutely love exercise and what it does for me.  I am really coming to a point where if I don't get to work out I actually miss it.  I just love what a good work out can do for your stress levels and for your happiness.  One of my coworkers told me today that I look really good and that she can see a difference in my happiness.  It really made me feel good to know that she could tell. 

My other goal for the year was to do better at personal scripture study.  Over the years I have really had a hard time sticking to my reading my scriptures every day.  For three weeks now I have been reading my scriptures every single day, I haven't missed one yet.  This has also helped me tremendously with my attitude and it really does just make my days go better.  Even if I only get to read one verse it still helps me out.  I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and for the knowledge and testimony I gain every single time I pick it up.