Butterfly Kisses

(The title will make sense I promise)

Today we had a bridal shower for sister #2 to get married.  My Aunt did most of the work for the shower for which I am very greatful.  She is absolutely wonderful and did such a great job.  I am so thankful for her and for all of her help and love for us.  We had a great time at the shower and my sister got a lot of really nice gifts.  She was spoiled.  She did get an awful lot of lingerie today too. . . . apparently we all had a lot of fun buying it for her. 

I was in charge of the dessert for this shower too, just like the last one.  Everyone loved the cupcakes I made last time so I decided to do cupcakes again.  However I was a bit more ambitious with these cupcakes and put a lot of time and effort into them.  I am also VERY VERY greatful for one of my best friends for staying up half the night with me last night helping make all four dozen cupcakes.  My idea was to turn all of the cupcakes into butterflies.  I know you are all probably wondering what butterflies have to do with a bridal shower, but if you think back I bet you have all heard the song "Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle.  I thought it was a good fit. . . idk.  So after slaving away all night last night and for an hour and a half this morning this is what the finished product looked like. 

(yes, there are 4 dozen butterfly cupcakes there)

I thought that they turned out pretty cute and luckily they didn't melt during the car trip to the shower.  Everyone seemed to enjoy them too, especially the little girls.  I don't know that I will be that ambitious in the future, but I am glad that they turned out well. 

Now we are all done with bridal showers and just have to finish planning and preparing for the wedding.  Only three weeks from today and we will be having another great wedding day experience.

4th of July Weekend

Sorry about not updating in so long.  Life has been crazy and hectic so I just haven't had the time. 

For the 4th of July weekend we went to the Murray Parade as is the tradition.  My sister and I got up at 5:30am to go sit on State Street and freeze our rear ends off saving seats for the parade.  Good thing my little 2 year old cousin enjoyed it or else I would say it wasn't worth it.

I also was lucky enough to get to go to the Stadium of Fire down at BYU.  Carrie Underwood was the performer this year and I was very excited to go.  Carrie did an awesome job and I really enjoyed the show.  The fireworks were amazing too, I can't believe how loud they are when you are inside the stadium like that.  I think my favorite part of the show was when Carrie sang the national anthem, including the fly over at the end of the song.  I had a lot of fun with my best friend and her brother and I am really glad we went.

On Sunday my parents, sister and her fiance, and I drove up to join our other sister and her husband at their campsite.  We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and Starbursts (they are the best) and had a great time laughing and talking.  We all were able to fit in the trailer and had a lot of fun laughing before we all fell asleep.  After breakfast on Monday morning we drove up to Willard Peak.  Some of the ride was a little bit scary as there is still snow up there and a lot of the road is very very narrow.  However, the scary ride was seriously worth it, the view from the top of the mountain is breath taking.  I felt as if I were on top of the world.  You could see everything up there.  I am glad we went and had fun as a family. 

Yes that is snow.  People were actually having snowball fights at the top.

Blind Dates

I have heard several success stories for blind dates.  For many people this is how they meet their eternal companion.  It worked for my beautiful little sister that got married just a week ago.  Plus there are several other people that I know that met the same way and ended up getting married.  Well for me blind dates never seem to go well. . . . for example the first blind date I ever went on was horrible.  I came home from the date and told my mom that dating was way over rated.  The interesting guy I went out with talked about another girl the entire night. . . who does that?  It was awkward and boring, I ended up tuning him out half of the time and people watching.

The second blind date I went on the very nice guy was the quietest person ever.  I actually went on like 3 dates with him but I seriously felt like I had to force him to speak to me.  And seriously the third date we sat and played scrabble in dead silence.  And blind date #3 was the worst of them all.  I almost ended up calling my father to come pick me up because I was that freaked out.  I have never been so scared on a date in my life.  He was seriously creepy!!!

However, I went on a blind date last night, and it was GREAT!!!!  One of my best friends asked me if I would double with her and she set me up with a guy from her ward.  We went to dinner at a Mexican Restaurant, then we went Bowling and then back to my friends house for a little kareoke.  I had a blast!  Before they came to get us I was a nervous wreck though, I haven't been on a date in two years.  But the guy was very nice and very funny and we had a great time.  I am so glad that I went (I wasn't going to because I already had plans to watch the happy couple from last week open their gifts) and that I was able to relax and be myself and just have fun.  And finally I now can say that I have been on a good date and not just ended up with a good story ;)

Kari & Kelton's Wedding

Friday, June 4, 2010 Kari and Kelton were sealed in the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple for time and all eternity.  Although I was not able to be in the sealing, I hear it was beautiful.  Friday was a very busy day for us and I am still exhausted, but it was a beautiful day and a beautiful wedding.  I am so happy for my baby sister and I know that they will have a great life together.  Here is their wedding video that Giant Brothers Films made of their day at the temple. . . enjoy!!!!


Oquirrh Mtn Temple Film - Kari & Kelton from Spencer Hale on Vimeo.

Giant Brothers

Bridals and Bird Poop

Yesterday was a crazy day but so much fun.  All of us Johnson girls went with Kari to get her Bridal pictures taken.  She looked absolutely gorgeous in her wedding dress.  (I would put a picture up, but I can't risk the groom seeing it.)  We met the photographers at Memory Grove at 5pm last night and immediately started snapping pictures.  I cannot wait to see the pictures because I know they are going to be beautiful.  We walked all over Memory Grove and City Creek Canyon taking pictures.  About half way through the 3 hour shoot we were at a large stone staircase taking pictures.  Kari was sitting on the staircase and they were arranging her dress when out of nowhere a bird flies overhead and bombs us . . . . .

Want to guess where his disgusting bomb landed?  You got it right, it landed right on Kari's Wedding Dress.  I think we were all in shock when we saw this.  Kari then yelled "I got pooped on!"  and boy she was ticked (for a very good reason).  One of the photographers seriously was about ready to cry, it was sad.  We quickly got a rag and wiped up the poop off of her dress and tried to get as much as we could out of it.  And now Kari will be taking her dress to the dry cleaners today.  We did continue on with the shoot and Kari did a really great job of laughing it off and staying happy. 

All in all it was a lot of fun to go watch her get her pictures taken and help pack everything around.  The pictures are going to be beautiful and I cannot wait to see them.  Only one more week and my baby sister will be getting married.  I seriously cannot believe how fast it has come.  Last night as we were driving in the car and she was making me laugh I realized just how much I am going to miss having her around.  I really think I am going to struggle with having her gone.  Hopefully she will be ok with having me as a frequent visitor at her new home. 

Hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend!!!!

A New Week and A New Attitude

First off I would like to apologize to all those that were around me last week.  Last week was seriously a week from He** and I know I was not a pleasant person to be around.  So if I did anything to offend you I am extremely sorry, I did not mean to take it out on you.  However, I have decided that this week, no matter how it goes, I am going to keep a positive and happy attitude about it. 

Although it is snowing outside and it is the end of May, I actually found it quite pleasant this morning.  I sat here at my desk at work and had a nice big glass of Hot Chocolate for breakfast while I watched it snow like crazy outside.  It made me very grateful to have a roof over my head and warm clothing to wear.  This small experience helped me realize that if I find a reason to be grateful for something in a negative situation it really does change my attitude.  So my goal this week will be to find a positive in everything, even if it happens to be a bad experience.

Also I cannot believe how rapidly my baby sisters wedding is approaching.  Every day seems to go faster and faster as we approach the BIG day.  With only 11 days until the wedding we are running around like chickens with our heads cut off.  Saturday was a very long day as we ran a ton of errands.  Even though we were busy we did have a lot of fun.  I am so excited for my Bridesmaid dress, which we took to get the alterations done.  It is a really cute dress and quite possibly the fanciest dress I have owned in my adult life.  I will have to post pictures of it later.

Oh and last of all, we found an adorable little kitten in our yard and caught him last night.  My mom is seriously in love with it already.  (I say "it" because we are unsure if it is a male or female.)  For the time being Mom is calling the kitten Tiger.  And I think my dad is even going to let her keep it, with the restriction that it live outside.  We have a little pet carrier however, and kept him in it all night last night so he would stay warm.  Here is a pic of him so you can see just how cute he is. . . .

Am I Good Enough?

I know that I posted earlier today, but I really just need to get this off my chest and this is the only way I really know how.  I have been struggling emotionally today.  I feel like I am never going to be good enough.  This day has just made me feel like I am not pretty enough, strong enough, skinny enough, nice enough, spiritually enough, friendly enough, happy enough. . . the list goes on and on.  I honestly wonder if I just have PMS which is highly possible.  But man it has been a rough day.  I have just felt like crying for the last several hours.  And as I sit here fighting tears I just keep wondering, Am I good enough? 

I know we all go through these emotions some times and that it is normal.  Usually I can cope with these feelings pretty well.  So since I am struggling with them tonight I thought maybe I would share some of the things that help pick me up when feeling this way. 

#1 - The best pick me up that I have experienced over the last few months has been the institute class I have been attending.  The teacher that I am currently taking a class from is truly amazing.  I absolutely love her, for being the kind of teacher that prays to give us what we need.  She has truly touched my life.  I can't believe how well I can feel my Heavenly Fathers love for me when she teaches.  It is amazing and I am truly greatful to her.

#2 - BYU Women's Conference.  I have attended the BYU Women's Conference every year since 2003.  I look forward to this every year because I love the spirit that you feel there and how much it lifts my spirit and strengthens my testimony.  This year I was extremely greatful for it and the strength that it gave me to continue on and press forward. 

#3 - A talk given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf at a CES Fireside in November 2009.  The title of his talk is "The Reflection in the Water".  I absolutely loved this talk when he gave it and have read it several times since.  It gives me courage and makes me feel stronger just reading it.  I highly suggest looking it up if you haven't read it before, it is GREAT!!!

#4 - This quote by Elder Neal A. Maxwell: "Some of us who would not chastise a neighbor for his frailties have a field day with our own.  Some of us stand before no more harsh a judge than ourselves, a judge who stubbornly refuses to admit much happy evidence and who cares nothing for due process.  Fortunately, the Lord loves us more than we love ourselves.  A constructive critic truly cares for that which he criticizes, including himself, whereas self-pity is the most condescending form of pity; it soon cannibalizes all other concerns."

#5 - Service!!!  Service is a great way to forget about my problems and help someone else with theirs.  Performing small acts of service always helps me feel better about myself and always brings a smile to my face.  I love this quote from a message in the Ensign in 2007 by Elder David S. Baxter.  He says, "There is something about service that brings about a marvelous change in how we think and feel about ourselves.  As we stretch our souls in service, we begin to forget our own challenges, and we are blessed with good feelings--even joy."

Now I did not post this to make people feel bad for me or anything, I really just needed a release from the emotions that I have been battling all day.  I also thought that maybe if I shared some of the things that help me cope with these feelings that it might help others in the future.  After reading some of these quotes tonight I am already feeling better!