Girls Camp Rocked the Hiz House

Girls camp was even more funnier, awesomier, coolier, bettier, sweetier, spiritualier & dopeier than I could ever imagined. It seriously was a blast and a half! Loved it! We stayed in The Sorensen's sweet cabin (we were roughing it fo sho). So many fun times, and oh how I truly LOVE every single person that shared in on the girls camp experience 2010! Some highlights:

***The ride to and from camp... talk about a partay in the Montero my loves!***

***Doing all of the girls make-up (a wee bit foreign lugging a bunch o make-up to CAMP, but whatev's) & seeing just how beautimus every single one of them really are!***

***Seeing a baby Moose right outside the cabin & naming him "Moosey"***

***Crying my eyes out, later that night after applying make-up to the girls, telling them that

inner beauty is SO much more important than outer beauty, that they are all beautiful daughters of God & that THAT is what REALLY matters!!!***

***Singing awesome silly songs with the girls***

***Having a very spiritual Testimony Meeting Friday night out on the porch surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery***

***Going 'Snipe Hunting' with the Beehives....Priceless***

***Laughing till I nearly peed myself with all of the leaders (basically every second we were there, but in particular the last night, after all the girls had gone to bed) My vision for being a leader myself at camp realized!!!***

***Getting to know everyone sooo much better & literally loving every second of being with all of them, Long Live Girls Camp 2010!!!***

Let's get to some Pix, shant we.....

So, this is the last day when we were packing up & Katie was about to snap a fabu pic of mua & instead got this (which is even MORE fabu if you ask me). For some reason Steph decided to scare me half ta def at this very instant & Katie captured it. Loves!

Here is 'Moosey', inside joke:

"I tried to stop him, I said 'Moose Stop!', but he didn't listen..."

Here is me, Katie & Katee doing our Miley pouty lips face right after the makeovers.

Work it Girlz!!!

Stretching out atop z ladies



Right before 'Snipe Hunting', notice the Beehives have Toothpaste plastered on their faces. The Laurels told them it "lured" in the snipes. Good stuff!

Great times, great times! Thanks Jake for allowing us unlimited back stage access to your sweet cabin, you are the ONLY reason I would ever claim to be TEAM JACOB! :) Thanks to all of the other leaders, not only did you make me feel like a kid again, but you truly made me feel like a true Stand Up Comedian (which, let's all be honest, I so am not! Only at midnight, in the dark, when I am literally Standing Up, whilst you were all laying down)! And especially Thanks to the 'girls', thanks for accepting me into the YW clan with open arms... I love, love, love you ALL!!!

BEAUTY BLOG

I decided to start a 'Beauty Blog' called Glow. Check it out if you are interested, or don't, whatever floats ya boat.

http://glowbeautifully.blogspot.com/

Gracias, carry on.

Untakeable

Things I cannot photograph....

-the laughter of my kids-

-my crazy tangled emotions of wanting another child-

-how great it feels to jump into a lake on a hot day-

-my love for the people that surround me-

-the respect i have for the life my grandpa lived-

-the refreshing feeling i get after giggling really hard-

-my gratitude towards my parents-

-the way i feel about music-

-sheer joy of a yummy home cooked meal-

-my passion for dancing-

-the feel of raindrops on my skin on a warm evening-

-how nice it feels to feel loved-

Happiness is...

* Lying in bed listening to the Rain outside * * Going to a Bee's Game with good Friends (thanks Steph!) * * Getting an unexpected Note in the mail * * Finding an old favorite

Sweatshirt, ALL the way in the very back of your closet * * Watching your 8 year old

son play Guitar Hero as his "talent" in the scout Talent Show * * Hearing a favorite

song while strolling through a store *

* Celtics making it to the Finals, we WILL beat LA * * Playing the game Ripple with family & seeing how happy my Mom gets when she gets a ripple/card she wants * * Bubble Baths * * Laughing so hard that you feel like you just did 314 sit ups * * Looking out my back window & seeing Mike & Camren doing their new favorite thing together: Gardening * * Having those yummy Powdered Doughnuts every once in a while for breakfast *

*Hula Hooping with a BFF in my living room watching So You Think You Can Dance, hoping that it really is burning the 600 calories in 60 minutes, like a magazine told you * * Going to late night girlie movies with Sis in

laws * * Watching Brian Regan DVDs that Jess lent to mua * * Smiling at a total stranger & they actually smile back * * Reading the sequel to 'The Hourglass Door': 'The Golden Spiral' * * Realizing that no matter your circumstances, you really can choose to be happy, everyday *

The Story of US...

I was going to do a post of our gooey love story & wait & post it on our Anniversary, or V-day, or something semi-lame like that, & then thought to myself, why not just do it now? On a ordinary, out of the blue, non-special event day Monday in May? I love our "Love Story" & I am just going to highlight a little bit of it here. Gooeyness and all!

* On our first date, as he was driving me home, he asked me out on a second date.

No waiting around by the phone wondering, 'Is he going to call?'

A boy that doesn't play mind games, knows what he wants and goes after it. Now that's what I'm talking about!!! *

* On our second date, dropping me off & saying goodnight on the porch, he leans in for

a sweet little kiss. Smiles at me and starts going down the porch stairs, turns around

and says "Um, I think that I am seeing stars right about now." *

* After a week of dating, driving me home in his sweet Land Cruiser that he had fixed up himself, reaches over and grabs my hand & sorta yells over the wind blowing through our hair "I want to date you, and only you, so what I am basically asking is Will you go out with me?" Yes, he was a return missionary, & he was asking me with this cutest boyish smile, very aware that he sounded like he was still in middle school, but just as sincere as Mike always is.

I laughed a little bit, looked at him to see if he was really being serious &

said "Yes, I will 'Go Out' with you" *

* Mike, leaving to go to college up at USU just a month after we had started dating, rearranged his whole schedule so that he only had Tue/Thur classes, so that he could come home

from Thursday night to Monday night to be with me. Let's just say he spent a lot more time

in So Jo than in Logan that semester.

My apologies to his roommates, who never got to see him. *

* Sept. 30, 2000 (just a short couple of months after we had began dating), taking me to USU's Homecoming Dance and afterwords going back to the Alumni house & back in the beautiful gardens in the backyard. Just me & him, he drops to one knee, tells me some very beautiful things & asks 'Will you marry me Laura? I promise I will ALWAYS treat you right & take good care of you?' And he still continues to make good on his promise. *

* December 28, 2000 , we are sealed for eternity in the SLC Temple! What an awesome day (other than the fact that the high of the day was 17 Degrees). We even had dancing at our reception, which is something I always wanted. Our first dance as huzzy & wifey was to

"Love of a Lifetime" by Firehouse. *

* February 12, 2002, laying on an operating bed with Mike right up by my head, lovingly playing with my hair to comfort me, and after 3 hours of pushing & then being rushed in for an emergency c-section, Mike looking in my eyes & saying "I want us to see him for the first time together", then hearing the first cries of our baby boy Jaden. Both of us shedding tears of joy/relief as they bundled him up and placed him in Mikes arms. *

* Aug. 23, 2003 Moving into our first HOME together, looking at each other feeling like "We Made It!!!" *

* August 30, 2004, sitting in a hospital room with Mike, knowing that for sure this time, that our next baby boy is coming via c-section, just waiting for the doc to be ready. Scared & with tears in my eyes, Mike gives me a big hug & tells me that it's going to be Okay & that he will be there with me the entire time. Again, he waits by my head, so that we can see Camren for the first time together. And then a couple hours later, holding Cam in my arms, Jaden walks in the room wearing a "I'm the BIG Brother" t-shirt. Mike picks him up & brings him over to see his lil' brother & there we were, the four of us together as a family. *

* Dec. 21, 2007, packing up & moving out of our first house & I felt devastated, I loved that house, how could we leave it, we had made that house our HOME. But then, as we were driving away, me & the boys in my car & Mike following behind in his car. I looked in my rear view mirror to look at the house once more, but had an Oprah "Aha" moment. I didn't see the house, I just saw my two boys in the back seat & Mike in his car & realized that everything that was special & meaningful about that house was right there, leaving with me. And as long as I had that, then I had MY Home. *

* Dec '07- Feb '08 Living with Mike's parents in their basement. Learning more & more about where Mike comes from & what makes him, well Mike! Seeing the daily interaction of him with his parents made me love & respect him even that much more. *

* Feb '08- Oct '08 Living with Mike's sister Krista & her fam, thinking that we were going to be building a home over by Daybreak, plans all in place. Heavenly Father had a different plan for us & it brought us to where we live now. This was a real trial for Mike & I, having this plan for our family & then doing a 180 & realizing that the Lord wants us somewhere else. It brought us closer & was a testimony builder that the Lord sees over everything in our lives &

his plans/ways are always better than our own, we just need to put faith in him. *

* Feb '06- Present Time: Realizing that there is another little one out there that is meant to be added to our family, but after many infertility treatments, prayers, blessings & still in the process of trying to adopt, & no such luck..... yet. I KNOW that it WILL happen, just don't know how or when quite yet. But I do know that I couldn't ask for a better partner to go through all of this with. Mike has been there to hold me as I cried every single month when I would realize that, No, I am not pregnant....still. When I was on all of this medicine that would literally make me crazy and Mike would call on his way home from work and would ask what kind of take-out he could bring home for me so we could have some yummy food to munch on while we watched whatever movie I was in the mood for. When Mike would be sooo strong for me, even though I knew that it was something that was so hard for him to handle as well. He wants another baby just as much as me. One day Mike, we will be holding our baby that we have prayed so hard for & you will have said to me "I want us to both see her/him for the first time together" & the waiting will have been worth it. *

* And then of course all of the little details, that really make our love story special. The way that we squeeze each others hands 3 times, to secretly tell the other one "I Love You". The songs that have become the soundtrack of our journey together: "Love of a Lifetime" by Firehouse, "I will Love You" by Fisher, "Everything" by Lifehouse, "Tangled up in You" by Staind, "Everything I do" by Bryan Adams, "Fix You" by Coldplay, "All I want is You" by U2, just to name a few. The way that he still gives me that boyish grin & it melts my heart every time. The way that we laugh together, and the way he can make me laugh harder than anyone I've ever met. The little inside jokes we share that no one else would probably even care to understand. The way he still opens doors for me, lets me control the remote, writes me cute little love notes & shows up with flowers "Just Because" & the way that when we went on a date the other week to see the flick "Date Night" & at the end of the movie Steve C.'s character says to Tina F.'s character "I would choose you every time" & Mike leans over and whispers in my ear "I would choose you every time TOO Laura, I love you!" Well Mike, I would choose you too, every time, & any situation. I love you with all of my Laura Johnston Heart!!! *

To be continued, and never to end.....

Summer Essentials

I love Summer time! The warmer weather, the trips to Powell, the icy cold refreshing treats, the NOT having to bundle everybody up just to go outside, the BBQ's, the sound of ice cream trucks driving around the neighborhood, the summer blockbuster movies that come out, all of the yummy fruit that is in season, watching the kids play in the sprinklers, the overall laid back feeling that IS Summer. Well, with all of this cold weather lasting a little bit too long for my liking, & warmer weather finally on the horizon, I give to you my list of Summer Essentials....

Okay, so nothing is more refreshing than taking a summer shower lathered up in

Raspberry Sorbet Shower Gel, smells like summer in a bottle!

I actually use "Faux Tan" by Bare Escentuals year round,

but I really up the ante when summer rolls around, more skin = more Faux Tan.

And then when I go in the ACTUAL sun I lather on some SPF 50, no joke.

The Perfume "Miss Marisa" by Ebba, I wish you could all take

a big wiffarooski through your monitor, you'd smell delightful notes of cassis & cooling mint. Amazing.

A ginormous Straw Hat. Mine is a tiny bit different than this, possibly larger,

if you can possibly deal. I worried at first about wearing it with my pixie haircut, but I'm over it. Love my BIG hat.

Flip Flops galore! I always think that I am going to sport really cute sandals,

& I have a few pair that work their way into rotation, but for the better part of summer, it's a trusty old pair of Flip Flops.

A big fluffy Beach Towel, to wrap up in after taking a dip in the pool,

or knee boarding/wake boarding off the back of the boat.

For some reason I have been obsessed with Aviator Sunglasses lately.

Love their sleek, can't go wrong classic shape.

And no, I actually don't at all feel like

I belong in the movie

"Top Gun" when I am wearing them.

Essie Nail Polish

These are three of my personal top 3 picks for summer, looks great with a tan (faux tan, ahem). And with names like

Lollipop, Shop Till I Drop, and Pink Parka

how can you really go wrong?

Now, c'mon Summer...

please arrive SOON, with lots of Sunshine!

I'm not NOT nuts...

Some things that I have found humorous as of late... ( do keep in mind, my loves, that some of these things didn't occur lately, sometimes I think of random funny things that happened years ago & D I E laughing out of nowhere. To which my huzzy usually looks at me & says "What is sooo funny?" & then through bursts of laughter & not really being able to speak real words at all cause I am laughing so hard, I explain what the hay I am giggling about. To which his reply usually is "Oh, I guess you had to be there!". No courtesy laughs from him. So, if I don't get any from you, I understand & besides, I won't know anywhoo. But you best believe that I am doing a full on belly laugh on my end here writing this. Plus sometimes it makes me laugh harder when my stories are received with cricket's. Now, after a looooong drawn out explanation of myself let's begin shall we...

* When I was in middle school I honest to goodness thought that the phrase,

or condition rather"Lactose Intolerant" was really "Black Toast Tolerant"!

Boy was my face rainbow red when I realized my mistake. Whoops A Daisy.

* When we were recently in California, we had ordered some yumdiddly-umcious

Papa John's Pizza. Each pizza comes with a Jalapeno Pepper in the box. Chris, my bro in law,

really wanted to have his 2 year old daughter, Kate, try one. After a "look" from my sister & her saying "I guess, if you warn her that it is really HOT & going to burn her mouth, & she still wants to try, then she's all yours" So Chris warns Kate & she opens her mouth & takes a bite. To which, of course she makes a funny face & grabs her milk immediately. Well, a few minutes later, Kate grabs a grape off of her plate & says in the most serious of voices "You want a grape Daddy? It's going to be REALLY HOT & hurt your mouth!!!" Could she get any cuter?

* Realizing that after you eat some "Smacks"- you know, the cereal, the next time you urinate your pee smells exactly like Smacks, & I mean EXACTLY. Mike says that the same thing happens with asparagus, I wouldn't know, I don't eat the stuff. I'll just trust him on that one.

* Camren, a few months ago:

Cam : Hey mom, who gets to decide who you marry, the boy or the girl?

Me: Both, really. The boy usually does the asking, but the girl gets to decide whether she says yes or no.

Cam: When do I get to get married?

Me: Not for a LONG time, hopefully when you are 19 you'll decide to go on a mission.

Cam: How long is a mission?

Me: 2 years

Cam: Ugh, 19 is going to be a boring time.

Me: No, Daddy went to Jamaica & he loved his mission.

Cam: Oh, fine, whatever, but WHEN do I get to get married?

Me: I guess when you get home from your mish. Where do you want to be married?

Cam: (Thinking that I have asked him WHY he wants to get married) Because you get to eat CAKE, hello? And I am going to eat my cake at the beginning of my wedding, not the end like Spencer & Tiffany!

PRICELESS!

* Lisa Rhinna on dancing with the stars, being interviewed after doing a good job on her dance routine. The lady asked her, "You did such an amazing job tonight, what's your secret?" "Oh, it's cause I have 'my girls' with me tonight (grabbing at her chest), they are my good luck charms!" The lady than looking a little puzzled, so Lisa starts laughing so hard & grabs a picture of her daughters (aka her GIRLS) out from her brazer. What the?

And at the risk of offending some of you, please don't be, Joel from "The Soup", (this is how I even saw this clip), featured this on his show & after airing the clip he says "Oh, that's funny, cause I do so well too because of MY lucky charms, MY BOYS!" Reaching down his pants & grabbing a picture of his sons out of his pants. Hilarious!!!

Okay, that's all for now. Keep on laughin & livin'!

Deepest Fear...

I LOVE this! I 100% agree with this. I love that it empowers us to do better, be better & to not only not be ashamed of it, but be PROUD of it. So many times I have answered the question, "And what do you do?" with a reply of "Oh, I am just a stay at home Mom".

I read this quote a few years back & started to change my answer & change my LIFE, so that the answer changed. I decided, who am I not to live out my dream of having my own Dance studio? I love to do make-up, who's to say that I couldn't go & be a make-up artist for my favorite brand MAC? And why in the heavens could I not do all of this & still be a "stay at home Mom"? I started putting my plans into action & going after what I REALLY wanted out of life, until I got it, even when people would still ask "the" question, I would tell them that I was a Mother & loved that I was able to stay at home with them. Nothing had changed, except my refusal to belittle myself & what I had made of myself. Well, here I am a few years later & I have accomplished the goals that I had originally set. Don't get me wrong, I still found myself saying things like "Yeah, I teach dance, but .... it's just in my basement & I just have a handful of small classes", or "Yeah, I do make-up, but..... I just freelance." And then I am reminded of this quote & that I need to not feel little in this big world. There are many new goals that I hope to achieve & I hope that I can continue to better myself & not limit myself.

Even in writing this post, I get a nag in my brain that says, "Well, if you just come on here & talk up yourself, then my osh kosh b-gosh Laura, you are FULL of yourself!!!!" Then, whence again, I have to remind myself that it's not that at all, it's allowing ourselves to shine & hoping that everyone around you will allow themselves to do the same. I have a vazillion things to work on & always will. It's a lot in the attitude of how you get somewhere & the confidence in yourself to know that you are meant for greatness. In all of the people that surround me from day to day, I see in them traits that I would absolutely LOVE to have & I hope that they see it in themselves.

So, as we ask ourselves "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?", I hope that we can say "Actually, Who am I not to be?"

The Continuation

Here's the "to be continued..." part of our California trip. I said I'd do it & I delivered, amazing, I know. So, before we had left to Cali, my sister had written a post on her blog that Aly, my niece, had just gotten her first hula hoop. So I had posted a comment for her to let Aly know that a Hula Hooping contest was going to be on like Donkey Kong when we came for a visit. The contest took place the night before we left & basically everybody got in on the fun (though I don't have pix of everyone who did it, my bad). I actually was the first one up & was going on doing my hula business & after a few minutes Stacy says to me "Okay, I think that you can be done now, I think that you have won. Let's give Aly a chance." Kinda like, "Okay, what the heck are you doing Laur, are you trying to make a 8 year old girl cry?" So, in my mind I was like: "Crap, I was being serious & what if she honestly barely just learned? Dang it Laura! Dang it!" So, dun dun dunaaaaaahh, Aly gets up for her turn & she just kept going & going & going, she was the energizer bunny I tell ya. Stacy, in surprise, says to Aly "When did you get sooo good?", Aly just smiles at her madre & continues to tell her that she & her friend from Louisiana would practice all of the time together before they moved out to Cali. Then Aly starts doing all of these tricks, walking, jumping up & down, doing the boo-tay dance all whilst still hula hooping! She won that contest by a mile! I was so proud of her! She was so awesome! Here were some of the other contestants....

Mike, okay, so he was freakishly good at it. Anything he tries, he can do. He could have just kept going & shaking what his mother gave him, but I think that he wanted to let me walk away with at least a little pride. I like his form though. Look at those arms.

Than there's me.... you can almost just hear me saying "TAAA-DAAAAA" through

the picture, can't you?

Stacy gave a very valiant effort, preggo belly and all (even though you can't really tell cause her coat is hiding it). She was one of my favorites to watch though! I love how we all do a little something different with our arms.

Here's my bud Jaden. His first time trying!!! By the end, he actually kind of got it! It MUST run in the family or something.

And now, without further adue, the WINNER.... Aly!!! All I can say is, you better keep practicing Aly, because you do realize that there will be a part 2 to this little competition! And yes, I actually DID go & purchase a hula hoop to practice! So, if you want to hold onto that title, you may want to start throwing in a couple new tricks. Just so you know. :)

Well, well, well here is a few more pix from the trip. Just putting them up on here makes me want to load up the Prism & head on out for another 12 hour road trip! Miss you O'Gwins!


Here's cute Kate at the Beach. That girl is quite possibly the coolest 2 year old ever!

Here's one of almost the whole group at the aquarium. Thanks Mike for sacrificing not being in the picture, so that we actually had someone to take the picture!
Chris didn't make it because of school. Dang you school & making people smarter!

I just particularly liked this one of Cam at the BBQ... Smores anyone?

Jaden & Cam at Carmel Beach. Notice that Jaden is wearing a "gold medal" that he had gotten at their church in primary & would not take it off forever.

Love this next one, & a good one to end on, I believe. My boys enjoying the beach at sunset....

B-A-utiful!

Movie under Review

So this blog-o-rama is sorta turning into my little outlet on how I feel about everything, from my taste in music, TV, make-up, my deepest darkest feelings (okay, okay, maybe not my DEEPEST DARKEST, but semi-deep, not very light feelings), fashion, movies, food, books, etc.... Sprinkled in with some fun little updates about my family happenings. So, let's just accept it for what it is & embrace it. Sometimes it's just fun for me to come on here & tell you all about my recent opinions on things. It's like my very own personal online magazine that I am Editor in Chief of. When I was say 10 or 11, I would cut out pix from magazines of my fave celebs (from no other than Teen Bop Magazine), my top Celeb's at that time were New Kids on the Block, Paula Abdul and members from The Mickey Mouse Club (remember that? and the band "THE PARTY" that stemmed off of it). Yes, and I am actually talking about the Mickey Mouse Club that was before B. Spears & J.T. It was the one with like Damien & Tiffany (my two personal faves). Any-chow, I would cut out pictures of them, paste them on construction paper & staple them together & make my own Mag out of it. I would even write little "articles". Priceless. But, the point is, sometimes when I am doing posts on this blog I feel like I am doing an awesomer, high techer, grown uper version of that. So, I guess I really never will truly grow up. I just become an older version of my younger self? Who knows. But, on the real's yo, Mike & I rented "The September Issue" last night. It's basically the documentary version of "The Devil Wears Prada". The girl that wrote that book, Lauren Weisberger, was the real life Anne Hathaway character of the movie. And the character that Meryl Streep plays in the movie, in real life is Anna Wintour. Well it's a 90 minute documentary of the putting together of the September Issue of Vogue, which we all know is the biggest issue of the year, it forecasts all of the Fall trends and such. Some call it "The Fashion Bible". I don't however, I am obsessed with mags, but not Vogue for some reason. But yes, if you have seen The Devil Wears Prada, than may I just say, Meryl is a DEAD RINGER for Anna Wintour, she really does seem like the ice queen. I actually loved the movie. It was fun seeing how they put together the mag & all of those beautiful clothes....Oh My, my, my. My favorite person in the documentary was a lady named Grace Coddington, the creative director at Vogue. I have to first of all say that Mike said that she looks like the witch in "Willow", agreed. But, she was the only one who ever stood up to Anna, and was quite a genius at what she does. Very interesting show, obviously I liked the Hollywooded-up version, The Devil Wears Prada better. But it still was very entertaining. I give it a 7.5 out of ten. Mike even actually stayed up through the whole thing, which is saying A LOT. He can't stay up for nuffin'. Next up for my viewing pleasure, I am excited to see "The Backup Plan", yes, it is "that one with J. Lo in it", "Date night"- have heard that that one is hilarious, the new "Robin Hood"- Mike & I watched the Kevin Costner version of this as part of our first date, so I kinda feel like it's "our movie", and then some other renters that I have yet to see: Julie & Julia, Every body's Fine, The Invention of Lying, and gasp... Avatar (no we were not one of the bazillion people that saw it in the theaters). So, let's pop some popcorn, grab a blankie & snuggle duggle up to a great movie...

Listen Up

Here are some songs that have been in a regular rotation in my ear holes as of late...

Snow Patrol * Just Say Yes

Broken Bells * October

Bon Iver * Skinny Love

30 Seconds to Mars * Hurricane

Band of Horses * No One's Gonna Love You

The Weepies * Take it from Me

Peter Bradley Adams * Ohio

Matt Morris * In this House

Lifehouse * It is what it Is

Carly Simon * Coming Around Again

Gary Go * Open Arms

Iron & Wine * Boy with a Coin

Greg Laswell * How the Day Sounds

My Morning Jacket * Librarian

Barenaked Ladies * You Run Away

B.O.B. feat Bruno Mars * Nothin on You

Regina Spektor * Us

Mat Kearney * Undeniable

Jack Johnson * Flake

Most of these songs are on my Play list at the bottom of my blog. Check 'em out if you haven't heard some of them yet. If there are any random songs that you are obsessed with lately, please let me know. I love finding new music!!!

25 Randoms...

25 Random Things you didn't know about Laura. Wait, no not THAT Laura, me, Laura...

1. I hate that Laura Bush has the same name as me. Why can't someone cool have the same name as me? Like why isn't, I don't know, Kate Beckinsale's name Laura Beckinsale?
   
2. I have dead serious thought of getting a very long wig & wearing it every now & again when I feel like not having short hair for the day. Still haven't got one. So if you ever actually see me with long flowing hair, it's my own.
3. I actually read the book "Story Telling" by Tori Spelling & liked every page.
4. I won a hula hooping contest in High School.
5. I once threw an economy sized thing of Ketchup across the floor in my parents basement & it literally exploded everywhere! All over their BRAND NEW white-ish carpet. That was a bad day to say the least.
6. I am a bit of an insomniac. No fun. Mike complains to me if it takes him more then 5 minutes for him to fall asleep. I've lied awake watching the clock turn from 2am & then 3, 4...5, "Ahhh just fall asleep!" I yell in my brain! It doesn't listen, in fact it mocks me & says back to me " Now you are even further away from being asleep, sucker!"
7. I have NEVER watched a single episode of Jersey Shore & I am a little bit proud of myself for this. That is just the type of trashy dumb reality show that I get caught up in. But I won over that one. Man, I am so strong.
8. I would love to open up a cute little boutique & get to choose everything in it. It would be the sweetest store that women would flock to in the hundreds. I would sell the best smelling home fragrances, & I would be so awesome that I would have the means to make my very own Perfume & sell it there. Don't know yet what I would call said perfume, but it would smell fantastic! I would also sell really random music from artists that nobody has really heard of, but should because they are so talented. I would sell delicate handmade jewelry, stationary, and the coziest blankets you've ever felt. The sexiest shoes would also be sold, as well as unique pieces of clothing, not that blinged out crap, just beautifully made clothes that not everybody & their dog is wearing. Really comfy over sized pajamas (you know like Men pajamas, but for the ladies), and Shea infused stripped socks. And then some quirky home decorations, like funky throw pillows & frames & stuff. It would be decorated awesomely & always smell spectacular in there, with the best music playing on the background. Aww, what a cute dream of mine.
9. I am beyond grossed out by coral & stuff that has a lot of bumps on it, yuck, I am itching all over just thinking about it!
10. I had my very first bloody nose out of nowhere a few weeks ago. Not as bad as I had imagined.
11. I wish I loved to run, like I was a run-a-holic or something. But sadly, I don't.
12. I once thought that it would be hilarious if I just went up to a boy in high school & put a quarter in one of my eyes (all scrunched up around the quarter, if you can possibly picture it) & say in a silly voice "You would be crazy not to go to Homecoming with me!" And that would be my "cute" way of asking him to a dance.
13. I want to learn to play the acoustic guitar & blow people away with my skills.
14. I am overly obsessed with the number 14!
15. I used to have a crush on David Bowie in "Labyrinth"! Have you seen that movie lately? Could he look any gayer in it? So funny.
16. I had a weird fear of cats for a while, like when I was in preschool or something.
17. I probably own enough cosmetics to last me 5 lifetimes.
18. I definitely own enough perfume to last me like 10 lifetimes. What is the deal with me & my nose?
19. I use to wish I was Princess Diana.
20. My first kiss (sorta) was when I chase around a boy named Javier at recess & kissed him on the ear. How romantic.
21. I don't particularly like Mexican food.
22. I have a weird scar right above my right knee from jabbing some scissors into it when I was little (on accident, of course).
23. I hold my breath every time I pass by a cemetery. Some old wives tale associated with this I am sure, just don't remember it.
24. When Mike and I lived in Logan, we lived across from a cemetery. I still don't know how I felt about not always being able to hold my breath. But I would still hold it every time we at lease drove by it.
25. I stole the idea to do this "25 Random Things You Don't Know About Me" post from a column they have in US Weekly every week.

My new calling...

I have recently been called to be the Young Women's Secretary in our ward. I could not be more excited, or humbled by this calling. I have always wanted to serve in YW & up until this point have only been in Primary (which was great as well, those little Sunbeams are so cute & innocent). When the Bishop called me into his office & told me what the calling was & would I accept it, I felt a tingle go down my spine. What an honor to be able to work with the youth of our ward! I remember all of the different feelings and emotions I had when I was their age as if it were just yesterday. And let's be honest here, I probably act more immature at times than a lot of these girls that I am going to be in with. I don't know what it is, and in a lot of ways I hope that it never goes away, but I swear I still feel like I am 16. Okay, so maybe I thought I was like 29 when I was 16 & so that is why I still feel that way, but whatev's. I hope I always have a young soul. Um, randomness..... Back to the girls. I remember my feelings of self doubt, unworthiness, struggles of really standing up for what's right, whether it was cool or not, questioning my self worth. I still obviously struggle with all of the above sometimes, but now with out any doubt in my mind I know that I am a beloved daughter of my Heavenly Father & that what he thinks of me matters more than anything. And I want the girls in my YW to know this with all of their heart to. They are all so beautiful inside & out & I hope that I can have some sort of positive influence on how they feel about themselves. Those years are so hard & Satan works so hard to bring the youth down. That is why I am beyond humbled to be able to serve in this capacity & try to help them realize their worth. I just pray that the Lord will help lead & guide me. Cause lets face it, I need all of the Divine help I can get. I found a couple of great quotes that I think go along just lovely with what I am trying to say.....

"Being a Daughter of God means that if you seek it, you can find your

true identity. You will know who you are."

-Pres. James E. Faust

"You need, more and more, to feel the perfect love which our father in heaven

has for you and to sense the value he places upon you as an individual."

-Pres. Spencer W. Kimball

I am so excited to get to know each of them better & I can't wait for girls camp! I know I talked a lot about the spiritual side of it all, but I am jazzed (nobody uses that word anymore, that's why I just did) to just have FUN with the girls. All of the craziness, the laughing, the putting honey on the porta-potty seat at camp. Bring it on! And heck, I remember going to girls camp & my Mom was one of the leaders (I loved that she was in there when I was in there) & us "responsible" young women would be going to bed in our tents at oh around midnight-ish & you could hear as loud as day, the Leaders tent laughing it up like it was the party of the decade. All of the sudden my 14 year old self was wanting to partake in whatever was going on in that tent. So much fun! So many good memories I have of being in YW myself & now I get to experience it again, through a leader's perspective. Oh, & I hope/know that we are going to be the same, me & the other leaders, partying like it's 1999 in our tent. So, here I start this journey, with a grin from ear to ear on my face.....

California knows how ta partay....

Wish you were here.... Oh wait, I wish I was still there.... We just got back from Cali late Friday night, or actually really early Saturday morning if we are getting technical (3:00 am puh-lease, we were supposed to be home by 11:00 pm, I'll explain later...). It was the most fun I have had in a while. My sister Stacy & her family live in Monterey & were kind enough to let us come spend spring break with them. So much to get to & I am going to overload you with pix, but hey, this is actually the scaled down version, so don't hate. A joke me a make, pix are the best part right? The pic above is from the evening we went to Carmel Beach & had a bonfire/BBQ/smore party. It was uber gorgeous & so much fun. When we first arrived it was raining & I said, we'll at least stay a minute & watch the waves crash & like 10 min later the storm had passed & we were able to stay & do the whole shabang. This was one of our fave things we did while we were there, here's a few more pix (by the by, I am not necessarily going in order of when we actually did stuff)....


We also went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (it's the one in the movie "Seven Pounds", fabu), so awesome, the boys loved it! They had sharks & jelly fish and all sorts of sea-a-deasy life, it was sweet cause Stacy & Chris had managed to get some passes from people in their ward so we were able to forgo the $30 entrance fee & get in for free instead (always a much better plan). Here's some pictorials....

This place called Point Lobos was also another favorite of ours. We did a little hike to get to where you look out & I feel like I keep repeating myself, but I don't know how else to describe it, it was AMAZING! There were 30-40 ft waves coming up & crashing right on the rocks by us. We definitely got wet a few times. Oh, & you could see a bunch of seals & sea lions playing in the water & on a rock a little ways out. Breathtaking.....


Here is a couple other random pix...

Jaden & Aly kickin it at the Tide Pools

My boyz at the beach livin it up Cali style

Us at the Pier on Cannery Row

Alright, now for the whole getting home 4 hours later than planned, scroll to the next pic & you'll start to understand. We got to Donner's Pass & it was a nightmare, this is actually a modest picture of the snow, it was much worse in other places (this is just when I happened to think to click a photo of it). We got through this huge long line & then realized that Chains were required on our car (p.s. we had taken the Prism to save on gas) from that point on. Do you think that we just had an extra pair of chains laying around? Nope. We had to turn back around, buy some, install them & go back through the line & then go through a winter wonderland......in April......in California! What? But we made it home safe & sound! That's all I asked for the whole ride home, literally, I don't think that I have ever said so many prayers on a road trip before!


Thank you sooooooo much O'gwins for such a ball of a time! Mike & I fell in love with Monterey. We kept joking that we were going to move out there. But it wouldn't be a joke if we had a few extra million dollars laying around. Every day was an adventure & you could be somewhere & then drive just 2 miles in a different direction & it looks like you are in a completely different place. Everything was beyond beautiful, but the best part of it all was getting to spend time with the fam! Love you guys! We did a bunch more stuff that I am going to blog about soon, with more pix! But this was all the time I had to put up right now. So, this post is to be continued... As are most of my posts I've noticed. Still need to get on to continue them. Soon. But the one that goes along with this one is a definite go! Miss you already Monterey, Stacy, Chris, Aly, Lise & Kate! Air Kisses!