Parker's Pre Mission Pics (with some of Holly and I)

Courtesy of the lovely Holly Pike... thanks for taking these pics Hollster! :D We love you!
Parker asked Holly to take his pre mission pictures like she did for Cody. How sad is it that both Parker and Cody will be gone at the same time? :( I'll get Cody back a year after Parker leaves so I guess it's ok. Anyways, enjoy the craziness and the studliness! :D

He looks like my Dad in this one... actually I can see my Dad in a lot of Parker! Crazy huh? Love ya bro!

Quick Weekend Update

So, just in case you haven't noticed, my blog is no longer private. I'm not worried anymore with what I was a few months ago.
I kind of had a bad day today. Church wasn't all that great. I've been feeling really left out of the ward lately, especially in Relief Society. Even though the girls all know that my records are in that ward and that I just don't live in the apartments, they still look over me and don't bother talking to me, even when I make an effort to say hi to them.
I realize that this is something that I probably shouldn't be super worried about, but I am. I just want to be able to feel like a part of the ward and know that I'm not being ignored. Oh well. I'll get over it.
Something exciting did happen today though. I opened my email to email Cody and there was an email from someone that I didn't recognize. I open it up and it's from Cody's companion's girlfriend! haha how funny huh? She wants to talk and get to know me, since the boys have been telling both of us that we are all going to meet and hang out once Cody gets home. She seems like a super cute girl! I am excited to get to know her and become friends with her.
Well, yesterday was mine and Lindsey's birthday BBQ! It was so much fun! Deb, Claude, Lindsey and her friend Jenny came, along with Erika, Holly, Julie and Shawn and Kenz and Chris. It was so much fun! I was super nervous to have my parents and Cody's parents meet but it actually went really really good! They were all laughing and talking and both of my parent's said to me that his parents are really nice! YAY! I felt like peeing my pants the whole time hoping that they were getting along. Whew! Anyways, I'll get the few pictures up when I load them on my computer hehe!
Well, nothing else really going on. Just work, which I still love!
Sorry this is kind of a blah post but I'll have more exciting ones coming up this week I promise!
Loves to you all! :D

Birthday Fun and More Holly Pictures

Yesterday was my birthday! I can't believe that I am 20 years old. Wow! Crazy! What did I do? Well, I went to work first of all. I worked until 3 and then I came home and watched Les Miserables with my beautiful Madre! Then I met Holly and Julie at Olive Garden for dinner. It was so much fun! Holly was boy hunting the boys on the table across from us and she actually gave them her number! haha! Oh how funny! Here are pics of dinner...

Me and Hollster

Me and Julie

Then afterwards, we went and did one of her amazing spontaneous photo shoots. Then we went back to her house and just hung out for the rest of the night. I hadn't hung out with them for a long time and so it was good to be able to talk with them and laugh and have fun. Here are the beautiful photo shoot pictures:

Well it's only some of them. But it's a lot and I love them all! I'm not trying to be vain and say that I am amazing haha I've raving over Holly's photo skills and tell everyone about them because she loves to take peoples pictures! Let me know if you want some done by her! Love ya'll!

Holly's Professional Skills

So one day last week, Holly and her friend Erin and I went and took pictures just for fun. Holly is like this amazing photographer! haha! And she does it just for fun. These are just a FEW of the pictures she took of me.

This is my absolute favorite one that she took! And she says it's her favorite that she's ever taken. It was one of those pictures where I was trying not to smile because she told me to be serious, and right when I turned and laughed she snapped the picture. haha! Cute huh?

Moab 2010

We just got back from Moab on Sunday night. I had such a blast! We went with Deborah, Claude and Lindsey. SOOOO much fun!
We left Friday morning around 9 am-ish and got there around 12:30 or 1:00 pm. We got something to eat, set up camp and then we took a ride to Dead Horse Point and Secret Spire.

Do you know the story of Dead Horse Point? Well here it is... thanks to http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/.

"Dead Horse Point is a peninsula of rock atop sheer sandstone cliffs. The peninsula is connected to the mesa by a narrow strip of land called the neck. There are many stories about how this high promontory of land received its name.
According to one legend, around the turn of the century the point was used as a corral for wild mustangs roaming the mesa top. Cowboys rounded up these horses, herded them across the narrow neck of land and onto the point. The neck, which is only 30-yards-wide, was then fenced off with branches and brush. This created a natural corral surrounded by precipitous cliffs straight down on all sides, affording no escape. Cowboys then chose the horses they wanted and let the culls or broomtails go free. One time, for some unknown reason, horses were left corralled on the waterless point where they died of thirst within view of the Colorado River, 2,000 feet below."

This is just one of the views from Dead Horse Point. See how pretty?

Lindsey at Secret Spire.

On Saturday, we woke up, had breakfast and then we went and hiked up to Delicate Arch. It was soo much harder then last year! Last year it was only 70 degrees and overcast. This year it was 100 degrees and bright blue skies with no clouds. Even though I was drinking water I started to get heat exhaustion, but then after sitting in one of the shady places near the top for like 4 minutes and resting up at the top, I was fine. But I love Delicate Arch! I love that hike! It is my absolute favorite! Everyone but Mom hiked it, Mom was sick and so she didn't think she was going to be able to hike it this year. But she hiked it with us last year.

Now I don't have any pictures for the last two rides we took on Saturday and Sunday. After the hike on Saturday we rode to a place called Spring Canyon. You ride down this trail on the edge of the wall of some cliffs... if that makes sense... and you ride down in the bottom of the canyon. It's so pretty! My bum is so sore though because I rode behind Dad on Deb's four-wheeler (oh only Claude, Lindsey, Parker, Dad and I went on this ride due to lack of four-wheelers haha) and we totally forgot about a cushion! So I was sitting on the bars and it hurt my bum for the bumpy parts... haha! But it was so fun and so pretty! Then on Sunday we went to Dellan Baugh Tunnel. This is where the rock crawling came in! Deb rode behind Claude on his four-wheeler, Lindsey drove hers and I drove Deb's. Dad, Mom and Parker rode in the Bronco. Anyways, Lindsey and I rocked the slickrock in the four-wheelers! I admit I was a little nervous at first but after I did it once I was totally fine and I rocked it. It was so much fun! We want to take a fall trip now... I'ms o excited! :D

My next post will be pictures that "Miss Professional Picture Taker" Holly took of me! So cute! Loves ya'll!

Home Teachers and Cereal Candy

My home teachers for the summer semester came today, Kade and Paul. They are very nice guys! Kade has been in the ward since fall semester, and Paul has been in since this semester hehe. Anyways, I'm very impressed with these young men. Kade has been the only one in the ward that recognizes that I am a member of that ward and that I just don't live in the apartments. Him and Paul told me today that they are going to work on letting me know more about the ward activities and help me become more of a part of the ward then I feel. I really appreciate that. What a nice kid! Paul is sweet too. I sat next to him in Sunday School today and he was very nice and talked to me for a little bit. It's so surprising to me what people in these wards actually make an effort to make me feel welcome and what people don't. I've always had my home teachers come and visit. But no visiting teachers. No one in Relief Society talks to me, not even the RS president. But I've always had the guys talk to me and make me feel welcome. Anyways, Kade and Paul talked about temples today and what a tool we are for the temples and how we are the power for them and we need to be able to make ourselves worthy and keep ourselves worthy to enter the temple and for the blessings of the temple. Also how to take advantage of the Atonement and understanding the Atonment and keep ourselves out of temptation. Kade shared a quote from Elder Richard G. Scott's conference talk "He Lives! All Glory to His Name!" that stood out to me. It says:

"I energetically encourage you to establish a personal study plan to better understand and appreciate the incomparable, eternal, infinite counsequences of Jesus Christ's perfect fulfillment of His divinely appointed calling as our Savior and Redeemer. Profound personal pondering of the scriptures accompanied by searching, heartfelt prayer will fortify your understanding of and appreciation for His priceless Atonement. Another powerful way to learn of Jesus Christ and His Atonement is through consistent temple attendance."

I really loved this quote. Is that not the most straight forward guidance? I love that. I want to be able to go to the temple more. Even though I'm not endowed, I still have the opportunity to do Baptism's for the Dead and I need to get a recommend to be able to go and do it often. Anyways, I'm very excited for my home teachers and I hope that I will benefit from them a great deal. :D

Mom and I made Cereal Candy for our Moab trip this weekend. It's super super easy and so yummy!

Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it:

1 package of Golden Graham cereal

1 package of Corn Chex cereal

1 package of coconut

1 package of slivered almonds

2 tsp of vanilla

2 cups karo syrup

2 cups sugar

2 cubes margarine

Mix karo syrup, margarine and sugar together in a pot over the stove. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add vanilla and pour over the cereal, almond and coconut mixture. Mix well and enjoy!

Workout Woes

Alright. So does everyone remember my weight loss goal that I made when Cody left? The whole, "I'm gonna work out every night or every other night until he comes home?" Hahahaha... it was kind of a joke. Until...NOW.

I've been slacking, unfortunately. Just with the exercising, not with my eating habits, just with the exercising. About a week before I quit Sam's Club, I bought some Jillian Michael's work out videos that were like $5 each. Anyways, I've always said if I could be on "The Biggest Loser" I would want to have Jillian as my trainer because she wouldn't give up on me but she would be tough on me and make me work hard. Tonight that was the truth and she wasn't even there in person. I decided, after a few weeks of not working out, that I was going to push myself and do this whole Metabolism Boost workout with no stopping.

So I put the DVD in, (this is what it looks like if you're interested in trying it out) stretched while it was warming up, pushed play and got ready to work it. I got through the warm up fine, got through the first 2 circuits (out of 6) well kinda slow but I did them, then the 3rd circuit it when it got bad.

I had pushed myself too hard. I got super sick. I felt like I was going to throw up. So I sat down for a few minutes. When I felt like I was going to be ok, I stood back up to try it again. The second I was standing, my stomach got yucky again. So I sat down for a few more minutes. I drank some water, hoping maybe I was just a little dehydrated (even though I've been drinking ALL day). I felt fine again. So I tried it again, but once I got standing I got sick to my stomach again. What the heck!


If you haven't figured it out yet, this work out is a cardio workout, a very very intense cardio workout if you don't work yourself up to it. Which is exactly what I DIDN'T do. I didn't take it slow. I didn't work myself up to it. I pushed myself too hard and I made myself sick doing it. Which is not good.

I got really discouraged. I was thinking the whole time I was sitting watching the rest of the workout (what an oxymoron! haha!) that I was not good enough for this workout. I figured that I was never cut out for it in the first place and that I was never going to reach my weight goal by the time Cody came home. But after sittin there for a few minutes feeling sorry and all mopey, I got super motivated. That's exactly what I need to do! I need to work myself up to that intense crazy workout (I know it's intense because Jillian, the most fit and amazing trainer, was huffing and puffing after it) and once I get stronger, and make my heart and my lungs stronger that I will be able to do the whole workout without stopping like Jillian and the other two girls on the video did. Then I will be able to speed up my metabolism, lose weight and have a really good cardio workout all at the same time!

Don't get discouraged if you try something hard and don't succeed the first time. Keep working at it and keep finding things to motivate you. I'm going to try this again tomorrow and see how far I get. I'm going to work myself up but push myself at the same time. I won't get results immediately, which is what I was thinking was going to happen haha but I know better. It will take time.

But hey! If anyone wants a workout buddy, please let me know! I would love to have one! I need someone to tell me not to quit and to keep going, and in turn I will do the same for you! Haha!

Also... I found a website to help me get my blog all cutsie some more! So here's the first change... my signature! It's not really the font that I want it to me, but once I figure out how to do it the other way then I will do that but for now... TA DA!