so it's been a while

and thanksgiving was just last thursday, so i thought i might write about things i'm grateful for :)

*my mother
*my FAMILY
*my Heavenly Father
*my calling as a Sunbeams teacher
*the ability to laugh
*white cheddar cheez-its
*boys ;)
*best friends
*having a warm, cozy house to come home to every day
*my patriarchal blessing
*knowing i am a daughter of God
*having the Gospel in my life
*a sister who makes me laugh
*the opportunities i have to gain an education
*the fact that i live in America
*having enough food to eat every day
*my abilities to see, hear, feel, smell and taste
*that i am in good health
*living in this day and age no matter how corrupted it may be
*love

i'm tired so may or may not continue this list tomorrow. remember to give thanks for all you have!

xo

hm.

all i can say about the election is... may the Lord bless our country and keep us safe. although i honestly feel like mccain was the better choice for president, i just hope and pray that we'll pull out of these hard times! good luck, president obama :)

xo

uuupdate!

so this last week has been a very long and stressful one. there are quite a few miraculous things that have happened. on wednesday or thursday night i was up very late, when all of a sudden i got this awful feeling that something bad was going to happen. i was crying and hyperventilating for absolutely no reason. it was so bad i had to sleep in my mom's room. i still couldn't shake the feeling, and i was paranoid about my sister going to vegas with the marching band for fear that something would happen to her.

on saturday night, i went to a byu vs. utah hockey game with my friend doug (i'll tell the story of that later). afterwards we went and played at wasatch elementary, when i got a missed call and a text from my mom telling me to call her right away. it was then i realized maybe this is why i had that bad feeling - my grandma (who lives with us) had passed out and my mom found her laying face down on her floor.

now here's the miraculous part - my great-aunt nola told us this story the next day at church - she had called our house for absolutely no reason, just feeling like maybe she should. if the phone rings long enough, it goes to the answering machine. but this time, it kept ringing and ringing and never went to the machine. my mom finally realized my grandma wasn't going to answer, so she went upstairs to see where she was. that's when she found her on the ground.

another odd thing is that my mom and i were supposed to go to vegas to take a little vacation and watch the marching band but at the last minute decided not to go. if we hadn't been there, it could have been MUCH worse. after my mom pointed these things out to me, i couldn't help but get goosebumps and wonder if maybe all of this happened for a reason. i don't know if it was a coincidence, but i have to thank the Lord for keeping my grandma safe. she's resting comfortably in the hospital now, please keep her in your prayers :)

xo

tomorrow is my

very first day as a primary teacher! i get the opportunity to teach the sunbeams, and i couldn't be more excited! although i am scared, i am trying my best to put together a lesson that will teach them about being a good example, and following in Christ's footsteps! my 4-year-olds are the cutest kids ever, and i just hope that they'll like the lesson :) as i'm writing this, my adorable dog bailey, is snoring peacefully on the floor beside me... she usually does that when i'm on the computer!

xo

family pictures

about 3 weeks ago, before david left for his mission, we went to fotogenix to get family pictures done! here are some of the gorgeous pictures!

xo

i recently came across

a blog, called 'twigs & honey'. it's a woman named myra who makes gorgeous headbands and other wedding pieces. her blog is so cute and quirky, i love it! if any of you are looking for something for a wedding, go to THIS website!

so this morning i got a phone call at 5:30 am... since nick has work now he calls me every morning before work even if i'm asleep. he said he and his parents might be coming out for thanksgiving! i am SO excited! it's been six VERY long months since i've seen him and i'm about bursting with excitement right now!

oh and tomorrow is thursday. which means... THE OFFICE! :)

xo

...

so life has been boring these last few days... such is life. nothing too exciting has happened. brennley and shayla came over on tuesday, and brenn has discovered the kitchen. if i set her down for one second, she'll crawl to the kitchen to try and get some of bailey's dog food. she's so cute! :)

last night i went to an old friends house for a party to watch a new episode of "the office". i'm five seasons late, but i'm now addicted. michael and dwight's stupidity just makes me giggle! afterwards we played balderdash which is a hilarious game, and catch phrase!

halfway through the party i recieved some joyous news - the cougs LOST to TCU! (gasp) i was just as surprised as anyone, but it definitely made my night! now lets just hope utah can step it up and take TCU down! i'm excited because chris and i got tickets to the game! we're going to be sitting with the MUSS, and even more exciting - it's going to be a blackout! i've seen them before and they are awesome! so i'm excited to participate!

also, elder david gage has been having a wonderful time on his mission, even if he is still in the mtc! :) if any of you know him and read this and want to know what's going on, click HERE for the Gage Family blog!

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so after my frazzled brain couldn't remember where i had put my jacket last winter, i was forced to realize it was gone forever. so this last week, i got two new GORGEOUS coats! the first is a knee length black, wool coat that i'll be able to wear for years!


















the other is a ski/snowboarding jacket.

i'm just greatful my mother has an eye for good sales ;)

xo

what an eventful week!

so many things have happened since my last post!

first of all, my cousin david (who happens to be one of my best friends) left for the provo mtc this morning! i was able to see the pictures his family took and i got to see his name tag - i couldn't read it for the life of me! good thing i don't have to learn samoan!

also, this past weekend was general conference and i had the opportunity to go to the sunday afternoon session. i'd never been, so i was incredibly excited! the talks were amazing, i especially enjoyed elder russell m. nelson's talk. i found it funny he compared marriage to shopping ;) here are some pictures from sunday!



























this is our group in the conference center - asia, jess, me, taylor and brianna.













i was so happy to have gotten a picture of the seventy and most of the twelve. i wasn't able to get a picture of the first presidency because you weren't allowed to take pictures once they came in.













twenty one THOUSAND people were in this building - it was absolutely beautiful!

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today shayla and brennley came over for piano lessons! i love it when they come because i get to watch brenn during the lesson. today we went out and played in the grass and i got some adorable shots of her!

































































she's slowly being more vocal, and today she kept trying to say "bailey", which is our dogs name. she loves to use the sign for "dog" while whispering "bay" which is her way of saying bailey.

xo

the best first two dates

i've ever had! i recently met a guy named chris strebel and he asked me out on a date. he ended up being an hour late since apparently i give horrible directions! we had planned to go to a movie night up at the U, but were way too late to go to it, so we decided to take a drive up to park city. about two miles up the canyon, we blew a tire and had to pull into bridal veil falls to change it. it was dark by then, so park city was a no go! we ended up getting wendy's and having a picnic in front of the provo temple. apparently it went well because he asked me on a second date the next day!

the next day, he picked me up around three. we went to his house in sandy for a bit to pick up some stuff, and ended up looking at his artwork (he's an AMAZING artist) and talking to his dad for about an hour. afterwards we ran to his school (the art institute of SLC) to scan in something. he showed me all of his work on the computer, which again, is amazing!! we then headed up to park city for the night. we walked around, laughed a ton, and made fun of a lot of things in antique shops. after about 2 hours, we went to dinner at the olive garden back in SLC and ended up going to temple square. it was empty, so we found a bench and talked for an hour and a half. he then showed me gravity hill (weirdest thing ever!) and we wandered the salt lake cemetary trying to find president hinckley's grave. after no luck, we headed back to the car but discovered we had no idea where we were parked. we looked for a half hour before we found it. theeeen we finally headed home. such an exhausting day, but i had the best time!



so here's some advice. if you want a fun date, wing it! have ideas, but don't plan! you never know whats gonna happen :)

today is

family picture day! my cousin david is leaving for the samoa, apia mission next wednesday so we're having a few last pictures together before he leaves. i'll post some up later :)

good luck, elder gage!


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and tonight is the timpview high school homecoming football game, and it'll be my first game as an ALUMNI! gosh, i feel old!!

look up

and you'll see that adorable little kiwi clock. i started giggling when i found it! not only because its hilarious, but because i love kiwi. more than... anything.

so i had a

sudden burst of inspiration. i just realized what wonderful friends i have, and i know its not a very good way of thanking them, but i figured, while i have the time and patience, i'd write a little something about my closest friends, old and new. its in no particular order, i promise :)


nicklaus baker stephens.
we knew each other for 2 months, you moved 800 miles away, and a few weeks later, i made one of the biggest mistakes i've ever made. i am SO glad you've decided to forgive me, and i'm glad i have your trust again. i love EVERYTHING about you! you make me laugh like no one else can. you're the one i come to when i'm having a bad day. i know you get sick of me sometimes, but hey -you're gonna be stuck with me for a VERY long time so get used to it! ;) you frustrate me beyond all reason sometimes, but i still love you. we've both made some major mistakes in our relationship, but despite everything, we're closer than ever. i love you to the moon and back! you're my best friend, my better half :)

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taylor bremner.
oh dear. you and i have a... complicated relationship. you are the ONE person that knows every single thing about me. you and i have been through some incredibly hard times, but knowing that you're always going to be there for me makes me so happy. you have got to be the strongest person i know. remember that time when you saw my status on my facebook, saying i was crying, and that very second you called me? you'll never know how much that meant to me. you've survived some of the hardest things to ever happen to your body (i still can't believe stupid things like that always happen to you) and if you can survive stuff like that, you can get through ANYTHING. and i know i've told you a million times, but i'll always be here for you. love you taylor :)

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darren rey faber.
i can honestly say i've never met a more complicated, indecisive person! we've been good friends since, what... freshman year? i've never cried so much over one person. i know we've drifted apart these last few years, because of our busy schedules and very different lives. but you will always hold a special place in my heart, and i think you know why. i wouldn't change a thing about you. liz is such a lucky girl to have you! you're going to do such amazing things with your life, i have no doubt about it. i hope we stay in contact in the future. how weird, you just barely texted me! :) but i'd be lying if i told you that you didn't have a part in making me who i am today and i can't thank you enough.

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jeffrey todd johnson.
you are one of my oldest friends, and how funny that we've just recently become so close! we "dated" when i was in seventh grade, never said a WORD to each other, and now we talk every day! you make me giggle, especially with your overexcitement with certain events. and you know perfectly well what i'm talking about. you leave in a little over a month for your mission in brazil, and you are going to be a WONDERFUL missionary. oh. and you still owe me costa.

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christopher justin dinehart.
i met you only two months ago, and i know you won't read this for a long time, if ever. but you are... ahh i just LOVE being around you! i feel so at home with you and your family! i'm still sorry i ratted you out during werewolf ;) the last night i saw you before you left, the second i got home i burst into tears. this two years is going to be so long, but i am SO proud of you for going on your mission! i know the people of quetzeltenango, guatemala will be so blessed by you and your service. you are an amazing person, and i can't wait to see you again! good luck elder dinehart!

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benjamin a bright.
since you continue to insist that you only have a middle initial, i'll have to use it. but you are the funniest person. i can tell you everything! especially since you know my deepest darkest secret and you didn't even judge me. you hurt me, but i'm glad after all that, we can still be such good friends! i'm sorry i broke a MILLION pinky promises, but i haven't broken one lately! i can trust you with anything! thanks for always being there for me, and getting on my nerves almost 24/7! ;)




i'll add more people as i think of them :) as for now, i'm off to bed... long day :)

i finally got my

patriarchal blessing!! it was everything and more i had hoped for. at this point in time, i feel a bit lost, just having graduated and everything. it gave me SO many answers i've been needing - the patriarch said things in my blessing that only the Lord could have known i needed to hear. i've never been strong in the church, but i finally feel like i'm finding my testimony after 18 years. it was a further confirmation that this church IS true!

utah football

so lately i've been forced to listen to numerous BYU fans get on my case about the utah football team. they talk trash and can't back it up! i have one thing to say - SAVE IT FOR THE GAME. november 22nd will show which team is truly superior!

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oh and after the latest utah game against UNLV (42-21), i have fallen in love with darrell mack (see photo). we're getting married, just you wait.

why is it so haaard?!

to find a job in provo?! honestly. we're the fourth biggest city in utah, and there is nothing, i repeat, NOTHING that's open that i would like! if this keeps going on i'll be forced to work at taco bell. which makes $9 an hour, mind you, but i've promised myself that i'd never work at a fast food place. oy.

this? is my most recent obsession from jamba - the mango peach topper (the back). oh what i would do for one right now... i'm not a huge fan of granola but this definitely changed my opinion... yummy :)

so the first one.

so i guess the real reason i'm blogging is to stay in touch with people i don't really see anymore. i'm not one for writing in a JOURNAL every day, but i'm gonna try and write random little things that happen :)