Best Friends

I want to make a best friend tribute because my best friends have always meant so much to me, and life would be so sad without them!!

so let me take some space to tell you how amazing MY best friends are.

I'm going to talk about Sarah first. Because the true reason I am making this post is because I made a photo collage I was going to post for her birthday and then I forgot.....and I still want this picture to get onto the internet. So here she is: Sarah is the best friend anybody could ask for. Shoot. I'm going to say that about all of them. Oh well. She is the type of person who will do all she can to make you happy when you are down. She has been there for me through everything since 6th grade. She is a hoot and a half....she seriously makes me laugh so hard I could die. She will do all she can to show those around her that she cares. She is so creative and inspiring to anybody who truly knows her. She loves f.r.i.e.n.d.s (the show), her boyfriend Tanner, her family, decorating her new home, and making Puerto Rican food...or maybe just cooking in general...or maybe just cooking for people...I'm not sure.

Here is that pic I wanted to post... you can tell she is both gorgeous and fun! haha

Then we have Alyx. Alyx is the most genuine friend out there. I met her in 4th grade so we've had awhile to make memories and stuff... one of my all time favorite life memories has got to be staying up all night the summer before 9th grade.... just talking. We were absolutely miserable the next day from exhaustion but it was totally worth it. Alyx is hilarious. Period. She comes up with jokes on the spot before I've even completed a full thought about what is going on. She has also been there for me through everything. I've been able to tell her my deepest secrets in the past and she has always been so understanding and helpful towards my problems. Alyx is an amazing mother, she is also working on a newly purchased home, and she creates art that always turns out perfect somehow.

Last I have to talk about Michelle! I met Michelle on my mission, my first day in Chicago. She was my trainer and quickly became my best friend! We went through one of Chicago's worst winters together and somehow managed to come out with some incredible experiences and having had a lot of fun. She has always made me feel like I am better than I sometimes think I am, and I owe some of my best experiences to her... skydiving, blue bell ice cream in Texas, my first half marathon, ETC. She has always had my back, and I've never doubted that she cares about me. Michelle is a totally essential person in my life, because we share so many of the same beliefs and standards in life. She just GETS ME. She is one of the most active people I know. She is a hiker, mountain biker, she loves adventures and going to new heights in life.

There are so many other people that shape and influence my life for the better, how can I not be just so thankful?? I have the greatest people in my life!!

*Here is a video Sarah, Alyx and I made a few months ago for Alyx's YouTube channel*

My 21 Core Values

I was recently asked to write down 21 core values that I possess. Things I would want to pass down to my future children.. I'm obviously not perfect and don't wear all of these traits on my sleeve in each moment of my life, but these are the things I strive to be, and that I feel are most important. Core values should guide each decision we make, and when we live them, it is so much more difficult to become lost or make a choice that is deeply hard to come back from. This is the kind of person I want to be.

1. Honesty - own my messes and never pretend to be something I'm not.
2. Kind-heartedness - be kind ALWAYS. Never put another person down, only build them up.
3. Individuality - be myself. Be true to who I am and don't be afraid to give what I have to offer to the world.
4. Faith - pray, fast, read my scriptures. Have a consistent relationship with God. More than anything recognize that I don't have all the answers, and have FAITH that there is someone out there who has my back.
5. Obedience - be obedient to the commandments that bless my life.
6. Family centered - keep my family at the center of my heart. Show them I care.
7. Good work ethic - do my best in whatever job I am doing. Be positive and make a difference.
8. Health - manage my health by eating many colors of things that grow from the ground. Drink water and don't over do it with the junk.
9. Being active - run, do yoga, lift with Ryan, hike, play.
10. Sticking through with important things - never give up on something good just because it is difficult in the moment. See it through to the end.
11. Creativity - think of new ideas, try and create something new.
12. Humor - be able to laugh at myself and enjoy the funny things in life.
13. Fun - have fun with my friends and my husband. Enjoy my free time.
14. Firmness in standards - never falter from what I know is right. Stand up for myself and others.
15. Service to others - do things to make somebody else's day better. Don't expect anything in return, just do it because I want to.
16. Being able to see the beauty in life - find the beauty in old things, in seemingly unwanted situations, and especially in the earth God created and in others.
17. Humility - have a humble heart and recognize that everything I have comes from God. Thank others for their help and never put myself above anyone else.
18. Patience - stay calm in hard moments. Be patient with myself. Also with those around me.
19. Good friend - do things to show my friends I care. Spend time for them.
20. Loyalty - always stay true to my husband, to my family, my friends, my Heavenly Father, and to myself.
21. Adventurous - be willing to try new things and go to new places and to new heights.

The Honey Moon

Our first trip as a married couple 

*The Highlights*

1. Park City. 

We spend our first two nights at a resort in Park City called the Whyndom. During our only full day we had there, we decided to go see a movie Ryan had been dying to see called Hunt for the Wilderpeople. It is directed by a man named Taika Waititi, who worked on some episodes of Flight of the Conchords (one of our favorite tv series) and directed What We Do in the Shadows (this hilarious movie about vampires). He also directed this other movie, Boy, that we had just recently seen. Oh, I should also say that this guy is from New Zealand and Ryan and I have been on a huge "we want to live in New Zealand" kick. 

Annnnyyyywayyy, we go see this movie, which is only playing in two theaters in Utah by the way, and it turns out to be one of the best movies ever made. I am telling you, this is WAY better than any movie being advertised right now. It's hilarious, heart warming, has a great plot, and has super fun accents throughout the whole film. Go see it. That's all I have to say about that. 

2. Jackson Hole, WY.

The rest of our trip mostly took place in Jackson. The first 2 days in Jackson we went river rafting down Snake River (Ryan got sunburned here), kayaking in our little kayak at Jackson lake (I got sunburned here), and stayed in a tent cabin at Colter Bay. 

3. Yellowstone.

On our 3rd day in Jackson we decided it would be fun to take a trip up to Yellowstone for the afternoon. We got to see Old Faithful and other geysers and pools they have around the south end of the park. We chose the perfect time to go, because not two days later the road to Yellowstone got closed off because of a wild fire. We saw part of the fire driving back to Jackson that night. It was pretty terrifying watching hundreds of trees up in flames in the distance. 

4. Jenny Lake.

Our last destination was Jenny Lake camp ground in Jackson. It is a camping area very close to the Tetons and it's very beautiful. I'm going to be honest, through all the beauty and relaxation I wasn't able to kick this worry of bears coming around at any given moment. The camp director gave everyone who entered camp this big speech about bears and how they like coming through the area all the time. "Don't leave food out. Even toothpaste can attract them. Change out of your clothes after you cook, they can smell the grease on you. You never know when a bear might show up. You could be doing everything right and it will still come around." My fear was in total vain though, because there was no site of any bears at all.

We spent this time relaxing in our hammock, swimming in Jenny Lake, playing Speed, sleeping in our awesome tent that we are both in love with, and eating delicious dutch oven meals (that I was always worried a bear would smell). We also made a couple stops in the town of Jackson to eat and shop around. We had a super yummy chimichanga at this place called Merry Piglets. And we watched a spontaneous town shoot-out performance. 

 

Ryan says, "Yeah it was fun."

So there ya go!

It's Been Awhile

The year is TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN.

I haven't written in this blog pretty must at all since I went on a mission. I tried writing again when I got home but things were weird and I didn't know how to be normal anymore...

And now here we are.

Where have I been????????

Um, well, first of all, I love writing. I think about doing it all the time. So I guess I love to think about writing.

Second, I'm incredibly annoyed about the fact that my blog has a huge TIME GAP in it, and it is for that reason that I have entirely neglected yet so often thought about posting anything in over a year since I came home.

But guess what, I am going to get over that RIGHT NOW.

Yes I have tried starting other blogs. I couldn't get the format looking how I wanted, and yes that means I couldn't possibly write anything. It has to look right.

So here I am, back again. I'm not switching to word press because I don't want to pay money to have an online journal even though it might look like way cool or whatever... I mean, maybe some day I'll get one of those going.

So here I am about to actually commit to a post. Wow. Here I go.

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I just need to write down that I truly believe that nothing worth having ever comes easy. I was looking at the formals that Ryan and I got done before our wedding and it really just hit me for the first time in months. The fact that he and I are getting married is actually kind of a miracle.

I mean seriously. We had a long distance relationship to start out with. Me being at SUU and him at BYU. We saw each other on weekends sometimes. We talked on the phone, texted, and skyped a lot.

Then he went and served a mission about 8 months later. I didn't see him for almost 3 years! Why? Because halfway through his mission I decided I wanted to go serve one too! So we communicated purely through letters and emails for all that time.. with calls on Christmas for about 25 minutes a piece.

Then on top of that, I come home from my mission and I'm like, woah, this is too much. I'm freaking out just about being back in the real world. I can't handle having a boyfriend! I loved him so much it honestly hurt. I just wasn't ready, and frankly neither was he. So let's add more time apart to this journey, 6 months to be exact. We spent 6 months dating other people, being with ourselves, figuring out what we wanted.

Then around Christmas time of 2015, we are ready. We decide we want to be fully committed to each other again. We have a blast of a Christmas break (mostly watching Flight of the Conchords and eating peppermint ice cream), and the rest is history.

Now almost 9 months later, here we are, engaged, happy, feeling great about life and each other.

Getting to this place wasn't easy. There were times when he was on his mission where I would just cry because I missed him so much. And when I was on mine I'd wonder where he was and if we'd ever really end up together. I questioned things. I looked at other options. Why? Because I was only a month shy of 19 when we parted ways the first time and I'm only 23 now. I am young. I feel young. I've never been one to jump into big decisions, and this has been my path thus far.

Ryan is my best friend and my soul mate.

The Old Bloggy Blog

I love this online journal. Reading through it is a trip down memory lane, that's for sure.  I'm not sure what originally inspired me to create a sort of public journal... I think I was just bored one day when I was 17 years old or so...I remember I was about to get my driver's license at the time.

It's difficult for me lately to put down what life has brought me onto ink or the internet or anything like that. I haven't written in a journal since I returned home from my mission 4 months ago. Has it been 4 months...? Holy cow. So much life has occurred between March 17th and today, July 18th!!

But here I am, creating a post! This blog is for me, it always has been. I just get so nostalgic looking through here. But luckily for me, the best is YET to come. I'm grateful for the experiences I've had and the lessons I've learned. I am also very grateful for where I am at now. I am ready to start writing things down again. I've got myself a beautiful journal to fill up in my 22nd year of life and some fun ideas to make it creative and interesting.

I still have a lot of unaccomplished goals and a lot of growing to do. And I am so excited about that.

I really can't complain.

I know this year will be a defining one and I'm so ready for it!

18 Months Later

*Post Mission*

Here are some photos of the last few weeks. I saw friends and family, went to Capitol Reef, spent time in Texas watching all 3 seasons of Avitar the Last Airbender and eating gallons of bluebell icecream, went to the temple and general conference, and mostly have been mentally adjusting to this new-old lifestyle.