What Makes Me Smile

QUILTING!

2011-06-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

I have recently become SO excited about two things...Quilting and Summer. Here are some of my recent quilting blog finds: OhFranson has great tutorials for beginners, Mama Stellato has some cute tutorials on baby blankets and little girl clothes. Cluck Cluck Sew has a TON of quilting tutorials, love this site! Ooo, one more, Dairy of a Quilter has darling quilt ideas and many other fun project ideas, plus lots of links to great sites!

SPRING

2011-06-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

We went to the Tulip Festival last month. However, the tulips were not really out yet. This crazy weather! Later though we went to the Salt Lake Temple and went through a session and the tulips were everywhere! I'm so excited for spring...but more excited about summer!

Cross Country Skiing!

2011-02-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I did something this weekend that I never thought I would do...Cross Country Skiied...probably more like Back Country...12 miles, with a huge pack, and stayed the night in a Yurt. It was crazy, but so much fun! It was for Sarah's Birthday. Levi, Sarah, Clarisa and Mariah went. So glad Clarisa was there (we are both beginners at this). Luckily it was good weather. I'll post pics and tell more later!

PORTLAND

2010-10-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

Levi and I took a quick weekend trip to Portland to see my siblings, Allison & Tom and Wayne & Betsy and my awesome little nephew, Ari.

Flip and Tumble

2010-02-25T10:57:00.000-08:00

I was reading one of my favorite magazines the other day, Body + Soul and found a great website for reusable bags! It's called Flip and Tumble. I am a huge advocate of not using plastic bags. As we all should be aware by now that plastic does not biodegrate and will forever be in our landfields and ocean, therefore, we can do our part by purchasing reusable bags. For more facts and numbers about plastic bags and their damage to our environment go here. These reusable bags are awesome because they fold into themselves and are easy to carry in your car or purse!

Sittin' Around the Campfire

2009-09-29T10:51:00.001-07:00

One of our friends had a birthday party up Millcreek Canyon. There was a fire, s'mores and really great people. We love the outdoors!

I'm still here...I promise!

2009-09-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

So, I have been the worst at updating my blog. I still haven't bought myself a laptop, so it was a bit challanging finding a computer to work on during the summer (really just an excuse for my lack of updates). I thought for sure I would have tons of time this summer to blog and do art projects and go camping...well, things turned out a little different than I thought but it was still a wonderful summer.

I ended up taking a part time job at Youth City, where I worked full time last summer. It's a summer program for kids. I do love "working" with kids in the summer...if you can call it that! We did have so much fun. From art projects to playing dodgeball to going to waterparks and skating rinks! I guess it was worth it. :)

Also, my darling sister, Julie, was married in July to Andrew Nevin. The wedding was wonderful and she was a beautiful bride. It was so fun much to have all of our family out (including grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins!) Oh, and seeing the boys (Lincoln and Ari) together was so cute. You have to see her wedding photos. It was simply fabulous and so much fun.

Now, it's back to school. I'm just trying to keep up and enjoy it. I've also been dating a wonderful guy, Levi Fifield. He has been so good to me and we have had so much fun together. I'm sure I will post some pictures soon.

Little Things That Keep Me Smiling...

2009-06-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

My New Flower Pot...gardening is very therapeutic, even if it is in a pot!

Mazapan...my sister went to Spain, and brought me back
my FAVORITE treat - almond paste yummy goodness!!

The Master's Hand Soap...this is the best stain remover EVER!
It is used to get ink or oils off your hands and paint brushes.
I had a bright red acrylic paint stain on the front of my favorite white shirt, and this got it out!

CALIFORNIA...here I come!

2009-04-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

I'm out in southern California visiting my best friend, Jen. We have already experienced many adventures including: Sea World, Grandpa's house in San Diego, Laguna Beach (and African dancing with a Nigerian drummer), and lots of really good food.

Intrsion alarm...intruder in the building...

2009-04-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

On wednesday, Sierra (one of my co-workers) and I decided to stay a little late to work on a project together. We ran to the store to get a few things for our project and came back to her room at school to work. Luckily, one of the nice custodians was vacuuming Sierra's room and we were able to knock on the window so she could let us back in the building. We asked her what time they would be locking up and she said around 7 or 7:30. I told her to just let us know when we needed to leave. We had been sitting at a table just working away, I had stood up to go get a kleenex (gotta love cold season!) when all of the sudden the loud speaker comes on. Sierra and i both look at each other in confusion wondering who would be making an anouncement this late at night. Then all of a sudden a siren goes off and we here over the speaker "INTRUSION ALARM, INTRUDER IN THE BUILDING...INTRUSION ALARM, INTRUDER IN THE BUILDING...INTRUSION ALARM, INTRUDER IN THE BUILDING..." At first we were both a little freaked out, then we realilzed the intruders were US! Luckily I had Sue's (our principal) cell phone number in my phone. I called here and we got ahold of Brian (our head custodian) and we got it all worked out. The Alarm finally went off after about 5 minutes! It was quite the evening!

A Few Things I've Done...

2009-02-22T18:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, Julie, this is for you...I personalize my bolded items for you :)

Bold the items you have done:
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars - while camping in portland
3. Played in a band - does junior high and high school band count?
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland - I'm going this summer!
8. Climbed a mountain - to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite! 16 hour hike.
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - portland coast...we literally almost got washed away, we had to climb up on some the we rocks to continue our bonfire.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - I like to try new things...one i remember particularly was jewelry making in highschool, my teacher had all the materials and tools then basically just said, go for it. That was fun!
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning - Literally slept on the bathroom floor that night...not sure what i ate, but it was not fun.
17. Been to the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables - helped allison with her garden one summer
19. Seen the Mona Lisa at the Louvre
20. Slept on a train - on the mission...long days coming home, as well as our trip from madrid to barcelona after my mission.
21. Had a pillow fight - don't remember a specific one, but i know i have had many!
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - who hasn't!
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - no, it was too expensive
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - so many times, i can't count. but one of my favorites was when i was dating Forest and he took me on a plane ride one morning...that was absolutely amazing!!
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise - going this summer!
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language - So, i can't take all the credit, but learning spanish as a missionary, i defnitely felt like i taught myself a lot!
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing for real. - Place that i fell in love with climbing - Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon. But I love the climbing around here, it is beautiful!
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke - way too many times
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - freshman year at Ricks College
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight - Southern California
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person - It was amazing...but take binoculars 'cause the ceiling is super high.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain...definitely recommend it :)
53. Played in the mud - way funner than a pillow fight!
54. Gone to a drive-in theater - car seat made it a little difficult to cuddle
55. Been in a movie - my friends made a movie for the BYU-I film festival...i was the main character.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen - elementary school, Miss Hicks took us to a soup kitchen to do service
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (Camp Fire Candy) - every year in elementary school! Almond Roca is still my favorite :)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason - tulips from a boyfriend
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma - yes, and I almost passed out...i don't give blood anymore unless i have to.
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - more than once
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - I think I have a few boxes of them...I know I still have all my Barbies :)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar - in Spain...it was way salty and really nasty
72. Tied a quilt - young women projects
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a Bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - thank you, wayne :)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person - from the airplane...does that count?
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican - it was pretty amazing
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - for my current job - my school recieved an art grant and there were pictures of myself and my students.
85. Read the entire Bible - I've read about 2/3 of it...just couldn't get throgh the entire old testament! maybe one day :)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox - when i was really little...all i remember is the oatmeal baths and it really hurt when i went pee...i'm sure you wanted to know that!
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Lee Greenwood, He wrote the song "Proud to be an American...where at least i know i'm free..." ok, so he's not that famous, but his song is.
92. Joined a book club - we read Armor by Kim B. Clark. had some great discussions.
93. Lost a loved one - both of my father's parents, and a few friends of the family.
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person - can't forget the Alamo!
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone - yes, and i can't imagine not having one!
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy - and i can't wait to go back!

Hope you enjoyed my post, I really need to get back into it. I'll try to update it more often. Oh, i guess in need to tag someone...lets see, who reads my blog? I tag Christina, Janae, Brittany and Lindsay Love you girls!

Christmas update...in February

2009-02-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

Life is going well here in Salt Lake. I'm a little behind on the blogging. I spent Christmas in Corpus Christi, Texas with the whole family. It was quite a production...all 17 of us in one small house! I posted tons of pictures on facebook. It was such nice weather, we even went to the beach!
Christmas was, of course, centered around the boys...Lincoln and Ari, that is. They are almost 2, and cuter than ever! It was fun to watch them play together. Crazy how fast they grow..and their personalities are so different. Ari is way mellow, but so funny. He makes all these faces. Quite entertaining, that one is. And Lincoln absolutely Loves anything that has to do with a basketball, football, baseball, soccarball. He is Mr. Independant.
Oh, they both LOVED Miss Kitty (Granny's cat). She would let them pet her and get close to her nose...it was so cute.
It was fun to be with family, as always, but it's good to be back home and in my routine again!

Christmas on the Beach

2009-02-04T13:54:00.000-08:00

they found this really cool wooden boogie board...hours of fun!

Wayne built a pyramid

Coldplay Concert

2008-11-26T14:28:00.000-08:00

My roomate, Rachel and i went to the Coldplay concert this weekend! It was so much fun...those guys are way entertaining on stage. At one point they even came out into the crowd and sang a few songs. The camera guys were awesome too (i know kinda random thought, but it makes a difference when there are crapy cameramen)! Definitely recommend going to see them in concert! PS ok, so we really weren't that close, its a picture of the screen! Go to my facebook to see more pictures!

Halloween Party

2008-11-13T19:28:00.000-08:00

We started out the night
Trick or Treating with Lincoln, then went up the
canyon to a crazy halloween party.

Pippie found her match...no he's not a bum...
its FOREST GUMP!!

Gotta love Mario Brothers!

Thank you, Honest Abe for gracing us
with your presence...yes he is really that tall.

MR. T...that's right...and
by the way, this guy isn't really black!

Elvis is in the building....
...don't forget, Superman...
I meant Clark Kent.

2008-10-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

So, I had to send in my Voter's Ballot this year since I just moved to Salt Lake...kinda glad I didn't have to stand in a long line though!!

For those of you who haven't voted yet...here's a great site to look at that has some pretty straight forward facts about Obama and McCain: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032553/ Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Special Series: Breifing Book-Issues '08
Happy Voting to all!

Witches Night Out

2008-10-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Shawn, Julie and I went to Witches Night Out at Gardner's Village. It was quite the event...dancing, food, shopping...and we got to dress up! We decided we are going to dress up like the 3 witches from Hocus Pocus for next year!!

My New Matrix

2008-10-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been dying to see my new car...here are a few pictures. It is a 2006 Toyota Matrix...I love it!!!

Chicago

2008-10-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

My best friend, Jen, is currently living in Las Vegas. We decided to all reunite for Conference weekend...here's the rundown of events. Drew and I flew from Salt Lake while Brooke and Jon drove from California...we all met in Las Vegas for a Chicago concert, yes, you heard me correctly, Chicago (they are still alive...well most of them).

It was so much fun...though I think we were the youngest ones in the crowd! Jen's family grew up listening to them...as well as their dad (who is an amazing musician) playing their songs on the piano...so you can imagine how exited they were to see them live. Wow, they were entertaining! they were having so much fun up there on stage...love it!

So, after the concert, we walked down to the Bellagio to see the water show, can't pass that up...it was brooke's first time to see it.

Then we got in the car and drove to Utah for conference. We met up with Julie-dude and Ashley for the Saterday afternoon session. Then stayed the night at the Shawns and watched the Sunday sessions on the big screen tv. It was a fun weekend. I love my friends...wish we weren't so far apart.

Surfin' in Cali

2008-08-13T01:54:00.001-07:00

We have no idea what we are getting ourselves into!

Um, how do i get this thing on!!

Oh, yea...look at those hot babes...now we at least look like we know what we're doing!

WooHooo!!! Gotta love the salt water!

Oh, yea! That was amazing!

Yosemite!!!

2008-07-26T00:37:00.000-07:00

I had never been to Yosemite...so, this trip to California Jen's family so kindly took me along. Jill (Jen's mom), Holly (Jen's sister), Halsey (Holly's friend) and I went camping for a couple days.

It was so nice to be outside. I forgot how much i love camping! After setting up camp, we hiked to the bottom of Yosemite Falls and climbed on all the huge rocks.

Then got up the next day and hiked to the top of Half Dome...yes all the way to the top! It was incredible! We started the hike at 6:00am... reached the top around noon... and got to the bottom around 7:00pm. A 16 mile hike (round trip). I felt like i had run a marathon by the time i got finished! It was such a beautiful hike. Two amazing waterfalls, Nevada and Vernal Falls. It was great on the way down...we would just stop and dip our feet (or head) in the water to cool off :)

WE MADE IT TO THE TOP!!! These are our hiking buddies that we met along the way: Ed, Art and Trever (Gary made it up a bit later). Trever ended up being my hiking partner most of the way down.

Most people pump the water into bottles first...

Oh, and all the bears are not this friendly. We had to put all of our food in the bear box...which makes it a little difficult to get to your food, especially when you're hungry!

IKEA is our favorite store...

2008-07-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

he was laughing so hard when we put him in the cart...of course we had a hard time repeating it for the camera...but we got a pretty big smile out of it!

2008-07-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Lincoln loved the stuffed animals...he just couldn't get enough of them!!

Our trip to IKEA

2008-07-12T19:57:00.001-07:00

Lincoln loves to ride in the carts at the store...we had fun playing at IKEA!!

Lincoln loves his new swimming pool

2008-07-11T22:38:00.000-07:00

Lincoln loves the bubbles... he hasn't quite figured out how to blow bubbles, but he sure knows how to say it..."bubbles, bubbles"... that was one of his first words. We have been enjoying the pool and new patio furniture Shawn bought. It has so nice to be outside and get some sun! Lincoln was so funny the other day. He has been experimenting with his voice quite a bit. He will mimic almost everything you do. We put him in the pool and we were all just sitting around...and he just started singing. It was the funniest thing ever! I posted a little clip of his song for you. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. He has also learned so many words in sign language. it is amazing how much he actually remembers and associates with the objects. Some of the words he can sign: bubbles, flower, thank you, shoes, boat, tree, chicken (he loves to eat chicken), milk. He is so smart!

Lincoln Singing in the Pool

2008-07-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

2008-06-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

I love my job! I play with kids all day...ok, I also teach, but fridays are a little more fun and exciting. It was pirate/ninga day, so we had some ninga training then they had to go through these obsticle courses that we put together (using dodge balls, skate boards and noodles! They also went on a 'treasure hunt' using a GPS. They loved it! Oh, and we also watched Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtles :) Now you know why I love my job.

Lincoln loves to help water the flowers

2008-06-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

Lincoln's favorite things to do...

2008-06-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

Lincoln has recently taken up vacuuming, lounging (sometimes in the laundry basket) and watering the flowers. Oh, and he borrowed his friends cowboy hat...Barrett was sleeping in the back ground...he was sooo worried about him!

Julie...these are for you...

2008-06-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some updated photos of Little Lincoln. He loves eating suckers and he's really getting into yoga...I'm so proud!! He just turned one year old in March and he's already talking... Ok, so he's just saying a ton of words, but it's amazing how he can communicate so well. Not to mention the sign language he knows too. Such a smart baby :)

Trip to Dallas, TEXAS

2008-05-29T00:10:00.000-07:00

I took a quick trip out to Dallas, Texas to see if I wanted to move out there and find a job. I spent some time with my extended family - Randy, Elly, David and Elaina as well as Mimi and Theresa. We had so much fun exploring the city!
I went to work with Mimi on Friday to see what her high school was like. It was fun to see her classroom and meet some of her kids. Then Elly picked me up and took me over to her school. She works at the Arts Magnet High School and it was just recently (well, still in the process) of being remodeled and added on to. It was pretty amazing!
Elly, Mimi, Theresa and I hit the museums one afternoon. We went to the Dallas Museum of Art and saw an amazing JMW Turner exhibit, we also went to the Nasher (where there is a beautiful sculpture garden).
One evening was spent at a Make a Wish fund-raising event. It was quite a show! Randy and David were there building the set and overseeing the event, so Elly and I got to go for free! It was very emotional to listen to their stories, and then watch the kids perform. I had never actually seen a Make-A-Wish event, so it was a real treat!
We spent Mother's Day at Scarborough Fair. "What is that?" you say...well, it is the most extravagant renaissance fair I have ever seen! I don't think words can explain it all...you will just have to view the pictures! There was jousting, glass blowing, knife throwing, tons of artists with their little shops (ceramics, jewelry, woodcarving, hats, wooden mugs, wind chimes), meat on a stick – Elaina’s personal favorite, and so much more! There was even a parade with the king and queen! I felt like I had walked back in time...there were so many people walking around dressed up in costumes...there were even a couple of ogres!! So, here are some pictures of my trip. Enjoy!

Scarborough Fair

2008-05-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

2008-05-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

Randy & Elly at the Hat Shop

Scarborough Fair

2008-05-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

2008-05-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

These are a few of my friends here in Utah: Bonnie, Ben and Janae. We went climbing at Provo Canyon. Climbing is the only thing that has kept me sane while I've been trying to find a job!

Me and Jenny

2008-04-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

WOOHOOO, we finally graduated jen!!! Now, it's off to the real world to find jobs!

BYU-Idaho Graduation!!

2008-04-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

My frinds that student taught in Las Vegas with me: Ben, Jennifer, Jayson, Me, Tyleen, Sarah S. and Sarah M.

2008-04-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

My new friends and I had some fun exploring the Strip...we were even given free passes to The Bank (an upper class club) :) It was fun to people watch...but the whole Casino scene was rather overstimulting! So many lights and people and music and noise!! The fountains at the Bellagio were really fun and the artwork and buildings were amazing!

2008-04-14T15:34:00.001-07:00

I have been living in Las Vegas student teaching for the past 3 months. It has been an eye opening experience for me...but, surprisingly, I still want to teach. I must say I was a little worried when I found out I would be teaching junior high, but I actually really enjoyed that age...they are still somewhat innocent(emphasis on the somewhat)! I had wonderful roomates and met a ton of great people while I was there. We explored the great city of Vegas and just had a ton of fun! Here are some pictures of things we saw and did, enjoy!

My New Found Love...

2008-04-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

I must say I wasn't sure what to expect when I moved Vegas, but I found some amazing places to go hiking and rock climbing. I don't know how I have been surviving in the Idaho snow for so long!!!