we are young

Best Weekend in a long time!!

Friday: Institute Social. Glow in the dark Frisbee. Dance on the Quad. Slurpee.

Saturday: Sleep. Softball Game. Track Meet. Quilting. Pizza. Trampoline. Hot Rod. Dance Party. Campfire. Smores.

Sunday: Lunch with the fam. Church. Farewell Talk. Adams Park. Yummy desserts. Friends. Laying on the grass. Sunshine. Warmth. Nap. The Testaments.

Good times. :)
(pics)

Here's a big shout out to all my family and friends and all the support they've given me! I love them all so much!! :)

malk!

Last week I went five days (that's right....five days!) without milk!! Ba! I thought I was going to die. I bought milk on Thursday around 4 pm and this is how much I drank in one night:

Can you say milk addition?! Yeah, I think you can. 

blocks

Check out this adorable material…isn’t it cute??!! I’m making a quilt with it. Be prepared to see pictures of the quilt later! :)

girls weekend

I had a a girls weekend with my mom, sisters, and aunt! It was quite enjoyable! We made cards (really cute ones!), went shopping, went hot tubing, and watched a movie. I love being with the girls, because we actually get to talk and enjoy being in each other's company! I love my sisters and mom...seriously, I know that they care about me and they support me in all that I do! :)

(This is the only picture I have from the weekend...we're missing my mom and my other sister Stacey)

enriched blessing

I went to the temple to receive my endowments on April 5th! I’ll be completely honest…it was not what I expected!! But the more I ponder about the things I learned the more at peace I feel. The temple is an incredible place and it is oh so beautiful! I know this gospel is true with all my heart and I know that Heavenly Father is pleased with me. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer and that he loves all of us! :)

popcorn popping!

Alright, on March 21^st  I had one of the most exciting events happen in my life. I got my mission call! *happy dance*

First of all, I decided to go on a mission back in June of 2011. Yeah, I know that was quite A WHILE ago. I just didn't know when I wanted/was ready to leave. Well, I finally decided in October that I would want to leave in May of 2012, which means that I couldn’t turn my papers in until January. You can’t turn in your papers more than four months before your date of availability.

So January rolls around and I start the papers…woohoo. I went to the dentist about three times. I always have to get something done on my teeth…ugh teeth. For instance, this go around at the dentist I had to get 3 fillings done, and the dentist took off (more like break off) one of my old crowns and then he fixed the tooth underneath and gave me a new crown. Going to the dentist is never a pleasant experience for me. Anywho, I went to the doctor for my physical and got a few shots and guess what? I’m a healthy person. Who knew? Haha. Then I filled out the rest of the online forms, gave my bishop my physical and dental papers, and BOOM I submitted them. By the time I finished all this it was the first week of February. Now I was just waiting for my bishop to do his part and then I could get my interview with the Stake President. So, my timeline to get my call was hopefully the end of February.

Dun Dun Dun…yeah right! 2 weeks later my bishop told me that he lost my dental paper work. At first I was frustrated, but then I realized that everyone is human and you can’t expect everything to go perfect. My papers got turned in at a reasonable time and everything has turned out just fine. By the time I got the new signed paper work from the dentist it was the end of February and then I had my Stake President interview the next week.

I’ll tell you what though, that interview with my Stake President was one of the best interviews that I’ve ever had. He is such an awesome guy! He told me that my resume was absolutely incredible and that I should try not to intimidate all the 19 year old boys. Ha! And he said that people will ask me why a beautiful, tall, young woman like myself is out on a mission when I’ve already graduated from college and I can start my career. He told me to bear my testimony to them about the truth of the gospel. I know it’s because I can change someone’s life for the better and share the truth to all those who deserve and want to hear the truth

After that interview he submitted my papers and then all I had to do was wait for my call! Wahooo! I had people make guesses as to where they think I was going. This is the map:

So many guesses!

Two weeks later…it was in my mailbox! I was so excited! I opened it at 8 pm. People there: My siblings and their kids, friends, neighbors, roommates, and my parents on skype. I was so nervous...seriously...my hands were shaking. Everyone said that I looked perfectly calm until they looked at my hands. Haha. I opened it and (drum roll please!) I'm going to the Colombia South Carolina Mission. English speaking. Wahooo!! Super exciting. :D 

At first I was a little disappointed that I wasn't going somewhere foreign, but now I'm happy that I'm in the U.S. I mean I can still eat normal food (that’s kind of a big deal for me because I’m a picky eater…haha) and I don’t have to worry about learning a language or getting my passport and all that jazz. And the culture will be completely different from Wyoming! Haha. 

Now the next question...when do I leave? May 16! It's coming quickly!! So much to do in so little time...BRING IT ON!  :)

breakin spring in

Well, USU just had their spring break back in March. I took a few days off and had a ton of fun with friends and family! Here's what happened:

1. Friday : Stacy, Michelle, Steve, Jon, and myself went to Pita Pit. Let me tell you something--it was delicious! I had a this pita that had chicken, and sauce, and lettuce, and veggies, and some other good stuff in it...yeah it was so good that I can't even tell you what was in it. Afterwards we went to Michelle's parents house and played Just Dance (which we borrowed from my good friend Rowdy...I mean I had to spray his pillow with my best smelling perfume in order to borrow those games! haha). Now let me tell you this--Just Dance = FUN!!! Yes I said it, FUN!

2. Saturday: This was a day of shopping with Stacy and Michelle. We went to Layton and it was so fun! I forget how much bigger malls are than the Cache Valley mall. There were so many options...I like options. Later that night we all went to the movie "The Lorax" with Stacey. It was a cute show for sure.

3. Sunday: I woke up to the sound of my phone buzzing at 9 am. It was a text from my 1st Counselor. Here's a summary of what he said, "Paula, one of our speakers is going out of town today. I'm looking for a quick sub, could you take 10 minutes?" SAY WHAT?! I told him yes. Why do I have to be nice? Haha. I had a homecoming to go to at 11, so I gathered up some materials in 30 minutes, got ready for the day, went to the homecoming, got back home at 12:25, prepared my talk, went to church at 1:30, and gave my talk. It surprisingly went well! Yay for last minute talks! Best thing about this Sunday: Playing at 3 different parks with Stacy and Mitch. We sure did bring out the inner kids inside of us. :)

4. Monday: The day of FHE. And guess what? We went to TWO FHE's this Monday! That's right...we are just that cool. I mean we're so cool, ice cubes are jealous. How did we get the opportunity to go to two? Well, I'll tell you. First of all, we were driving out to a park in Hyrum to meet up with our ward. There we we ate hot dogs and chips and played frisbee and stuff. On our way to the park, I realized that we were following my old bishop on the road. Naturally, I text him (fyi...I wasn't the driver), and I told him that we were right behind him. He slowed down and we passed him and waved. It was so funny. Next thing I know I get a text back from him and he invited me and my friends to his ward's FHE at his house that night. So what did we do? We went. I love his house. He owned/owns a business and let me tell you....he's got one SwEET house! I'm talking 3 stories with a beautiful kitchen, pool table, ping pong table, studio room, other rooms, outside pool, lots of land, and the backyard view.... Hyrum Dam! Literally, it's right in their backyard. Needless to say, it was a good night. We ended it playing Just Dance at Mitch's place.

5. Tuesday: This was an odd night. So Mitch is in this canoe competition for his club and he needed some help to put some fur on a stryo foam bear. Told ya...odd. But it turned out to be pretty cool looking and after we did as much as we could that night we went to Zeppes. The place of Italian Ice. Mmmmm, tasty. :D

6. Wednesday: Okay okay, guess what day this was?? Huh? Any guesses? That's right, it was PI day!! You know, 3.14?? I love pi day. I mean it brings me back to high school math...seriously, that's where I learned about pi day. Specifically in Mrs. Koch's class. I sat on the third row, three seats back (that was my assigned seat...just sayin). To celebrate, we bought two pies at Lee's. Word of advice: If you're going to buy frozen pies, buy it the day before or early in the day so that they have time to defrost. We defrosted them on the stove. Want to know how? Come ask me for details.

7. Thursday: I went to dinner with my sister Camille and her friends. Just imagine this...there's about 10 moms and me. Haha, I know kind of weird, but I've known her friends for 5 years and it was fun!

8. Friday : Lava Hot Springs baby!!! Group who went: Michelle, Stacy, Steve, Mitch, Ashley Lee, and me!!! We drove the hour and a half up to lava and enjoyed some sweet solitude in the hot pools of lava. I love hot pools I love hot pools I love hot pools!! They are HOT! Haha.

9. Saturday: We drove out to Peppridge Farm on Saturday morning. We bought a lot of gold fish! Yay for the fish that smiles back!! Oh, I almost forgot the best part about this day...It was St. Patrick's Day!! Mitch had a St. Patrick's Day Party and it was super fun! We played an Irish Drinking Game (no alcohol of course) and then we all were laying on the ground for awhile until we had to relieve ourselves periodically during the night. Good times! :)

Wow...I hope I didn't bore you, but this was spring break of 2012 for me. Peace and blessings.