Fall is here

Summer has come and gone and now it is one of my favorite times of year, Fall. I love the leaves falling, the colors, the crisp air, the need for a light jacket and of course football filled weekends. So far Fall has not failed me and it has been great. I look forward to getting to the end of each week so I can watch my brother, the Utes and any other football that happens to be on. A few highlights and things that have been going on in my head and in my life lately.

Sarah and I started her birthday weekend off by going to Luke Bryan's concert out at USANA. It was amazing! The two openers were both good and then Luke came on and made the night even better. He is definitely easy on the eyes... and he can definitely shake it! The next night went down to the BYU vs Utah Game. Going to games with Sar are always a good time. It was fun to go down to Lavell Edwards for the first time and even better that we beat the Cougs again, for the fourth time in the last 4 years.

I had the chance to go down to St George this last weekend to see my good friend Chelsea's baby be blessed. He is the stinkin' cutest baby. I fell in love before I even picked him up for the first time. While in St George I had time to meet with old friends, and more importantly make it over to the temple. The timing of this trip, and the timing of making it to the temple worked out perfectly. I was able to spend some alone time thinking, pondering and praying my heart out. With no time obligations I spent some much needed down time at the temple.             

The past few months the Lord has taught me so much, waiting patiently through each lesson for me to figure it out. I know that our Father in Heaven is aware, not only is He aware but He knows. He knows us, He knows us individually. He knows our wants, our needs, our fears, our potential and our desires. I know this because I have grown closer to my Savior then ever before. Building a relationship that is personal and sacred to me.

One lesson that the Lord has been teaching me the last year of my life and even more so lately is having  faith and trusting in His will. At times it becomes so easy to become proud, thinking we know what is best for us, more importantly for our lives. Knowing we have our agency, the Lord allows us to choose the path we take each day. Thankfully He is there to make up the difference in our lives if we allow Him to. Sometimes even when our thoughts, ideas and motives are righteous and good the Lord has other things in store. But He will never push things onto us, we must faithfully submit to His will, then the blessings come. It is not always easy and it may not always be in the plan we have for ourselves, but it is, in the end what will make us the happiest, do us the most good and help us to become all the Father wants us to become. I know that when we can humbly and full heartedly submit to His will with faith, He can make us happier than we ever imagined. It is just that first step of faith, into the darkness and unknown and from there He will guide us and carry us to where we need to be.

 I know that life can be rough and everyone comes with their own trials and tribulations. We all have our own Gethsemane's, but luckily we never have to do it alone. I feel a spirit of gratitude and love for my Father in Heaven, for His awareness of me individually and His unfailing faith in me. I cannot imagine my life without knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I am incredibly blessed.

Hair gets lighter, skin gets darker.. Summer time

Wow seriously where does time go? I cannot believe that it is already the middle/end of July already. Summer has gone by so quickly, luckily it isn't exactly over just yet and there is still time to do some last things. Overall though, this summer has been a pretty good one, even though I haven't been on the boat as often as I'd like, it has been a good summer surrounded by amazing people who are apart of the memories made for the Summer of 2013. Here are some of the things I've been up to this Summer when I am not working...

Spending some time with my Australian family

One of my closest cousins received his mission call

Went to the George for one of my best friends baby shower

Fourth of July festivities.

Spending time on the lake

Going to Altonah for a few days and loving it.

Well folks thats all for now, Bear Lake is the next adventure and I can't wait! Hope these last few weeks of summer don't go too quickly... But then again the end of summer means football, jacket weather, fall, my birthday... after all so many good things are coming!!

Until next time...

Life as of Late

As usual I come and go on my blog, sometimes I am on top of it and blog quite frequently and mostly I let months go by in between posts.

It is so nice to be able to look back through my blog and see the growth and change that has happened in my life since I started with this silly journal for all the world to read.

Life is crazy busy as usual. Whats new with me? Not very much at all. Working 3 jobs is keeping my plenty busy. Summer is finally here and I couldn't be happier. Time to break out the boat and spend my afternoons off laying in the sun on the front of the boat.

I feel so grateful for my life, the people in it and the things going on. Life really is such a crazy ride, with twists and turns you would have never imagined. A year ago I would have never thought in a million years that I would be where I am, going through certain trials and meeting the people I am, but it is okay because I know who is in charge of my life, and what a glorious thing that is to remember who is in charge.

Quotes. Some simple, Some profound. All necessary.

I can't tell you why I am this way but I have always been a "quote lover". I am always looking for new quotes to read and learn from, laugh at, get motivation from etc etc etc... They always seem to help no matter what is going on. Here is a few that I have enjoyed as of late.

Music answers prayers, heals hearts

I believe that the Lord often answers prayers through music, enjoy.

Beautiful Heartbreak

Gentle Savior

The Lord is in charge no matter the outcome

  Sometimes in life I think we get ideas of how we want things to be, who we want to be with, how we want our life to pan out. We think we have it all figured out, what we think will make us the happiest....etc. But we also seem to forget who is really in charge of our lives and sometimes forget to let Him direct our lives. Something I have learned is that our plans are a nice gesture, sometimes we can be happy when we follow through with our own plans and ideas, and other times it may not turn out how you would want it to, or how you would expect it to.
This is exactly what has happened with me. I have had my own dreams and desires that I have been actively pursuing for the last few years of my life. I had all these wonderful ideas of how things were going to work out, how my life was going to be, and how incredibly happy I thought I was going to be. But slowly things started to fall a part, I couldn't understand why things were not going exactly the way I wanted or thought they should be going. I was so heartbroken, if my desires were real and righteous, why wouldn't the Lord let my dreams become my reality?
 As I started to think about what I was going through I realized that I had feelings all along that it may not work out the way I wanted. I wouldn't let myself think that, I fought myself for awhile. Hoping that the feeling would somehow disappear. I kept praying for things to go the way I wanted, that things would work out just the way I had imagined. As time went on this feeling that my dreams were not going to come true, never went away. I slowly started to realize that although the dreams and desires I had for myself were righteous, they may not have been the Lord's will. This was heart wrenching, these thoughts, ideas, and emotions were all I knew. I didn't know how to give them all up. At times I thought the Lord was asking to much for me to give up what I wanted for what He had in store. The fear of not knowing and going solely off of faith scared me to death.
I decided I couldn't ignore the promptings anymore, I had to make a decision. Up until this point in my life I had never done anything so hard. I realized that as scared as I was, I knew the Lord would provide, He would pick me up and help me to gain some perspective. Giving up all I ever wanted and knew hurt more than I can even describe, but I knew I had to do it.
  Since my decision it hasn't be easy, but the Lord is not unaware. He has surrounded me with the things I need to help me get through. My family and friends have picked me up and given me strength I could not find anywhere else. The Lord has answered multiple prayers by placing certain events, people or things into my life, with the timing being perfect. I am learning to really trust my Father in Heaven, to know that He is real, He is there and He knows.
  Last night I had the chance to watch the CES broadcast fireside with Elder and Sister Bednar. As I listened to the counsel and talks they had prepared, I felt that they wrote them just for ME. Elder Bednar shared a story of a newly wed couple, that soon after getting married found out that the husband had bone cancer and the prognosis was not good. They were so heartbroken, they were so scared of what was going to happen. Elder Bednar came to give the husband a blessing and asked them if they had the faith that the Lord could heal him. Both the husband and wife answered yes, and then Bednar asked do you have the faith not to be healed if it is the will of the Father? Do you have the faith to submit to His will? Elder Bednar said that before the Lord could heal the husband, the first had to have faith that he wouldn't. At that moment the husband and wife realized that they needed to "overcome through the atonement, the natural man tendency in all of us, to demand impatiently and insist incessantly the blessings we want and believe we deserve... strong faith in the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing in our lives, even if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted." The story goes on to say that the cancer went into remission, at least for awhile.
   I cannot see what will happen, I do not know the outcome of my circumstances. Maybe the Lord has something else in mind, or maybe it is not time for my specific dream right now but it will be someday. But I do know that the Lord can see all, He knows me individually and He will help be to become the Woman He wants me to become.
   I know that my Savior lives. I know He loves each of His children and wants us to be happy. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Even when it is hard, if we will submit to His will, He will bless us.
  Although my heart at times feels broken, heartache sets in, my dreams feel shattered on the floor, I know that when we pick up those broken pieces and hand them to the Lord He can make them whole.

Never take life for granted.

Never take life for granted, something I have heard repeatedly throughout my life. But it never really sunk in and hit me deep down like it did this last week. I learned that it shouldn't take moments of despair and impact to make us realize how blessed we are. I have also realized the true importance of making sure you tell your loved ones you love them every single day. The Lord blesses each of us every single day, but it is up to us to appreciate these blessings and not take them for granted. The experiences that we go through make us better and stronger individuals, especially if we can learn and continue to become better people because of them. I am so grateful for all the Lord has seen fit to bless me with in my life. I have always known I was grateful for these things, but this last week I was reminded that I may have been taking them for granted. I know a few posts ago I posted about a lot of these things, but these are a few of the many things the Lord has blessed me with, that I want to be sure to never take for granted.

[My family]

I honestly can say I have the best family any girl could ask for. We are not perfect, probably the farthest thing from that but we stick together no matter what. My parents are rockstars, they set an example of how to we should live and love. My siblings are the cream of the crop and I love them each so much, including my new sister Lindsey.

[My grandparents]

They are some of the sweetest people you will ever meet. My grandpa has always been an extraordinary example of hard work. That man will die with a shovel in his hands. My grandma, seems to always have the right words to say. As I have gotten older I have become closer with them and I am so thankful for the relationship I have with them.

[My friends]

These are just some of the few people that keep me grounded. Help me when I feel like the world is caving in and are there to laugh with me until I can't feel my stomach. I could call anyone of my friends at anytime of the day and they would be there to help me.

[My Savior. The Gospel]

I would be nothing without a loving Savior that is patient with my as I make mistakes over and over. I am so thankful for the Atonement, it really is a chance to become one with the Savior. I have felt its power in my life. The knowledge the gospel gives brings so much hope to my life. I am constantly reminded by people surrounding me, how grateful I am to know that God lives and He loves me unconditionally, and that I can be with my family forever.

Now that I have spilled my heart out for the night, I will stop writing and get back to studying for finals. But I just needed to take a moment to publicly be thankful for the moments, people and knowledge that I so often taken for granted.

Till after finals, adios blog!

Slightly freaking out.

   I don't even know where to begin. My best friend comes home in 20 days! 20 DAYS! I am trying really hard to not think or worry about it because I need to focus and finish out the semester but I cannot help but feel every emotion physically possible... I feel excited, I feel scared, I feel inadequate, I feel so blessed, I feel anticipation, I feel surprise, I feel hope, I feel impatience. I never thought this would be possible but it is, you can feel all of these feelings all at the same time.

    I feel so fortunate to have been a part of Ty's mission journey no matter what happens with him and I. Call me selfish, but I have benefited just as much as Ty if not more in different ways. I have grown closer to my Savior then I ever thought I could, I learned what really matters in life, what I want and need in life, and most importantly I learned to appreciate not only the gospel, but appreciate the opportunity of knowing someone who was willing to sacrifice two years to go share it with others.

  I know my Heavenly Father lives, He loves us each individually and unconditionally. He knows us better than we know ourselves. I know that when we can put our trust in Him, that He can and will direct our lives in the way we need to go. I am SO blessed. The Lord is fully aware of me, Heather. He has been there every step of this journey and I know He will continue to be with me.

Attitude of Gratitude

  November has always been one of my favorite months out of the year my whole life. Yes of course it is partially because my birthday, but mostly because it gives me an opportunity or reminder rather, of what it is I am grateful for. I am always quietly reminded of how ungrateful I am when I really stop to think of all that I take for granted day by day. I would like to take an opportunity to express my gratitude for some of the many things the Lord has blessed me with.

[One]
First and foremost, my family. I never fully appreciated my family and each person in it individually until I moved away to college. Being 300 miles away has definitely made me realize how truly blessed I am.
  My Dad and Mom are my best friends. There is not a day that goes by that I don't talk to at least one of them. They are the so patient with me as I make stupid mistakes and they have always been there to pick me up and bring me back down to Earth when I need it most.
  My brother Rob and sister in law Lindsey. I don't know what I'd do without these two in my life.. I would have a pretty boring and serious life. These two bring so much life and entertainment to our family. They also have been there for me when I have needed them.
  My sister Cassidy. Can I just say I feel so bad for people that don't have sisters! I can't even begin to imagine my life without my sister. My sister is the best, we laugh, we cry, we get in trouble, but hey that is what sisters are for.
  My baby brother Tim. I love this little man so much. Growing up Tim and I always had some sort of connection that brought us together and now that we are older, I can easily say he is one of my very best friends. He is the most thoughtful and caring little brother and always finds a way to let me know he is there for me and will protect me even when he is younger.
  My dog. Okay I know I am pathetic I know. But fact is I don't care. I LOVE my dog Harvey. He makes me so happy. He knows me so well and knows just how to comfort me when I need it. Even when he has accidents in the house he is still the best dog I could ever ask for.
  And last but not least my extended family on both sides. I am grateful for the love and support I feel from them. The fact that we can hardly ever see each other, get together and its like no time has passed at all.

[Two]
The gospel. I know you always hear people say in testimony meeting... "I don't know where I would be without the gospel in my life"... but it is SO true. I am so thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ, that He loved me a enough to die for ME. That He knows me better than I know myself and He has carried me at times when I felt like I could not go on any further. I am also thankful for a living prophet who leads and guides our church. How amazing it is that he can say exactly what we all need to hear just when we need to hear it. I am thankful for the plan of salvation, that I can be with my family FOREVER! What an amazing reassurance to know that no matter what tragedies may occur if we live righteously, we can be with our families, and spouses forever. I am thankful to be sealed for time and all eternity to my family and I look forward to the day when I can be sealed to the man I love forever.

[Three]
My friends. The Lord has truly blessed me with some of the very best friends you could ever have. I know that anyone of them would be there for me at any point and time no matter the time of day or night. They have been there for me through the good and the bad. I laugh harder then I ever think is humanly possible when I am with them. I know I would not be half the person I am today if it weren't for their love, support and friendship.

[Four]
My job. I am so blessed to have the best jobs. Working at the Lion House has been the best job. I have been there since I graduated, I have met some of the best people and got some great ideas for almost every kind of event including my future wedding whenever that may be in my life... On the other hand I have been so blessed to work with some of the cutest elderly people at each of my CNA jobs. I love serving them and working with them. Some of the best experiences and best advice have been with and from these cute old men and women.

The list could go on and on. I feel so blessed all around, the Lord has seriously spoiled me and continues to do so each and every single day. I am so grateful for November and the chance it gives me to live in thanksgiving. My goal is to live in an attitude of gratitude all year round not just in November.

Life what a wild ride

Man! Does time fly. The last time I blogged I said I was going to try my best to keep up on the blog.. Well turns out I have failed in that category! Life has just been so crazy busy. Let me catch you up in the life of Heather Nicole, actually let me catch you up on the last 4 months of my life!

Item of business Number One: I moved back down to St G into a little town home with completely new roommates. It has definitely been a complete different experience than you get living in student housing.

Item of business Number Two: I got a new job, still working with the old folk but not at a skilled nursing center anymore... THANK GOODNESS! This new job has been a much needed break from working in a hard core, hard work, hard hours nursing home.

Item of business Number Three: I am taking a FULL load of classes that have definitely been keeping me occupied. I am taking Pathophysiology, Physiology, English, Statistics, Organic Chem Lecture and Organic Chem Lab. Thankfully the semester is almost over, then I can have a few weeks of a break only to start up again...

Item of business Number Four: In high school I only took a few SLCC classes because I didn't care to be serious about school. So needless to say I was nowhere near getting an associates when I graduated. But I am happy to say that after spring semester I will not only have all of my pre nursing classes done, but I will also be done with my associates. Phew what a relief!

Item of business Number Five: Ty will be home in 5 weeks! 5 WEEKS!!! I cannot even believe it. I am SO excited. It has been such a roller coaster of emotions, but it is has definitely been worth it. It is crazy to me that I will have that handsome guy in my arms in only a few short weeks!

Item of business Number Six: I will be legal in 4 days! Even though when you get older birthdays aren't that fun anymore, I am glad I had the chance to come up and spend it with my family. It just so happens that my cousin comes home from his mission that day also, pretty sweet thing to happen on my birthday!

Well that seems to sum up my life as of late. Just staying plenty busy between work, school and counting down the days until my cute boy comes home!!

Isn't he so handsome??

lets play a game of catch up... ready GO!

  HOLY MOLY! I have been a terrible blogger..... I cannot believe the last time I blogged was 4 months ago. Sheesh that's embarrassing! But I promise that I will do better for the next little while. With school starting up again and exciting events to come, I will have lots to blog about I am sure of it. Well here it goes I will attempt to catch you up on my life up until this moment in time.

[one]
In my last post I was talking about how I hadn't decided what I was going to do for school come fall semester. Well, now I know. I am going back to down to the Geezy, to attend good ol' Dixie for another semester. This time however things will be a little different. I am moving into a house with two other girls. Before I lived in some off campus student housing apartments. But this year I wanted to try the more "Home-Like" feel. I haven't met or got to know my new roommates yet but I am sure they are going to be great!

{two}
Since moving back to my parents house for the Summer I have started my Celiac diet, which means no more regular breads, rolls, cakes, cookies, brownies, pizza, pasta, cereals, tortillas.....the list goes on and and on.  BOOOO.  It is not the most enjoyable thing but hey what can you do.


[three]
My older brother got married! wahoo! They got married on May 10th in the Oquirrh Mountain temple. The weather was pretty much perfect for a wedding day besides the wind that picked up while we were trying to take pictures, but the wind is pretty much always blowing out there so that was to be expected. After the sealing we had a luncheon and I had to run home to get some of the desserts we forgot. I hadn't been in the car longer than two minutes and I got pulled over!! I was so LIVID! Lucky for me the officer gave me a break and let me off with a warning even though I was going 9 over in a neighborhood and didn't have my license. Needless to say even with the hiccup of being pulled over the day was great!


{four}
We finally went on our cruise!!! It was just the greatest, another successful family vacation with the Coopers. We first flew to Orlando and spent two days before getting on the ship. Then we boarded the  ship, the Carnival Ecstasy. (I guess you could say we were on Ecstasy ALL WEEK LONG) Our first stop was in Nassau Bahamas. It was so incredibly hot and so incredibly muggy. But we still had a blast. All 14 of us piled in this tiny van and got a ride from one of the islanders over to the beach where we spent the remainder of our afternoon.
  The second stop was in Freeport, another Hot and humid place. Again we all piled into a tiny van and rode out to the bay where we would be leaving to go snorkeling. We rode out on a glass bottom boat and snorkeled with all the fish and stingrays it was great!
  Our last stop was in Key West, this was probably one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. We walked around all the shops on the bay while we waited for our turn to go out on the boat and to go parasailing. It was a little overcast when we first got on the boat, but by the time we got out in the open and all harnessed up, it was sunny and clear. When we were up in the sky we could see for miles and miles. The Ocean was a beautiful crystal clear blue and we could see the patches of coral, and beautiful beaches off in the distance.
After we got off the ship at the end of the week, the party wasn't over! We had rented a house in Orlando. We dropped off our luggage and off to Universal we went! We spent two and a half days exploring the parks and riding our favorite rides over and over. (P.S) I have a new found obsession with Harry Potter!

[five]
I sent one of my best friends out on her mission to Tacoma, Washington and got another one of my best friends back from her mission to Spokane, Washington. Although it was really hard to say goodbye to Felicia I know without a doubt she is where she is supposed to be. She is a phenomenal person and I feel so blessed to know her and have her in my life. And as for Cam?  let me tell you, I missed this girl like crazy! It was so good to catch up with her and spend time with her, hearing about her mission. Ever since she came home we probably spend 5 of the 7 days of the week together. She is amazing. I learn so much from her and her example. I am so blessed to have such a great friends in my life.

{six}
With school coming just right around the corner, I have a made a list of goals that I want to accomplish this semester. I am very excited and motivated. Ready to see these goals get accomplished! I can't reveal them all just yet but I promise you will see some of them happen!!

[seven]
Elder Allen comes home in 5 months... Elder Allen comes home in 5 MONTHS!!!Honestly, I cannot believe how the time has flown. I also cannot believe that he will be back in such a short amount of time. It does feel like FOREVER since I have seen him, but the time has seriously flown. I never thought the day would come that I would be on the countdown  instead of counting up the days. He is doing so great, blessing SO many peoples lives and LOVING every minute he is out there. It makes this journey so much easier to know and see how much he is blessing the lives of the people down in Mexico. I know that he will continue to be an amazing missionary especially these last few months as he gives it his all before he comes home.


ahhh Phewww! Did you make it?? I am sorry this was such a long post! I will try my hardest to never go through such a long blogging drought ever again. Anyways thats all for now, but keep watching, waiting and reading. (if you so choose) because I am sure these next few months have some exciting things to offer.

Life as of Late

Sheesh I have not been very good at this blogging thing lately But it just seems like life lately has been going at about 100 mph. Things have been so crazy I feel like I might miss something if I blink. So here is a little update with what has been going on in my life for the last month.

  Cassidy had Drill Nationals in Anaheim. It was so fun to go watch my sister. She is definitely one of the best dancers on the team (and no I am not bias!) They performed 6 dances total. Prop, Military, Dance, Character, Pom and Hip Hop, and boy did they perform! They absolutely KILLED Military, and the best part of the whole thing was that they beat Cottonwood and Hillcrest. M-Town represent!!

While we were in Cali we went to Six Flags, the beach and of course the Happiest Place on Earth. It was just a quick trip and we definitely missed having Rob and Lindsey with us but it was a fun trip none the less.

Waiting in line for Tower of Terror

Awesome World of Color water show!!

My cute parents

I joined the iPhone family!! I had shattered the screen on my Droid awhile back and had to wait for my upgrade to come so in the mean time I had a Blackberry. Finally when my upgrade date came I was so excited to go visit the Verizon store and come home with my own iPhone 4S.

While home for Spring break I got tested for Celiac disease. Which for those of you that don't know what that is, it is when you are allergic to wheat. Not only are you allergic but it can give you many terrible symptoms that hurt your body in the long run, causing long term results such as depression, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, the list goes on and on...No it is not just a fad diet it is unfortunately it is something people have to live with. Well after getting my blood work done the Dr's office told me to wait a few days and I would hear back on my results. A few days passed and the Dr called my parents and let them know that I was in fact a Celiac. Not the best news I have heard lately but at least I have my Dad, Brother, Sister and Grandma to keep me company. So long anything delicious such as cakes, cookies, breads, Kit Kats, etc etc...

As the end of Spring semester draws closer and closer the decision of what to do for fall semester gets pressed on my mind. To stay at Dixie? or to Move home? I don't know what the answer is, but I know eventually I better figure it out. Until then I am just enjoying my last few weeks down here in St Geezy and man I do love the George!

Well there you have it, life is happening fast so sit down and buckle up because it is a bumpy ride. I am looking forward to the next few months and what they may bring. Until then there is your update of Life as of Late.

Plain and Simple.

   Lately I have been thinking A LOT about a certain boy. You may know him, he lives in Mexico currently. He is incredibly handsome, has an amazing testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and is so selfless. I am sure you have guessed that I am talking about Tyler James, and you guessed right. He is just so great, I thank the Lord everyday for putting him into my life. Ty never ceases to amaze me, it has been 14 months since I have seen this boy but my love for him only grows deeper and deeper the longer we are apart.

  Having Ty gone has definitely been a difficult trial. But I have learned so much and become a stronger person because of it. I have learned what and who matter most in life. I have learned how to more fully appreciate the blessings that I have been given. It hasn't been an easy journey but I know that it will be worth it. I may not know a lot of things but I do know this, Plain and Simple I love Tyler James Allen.

Too Stoked!

So... just going to throw this out there that in 15 days I will be sitting in Energy Solutions Arena, experiencing this live, with my two best friends. I could not be more excited!!

Too Stoked!!!

Love me some Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker and Thompson Square!

Leap of Faith

  So much has happened in my life this last year. I have grown closer to those that matter most in my life. I have learned about myself and most importantly what I want and where I am going in life. In the last year I have learned to rely more closely on my Savior, more than ever before. I had always heard the little saying that says God won't give you anything you can't handle,  I didn't used to believe that. At some points in my life I felt like the Lord trusted me too much. But now I can tell you the Lord really does know us better than we know ourselves. We can handle everything he gives us.

  My perspective on life has definitely changed for the better in last year, and even in the last few months.

At times in our lives we may not understand why we are going through the things we are, we may not see the light at the end of the tunnel, but luckily the Savior does. There has been many times in the last year that I wondered why I was going through the things I was. I wondered if I could really handle everything before me. But I am here to tell you I have made it! I may be crazy to say this but here I go... I am grateful for the trials that I have faced thus far in my life. I would not be the person I am today with out them. 

  I have grown so much in the last year. I am changing into the woman that the Lord wants me to be, not just the woman I want to be. I have become closer to my Savior than I have ever been in my life, and I would not have it any other way. I rely on the Savior for everything in my life and I know that my life has changed for the better. I know that when we take leaps of faith, the Lord blesses us. If we can just show even a portion a faith the Lord will bless us tremendously. 

  Just within the past few months I have taken my own Leap of Faith, and I have already seen my faith increase more as the Lord strengthens me because of my willingness to take that leap. I know that my Savior lives, He knows me better than I know myself. He knows my wants, desires as well as my needs. I know that through making Leaps of Faith we can be strengthened. I am so grateful that I have made a Leap of Faith, I know my life, perspective and testimony will be forever changed.


On another note..... I am getting a sister in law!!

Her name is Lindsey and I simply adore her, and apparently my brother does too...

The big day is May 11, 2012!! 

Honda Civic Ex

Just as I hinted at in my last post, I recently made a new purchase....

And I LOVE it!

Very eventful Month!

  I have been meaning to work on my blogging because there is so much to blog about, especially this month! Here is a list of things that are going on, have been going on, or will go on in my life soon...

1. Hitting Ty's hump day!!
[He'll be home in 51 weeks and 357 days!!]

2. End of the semester

3. Came home for the Holidays

4. Talked to my sweet missionary on Christmas!!

5. My sisters birthday

6. The starting of a new semester
[My last semester of Pre-Req's for nursing school!]

7. Getting a new car and phone!!

and last but not least....
8. Getting ready for my cruise to the Bahamas in June 2012!!!!

I am excited to for the new year and the opportunities and chances that it holds! As for 2011 thanks for being so good to me, I have learned a lot from you and am ready to progress forward onto 2012!

Shout out to the Birthday Boy!!

   I know this is a few days late, but with work and finals my life has been crazy hectic! But I do want to give a little shout out to the birthday boy! 

   Friday was kind of a big deal....it was my boy's birthday! As I was thinking about him on his birthday I couldn't help but think that only a year ago we were sitting together at dinner celebrating his birthday, followed by our annual Grinch watching! It is crazy how time flies. It is crazy to think that we are coming up on his hump day!

  I can't even begin to say how much I miss Ty. He is such a huge part of my life and it is hard having him hundreds of miles away. But I couldn't be more proud of him and the things he is doing and the man he is becoming. So here's my shout out...Happy Birthday to the most amazing best friend, boyfriend and missionary a girl could ask for! I am so blessed to have Ty in my life and incredibly lucky to call him mine.  

 One birthday down only one more to go!!

Man, he is SO handsome!

Stay tuned for an exciting post in a few days because we're almost at a year baby!!! 8 more days!!

one AMAZING weekend.

   This last weekend I had the chance to go up to Salt Lake for the weekend! It was so nice to be able to spend some quality time with each member of my family, watch some football and celebrate my birthday with the ones that I love most. 

   Tim and his Bantam A team have gone undefeated every year until the championship game and then they lose by one point. It has been really hard on that team to give up that one loss at the end of each season, especially since sometimes the reason for the opponents win was because they cheated and didn't get caught. None the less the boys practiced real hard all season this year, making progression each game. And this last weekend it was time to see who was going to be the champions this year! The Murray boys played their very best and it paid off, these boys finally won their well deserved title! There was so much cheering and screaming after the refs announced the game to be over. These same group of boys will probably never be together with every person to play football ever again. Some will not play football anymore, some will go to other schools for sports, and some will play on the high school team. After the game there was lots of picture taking with smiles on everyones faces.

The boys were so excited! 

Me and my boys!

My boyfriend Luke

My amazing Family!

   After soaking in the win of the Murray boys we had to change into our Red, Black and White to head over to support our UTES! So we changed and drove up to the game, it snowed for the whole first half of the gam, just long enough to get us soaked for the second half of the game. The Utes did not disappoint and the game was a blast! Nothing better than sitting at Rice Eccles stadium with two of my best friends cheering on my favorite team!!

My Utes, Me and My girls!

Mer and Lu

Crazy Zach in his shorts!

   When all the football was over and the weekend was drawing to a close I got to spend my last day with my family. My parents made a good dinner and a yummy birthday cake. I had all the ones I loved surrounding me, I'm not sure life can get any better than this. Here's to being 20, I am excited to see what the next year has in store. But in the meantime, I am so lucky to have the family and friends I do, and I am grateful to have had one amazing weekend!