Happy Holidays..

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone, and that 2010 is just a few days away. I am so thankful and grateful for all that I have and all the wonderful people in my life. As crazy as the holiday season is..I love being reminded of what is important. I have had an amazing year this past year. I am so grateful for Richie and all that he does for me. He is my best friend. I don't know anyone who I look up to more than him. He is such an amazing example to me and I have had so much fun spending so much time with him since he has been home. He is so incredible. I also am so lucky to have such an awesome family. Although all 3 of my brothers are younger than I am..I look up to them more than they know. Spencer is so generous and would do anything for anybody at the drop of a hat. He loves to serve as much as he can. He will be an incredible missionary in just a few months. Sam has always been there for me. Especially these last 4 months. Sometimes our schedules are so busy that we don't see each other for a few days, but he never goes more than 2 or 3 days without coming up to my room to check on me and to talk to me. Charlie is one of the kindest people I know. He is such a peacemaker. He never has a mean thing to say about anyone and he is always making sure everyone gets included. He is so thoughtful and always thinks positively. My Dad is such a hard worker and does so much to make sure he can do more than just provide for our family. I am sometimes so amazed at how my dad knows how to fix anything. I know he reads a lot but I honestly can turn to him whenever I need something fixed no matter what it is. My Mom is not only my mom in the family but she is my sister in the family too. Since I have no sisters, I rely on her to keep me sane. Like every mother and daughter we have our differences, but for the most part she is one who I can talk to like I would talk to a best friend. I am so grateful I have the gospel in my life and that I have it as my rock and foundation. I am so thankful for the knowledge we have today. I am grateful for my amazing friends. They have always been there for me. I have been blessed with so many friends in my life and I have learned from their examples. I don't know how I got so lucky to have such incredible people in my life. Happy New Years!

Happy 22nd!

Today is Richie's birthday and I am so sad I can't be with him, but I will be in just two days and then we can celebrate! It will be so nice to have him back from his study abroad. He has been missed greatly. Richie is so amazing and I am so lucky to have him as my best friend and one who I can turn to for anything. I don't know anyone more kind, caring, hard working, compassionate, funny, good looking, thoughtful and smart than Richie. How lucky am I?

Happy Birthday! I love you!

This time of month seems to get crazier and crazier as the years go on. I am really starting to wonder if time really does speed up the older you get. I can't seem to find time for anything right now. I am in the middle of finishing my last week of classes and then next week, finals begin. I decided I needed a break from studying to keep me somewhat sane and came across this quote on a friends blog.

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

I love this little reminder. Especially during crazy times like these. It's easy to forget simple yet important little things...especially during stressful moments.

Just notice how much taller these two are than me. Although I am at least 4 years older than they are they still tower over me. Charlie my youngest brother is now my height. Where has the time gone? I feel like it was just yesterday when I was babysitting them. I am so grateful to have three amazing brothers. We have had so many great memories and so much fun growing up together. I can't believe Spencer will be leaving for his mission in just a short six months. He will be such an awesome missionary and I am so happy for him. He will definitely be missed but we are all so excited for him to have such an amazing experience and opportunity.

They're here!

These past few weeks we've been so excited to find out that Jackson (our dog) is going to be a dad. The mom (a golden retriever) comes from a family who are friends of ours who happen to live a block away from us. The puppies finally came this morning! We all thought she was done having puppies when the 8th one came out but about while later 4 more came. She had 12 puppies! We couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, one little pup didn't make it. This is her first litter and she already knows exactly what to do and how to take care of them. They really are so cute and make the funniest squealing noises. We're so excited!

Blackin out Wyoming

For Halloween, Rachel, Page and I went to the Utah vs. Wyoming game dressed head to toe in black. I even wore my black Uggs. We brought plenty of blankets and at halftime got lots of hot chocolate. The game was a little slow and we weren't doing that great, but then the U pulled through for us at the end. We ended up winning 22-10. It was a fun game to be at. I must say though, the U "blackout" game on Halloween night brings out some very interesting people. We sat next to "the Joker" who looked just like Heath Ledger in Batman. It was pretty creepy how much they looked alike.

missing london

As I am getting to hear about all of Richie's fun adventures in Jerusalem it is making me somewhat homesick for my adventure in London. I can't believe how lucky I was to be able to spend 3 1/2 months in such a wonderful place. We are so blessed to live in a world of amazing places. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about my experience there. It's hard to believe that I was there almost two years ago. Where does time go?

 

Stonehenge

Bath

Laduree

Oxford

I miss the tube.

Cambridge

We were lucky enough to have tea at the Orangerie every Saturday.

Tintagel

Big Ben

The London Eye

Tower Bridge

One of our first debuts at Harrods.

Meg and I trying to keep warm.

Out on the town.

Valentines Day Kitchen Crew.

The Cliffs of Dover.

Canterbury Cathedral

My street. We lived about half way down on the left.

re-cap of summer trips

Colter Bay

Jackson Hole

Newport Beach

I can't believe it is September 1st today. This summer has literally flown by. Since I only had two weeks of summer, we were able to squeeze in some awesome trips. We went to Colter Bay with my family and camped for a few days. I love it up there. Then we went to California and played on the beach everyday. It was a perfect vacation to wrap up the summer before school starts and before Richie left for Jerusalem...which was today! I think it finally hit me that he will be gone for the next 3 1/2 months, but hopefully it will go by as fast as this summer did. 

going private

After googling my name and seeing all of my blog posts show up, I have decided to go private. So...those of you who want to continue to visit my blog, leave a comment with your email address and I'll invite you to be a reader.

Welcome Home!

This last week we met up with Richie's whole family in Sun Valley to celebrate his parents coming home from their mission. It was such a fun week and so great to spend time with everyone. The week flew by, but we were able to fit so many fun things in. We stayed at a beautiful place which had a tennis court as well as a swimming pool. There were plenty of beautiful morning walks for the girls, a day at the park, bike riding, fly fishing, river rafting and golf for the boys, shopping, fireworks, Hailey Rodeo, a day at Red Fish Lake, yummy meals, ice cream, and so much more. 

Richie, Elizabeth and I at the Hailey Rodeo.

BEAUTIFUL Red Fish Lake.

Sun Valley

Yes...we did rent a tandem bike.

Walking around Sun Valley on the 4th.