Going Private....again

So, I've decided once again that I am going to make my blog private, so if you would like to still follow send me your email address!  Thanks!

Day 27 - Why are you doing this 30 day challenge

So, I really have no excuse for why it has taken me a couple of days to post, other than the fact that I have been super busy.  But to answer the question for today, I thought it would be fun and I wanted to a challange.  Nothing super exciting.  But I am going to St. George this weekend!  And I am super duper excited about it!  And then it is our 2 year anniversary!  I can't believe that it has been two years!  The time has gone by so super fast!  Well anyways, I have to go.  I will try and post tomorrow!  Bye!

Day 26- What you think about your friends

I think I have some of the greatest friends!  I am so blessed and so lucky for the friends that I have!  Here is a story about one of my friends that I posted about last year and I think it describes my friends! 

I had a really good friend tell me today that you can always find the rainbows in the midst of the storm. She told me this as she handed me a rainbow colored pin wheel. And the more I have thought about that today I have realized that it really is true. You really can find the rainbows or the good things in the midst of a storm, no matter how hard it is. It doesn't matter how small that "rainbow" is, it can be the hug from a friend, a cherished friendship, a mug of chocolate milk, a simple smile, or the love that your family can have for one another.

The last couple of days I have been very grateful for the friendships that I have. I really truly have been blessed with some amazing friends! I want all of my friends to know how grateful I am for them, and I especially want my family to know how much I love them. I have also been blessed with an amazing family! I really could not ask for a better one! I realize that I take a lot of this for granted, when I need to stop myself and let those around me know how much I appreciate them! I feel so loved and I hope that I can always be there for those that I care about.

Also, this last week or so I have been helping one of my friends at work with a project that her sister is doing. I have been typing up Bible studies from some prisoners that are located in Texas. It has really been touching to read some of them while I have been typing them up. It has been amazing to me to see how these prisoners have been able to apply the stories from the Bible into their lives and how we can find the love of the Savior in all things. My friend forwarded me this message that her sister sent to her and this is just another little "rainbow" in my life today.

Dear Sister and good stewards for the Lord,

Praise be to God...for this is the day the Lord has made. Ladies, I must tell you that my heart is full and blessed by the work you have done! Please know that I lift you in prayer and and ask for the Lord our God to pour out of the heavens abundantly into your lives.

I hope that I will always be able to find the "rainbows" in my life especially in the midst of a storm. I also hope that I can always be able to show those around me how much I care about them.

Day 25 - What I would find in your bag

Right now in my bag, or as Nick likes to call it my black hole, you would find a book, some earphones, lip gloss, my wallet, a notebook, some bobby pins and my keys.

Day 24- A letter to your parents

I'm sorry for the delay, I was busy yesterday.  And I was thoroughly enjoying General Conference.  I absolutely loved it!  I love this weekend and I wish that it would come around more than twice a year.
So, onto the letter to my parents:
Dear Mom and Dad,
I want to let you know that I love you both.  I am so grateful for the example that you have set for me.  Thank you for always being willing to share your testimonies with me.  Thanks so much for all that you do for me!  I love you guys!!!
Love, Emily

Day 23 - Something you crave a lot

I don't know what I crave most.  I do know that I love popcorn!  And I know that I love Diet Coke!  But more importantly, I wish I could spend one more day with my grandpa and get the chance to tell him that I love him and that I miss him!  I had the chance to spend some time with my grandma tonight and it was so much fun.  She was teaching me how to do bobbin lace, she taught me about 10 years ago when my grandpa died but I have forgotten since then.  I am going to start going over at least once a week, or at least I am going to try.  I don't want to have the last regret of wanting to spend more time with her.  I feel so blessed to have gotten to know my grandpa as well as I did.  I'm sorry I kind of got off topic, but I am really missing my grandpa today and this last week.  Our house has felt so completely empty with him gone.  I know that he is proud of me and I know that he loves me.  I just can't wait until I can see him again!  I love you Grandpa!!!

Day 22 - What makes you different from everyone else

I'm not really sure what makes me different from everyone else, except that I love to do cross stitch and that I can sit and do it for hours!  It is a real true passion of mine!  Everyone that I talk to is amazed that I can sit there for hours at a time and do it without getting bored.  I also love to read!  And to listen to music!  And most of all I love to spend time with Nick!  He is amazing!!!

Day 21 - A picture of something that makes you happy

These two little kids make me so incredibly happy!  I love them so much!!!

Day 20 - Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future

I think this is a silly question, because anyone that knows me and knows how much I am totally in love with Nick wouldn't even ask me this question.  So I see my self being with Nick in the future and for the rest of forever!  I'm so lucky!!!

Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them

My nicknames are:
Em - short for Emily
Emma - my friends started calling me this for some reason, not sure why?
Eminee - my nephew called me this when he was little because he couldn't pronounce Emily
Hamster - my mom has always called me it

Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have

Some of the plans/dreams/goals that I have are:

• One day start my family
• Go back to school and possibly re-learn Sign Language
• Travel
• Buy a house
• Actually finish a cross stitch project that I have started
• Learn how to play the piano really well

Day 17 - Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why

Hmmm....I'm not sure on who I would want to switch lives with.  Maybe someone that lives in a different country, I would like to see how their day goes, I think that would be fun.

Day 16 - Another picture of yourself

I have so many pictures of myself I don't know which one to pick....  This is one of my favorite pictures.

Day 15 - Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play

1. A Twist In My Story - Secondhand Serenade
2. Money - Vitamin C
3. For the Beauty of the Earth - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
4. Surfer Girl - The Beach Boys
5. Once Upon A December - Anastasia
6. Sweet Hour of Prayer - Kaniela Kala'i (Another Testament)
7. Watcha Say - Jason DeRulo
8. How Do You Move a Mountain - Jessie Clark Funk
9. Equanimity - Ryan Stewart
10.What I've Been Looking For - Ryan and Sharpay (High School Musical)

Since it is my birthday and I love listening to music, I'm going to do the first 23 songs!

11. Highway - Ingrid Michaelson
12. New Strings - Miranda Lambert
13. Big Apple Heartbreak - Yellowcard
14. Billy Brown - Mika
15. Kissing a Fool - Michael Buble
16. Into The Sun - Lifehouse
17. Love & Happiness - Bonnie Bramlett (The Guardian)
18. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing - Jack Johnson
19. Give To Someone Else - Afa
20. Praise To The Man - David Glen Hatch
21. The Very Thought of You - Chris Bottie and Paula Cole
22. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town - Faith Hill
23. Abide With Me - Ryan Tilby

Day 14- A picture of you and your family

 First, I just want to say that I absolutely love my family! They are truly amazing people!!! I am so grateful that I get to be with them for forever!

My cute family, from left to right: Manny, Amy, Mom, Dad, Diane,

Steven, Me, Nick and Matthew



Here are my parents with just their children





Here I am with my awesome sister and brothers! 
I love you guys!  You really are my best friends!!!

 

Here is a picture of Nick's family. 
I love Nick's family!



Day 13 - A letter to someone who has hurt you recently

So I can't think of anyone that has hurt me recently, it could possibly be that I don't get offended easily and I forget pretty easily. I'm not going to post a letter.  But in case I have hurt or offeneded anyone, I am sorry and I hope that you will forgive me! Anyways, I hope everyone has a great day!  And guess what?  2 days until my birthday!!!  I'm so excited!!!

Day 12- How you found out about Blogs and why you made one

I think I found out about blogs from people I worked with and my sister, I'm not positive though.  The reason why I started one was because I was getting married and I thought it would be fun to keep people up to date on what was happening in my life.  Here is my very first post that I did:

Monday, October 13, 2008

My weekend...
So, this weekend I got a lot accomplished. Friday night, I finished packing up my room. Man, that was hard, I was having such a hard time that my mom finally came to help me finish. I was so grateful for her help. So now all that I have in my room other than my bed is the clothes for this week. It feels so empty, it's weird! On the way to take my stuff to my grandpa's I cried pretty much the whole way! And then as me and Nick were taking the stuff downstairs my grandpa sat there and was giving me a hard time for all the stuff that I have. Which I don't blame him, since my stuff takes up pretty much one whole room. What can I say, I'm spoiled! And I just like to shop!
On Saturday, I was up and over to paint at my grandpa's by 9. Wow, that was a HUGE project! But thanks to Colin and Kenz, we wouldn't have been able to get it all done. It was quite fun painting, I love it, other than I couldn't walk the rest of the night or the rest of the weekend that is. I'll put pictures up as soon as I take some. It looks way cute! I'm excited to finally move everything in and unpack everything.
And yesterday was my last Sunday in my ward. I haven't cried that hard in a long time, I have been so blessed to have grown up in the ward that I have. I have had the most amazing leaders and an amazing Bishop! And I finally got released as the ward chorister! That was a happy day for me!!!
Oh and just so you all know, I get married in 5 days!!! Yahoo!!!!

Day 11 - Another picture of you and your friends

This is my best friend Tricia! We have been friends since we were in 5th grade, when she moved into down the street from me.  We have been through a lot together!  She now lives in Logan and I don't get to see her all that often.  I am so grateful for her friendship!  I love her like a sister!!!

Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad

The music that I listen to when I am Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad; I don't listen to a lot of different artists.  My favorite artists are Ingrid Michaelson, Paul Cardall and Mindy Gledhill.  Other than that I don't listen to a lot of different ones.  If I can think of any others I will post them soon.  Night!

Day 9 - Something you’re proud of in the past few days

So, I am proud of first of all being able to keep this up with doing the blog.  I might have to wait to post until Sunday since we don't have internet at home right now.  But another thing that I am proud of is getting a lot of cleaning done at home.  I'm really excited to get the rest of our apartment finished.  But that is one of my goals to get done within the next month.  Well it's late and I'm at my parents house and we are getting ready to leave.  I'll try and post tomorrow!  Night!

My new stuff!

I got this pillow the Saturday after my Grandpa's funeral,
and it is now sitting on my couch.

So as most of you know, my Grandpa passed away a couple of weeks ago.  And let me tell you since then life has been crazy at my house!  There has been construction, cleaning, moving, more construction and even more cleaning!  I always knew that my grandparents were collectors of many things, but I never realized how much until the last couple of weeks while we have been going through their stuff.  Until recently it has looked like a hurricane has gone through the upstairs of the house.  It is now starting to look a little bit better, but just a little bit.  I will have to post a picture of all the stuff that is currently sitting in the garage waiting for the garage sale this weekend.



Here is the stairway looking down into the entrance



So admist all of the cleaning we have had construction going on outside, and yes it was messy, but I am so excited about the end result!  They were building us a seperate entrance!  I absolutely love it!  I haven't used it much other than move furniture around!  And the most exciting thing about having our own seperate entrance is that we were finally able to bring our couch down that has been sitting in the garage for the last year collecting dust.  I couldn't be happier!  We brought the couch down on Saturday night at like 10:30 or so, just because we couldn't wait any longer!  It looks so good in our cute little place!  It has definitely made it feel much more like home for us!  My parents have been so good to us because they bought us a brand new stove, which I haven't used a lot yet, but I know that it will be put to good use!  I'm excited that we won't have to use our little hot plate anymore to make dinner.  Here are some pictures of what our place looks like, it is still a work in progress.  I'm so excited to decorate for Halloween, I'll have to post pictures of when I do, but here you go for now!  I'll keep you posted on everything once it is all completed. 



Here is our front door!



This is what you see when you first walk in,

it is our lighthouse corner



Through that door is our entryway

 



Here is one of our walls...




 












Here is our new stove any my cute table and chairs
that we got for $5 at a garage sale!





And last but not least, here is my wonderful new couch!!!



Day 8... Short term goals for the month

I'm not a very good goal maker, but I would say that I definitely have a couple of goals that I would actually like to accomplish this month.  Especially with everything that has been going on at my house.  Here is my list:
* Organize storage/pantry room
* Finish painting family room/kitchen
* Paint floor of entryway!  Yay I finally have an entryway!
* Finish my friends baby present
* Try and keep my room clean
* Go to the temple at least 3 times before October 16.
Well there is my list.  Have a good day!

Day 7 - A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you

Wow, I'm impressed that I have been able to do this so far.  I'm usually a big slacker when it comes to blogging.  But I must say I am doing quite well.  So the post for today is about someone/something that has the biggest impact on my life.  I have quite a few of things that have had an impact on my life.  The ones that have had the greatest impact are the Savior, Nick and my family.  I am so grateful for all of them!  I am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ, and for all that He has done for me.  I know that when I am feeling lonely, sad, or if I am sick or in pain I know that He is there with me!  I have felt Him with me when I miss my Grandpa.  I am so grateful for the sacrifice that He made for me, so that I can return to be with my family forever!

Next, would be Nick.  I'm so grateful for him!  I don't know what I would do without him!  He has been such a strength to me!  Especially when my Grandpa died, he always knows what to do to make me smile!  I am so grateful for how much he helped my Grandpa!  I am so grateful for the times in high school and before we even started dating, when we would see each other in the halls and he would say hi to me!  I'm so grateful that he is a worthy Priesthood holder!  I know that I am the luckiest girl in the world to have Nick as my husband, and mine forever and ever!  I love you Nick!!!

And lastly, I'm grateful for my wonderful family and the impact that they have had on my life!  I don't know what I would do or where I would be without them!  They are truly my best friends!  I'm so glad that I get to be with them for forever!  I love you guys!!!

Day 6...It's a bird, no, it's a plane, no it's......

Favorite super hero today?  Need I say more?  I LOVE Superman!!!  He is possibly my all time favorite super hero!  How could he not be?  He is the man of steel, he can fly, and he saves people!  I grew up watching Lois and Clark!  I love that show, and now I am hooked on watching Smallville!  I have the first 8 seasons on DVD.  And I think between me and Nick we have at least 5 or 6 Superman shirts!  And plus I can't help the fact that Nick looks a little bit like Superman!  I'm so lucky!!!

Day 5- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to

I have traveled a lot of places, but one of my favorite places that I have been to would have to be Oregon!  We went last year and it was so much fun!  I would love to go back!!!  We stayed on the coast and it was absolutely amazing!  Here are some pictures, enjoy!

Day 4 - A habit that you wish you didn’t have

What habit do I wish that I didn't have?  Oh there are plenty of them!  But I think one that I am trying hard not to do, but failing miserably is when I get nervous or anxious I like to pick at my finger nails.  It's terrible because I really wish that I could grow them longer, but I just can't.  That one is at the top of my list of habits that I want to break.  What about you?  What habit do you wish you didn't have?

Day 3 - A picture of you and your friends

So I don't have any recent pictures of me and my friends.  So this is the most current one that I have.  I love these girls!  I don't know what I would do without them!  I love you guys!!!

Where were you...

On September 11, 2001?  What were you doing when you heard about the Twin Towers?  How did you react to the news?  I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing, I was standing in my bathroom brushing my teeth, and getting ready for school.  I was in 8th grade.  At first I didn't believe it, but then I went and I watched a few minutes of the news before I had to leave for school.  Once I got to school we watched the news in almost everyone of my classes, except for choir.  Although I remember watching a few minutes of it, and it was right after the towers had fallen.  I remember being in English and my teacher having a really hard time because her sister lived in New Jersey and worked near or in the towers but that morning was running late and as the planes hit she was on the ferry.  I will never forget watching the news everyday and hoping and praying that they would be able to find people.  The night of 9/11, we were doing a project for my sister's work at the time stuffing containers with smoothie mixes, and the money that we raised doing that we donated to help with rescue efforts.

    Last night, me and Nick were watching a documentary on the events that happened and me feel so grateful for living in America and the freedom that we each have!  I had a hard time falling asleep last night because I was so grateful for the great land that we live in!  I think we take it for advantage sometimes!  Even though there is great turmoil around us, I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father that is watching over us!  I hope we all take the time to REMEMBER this weekend all the lives that were lost and the lives of those people that helped rescue others!

Day 2 The meaning behind your Blog name

The meaning behind my blog name... there isn't anything special about the name.  It's just who we are, Emily and Nick.  I know pretty boring!  But I love being Emily and Nick!  Sorry, pretty boring!  Hope you all have a great day!  Oh and I'm pretty sure I am loving the cooler weather, too bad it can't stay this way the whole year!

Day 1 of fun!

Here is a recent picture of me and here are 15 interesting facts about me:

1.  I LOVE to do cross stitch, it is very relaxing for me!

2.  I love to bake, I'd rather bake than cook dinner.

3.  I love wearing sweatshirts in the middle of summer!

4.  I have an obsession with collecting pillows for my bed.

5.  I fall asleep holding my pillow, if you ask Nick he doesn't think that I like to cuddle with him since there is always a pillow in between us.

6.  I have always loved playing and experimenting with make up!

7.  My favorite part of myself is my lips and my eyes!

8.  I have a weird disorder with my toes, if they get cold they turn black and blue.  So I always have to keep them warm.

9.  If I could live anywhere in the world it would probably be in Oregon.

10.  I love getting a Sam's Club hot dog and drink on the weekend with my family.

11.  I love animals!  I have had quite a collection growing up; I had a hedgehog named Fluffy, a rabit named Rusty, two dogs named Mickey and Radar, and I now have a cat named Simba.

12.  I love to play tetris, it is possibly my all time favorite video game!

13.  I love to get my picture taken!  Anytime there is a camera out, I feel like I have to be in it.

14.  My new favorite channel to watch on TV is HGTV, I love that channel and my favorite shows are Color Splash, Design on a Dime, and the Antonio Treatment.

15.  I am totally and absolutely in love with Nick!  I love the fact that we have known each other our entire lives!

30 Days of Fun...

So I found this off of one of my friend's blogs and I thought it was a really fun idea.  I'm going to try really hard to do it everyday for the next 30 days.

30 Days of fun-
Day 1 - A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
Day 2 - The meaning behind your Blog name
Day 3 - A picture of you and your friends
Day 4 - A habit that you wish you didn’t have
Day 5- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to
Day 6 - Favorite super hero and why
Day 7 - A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 8 - Short term goals for this month and why
Day 9 - Something you’re proud of in the past few days
Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Day 11 - Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12- How you found out about Blogs and why you made one
Day 13 - A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14- A picture of you and your family
Day 15 - Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16 - Another picture of yourself
Day 17 - Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20 - Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
Day 21 - A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22 - What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23 - Something you crave for a lot
Day 24- A letter to your parents
Day 25 - What I would find in your bag
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Day 27 - Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29 - In this past month, what have you learned
Day 30- Who are you?

Matthew

So, I know that I have written a little bit about my totally awesome brother, but I wanted to write a specific post all about him and how much I look up to him, (and I don't mean that literally, since he now towers over me). Matthew truly is one of my best friends! Now, don't get me wrong, when we were younger and both living at home we didn't always get along. But once I graduated from high school and when Nick left on his mission we became really close! I'm so grateful for the wonderful example that he has given me, he is always trying to do his best and striving to do good. After all that he has been through he amazes me! Whenever I see him sad or having a bad day, I want to take away his pain!  He always knows how to make me smile!  I'm so grateful for all of the fun times that we have had together!  I'm so luck to have him as my brother!  He truly is my definition of a hero!  I love it when he comes over to my house and we get to hang out for a little while!  It is fun to watch him interact with Simba!  It's way cute!  But I really do love him!  And I hope that he will always remember that! And remember that even though life gets hard, he always has a sister that loves him!

I'll love you forever, I'll love you for always; as long as I'm living my Grandpa you'll be!!!

For those of you that don't know, my grandpa passed away yesterday, August 29, 2010, at around 4 am.  He went peacefully in his sleep.  I wish I could say that he didn't have to suffer, but that would be a lie.  As hard as it was to watch him suffer and be in pain I am glad that I was there to help.  I wouldn't have traded it for the world!  It is amazing what you will do for those that you love!  I have had the chance the last couple of days to just be able to sit up in his room with him, I was able to give him water when he wanted it and I was able to give him a good night kiss and tell him how much I love him! On Friday night, he told me, "I love you sweetheart", and I really think that was one of the last things that he ever said.  It meant so much to me!  I have always been a grandpa's girl, and I think I will always be one!  And on Saturday morning, I went to check on him and I gave him a kiss and he smiled for me, I was able to express my love for him and tell him that I will always be my grandpa's girl. 

I am so grateful for the Gospel and the Plan of Salvation!  I am so glad that I get to be with my Grandpa and my Grandma again!  I am grateful for eternal families!  I am so grateful for the family that I have and the love that I have for them!  I don't know where I would be without them!  I am grateful that my grandparents raised such a wonderful daughter, my mom.  I am so blessed to have my mom!  She is a wonderful person!  And I want to strive to live as how my Grandpa would want me to live!  I am so grateful for his testimony and what a wonderful person he was!  I will never forget him or his love for others!  I love my Grandpa so much!  I know that I will miss him so much, but I can't wait until the day that I get to see him again and where we will get to do all the fun things that we used to do!  I love you Grandpa!!!

"I don't speak eyes!" and "Do I need to tighten your smiley screws?"

Okay, so these are some of Nick's new sayings to me.  Today he was giving me a hard time, and I was giving him "the eye" and all of the sudden he was like, "I don't speak eyes!", with his fingers up by his eyes.  I'm pretty sure you can picture what it looked like.  I couldn't help it, I started laughing way hard!  It was hilarious!  And I have to hand it to Nick, whenever I am having a hard time or if I am having a bad day and I'm not smiling he'll ask me if he needs to tighten my smiley screws.  About 99.9% of the time I tell him no, but does that stop him, oh no it does not.  He will reach up to where my dimples are and sure enough he will tighten my smiley screws, and I always end up laughing or with a big smile on my face.  I am so grateful that I have Nick!  He is such an amazing husband, and best friend!  I don't know what I would do without him!!!  I love you Nick!!!

Pioneer Children sang as they walked and walked and walked...

...Or as they watched their bus burn, like they did in our ward yesterday. They were on there way to Martin's Cove to go on trek. Here is the following story from KSL:

RAWLINS, Wyo. -- A handcart pioneer trek got off to a scary start when a tour bus taking some South Jordan teenagers to the starting location caught fire.
The real challenges for this group of young men and women from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints weren't supposed to start until their bus reached Martin's Cove. Instead, they found themselves with seconds to escape the burning bus.
"Within minutes our bus is engulfed in flames. Within literally 12 minutes the bus was completely burned to the frame." - Jeff Raditz, trek leaderFor many LDS teens, a handcart trek in Martin's Cove is a rite of passage -- a way to honor the pioneer experience. It's an example of faith and endurance.
"A lot of people died there. The people left Winter Quarters too late. They got stuck in the snow. It was 18 degrees below zero [Fahrenheit]," explained Susan Harker.
Harker's two kids, Avrielle and Craig, are on the trek with the young women and men of the South Jordan 1st Ward. The real danger, though, was in getting there and getting out of a bus on fire.

It all started with a flat tire outside Rawlins, Wyo., a couple hours away from Martin's Cove.

Trek leader Jeff Radditz said then entire bus burned in 12 minutes.  "Shortly after the first flat tire, we immediately got a second flat tire," said trek leader Jeff Radditz. "They fixed that within a half hour, and another half hour passed. We were on the road, and another tire went flat and caught fire." Radditz took home video of the bus burning on the side of the interstate. He took a cell phone picture of the end result.

"My daughter said there were flames coming through the floor of the bus as they were exiting," Harker said.

While the teens lost all of the supplies, some even their shoes in the fire, no one was hurt. The bus company sent a new bus, and the youth group stopped in Rawlins to take a vote on if they should continue. The decision was a unanimous "yes."

"All sorts of bad stuff happens in life, and you can't just lie down and die. You have to keep going. I think this is an important lesson for them," Harker said.

The group says they've been overwhelmed by the generosity of the people who stopped to help them, providing water, blankets and supplies.

I can't believe that this has happened, I'm just grateful that everyone is okay.  They are supposed to be on there way home today, they will definitely have stories to share with everyone.  It really brings a new meaning to "Please bless us that we will travel home in safety."  After I heard the news last night I couldn't get my mind to settle down, it felt like it was going a million miles an hour.  All I could do was think of them, and that I would have been one of the people on that bus.  I am so grateful for my ward!  I love all my young women!  And I am excited to see them!

Donut Falls

This last weekend we went on a hike up to Donut Falls! It was absolutely gorgeous, and a ton of fun! We went up with Amy and her kids, as well as the visiting Brazilian exchange students. We played in the water, which was absolutely freezing, but so refreshing! It was a nice way to spend our Saturday morning! If you haven't done the hike, I highly recommend it! All around it is about a 3 mile hike, with quite a steep incline. So be prepared with plenty of water! And don't forget your camera to take some pictures! Here are some of our pictures, I'm still waiting to get a copy of Amy's pictures.

Here I am starting to hike up the fall, and then there I am about half way up.

I am the one in the green shorts. :)

Nick really liked this piece of wood, it was amazing! When I was up there a couple of weeks ago for mutual I also noticed how amazing it was! It was so smooth and it looked like it has been there for a very long time!

I think that one of the reasons the wood is so soft and smooth is from the water that rushes over it.

Here's cute Nichole, she was throwing rocks into the water and she would start laughing! She was a good sport keeping up with everyone. I just had to keep telling her that it would just be one more hill.

I just really like this picture that Nick took. That is Matheus in the background, he is one of the exchange students.