Keeping up with the Joneses

Help!

2011-08-16T21:49:00.000-06:00

I need your help! One of my good friends is trying to get her photography business up and going, when she gets 30 followers she is going to be giving away a free session. So please help her, and who knows, you might get a free photo session! Here is her blog, go check it out!

http://beckygreenphotography.blogspot.com

Girls Camp

2011-07-17T16:25:00.000-06:00

We also had girls camp last month. It was a lot of fun, it was super hot and windy, but still so much fun! I absolutely love all of my girls! They are awesome! Nick was able to come up for a couple of days as a priesthood holder and I am so glad that he was able to be there. It was fun for the girls to be able to get to know him better.

Cute Nicki!

Cute Jen! She was helping pre-make dinners.

Heidi doing what she does best! Braids galore!!!

I love these people!

Sarah, Anna, Becca, and Stacie at Flag Ceremony

Food Prep

Grace is an amazing artist!

This is Marco, our camp mascot

The Shark song at Flag Ceremony

This is one of the roll calls from one of the wards, it is super cute! It is to the tune of "Baby" by Justin Bieber.

It was so pretty and green!

Trying to stay cool in the shade

Say Cheese!

Gorgeous!

Our lovely sunburned, dirty faces!

Nick's Birthday

2011-07-17T15:46:00.000-06:00

Nick's birthday was last month, it was pretty low key. We didn't do a whole lot, we just hung out at home. It was pretty nice. Here are pictures of his special day! Sorry there aren't a whole lot more, they are all pretty blurry, so these will just have to do.

He's so spoiled.

The cute birthday boy! He was such a good sport to wear the hat that cute Nichole picked out for him.

Infertility...sucks!

2011-07-05T13:43:00.001-06:00

So, for those that don't know, we have been trying to get pregnant for the last year to year in a half, with no success. So, I finally decided that I would go and see what is going on, because I have hated the waiting game. Well, I had to have some blood tests done, and come to find out I am anovulatory, which basically means that I don't ovulate. Which, kind of sucks in a way. I would be lying if I said that I am okay with it. At first when I found out I was angry, not only with myself but with God. I couldn't understand why He would let this happen to us, we are good, honest people, and we try to keep His commandments. But I just couldn't understand why this was happening to us.

Now fast forward a month or so, we found out more information about us being infertile, which made it even harder for me not to be mad and frustrated. But let's go forward another couple of weeks, it would have been the weekend of June 17th, we had the neatest opportunity to go to the temple. I don't know why we hadn't gone there sooner. But we had the chance to go through and do a session with Nick's brother and his wife as they were going through for themselves. I had gone into the temple with such a heavy heart and so many questions on my mind as to why we have to wait to have our chance to raise our kids. But as we were sitting together in the Celestial room, I had such a feeling of peace and comfort come over me, and I knew in that moment that one day we would have our chance. And that right now, there are other things that we need to get in order before we start our family. It was such an answer to my prayers. It felt so good to have that burden lifted off of my heart and my shoulders and turn it over to the Lord. There are still days when I have a hard time with it, but I am so grateful for the time that I get to spend with Nick. I wouldn't trade it for anything right now. I have been so blessed to have him in my life, he has been such a strength to me.

For those of you that know me well, it is hard for me to share what I am feeling, so sharing this is kind of hard for me. I don't want people to feel bad for me, because I know that everything will be okay. But it just feels good to let people know what has been going on in mine and Nick's life. So thanks for listening. I'll try to be better at posting. I'll post what pictures I have and what not from Girls Camp soon. But have a good day! Talk to you soon!

As of late...

2011-07-04T23:23:00.001-06:00

Hey! So, once again it has been WAY too long since I have blogged. I'm sorry about that. Life has been crazy, and not super exciting. So I haven't had much to blog about. But first off, Happy Independence Day! I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to live in America! We spent the day with family, we first met Amy and her kids at the Sandy City festivities, it has been a tradition that has been in my family for as long as I can remember! Then we spent the rest of the day with Nick's family. It was a lot of fun! I loved watching all of the fireworks! Especially since the new laws went into place, on our drive home tonight it was so neat to look across the valley and see so many fireworks! That pretty much sums up our holiday, not too exciting.

Let's see, I'll just give a recap of what has been happening the last couple of months, well of the things that I can remember. The first of March we had a Winter's Youth Conference, it was a lot of fun! It was held up at the Heber Girls Camp. It was freezing cold, but still so much fun! I can't find the pictures from up there, but once I do I will post them. Nick got to come up and he had fun having snow ball fights with everyone. Then in the middle of March my totally awesome little brother turned 17, it's crazy! It makes me feel old! I love that kid so much! I am so grateful for his example and his friendship!

Nick also had a sleep study test done, because he has had trouble sleeping. We came to find out that he has Sleep Apnea, no fun at all. So he now has to sleep with a mask, he calls it his Darth Vader mask. The first night it was so hard for me to see him wear it, I cried. But now it is better, and he is slowly getting better.

We have also both been working a ton, so that has kept us really busy! Also, Young Women's has kept me super busy. We just went to camp and it was so much fun! I am so grateful for my girls! I swear that they are the best in the entire Church! They are awesome!

Well, there has been some other stuff that we have found out in the last couple of months, that I think it deserves a separate post. So, I'm off, I'm going to try and catch up on some other posts.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

2011-02-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Grandpa! I hope you and Grandma are having fun together celebrating your birthday today! I am so happy that you get to celebrate it with her today after not being able to for so long! Grandpa, I miss you!!! I still feel you close, and on those days when you are very close I just have to close my eyes and I can almost feel you right by me! Oh, how I wish I could have one of your hugs, I didn't realize how much I missed them! I love you Grandpa! I am so grateful for the life and the legacy that you have left behind! Thank you for your wonderful example! I hope you have a wonderful birthday! Tell Grandma, that I love her and miss her! I'll see you soon! I love you!!!

See this man?

2011-01-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I am so totally, and completely in love with him! He is so absolutely amazing! He is the best husband in the whole world! He has been way sick this last week and I have felt so bad for him. I think it is amazing how much you can love someone and that you would do anything for them! I just wanted to let him know that I love him so much! And I am so grateful for the opportunity that I get to spend the rest of forever with him!!! I love you Nick!!! Thank you for being so absolutely amazing and always knowing how to make me smile! Even if it means you have to tighten my "smiley screws". I love you!!!

I'm back!

2011-01-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

So, first off sorry for the delay on blogging. It's been a crazy couple of months, we moved upstairs, and we have been busy making it home for us, and then we had all of the fun and wonderful holidays! And I have been way busy with Young Women's, oh and I got another new job, which I absolutely love! I have a lot to update on, so sorry for all of the posts that will be coming from the holidays. There won't be any pictures from about Halloween to Thanksgiving since our camera was broken. But I will be working on updating what has been going on in the lives of the Joneses!

Going Private....again

2010-12-31T11:41:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-12T17:15:00.000-06:00

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

2010-10-08T12:10:00.001-06:00

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

2010-10-06T13:09:00.000-06:00

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

2010-10-05T16:59:00.000-06:00

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

2010-10-01T21:33:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-30T17:08:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-29T10:24:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-28T13:49:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-27T13:41:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-26T20:15:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-25T19:38:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-24T17:09:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-23T11:17:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-22T10:40:00.001-06:00

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

2010-09-21T15:40:00.001-06:00

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

2010-09-20T13:28:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-19T18:27:00.001-06:00

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

2010-09-18T20:58:00.001-06:00

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

2010-09-17T22:23:00.001-06:00

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!

2010-09-16T15:18:00.001-06:00

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

2010-09-16T14:38:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-15T14:25:00.001-06:00

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......

2010-09-14T15:48:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-13T10:15:00.001-06:00

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

2010-09-12T12:36:00.001-06:00

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

2010-09-11T00:55:00.001-06:00

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...

2010-09-10T11:26:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-10T11:01:00.001-06:00

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!

2010-09-09T14:40:00.000-06:00

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...

2010-09-09T14:12:00.000-06:00

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

2010-09-08T14:06:00.000-06:00

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!!!

2010-08-30T12:00:00.000-06:00

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?"

2010-08-23T23:27:00.000-06:00

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...

2010-07-14T13:48:00.000-06:00

...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

2010-07-14T12:45:00.005-06:00

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.

My Country Tis Of Thee...

2010-07-07T12:50:00.005-06:00

Happy late 4th of July! It was such a fun weekend!!! Full of a lot of things, parties, bbqs, fireworks and more parties! It was way fun! I think my favorite part of the whole weekend was doing fireworks! I love to light them and watch them, or I like to watch the ones that different cities do. So we started off Saturday morning having our pancake breakfast at Steven and Diane's. It was way fun, and super delicious! Diane makes the best buttermilk pancakes and buttermilk syrup, although I have to give credit to Steven for making the syrup, with just a little help from me and Diane. After breakfast we met Amy and Manny and the kids at Sandy Days. Which for me has always been a highlight of the 4th. I have done it since I was a little kid, and every year that I don't go I feel like I am missing something! But it was way fun, me, Amy and Nichole all got our faces painted, so much fun! It made Nick think I was a little kid, but who isn't a little kid at heart? And I proudly wore the paint on my face for the whole day! It was great to see all of the people's reaction to it! I got quite the compliments.

After Sandy Days, we went home to rest for a little while and so I could work on making dessert for Nick's family party that night. I made a patriotic ice cream cake, and firecracker bites, it was all so delicious! Then we went over to the in-laws house where we had lunch and then we went and bought fireworks! Then we came back and had an awesome dinner! After dinner we all went outside and started playing with some of the fireworks. Nick's brother brought him some firecrackers and he was in heaven! He also brought his potato cannon and we shot candy out of it for the little kids, it was great, we would shoot the candy out and they would all start yelling, "CANDY! CANDY!" and run after it like they had never seen candy before in there life! So that pretty much sums up Saturday, it was a very busy, but fun day!

On Sunday, we went over to my parents house, because they have Brazilian exchange students living with them for the month, so we had another big party over there! I again made dessert, which turned out to be heavenly! I made carrot cake, which I had never done before but it tasted so good! If I do say so myself! Then me and Nick,went out to the front yard and started playing with more fireworks. Eventually, everyone came out and started watching them. It was quite the day!

We both had the day off on Monday, so we didn't do a whole lot of exciting things. We did do some cleaning that I have been wanting to get done for a very long time, so that was nice. But other than that, it was a nice relaxing day! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

St. George adventures

2010-07-07T12:08:00.007-06:00

The last weekend of June we had the chance to go down to St. George for a couple of days and watch my brother play basketball in a tournament. It was quite fun! I loved the heat and the sun! And the team was way fun to watch! They came in 2nd place in the tournament, they won 11 games out of 13. And they sadly lost to Copper Hills, who is one of the rival schools, but at least they beat them during the actual season. So, I guess it is okay. But while we were there, we stopped by the St. George Temple and took some pictures, and we also stopped by the Jacob Hamblin house. We also got to see a gorgeous sunset! It was absolutely beautiful, it made me so grateful for the beauty of everything around us. I think there is something so majestic about the redrocks in St. George! I can't even begin to describe the beauty of it! Here are a couple pictures of our adventures!

Grateful...

2010-06-19T01:02:00.007-06:00

So, this last week I have been pondering a lot of things about life. I am so grateful for so many things. I just wanted to share some of them.

-Nick, and the wonderful person that he is and that he loves me no matter what! I have loved being married to him! We have been married for 1 year and 8 months today, I can't believe how fast the time is going! I'm so grateful that I get to be with him for the rest of my life and for the rest of forever!

-Simba, the fact that he is sitting at the door every day when I get home from work and he is so excited to see me, and that he shows me so much love! Who knew I would ever love a cat this much?

-Matthew, I don't know about you? But I'm pretty sure I have the COOLEST little brother! He is my hero! I look up to him in many ways, and not just because he is now a head taller than me:o). He always knows how to make me smile or laugh! I hope he knows how much I do love him!

-My sweet Grandpa! Me and Nick are so lucky to be able to live with my grandpa. It really has been a blessing. I will always cherish this time that I have spent with him. I think my favorite part of the day is tucking him into bed and giving him a kiss on his forehead! He truly is a wonderful person!

-My job, I love my job! I love the people I work with! I especially love the environment! To me it is the closest thing to working for the church. Earlier this week, I woke up feeling all stressed and I was having some anxiety and I just couldn't get it to go away, until I walked into work and it automatically went away. It was so neat! I am so blessed to work where I do!

-The Gospel, this week I am teaching YW's and my lesson is on how to receive personal revelation. So I have been pondering it a lot this last week, and it hit me really hard just how important prayer is in each of our lives. I have no idea where I would be with out it! I am so grateful for the gospel, especially the Plan of Salvation! I am so grateful that we can be with our families for forever! I am also eternally grateful for my Savior! I know that on the days when I feel so alone and lost that I can always call on Him and He will be there for me, and He will wrap His loving arms around me!

It's been awhile....

2010-04-27T17:46:00.010-06:00

I apologize, I really don't have much of an excuse as to why I haven't blogged in almost 4 months. Other than the fact that I am just lazy, and we haven't done anything super exciting the last couple of months. But just to give an update on what has been happening in the life of the Jones family.

Lets see, in January we went to Sundance with Nick's family. It was a lot of fun, it was my first time. We saw Tommy Lee Jones, and to be honest he wasn't all that nice, but I was able to get a picture of him. He is a whole lot shorter in person.

That was all we did in January, well at least that I can remember. February was a busy month for us. The first of the month Nick had surgery on his leg, they were able to go in and fix what was wrong. His knee still gives him trouble every once in a while, but we are glad that we got it done. Now if we can just get the rest of the hospital bills paid. The following week after his surgery I quit my job at First American, which turned out to be a blessing! And then one of my good friends got married, aren't they cute?

After their wedding it was Valentine's Day, and we didn't do anything to exciting. I got tickets for Nick for the Paul Cardall Celebration of Life concert. It was absolutely amazing! We sat on the front row and I loved every single minute of it! These are the beautiful roses that Nick gave me!

In March all I can really remember doing is going shooting for the first time. I absolutely loved it! It was so much fun! We packed us a lunch and were gone for the day, and it was wonderful!

It was also my wonderful little brother's 16th birthday. It was a lot of fun! We went to Tucano's Brazilian Grill. We also went to a lot of Matthew's basketball games. I love my little brother! He is truly one of my best friends! He is one of my heroes! Sorry, I don't have any pictures from that day, but it was sure a fun day of celebration!

Let's see, that now brings me to April. We didn't do a whole lot the first of the month, well we did do a lot of babysitting, we had Tyson and Nichole sleepover on seperate weekends. That was fun, but, wow, they have a lot of energy! But I still love them. I also had a lot of job interviews but none of them worked out. So, I went to the Church employment services and they helped me get set up on the new beta system. Which is totally awesome! So one morning I was looking through the jobs and I found one that sounded really interesting and so I gave it a try. I called them at the beginning of the week, and I didn't get a call back until Friday afternoon. They asked me to come in on Monday afternoon for an interview. So all weekend long I was very anxious and quite nervous. Monday, I went for the interview and it lasted about 10 minutes, they told me that they would contact me no later than Thursday if they had any information. And after having so many job interviews and having them tell me that they would get back to me and never following through, I was like okay, whatever. So all week long I kept hoping that they would call, Thursday afternoon came around and they still hadn't called. So my mom said that I should call them and see if there was any information. This is what they said when I called, "Oh I was supposed to call you today, can you come back in for a second interview?" I was shocked! I was so excited! So I hurried and got ready and went in for my second interview. While I was meeting with them, one of the men that was in the room, he was like, "Just offer her the job already!" So needless to say, I am now working part time at McDougal Funeral Home. I absolutely love it! I love all the people that I work with! They are wonderful! My job entails of me calling the families after there is a funeral and setting up appointments to meet with them. I have been here now for three weeks and I am loving it!

Sorry this post is so long, I promise that I am almost done! Let's then last week my brother in law got married, and it was wonderful! I helped do the flowers, which was way fun, tons and tons of flowers! I will have to do a seperate post all about that. Also on the same day, one of my dear friends and adopted grandma's passed away. It was a very emotional day, but I know that she is with her loving husband and with the Savior! It made me very grateful for the Plan of Salvation and Eternal Marriage! Well that sums up the first couple months of the year. I'm sorry that I really have been such a slacker at doing this, I will be better I promise!

Memories of the last decade...

2010-01-02T00:03:00.002-07:00

So, my sister just posted her top 5 of the last decade, and I thought I should do the same. So here goes...

My top 5 best moments or memories are:

1. Starting to date, then wait, then marry the love of my life, Nick!
2. Being able to go to the Temple and doing baptisms, waiting while family got married and being able to go through the Temple for myself!
3.Learning how to drive, and getting my own car.
4. Graduating from High School!
5. Going on awesome family trips, such as Florida to go to Disney World and Universal Florida, going on the most amazing senior trip for graduation, my parents took me and Matthew on a two week Church History tour, which was absolutely amazing!!! Going to Florida again, but this time to play at the beach, and this year going to Oregon to see Nick's mission, I love it there!

My top 5 hardest moments or memories are:

1. Friends, mostly in high school
2 Death of loved ones, especially my grandparents
3. Coming to a realization that every family has their problems.
4. Waiting for Nick while he was on his mission!
5. Getting laid off from jobs.

And 5 things that I look forward to during the next decade are...

1. Becoming a mom...no this is not an announcement.
2. Spending more time with Nick!
3. Hopefully going back to school, and doing ASL.
4. Visiting new places!
5. Trying new things!

What things to you remember most from the last 10 years?

Happy New Years!!!

2009-12-31T22:54:00.003-07:00

So, I am so excited for the new year! Not that 2009 hasn't been a good year, I am excited to start fresh this next year! I have been so blessed this year! I have come to have a greater understanding of the Atonement this year and that the Savior really truly does know each one of us and loves us more than we can ever imagine! I wish everyone knew this, and that there is someone that cares about them! I am so grateful for my family and all that they mean to me! I have been blessed with such wonderful parents who show me so much love! I want them to know that I will always love and support them! I also am so grateful for Nick! He is amazing! He treats me like a queen! I don't know what I did to deserve him! I can't believe that we celebrated our one year anniversary this year! I'm excited to spend the rest of FOREVER with him! I am also grateful for my friends! They always seem know how to answer my prayers, whether it be a letter in the mail letting me know that they are thinking about me, or telling me that they are here visiting their family from out of state, or coming by to see me while me and Nick are up in Logan at a hotel! I am so blessed! I could keep going about all of the wonderful things that Nick, my parents and my friends have done for me this year, but I don't want this to be too long. But I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy and safe New Years!!! Love you all!!!

Halloween First American style!!!

2009-10-30T16:24:00.005-06:00

So, I want to state the fact that I absolutely love my work! They are awesome! So, Halloween is like the biggest holiday there and it is a HUGE competition between all of the departments. Well this year my department was a cemetery, so we all got to dress up as dead people! It was awesome! Each department got to pick the best costume from their group for the top three best costumes, the catagories were; scariest, funniest, and most creative...I believe. I can't quite remember. But oh well, that's not all that important, except for the fact that I won the scariest costume! I was so excited!!! Have I mentioned that I love my job?!?! Well, in case I haven't, I totally do! We also had a potluck today, and I made a cute pumpkin cake, here are some picture of the festivities today.

Here is my cute cake, no one wanted to cut into it.

One year and counting...

2009-10-19T17:12:00.004-06:00

We have now been married for one year! And let me say, it has been the best year of my entire life! I am still so much in love with Nick! He is amazing! I am truly blessed to have him as my very own for forever! For our anniversary we went up to Park City for the weekend, it was a lot of fun! We just relaxed, which was wonderful since we have both been sick. The weather up there was amazing! It couldn't have been a prettier weekend! Here are some pictures over the last year! Enjoy!

Update....

2009-10-19T16:55:00.003-06:00

So, I have been a total slacker when it comes to blogging. I apologize, a lot has happened the last couple of months. Lets see, I got laid off from Envision, which was a complete blessing. I am loving where I am at now, it is First American Real Estate Tax Services, I love the people I work with, and surprisingly enough, I don't mind paying other people's taxes. Other than getting a new job, not a whole lot has been going on, we are still loving being married! As a matter of fact, I think it is the best thing in the whole world! Oh, we started watching the season's of Smallville. I got them for Nick for Christmas last year, and it is has been a lot of fun! I am a huge fan, well I have always been a huge fan of Clark Kent and Lois Lane! But that's about how exciting our life has been the last little while. Hope you have a great day!

Proud to be an American!!!

2009-07-04T16:51:00.007-06:00

Happy 4th of July!!! So, I'm sorry that I haven't blogged lately. Life with the Jones's has been pretty hectic as of late. With the both of us getting the lovely swine flu, and with work I just haven't had much time to post. So, I apologize.

Last week we went to Lagoon with Nick's work for his summer party. It was a ton of fun! It was crazy busy there but there was hardly any lines! It was awesome! The only lines we had to wait in were for "Wicked", which was amazing! And then we had to wait in line for Rattlesnake Rapids. It was fun too! All of the other lines were maybe about 5 minutes long. We used our bounce back passes yesterday and took Kimmy and Alex, (Nick's brother and sister). It was quite fun, the weather was perfect! It couldn't have been any better. We only waited in one line and it really wasn't that bad. We went on Rattlesnake Rapids 3 times in a row and it was great! There was no line at all! Everytime we went on it, I just happened to go under the waterfall and I was soaking wet.

After Lagoon next week we went with Amy, Manny and the kids to Taylorsville Dayzz. It was a lot of fun. I had tons of fun watching Nichole and Tyson going down the slides. They couldn't get up fast enough, they were hilarious! The fireworks were amazing! It made me feel so proud to be an American and live in America. It was one of the best firework shows that I have seen!

Nichole was so cute! She was so tired, she came and climbed onto Nick's lap and fell asleep. She didn't even flinch during the fireworks! I love that little girl!

This morning we went to the Sandy City fair, with the kids. It was a lot of fun. We did crafts and all kinds of fun things! I love the 4th of July! It always makes me so happy to live in America! We are all so blessed to live here! We don't realize all that we really do have!

A Tribute to Truman Madsen

2009-05-28T13:39:00.004-06:00

Truman Madsen passed away this morning. He was such an amazing man. I have a special place in my heart for him. I will never forget meeting him at a time in my life when I was struggling. I will never forget the love that emanated from him. Also when he looked into my eyes and started talking to me I knew that everything was going to work out. All though we mourn his passing here on earth, can you just imagine the celebrations that are happening on the other side? I can imagine him sitting with Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and all of the prophets that he has studied so much about. Truman Madsen has helped my love of Church history grow so much! I love watching his DVD's on the early years of the Church. I have been blessed to have met such an amazing man!

Here is the article about his death from LDS Living:

Truman Madsen, well known LDS scholar and educator, died this morning after a long battle with cancer.

Madsen, a grandson of Heber J. Grant, was born in 1926 in Salt Lake City. He developed an interest in his Church heritage at a young age and would eventually become a recognized expert on Joseph Smith and one of the most popular lecturers among Church members on LDS topics.

After serving a mission in Canada and studying at the University of Utah and the University of Southern California, Madsen received his Master of art and PhD in history and philosophy of religion from Harvard University. Part of his legacy includes his work with leaders of other religions to better understand Mormonism.

A prolific author, Madsen has written numerous books, including Eternal Man and Christ and the Inner Life. He contributed to the five-volume Macmillan Encyclopedia of Mormonism and served as an editor for the project.
His most recent project took a similar vein his DVDs called On Sacred Ground, with this series devoted to walks in the Holy Land. The DVDs, called The Eternal Christ, include Madsen’s deep insights into and testimony of the Savior’s life. They are scheduled to be released this summer.

He served in the Church as a bishop, stake president, president of the New England Mission, and executive assistant of the Temple Square visitor’s center. Most recently, he served as the patriarch of the Provo Utah Sharon East Stake. He also served previously as director of the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies.

“Truman Madsen mastered the weighty matters, the themes of eternity, in a far-reaching range of interests: philosophy, scriptures, Jerusalem, Joseph Smith, and temples,” said D. Kelly Ogden, a friend and former associate director of the Jerusalem Center. “He has left deep impressions in ‘lives without number,’ in a worldwide context—as a professor, guest lecturer, commentator and writer, as a stake president, a mission president, as director of BYU's Jerusalem Center, and especially in his key roles as husband and father. The legacy of his brilliant mind and fervent spirit will live on for generations to come.”

Peter Johnson, who worked closely with Madsen on several projects, including On Sacred Ground and the upcoming The Eternal Christ, recalled Truman’s unique traits. “One of the things I will always remember is his humor and compassion. Everyone who knew him thought they were his best friend. And that tremendous love just reached out and touched any individual he had dealings with,” he said. “He was such Christ-like man.”

“Truman really is an amazing man," he concluded. "He is one-of-a-kind a man of tremendous intellect combined with faith and testimony. I’m so thankful that I was privileged to spend the intimate creative time that I did with such a profound thinker and man of God.”

Madsen and his wife, Ann Nicholls Madsen, are the parents of four grown children.
LDS Living, Inc.

The gorgeous Oregon Coast

2009-05-17T18:52:00.007-06:00

Here are the pictures from yesterday of our drive through Bend to Eugene. We stopped in Redmond, Nick's second area it was way fun. Here is the picture of the post office where he droped off my letters and packages. It was so much fun to see the places that he told me about in all of the letters in person.

After we drove through Redmond we drove to Sisters, it is a small little town a lot like Park City or Jackson Hole. It was so fun there. I loved it there! We stopped a long the way at Sahalie Falls, it was breath taking! It was a beautiful drive. Here are some of the pictures.

Today we went to church in the two wards that Nick served in, in Eugene. It was way fun. It was amazing to me, to see that no matter where you go in the world where the gospel is, the church is always the same. Church was wonderful! I enjoyed it very much. After church we made our way to our hotel that we will be staying at until next Sunday. We are right on the coast, it is amazing! The drive was gorgeous. And the hotel is beautiful. We have a huge window that takes up almost the whole wall that looks out over the ocean! I love it! And there is about 130 stairwell down to the beach, we walked down there when we got here and it was very windy and cold, but beautiful. Here are the pictures.

Long drive, bugs, and Bend

2009-05-16T09:37:00.009-06:00

We arrived in Oregon yesterday at about 3:30 pacific time. After driving for about 12 hours. Surprisingly the drive was really nice, we had perfect weather and almost no traffic. Although, I hate to admit that were many deaths along the way. Here are the pictures of the damage that was done.

Once we got to our hotel we went to Redmond, Nick's second area on his mission. It was so much fun seeing all of the places that I had heard about. We stopped by his apartment, the popular pizza place, and a coffee shop called Dutch Bros that has the most amazing smoothies! The pizza was delicious and the smoothie was one of the best that I have ever had.

Here is the door to our hotel, and this is what is across the street, we started laughing when we read what it was.

Today we will be driving to Eugene, the part where Nick spent most of is mission. I will post more pictres when we get to our hotel tonight.

New Hair Cut!!!!

2009-05-07T15:50:00.005-06:00

So, I decided that it was time for me to get my hair cut. I decided that I wanted a change, so after not getting it cut short since I was in 8th grade, I wanted a change. So, here are the before and after pictures, let me know what you think.

What do you think?

2009-05-01T23:00:00.005-06:00

So as I was looking through pictures today and my friend pointed out that me and my niece looks a lot like I did when I was her age, what do you think?

A trip down memory lane...

2009-05-01T15:47:00.009-06:00

So it's been a while, I'm pretty much just a big slacker when it comes to blogging. I'm trying to do better. But anyways, I was looking at some pictures today and it was very much a trip down memory lane. Here are some of my favorites.

Being in Primary Childrens because I had the flu...

My awesome trip to Chicago, posing with Superman and going tracting with my cousin who was on her mission!

High school memories.....school dances, choir tour, birthdays, graduation

Going to Hawaii and Oakcrest

I love these of me and my grandpa! I loved it when he would push me in his tire swing!

Bear Lake....Oh how I miss you!!!!

Disneyworld was such a fun trip!!!

One of the first times holding my wonderful nephew Tyson!!! I love that boy!!!

I hope you like these pictures, they are just a few of the many memories I have.

Living For Eden

2009-04-01T13:55:00.000-06:00

I received an email today from Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband about there being a benefit concert for Paul Cardall. After reading the email I looked at Paul's blog, and wow, he is truly an amazing person! If anyone would like to take a look at his blog, here is the address, http://mytricuspidatresia.blogspot.com/, it is amazing! I also got the following informaiton from the website.

Kurt Bestor, Peter Breinholt, and Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband, along with other talented artists will perform a benefit concert for Cardall on Monday, April 6 at Cottonwood High School. The “Living for Eden Concert,” so named in honor of Cardall’s 3-year-old daughter, will get underway at 7:30 p.m. A silent auction will precede the concert beginning at 6:30 p.m.

“It is a rare opportunity to see these three popular artists on a single stage,” said Jeremy Barron of the Baron Group, another friend of Cardall’s who is producing the concert. “I have produced a lot of concerts, some of which have been benefits. Never has a concert hit so closely to home as this benefit concert. Paul has helped a lot of people through his music, benefit events and work with other musicians. I think I can speak for all of us involved when I say that we are honored and excited to help one of our own.

"Cardall, who was born 35 years ago with a severe congenital heart defect, has been on the waiting list for a heart transplant since last August. He has been limited in his ability to support his family and to meet escalating medical expenses during his prolonged illness. Seeing their friend’s condition, Cardall’s colleagues decided to do what they do best – make music and use their talents to benefit Paul, his wife Lynnette and their daughter Eden.

“Each of us wanted to do something to benefit Paul,” said Peter Breinholt. “Coming together as we are is our way of paying tribute to, as well as helping, one of our own. A hundred percent of the proceeds will go to help Paul with his mounting expenses.”

"I’ve known Paul for many years,” said Ryan Shupe, “and we are honored and excited to help him in his time of need, not to mention we get to share the stage with some other incredible musicians. It’s going to be a great night!

"Tickets for the concert are available online at http://www.livingforeden.com/ beginning Wednesday, March 11th and they can also be purchased at the door the day of the concert. The cost will be $12.00 per person, while those buying groups of five or more tickets can get them at $10.00 each.

Pay It Forward

2009-03-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, I saw this on one of my friends blogs, and I was surprisingly one of the winners, so I thought I would give it a try. And see who actually responds. So the first three people to comment on this I will either make you a treat or try and come up with something creative, I will also try and get it completed this year. So good luck!

The Rules}

1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?!

2. Winners must post this challenge on their blog, meaning that they will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on their post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Counts!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate pictures and comments! If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!

SO, REMEMBER...Pay It Forward!!!

Finding the rainbows in the storm

2009-02-27T10:29:00.000-07:00

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.

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirates Life For Me!

2009-01-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

For those of you that didn't know, my job is awesome! I love it! I love the people I work with, I love what I do and I have the world's coolest bosses! For Christmas one of my bosses gave us all the present of hosting a Pirate Murder Mystery Party. It was so much fun! It was on Saturday night, my character was Gurgglin' Uma Scarr, the galley wench. And Nick was a retired pirate. Here are some pictures from the party.

Memories in the making

2009-01-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

On Friday night after I had gotten off work me and Nick went over to my parents to hang out and also to play with Tyson and Nichole. They are some of the cutest little kids in the whole world. While we were there I was recording Tys and Nichole, because they were so funny! My mom got Nichole a stroller from the D.I. and she would run down the hall and run into Tyson and then he would fall down and he thought it was the funniest thing in the whole world. Here is just some of what I recorded and also some cute pictures of them together.

I love these two so much! I'm so glad that they are my niece and nephew!!!

They are so cute together!

After we went to my parents we were going to run to the store really fast, the weather on Friday night was so cool! There was crazy thick fog, as we drove by the temple it looked gorgeous so we decided to stop and take some pictures of it in the fog. I love living so close to the temple!

My Grandpa, My Hero

2009-01-23T16:04:00.001-07:00

So, for those of you that don't know, me and Nick live in my grandpa's basement. It has truly been a blessing to be there, not only for me and Nick but for my grandpa as well. He is so much fun to spend time with, whether it be eating dinner with him, making his dinner, watching a movie with him, playing a song for him on the piano, or just being in the same room with him. Over the last three months my love for him has grown so much for him! One of the greatest blessings of being there is that we are able to hear him if he falls.

A couple of weeks ago, we decided we would surprise my mom by going to her ward instead of ours. Her ward starts at 11 and ours starts at 1, so after we got done with her block we went home to take a nap before going over to Nick's parents for dinner. Well, we fell asleep for about an hour or so when I woke up to my phone ringing and it was my grandpa telling me that he was in the garage and he had fallen. So me and Nick jumped up and ran up the stairs to help him up. It was so hard for me to walk out into the garage and see my grandpa, the same grandpa that would throw me in the air when I was little, and push me in his tire swing, and push me on his bike; lying there on the floor and not being able to get up. Luckily we were able to help him up and get into the house. It was of those times where I was so grateful that we were living with him. I got the overwhelming feeling right then that my grandma was also grateful for us living there with him.

I love my grandpa so much, he really is my hero! He is so strong in so many ways. I have always been my grandpa's girl, and I think I will always be that, no matter how old I get. I hope that he will always know how much I love him!

Brothers

2008-12-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

I have the worlds most amazing brothers, I really truly have been blessed with Matthew and Steven! I have such a great love for them! Last night before I went to bed I got 2 phone calls, one was from Matthew, he had won his first basketball game of the season! And the reason they won was because of him! I was sad that I couldn't be there to support him, but I can only imagine how well he did! And then after I got off the phone with Matthew, I got a surprise call from Steven. He was on his way home from work and he just called to see how I was doing, I don't think he realizes how much that meant to have him call. When I got off the phone with Steven I just started to cry because I had an overwhelming feeling of love for my brothers! I hope they know how much I really truly do love them!!!

I love you guys!!!

Gratitude...

2008-11-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

So, I have a friend who has inspired me to start a gratitude journal. So I am going to try to remember to make my list of the 5 things I am grateful for everyday. I am going to start today. My list for today...

1. Three day work weeks, they are wonderful!

2. Having enough work to keep me busy during the day

3. Christmas music, I absolutely love it!!!

4. Nick, he is amazing!!! I love him so much!

5. Chocolate mint truffles, chocolate seems to make everything perfect!!!

Married Life...

2008-10-27T15:10:00.000-06:00

So I have now been married for one week, and I absolutely love it! It is wonderful! I love falling asleep next to Nick along with waking up next to him. It is the best feeling in the whole world! I really am the luckiest person in the whole world!!! Here are some pictures from the temple and the reception. Enjoy!

Yay!!! We're finally married! It was way fun to walk out and see everyone that was there!

Here is the famous kiss outside of the temple.

The little kids were my favorite, they all wanted to help hold my dress.

This is my favorite picture of me and the little kids! Oh man, I just love them so much! I have the cutest niece and nephew ever!!!!

Man, I love him! I still can't believe that I'm married!!!

The weather was absolutely perfect! I really couldn't have asked for better weather! The fall colors were gorgeous!!!

People kept honking at us as they drove by, it made me laugh, it was fun!

I love this picture! The photographer was giving Nick a hard time about where he was going to put his hand, our photographer was amazing!

Wow...

2008-10-14T16:30:00.000-06:00

So, I was sitting here at work and it hit me that I am really truly getting married this week. Wow, that is all I have to say. It's crazy! I'm so excited! It feels surreal, like it really isn't happening to me. Ya know, you look forward to this time your whole life and when it actually is happening it doesn't feel real. Well it could be that I wasn't planning on getting married for another year, but it's amazing how the Lord works. My life has been so blessed since Nick has been home, sometimes it feels like I'm in a dream and I'm going to wake up and he is going to be back on his mission. I am so grateful for Nick, I have been so blessed! He truly is amazing! I'm so excited to spend the rest of forever with him! I just hope that I will always be worthy of his love.

My weekend...

2008-10-13T12:18:00.000-06:00

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!!!!