Oh My Long Time Bez Posts!

I have so many happy things to catch up on! It's been almost 6 months since I've posted anything and a TON of stuff has happened! I don't know if I should work backwards or start from the beginning... maybe just right in the middle? One happy thing is that I got a new macbook! Love it. Ok -- to the happiness. Maybe I'll do a little preview and then break it down in separate posts. Good idea.

July --

The best trip to Provo Ev.Er.

The best 4th of July Ev.Er.

The best trip to Wyoming Ev.Er.

The best trip to Chicago Ev.Er.

The fastest (and best) trip home Ev.Er.

The best Park City family vacation Ev.Er!

August --

The BEST birthday EV.ER (and I am so not kidding!!)

The best trip to Disneyland Ev.Er!

A really super fun surprise party!

My Favorite Birthday Dinner Ev.Er! (The actual party instead of the week before like someone thought for the surprise party! :))

September --

The best new/old mattress/bed Ev.Er.

And my first try at Second Day Hair. (Be glad there's no picture.)

A very lovely dinner!

October --

The best Black Hills Bacon for General Conference Ev.Er.

The best trip to California for the best first birthday Ev.Er!

The cutest African "Chicken" costume Ev.Er.

Ok -- there was more stuff... But that's a good run down! More details soon! Stay tuned! :)

Let's just say, these last few months I have been So Happy!

Your Mom's Face

Yesterday was such a good Saturday!

Can you believe it started with exercise?? Amazing. I never would've gotten out of bed if Carolyn hadn't called and had the discipline to go to the gym early on a Saturday morning when we had been dancing the night away late the night before! I was glad I did it though! Because then I ate like a mad-woman the rest of the day! YUM!

First up... Blue Plate Diner.

This obviously wasn't taken yesterday - or by me at all. Just rain - no snow.

The S.M.A Omelet (spinach, mushroom, and.) Good Food. Good Environment. Great Friends.

And RAIN! It felt so much like Seattle yesterday -- I loved every second. I loved that my hair was all flat and I loved the thunder and the comfort that somehow comes with the rain. So cozy.

Next... Mini's!


We headed straight over and had 85 conversations at once about the city, okra, your mom's face and creamy mashed potatoes.

I love Mini's. And so do Carolyn and Casey. Yum Peanut Butter Fix!


I am a certified Springer. As you can see. Although my brother can fit two hot dogs WITH bun in his mouth at once. Or a can of Coke. Serious.


I had a s'mores please cupcake and got a diva cupcake for my later meal... and Nalene enjoyed Twisted Sister. The cupcake - not the group. Well, maybe the group. Just not yesterday.

I was the only one to make an enormous mess. Oh well.

Last "official" meal of the day -- Thaifoon! Yum again!!! It was Amy's Birthday so we celebrated with some Thai food and great conversation. Carolyn was the Evil Jungle Princess or maybe the Princess of Celestial. And Amy painted her nails at the table. It was awesome.

How lucky am I to have such amazing friends???? The conversation was worth every calorie.

And crumb. Awesome, Andrea!

Round it all off with a review and share of ALL of my mission pics -- how could it get better?

Nothing makes me happy like friends and food! So Happy.

I Left My Heart In San... Diego

Well, today I was supposed to be in California, going to Disneyland and visiting my favorite Burnhams!

Last October I was in California to help my Grandma move back to Illinois.
After everything got finished up, I stayed an extra day and went down to San Diego to see my dear friends,

Elder and Sister Burnham.

Aren't they wonderful??

Oh I love them so so much!


We became friends when we were all working in the Seattle Temple.
It is such a blessing to know them! Since they're from Canada, I probably never would've known them without the Gospel!

Aren't there so many fantastic blessings from the Gospel??

One of my favorite-EVER road trips was with Sister Burnham. We had so much fun singing and talking all the way to and from Vancouver, Canada. Home was by way of closer-to-Vernon than we planned. It was wonderful. We didn't get to sleep until after midnight and had to be up at 4:00 a.m. to get Sister Burnham to the airport! When I knocked on her bedroom door to wake her up, she sat right up and was ready to go in 11 minutes flat! I mean dressed, ready, packed and she even had made my bed. Come on. She is so incredible. More energy and heart than anyone I know.


Now they're serving as missionaries in the San Diego Mission -- at the Mormon Battalion Visitor's Center -- but since the Visitor's Center is closed they are finding lots of other ways to serve.

And they are wonderful!

They get to spend time at the Temple each week - working inside and out.
When people come to the Temple, they ask questions and can learn more about our beliefs by talking to the Burnhams and other missionaries like them.

I love this picture of Sister Burnham teaching. She is an excellent teacher and such a love. Definitely one of the women I admire most in all the world. Y ella esta aprendiendo espanol y lo puede hablar muy bien! And she is learning Spanish and can speak it very well!

I enjoyed taking pictures of the Temple that day and the surrounding grounds.
We saw a HUGE spider climbing down its filament from a tree. It kept climbing up and down and it was yucky! Sister Burnham thought perhaps it had filled the measure of its creation - but I don't think we killed it.
So... Spider alert -- there's a spider at the end of this post. Don't turn the page... Please, Please don't turn the page...

(It's the very very last picture.)

Elder Burnham is an excellent photographer and has taken such fantastic pictures of the Temple and the beauty of San Diego. He is one of my favorite men in the world. I love talking to him about - well everything - and especially the Gospel. He is such a straight arrow and has a deep and firm understanding of the Gospel and a tender heart. I remember neat conversations in the Temple with him -- especially when The Lord of the Rings movies came out because he loves Gospel Parallels just like me!

Did I mention how much I love the Burnhams???

They were involved with helping me finish all the Temple work for Hilda.
I am so glad they were there with me. That was one of the neatest experiences of my entire life.
They really cared about her because they knew I loved her so much.
That made me love them even more!

Doesn't that look like the Tree of Life?

Gorgeous windows of the Temple

I so wish I could've been with them this weekend.
Last time I was with them was right before the vote on Proposition 8.
I was so grateful I got to see them "in action" helping people understand some really important doctrine. They have always been representatives of Jesus Christ, but right now they get to wear a name badge that tells the world so.
I am so grateful to know them and hope someday I can be like them.

My dear sweet friends have for years, made me So Happy!
The spider picture's next! Don't turn that page!

A Lovely Evening

Last Monday it was my turn to host The Lovelies.
And my are they lovely!
We had such a lovely time! (If the hostess does say so herself!)

I mean, are we cute or what? We even were color coordinated and it wasn't even planned!
left to right - Amy, Lori, Julie, Elaine, Carolyn, Danielle.
We really missed Sister Kapp, Carol and Loe.
Doesn't it kind-a look like Lori's squeezing my fat roll?
She was a little. Wait - don't look at my fat rolls.

We had crispy bread with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese,
spicy honey chicken with honey citrus vinaigrette from Our Best Bites Blog
and broiled pineapple with coconut ice cream and chocolate corks that ELJ made.
So YUMMY!!!

The dressing wasn't my very favorite - but it was good enough.
I added red peppers to the salad and it was yummy and a little more colorful!

Since it is the beginning of summer I thought it would be fun to give everyone a "Jar Of Discovery!" This was my favorite gift of all time from the Second Saturday Girls in Seattle. If you look at the table in the above picture you can see the jars - they served as our centerpiece too.

Each jar is filled with ideas for activities that might help you discover things about yourself, as well as making you get out of your comfort zone a little.
There are rules to the jar.
Rule #1 - You can only remove one idea at a time.
Rule #2 - Once you take out an idea, you can't put it back.
Rule #3 - You can't pick another idea until you've completed the one you just pulled out.
Rule #4 - If you can't complete an idea, you have to get approval from the group to move on.

Fun huh?

The conversation was better than the food.
I love those girls so much!

I was super lucky because my wonderful friend Amanda and her cutie-pie Nathan came to visit for the day from Wisconsin!
I never could have made it by 6:30 without all her chopping and cooking expertise!

ELJ came over at 6:00 and helped finish all the chopping and cooking and I needed her too! She was a whiz with the pineapple -- I could barely live a day without her and I certainly can't throw a party without her -- EVER!

It was so fun to have Amanda and Nathan here -- he is the happiest baby I have ever been around in all my life! I loved getting all caught up with Amanda and it was amazing to both of us that no matter how much time passes, we're friends like always. Isn't that a miracle?

My Lovely Friends make me So Happy!

Break A Leg! (Wait - Not REAL-ly)

{Sigh}

The Melodrama is over...


It was a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Damsel In Distress and The Hero!

Thank you so much to EVERY single one of you that came!
I have the best family and friends in the world!
I'm so sad that I didn't get pictures with everyone that came!


Awesome Brothers and Awesome Katie My Sis-in-Law!


































My Grandma!





















The lovely Brittany and Brianna - miss you guys!!

And the Disney Girls --
it was the kind-of day when you opened your mouth and a song came right out!

My First Favorite Friend Kathy from work!
(She gets to be first favorite because 1. she is and 2. she reminds me SO much of Colleen!)




















I love the Women's Conference Ladies SO MUCH!
And the Tidwell family is perhaps my favorite family this side of the Mississippi -- They're always keeping it real smooth!

And I got 4 bouquets of flowers!!!



From the Women's Conference Ladies, The Jack's and My Mom!

Stacey also sent a gorgeous bouquet that she MADE! And she even sprayed with perfume! I'll take a pic of those too -- they are so so pretty!




















I also had a few little fans!

My cousin's Adorable son Caleb -- I was so happy he let me hold him!
And during intermission he kept saying, "More More!" Love Him!



I'm pretty sure I'll be moving to Disneyland ASAP to become Mary Poppins or Snow White because having the little adorable girls come up to see the "princess" (ME!) was potentially the coolest thing ever.

So opening night -- I completely fell! It was pretty funny -- my dress was so long that I had to hold it WAY up in order to run across the stage during the Pink Panther chase. I kind-a forgot and down I went! I shrugged to the audience and then had to crawl off on my knees whispering, "HELP ME!" as loudly and softly as I could until they dragged me off stage.
I got quite a cheer when I ran across the other way and made it without a fall.

(the lip sync to "Think" by Aretha Franklin -- SO FUN! How'd'ya like the American Idol microphone?)


Being a part of this fantastic show made me SO Happy.
(I may make you all watch the DVD later -- not sure if that'll make you so happy!) :)