reunions.

This weekend was full of all sorts of reunions, which, after spending the weekend before stuck in a house full of five kids with the flu, was well deserved.  It all started Friday night at my dear friend Jessica's bridal shower. We were best friends all through high school and, if you can't tell from the picture, we are ridiculously alike, and I just love it.  We were inseparable in high school, but when we graduated she moved to Cedar City for school & I came up to Utah Valley.  We have only been able to spend time together a handful of times since then, but now that she is getting married & moving to Las Vegas, I figured I better get my butt down to her shower and spend as much time with her as possible!  We had a great time reminiscing, gossiping (oops) and laughing our heads off.

The following morning, Jess picked me up bright & early to head to the tabernacle for the One Voice 15-year reunion.  One Voice is a community/church choir that I was a member of in high school, and to this day, my One Voice memories are some of my favorite memories.  We would go on tour every Christmas & Spring with a program that included both inspirational music and a variety show with dancing, etc.  In fact, here is a random YouTube video I found of the choir performing at Temple Square my senior year.

Anyway, because of those three years I dedicated to the choir, it pretty much molded me into the person I am today, so I was excited to get back on stage, sing with old friends, and thank the directors (who are retiring) for all they have done for me.  We spent all day reviewing old songs and preparing for the reunion concert that night.  I forgot how strenuous singing can be, which became very apparent when I lost my voice before practice was even over! Bless my little heart. Luckily, it came back for the concert that night & I was able to sing (and lip sync to all the songs I had forgotten) for the whole two-hour performance.

As usual, I forgot my DSLR so I had to rely on the trusty iPhone for pictures, which are as high-quality as ever... false. I got no good pictures, but it's better than nothing! The top two pictures are with my favorite One Voice Altos.  We caused a fair bit of trouble my first year in the choir by talking during rehearsals and sneaking away to the attic of the tabernacle after practices, but we had the most fun & it was so good being back with these ladies again. Don't mind the fact that we all look like washed out lemons in our super cute reunion shirts!

The last reunion of the weekend, featured in the bottom two pictures, was seeing my sweet niece Sammie (and holding her for the first time!) be blessed by my brother in church.  It was such a special experience for our family, and besides, how cute is she in her little white dress & huge bow? I know. I totally had to take pictures during church. The cuteness could not be passed over.

After a BBQ with the fam & a few more Sammie snuggles, we were headed back home to start yet another week in the real world of grown-ups... I'll never be used to the feeling of leaving our family and such a great weekend to come back and go to work, school, etc., but I am grateful for all the memories I was able to make & people I was able to see again after years apart.  Here's to reunions!

P.S. Shout out to Alesha for reminding me I actually have a blog & that this adventure needed to be documented. Thanks for keeping me on track & I loved seeing you this weekend!

sometimes...

via

sometimes, i pull an all-nighter with my husband & spend the whole next week trying to recover. daily afternoon naps? i'm not complaining. thank goodness finals are done.

sometimes, that sweet husband of mine tries to pull another study all-nighter and wants me to stay up with him. as in, right now. i'm 96% sure that i can't do it, but here's to trying.

sometimes, i get bored with my blog design after one week so i mix it up a little.  enjoy this one while it lasts, because i already have plans for the next one. it's called being indecisive & it's a terrible disease.

sometimes, i get asked to be a revolt now fitness blogger and become addicted to clean eating.  i started my kick-off to the program yesterday and i am loving it so far. expect to see more updates on my progress in the future!

sometimes, my body is so sore from the revolt workouts that i make my husband carry me down the three flights of stairs to the car. he loves it, i bet.

sometimes, i am too tired to blog in complete thoughts, so i steal this lovely idea from chrissy and decide i will mostly likely do it more often. brilliance.

sometimes, i spend way too much time pinning and not enough making/baking/doing the things i pin. if i spent as much time exercising as i did pinning about exercising, i would look like this.

sometimes, i get tired of blogging and the drama that comes with it, but then i read through old comments and remember how much i love everyone. so i keep going. even if i am a lazy blogger, i am loving every second of it!

all-nighter.

currently, mr. d is staying up all night to study for a 7 a.m. final (seven in the morning on a saturday? who even does that?) and i somehow got roped into the job of keeping him awake/comedic entertainment/snack preparer. so here it is, 4:24 in the morning... and i am blogging on my phone while watching our third straight season of parks & rec and hitting scotty every 5 minutes to make sure he is still awake and productive. we also have three types of cookies, way too many energy drinks, and old pizza. needless to say, everything is hilarious right now and i think we are dealing with a 90:10 laughter to studying ratio. i couldn't be happier.

this is love.

number twenty-nine.

Back in August when we were visiting our family in Texas, I got the best phone call in the world. After over 5 years of trying, with a little help from fertility treatments, my brother & his wife were finally expecting a little baby, in spite of the fact that my sister-in-law has fibroid tumors in her uterus.  I would call it a miracle, at the very least.  I honestly don't remember feeling so excited for someone in my life. I have been so excited, in fact, that it seemed like the longest pregnancy in the world.

I guess she knew we were all getting impatient, because last Tuesday, that little miracle made an appearance a couple weeks early!  Little Samantha Luella (aka 6 pounds & 11 ounces of perfection) made the mister and myself aunt & uncle for the 29th time, and we couldn't be more in love with her.  She looks just like my brother, and you should see him light up when he talks about her. Cutest dad ever. Cue the baby hunger.

We were able to make a quick trip to my parents' house to meet her this weekend, and let me tell you, it did not help my ridiculous craving for a baby.  She is soooo small and adorable! I am always amazed at how small babies are. Tiny humans... so cute.

She had a little bout of jaundice, so we weren't really able to hold her, but we spent as much time as we could just watching her sleep and holding her hand while she hung out in that little mini-tanning bed. (I keep telling myself it's good I couldn't hold her because it would have made me want my own even more.)  She is already such a blessing to my family & I can't wait to see her grow up and, of course, become her favorite aunt. :) We sure love you, Sammie!

On a side note, I was also able to spend some time with one of my favorite bloggers, Brooklyn, while I was down at my parents' because she was in town meeting her boyfriend's family. Have I mentioned I set her up with him? I know, I know. I'm just really proud of my matchmaking skills. Anyone else lookin' for a boyf? I got skills.

We had Coke for breakfast while I talked waaayyyy too much, and of course, I had to introduce her to the wonder that is Richfield's punch bags!  I had looked forward to meeting her for so long that it felt like I was giving a celebrity a tour of my hometown. Plus, she is like the prettiest girl ever. I was basically starstruck.  Has anyone else experienced that?  Oh, blogging.  

But for real, I had a great time getting to know Brooklyn more & taking our relationship from blog-stalking to real life friends.  I instantly felt like we had known each other for years and I could tell her anything, which I pretty much did. (Sorry, girl!) I can honestly say I am blessed to know that girl. She's a good one! People like her are definitely one of the big reasons I keep blogging. Love y'all!

How was your weekend? Tell me below!

apologies.

Have you ever taken a minute and just thought about the importance of apologies? I mean, they're pretty complex things... like how a sincere apology can reverse even the deepest of hatred into respect, at the very least, and if you're lucky it can bring you friendship and quite possibly, love.  

Then, on the other hand, how an insincere apology can do nothing but make a bad situation even worse.  It seems that the world is abundant with insincere apologies, but that makes you appreciate the sincere ones even more.

In fact, if it weren't for sincere apologies, I never would have married my sweet husband (but that's a story for another day.)

cadillac ranch off route 66-- 8/11/11 our engagement day

Up until recently, I had been having a hard time letting go of some things that happened in my past because I was never able to receive closure.  I was harboring hate for some people who had wronged me, and sometimes my anger was so intense that I was allowing it to consume my thoughts. (I never realized how bad I had let it get until I read some posts from my old blog.)  I knew that my feelings were wrong, but I couldn't get over the hurt and anger I was experiencing.

A few weeks ago, one of these people sent me an apology.  It wasn't forced, sarcastic, or insincere.  It was a simple, heartfelt, "I'm sorry," and my first reaction was to throw it back in their face.  I was not about to let go of years of hurt and anger so easily! They could not get away with the way they have made me feel.  They should have to feel the turmoil that I have been experiencing all these years!

I was about to write a reply saying it was too late to apologize, and that my forgiveness was the last thing this person deserved... but then I realized I would only be hurting myself and I might never get another chance to let this go.  I knew, deep down, I would come out of this a much better person if I was just able to forgive and forget. Plus, what good is an apology if you have no one there to accept it? 

A talk by President Thomas S. Monson from the July 2007 Ensign entered my head.  In this talk (The Peril of Hidden Wedges) he says, "Sometimes we can take offense so easily.  On other occasions we are too stubborn to accept a sincere apology.  Who will subordinate ego, pride, and hurt--then step forward with 'I am truly sorry! Let us be as we once were: friends. Let's not pass to future generations the grievances, the anger of our time'? Let's remove any hidden wedges that can do nothing but destroy." 

...the wedges that can do nothing but destroy.  I read and reread those words, and I  knew that "destroy" is exactly what this anger could do to my life if I didn't deal with it and move on.  I immediately accepted that apology, for the sake of both myself and the one who gave it to me, and I can't even explain the difference I have seen in my life since I made that very simple decision.  All the anger and harsh words I wrote about this situation just seem silly to me now.  All the anguish I experienced in my daily life has vanished, and I am a genuinely a happier person.

It feels so good... like a fresh start.  I have been able to get even closer to my husband without this weight bringing me down constantly, and I am so happy that I just want to dance. All the time.  

...All because of a heartfelt apology & a sincere acceptance.  We need more of those in the world.