Crazy Daze

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays ever. I love fireworks and being with family and friends and all that fun. This year was different then what I had thought but it was good times.
My sister and her family came to Poky to spend some time with us. On Friday, we had a picnic and went swimming. As we were driving home, it started to rain. We had fund.
Saturday was great. We decided to go on a picnic. My Grandpa Ivey, Heather's family and my mom were all there. Sad Day, my dad had to work and could not be there. We went to Ross Park and had a picnic. Carson discovered his loves for cherries, Tanner loved the Cheetos, and the rest of us ate.



We got to play a little bit and headed home to get ready for fireworks. I LOVE FIREWORKS. However, on the way home to get ready, it started to storm. It was huge. There was lots of thunder and lightning. If there is one thing that I dislike as much as I like fireworks, it is thunder (If that makes sense). It began to hail. Here are some pics of that.


We still found ways to have fun and it clear up enough to see fireworks, which made my day. I did not even mind that the ground was wet. I hope everyone else had a great Fourth of July!!!

Snaps!

As promised, here are some pictures from the a recent road trip that I took with an former co-worker. We had a lot of fun.

This is at Gossners. I love the root beer milk. Yum!!!

These are some scenery shots take from the grounds of the Logan Temple. It was beautiful!


This was taken on path that we found. I loved the background and the colors. The funny thing is that is was beautiful in Logan, but back home it was raining all day.

A Quick Update

I have not been the best about updating this because I think the last one was over Memorial Day weekend. I know, that is pretty sad. My life has been hectic lately and I am having to learn how to juggle and balance. I do not mean with balls or standing on one foot, but my life in general. I work tons, my calling keeps me busy, and trying to have a social life on top of that. The past couple of weeks have been spent trying to find that balance. I can honestly say that I am beginning to see it and that I do not have to do everything by myself. What a revelation.
I had craziest dream this week and it came as an answer to me. It was a mixture of the mission and church. There was a lot about change and without boring you with all of the details I have decided that there are some changes needed in my life right now and this is the time to start. Wish me luck with the new adventures that will be coming my way.
I will try to post some pictures of a recent road trip that I took, soon.

The Blessings of Adventures

This is going to be a little more serious and reflective, so if you are not into that kind of stuff, don't read it. I will try to come up with something more exciting and fun for the next one.
I was super excited to have a three day weekend. I did not have many plans and I was going to be completely spontaneous. I ended up having an adventure. I was pretty shook up when it was over, but since I have had some time to reflect on that. I know that God loves us. He will make sure that we are safe and protected. He will find little ways to answer our biggest prayers and let us know that we are doing fine. I am so grateful for his hand in everything that I do and how it helps me to realize that he is always close by. There have been moments when I have wondered if I will ever really know what I am suppose to do. Those are the moments when he sends me a tender mercy and lets me know that he is ever mindful and aware of me.
I look back at the experiences and smile. It showed my that "God Must Really Love Me" and will take over when we let go because we cannot do it alone.

The Hairy Details

DISCLAIMER: I am not very photogenic, but these pictures are being posted at the request of my sister.

For the past couple of months, I have wanted to get my hair trimmed or cut or something a little bit different. This week it began to drive me nuts and I made the decision that it had to go. I went a couple times this week and the girl who was going to cut it was never working. I finally got there when she was working and at that point I was not sure what I wanted to get done. I was debating between a trim, with a different style and keeping it long, or chopping it.

Here is a before the cut picture:


These are pictures of the after:


This is the new do with bangs and all. It is amazing to have a picture with the bangs and not having the in my eyes or face.

Unsinkable and Unforgettable

This weekend was super busy for me and in the craziness of the days, I forgot my camera. Saturday was a great day. I attended a baptism which always makes my days betters and then I got to go to Idaho Falls. A friend and I went to the museum there to see the Titanic exhibit. It was such a neat experience. Upon entering the museum we were given a ticket and a boarding pass. On our boarding pass was the name of someone who was aboard the Titanic. It gave information about that person such as why they were traveling, what class they were, their age, etc. It was even clear enough to give a cabin number for some of the people. My pass was for a 61 year old man from Norway who was going to the U.S. to finish up some business in North Dakota. That would allow him to live in Norway with his wife and the twins that were born one-year prior.
After looking at some of the actual artifacts that were found after the shipwreck, seeing the set-up of the rooms, menus, and experiencing the cold temperature of an ice berg, we came to a wall. On that wall were the names of all those aboard the Titanic and whether the lived or died.
It was such a good experience and one that I will not forget. If you are ever in Idaho Falls and needing something to do, or are even in the area, I highly recommend this.

Reflections and Thoughts

Recently, I have been doing a lot of thinking about what my purpose is in life. I love my calling, my job is great, and I have amazing friends. However, sometimes I feel like I am not truly happy. This week I have had a lot of things happen that has brought this again to my attention and I wanted to share some of those. My friend, Kristen, posted on her blog the question: "Do you know who you are?" I have thought about this a lot because I know certain parts of me, but with uncertainty comes doubts of who I really am. I love my life and I am happy to be here. Sometimes I wish I could see the end from the beginning. This week I have decided to live life for me and to be in control of my own life. I have let little things control my life that shouldn't. My health, job, or anything else will not control who I am.
My brother sent me an email this week. He is serving in the Arizona Phoenix Mission. In the email he had this little rhyme that makes a lot of sense to me. I am not sure who said this.

"Trials come
And trials go
But having the Lord next to me
Is all I need to know."

I am going through a time when I am not sure what the next year or so will bring but the Lord is next to me and will be. I have nothing to worry about.
Tonight we had part of our stake conference. Elder Walker from the seventy was there. He said somethings that were really neat. One was to the effect that whatever errands the Lord wants me to run, I will be ready to do so for him. It is fine to be a "goody goody" or a "Molly Mormon" because it shows that we are truly trying.
I think the thing that was said that impacted me the most was this: "Do not let your faith be difficult to detect."
This is who I want to be. I want to be a woman of faith, charity, service and love. I want to be in control and have fun.