Fun Photos...and Happy Thanksgiving

Before we left Utah we took advantage of the beautiful fall season and had my wonderful friend Lauren take some pictures of us. She did a great job and I love the pics she took. Below are a few of my favorties.
Mitch was nice and took some pictures of Lauren and I too. We realized that even though she's one of my best friends I hardly have any pictures of her and I together. I miss you Lauren!

Today I'm thankful for family, love and true friends.

Sunday...

Being up in Everett has been amazing. I absolutely love getting to spend so much time with my in-laws and getting to know each of them more. Another thing I love is Sundays and getting to be in a family ward again. I've been in a student ward for many years now so it's a welcome change.

This ward has been particularly fun. For example, today at church one of the speakers was talking about different types of persecution in the Book of Mormon compared to today's times. He asked the congregation if any of them had ever been stoned. One older gentleman sheepishly raised his hand, while the rest of us looked confused. Promptly the speaker clarified stoned as in the Biblical sense. Hearing this, the man quickly lowered his hand. I could hardly contain myself. Family wards are great.

Mitch's Birthday...

Last week was Mitch's 25th birthday. Before we left Utah we went to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate store to get a piece of frozen dipped cheesecake. It was delicious. I couldn't even finish mine. If you haven't gotten one of these yet you should definitely try it out. I'm sure there are about 10,000 calories in it but eating a delicious piece of cheesecake dipped in chocolate on a stick is something everyone should experience at least once. On Mitch's actual birthday we were up in Everett with the whole fam. We had fun celebrating with the family, eating another cheesecake and opening presents.
Alex gave him an awesome gift, a light saber so they could play sword fight! Mitch also got a PS3 which I have to admit is pretty awesome.
I look forward to spending many more birthdays with Mitch in the years ahead. I can't imagine anyone I'd rather grow old with.

Must See Blog...

I was in tears laughing after reading the blog "It's Lovely! I'll Take It!: A collection of poorly chosen photos from real estate listings."
Seriously, you must look. It's both hilarious and horrifying. Go here: Lovely Listing.

Here's one of my favorites:



PHOTO CHECKLIST:
Front of house? Check.
Kitchen? Check.
Bedroom? Check.
Bathroom? Check.
Back yard? Check.
Orange teddy bear leaning against a fake soda can? Check.

Good to go!

(Post originally found here.)

Here are a few more of my favorites, this one and this one.

Obviously I'm still having a very slow work day! Only two days left, hooray.

Because I'm Bored at Work...

I now know my colorstrology. Another mindless thing to figure out about yourself when you have nothing to do.
I don't know that I would ever want to surround myself in these "Autumn Sunset" colors but I think the description is relatively accurate. I try to always be loyal and often have difficulty breaking commitments, even if they're small because I never want to disappoint. I wouldn't call myself a person who needs to be in leadership positions but I'm definitely intense (a word I like to substitute for other less attractive words such as bossy, tense, or high-strung- all things that I can be at times too, but don't worry, I'm working on them). Check out the link here to find your own colorstrology.Noting how much time I have on my hands I figured I'd show Mitch's colorstrology too. I love that it says he's "exotic" in his manner. It cracks me up, but it's true, he's "definitely not a run-of-the-mill person." Maybe it's just because I find him so irresistable but I agree that his "inner world is deep and mysterious." I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that wearing "slate rose" helps him move through life with trust and freedom though. Wouldn't you love to see him draped in rosy hues, yeah, me neither :o) Enjoy.

Goodbye Provo...

On November 12th our time in Provo will end.
It's weird to think how much of a home this place has become to Mitch and I. When I moved out here for school 5 years ago I didn't have a car, I didn't know where anything was, and I definitely didn't think I'd ever miss leaving it. Now that I've been here so long I've learned the back street short cuts, the best prices at each grocery store, and even gotten used to the mountains.
Most importantly I've made some really amazing friends that I will miss dearly. I hope I'll get to see all of you at least one more time before I leave!

Moving to Everett will definitely be a change but I'm super excited to spend so much time with Mitch's family and am really looking forward to Seattle's weather. The clouds and rain will take some getting used to but I'm so sick of this dry climate that the rain will be a welcome alternative. Plus, look how adorable Mitch's brother Alex is. I can't wait to get to see him everyday!

This morning on my way to work I noticed that the crossing guard was dressed up as a clown- red nose and all. For about five minutes I was really confused. Then I remembered it was Halloween. I guess I haven't quite gotten into the spirit of Halloween this year. Hope you all have a safe and spooky night!

Hawaii...

If I could only go back! I loved every minute of it. We were able to do tons of different things but still had time to sit back and just lay on the beach. We spent the first few days in Waikiki just walking around the beach and shopping at the International Market. After that our days were filled with trips to the Bishop Museum, Dole Plantation, Pearl Harbor, Laie Temple, Polynesian Cultural Center, Hanauma Bay, Diamond Head, North Shore...and the list goes on and on.

My two favorite activities were probably the catamaran sail and the North Shore. We had the beach all to ourselves and those big waves gave us all a run for our money, knocking almost everyone of us down at least once. Seeing my mom knocked over and crawling away laughing was a particular favorite :o)

Mitch and I were never able to get our fill of coconut shaved ice either and I think we'll still find ourselves craving it for the rest of our lives. We also found a cheap Mediterranean restaurant that had the most amazing gyros. I could go back just for the food alone. My plan is that Mitch and I will somehow inherit a beach house and live there for the rest of our lives. Keep your fingers crossed.

Pictures just can't tell how amazing the trip was (except maybe our crazy faces in the snorkeling pics, ha). I'm so incredibly thankful to my parents for inviting us to come with them. I loved spending so much time with them both. Just seeing my dad wear a pair of shorts was pretty eventful in and of itself (I've never seen him wear a pair of shorts in my life, the closest I've ever come is seeing him in swim trunks and even that's only happened a handful of times). Mitch and I were able to spend a lot of time in the evenings just sitting down visiting with them and it made me so happy to be there with them. We appreciate them taking us so much and we can't wait to see them again soon!
P.S. Doesn't my dad wear the coolest hats?

I wish...

I could sit in one of these all day.

Mitch's brother Russ in serving his mission in Guatemala right now. He bought this silk hammock from a jail. Sweet. Doesn't it make you want to lay out on a breezy evening with nothing but a good book?

Did you hear that?

They've chosen a temple site for the
Greater Kansas City Area!

Finally, a temple in the homeland! Hooray.

I really love the Gospel.