My Eventful Happenings

Deep Cleaning

2011-03-01T12:11:00.000-08:00

Like every year around this time, I get the urge to deep clean my house from top to bottom. This year was no exception. I started in the master bedroom closet and worked my way around the rest of the house. By the time I was finished we had tons to throw away and even more to donate.

I ended up saving the office for last because it tends to be the catch all throughout the year for things that don't necessarily have a place. I ended this, hear and now. I went to IKEA and got the cutest wicker baskets. At first I only got enough for the master closet and Hurley's toys, but I quickly went back and purchased several more for the rest of the house, including the office. While I was cleaning the office and reorganizing files I ran into a huge pile of papers that I needed to scan for scrapbooking. Initially I threw them in a large wicker basket and called it a day. Then, a few days later, it was calling my name.

So, I spent the long weekend scanning all of these papers, cards, pictures, etc. Although it was time consuming, it was much needed. Now I have a free basket and a much more organized closet. (Not to mention that I just finished scanning Matt's mission pictures! Talk about an accomplishment!)

Valentine's Day

2011-03-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

This year for Valentine's Day we kept it rather low key. We stayed at home, made heart shaped pizzas, and watched our favorite shows. Although it was a super simple night, we really enjoyed each others company.

Matt ended up scheduling my concealed weapon's permit class as my gift and I ordered him personalized license plates for his new truck.

Super Bowl XLV

2011-03-01T11:39:00.001-08:00

Because the Steelers were playing in the Super Bowl we went all out and had a party at our house. Matt invited a bunch of his mission companions, and because it was the first time ever having people over to the house, we were excited, yet nervous.

A few days before the game I went out and got some party supplies and food. I made Steelers cupcakes, which was my first time ever using fondant. I think they turned out amazing considering. (Thank you, Becky!) I also made the "Go Steelers" banner. We got tons of hamburgers, hotdogs, wings, soda, and chips.

We all had so much fun, despite the Steelers losing. After the game we played Kinect and made scones. Overall, the night was a success!

PeopleWater

2011-01-24T18:12:00.000-08:00

PeopleWater is one of Matt's many new ventures. Him and a few of his friends combined forces back in November and created PeopleWater. In a nutshell, PeopleWater gives, drop for drop, to those in need of safe and clean drinking water. So, with every bottle purchased, the same amount goes to individuals in need.

They have really begun pushing this idea and PeopleWater finally made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah! It was featured in the gift bags that were given away to celebrities in attendance and was available at the Bing Bar by Microsoft. In addition, they have already signed con

tracts with several stores on the west coast.

I have helped with logo and bottle design concepts and have had so much fun learning new things. I love the concept of PeopleWater and am excited to see where it ends up!

Meet Hurley!

2011-01-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

Hurley is a pure-bread Maltese puppy. We got him from Inkom, Idaho, just outside of Pocatello. He was 5.5 ounces when he was born and at his 12 week check-up he was 4.5 pounds. Despite his small size he is definitely a handful but we love every moment we get to spend with him.

He loves running around the house and being outside. He also loves being around people. He is pretty much potty trained except for when he gets nervous or overly excited. :) We were worried at first because of the snow, ice and mud that makes up our backyard right now, but he has adapted and is doing really well. It's funny to see him sink in the snow in certain places.

Hurley eats like crazy and is hilarious to play with. He loves playing with Matt and I and hates having to stay in his play pen. He has finally figured out how to get out, so it is much more difficult to keep him contained.

He loves sleeping in his kennel and will let us know when he is tired by dragging his green fluffy blanket to our bedroom. He also drags his blanket out of his kennel each morning after we get up. We tried to keep the downstairs and upstairs a secret, but that did not last long. The other day I heard him whimpering and barking and I could not figure out where he was. I finally found him at the top of the stairs whining to get back down.

He has just about mastered sitting, laying down, rolling over and shaking. We play catch throughout the day and he likes being chased around the coffee table and then chasing us around the coffee table. Seeing him run is rather entertaining. He just looks at you, cocks his head back and starts running.

Hurley is definitely a handful and has shown us how difficult children will be when the time comes. But for now we are enjoying him and we hope he is enjoying us half as much.

New Year's

2011-01-21T23:28:00.001-08:00

Matt and I stayed in Idaho for New Year's and enjoyed a relaxing night at my parent's house. We ordered 9 feet worth of Blimpie sandwiches and watched movies until the ball dropped.

It's amazing to think that yet another year has passed so quickly. This past year has had its ups and downs, but I would not have it any other way. In 2010 Matt and I celebrated our one year anniversary, I received my E.M.T., I completed classes and graduated from BYU with a degree in Political Science, we bought into a pest control company, moved to Washington D.C., moved back to Utah, received new church callings, bought Matt a new truck, welcomed Hurley into our new home, started PeopleWater and celebrated the holidays with our family.

Hopefully 2011 has just as much, if not more, eventful happenings in store. And to start the new year off right I have a few resolutions!

Magnify my church callings

Daily scripture study

Weekly temple attendance

Catch up with scrapbooking (digital of course)

Stay organized

Better organize genealogy records

Find a job

Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Plan a family vacation

Christmas Gift for My Dad

2011-01-21T18:06:00.001-08:00

This past August my parents took a trip to Washington D.C. for their anniversary. And for those of you who know my dad, you know he is a huge history buff, but ironically he had never been to Washington D.C.

While planning their travel arrangements, it just so happened that Matt and I were going to be in Chantilly, Virginia (about 45 minutes away) because of EcoTek. So, while Matt stayed and manned the office I ventured out into Washington D.C. with my parents. We had so much fun seeing the sites and viewing the amazing exhibits.

Because of the significance of this trip my mom and I decided to create a scrapbook for my dad using all the pictures we had taken on the trip. My mom provided the pictures and I provided the design work. And because I wanted the scrapbook to have a personal feel I literally designed each page. After a few weeks of banging my head against the computer the final product was complete! And just in time for Christmas.

My dad absolutely loved the scrapbook and I was even able to order a second one for myself! I love the way it turned out so much I wanted to share the final product with you!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Christmas 2010 and Our Newest Addition!

2011-01-21T17:47:00.001-08:00

I can't believe Christmas has already come and gone! We had a wonderful Christmas up in Idaho and we were able to stay through New Year's.

While we were in Idaho we did some last minute shopping, a ton of wrapping, quite a bit of eating and even more hanging out with family and friends.

This year, like every other year, Matt and I received a ton of awesome stuff including:

Bedroom lamps

Tool kits

Deep freezer

Luggage set

Graphic Design pen (much needed!)

Guns (yep, we're both packing heat!)

Bath and body stuff

Gift cards

XBox Kinect

And last but definitely not least we got Hurley! He is the newest addition to the Jameson family.

(And yes, my teeth look green/blue because of Becky's amazing baking skills and mysterious frosting!)

We are so blessed to have the family we do!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-30T17:17:00.000-08:00

A few days before Thanksgiving I cut my foot open really bad. The tendons were visible and I had to go to the emergency room for stitches (thank goodness for great insurance!). While at the emergency room I was overdue on my Tetanus shot so I got that while I was there also.

The next day I had a hard time walking and then I got really sick. Because of all this Matt and I decided we were not going to drive to Idaho, but that we would just stay in Utah for Thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving morning I talked to my mom about not feeling well. My parents weren't too happy that Matt and I weren't planning on coming up, because this would have been my first Thanksgiving away from home. So, the morning of Thanksgiving day Matt and I ended up driving up to Idaho for Thanksgiving and we stayed for about a week.

Once everything was said and done I was glad we went to Idaho. It was fun being able to hang out with family and eat amazing food. We had the traditional turkey, ham, green bean casserole, rolls and sparkling cider.

We were also able to watch the HBO series "The Pacific" that I had gotten for my dad for Father's Day. I really enjoyed it. It was amazing to see the differences between what the soldiers experienced in "The Pacific" and "Band of Brothers."

Day 7 - Sea Day

2010-11-22T18:39:00.000-08:00

The last day on the boat was full of sleeping, eating, and relaxing. I'm pretty sure we repeated that process throughout the entire day. That night also marked the last night we got to eat in the Vista dining room.

The waiters and chefs prepared a special presentation for everyone in the dining room. They did a lot of dancing and signing. It was such a fun night with good company and amazing food.

The next day we arrived in San Diego to rain. - And back to reality. Once we got back to Utah it was practically snowing! Definitely different from the weather we had in Mexico. And now that we are back in town, we are preparing for the holidays and getting ready for the cold Winter ahead.

Day 6 - Cabo San Lucas

2010-11-22T18:20:00.000-08:00

Our last port of call was in Cabo San Lucas. This port was by far our favorite. The beach was about 15 minutes away from the ship so we did not need to take a taxi. The weather was amazing and the scenery was breathtaking. There were so many activities to do, but so little time.

Matt got off the boat before I did. He went parasailing and really enjoyed it. He had never been before. Once we met up on the beach we took a glass bottom boat to the other side where Lovers Beach was located. The glass bottom boat was so fun. There was literally a glass bottom so you could see all the fish while we were in the water.

We also got to see a bunch of sea lions and pelicans. It was amazing to see how clear the water was.

After we got back on the boat for the night, we had a quick dinner and headed to the dessert extravaganza. They had all the desserts you could possibly think of. The entire deck was lined with desserts and the ones we tried were really good.

The show for the night was the same comedian we had seen earlier. He was putting on an adult show and he was hilarious.

Sadly enough this night marked the last night of excursions and ports. It was time to head back to San Diego.

Day 5 - Puerto Vallarta

2010-11-22T17:18:00.001-08:00

Our second port of call was Puerto Vallarta. We took another tour of the city once we got off the boat first thing in the morning. We were able to see the city and learn some of its history.

At one of the stops there was this massive iguana that Matt got to hold. I was too chicken to hold it.

One of the last stops of the tour was at the El Eden Eco Park where I got to zip line through the Predator movie set. I had so much and the views were amazing. Matt was unable to go because of his size, but I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it enough for the both of us.On the way back into the city from zip lining we stopped at the famous arches in Puerto Vallarta and got some pictures.

We also got to stop at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta. It was located right in the center of the city. Like the other cathedral, it was beautiful and serene although it was located right in the heart of the city.

After seeing the sites, walking around town and zip lining we headed back to the boat for the night and anxiously awaited our arrival into Cabo!

Day 4 - Mazatlan

2010-11-22T16:36:00.001-08:00

When we woke up the next morning we were in Mazatlan! It was so beautiful and the weather was perfect. We ended up taking a tour of the city where we were able to see the sites.

One of our stops was at the local market, which was definitely a different experience. This market in particular had locals cutting up chicken, cows and fish for everyone to see. It was quite disturbing to me, but completely natural for the locals. We definitely weren't shopping at WalMart.

After visiting the market we went over to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It was being renovated, but we were still able to go inside. The cathedral was amazing. It was so pretty and the intricate details added to the inside and outside of the beautiful building.

There were several statues throughout the cathedral and it was such a peaceful place despite the outside renovations taking place.

After walking around downtown and being able to see the market and cathedral we headed down to the beach. We walked around for quite a bit and just enjoyed the great scenery. We found this long strip of land that jutted out into the water, so we took some fun pictures.

After touring the city, we made out way back to the boat for the evening, enjoyed the nightly entertainment and ate amazingly good food.

Day 1, 2 & 3 - Sea Days

2010-11-22T01:44:00.000-08:00

We boarded the ship Saturday morning. Checking in was fairly easy and we went straight to the dining room for lunch while our rooms were being cleaned up and our luggage was being delivered.

After lunch we checked out our stateroom and then ventured around the ship. That night we had dinner in the Vista dining room.

Sunday was a very relaxing day. Matt and I woke up bright and early and attended a stretching workout type activity. Then we ate breakfast, laid out, ate to our hearts content and then prepared for the next day by mapping out the activities we wanted to do.

Monday was very similar to Sunday. We attended some activities and even learned how to tango. It was nice to step out of our comfort zone a little and learn something new. That night we had dinner in the Vista dining room again and attended the comedy show. The performer was hilarious.

When we got to our room that night we had this cute puppy made out of towels waiting for us with some chocolates on our bed. After two and a half days on the boat we were ready for our first port which was Mazatlan.

Sea World - San Diego

2010-11-22T00:31:00.001-08:00

Matt's parents were gracious enough to invite us on a week long cruise to the Mexican Riviera. Because our ship was leaving from San Diego we decided to arrive a few days early.

On Thursday, November 11 we arrived in San Diego and spent the rest of the day visiting some of Phil's family. We even drove out to the U.S. - Mexican border. It was so weird to see the actual border. We could see Mexico as clear as day. I had Phil stop so I could take a picture and not even 5 seconds later border control was stopping us. It was pretty crazy.

That Friday we went to Sea World. I had never been to San Diego much less Sea World. We ended up spending the day at Sea World seeing all the amazing shows and the amazing animals. One of our first stops was to the stingray exhibit. We were able to touch them as they swam passed. It was so cool. They felt really spongy.

We were even able to touch some starfish too. They were really neat. It was interesting being able to touch them.
As we were making our way to the otter show, we got to see flamingos. I had never before seen them in person. They were the cutest birds ever! And there were a ton of them.One of the first shows we went to was the otter show. It was the cutest thing. It was amazing to see how responsive and smart the otters were. They would dance, talk, jump, and balance balls on their noses. The show was very impressive.
The next show we attended was Shamu. Like the otter show it was amazing to see how responsive they were. I had never seen a killer whale before. We were in the front rows and were within a few feet of them at times. On our way to the next exhibit we were able to get onto the water raft ride. It was so much fun and we got pretty soaked. On our way to the next ride we stopped by the penguin exhibit. Like everything else, I had never seen penguins before. I was amazed at how small they really were. They were so cute.
The next show we went to featured pilot whales and dolphins. This show in particular was one we will not soon forget. We ended up sitting in the front row because we got to the show later than expected. For all the previous shows we had been sitting in what they call the "soak zone." As of then we had not even been hit with water so we assumed this would be the same.

Throughout the show the trainers signaled the pilot whales and dolphins to splash the crowd. They pummeled us with water one after another after another. This process continued throughout the entire show! We were literally soaking wet.

After getting soaked we stopped in at the aquarium. We got to see several types of fish including piranhas. One of our last stops of the day was at the 4-D movie. We ended up having to wait outside for about 20 minutes while we were still soaked. The movie itself was hilarious. The fourth dimension was water. There was a scene in particular where tons of birds pooped on this guys head and water dropped on our heads! It was the grossest feeling! There were several things like that throughout the show that incorporated water.

As we made our way back to the car we stopped at the Arctic exhibit that housed polar bears, arctic whales, and walruses.

The last stop of the night was to the heating and dryer unit. They had them lined up outside the water rides. Ironically enough we had made fun of everyone else for using them. The pilot whales and dolphins really took a toll on us and we were freezing. We quickly opted for the $5.00 dryer.

Sea World was so much fun. We got to see so many animals and do so many things. It was a great mix of exhibits, rides, and activities. The weather was also amazing! When we had left Utah the morning before it was nearly freezing.

Halloween

2010-10-31T00:12:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween Matt and I ended up being in Idaho. The week before Halloween my dad went out of town so Matt and I drove up to Idaho for the week.

While we were in Idaho Matt was able to meet my Uncle Joey and go shooting while I

got all of my Christmas shopping done! I felt really accomplished after the week was over.

Once Halloween came my dad was back in town. Since all of us kids are out of the house, my parents did not really plan on decorating the house like they had in the past. Despite their lack of enthusiasm to decorate, Matt and I took it into our own hands.

We decorated the house the best we could with what my parents had in storage. We had body parts, scary music, carved pumpkins, a smoke machine, and a scary man we filled with newspaper. We ended up attaching fishing line to the scary man's arm so when the doorbell rang we could move it up and down.

After kids starting knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell I cam up with the wonderful idea of dressing up. I sat on the front porch for a few hours scaring little kids and their parents.

I would sit still until they came up to the door and then I would start moving. There were a few adults who wouldn't even let their kids go up to the door because they were too scared to follow them. It was pretty funny.

Matt's New Truck

2010-10-30T23:55:00.000-07:00

Matt's Jeep was getting high in miles, so we have been looking to get him a new car for the past few months or so. We were in no rush to get him a car, but this truck just fell into our lap at a perfect time for a really good price so we took advantage of the opportunity!

We ended up selling the Jeep and getting Matt a Toyota Tundra! He absolutely loves it and it was a much needed addition especially with Winter quickly approaching. I absolutely love my car, but it doesn't handle all that well in the snow.

It has all the gadgets Matt could ever ask for, but is still practical. It's a burgundy color with a 6 inch lift, navigation, etc. He has worked so hard these past few months and I am so proud of him. It's nice to see all that hard work pay off.

Boise State v. Virginia Tech

2010-08-29T23:43:00.000-07:00

Because Matt and I were still in Virginia during the Boise State v. Virginia Tech game, we decided to make the hour drive up to Maryland and see the Broncos dominate as always!

We were unable to purchase tickets online so we ended up having to buy our tickets from some scalpers as we were finding parking. After getting our tickets and getting to our seats, we realized that our tickets had been double printed. But the Boise State fans were amazing as always and let us squeeze in with them. Our seats ended up being right on the dividing line of Virginia Tech and Boise State fans, but were fairly good seats. We were about 10 rows up from the bottom.

As the game was nearing an end and the score was in our favor, the tension was fairly obvious. After the clock ran out, Matt and I beelined it to the car, because we were very much the minority, but it ended up taking us a few hours to find our car!

We had so much fun seeing the game! We were thankful that we were able to go.

Nationals v. Cardinals

2010-08-28T23:12:00.000-07:00

While in Virginia we were able to attend the Nationals v. Cardinals game. We were able to get private box seats for us and a few of our employees.

We had so much fun. The seats were amazing and the food was even better. We got to eat all the hotdogs and chicken wings we wanted.

We rooted for the home team and they ended up pulling through with an amazing win! We had so much fun going to the game. It was the first professional game I had ever been to.

August Birthdays

2010-08-22T23:08:00.000-07:00

Matt and I celebrated our 23rd and 26th birthdays this month! Because we were busy traveling we were unable to really do anything.

For Matt's birthday on the 18th we were on a plane headed to Virginia, but we made up for it by going to Ruth's Chris with my parents while they were in D.C.

My parents were amazing as always and got us a really nice barbecue grill and Matt surprised me by getting my car windows tinted. They look amazing. :)

Washington D.C.

2010-08-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

After graduation Matt and I headed out to Virginia for about 2 months to tend to EcoTek. And it just so happened that my parents planned a trip to Washington D.C. for their 25th Anniversary while we were out in Virginia. Because we were right on the border of D.C. I was able to step away from the office for the week and see the sites. I had so much fun going through the museums and seeing the monuments with them.

Although I had been to D.C. a few times, I was still able to see several places that I had not seen before.

We went to Ford's Theater and were able to walk across the street where he passed away. It was such an amazing thing to see.

We even got to see Julia Child's kitchen in one of the museums! I had heard about it several times, saw the Julie and Julia movie, and now I have seen the real kitchen.

The Washington Monument was another fun stop along the way. I had seen the monument several times, but had never been to the top. My parents and I rode the elevator to the top and we were able to see the city from the top of the monument. It was really fun.

The Iwo Jima monument was another monument I had not seen before. It was much larger than I imagined.

We made a pit stop at the Crime and Punishment museum that had interesting tidbits of information and memorabilia about the evolution of crime and the way they are punished. They had some fun interactive exhibits where we got fingerprinted and had to stand in a line up and escape a prison cell. At the end of the museum we went downstairs where America's Most Wanted is filmed! They were just finishing up filming when we got to the set.

Going to Mount Vernon was another amazing thing to see. We were able to see George Washington's gravesite, his home, and his amazingly large farm.

The National Archives was one of the museums I was most excited to see. We were able to see the actual founding documents! The Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, Magna Carta, etc. were all there. We weren't able to take pictures, but just being able to see the documents in real life was amazing. We also got to see the the flag that influenced the creation of the Star Spangled Banner.

The last night my parents were in town we ate at Ruth's Chris, which is one of our all time favorite restaurants. After dinner we drove around town and got pictures of the Supreme Court, White House, and Library of Congress.

Because my dad had never been to D.C. it was definitely a memorable experience. Having majored in political science, it was nice to piece things together and actually see some of the things I have been taught. And because my dad is such the history buff, I really enjoyed going through the museums and learning even more.

BYU Graduation

2010-08-14T01:03:00.000-07:00

I thought this day would never come! After several career path changes, a million papers, and a gazillion books, I have finally finished my Undergrad!

Commencement was on Thursday, August 12 at 3:00 pm. My family came into town just before the ceremony began. And I was lucky enough to have two finals the same day! (At least they were the last two finals ever.) Commencement was a really simple ceremony that honored all of the graduates. We did a parade type entrance into the Marriott Center and there were a few talks. After commencement was finished we took some pictures and headed home.

For graduation my parents bought me a brand new laptop. I absolutely love it! And because Matt and I both have birthdays in August, they brought us our birthday gift which was a really nice barbeque grill! We had a little barbeque Thursday night in celebration of birthdays and graduation.

Friday, August 13 was Convocation. This was the ceremony for my individual college, which was the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences. As I was sitting down listening to the speakers, I couldn't believe that this time had come. The whole experience was truly surreal. It's amazing the heartache and the accomplishments that have occurred over the last few years. I was also surprised at how many people I had gotten to know over the last few years while completing my major.After walking across stage to greet faculty and receive my diploma, I quickly realized that the stage needed to be much longer. :) With all the hard work that goes into getting that little paper, more stage recognition is needed! So, it's official, I now have my Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a Minor in Communications.After Convocation, we took more pictures and began our weekend! Matt had a guys weekend with my grandpa and dad. They ended up getting our yard taken care of in terms of weeds and bugs. Because we still have yet to get sod laid and sprinklers installed, Matt and I have had the worst weeds because of the farms surrounding our house. So, I was so thankful that they were willing to spend the weekend getting the weeds cut down and treated. Hopefully next Spring we will have the time to focus on the lawn.

While the guys did their thing, us girls went shopping.

Once I woke up on Monday morning I felt like I should have a list of things to do, but there was no list! I feel so accomplished.

Future School Plans

2010-08-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

Now that school is beginning to wrap up, I have really begun to focus on what is to come. I would love to continue going to school towards my Masters Degree or Law School. For the longest time, I have wanted to go to Law School and the idea of going towards a Masters Degree has been a new thought I have been having.

I have already begun applying for Law School at BYU and at the University of Utah. As far as Masters programs, I will be applying for several programs at BYU as well as at the University of Utah. I have also begun studying for the GRE and LSAT, which will need to be taken in order to complete the application process. But, there is so much that can change between now and then! So, for now, I'm taking this next school year off in order to get all the applications in and focus on the tests that I need to complete.

There are times when I love going to school and when I thrive on the difficulty of assignments. I love having too much to do and too little time. I also love the victory of getting good grades after a semester of hard work. And on the other side, there are times when I get so frustrated with the constant stress.

Either way, as long as I finish my Bachelor's Degree, I will be content and proud of myself. - Regardless of whether or not I choose to continue going to school.

In the mean time, I have a lot to think about!

Jessica and Trinity in Utah

2010-07-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

A few weeks after my mom and Becky came to Utah, Jessica, her boyfriend Dakoda (now fiance) and Trinity came to visit! Jessica had been planning a trip down to Utah to go to Lagoon, so I babysat while her and Dakoda went to Lagoon for the day.

The night before Jessica and Dakoda went to Lagoon, we stopped at Two Jacks for pizza and walked over to the Spanish Fork fair. We just walked around for a while and Trinity got her first glitter tattoo and went on her first carousel ride!

While Jessica and Dakoda were gone for the day, I had so much fun babysitting Trinity. And I sure hope she enjoyed it too! While Jessica and Dakoda were at Lagoon Trinity and I did some arts and crafts! Trinity was able to fingerpaint for her first time. At first she was not to sure about the texture of the paint. She was really timid, so painting did not last long.

After we painted, Trinity and I walked down to the Ice Shack and got a strawberry cheesecake snow cone! Trinity absolutely loved it! As we were walking back to the house, Jessica and Dakoda met up with us.

Because Jessica and Dakoda got back to the house before dark, we decided to take a tour of the Hari Krishnar Temple just up the road. Matt and I keep saying that we will take a tour, but we have never really made the time for it. - So, I drug Jessica, Dakoda, and Trinity to the Hari Krishnar temple.

We were able to take a quick tour of the temple and learn a little more about their religion and beliefs.

We all had a lot of fun. The next morning they all left to go back to Idaho.

Mom and Becky in Utah

2010-07-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

With Matt out in Virginia and me by my lonesome, my mom and Becky decided to come down to Utah for a visit! And I'm so glad that they decided to come, because I really needed to get my mind off school and Matt being so far away.

The majority of the weekend consisted of shopping and eating. Our first stop was In-N-Out! I kept telling my mom that I would wait to eat there until she came back to Utah, so we ended up going while they were down here. The hamburgers were amazing and the fries were absolutely delish!
After we went out to eat, we did a ton of shopping. I ended up getting a lot of cute skirts for church and a pair of pants and some shirts.

The next day we went to Ikea where we got some more stuff. After shopping we went to eat at Ruth's Chris, which is one of our favorite restaurants of all time! I always order their chicken and it never dissapoints!Because Ruth's Chris was in downtown Salt Lake, we ended up wandering around Temple Square for a while. We went to the visitors centers and walked around the beautiful temple grounds. It was so much fun being there with my mom and sister. After a weekend of great food and company, my mom and Becky left back to Idaho on Sunday morning. It was sad to see them leave!

We Have Blinds!

2010-07-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Matt and I moved into our house in April of last year. Our house has been by its lonesome for quite some time, so we never really worried about getting blinds installed. Instead, I just made some drapes for the main windows and left it at that.

But, after a year of living here, houses have popped up rather quickly. Without our privacy, we knew it was time for blinds! We scheduled an appointment and within a few weeks we had our blinds installed!

They look so good! And Matt and I didn't have to hastle with installing them ourselves. They are a dark walnut color and are made of premium wood. They really finish off our house nicely.

Fourth of July 2010

2010-07-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

This year, Matt and I had no big plans for the fourth. We ended up going on an ambulance call on our way to the fireworks stand. After the call we went back to the fireworks stand that had very little to choose from. We ended up buying one of the large assortment packs and driving down to Santaquin to set off fireworks with Matt's sister and brother-in-law and their kids.The fireworks were kind of duds. - They definitely do not make them like they used to.

After we set off the fireworks for the kids, Aaron brought out his potato gun. It was this huge pipe that could shoot full large potatoes. It was really fun.

So, what ended up being a uneventful day turned into a fun night spent with Matt's family.

Spring Term - Capstone

2010-06-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

During the Spring Term I took two classes. I enrolled in an amazing political philosophy class and my Capstone. I had to take my Capstone in order to graduate. It is a seminar type class that is geared toward writing my final paper for the major. My Capstone class focused on the American presidency and the social agenda. I took the class from one of the gurus of the subject. He has written several books and is a top scholar in terms of the American presidency. I was thankful to be able to take such an amazing class from such a knowledgeable professor.

My final paper was about Lyndon B. Johnson and how is administration helped the progression of Civil Rights. It's around 20 pages and I really enjoyed writing this paper and getting help from my dad and other students in the class that made it even better. It is one of the best papers I have written while at BYU. Needless to say, I passed the class with an A and am still on track to graduate in August!

Father's Day

2010-06-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

I ended up not having any real finals, besides some major papers, so I was able to get out of town over a week early! I drove to Idaho for my break and to spend Father's Day with my dad.

The weekend before Father's Day we all went camping. It was so much fun. We went four-wheeling and ate amazing food. We also ate a ton of smores, but they weren't just any smores! The marshmallows we used were ginormous! It took us a few failed attempts to figure out how to roast them without having them fall off into the fire.

We came back into town on Sunday. The rest of the week was spent hanging out with my family and just relaxing before having to drive up for Summer term. The following Sunday was Father's Day. We had a barbeque with my grandparents and exchanged gifts. Matt and I ended up pre-ordering The Pacific DVD's for my dad for Father's Day.

I ended up driving back to Utah on Monday, because classes started again on Tuesday.

First Year Anniversary!

2010-05-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how fast time passes by. It seems like yesterday I was planning my wedding and stressing over the little details. Now I have been married for a year! - It's pure craziness!

This past year has definitely had both its ups and downs and was much more difficult than I could have ever expected. Adjusting to one another has really been an eye opening experience. We have seen each other struggle and succeed, and throughout all the good and bad, our love for one another has only continued to grow. - Despite the bumps in the road.

To celebrate our one year wedding anniversary, Matt and I did sealings at the Salt Lake Temple, where we were married. It was such an amazing experience, and I am so thankful that we are able to act as proxies for those waiting to receive such sacred ordinances. The temple is such a peaceful place where Heavenly Father is present.

After the sealings, Matt and I drove to Park City, Utah for the weekend. We stayed in a really nice hotel and just relaxed. We also brought the top of our wedding cake! I was excited and a little scared to cut into it. I was amazed at how good it still looked despite being in the back of the freezer for a year. Even a year later, our wedding cake tasted amazing! It was moist, rich, and absolutely scrumptious.

We enjoyed our weekend so much we even extended our stay through Monday.

We look forward to many more anniversaries together!

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day, I went upto Idaho by myself because Matt was in Virginia for business. Luckily I was able to fly and avoid the six hour drive!

I had a really relaxed weekend with my family, which was a much needed break. The only thing my mom wanted for Mother's Day was to have all of us girls help her plant flowers. Becky and I went in search of flowers on Saturday, but had a hard time getting flowers to plant. After hours of searching, we finally found some! We loaded the car with several flowers and headed home.

On the morning of Mother's Day we began helping my mom plant the flowers. And as embarassing as this is to admit, I don't think I had ever really planted flowers. - Pathetic, I know. Everyone was much faster than I was, but we had so much fun and were able to get them all planted within a short amount of time, which gave us the rest of the day to relax.

We ended up planting flowers around the trees in the background, tilling the vegetable garden, and planting flowers in the patio planters. My dad also installed drippers into the patio planters so they don't have to be manually watered.

After all the planting was done we had family over and had a barbeque. I also made my mom an assortment of all of her favorite things (ie: Dr. Pepper, corn nuts, chips, etc.) and put them in a cute bowl as her gift.

I am so happy I was able to spend Mother's Day with my mom and the rest of my family.

EcoTek

2010-05-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

Matt and I met the owners of EcoTek while we were at ThinkBox. Matt immediately hit it off with them, and they have been friends ever since.

Last year around June Matt and I had taken a trip back east to Virginia in order to complete a business consulting project for EcoTek. Now, almost a year later, Matt has run into them again and has continued offering business consulting services.

After a few months of negotiations and perfecting the paperwork, Matt and I have officially bought into EcoTek! We couldn't be happier with our decision. We hope to help it grow and continue to succeed.

EcoTek is a pest defense company who focuses on providing eco-friendly products. The company is based on a Summer sales model, which we have begun to expand to a year-round program. We have door-to-door sales representatives who sell contracts, which we keep in house. Our technicians then continue to service the accounts.

So far, Matt has been focusing on the operations of the company while I have been doing several design projects for sales agreements, envelopes, cancellation forms, etc. The only down side to this business venture is the fact that Matt has to be in Virginia for the Summer while I stay in Utah to finish up school.

Matt and I look foward to working further with the owners and making EcoTek into a great company.

E.M.T. Certification

2010-04-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

I started an E.M.T. Basic course this January and it finally ended in April. It was a lot of work and definitely added to my course load this semester. The entire class is geared towards teaching the basic components of basic life support and preparing for the state exams.
I took my practical exam in May. The practical is the hands on test where they give you a scenario with a patient and you have to treat them. There are two tests, one is considered a medical while the other is a trauma. It is one of the most nerve racking things ever! You have to verbalize everything that you are doing for the testers and I was so nervous!

Then, I took my written exam. It was about 120 questions. I had to receive above an 80% in order to pass. I think I was more nervous for the written test than for the practical, but I passed!

I passed both my state tests and am now an E.M.T. Basic!

Winter Semester is Ending!

2010-04-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

The end of Winter Semester has finally come! Matt and I are so excited! I took nearly 30 credits, while Matt attended school full-time and worked like crazy!

We are so thankful for the many blessings we have been given this semester. Although we were insanely busy we were able to spend time together, find the time to study, and complete the semester will great grades! We couldn't have asked for anything else.

I've already sold my books back and am registered for Spring Term! Ready to be done with school. Let the countdown begin! :)

Almost There

2010-04-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday marked the end of Winter Semester! I think I did really well on all of my finals and projects so I am gearing up for Spring Term which starts next week. I am registered for two classes, which is the equivalent of 12 credits, because the semesters are half as long. I am taking my Capstone, which is like my thesis/dissertation class and a political psychology class.

I know they are both going to be a lot of work, but I am super excited that I only have 4 more classes until I am officially done.

I was also able to apply for graduation a few weeks ago, which reaffirmed the fact that the end is near! I am so excited and I can't wait! :)

Easter 2010

2010-04-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

Although school was in full force, Matt and I made the drive up to Idaho for Easter weekend. As always, it was amazing to be around family.For Easter we made several Easter eggs the night before - What's Easter without them. :) And we had so much fun doing them. It was also Trinity's first Easter! Although she had no idea what was going on, we made her some Easter eggs.

Easter morning was perfect. The weather held up and we were able to enjoy some more family time and the massive Easter egg hunt. Even though we are older, if you throw money and lottery tickets into the mix with massive amounts of Easter eggs, we quickly become like children.

Whoever had the most eggs got a certain amount of tickets, and whoever found certain colors got even more. All in all Matt and I made over $60.00 - Not too shabby. Then, after the Easter egg hunt, we enjoyed amazing food and made our way back to Utah.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

It was our first Valentine's Day being married! Because we were both so busy with school we didn't do much, but exchanged gifts nonetheless.

About a week before Valentine's Day, Matt gave me my gift. I had been spending endless nights on campus for one of my classes and I had barely seen Matt. He brought me dinner on campus and once we got into the car he gave me my gift! It was Super Mario Brothers for the Wii. I absolutely love this game! It is definitely my favorite game and has been since I was a kid. My parents bought it while we were in Idaho for Christmas and we played it non-stop, so now I have it! I know it sounds so geeky, but I love vegging on couch and playing it with Matt.

I made Matt wait for his gift until Valentine's Day. He had been busy working all day. I ran to the store and got a bunch of his favorite treats. I also caved and got him one of the video games he has been wanting for quite some time --Call of Duty. I put them all in a basket and let him open it once he got home.We had such a relaxing Valentine's Day despite having such busy schedules!

New Year's Resolutions

2010-02-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the New Year's Resolutions I made:
Continue attending the Temple once a week
Continue eating healthy
Begin a daily workout routine
Maintain my GPA
Plant a garden
Increase our food storage from 3 months to 9 months
Begin a family book of remembrance
Scrapbook Matt's Mission pictures
Begin a family scrapbook
Work on Genealogy
Finish making drapes for the rest of the house

New Semester

2010-02-15T10:55:00.001-08:00

Winter Semester has officially begun, and we hope it goes by quickly!

I am taking another full load with about 22 credits, but it's not nearly as bad as it seems, and it does not even begin to compare with my last semester of nearly 30 credits. For the most part, my classes are not too bad. I am taking an upper level Statistics class that may be the end of me, but other than that things are looking good.

I just finished up all my finals from my BYU Independent Study courses, and did really well. I am so thankful to have them done. I only have 3 more classes to complete after this semester, and I will be graduating in August!

Matt is also attending UVU full-time this semester and is busy getting his company, Global Networks, up and running. He recently took the state test for both his Fire 1 and Fire 2 certifications. It was about 2 weeks worth of testing and he passed! Now, all he has to do is his Hazmat class, which begins in March, and then he is fully certified and good to go.

I am amazed at how much time he puts into his hobby. He is so smart and things just come to him naturally. I am so proud of him, and am grateful to have my husband back after insane hours of class!

New Year's in Idaho

2010-02-15T10:39:00.000-08:00

Matt and I drove up to Idaho fro Christmas and stayed for about 2 weeks. It was amazing to be able to relax and not have to think about school, finals, work, etc.
New Year's has somewhat of a tradition in the Dinius Home. We always buy a 6 foot long Blimpie and have our pictures taken next to it, because it is ginormous! We always make punch, play games, and watch movies before watching the ball drop.

This year, because of the snow, my dad thought it would be fun to build the largest snowman I have ever seen for Trinity.
He even made a crevice, so he could place Trinity in it and take pictures.

We loved being able to spend so much time in Idaho!

Payson, Utah Temple

2010-01-25T15:55:00.000-08:00

On January 25, President Monson announced that a temple will be built in Payson, Utah! - Making it number 15 in Utah. Matt and I are so excited to be having a temple built so close to where we now live. As of right now, we go to the Provo temple, which is about 20 minutes away. Payson would be about 5-10 minutes! (Either way, we aren't complaining!)

At the temple announcement, President Monson stated that, "Temples answer those soul-searching questions of the purpose of life, of why we are here and where we are going. They are sanctuaries from the storms of life and bless the lives of members of the Church who worship within their sacred walls."

The temple is currently in the planning and development phase, so there is not much more information.

I am so excited to start doing our family's temple work! I have been working so hard at getting everything in order. Hopefully soon I can take our own family members through the temple.

Matt's Christmas Present

2010-01-09T12:32:00.001-08:00

What do you get for a guy that has everything, or doesn't really want a Christmas present?

Well, for Christmas this year, I came upon the most amazing website that gave me this idea:
It is a Date of the Month Club, that I enrolled my husband in. He got to pick and choose which activities to do each month, and there were also two getaway activities. The Hershey's kisses are redeemable for the real thing and the coupons could be redeemed for a treat of his choice, a 30 minute massage, etc.

I had so much fun creating this gift for Matt, and he absolutely loved it.

Christmas in Idaho

2010-01-09T12:32:00.000-08:00

We could not wait for Christmas break! We had both been overloaded this semester with insane credit hours. So, Christmas break was thoroughly enjoyed.We drove up to Idaho on December 19th and left on January 3rd. During the break, I had a few homework assignments and quizzes to take, but after the 22nd of December, I was home free! Matt and I babysat Trinity again while Jessica was at work. And to be honest, we rarely left the house, and we loved every minute of it!
On Christmas Eve we had a family dinner at my parents house. It was a really relaxed evening. Later that night we got to open pajamas, which we get every year. I got Boise State pajamas, which I absolutely love, and Matt got really comfortable sweats with a matching shirt.
The morning of Christmas day, my immediate family opens gifts and then we make our way to my grandparent's house.This year for Christmas, Matt and I were spoiled! We got so much stuff, including:
An amazing digital camera! (Canon SX20 IS)
Bedding
Shelf Reliance Food Storage Rack
X Box 360
Ice Cream Maker
Popcorn Machine
Gift Cards
Skillet
Sandwich Maker
Deep Fat Fryer
Picture Frame
Herb Growing Kit for the counter
Griddle
Pressure Cooker, etc.

First Snow

2010-01-09T12:23:00.001-08:00

When it snows in Salem, it really snows.
We have officially received our first Winter storm! And I love it. Matt on the other hand is not a die hard fan. Maybe it's because he has to shovel the driveway. :)While it was snowing, Matt ran to the store to get a shovel and some salt. When he got home and started shoveling, the shovel broke! He was not able to finish shoveling the driveway, which ended up being a huge disaster in the morning. When I was pulling out of the garage and out into the road, I got stuck! It was so frustrating!

So, throughout the rest of the day I was trying to figure out when to shovel the driveway. Matt and I had been so busy with school finishing up that we had very limited time to do things, including shoveling the driveway. That night, I pulled into our driveway that had been plowed! I knew it could not have been Matt, because he was still gone for the day.

Come to find out, our neighbor owns a landscaping company and he has all the equipment necessary to plow away the snow within a matter of minutes. They had seen me get stuck earlier that morning, and ended up plowing our snow filled driveway! We were so thankful!

Decorating for Christmas

2010-01-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to decorate for Christmas this year because it was our first Christmas, and we actually had a house to decorate!

We were able to get a tree from a family friend, and my parents bought cute matching ornaments for the tree. I was also able to sort through my ornaments that my parents had. It has been a longstanding tradition that all of us girls receive ornaments every Christmas. So, I had quite a few. It was fun going through all of them and remembering who gave them and when they gave them. There were even some ornaments that I had made back in daycare and Girls Scouts.I also found the cutest stockings at WalMart. Initially I was going to make them, because I found a really cute pattern, but I decided to buy them instead.
One of my most favorite decorations was the nativity set that I received from my grandma. She passed away several years ago and when my mom flew to Texas to go through her things, she asked all of us girls if there was anything we would like. The only thing I wanted was this nativity set.When my grandparents still lived in Idaho, we would spend Christmas Eve at their home with the rest of our family. We would sing carols for the longest time, and my grandma would always tell the nativity story.

Thanksgiving

2010-01-08T22:05:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving break could not have come at a better time. Me second round of midterms was right before the break, excluding my Economics midterm that my teacher so kindly scheduled for the day I got back from break. So, Matt and I were definitely ready for a break.

This year, like always, we went to Idaho for the week! We drove up on Tuesday and came back to Utah Sunday night.

While we were there, Matt and I got to meet Trinity Darlene for the first time! She is the cutest baby I have ever seen. She is so happy and full of energy. You can already see her bubbly personality, even at only a few months old.We were able to babysit while Jessica was at work. I had so much fun! I had never really held a baby before, so this was truly a treat. I even got to change my first diaper, which was a true learning experience. I'm just thankful that she was patient with my while I was changing her diapers, feeding her, and getting her dressed and ready for the day. I'm pretty sure she knew I had no idea what I was doing. :)On Thanksgiving day, we had dinner at my parent's house. We had the traditional turkey, rolls, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes. It was so nice to be home in Idaho enjoying some much needed family time. It had been months since our last visit, so we were ready for the trip.

Phil Whitney

2010-01-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

Matt has been an E.M.T. for a few years now. He first started in Springville, Utah, before transferring to Salem. He absolutely loved the department, as well as the variety of calls. While he was there he made some really good friends. The Fire Chief for Springville was Phil Whitney who Matt interacted with on a daily basis while on the department.

On October 28, 2009, Chief Phil Whitney passed away of a heart attack. This came as a shock to everyone. He was the first and only Fire Chief that Springville has ever had.

His funeral was held on November 2, 2009. He was given full firefighter honors, including an honor guard at the viewing and a procession from the chapel to the cemetery.

Matt had the wonderful opportunity of being able to participate in the funeral. Departments from all around the state had sent a fire engine with a full crew. - Salem did the same.

In preparation for the big day, Matt and I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Because Matt was still fairly new, he had not been issued his formal wear. We had to pick up his shirt from one of his friends and the badge from another. The patches Matt needed on his shirt were nowhere to be found. I could not remember where I had put them. So, we had to borrow them as well.

Once we found the patches we needed, I had to figure out how to get them on his shirt. They had to be permanent enough to not fall off, but easy enough to remove, because Matt needed to return the shirt. Thank goodness for my visiting teacher. I called her Sunday night and she helped me get the patches quickly sewn on. I could not have done it without her.

All I had to do when I got home was press his shirt and make sure that he had everything else in order.I was unable to attend the funeral, but I heard that it was amazing. They do what is called a last page, where all the firefighter's pagers go off, and the dispatcher comes on the air to tell Chief Whitney not to respond, but to go home to his wife. It sounded like the sweetest experience. I'm so glad that Matt was able to be a part of something like this.

Halloween

2010-01-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

This Halloween quickly approached, and we were definitely not prepared. The day of Halloween I had an Economics midterm and Matt had some last minute school to get finished. We hadn't even thought about carving pumpkins or buying candy until the day before Halloween.
The candy was easy to find, but the pumpkins were much harder to come by. We went in search of pumpkins at Walmart in both Orem and Payson with no luck. We went to Smith's, Crisps, and several other stores, still with no luck. We ended up having to drive to Springville, on the day of Halloween, where they had a pumpkin patch with several pumpkins that hadn't been picked yet. We were so excited!The second we got home, I printed off some templates for us to use for carving our pumpkins. Matt had never used templates before, but he humored me anyway.
Mine is the funky smiley face on the left, and Matt's is the ghost on the right.I think they turned out great! And we were able to get them done just in time for it to get dark.

Once the pumpkins were carved, Matt humored me some more while we watched some scary movies, which are my absolute favorite! As we were waiting for trick-or-treaters to ring the doorbell, I eventually gave up. It wasn't until really late that the doorbell rang! I was so excited! I jumped and grabbed the bowl of candy and ran to the door. I was more excited to give the candy then the kids were to receive it! They ended up being our only visitors.

A few hours later, Matt let me in a little secret. He had called one of his firefighting friends who lives in town to come and ring the doorbell, so we could say we had trick-or-treaters. He thought I would be completely bummed if we didn't have anyone ring the bell. He's amazing.

Boo!

2010-01-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

For Halloween, our ward decided to do a doorbell ditch type activity. It was so much fun. The premise of the activity was to leave a plate of goodies for a member in the ward, with a picture of a ghost for them to leave on their door signifying that they have participated in the activity. Along with the plate of goodies were instructions telling us what to do next.

Here was our plate of goodies. They were so good. Matt and I ate half of them the same night and then saved the rest to snack on during school the next day.And here was the note that was left with the plate of delicious cookies:
(The Phantom Ghost has come to town to leave a treat, as you have found. To avoid its course one day you have - that's all, to continue this greeting, this phantom Call! 1st: Post the phantom where it can be seen and leave it there until Halloween. 2nd: Make 2 treats, 2 phantoms, and 2 notes like this. Deliver them to 2 neighbors, who may have been missed. Don't let them see you, by sneaky no doubt and make sure they put the phantom ghost out! Next: You have only one day, so act and be quick. Leave it at the doors, where the phantom hasn't hit. Deliver at dark, when there is no light. Ring the doorbell and then run out of sight! Last, but not least come join in the season, be happy, don't worry there's no better reason. Be cool, have fun and remember don't get caught - don't be seen. Share in the spirit of Halloween!)

We thought it was such a cute idea. We are really enjoying our new ward!

New Business

2009-12-16T19:00:00.000-08:00

After working for a design and marketing firm and creating my own wedding announcements, which got rave reviews, I am in the process of creating my own little business on the side. I won't be doing too much, because I am still in the learning stages of it all, but I absolutely love learning how to use different programs.

I have already done several logos and business card packages for close family and friends, and am ready to branch out. But I need my followers, as few as they may be, to help me out with a logo/name for myself. - It's always harder to do it for yourself than for somebody else.

So, here is the name I have been playing with: Ampersand Design. And Amp Design for short.

I know it sounds weird at first, but it has really grown on me. Plus, the & is one of my favorite keys on the keyboard, hence the name in the first place. :)

I have even created a potential logo, so you can see where I am trying to go with this:

Please vote in the poll located on the top right hand side of my page. - I would really appreciate it!

Thank you!

Elder Oaks: Religious Freedom

2009-12-14T18:17:00.000-08:00

For one of my Political Science classes, I was assigned a recent talk by Elder Oaks. He addressed BYU-Idaho in a devotional in October of this year regarding religious freedom. Being a Political Science major, his talk made me fall in love with my major all over again, as well as renew my appreciation for the freedoms that are outlined in our Constitution.
I know it's long, but it is definitely worth reading:

My dear young friends, I am pleased to speak to this BYU-Idaho audience. I am conscious that I am also speaking to many in other places. In this time of the Internet, what we say in one place is instantly put before a wider audience, including many to whom we do not intend to speak. That complicates my task, so I ask your understanding as I speak to a very diverse audience.

In choosing my subject I have relied on an old military maxim that when there is a battle underway, persons who desire to join the fray should “march to the sound of the guns.”[i] So it is that I invite you to march with me as I speak about religious freedom under the United States Constitution. There is a battle over the meaning of that freedom. The contest is of eternal importance, and it is your generation that must understand the issues and make the efforts to prevail.

An 1833 revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith declared that the Lord established the United States Constitution by wise men whom he raised up for that very purpose (Doctrine and Covenants 101:80). The Lord also declared that this constitution “should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:77; emphasis added).

In 1833, when almost all people in the world were still ruled by kings or tyrants, few could see how the infant United States Constitution could be divinely designed “for the rights and protection of all flesh.” Today, 176 years after that revelation, almost every nation in the world has adopted a written constitution, and the United States Constitution profoundly influenced all of them. Truly, this nation’s most important export is its constitution, whose great principles stand as a model “for the rights and protection of all flesh.” On the vital human right of religious freedom, however, many constitutions fall short of the protections that are needed, so we are grateful that the United States government seeks to encourage religious freedom all over the world.[ii]

II.

To illustrate the importance of basic human rights in other countries, I refer to some recent history in Mongolia, which shows that the religious freedom we have taken for granted in the United States must be won by dangerous sacrifice in some other nations.

Following the perestroika movement in the Soviet Union, popular demonstrations in Mongolia forced the Communist government to resign in March 1990. Other political parties were legalized, but the first Mongolian elections gave the Communists a majority in the new parliament, and the old repressive attitudes persisted in all government departments. The full functioning of a democratic process and the full enjoyment of the people’s needed freedoms do not occur without a struggle. In Mongolia, the freedoms of speech, press and religion — a principal feature of the inspired United States Constitution — remained unfulfilled.

In that precarious environment, a 42-year-old married woman, Oyun Altangerel, a department head in the state library, courageously took some actions that would prove historic. Acting against official pressure, she organized a “Democratic Association Branch Council.” This 12-member group, the first of its kind, spoke out for democracy and proposed that state employees have the freedoms of worship, belief and expression, including the right to belong to a political party of their choice.

When Oyun and others were fired from their state employment, Oyun began a hunger strike in the state library. Within three hours she was joined by 20 others, mostly women, and their hunger strike, which continued for five days, became a public demonstration that took their grievances to the people of Mongolia. This demonstration, backed by major democratic movement leaders, encouraged other government employees to organize similar democratic councils. These dangerous actions expanded into a national anti-government movement that voiced powerful support for the basic human freedoms of speech, press and religion. Eventually the government accepted the demands, and in the adoption of a democratic constitution two years later Mongolia took a major step toward a free society.

For Latter-day Saints, this birth of constitutional freedom in Mongolia has special interest. Less than two years after the historic hunger strike, we sent our first missionaries to Mongolia. In 1992 these couples began their meetings in the state library, where Oyun was working. The following year, she showed her courage again by being baptized into this newly arrived Christian church. Her only child, a 22-year-old son, was baptized two years later. Today, the Mongolian members of our Church number 9,000, reportedly the largest group of Christians in the country. A few months ago we organized our first stake in Mongolia. Called as the stake president was Sister Oyun’s son, Odgerel. He had studied for a year at BYU-Hawaii, and his wife, Ariuna, a former missionary in Utah, graduated there.[iii]

III.

One of the great fundamentals of our inspired constitution, relied on by Oyun of Mongolia and countless others struggling for freedom in many countries in the world, is the principle that the people are the source of government power. This principle of popular sovereignty was first written and applied on the American continent over 200 years ago. A group of colonies won independence from a king, and their representatives had the unique opportunity of establishing a new government. They did this by creating the first written constitution that has survived to govern a modern nation. The United States Constitution declared the source of government power, delegated that power to a government, and regulated its exercise.

Along with many other religious people, we affirm that God is the ultimate source of power and that, under Him, it is the people’s inherent right to decide their form of government. Sovereign power is not inherent in a state or nation just because its leaders have the power that comes from force of arms. And sovereign power does not come from the divine right of a king, who grants his subjects such power as he pleases or is forced to concede, as in Magna Carta. As the preamble to our constitution states: “We the People of the United States . . . do ordain and establish this Constitution.”

This principle of sovereignty in the people explains the meaning of God’s revelation that He established the Constitution of the United States “that every man may act . . . according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:78). In other words, the most desirable condition for the effective exercise of God-given moral agency is a condition of maximum freedom and responsibility — the opposite of slavery or political oppression. With freedom we can be accountable for our own actions and cannot blame our conditions on our bondage to another. This is the condition the Lord praised in the Book of Mormon, where the people — not a king — established the laws and were governed by them (see Mosiah 29:23–26). This popular sovereignty necessarily implies popular responsibility. Instead of blaming their troubles on a king or tyrant, all citizens are responsible to share the burdens of governing, “that every man might bear his part” (Mosiah 29:34).

IV.

“For the rights and protection of all flesh” the United States Constitution includes in its First Amendment the guarantees of free exercise of religion and free speech and press. Without these great fundamentals of the Constitution, America could not have served as the host nation for the restoration of the gospel, which began just three decades after the Bill of Rights was ratified.

The First Amendment reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The prohibition against “an establishment of religion” was intended to separate churches and government, to prevent a national church of the kind still found in Europe. In the interest of time I will say no more about the establishment of religion, but only concentrate on the direction that the United States shall have no law “prohibiting the free exercise” of religion.

The guarantee of the free exercise of religion, which I will call religious freedom, is the first expression in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. As noted by many, this “pre-eminent place” identifies freedom of religion as “a cornerstone of American democracy.”[iv] The American colonies were originally settled by people who, for the most part, had come to this continent to be able to practice their religious faith without persecution, and their successors deliberately placed religious freedom first in the nation’s Bill of Rights. So it is that our national law formally declares: “The right to freedom of religion undergirds the very origin and existence of the United States.”[v]

The free “exercise” of religion obviously involves both the right to choose religious beliefs and affiliations and the right to “exercise” or practice those beliefs. But in a nation with citizens of many different religious beliefs, the right of some to act upon their religious principles must be qualified by the government’s responsibility to protect the health and safety of all. Otherwise, for example, the government could not protect its citizens’ person or property from neighbors whose intentions include taking human life or stealing in circumstances rationalized on the basis of their religious beliefs.

The inherent conflict between the precious religious freedom of the people and the legitimate regulatory responsibilities of the government is the central issue of religious freedom. Here are just a few examples of current controversial public issues that involve this conflict: laws governing marriage and adoption; laws regulating the activities of church-related organizations like BYU-Idaho in furtherance of their religious missions — activities such as who they will serve or employ; and laws prohibiting discrimination in employment or work conditions against persons with unpopular religious beliefs or practices.

The problems are not simple, and over the years the United States Supreme Court, which has the ultimate responsibility of interpreting the meaning of the lofty and general provisions of the Constitution, has struggled to identify principles that can guide its decisions when government action is claimed to violate someone’s free exercise of religion. As would be expected, most of the battles over the extent of religious freedom have involved government efforts to impose upon the practices of small groups like Mormons. Not surprisingly, government officials sometimes seem more tolerant toward the religious practices of large groups of voters.

Unpopular minority religions are especially dependent upon a constitutional guarantee of free exercise of religion. We are fortunate to have such a guarantee in the United States, but many nations do not. The importance of that guarantee in the United States should make us ever diligent to defend it. And it is in need of being defended. During my lifetime I have seen a significant deterioration in the respect accorded to religion in our public life, and I believe that the vitality of religious freedom is in danger of being weakened accordingly.

Religious belief is obviously protected against government action. The practice of that belief must have some limits, as I suggested earlier. But unless the guarantee of free exercise of religion gives a religious actor greater protection against government prohibitions than are already guaranteed to all actors by other provisions of the constitution (like freedom of speech), what is the special value of religious freedom? Surely the First Amendment guarantee of free exercise of religion was intended to grant more freedom to religious action than to other kinds of action. Treating actions based on religious belief the same as actions based on other systems of belief should not be enough to satisfy the special place of religion in the United States Constitution.

Religious freedom has always been at risk. It was repression of religious belief and practice that drove the Pilgrim fathers and other dissenters to the shores of this continent. Even today, leaders in all too many nations use state power to repress religious believers.

The greatest infringements of religious freedom occur when the exercise of religion collides with other powerful forces in society. Among the most threatening collisions in the United States today are (1) the rising strength of those who seek to silence religious voices in public debates, and (2) perceived conflicts between religious freedom and the popular appeal of newly alleged civil rights.

As I address this audience of young adults, I invite your careful attention to what I say on these subjects, because I am describing conditions you will face and challenges you must confront.

Silencing Religious Voices in the Public Square

A writer for The Christian Science Monitor predicts that the coming century will be “very secular and religiously antagonistic,” with intolerance of Christianity “ris[ing] to levels many of us have not believed possible in our lifetimes.”[vi] Other wise observers have noted the ever-growing, relentless attack on the Christian religion by forces who reject the existence or authority of God.[vii] The extent and nature of religious devotion in this nation is changing. The tide of public opinion in favor of religion is receding, and this probably portends public pressures for laws that will impinge on religious freedom.

Atheism has always been hostile to religion, such as in its arguments that freedom of or for religion should include freedom from religion. Atheism’s threat rises as its proponents grow in numbers and aggressiveness. “By some counts,” a recent article in The Economist declares, “there are at least 500 [million] declared non-believers in the world — enough to make atheism the fourth-biggest religion.”[viii] And atheism’s spokesmen are aggressive, as recent publications show.[ix] As noted by John A. Howard of the Howard Center for Family, Religion, and Society, these voices “have developed great skills in demonizing those who disagree with them, turning their opponents into objects of fear, hatred and scorn.”[x]

Such forces — atheists and others — would intimidate persons with religious-based points of view from influencing or making the laws of their state or nation. Noted author and legal commentator Hugh Hewitt described the current circumstance this way:

“There is a growing anti-religious bigotry in the United States. . . .

“For three decades people of faith have watched a systematic and very effective effort waged in the courts and the media to drive them from the public square and to delegitimize their participation in politics as somehow threatening.”[xi]

For example, a prominent gay-rights spokesman gave this explanation for his objection to our Church’s position on California’s Proposition 8:

“I’m not intending it to harm the religion. I think they do wonderful things. Nicest people. . . . My single goal is to get them out of the same-sex marriage business and back to helping hurricane victims.”[xii]

Aside from the obvious fact that this objection would deny free speech as well as religious freedom to members of our Church and its coalition partners, there are other reasons why the public square must be open to religious ideas and religious persons. As Richard John Neuhaus said many years ago, “In a democracy that is free and robust, an opinion is no more disqualified for being ‘religious’ than for being atheistic, or psychoanalytic, or Marxist, or just plain dumb.”[xiii]

Religious Freedom Diluted by Other “Civil Rights”

A second threat to religious freedom is from those who perceive it to be in conflict with the newly alleged “civil right” of same-gender couples to enjoy the privileges of marriage.

We have endured a wave of media-reported charges that the Mormons are trying to “deny” people or “strip” people of their “rights.” After a significant majority of California voters (seven million — over 52 percent) approved Proposition 8’s limiting marriage to a man and a woman, some opponents characterized the vote as denying people their civil rights. In fact, the Proposition 8 battle was not about civil rights, but about what equal rights demand and what religious rights protect. At no time did anyone question or jeopardize the civil right of Proposition 8 opponents to vote or speak their views.

The real issue in the Proposition 8 debate — an issue that will not go away in years to come and for whose resolution it is critical that we protect everyone’s freedom of speech and the equally important freedom to stand for religious beliefs — is whether the opponents of Proposition 8 should be allowed to change the vital institution of marriage itself.

The marriage union of a man and a woman has been the teaching of the Judeo-Christian scriptures and the core legal definition and practice of marriage in Western culture for thousands of years. Those who seek to change the foundation of marriage should not be allowed to pretend that those who defend the ancient order are trampling on civil rights. The supporters of Proposition 8 were exercising their constitutional right to defend the institution of marriage — an institution of transcendent importance that they, along with countless others of many persuasions, feel conscientiously obliged to protect.

Religious freedom needs defending against the claims of newly asserted human rights. The so-called “Yogyakarta Principles,” published by an international human rights group, call for governments to assure that all persons have the right to practice their religious beliefs regardless of sexual orientation or identity.[xiv] This apparently proposes that governments require church practices and their doctrines to ignore gender differences. Any such effort to have governments invade religion to override religious doctrines or practices should be resisted by all believers. At the same time, all who conduct such resistance should frame their advocacy and their personal relations so that they are never seen as being doctrinaire opponents of the very real civil rights (such as free speech) of their adversaries or any other disadvantaged group.

VI.

And now, in conclusion, I offer five points of counsel on how Latter-day Saints should conduct themselves to enhance religious freedom in this period of turmoil and challenge.

First, we must speak with love, always showing patience, understanding and compassion toward our adversaries. We are under command to love our neighbor (Luke 10:27), to forgive all men (Doctrine and Covenants 64:10), to do good to them who despitefully use us (Matthew 5:44) and to conduct our teaching in mildness and meekness (Doctrine and Covenants 38:41).

Even as we seek to speak with love, we must not be surprised when our positions are ridiculed and we are persecuted and reviled. As the Savior said, “so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:12). And modern revelation commands us not to revile against revilers (Doctrine and Covenants 19:30).

Second, we must not be deterred or coerced into silence by the kinds of intimidation I have described. We must insist on our constitutional right and duty to exercise our religion, to vote our consciences on public issues and to participate in elections and debates in the public square and the halls of justice. These are the rights of all citizens and they are also the rights of religious leaders. While our church rarely speaks on public issues, it does so by exception on what the First Presidency defines as significant moral issues, which could surely include laws affecting the fundamental legal/cultural/moral environment of our communities and nations.

We must also insist on this companion condition of democratic government: when churches and their members or any other group act or speak out on public issues, win or lose, they have a right to expect freedom from retaliation.

Along with many others, we were disappointed with what we experienced in the aftermath of California’s adoption of Proposition 8, including vandalism of church facilities and harassment of church members by firings and boycotts of member businesses and by retaliation against donors. Mormons were the targets of most of this, but it also hit other churches in the pro-8 coalition and other persons who could be identified as supporters. Fortunately, some recognized such retaliation for what it was. A full-page ad in the New York Times branded this “violence and intimidation” against religious organizations and individual believers “simply because they supported Proposition 8 [as] an outrage that must stop.” [xv] The fact that this ad was signed by some leaders who had no history of friendship for our faith only added to its force.

It is important to note that while this aggressive intimidation in connection with the Proposition 8 election was primarily directed at religious persons and symbols, it was not anti-religious as such. These incidents were expressions of outrage against those who disagreed with the gay-rights position and had prevailed in a public contest. As such, these incidents of “violence and intimidation” are not so much anti-religious as anti-democratic. In their effect they are like the well-known and widely condemned voter-intimidation of blacks in the South that produced corrective federal civil-rights legislation.

Third, we must insist on our freedom to preach the doctrines of our faith. Why do I make this obvious point? Religious people who share our moral convictions feel some intimidation. Fortunately, our leaders do not refrain from stating and explaining our position that homosexual behavior is sinful. Last summer Elder M. Russell Ballard spoke these words to a BYU audience:

“We follow Jesus Christ by living the law of chastity. God gave this commandment, and He has never revoked or changed it. This law is clear and simple. No one is to engage in sexual relationships outside the bounds the Lord has set. This applies to homosexual behavior of any kind and to heterosexual relationships outside marriage. It is a sin to violate the law of chastity.

“We follow Jesus Christ by adhering to God’s law of marriage, which is marriage between one man and one woman. This commandment has been in place from the very beginning.”[xvi]

We will continue to teach what our Heavenly Father has commanded us to teach, and trust that the precious free exercise of religion remains strong enough to guarantee our right to exercise this most basic freedom.

Fourth, as advocates of the obvious truth that persons with religious positions or motivations have the right to express their religious views in public, we must nevertheless be wise in our political participation. Preachers have been prime movers in the civil rights movement from the earliest advocates of abolition, but even the civil rights of religionists must be exercised legally and wisely.

As Latter-day Saints, we should never be reticent to declare and act upon the sure foundations of our faith. The call of conscience — whether religious or otherwise — requires no secular justification. At the same time, religious persons will often be most persuasive in political discourse by framing arguments and positions in ways that are respectful of those who do not share their religious beliefs and that contribute to the reasoned discussion and compromise that is essential in a pluralistic society.[xvii]

Fifth and finally, Latter-day Saints must be careful never to support or act upon the idea that a person must subscribe to some particular set of religious beliefs in order to qualify for a public office. The framers of our constitution included a provision that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States” (Article VI). That constitutional principle forbids a religious test as a legal requirement, but it of course leaves citizens free to cast their votes on the basis of any preference they choose. But wise religious leaders and members will never advocate religious tests for public office.

Fragile freedoms are best preserved when not employed beyond their intended purpose. If a candidate is seen to be rejected at the ballot box primarily because of religious belief or affiliation, the precious free exercise of religion is weakened at its foundation, especially when this reason for rejection has been advocated by other religionists. Such advocacy suggests that if religionists prevail in electing their preferred candidate this will lead to the use of government power in support of their religious beliefs and practices. The religion of a candidate should not be an issue in a political campaign.

Conclusion

It was the Christian principles of human worth and dignity that made possible the formation of the United States Constitution over 200 years ago, and only those principles in the hearts of a majority of our diverse population can sustain that constitution today. Our constitution’s revolutionary concepts of sovereignty in the people and significant guarantees of personal rights were, as John A. Howard has written,

“generated by a people for whom Christianity had been for a century and a half the compelling feature of their lives. It was Jesus who first stated that all men are created equal [and] that every person . . . is valued and loved by God.”[xviii]

Professor Dinesh D’Souza reminds us:

“The attempt to ground respect for equality on a purely secular basis ignores the vital contribution by Christianity to its spread. It is folly to believe that it could survive without the continuing aid of religious belief.”[xix]

Religious values and political realities are so interlinked in the origin and perpetuation of this nation that we cannot lose the influence of Christianity in the public square without seriously jeopardizing our freedoms. I maintain that this is a political fact, well qualified for argument in the public square by religious people whose freedom to believe and act must always be protected by what is properly called our “First Freedom,” the free exercise of religion.

My dear brothers and sisters, I testify to the truth of these principles I have expressed today. I testify of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who is the author and finisher of our faith and whose revelations to a prophet of God in these modern times have affirmed the foundation of the United States constitution, which as we have said, was given by God to His children for the rights and protection of all flesh. May God bless us to understand it, to sustain it, and to spread its influence throughout the world, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Supersized

2009-11-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

Matt and I love getting donuts for breakfast. It's like a special treat when we make our way to the store to buy those delectable donuts! So, for General Conference, we thought we would treat ourselves.Matt ended up going by himself and he came back with these massive donuts! They were the size of our dinner plates! It took me two days to eat, but they were amazing!

One Year Ago Today...

2009-11-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it has been a year since Matt proposed to me! The last year has definitely had it's ups and downs, but I couldn't imagine spending it with anyone but him.

He's amazing, and you can re-read his amazingness here, when he did this:
And I got this:

Flash Over Trailer

2009-10-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Matt is starting Fire School to get his certifications! He is so excited! And I am so proud of him for having such a fun hobby. His classes start in November and the schedule looks pretty rigorous. Because the wonderful city of Salem, Utah is paying for the class, they wanted to make sure they could pass the flash over trailer. - Apparently, the flash over trailer really weeds people out.The flash over trailer is a simulated fire, that continuously flashes. Matt said that the temperature was anywhere between 800 and 900 degrees! I was terrified to hear this. I just made him promise that if it got too much for him, he would let me know.
Of course he came home hours later and absolutely loved it!

Pain, Pain, Go Away

2009-10-10T11:17:00.001-07:00

So, for the past several months, I have had some pretty severe back pain. I just assumed I was sleeping weird, because I hadn't done any heavy lifting. After trying for months to sleep on my back, I called it quits.

It wasn't until I was walking on campus and could hardly move because of the pain, that I called Matt to schedule me an appointment. That happened on Wednesday, and he got me an appointment for Thursday. At the appointment, they took several x-rays and performed several different strength tests.

Once the x-rays came and the doctor looked at them, she concluded that I had a stress fracture in my L4 vertebrae. Ouch! Apparently a stress fracture occurs when the muscles around the spine become fatigued and are unable to absorb the shock that occurs in that area. Over time, the added stress is eventually transferred to the bone, which causes a crack called a stress fracture.

For treatment, they put me in a velcro back brace, prescribed some lower end steroids and muscle relaxers, and scheduled some physical therapy. The steroids make me nauseous and the muscle relaxers give me the hiccups about 10 times a day. - I'm not even kidding. Matt says it is because the diaphragm is such a large muscle, that it is also being affected by the medication. - Joy.

And on top of all this, I am still in pain after roughly three days of icky medicine and an uncomfortable back brace. Not to mention, that I had midterms throughout all of this and still went to all my classes. It gets even better, because now I'm fighting a cold. - Whoever gave the okay to make me sick is going to pay - I will hunt you down. :)

Domestic Doings

2009-09-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

When Matt and I moved into our house, we didn't have any type of window coverings. We got a few quotes for blinds, but they were a little more than we had planned. So, for a temporary fix I made drapes. That's right, I made them.

My Uncle Mark got Matt and I (mostly me) a sewing machine for our wedding. I had asked for one in hopes of doing crafty things, such as making drapes. I decided to work on drapes for our bedroom first, just in case they were awful. At first I was terrified, but this is how they turned out.

The first picture is what I wanted them to look like. They would have cost over $500.And this is how they turned out. They only cost about $30 and we absolutely love them!
Not too bad considering I had never used a sewing machine before!

I ended up making drapes for the living room and the kitchen too. I even made a cute shower curtain for the master bathroom.

Baking has also been another pursuit I have been trying to master. With our gift cards we bought a nice bread maker, because we love homemade bread! The only problem was that the machine did not work all that well. I tried about 3 or 4 times, and by the end of the cycle, it hadn't risen and was rock hard.

I ended up taking it back and was determined to make bread by hand. Here was my first attempt.Matt was very impressed, and it tasted amazing!

New Semester

2009-09-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

The school year has officially begun. Were we ready for it, no. Were we expecting it, yes.

Matt started school one week before I did and everything has been a whirlwind since then. He is taking a full load this semester while keeping his business, Global Networks, up and running.

I, on the other hand, am taking an extremely full load this semester. I am enrolled in 26 credits. I am taking 5 classes on campus, and 4 classes online. I am unable to work, so I am thankful Matt has stepped up to the plate. Next semester I should have a significantly lighter class load.
And it's official, I will be graduating in August of 2010! It seems so far away, but the time is already flying by.

With our hectic schedules, I am surprised at how much time we have left for each other. When I was single, I felt like all I did was study and I never had time for anything else. Now, the complete opposite is true. I study for the majority of the day, but I still have time to keep up on laundry and make dinner every night.

Someone is looking out for me, and I am so thankful for that.

So far, my classes are treating me pretty good. I have already had numerous tests, and have aced every single one. - I'm just that good.

Being married must make you more focused. :)

Callings

2009-09-17T21:18:00.001-07:00

Moving into a new ward, means new callings.

Matt and I were originally called to teach the 11 year old Valiant Primary class together, but this last Sunday, he was called into the Scouts. - This means I'm teaching Primary without him! What were they thinking?

Last Sunday was my first official day. I teach with another Sister in the ward. We alternate every other week. Because it was my first day, she had taken care of the lesson, which was on Adam-Ondhi-Ahman. By the end of the class I was terrified. The kids in class asked some really hard questions, some of which I have asked recently. - My time at education week really paid off when they began asking questions about the second coming and judgment. :)

Even the Sister I teach with was a little blown away by the thought they were putting into their questions. It is so hard to tell them "we don't know" but sometimes that is the only option we have. There are so many things that we do not know, because we just are not ready for the revelation. - How do you tell this to a group of inquisitive 11 year olds?

So, this coming Sunday is my turn. The topic is the Extermination Order! I have already read over it a few times and think I am ready for Sunday. Being prepared is not helping my nerves at all, though. This book is going to be my best friend for the next little while.

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Dedication

2009-09-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

Matt and I had the wonderful opportunity of attending the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Dedication on Sunday.We had never been to a temple dedication, so we did not really know what to expect and were excited that we were able to attend.

We arrived about 30 minutes early to our Stake Center. In the Chapel, they had a video playing of what the inside of the temple looked like. I am always amazed at how they make temples so peaceful, when just outside the door is chaos. I have no doubt in my mind that the Lord resides in our temples and creates that peace and serenity for us.Talks were given by several Elders of the Church and President Monson. They spoke on the importance of temples and the work that is performed in them. We are so lucky in Utah to have temples in such close proximity. I can get in my car and drive for 30 minutes, and see 5 or more temples.I am so blessed, and the members of the Church are blessed to have this temple work holding strong, even in a world full of deception.

President Hinckley said it best, “These are important and vital days in the work of the Lord. … We are living in one of the most significant and important epochs in the history of the Church and in the history of God’s work among his people. We are living in the greatest era of temple building ever witnessed.”

Thank You

2009-09-17T20:49:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to take a moment to recognize all the service men and women that help our country on a daily basis.

This is not limited to the military personnel, but also the policemen and firemen, who keep our individual cities and states safe.

Matt was called on a routine fire recently that started because a controlled burn quickly became uncontrolled. The farmer who started the fire lied about what he was burning, which caused more problems than was necessary. When Matt was fighting the fire, he was under the impression that it was just general farm debris, and nothing else. Unfortunately the farmer had placed used tires, a water heater, and some old containers of pesticide in the pile. Because of the farmers lies, while Matt was putting out the fire (on the nozzle) another firefighter started venting the pile just as the pesticide containers exploded. A bunch of toxic gas engulfed him and he got really dizzy, couldn't see (was basically a giant bug, being killed by pesticide) (he said he now feels bad for the bugs) among other things, longs story short the neuro-toxins did their job very well. He ended up getting very sick and they had to call an ambulance.

Thankfully, Matt is alright.

Situations like these, and ones that are much worse, make me thankful to live in a land where people are willing to fight for my freedom and safety.

Month of Birthdays

2009-09-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

Matt and I both celebrate our birthdays in August!

I turned 22 on the 21st and Matt turned 25 on the 18th. Because my mom was in town for Education Week, she took us out to dinner. We went to a restaurant in Salt Lake City called Spencer's. The food was really good. I ordered chicken and Matt ordered steak.My aunt Betty, and cousin Barbie were there too. We were also able to meet up with my Uncle Mark.

We had a lot of fun. Afterward, my mom took Betty and Barbie to the airport and then headed home.

To celebrate on the actual day of my birthday, Matt made me one of my favorite meals! - Nachos! They were amazing.

Campus Education Week

2009-09-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

BYU hosts Education Week every year right before the school year begins. It's for everyone who wants to attend. There are over 1,000 classes and several hundred topics to choose from. My mom, Aunt Betty, and cousin Barbie all decided to come to Utah for that week and attend the classes, so I tagged along. At first I was a little skeptical, but once my mom and I were able to find the right classes, we really started to enjoy what Education Week had to offer. We were even able to attend the Devotional where President Boyd K. Packer spoke in the Marriott Center.

We went to the most amazing classes about the Plan of Salvation and learned so much about the doctrines of the Church.

Camping in Idaho

2009-09-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

Before school started up again, Matt and I made it a point to go camping one last time in Idaho. We drove up and stayed for about a week and a half.

As always, we had so much fun. The weather was perfect!

This camping trip was much different than most, because we had a huge group instead of just our family. My dad had invited his whole office to come up, and some of his friends and their families. So, we had a good group of people up camping.

We had the most amazing food ever, and had so much fun riding four-wheelers and just hanging out.

It was a nice break, especially knowing school is right around the corner.

Home Sweet Home

2009-09-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

Matt and I bought a home back in April of this year! We were both so excited to get into something more permanent than an apartment. The only downer was that the day we closed, we both lost our jobs. That makes for pure excitement, right? Life would be completely boring without some bumps in the road. - Or at least that's what I keep telling myself. :)The house we bought is in Salem, Utah. It is about 20 minutes south of Provo. It's a small town of about 5,000 people. We have one stop light, one gas station, and a few places to eat. If we want anything good, or to even go to WalMart, we have to plan in advance. It has taken a lot of getting used to, but it is definitely growing on the both of us. Matt is still able to volunteer on the Fire Department, which was one of the reasons we chose Salem.

The house is nearly 4,000 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 3 full bathrooms. There is an unfinished basement that can hold another 4 or so bedrooms or whatever we decide to build. There is tons of storage, a 3 car garage and a beautiful view.
With that beautiful view comes the most obnoxious weeds from the farms around us. They starting to get really bad, so we called a member of our Bishopric who owns some excavation equipment. He was able to de-weed our entire yard in about 2 hours. We were so grateful!
We couldn't be happier with our decision and look forward to decorating and making this house into a home!

Washington D.C.

2009-09-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

Less than a week after getting back to Utah from the Honeymoon, Matt was invited to go to Washington D.C. for a work assignment. One of the many pies Matt has his fingers in is Business Development, which he has learned throughout the years with various businesses he has been a part of. And I know I'm biased, but he does an amazing job.

So, there was a Pest Control company in Washington that needed some advice. They flew both Matt and I out there, and we got everything figured out. We were there for about two weeks, and were so happy to come back home. We had been married for almost a month and had been at our own home about two times.

While we were there we did some site seeing. We went to the Natural History Museum and the Air and Space Museum.We saw the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and several others.

I had been once before, but it was nice to go there with Matt and learn more about the beautiful country we live in and all the sacrifices that have been made in our behalf.

The Washington Monument was our first stop. It was built to honor George Washington and was completed in 1884. It is the tallest monument in Washington D.C.And when you look towards the top of the monument, you can see discoloration of some sort. When we got back home, I looked it up. Apparently construction was stopped for a number of years, resulting in wear and tear of what had already been built.

Our next stop was the World War II Memorial.
Finished in 2004, it is one of the newer memorials in D.C. It is symbolic of all the Americans who served during World War II. There are 56 pillars totals. Each pillar has the name of a state and surrounding oceans.
The Freedom Wall is also located near this memorial. There are 4,048 gold stars, each representing 100 Americans who died in the war.
On our way to the Lincoln Memorial, you walk past the Reflecting Pool. It reminds me of the one at the temple, which I absolutely love!
The Lincoln Memorial was built to honor Abraham Lincoln. It was built in the form of a Greek temple. When you walk inside the memorial, Lincoln is placed in the middle and there are two speeches that Abraham Lincoln had given inscribed on the left and right walls.
After we ventured around the Lincoln Memorial, we headed over to the Korean War Memorial.
This memorial was amazing, like the others. There are 19 statues of larger than life servicemen dressed in their gear placed in the monument. They are incredibly lifelike. Once you get past them, you see the granite wall that has nearly 2,500 images of the troops on both land and sky that had been sandblasted.
There is also a Pool of Remembrance located within the memorial. There are inscriptions that list the numbers killed, wounded, missing in action, and held as prisoners of war.
Next, we ventured over to the Vietnam Memorial. It honors those that gave their lives during the war and those that never returned. As you walk up the memorial, the slabs are knee high. As you continue, the slabs begin getting taller and taller, with more and more names. There are over 58,000 names inscribed on this monument.
The last stop of the day was the Jefferson Monument which is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson. There is a statue of him placed in the center with excerpts of the Declaration of Independence inscribed on the walls around him.
Going to Washington and having the opportunity to see all of these amazing sites is something I will never forget. The people who have fought and continue to fight for our freedom are amazing and will always be remembered.

Honeymoon

2009-09-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

Originally, Matt and I planned on going to the Mexican Riviera for a cruise. With the Swine Flu hype escalating, we were quickly called by Royal Caribbean and informed that our cruise was canceled! Instead we went to the Western Caribbean for a week long cruise! We had so much fun!

We flew out to Florida a week after the wedding and stayed in Miami Beach. The hotel we made reservations at was rather scary. I'm talking holes in the walls, shattered window panes, dirty towels, broken elevator, etc. Matt and I ended up walking about 3 or 4 block with all of our luggage to a much better hotel. After we got settled, we hung out on the beach, swam in the pool, and had some dinner.

Day1: Saturday

2009-09-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

The next day we were scheduled to get on the boat. Matt had never been on a cruise before, so I was excited to see his reaction to the boat. He was so impressed. The Royal Caribbean boat towered over the Carnival boat that was there. It took about 30 minutes or so to get all checked in, and then we were on!

First we went to our room to see where it was on the boat. When we got there, our door and our room had been decorated! Apparently, Matt had called ahead of time and asked them to do something special. I was so impressed!Next, we hung out on the top deck waiting to leave from Miami.
It was fun watching the Coast Guard escort us out with their machine guns. :) Soon after, we had to do the safety checks with our life vests. This was so entertaining, because people had no idea what they were doing. You literally have to go to your room, get your life vest, put it on, and walk to your designated area. We had to listen to a little speech regarding safety, and then it was back to our vacation!
The First night on the boat was filled with picture taking and walking around the boat to look at everything.
Our boat had several swimming pools, hot tubs, ice skating rink, basketball and volleyball courts, rock climbing wall, surfing machine, restaurants, and so much more!
We snacked on the most amazing pizza, cookies, and ice-cream on Earth until we had our formal dinner in the dining hall. Our dining hall was called the Rembrandt and our table sat a total of two couples. It was Matt and I and another couple who only came to the dining hall a few times during the trip. They were on their honeymoon too.
After dinner, we went to the Platinum theater where we went every night after dinner for different shows. This night, there was a juggler who was amazing. He would juggle bowling balls, swallow knives, etc. He was very entertaining.Then it was off to the hot tub before the Welcome Parade! The hot tubs were so much fun. Once we got into the hot tub and looked over, we realized that the hot tubs were over the ocean! It was so cool.Next, we went to the Welcome Parade. It was about 30 minutes long. The majority of the staff on the boat participated. They were all dressed in different costumes and they would go down the length of the ship. We had so much fun on Day 1 of our cruise!

Day2: Sunday

2009-09-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

For breakfast, Matt and I ventured to the Rembrandt which is the formal dining room we eat in for dinner. The breakfast was amazing and we sat at a table full of interesting people. They made Matt and I laugh so hard.
After eating breakfast, we did some more site seeing on the boat. We went over to where the majority of the sports courts are located. I ended up climbing the rock wall and got to the top on the beginners course. I didn't think I would be able to do it, but I did! And I am so glad that I did. It was so much fun.That night was formal night at the Rembrandt. Instead of going in capris and a shirt, we had to dress in suits and dresses. This was a bit harder than I was expecting. For Matt, we brought a suit so we wouldn't have to rent and I brought a dress that I had had for a while. I knew that it was immodest, because I had worn it to a party before and I had a shirt to wear underneath and some cute leggings. Well, garments changed all of that. I should have tested my outfit before packing it, but I thought I was good to do. I was completely wrong. The shirt worked fine for covering what needed to be covered, but the leggings were another issue altogether. Because they were white, they were a little transparent, not see through, but enough to where you could see the lace on my garments. I was so upset! So, I had to jimmy-rig my leggings and fold them on top of each other about a million times so they were thick enough to cover my garments.
After my wardrobe fiasco, we finally got to the dining hall. As always, the food was amazing and we ordered far too much food and way too many desserts.It was so fun to eat and look out the window and see nothing for miles and miles, just the ocean. After dinner, we went back to the hot tub, which became a bit of a tradition for us. It was so relaxing!

For the entertainment that night, we went to the Newlywed Game Show. Matt and I auditioned for the show, but didn't quite make it. The contestants that did make it were hilarious! They chose a couple who had just gotten married, a couple who had been married for a while, and another couple who had been married the longest out of the group. It was so funny to hear their answers to all the questions. The couple who had been married the longest won by a long shot.

Day3: Monday

2009-09-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

This was our first port day. In order to get to Haiti, we were shuttled from the boat to the island. We thought it was going to take forever, but it really didn't.
Royal Caribbean owns the island we went to, so Haiti ended up being really relaxing. They had beach chairs lined up, shopping and bartering, hammocks, tons of food, and of course the beautiful ocean. Matt and I did a little bit of everything. We did some relaxing in the hammocks and the beach chairs, some swimming, eating, and some shopping.
I would get so frustrated shopping, because everyone tries to sell you the same thing and it gets a little tense. Matt on the other hand enjoyed every bit of it. He absolutely loved it. I was just glad he was there to protect me. The natives would always call me "Boss Lady" when Matt wanted to get approval on something. It was pretty funny.Haiti was absolutely beautiful and the water was so clear! We couldn't wait to get back on the boat and go to our next port of call.That night at dinner, the wait staff and all of the cooks had a little parade. They all lined up and sang fun songs as they twisted around all the floors of the dining hall. It was very entertaining.
And that night at the Platinum theater there was a guy who did a music history. He was so talented and sounded just like people he was imitating. Everyone asked for an encore, and he kept going until it was time for the next showing to begin.
And like most nights after the shows, we would head down to the promenade and people watch while we ate our delicious pizza, cookies, and daiquiris.

Day4: Tuesday

2009-09-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

Our port of call for Tuesday was Jamaica. After getting off the ship, we found a taxi driver who was willing to drive both Matt and I to Dunn's River Falls for only $7, which was nothing compared to other drives that were charging up to $75. We did rather well at bartering with people and giving them what we thought it was worth. :)Once we got to Dunn's River falls, we got our ticket and walked down to the falls entrance. First, we went down to the beach and hung out for a while. It was so relaxing and hard to leave! Then it was time to climb the falls.
The falls were amazing. They are so beautiful. Matt and I had so much fun climbing them. After a while, it was time to get back on the boat.
After getting back on the boat, Matt and I had started a tradition of going to the top deck and falling asleep until dinner time. It was so much fun to not have a care in the world. We didn't need to be anywhere at any particular time and everyone was so nice.After our nap, we went to the dining hall again and had some more amazing food. I think that's all we did was eat, but that's what cruises are all about, right? That night we went to the Ice Skating Rink for the ice show.
It's amazing how they are able to do the turns and flips they do on a moving boat. We were so amazed by their talent. They were so much fun to watch.Every night we came back to our room, our towels had been manipulated into different animals, and our beds were turned down. Our Stateroom attendant was amazing.

Day5: Wednesday

2009-09-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

Our next port of call was Grand Caymen. Matt and I had originally booked an activity to go snorkeling with the sting rays, but the front desk called us that morning to cancel due to problems with the equipment. We weren't too worried, because there are always people offering the same types of activities off the boat. And we didn't have to walk far to find one that was willing to offer us an even better deal than the boat.About an hour after paying for our tickets for the snorkeling, we met with our group and were bussed to a dock where we were supposed to get on a boat to go snorkeling. The keyword being "supposed" to. Once we had gotten on the boat, there was a discrepancy regarding the time we had to be back on the ship. Instead of going on our snorkeling trip, we got kicked off the boat with some other Royal Caribbean guests and waited for a few hours to be picked up. It was awful! And we had no idea where we were or how we were going to get back to the boat. Thankfully we weren't by ourselves.

Eventually we got back to the boat, but not before Matt gave the guy we purchased the tickets an earful. We were both pretty upset about what had just happened. Our day in Grand Caymen was wasted on waiting for a ride back to port. The man did redeem himself by refunding our money plus about $150.00 - This proved to be a true blessing for Matt and I later on in the cruise, because we were not told we had to pay gratuities. We had assumed it was all factored into our tickets. So, this money went towards paying our wonderful Stateroom Attendant, Dexter, our Waiter, Reynaldo, and our Assistant Waiter Florin, for the week they had taken amazing care of us.Once we got back onto the boat, Matt and I went to our designated napping place, and later that night we ate pizza and daiquiris in bed.

Day6: Thursday

2009-09-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

The next day we arrived in Cozumel! Like all of the other ports, it was gorgeous! Matt and I decided to book an excursion with Royal Caribbean, in hopes of having a better experience. The excursion we chose to do included a trip to some Mayan ruins, the crocodile swamps, the beach for some snorkeling, and to the lighthouse.

This was by far the funnest excursion. The tour guides were amazing and were so much fun. They knew so much about the history of the island and were able to teach us some interesting facts.The Mayan ruins looked small from the outside, but the tour guides explained to us that the majority of the temple is located underground. They also explained that the temples were built to resist the wind, therefore they are still in existence today because of the way they were initially built.
The crocodile swamps were really fun as well. The swamp was located on the other side of the ocean. So, when looking out at the ocean, you could see the swamp to the left. It was separated by a long strip of beach. We also got to see crocodiles up close. They were so scary!
Our next stop was snorkeling. This was by far the funnest part. We snorkeled for about an hour and half or so and saw so many cool things. Matt saw his first sea turtle. The tropical fish were amazing to look at. Our tour guide even picked up the biggest star fish I have ever seen! We got to swim across a reef, which was kind of scary.The last stop of the excursion was to the lighthouse. It had a little history museum attached, and the beach was off to the right. We climbed up to the top of the lighthouse. The stairs were so small and narrow! Then Matt and I got some pictures taken and bought a hand painted bowl from one of the shops.After we got back on the boat, we had a message that Royal Caribbean had upgraded our room for free. We went to go check it out. It was a little larger than our original room, and it had a balcony overlooking the ocean. The view was amazing.

That night we had another amazing dinner in the Rembrandt.

Day7: Friday

2009-09-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

We had officially visited all the ports of call and began our trip back to Florida. We had dinner for the last time in the dining hall and ordered all the deserts! They were so amazing. Then we made sure to get pictures of all the amazing people we met during the week. Our waiter was amazingly accomadating, and our Stateroom attendant was just as amazing. We would always bring him dinner from the dining hall and he loved it.
From Left to Right: Florin, Me, Matt, Reynaldo
From Left to Right: Dexter, Matt, Me

Later that night, we went to our last show in the Platinum Theater. The cruise director put together 10 of the funniest questions he had been asked on our cruise. Here are the last three. Matt and I were laughing so hard!
Later that night it started storming really bad, but you couldn't tell unless you were on the deck. So, Matt and I went out and took some pictures. It was pouring!The lightening was also really weird to see because we were out in the middle of nowhere. You can see how the lightning lit up the sky.

Day8: Saturday

2009-09-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

Once we made it to Florida, we scheduled a taxi to get us back to the airport. After we got to the airport, we had to wait several hours for our flight to leave, but it definitely beat possibly missing the flight. - Back to the real world!

Matt and I had so much fun on our cruise! We couldn't have asked for a better week long vacation. We saw amazing things and met great people. We can't wait to go again!

Idaho Open House

2009-09-13T17:33:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to have an Open House in Idaho, because I had some friends and family that were unable to come down to Utah for the main reception. At the same time, I did not want for it to be too big, because we had just had our main reception in Utah. So, we ended up having a small get together at my parents house in Nampa, Idaho.
I think everyone had a good time. It was more of a casual setting with amazing cheese cake and vegetable trays.
We had our wedding video playing during the Open House, and all the action was out on the deck. The weather was great and the company was amazing.

Danielle & Matthew's Temple Video from Doug Larson on Vimeo.

(This was playing at the reception. I now have a full video of the Temple and the Reception. Matt and I love how it turned out.)

Reception

2009-09-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

Everyone had such a great time at the reception. There was amazing food, great entertainment, and good company. The weather even held up for our special day.
Instead of doing a sit down dinner, we had a buffet with so much food. There was fruit, vegetables, sandwiches, salads, etc. Matt and I chose not to do a receiving line, which I'm so glad we didn't, because we were able to eat and mingle with everyone! We also had a DJ who kept everyone pretty entertained.
Towards the beginning of the reception, I had the DJ announce that I had a surprise for Matt. I went into the kitchen and picked up his Groom's Cake, which was an Ambulance and gave it to him as a surprise. He absolutely loved it! It was a chocolate peanut butter cake, which was Matt's favorite when we did cake tasting.
Matt and I had our first dance to "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascall Flatts. We also had a daddy daughter dance. I chose the song "I Loved Her First" by Heartland. I'm pretty sure I cried the whole time, but I promise they were tears of joy! :)
After the daddy daughter dance, we had a dance that included all the married couples. The DJ would ask if the couples had been married for 5 years. Whoever had been married for 5 years or less would leave the dance floor. He would keep adding more years until it was just Matt and I with my grandparents who had been married the longest. It was really fun.
We also had the messiest cake cutting ever! I was hoping that I could get away with shoving cake into Matt's face without getting it dished right back, but I was completely wrong. It was all over!Later in the evening we had the garter toss, which ended up being hilarious. The DJ had Matt and all the single guys serenade me before Matt took my garter off. I could not stop laughing. One of Matt's mission companions ended up catching it. Then we had the bouquet toss, which my my sister Becky caught.
We had so much fun. It was truly a night we will never forget.

Thank you mom and dad for everything! You two are amazing.

Ring Ceremony

2009-09-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

After the ceremony and picture taking, we took a limo over to the reception center. The reception center we chose was Magnolia Grove in South Jordan. It was about 10 minutes away from the Salt Lake Temple and is absolutely gorgeous! They were so helpful and accommodating.
We started everything off with a Ring Ceremony. A Ring Ceremony is very similar to the traditional Wedding, except without the vows. Matt and I chose to have a Ring Ceremony, because we have several friends and family who were unable to attend the temple, and we wanted for them to be a part of our special day. We had Brother Chandler conduct the ceremony.
My dad walked me down the isle and gave me away. Brother Chandler gave a few comments, and then we exchanged rings.
After the Ring Ceremony, the Reception was in full swing.

The Big Day... For Time & All Eternity

2009-09-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

The Sealing Ceremony was schedule for 2:20, so everybody including myself had plenty of time to get ready. At first I was apprehensive about having the ceremony so late, but I was thankful for the extra time once everything was said and done.
My bridesmaids and I headed over to the Salon which was in Lehi to get our hair done. It only took about an hour or so. Then we headed up to the Salt Lake Temple. We found parking, and hauled all of our necessities to the temple entrance.

Once I was checked in, it was time to wait for Matt. (We had to make sure he didn't get cold feet:) Just kidding.) After we made sure he was there, verified our records, and signed our license, it was time to get ready. The Temple Matrons were so helpful during the process. Half the time I had no idea where I was going and I was thankful to have help from my mom too.
The time finally came to meet up with Matt and our Sealer. He outlined what we should expect, which was a breath of fresh air, because up until that point, I had no idea what to expect.

2:20 rolled around, and we entered the sealing room where all of our friends and family were waiting. I had my Uncle Wayne as a witness, and Matt had his Bishop from Price as a witness. As the sealer spoke about the sacredness of the temple and temple marriage, he outlined three principles for us to live by:

1. Keep Christ as a cornerstone in our relationship
2. Attend the temple often
3. Love each other
After the ceremony, Matt and I met up with our photographer and videographer who gave us a few pointers, and out the door we went to meet our family and friends. We took tons of pictures around Temple Square. I was impressed by the fact that it looked like we were the only ones there! There were about 9 or so other weddings going on, and there were tons of people! - You wouldn't have guessed from the pictures and video.
The sealing was such an amazing and spiritual experience. And I am so grateful to be able to do sealings by proxy with Matt for individuals who have not yet received the gospel. Our wedding doesn't just end with the pictures that were taken, we are able to participate in sealings, and hear the blessings that are promised to us each and every time we attend the temple.

Luncheon

2009-09-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Normally before a wedding there is some type of rehearsal luncheon or dinner. With a rehearsal dinner not necessary, Matt and I decided to have a luncheon the day before the wedding. We invited all of our family to Olive Garden in Salt Lake City. We had so much fun and were so thankful to be surrounded by our family before the big day. This also marked the first time everyone from both sides of the family met!Table 1 Clockwise: Caleb, Mark, Jessica, Daniel, Lila, (MIA Mikey, Wesley, Preston), Matt, Brenda, (Barbie is taking picture), Roberta (my mom), Betty(Table 2 Clockwise: Sonny, Anne, Vickie, Phil, Matt, Me, Grandma Dinius, Grandpa Dinius, Brad, Kevin (my dad), Becky, Paige, Kristine, McKenzie, Jody)
During the luncheon, I chose to propose to Matt. I know, I know. But Matt made me promise that if he proposed to me, that I would propose to him. So, before the luncheon I tracked down our waiter, who was amazing, and had him write "Marry me" in chocolate on a plate.
When dessert came, the waiter brought that plate out and I proposed to Matt. He had no idea. He thought I had forgotten, or that I wasn't going to do anything. All in all he was pretty surprised!

Bridal Shower

2009-09-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Dinius and Aunt Amy (my dad's sister) threw me the most amazing Bridal Shower ever. It was a kitchen theme and I made out like a bandit! It was so fun to be surrounded by family and friends. Amy even made the cutest towel cake. It was hard to tell whether or not it was real.Aside from the gifts, we played a few games. The one game that was carried throughout the festivities was definitely the most fun and competitive. Once everyone got settled, the rules of the game were explained. We were not allowed to say the word "you". If we used this naughty word, we would lose clothespins. Kristy (aka Sally) won by a longshot. - Imagine not being able to say "you" for a couple hours!

Thanks to everyone who was able to come! And thanks Amy and Grandma for putting it together!

Slacker

2009-09-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

So, I am officially a slacker. With school quickly approaching, things have been quite busy at the Jameson residence. But I promise to keep you posted about our eventful happenings. Here is what has been going on, and I promise to go in further detail with pictures and everything:

Relief Society Bake Off
New Semester

I think that just about covers the last 3 months!
Looking forward to catching everything up!

Going Through The Temple

2009-05-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, in preparation for the wedding, I went through the temple! What an amazing, yet mind blowing experience. There isn't much that can actually prepare you for what takes place, and believe me, I was feeling very unprepared. (I went again a few days later to let everything sink in.)
I was lucky enough to have my mom, Matt, Aunt Betty, Barbie, and Brenda there with me. I don't know what I would have done without their help, support, and patience!

Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple

2009-05-17T19:41:00.001-07:00

In preparing for going to the Temple, I was urged to read a pamphlet titled "Preparing To Enter The Holy Temple." Although it only consists of 37 pages, it was amazing! And I wanted to share two entries that I just absolutely loved:

1. "The temple itself becomes a symbol. If you have seen one of the temples at night, fully lighted, you know what an impressive sight that can be. The house of the Lord, bathed in light, standing out in the darkness, becomes symbolic of the power and the inspiration of the gospel of Jesus Christ standing as a beacon in a world that sinks ever further into spiritual darkness."

What an amazing thought! The church truly is our "beacon" in these dark and trying times. We do all we can through missionary work, acts of service and charity to set an example to those around us who are in need.

This also makes me very proud of Matt and the time he chose to set aside for the Lord's work while serving an honorable mission in Pittsburgh. I love to hear the stories he tells of baptizing, teaching, and making new friends. He is constantly keeping in touch with his companions and both members and non-members he was able to meet while on his mission. I'm so proud of him.

2. "Every foundation stone that is laid for a Temple, and every Temple completed according to the order the Lord has revealed for his holy Priesthood, lessens the power of Satan on the earth, and increases the power of God and Godliness, moves the heavens in mighty power in our behalf, invokes and calls down upon us the blessings of the Eternal Gods, and those who reside in their presence."

How cool is that? To receive such blessings because of the eternal covenants we are able to make for ourselves and our ancestors is just amazing! I am so blessed to have the family I have. They are so supportive of me and my decisions. I really do not know what I would do without them. I am so excited to go through the temple with my family, especially my mom. She is such an example to me. She is the very symbol of strength, purity, love, charity, and Godliness. She is purely amazing. I hope I can be half the person she is.

Invitations

2009-05-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

Matt and I have officially sent out all of our invitations! It's such a relief to have them done.I ended up making them myself and had a lot of fun putting them together. We had three inserts that accompanied the invitations. One for the ring ceremony, reception, and temple sealing. And yes, I folded them all, licked them all, placed stamps on them all, and addressed them all. Like I said before, I'm glad to have them done!

And I love how they turned out!

My Firefighter

2009-05-04T16:47:00.000-07:00

Since buying our house in Salem, Utah, Matt has also transferred to the Salem Fire Department and Salem Ambulance from Springville. It's fun to see how excited he gets about going on calls. And what a great hobby to have!

When he got all his fire gear, he was so excited! I made him take some picture so I could post them. I also told him he has to practice getting into his gear so he can keep up with the old timers. It looks like he is holding his own! I am so proud of my firefighter! Before I let him run on the Fire Department, I had to put his name on the back of his helmet. When my mom was in town, we went to the mall and had them print his name out. Once we got home, I scraped off the old name from his helmet, and applied his to the back! - I did a pretty bang up job if I do say so myself. :)Just this morning, there was a fire right up the street from our house. When Matt talked about it, I didn't think it was all that big, or I didn't want to think it was all that big. But he drove me next to the place and I couldn't believe how much damage the fire caused!

And because of my bang up job on his helmet, you can see him here at the 48 second mark. He is the handsome devil on the left:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Bridal Pictures

2009-04-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I had my bridals taken and they look amazing! Again, thanks to our photographer! She did an amazing job once again. I had so much fun! We took all the pictures around Temple Square and in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

Because I don't want Matt to see my bridals until the wedding, I won't be posting them yet! You'll just have to come to the reception and see how gorgeous I really am! :)

Hide and Seek

2009-04-02T19:13:00.001-07:00

We have officially moved into our new home! - Or at least I have!

The other day, Matt thought it would be fun to play hide and seek.
Keep in mind Matt had the whole house to hide in, but this is the spot he chose.I think the towel and the washcloth on top of his head were a good touch.

Engagement Photos

2009-03-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

This last Thursday, Matt and I had our engagement pictures taken. We had so much fun and thanks to our amazing photographer, our pictures turned out amazing!We had them taken in Salt Lake around Temple Square and downtown.

I promise to post additional pictures soon. I have just finished wedding invitations and don't want to spoil them by showing all the pictures!

Chair Shopping

2009-03-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

Since moving into our new house, we have done a ton of shopping.

And one of the items we are in need of is an office chair for Matt's office. We went to WalMart in search of our much needed item. Once we found the isle with the chairs, we ran into a bit of a predicament. They had set out the chairs for buyers to see, but they placed them on top of the shelf. So, Matt gave me a boost, and then I gave Matt a boost.

We just can't buy an office chair without sitting in it first!

1 Year

2009-03-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

Matt and I have been dating for one year as of March 8!
It seems like just yesterday we met, but here we are one year later.
It's amazing to look back at all the memories we have made with each other. Just after meeting, I moved with him to Portland and when things fell apart there, I moved to Seattle with him. With all the bumps in the road, both big and small, we're still standing. And with less than two months until the wedding, I am more taken aback by him. He is so supportive, loving, caring, smart, etc. He is just perfect!
So, for our one year anniversary Matt surprised me with roses and all my favorite treats! He made the most amazing hamburgers, we watched a movie, and ate as much junk food as humanly possible.

Home Sweet Home

2009-02-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

Matt and I have officially found our home!

After months of searching, appointment making, and disappointment the day has finally come! We found ourselves a steal and couldn't be happier! The house has 5 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, and a 3 car garage. And to top it all off, there is an unfinished basement and tons of storage!

We heard back within less than a few hours of making our offer, and stopped by to take another look and get some pictures taken. My camera died, but pictures will be posted shortly.

It is located in Salem, Utah, which is south of Springville and our house is currently the only one in the development. I can't wait to move in!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

We ended up celebrating Valentine's Day on Sunday this year instead of on its actual date. - Only because we are terrible at keeping secrets and we had already purchased gifts for each other!

I got Matt a new hat and an American Eagle sweater.
Matt got me pearls that came with earrings, a bracelet, and necklace. And he didn't just get me one set, he got me three! They are beautiful!

He is so thoughtful.