On Ragsdale Dr.

A Few Words in Tribute

2012-02-15T08:53:00.000-08:00

Last week as my siblings and I planned my mom's funeral, the hardest task was deciding what to focus on in our talks. There's so much to say about her! My mom requested that each of her children speak at her funeral. When she first told me, I thought "How in the world can I do that? I'll be a blubbering mess!" I have to say, it was an honor to do it and I am grateful she gave me the chance to share a few words in tribute of her. Below are the thoughts I shared:

My Mom: A Legacy to Uphold

"My mom is beautiful, thoughtful, sweet, heartfelt, humble, confident, strong, intelligent, accomplished, driven, lovely, graceful, and kind. She possesses the characteristics of Christ. Throughout her life, she taught me by example the qualities of Christ and the joy that comes from making them a part of your life. She emulated the Savior all her life and I have been greatly blessed by her. Like Nephi of old, I too have been born of goodly parents.

The day my mom passed away, I felt the need to let everyone who knew her know of her passing. I know my mom affected many people during her life on earth, and I know that I can’t name that number. It will be infinite. As I made a post on my blog about her passing, the title that immediately came to my mind was 'A Legacy to Uphold.' My mom made a profound impact of goodness on me as she has on all of you. She and I have always had a special bond. We are best friends. We are both the youngest daughters in our families and she always told me that that was a special place to be. I remember her telling me time and again that when I was born, she felt I was special, especially to her. My mom made everyone feel special. She knew and understood her own divine nature and for that reason, she was able to see it in others and teach them of their own divinity. This attribute drew people to her because they felt something different in her. What they felt was the pure love of Christ.

The scripture Moroni 7:45 defines my mom: 'And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things…charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.'

There is an old children’s book my mom has had forever. One of my favorites was the story of Sun and Wind. To paraphrase – Sun and Wind saw a man walking down the street and decided that they would see who could get the man to take off his jacket. Wind went first and he blew as hard as he could to force the man to take it off. Despite what Wind thought, the man held on to his coat tighter each time Wind blew. Finally, it was Sun’s turn. Sun cleared the skies with his rays and shone so brightly and warmly that the man immediately shed his coat voluntarily. Sun was much more powerful in influencing the man walking down the street because of his warmth and gentleness. It is the same of the Savior and it is the same of my mom. People wanted to be in her presence because she made them feel good, just as the Savior does to us when we turn to Him.

She has always been an equal to me. It didn’t matter what my concerns were or what my rambling conversations were about, she was thoroughly engaged in everything I did. One of the things I’ve cherished about her throughout my life is that she is an excellent listener. I remember talking the entire way to Lake Powell none stop as a very young child. I’d sit on the middle console between my parents in front of the A/C and talk and talk and talk. My mom would lovingly listen to me despite the fact that my siblings in the back complained they were hot and tired of my chatter. I’d read billboards to her as we ran errands around town when I was learning to read and her response was always of excitement at what a great reader I was. There were numberless days after school and nights before going to bed, and hours on road trips and vacations talking with her about anything and everything. And she’d listen! She listened to all my unimportant, melodramatic childhood and teenage life experiences. She listened and comforted me when I called her 3 days after moving to college sobbing because I was homesick. She listened and she comforted and she inspired me to move forward. The way she connected with me was like she was right there alongside me in it all. Everything I did and said was incredibly important to her. She taught me that everything I did and said was also incredibly important to Heavenly Father as well. Morning and evening prayers were standard with her. When I was little I was impressed by how long she could pray, but as I grew I realized that she had long prayers because she knew she was important to Heavenly Father. By her example I learned I was important to Him too.

My mom understood the Plan of Salvation and the important role of womanhood. The divinity of womanhood and motherhood was something my mom understood deeply and expressed in word and deed. In her callings in Young Womens and the Relief Society, her goal was to help all women realize their importance, divine nature, and power within them. One thing she always taught me about my divine nature was that 'girls are for pretty.' Shopping was my mom’s favorite hobby. During my childhood I remember shopping until my legs ached. I did not like shopping. I’m 25 years old and it’s taken my mom 25 years to teach me the ropes with shopping : how to do it, when to do it, where to do it, and to convince me that it was something I could love as much as she did. Well, in 25 years she succeeded. During the last 6 months or so, she and I went shopping every Tuesday night. It was a privilege and a blessing. I helped her shop and she helped me shop and we both came out very successful. I can’t tell you how excited she got after a successful shopping excursion! On our way home with our treasures she’d smile and pat my leg and say “we did pretty good, didn’t we? I think you’re beginning to like this.” She’s made sure I’ve had the perfect outfit (from head to toe) for special occasions my entire life. Classy and beautiful is her style.

My mom has had many passions throughout her life. Nothing was worth doing unless she did it well. Of all her passions, motherhood was her greatest passion of all and I was a beneficiary of it. I don’t know what I did to be blessed by such an amazing mom. I’ve loved our shopping excursions, our more than daily conversations, frequent lunch dates and dinners, her wise words and comfort that only she could give, her hugs, her laugh, her smile, her sparkling eyes, her surprises, and her friendship. President David O. McKay said, 'Motherhood is the greatest potential influence for good in human life. The mother’s image is the first that stamps itself on the … young child’s mind. It is her caress that first awakens a sense of security; her kiss, the first realization of affection; her sympathy and tenderness, the first assurance that there is love in the world.' My mom gave me all the love she had. She told me often how much she loved me and I told her often how much I love her. She taught me what it means to be a mother in Zion. I look forward to the days with my future children when I can follow her example and be the mother to them that she has been to me.

In Matt. 19:26 it reads 'with God all things are possible.' I could also change that to say, 'with my mom, all things were possible.' Her life was a testimony of this in both scenarios. If there was anything she thought she or her children should do, she made a way for it to happen. It was known in our house that if we wanted something, you didn’t go to Dad, you went to Mom. A great example of this was when I had the chance to go to Jerusalem on Study Abroad. I anticipated going most of my life, so when the Jerusalem Center reopened in 2007, I called my mom excitedly telling her that I wanted to go and asked if we could make it work. She said of course! I asked my dad and he told me no. I was heartbroken until I talked to my mom a few minutes later when she said, 'Don’t worry, just apply and when you get accepted, we’ll make it work.' And did work out! It always did when my mom said it would. My mom could move mountains. Through her optimism and faith, she taught me that all things are possible, especially with God.

My mom possesses so many good attributes that it is difficult to know which ones to talk about in the short time we have here. How do you commemorate a life as significant and good as hers in an hour? You can’t. As I think about all the things I admire and love about my mom, I have come to the conclusion that the only way to commemorate her goodness is to carry it on and pay it forward. The Savior commanded, 'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.'

I believe my mom was perfect. And if she wasn’t, she is as close to perfect as a person can be in this life. I feel privileged to be her daughter and blessed to be her friend. I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation and for the Savior’s atoning sacrifice so that my family can be eternal. I am grateful for the testimony and life of my mom and that we got to spend 25 years of our lives together. I know I will be with her again and I know she will continue to help me along my journey even if it’s from the other side. I love you with all my heart, Mom. God be with you, we will meet again."

A Legacy to Uphold

2012-02-08T12:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at 4am, my sweet mom passed away. It was expected, but it wasn't. There isn't one word to describe the emotions I feel. I keep cycling through all emotions. But the emotion I feel most of all is gratitude. I don't know what I did to be blessed by such an amazing mom. No one is better or ever will be. She emulated the Savior all her life and I have been greatly blessed by her. I miss her so much already. I find comfort in knowing that she is only temporarily gone from me and that one day we will be reunited. She is my hero and my best friend. I will miss our shopping excursions, our more than daily conversations, frequent lunch dates and dinners, her wise words and comfort, her hugs, her laugh, her smile, her sparkling eyes, her surprises, her friendship. I will miss her. Below is the obituary my family and I wrote for her. It's hard to put into words all the magnificent things she accomplished in life. Books could be written about her goodness. A light has defninitely gone out in this world with her passing. I am privileged to be her daughter and friend. I am grateful for all the time I have had with her and I look forward to the future when I will be reunited with her. I love you with my whole heart, Mom! And I know you know that.

Colleen Millet Hanks
1949-2012

Colleen Millet Hanks passed away February 7, 2012 after a courageous battle with Glioblastoma. She was born to Floyd and Vera Millet July 29, 1949, and has 3 older brothers, Jack, Michael, and Robert. During her childhood, she lived in Salt Lake City and loved it. As a teenager, her family moved to Provo where she graduated from Provo High School and was a Head Cheerleader. Later she attended Brigham Young University and performed as a Cougarette and Song Leader. She graduated from BYU in 1974 with B.A. in English, taught special education, skiing, swimming and loved to read and write. While attending BYU, she fell in love with Gordon Hanks. They married June 8, 1973 in the Salt Lake Temple. They have six beautiful children, five daughters and a son. She loved and lived life to the fullest. She was a master organizer, hostess, and established many fun family traditions. Colleen was benevolent and loved spoiling her family. She was passionate about life and excelled in all she did. She completed multiple marathons, including St. George and Boston. She loved water skiing, snow skiing, Lake Powell, sunshine, Harley trips, homemaking, but most of all she loved being a mom. Nothing meant more to her than her family. She was a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had a vibrant testimony, serving in many callings including Stake Relief Society President and Stake Young Women President. She radiated love to everyone. All who encountered her experienced her incredible selflessness, kindness, friendship, and strength. She loved Heavenly Father and knew that He loved her.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Floyd and Vera Millet, and daughter, Holly.
She is survived by her husband, Gordon, and children: Alicia (Jason) Smith, Stephanie (Mike) Talbot, Natalie (Jeremy) Snow , Scott (Katie) Hanks, and Heather (Josh) Ragsdale, and 10 grandchildren: Nikki, Jake, Derek, Kaitlin, Saige, Flint, Connor, Boston, Maddox, & Landon.

Funeral Services will be held February 11, 2012 at 1:00pm at the South Mountain Stake Center, 1911 Gray Fox Drive, Draper, Utah. A viewing will be held February 10, 2012 at 6pm-8pm at Larkin Mortuary, 1950 East 10600 South, Sandy, Utah; and also at the Chapel from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m. prior to the funeral services. Internment will be at Larkin Cemetery.

I love the mountains, I love the rolling hills...

2011-08-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

This year Josh and I have spent some time hiking in the mountains nearby. I love going up the canyons. It feels like you're in a whole different world miles and miles away when it's only just a few minutes away...a little taste of heaven that pictures sometimes capture better than words.

University of Utah Graduate!

2011-06-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

It's official! Josh is a college graduate! He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and a Minor in Spanish. The University of Utah Graduation was May 6, 2011 and I was so excited for him to graduate that I made him participate in all of it! It was a marathon of day with the ceremonies and celebratory feasts.

after Commencement

Josh and his mom

Commencement was 9am at the Huntsman Center. We had to be there by 8am, so it was a bit of an early start. I was so glad Josh wore his red shoes...it's what helped us find him as he walked in with all the other graduates dressed in their black gowns. I have to say, it was the best Commencement I've attended. Mitch Albom {known for Tuesdays with Morrie} was invited to speak and he gave an incredible speech. Most graduation speeches I've heard focus on remembering what they've learned scholastically and how to be successful with what they've learned. But Albom didn't. He focused on something much deeper. He explained that when we die, we don't have anything left except for our relationships. (Yes, we know this.) But what was remarkable is the setting in which he gave this speech and how powerful it was. This wasn't Sunday school, it was a public university's graduation ceremony. Albom told the graduates that it's not the awards, fame, money, physical assets, etc. that matter. They are nice and they are a goal for many of us, but what really matters is our relationships with one another. In short, it's all about love. He encouraged the graduates to always remember that nothing matters as much as our relationships and how we treat one another. Such a good message!

Lunch at Cheesecake Factory with and my mom & dad and Josh's mom

The most delectible sugar cookies you'll ever taste! Josh's mom gave him several of these cookies to celebrate his graduation. Yum!

Josh's convocation was held at 6pm later that same day. Long day! We expected the Convocation to be just Josh's college, but it was like half of the University! We waited for him to walk and get his "diploma" and then we peaced-out. All of Josh's family came and my sister, Alicia, and her family came to support Josh. Despite the long ceremonies, it was a great day to celebrate a huge accomplishment.

We are all so proud of you Josh for your hard work and diligence! Congratulations!!

(Grad Celebration at my parents the next day)

BYU Rugby

2011-06-24T14:49:00.001-07:00

Of all the sports that are big in the the US of A, {BYU} football has to be my favorite. I understand it the best, it's probably the sport I've seen the most of, and it's outside! But there's another sport emerging with more popularity and I think I'm a fan. In my amateur opinion, it feels like a mix of football and soccer. BYU's Ruby Team recently played Cal State in a Championship and Josh and I made a point of going to the big game. Josh's sisters and mom came with us too!

Josh printed off a list of general rules for us to read through so we understood the game a little better. Man, the game is brutal! But it is SO fun to watch! Rugby is a totally unique game because the players don't wear pads and the clock never stops. So it completely changes things. The game is so constant that it actually held my attention! (I have a habit of watching everything in the stadium except the game...) BYU put up a good fight, but in the end Cal State took the win. It's ok, I'll always be a Cougar fan "day or night, rain or snow." And I'm pretty sure we'll be watching more Rugby next season :)

scrum

No, they aren't cheerleaders. This is actually part of the game!

The tackles are crazy. I'm sure these guys are so sore the day after a game.

It's ok to be a tourist

2011-06-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

Utah is a great place to live because there is so much to do here. Josh and I absolutely love it. I was often been asked if we think we'll ever move. The truth? Probably not. It would have to be a really good reason to make us change our minds. In the summer we are busy waterskiing on the weekends with my parents and family. In the winter, we are busy snow skiing as much as we can with Josh's Uncle Scott and cousin Sam at Deer Valley and with my family at Snowbird. So in the Spring and Fall, we get busy doing all the other things, like hiking, biking, camping, riding Harleys with my parents...just plain being outdoors. We live to be outdoors.

One Spring Saturday when Josh wasn't working, we brainstormed about what hike we wanted to do. It felt like every hike we thought of we couldn't do because it was still under mounds of snow. Thus resulted the choice of the lowest elevation "hike" we knew: Ensign Peak! Neither of us had done it in years, and we had forgotten just how steep it gets. So it was a pleasant surprise to get a tiny bit of a workout from this short but beautiful hike. Thanks, Brigham Young!
Ensign Peak

After our "strenous" morning, we had to satiate our desire for some nourishment at reknowned Moochies. The delicious meatball sandwhich was MUCH too messy to document...would have gotten sauce all over the camera.

Our next hiking destinations this year include Mount Olympus, Lone Peak, and Timpanogus {if the snow melts}. Let us know if you want to come!

Supporting the Locals

2011-06-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

I love Josh for many reasons. There's lots to love about him. One thing that I love about him is that whenever we see one of these, he stops and buys a glass. He says it's to "support the local lemonade stands."

I have to say, lemonade stands these days have stepped it up! I remember being a kid and only offering lemonade and maybe some cookies. This particular business had (very good) lemonade, cookies, rice krispie treats, and candy. They even had a disclaimer posted (the white sheet to Josh's left) that, in effect, said "all proceeds will go to their parents to pay them back." Haha! Since when did people worry about where the money went from these temporary establishments?

Happy Summer!

Chalk Festival

2011-06-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

The first chalk festival I heard of was one held at my high school. I was so impressed with the drawings kids my age had done. They looked like professional paintings on the sidewalk. They appeared so real that I wanted to pick them up and carry them home. The colors were so rich and the images so crisp. Little did I know at the time that Josh, my future esposo, was one of the artists. He and another student did a chalk drawing of Van Gogh's Starry Night. Isn't it beautiful? I wish he had snapped a picture of his work. But I'm 100% sure it looked exactly like the one above. It was so good, in fact, that he was invited to the Chalk Festival in SLC that year to do it again. However, vacations were already scheduled and he wasn't able to make it.

So when I heard about the Chalk Festival this year and our friends Mike and Dasha invited us to go with them, I really wanted to go. There were SO many drawings and tons of people milling around admiring the work. Below are a few of my favorites.

gotta love Norman Rockwell

you'll have to click on this one above to see how much detail there is...amazing!

{the festival was a fundraiser for foster kids, thus the theme "foster parents are magical."}

one of the best movies!

Frozen Flavored Happiness!!

2011-06-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

Yep, I've waited a long time for these little shacks to start popping up all over town. I had to wait a little longer this year because summer didn't decide to hit the wasatch front until a few days ago.

You can bet I'll be using cash at the grocery store just to get coins so I can buy one of these pretties.

Frozen Flavored Happiness!!

My fellow supporter in my snowcone addiction.

love affair with snow

2011-06-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

I wanted to start this by saying I have a confession, but anyone who knows Josh and I already know what I would confess. By definition that means it's not really a confession. We have a love affair with snow. The deep, light, fluffy stuff that Mother Nature dumped week after week this past winter. It made our hearts happy.

I've often said that snow skiing is my favorite sport and summer is my favorite season. One of my friends once told me that is impossible; that I couldn't possibly love summer more than I love snow skiing. Ha! Odd, but true! I think you have to embrace each season with something you are passionate about. Winter would be much too long without a love affair with snow.

02.14.11 Heart Day

2011-06-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

Even though Josh and I have only been married for three years, we've shared five Valentines Days together. Looking back, the first one has to be the most comical. We had "broken up" two days before Valentines Day. Then commenced a series of ironic happenstances...

#1 When the blessed V-day holiday rolled around, we decided we still wanted to share that evening together. So Josh drove to Provo in the rain to take me out to dinner at our favorite local restaurant there, Brick Oven.
#3 As I got in his Mighty Max truck, we exchanged notes sharing reasons why we admired and cherished one another.
#4 We walked into Brick Oven and, low and behold, my parents and older brother (by 3 years) were sitting in a booth eating dinner!
#5 Not ones to shy from family fun, we joined them in their booth!
#6 The night was still young when we finished eating, and we weren't ready to end the night. So Josh & I did what any co-ed in Provo would do and went bowling at Fat Cats.
#7 My brother came with us!
#8 When the party was over, Josh took be back to my dorm, and he and my brother drove home together. And from what Josh has said, he and my brother sat in the driveway of my parents for quite some time talking about missions, girls, school, etc. Ya know, all that man stuff.

As it all unfolded that night, I thought it was fine. It really was a lot of fun! Afterall, I was with two of my best friends! Oh, the irony of that night.

A couple years later we resumed our dating relationship, obviously. We're married. Since then we've taken turns planning & executing the great love day of the year. It's been alot of fun, I highly recommend it. This year was my turn and I was so excited! Josh had to work a long day so I came up with some fun ideas to make the entire day special for him.

Got up at 6am and heart attacked his car. Surprise!

I made a surprise visit to Josh at work with these balloons and frosted valentines sugar cookies. Surprise! He loved the attention. He then came home to a homemande applie pie {his favorite dessert}, a list I made of 14 Things I Love about him, and a little gift to purchase later.

Then headed to Macaroni Grill for dinner. Yum!

My gift from Josh {inside the card it said I could "read to my hearts content." He knows me well!}

I absolutely LOVE surprises! If I can surprise Josh, I consider it a job well done, especially if I can embarrass him a little too. This Valentine's Day was a job well done :) Love you, Josh!

Runnin' runnin' runnin'

2011-06-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

The idea of running has been a part of my life for a long time. My mom has been a runner as long as I've known her. I've been at the finish line more times than I remember watching for her and then cheering as loudly as I could when she came by. Most of the races I went to of hers were the St. George marathon. She ran several on her own and then ran a whole bunch of them with my sister, Stephanie. They both inspired me. There's something magical about the chute leading to the finish line of a long race like that. With the crowd yelling and the athletes pushing it with their last ounce of effort to finish, the moment of it all brings out your emotions! At one of those races, I made the decision that one day I would be a participant instead of a spectator.

That goal sat in my mind for a few years. A marathon is a big deal. It takes a lot of effort, training, and drive. I started running on my own in high school. I worked my way up to 3 miles and was proud of myself. I moved to college and met other friends who liked to run, so we'd go on jogs together around campus occassionally. At the end of my sophomore year of college, I decided I would run the St. George marathon. I signed up for it with my mom and sister, got in, and began running. But my training fizzled quickly. It was too hard. And so, the thought sat in my mind for another few years. I ran a lot of 5k's, 10k's, and half marathons and really enjoyed it.

Finally came the time where my desire and my actions coincided. I began training for a marathon in February 2010 and maintained a strict, consistent running schedule. Each day was monumental because each day I ran further than I ever had!

After months of training, THE day came. And it was a perfect day. The weather, the experience, how I felt, how I ran, everything was perfect. I ran the Top of Utah Marathon (by myself after training by myself) on Sept 18, 2010. I was so nervous that morning that I thought, I'm not doing this. And then I thought of my mom (diagnosed with a brain tumor 3 days before race day), and realized that I had to do it. And so I did, with major support and encouragement of my husband/coach, who had supported, encouraged and pushed me through all my training. It was one of the best experiences of my life. And so I've kept running.

Top of Utah Marathon Sept 2010

Salt Lake City Marathon April 2011

My sister, Alicia, ran the last 4 miles with me!

Enjoy the Journey

2011-06-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

I have been a little MIA lately, for a handful of reasons. This blog resembles my personal journal in that I have many resolutions to start and several breaks in between those resolutions. But such is life! The nice summer weather and a little vacation has motivated me to recommit to updating this blog with our happenings.

One of the reasons for my little hiatus is due to the fact that my family's life took a turn for the unexpected. In September 2010 my mom was diagnosed with brain cancer; glioblastoma specifically. Not the news you expect to hear, want to hear, or ever imagine hearing. Cancer always affects other people, but not you. In reality, it likely will affect you. For quite some time I've been learning how to handle it and I wasn't in the mood to blog happy thoughts, or sad thoughts for that matter. I've learned many things during the last 9 months. Most of them I am grateful for. The thing I am most grateful for is my family and for the sealing power of the priesthood that has bound us together for eternity. It is remarkable how there are miracles and blessings in the face of adversity and tragedy. God never leaves us, and for that I am grateful as well.

Fortunately, my mom is doing considerably well for what the doctors expected. She had surgery the day following her diagnosis, and went through radiation therapy and chemotherapy until a few months ago when it got to be too much for her body to handle. Since she stopped treatment, her quality of life has actually improved. Things aren't like they were before the cancer, but they are better than where we have been. And for that, I am grateful. Josh and I get to make dinner with my mom and dad every Tuesday and spend the evening together. It's one of my favorite nights of the week. We also have many family dinners on Sundays together with the rest of my growing family -- 3 baby nephews on the way this summer! And of course lots of chats over the phone and visits as often as we can.

I've resolved that there are reasons why hard things happen in our lives. Ultimately, I believe it's to strengthen our relationship with our Heavenly Father and with one another, and to truly know what it means to trust in the Lord. I am very close with my mom and so this has been quite the challenge. But fortunately, I have an amazing husband, a wonderful family, incredible in-laws, great friends, and most of all, a completely understanding Savior. And so with that, I close this (not so short) post. For my own reasons, I plan on posting some events of the past few months and, of course, the present. Enjoy the journey!

"Like" Me!

2011-03-02T15:05:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone go here and "Like" Josh's photo so that we can go heli-skiing!

Candles, Roses, & Snowflakes

2010-12-06T13:20:00.001-08:00

Three years ago today I was in class from 8am - 7pm at BYU. Josh had been home from his mission almost 3 months and was working at Boston Group. I asked him on my way home that evening what he wanted to do. Corn snow was coming down like crazy and he decided that we should drive up to Snowbird to see what the snow levels were like. Of course, I agreed. We heart snow.

He picked me up in his dad's shiny, fast sports car. I wore a new white coat. We wandered for a short time and found ourselves outside on a secluded balcony in the snow falling from the heavens. Candles twinkled in the night and the faint smell of roses wafted through the air. We sat down. He pulled out a ring and asked if I would marry him. I exclaimed, "Yes!" We toasted to our awaiting future with Sparkling Cider and excited anticipation. Life has only gotten better!

My Family

2010-11-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

My family went on a fun little nature walk yesterday to enjoy the fall leaves before Winter comes. This picture turned out so cute that I thought I would post it. I'm always so glad when we can all get together and make new memories. Family is the best!

Congrats mi hermano!

2010-09-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Josh’s lil’ bro Clark! He got his mission call this week and he’s going to the

Omaha, Nebraska Spanish speaking mission

for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! We are super excited for his decision to serve and we promise to write lots of letters, send lots of pictures and of course send some care packages. Being in the country, he will for sure get it all so that is most excellent. Plus, he will perfect his Spanish. But most importantly, he will be able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone he encounters in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, and Kansas.

Congrats, Clark! We love you!

Herb Update

2010-08-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

Remember this guy from this post?

Look at him now! He has grown so much and I am so proud of him! Amazing what regular watering and sunshine can do for plant (and myself, but this post is about Herb).

I recently used some of his leaves to make Lemon Basil Pasta one day, and Margarita Pizza another. Both were incredible with fresh basil. Next in line is pesto sauce. I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep Herb alive through the winter, but I'm worried because he didn't get enough sun inside before (he's been sitting outside on a ledge all summer). I might end up getting a special plant light. I'm just so impressed with how big he has gotten!

Lost Generation? I think not.

2010-08-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

This video is so creative and inspiring. Sometimes I look at the world and think, my goodness what is happening?! And then I think of how change starts with me. I cannot control those around me, but I can control what I do and say. I have the knowledge of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I know that I can make a difference for good. I, too, refuse to believe that I am part of a lost generation. I believe I am part of one of the greatest generations. But it's not just a perspective, it's a choice. We must choose to be one of the greatest generations by doing great things, great things for good.

This video reads exactly opposite backwards as forward (a palindrome ). Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite. Clever! This is a video that was submitted by a 20-year old to a contest entitled "u @ 50" by AARP.

I'm a foodie

2010-08-21T10:56:00.001-07:00

I love food. I love to make it, eat it, and share it. I love to exchange recipes, try new ones, and talk all about them. Soooo, after reading so many other great recipe blogs, I've been inspired to create my own! So go on and visit my new blog by clicking here.
It will make you, your tummy, and whoever you feed very, very happy!

Quietly Beautiful, Silently Stunning

2010-07-07T12:41:00.001-07:00

I'm learning to love mornings. It's hard to get up to see the early hours, but when I do it's always worth it. It's like God paints a picture every morning and I'm lucky enough to witness its beauty. The older I get, the more I realize that God is a morning person. I'm trying to be!

Strawberry Freezer Jam!

2010-06-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

Perhaps all of you already knew that this wonderful preservative existed. I learned about it later in life. Like a year ago. I was hesitant to try it that first time just because of the name. I pictured strawberry jam with freezer burn. It's much better than that. Much better, in my opinion, than regular strawberry jam. It's like spreading fresh strawberries across your toast! It is soooo good. It is so good and so easy to make and that makes it even better! If any of you have made homemade jam before, you know it's a BIG STICKY mess. Freezer Jam, however, is easy and amazing. I made some last night and I can't wait to partake of its deliciousness.

- MASH -

- STIR -

- SET -

Make sure to follow the directions from the Pectin box (not my abbreviated version, of course). To make Freezer Jam you will need Pectin, fruit, light corn syrup, lots of sugar, and lemon juice in some cases. I highly recommend you try some!

Old Glory

2010-06-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation UNDER GOD, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

Did you know that several countries have one day a year set aside to honor their flag? Did you know that today is Flag Day in America? June 14th commemorates the adoption of our honored Star-Spangled Banner in 1777. Throughout the years the American Flag has changed in design, but it has always included red and white stripes with white stars against blue. It is unknown where the first design of the American flag came from; many of us learned the Betsy Ross story in elementary school. But not surprisingly, it might be a bit of folklore like the story of George Washington and the cherry tree. What matters is that it was created and it stands boldly to represent our great nation and the ideals that America was founded upon.

Some cities (not very many) celebrate Flag Day with parades. Pennsylvania is the one and only state that has set it aside as a State holiday. The American Legion and other organizations regularly conduct flag-burning ceremonies on Flag Day. Other than that, Flag Day is only celebrated by the flying of our flag. It seems like such a little thing. It's just a flag. But is it really? Francis Scott Key didn't think so. And I don't either.

The more I study the history of America, the more I feel honor and gratitude to be an American. To live in this great nation where there are so many freedoms and opportunities. May I never forget the sacrifices that were made at the founding of this nation through to today. May I never find myself ungrateful for the blessings I enjoy every day because of it. May I always do what I can to preserve our rights and privelges afforded by this nation. May I always honor America, it's symbols, and what it stands for. God Bless America!

Introducing Herb

2010-06-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

I am proud to introduce to you my new friend, Herb (like short for Herbert. But it's just Herb). He sits in a lovely pot on my kitchen counter next to my window and smells so good I could eat him. And I'm going to. I'm going to use him on pizzas, in sauces, and pestos, etc. He will be delicious. All spring I've been wishing I had a yard with a garden so I could grow so many things. And then a genius idea hit me, I can plant some things in pots! So Josh and I drove to good ol' Home Depot and found a pot and some soil, then got a lovely plant of basil at the nearby grocer. It smelled so good I kept sniffing it as we walked around the store. You would think I had a bouquet of flowers in front of me. Once we had the necessary equipment, I potted my first plant. I was a little worried at first because my Father-in-law, who should and will one day have a degree in botany, said the there were too many roots and Herb might die...Josh assured me he might struggle a bit, but he won't die. And then my Mother-in-law said she would buy me a new basil plant if Herb does die. I'm grateful for my support system in this new adventure. After 3 days of careful nurturing, sunlight, and water, Herb is doing alright. A little wilty in places, but overall, looking good. I'll let you know how he tastes in a couple weeks after he gets over his shock of transplantation.

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

2010-05-03T11:25:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary to Josh and I on May 1st! We have been married for TWO years now! I really don't know how this second year flew by so fast, but it did. I thought the first year was good, and then the second year was even so much better, and I can only imagine what fun we will have as we embark on our 3rd year of marriage. Much happiness I imagine.

When we first started talking about getting married, I told him I didn't want to get married for a year...I said September 2008 sounded good. He told me no, we should get married May 1, 2008. I compromised to June, but he said no, it had to be May. So May it was and it was a glorious day. I don't regret it. But we didn't really think about it in regards to the school schedule...May 1st is always during Finals Week! So that makes it a little difficult to get away to celebrate. Luckily this year May 1st was on Saturday!

We celebrated by going up to Park City for the day and stayed in a SUPER ritzy hotel up there. (Good thing about May weddings...it's off season for the ski resorts so you can find good deals at some really nice places!) Josh completely spoiled me with gifts and roses before we even left for PC, and then we enjoyed a bit of successful shopping up there too. My cousin and her husband were also up there celebrating their anniversary (their's is a day before ours) and we ran into each other! A pleasant surprise indeed. We shopped together for 3 hours and decided the more the merrier and ate dinner together too at the Blue Iguana. Yum!

The hotel we stayed in is fairly new and absolutely gorgeous! They only have valet parking and they carried all our luggage to our room for us. They even popped our popcorn for us! (I was a little sad about that though, he burned it pretty badly....obviously not a popcorn connoisseur like myself). It was a perfect and WONDERFUL anniversary! Wish we were still up there celebrating.

I love you my Joshua! Te amo muchisimo!

Osmosis?

2010-04-30T10:02:00.000-07:00

Finals week has arrived. Winter has returned. It's time for a vacation!

Spring is here (for today)!

2010-04-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

Hooray for sunshine. Hooray for flowers. Hooray for birds. Hooray for running rivers. Hooray for green grass and budding trees. Hooray for Spring! I love, love, love it! I haven't always been fond of Spring, but this year it has truly grown on me. I love running oustide in the mornings or the evenings in the cool sunshine. It's absolutely gorgeous and am excitedly anticipating another half marathon competition in just 3 weeks in this beautiful Spring weather! My sister and I ran 12 miles on Saturday and it was a perfect run. Cool air, warm sunshine, good conversation and company, and we finished strong. What more can you ask for? Currently, I'd like to ask for this mean cold of mine to go away. It started creeping up on me last week and I thought on Saturday morning that it was going away. Perhaps it was the long run that pushed it over the edge to cause me more misery. But I'd like to think it wasn't. So yesterday and today I'm giving myself a little R&R with my water bottle and box of tissues close by, my dependable Alka-seltzer, oranges (for vitamin C), and sleep. Yes, I plan on going to bed at 10:30pm again tonight (which NEVER happens), all so I can get back to running again. Get out and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts! I think it's taking another hiatus this week...

I'm that aunt

2010-04-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Today my first niece turns 13 YEARS OLD!! She was born when I was in 4th Grade and I still remember how my family ran up to the hospital in the middle of the night to meet her just after she was born. She was tiny and red and super cute. I used to run home from school when my sister stopped by so I could hold the cute little one. Now she's in middle school, in young womens, she wears make-up and likes high heels, etc. etc., etc.! My how time flies! I always felt like I was the cool, hip aunt because I wasn't 40 years older than her with a grandma-poof hairstyle. And I promised I would never say "I remember you when you were a little girl!" and squeeze her cheeks. Haha. That didn't last long. I like to squeeze my nieces and nephews cheeks. I am that aunt.

A couple family dinners ago my sister brought pictures of her kids from when they were born to now (the ones you take annually). My nephew looked through his pictures with me and kindly pointed out to me, "And that's me when I was 2....and that's me when I was 3...I had lots of scrapes as a kid." (That hasn't changed much) I had to laugh. I know! I was there! Super cute kids. I love all of them to pieces. Happy Birthday Nikki!

2010-04-07T15:20:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!!!

2010-04-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!! Having General Conference and Easter on the same weekend is the best. I loved listening to all the talks that were given. The talks that Sister Julie B. Beck gives are always so good. She speaks of the nobility, honor, and responsibilities of womanhood. She focuses on how women need to realize their potential, do what they are meant to do and do it well, like they can because that is how we were designed. She is inspiring. Many other talks were encouraging and inspiring as well...General Conference always is.

We also celebrated Easter during the weekend by dying hard boiled eggs with Curtis and Dorothy (can't wait for our bike rides!), having an Easter Egg Hunt for the kidlets (nieces and nephews...so cute!), eating yummy meals and hanging out with both sides of the family, and of course, watching The Ten Commadments. I actually watched it to the end this year! Moses has a sweet beard.

The weekend ended all too soon again, but it sure was fun! Happy Easter!

the proper etiquette of a cupcake

2010-04-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

My in-laws think I'm funny because I think that, by definition, anything that is a smaller version of something else is cute. Like little people (kids mostly, but LP's are cool too), little kid's clothes, food, dishes, cars, animals, etc, etc, etc. You get the point. Recently, I got a tasty Mini's Cupcake and it sure was cute! Just look at it! They have a whole variety of these tiny treats!

Do you ever find that cupcakes are hard to eat? I love the cuteness of a cupcake, but I'd rather eat a slice of cake for sanity's sake. But I learned a great trick from my mom and sisters. It is what my brother has dubbed the "hamburger muffin cake," you can probably see why...

Remove the bottom portion and replace it on top of the frosted cupcake top. Insert in mouth and let the frosting melt and swirl with the scrumptious cake. Yum.

I Heart Bunnies

2010-04-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love bunny rabbits! I had three as pets growing up and they are my absolute favorite animal. Bunnies are just so darn cute with their big floppy ears, their little wiggly nose, and fuzzy tail when they hop! Not to mention their super soft fur and they are super cuddly. Just adorable. I can't wait to have kids and a house so I can get another bunny. My favorite kind of bunnies are the small lop-eared bunnies. Love it when their hears flop up and down as they come bounding towards you with each hop. Recently, however, I've learned about the most giant rabbits you have ever beheld! Josh and I agree that we must get one of these as a pet. It's called a German Giant. We checked ksl.com and no one is selling them in Utah. We will find one somehow...even if it means going to Germany

Isn't he cute? Wouldn't you just love to have this buddy following you around your house and keeping you company?! I would love it.

schizophrenic weather

2010-03-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else feel confused by this weather lately? I left for work and it was snowing hard core. I got to work and it was just cloudy. Then the sun came out. The next time I looked out side it was sunny, but still cloudy. Then it started pouring rain. And now it's snowing again and that's all been in the last 3 hours!

Chocolate Bliss in a Bundt

2010-03-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

Not only is it beautiful, it is super easy and divinely delicious (courtesy of my sister)! My first bundt cake is a success! You MUST try this....you will be in heaven on the first bite

Super Chocolatey Bundt Cake

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 cup water

2 eggs

Mix together.

Chocolate cake mix

Instant chocolate pudding

1 cup chocolate chips (semi sweet)

Bake 1 hour 325 degrees. When pull out of oven, cool 5 minutes, then dump out of bundt pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Miracle Shoes

2010-03-25T09:42:00.001-07:00

I got new running shoes! And I'm back with the best shoes I've ever run in. I've started with sketchers (I had them so I used them...long ago), Asics (they hurt and injured my foot), and Brooks. Brooks, the Adrenaline in particular, is my miracle shoe. I ran for months in shoes that hurt my foot during college because I'd tried 2 different kinds of shoes and it didn't fix the problem. So I thought another pair of new shoes wouldn't fix the problem. Then the week of my first half marathon I did something professional runners would be aghast about! I started running in brand spankin' new shoes: the Brooks Adrenaline. And I'm so glad I did! The injury instantly disappeared...literally. I credit the miracle to a blessing from heaven more than just the shoe, but the shoe definitely helped. I was told yesterday by a shoe man "If it aint broke, don't fix it." So that's what I'm doing...can't wait to run in my new shoes!

a good thought

2010-03-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

With the change of weather from cold winter to cool spring, the grass greening, the flowers emerging from their seeds, and the morning twitter of birds, I can't help but get excited for Easter and the warmer months to come. A lady I work with in our ward wrote an article recently about the renewal of spring and I really liked the thoughts she expressed. So I thought I would share it with you: http://www.examiner.com/x-41556-Salt-Lake-Spirituality--Personal-Transformation-Examiner~y2010m3d22-Easter-a-time-for-renewal

Happy Spring!

Spring Skiing

2010-03-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

If you know me or my husband, you know we love skiing. So it shouldn't be a suprise that we ski alot. We've been planning for weeks to ski this weekend at Snowbird and with the snow this week and the perfect sunshine forecasted for today, we were getting excited! And then Josh got an awful, awful cold.

Needless to say, he's been watching alot of basketball ;) But I did go skiing (per Josh's request) and it was a beautiful blue bird day! Happiness!!

Next week we will go again, and Josh will be healthy so he can come, and our friend Kylie is coming!!!

March Madness...Sweet 16....Elite 8....Final Four...CHAMPION

2010-03-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again! Not that I've ever really paid attention or participated in it before. There's really no point....I don't know a thing. However, I've joined the crowd and created my very own March Madness Bracket. And currenlty, I'm ranked 5th out of 21 people in my office. Rock on! May the best team win (go BYU!) Who do you think will win?

The Big Apple

2010-03-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

This was part of my lunch today. Or should I say, this was my lunch. I think this is the biggest apple I've ever seen. I felt like a small child eating it...it covered my entire face with every bite! And then it's juicy-ness dripped down my fingers and my chin and even my forehead got a sticky spot. Don't worry, I just washed it off in the bathroom. Good thing I have my pocket knife for it! Too bad my pocket knife is 2 inches long and my apple is like 6 inches wide! Yum.

Snowbird Happiness

2010-03-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the famiy ski day with my family. Last year was the first time we did it and it was so much fun, we've decided to do it every year! Mom and Dad were kind enough to give each of us tickets for the day so we could all come. It was a great day with a lot of unexpected snow! Happiness! The 10 of us skied all over Snowbird enjoying the much appreciated fresh powder and we all tried doing the jumps. Visibility was limited, but that didn't prevent us from having a great day! We even got first tracks with a foot of powder! I was too busy having fun that I didn't get any pictures of us skiing, but I did get these...

Skiing trick gone bad...haha! Thanks Alicia and Natalie!

Lunch was amazing too! Alicia and Jason graciously cooked us up the best roast beef sandwiches of my life. They brought their giant grill and grilled up onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and roast beef with some salt and pepper to delicousness and then added lots of provolone cheese to top it on fresh hoagie buns. Can't beat that for a ski day!

Bogus aint so bogus

2010-03-09T11:41:00.000-08:00

The weekend after Valentines Day, Josh and I drove up to Eagle, ID to visit my good friend, and fellow ski bum ,Kylie for the weekend. It was a blast! We drove up Friday night after work, stopped in Burley with my hand over my heart, and then arrived in Eagle about 9:30pm after a slight detour in the wrong direction.

Saturday we skied to our hearts content from 11am to about 8pm at Bogus Basin. It snowed all morning in the mountains so it made for a great afternoon and evening of some fresh powder! Happiness! Then when we couldn't ski any more (either due to a lack of light and/or aching bodies) we headed home for hot showers and then to dinner at Red Robin for their absolutely delicious fries and other dishes. We completed the night with a giant bowl of home-made carmel popcorn (a roommate favorite when Kylie and I lived together) and the Olympics. A perfect day! We laughed so much and had so much fun. Thanks Kylie for being such a great host, guide, and friend! We can't wait to see 'n ski with you again!

The weekend ended much too soon and we had to return home. But before we left Eagle, we stopped by at Josh's aunt and uncle's house in Eagle for a visit. I learned the great game of Shuffle Board and ate the biggest steak I have ever seen in my entire life! Uncle Grant and Aunt Katherine have the coolest yard: a patio with a fireplace, a pasture to raise cows for butchering, a giant garden full of fruit trees and boxes for all kinds of veggies, and a barn for 22 chickens who give them fresh eggs daily! The perfect mix between city and farm. Loved it!

After feeding us delicious steak and potatoes, they generously gave us meat galore, 2 dozen fresh eggs, homemade salsa, homemade spaghetti sauce, dried tomatoes, dried peppers, and frozen peaches. We feel very spoiled (BTW, all of it has been superbly tasty!). It was great to spend some time with Grant and Katherine. I've only seen them two other times since Josh and I got married and they are wonderful people. I feel so blessed to have married into a family of such wonderful people.

So it was a great weekend! We loved Eagle and hope to visit again soon!

Winner!

2010-03-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago Josh and I went with some friends (Muellers, Bradly and friend Liz, and Buck) to the amazing Banff Film Festival at the UofU. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but when it started, I thought "Of course! What kind of film festival did I think these guys would go to?" There were about 7 or so different short films ranging from 5 to 45 ish minutes long featuring super adventureous activites. There was one about a lady who rowed across the Atlantic Ocean by herself, another about a insanely good rock climber, kayakers who kayaked some crazy dangerous rivers in Africa with hippos and allegators etc, etc, etc. My favorite was of the Bri'ish dude who rode a tandem bike (yes, a tandem) from Alaska down to the southern tip of Agentina. All of the movies were incredibly inspiring and entertaining.

Well, at this lovely film festival they had a raffle drawing for some free stuff. Josh tends to get pretty lucky at these drawings and this time it was my turn to win! I won a book called "Three Cups of Tea." I've heard the name and after reading a summary about it, I am completely stoked to read it! It also comes very highly recommended from the people I know who have read it. I just had to revel in the victorious feeling of winning something, especially something of worth.

You know you're a grown up when...

2010-02-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

you're at

instead of

...when it snowed a foot of sweet powder in the mountains the day before and it's perfectly sunny and beautiful outside today, but you are at work typing on your computer. Despite the beckoning call of the mountains, you stay at your desk because there isn't anyone to cover for you if you left, and you want to save some of your PTO for summer vacations. Adulthood has arrived! =)

Training Commences

2010-02-25T11:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the day. Well, Monday was really the day, but busy schedules dicated that yesterday was the day I began training for the Ogden Half Marathon 2010 and ultimately the St. George Marathon 2010! I've now run 3 half marathons and decided after my last one that now is the time to do the full thing. I had decided last Fall that I wasn't going to run another half and that I was obligated to run a full marathon, but my sister expressed interest in running the Ogden Half on May 15th and I conceded. It's a jump start to my marathon training, right? Right. Registration for the St. George Marathon doesn't open until April 1st, but I'll be right there at the turn of midnight on March 31st! Wish me luck!

My first stitches

2010-02-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

I did it! I finally did it! After 6 years of thinking about it, I finally had my wisdom teeth removed! I had great fears of what it would be like to get them removed. I've heard everyone's stories about how awful their experience was, and then several of how it wasn't too bad at all. But you know how the awful stories always stand out. I was nervous. I went in at 7:40am for the surgery, read through the awful possible effects, and signed my life away. My biggest fear was a lot of pain and naseau. I've never broken a bone, had stitches, any kind of surgery, or taken a narcotic. I had no idea how I would react to it all. But Josh gave me blessing the night before and blessed me with calmness, comfort, that everything would go well, and that I would recover well and quickly. And that comforted me. I knew everything would be okay.

They took me into a bigger room with that dental chair right in the middle. The nurse was very friendly and gentle. They stuck a needle into me, strapped my arms down and told me to close my eyes when I felt sleepy. I thought I was awake for a while at the moment, but looking back, I was out like a light. I can remember telling them to be gentle. Then I remember thinking (or perhaps I said it? I don't know) "man, this stuff works fast!" and I was gone. The next thing I remember (kind of) is the nurse helping me off the chair and walking me into another room to a comfy recliner with a warm blanket. It felt like seconds that I was there. I got really chatty and was full of questions, but I'm sure I wasn't all that coherent...after all, I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to focus on anything. When I got into the car and my mom drove me home, I immediately starting texting people telling them it went well and how good I felt. Because I felt great! I couldn't feel any pain and I wasn't swollen. I didn't even feel sick!

24 hours later I am still feeling great. I haven't even taken the narcotic they gave me and I'm very proud of myself. So I am super glad to report that getting my wisdom teeth out hasn't been near the nightmare I thought it would be. I haven't even lost my appetite. I'm hungry for regular food, but I'm sticking to the liquid/soft food diet. I'll be back to normal in no time! So if you haven't gotten your wisdom teeth out and you need to, just do it. It won't be the nightmare you expect either.

I love my library card

2010-01-30T16:33:00.000-08:00

I have recently rediscovered the county library and it is awesome! The idea that you can borrow a book for free and read it and then return it when you are done and not pay a penny feels revolutionary in a world where everything costs something. The library and I used to be good friends when I was younger. Reading is one of my most favorite past times. And then over time I somehow lost contact with the library until a friend of mine a few months ago reminded me of the goodness of the library. It's super high tech now! Did you know you can check out your books all by yourself now? You don't even need to talk to anyone to do it. It's all electronic with a touch screen and magnetic strips. And you can put books and movies (yes, not just the old ones like Hamlet, but new releases too!) on hold ONLINE! I know, how cool is that? So now, I have put several books and movies on hold that I've been wanting to read and watch and I'm so excited. Entertainment for free! Thank you Salt Lake County Library System!

Thanksgiving Thankfulness

2009-11-27T22:12:00.001-08:00

Families. Helmets. Home. Seasons. Water. Shoes. Jobs. Moms. Recipes. Sugar. Socks. Color. Ability. Exercise. Learning. Sunshine. Meat. Human Body. Fruit. Vacations. Vegetables. Bikes. The 5 Senses. Salt. Sunsets. Heat. Literacy. America. Blankets. Adrenalin. Tools. Grape juice and popcorn. Movies. Change. Music. Bed. Electricity. Marriage. Mountains. Books. Christ. Prophets. Cell phones. Cars. Traditions. Laughter. Forgiveness. Sleep. Holidays. Clothes. Variety. Friends. Patience. Carpet. Appliances. Education. Snow. Car ice scrapers. Shrubbery. Dreams. Love.

These are just a few things we are thankful for. Of course, once you start, you can't stop thinking of all the things you are thankful for. I'm so glad that there is an entire month out of the year that is dedicated to gratitude and remembrance. It's a good time to remind us all that everything we have is a gift and appreciation should always be expressed for these abundantly given gifts.

We hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing, glorious, and filling Thanksgiving! We sure did with the sunshine, mountain biking, running, family and fun, turkey and cranberries, stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes, corn, warm rolls, apple pie, pumpkin pie, banana cream pie, and always so much more! Thanks family for the fun, delicious food, and good company! We love you all!

Awesome Original Bubble Gum

2009-11-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

Josh found this roll of Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum in my backpack that I haven't used since my freshman year of college. So I believe that makes it about 5 years old. Fortunately, the great preservatives in this gum kept it soft and chewable so I could blow this giant bubble!

2009-11-08T14:04:00.001-08:00

Hey check out joshragsdale@wordpress.com it will make you happy :)

Uh Oh!

2009-11-08T13:41:00.001-08:00

Heather loves grape juice!

Yummy

little things mean a lot

2009-11-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

I love my husband. He is the best man in the world. I came home late last night after frantically driving through rush hour traffice to get my car inspected and registered before they businesses closed at 6pm. I walked into our apartment and Josh and spent his time cleaning the apartment before I got home. He vacuumed, did the dishes, made the bed, put away the clutter, took the garbage out, and took down the Halloween decorations so I could put up our few Thanksgiving things. He is the best. There is nothing like coming home to a clean home that smells really good after a long, frantic day. It meant so much to me. He said he did it becuase he loves me. I know he does and I love him so much. Thank you, Joshua for all you do! You are the best and I feel so lucky to be married to you. Te amo mi amor! Muy muchisimo!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2009-11-01T12:39:00.000-08:00

We hope you all had a very scary Halloween! I love Halloween! It has become one of my favorite times of year. I love the change of the season, I love the full moon and cool air, I love all the pumpkin, jack-o-lantern, and witch decorations, the special treats, the kid's costumes, and the parties. It will be so fun when we have kids in the future and get to take them trick-or-treating! Josh and I certainly had a good share of Halloween fun! We carved many a fierce jack-o-lantern (the first set with my parents =), partook of the delicious pumpkin cookies and breads, sugar cookies, and caramel apples. So delicious.

We went to my family's annual Halloween Party this week as mummies and played all the coolest Halloween games with my super cute nieces and nephews. Friday we anticipated going to the new Macfisto movie, but illness struck me Friday morning and didn't fully dissipate until Saturday afternoon. Sorry Thorups! I promise we will go next year! And on the very night of Hallows Eve, we carved our second set of pumpkins (this time with the Ragsdales) and had dinner, then spent our night to the bewitching hour with our good friends Smiths, soon to be Muellers, and Dustin. Thanks for all the fun everyone!

New

2009-10-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, check out Josh's new blog for some great bike and ski pictures and whatever else! joshragsdale.wordpress.com.

Cinderelli, Cinderelli.......

2009-10-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

I love Gus-Gus on Cinderella. Often times I compare myself to him because I try to carry WAY to much all at once. Literally and perhaps figuratively as well. But nonetheless, Gus-Gus is cute. Well, this week at work I met his cousin under my desk. And he was still kinda cute, but he wasn't as chubby, he wasn't wearing any clothes, and he certainly didn't speak English. This little unwelcome buddy popped out from behind my drawers on Wednesday and terrified my office-mate and I. We immediately commenced in disinfecting our desks, key boards, phones, and all other surfaces because we soon discovered droppings in the window sill and in places on my desk. It looks like the threat of the Haunta Virus will be joining the threat of the Swine Flu! Luckily, though, the nice facilities man put a trap and some super sticky paper on the floor by my desk and to my surprise, it worked! I found the furry little friend this morning as I came into work. He was alive and super stuck. Hopefully the other mice we are discovering in the building will learn from this poor fellow's experience: DO NOT ENTER!

Little Cottonwood, not so little

2009-10-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday Heather's sister Alicia and her husband Jason asked me if I wanted to ride up Little Cottonwood Canyon with them. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I thought I would at least give it a try. Alicia realized she left her cycling shoes at home so as she drove back to American Fork to get them Jason and I took off up the canyon. It was harder than I thought it would be. I had to stop a lot and catch my breath and then I would keep going. Jason made it up to the Snowbird and then turned around and came down and met me at the White Pine area and then rode up with me. We went all the way up to Alta, (it was further away from Snowbird than I thought). It took me two hours from bottom to top. By then Alicia had made it back to the canyon and was on her ride up.

Happy Halloween treats!!

2009-10-16T19:39:00.001-07:00

Friends Forever

2009-10-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

When you are growing up and going through elementary, middle school, and high school, you think life is what it is and that everything will continue to be as it is. But then you go to college, and graduate, and get married, and get a real job and you realize that life is ever changing; and with it, your friends change too. You have many friends throughout your life and you think they will always be your friends, but as life changes, friends do too. But I count myself lucky because I have friendships that will continue to last through the years.

A few of my college friends were lucky enough to get together last weekend to celebrate Amy and her coming baby! With so many of my college friends spread across the country, and the demands of daily life, it is a rare treat that we can get together. It was so fun to see you guys! I can't wait to see Amy again and meet cute baby girl in December, and I can't wait until Melissa and Mckell move back to Utah! And the same with Kristi...I know you'll make it back to this great state soon too! And I can't wait to see Chelsie in December when she comes to visit too.

And then last Sunday, Josh and I went up to Logan for Jessica and Bryce's baby girl's blessing. How exciting! It was fun to be there and it was fun to see good high school friends again too. (I don't know how I didn't get a picture of us all together, but I did get a picture of the Logan Temple!)

And then I am grateful for the best friend I have ever had and who I was lucky enough to marry: Joshua Mark Ragsdale. I continue to try and tell him how much he means to me and how great he is in my eyes and like the country song says, the only words that come out are "I love you!" This week Josh has been on Fall Break, so I took a couple days off work this week so we could hang out. We didin't go on vacation or spend lots of money, we have just been together doing things. And I don't care what we do or when we do it because no matter what we do, it will be fun because I am with him. I love him and I am so excited that I get him FOREVER. Forever is the only way and I am so exhilarated when I think that the Plan of Salvation provides a way for the love of my life and I to be together forever. I love you Joshua!!

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY!

2009-10-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

New Toys

2009-10-07T21:32:00.001-07:00

Conference weekend

2009-10-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

After a very long and very busy week, Josh and I were very excited for a relaxing weekend. Moonlight rides on a ski lift, homemade birthday ice cream sandwiches, General Conference, bike rides on our new bikes (more to come on that), pizza benders, Priesthood meeting, hanging out with family, awesome movies (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a must see) good food, games, and walks in the rain.

Jack Frost stopped by...

2009-10-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

ZION is BEST II

2009-09-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

The day after we hiked the Subway, 6 of us (Josh, me, Tyler, Marie, Matt, and Carla) hiked through Pine Creek. With a lightening, thunder and rain filled night, we were worried the flash flood warnings would be to high to do the hike. Luckily, they were only a medium and the skies cleared, so we decided it was a go.

With all the rain, there was a TON of water!! We started swimming even before the first rappel and continued swimming between each one for some pretty long distances, often dropping right into it and treading water as you took the rope off at the end of the drop.

Pine Creek is only about 3 miles, but there are 5 rappels, the shortest being about 10 feet and the longest just about 100 feet, and free falling!

Josh and Matt took care of all the technical stuff and reminded the rest of how it was done. (Thanks Men!) Carla learned a good lesson the hard way about how you're NOT supposed to take your ATC off the carribeaner when you put the rope through. Good thing Matt was prepared and had an extra figure 8! Amazingly, though, after dropping it down the cliff and into the muddy water, she was still able to find it!

With it being later in the day and later in the season, it was dark inside the slot canyon and COLD, especially after being in the water! You could see your breath and STEAM was actually coming off all our bodies! I tried to take swimming pictures of people, but the steam was so thick, it just didn't work very well. But it still made for a cool pic!

We all shook uncontrollably because of the ice cold water that never sees the sun. Thanks to Matt we learned some awesome kick boxing moves to keep warm

SUNSHINE!!! and lunch

The Park was packed with people for the holiday weekend, so it was a bit crowded in the canyon at first, but after the first couple rappels, the groups stretched out and it was like our own private play ground.

To say the least, AWESOME! Very fun, very fun indeed. Pictured above is the last rappel with my manly husband on his way down. So glad I married him =) We took an adventureous trail out of the canyon and sometimes felt lost along the way thinking we were following sheep trails, but we made it! Matt and Carla hitch hiked back to the suburan for us and then we piled in and drove a while to the luxerious Ponderosa!!

A hot tub and a pool and showers never felt SO good! Spencer and Melina (pregnant and amazing) didn't hike Pine Creek with us due to their 4 month along child, so they were extremely kind and prepared a delectible dutch oven dinner for us all that night. We spent the next 24 hours relaxing our sore and tired bodies, ate delicious food, had deep conversations around the camp fire we weren't supposed to have, and played in clean, warmer water.

It was a great weekend. A great way to celebrate the summer and a great way to conclude it. Thanks for all the fun everyone! We will do it again next year!

ZION is BEST

2009-09-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day weekend we headed down to ZION with a group of amazing friends. It wasn't intended to be a farewell to summer, but in a way it was. And it was the BEST way to conclude it. We hiked and rapelled and hiked and laughed and hiked and rapelled some more and laughed again and then relaxed with great food and friends. We went down with our friends the Matt and Carla Thorup (who organized the whole thing....thanks guys!), Melina and Spencer (the ultimate and most prepared campers I've ever met - and not to mention, the best dutch oven cookin! Thanks for dinner and breakfast!), Mark and Cassie (engaged!! Congrats guys!), and Tyler and Marie (who were kind enough to celebrate their 1 year anniversary with our crazy bunch - so fun!).

We drove down Thursday night and enjoyed a thrilling evening of "Star Dust" the movie as we drove in the great Thorup suburban. I felt like calling Carla and Matt mom and pop and complaining that someone was in my space. Are we there yet?? Actually, the drive went very fast. And for everyone you doesn't know or hasn't seen this movie Star Dust, I highly recommend it.

THE SUBWAY

Friday we spent the WHOLE day hiking in the Subway. I've heard Josh talk about this hike for years and I couldn't wait to do it. It was all he said it would be and more. Beautiful and LONG! We hiked for 8 hours from start to finish. But it was worth it! As you will see below...

Josh and Carla warned us there would there would be a few spells of swimming in super cold water, but the water really wasn't too bad. Granted, it did take your breath away and this first swim showed all our true colors. The water is MUCH colder than it looks. Spencer, by far, won the best screaming award on this one!

There were few rappels we had to do. And yes, we were all hard core and didn't use harnesses on any of them, just our brute strength and the rope. Matt here exemplifies that.

Josh was dubbed the true MAN of the group, as he used it often and guided us through the hostile, yet attractive environment. He carried the rope, helped us all down, and showed us all up with his mad skills.

I love him.

Our men/boys "fishing"...

Dinosaur tracks!
And then after literally after hours of walking up and down the river side, around and over rocks and boulders of all shapes and sizes, in and out of water, we hiked up to the top of this mountain! We all made it and were fulfilled with the accomplishment of our journey....and we were very, very thirsty and hungry. Somehow we all ran out of water before the mountain or during the hike up the mountain. And then, like the typical granola Zion hiker, we went to dinner at Oscars in our dirty, smelly clothes and bare foot, for many of us. We all had giant burgers, but Marie was the champion. She ordered and ate 1/2 of her 3 pattie beast!

Thanks, Subway! It was a great to finally meet you! Until next time...

Happy Fall Equinox!

2009-09-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

These past two days have definitely felt like Fall. And how appropriate considering that today is the official first day of Fall. Summer and winter are my favorite seasons, but I think that I'm simply a lover of seasons. I love the change of the seasons and the feeling of a new start with each coming change. I love the characteristics of each season and right now I am loving the characteristics of Fall. The sunny weather and the cool air makes me want to eat fresh apples from a fruit stand, go running in the cool air, go to BYU football games, bottle the fruits of the harvest, make delicious meals and treats, decorate in Fall colors, and pull out the long pants, sweaters, scarves, and jackets. I just love it!

Lake Powell

2009-08-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

Moab

2009-06-22T21:59:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we went down to Moab with Scott and Katie and some of there friends. We rented Jeeps on Friday and it was awesome! We did the Poison Spider trail, it was really fun, amazing what those jeeps can do.

2009-05-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

Last week my friend Brad and I went up to some bike jumps that they call I street, it is located at the top of I street in the avenues,(creative name huh). Anywho, on the first jump of the day my bike broke so I spent the rest of the time filming and shooting pics of my friend.

Zion

2009-05-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Heather and I drove down to Zion National Park on Friday with my dad and brother Clark. We left right after work and set up camp about 10:30 at night.

We woke up Saturday morning at 6, packed up camp and drove to the trail head. We we going to try and find Crawford Arch, a huge beautiful arch, but there was one difficulty, there is no trail. We had a topo map, a GPS, directions from someone who had supposedly been there before, so we figured we were good to go and we took off. We hiked and hiked and climbed and climbed but it turned out that the directions weren't very good, and the GPS helped but the coordinates that we had were spaced out pretty far apart so it was hard to know how to get to the next one. We ended up never finding the arch, but we will try again and we will find it some day. Although we were disappointed and sad about not finding the arch, we did have some fun and saw some cool things, like a hanging cactus, it was growing down, hanging off a little cliff, crazy.

When we decided we didn't have enough time left in the day to continue our search for the arch we went to a pool we knew of and jumped off rocks and had a swim, it felt nice to cool off from the hot weather.

After our swim we drove to Bryce Canyon and my mom and sisters met us there. Sunday we walked around Bryce a bit and hiked a big loop and took lots of pictures.

Happy 1 Year Anniversary!

2009-05-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

It's a little late, by a week, but still, it's something to take a moment and celebrate. Josh and I have officially been married for 1 year as if May 1. Hooray! May 1, 2008 was a momentous occasion. We woke up to snow on the ground, but the sun was kind enough to come out for all the pictures. The marriage ceremony was beautiful, my best friend became my husband forever, and it was great to see so many friends and family. And then we got to take a week long vacation together to begin our incredible new life together.

Marriage has brought a lot of joy and adventures. Every day is an exciting new adventure that is something to look forward to because every day I get to experience something new with Josh. I love him. I love him more than I know how to say. He is the most perfect husband a woman could ask for. He's thoughful, patient, kind, loving, sweet, amazing, manly, and just incredibly fun to be with! I couldn't ask for more in a husband. He is my best friend. So here's to marriage, and a great one at that! I am looking forward to the long eternities of experiences that we get to have together in both this life and the next. I love you Josh! Happy Anniversary!

SuperX

2009-04-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went with brother Scott and his wife Katie to Supercross at the Rice Eccles stadium. I have never really been into dirt bikes but have always thought it was cool, and man was this event awesome! We got there about 5 and walked around the pits looking at the bikes and watching as the mechanics tuned up the bike right before the race. The races started at 7 and it so exciting. The engines were loud and roaring and they were so fast and jumped so high, truly amazing. The best race was the very last one. The entire race was a battle between the first and second place, they must have passed each other at least five times and it was so intense. Thanks for the invite Scott and Katie, we had a blast!

Spring is Beautiful!

2009-04-26T19:32:00.001-07:00

Joshua and I LOVE the winter. We love to ski more than anything. Nothing beats a day of waist deep, light, fluffy snow with a pair of skis. You've GOT to LOVE it! I can't fathom why anyone wouldn't love snow skiing. That is beyond me. And to do it with family makes it even better! I know I am one of those especially lucky wives who married a man who loves snow skiing as much as I do, which is saying a lot!

The WHOLE Hanks Family Skiing!

Despite our love of winter, we are SUPER excited for Spring. The holidays and warmer weather are superbly wonderful! First, we celebrated Easter by dying and decorating Easter Eggs.

Josh is quite the artist.

Then we made delicously scrumptious sugar cookies (Ragsdale family recipe!). I get excited for every holiday that has a cookie cut-out because it gives me the excuse to make this amazing cookies. I got four Easter cookie-cutters for $1 at Dans and some food coloring and we were set! We made the cookies into Easter Eggs, baby chicks, bunnies, and a church....yes, even a church =) Our good friends, the Brocks, helped us create the artistic decor.

Can you figure out this clue? (Hint: it's a pun)

(It's another pun! by Melissa)

(Artwork by Shawn)

To complete the Easter celebration, Josh was lucky enough to have the Easter bunny come visit him! He left him lots of treats and even some veggies to make up for all that candy!

The Easter Egg Hunt!

And we have spent every warm day this year playing outside. We have recently discovered a new love of tennis (pictures to come in the near future, pray for sunshine), picnics in the park, and Bocci ball (thanks to the Brocks, again, for the fun!)

BOCCI BALL!!!

Biking Survival 101

2009-04-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

My brother Clark and I went for a quick ride up little cottonwood canyon. We rode up the temple quarry trail until we got far enough we were sick of pushing our bikes through snow. We turned around and came rippin down throwing snow and mud everywhere! About half way down Clark went off a little jump and came down and got a pinch flat in his back tire,(a pinch flat is where the tube gets pinched between a rock or the rim or something and gets a big whole). We didn't have any extra tube and there is no way a patch could fix it so we resorted to an old trick I had learned. One saturday morning years and years ago as a little boy I was watching this show on tv called "Trail Side" it was this outdoor show that I loved and this episode was about biking. They showed how if you get a flat tire and can't fix it, cut the tube in half where the whole is and tie a knot in it, it should be a bumpy ride and not hold air for a long time, might have to pump it up a few times. So I saw this like 10 years ago and I didn't know if it would really work but we had nothing to lose. Believe it or not it worked and got us down the mountain it was pretty sweet.

The only CONSTANT in life is CHANGE

2009-04-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

Recently , I have had experienced a lot of change in my life. We moved a few weeks ago from our first apartment together to our second apartment together. We were hesitant to move, but we LOVE it. We are so happy where we are and we actually like it more than we thought we would. Thanks to all our family and friends who helped us move, providing manual labor and vehicles and trailers to transport all the STUFF we have somehow accumulated in the almost past year. Gone are the days of moving everything on your own in one car load! Furniture changes that. (So a shout out to Camille, Russ, Clark, Shawn, Melissa, Parker, Scott, and Katie!)

The week after we moved, I started a totally new job. In times when people are getting laid off left and right, including my friends, I was hired into a new, permanent, great job with great people to work with and a stable income. I feel very lucky and I am very grateful.

And then a few days later, I cut my hair! And all the change has all been great! It got me thinking today about all the major and minor changes I've experienced in my life. Despite being anxious about some changes and even a little pessimistic at times, every change I've experienced has changed my life for the better. And I've always ended up loving it all more than I expected to.

A New Identity

2009-04-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

BEFORE

You know in the movies, like Bourne Supremacy, how people change their identity by cutting and dying their hair? I didn't think it actually worked in real life, but in the last 2 years I've realized that it really does give you a new identity. I had very blond hair for a very long time, but my junior year of college, my roommate and I decided it would be fun to dye our hair dark, so we did. I was amused by how many people didn't recognize me, even my roommate who dye her hair too! So I believe that changing your hair color really does disguise you. But the hair cut thing, I just wasn't sure. Until....I cut my hair! I did it. I actually did it. I've had long hair my entire life and never had it short. I estimate we cut off about 6 inches of it. I originally went to get a "trim" but after throwing around the idea in my head to cut it, and then discussing it, I decided to be brave and do it. I have to admit, as soon as I told my sister-in-law she could cut it, my heart started pounding and I got a little shaky. What if I didn't like it? What if it didn't look good? Men say "It's just hair, it'll grow back." But really, it doesn't grow back as fast as they say, at least not mine. It would probably take 2 years to grow it back to where it was! But I did it. And half way through the hair cut, my heart started pounding for another reason: excitement! It turned out better than I expected and I love the change. It definitely took some adjustment. I don't need as much shampoo any more. And it takes HALF as long to do it! Hooray! So ultimately, I'm very glad I took the giant step to change my identity.

AFTER

Hero

2009-04-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

I have many heroes. For example I think the people who telemark ski are so amazing and so much stronger than me that I often refer to them as heroes. There are also the usual heroes like superman and my brother's favorite batman. Recently I saw a commercial on tv of a guy throwing around pizza dough in the air like crazy, I wondered if it was real, then I found this guy!

Treasures

2009-04-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

I love finding new treasures and one of the latest is a bike track that my friend Jake found. Out against the hills of Eagle Mountain out west of Lehi and Saratoga Springs there is a sweet new place that mountain bikers are putting together with a section of jumps, a pump track, and a few trails being built. In the past week I have been out there three times and had a blast each time. Check out some pics that Jake edited over at his site. Enjoy. Get out and ride, its spring!

Clark

2009-04-06T10:40:00.001-07:00

So brother Clark is running for Senior Student Body Officer at his school. Over the weekend we put together a little movie for him to show at school and it turned out pretty good. We need to take some pics to put in the movie and thought I would share those. Stay tuned to see the movie coming soon.

Good Luck Clarky boy!

Spring Fever

2009-03-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

Last week was spring break for me at the U and so Heather took the week off of work and we went down to St. George for a couple days. We had an awesome time playing and relaxing. We got new tennis raquets for Christmas so we got our first use out of those and had a blast. We swam and sat by the pool so Heather could get some sun, we did some shopping, and we ate some good food at the Pizza Factory. We came home on Thursday and then on Friday went up to Midway Utah to our friends cabin. We played games, ate food, watched movies and had an awesome time.
With all the nice warm weather we had last week we started to get the itch that comes every year at this time. This time of year is always hard because it is is sad to say goodbye to the ski season, but exciting anticipating the coming summer. I started thinking about biking and how I sold my bike last fall, in order to get new skis that are awesome, and I was going to miss it this summer. Heather then suggested I use a bit of our tax return and get a bike, honestly it was her idea. So I started lookin and I it, the one! I bought it off of ksl from a guy who is a bike mechanic at Outdoors Unlimited in Provo, so this bike is awesome condition. I am stoked!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2009-03-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patricks Day everyone! Start the day off right with some green eggs and toast and milk!

Housing

2009-03-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

Looking for a place to live is the most frustrating and annoying thing ever! Our contract at the Foothill Apartments us up on March 31st and we are going to move because we don't want to spend as much as we are, and the rent is going up. So we started looking for a place, we found a basement in Sandy and we set up a time to go look at it the next day. The morning of our appointment the owner texted Heather and informed her that someone had just rented it. That was the start to our long search. We have gone and looked at a handful of places and they are all old and crappy. Everything we find is either way over priced or old and ugly. If anybody knows anybody who knows anybody that has a decent looking basement apartment or something let us know.

2009-03-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

This I took from Heather's cousin's blog(http://jakeandmelissa.com/):

From the LDS church:

Throughout history, the Lord has commanded His people to build temples. Temples are literally houses of the Lord. They are holy places of worship where individuals make sacred promises with God.

In response to HBO’s recent decision the Church has again shared this video along with the following request: “Please consider posting this video to your Facebook profile, blog, or personal website and/or sharing it directly with family and friends”.

I have seen a lot of people hopping on bandwagons, spreading emails about boycotting HBO, and other similar things. The Church has taken an official stand on the matter, and that simply, is do nothing. From LDS.org

Certainly Church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding. Last week some Church members began e-mail chains calling for cancellations of subscriptions to AOL, which, like HBO, is owned by Time Warner. Certainly such a boycott by hundreds of thousands of computer-savvy Latter-day Saints could have an economic impact on the company. Individual Latter-day Saints have the right to take such actions if they choose.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an institution does not call for boycotts. Such a step would simply generate the kind of controversy that the media loves and in the end would increase audiences for the series. As Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Robert D. Hales of the Council of the Twelve Apostles have both said recently, when expressing themselves in the public arena, Latter-day Saints should conduct themselves with dignity and thoughtfulness.

Not only is this the model that Jesus Christ taught and demonstrated in his own life, but it also reflects the reality of the strength and maturity of Church members today. As someone recently said, “This isn’t 1830, and there aren’t just six of us anymore.” In other words, with a global membership of thirteen and a half million there is no need to feel defensive when the Church is moving forward so rapidly. The Church’s strength is in its faithful members in 170-plus countries, and there is no evidence that extreme misrepresentations in the media that appeal only to a narrow audience have any long-term negative effect on the Church.

(I like that last part, the church is big enough and strong enough that no matter what the world does, it will continue growing. Joseph Smith said,

“The Standard of Truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame. But the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and dependent till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, until the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah will say, ‘The work is done.")

The Important Things in Life

2009-03-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

Last night, Friday night, we had a great opportunity to go and listen to the founder of OGIO. He was just released from being a bishop in the same stake that Heather's dad is a bishop of a singles ward and the singles ward had a small dinner and invited him to come and talk. Any event which includes food is usually worth it to me so we decided to go. We had enchiladas, which I love, and then Mike Pratt, the founder of OGIO, spent an hour and a half sharing how the company of OGIO and his life. He talked about how it got started and how it has been a part of his life and how the gospel has made everything worth it. It was really neat to hear a millionaire talk about how he felt all he has is really nothing and he loves the gospel. He shared how he has always been an inventor and designer and how he knew early on that was his niche, and his strength. Out of high school he had a really good insurance job but he new it wasn't for him and he would make it in that kind of career. As a 19 year old he designed a pop open cup holder for cars, since they didn'thave them in cars in the 80's, and how he flew to Hong Kong by himself and found sources to build it and everything, then how Coke and Mcdonalds both talked to him about using his new pop out cup holder. Then after a mission and getting married he was at the gym one day and wondered why duffle bags didn't fit in the gym lockers, you always had to stuff them in and stand them up funny, so he designed a rectangle taller bag to fit in a locker, got a loan from someone in his ward to start manufacturing them and within 2 years they were selling 8 million dollars worth of locker bags, and that was the start of OGIO. Since then as we all know, OGIO has grown to a huge company with lots of different bags and packs and golf bags all with different little features like the magnitized duffle bag handles and things like that that have been creating by Mike and have patents. After talking about his business and his start he talked about how as a young man he wasn't a member of the church and how he found it, went on a mission and it has made life worth it. He talked about people he knows who are owners of huge million dollar companies and they have lost everything, but for him the church has been a solid platform and all the inventions and patents he has really arent what life is all about.

I am now a big OGIO fan!

2009-03-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

I love to travel, and love to see the world. I have always loved to go on spontaneous trips to southern Utah and other places like that. Starting with my mission to the Dominican Republic I got the urge to travel more than a little bit further south and to see the world. If I had the money to travel here are the top 5 places I would want to go:

New Zealand

PERU

Belize

Africa

and of course, it wouldn't be me without a ski trip to

Alaska

Where would you go?

Art

2009-02-19T17:19:00.000-08:00

I have always loved art of all kinds. I have grown up playing the piano, as a child, like every other kid I hated it, but I have come to love it, and miss it when I can't play it all the time. In high school I took multiple years worth of credits of drawing classes and loved learning more and getting better at drawing. Lately my attention has been given to photography. I love looking at photos and admiring them, and I have been reading tons of articles about photography, and I just borrowed my parents DSLR and have been trying to practice and just enjoying it. Here are some of the pictures I have taken lately.

Tell me what you think and if you have any advice.

Parents are the Best

2009-02-12T21:03:00.001-08:00

Last week I was scheduled to teach the lesson to my Laurels, but then I ended up not teaching due to some scheduling conflicts with the Young Men. So, my lesson was postponed to this coming Sunday. I always like to prepare my lessons in advance so I can think them through with my own thoughts and testimony and good delivery. I love it. The only time it gets hard is when I start the lesson. But once I get going, it's great. The lesson I prepared is entitled Honoring Parents. When I was little I thought this concept was so silly. Who wouldn't honor their parents? Afterall, if it weren't for your parents, where would you go when your 5 and 6 and 7 years old. As I've grown older I've come to understand more fully the importance of honoring your parents. You grow up and you think you know everything, and then real life experience reminds you that you don't, and some how your parents still always know the answers. It's amazing.

I've always been intrigued by the scripture in Exodus that says, "Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." Wow. If you honor your parents, you will live longer than if you didn't honor your parents. How could that be? I think one answer might be that they teach us not to do stupid stuff. That alone will save you in a lot of situations. I think another is that they teach us the lessons they learned from their mistakes so we don't have to make the same mistakes. Parents are awesome. I'm partial, but I think my parents are especially awesome. In the lesson I prepared, there are a list of questions to ask your mom and questions to ask your dad. I thought I'd give it a try, and you know what? I felt like I knew all of the answers. But I decided to ask my parents the questions anyway to see if their answers were the same as mine. I was suprised by their answers. I thought after 22 years of knowing my parents that I'd know them pretty darn well, and yet, there were things they said that I'd never heard before. It was a neat experience, to put it in simple words. It gave me insight into their lives and their perspective and it showed me a side of my parents I hadn't really seen before. I love my parents more than I know how to say. They are two incredible people. If I can ever be even a tenth of the kind of people they are, I know I will have been successful in this life. I love you Mom and Dad!

Car Troubles

2009-02-04T15:43:00.000-08:00

At the very beginning of this week, I experience my car's first death. It was about 6pm on Monday evening when I came out of Rite Aid to drive the few blocks home. I got in the car, turned the key and absolutely nothing happened (sad face). I was heart broken. My car doesn't die. I realize it's 5 years old, but it's not supposed to ever die. It's supposed to be invincible! I called Josh and he came to my rescue with old jumper cables. He was even kind enough to show me how they spark when they touch. With Josh's expertise, we got it started and I drove my sad, moaning car home. Upon parking it, I hesitantly turned it off. And you know what? It wouldn't start again. It wouldn't even light up. It was totally and utterly dead. Sadness. There's something about a running car...it's like it's alive. And when it doesn't even light up or make a noise, you get an empty feeling inside of you. We then proceeded to the car store to find a second life for my car. Luckily, they had several, but only a few options that would work my cute Honda. We purchased the Life Giver and headed home. At 11:30pm we pulled out the dead heart of my car and replaced it with the new one with the aid of Joshua's car's headlights and his own skills and tools. I acted as moral support in this hour of need. About midnight, the transplant was complete. I was honored enough to give it the first breath of life. I turned the key and it coughed for air and then it made the most wonderful sound! It hummed! It hummed stronger than before and I felt grateful for new car batteries and a husband who is so skilled.

Joshua showing off his MaD mAnLy SkiLLs!!

My car's new HEART

World Cup

2009-02-02T12:45:00.001-08:00

Saturday was a very long but most excellent day. It started as we arrived at Deer Valley at 9 in the morning and skied hard for a few good hours, the snow was good, the sun was up and couldn't have been better. At about noon my aunt and uncle who were up there with us took us over and dropped us off at Park City Resort so we could watch the half pipe competition for a few hours. We hiked about half way up the pipe and we watched from there. It was awesome, those skiers were flying high and spinning like crazy, it was amazing! When it was over we started walking down and we were going to try and catch a city bus to get back to our car at Deer Valley, the problem was we had no idea where to catch the bus. Then we saw a Deer Valley work truck so we asked the two guys if they would mind giving us a ride back to the resort, the were super nice and said, "sure hop in, which parking lot are you in," how lucky was that! They dropped us off and we suiting up and went a got in a few more runs before the end of the day.

But our adventures don't end there, then our friend Shawn,( Melissa came up a little later), met up with us and we went to Davanzas in Park City and got a quick bite to eat, some pizza and fries and a drink for 6 bucks. Then we rushed back up to Deer Valley and hiked up the bunny hill, which is much longer and steeper than you think skiing down it, and we got to the front row to watch the dual mogul competition. Qualifying runs started at 5 and were supposed to go until 7 but right when we got there a skier crashed and the ski patrol had to put her in a sled and bring her all the way down, it took almost an hour. The qualifying round went till about 8 the the finals began at 8:30 and went till almost 10. It was super exciting and even though it was very cold, with all the jumping and dancing and yelling we stayed warm and smiling. When it was over, we found brother Scott and his wife Katie and we went to the 7 11 and got a drink and hot chocolate to end the night right.

Here is a movie a put together of the events, enjoy!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!

2009-02-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

Remember the days in elementary school when we celebrated every holiday in the year? I loved it! And then when we got into middle school, we stopped celebrating Columbus Day, Presidents Day, St. Patricks Day, Easter and, of course, Groundhog Day. But today I'm going to make a point of celebrating Groundhog Day. Afterall, the furry little animal controls the weather, does he not? This year I heard Mr. Puxatony Phil saw his shadow, so I think that means 6 more weeks of winter. Hooray! I think that is something to celebrate! Bring on the snow! Come April, I will hope for warmer weather. But for now, I like snow. Enjoy your Groundhog Day!

Midnight Thoughts

2009-02-01T22:12:00.000-08:00

Last night--late last night--after spending the entire day and night at World Cup events in Park City, Josh and I got into the discussion of ski boots and comfort. Ski boots are generally very comfortable. They are snug, but cozy.Yet at the end of they day, it feels so good to take them off. I could only think to compare it to being in the womb. Babies love being cozy and snug in the womb, but when they are born they love to stretch and wiggle. Perhaps we still possess those same feelings of comfort. We like to be snug, so we like it when our feet are snug in our ski boots. But, like a baby after birth, we like to stretch and wiggle our toes and feet after being in boots all day. It's an oxymoron, I suppose. But it's true and every skier knows what it's like. Maybe it's just a skier thing.

A+ Day

2009-02-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

Friday after a long week of school and an economics test, I rewarded myself by going skiing. It was a bright and sunny day with good snow and little signs of big crowds. It was also the World Cup Qualifying for the Ariels, those guys are amazing!

More to come from Saturdays half pipe and moguls soon!

http://www.skiutah.com/blog/deer-valley/deer-valley-ariels-2009/

Not true of all, but some...

2009-01-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

Need a good laugh? Check this out...haha!

Water skiing in January

2009-01-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a day of a lot of firsts of skiing:

first time I've ever seen a lifty use a squeegee (I didn't even know they had such a thing there!)
first time I've ever seen water falling from the sky at the top of a mountain in January instead of the white fluffy stuff
first time I wished I had had mini windshield wipers on my goggles
first time my snow pants and ski coat have been soaked through
first time I've had to wring out my ski gloves
first time I seriously contemplated building a giant snow man in the middle of a run

Can you guess what was the cause of all this? Yep, rain. And lots of it. Despite the rainy conditions in the valley yesterday, we decided to go skiing anyway. We figured it would at least be snowing in mountains. And if not at the bottom of the mountains, it would for sure be snowing midway up. I have to admit, it was a little weird to be in my snow pants, carrying my ski stuff to the car when it was pouring rain outside. It was still pouring when we got to Deer Valley. Still hopeful, we strapped on our gear and headed up the mountain.

The snow was slow (anti-lock brakes!) and heavy, but quite entertaining. Perfect snowman snow. It was like skiing through mashed potatoes at the top of the mountain where it was STILL raining! And at the bottom it was literally water skiing. I've never seen anything like it in January.

And the rain made it hard to see--we needed goggle-wipers. So here's my plea: pray for SNOW!

Because the conditions weren't all that great, we made our own fun in snow. We even found our own personal hut.

After a few fun hours of being stubborn lovers of skiing, we were soaked through and getting cold. The temperature finally started to drop so the rain turned to slush. We became slush balls until we got to a lower elevation where we were just saturated spunges. For a die hard skier, it wasn't even close to a 10, but it was still fun.

If you'll look closely, you can see just how rain soaked we are. Hopefully it will be snowing the next time we go.

Enlightenment

2009-01-25T08:45:00.000-08:00

Friday evening Joshua and I made an excursion to the Temple with a couple friends. We arrived at 6pm so we could do the 6:20 session. However, the rest of the valley must have decided to go to the Temple Friday night as well. I've never seen it so busy! They ran out of lockers for the women, so they gave us large dress bags to put our stuff in. We were initially told we were in line for the 7:40 session, but we made it into the 7:20, so that was good. The Temple is always beautiful and I love the spirit there. It's a little piece of heaven in the midst of this hectic world. I am always a little happier and little more at peace with life afterwords. When we came out of the Temple, it was super foggy! I can't remember the last time we had fog like this. So here's a pic of the Temple in the fog...makes for a pretty cool picture at night :)

Hair Cut Diaries

2009-01-22T14:37:00.000-08:00

My friend Matt recently had a hair cut crisis, my story isn't quite as good as his, but it upset me. Sp this picture is me as of yesterday afternoon, I love my shaggy hair but I finally decided it was time to clean it up a bit. I think I might be a little weird but when I finally decide to cut my hair, I have to get it done, so later yesterday afternoon I went down the the 9 to 9 Barber Shop, I love that place because they shave your neck with a blade, and offer you a shoulder rub, awesome! So they barber finished cutting my hair, it looked ok in the mirror he handed me so he finished, cleaned my neck up good, rubbed my shoulders and I paid and took off.
Later that night I showered and washed my hair and looked in the mirror, it was ok, but I though it looked kind of funny because the top was longer than the sides of my head, so much so that it looked kind of funny, but not horrible. The real problem that made me sick was the back of my head. My neck looks like this:
rounded corners! I guess it really doesn't look that bad but I hate it! I have always had nice square corners and I liked it. If you look close you can even see kind of a different color where there has always been hair. The barber didn't ask me how I wanted so I just figured he was doing it the way it has always been done by ever body without having to say anything.

Long boarding

2009-01-15T09:48:00.000-08:00

And I thought just being able to ride a long board was cool. Check this out!

Mac love

2009-01-13T10:10:00.001-08:00

We love macbooks!

Back to School Sale

2009-01-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

Well I know everyone else has already been at it for a week or more, but today was my first day back at the lovely U of U campus. Today was my first class, a Spanish class with the same teacher I had last semester, she annoys me to death but she is the only one that teaches the class, so what can ya do. Then I went to the book store to look for books, I ended up getting only two, because the book for one class isn't in yet and I'm confused about the book for another class, the crazy thing is for those two books I bought it cost 200 bucks! Ridiculous!
Although today was kind of rough I am trying to be optimistic and think the rest of the week and classes will be better.
Good luck to all of you in school, and to those of you who aren't in school as well, we all need some good luck sometimes.

Rain Theory

2009-01-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

For a long time I have had a theory that all songs that are about rain are good songs. I talked about this idea with my buddy Shawn last night, and it only strengthend my belief that this is true. Think about it, Rainy Day from the Plain White T's, Rain King by the Counting Crows, Rain Falls Down from Ryan Shupe, Covered in Rain by John Mayer. The list goes on, Fire and Rain, a James Taylor classic, Bruce Hornsby and Mandolin Rain. It is even true from bands and genres of music that aren't usually your favorites, for example I am not usually a country music fan but Rain by Clint Black, and the Thurder rolls song by Garth Brooks.
Tell me what you think =)

Pow Pow

2009-01-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a great day of skiing! Check it out! http://www.skiutah.com/blog/deer-valley/pow-pow-powder-at-deer-valley/ Thanks Jake.

Fame

2009-01-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

So my buddy Jake, Heather's cousin's husband, does some work for Ski Utah and took some of our new years ski post and put it on the ski utah blog. Click here to see.