Special Day

In the midst of this crazy life of wedding planning and, talk about peak season for photos... seniors, weddings... I got to go through the temple and receive my endowment. The temple is always the perfect place to just pause from daily life and breathe! I loved it. I love to feel my Father in Heaven's love for me and it brings me so much peace. Peace is exactly what I needed. I was fortunate enough to have taken temple preparation classes from my Bishop and he prepared me so well. I'm excited to go back and continue learning more. 

My life has changed forever today! And in TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY, it will change forever again! 

TWO WEEKS! jskJA;shliwuyehfa;lesr!!!! (happy spaz)

oh my ;laksjd;laskj!

(Um that little spaz in the title is NOT supposed to be a curse word... haha)

UMM WE SAW THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 AND LET ME TELL YOU

-NEW OBSESSION WITH SPIDERMAN. BY FAR MY FAVORITE SUPER HERO MOVIE EVER

- I'VE NEVER CRIED TO SO HARD IN A MOVIE. EVER. NOT EVEN CLOSE. I CRY IN LOTS OF MOVIES AND THAT'S NORMAL, AND I EVEN HAVE TO HOLD IT IN A LITTLE MORE THAN OTHER TIMES, BUT NOT THIS MOVIE. I WAS HOLDING IT IN (BECAUSE WHO WANTS TO SOB AT A MOVIE THEATER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOVIE. KIND OF EMBARRASSING AND ANNOYING FOR EVERYONE.) AND THEN IT ENDED AND I TURNED TO CHANCE TO TELL HIM HOW MUCH I LOVED IT AND I TOTALLY LOST IT. NOT KIDDING, I WAS HYSTERICAL. LIKE, I HAVE RARELY CRIED THAT HARD EVER IN MY LIFE ABOUT LEGITIMATE SAD THINGS.


It was crazy and I had no idea what was going on. But then I realized *** SPOILER *** Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) and Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) has the most amazing love and chemistry on screen (and in real life!) and I seriously fell in love with their love. (Which is kinda funny because with the previous Spiderman movies there was not Gwen, just Mary Jane, and then the new Spiderman came out and I was like 'who is the Gwen chick? Where's MJ!?' Now I am opposite... GWEN FOREVER). And then what happens? I wasn't prepared because I didn't read the comics or anything. Gwen Stacy dies. Not only does she die, but she dies because of a situation she was put in by Spiderman (though she made it clear it was her choice). But that was his greatest fear, was putting her in danger. But if Spiderman's web had reached her 1 second earlier, she probably would have lived. So she dies, they have a funeral, and they show Peter at her grave throughout the whole year, and he takes a break from spiderman, then he talks to his aunt and his aunt talks about moving on, then a bad guy comes and a little kid dresses up as spiderman and goes out to face the bad guy (more tears) and Spiderman comes back. I know that was a ramble but here is the deal:

-I'm an empathizer. You know that quote we hear a lot in church "bare one another's burdens". I do that. When I see, hear, or talk to someone about something they are struggling with I can't help but put myself in that situation (not that I could ever do it completely accurately). And as stupid as it sounds, that's exactly what I did when I was watching this Spiderman. As soon as Gwen died, I put myself in Spiderman's situation (not with gwen obviously... but with Chance.. ) I can't. I really don't know how I would live without him. Even thinking about losing him, my eyes fill with water. And second.. and the thing that is the real kicker, Spiderman "moves on".... I can understand moving on if like.. he didn't love her anymore, or if she didn't love him, but she died. I'm sure they would have been together forever if she didn't die. I literally cannot fathom moving on in a situation like that. It makes me sad to think about moving on too... And I know people do it all the time... but I just... yeah, I don't like thinking about it.

-That little kid at the end. The kid who had hope, and bravery. I'm a sucker for children. It touched my heart! And since I was already on the edge of tears, that just kicked over the bucket haha.

I know it's totally silly, but that's what happened. And I cried for like an hour after the movie and I couldn't even talk about it without breaking down. Cute Chance just held and comforted me:)

So yeah. Go see The Amazing Spiderman 2.

it's gonna be "may"

Classic JT title here. May 1. Do you know what May means?

+It means it's Austin's birthday today. The oldest bro. Our conversations goes as follows:
aub: HB
aust: TY
aub: YW... BTW C FB
aust: I D TY
aub: O YW

Hahahahaha. Do you get it?

+It means Mckay's Birthday is tomorrow. Which mean's Mac has been out on his mission for 8 months! WHAT. I miss him.

+It means I'm shooting (photographing) a wedding in a week. A WEEK. A full wedding. Hip hip!

+It means Dad's birthday is in 2 weeks. Which also means my dance concert is in 2 weeks.

+It means MY birthday is in a little over 2 weeks. Wait what? 21? Is there a theme song out there for turning 21 yet??? Get on that T swift...

+It means I'm shooting ANOTHER wedding! Woohoo!

+It means Memorial day weekend is near. Hopefully we can get away...

+It means it's starting to warm up! For real. I mean, there are still some fakeouts... but warm days are more prevalent.

+It means I'M WAY GETTING MARRIED LIKE WAY SOON YAY.


Well May, you just gone and filled yourself right up now, haven't you!

things they don't tell you about being engaged

1. The groom is probably going to be more involved in the planning than you thought. (Okay, not every groom is, but mine? Yeah he has opinons. Glad we are planning this together!)

2. Not every single person you want to be there will be able to be there. You just can't plan around everyone...

3. The average wedding in the US costs $29,000.... So make sure you have about $29,000 put off to the side when you decide to get married. Yeah, no. Not mine. Not happening. The amount that will be spent on this wedding is a very small fraction of that price, and I still think it's ridiculously expensive... But we are doing well! I'm convinced people are giving us good deals on stuff because they really like Chance's hair. And that's no joke.

4. Getting your dream dress may be your plan... but don't throw out the option of wearing your Mother's dress and altering it a little bit. Talk about sentimental value... (plus, Grandma made it.) All the dresses in the stores are just nothing to me now. I am getting my dream dress!

5. People who offer to help you probably really mean it and you shouldn't be afraid to take them up on those offers!

6. Being engaged sucks... okay no, it doesn't suck. But kind of when you have decided this is going to be a for sure thing, you just want to be married already!!

7. There's no need to stress. You're getting married and that's all that matters.

Only about 2 months left! Hip skip!

.

You may remember that my grandmother passed away a few months ago. It was pretty much out of nowhere and took us all by surprise. I miss her so much... but what made me more sad than having her gone was thinking about my grandpa living without her.

He has chugged along these last few months, however in the last few weeks he has experienced a shower of strokes and he slowly started to recover from that. A few days ago, another stroke took his ability to swallow. A few days ago he told us he has decided that since he can't get food or water down by himself, he would like to join my Grandmother without life sustaining intervention. It was extremely hard to see my grandmother in the hospital when she was there, and it has been hard to see my grandpa "stuck" (as he says) as he is now. But I am thankful that I was able to see my grandma before she left us, and that I was able to see my grandpa and spend these last moments with him. 

He is not afraid to die. In fact, he welcomes it. Because of what he knows what will happen to him. And as sad as it is to think about life without him here, I can't help but be happy for him to go. There is nothing more heartbreaking in the world than living without the one you love. You're true love. His left this Earth 3 months ago, and I'm sure they have been the longest days of his life. 

I'm not sure how much time he has left. If he regains his swallowing soon by some miracle, he could recover somewhat, but if not, the clock is just ticking. I've never had to say a real goodbye to someone before. Even when I said goodbye to grandma in the hospital, I wasn't really thinking it was the last time I would see her... This was different. To go into my grandpa's room, see him laying on the bed, and telling him that we had to head back home.... to say goodbye? It's a weird thing to grasp. To say goodbye for real. But again... I just want him to be with his sweetheart too. And he told me he would be at my wedding. With Grandma... I'm sure they will be.

Again, the saving grace of this gospel comes into play. It is a real goodbye from this Earth, but not forever.

(My grandfather passed away shortly after I wrote this post. Love you grandpa.)

Making an appearance.

Happy St Patricks Day! One of the most random holidays, that I don't really know how to accurately celebrate besides wearing green... and I only have one green sweater. But paired with my cute little gold basket necklace and these silly glasses, makes me feel REAL festive.

I don't really understand how planning a wedding could be this hard when I've been planning it my whole life, ya know? But we've finally finalized a day and a place for the reception, so the real planning begins now, right?
I wouldn't be surprised if I became a diabetic as a result of my diet the last 2 weeks. I mean, I've always loved candy (chocolate mostly) but these last 2 weeks? Yikes!!
Being with Chance continues to get better. He's my best friend, my adventure buddy, and just my favorite person to spend my time with. We can't wait to be with each other ALL THE TIME. This "only see each other on weekends" this is BLAH!!!! We are so over that.

This is so cliche... but it just had to happen. 

I e-mailed Mckay and said "Send me a pic that's just for me okay?" And he did just that! And even though it's a Monday and I'm stupid tired, nothing can bring me down today.

My new camera lens makes me want to take pictures all day every day. And I've got tons of stuff to work on. Yay!
I've been engaged for about a month, and I STILL just stare at my ring. It's beautiful, and I love it. And Chance loves it, which makes me love it more.

I still come home from work everyday and watch Arthur, just like I used to when I came home from school. I (shamelessly) LOVE that show. I can't wait to watch it with my kids.
I feel like I haven't had a good hair day for... a long time. I don't know what to do with myself. It's long though which is "yay!" but what do I do with it?!


Well there's my appearance for the month. :D

blur

I realize I have been MIA for the last few weeks, and honestly it's all a blur anyways. And I don't really think too much has happened worth documenting... not to the whole world anyways. I'll just say that the last week has been one of the more emotional ones. For me and people I care about. I'm won't go into details, but I will say that I am grateful for the relationship I have with my Father in Heaven and that I am in tune with what I want and what he wants for me to be happy. He brings me peace when I most need it; when I think it's impossible that I could feel peace, it comes. I am so thankful. And I only pray that all those I care about can feel peace as well.

ranting

I have to wake up at 6 am every morning. To get ready and catch the 7:13 Trax train to downtown (with the free trax pass my work has provided me with!). To get to my NEW JOB by 8!
The "office" job doesn't really appeal to some people... but I'm really diggin' the atmosphere. My second day, and I've already started decorating my desk.
Oh and I'm also lovin' the "business casual" attire. Ha! That's fun.
Back to the 6 am deal, I haven't even been dead tired the last two days I've had to wake up that early. That is a big deal! But going to bed at 10 is hard.. It bothers me that I could take a nap at any given moment during the day, but as soon as I get in bed to go to sleep it's like I have to force my eyes to close.
My boss took me to lunch today at Cafe Brio in City Creek. Have you ever been there? It's delicious. And I just adore my boss. She is awesome! I feel like everyone on my team likes me a lot already, granted one of them is my cousin.
Which brings me to another point! I'm so grateful my cousin told me that the job was hiring. It's fun to see her all the time, and I'm going to love working with her.
At lunch, I was telling my boss how I think you really have to know people to get a job just about anywhere. She totally agreed and then proceeded to tell me how she had 500 applicants for the job I had received and since my cousin referred me, she set up an interview, and then only interviewed like 2 other people, and after I interviewed with her she had 2 of her other co workers interview me to make sure she wasn't being biased, since she knows my cousin and the kind of family I come from. She said that all three of them picked me as the best candidate for the job, hands down, no questions! She told me I was so outgoing and personable, and I was really happy to hear that, because job interviews give me major anxiety! Big self-esteem booster right there.
I feel like I'm catching on pretty quick with how my job will work, which is reassuring. I don't feel as nervous and out of my comfort zone as I thought I would. But I'm so excited for this change, and opportunity.
Also they have nerf gun wars.
When we were leaving lunch, we walked passed a guy with a gas mask on. Literally a gas mask. The air quality is getting really bad here, and it really bums me out... Yikes! But it was sunny and that was refreshing.
Back to decorating my desk, now I'm browsing pinterest for the cutest ideas. Why not like the space you work in?


YAY LIFE!

I Declare Today a Happy Day

A Happy day indeed.

I made hard choices and did hard things today. The choice of what I want to do vs what I should do. I had to call and decline one job, and call to accept another. I'm getting out of my comfort zone, and that's exciting! I've officially accepted a job. A great job! It pays well, I get paid holidays, they are providing me with a free transit pass, I get to work with my cousin, and the environment seems awesome. Customer Service. It will probably be very different then working with kids, but I'm excited to learn, and expand my knowledge and skills!

Things are working out for me! And I laugh at myself when I say that, because they haven't exactly worked out in the way that I thought they would, but nevertheless, everything is all good! And I feel good. I feel peace, and that is a wonderful feeling.

I drove downtown today to sign some papers, and when I was walking back to my car (I parked far away to get free parking, and it turned out to be way father from where I was going than I thought... haha) I literally looked up to the sky, to God, and said out loud, "You're the BEST!". Haha.. but seriously. Then I went down a list of the amazing things that are in my life, big and small, and why today is such a happy day:

+I'm becoming more confident. Interviews scare me and give me the worst anxiety. BUT I'm getting better at them, more comfortable, more confident in myself and what I have to offer and what I know. I'm able to better be satisfied with myself, whether or not I get the job, as long as I felt like I have done my best. Again, I'm getting out of my comfort zone and it feels GREAT.

+I'm becoming more independent. Okay, okay, I still live at my parents house. BUT, I pay for all my own expenses. All of it. I bought my own car, with cash. I'm making hard decisions. I often talk to people to get their input, but ultimately I'm making all of my own decisions. I don't decide things just because it's what people around me are telling me to do. That's empowering.

+I'm losing weight, in a healthy way! I'm careful about what and how much I eat, and I'm staying active. I don't even remember the last time I was at this weight. I'm so happy to know I'm taking better care of myself!

+I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I feel the Spirit everyday and I feel so grateful that I know who I am and where I'm going.

+My family rocks! They are all so willing to help me out, and my parents are proud of me. I LOVE that feeling. I'm SO lucky to have the kind of relationship with my family that I do.

+I went shopping at City Creek and bought my first 'business casual' outfit. And I only payed 6 cents. (Thanks to Jilli's H&M gift card she gave me... I love free!!)

+It was a BEAUTIFUL day today. Sunny and 40 degrees. I didn't have to wear a coat or even a jacket, and I was absolutely happy to walk to far back to my car.

+I'M DANCING AGAIN!!! I decided last minute to do the adult company at my old studio and tonight was the first rehearsal. Ahh... feels so good!!

+Dad and I went on a temple date. I don't think my dad and I have gone to the temple together before. He said he was leaving to go do baptisms with the beehives and I said "You'll be baptizing?" and he said "Yes." and I said "I'M COMING!" and it was so great and I loved it.

and to top it off ever so nicely

+I get to have Chance as my best friend. He is there for me. He is the first person that I want to tell anything and everything to, because I know he will be excited, or proud of me, or help me, or laugh with me. I lean on him SO much and I'm the happiest to have him in my life!

Ahhh, today is such a happy, happy day!

Tuesday

I interviewed for a part-time job at a daycare in American Fork yesterday. I do believe I nailed it. They are interviewing 7 people though.. but I'm hopeful! (Oh look at that, they just called me as I was typing this post and offered me the job! Woop woop!)

I got a text this morning from my cousin saying her job in Salt Lake was hiring part-time. My resume is sent. We'll see about that.

Is it weird that I think I might like working two part time jobs rather than one full time job? I just feel like I would get some variety out of my days...

Is it even weirder that it doesn't bother me that these two jobs would be on the other side of town from each other? I'd become a frequent Frontrunner rider... think about all the time I would have to read! And I might have to walk from the station to work... but I could count that as my exercise for the day, right?

Well it looks like the first job has worked out for me! I don't know about the second... but like I said, I'm hopeful! And if the other one happens to work out, I've got some long work days ahead of me. That doesn't scare me though (even if seems like it should..). But you can bet that I'm really soaking in these "I can do whatever I want" days, before I start working my life away. So yes, I'm going to sleep in, stay in my pjs all day, take pictures of myself, update my blog, read what I want to read, and not even feel bad for any of it! (Also, when my room is messy, I sleep in the guest bedroom downstairs.. haha)

Also, remember how I had 'read more gospel related books' on my New Years resolution list? Well I got started on that right away. I went straight to my Mom for suggestions, and lucky for me she has quite the collection.

Believing Christ. Notice it doesn't say Believing in Christ. Because that's different. And that's what this little book is all about. It's pretty to easy to Believe in Christ. That he is real. That he lives. What some people don't understand is that, along with believing in Christ, we must believe Him; believe what he says he can do! I'm really no good with words, so you're just going to have to read it to know of all the goodness in it!

"The good news of the gospel is good news to me not because it promises that other people who are better than I am can be saved, but because it promises that I can be saved - wretched, inadequate, and imperfect me."

That really is good news!

This New Years Resolution goal was a brilliant idea!

2013 review

I just looked back at my New Year's resolutions for this year (2013) and they were:


1. stay true to myself and what i believe
2. do what i love and have adventures
3. be thankful every day


I'm happy to say that I believe I successfully kept to my resolutions throughout the year. Every day, more and more I become happy with the person I am, and the life that I live.

Like I had said in that post, I know there is always room for improvement, and becoming the best me I can be is an on-going adventure, but I feel that I have indeed tried my best to stay true to myself and what I believe. I tried hard to not lower my standards to conform to the popular opinion and lived my life in such a way that people would know what I believed.

I have seen myself improving in the areas that I wished, especially in photography, and I can't wait to continue to expand my knowledge and skills. I don't care that "everyone is a photographer now". I'm doing it because I love it.  And though I didn't take any extravagant trips, I felt like I had my fair share of adventures. I became a "yes man" and did things that scared me. I made memories. Real memories.

I may not have said the words "I'm thankful for...." out loud everyday, but I did my best to "choose" to be happy. To see the small and simple things that made each day special. I really believe that to be thankful is to be happy.

2013 has been good to me! So here is the top 13 highlights from my life in 2013 (cliche, I know...)



1.  Dating Chance. Whatever I was doing, if he was there, it was better. I'm so thankful for the way he has impacted my life. The love and care, support, influence, and motivation he has given me through out this year has really made a difference! The year would have been VERY different if he wasn't a part of it, and I don't really care to think about experiencing it without him.

(the rest are in no particular order)

2. Speaking of Chance, going to Lake Powell with his family was definitely in the top 13 best times of the year! Not only do I just adore his family and love spending time with them, I had never been to Lake Powell before! It's just as awesome as everyone says it is.

3. The expansion of my family. Two new nieces AND Chad's engagement. Grace and Layla are two little bundles of perfect, and I'm so excited for Chad and Leanne to start their life together.

4. Grandma's passing... Seems weird to be a highlight, and I would give anything to have her still be here, but the time I was able to see her in the hospital before she passed away will always be a moment I treasure. It was a hard holiday season without her... but I know she watches out for me and I miss her everyday.

5. Mckay's mission call opening. Seeing Mac open that call and read out loud where he would be serving the Lord for the next 2 years was surreal! My baby brother! And then spending as much time as possible before he left. He knows how to have a good time!

6. Antelope Island trip with mom and dad. Just me, mom, and dad. Hey, I love my parents, but I'll admit I wasn't too excited to live at home by myself with them. But my attitude has totally changed on that. Plus, they like that I make them do fun things.

7. My homemade double stuffed Oreo Halloween costume. It was legit, if I do say so myself. Even though Chance and I had no parties to go to or anything... I spent 3 full nights on those costumes and was happy to just drive around the valley to show my family.

8. Little Millie turned one this year! And we were lucky enough to have her in Utah for her birthday, and birthday party. I got some really cute snaps at her party, and she's the cutest thing that ever hit this planet.

9. I bought a car! (I've been planning to do a picture and post about it... but I haven't.) I bought a car, with my very own money, in full, WITH CASH! Now that is a good feeling. I sure enjoy having my own car, and I really like the car itself too! Thanks to Chance for helping me get a good one.



10. Attending the Temple and my increased love for Sundays. With regret, I have to say that I didn't go as often as I should have... but every time I did, I always had the most beautiful experiences. I've got to make it more of a habit. And this year I have gained such an appreciation for the Sabbath Day. The peace is brings to me is priceless.

11. I turned 20! I officially said goodbye to my teenage years. Nah, I don't really feel that much difference between 19 and 20, but for some reason this year, I didn't struggle with telling people I was still 19 for the first few months after I turned 20. And I had a 'cake' of Grandma Nilsson's rolls, instead of an actual cake. That.... was awesome.

12. Chance and my Elf inspired Christmas date. Snow angels, ice skating, lights at temple square, texas roadhouse (for free), cookie dough, and snuggling. Now that was a date to remember!

13. Shark Week in Park City with my family. Even though we just swam, and watched Shark Week, and not everyone could stick around for long, I love little getaways, I love Park City, I love spending time with my family, and I love Shark Week... haha.

14. Okay I had to add in one more, because my life long friends and I went on a road trip to St. George and even though we got stuck in the hell fire sand and got swimmers itch, I'd go back and do it all again!!

Wow. It really has been a great year!

But you know me. I love change. And I'm ready for it. I've got great feelings and vibes comin' from 2014, and I think I'll run to it with open arms.

The conversation I have with myself, knowing full well I am a procrastinator...

I should do that now... but I don't really want to. I'll do it later.... Wait. Whenever I say I'll do it later, I usually don't... So I really should do it now. But I don't want to. I'll do it later. I know I always say that, but for real, I'll do it later...



Yup. My room is still messy, and getting messier. Does later ever come anyways?

Procrastinators unite!.... Tomorrow.

Only 365 days 'til next Christmas...

Hmmm... I'm really not sure what I want to say. Don't get me wrong, this Christmas was awesome, like it always is. 

I woke up everyone in the morning. We lined up to go into the living room ( I was promoted to first in line since Mckay is gone... even though my mom sent him pictures of the living room the night before, so I STILL didn't get to go in first.... haha) opened gifts, opened some surprises, laughed, and enjoyed our Christmas morning. Mom made a yummy breakfast, Dad bought "crackers" (an English activity, since Leanne joined us for Christmas... oh yeah she and Chad are engaged! Can't wait for her to be a part of our family!), and we skyped Mckay for a good amount of time and it was WONDERFUL. Went and visited Grandma Haws' grave to put a star decoration on it and wish her Merry Christmas (we are missing her so dearly this season...) then went to Grandma Nilsson's house for a delicious Christmas dinner, and some more gifts (Grandma's gift to all of us- "You all put the 'zing' in amazing!" Matching shirts for all that say ZING. Ya know what Grandma? You put the AMA in amazing!! hehe..) and spending time with family. Then back home. And Dad read me Dr. Suess, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (yes, I still love when my dad reads to me). And it was a lovely way to end the night...

 But for some reason I'm struggling with the fact that it's over... Ha. That sounds ridiculous, but that is my legitimate feeling.

Maybe because for the last 2 months my whole identity has revolved around Christmas... All the music I listened to, movies I watched, clothes I wore, activities I did, and things I talked about were in relation to Christmas. And now Christmas is over... I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE.

Haha, okay that was a tad bit dramatic. But kind of seriously... I'm just sad it's over. A little more sad than usual. Also, I didn't get to spend it with Chance which is a bummer. The Christmas season is just.... the best. I'll miss it is all.

I'm so thankful that I get to celebrate the Christmas season. So thankful for my family who makes every Christmas unforgettable, especially my parents.

And I'm most thankful for my Savior. For his birth. For his Life. For his sacrifice.

Very Merry Christmas to you all.

random post for random pics

BABY LAYLA!!!

GINGERBREAD HOUSE MAKING WITH THE BOYS I NANNY!

AND THE COOL FIREPLACE WE MADE

and those cute cute boys waving to me out the window goodbye. I will miss them so much...

CHAD AND LEANNE ARE ENGAGED!

A GIFT EXCHANGE/CATCH UP SESSION WITH THIS LOVELY

MOM IS THE CUTEST.

ALSO JACE AND MILLIE ARE THE CUTEST.

just so you know

I've watched The Grinch 7 times now. 3 times just last week. (I knew the kids I nanny would love it. We are a couple of cheermeisters!)
Speaking of the kids I nanny, the 3 year old told me if Satan is trying to get us we just have to pray and that will "dis him appear". Hahahahahaaha. So true.
My car gets really good gas mileage, and I still went through a whole tank in less than week. Lots of trips around the valley lately! (Now time to be cautious about gas usage...)
One of those trips being one of my really good friend's wedding receptions in Salt Lake. What a beautiful bride she was. I'm so happy for her!
I love our "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree. It's tall and gangly. I like it better than the fuller ones..
Ashley had her baby! Ohh what a beautiful baby girl. They have named her Layla Noelle. Oh she is too precious, and I love her so much already! Hooray for being an aunt!
Also, let the record show that the girls now out number the boys in the Nilsson Family! AHH!!
Christmas is in less than 2 weeks. jkas;lkdjal;skdja;lskfoewjlrkjf

soap box

Okay. This blog is a journal to me. To document all of life's happenings, including my thoughts(even if I'm no good with words...). SO I've been thinking...

For the sake of the Facebook world, and in turn for all of our sakes, why can't it be the month of November all the time?... For one whole month, thanks to a wonderful holiday, everyone, especially the Facebook world, is filled with everyone's gratitudes. Then, all the sudden November is over and so many of us go back to posting and focusing on the things that aren't so great...

And ya know what? It bothers me. A lot actually. Haha so I realize this is a little contradicting of what I'm saying, since I'm kind of complaining? However, I don't want this to be a "complaining" post, but here's how I see it... We've all got our struggles. Some of us have the same struggles, and some of us have very different struggles, but they are all struggles nonetheless. So why not just help each other out and focus on the good as if it were November all the time?! Can it really be that hard? All you have to do is just think about it for one second, and you come up with a million things your thankful for (we ALL do it during the month of November. It's obviously possible.) People... I'm just tired of reading Facebook posts and hearing people talk about things that were once full of joy and thankful hearts, now turned to complaints and pity parties... I just feel like if you were to focus on the good as much as possible, you would see less bad. The bad stuff probably won't go away completely, and there's always something to complain about (traffic!!! grr... ;) but in my own life, I've seriously strived to be an optimist, and I've seriously seen the difference it makes. I don't just cover up or ignore the bad things, but when I'm really focusing on the good things, it's actually hard for me to think of things to complain about. A real perspective changer.

This last weekend as Chance and I were on our awesome date (see previous post) we witnessed such an amazing thing. A little girl, maybe 8 or 9 years old, came to the rink. She was in a wheel chair. The two women she was with got her a pair of rental skates, put them on her feet, pushed her chair out to the rink, and then lifted her in their arms and began to skate with her. They had to go extremely slow, and it looked a little difficult, but oh the joy in that little girls face. The life in her laughter and giggles. She was SO happy. She was so happy to be skating. She was so happy to see the two women she was with, skating. SO SO happy! They only took her around the rink once then took her back inside where she watched everyone skate, and the two women took turns going out to skate and waving to the little girl inside, dancing on the ice to make her laugh. And this little girl was so happy. We couldn't get over how happy she was even with the circumstance she was in. We can all learn a lesson from this little girl. You choose your happiness, regardless of your circumstance. You get the choice.

To take a line from my favorite poem-

"Your playing small does not serve the world.... As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."

That little girl has no idea who I am, and probably has no idea how much she inspired me.

Let's all come together and lift each other up! Heaven knows we need all the good we can get in this world we are living in.

I just want everyone to be happy!

Soap box over.

snow fall.

IT. SNOWED. 

It snowed a REAL snow. The kind of snow that sticks. I can tell you how long I've been waiting for snow... Since the beginning of November. Most would call me crazy, but that's usually how it is here in Utah. The snow comes a little too soon, and most people wish that fall would last a little bit longer. But not me. That's part of what makes it "home" to me. Well the majority got their wish this year, and I've just been over here praying for the snow, and every morning I look through my blinds in hopes that that white fluffy stuff has replaced the browning lawn. Oh how happy I was to look out my blinds this morning!! Plus, it's officially December. Who doesn't want snow for their Christmas season!?

I seriously could stare out the window all day long. "The first snowfall isn't just an event, but a magical event. You go to sleep in one world and wake up in another. If this isn't enchantment, what is?"

and the kids and I did some DIY decorating at their house while listening to Christmas music. 

Though the roads were a little scary, I wasn't even mad it took me twice as long to get home. (Though I do hope the roads are clear tomorrow.) Be safe all!

no title.

Shopping with mom = never paying full price for anything (black friday or not). Also, I love hats. A lot.
I constantly am thinking of what Grandma would be saying and doing if she were here.. She would be telling Grandpa to chill out, that's for sure ;)
It's pretty warm here in St. George and I am craving the cold and snow. Obviously my prayers are being over powered by those who wish to have fall forever...
I'm so happy to be spending this holiday weekend with my parents. I've grown to love them even more while being the only one living with them at home.
Packing for trips is really annoying. I hate planning my outfits. A good portion of my "get ready time" is sitting on my bed, staring at my closet, and trying 3 different things on before I actually get dressed.
Someones engine started smoking really bad at the mall today, and it made me thankful that I saved enough money to buy a really reliable car.
It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without ending it with The Grinch.
Have I mentioned I miss Grandma?...

St. George's temple lights.. it isn't Temple Square, but a fun little festive event:) And needless to say, I'm just really enjoying this weekend!

All the sudden I hear "Aubrey, have you got your camera handy?" and I turn around to find this.

HAHAHA.