Advice from Audrey

"It's that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so don't fuss, dear; get on with it."
- Audrey Hepburn

What a great reminder for me on this day. Thank you!

Mount Timpanogos Hike

After our much anticipated Lake Powell trip was cancelled due to some inclement COLD weather, the fam decided to take a little trip north. We were able to hike to the Mount Timpanogos Cave. We enjoyed some exercise, outdoors, beautiful fall mountains, crisp weather, but most of all the company of each other.

It has been over 15 years + since the last time I made the journey up the mountain. I had forgotten how beautiful this hike is and how amazing the cave is. Nathan and Kyle had never made the journey, so it was exciting for them to make the trek. I think there were some in the group who had forgotten how much of a "hike" it really was. But we all muscled through and made it to the top. Mishaelle made sure she was at least two paces or more ahead of anyone who came near her. Sometimes I think the competitive nature that we were born with can be almost as detrimental as it is advantageous. I got a kick out of watching my older brother sweat and complain about packing his cute daughter up the mountain. I cannot believe he is the one packing the child now! I didn't think I would see the day! :)

We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing at my parents and enjoying conference. I am so grateful for the counsel and encouragement from our prophets and apostles! What a wonderful time we live in. I came away with an attitude to continually better myself. I plan to love more freely, continually improve myself, and grow as I provide service to others. There were so many great words uttered, I cannot begin to describe how my soul was touched. I was touched in particular by the powerful testimony declared by Jeffery R. Holland. How amazing it was to listen to his declaration! Words cannot express my appreciation for his testimony.

Fall Feelings

Let me just start by saying I love, love, love the fall. It's hands down one of the prettiest times of year. There is something about the changing fall colors, pumpkin's, spicy smells, and fall food that just make my stomach tingle. I love that its starting to cool down a bit, and you can enjoy the outdoors without having to be in a bathing suit, and in the water. (Although I do love that as well, its just not always as convenient). It's such a beautiful time to run outdoors and take in the fall air. I love to smell the fall season air! What a wonderful feeling! I love the long sleeves, and layers of cute clothes fall brings with it. It is always a beautiful time of year to buy a great new pair of jeans, a spicy smell for your scentsy, and cuddle up and watch some Greys Anatomy.

With that said...... I was so excited and lucky to have my little sisters and little brother come down and visit for the weekend. We had so much fun laughing, watching movies, and shopping. I talked my little sisters into making sugar cookies with me. Chelsea and I had a lot of fun laughing at Mishaelle's attempt to roll out the dough, and we took a lot of silly pictures. But in the end, we made some super cute and delicious sugar cookies. We talked Nathan into coming to the movie, Love Happens, with us. It was so awesome for him to come with us, but the wet willies endured during the movie..... not so awesome! Kyle ended the weekend with some scary movies with them, while I was working, and they left Sunday after Nathan made everyone some scrumptious scrambled eggs. I am so grateful for the wonderful family I was blessed with. I am so thankful for our relationships and the friendships we share with each other. I always say, my family are some of my best friends, and I would do nothing to change this.

Just had to end with Nate..... being Nate! I love this kid !

The Red Rock Relay

Most people who know me, know that I have a crazy passion for running. The last couple months have been a little rough on me due to some "old lady" problems. My knee and foot have been annoyingly bugging me! I have rested (sort of) , iced, massaged, stretched, and taken my fair share of Advil (apologies to my kidneys), and to no avail they have persistently bugged! It's hard to admit that I am starting to "age". But when my beautiful friend Sierra asked me to be part of a relay team, how was I supposed to say no?

The relay started this last Friday morning. There were twelve of us on the "Iron and Whine" team. It consisted of six women and six men. We met each other for the first time on Thursday night before the race. The race started in Brian head and ended at a school out by Tuachan. The race was a 187 miles total starting and 8,000 ft in elevation. We had three legs all in a variety of length and difficulty. During the relay there were multiple moments of exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and also mental exhaustion, but we all continued to push through our legs so that we could finish. Not to mention plenty of the girls had to run through rain, hail, lightning, wind, and flash floods. But everyone did such a great job! We made new friends, and pushed ourselves beyond a point we thought we could go. What a rewarding experience! I loved every minute of it. Although, it is easier to say that now that we are finished. After doing this race, I did realize I am not in as good of shape as I thought I was. Some of which can be attributed to nursing my wounds, but the rest of it is just to lack of training. I finished on Saturday with new goals for my training and I am so excited to start training harder and differently! Now if I could finally talk Kyle into running with me............. :)

Weekend in Sacremento

We were lucky enough to be able to fly to Sacramento this weekend with my parents for my cousin's wedding. I was a little hesitant to go because it was going to be such a short trip, but it ended up being a blast!!! We flew out of Vegas Thursday night and arrived in Sacramento around 11:00. My dad was nice enough to hook us up with some of his frequent flying miles.

We woke up and did a session in the Sacramento temple Friday morning before my cousin's sealing. The temple was super small, but it was nice to go and participate. I am still so naive when it comes to the temple, so it's hard for me to just sit back and relax. I'm a nervous disaster the entire time. But lucky for me my parents and Kyle were all there, so I am sure it could have been worse. The sealing was beautiful. It was so nice to go back so soon after Kyle and I were sealed so I could take in the ceremony and remember little things about our sealing that I may have forgotten or was otherwise too nervous to remember. Participating in the sealing was such a reminder of how in love I was on the day Kyle and I were sealed, and how much we have grown in such a short time. It also made me realize that some of these newlywed bumps we are hitting may not be such a big deal after all, if I can just remember the covenants we made to each other that day.

I love that now that I am all grown up and married I am able to relate to my parents more as individuals than just my parents. We had so much fun together. I don't know that there was much time spent not laughing at each other, or something stupid. We were able to do a little shopping and some good eating. We woke up early Saturday morning to make a quick trip to San Francisco before we flew out later that evening. I have only been there once and its been almost 14 years since the initial visit to the city. I absolutely loved it. It was so much fun just to walk down the piers and take the whole atmosphere in. We drove in on the Bay Bridge and left on the Golden Gate bridge! I am amazed by those gigantic bridges. I have never actually been to the Golden Gate bridge so I was so excited even to just drive over it and stop and take a few pics. I am excited to return so that I can spend more time there, I am sure I will love it even more. I'm a little town girl but a big city girl at heart.

And so the blogging begins........

I have been an avid blog stalker for the past year or so, but have never had the desire to participate in the blogging world myself. Because of this one sided relationship I've had with the blogging world, I have recently decided that I am missing out on a great opportunity. I am always amazed by the content people post. The many memories that are instantly published for the world to see, but more importantly the record it leaves behind for the individual.

I have always been a believer in a journal and that I should participate in such a thing. But just because I am a believer doesn't mean I have been a "doer". So as I embark on the journey into the blogging world I hope that it may become some what of a journal for me. That one day I may be able to look back on these random post and have it bring a smile to my face, or someone else for that matter.

So until I have something profound to say or something cool to post........ :)