I'm out.

Well, the time has finally come. I am leaving this crazy Utah weather and heading south of the border. We are leaving really, really, reeeaaallllyyy early tomorrow morning to drive to LA. We will get there Saturday afternoon and then see Wicked that night. Sunday we are going to spend the day visiting the LA temple visitors' center and going to church with my friend Ty in Huntington Beach. Monday morning we will drive to San Diego, board our ship and set sail to Mexico for 5 days of fun in the sun!!

I just got completely caught up on everything at work so I don't leave my Judge completely helpless next week. Now I just need to go home and get a couple things finished there and then I'm out of here!

See ya'll in 9 days! Don't let anything too exciting happen while I am gone!! Hasta luego!

Tender Mercies

I had an incredible experience yesterday that can only be described as a tender mercy from my Heavenly Father. I don't want to go into too many details, but I saw someone that is very dear to me and my family. I've known he has been in some trouble, but I haven't personally seen him in about two months. He has constantly been in my thoughts and prayers. (especially because I work at the courthouse and know the kind of trouble he is in...) I love this kid so much and just want him to be happy and to be doing what he knows he should and to be taking care of himself.

I really believe that I was supposed to see him, not just for him, but for me as well. I needed to be able to give him a hug and tell him that I love him and remind him that I am always here for him. And in the process I feel like the Lord reminded me of the same thing. He is always there for me and loves me unconditionally. He wants me to be happy and be doing what I should and taking care of myself. I love how the Lord teaches us.

And of course the talk The Tender Mercies of the Lord by Elder Bednar came to mind. These are a couple of my favorite quotes from that talk.

"God does not have a list of favorites to which we must hope our names will someday be added. He does not limit “the chosen” to a restricted few. Rather, it is our hearts and our aspirations and our obedience which definitively determine whether we are counted as one of God’s chosen."

"The Lord’s tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness, obedience, and humility invite tender mercies into our lives, and it is often the Lord’s timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessings."

"We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance."

How grateful I am for the tender mercies that the Lord shows me every day!!

WHAT THE...????

Who watched American Idol last night? Well I did, and I am appalled!!

First off, I loved the theme this week. I am definitely a Broadway/musical theater girl and Andrew Lloyd Weber is the King of Broadway. So this week was really fun and exciting for me. I wish I could sing Andrew Lloyd Weber songs all day!!

Anywho, I really enjoyed most of the performances on Tuesday night. There was actually only one that I was really not a fan of. Let's review...First up was Syesha. Wow! I think this was her best week yet. She would be absolutely incredible on Broadway!! She was sassy and really got into the song. It was awesome. I was very impressed.

Next was Jason. (i think, i don't remember the exact order...) Definitely not his genre. But the fact that he didn't know ANY Andrew Lloyd Weber songs is appalling!! I think Jason is good when he can be all acoustic, but I don't think he is good enough to be the American Idol. I think the only reason why he is still on is because of the girls that are voting for him. I will say that he has beautiful eyes, but seriously dude, get rid of the dreads!!!!! yuck! I definitely thought he would be in the bottom two.

Then there was Brooke. I love Brooke. Probably a lot because she is Mormon and she is from Mesa! But I also really like her voice. I think it is very distinct and different and gorgeous. I was sad when she had to start her song over, but I think she just followed her gut and we all realize that no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. How horrifying though to all the sudden forget the lyrics on American Idol! I would probably just start crying. Anywho, I think Brooke did a wonderful job, but I was pretty sure that she would be in the bottom two.

Then came all the teenage girls favorite...David Archuletta. I also really like David. He is just so normal and sweet and humble and again he is Mormon and from Salt Lake!! I was surprised at how much he changed the song, but I really enjoyed it. It was a gutsy move, but it worked. Actually, it more than worked. It was awesome! And the cute little girls who all wanted to hug him cracked me up!

Next, Carly. Wow! I don't really like the show Jesus Christ, Superstar, but it does have some fun music. It totally fit her. She blew me away with the song. And my goodness she is beautiful! I was so happy for her when Simon told her that she was amazing. And the t-shirt...hysterical! I definitely thought Carly would be safe and in fact, I really thought she would be in the top three.

Last, but definitely not least was David Cook. Who knew he could sing Broadway like that?!? It was incredible. I loved that he stuck with the song for the most part, but threw in a few little loops here and there. A-MA-ZING!! I think he is my favorite. My prediction is definitely a David/David final two.

Then last night happened. And seriously my only reaction is WHAT THE...?????!!!!!! I couldn't believe it!How did this happen???!!! I was so shocked when she was put in the bottom two. When that happened I was pretty sure that Syesha was going home. (Not that she deserved it this week either, but between those two, I thought it would definitely be Syesha) But why was Jason not in the bottom two? His performance was horrible and he should have been the one to leave.

I just can't get over that Carly is gone. She was so fun to watch and I thought she brought so much to the show. It just goes to show that we are definitely getting to the end and anybody is vulnerable.

Well, anybody except the Davids. ;)

Did I mention...

...we are going to see WICKED while we are in LA this weekend?!?!?! I absolutely love this show and am so excited to see it in Los Angeles!!! I saw it last June in Denver with my sister and some friends and it was incredible. Even though we didn't have great seats it was amazing. So it's even more exciting to see it in LA (I've heard it is the best cast...) and we have awesome seats!!!! I just can't contain my excitment! Only 4 1/2 days until Wicked and 6 1/2 until the cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (can you tell i'm a little excited to get out of provo? :)

Can you hear me now??

Unless, you are standing within 12 inches of me, you probably can't. I have been really sick the last couple days and it has completely zapped me of all my energy and my voice. It is completely gone. Apparentely I sound like I'm about to start crying. (three people have told me that in the last two days...) It doesn't hurt very much, I just can't talk. Tuesday and Wednesday I stayed home from work since I had no voice and a really bad sinus headache and couldn't breathe through my nose. Not fun.

I'm back at work today, but keep being made fun of for my quiet, raspy, man-voice.

And there is so much to catch up on. Even though I have been sick the last couple days, quite a few things have occured...

Monday
I went with my parents and my sister to the Jazz game. We rode Trax up to Salt Lake and saw the Jazz stomp the Rockets. Hopefully they continue the same pattern of beating Houston as they begin the first round of the playoffs against them this weekend!! Go Jazz!

Tuesday
Tax day!! I know so many people look forward to this day all year long! But I'm not one of them. I like to get my taxes done as soon as I get my W-2's the end of January. So by now, my tax returns are all spent! Can't wait until next week when I get to head to California and board the cruise that I spent part of that tax return on! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPS!!! Tuesday was my dad's 49th birthday. He pretty much had a 4-day birthday. We celebrated with dinner and a play at Hale on Saturday. Birthday cake and ice cream with the fam on Sunday. The Jazz game on Monday and then he and my mom spent the day together on Tuesday. Yup, he is pretty spoiled. ;) I hope you had a wonderful day dad! I love you!!! (sorry I didn't actually call on Tuesday, but you wouldn't have been able to hear me...)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIMMY!!! Tuesday was also Tim's 27th birthday. It was kind of sad to be lying on my couch all day sick, with not much to do and constantly thinking about Tim. We have had some major fun on his birthdays the last few years and being sick definitely didn't help with the waterworks that formed as I lied there watching Oprah. I wanted to call his mom, but again, there is no way she would have even been able to hear me. They are having a birthday celebration for him this weekend in Mesa and I really wish I could be there. They are putting the headstone on his grave. I definitely need to head down there soon. Love you Timmyman! Still miss you!!

The Biggest Loser Finale!!!!!!! Wow! It was amazing!! Go Ali! If anyone didn't watch it, you can see it on NBC.com. I cried. That's all I'm going to say about it for now.

Wednesday
Oh, it was exciting, let me tell you! This is what I did all day...
Sleep, The View, sleep, drink half of a Jamba, What Not To Wear, sleep, Oprah, drink other half of Jamba, Gilmore Girls, sleep, American Idol, read, sleep.
It was a pretty rigorous schedule friends!!

Latter Day Sounds

I have had the incredible blessing the past 8 months of being a part of a wonderful group of singers called Latter Day Sounds. We rehearsed for a few months and have been doing firesides this semester and I just have to say how much I love each member of our choir! What an amazing group of people that have come together to all share our testimonies through music. We are probably going to be recording a CD soon and I will be sure to share our program with each of you.

This year, our program is "The Life of Christ". All the words and music are devoted to the birth, life, atonement, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is so hard for me to bear my testimony because it is something that is so personal, but it seems to be so much easier through music. I feel that music carries that Spirit so much stronger and penetrates deeper and it is the best way for me to share my feelings. I love music and especially good music that brings the Spirit of the Lord to the room.

Thank you to my Latter Day Sounds family. I love you all and am so grateful for each of you!!

My Vote

Mark.

This was such a hard decision! I ultimately voted for Mark because I want a girl to win. I don't care if it's Ali or Kelly (I think either of them can do it and are both very deserving of it!), but I want a girl to pull it out. I think Mark has lost pretty much all the weight he can without looking like a Holocaust victim, so he is less of a threat. Mark is a great competitor and I'm sure could pull some magic trick and win it all, but I think with Mark in the game, the girls have a much better shot.

I really, truly like both of the guys and Roger just seems like such a big teddy bear, but he still has weight to lose and is such a threat to the girls. Apparently we are supposed to find out within the first 5 minutes of the finale who is the last member of the Final 3. Should be exciting!!I am really looking forward to Tuesday to see how everyone looks. It's fun to see those who were voted off earlier in the show come back and show off their hard work and great bods! I'll be happy with whatever happens, but I think this has been the best season of the show and it's going to be an amazing finale. (And I am pretty sure you are all sick of me talking about it and ready for me to move onto something else!!)

Ultimately, I'm just really excited to see the first FEMALE Biggest Loser crowned!!!

GO ALI & KELLY!!!!

VOTE NOW!

I'm not going to tell you at this moment who I voted for the last of 3 finalists on The Biggest Loser because I want you all to make your own intelligent decisions. But the voting does end tonight at 8pm mountain time. So click here and vote now!!!

And if you wouldn't mind posting a comment on who you voted for and why I would appreciate it. I will post my commentary of who I voted for and why tomorrow after the voting has been completed.

I guess I can't...

I am so depressed. I was doing so well for 8 days and then, yesterday came. And I missed a day. I fell short of my goal. And after only 8 days. Pretty pathetic!!

So I apologize to my readers (all 3 of you...) that I missed a day. I hope no one is too disappointed in me. Cuz I'm pretty disappointed in myself.

Please forgive me blogosphere!!

Civic Duty

Working in the justice system, I get my fair share of lectures on our civic duties. Including jury duty and especially voting. My Judge enjoys explaining to us that it is our most basic right and duty as citizens of this country. I agree. And especially at this time when politics are being shoved down our throats and we having to decide who our next president is to be, I think a lot about how grateful I am to have the opportunity to vote.

So my question to you all is...who should I vote for...

Mark or Roger????

I know, I know, it's not a debate between Clinton and Obama or Democrat/Repulican. (That would be a much longer post!) I just don't know whether Mark or Roger should be in the finals of the Biggest Loser. And it is up to us America!!! So, I need to know who you are all voting for. Last nights episode was incredible and I am so excited for Ali and Kelly, but what guy should go to the finals? Roger is the bigger threat, but I really like him. Mark is awesome, but I'm afraid that even though he has gotten so little, he could pull it out.

Help me friends, this is an important decision that we have to make! Help me decide who to vote for!!

Countdown

21 days!!!!!! until this.....
Mexico, here I come! Can I tell you that I'm just a little excited!! I'm dying to get out of here for a little while, and with the blizzard that is going on outside my office window right now, I'm even more anxious to leave.

General Conference

How grateful I am that every six months the members of my church gather together all over the world to hear the words of the living prophets and apostles. The first weekend of April and October are dedicated to listening to their messages to the church and to the world. Yesterday we had the wonderful opportunity to sustain our new President. President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away the end of January and his successor, President Thomas S. Monson was sustained by the whole of the church yesterday. I love and miss President Hinckley very much, he is the prophet of my youth, but I know that President Monson is the man that the Lord has prepared to be His voice to the world at this time.This picture is of the new First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. President Eyring, President Monson and President Uchtdorf.

I had an incredible experience about 1 1/2 years ago where I was able to be in a Regional Conference with President Monson and had the strongest witness I've ever had that he is a prophet of God. I was sitting only about 30 feet from him and through the whole meeting I couldn't help but just watch him. At one point, I had the most overwhelming warmth come over me. I knew at that moment that the Holy Ghost was whispering to my soul that President Monson is a prophet of God. That moment has carried over into yesterday morning when I was able to stand as a member of the Church and raise my right hand to sustain President Monson as a prophet, seer and revelator and president of the Church. How wonderful it is to have a living oracle on the earth today!

Good Times

I got to spend last night with one of my favorite people in the world, my good friend Ward. I haven't seen him in about 5 months and we spent a few hours just hanging out. I have so many great memories with Ward and thought I would post my favorite picture of him to commemorate the occasion. :)

This was while we were doing service at temple square about a year and a half ago. It cracks me up! It is Tim, Mike and Ward. And they just love to stop and smell the roses!


Ward really is one of the greatest guys I know and I am so grateful for his friendship. He has been through so much the last 6 months and he is such a great example to me. Last night we talked a lot about Tim (Ward is actually Tim's cousin) and how crazy it is that it has been 6 months since Tim passed away. How wonderful it was to talk to Ward though and have my feelings validated and understood. Ward is always so happy and loves to have a good time. He is friends with everyone he meets and always has a smile on his face. He gives the best hugs and is always making me laugh. Last night (actually this morning...it was about 3am...) he even said a phrase that I haven't heard in 6 months and just absolutely made my day. When he was pulling out of my driveway from dropping me off he yelled out his window, "love ya tons sugarbuns!" Oh, good times!! Love you too Wardy!

the day they were born...

I apologize in advance for how long this post is going to be. But it's going to be good. Just trust me.

Today is the day of birth of two amazing people in my life.

The one I've known the longest is my baby brother Kyle. Today is his 20th birthday! How did I get so old!! I remember when he was born and I got to be home with him (and my parents) all by myself for a week. No sharing of the new baby with my other siblings. I believe it was in that week that Ky and I forged the bond that we share today. Or something like that. But seriously, he is an incredible little (read: younger, but much bigger) brother. Here are the top 5 reasons why I love Kyle...

#5 - He is a stud! Who doesn't love a tall, dark and handsome, blue-eyed teddy bear! Kyle has the most beautiful blue eyes and soft ears. (his ears are my sister's favorite feature ;)

#4 - He makes me laugh hysterically!! Pretty much when all of us are together, it is one big movie-quoting party. Our favorites are Cool Running ("why don't you draw a line down the middle of your head so it looks like a butt") and Dumb and Dumber ("it's a cardigan, but thanks for noticing!"). His laugh is also hysterical in and of itself!

#3 - He loves sushi! Not all the members of my family enjoy good sushi, but that was one thing that Kyle and I loved to do together. And he knew all the good sushi places in Utah County.

#2 - Kyle gives the best hugs. He was always there to give me a great big hug when I needed one. I miss those... This is one of my favorite pictures...it is Easton giving Uncle Ky a goodbye kiss before we took Kyle to the MTC...so sweet!#1 - He is an incredible friend. He is so loyal and will do anything for his friends. He also is friends with everyone. In fact, many of my friends would always tell me to invite Kyle to come hang out with us. He would make dinner for his friends or help them fix their cars or pick them up from work or just about anything that they needed him to do. He just has a way of making everyone feel like they are his best friend.

#1 (i just keep thinking of things...) - He is an awesome chef! He went part-time to culinary school his senior year in high school and he loves to cook for people. His dream is to one day own his own restaurant and also to make a meal for the Prophet and the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. What a stud!

#1 (this is it, i promise...well, not it of his great qualities, but it of me writing!) - Kyle has such a strong testimony of the Gospel and of the Savior. He is such an example to me of using the atonement in my life. He is currently serving the Lord as a full-time missionary in the Louisville Kentucky Mission and he loves it. I know that through his sweet spirit he is touching many lives and helping many people come unto Christ.Ky, I love you!! Thank you for being the greatest little brother anyone could ask for!

The other birthday today is my good friend Sara H. Bohe. She's getting old, but she doesn't let that slow her down! We went to lunch today and there is always guaranteed to be an awesomely awkward moment when I'm with Sarah. Oh, the times we've had together!!! Here are 5 memories of Sarah that are forever burned into my brain...

#5 - October 2005...I believe it was halloween or the day before. I don't remember exactly. I just remember it was Sarah's first day of work at ArrowStar and Todd was training her. I was excited to have her there (I needed another girl in the office!) and she seemed pretty cool. I did know however that she was only hired because she was from Philly. Poor Sarah got stuck though learning the ropes on her own because I became very sick the next day and was out of work for almost a month.

#4 - Magelby's Fresh - this is our usual lunch date. When we meet for lunch, you can be 90% sure that we are going to Magleby's Fresh and getting the usual. Me - turkey avocado wrap and Sarah - buffalo chicken wrap. All with fries. Frysauce for me and just plain old mayonnaise for Sarah.

#3 - Walking around model homes all day long. When Sarah was still pretty new at ArrowStar I took her for a tour of the model homes that we were building in Springville. It probably should only have taken us an hour, but it lasted all day. The best part was when I fell off the curb in from of some guys. Good times.

#2 - The Chad Lewis Awkwardest Moment Ever Award - this was during the Parade of Homes 2006 I believe. Sarah walked straight at Chad Lewis with catatonic arms and proceeded to shake his hand vigorously. Not long after that she ran directly into his chest as we got off the elevator at the office. Hahahahahaha!!!!

#1 - Purple teletubby. Need I say more! Sara H Bohe...you are the best! Thanks for being such a wonderful friend over the last 2 1/2 years! I hope you know how much I appreciate you and all of the fun times we have had. It was hard to write just 5 memories because there are so many (I Want a Hippo For Chrismas, Feliz Navidad, Oscar parties, pranking Joe, the manequin head, Curtis...I could go on forever!) and I look forward to many more awesome times!! Happy Birthday and I hope you had fun on the cruise!! :)

Does this look stupid or fantastic?!?

I don't know if any of you know that quote, but if you do....5 million points to you!!!

This is one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite shows. Now, don't hate me, but I am addicted to the show Felicity. Do any of you remember when that show was on TV. I never watched it when it was actually on, but my friend K-Dub introduced me and J to it this last summer and tonight we are getting together to finish watching the 4th and final season. We started watching the first season last summer almost everyday after work and then we stopped for a while. Our lives are just busy and we don't hang out after work as often. I don't think I can describe the excitment running through my veins to finally find out what happens and who Felicity chooses! Is it Noel or Ben??? The suspense is killing me! (ok, so not killing me, because it's been 2 months since we've even watched an episode...but you get my point...) I can never even make up my mind as to who I think she should be with! Some days I'm a Ben girl and other days I'm all about Noel. Oh the drama!Not that any of you really care, but I would like to share my favorite Felicity-watching memory with you all. Last August K-Dub, J and I went to Vegas for a weekend. We just needed to get out of Provo, so on a whim we booked a hotel and headed to the city of sin. The greatest (read: awesome/retarded) thing about the trip was that we went intending on just sitting in our hotel room and by the pool watching Felicity. But who knew that even if you have your own DVD player, the TVs in hotels will not let you hook it up. Well, we just couldn't enjoy the weekend to it's fullest extent without a little Filet, so we made a trek to the nearest Walmart and found cables that we could hook into the TV and then connect the DVD player to. The only problem then was that the TV wouldn't respond. Frusterated, but not willing to give up, we went back to Walmart and bought a universal remote. That did the trick. We programmed it to the TV and there was Felicity in all her glory! It was one of the greatest weekends of my life!! Vegas, Felicity and a pool...who could ask for anything more?!?

Motivation...

Most of the time I struggle to get myself to the gym. I don't mind it once I am there, but just getting there is difficult most days. I try to go at least 3 times a week (i wish that always happened, but it doesn't) and I love to go with other people. My old roommate Stephanie and I have gone together a few times recently and it is awesome because we can kick each other's butts! But again, I have to have motivation to go. And apparently feeling good and losing weight is not enough. ;)

Tuesday nights are the best! I always have the best workouts on Tuesdays and it is always so easy to go. The reason...

I get to watch my two favorite shows - The Biggest Loser and American Idol.

I know, how ridiculous is that! But those shows are my weakness and I hate missing a week! Watching the Biggest Loser is such great motivation to keep working out and brings out the competitor in me. I love seeing them each week and the progress they make. I just wish my progress was as amazing as theirs! :) And American Idol is just awesome. I think the reason I love it is because I love to sing, but don't have the confidence to ever do something like that. But it would be amazing to be on that stage! I haven't watched it for a few seasons, but I LOVE this season! There are some amazing talents! I love David Archuletta!! He is such an incredible kid! Amazing voice, adorable personality. I think he is just this wonderfully humble kid with an wonderful talent. I love watching him and I loved his performance last night! I also love David Cook and Michael Johns. I think this season just keeps getting better.

I know it is kind of rediculous to be motivated by reality shows, but hey, if it gets me to the gym, then it is a good thing. Right?!?

can i do it?

so my friend hannah had a goal for march to post daily on her blog to get her doing it reguarly, and she did a great job if you ask me! so i was thinking, it's been a while, and i'm not very good at posting regularly, so why not set the same goal for myself for april. i was actually really excited to do it. but i can't. i realized that in 4 weeks i will be on a big ship in the middle of the pacific ocean and will not be able to post for about a week. so, there goes that goal. but i can post every day up until then. i leave the 25th so my goal is to post every day until then. we'll see how it goes...

april post #1:

i have AMAZING friends! and the fact that my girlfriends from high school have all kept in touch means they are even more amazing!! it's amazing that eight years after high school we can get together and still have a blast and talk for hours. for this moment, we all live in utah county (minus Linz - we miss you!!!) so we needed to plan something before that changed. well, we finally found a time and got to spend a few hours together last friday night. thanks aubs for hosting us and i'm so glad we got to hang out. everyone's lives are soooo different, but we talked about it all. work, husbands, kids, church, families, etc, etc. it was wonderful to be with them all again. (we were also missing lindsey - missed you too!) i really can't wait for it to happen again.

i wanted to post a now and then picture, but then realized that i really don't want you all to see what i looked like in high school...

so here is the now...7 of the 9 girls that were inseperable and for some reason were called "the mafia". :)back row: christa, jen, rachel, aubrey

front row: annika, elisa (lou) and jamie

thanks for such a fun night girlies! let's do it again soon!!!

And wish me luck with this posting every day in april (minus the week i'm gone) thing...