abby girl.

Our sweet dog Abby left us today & the house already feels so empty.

She was the cutest dog ever & we miss her so much.

We love you!

GQ slugger

Yes the baseball games don't stop at the end of the semester.

It's a year round affair.

but boy do I looooove summer games.

90 degree weather > freezing spring season weather

Plus, watching this guy for 3 hours isn't too bad either ;)

summer days

Poolside necessities

shoppin at Tarsjay with the cousins

 

spending time with Coli

catchin up on the lastest gossip

Finally

Its sad when your first day of actual summer begins on June 27th.

But better late than never I guess.

I'm finally done with school!

Wahooo!

& I'm only working 3 days a week,

because the commute down to Orem everyday was killing my soul.

I took a little break from life this weekend, including my blog.

Went to the pool, went on long runs, watched Vampire Diaries, had a bbq, & watched fireworks.

I. was. in. heaven.

But now that I have more time on my hands,

I plan to add more flavor to my posts & maybe even my blog design!

(hopefully...)

So here's to summer & being a lazy bum!

sea foam & turquoise

my new favorite colors

Overwhelmed

Today has surprisingly been a pretty eventful day. I met with my counselor this afternoon to see if I'm on track for graduation, find an internship, & discuss some jobs options. I was so thrilled when she told me I'll for sure be done in April! I wasn't sure it was going to be possible with the extra 10 elective credits I found out I still had to do, but we worked it out & I'm good to go! I seriously cannot wait! The meeting went great, but I couldn't help but feel so overwhelmed too. I have to take 18 credits this fall + work + an internship. Not to mention our internship has to be 320 hours for a measly 6 credits - ughh. & I HAVE to get good grades so I can get into the graduate program I want. Ah! My head is spinning.

After all of that school crap, I got to work & my boss offered me a licensed-agent position-- a major promotion from my current job! Which means a lot more mulah! I'm super excited about it, but it requires a lot of training & a standardized test I have to study for. & I'd have to work more hours. I told him I'd have to get back to him cause I don't know how on earth I'm going to fit this into my schedule!

I. am. overwhelmed.

Big time.

So what does a girl do in times of heightened stress??

Shop & hit the pool!

I'm finished with school on Friday, so I plan on going to the pool on Saturday... ALL DAY! I found these swimsuits at J Crew & I'm debating about which one I want. I like to just buy the tops & mix them with just solid or plain bottoms. That way I can afford to buy more swimsuits without breaking my bank account!

I feel better just looking at these. 

Happy first official day of summer!  

ain't no peter like a sanpeter

This past weekend we went down to good ole Gunnison, Utah for a charity softball tournament. We had a blast hitting up the small town with some old softball friends of Marci's (Willie's sister). While I babysat the kiddos, Willie & his family played 10 teams in the tournament & ended up winning the whole thing! It was a really fun day full of blazing hot weather, trips to the local 5 star diner, four wheeling, & some awesome company!

After the tournament we decided to go to the Manti Pageant since it was so close to Gunnison & because I had never been. It was amazing to see the reenactment of the Restoration of the church just below the beautiful Manti temple. I have to admit though... I did fall asleep toward the end, but thats just a better reason to go back! Overall, the weekend was perfect & next time maybe I'll join in on the game!

Father's day

"Father . . . is ever willing to sacrifice his own comfort for that of his children. Daily he toils to provide the necessities of life, never complaining, ever concerned for the well-being of his family. This love for children, this desire to see them well and happy, is a constant in a time of change."

-President Thomas S. Monson

I am so lucky to have been blessed with the greatest dad ever. He has never, not once raised his voice or yelled. He is the funniest guy you'll ever meet. He is our own personal handyman that can literally fix anything from computers, cars, sprinklers, or even my jewelry. He is patient. He is a the hardest worker- he's first to get to the office & the last to leave. He is charitable & is constantly sacrificing his time for others. He is soft-spoken & calm. He is a goofball & loves to tease me, my mom, & my sister. He is my sushi buddy :) He is an amazing artist. He is our "neighborhood watchman." He spoils me & my sister rotten. He is loving husband. He has a strong testimony of the gospel & loves his Savior, Jesus Christ & Father in Heaven.

He is the absolute best.

I love you dad! 

WILLpower

In my human diseases class for school I had to pick a disease to research & report to the class at the end of the semester. I knew immediately that I wanted to do some kind of cancer because I already knew a lot about it due to some personal experiences with it.

When I was 10 my cousin was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, which is a malignant bone tumor that usually occurs from rapid growth in adolescents. The cancer began in his knee & quickly metastasized to his lungs & other areas of his body. It eventually lead to his death shortly after his 12th birthday. It was a horrific experience that I will never forget. But it sparked an interest in me to learn more about this disease & to live a healthier lifestyle for myself.

A few years after my cousin's death, my parents told me that our dear family friend, Steve Williams had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. I didn't know much about lung cancer, but I did know anything that ended in the word 'cancer' was no good.

Steve was strong, fit, healthy, & an avid marathon runner & biker. Never smoked a day in his life, but here he was at the age of 45 battling with lung cancer. Steve & his family kept an online journal of his story, experiences, & updates of his condition. You can read it here.

I finally decided to do my project on lung cancer & to share Steve's story.

Steve loved to bike & loved Lance Armstrong. His family recreated the LIVESTRONG bands with their own WILLpower bands in support of Steve & his fight with cancer. I called Steve's wife, Mary Ann to ask her if she would let me give everyone in my class these bands. She graciously gave me a whole bag of them! She loved the idea & was so sweet & supportive to let me share Steve's experiences.

I gave my presentation yesterday & it went perfect.  My entire class was intrigued & brought to tears by the end. Steve's fight for life & his family's unity & devotion to him was incredible to witness & recreate.

The Williams family are rockstars! They are so incredibly strong & will always be so dear to mine & my family's hearts. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to know Steve & the Williams family.

"When cancer melts everything else away, even my life, I will still have my family and nothing can take them away from me, not even physical death."

-Steve Williams,

April 9, 2006

With love & WILLpower.

H&M summer

weekend snapshots

1. Testin out the new phone
2. Will's 4 year-old niece babysitting my 7 month-old nephew
3. Nick & Steph's gorgeous wedding
4. Hittin' the range at Mulligans
5. Golf timee
6. The weekly frozen yogurt
7. Teaching my mom's adorable sunbeams
8. Coli boy

moving up in the world

I finally joined the rest of the world & got an iphone.

And I have to admit I'm obsessed.

What are some 'must-have' apps??

Weekend fun

This past weekend I surprised Willie with a 'birthday' day because he was gone on his birthday last month. We first went to Normandie cafe for breakfast & then we went horseback riding in Alpine. It was a lot of fun! Will said he knew what we were doing.... but he didn't. He thought we were going to Lagoon ha. It was such a perfect day & the weather was amazing!

After horseback riding we went & rested a bit cause we woke up wayyy early to go riding. I had a few things planned later that night but some ideas kinda fell through :( We ended up meeting Willie's two friends & their wives for chill night for dinner & Boondocks. We were like little kids. We did everything from mini golf to the go karts to the batting cages to laser tag. We literally stayed there till midnight. Ha & we had such a blast! After Boondocks, we ended the day with some dessert. Always a must. Overall the day was perfect. I can't wait for more amazing weekends to come this summer!

(Sorry for the awful quality of pictures. I think my camera was on a weird setting or something but they are way bad! I tried my best to fix them, but no luck. Not to mention it was way bright while horseback riding- hence the squinting faces & bright pics.)