how can we make it when you're walking away?

i'm kind of in love with christmas.  i feel like i'm rediscovering it this year, and i love that.

ugly sweater partay tonight for ysa.  i borrowed one, which i'm sure hadn't seen daylight since 20 years ago at least... it smelled like moth balls, and i don't even know what those smell like.

whobilation was a success.  love that family tradition.

i hate facebook.  and some of the things people say on there.

i didn't take my chocolate countdown to christmas calendar to logan, so now i get to eat at least 2 a day.  mm.

i discovered some jon mclaughlin songs i haven't ever heard before.  this is better than early christmas!!  my husband WILL play piano.  and sing.  i'm charmed.  

finally finished unpacking and reorganizing everything in my room.  that was a chore and a half, let me tell you.  the room's got a new look though, and i did some serious dejunking!

in love with little ruby marie.  she was so attentive and happy last night :)

the more i learn about this connecticut shooting, the more my heart hurts.  i've cried more in the past few days than i'd like to admit.

met my new first grade class today. they are DARLING.  i can't wait for january!!

that being said, i actually CAN wait for january.  this christmas break is definitely needed.  definitely needed.  it's great to wake up and have absolutely nothing to do.  bliss!

i needed to read this today when i came across it: "just because you miss someone doesn't mean you need them back in your life.  missing is just a part of moving on."

gonna miss this place and everything that went with it:

p.s.

p.s. i FREAKING need to sell my contract.  aaaaah.

let it be told, let it be written.

sad to be ending my fifth grade practicum experience at adams elementary.  i've grown quite attached to these little ones!  the other day we were practicing for the christmas program, which is tomorrow.  at the end of "we wish you a merry christmas", all the kidlets are supposed to shout "happy holidays!"  and nothing more.  during song practice, this one kid couldn't get that into his head.  after happy holidays the first time he said, "and a happy new year!"  the teacher was upset and made them practice the whole song again, with the "happy holidays" at the end.  again, at the end, he said, "happy holidays... from adams elementary!"  the teacher wanted to be furious, but just chuckled it off.  he's pretty cute anyway.

later that day i was helping the same kid with math.  he's struggling with place value for decimals.  we've been trying for weeks to get it through his head, and just can't seem to help it stick.  as i sat at the table with him, suddenly it hit me: football.  in my limited football knowledge, i related all the place values to positions in football.  we talked about how the quarterback will always be the quarter back, and he will always stand behind the center to get the snap when the ball is in play.  We talked about how the ones place will always be on the left side of the decimal.  how the number in the ones place is just like the quarterback.  about five minutes later we were again looking at a number problem.  i pointed to the number 7, in the ones place and asked, what place is this in.  he shouted "quarterback!"  ha ha... close... at least he's starting to catch on ;)  kids are funny.  i'm going to miss the funny stories from this class, but know i'll get many more in the classes to come!  (1st and 6th here i come...)

today i walked into the living room and audrey was playing guitar, like usual.  she was playing a song she plays often.  a song that i love.  a song called "another lonely day" by ben harper.  today i laid on the couch and listened to the words, and was surprised to see how relevant it feels for today. "yes indeed, i'm alone again, and here comes emptiness crashin' in.  it's either love or hate, i can't find in between... it wouldn't have worked out anyway.  so now it's just another lonely day."  life.  brings you ups and downs.  sometimes we don't understand why things happen the way they do, but i absolutely know God is always always always in charge and never leaves us hanging.  thank goodness for that!

closing up my final chapter here at utah state.  it's a sobering and sullen occasion.  i keep thinking in terms of lasts.  "this is my last tuesday here... this is my last basketball game here... this is my last aggie ice cream run here..."  logan has been good to me. very, very good to me.  so i'm sad to see it go.  they say when one door closes another always opens, and i believe that... but for the first time in my life, i don't have a next step.  i don't konw what the next door will be.  sure, student teaching in the spring and graduation in may, but after that?  beats me.  my life is an open book, just waiting to be filled.  so, let it be written.  mmhmm.

power of ASK

so i'm doing my student teaching in the spring, right?  
i'm moving back to salt lake for it.  
i wanted to teach in granite district.  
my advisor said no, they don't place USU kids in granite. 
i asked if i could put it as my first choice anyway.  
she said, ok, doesn't hurt? 
i turned my application in.  
the office lady said, oh we've never had anyone request granite. 
i said, that's because it's on your no request list. 
she said she'd make a few phone calls and see what she could do. 
i smiled.  
i got my placement on wednesday. 
i'm student teaching in granite district.  
granite district is huge.  30ish elementary schools. 
i could've gone anywhere. 
the office lady didn't know my home address BUT
the school she's placed me at is oakridge... 
oakridge is not 4 minutes from my house.  
i cried when i opened that e=mail. 
the Lord is so good to us. 
the power of ASK is incredible and real.  
you get what you want when you ask for what you want.  

in other news, it's the weekend!  huzzah!  

p.o.p.c.o.r.n.

you learn something new everyday.
sometimes things that you should've known before.
TOTALLY should've known before.
yesterday in science class, mrs. scheele was teaching the little ones about physical changes.
we were talking about popcorn... and hypothesizing whether it was a physical or chemical change.
when she was talking about where popcorn comes from, i was astounded to learn it came from corn!
did you know this?  i think i'm probably the only one that didn't realize this... ha ha ha...
but i sat there in awe.  they take it off the stalk and shuck it then dry it out and shake out the kernels and you can pop them to make pop corn.  you'd think with the name "popped corn" i'd catch on... hah!

life just makes so much sense.
i'm glad to be educated now.

ps.  americans consume 500,000,000 pounds of popcorn every year!  i'm pretty sure a good 1,000 of those pounds happen at grandpa anderson's house :)

our big gnome.

today we lost our dear cousin, brian condie.  after a battle with colon cancer for years, it finally took him.  my thoughts and prayers are continually with him, his sweet wife and 2 beautiful daughters, and all other family members.  life is so fragile.  we'll miss the "big gnome".  i'll be wearing this shirt tomorrow in honor of him.

#140.

last night was the calgary temple youth cultural celebration.  i watched the live feed and SO wished i was up there in person watching it all!  the youth did an incredible job with the program, and it seemed to go off without a hitch.  it made me incredibly homesick for calgary, though.  man.  can't wait to get back up there are go through the temple and see the progress it's helped in the missionary force!  i am so grateful for the calgary temple and the addition it is going to be to all the faithful members in alberta!  the 3rd temple in the province, and #140 in the world!  pretty cool!

one thing that absolutely struck me about the program was just a short part that happened near the beginning.  they showed a video from president monson, who was watching the broadcast of the celebration from his home in salt lake city.  president monson expressed that while he wishes he could be in calgary to see it live, his wife was celebrating her 85th birthday on saturday, and he felt it was more important to spend the day with her, surrounded by family and celebrating her life.  he said, "i'm sure you'll understand."   he and his dear wife would take an early flight on sunday morning to make it to calgary in time for the temple dedications that will take place today.

as i was listening to president monson explain this, i couldn't help but think, "now here is a man that truly practices what he preaches, and practices exactly what the gospel of Jesus Christ emphasizes, that family always comes first."  it would've been so easy for him to drag his wife to calgary and celebrate her birthday there, but he felt it was more important to allow her to spend the time with her children and family members in salt lake, and simply watch the cultural celebration from afar.  what a gem.  our dear prophet is surely a man of God, and an incredible example for all of us.

text me maybe

"i'm leaving 4 japan tomorrow & if i get eaten by Godzilla I'm totally going to miss you," says Ferny Carpenter. 

... I'll miss you too, buddy.

"once we went past drumheller it felt like we were on the moon it was so empty.  seriously sara i was legit freaking out.  we had like hardly any gas and it was dark and it felt like we were on the moon," says Logan Lewis.

... the moon, really?

"i'm going to kill a thousand birds with this stone."  "what does that even mean?"  "there's that saying about killing seven birds with a stone."  "...mom, it's two birds..." says Margaret and Hannah Ence.

... and i thought i was confused.

"our personal house elf put clean towels and wash cloths in the bathroom.  if you didn't bring any shampoo you're welcome to use mine with a $1.00 surcharge for each ounce you use," says Deb Ireland.

...feels like the marriott.

"search for 'guy on a buffalo' on youtube and watch the first couple episodes, you will be happier.  it brings happiness and it will be stuck in your head for minimum 24 hours," says Parker Ence.

...i want that 5 minutes of my life back, and, you were right.

"if you can stalk them, you should..." says Melissa K. Condie.

...most useful hobby, my friend.  most useful hobby.

"you wouldn't happen to have a hammer would you?"  "negative, lo siento!"  "that's ok, i used my fist."  "knuckles of steel."  "pretty much.  in unrelated news, would you happen to have a spare nail?"  says Josh Jeppson.

...pretty sure that's related news.

"whenever they look at each other, their eyes look very warm and cordial.  i saw it!"  says Yerin Lee.

...yes, Lin, I would agree that they should date.

"remember how you didn't know you could use your volume button to take pictures?!"  asks Nikki Hodson.

...how could i forget.

"sara, i just want to date someone in America."  says Jenele Vander Veur.

... don't we all, Jenele.  don't we all.

in other news, i finished my last college course today.  EVER.  i'm done.  done done done.  it is a strange, stressful, yet liberating feeling.

3 life miracles

"gain and loss, birth and death, are in the hands of God."  --sri saytha sai baba

life is full of miracles.  today i wish to speak about 3 angels in my life.  3 large miracles that have happened this week.  i feel bittersweet... some of the most opposite yet serene miracles have occurred in my family and circle of influence in just the span of a few days.

my sweet grandpa ence passed away this week, on his 68th anniversary, and just after his 94th birthday.  he was ready to go, but of course will be greatly missed.  i will never forget grandpa's smile and raspy voice saying, "give me a squeeze!" or his love for the university of utah!  i bleed red because of grandpa ence.  i was able to say goodbye over the phone, and will never forget his last "i love you" for me.  he's been waiting for this day for a long time, and i'm at peace knowing he's out of misery and experiencing the sweet reunions and lovely spirit in the spirit world.  the plan of salvation is real, and i know i will have a glorious reunion with my dear grandpa one day.

this picture was taken on memorial day this year.  we got grandpa out of the house (a daunting feat) to go see his parents' graves.  interesting to think the next time we are there, we will be visiting him.  i will never forget this smile and how happy he was this day.  you are an angel to me, grandpa!

early this morning, little ruby marie ence entered the world.  i can't wait to meet this little angel, she is perfect.  congratulations, parker and laci!  you've started the new russell ence generation :)  

a little later this morning, my dear friend yerin lee was baptized.  i met yerin about 2 months ago when she showed up for church.  yerin has the light of christ in her eyes, and it was a beautiful morning to see her go into the waters of baptism and make that covenant with her Heavenly Father, then to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  elder kim gave the confirmation blessing in korean, and it was beautiful.  yerin said she didn't want to come out of the water because it was so warm and felt like a mother's hug, that she had never been happier in all her life.  she is truly an angel on earth.  

god is truly in everything, if we but open our eyes to see.  

i am a child of god.

they always say the primary songs are laced with doctrine.  i would have to agree.  come with me on a little journey i went on tonight.  some things i discovered about the doctrine in the beautifully simple song we all sing all the time, "i am a child of god."

I am a child of God – I am literally a daughter of God!  He’s my Father.  I am a daughter of a King.  The Almighty Creator, the Endless, Eternal Being God.  But more importantly than all those titles, He is MY Father.  And that means SO many things.  My favorite thing that means is that He loves me with an unconditional, unchanging, eternal, abiding love! 

And He has sent me here – He sent me here, so we must have been somewhere with Him before we came here.  Here – specifically, not randomly, but HERE I am sent.  He sent ME, specifically.  We are here for a reason, not by accident. He knows me. 

Has given me an earthly home – Here is specifies an earthly home, so there must be a heavenly home as well.  He gave it to me.  He made it for me.  He created this Earthly home for ME.  He loves me so He gave it to me.  He has given me everything I have here.  This Earth is home. 

With parents kind and dear – We are placed in families for a reason.  The family is the most basic unit in society.   We are meant to be in family units.  This song doesn’t say He sent me here all alone.  No, we are sent WITH parents kind and dear.  I was placed in the family I am for a very specific purpose.  There was nothing random about that.  They are my parents and I am their earthly daughter for a reason.  My parents have traits that were given to them by a loving Heavenly Father that will enable them to raise and teach me the way Heavenly Father sees best. 

I am a child of God – This means me, personally!! 

And so my needs are great – No one is perfect.  Everyone has needs and everyone makes mistakes.  We are all different, but we all have needs.  Heavenly Father didn’t make anyone of us perfect because He wants us to rely on the Savior, the only perfect man to walk the earth.  Our needs may be great, but Christ’s sacrifice takes those needs and weaknesses and turns them into strengths. 

Help me to understand His words – Understanding His words is an active process that I must be constantly striving for.  He has words.  He has given us words to live by, to guide and direct us, to help us along the way.  We are not left to do this earth thing alone.  I can ask for help.  I can ask for help anytime I want.  He is always there, and WANTS us to understand His words… I just have to ASK!  And He wants us to ask!

Before it grows too late – There will be a time when it IS too late.  Time is a temporary thing.  The time is ever ticking and passing, soon it will be too late to change.  The test is now.  All the changing must occur before that time is up. 

I am a child of God – Each verse starts with this simple statement of truth.  I AM A CHILD OF GOD.  And because I am a child of God….

Rich blessings are in store – Heavenly Father has great things planned and reserved for ME.  They are not only blessings, but RICH blessings.  When I think of rich, I think of abundant.  Prosperous.  Full.  Plentiful.  Well-off.  He has rich blessings for us, because He loves us.  But these blessings are conditional…

If I but learn to do His will – “If” signifies there is a stipulation, a condition that must be met.  These blessings promised are conditional upon us learning, accepting, understanding, following, and applying His will to our lives.  Thus the importance of the aforementioned cry to “Help me to understand His words”!  We not only have to understand His will or know His will, but DO His will.  Doing is an active process!

I’ll live with Him once more – This is our end goal, that “rich blessing” that we are all striving for!  “Once more” suggests that we were with Him before.  We are temporarily away, but we can and will go back!  What a blessing, to be able to live with our Heavenly Father again! The word “live,” testifies that this life isn’t the end, that we will indeed live beyond the grave, that there is life after death!  And we will be living WITH Him.  Not by Him or in the general vicinity of Him, but WITH HIM. 

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me – The chorus is a plea for help from us, as His children, to a loving Father.  We need His leadership, His guidance, and the gift of Him walking right beside us.  That is the beauty of this life- that He WILL walk right beside us.  Again, we are never alone! 

Help me find the way – There is one correct way.  We must find it if we are to be blessed with those things we stand in need of, or that He has in store.  Sometimes it can be tricky to find the way… which is why it is a constant work and effort on our part.  Help is always there.  Again, we just have to ask. 

Teach me all that I must do – Heavenly Father is the greatest teacher.  There are things everyday that we must learn.  We are not saved by faith alone, there are things that we must DO – apply the gospel and the Atonement into our lives.  That’s what we must DO.  MUST.  It’s not optional.  If we want the promised blessings, we have to do things the way Heavenly Father outlined for us to do them.  We are not only Heavenly Father’s children, but also His students.  We are constantly learning from the best teacher, if we will let Him be our teacher.  There are lots of things to learn too.  We must be willing to learn ALL that we must do.  Not just enough to get by or be happy.  But EVERYTHING that is required of us, hard or easy, painful or not, we must do it ALL.  

To live with Him someday – Because this is the beautiful end goal, how appropriate that this line is repeated, and stands as the end of a beautiful song.  We never know when our “someday” will be… but we do know that it will come, sometimes at a time when we least expect it. 

click here! you won't regret it!

in the past i would try, try hard.

today, i found a pretty green bird, DEAD, at the elementary school.  in the middle of the sidewalk right in front of the front door.  naturally, being the good citizen i am, i promptly told the office lady about it.  she looked at me with the nastiest look of disbelief and shrugged, "so?"  seriously?  ... a kid came in crying two minutes later.  should've listened to me, office lady.  should've listened.

had to teach a class about punctuation today.  you better believe i role played with my roommate last night!  (poor jenele...)  who knew all those painful companionship studies would come in handy one day!

smith's was having a 4 for $12 sale on cases of dr. pepper.  of course shannen bought all 4 packs.  and, it was only $10!  take that fresh market!  ...and let's just say now we know why shannen is so hyper all the time...

we always get out of reading class an hour and a half early. today was no exception.  i feel like i should complain because i'm paying for the full 3 hours 15 minutes, but it is SO nice, especially when it's the last class of the week.

groupon is going to be the death of me.  seriously....

math teacher claims 4 hours alloted for online test will be sufficient.  panicked student today said it took her all 4 hours.  shoot me now.  i don't think i even have 4 free hours to set aside.

ward mission leader forgot to tell me it was my turn to teach on sunday.  good thing i felt like i should ask.  and good thing i've never met him... all in good time i suppose.  but honestly, the orders over text message are getting old... ba ha ha.

while i'm here being bombarded with sweatshirt-worthy nights and crisp, fall mornings, allie is over celebrating life on a cruise!  j e a l o u s.  hopefully she'll bring us back some sand.  mm.

got a letter from zack today.  he included a letter from an angry anti-mormon lady they ran into.  the letter was pretty funny actually.  what makes it even more funny is that zack ALWAYS runs into the antis!  always ALWays ALWAYS.  too too funny!  i'll post it here:

"dear anthony and zack,
as promised i have sought God's wisdom and written down the doctrinal differences that separate our beliefs.  please be honest... i would like you to address each of these doctrines with your 'scripture' references.
i pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will reveal the TRUTH to you, remove the scales of blindness and deception from your hearts and minds, and that you will be released form the bondage of the Mormon cult and enter into the freedom and love and salvation that Jesus Christ has appointed for you should you receive Him into your life as Lord and Savior.
God loves you, and so do i... in Christ's love, i tell you, you are deceived and believing a lie, a false Jesus and a false spirit.  worst of all, you are preaching false gospel.  you are in my prayers and i invite you to accept Christ, the TRUE AND ONLY GOD."

thanks for your concern, lady, but i'm pretty darn happy where i'm at.  i'm glad people are all entitled to their own opinions, and that God works with everyone to guide them to truth.  and hey, i believe more people should be preaching and publicizing their faith!  too many people are closet believers.  so, more power to her.  i've always wondered about the false Jesus concept... there's just one Jesus, how can the mormon Jesus be different from everyone else's?  these are the questions i ponder at night.

fare thee well, i'm off to the library.

ps. banana bread with rin!

weekend hangover. nbd.

batman partay - happy birthday parker! 

red pants day!  u of u/byu game.  go UTES!

town meeting... vote YES! 

fishing expedition... shoutout to L. Lewis

i hate weekend hangovers.  blah....mondayyyyy... 

hiatus.

recent hiatus.  my apologies.  the sad reality is that summer is over.  the newish jon mclaughlin song appropriately titled "summer is over" has been running through my head these first three weeks of school.  three weeks?  has it already been three weeks?!  time sure flies, especially when you're having fun, as they say.  and if i had a quarter for every time i quoted that on this here blog... well... anyway.  most my usu friends have moved away since i've been there - marriage (what is this thing called love?) and graduation (who needs a job anyway?).  some days i feel like a freshman all over again, but actually i don't really feel like a freshman at ALL.  did i used to be that annoying and tiny?  don't answer that, but sometimes i wonder.  hah!  mostly i'm just done with the social scene of college... sometimes i find it hard to believe i used to be able to stay up so late and still get up so early and yet still find time to get all my homework done.  seems like a dream!  the only logical conclusion is that, yes, i am getting old.  i need my 8 hours of sleep and the 1am dance partay just isn't as appealing as it used to be... ha.  also i'm kinda done with the whole living away from home thing too.  i'm a homebody, that's all there is to it.  (probably explains why i've been home not once, but all threeee weekends since school started. hah.  don't judge.)    that being said, logan tugs at my heart strings.  i just love it up here.  

one of my favorite things in the world is fall weather!!  the cool fall air is to the point that we almost can't keep our windows open at night anymore.  and driving down sardine canyon you can see the leaves are changing into that spectacular red, unique to cache valley.  mm mmm love me some fall weather.  i don't know what i would do without the changing seasons.  sure love utah.  and of course the fall weather brings football season.  i didn't realize how much i missed football season for the last two years.  last week my aggies beat my utes... i was torn in who to cheer for, but it all worked out ok.  go aggies :)  this week, the ultimate rival byu-utah will go down - it's a red-out, i'm pretty stoked on it.  like, red corduroy pants stoked.  good old footgame, foot...game.  

trying to play catch up would be impossible, but let's just say it's been 5 months since the mission, yet that seems like a far distant dream.  not a day goes by i don't think of the mish, but it seems so far away i wonder did i ever even go?!  oh canada.  my heart longs for you.  but life back home is good too.  i do miss having a companion though, which is weird because that's the thing i was most worried about leaving.  guess i didn't realize how great it was to have a buddy super glued to your hip all the time.  back to the real meaning of missions though - Heavenly Father has given me plentyyyyy of experiences to share the gospel and reactivate since being home, which i'm extremely happy about.  guess what, you can be a missionary without the tag, who would've thought ;)  and this new ZION DAY that the holladay ysa stake has initiated is saving my life.  probably one of the coolest thing i've been part of.  just can't get enough.  i was sad to be released from my summer calling of ward missionary, but don't you worry, bishHOP despain has called me to be a ward missionary in my new ward too... with the wml that has been home all of 3 weeks, bless his heart.  i heart missionary mindedness!  (it's not work, it's a lifestyle)  

not sure when you, my faithful 2 readers, will hear from me again, but until next time, just remember that...

the quest for perfection

"When comparing one’s personal performance with the supreme standard of the Lord’s expectation, the reality of imperfection can at times be depressing. My heart goes out to conscientious Saints who, because of their shortcomings, allow feelings of depression to rob them of happiness in life.  We all need to remember: men are that they might have joy—not guilt trips! 2 We also need to remember that the Lord gives no commandments that are impossible to obey. But sometimes we fail to comprehend them fully.  Our understanding of perfection might be aided if we classify it into two categories. The first could pertain uniquely to this life—mortal perfection. The second category could pertain uniquely to the next life—immortal or eternal perfection." -- Russell M. Nelson

desert watermelon

remember when i used to look like this?  

some days i miss my long hair.  some days.  

high on summertime

"the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."  - st. augustine

we read a few pages in the world book this week.  operation alberta tour = success.  many highlights to be had.  among the top was visiting friends, previous investigators, missionaries and 2 of the best:

 calgary stampede.

did you know that calgary has THE largest rodeo in the world?  i spent last summer in okotoks, a smallish city 30km south of calgary.  being here i didn't realize just how big of a deal the stampede was.  but it is a BIG deal.  big big deal.  everyone, i'm talking everyone dresses up for it.  people all around downtown with a cowboy hat and boots on!  plaid shirts wherever the eye can see.  for some, the stampede is a great excuse to get hammered drunk every night.  hah!  downtown literally transforms into a cowboy town.  needless to say i was in cowboy heaven.  cowboy heaven.

so of course we got our own cowboy on and hit up the stampede like any good tourists would do.  i felt especially great because it was the 100th anniversary of the stampede!  woo! we even got a picture with the mounties (who my mom is overly obsessed with for some odd unexplainable reason)  don't judge the teacher thumbs up or my "hipster jeans". 

banff.  

i've been here before.  twice, actually.  but both times in the bleak of calgary winter, which as you may or may not know is realllllly cold.  what a different place banff is in the summer!  b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.  mmm mmm mmmmm.  again we, being the tourists we are, did all the natural, normal tourist things: johnstons canyon, moraine lake, lake lousie, the hot springs, banff springs hotel, and a little late night shoppin' on "the strip".  good times were had by all.  

probably the best part of banff was the canoe ride on moraine lake.  han and i rocked it.  the water was bluer than blue and i couldn't have been happier.  

and... as much denial as i was in the first time around, a week without my phone was actually refreshing.  here's to a happy alberta summer.  

kinda like the sunrise,

want to see this.

ccm reunited.

miss erin kathleen riley is now mrs. erin kathleen humphries! 

had a stellar weekend roadtrip to san diego to take part in the action. 

probably the funniest sealing i've been to (not that i've been to too many...)

what a beautiful bride.  and even with the awkward hug, hey tony, you're beautiful too.  

best wishes to the new happy couple!  

to be in love...  

"thinkin' of you!"  

gotta love the mini mission reunions :)  

i'm glad i'm only picturing the moment

a few song lyrics to describe this week:   

"so long, my almost lover" 

"are you gonna kiss me or not?"

"I hate the sun for setting on yesterday"


"call me, maybe?" 

"could've had a castle" 

"i'll meet you halfway if you come in the long way"

"all the right friends in all the right places"

"be still, my soul"

"the glass is tipping in my favor... life gave me lemonade, i can't imagine why...i'm a sucker for happy endings... thanks for the lemonade!"  

"be a best friend, tell the truth, overuse 'i love you'"

"drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain"

"it was enchanting to meet you"  

"i'd talk to you if only i could speak"

"i love the miles between me and the city"

"headed out west with my headphones on..." 

...peacin' out to san diego.  laters!  

check out the times here

because we're cool like that...

love, kristen

all those promising promises...

obsessed with this: 

mmmm!  

... were on your list

i'd dream of you if i could fall asleep

sorry about the blogging sabbatical.  it's been a busy week!

at work we got our 67,000 flyers in for the festival!  [all folded incorrectly.]  so... i spent a disgusting amount of my life last weekend refolding 33,000 of them.  so fun.  thankfully, as of today, that nightmare of a project is overrrrr

parker and laci are officially 100% having a baby girl.  they brought the ultra sound movie over last night. show stopper ;)  i'm excited to be an aunt, and apparently Elder Ence is too?  "YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA LACI AND PARKER ARE HAVING A BABY GIRL!  YAYAYAYAY IT'S GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL JUST LIKE HER UNCLE AWESOME, I MEAN COLEMAN!  YAY FOR BABIES!  YAY FOR GIRLS!  YAY FOR THE HAPPY COUPLE!  YAY FOR OLD GRANDPARENTS!  PAPA ENCE AND BABUSHKA MARGARITA!"  ... wow...

fill the ark was a smashing success, as always.  good job, dad.  han and i held down the fort at the previous years t-shirt selling booth.  booyah.  there was a live yak this year.  yakity yak, they sure gave back.

front row standing room at jon mclaughlin on friday.  SO GOOD.  i loved him before, but love him eevn more now.  mm mm mmmm.  promising promises=mmm!  the epicness of the night was completed when drunk woman [attempted] to take our picture and then wanted to kick it momma, daughter style.  hm.

chillin with a boy named coleman these days.  not my brother.  (though i do wish he was home!)  coleman and i went on a little 4 wheeling/jeep-like adventure in the centerville mountains, honestly a little scary, buuuuuut so much fun.  and... the view was delicious!

i know what i want.  but.  i feel a small, actually perhaps large, missionary opportunity is on the horizon, so a little torn between current situations.

kristen and i have been having lots of bonding time in aimee's car delivering the flyers for all these dang schools.  i realized a lot of the schools around here have been rebuilt and are gorgeous!  jump on the band wagon, upland terrace!

speaking of band wagons, everyone should stop getting married.

boondocks adventure was also a smashing success.  after getting soaked in the bumper boats (poor jen, yours was poopy), and a few epic games of mini golf, laser tag, and go carting it up, we hit up the arcades and won some stuff.  coleman beat me in the spider shootout, but i owned in basketball.  or maybe karsen did... now i can't remember.  boondocks rocks!  (so does rhyming!)

kristie is getting married next week.  had a little tea party to celebrate.  yes, even wore a fancy hat with fake flowers.  mm.  you'd be proud.

went to visit the new millcreek library recreation center... and got kicked out!  for the full story, click here.  


work is crazy this week: it's festival crunch time!

"when you're ready to go, we'll go." - dad "well let's go then" - grandpa. "i'm glad you still have your sense of humor, dad." - dad  "i...really don't." - grandpa.  hey, at least we got him out of the house!

tootles.

even the sun sets in paradise

introducing: 
we're at a payphone
read away!  

put her right on the table

i woke up this morning and realized it was may 24th.  i've been trying to remember all day why that day sounded so important, like some momentous thing happened on a may 24th somewhere in my life.  i thought about it literally all day, trying to decide why may 24th sounded so familiar.  well.  remember this post?  it was from 2 summers ago around this time.  may. 24. 2010 was the day i decided officially to serve a mission.  how could i forget that?!  the day that altered and changed my life for the better in so many beautiful and unexpected ways.  the day that kicked off the happiest summer of my life.  that day seems so long ago, but will forever be engrained in my heart.  today, may. 24. 2012 i feel a completely different set of emotions from 2 years ago, not necessarily better or worse, just different.  and isn't that the way life is.  can't think of a better way to spend tonight than chillin' with mission amigos in happy valley.  i'm happy.  in the valley.  so i'll go to happy valley just one more time.

... all it takes is the moonlight...

my summer baby

back at the yearly grind... the venture outdoors festival!  LOVIN' IT!  Hot off the press, just got the full, detailed, never before seen 2012 program!  woo!  

you better be there... after all, life's better outside! 

Open publication - Free publishing - More canyon rim

has the day of miracles ceased?

when i was leaving the mission one month ago, my little brother coleman said he still expected me to send him weekly miracles i was seeing.  it was a small almost fleeting comment, but i've thought about it a lot since being home.  we always hear about the amazing miracles missionaries see and experience.  as a missionary my eyes were opened to just how many miracles there are daily and really every moment of our lives, i made the commitment, inspired by coleman, to continue to seek and recognize those miracles in "normal" life.  wanted to share one with you today:

tuesday i was running an errand for my boss.  just heading to a business a few blocks away from our office to pick up some checks and pins for an event we had on wednesday.  after i picked up all the supplies, i was pulling out of the parking garage and accidentally went the wrong way, thinking there were 2 exits.  it wasn't a big deal, only wasted about 5 seconds of my time because i quickly turned around and went the other way.  i kept driving along 600 east downtown to get back to the office.  usually the lights going north - south on 6th are extremely long so i was surprised when i came to the 200 south intersection and the light was green.  i went to proceed into the intersection when suddenly this huge semi came tearing through the other way!  he had run a red light at a ridiculously fast speed.  if i had been even a few seconds earlier, i would've been hit broadside and most likely killed.  he was going so fast, not paying attention, and if my car and the semi got in a fight i would not have won... after i caught my breath a bit, and replayed what had just happened, just pulled over and said a fervent prayer thanking Father for sparing me from that accident. 

i guess you just never know why some things happen the way they do.  "has the day of miracles ceased?  i say unto you, nay!"  

strength in vulnerability

"it's good to be strong and able to bless others, yes.  but we learned the value of being vulnerable to let others be strong for us, to let others bless us.  that, it turned out, was a blessing to them as well."
-- heaven is for real todd burpo

cha cha slide that.

spoke with the little bro yesterday.  elder ence is doing great.  it's already been 20 months since i've seen him and still got another 14 to go!  couldn't come soon enough! he's serving as zone leader of an english area right now... so when they find spanish people they have to turn them over! so lame! 

mother's day was a success.  i sure love my mom.  she's great.
even when she's pretending to sleep on the floor in the middle of the day.  

had an interesting dinner conversation about what mom and dad will be called once they become grandparents in october.  my dad's favorite - "oh great one".  how can you resist this face.  

confessions of a returned missionary: 

still get nervous when backing a car without a backer... 

can't sleep alone yet... 

still have the weather on my iphone set to celsius degrees... 

feel most comfortable with a skirt on... 

blush when i hug boys... 

no longer know how to flirt... 

oh well.  

hannah came to ysa fhe with me tonight.  people sometimes think she's one of the ysa.  she hates that, i think it's swell.  hannahbear is my best friend!  sheer excitement right here. can you tell.  

parker and lace are in hawaii right now.  did i ever mention they are expecting a baybay?  i'm finally going to be an aunt!  it's about time.  don't you worry, they are bringing back chocolate macadamia nuts from the aloha land. 

julia's just as princess as she ever was.  she grew up the most while i was gone.  so tall now.  just turned 12.  still rules the home.  she's so smart.  does insane math problems in her head and knows the most random facts about the most random things.  

don't you wish you were an ence?!  

seek.

i was struck this morning as i read in the recent general conference the opening talk by president monson.  he spoke about the terrible things in the world, then said "there is much that is difficult and challenging in the world today, my brothers and sisters, but there is also much that is good and uplifting." he then quoted the 13th article of faith: "if there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."  

to me, it is no coincidence the usage of the word seek.  in a world where values, morals, and standards are crumbling, seeking for the good should be, really has to be, our main priority.  evil is more readily accessible than good, then it ever has been, and is often the easy way out.  luckily we have been given many promises to help us combat this evil, one of which says, "be of good cheer, i have overcome the world."  

elder holland once said that the commandment to "be of good cheer" was one of the most widespread disobeyed commandment of all time.  "men are, that they might have joy" - and it is only through the pursuit of "anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy" that we can find that cheer and joy we are searching for, and that Father in Heaven wants us to feel everyday.    

president monson expresses a heartfelt thanks to each of us for our service then says, "it is such service that enables the Lord to accomplish many of His purposes here upon the earth."  the Lord has designed very specific ways of helping us feel satisfaction and happiness, and service to Him is one of the best.  think about God.  His whole work and glory is to bring us all back to Him and allow us to live in a state of perfect happiness - a fulness of joy - surrounded by and eternally tied to those we love most.  our commission here on earth - our whole purpose for existing - is to aid in that work.  how humbling is that?!  

the gospel is true.  God lives.  His promises are real, tangibly so.  we are never alone.