visitors, sleepovers, & surprise parties

This week has been super fun! To start it off, I was driving back from Walmart with Jenna and we saw a group of deer just hanging out in someone's yard.

We also had Maddie and Courtney visit us for the a few days this week. It was a lot of fun to hang out with them again! They are so fun and it was great to be with them. 

I also got a visit from my cute cousin Scotlyn. She came on Friday and stayed with us for the weekend. It was fun to have her join us in all of our craziness. The first night she came, we went to an LTI show and had pizza for dinner. We just hung out the rest of the night, before leaving early the next morning to go up north.

We went to Top Golf on Saturday morning and had a lot of fun. Jenna and Autumn's friend Jared invited us to come, and when we got there we realized it was someone's birthday party. We felt really dumb because we had no idea who Ryan was, and accidentally told him we didn't know that we were at a surprise party (and it was HIS party!). Jenna felt really bad for ruining the surprise, but it gave us a lot to joke about. It was a lot of fun, even though we barely got any points. It was nice to meet some new friends and spend time together.

Later that day we went to Chick-fil-A for lunch and I was able to meet up with my dad and some of my siblings. It was fun to see them and visit with them! We also stopped by my grandparents house. It was really good for Scotty to see them and visit with them. Overall this week has been very fun and a great way to get back into the groove of a new semester.

bowling, valentine's day, & birthday surprises

This week started out as the funnest week! Jenna, Autumn, Ash, and I went bowling with some guys that Jenna and Autumn knew. Even though we all stunk, it was a ton of fun! Afterwards, we all got in Jenna's car and headed to a graveyard. Autumn and I squished in the back to get there. At first it was scary, but once Autumn and I locked out Ash and Jenna we ended up having a great time:) In all seriousness it was really a party and one of the best nights we've had in a long time!

Tuesday night was great, but Wednesday turned out to be really difficult for me. And it was Valentine's Day- one of the best days of the year, right?! But I ended up having a mental breakdown over a problem I had at the Testing Center. After I had come home from choir, I found out that Jenna and Autumn were also having a rough day. Ashlyn definitely made us feel better when she told us there was a candy shop in Manti that was open! We headed over and I got a Peanut Butter S'mores which was so good!

We got home from the candy shop and I saw that my Dad had sent me a Valentine's Day card. It made me so happy to read it and know that he still thought of me, even while I was far away.

Later that night, we all ate pizza and started watching The Bachelor Winter Games. Then Autumn joined us and we had so much fun "wearing" hoodies and dancing around outside. It made us all laugh so hard, and definitely changed our day.

After we finally broke free from the hoodies, we all started to watch The Notebook and made Pazookies. It definitely made this Valentine's Day turn out to be one that we would remember. Although it started off a bit rough, it became one of the funnest nights we've had together.

On Thursday I headed home to surprise my family. They knew that I was going to be headed home this weekend to surprise Sofie for her birthday but Syd was the only one who knew I'd be coming a day early. I met up with Syd after she got done with school and we went to Zupa's to get some lunch. After that I ran to get some balloons for Sofie and for Bryn. I then headed home and surprised them. 

It was so fun to be with them that day! Later that night I watched the movie Masterminds with my dad. It was so fun to just spend time with him and laugh. It was a great way to start out my weekend with all of my family!

On Friday my mom, sisters, and I had gone to run some last minute errands for Sofie's birthday party. Cute little Scarlett came and joined us for the day, and she loved going to Joanne's Craft Store. We got her some beads to make a necklace and she loved it! 

For Sofie's party we went to the ice skating rink. She had a Winter Olympics themed party, and it turned out really cute! The girls got medals, made charm bracelets, and a lot of them learned to ice skate for the first time! It was a lot of fun and all of the girls were really cute!

On Saturday night, my parents were making fun of my PJ bottoms. I knew that I got them big, but I wanted to be comfortable. We then realized they were so big that I could fit Bryn in them with me! We also fit Preston in later, but could barely walk. It was definitely a laughable moment!

On Sunday we had our traditional Valentine's Day dinner. My mom's friend Alissa brought Cornish Game Hens over for my parents after my mom had miscarried. It was that night my Mom & Dad both wished to be parents over the wishbone from the hen. Ever since that night we have always had them for Thanksgiving dinner. This was the first time everyone was able to have their own hen. It grossed Bryn and Preston out when they started to eat theirs, so we may have to cut them in pieces for them next year...

Alissa had actually come over from work later that night. It was so good to catch up with her- we haven't seen her for a while! She ended up sleeping over because we had a snow storm that night. We watched family videos with her and then ate Pazookies for dessert. It was the best way to end the weekend with my family!

I am so grateful I could make so many memories this week. I was so glad that even though I had stressful moments, my friends and family were there to cheer me up!

a weekend with syd & more photoshoot adventures

This weekend was one of the best ever! Syd came down to visit, and it was the only thing that got me through this week. We had so much fun! We talked, laughed, watched movies, and played games. It was so much fun to catch up and I was so grateful for her. She is so cute and sweet. 

On Sunday after church, Jenna came back after being home. We went to pick her up and then went up the dirt road again to take some more pictures. It was really muddy, and we were sliding around while driving. It was a bit scary, but definitely an memorable adventure!

I feel so lucky to have my sister as my best friend. She is so funny and I look up to her in so many ways! Honestly, if I could be half the person she is- I would be so lucky!

adventures & serengetee shoots

This week was a lot of fun! Jenna and I have the opportunity to be representatives for a clothing company called Serengetee. They have fun T-shirts, hats, and other products that endorse traveling to new places. Since we've gotten the email that we were selected as Reps, we have been so excited to take pictures for them. This week was the best week for us to do so, so Ashlyn and Bailee joined us on an adventure. We went up to the Palisades which has a really pretty lake. The weather felt like Spring, it was so nice!

If you're interested in looking at Serengetee's website click here! Also, I highly recommend going on adventures with your friends. We had no idea where we were going, but it ended up being one of the best days ever!

valentine's decor, a weekend alone, & the superbowl

This weekend has felt like a whirlwind! Jenna and I decided to decorate our room for Valentine's Day with the stuff from my care package. It turned out really cute and we loved it!

To be honest, this week was pretty stressful overall. I had so much homework and felt so stressed with school work. I was running on barely any sleep so that I could finish all my homework in time, on top of tests and projects for other classes. I felt like I was drowning and I didn't know what to do. I FaceTimed my parents and just sobbed. They told me to try and breathe and offered me support and finally I was able to get to bed by 1, which was a miracle! By Saturday night I was able to finish everything and I don't know that I could've done it without turning to the Lord. It sounds kinda cliche in a way, but I honestly think that if I didn't pray for strength I would've gone crazy and had unstable emotions. It was also a hard weekend because I was all by myself. It was so hard not to have Jenna here to help me when I was struggling, but at the same time I felt like I was able to accomplish quite a bit. But by Sunday night I was so excited for her to come home! We went to a devotional and then came home to finish watching the Superbowl and JT's halftime performance.

Overall I learned a lot this week. I learned that I need to take more time for myself. I also learned that I needed to get enough sleep and stay focused on my schoolwork so that I can feel prepared and can get to bed in good time. I learned that the college life can get really hard, really fast. But I'm grateful I was able to have my family and friends by my side. They helped me so much and I don't know what I would do without them! I'm also grateful for the power of prayer. I learned that God cares about even the smallest things whether it be help getting to sleep, comfort, or the strength to accomplish goals. Although in the moment I felt like I wouldn't survive this week, I'm so glad I persevered and learned so much more about myself.