nothing like this

I was given the wonderful opportunity by my parents to go home to Minnesota this weekend. I could not have loved it more. I was able to see my family and my very best friends in the whole wide world which was much needed, I have missed them dearly. Right off the plane I headed to the Armstrong girls' rugby game to support my little babies. 

thank you jordan.

I was really lucky to be able to see a ton of events that I wouldn't have been able to see due to living in Provo. I got to see Caroline's 8th grade choir concert and she had a solo in Michael Jackson's, "We Are the World". She rocked it obviously. I got to see one of Quinn's rugby games where he's an all-star. So proud. Caroline's piano recital ended up being on Sunday so I got to go to that and hear her play which was good. Then the adventure of going to the airport on Monday night, getting to my gate, finding out my flight was delayed, and ending up having to come back home just to take a flight very early in the morning the next day. But the lucky thing that came out of that was that I got to see the freshmen/varsity spring choir concert at Armstrong, so I got to see Quinny sing. It really brought last year back to me and just how significant spring concert was in my life last year. I'm really sad I couldn't be there for Concert Choir's.

Most important event of the weekend and the one that I'm most proud of is that Mom graduated! She got her K-8 teaching license and her master's degree from St. Thomas University. She has worked so incredibly hard to achieve this and I'm so happy for her. She is going to be an amazing teacher and her students are so lucky. Thanks for still being such a wonderful mom while being a straight-A college student! We love you.

reesie ree, here is your blog post...

it's been awhile, i apologize. lots has happened since last i checked in. i finished my freshman year of college which was quite the accomplishment for me. my grades improved immensely and i actually believe im smart again. i moved out of the dorms which was a bittersweet experience. holler to my roommate melissa, i shall miss those late night great times we had...

now i live with sarah passey and she is wondrous. leaving the dorms meant having to say goodbye to really amazing people in my life because they're going off on missions.

i will miss these boys a little too much.

but perfectly, my family came about a week and a half ago because my oldest brother, ian, had his graduation ceremonies. he's graduating in graphic design and we're all really proud of him and all the hard work he's done. 

lil lee is seriously getting way too cute for his own good. oh! i don't think i've made this a public blog announcement but katie is pregnant again but with a girl this time! super exciting, she's due at the end of august. but liam is just growing up so fast and loved getting so much attention from his grandparents and quinn and caroline. 

okay grown up

as wonderful as it was to have my family here, they left all too soon. it hasn't been all fun for me this spring, i'm definitely bored more than not with only working 8-12 so i'm trying to find ways to occupy myself and not completely waste my time. i'm lucky enough to have parents that love me enough to fly me home for a visit in a week and a half! i need to go home and see my friends and be at my house and drive MY car (not quinn's) and just soak in the lovely minnesota for a little bit. it's been a little bit lonely here and i am needing a break and a refresher. i'll get to see caroline's choir concert, quinn's rugby game, and my mom's commencement ceremony so it will be well worth the trip.          

Adieu, adieu, adieu

this weekend i had the pleasure of going to my friend's cabin up in who knows where. but let me tell you, it was a blast! i found out that it was strange for me to have lived in minnesota my whole life and never snowmobiled, but apparently that's not normal. the group went up saturday night and it was raining and sleeting and the snowmobile ride up to the cabin itself was hysterical. poor liv...ha. but all was made better with a hot tub, a burning hot furnace, and correcting karli's lyrics and melodies to "i say a little prayer for you" and "so long, farewell". sunday included watching general conference, becoming snowmen through snowmobiling, and having some spaghetti dinna. 

brooke and her parents are the greatest for letting us come and hang out with them this weekend. thanks bby!

libros

Want to know one of the number one things that I hate about school? Not having much time to read for pleasure. Now I know that many college students hate reading and claim to haven't read a whole book since fifth grade when "Poppy" by Avi was all the rage and you were a complete loser if you hadn't read the entire series, but for me, reading has always been such an amazing escape. I think it's incredible that simple words can come together on paper and create a world in the reader's mind. My love started at a very young age when I would take stacks of books from my huge bookshelf in my room, turn on my bedside lamp, and read until after midnight while Maura snoozed in the top bunk.

I think that after reading Ella Enchanted, I was pretty dang excited to get my first kiss and determined that I too would have a beautiful forest green, velvet dress like Ella did on the cover of the book one day. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Poisonwood Bible introduced me to issues of race and deeper underlying issues going on in the world. Looking back, I'm pretty surprised at the books I was reading in middle school. My mom is the one that I think I got the reading gene from and I would (and still do) go to her whenever I'm in need of a new read. She definitely challenged me with the stuff she gave me, but now I am so grateful that I was encouraged to read so much. Bringing a book around like an accessory is nothing new to me. Spending hours (actually....) in the bathroom because I couldn't put my book down long enough to get out is a pretty funny way for me to demonstrate my love for books. Reading on the beach is something that I am dying to do. There is nothing better than the combo of sun and literature. Mmmm. 

i like my peanut butter m&m's...

This may seem like a pretty boring blog post and I apologize for that but I just wanted to let out my appreciation for the things that books can teach us and even the opportunity to experience the worlds we can through the stories told by others. It amazes me. The Help by Kathryn Stockett is an amazing book if anyone's looking for something new. 

liam decided to try on my uggs...

i feel bad at how much i have been neglecting my blog lately....so i shall now attempt to redeem myself with possibly multiple posts. update on my actividades de febrero? yes.

went to the nickelcade with mitchy, sarah, and chadsie. obviously dominated.

snuggled with my bby

had a wonderful birthday--consisted of dinner with the girls, dinner at tucanos, breakfast with grandparents, and a pinata

katey k8 came to visit and come back to the americas! 

spent time with this gem of a child who is getting way too cute for his own good

thursdays

Thursdays have now become my favorite day of the week because it's when I get Maura's letters, which, as soon as I read "bby gurl!" at the top of the letter, make me feel about a bajillion times better no matter how crappy I've been feeling. I've never really been super excited or hugely motivated to go on a mission, but just seeing how much it's helping Maura grow and how amazingly happy she is definitely motivates me to think about it. I am pretty dang lucky to have been blessed with such an amazing sister who has always loved me no matter how much we've fought. Sorry, this is kind of just me rambling about Maura, but having her leave definitely has helped me to appreciate her so much more, and really think about how I'm living my life and how to improve it. I want to serve the Lord and whether that's just be being an example and serving others around me or by going on a mission, it doesn't really matter to me. This gospel is true and I am so grateful for it.