Who said we couldn't duct tape someone to a wall?

 Here are the photos from our great boredom adventure. We googled fun things to do. Ya. I know. But, it worked! We now have a long list of awesome things to do in case we get bored again. First we made a super long straw. Then, we duck/t taped Makelle to our garage. It worked. Only because Christina is pure genius.

The first"shorter" straw. 8feet. 

The second straw. Longer than 12 feet!

First piece of tape!

What she did while Ash and Christina got some more tape. 

She was thirsty. 

We did it!

Annnnd they took the chair out. It worked! 

She stayed up for loner than a minute and thirty seconds!

Ok, this is supposed to be at the top because it was in the middle of it, but I can't get it up there... sorry.

Here's all the tape we used!

Perspective

This word didn't really mean much to me until today. As me and my mom were about to test drive a car we had been looking at, we get a call from my Grandma. My aunt had just called my mom 5min earlier, but she didn't answer because she was driving. My Grandma is a talker so I told her we were a little busy. She then asked if she could just talk to my mom for a minute. The tone in her voice was what caught me off guard. I said sure and handed the phone to my mom. I knew something was wrong the moment my Grandma said "just for a second." Then as my mom talked to her I knew someone was either very hurt, or had passed away. To my dismay, I was right. My Great Uncle and Aunt (Grandma's sister and brother in law) had just died in a car accident. I was shocked. Who wouldn't be? They were on their way here from Arizona to visit my grandma and had both died instantly in a car accident.
That was about all the new that we heard because my grandma hardly knew anything either. We quickly finished driving the car and headed home. We ended up meeting my sisters in town to drive to my Grandma's together.

We got to my Grandma's and hugged everyone and they showed us the news (Here is the small story they did on the news about it.) which had their story on it. They didn't have much, but we got some more information.

They had swerved/drifted into the emergency lane where there was a semi truck thing and had hit it straight on. The corner of the truck went always through the back of the car. They were killed instantly. They still do not know how it happened, and probably won't because they weren't able to do an autopsy on my Uncle. My Aunt they might be able to and we think that was because she was probably sleeping and had her seat back. We were guessing my Uncle could have had a stroke or a heart attack because my aunt was obviously still asleep and that is why they might be able to do an autopsy on her. So she wasn't freaking out for him for swerving like she would have. Not knowing is probably one of the hardest things. I mean, I guess we don't need to know. But it is nice to at least have some closure.
Their family is having a hard time with it, well, we all are because it was so sudden. My grandma was getting worried because she was expecting them and had just talked to them 2 hours before the crashed happened. She had dinner ready and everything for them. Their family is coming tomorrow to take care of the bodies and get things organized here, then they have to head back down to Arizona for the funeral.
My grandma is one of the strongest people I know. She has gone through so much. She is now the only one left on her, or my grandpas side of the family. She even lost her son (my dad) and her husband within 4 years of each other. Now she just lost her sister and best friend. I can't imagine the pain she is going through. But she is standing strong, at least for now. I hope she can have a break from all her struggles at least for a little bit. I love her more than anything.
This just put everything into perspective for me. Here we were looking for cars and worrying about silly things like taping someone to a garage or a party. Then you hear the news and immediately everything changes. You realize what is really important in life and stop worrying about the small things that really do not matter. We need to cherish every single day that we are here with our family because you never know when someone might be instantly taken from you. We need to love everyone, and not hold grudges. It's not worth it. Life is too short.
Although this experience has been hard on us, it just reminds us even more that we will be a family forever. As we sat there talking tonight my aunt said, "I need to have a talk with some people up there. Apparently they thought they could take them." I love that we can joke about that, because we know where they are and what they are doing. Being together forever is only made possible though the atonement and gospel of Jesus Christ. We are so blessed to have that knowledge of where our loved ones are.
I am also grateful for prayer, and that we are able to kneel as a family and pray for those we love and pray for strength to just make it through the hardest days. Prayer is real. Prayer is very powerful. I don't know what we would do without that connection to our Father in Heaven.
As we got in the car to come home after my Grandma's we offered a prayer unto our Heavenly Father. I felt the Spirit so strong that I couldn't help but cry. I felt at peace and comforted as I told my Father in Heaven that we knew it was his will and we knew that they were safe in his arms. I know without a doubt that is true. Although it is hard, it's his plan. We just need to live the way we know we are supposed to and trust fully in him, even if we do not understand.

Car Shopping & Dentists

2 things... 

1

 I am sooooo glad that my mom likes car shopping. Actually, not like, she absolutely loves it! More than anything! I asked her if we could go look around and she was like YES! I wish it was like that when we went shopping because I usually have to drag her screaming and keep her entertained with snacks and iPhone games when we go shopping for clothes. But I am really glad because I do not know anything about cars, and since she likes it, I know that she won't stop until I get the car I want for the price I want. But, I'm not a huge fan of it... 

2 

I. Do. Not. Like. The. Dentist. 

Going along with that... 

I. Do. Not. Like. The. Oral. Surgeon. 

Although I do not like those things, I do like my dentist as a person. And I do like the man who is going to take out my wisdom teeth, as a person. 

I just hate people touching my teeth. I have really sensitive teeth and I just cannot handle it!!!! Besides that, I always brush my teeth super good and when I went to the orthodontist and even when I go to the dentist they always say wow you have really pretty nice teeth. Whatever. Ya right. Tell that to my cavities. Seriously! I can't even explain. I hate that place!! 

Also, I do not get numb easily... so I can feel some of it when they do my cavities. Ouch. It hurts so bad. I just want to scream and yank those creepy tools out of my mouth, punch someone and cry. It's the worst. Give me a million shots all over my body before you touch my teeth. 

So, that's why I am really dreading getting my wisdom teeth out. Of course, I'm being put out because from what I just explained, I obviously could not handle it. But it still freaks the crap out of me! Surgery. In my mouth?? Is there anything worse? Not that I can think of. 

Ewwwww! June 12th, stay away!!!!! 

I would like to see my reaction to the meds though... when I was young I went insane when they put me on this stuff, my mom said never again. So here we go again.... Don't worry. I'll make my mom video tape. Unless it's totally boring. 

This is pretty much how I feel. Times 10. 

A picture's worth at least 10 words...

I'm going to attempt to stop being a blabber mouth for a second and just try and explain my week/end in less than 10 words with pictures...

Applebee's. Jackie's b-day. Karaoke. Dumb picture. 

One Man Band with Austin and Jackie. I love this.

Bowling with Jackie and Austin.  

I swear I'm not burned... weird lighting... waste o words

The JB fun time aka Taylor Swift netflix

The grandpa and grandma

Outside movie with our new projector!

Yes. She falls asleep weird places.

Giant extremely hard gum ball. 

Yep. It was too cold we watched a garage movie.

Flaming Gorge Memory ;)

So randomly I thought of this while I was with my family this last Monday so I though that I’d share it!

My family is obsessed with Flaming Gorge. Yes, OBSESSED was for sure an understatement…… for sure. It kind of feels like our whole lives revolve around it actually. From the time I was little we have gone ever year. Well, we missed maybe 2 because of various reasons (ps, that really doesn’t ever happen. That was rare). Anyways, now that you understand the obsession that has nothing to do with this story I’m about to tell, we can move on.

Last year was a very special one for us. I had a parade for Miss. Saratoga on the Saturday that we were already supposed to be there. We usually leave on a Friday or Thursday, so we were already breaking the norm. We got there and pretty much it rained the whole time. We only swam once (also abnormal. We are fish and are basically in the water the whole time), and there were puddles everywhere that were up to our ankles the whole time. Even talking about it today we hardly remember anything that we did. On Sunday we went on our hike that we always go on down the mountain, up a stream, to the waterfall. That is always memorable, especially because this year we jumped in and swam. Buuuuttt, if I remember right Sunday was the day that Karly wasn’t feeling very good. She was breathing weird and something with her throat hurt really bad. We thought that it was allergies basically the whole time. But on Monday my mom debating leaving because she was sick. She was pretty much fine during the day, but in the night time she would wake my family up (not me apparently because I sleep like a rock) because she would be breathing so loudly and weirdly. So finally on Thursday night, much to our dismay my mom finally decided that we needed to leave soon. At first we were super mad because we had already come late and had hardly done anything. Besides that, it was getting dark and we all thought that she was crazy for wanting to drive down the canyon. She explained to us that she had a very strong feeling about it. The spirit was telling her that if she didn’t get Karly out of this damp cold weather that she would suffer permeably for the rest of her life. As she told us she sounded frightened and scared as she cried. We new this was serious business. Earlier we had prayed as a family for us to be able to decided what we should do; as we sat in the car we told Heavenly Father what we had decided and we all felt that we should leave as soon as we could. 

It was had to explain to my family why we had just decided that we were leaving. They were all so worried about us going down the canyon at night, but they supported us knowing that we were guided by the spirit. We packed up camp (this is not an exaggeration) and our car in less than 20min. As we said our quick goodbyes we headed down the mountain. I remember asking my mom if she was scared. She was strong in saying that she wasn’t because she knew that Heavenly Father would protect her because we were doing his will. We all watched closely for deer as we headed down. I think we only say maybe 2 deer our whole way down and they were far away from the road. We relaxed as we got back down to the city.

We got home at about 3am. My mom was a trooper! She drove the whole way. Another thing I remember, was that she said she didn’t feel tired at all the whole time, until we drove into our driveway and it hit her. She knew that was because of the help of our Father in Heaven. I don’t doubt that even for a second.

My mom took Karly to the doctors the next day, well, that day I guess technically. They checked her out and said that she was fine and that it would probably go away on it’s own. But, then our doctor said, you know what, I think we should take an x-ray of her chest, just be sure. So they took the x-ray and were astonished to find that her left lung was about halfway full of fluid and that she had pneumonia. Our doctor said he had never seen anyone breathing that well with a lung like that (Calder lungs, ya gotta love em’). He even said that if she would have been up at Flaming Gorge for one more night it could have damaged her lungs permanently. That was such a testimony builder to not only us, but our whole entire extended family. The spirit is such a powerful thing. Sometimes, listening, or not listening, can be a matter of life or death. If we listen, he will guide us in the right direction.

My mom and I had a conversation on the way home from Flaming Gorge and I told that even if there was nothing wrong with Karly that we still knew that we made the right choice. Even if we never found out what would have happened. Having faith in the choice you make is a huge part of listening to the spirit. Sometimes we don’t know and may never know in this life why we made a certain choice. But if we just trust him in everything we can have the comfort that we can make the right choices. J  

Happy Birthday Jackie!

Oh Miss. Jackie. What do I have to say about you?

More like, what do I not have to say?

She has been one of my closest friends for, pretty much forever and my best friend for like 2 years. We have had some pretty crazy adventures. The first one probably being running around Lehi our Sophomore year with half of a basketball under our shirts looking like pregnant girls… oh the looks we got from some of our teachers. 

Priceless.

But Jackie is actually a convert to our church and is one of the strongest people I know. She has to stand up for her beliefs more than anyone I know and she does a fabulous job at it; especially for being very new in the church. She loves hugs and you can always expect one from her every time you see her. She really doesn’t hate anyone. She just loves to have a good time and laugh her heart out! You wouldn’t know this, but she is actually a REALLY good singer! And I totally mean that! She may not show it, but she’s got some pipes!

Jackie has the sweetest spirit. She listens to the still small voice and is the best at making wonderful choices. She knows who she is, and who she wants to be in life. I love the light she has in her eyes that she brightens up the room with.

She is super stylish and always has a bright smile to go with her bright outfits! Even though she may think the opposite, she will be a great mom one day (even if I do have to watch her kids for the first 2 years of their lives ;))! She has so many friends because she is funny and very nice to everyone! I can trust her with things I say and we always have little counseling sessions with each other telling our problems. I’m not very good at fixing her problems or giving her advice, but she is just the opposite!

She's sort of afraid of everything. We do not do well in haunted houses together, let's just say that... 

We do a great duet to “our song” Remind Me.

She’s a little boy crazy (understatement of the year) (yes I did get that last saying from the McDonald’s commercial), but who isn’t?...... Right?

I love her to death and don’t know what I’d do without her in my life! 

The Lords hand

When I was at the MTC on Monday the missionaries asked me how I felt Heavenly Fathers love in my life.

I responded by saying that every single day I felt his hand in my life. Whether it was by guiding me by the spirit to make choices or even just the beauty around me I always know that he is there, watching over me and protecting me.

After I said that I thought about it more. I truly believe I know the moment that I started thinking that way. That is, that Heavenly Father is in my life every day. I was 16 and at girls camp. This was actually the year that my dad had passed away, so it was a very special year for Ashley and I. But he actually passed away on a Tuesday night. I won't tell that story now, but that night my secret sister Rachael Leonard told me that she was my secret sister. I was thrilled because I always looked up to her and I thought she was amazing (and still do more than ever!). But she gave me a super cute notebook for one of my presents, I think it was the first day, with a talk by President Eyring, and a super sweet note. 

I don't think that she'll ever have any idea how much that meant to me. 

It got me to start writing in my journal and gaining that habit. And, it made me recognize the Lords hand in my life every day which has been a huge help, blessing, and testimony in my life. 

I now can see that a lot of my choices are guided by prayer and the spirit. I could easily pick out a moment in every single day in my life that involved my Father in Heaven in one way or another. I can't even explain how much he is in my life. Not to mention all of the things I don't recognize or probably will never even know of. He cares so much about all of us and is always watching over us and helping us with things. I don't think we will ever be able to truly thank him for all he has done for us. 

Here is this talk by President Eyring, read it, and I guarantee that your life will be changed for the better. You will recognize his mighty hand in your life and learn to be thankful for all that you have been given. :)

O Remember, Remember  

First Day of work and Grandparents

Today couldn't have been more fun!
I started my new job at Costco with one of my best friends.
I watched Spongebob all morning on my "new" tv.
I laughed a lot.
My mom brought me chicken nuggets for lunch.
I got to have several amazing conversations with Kailey.
I ate a Costco hotdog for my second lunch.
I went to Kailey's grandma's after work.
I love Kailey's grandparents so much! (that didn't really fit with the list, but it needed to be said)
We ate lime aid with the grandparents.
We ate yummy fish with the grandparents.
We ate delicious rice with the grandparents.
We ate yummy squashing with the grandparents.
We ate delicious vegetable chips with the grandparents.
We ate yummy strawberries and banana's covered in dark chocolate with the grandparents.
We watched the indescribable Phillip Phillips. (I did not say American Idol because I do not like Jessica)
We voted for thee Phillip Phillips.
We watched America's got talent.
We talked a lot.

And now I am writing this going over my amazing day in my head and wanting to live it all over again. :)

(but seriously Kailey's grandparents are really the best! That was pretty much the main point I wanted to get across. I shoulda wrote a thesis about it... sorry)

Happy Birthday Christina!

Christina has been my best friend for a very long time! I know I can always talk to her about anything! She keeps all my secrets! We've laughed and cried together more times than I can even count! She is always there for me even when I make the stupidest mistakes! She has the strongest, sweetest testimony that shines in the way that she lives her life. She won't do anything that she doesn't want to, and will always stand up for her beliefs. She is one of the most beautiful people I have ever come in contact with and she tans like a black woman!! She knows who she is and is not afraid to show it. She doesn't care what people think. She just wants to live her life in the way that she wants, and I admire that! She is the greatest techie on the whole entire planet and can fix a lot of things! She can eat more than 3 football players combined and always seems to keep up her perfect figure! She has the cutest laugh and will laugh at just about anything! She loves romantic movies, so we are never bored or fight over what movie we are going to watch. She loves to help people and is always looking for ways to serve others. I love her cute smile and fun attitude that she draws people in with. 

I remember when we were in 4th grade I wrote her a mean note about how we couldn't be friends anymore. How stupid was I (actually very stupid, but we aren't going to go there)?

Luckily that only lasted for a week, because I have no idea what I would do without her now! 

Happy Birthday to the bestest friend in the whole wide world! :) 

Fasting-not always what it seems

Sometimes fasting isn’t quite what we expect. Most of the time we fast for someone who’s sick, struggling, or something along those lines.

This fast was just like any other. I was fasting for my very best friend to receive his mission call. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about someone while fasting for them as much as I did this time. Every 5min I would just pray and plead with my Father in Heaven to give him the call or help him feel peace. I thought for sure it would work. I knew my faith was strong enough, but it was still His way. I made sure to still leave it in His hands. The call didn’t come. At first I was mad and just wanted to cry. I had been fasting. It should have worked. But I didn’t know till later that it actually had, it just wasn’t exactly what I had been praying for. My friend was about to give up and just be done trying to go on a mission, but then he remembered that I was fasting for him, and he just couldn’t do it.

My fasting was the reason that he didn’t give up.

When he told me this, it almost brought tears to my eyes. My fasting had worked. Well, of course it did, it always does and I know that. But this time it was different. Because I was fasting my friend didn’t give up. And that was really what I was fasting for in the end. It was such a huge testimony builder to me that our Father in Heaven knows so much more than we do and he knows what we need. Neither of us would have had that faith building experience if he would have just gotten his call.

Heavenly Father’s way is always right, even though it might be really hard in the moment, it’s always worth it in the end. :)

The perfect cure for a bad day

I got to go to the temple with Ashley, Makelle, Hailee, and Karly yesterday. I had been having a really bad day. I don’t get these very often at all, so I wasn’t handling it well (sorry about that Zach). I was freaking out over everything and was just acting like a crazy person (ok, I guess that’s normal). TMI time- I’m not even about to start my period or anything either!

But then Ash invited me to the temple. I had been wanting to go all week so I was all for it.

We went there and had a fun ride up and everything. The temple was very peaceful and helped me clear my mind, and take a break. The cutest thing every happened, a boy that looked around my age baptized his girlfriend, wife, something….. and then his dad (I think) baptized him. It was the cutest thing ever! I couldn’t keep from smiling! But while I was being baptized I though about how we put complete trust in someone who we don’t even know to baptize us. Ya, it’s only 4 feet of water, but still. We have no idea who they are, and they are just dunking us in this water. I don’t have one problem with it. But I thought of it like the Savior. If we put our complete and full trust in him, he will never leave our side. No matter what. Even if we are scared, or slip up, he’ll be there to catch us. The temple has so many wonderful symbols that we can interpret in our own ways. The sweet ladies who wrap a towel around you after you get out reminds me of my mom. She’s always on the sidelines waiting for me, ready with that advice to wrap me up with. You don’t have to accept it, but you’ll look stupid if you don’t ;)

But there are so many symbols and a ton more that I don’t even know about yet! But I can’t wait to find out!

Anyways, the temple was amazing as always. I even got some beautiful shots of the temple because it was cloudy and dusk. The temple filled up my spirit and calmed me down. It just made my whole day better and I couldn’t have been happier!

Andrew and Zach

Zach and Andrew are awesome friends! I’ve hung out with them every single day this week! They are driving me INSANE! But we’ve had the most fun ever!! They are both hilarious and always are teasing me and making me laugh. We never fight (girls, I know this is a shocker, no fighting, how can that exist? Just stay with me here), we never have drama. I always know exactly how they are feeling. We usually do stupid things (which I like best, you know this) and I haven’t done my hair or make up all week!

It’s been grand.
They are the best.

That’s all J