15 years

it is hard to believe that for the past 15 years this boy has been in my life. luke and i met in church the first sunday we had moved to green river. we bonded over a puzzle ball that i convinced him to give me and promised i would buy him 2 new ones the next week...starting off the friendship right with a bribe....i still never bought him new puzzle balls.

luke has been a constant in my life. from causing havoc on every seminary teacher,  playing dance dance revolution everyday after school, scaring and pranking anyone we can, to embarking on life changing journeys, we have been through it all together..

luke has been one of the greatest supports. he puts up with my crazy antics and is usually right there beside me helping me fulfill my ridiculous ideas. i could write a book chock full of incredible memories. when i told him i was going on a mission, he didn't question it but promised to write. when i got home, there he was ready for our next adventure...

we live completely opposite of each other, but no matter what we can pick up right where we left off. 

luke and i have not spent substantial time together since i have been back, so we decided to change that and he visited me in salt lake on his way home from his vegas summer adventure.

 not only cant we stop being friends, but he was all for an impromptu firework photoshoot that may or may not have lasted 2 hours at 2 am

 we decided to hit up seven peaks for the day and man it sure was fun. i cant wait to go back. i think we had more fun than most of the small children there.

here is to another 15 years with my bestie...

an epic vacation pt 1

i am quite blessed to be a member of the harding family. growing up their were many vacations and opportunities to see world we live in. while living back east many years ago, we went up to this little town in new york where history was made. i do not remember it very much and am grateful to have this new trip to have seen it. terry is one amazing father and i am so lucky to have him.

we started the vacation out on wednesday flying from slc->jfk->rochester, long day of travel. meg took the red eye and her and terry met up with us (my two aunts and i) and we journeyed to palmyra. we walked around the ground of the smith family farm and toured their small cabin. i have always heard it was this tiny one room place but seeing it, i was astonished at how large it actually is (compared to what was in my mind). it was humbling to stand in their home and realize the history made there. the spirit was so strong and as the sister missionaries bore testimony, i knew without a doubt what they were saying was true. it was incredible to see the places where the things i testified of for 18 months took place. 

we ventured to the sacred grove and while inside a tremendous storm started. we were soaked within minutes even with the cover of trees. it was quite the experience. one i am so happy happened. later that day we went back to the grove after it had stopped raining. there is nothing better than being able to ponder the gospel and mortality in the sacred grove. 

it was awesome to tour the place where the book of mormon was first printed. the hardwood floors are original to the building as were some of the other things inside. it was neat to see that those things had held up after all these years.

the pageant was incredible. they had 10,000 thousand chairs set up and it was quite the production. the cast mingled with the audience before the production and it was fun to hear all the places people traveled from. what an amazing thing to see the book of mormon played out in a short amount of time.

we also got to do a session at the palmyra temple. it is the only temple in the world with a clear glass window. it overlooks the sacred grove and is an incredible view to see. 

this family

this family is a dear family i met while serving the great people of meridian, mississippi. meridian is a small town on the border of alabama. the ward was small, but the members were incredible, proof being in this family. i am so blessed to know them. we spent a lot of time with them helping them prepare for their move to northern mississippi. i will never forget the incredible spirit felt in their home, the great examples sister matheson and her husband are to me, and the incredible daughters of theirs. 

they just so happened to make a visit to utah and i got to meet up with them. we went to the lion house for lunch, the beehive house for a tour, shopped at city creek, and finished up with a haircut for katherine. 

i often forget how lucky i am to live in this incredible city. i forget that this is where the saint's settled and that there is so much history here. i have been to many of these places multiple times, but it had been at least 8 years since i had last toured the beehive house. what a wonderful place to be reminded of the sacrifices made for me. 

4th of july and mission besties

i hit the jackpot when it came to companions on my mission. sure there were hard times, and no i did not get along all the time with every one of them, but i am so grateful for all of them and they amazing lessons they taught me.

one of my dear companions sister richards (whom i deemed "richie") came to visit me. she just got home 6 weeks ago and is from spokane, wa. richie and i were together for 12 weeks and became such good friends. i love her so much. we had a fun week together exploring this beautiful city i live in. she came to school with me for a class that i could't miss, she experienced her first cafe rio, she visited me at work, we watched movies, and now i wish she could come back and visit again real soon.

we figured we would seize the opportunity to meet up with some other mission friends too. 

 findels trained richie and then came to hang out with me. she is getting married in a month and i could not be happier for her. 

 carter is a party, i never got the chance to serve full time with her, but we did have the best exchanges ever and became quite good friends. 

i showed them one of my favorite pizza spots, este. can't go wrong with cheap good food. 

 we went to the airport to see another of our mission friends and while waiting, i happened to spot athelia, the lady who created shabby apple clothing. i am obsessed in love with her stuff and think she has such  a great story. check her out here

sadly richie had to leave and i was on my own again. until next time... 

onto the fourth: i am sad i only have a few pictures to document this, however the fourth of july is one of my most very favorite holidays. it is incredible to celebrate this great nation we live in. i am so blessed to be one of the few people born here, with billions on the earth, the chance of being born an american is slim. how lucky.

 i am like a small child and still go for the sparklers and pops. childhood at its finest.

 we went to the sugar house fireworks because we heard they were the best. fail. they were some of the worst i have ever seen. i think even wyoming's are better. oh well, at least we know for next year. 

little moments

 i was sewing at my mothers house and cade intently watched me for about ten minutes until i looked over and he was completely passed out.

 i am obsessed with all holidays. something about the fourth of july is extra special though. plus any excuse to decorate.

meg and i enjoyed some time at the farmers market. it was awesome and had so many things. i can't wait to go back. 

 i love capturing these moments. cade did not want to share.

 more fourth of july decor

 i attempted to make macarons. they actually turned out really well and i am quite proud of myself. 

and last, i bought a dslr camera. i am pretty excited and have been taking fun pictures non stop. i cant wait to learn more and take better pictures. 

lagoon x2

the nephews came to stay with my parents for a week while my sister and bil went on a cruise. i was so excited because i hardly ever see them or get to really spend one on one time with these cute boys. i planned all sorts of activities to do with these boys but with school and work, i only really managed a few things. the park and lagoon.

cade is quite funny when it comes to the park. he only went down one slide and counted down 14 times that he could go down on it. he would go down, climb back on the playground, hope across the bridge a 2 times, tell me not to come up there, tell me how high he was, and then finally slide down and repeat. he is quite the funny child.

 i think i was more excited than cade was. he was not impressed at first but then got used to it. his favorite ride was 'splash mountain' aka the log flume. it was so fun though to see his face and excitement at all the rides.

 there is something about lagoon that just makes me think of childhood. every time i pass the pavilions for picnics i think of clogging competitions and the many medals awarded at that park. it hold so many happy memories. every time i pass the ride by the ferris wheel that no one seems to ride that takes forever to load i am reminded of the one time i actually wanted to ride it and ended up missing  one of my dances. at the time i was so sad, now i think it is hilarious.


two days later my very best friend from wyoming (who currently is in a phd program in canada) came to visit so we could also go to lagoon. it has been a fun tradition for the past few years to go.

it was extremely hot, but the lines were not long at all and we barely had to wait for them. it was great.

memorial day

most people think of memorial day as another long weekend, an extra day off of work, or the first camping trip of the year. in my mother's family, it is a day to gather in what seems like the smallest town in idaho to remember my grandfather as well as many other relatives. i love that we set aside this special time to remember my grandpa and his life. i know we all have our memories of him and i am so grateful for the life lessons that he taught me.

we gather at this small park and have a potluck picnic and catch up. i had not seen most of this side of the family since i got back from my mission. it was a fun day to see how much my cousins had grown up, as well as entertain the small children.

the best part of the day was going to the small country store 'papa jay's' to get the best beef jerky ever and chocolate milk. there is something nostalgic about visiting this place. i absolutely love it.