Life | Spiritual Thought

There have been many moments in my life where I believed all was lost and I would never repair myself. I wanted life to end. I wanted to escape from the pain, reality, and difficulty of it all. Life didn't feel fair.

Life is never fair though.

It's not meant to be fair. No one can have a perfect life and no one can have the exact same life. It wouldn't make sense, it wouldn't be real. No one would progress and change, no one would feel.

I think the biggest reality of the unfairness of this world is death.

I remember when my aunt died of cancer. I remember how I didn't take it well. Even if she lived in California and I saw her maybe once a year, having to watch such an incredible, kind, brave woman battle cancer and die from it was so hard on me.

I didn't know how to cope.

I was asked to sing at the funeral and I remember struggling to get through it, my emotions and tears taking over my voice. My uncle still loved it, he told me so, but I remember being ashamed, feeling that I had ruined a beautiful moment.

I was lost at the time.

I grew up in the LDS church and we are taught that there is an afterlife. That we are sealed to our families for eternity. That we will see our family members again after we die.

We never truly lose someone.

But when my aunt died, my heart was lost and I didn't believe it. I didn't believe that I would see her again. And it felt so unfair that this amazing woman was just gone.

There was a moment in my life that changed me.

I had been broken for a long time. I had been viciously cutting and burning myself. And one night in college I ran away and I found myself on the steps of an LDS church building in the middle of the night.

And I prayed.

And I didn't feel anything after. There was no light from heaven, there was no prompting, there was no comfort. My pain didn't disappear it didn't diminish. In that moment, nothing changed.

I didn't know it at the time, but my entire life would shift from that moment on.

It was slow and gradual, but my heart began finding the light again. And I believe with every part of me, that it was not a coincidence that only a week later I would meet the man who would later become my husband, and who I believe is my soulmate.

God is good.

He teaches us when and how we need to be taught. He has a path and a plan for our lives. It's never easy or fair or what we want. He knows what's best.

I know I am sealed to my family for eternity.

My family means the world to me. My parents, siblings, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, husband, and my beautiful baby girls. I know we are all part of a bigger plan. I will see my aunt again. I will see my grandpa again. And I will see my angel baby again.

The world lost a great man.

President Thomas S. Monson passed away. He was a prophet of God. He inspired me. He spoke, and I couldn't help but listen. He would tell me to do something and I wanted to go and do it. I think, more than any apostle in the LDS church, he was the one that helped me find myself when I was lost.

He is not gone, though.

He is now reunited with his sweet wife. And his words have resonated in the hearts of many people and will live on for eternity. And while he may not dwell on earth anymore, he will always live in our hearts and in our memory.

Death is not the end.

And our lives have so much more meaning than we could ever imagine.

And I love knowing.

Photo Credits: Fox 13

2018 Theme Song

Hello my lovely friends! I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season and are as excited for the New Year as I am.

Today I am supposed to talk about my theme song for 2018. As you may know, every year I pick out a theme song for the year. I've been doing this since I graduated high school and it's something that means a lot to me because music is such an important and special influence in my life.

Usually, I have thought about my song choice extensively for months and have the song picked out by November (because the past few years everytime November hits I'm ready for the New Year). This year was the hardest to pick out a song. In fact, I'm not even 100% behind my song choice. I blame the past few months of learning to be a mom and to be unemployed. My life is SO different than it's ever been and I think it's hard to adjust to that. My usual habits and tendencies are hard to go back to considering I'm suddenly a stay-at-home mom of two.

While I did end up choosing a specific song for 2018, I made an entire playlist of songs to help motivate me through the year. I'll go over it below and my reasoning behind them.

Overall, I wanted a song that would motivate me to do something outside my normal comfort zone. If you aren't a regular blog reader of mine, I have depression and social anxiety and can be an all over emotional wreck a lot of the time. I tend to stay in my private little box, too afraid to take risks and go after my dreams for fear of failing. This year I want to get outside that box and change my life.

A few weeks ago I finally was inspired by a song that came on over my Spotify. As I mentioned, I'm not completely obsessed with my theme song as I usually am, but that's why I have a whole playlist.

Anyways, my theme song for 2018 is "I Lived" by One Republic. 

There are so many lyrics in this song that just speak to me, so it's difficult to go over which ones I want for 2018 without quoting the whole song. But I think more than anything, I love the actual title of the song. I LIVED.

When I was seventeen years old I was suicidal and made a few attempts at ending my life. I had no idea as a teenager that my life would end up like this: married to my soulmate with a cute dog and the most adorable baby girls. I don't believe seventeen-year-olds make the smartest decision, but by far the greatest decision of my entire life was to not end it.

I survived my teenage years. I survived college and the struggles I went through there. I survived cutting myself, sexual assault, and a miscarriage and have ended up today in the best place I think my life has ever been in. I survived so much pain and I hope to continue to fight through every struggle that is thrown at me.

However, no matter how grateful I am for my life so far, I feel as if I've merely been surviving each day. I want to live each day. I want to wake up every morning with an excitement for each day and the possibilities it could bring. I want to end this year quoting the song: "I owned every second that this world could give."

I want to plan adventures for not just myself, but for my husband and my daughters. I want us to make memories to last a lifetime. But I think more than anything, I want to build an excitement for life in my daughters that I never had. I know they're young, they won't remember this year, but I want to get into the habit of giving my children opportunities and excitement.

2018 is about living life to the fullest and I'm excited for this year and creating the best year ever.

Now real fast I'm going to go over my playlist. I subtitled this as my "Power Playlist" because it's all songs that motivate me to get up and do something. These are great workout song, hype songs, and dancing song. This playlist is great for so many things and I am already so obsessed with listening to it all the time. I'm sure I'll continue to add new songs throughout the year because this is my "Power Playlist" and if I find a new song that empowers me, it belongs.

Quick note, the first part is all females because originally that's what I wanted: female empowerment. But honestly, no power playlist is complete without "Butterflies and Hurricanes" by Muse, so I broke the original rules, but I'm so happy with this playlist I wouldn't have it any other way.

Do you pick out a theme song for the year? Let me know yours in the comments below!! 

3 Months Old

My baby girls are three months old today!! Here are a few more facts about them not shown on their chalkboards.

-Only in the past month have we started reading to them. They are loving it though and just wiggle around when it's storytime.

-These girls LOVE their pacifiers and almost always have them in their mouths.

-They are smiling now, but it's rare and super hard to get on camera. But if you follow my Instagram account (@_cowgirlkaylee_) I post a lot to my story and you can see more smiles on there.

-Nicknames: Lately we've been calling Makell "Mini Marshmallow" because of her adorable chubby cheeks but we have always called her Miss Makell. For Zoey we stick with Zo or Miss Zo.

-My girls are on a specific "no spit-up" formula, but they almost never spit-up anymore even when we try them on other formulas. So yay!

-Zoram is now more into them and loves to lick their feet and hands, and the girls love him back. They stare at him a lot and seem to enjoy him. I'm glad my girls won't be afraid of dogs like I was the majority of my life.

-They love hugging blankets which is so like their mom.

-My girls are not afraid of strangers and will let anyone hold them or get near them. We think the NICU prepared them for that because of all the different nurses taking care of them.

-Chris and I think they're getting so big, but then we see other three-month-old babies and realize how little ours are. They're premies though so it makes sense. And little petite girls are adorable.

-They can both basically hold their heads up. I don't really have to support their heads anymore, but I also don't trust them in certain circumstances.

-They love going on adventures with mom and dad in their carriers. (See my Instagram account.)

-They are out of newborn clothes. The onesies they're pictured in are actually newborn, but tight, so this is the last time for these pink ones.

-They are very chill babies who can entertain each other and don't cry that often. But every now and then they just get irritated and it looks a bit like this. But still, they're very calm and quiet.

-Unless they're hungry, in which case, they scream.

-Starting this past week they sleep about ten hours straight at night, which would be lovely if my dog hadn't gotten used to middle of the night feedings, and now Zoram wakes me up instead of them.

-These pictures don't do their cuteness justice, so here's them with Santa.

(They're both looking over at me on the side. They honestly love staring at me. No complaints with that.)

Being A NICU Mom | The Farnes Family

Two years ago I had a miscarriage and had to say goodbye to my first child. It was devastated. I was meant to become a mother, and then my child was lost and I had nothing. It was by far the worst experience of my life.

Flash forward to now. I've been a mother for a week and a half, but it doesn't feel like it. I gave birth to my beautiful twin girls, yet they're still in the hospital. They don't feel like they're mine because I'm not the one taking care of them all the time. I'm not there with them every hour of every day. I don't get to hold them in the way I want to or play with them the way I want to. My babies are swaddled little burritos that I get to cradle in my arms for a few hours a day.

And it's one of the hardest things, to set my girls back down in their cribs, and say goodbye.

When I started my maternity leave early I was resting and preparing for my daughters to arrive. And now I'm still on maternity leave, but with no child to take care of. I go to sleep late, sleep in late, do nothing while I let my body heal from my c-section, and I visit my children. But it's not enough. I feel useless, lazy, and bored.

Today I could not bring myself to get ready. I lay on the couch watching Netflix for hours putting off getting ready to go see my girls. Not because I don't want to see them, but because I know I'll only have to say goodbye again.

I sobbed to Chris today because it's just too hard. I cannot keep saying goodbye to my little girls.

Visiting my girls brings me such joy. I love holding them, feeding them, seeing their beautiful eyes, and holding their tiny hands. But it's not enough. And when I have to say goodbye again I feel so incredibly lost and broken, leaving a large chunk of my heart behind at the hospital.

Also today I picked up a new prescription of birth control pills. It's been three years since I've done any form of birth control. Three years I have tried to conceive and start a family. Three years is a long time to wait. And I'm still waiting. Because my girls aren't with me yet. I've waited so long, I've dreamt of this for years, I've wanted this my entire life, and I'm still waiting for the day that I get to take my daughters home and have them be entirely mine.

I don't like being a NICU mom. I just want my girls home with me. I love them too much to keep saying goodbye.

Thoughts On Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, future moms, and women who have influenced someone else (yes, that counts). This marks the first year my husband gave me something for Mother's Day: white roses and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" the movie, because, let's be honest, he's been rereading all the Harry Potter novels and he's a bit obsessed at the moment. But I appreciate the gift, all the same, I love the movie too.

I remember last year Mother's Day was very different. I had lost my child months prior, had been trying desperately to get pregnant again, to no success, and was absolutely devastated that I wasn't a mother. In my younger years, I was the type of girl who dreamed of being a mother, of taking care of my children. I was not the type of girl who dreamed of who I would marry. I wanted a family, I wasn't desperately looking for a man. I knew, even at a young age, that the man I marry would have to be a good father, and would want a family as much as I do.

Good thing the Lord led me to my soulmate, who hit all my qualifications and more.

I've now been married to my soulmate for four years. Which, when you believe that you are sealed together for eternity, doesn't seem like very long, but at the same time, it's a fairly long time in our current society. Chris is my best friend, and over the past four years, our marriage and friendship have continued to grow. I'm a huge fan of that Brad Paisley song, "Then", which states "And I thought I loved you then." The day I got married, four years ago, I didn't think it was possible to love Chris more, but I find my love for him grows stronger every day.

And now, here we are, months away from becoming a couple with a dog to a family of four. Having twins was completely unexpected, yet at the same time, when I heard the news, it just felt right. I am always amazed at the path my Father in Heaven has set for me. I lost a child and was heartbroken over it. And while nothing can replace that child, I now get two at once to help make up for lost time with my first. They say a woman becomes a mother when she gets pregnant, well I first got pregnant in July of 2015, so I am ready to be a mother. 

And I know that having twins will be a struggle. Money has always been an issue as I am still struggling to figure out exactly what I want to do with my life. Being pregnant with twins is already making me miserable, and I'm not even halfway through my pregnancy. Caring for two kids, no, two babies can't be the easiest feat when I've never had a child of my own before. Yet I have been filled with so much peace and confidence, that I barely even worry. 

I know the reason I am so confident to become a mother, is because of the many women who have been mothers to me in my life and their influence on me. 

Growing up LDS, I had my ward family. I had primary and young women's leaders who were like second mothers to me. And they still are. There is a whole group of women in my parent's neighborhood who love and support me. When I moved back into my parent's home last September, I began to realize how much I love these women, how much they love me, and how much they support and influence my life. They have always encouraged me to do my best, to be my best self, and to live my dreams. These women supported me and showered me with gifts as I was getting married four years ago. They were excited when I first got pregnant and showed me all the love and heartbreak of a true friend when I miscarried. And now, as I am expecting my twins, they want to again shower me with gifts and love because they are the secondary mothers that helped raise me. 

I love these women and the way they have shaped me into who I am. Just this last week I watched as many of them first learned about my twins. One even cried, coming up to me, and told me how grateful she was for God's hand in my life. These women want the best for me, even after years of living away from them. They are my other mothers and I love them and am truly grateful for them. 

I grew up in the dance world. And while "Dance Moms" may get a bad rap on TV, there were many dance moms and teachers who helped me through my life. I believe that as a child, I had a hard time recognizing my depression because dance made me so happy. And through the dance community, I had a group of women, and fellow dancers, who helped me when I needed them. Particularly in college, when I was away from home, my dance coaches were like my other parents. They cared about me and pushed me to be my best. When they came to my wedding I was both shocked and thrilled. These were people who helped me through my first few years of college. They were my other parents, my college mother, and I have so much love and appreciation for them. 

Despite my hatred of high school, I have a particular love for the women who were my English teachers. I want to be a writer, and it's not an easy path. But I had so many wonderful teachers who believed in me and my writing. They supported me and my future career. They taught me the foundation that could lead me to success. I never believe I thanked them enough, and when I got to college and realized my professors weren't nearly as supportive as my high school teachers, my love for those few teachers grew even more. These were all women who had thousands of students passing through their classrooms, but they took time, even just a little bit, to tell me that I could succeed, that I had potential, and that, if I continued to learn, I could achieve my dreams. 

Throughout my life, I've had two extra mothers, my Nana and my Grandma. Both of these women raised their children with such love and respect, believing in their children and supporting them through it all. As their granddaughter, I've gotten a lot of this same love and support. As a child, I remember the excitement of exploring my Nana's backyard and the fun when had doing crafts together. My Nana taught me to find the beauty in little things, as we turned pinecones into a work of art. Four years ago my Grandma moved to Utah to be closer to my mom and aunt. Over the past few years, my relationship with my Grandma has continued to grow. Her excitement for the small accomplishments I achieve make me feel proud of myself. She believes in me, as does my Nana. Both my grandmothers, while not being my real mothers, are extra mothers to me. They show me all the love and support of my real mother and I've had a lifetime of their motherly love, and could not be more grateful for them. 

Four years ago I gained a new family, a family that was so easy to love as much as my own. In my marriage, I gained another mother. My mother-in-law is an incredible mother. The love that she has for each of her boys has been an incredible thing for me to watch and to learn from. And that I get the spoils of that motherly love as well, blesses my life and my marriage immensely. This is a woman who believes in God through everything and asks for his help through even the smallest of things. She influences me to trust in God more, even when I am at my worst. When I lost my child, she lost a grandchild, and she shared in my heartbreak. She gave me a beautiful painting of Jesus holding a child, and while the artist didn't paint it for me, I see that painting and know that my lost child is with Jesus, that they are protected and loved. 

I love the man that I married and I know that he is the person he is today because of his parents, because of his mother. I am so grateful to my mother-in-law for the man that she raised. I am treated like a queen on a daily basis. Chris didn't have any sisters, all he knew about relationships with women was built in his relationship with his mom, and I am continually amazed at the person that she has shaped him to be. I love my official second mother and the support and love that she gives me and my husband. She cares for me just as much as she does her own children and I love her with all of my heart.

It is impossible for me to love another woman the way I do my own mom, though. 

My mom has helped saved my life. In high school, when I was suicidal, my mother found my diary and learned of the pain I was going through. She wrote me a letter, a letter I still have to this day, that changed my perspective. My mom is my greatest hero. I've watched her go through trials and come out on top. She is such a hard worker and has done so much for her children. She loves each of her children and wants them to be their best. She believes in us and wants us to be happy, but has helped let us know that happiness cannot always come easily. 

My siblings and I were raised in the church, and while I myself have had my struggles staying in the church, as I am finding my way back, I realize what a blessing it was to grow up in. I would not have had my ward mothers without the church, I would not have been the person that I am, and being doing the things I'm doing with the church, and, most important, I would not be with my soulmate without the church. I cannot thank my mother enough for raising us as Latter-Day Saints. I would not be who I am without it, I would not have survived my depression, my miscarriage, without it. And while being a member of the LDS church has never been easy for me, I know that it's the right path for me, and my mother helped keep me on that path. I could not image raising my children without the gospel. As my twins are on their way, I'm putting more focus on the church because my children need it as much as I did, and I'm grateful for my mom for teaching me that. 

My mother is already spoiling my twins and I'm so happy that I'll be the first to make her a grandmother. I'm also grateful for the way she raised her own children to be best friends. My sister and brother are my best friends, and I hope and pray that I can be like my mother and create strong friendships between my own children. I want to be a mom like my own mother. I want my children to have the same love and support that my mother always gave me. I want to be able to teach my children about life the way that my mom did. I want to be the same mother to my children as my mother was to me. For me, there is no greater mother to influence me. 

As I am on my path to becoming a mother to two children, I am influenced by the many mothers in my life; ward members, neighbors, dance coaches, teachers, friend's mothers, grandmothers, in-laws, and my own mother. These are all women who made me who I am. These are all my mothers and I wish each of them a happy Mother's Day, and hope they know how much I love them all and how I am striving every day to take the lessons they taught me, to become a wonderful mother for my own children. 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Wedding Attire

Yesterday Chris and I spent the whole day with my family, hanging out around town and celebrating my cousin's wedding. It was such a beautiful day, so much fun, and so relaxing to get a day off of work during the week. I may write a whole post about our day (I have so many pictures and videos) but we'll see. I also have a post about the night before, as Wednesday was our anniversary and Chris surprised me with an incredible evening.

But for now, enjoy my quick pictures of what I wore all day to the many wedding events. And CONGRATULATIONS NICK AND CAMI!!!

Aww... It's my sister! I don't know where her outfit is from, but I can ask if you're truly interested. 

Outfit Details:

Cardigan: Target

Shirt: H&M

Skirt: Ross

Shoes: Kohls

Similar Items $50 or Less:

Dave Thomas Adoption Foundation (January 2016 COTM)

This year is all about bringing back Charity of the Month! To read more about my plans for Charity of the Month you can read yesterday's post HERE all about my 2016 blog plans.

This month is my mom's birthday and, fun fact, my mom was adopted. So in honor of my mom and my wonderful grandparents who chose to adopt, our charity this month is the Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption.

The Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption was founded in 1992 by Dave Thomas (yes, the Wendy's guy). Dave Thomas had one main goal, "To make sure every child has a permanent and loving family." Even after his death, this foundation continues to aim towards his goal.

I'll be honest, I don't know too much about adoption. But I do believe every child needs a home. Over this upcoming year you'll see a lot of the charities I chose are related to children. I care a lot about children and want to help those in need.

I've always been so grateful for my parents and everything that they do for me. I'm also grateful for my grandma and grandpa who adopted not only my mom, but five other children as well. My grandparents are amazing, kind people who gave a home and love to six children who needed them. I love them for the way the raised my mom into who she is today and I honestly love their act of kindness by adopting my mom.

Every child deserves to feel loved and to be loved by parents. That's why this month I'm supporting the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Thank you for what you do!

You can make your own donations HERE.

Happy (Grati-) Tuesday - 11/24/15

If you saw my post on Saturday, you may know that I am not entirely happy. But it's the week of Thanksgiving and I truly do have so much to be grateful for. So in the fashion of my typical Happy Tuesday posts, here's a list of the things I am grateful for... which also bring me happiness. 

Family that loves me unconditionally

Friends that stay by my side through everything

Chris (oh my goodness, so super grateful for Chris, for forever)

This song for helping me through anything and everything and giving me my life-long mantra

This song for making the tears stop and helping me move on

And this song for making me dance and smile despite my sadness

Having a job that I'm good at and get paid for

Always having enough money to eat and pay bills, even if there isn't much left over

Having a laptop to type out my thoughts and imagination onto

That I have a big imagination

My apartment and bed

Parents who always trust and believe in me, and never stop trying to protect me

Netflix for entertaining me

Books for letting me escape inside of them

How to Train Your Dragon for being my favorite of all favorites

The ability to be be healthy and fit

My new fun hair

Pictures for letting me capture moments and memories

Food of all kinds

Cows for making me smile

Blankets and pillows for being the best cuddle-ers behind Chris

That I am a wife to the most amazing man

That I was able to gain an education

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

That I have a testimony of the gospel

The knowledge that I will someday become a mother

The knowledge that despite how difficult it is sometimes, I am strong enough to fight my depression

  That my Father in Heaven is always watching over me 

That Chris will continue to love me forever and make me happy

That I am a warrior.

Umm... - Blogtober Day 18

Umm... I'm sure some of you may have realized, I did not post anything yesterday. Blogging everyday for a month is hard.

However, this brings up something I've been thinking about lately.

What I want more than anything for Christmas or my birthday next month is a vlogging camera. A camera I can easily carry around to start vlogging the random moments of my life that I enjoy. I love watching vlogs on YouTube and I want to be a part of that. But it's also important to me not to let it change me.

Some of my favorite vloggers seem to record every second of their life. That's not what I want. I want to live my life and share only the most important things with you. I cannot allow myself to vlog daily because life is for living, not for showing the world what you do with your day.

I am not upset about not blogging yesterday. I know I made a promise, I know I wanted to keep up with this, but I spent yesterday living my life. I went to a farm with my in-laws, went on a hay ride, picked out a pumpkin, went through a corn maze, and carved pumpkins with family.

Life is for living.

I had such a wonderful day yesterday and even if it meant missing a day of Blogtober I'd rather live my life than worry about blogging about it.

Yes, I Am Pregnant - Blogtober Day 10

If any of you missed yesterday's post it ended with this:

That's right people, one of the main reasons I have been absent from my blog the past few months is due to the nausea and tiredness of the first trimester of pregnancy... and finding it difficult to want to blog about anything but my pregnancy.

As of today exactly I am 14 weeks and into my second trimester. Which is crazy. I am due April 9th, 2016 and we are beyond excited. Unfortunately for people not interested in pregnancy, almost the entirety of next week will be pregnancy diaries that I have been writing but not posting, going back from the day I found out I was pregnant. So next week is all about pregnancy.

After that my pregnancy diaries will slow down. My plan was to do them weekly but I'm very inconsistent (as I'm sure all my blog readers know) but new diaries will be popping up every now and then throughout my pregnancy.

This has been a long time in the making and something I have been wanting since forever. I cannot fully describe in writing my excitement to have a baby!! You guys... I'M GOING TO BE A MOM!! Do you realize how relateable this will make my blog? Wink wink. Yep, I'm finally moving on up to mother/blogger, what an accomplishment.

For the majority of my friends and extended family this is brand new news. I'm sorry if you are at all insulted we didn't tell you. Personally I didn't want to tell anyone except immediate family until this point, but Chris got too excited and started telling random customers at his work, which led to his coworkers knowing... and then telling everyone he sees... I would have gotten mad, but I know he's just excited and so am I.

I'm so happy everyone gets to know now and I no longer am burdened by this secret. I AM PREGNANT!!!! And I truly could not be happier!!!

Here are more photos from our fashion/pregnancy reveal shoot with my friend Lindsay. Yes, Chris ran into her at Walmart and immediately told her. He's terrible at keeping secrets, but at least it got us a photographer.

We are cheesy and I will never apologize for that. 

We're also very careful with our baby. 

And a little scared to be parents. 

Yep, we are great parents in the making. 

And are sometimes a little dramatic over our love for our little pumpkin. 

Thanks for all the love and support you've already given us! It's a little scary, but with friends and family like you, we know it'll make things a lot smoother. Love you all!!

Happy Tuesday 10/6/15 - Blogtober Day 6

Getting a great review at work

St. George trip

Roadtrip with the family

How To Train Your Dragon fruitsnacks

Catching up with my friend Lindsay

Autumn is here!! 

New clothes

Paco's Tacos

Chris for being the greatest husband in the world

Happy Tuesday 8/25/2015

Woodkid

Having such incredible and kind parents

Playing One Night Ultimate Werewolf

Work Lagoon Day

Swimming

Cafe Rio quesadillas

Having a husband who will give me anything I want (even when I'm being a little too selfish)

Priesthood blessings

Raspberry flavored things

Raspberries

How long my hair is getting

Finding time to relax

Happy Tuesday 8/4/15

Having a Happy Tuesday post on my blog instead of my Tumblr

Spending last week in Jackson Hole with my family

Life changes

My job

Pizza Hut

Going to the Martin Harris Pageant with my Young Women

Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

The gift and power of prayer

Trying out new hairstyles

Going without makeup for a while

Watching Family Guy with Chris

Rearranging my bedroom

My bed

Jackson Hole Trip 2015

So any friends, family members, or long-time followers of this blog should know that my family takes a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming every summer. My family has been going every year since 2001 and as soon as it's over, I look forward to next year's trip. Last year I didn't get to go because Chris and I were living in San Antonio. It was the first time I had ever missed our yearly trip to Jackson, and it only made going this year more special.

Because my blog is so many things (lifestyle, writing, fashion, journal, etc.) I'm combining the many elements I use on this blog into one post to give an overview of this year's trip. I hope you enjoy this scrapbook-like post about my favorite place on earth.


Chris and I worked Friday so we drove up after work and arrived at the condo late Friday night. But the next morning we woke up and prepared for String Lake. String Lake is a beautiful small lake to canoe, paddleboard, or swim. It's rocky but it's a great place to hang out, and we go here every year.

So from left to right in the above picture we have my cousin Brandon, sister Michelle, cousin Ryan, brother Nick, me, and then Chris. This trip is a family thing. It's my grandma's condos that we stay in and my family and my Aunt Cherene's family goes. I realized I really didn't take many pictures this year, but we were joined also by my Aunt Cherene, Uncle Jeff, their oldest son Nate, his wife Kara, and their almost 2 year old Will, and then, of course, my parents and Grandma. It's a big group and it's the best. 

This was the first year I tried Paddleboarding. I didn't like standing up on it even though everyone else was saying I had good balance. The second day we went to String Lake I sat on the paddleboard and rode around by myself and it was super relaxing. I liked it a lot. 

(WIW; Swimsuit: Old Navy, Water Shoes: Sports Authority, Shorts: ?? Similar)

Sunday we went to a visitors sacrament meeting for church then got ready for the Phelps Lake hike. We didn't go around the whole lake, just went to it and back. But next year we want to explore the other hikes in that area, because it's beautiful. 

This hike was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I'm thinking it's mostly because of how out of shape I am. But it's honestly so beautiful and I had a good talk with my brother during the hike about dogs and what he wants to do for college and life. 

(WIW; Shirt: Walmart, Pants: Old Navy, Shoes: ???)

Sunday night we went to a figure eight race at the fair, which is one of my favorite things to attend. It's like a demolition derby but in a race. It's so much fun to watch! But also at the fair I got to see one of my most favorite things on earth... A HIGHLAND COW!!! If you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram you have already seen my excitement in seeing and petting such a beautiful animal. I honestly love cows and highland cows are the cutest of them all.

Monday we hiked hidden falls. If you go to Jackson this is probably the hike I recommend the most. It's a good steady hike without being too difficult, my grandma used to do this hike with us so it's a fairly easy one. It leads to one of the most beautiful waterfalls, which I'm obsessed with.

After the hike we drove to find buffalo and we found them.

After that we went to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum. It was cool and interesting. We also walked around the town with my brother. Downtown Jackson Hole is an amazing place. The stores are great, the sidewalks are wood, and everything has just a great feel to it. Of course, one of the best and most iconic places is the elk antler archways in the center of town square.

They also have a lot of benches with statues and Chris had a conversation with President Lincoln.

Tuesday we went white water rafting and it was AWESOME! I don't have any pictures because the only camera I had on the trip was my phone and taking my phone on the raft didn't sound like a great idea. It was freezing that day though and I was cold the rest of the day from getting soaked near the front of the raft. Chris fell out during some minor rapids and he just laughed it off and we helped him back it. It was such a fun rafting trip.

Later Tuesday we rode the gondola up the Tetons to The Deck restaurant. They have such good fries and we tried these battered vegetables with sauce and they were delicious! I also had hot chocolate because up on the mountain it was freezing.

(WIW; Jacket: Kohls, Shoes: K-Mart, Pants: ???, HEY! So if you're ever wondering where Chris gets his clothes, just leave me a comment and I'll do my best to answer. I'm also considering having him join me for a few fashion posts just to get more variety on my blog, let me know what you think of that idea!)

Wednesday we went back to String Lake. I don't have pictures for that day. My cousin Ryan and I swam basically across the lake and back and I woke up the next morning completely sore. It was such a good workout for me! Chris didn't join us that day and went fishing instead, but he didn't catch anything.

Thursday we hung out around town most the day. Later in the day my mom, sister, and I went on a bike ride. It had been like five years since I'd ridden my bike and people lie, you can forget how to ride a bike. But I didn't crash or anything and I did just fine, but it was a workout because it had been so long and my bike seat it ridiculously hard so sitting hasn't been fun for me. That night we went out to a Mexican place called El Abuelito, and it was delicious.

Even later that night we played One Night Ultimate Werewolf , which we had been playing every night of the trip. That night we played outside in the condo's gazebo with glowsticks and eating Crayola's version of Pixie-Sticks. That game is awesome and if you've never played it, you should. Chris and I are going to invest and buy it ourselves because it really is so much fun and you need to have a different strategy every single game.

And that leads us to today, where Chris and I drove back to Logan stopping at the Oregon Trail Museum in Montpelier.

This was such a fun trip this year and I'm going to miss being there and getting back into a regular routine. If you haven't been to Jackson Hole, I hope this gives you an idea of how much there is to do there. I honestly suggest this as a vacation spot for anyone who loves the outdoors. There is literally so much to do there and I love everything about that place!

What trips have you been on this summer and where's your favorite vacation spot? Let me know in the comments below!