Friday, July 1, 2011
Girls Camp Round II
So they must have really enjoyed my help last year at girls camp, cause they invited me to go again this year. Or they just know that I'm a sucker for the outdoors. I just can't seem to turn down an opportunity to be outside in nature. I really liked the theme that was chosen for girl's camp this year too. It was 'Embrace the Royal Within'. It was about how each girl and young women has the divine potential to become a queen. I think it's such a wonderful blessing to know that we have a Heavenly Father who wants nothing more than the best for us. A couple of my favorite things from girl's camp this year were that I was with the YCLs (or whatever they are called, but it's basically the junior camp leaders). They have so much energy and passion is was fun to be around them. Short of some minor drama that is typically when you get girls together away from the world the weekend was amazing. My other favorite part was our hike on Monday. The weather couldn't have been any more perfect and the sights were absolutely beautiful. I'm in awe at the beauty that our Heavenly Father has created for us to enjoy here on this earth. What more can I say than that I LOVE it!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Nauvoo
Since we were able to accomplish so much during our day in Chicago, Camille and I decided to make the 4 hour drive (from West Dundee to Nauvoo). I haven't been to Nauvoo since I was a little girl. Unfortunately for us it happened to rain most of the day we were there and no three year old wants to be shut up inside all day. We still enjoyed our time there. I think one of my favorite parts was seeing the Nauvoo Temple. 
It truly is a beautiful beacon on a hill. I also love all the little red brick buildings that make up Nauvoo. We visited some of the homes in Nauvoo. Our first stop was to the Scovil Bakery. 
Honestly I think was amazes me the most is the size of the homes and how many people lived in them. Our next stop was to the Nauvoo Printing Office and Nauvoo Post Office. We were shown and taught about how the newspapers would be printed and how the post office would receive and send letters. 
Next we wondered across the street to the Jonathon Browning Home & Gun Shop. At each of the homes that we stopped at there were senior missionaries there to give history and background about the homes. While Camille took a break with the kids I wondered into the Brigham Young Home. Compared to some of the other homes in town it was relatively large. Yet it still amazed me the number of people that would fit in what today would be a small home. After that we decided that the last two places that we would probably be able to visit in Nauvoo were the Blacksmith shop and the Brickyard. 
We even got a praire diamond from the Blacksmith and a little Nauvoo brick from the Brickyard. I think that the Blacksmith and the Brickyard are the only areas that I actually remember from last time I was in Nauvoo. Although from what I understand they have changed it a ton since I was there. It is a beautiful little city and was fun to learn a little more about church history. On our way back home we stopped at Carthage Jail. We made it just in time to go through the last tour of the night. The tour through Carthage Jail is a pretty spiritual tour. They go over the last days of the Prophet Joseph Smith's life. He truly was a great prophet and gave his life for that which he knew to be true. I so thankful that he was willing to give his all for the gospel of Jesus Christ so that I could have it in my life.
It truly is a beautiful beacon on a hill. I also love all the little red brick buildings that make up Nauvoo. We visited some of the homes in Nauvoo. Our first stop was to the Scovil Bakery. 
Honestly I think was amazes me the most is the size of the homes and how many people lived in them. Our next stop was to the Nauvoo Printing Office and Nauvoo Post Office. We were shown and taught about how the newspapers would be printed and how the post office would receive and send letters. 
Next we wondered across the street to the Jonathon Browning Home & Gun Shop. At each of the homes that we stopped at there were senior missionaries there to give history and background about the homes. While Camille took a break with the kids I wondered into the Brigham Young Home. Compared to some of the other homes in town it was relatively large. Yet it still amazed me the number of people that would fit in what today would be a small home. After that we decided that the last two places that we would probably be able to visit in Nauvoo were the Blacksmith shop and the Brickyard. 
We even got a praire diamond from the Blacksmith and a little Nauvoo brick from the Brickyard. I think that the Blacksmith and the Brickyard are the only areas that I actually remember from last time I was in Nauvoo. Although from what I understand they have changed it a ton since I was there. It is a beautiful little city and was fun to learn a little more about church history. On our way back home we stopped at Carthage Jail. We made it just in time to go through the last tour of the night. The tour through Carthage Jail is a pretty spiritual tour. They go over the last days of the Prophet Joseph Smith's life. He truly was a great prophet and gave his life for that which he knew to be true. I so thankful that he was willing to give his all for the gospel of Jesus Christ so that I could have it in my life.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Chicago
So I've been super busy lately (wedding plans are done, but there is still so much to do), but I figure I really need to get caught up.
It's been almost two months now, but I did take a trip back to visit my college roommate Camille who was gracious enough to be my tour guide around Chicago. I happened to have a free ticket on southwest, had never been to Chicago, and figured it would be a good reason to see Camille and her cute little family. The day that we went into the city it was a little cloudy and cold, but we did really well (even with both the kids) and saw a ton of the sights. Our first stop was to pick up a Chicago dog at Portillos Hot Dogs. I think that if Chicago is known for one things it's their food (and I definitely had some good food while I was there) Our next stop was the infamous Bean statue. Honestly I've never heard of it, but apparently it's someplace you "have" to visit when in Chicago. It's kind of cool to see the city reflect back off the sculpture.
From there we ventured down to the river where we hopped on a boat to take the Chicago architect tour (recommended by my mother). Basically you float up and down the river past all the buildings. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the city, so it was kind of a cool way to see it. The longer we were on the boat the colder and more cloudy it became. 
Fortunately for us the clouds cleared just enough, at just the right time so that we could see all of the Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower). I'm not sure why they would rename such a well known landmark, but they did. From our tour guide we learned that the naming rights to the tower had expired and were bought by the Willis company in 2009. It was amazing to see how much taller than the rest of the buildings Sears Tower really is. 
As we continued along our tour we saw these guys and I was suddenly very happy for my desk job. They are CRAZY! 
They were washing the windows, but basically only being held up by what looked like rope. We ended our boat tour a warmed up a little bit before heading to see a piece of the Salt Lake Temple that is in the Chicago Tribune Building. Apparently there are pieces of famous buildings from all over the world in the building. 
From there we walked around the corner to get some fresh Garret's popcorn. It was pretty amazing. I got the Chicago mix, which sounds weird at first, but tastes amazing. They Chicago mix is cheese and caramel corn. There is something about the way that the salty and sweet mix together. There is also something to be said for fresh popcorn. YUM! After our popcorn we decided we needed a place to warm up for the afternoon so we headed over to the Art Institute of Chicago. It is a beautiful art museum that has a very impressive collection. It would probably take a couple days to truly appreciate all that is there, but we definitely appreciated what we saw. On our way out of the city we meet up with Camille's husband to get some Chicago style pizza from Lou Malnati's Pizzeria. It (like all the Chicago food I had) was AMAZING! So glad I got to experience Chicago!
It's been almost two months now, but I did take a trip back to visit my college roommate Camille who was gracious enough to be my tour guide around Chicago. I happened to have a free ticket on southwest, had never been to Chicago, and figured it would be a good reason to see Camille and her cute little family. The day that we went into the city it was a little cloudy and cold, but we did really well (even with both the kids) and saw a ton of the sights. Our first stop was to pick up a Chicago dog at Portillos Hot Dogs. I think that if Chicago is known for one things it's their food (and I definitely had some good food while I was there) Our next stop was the infamous Bean statue. Honestly I've never heard of it, but apparently it's someplace you "have" to visit when in Chicago. It's kind of cool to see the city reflect back off the sculpture.
From there we ventured down to the river where we hopped on a boat to take the Chicago architect tour (recommended by my mother). Basically you float up and down the river past all the buildings. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the city, so it was kind of a cool way to see it. The longer we were on the boat the colder and more cloudy it became. 
Fortunately for us the clouds cleared just enough, at just the right time so that we could see all of the Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower). I'm not sure why they would rename such a well known landmark, but they did. From our tour guide we learned that the naming rights to the tower had expired and were bought by the Willis company in 2009. It was amazing to see how much taller than the rest of the buildings Sears Tower really is. 
As we continued along our tour we saw these guys and I was suddenly very happy for my desk job. They are CRAZY! 
They were washing the windows, but basically only being held up by what looked like rope. We ended our boat tour a warmed up a little bit before heading to see a piece of the Salt Lake Temple that is in the Chicago Tribune Building. Apparently there are pieces of famous buildings from all over the world in the building. 
From there we walked around the corner to get some fresh Garret's popcorn. It was pretty amazing. I got the Chicago mix, which sounds weird at first, but tastes amazing. They Chicago mix is cheese and caramel corn. There is something about the way that the salty and sweet mix together. There is also something to be said for fresh popcorn. YUM! After our popcorn we decided we needed a place to warm up for the afternoon so we headed over to the Art Institute of Chicago. It is a beautiful art museum that has a very impressive collection. It would probably take a couple days to truly appreciate all that is there, but we definitely appreciated what we saw. On our way out of the city we meet up with Camille's husband to get some Chicago style pizza from Lou Malnati's Pizzeria. It (like all the Chicago food I had) was AMAZING! So glad I got to experience Chicago!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Busy
So this might be sad, but I'm so busy with work, wedding planning and life in general that my email inboxes are way too full. I have 64 emails in one and 79 in the other. This drives me crazy, because I'm one of those people who cleans out my inbox as soon as I've read or addressed the email. Hopefully I will find some time this week to clean out my inboxes and get around to posting about my fun adventures this last weekend in Chicago. Until than, know I'm busy, but still doing great!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Wedding Plans
So I've definitely been busy lately, but I think that things are going really well as far as wedding plans are concerned.
- I know who I'm marrying...
My Love!
- We know when we're getting married... JULY 9, 2011
- We know where we're getting married...
the Newport Beach Temple, California
- We got our marriage license last weekend, so it'll be official
- We picked colors...
Honestly not sure what he thinks about the bright pink. Kind of surprised myself as well, cause I'm not a huge "pink" girl, but I think it will be fun for a summer wedding and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE limes.
- I got my dress...
NO PICTURES (JUST IN CASE HE READS THIS)
- I got the PERFECT shoes last week and I am so excited to wear these...
- He got a suit and will be all spiffed up for the big day. Sadly no picture, although I'm sure we will have lots later.
- We had engagement pictures taken by the ever so talented Annie Richardson and can't wait to see all of them, here are a few teasers...
- We are lucky enough to have my brother working on the design of the invite for us, when he's not busy with school and his own life that is.
- We are fortunate enough to know two wonderful families that are opening their homes to us. One for the reception in California and the other for the open house in Phoenix.
- We registered at Bed, Bath and Beyond and Target. I know now not to let him have the gun unless I want really random things as gifts. (I learned how to remove things online so they aren't there any more.)
- We know where we are going on our honeymoon...
- more specifically Banff, Canada...
It might be one of the prettiest places on earth and nothing beats 80 degrees in the summer (especially when Phoenix will be 110+)
- We know where we are going to live and what needs to be down before we can. So glad that I don't have to move, mostly what we need is a little paint and some furniture.
I'm SO excited
Home for the weekend...
This last weekend Dan and I made a trip home to beautiful Mission Viejo, California. The main reason we headed out there was to get our marriage license and do some wedding planning, but it was also good to be home and spend some time with my family. It just happened that last weekend was the Arts Alive Festive in Mission Viejo. It use to be called the Tierra Nativa project, but basically every year they have a group of volunteers plant along Oso Viejo Park. It's been amazing how much it has changed over the years that my family has been in Mission Viejo. The church in California was also having a service project day, so the two went hand in hand. We spent a good part of the morning playing in the dirt. 
Easter Walk
So I have been better about taking my camera out each week, but not so good about posting the pictures. Easter weekend I went for a walk with Dan up in the hills around his house. It was an absolutely beautiful night to be outside. 
Unfortunately I think we missed the desert in bloom but it was still kind of green. The lighting outside was beautiful and was reflecting off of the hills. 
One of the reasons we went for a walk, other than just to enjoy the weather was to check out Dan's Geocatch. We added a pen, and traded a ring for this cute little duck key chain that quaked. 
It was really nice walk. On somewhat of a side note Dan's brothers were super excited about the shirt that he got for Easter. It's a Canada shirt. This probably doesn't mean much except that Dan and I are going to Banff, Canada on our honeymoon. Think he is just a little excited. 
Unfortunately I think we missed the desert in bloom but it was still kind of green. The lighting outside was beautiful and was reflecting off of the hills. 
One of the reasons we went for a walk, other than just to enjoy the weather was to check out Dan's Geocatch. We added a pen, and traded a ring for this cute little duck key chain that quaked. 
It was really nice walk. On somewhat of a side note Dan's brothers were super excited about the shirt that he got for Easter. It's a Canada shirt. This probably doesn't mean much except that Dan and I are going to Banff, Canada on our honeymoon. Think he is just a little excited. 
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