Enjoying Nature

What better way to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend then to go camping? We left Friday to go down to Mt. Carmel to spend the weekend enjoying some National Parks. Dad, Mom, Devin, and Erin left early Friday afternoon, and not too long after they left did the tire on the trailer blow out. So what do they do? Put on the spare and start going again. Not too long after that, the spare blew. So Dad and Mom ditched Devin and Erin with the trailer to go into town and buy some new tires. Thankfully after that they didn't have any more problems and they got to the campsite about an hour before Jeffery, Nikki, Toni, and I got there; and we left at about 7. Saturday we drove to the Grand Canyon and Sunday we went to Zions. We did some hiking in both parks and had tons of fun. It was great to go back because we hadn't been to those places in years. On Monday Jeff, Nikki, Devin, and Toni came back home so Dad, Mom, Erin, and I took the day easy with some touring around the towns and seeing some fun historical places. The weekend was fantastic and it was great to get in some time having fun with the family.

Brace yourself, there are a lot of pictures! This is because I was the one who was taking most of the pictures so I need to share them with those who didn't have their cameras.

Toni, Devin, and Koda in the trailer
Dad, Devin, and Toni at the Grand Canyon
Erin, Nikki, and Toni
Trying to get Jeffery to smile is so difficult...
The Grand Canyon
Isn't it beautiful?
Dad and Mom
On our hike that we did at the Grand Canyon
Me and Toni
Dad took this picture, sorry its a little blurry
On our way to Zions we climbed this mountain; Devin is at the top, and in the bunch is Erin, Toni, and Nikki
Toni and Koda
On the hike we did at Zions before we drove through the tunnel
Devin climbed over to the little ledge over by one of the windows of the tunnel; if you look closely you can see him in his light blue shirt
Nikki and Jeff by what I guess is the Star Trek rock?
There was a river on one of the hikes
Mom, Nikki, and Dad
This is one of my favorite pictures
Koda did some climbing of his own and made friends with this buffalo
Dad with his good pal John Wayne
We stopped at the place where a lot of western movies are made

Could this be right???
Riding in our covered wagon
They were supposed to be acting old...
Now what did Erin do to get put in jail?
Dad looks like he fits in perfectly
We look so small compared to this huge chair
Drinking their...beer?
We ran out of firewood, so Erin had to be a super hero and climb down the mountain to get some wood
Cutting some wood
Me pulling her up

Hellos and Goodbyes

Since I am home I was able to go to Timpview's last choir concert for the year. It was a lot of fun and they sang some pretty amazing songs. It was great to say hello again (for good this time) to a bunch of my friends. And I have loved being able to hang out with them all again!
Me with my two best friends Chelsea and Michon

Today I had to say goodbye to Brandon and Diana as they left for California for Brandon's internship with Disney. They were living with us for this past week before they left and today we packed up their car and they headed out. They have now been gone for about 30 minutes and I miss them already! It is going to be weird to not have them around this summer but they are going to have so much fun in California. Good luck you guys! I love you!!
Packing up their car
They have a small car so sadly they had to leave some things behind
I love my sister in-law!
Right before they left :'(

Schools Out!

I have been done with school for about a week, so now I am back home which means I actually have some time to do an update. This will not be a long update though because honestly I don't remember a lot of the things that happened these past two months. In the middle of March I had a week off for spring break so I came home and spent my time hanging out with the family and doing some cleaning. I went up to Bountiful with Nikki and Jeff for a weekend and spent a lot of time hanging out with Nikki during my whole break. At the beginning of April I surprised Mom and showed up at home on April Fools Day and spent the weekend at home celebrating my Birthday and Easter while enjoying Conference. I also got visits from Mom, Erin, Brandon, and Diana while down at school over a couple of weekends. That covers the real big events, the pictures that are included in this post will include some from those activities and also other ones that have happened these past two months.
Nikki and I up in Bountiful
Jen, Erin, and Mom when they came down for the weekend
Diana and Brandon
I was so happy that they came down and saw me :)
My roommates and I went to a little park and took some pictures
My building!
Before we left for the Easter weekend we colored eggs
We were sick of packing and cleaning so we took a break to do some mattress surfing
All of us roommates outside our apartment (#10)
Me and Lauren in our bedroom
Me and Jen saying our goodbyes
Nikki and I went to a play Monday night and after we had some fun dancing in her car with the windows rolled down and the sunroof open

Happy Birthday Dad!

This post is dedicated to my Dad. Today is his birthday and he turned 50. Half a century! (I keep saying that, but it is so fun)

My Dad is the greatest Father in the world. He is so understanding, forgiving, loving, smart, religious, and a great friend. He has so much knowledge and wisdom, I can turn to him for anything. He has always been such a great example to me in everything. I feel so privileged to be his daughter. He will always be there when I need him.

Happy Birthday Dad! I love you so much!

Me & Dad when they dropped me off for college
Me & Dad at Bryce Canyon
Me & Dad in Mexico
Me, Dad, & Erin after Brandon & Diana's reception
Koda, Mom, & Dad hiking the Y
Dad fixing the flat tire, he is such a handy man!

Partying!

The past month I have pretty much just been partying. After long weeks of school I spend the weekends having a blast. :) At the end of January I came home for my best friends farewell. It was sad to see him go, but it was great to hang out with him one last time.

Jared and I

Over President Day's weekend I was home once again. Friday night we had a girls night. We made pizzas, cupcakes, watched a chick flick, and painted nails. It was so fun to hang with just the girls. Then the boys crashed and the girl time ended. ;)

Nicole as we were making cupcakes
Diana, Erin, and Mom after dinner
Diana, Mom, and Koda watching the movie

This weekend we threw a surprise party for Dad. His birthday isn't until the 27th, but of course we had to do it the week before so he wouldn't have any idea. He was so surprised and the party turned out great. We had a lovely cake done by Costco, balloons, rock band, and a little presentation for him. We had made him a slide show with a bunch of pictures and then Mom and all of the kids got up and told everyone why we love Dad and some fun stories. Overall I say the party was a great success!

The room
The lovely cake
Brandon and Diana
Diana, Nicole, and Me
The Birthday Boy!