Happy 50th Birthday Bev!

This past week my aunt Bev celebrated her 50th birthday.  We had a party for her with all of the family on Saturday night.  I have been wanting to use a Dutch oven for a long time because I really want to learn how so this party was the test run.  We made mulligan stew and everyone brought fruits, salads, and breads to make it a full meal.  And to top it off we had warm peach cobbler with ice cream.  It was soooo good and I can't wait to use the Dutch ovens again!  We had a really great time together.  We all love Bev so much!  She is an amazing person.  She has so much determination...anything she puts her mind to, she can do it!  I love you Bev!  Thanks for being such a wonderful aunt and example!

A Night of Boating at Jordanelle

Friday afternoon Brooke, Carter, Lincoln, and I headed up towards Park City to meet up with Brandt and Kelly and their boys for a fun night! We arrived at the condo at about 4:00 and let all of the boys swim for an hour.  Dinner was delicious and everyone was hungry!  We had fettucini, salad, grapes, corn and garlic bread.  When Derek and Brandt arrived we loaded into the truck with the boat and drove down to the Jordanelle marina.  It was a beautiful night and the water was perfect!  We hadn't been out on the boat for FOREVER so we were all really excited!  All of the little boys loved it!  We had a lot of good laughs (especially when Brandt lost his swim trunks) and made lots of good memories!  We stayed out until the sun went down soaking up every moment we had.  It was great and I am so excited to do it again sometime soon!  Thanks so much Brandt and Kelly and Brooke and Derek!

Girls Night Out

At about 10:00 tonight we decided we were up for and in need of a girls night out so we headed to the Cheesecake Factory!  It was so fun to be with Kristin, Ella, Brooke, Carli and my Mom and just to have some time to chill, chat, and, of course, enjoy a delicious piece of cheesecake!  Thanks so much for the fun night girls!

HELP!!!

Okay, so I need your help because I am about to make the biggest financial decision of my life (besides my education)!  I have enjoyed having this beauty since I was 16 and it was a trusty little car to get me around throughout high school and the first few years of college.  I can't tell you how many times it has driven between here and Logan.  When I left on my mission Carli took over.  She has loved the car and added a few nice dings over the past two years.  Because of that, she can keep that car.  Since I have been home I have been able to get by by just borrowing a family car when I need one but it is getting to be that time where I need a car of my own again.  I have done a little research and have narrowed it down to three choices that are in my price range:

So it is either a Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, or Mazda 3.  I am hoping to make a purchase within a week but I need your feedback.  Please let me know if you have any info about any of these cars.  And I am throwing a little prize out there for those that help me out!  The first person to post on my blog the correct car and color that I purchase will win a $15 gift certificate to Cafe Rio!  Thanks for helping me out!

The Week of "T"'s

I had a terrific week!  Here are some of the highlight events...


Trek

On July 11 I left with 60 members in my ward on trek.  We drove for 5 1/2 hours before reaching Martin's Cove in Wyoming.  The first day we trekked for 7 miles, the second for 11, and the third for 15.  We experienced much wind, rain, bugs, swamps...everything!  But we also had many spiritual experiences, experiences I will never forget and that have changed me.  I am so thankful for the pioneers!  Although we don't have to go through the trials they faced, we can follow their examples of faith and courage in the trials we face.

Test Results

After returning from trek on Thursday night, I received a call from my doctor with my test results.  I had been anticipating receiving results for a week and was thankful to hear from him.  Because I have been sick 15+ times in the past 8 months, we decided it was time to get a thorough check-up.  The doctor said it might be a parasite but those tests came back negative.  All of the other test results looked normal except two blood tests that show that my immune system is fighting against my body...in other words, indicating that there is a big possibility that I might have an auto-immune disease.  It was a little overwhelming to hear the news but I will be going to a specialist next week so hopefully I'll get some things figured out!

Tacky Movie
We were so tired from trek so Thursday night we all plopped down to watch a movie and just chill.  Carli and I picked "Matilda", a movie we loved when we were younger and hadn't watched in a long time.  The movie is good but I think it is a little bizarre too!  I think as a child I had a bigger imagination but now I think it is a little weird, just like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" or "Alice in Wonderland".  But I still enjoyed it!














True Love
My friends from high school, Molly DiFrancesco and Jordan Rogers, just got engaged!  They are perfect for each other and I am so happy for them.  They will be married December 17th in the Bountiful temple.  Congrats!










Texas Roadhouse
A few weeks ago we went to the West Jordan Rodeo.  It was fabulous!  While there, Brooke and Derek purchased a bloomin' onion and shared it with us.  AMAZING!  Ever since then we have been craving having another one.  We went to Texas Roadhouse and ordered one...it was just as delish!  We devoured the whole thing!  Probably the most unhealthy food in the world but having it 2 times in my lifetime hopefully won't kill me!
















Two Little Boys on Tractors
Two of my little nephews, Lincoln and Carter, love to come over and ride Grandma's tractor.  No, the tractor in the picture is not ours, I just love the pic.  But when they come over all they want to do is go out in the field and have a tractor ride.  I love having them come over and see them ride the tractor.  They just melt my heart!

The Little Sahara

Saturday morning, bright and early, we headed off to the Little Sahara to go four-wheeling.  We used to go a lot when I was little and just got back into it this summer.  My nephews and nieces absolutely love it!  They all look so cute on their little four-wheelers!  Two of them, Ryan who is 7 and Jack who is 5, have no fear.  They were falling my brother and my sister-in-law and I were following them.  They would go up and down these huge sand hills and we would be so scared!  But we couldn't be shown up by a 7 and 5 year old!  

Tish
My friend Tish came to stay the night!  We met our second year at Utah State and just clicked.  We roomed together our third year and then she left on her mission to Georgia a month after I left on mine.  It was so fun to stay in contact with each other throughout our missions!  She returned about a month before I did and this weekend was only the second time I have been able to see her since she lives 3 hours away.  We had so much fun together!  She is an amazing friend!  I am so excited to live with her in the fall!  Thanks for the great weekend Tish!

Tasty Food

Because it was Tish's birthday only a few weeks earlier and I never had a chance to celebrate with her, I treated her to whatever she wanted for dinner and dessert.  She chose some of the best food in the world!  Cafe Rio and Menchie's Frozen Yogurt.  Yum!

Temple

The Jordan River Temple is my temple!  I love it so much!  Because Menchie's is so close by the temple, we decided to eat it on the grass at the temple and talk for a couple of hours.  It was fab and we had a beautiful view!

Talking with Sister Brubaker
While we were sitting at the temple I received a call from an unavailable number.  I answered and to my surprise it was Sister Brubaker, my mission president's wife!  She was so sweet to call, especially at a time when I needed it most!  She really filled the shoes of being my "mom" when I was on my mission and I am so thankful that she still gives so much of her time to stay in touch.  I love her so much!

Terrific Deals
Tish and I decided to make a late night run to Kohl's to find a baby outfit for her new nephew.  When we found out that Kohl's would be open until 11 that night because of a big sale they were having we couldn't help but join in the fun!  We both purchased these shoes...love them!  I also got the outfit I am wearing in the picture with Tish...I've wanted a long dress like that for so long and I got it for such a good deal.  Sometimes it feels good to go on a little shopping spree!

















Talking in Church
Although it is stressful sometimes, I am so thankful for the many opportunities that I have had since I have been home to give talks or lessons in church.  This last Sunday I spoke with a high councilman in another ward in my stake.  I got to speak on encouraging others to go on missions and do missionary work.  It was really special because there were so many familiar faces in the ward...my brother-in-law and sister and two kids, my 8th grade math teacher, the Sandgren family, the Decker family, and a couple I got to know at the temple who worked in the baptistry when I would go every Wednesday morning.  Love happy reunions!


Toasties and a Two Hour Nap
The 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month we have all of our family over for dinner but the 1st and 3rd Sundays are just chill.  After church we enjoyed some ham and cheese toasties and then took a nap.  We were babysitting Lincoln and Carter so I laid down with Linc.  We read a few stories and then crashed for a couple of hours.  It was so relaxing!

Tons of Laughs
To end our Sunday night we read scriptures and then played a game of Monopoly together.  I haven't played that game in ages!  It was a lot of fun and we had some good laughs.  We all felt rejuvenated and ready to start a new week!

I finally have a blog!

I am so excited about actually starting a blog!  Ever since I returned from my mission at the end of March I have become the worst journal writer ever and yet so many good things are taking place in my life right now that I want to remember forever.  A couple of weeks ago we had the Sharp Family Reunion and I was asked to be in charge of the adult discussion.  I decided to focus on the talk "Of Things That Matter Most" given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.  As I prepared and when we had the discussion I was so touched by his words!  It is actually what sparked my desire to start this blog...to share what things matter the most to me!  I hope that you enjoy my simple life...nothing too out of the ordinary but it is the life that I love.  Here is a little Mormon Message that was created from the talk given by President Uchtdorf.  Love it!  I'll post again soon!