An Eye Opening Mini Vacation

               First things first: happy birthday (yesterday) to my best friend Melanie! I hope that you had such an amazing 18th Birthday and that being an adult lives up to your expectations. (Being a grown up is overrated) welcome to adulthood hooray!!

Whats a birthday without a birthday collage?!

So if you know anything about me, or if you read this blog, you know that I have a deep, burning, passionate love for Cedar City and SUU...but mostly the people that are there. Down at school I made the most incredible friends, all of whom I love and have been missing like crazy this summer. So I thought it was time for me to go down to good old Cedar City for a visit! It didn't hurt that one of my really good friends just got back from his mission and I couldn't wait to see him and hear him speak, so it was the perfect opportunity to drive myself down south for a much needed weekend of fun! First let's talk about driving down there. I was in my car by myself, which generally I absolutely dread, but for some reason, making that 3 and a half hour drive is one of my favorites. It is seriously such a peaceful drive, and it gives me serious time to think about my life and jam out like crazy without the harsh judgments' of those around me. And the anticipation of getting there is always something that makes the drive so worth it :) I got there safely, surprised my friend Kelsie, and had a lovely reunion with my favorite girls. The next day, Jade, Morgan, Mallory and I all went to the Cedar Reservoir, blew up some serious floatie rafts and floated around! It was so much fun to just spend time with some of my favorite people and get a little bit of a tan (as in a major sunburn) in the process. I got super close to fishies too. Which is a pretty big accomplishment for me because swimming with fish freaks me out. So gross.. Anyway, I am totally the person that constnantly brags about how I am blessed with my grandma young's ability to never really burn, just tan. Which, if you have seen me recently or ever, you know I am not a very tan individual, but I hardly ever burn, but my whole life my mom has told me to wear sunscreen. So I put some sunscreen on my shoulders and face and thought I would be good. NOPE. Yes, I was absolutely fried on my back. It hurt so bad too. And when I texted my mom the picture what I got in return was a big fat, THIS IS WHY I TOLD YOU TO WEAR SUNSCREEN YOUR WHOLE LIFE HALEY, and some tips on how to make it fade and not peel. So thanks for the I told you so and useful tips mom :) You're the best!

FRIED. Excuse my momentary immodesty...

               With the exception of when we were at the res, it rained and rained and rained ALL weekend long. Which i am seriously obsessed with, because the rain is my favorite weather. I want to live in Seattle for that very reason, I just love the rain so very much. And when it rains in cedar city it RAINS. I always wondered why the gutters in the road were so ridiculously deep, and I now know why. Cedar itself would float away if they weren't that way, true story. But since it was raining, Jade and I went over to my older sister Breanna and her husband Jason's house to spend some time with them! Ok so remember when we were little, and A*Teens was totally a thing? Why are they no longer a thing? Jade and I had a real good time jamming out to them in my car, you can ask Jason. He was a witness. So let's start a revolution to bring them back, because something that good should have never ended. Ever. So after we jammed out in my car, we went inside and we watched the titanic and ate banana bread, and it was a real good time. Side note: Titanic is honestly one of my favorite movies of all time. It is just so good, and it gets me every single time I watch it. Now I have seen that movie quite a few times and I had never made the connection at the very end of the movie, after she drops of the heart of the ocean back into..well the ocean...that when she is walking through the titanic and is reunited with her one true love Jack once again that she is DYING! I honestly cried so hard, I couldn't even handle myself. You have no idea, the heart strings were being pulled. ANYWAY.  If you haven't seen that movie, I am sorry to tell you that she totally dies at the end of the movie, but it is still totally worth watching. Call me up, we will make an event out of it.

Rain? No problem. No power? NO PROBLEM. Lady Date to Chilis with my bffffff :))))

This was right before a ginormous puddle blinded us. You can't tell but it was POURING. SO wonderful and so beautiful!!

All dolled up and beautiful for Daniel's homecoming! Yay church and yay missionaries coming home!! Also, we are HOT.

               Not only did I get to watch Titanic, I also saw Despicable Me 2, learned how to do the cup song, thought I was falling into the middle of the earth in my sleep, when in reality I was simply just slipping in between sofa cushions in my sleep no big deal, watching Teen beach movie and discussing the upcoming year festivities and how happy we will all be once we are reunited for good, got to see one of my oldest friends come home from his mission and got to spend time with my favorite people on the planet. This weekend it really hit me hard as to why I felt so good about choosing Southern Utah University as the university I would attend for my college education. It's because of the people I have met, and will meet, and the experiences and lessons I will gain from them. There is no such thing as coincidence, especially with the people in our lives, and that was just reiterated to me this weekend. I am seriously so blessed, and that is so apparent to me. I just really like life, I think it's swell :)

This picture is just too good to not post. I look amazing.

               One last thing before I end this shindig. I had a really eye opening experience on my drive home from my weekend of fun. I was following my sister and her husband back up north because they are currently on vacation with his family. I had whined about it, but had done it to make my mommy happy. There had been a really bad accident on I-15 and so Jason called me to tell me we would be taking the belt route home and legacy from there to hopefully eliminate some time in traffic. He made sure he knew where I was going but told me to stay close, and I am really glad I did. I am totally the person that when I am following somebody somewhere I follow every move they do. if you switch lanes, I switch lanes. Well we were on 215 heading home, almost to Legacy highway, about 20 minutes from home when we got caught in some mild traffic. Jason had gotten into the middle lane, so I too had switched over, and then he got back into the left lane. And I couldn't get back over because of the traffic. I didn't think much of it because I knew my way home really well and figured it wouldn't really matter if I got a few minutes ahead of them. I passed them, just barely and the car in front of me was coming to a stop. I tried breaking and my car wasn't stopping. So I slammed on my breaks and it still wasn't stopping, so i tried even harder and finally my car stopped, shut off, and my steering wheel locked. It may sound silly, but I had barely stopped within inches of the car in front of me, I couldn't turn my car back on and I was hyperventilating and shaking so bad that getting my emergency flashers on was a trial within itself. Luckily for me, my brother-in-law saw my face in my side view mirror and knew something was wrong and not that I just wasn't paying attention to the car in front of me. Somehow I got over to the far left and was able to put my car in park. Jason came to check on me and calm me down, a highway patrol also checked on us. It was honestly the scariest experience of my entire life. I know for a fact that the only reason things happened the way they did, the only reason I am safe and that I didn't get into a car accident and get hurt or worse, is because of a loving Heavenly Father. Just the night before I had been discussing with my best friend about how much Heavenly Father loves us and the benefits of having him bless our lives daily. And this was definitely a blessing. If I wasn't living the way I am living, by choosing to live the gospel standards and doing the simple things, praying, reading my scriptures, going to church, etc, that I wouldn't have been blessed in the ways that I was. Now nobody panic, I am fine, but I definitely wouldn't be a very grateful daughter of God if I didn't say how blessed I am to have a Father in Heaven that loves me and watches over me. There is a reason we are told to do the 'Primary Answers' daily, and I am so glad I have. It just really made me appreciate everything a little bit more. I am so grateful for the gospel, and the protection, love and comfort it provides for me. I am such a lucky girl. :)

Retreat For Girls :)

So, another blog post in such a short amount of time. You would think that there is something wrong with me…but alas, there is not. I am just here to tell you guys all about one phenomenal experience that I had pretty recently. I had the amazing opportunity to go and be a counselor at an amazing girl’s organization called Retreat for Girls. For those of you who don’t know what RFG is...I am so sorry. Let me tell you a little bit about this life changing program. Retreat for girls is kind of like Academy for girls, for those of you who were familiar with Academy. If you’re still kind of lost, it is a 5 day overnight program for 11-5 year old girls where they can take a retreat from the things of this world and just focus on the love their Father in Heaven has for them and be surrounded by other girls there for the same purpose and ambition to have their testimony grow. There are speakers, classes, a service project, crafts, devotionals, delicious food and some pretty awesome counselors, participants and directors. Imagine Time Out for Women, but for younger girls! It’s truly such an amazing experience. I went as a participant and I was a counselor this year and I am so grateful for the experience that it was. Not only did my testimony increase in ways I can’t even express, but I laughed a whole lot too :) My first week girls will always be just that, my first set of girls! They were total sweethearts, I didn’t have a single problem with any of them. They listened to me, obeyed the cell phone policy like absolute champs, the only thing they didn’t do was my dance I so lovingly choreographed for them. And maybe a few were a little nuts over the EFY boys ;) But they just melted my heart, loved me when I needed to be loved, and gave me the best first week as a counselor I could ever ask for. A huge portion of my heart left with them when they left Friday night. Granted, I was absolutely exhausted in almost every way humanly possible, but that was all right. Because I came into week two a much better counselor and person because of my first girls. They taught me more than I could express to you in words, they helped me feel the love that my Heavenly Father has for each and every one of them, which is pretty incredible. I definitely think there is a reason that Katie Smith, the director of RFG, calls it mommy boot camp :) My second week girls were just as incredible as the first. I could seriously love these girls no more than I already do, they all have brought such a light into my life that words can’t explain. There is something about 12 and 13 year old girls that just melts my heart. Both sessions of girls made me laugh, and even sometimes made me cry a little bit. But all in all, what an incredible experience I had as a counselor. I know that not everybody has the same beliefs and definitely doesn’t share the same faith as me, but since this is my blog I think it should be ok for me to express how I feel. I love the Gospel, I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I can’t imagine my life without the truthfulness it provides for me. I count my blessings every single day for a loving Father in heaven who is waiting to poor infinite amounts of blessings into my life and who loves me unconditionally. It truly is amazing, when you think about it. I know for a fact that my life was blessed by the decision to be a counselor for RFG. There is no such thing as a coincidence, and I will forever be grateful for that very sacred experience. I know that this post didn’t give you a whole lot to work off of, so I want to direct you to the blog that one of the other counselors started, and it is all about retreat and how we can Live It! Every single day in our lives. From testimonies from the counselors to experiences from the participants, it’s truly an amazing blog. So here is the link to that! Retreat For Girls: I Will Live It! Thank you for being so amazing, person reading this. I love you and appreciate you more than words can express :)

This lovely lady is Mamaba. Funniest person I have ever met.

Getting them to put Nylons on their heads, the perks of being a counselor. 

Shuffle. One of the most amazing girls I have ever met.

My first week girls! I am there too, but I also fit in with 12 year olds..

My cute girls before the fashion show!

Claire...loved her straw glasses.

Never a serious picture with these hooligans.

Melting my heart, love them so!

The board after a kick butt counselor class. We taught them much.

Mango, also a dear friend of mine from high school, was a counselor with me! I love this woman so much.

Giggles and Beffy, two of my favorite ladies!

Head counselors, two of the best friends i have ever,and will ever, have. Love you two so much.

Yes, for 2 weeks my name was Frenchie. Shocker huh?

All 19 of us counselors. We are normal, I swear.

19 counselors and 2 directors. I just can't even tell you how amazing these ladies are.

I love my 2nd week girls and their silliness!!

SO CUTE RIGHT?!

I love them I love them I love them!! We got photobombed, the 2 on the sides are definitely not mine ;)

Best friends, books, and fireworks.

               Oh my sweet goodness gracious. It’s almost like my poor blog has been neglected (which it has) and for that I apologize. I feel like all of my complaining about not being busy really caught up with me and I suddenly was so busy that I could barely breathe. So brace yourself for a long post, that maybe will be split up into two posts because of length. ALSO PICTURES! On 3 let’s all give a big hooray…1, 2, 3, HOORAY! If you did this…thanks for humoring me. :)) OK! Let’s get down to business! ….to defeat the Huns.

               11 Weeks down from knee surgery! Time flies when you’re having as much as humanly possible with a hardly functioning knee! But I honestly can’t complain. Let me rephrase that, I shouldn’t complain, I have no reason to complain, but I still do. I haven’t had that miraculous of a change guys, let be real. Physical Therapy is going as well as it could I guess, it hurts and I hate it so I would definitely say it’s going as it should. I no longer wear my brace, which is FABULOUS, and it is starting to look like a somewhat normal knee! Kinda… The scars are also becoming less and less gross, relatively speaking! I still have one that looks like a butterfly, so at least it has a feminine touch. I guess I am just grateful I can walk around and will be completely healed in the not too far future. There are some people that can’t say that, so a blessed girl I am.

SICK GROSS. but healing!

              Next order of business: Let me tell you about somebody who is very important to me. This person is somebody I absolutely love to be around basically all the time, and that is probably my other half. The best friend I have ever had…I guess I will just come out and say it…IM ENGAGED! Kidding, boys are gross. The person I am really talking about here is my best friend in the whole world, Melanie Wescott. I sometimes like to sit and ponder what life was like before we were friends and I honestly can’t remember. We often discuss how it is no coincidence she moved into my ward, and that we became friends, because we are friend soul mates. Kindred spirits, if you will. ANYWAY, the reason I tell you about beloved Mellybelly is because WE TOTALLY HAVE A BUCKET LIST FOR SUMMER 2013. I am not meaning to brag here, but we are basically crushing it. I mean, tons of people make bucket lists for their summers and…well they just don’t accomplish much. But not us! We have done a good portion of our list already :) I am proud of us. So prepare yourself for updates about the BL. Cause it’s going to happen.

This is Mel. She is insane, and my best friend. Whom I love.

Mel, Channy, and myself on our way to St. George. A check off of the bucket list!

          So I absolutely love to read, and I have been doing a lot of reading lately! So I thought that every time I finished a good book, or even started a good book or heard about one in passing I would blog about it! I know sometimes it is so hard to find good books to read, so I thought I would help those of you looking for a good read out! Right now I am in the middle of reading the Matched series. If you have read it, DON’T TELL ME ANYTHING. But if you haven’t I strongly advise you to go pick it up, or even borrow it from me, because it is a truly intriguing plot. If you enjoyed the Hunger Games, my money would be on you enjoying this series too. The style of writing is truly spot on for a really quick pull in and the plot keeps you interested. I have nothing but good things to say thus far! If you have read it, or end up reading it, let me know your thoughts on it too! We can have book club via blog. Genius idea.

               So I know I am about 3 weeks late, but the 4^th of july is definitely something worth mentioning. Growing up in a military family, I love this country. Having grandparents, siblings and a dad who has sacrificed their life for the freedom of this beautiful nation is something so touching and inspiring it can’t be explained. It touches my heart that my brother and dad can’t make it through the national anthem without a tear being shed. I see the love, passion, and respect they have for our country, and I am so grateful they passed that love and respect down to me. So I really do love the 4^th of July. A whole nation celebrating together the birth of the greatest country on Earth. The land of the free and home of the brave. My family had an absolutely incredible 4^th last year, if you remember, my older brother Josh came home from Afghanistan and surprised his little girl Paula at the Salt Lake Bees baseball game before the fireworks. Even though I knew it was happening, and saw him before, I still cried like a baby. Needless to say it was an absolutely magical day for my family, and a day none of us will forget. With that being said, it was impossible to top that day, but this year I had an absolutely grand time with my mom and dad. My mom and I accidentally matched, for the 2^nd year in a row, so I guess that is becoming a tradition, along with going to the Bees game! I love America, and I love Baseball. So what better way to say Happy birthday to the US of A than to watch her favorite pastime? NONE I TELL YOU. There was baseball, pretzels, family and fireworks. A grand day indeed.

Matchy  matchy, baseball, and cute parents. God bless.

               I also want to give a quick shout out to one of my favorite people on the planet who has been on his mission a whole year now! I honestly can’t tell you how blessed and lucky I feel to have so many righteous and worthy friends sacrificing their time to the Lord. It gives me chills to think about how many generations of lives they are changing, on this side and the other side of the veil. One of my dad’s cousins is the MTC Presidency 1^st counselor and it was so fun to sit down by him and hear about the missionaries that are truly changing the world, thousands upon thousands strong. I don’t know how you can see that and hear about the amazing force for good and not know this church is true. It blows my mind. I LOVE belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!

The story of my life.

This guy has been out one whole year! Yay Elder Turner!!

               With all of that being said, I also just returned back home from being a counselor at Retreat for Girls…but that was an experience to have its own post! So look for it in the near future, because it was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. But until I post about it, and if you have more questions about it, please go check out a blog one of the other counselors has started! Her vision is truly inspired, and in her words, “I have this vision of the blog being a place where girls can turn for strength, support, and encouragement. I hope it will be a reminder of the things they learned at Retreat and a place where they can continue to learn and develop their testimonies about LIVING IT!” So PLEASE go check it out, and be truly blessed and inspired by not only the lovely M&M, but all of the other counselors who will contribute to this. The URL is Retreatfromtheworld.blogspot.com you won’t regret it!

               Sorry for the long post, and sorry for not posting as much as I should…I feel truly blessed that you all bless me by being a part of my life and I love sharing my life with you. Keep on being amazing, and inspiring me to be better.