Oh for the love...

of Football!
Strange, you may say as you look at this ballet dancn', high heel wearn', musical singn' girl who happens to be rather into her UTES! It all started my sophomore year of college when my cute friend Jessica convinced me to sign up for the MUSS . . . the rest is history.
After dragging me to many of the games, and then holding me there through the rain and snow (despite my rather loud complaints), making comparisons between football and ballet (many that i'm still amazed she came up with), introducing me to the joy of CRAZY LADY, teaching me the school song, trying to explain why we hated or loved the Ref, making matching blankets that show off our school spirit & keep me warm, coming up with fantastically random traditions, and even rushing the field together, Jess finally made a Utah football fan out of me!

So now that the season is over, I look back on all of those wonderful games... funny thing is that I remember very little about the games themselves, but I do remember the fantastic times with friends I LOVE! So thank you to my UTES for the great times I had sort of watching you and mostly enjoying my time with good friends.

See you next season in the MUSS!
P.S. I'm SOOO excited for the gymnastics season, Jess and I already have our season tickets - Go Red Rocks!

Giving Thanks!

I am so grateful to have so many wonderful people and experiences in my life. Tis the season to give thanks, so I would just like to mention a few of the things that I am grateful for.

*A testimony of my Lord and Savior. The knowledge that he was born on this earth, he lived for each one of us, he died for each one of us. And then He rose again. The knowledge that His church is on the earth today and we are privileged to be lead by a prophet who can receive divine inspiration and guide us through these difficult times. I know that my Father in Heaven knows me by name, loves me, and has a plan for me. I am so grateful for all of the many affects this has in my life!
*My wonderful family! I could not ask for anything more -I’ve even gotten over the no sister thing…sort of ;). Each one of my brothers have such a reaching effect on me, and I’m grateful for the examples that they are to me, even if they are younger. They are 6 of the best teachers I could ever ask for. I adore my parents, and can’t imagine my life with anyone else – no one knows me better, meets my needs the same way, and pushes me to be my best the way they can! I LOVE them all!
*Amazing friends! What can I say, I have some of the most devoted, reliable, loving, kind, trustworthy, understanding, supportive friends that a girl could ask for. I always know that I have someone to fall back on, someone I can call late at night that knows just what I’m going through, and someone to inspire me to become a better friend myself.
*My Country! I’m so grateful to all of the service men and women and their families for the sacrifices made so that I can live the life that I do. Thank you for preserving my freedoms and protecting my safety. I’m grateful for the inspired men and women who founded this country, and the work that has gone into keeping it the way it was designed to be – A Nation under God!
*Education! I am very aware of the blessing this is in my life. I know that very few people in the world are blessed with an opportunity to receive an education, let alone graduate from Collage. I’m grateful for the support and encouragement that my parents have always given me, and for the blessing that the knowledge I have acquired can and will be in my life.
*A Job! Though I may complain now and then, and granted…it’s not ideal, but I am so grateful to be able to wake up each morning, and use my skills to help those around me…and get a paycheck…mostly I’m grateful for the paycheck! ;)
*My Home! I’m so grateful to live where I do. I’m blessed to not only live in a beautiful home that my family built together, but also a wonderful neighborhood with inspiring and kind neighbors. I’m grateful to live in a city (even if it is a small one) where I can have opportunities to not only better myself, but also take advantage of opportunities to help others. I’m grateful to live so close to Temple Square, and to have the opportunities that come with it.



I have so much to be grateful for all year around, but i'm glad we all have a special time to reflect on our blessings together.



HaPpY ThAnKsGiViNg!

{Simple} Pleasures

don’t you just love it when the little things in life make your day worth it?

i do …
*the smell of new shoes
*listening to someone’s loud & irregular laugh
*hearing from an old friend
*really good chocolate melting in your mouth (shameless plug for Hatch Family Chocolates)
*moms warm soup on a cold day
*waltz turns and triple pirouettes in ballet class
*getting all dressed up
*little kids prayers

*Finding a note on your car

*sappy love songs (especially when it was your little brother who downloaded it and put it on your iPod because he knew you’d like it)
*laughing so hard you cry
*good hair days
*sharing a good book
*pictures from a fun trip
*Sunday afternoons on the porch swing
*extra fresh licorice
*inside jokes
*high heel shoes
*beautiful piano music
*almost getting hit by cars/bikes/anything with wheels on campus (ok, the almost getting hit part isn’t the best, but I always laugh because it reminds me of walking/dodging to class freshman year with Whitney)

*hot pink sunsets
*the smell after rain
*watching a little kid open a present

hope you have a {simply} pleasant day!

Dreaming

This past weekend, despite being ill all week long, I drug myself out of bed to do one of my favorite things in the entire world – go to the BALLET! There is something about being there - it’s the frosted lights, the smiling ushers, the plush red seats, the overwhelming feeling of a wealth of culture, that extra EnErGy in the air, and that wonderful stage.
A stage can be a portal to new worlds. It can teach you about other times, places, people, but what is truly special is when it teaches you something about yourself! I have a connection to the Capital Theater stage because I have been blessed to have quite a few experiences on it. To close your eyes and see the performers’ perspective is priceless. The overture starts – a thick silence falls over the audience, one that the performer can almost reach out and touch. As the curtain goes up I can feel the butterflies that the dancers must be experiencing and I am jealous that their extra energy is about to make something so beautiful!
Agnes de Mille said, ‘To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking.’ Each dancer moves on to that stage as a single being, but once there, each becomes a piece of the masterpiece - like a stroke in a painting or a note in a song. No one able to do it by themselves, yet every person is an essential aspect.
One of the pieces performed was called “Three Preludes”. It was a beautifully simple pas de deux. When I say simple I mean that there was no set, no costume, nothing to hide the immensely beautiful and complex steps that the two performed. I was astounded by the beauty of the body, the miracle of each little muscle doing its part, the use of negative space, and how striking a simple line can be. I was reminded what can happen when someone is dedicated and disciplined enough to take over their weaknesses and make them strengths. The outcome is true beauty!
I’m so grateful I had the chance to watch such talented people share their passion on Friday night, and remind us all how important it is to follow a dream.