Bart's bike shop

This is your birthday present Rosie: A picture of me riding your bike!! :) Thank you for letting me come to Bart's bike shop once again. I'll be back for my yearly tune up!

That's what I get for being your friend....free bike privilages! But wait...what do you get from me? Oh yea...'too fat nights and eating bon bons'. That is what Bart thinks when we hang out. Who eats bons bons anyways? Ha ha....Happy birthday hot woman.

"We are 30!!!!

Kelsey in particular has been using this saying ever since we hit about 27. Some high school gossip floats our way or some catty thing played out in one of our social circles and the catching phrase comes up in disbelief that whatever is happening is happening..."What? she did WHAT? He said WHAT? Good one....WE are 30!!!" Even though we weren't 30 yet, we have been saying for a good few years now.

I usually feel like I am still in my early twenties. Now that I am approaching 30 however, I have felt more and more like 30 and have actually been embracing it! Well, for the most part I guess. We'll see how I feel as this next month approaches and the calendar clicks on to OCT 29th.

Here was my 30 year old moment I had this past week.

Conversation with Rosie:

Me: "After Alana, Miche, Kelly and I got back from Hawaii we wore HALTER TOPS every day to school! Can you believe that!?"

Rosie: "Um, yea. I'm sure you did."

Me: "But I can't believe we did that! Halter tops are just so TRASHY!!"

Rosie: "Haahhaa ha! You are SO 30!!!"

Becca later tried to argue this comment I made by saying "Whatever! Halter tops are hot!" Hhmm...can be true. It's just there are not tons of us that look great wearing them ;) Ah! I didn't even have time to think about what was coming out of my mouth. I just said it. I guess I'm growing up. Hey, I bought my first one piece swim suit this year since I was about 14...and I actually love it!

Same conversation with Rosie ( I was driving.)

Me: "Ok, I am almost to your house. Ahhhh...what the?"

(some one just totally cruised through a small intersection when I was trying to pass through and I had to swerve )

Rosie: "Whoa, what happened?"

I looked to see who the heck it was.

Me: "Oh some TEENAGER in a big Range Rover almost just hit me! Ugh!"

Rosie: "You are SO 30!!"

I am sure that most of you have had some 30 year old moments. Especially you with kids and houses and careers and educations and trials and dreams come true and dreams unfulfilled.

Really 30 is relatively young but I am sure most of us could agree with this next statement that my mom shared with me yesterday.

She walked into a class and the teacher walked in and said

"I am sure that most of you are living a life now that you never expected you would be living at this point in your life when you imagined your life when you were younger."

It's interesting what life throws your way and what you make of it.

As President Hinckley said about life

"The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride”

City Beautiful

City of Joseph, city beautiful....

The week after we were in Florida, Brandon had to work in Kansas city. We decided to take a short flight the weekend before and road trip it to.....

YES! City Beautiful....Nauvoo!! If you are wondering why I am saying it that way, it's because that's how the song went when I was in the Nauvoo pageant as a dancer with Lane and Andrea the summer of 2000. Nauvoo means city beautiful or as the saints that lived there at the time called it 'city of Joseph.'
We LOVED seeing the newly constructed temple! It was being built daily when I lived in Nauvoo for a month but I never got to see the final outcome.

We spent so much time admiring it and pondering. Sat night we just layed on the steps and looked up at these sunstones and thought of the pioneers and how it would be to live in Nauvoo. It was a perfect moment....besides all of those pesky mosquitos. They'll get you every time in Illinois.

I love this picture of Brandon with Joseph and Hyrum on their horses going to Carthage Jail. All I see is strength, courage, faith, priesthood power, confidence and humility from men that I admire.
Now to the women. This is where the Relief Society was organized. I'll vote it in! Does that mean I have start being on time? Jk jk :)
What church might have been like for us in Nauvoo in 1830's

We were sitting in the upstairs of the Red Brick Store.
We loved seeing all the old shops and homes. This is the Smith's mansion home.
Joseph, Hyrum and Emma's graves are there close to the Mississippi River.

Wagon rides anyone?!
We'll do the honors!

Or maybe we'll drive the ox and wagon!

How about some good ol fashion Nauvoo Root Beer?

Dressing up as pioneers is a must of all musts.
Brandon LOVED looking out over the Mississippi River. We couldn't believe the Pioneers had to get across that wide water way.
Looking back and leaving the place that they love and had built from a Maleria infested swamp to become their beloved home. City Beautiful.

I love the spirit found in Nauvoo. There is nothing quite like it.

Birthday surprise!!

I'm working on putting up pics of the rest of our trip but first....I had to throw up this little video of Brandon hiding in a box on the front porch when he flew home to Florida and surprised his mom for her birthday! I just LOVE IT!!! She is such a doll. What a good surprise :)

This is how we do it

FLORIDA STYLE ........We surprise Brandon's mom that I am here!

We all ride bikes together

We play at water playgrounds for kids

We kayak on the lake together

We ride 4 wheelers

We fish together


We play outside in the rain during the Florida storms

We cook steaks and grilled pineapple
And of COURSE we throw YOGA parties together!!




"So what you wanna do tomorrow?"

"I dunno, what you wanna do? Same thing as we did yesterday?" -Jungle book

Which Brandon has still never seen! I know, I can't believe it. It's a classic!

Make lemonade

When life gives you a hurricane....make lemonade! That is what the saying says right? :) Since hurricane Earl and Gaston ruined our plans to visit the Virgin Islands, I told Brandon...I am on a plane Thursday no matter what! I hadn't seen him in what seemed like forever. We both had the week off so we were able to meet up at his parents home in sunny Florida!! Oh, another grand thing about the trip is that I had a 3 hour layover in ARIZONA. You KNOW Dooooogalie (SARAH) came and picked me up.
We hit up this cute little restaurant and had AMAZING bruschetta I loved seeing her and her cute little pregnant belly. Love you Sar!
Well, it was a sweet reunion with Brandon to say the least!

First thing is first. We met up with Nate and headed to the beach.

Scouting out the surf.
The good news for Florida was that the hurricane brought in some really HUGE waves usually unknown to Florida. Surfer's paradise this day.

We had a good time hangin on the beach...

Playing in the water...

Loving life...
Finding wildlife...
Collecting AMAZING sea shells that the hurricane brought in...

Brandon and I picked out a pile of seashells that we liked and set them aside.

Brandon: "Ok, pick out your favorite one's and put them over here on the opposite side."

He was busy watching the ocean while I picked out my favorites.

Brandon: "Um honey, I told you to pick out your FAVORITE shells to bring home. Not just to move the entire pile to the other side!"

Me: "Ooopsy daisies! I guess I just like them all!" And yep, we took them all home :)

After that we went home and just chilled out in his backyard.

Watched some Sandhill cranes.
Enjoyed the trees
Loved the lake
Kickin it FLORIDA STYLE
AAWWWHHHH....Just relaxin'

I can honestly say it was a perfect day!!