"It's my Life"

Things have been so crazy lately, I haven't had much time to update the blog! So, I thought it would be a good idea to do a quick picture update of what has been happening.

First, at the beginning of November, Thomas introduced me to Kvas. I am going to be completely honest, I found it disgusting. He tells me that after ten times it gets better and then you will really like it.... I just don't see that happening.

Thomas happy about the Kvas

Me... a little nervous

 The long awaited election day finally arrived. Let me tell you, I am happy that my life isn't completely surrounded by politics. But I voted!

Proof that I voted

 That night Thomas and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings and watched the election results since they put those up on half of the TVs. That was fun and delicious!

Thomas and his wing!

 We supported our BYU cougars.. First, the girls soccer team made it to the final 8 of their tournament and had all of those games at home! So, we were there to cheer for them. Even on the day after a giant snow storm and it was freezing outside. We didn't have enough of the cold, so we went and watched the BYU football game as well!

The Hot Chocolate made things seem a little warmer!

Can you tell how cold it is!

The football game

 Then it was Thanksgiving time! It is tradition for my family to have a turkey bowl! And we don't mean football, we mean a legit bowl...bowling! So, Thanksgiving morning Thomas and I went bowling! I got a strike or two and Thomas destroyed that bowling lane with how many strikes he got! We later went to my aunt and uncles house for Thanksgiving dinner and it was delicious! After, Thomas and I went to a movie. I would say we definitely made the best of our holiday!

In other news... WE GET MARRIED IN TWELVE DAYS! It finally feels like it is really happening! I am getting married to the most amazing guy I know. He treats me like I am the star of his life and I sure feel like I am a rock star when I am around him.

I moved into our married apartment, we bought furniture for our living room and we moved things into our kitchen! I love it so much! Yeah, it is wymount and it is not the best of apartments but it is mine and Thomas' first place together and that makes it amazing! We have furniture that me and him discussed and decided we wanted. It is my place to decorate and to make our own and I am so excited! And in two weeks, I won't be living in it alone!

Thankful...for a lot!

Well, I failed at the whole post every day something I am thankful for. So, I am just going to do a big one right now and make up for the past ten days that I didn't do!

-I am so grateful for traditions. I know that once I get married there will be my traditions, Thomas's traditions plus trying to create our own traditions. But no matter what, traditions give a sense of home and familiarity and that is what is so great around the holiday times. Those traditions are what make it okay to not be at home on Thanksgiving and I know that it will help to have traditions with my own kids. Give them something to look forward to, give them something that when they move out or things change, they will have that familiarity of the traditions we do. Because things can change all the time, but its those traditions that can stay the same and help with the transitions of life.

-I am grateful for my Aunt and Uncle who took Thomas and I into their home today for Thanksgiving dinner. They really didn't need to do that, they already had all their kids at home to celebrate with. But they made room at the dinner table for Thomas and I to join. That is the spirit of Thanksgiving and I am so grateful for that. I had a delicious dinner today and family time because of them.

-I am grateful for my Grandparents who took me into their home for the past couple months and allowed me to take over their basement and live with them. I know that it was a bit of a sacrifice for them to deal with all my junk in that basement but they did it with so much love for me. I don't know what I would have done with out them in my life. They have helped me so much over the years of my life, especially the past five years of my life.

-I am grateful for the new adventures that are coming my way. I just moved into my going to be married apartment and as I sit in here alone right now, I realize there are so many adventures that are ahead of me. It can be hard not knowing what comes next, but I am grateful for those adventures that are coming my way and for the courage to jump into those adventures.

-I am grateful for all the random people in my life. I have started to realize that there are a lot of friends that I have that truly care about me. I have people at work who genuinely care about my life. They ask me questions, they get excited when I get a promotion, they listen to me when I just want to talk and they are true friends. There are people from school or from church that do the same thing. Its all those little conversations that really make a difference in my life.

-I am so grateful for my talents. A lot of times we are all way too hard on ourselves and we put down any of the talents that we do have. I don't think that is what our Heavenly Father intended for us to do with our talents. I think he expected us to use them and let them grow and be grateful for what we do have. I am so grateful for the talents that I do have. I am grateful for them because they make up who I am and that is pretty great!

-I am grateful that my cruise ship didn't wreck at sea! I just saw Life with Pi (which is an AMAZING movie and I say you all should see it) but watching the entire ship wreck scene was terrifying. I was just imaging how I would have reacted if that happened to me on my cruise, how I would have reacted or what I would have done. It was a terrifying thought. So, I am extremely grateful for all my safe travelings that I have had up to this point!

-I am grateful for the change the education that I have received. I feel like that has helped me so much with my life. I am grateful not just for what I learned in the classroom but also for all the things I learned outside of the classroom as I have attended BYU. I am also grateful that I came to BYU  because it was there where I met Thomas. So, BYU is a pretty great place!

- I am grateful for modern day things that we have and take for granted every single day, like toilets, fridges, stoves, microwaves, cars, phones, computers, lights, heaters, water heaters... I think my list can go on and on. I loved being able to talk to my grandparents about the things they have seen happen in their lifetime. It reminds me how lucky I am to have all these things just at my finger tips.

-Last of all, I am grateful for Thanksgiving. Yes, I feel that it is extremely important to count our blessings every single day but I think Thanksgiving helps remind us to do that. It allows us to see just how amazing our lives are. When you really look into it, you can see that there is so much to be grateful for. I don't know what I did to get all these great things in my life, but I am filled with gratitude for everything. Thanksgiving is such a great holiday and I wish we had it more often!

Well, sorry that I was a little bit lazy the past week but there it is!

Now, I am thankful that I can play Christmas music! Now is the time for the giving part of Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful Day 8.9.10

Day 8
Day: I am thankful for chances to sit on a blanket and watch flag football. And I got to meet a BYU Basketball player...my sad claim to fame! But still grateful for it! :)
Life: I am grateful for technology that allows us to stay connected with friends and family. That is pretty neat! Especially with my family being all over the United States.

Day 9
Day: I am grateful for SNOW!!! I love snow so much and Utah had a snow storm and it was amazing!
Life: I am grateful for vision. Without my vision I wouldn't be able to see the beautiful snow, the movies, the people around me, even my own blog I can see! That is definitely a sense that we take for granted and don't realize how much we base live off our vision!

Day 10
Day: I am grateful for fun BYU sports and boots to wear in the cold.
Life: I am grateful for heaters and warm homes. After two games out in the cold, I wanted to be warm so bad and it was nice because I could just go home and eventually I did warm up!

Thankful Day 7

Life: I am thankful for all the people who love and support me with everything I do. Both Family and Friends

Day: I am grateful for the gift cards that I have which allow me to be able to go out to eat!

Thankful Day 6

Life: I am thankful for my rights as a citizen of the united states to vote for who I think would be a good leader of this country. Both times I have voted, my person I voted for didn't win but I still think it is a great country that allows us to vote. And I am grateful to have all the other freedoms that I have as an American. This is a great country!

Day: One year ago today, I asked Thomas Nord to give me a second chance and he said yes. I am so grateful he did that because now one year later and we are engaged and have just a little over a month before we are married!

"Proud to be an American"

I have to admite, I am excited to have the election over with. I am excited to see who the new president is going to be. Its going to be intense and a close one. Tonight, Thomas and I are going to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the news while we eat some delicious wings. I think that is the best way to watch the elections! I mean, what can be better than wings!

But I have to admit, I usually avoid politics like it is the plague. I find that politics turn people into vicious and attacking animals! I have never seen something change how someone acts so fast as I have seen politics change someone. For example, a friend of mine on facebook did something that I am sure was just to see what reactions he could get out of people, and he sure did get reactions. But he basically asked people to share their views on who he should vote for. Well, 51 comments later, people were calling each other stupid and morons because they were voting for someone that they didn't agree with. Yes, it did provide Thomas and I with some great laughs as we saw the comments get more and more intense. But I am sure that these people on a normal day wouldn't call someone stupid because they share a different view. So why is it okay when it is dealing with politics. It is like someone said its bad to call each other mean things...unless they share a different political view then you.

It was just sad to see one status on facebook make about 10 people angry and start calling each other mean things. And its not like this was the only time, pretty much everything on facebook is getting mad at each other because we are different.

I just think that is sad, that something like voting for a president is very american, it makes us all turn into something that I really wouldn't consider to be the American way. I am sure that when our founding fathers created this system, they weren't planning on us all destroying each other because we have different opinions. In fact, this country is about celebrating our differences and embracing each other because of them.  So, when you start to find yourself getting worked up over someone else's political views, stop yourself from doing something that you normally wouldn't do. Realize that it is okay to have different opinions because for the most part, we all want the same thing. For our country to be better. I don't think there are that many people that want someone who will destroy our country and want them to be president for that reason.

So, yes, go vote because it is important that we do practice our freedom to vote and vote for who we think is president. But don't change who your are or do something you might regret just because someone is going to vote for the other guy. Don't let politics destroy your relationships, because it isn't worth it. Those who you love are much more important than making the other person see you are right!

Happy election day!

Day 5

Today:
The thing I am grateful for today is a loving fiance who takes care of me when I am not feeling good. And who humors me and puts on his half marathon shirt when I am wearing mine because he knows it will make me smile.

Life:
I am very grateful for my good health. Today, I had a little break from good health with some stomach pain and I am very appreciative that at this point in my life I am pretty healthy. I don't know if I could be strong enough to deal with something longer than a couple of hours! haha. But I have found that good health is something I have appreciated enough and taken for granted. So, I am grateful for that in my life!

Thankful day 4

Here are the two things I am grateful for today:

Day: I am grateful for my grandpa's milkshakes. No one can make them like he does and they bring back great memories of when we would come to visit my grandparents and he would make us milkshakes! He made them again today and it made me really happy

Life: I am so grateful for the gospel. I really don't know where I would be without it in my life. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have that I am a daughter of God and He loves me. He is always there for me and will never stop being there for me, even when I do stupid things. He is a loving Heavenly Father and I am so grateful for that!

"That I am thankful"

So, I have been seeing a lot of statuses on facebook saying each day what they are grateful for and I think that is an excellent idea. I love thanksgiving for that reason, its a time for us to see all the good we have in our life. Maybe we are going through a rough time right now or this year but if we really look at our lives, we will see all the blessings that we have. So each day, I am going to post something that happened that day that I was grateful for and something in my overall life that I am grateful for. I will do the first three days in one post but then try to do a post each day. I challenge all of you to do this as well. You don't need to post it necessarily but at least each day point out the blessings you do have!

November 1st
Life: I am grateful for my wonderful fiance. He really does support me in everything that I do even when my idea's might be crazy. He tells me every day that I can do amazing things and that I can be successful. He is my biggest cheerleader. He loves me and I love him. He supports me and I know that I will always have that support!
Day: I almost got in a crazy accident if it hadn't had been for promptings from the Holy Ghost. I was driving home from Thomas' and came to an intersection where there are two left turning lanes. I was in the most right one, so I could choose to go left or straight. There was someone who was in the most left one which meant they had to go left. When I stopped at the light, I had a feeling that the car would go straight but I decided that was ridiculous and ignored that thought. Well, the light turned green and I pulled forward and began my left turn. I had a much stronger feeling to gun it ahead of this guy and as I pushed my foot on that petal, I turned to my left to see the car coming straight at my door only inches away. I cleared the intersection and checked my rearview mirror to see that car did indeed go straight through the intersection. Still to this moment, I am amazed that I made it through with no accident. I am so grateful that I did and that I listened.

November 2
Life: I am grateful for a job. Yeah, I know that I complain and I struggle with the fact that I am working in a call center as a college graduate but I am so grateful that I have a job. I am making in income and I get medical benefits. I know that right now in the economy, jobs are not just expected and I am so grateful to have one!
Day: I am grateful that Thomas for the nicer weather. It is November but this week the weather has been in the 50s/60s and I love it!

November 3
Life: I am grateful for my parents. They have taught me so much through out my life and they have really helped me become a strong independent person that I am today. They love me for me and they tell me that no matter what I am doing, they are proud of me. I am grateful that they got to come out to Utah last week and they were there at the finish line when I did the Halloween half.
Day: I am grateful for the experiences to learn more about different cultures. Thomas and I went to a Russian store in Salt Lake City today and I got to try some of the food and drinks that are from Russia. I may have hated the drink but I still loved seeing and trying something else from another culture!

"Albuquerque is my Turkey"

Thomas and I took our first road trip, well our first just us driving together road trip. We went to Albuquerque to visit Shane and Sam. It was a lot of fun! We packed quite a bit into the two days we were there. Thursday, Thomas and I started our adventure after I got off of work, so at about 5:00 we were on the road.  We drove through a lot of creepy small towns but also got to see some beautiful scenery! We arrived in Albuquerque at about 2:30 am.

In the car, ready to go!

Friday, we slept in a little, ate some breakfast and headed out for our first adventure. We went to Santa Fe. That was a lot of fun. We walked around and found the oldest house and oldest church. Never really specified oldest of what... nicely done Santa Fe. Then we went to the Capitol and walked around inside there. 

The oldest Church

The four of us in the oldest church

The oldest house

Shane terrified of the statue

Artistic shot at the entrance of the captital

In the Senate Room

Cool shot

Great Seal of the State of New Mexico

We had to have some good ol New Mexico food, so we ate at tia sophia's for some sopappilla. Those are pretty much stuffed fried bread and then they also use the fried bread for desserts as well. Then the key to new mexico is you have to have the Chili sauce It was actually quite tasty.

We were going to go on a hike and do some outdoor stuff but a freak storm hit us! Winds were super strong and it was pouring! So, we stopped in Las Alamos and learned about the Manhattan project at this sweet free museum! And then we ended the day with watching Shane and Sam and their mad volleyball skills. They won their game!

Sweet Action Shot

Saturday started off very early. 4:15 A.M. my alarm clock went off and I was getting ready for the day. But it was totally worth it! We went to the balloon festival and it was AMAZING. We got there extremely early, so we walked around not quite sure what to do. We could see some balloons starting to get blown up so we walked down to that end. Later we found out that these first ten or so balloons were the Dawn Patrol and they were the ones that did a little glow show and then went up in the air first. I guess to make sure everything was okay. We then met a couple pilotes and then even watched one balloon from the start to the end. Shane and Thomas pretty much became part of the crew as they had to hold down the balloon and then launched it into the air and put away their fan and tanks. I think there were at least 200 balloons at this fiesta! It was Amazing!

Dawn Patrol

My attempts at getting cool photography

More balloons started to fill up

The "Zebra's" pretty much controlled the show

Another attempt at cool photo moments

They started filling up all around us!

And then there were hundreds in the sky!

Thomas and I 

Shane and Sam

My favorite balloon is the one right behind us
with the glasses

Thomas excited to be part of the crew

Shane and Sam holding down the Balloon

We got of pilot cards!

The rest of Saturday we ran and watched the football game. Sunday Thomas and I left and made our way back to Utah. It was a great trip. Thanks so much to Shane and Sam for letting us come and stay at their place and for everything! We had so much fun!

"Kill Your Heroes"

I was driving to my friends house today when this song came on the radio and I have become obsessed with it. At first it was because I was just hooked by the music but then I started to listen to the lyrics. Which usually I dread doing because its usually after I listen to the lyrics I realize I can't listen to a song anymore because they are all about sex, drugs or who knows what. But as I listened to the lyrics I realized that they have quite the message to it and I love it. Which I hope I got the right message from it because I love the message I got from it. (My thoughts on what the meaning is after the lyrics)

Kill your Heroes by AWOLNATION

Well, I met an old man
Dying on a train.
No more destination,
No more pain.
Well, he said
"One thing before I graduate
Never let your fear decide your fate."

I say ya kill your heroes and
Fly, fly, baby don't cry.
No need to worry cause
Everybody will die.
Every day we just
Go, go, baby don't go.
Don't you worry we
Love you more than you know.

Well, the sun one day will
Leave us all behind.
Unexplainable sightings
In the sky.
Well, I hate to be
The one to ruin the night.
Right before your, right before your eyes.

I say ya kill your heroes and
Fly, fly, baby don't cry.
No need to worry cause
Everybody will die.
Every day we just
Go, go, baby don't go.
Don't you worry we
Love you more than you know.

Well, I met an old man
Dying on a train.
No more destination,
No more pain.
Well he said
"One thing, before I graduate
Never let your fear decide your fate."

I say ya kill your heroes and
Fly, fly, baby don't cry.
No need to worry cause
Everybody will die.
Every day we just
Go, go, baby don't go.
Don't you worry we
Love you more than you know.

I say ya kill your heroes and
Fly, fly, baby don't cry.
Don't you worry cause
Everybody will die.
Every day we just
Go, go, baby don't go.
Don't you worry we
Love you more than you know.

I really feel like this song is saying that we all need to stop judging ourselves to others. That we need to stop letting the fears of not being good enough or reaching the status that we feel the heroes have stop us from even trying. Because then we will just stop trying. So instead, we need to become our own hero. That no matter what happens, those that are around you will love you. So, try because the fear that you are going to fail or that people will judge you is just going to stop you  from getting anywhere or reaching any goals. Don't be afraid to fly, to really let yourself go for your dreams and goals. You can do it and you are loved. Stop comparing yourself to the heroes and let yourself fly.  I tend to find a lot of songs pretty inspirational and I really feel like this one was super inspirational for me. What are your thoughts about these lyrics? I sure hope it really means what I have taken from them and not something horrible. haha

Also, this weekend was General Conference, which was AMAZING as usual. I loved every single talk. I even got the chance to go to the Saturday Afternoon session with Thomas and his brother. Its always great being inside the conference center even if I was up really high. Something that is amazing about conference is each of us get a different message, the one that we really need to hear. Even though we are all listening to the same talks, the spirit really talks to us individually. I love that so much.

I really feel like the message that I got from it is that I need to confidently declare that I am a Mormon and that I love it. I need to be a disciple of Christ in all that I do. I need to not let the fears of being judged or criticized decide how I act because as long as I am acting as Christ would I am doing what is right. So, here I am declaring it just as Sister Dibb did, "I am a Mormon. I know it, I live it and I love it." Yes, I love that I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am trying so hard to live my life the way that Christ would. I hope that I can be better to find ways that I serve others more. Because that is something that brings me true joy, knowing that I can be a tool in our Heavenly Fathers hands and help him help all of His other Children.   

This weekend was just one of those weekends where it really makes you think about your life and how you can improve. I guess every conference weekend is that way but that is what is so great. I know that every six months, I will have some serious changing in my life that makes it better. 

Anyway, I love you all and share your thoughts on my new song that I am obsessed with!

"I like to look for Rainbows"

I am just going to start this off by saying, no my life isn't bad right now. But on Sunday we had a lot of talks that were focused on staying positives throughout the trials in our life and I think that is something that has stayed with me. I really think it makes a huge difference on where our life ends up by how we react through out the different bumps on the way.

It really can be so easy to get so caught up on the bad. It is all around us and when you are having a bad day, do you really want to be all positive? Probably not. But I have realized in my life how much better things get when I am not so focused on the bad. I have to work hard to point out the good but then once I start, I usually can't stop. There will always be more good than bad, we just need to open our eyes to it. Even if we have to search, we will find it.

One of my favorite talks from General Conference many years ago was given by Elder Wirthlin, Come what may and Love it. I love how he talks about how we need to learn to laugh. "The first thing we can do is to learn to laugh. Have you ever seen an angry driver who, when someone else makes a mistake, reacts as though that person has insulted his honor, his family, his dog and his ancestors all the way bad to Adam?" Yes, I am guilty of this, just this last week you could have seen me screaming at a bus driver that almost hit me and then honked at me. I was livid and this was one of those times that I really should have learned to laugh. But then I had some of my favorite songs come on the radio that I just blasted and I slowly let the anger leave me. I am glad that I did this because I easily could have been angry for the rest of the night but instead I decided to see those songs on the radio as a little blessing to help me let go of the anger that I had built up. Next time a bus driver breaks the laws and almost hits me but then acts like its my fault, I hope that I can just laugh....

I have made it a goal to always search for the good among the bad and I am so happy I have done that. Because I would have missed so many great moments in my life if I had just stayed so focused on the bad. I wouldn't have smiled as much and I definitely wouldn't be the same person I am today. So, I challenge you all to find the good. Don't let the bad take over. Yeah, we all are going to have a bad day, week or even month. And yes, I am not saying that we should always have a smile and pretend like everything is great. But I just feel that as you try to count those blessings in your life, it will help you to get through those trials. And through that you can grow from the trials instead of just survive them. 

Here are my blessings I have seen in my life:

My man

 Thomas is a huge blessing in my life and every day I am grateful I have him in my life. He is always encouraging me to be better and to reach my dreams. He is always telling me that I can do whatever I want to do. I love that and I love knowing that he will always be there for me!

Smoky Sunset

 I found this picture to be pretty magical to me. The sky was covered with smoke from the Saratoga Springs fire and things were seeming pretty gloomy all day. But then at the end of the day, there was this amazing sunset and to me seeing that sun through smoke felt like the little bit of hope in the midst of all the bad.

Arrowhead Water

 Thomas and I joked that we should send  in pictures to Arrowhead of us and the water bottle and say that their water saved us while we were hiking. But I am grateful that I have clean water. That is something I take for granted but then I hear stories of people who live in other countries and I realize what a blessing the things I use every single day are.

"I like to look for rainbows"

 This just sums up the fact that we do have good within the bad. Right in the middle of the rain at the soccer game, a double rainbow showed up. I love that a rainbow comes because of the rain. Just like we need to have the trials to really see all the good in our life. It is key that we allow ourselves to see the rainbows.

Portland Temple

 Temples are a huge blessing in my life and everything else with the gospel. I am so glad that I have it in my life. I really don't think I would be able to handle anything hard that comes into my life with out it.

Before my second Half Marathon

Shane decided that he could wear the wetsuit to swim in the colder water
of our swimming pool

Family

Google Chatting it up with the Family

Jessica's wedding

Yes, we are goofy and crazy but I love my family. They are a big blessing in my life.  l love every moment that I get to be with them. Its those moments where we are together and we are all just being goofy and having fun with each other that I really cherish. 

So don't forget those blessings that you have during those rough times. Because it is those blessings that will help you get through those trials!

"Its always a good time"

I feel like my life lately has been all doTERRA, which I guess is good because that means I am making more money but at the same time, I feel like I don't have any other life. This last week was the big convention where all the distributors came for four days and went to different lectures and classes. It was pretty big considering the fact that we had over 7,000 IPC's there! Crazy!

So, they had us look all nice but then we needed
to move about 800 boxes... I don't think
I stayed looking cute!

Quick lunch break at City Creek food court

This also meant that I worked lots of overtime over the past couple weeks. Cool thing was, it was like a business trip. I got a hotel room and everything! Pretty sweet, eh?

Anyway, here are some pictures updating the other little part of my life...

One month engagement date

Kid history anyone?? Yeah, they sat in my row

Hiking with Thomas' family

Stewart Falls

Alpine Coaster

Bridal Veil Falls Hike

BYU Soccer games

Flying kites

Eating Waffle Love

And football games