Hey I'm 20....weird.

So earlier this month I celebrated my last day as an official teenager, and my first day being 20! That's so weird to me, I feel like I've done too much in life already to just be 20. Not that I'm complaining about being young! So Megan and Brady invited us to their home for the weekend cause lucky enough our birthday fell on a Saturday. Not only was it an awesome offer because then we wouldn't be stuck in Provo doing nothing, but it was probably one of the last times we'll see them for a while since they now moved another 2 more hours away. Needless to say, it was a very wonderful weekend. 

Saturday, they had a yard sale, when it was 100+ outside, so we helped out with that and got to play with the kids. 

Brady and Tom had some fun boardin around

After the yard sale, Megan and Brady took us out for lunch and ice cream and we spent some time at home just hanging out, watching the Incredibles, and playing with the kids. 

Tom cleaning mommy's dirty feet

For dinner we made homemade pizza, and then brownies with cookies and cream ice cream - only the best! It was delicious to say the least. Then when the kids were asleep, Megan had some sparklers for us that we used to celebrate. 

We had a wizard fight.

On Sunday, we played in the morning (meaning I pretty much chased Tom around the house all morning), went to church, then played together some more and had dinner. 

Tom is getting really good at soccer

He also danced around for a good 20 minutes or so and that was so fun to watch

That pretty much sums up the birthday celebration! I don't feel any different being 20, but it's just weird to think that I'm just getting older and getting that much closer to when I'll be taking the next steps in life. Thanks Megan, Brady, Tom and Ella for a wonderful birthday. Love you guys!!

Llama, Llama, Duck!

So this one day I was driving down the road with some friends when we saw a banner for probably the coolest thing I've ever heard of. Is there really any other place besides Utah that would hold an annual Llama Fest?  Nevertheless, we were a little confused as to what would all be included in a llama fest, but it sounded pretty invigorating! Bridget and I made plans to go, but unfortunately it turned out to be  weekend when everyone would be out of town, so it really did end up being just the two of us.  It was at the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple - very pretty. 

Just arriving 

So we walk around a little, turn a corner, and BAM! Llamas! We go right up and pet them. 

If you feed them, they literally follow you every where and back you into corners until you feed them.
My zebra shirt was the closest thing I had to a llama...

The guy on the left was probably my favorite. Just look at him! 

It was a good time. It would have been for fun with friends there too, but it was fun. They had Peru cultural dances, llama judging (which I'm not quite sure how you would judge a llama...), llama races, and booths with souvenirs and henna and stuff.  You should go next year if you can, I know I'll be there! 

In case you didn't get the reference for the title, go here 

The Mormon Miracle

So one lovely weekend, I went with some friends to Manti, Utah for the Manti Mormon Pageant. I haven't been to Manti in a very very long time, and this was guaranteed to be a good time! We partied in the car, blasting and singing along to music, helping Amanda memorize the states and their capitals for teaching her 5th grade class, and yelling at cows out our windows. Seriously the most fun car gave I've ever played....  We pull into town and see this beautiful temple

I had never before been to any type of pageant like this, so it was exciting. We wandered the town before it started and enjoyed the lovely smells of carnival food. That pageant was really good, though it may have been a little cheesy....it was so powerful to see this history of the Book of Mormon and what Joseph Smith and the pioneers went through for what they believed in.  I am so grateful for the work of Joseph Smith and the pioneers; were it not for their dedication in spreading the Gospel and facing adversity with faith, I would not be where I am in my life right now, and many things would be missing.  My faith and testimony of the Gospel is unshakable and I know it to be true.  How could someone like Joseph Smith go through all he went through just for something he made up or didn't fully believe in and know to be true? No human being would be able to withstand what he withstood unless it was real and true. I revere Joseph Smith and greatly honor him for what he did and his sacrifice to bring forth this Gospel in the Latter-days. I know this church to be true, and reading the Book of Mormon only confirms that knowledge.  If you have questions about what we believe, ask me a question, find your local missionaries or members, go to this website to see what we believe, or go here to see my personal profile as well as the stories of Mormons all around the world. 

Waiting for the pageant to start

Holding all of Bridget's stuff, with the beautiful temple behind. Oh, I promise Matt is just opening my bag! 

Bridget, Jared, Me, Matt, Michael, Amanda, Courtney, Bonnie, Levi

Wanna know a cool fact about that hill the temple is on? When Brigham Young dedicated that hill for the groundbreaking to build the temple, he confided in a friend that Moroni, the son of Mormon, had dedicated that same hill when he was on this earth as a place where a temple would one day be built.  Pretty awesome huh?? Just a neat little fact to add to your collection of neat little facts. 

Splatter Me Silly

So one super hot and beautiful summer day, we got some friends together for a good time. First we had a bbq at the park and tossed a frisbee around. Then most of us continued on and did one of the most fun art projects I've ever done. Bridget, Jared, and I got an old shower curtain from D.I. and a few paints. We hung the shower curtain...

Emptied the tie-dye bottles....

Filled some water balloons with paint....

And let them fly!!!

Sometimes we missed...

And sometimes mixing colors gave us gross results...

We may or may not have made a mess in the area....

Before we cleaned up and washed away our leftovers, we all signed the masterpiece with our handprints.