Washington DC

I was so priviledged with the opportunity to visit cute Becky in DC over Easter weekend. Here are some fun pics from our trip. Thanks Becky!

We Went from New york...


To Boston...



And Finally made it to DC, where we saw...
The beautiful DC temple. We even were priviledged to be driven to the temple in a cab by none other than a man named Joseph Smith. Really! He said, "now tell all your mormon friends that you were driven to the mormon temple by Joseph Smith!" What a great guy!


The Capitol


Becky's beautiful roommates. This is at church on Easter Sunday. Where we were lucky to be in the presence of Tony Baloney in sacrament meeting! Yes, he got up and announced himself just like that. It was pretty funny.


Arlington Cemetary


The White House.
But don't worry, this is the back of it. After me telling Nick that it didn't look like it does on TV, and him assuring me that it was the actual White House, we realized we only saw the back of it. Only after we got to Becky's did we realize that we were at the white house and didn't even see the front of it! So much for Nick's Political Science studies. :P


Me and Becky catching up on our studies at the Library of Congress


And I just love this picture, so I had to post it

It was a wonderful trip! A big shout out to Becky and her roommates for allowing us to stay for a few days and showing us the sites! I love you Becky!

The life of a mother

I had a wonderful opportunity to be a pretend mom for a week to some kids whom I absolutely love. It was fun, chaotic, tiring, and simply amazing all at the same time. I have helped take care of kids for many years now and recently had a dear friend ask me to put some things I have learned up on my blog. Now I know I am not yet a real mother, and do not pretend to know everything, but here are some things I have learned over the years as well as this past week:
1. Kids can go from laughing to crying within 2 seconds.
2. Remember to brush teeth every morning and night-for some reason it is easy to forget.
3. Always take diapers and wipes WHEREVER you go-no matter how long you'll be gone.
4. Kids clothes don't stay clean for more than 5 minutes-so don't spend a lot of money on them.
5. A movie player in the car is a great invention (I can't believe I'm saying that!)
6. Kids can go from hating you to loving you in one minute.
7. If fruit snacks were considered a daily serving for fruit, kids would fulfill and exceed the daily requirement for fruit.
8. Even disconnected cell phones can call 911. :) (That's a pretty funny story...)
9. Pencil, marker, and pen drawings can sometimes be found on the walls.
10. Kids pick up on EVERYTHING - Watch your language, your attitude, your actions, and even television programs. Kids are like a vacuum for that stuff.
11. Spy Kids 3D is only the best show of all time. :)
12. Last, but not least, A child's heartfelt prayer is the most incredible, amazing, beautiful, and sometimes funny thing in this world. There is nothing that compares and can sometimes bring you to tears.

I'm so grateful for the opportunity I get to spend so much time with such beautiful children. They bless my life every day and cannot wait for the day I can call some my own. Thanks Carolyn for sharing your kids with me this week and always. Here are a few pictures from our fun week together.


Cute little Owen




The girls had a day to dress up as your favorite book character. Sophie was Pinkalicious and Lucy was Ramona the Brave.


I couldn't resist taking a picture of this sweet sleepy boy.


I came outside to Owen under my car with a screwdriver. He said he was fixing it with his tools. I'm so glad I have Owen to help fix my car. What a kid!

Aerial Dance

I don't even know how to describe aerial dance. Basically, you "dance" (or some other sort of artsy movements) in the air while holding on to two pieces of fabric. It's supposed to be a graceful movement, but it sure isn't graceful when I do it. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND taking this class at least once. It is so unique and so different. Let's hope the pictures explain a little better than I can. Thanks to Breeanne and Ben for finding such a neat place!



I'm sad you can't really see how amazing those splits are, but I'm sure getting better! For those of you that don't know, I have a goal to be able to do the splits. So far I think it's coming along nicely.

Nick, on the other hand, has some work to do. And he'll probably kill me for puting these pictures on my blog. Oh well :)

This one's called the diaper. Ha Just kidding. I'm not sure what it's called, but it looks like it could be.

The class is so much fun. Sign up for one! Check out the website. http://home.utah.edu/~u0423362/About.html

Day at the Museum

We had a fun outing at the museum. Macie and Kenzie loved it. The museum is great because it is cheap and the kids stay occupied for a very long time. Plus, there is a T-Rex! :)

Fingerpainting

Want to have a fun date night? Do some fingerpainting. We sure had a fun night returning to childhood activities... pretty sure most of it ended up on our faces.

Snowmobiling

This was the first time I had ever been snowmobiling. I was on a date with a friend and we were talking about our "bucket lists" or things we want to accomplish before we die. One of mine was to go snowmobiling. Once he had heard that, we planned a snowmobile trip the next month. Turns out he owns snowmobiles and a cabin and goes up there all the time. It was really fun and I'm happy to report no broken bones. I even learned to snowboard!!!


Check out those moves!!! Yeah, that was my first time!

Yeah, that's Steve Davis, he's a snowmobiling maniac!!

Happy Valentine's Day

 
I absolutely love Valentine's Day because it's a chance to tell the people in your life how much you love them. So, I would like to tell everyone who reads this how much I love you!!! I would not be where I am today without all of you in my life and for that I am grateful. I consider my relationships will all of you such a supreme blessing. I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day and know that I love you!

Texting and Dating...

I'm going to give a little advice to any boys that read my blog. DO NOT text a girl to ask her out on a date. I've had this happen way more than it should. I don't care how cool you think you are or how many girls you think you can get, I will say no. The end.

Cake Decorating

We had a very fun girls night making cakes. Sweet Lisa came to teach us some cake decorating techniques. It was so so fun. I learned I don't have much patience for making cakes though. Ha. I think they all turned out SO cute. Let's just say by the end of the night we were all covered in cake and frosting. And some of us had red tongues from licking the frosting too much... but I won't say who! ;) What a fun night. Thanks girls!

 

Elizabeth's training blog

So, I decided to create a business blog. I will fill it with health and training advice as well as an update on any personal training offers. I hope this will help get the word around. Please share it with your family and friends. I am such an advocate of taking care of our bodies with exercise and proper nutrition. I hope this blog will reach those who need any help in that attempt. Our bodies are too precious to let go to waste. Love you all!!

The Blessing of the Blackberry Bush - Ensign Feb 2009

 

Behind the times

Sorry, I am behind in my postings. Here's a compilation of the latest and greatest in my life. The big news of November was Breeanne and Ben's wedding. It was such an incedible day! It's so great to see them so happy together and I'm so lucky to be able to spend so much time with them since they live just down the street from me! Breeanne makes the tastiest dinners! Thanks guys!
We must not forget, winter formal, or as Sara would say ,"Best night of your life". Wow, what a fun night. We started off the night at Asian Star which was absolutely delicious! The best part of the night was when Becky and I decided it might be fun to try one of those red hot peppers they put in the food. Let me tell you... they are like FIRE!!! I don't think either of us had any idea how bad it would be. I can literally say my mouth felt like it was on fire for the rest of the night. Tears were streaming down both our faces because of how hot it was, and we vowed never to do that again! We'll just say we lost our appetites that night. We didn't get a picture of it, but man, it was a sight to behold!!!

Winter Formal

December 2008

Breeanne and Ben's wedding

PERU!!

It is official!! I am going to Peru this summer for a humanitarian service. I've known for a few months now and can hardly wait. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I think it will be an incredible experience... and what better time in my life than now to do it?! I've wanted to do something like this my whole life and can't believe the day is nearly here. I am going with an organization called YouthLINC. This year we will be building a library, teaching medical lessons, dental care, teaching school, and many other projects. I have heard so many great things about the people in Peru and can't wait to finally meet them and spend time serving them!!
 
 
 

Making brownies

Me and Kenzie had a bit of a chocolate craving the other day and decided to make brownies. I don't think I've ever had so much fun making brownies! She definitely couldn't wait until I had poured them into the pan to begin licking the bowl. I'd look over and see her fingers in the mix. There were definitely Liz and Kenzie germs in that batch! What a blast!
 
 
Have you ever seen a cuter girl in your life?!

The life of a college student

 
A couple weeks ago, I went to bed at some wee hour in the morning, woke up just a few hours later, went to school all day long, and at about 3:00 PM discovered that my shoes weren't matching. I can officially say that this is a first in my life. Can anyone agree with me on how crazy it gets with Christmas and finals... I officially have the proof of the "busy"ness of my life! I wouldn't have it any other way, but maybe I ought to slow it down just a bit... Just enough to put on matching shoes at least. Hope this brought a smile to your face!! Have a great day and slow things down just a bit so you don't end up writing a blog about how you too mismatched your shoes for an entire day!

Thankful

This being the month of Thanksgiving, I want to share a couple things I am truly thankful for:
1. My eyesight- As I sat waiting for the trax one day there was this beautiful girl playing the most beautiful music on her flute. I then noticed that she was blind. We talked for a minute and I got thinking about what a blessing it is to have eye sight. I take it for granted way too much. I immediately got really sad thinking about what it would be like without eyesight. The hardest thing for me to imagine is not being able to see my beautiful little children one day. Having our eyes is such an amazing blessing; a true gift from God.
2. My health- I had a pretty big health scare this month. I started to get really sick and didn't know what was wrong. Thanks to many doctor visits and several different medicines, I am back to full health now. Our bodies are amazing. Only after when I found out that the sickness I had was potentially life-threatening and has actually ended a friend up in the hospital, did I realize what a blessing I received. I am so grateful the doctors were able to fix the problem before it may have put me in the hospital. Our bodies are so precious. Life is so precious. We must take care of it.

Honor the Priesthood and Use it Well

 

When I receive the conference edition of the Ensign, I turn directly to the Priesthood session talks. I'm not sure why other than that it is the only thing I am not able to hear during conference and I guess it intrigues me, even though I know it is directed toward the men. However, I was particularly impressed by Elder Richard G. Scott's talk, "Honor the Priesthood and Use it Well." I would encourage you all to read it as I share a few thoughts with you. He begins by talking about the sacred nature of the Priesthood. He states, "How blessed we are to be among the very few men on earth trusted to act in the name of the Savior to bless others through the righteous use of His priesthood." What a supreme blessing and priviledge for men as well as women who are recipients of the blessings of the priesthood. He then discusses the command for an equal partnership in marriage and treating women with respect. I truly feel like a princess when the apostles speak out on respecting women because I often see relationships where there is unrighteous dominion over the other. I love this quote, "As a husband, when you sense that your wife needs lifting, hold her in your arms and tell her how much you love her." I'm not sure who reads this, but I ask, husbands, friends, or boyfriends, do you show your love for the women in your life through your actions, words, and deeds? Wives, friends, or girlfriends, do you do the same? I feel blessed and honored to one day have the opportunity to marry a priesthood leader who will love me forever and preside over our family in righteousness and eternal love. I ask myself now, am I being the kind of woman that will get me there? Whether you are already married or not, I beg you to ask yourself the same question... Am I living the way the Lord needs me to live in order to use and/or receive the sacred blessings of His holy priesthood? Elder Scott boldly declares, "God will hold us (men) accountable for how we treat His precious daughters." I thank all of you men out there who do exercise your priesthood worthily and treat girls and others with the utmost respect. Your service and love will always be appreciated.

Go Utes!

Pangea re-united with our Utah football/"I am Legend" party at Becky's house. It was the party of the year! We enjoyed the Utah football game against New Mexico (I think), then popped in "I am Legend", and after it all, the girls were serenaded by none other than our own piano man. Pretty awesome night if you ask me. It was quite the busy place as you can see from the pictures. What a fun night to spend with so many great friends!!

Halloween

I gave in to the peer pressure and did something I never thought I'd do... I became... A CHEERLEADER! A real, authentic, Brighton High School cheerleader. I decided to play the part the whole night and had a blast. Then I realized how much the costume affected me when I left my keys in Maria's car and had to have someone drive me clear out to her house to get them and back to my car again. Can you say ditz? The sad thing is, even without the costume, I am one. I did get in touch with my true self though when we dressed up as punks/skaters for a pre-halloween party. I go from skater to cheerleader in just a few short days... can you say identity crisis?! Either way, Halloween is the greatest!! Girls, we must begin formulating a plan for next year!

 
 
 
 

Don't play with your food!

I have noticed something recently: a strangely large number of photos of me are pictures of me eating... and not gracefully either. Is it because I am always eating? OR maybe I'm self conscious about my mouth so I try to hide it? Ha. OR I am just being a goof?? Yes, definitely... Liz the goof. (And possibly I'm always eating too) I'm sure they are not the most attractive pictures, but apparently I just love to shove something in my mouth the second someone tells me to "say chese!" Maybe they should tell me to "eat cheese!" HAHA. Anyway, I couldn't keep my new findings to myself, so sit back and enjoy the wonders of Liz and what she eats... while she gets a life. Ha.