Service is good for you!

Ashley and I have been so lucky to spend time together each Friday doing some sort of skill building activity, crafts, or serving others. This girl of many talents has taught me how to successfully make a loaf of 100% wheat bread, save money at the grocery store, manage a budget online, and show love to others by serving them. The past couple weeks have been full of service. We went to the food bank and scooped pasta out of a HUGE box. We were lucky enough to wear the required hair caps and gloves! Aren't we gorgeous?!



This week we went to a soup kitchen to serve lunch. It was a really neat experience. Anyone can come eat, take a shower, or do laundry for free at this place during certain hours. Many homeless people came along with some who had been out of work for a while or just couldn't afford lunch that day. Everyone was so kind and kept telling me all sorts of different, sometimes really odd, stories. I leared all about different kinds of apples from an elderly man, so if you ever want to know anything about apples, I'm your girl! Seeing these people in this position however, brought me a higher motivation to continue with school and always work hard so that I will be able to sufficiently provide for my family. If you have anyone in your family, or a close friend that needs a little push in the right direction regarding school or work, do some volunteer service at a soup kitchen. I think it will open their eyes a little bit. It was such a wonderful experience and I can't wait to do it again!Thanks Ashley for settin it up! You are wonderful!

Mr. And Mrs. Lindberg

The amount of weddings I went to this summer and fall were drastically reduced from previous years. Does this mean I am getting old? Will I soon be getting baby announcements from all of you my married friends?
Sara and Brady have a pretty cool love story, involving a pretty serious accident, and a cute boy who took care of my dear friend every step of the way. I don't think there could be a better match than these two and I know we're all so happy for them! Love you Sara and Brady!
Oh how I love the Alpha girls! I feel so blessed to call them my best friends.

Brady is in the Air Force - hence the cool attire. He is also from Texas and surprised us all by taking his coat off to display a shirt decked out with Texas pride... He had it made, and was very proud! Dwan, hands off, he's Sara's husband!



Pretty sure our table never stoppd talking, ate the most bread, and spilled the most things (Ok, well the last part was me... successfully managing to knock becky's glass over not once, by twice - sorry Becky!!)

Lucky me

I feel so priviledged to have such a wonderful friend who lets me watch her kids while she goes out of town. I always have fun adventures with the Linthorst kids, and below are some pictures from our fun week. Searching for the world's cutest kids? I found them!!!

My new favorite!

I found my new favorite song this week and have probably listened to it 20 million times. Go to the link below, listen and tell me what you think! It reminds me of my days in Peru, sitting on the Amazon river in the middle of the night with fireflies all over and stars painting the sky. The song is truly magical. What do you think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMr52bCXNdU

Make A Wish

I feel so priviledged to be a part of the Make A Wish volunteer team. The mission of the Make a Wish foundation is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions and to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. I was so lucky to be a part of making Parker's wish come true. He loves to be outside and because he can't speak, the family decided that if he could talk, he'd probably ask for an outdoor playset. So, we did just that. It was SO wonderful to see his face as he played on the playset... I've never seen a happier or sweeter child. He is truly a gift straight from Heaven. His family is wonderful and they were such a joy to work with through this whole process. Parker brings so much light into everyone's lives and below are some pictures to prove it.











Check out their website at www.makeawishutah.org to find out how you can help this great foundation!

Jump on It!

We went on a fun double date to Jump on It with Ben and Breeanne last week. It is basically a warehouse filled with trampolines. I'm pretty sure you sign your life away with the waiver they make you sign (which I don't think I even read)... and for good reason because all 4 of us were in near death situations at some point in the evening. There were lots of collisions and lots of close calls, including Nick taking some little boy out in mid air. The kid managed to escape without injury. It is such a fun place... but be CAREFUL!! I think there was a sign hanging right in the front of the building stating, "DON'T BE STUPID!!!" Yeah, good luck getting a bunch of teenagers to abide by that rule!
Ben jumping over Nick.
Nick jumping over Ben.
1...2...3...JUMP!
This picture of Ben cracks me up... :) Hopefully he won't mind if I post this. You guys rock! Thanks for a fun and bouncy evening!

The big... or not so big 22

I'm a little behind, but I sure had a wonderful birthday on the 7th of this month and wanted to give a shout out to the cute boy who planned the whole day for me!
He signed me up for a massage at Massage Envy... He even got one too. (What a man! ha) Then we went to dinner at Biaggi's (one of my favorite places). Here is one picture from that day. I have been doing so good at taking pictures lately and only take one on my birthday of course. I'm so proud of Nick for coming up with such a fun day!

Tales of the 'dum dum' sucker

I walked into the bank the other day shortly after work, not realizing that my name badge boldy declaring that I am a personal trainer was still on. There was a mug full of dum dum suckers on the counter and I decided to grab one while the lady deposited my money. Keep in mind I don't really love suckers and don't crave them... ever. I just needed a little something to keep me going for the day and thought a sucker would do the trick. Little did I know that small sucker would bring me such shame. As I stood innocently licking the sucker, the conversation began...

Teller: "I have to say it..."
Me: "Yes?"
Teller: "You're a personal trainer and you're eating a sucker?"
Me: (Speechless - at this point I nearly spit the sucker out being caught off guard)
Me: "Yes I am"

I'm not really sure how the rest of the conversation played out word for word, but let's just say I told the woman that even personal trainers eat suckers once in a while. And yes, we even eat sugar cereal as I have actually been asked that once before as well. Ok, maybe I should re-word that, I sometimes eat things that are bad for me. I guess I can't speak for all the other trainers out there... but I think it's safe to assume the majority of them do not eat wheat grass and oatmeal every day. So if you ever see me somewhere eating something that does not 'practice what I preach', I apologize.

Oh sweet summer...

Here's the latest and greatest in my life...
Family home evenings

Paddle boats at Liberty Park

Short hikes to random waterfalls

Abby and Scott's wedding

Holding little baby Mason... an angel straight from Heaven


Free concerts at Brigham Young Park


Pedicures with Becky and her sis

Peru 2009

Well, my big trip has come and gone. It was incredible and amazing. By the end of two weeks I was definitely ready to come home, but now I'm ready to go back. We worked in a village named Santa Rosa, a small community in the Amazon. These people are very kind and loving and humble. They welcomed us with open arms and drum/flute playing as we entered the village for the first time. The kids took our hands and walked with us everywhere. Every morning as we arrived in the village, they would be out by the river waiting for us. We stayed at a lodge called Heliconia. It was very nice. They have a pet Mckaw and tarantula and many various forms of spiders :) We rode fast boats into the village every day... very picturesque. The sky is bluer there and the clouds are fluffier. When it rains, it pours and you better move it or you will be drenched and never dry. However, the humidity is so high anyway, I don't think I was ever fully dry the whole 2 weeks of being there. Also, it may be a while before I eat white rice, fish, and eggs... we sure got a lot of that! Here are the pictures I have. More will come later as I get some from others.

Our sleeping quarters in Lima, Peru for the night. I can officially say I've slept on an airport floor... and don't ever want to do that again.



walking off the plane in Iquitos


We visited a manatee rescue while we were there




Here is where the library started...


And the finished product...


Working hard for a new basketball court... can you say BLOOD, SWEAT, and TEARS!?


Pirahna fishing - I caught 4 catfish... does that count for something?


I held a sloth!!!


After our jungle walk. We were DRENCHED. We didn't see much wildlife, but I did get bit by something I think is called a fire ant. When it bites you... you want to scream. Our guide, hyacko ("Jacko"), a native jungle man, just told us to keep moving and the pain would go away... ten minutes of searing pain!


Here is the medical clinic




We had a carnival our last day there. This is their version of a pinata. They cut down a tree, plant it in the ground, hang gifts from it, and then we dance around it for about an hour (it seemed). Then everyone takes turns with a machetti to chop the tree down. The tree almost took one of our own as it fell to the ground! Then we all raced for the goodies!


"Jacko" The best guide ever!


Victor took us on a tour of the city of Belen. This is a very poor city. There is no where for trash so it just ends up on the ground. They have latrines on the river, and many of their houses float when the river rises during the rainy season. We were in the Belen market and it was just like a scene from a movie as we saw two mormon missionaries coming toward us. We talked to them for a minute. It was really cool.




Cathedral in Lima


Our last night we went to this fancy restaurant on the ocean, the Rosa Nautica. It was incredible.