This weekend we...

Went here...Stayed in this...And by the end felt like this...

SUNSETS...

It has almost been one year since I returned from a study abroad in Israel. In a blog post from that time, I shared how I had fallen in love with sunsets. I was reminded again just how beautiful they are when I watched the sun set over Provo as I reached the "Y" after a hike up the mountain a couple of weeks ago.

There have been many sunrises and sunsets over the past year. It is amazing to me to look back at everything that has happened in the last year. As I left Jerusalem I couldn't have imagined all of the new opportunities and experiences that I would face as well as the passing of many of those same experiences. It is a time of transition and a time of new opportunity. The sun may be setting on some parts of my life but it is soon to rise and I look forward to what the Lord has is in store for me.

"I begin by mentioning one of the most inevitable aspects of our lives here upon the earth, and that is change. At one time or another we’ve all heard some form of the familiar adage: “Nothing is as constant as change.

"Throughout our lives, we must deal with change. Some changes are welcome; some are not. There are changes in our lives which are sudden, such as the unexpected passing of a loved one, an unforeseen illness, the loss of a possession we treasure. But most of the changes take place subtly and slowly.

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows."

Thomas S. Monson "Finding Joy in the Journey"

A day with the Christensens

Yesterday Adam and I went to the Christensen's to spend the afternoon and evening with Katie and Eric and their kids. We had a blast at the neighborhood pool. Annie loved "diving" and I loved her stance. Fairy in hand and tube around her waist.

Annie and Cameron loved the slide.

We also enjoyed a few games of pool basketball I must brag that Adam and I won 2 of the 3 games. Katie and Eric are great shooters but Adam transformed the game into Rugby-Basketball and I will just say that I was glad that he was on my team!

Helping at the dairy...

It was so fun to go home for memorial day weekend. Too bad that it was freezing cold on Saturday. It is a sad day when you have to wear a stocking hat and three jackets instead of going out on the river in a swimming suit!

Adam was great to come along and help Ben and me with the vet check and probably learned more than he wanted to. However, Adam loves being a new expert on cows and telling everyone we see about what he learned.

One of my favorite moments is when we were driving and Adam saw some cows out in a pasture. Ben taught him all about the different breeds of dairy cows so he asked me what kind of cow the black ones were that he saw. I told him they were Angus and his response was...."oh, yummy!" The only thing missing from his weekend was a steak!
The one thing that Adam really wanted to see was a cow giving birth. Just our luck...(along with the cold weather) the only calf that was born while we were at the dairy happened while we were out helping Ben, so we missed it :( Until next time...

A wedding in Nauvoo...

Kristen and Brent Ludwig were married on May 1, 2010. They lucked out on having a messy car after their wedding. Instead they were riding in style with a vinyl decal! It looked so much better than cool whip!

On the banks of the Mississippi at the end of Parley Street.

Emily and I on Preacher Rock. Emily spent part of the trip with us. We have been friends since freshman year and it was fun to tour around together. She leaves next week to go on a mission to San Antonio, Texas! She is going to be a great missionary.

Adam-Ondi-Ahman with the Permanns from Rockland. They were so nice to take us around and teach us all about the site. It was so beautiful and we had the greatest time!

Emily and I did baptisms for the dead in the Nauvoo temple while we were there. That was one of the highlights of the trip.
It was so fun to go on a trip with my mom! She took care of everything and made sure that we made it to the sites. We had so many wonderful experiences. Thanks MOM!
The long awaited day finally came and my roommate got married. Kristen and I met on my first day at BYU. I had driven to Provo and stayed with my friend (Erin Mower Harris) the night before I could move into my apartment. The next morning a hauled my stuff up to my dorm room and caught a ride to FOL (foundations of leadership) registration. I got in line right behind Kristen Anderson! And that is where it all began. We were in the same freshman ward and have been roommates for the past three years. Kristen is the greatest!

Emily, Heather, Kristen, Brent, and David...It was so fun to be in Nauvoo with my best friends!

BYU GRADUATION!

I know that it has been months since my last post so let me tell you why...I have been getting ready for graduation! And that day finally came so I guess I no longer have an excuse for not blogging. On Friday night after graduation John asked me if I would be helping Brandon and Lindsay move the next morning. I tried to think of some excuse to get out of carrying boxes to the trailer all morning but could think of nothing. Is this what graduation is supposed to feel like?

I have so much to update from this semester but I might as well begin at the end...graduation!

Ever since I was a little girl and had a dream to come to BYU. It never even crossed my mind that there were other universities out there. My dreams came true and I have loved being at BYU and the experiences and associations that I have had here have shape my life.
Brandon and I have grown up doing a lot of things together. Swimming lessons, feeding calves, getting our wisdom teeth out, 4-H, and I am sure much more. I guess things haven't really changed because we graduated together with the same degree. I have always had him there to follow and so it made things pretty easy as I followed him across the stage at graduation. Congrats Brandon!

Krystal (my best friend since kindergarten) made the trip from Boise, ID to come to my graduation! It was so fun to have her there...Thanks Krystal!

January 4, 2010

I was reminded today that I never posted anything about my actual birthday. After a few parties at home with family and neighbors I came back to Provo and started school on my birthday. It was a great day! After classes and work I went out to dinner with some of my best friends. These girls all went to Jerusalem with me and I love them all so much. We went to Zupas and had a wonderful time talking. Monica even drove down from Salt Lake. Thanks girls! (Raven, Katie, Me, Monica, Elise)Later that night we had a birthday party! Kristen and Emily decorated the apartment and made a birthday cake and we had the Boise State v. TCU game on TV. Despite what everyone seemed to think, I do have a lot of friends and so many of them came to the party! I started to look around the room to figure out how I knew so many people. I had friends from my new ward, my past ward, Jeusalem, American Falls, family and roommates. It adds up pretty quick and I found out that there is a limit to the amount of people that can fit in one apartment. We filled it to the max and had a great time. Austin Hayden, Me, Tyler Batt

This is my dear friend Allie. I serve with her in the RS presidency and just love her! She was so kind to make me a cake too :)

These are some more of my fravorite Jerusalem friends. I am telling you I have some really good friends! (Mandy, Jane, Me, Lisa, Brigette, Rachelle

Ryan, David, Brent, me, Brad, and Ben...And these are "my boys" These guys were all of my best friends when I lived in the dorms freshman year. It is so fun to have them back from their missions. They even sang me a song for my birthday which I have included below for your enjoyment! The clip is pretty long so if you skip to the second half you can hear the part that they wrote just for me :)

Ryan, David, Ben, and Brent (Brent is Kristen's Fiance)

O' Falafel, Etc.

A return to the Holy Land...

I can't believe that it has been 6 months since I was in Israel! However, in memory of the good times Brian and I went and got Falafel in Salt Lake last week. This is one of those foods that is unique to the Mediterranean and was something that I learned to love while I was in the Holy Land last summer. It was quite the treat! The only things missing with our Salt Lake Falafel were the french fries, the unsanitary conditions, and the sweat dripping down my face :) Eating Falafel last July!

SKI JORING in downtown Ogden

Today we went to Odgen for what you might call a winter rodeo. They trucked in snow to fill the streets and then they had snowmobile races, people skiing and snowboarding behind horses, and fair food and country music. It was awesome!
This skier got sweet air when he was going off this jump. And, the cool thing is that he LANDED IT! My friend Jon Cox tried to get a high five (but failed in his attempt). Hoyt Brothers--these are my 4 favorite non-family boys in the world! ('specially the one on the right.) They are from the beautiful state of Washington, and they lived on a dairy for a few years, so we hit it off INSANTLY! John Bradley is on the left. He's a doctor (well, almost--he's in his first year of medical school in Vermont). He flew in for the weekend, mostly to attend the Ogden Winterfest (and see friends and family too). Eric is next to John. He is the youngest and smartest of the 4 (he's a TA!). He served his mission in Denver South. He graciously shares his meal plan with us on occasion. Pete is next in line. He is the funniest and most creative. Brian is the last in line (and the shortest!) But he's nice which makes up for it. :) Brian is also extremely smart and will be graduating in April and heading to medical school. My dear friend Emily tried to capture an action shot during the snowmobile race, but the snowmobiles were so fast that we could barely catch them on film. I found this cool Polaris Ranger that I am really excited to buy one day when I have a job and become rich! :) Or I will just wait until I can find a way to win one like Holly and Garrick!

The past few weeks I have really been missing Jerusalem so I thought I would just post a few pictures in memory of the wonderful summer that I had there. This was the evening we left, right before I got on the bus and drove away for the last time.





In front of Damascus Gate...our favorite place to enter the city.
Eating a bagel at the entrance to the city




This was our first trip to the Western Wall...It was a Friday and it was packed with Jews welcoming in the Sabbath.

With Lisa at the Western Wall just before sunset.

This is with Sister Madson at the Tiberius branch...the Sea of Galilee is in the background

Just inside Damascus Gate...this was early on a Sunday morning on our way to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for morning services.

The Garden Tomb

Looking through the window of Dominos Flevit (Church on the Mt. of Olives) looking to the Temple Mount.

Garden of Gethsemene

Brigham Young University "Enter to Learn, Go forth to Serve"

I love reading this motto as I enter campus. We did not come to earth to simply learn and progress only for our own sake. We are hear to learn and grow together. God has blessed us with so much and it is our responsibility to help each other through this life. I have been greatly bless to come to BYU and I have learned so much. I have learned so much and I am excited to be able to share the talents that I have developed and the knowledge that I have gained with those who I will associate with throughout my life.

Michelle (our speaker at the dinner) was also nice enough to take pictures at our event. I have decided that I just love this picture because it is my new goal to come back to speak at BYU sometime in my life. As my college career is coming to an end I am realizing more and more how blessed I have been to have the opportunity to study at BYU. I love being able to mix religion and academic and I love the atmosphere here!


I always planned to come to BYU but I would never have guessed that I would graduate with a degree in Business Management. I have grown to love it and I enjoy my classes. Outside of the classroom I have also been blessed with a great job. I thought I might give you a little update on my new job. I am working in the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology. cet.byu.edu My job has many parts to it...one part is TAing for the Women's Entrepreneur Lecture Series. This semester I have been given the task of finding and scheduling speakers. These are amazing women and they are all eager to come and share their story with our students. Last week we had Kristin Murdock who sells "cow pie clocks" Check them out at cowpieclocks.com. Many of you may also know of the blog giveawaytoday.blogspot.com. The founder of this blog (Emily) is coming in a few weeks. I love being in contact these women and learn how their businesses got started.

The second big part of my job is working with the Young Entrepreneurs Founders Organization. These individuals give back to the center and help fund the events and competitions that we put on, such as the Business Plan Competition. I also get to help plan events and help students use the resources that we have to help them start their own businesses. Isn't it awesome! I just love it.

BYU has given me so much and whether I get involved as and entrepreneur, as an advisory board member, or volunteer as a mentor, I plan to give back to BYU and I am excited to see what the future holds.

A girls outing to the ski hill...

On New Years Eve I went skiing with Joelle, Caroline, Abbey, and Gracie. My mom was nice enough to watch Hilary and Carter so the rest of us could go. It was great to get in my yearly ski trip and it was super fun to hang out with these awesome girls!
Gracie, Heather, Joelle, Abbey, and Caroline

Joelle and Abbey Gracie and Heather on the lift