ASU Sundevils

 Have I mentioned I love my job? I have the best boss ever! Thursday Dr. Maynard asked me if I would like to go see the ASU football game on Saturday. YES PLEASE! So he brought me two tickets for the loge area (covered, free food and drinks, AWESOMENESS) and a parking pass. :)

 

You better believe I had my ASU gear on! Ready for the game!

 Half time they did a pretty cool show with their marching band and their cheerleaders and dancers. Took me back to high school again.

Bad news is, they lost in the last few seconds of the game. But, it was still so much fun!

Coupons!

I don't really remember what made me get into this coupon kick, but I've always heard about people getting a large amount of groceries for almost nothing and have been curious to know how it all works. You think it's easy? Cause I did, and I was very wrong. There's A LOT to it. A lot of time. A lot of homework. And a lot of rules that could change at any time. But, I decided if I can at least save a few bucks, it'll be worth a try. 

So, Sunday I got a paper with all the deals and coupons in it and last night I bought a folder and those plastic sheets that you can use to store collector baseball cards in, and started clipping and organizing my coupons. If you want to kill some time, just try it out. There's a new show on Netflix that's call Extreme Couponing and I'm determined to figure out all their tricks. I'm excited to organize my first shopping trip. I really hope I can figure it out! I'll let you know how it goes!

Go-To Girl

 The last three months have been SO much fun! I've been able to help my co-worker and good friend Kristen plan her wedding. I've always wanted to help plan and I finally got my chance! I got to help with lots of the big and small things. She asked my opinion on dresses, jewelry, shoes and so on. I've been her little Go-to girl. HA! I helped her find a photographer, which is Amber Morris, Sharla's sister-in-law, a DJ whos name is Mike Huff, a friend I met through other friends, and I get to do her hair, nails, and cake :) As Dr. Turley says, "She's got the Mormon hook-ups." Haha! AHHHHH! :) It's a lot of pressure, but things are going smooth so far.

 

Last Friday she came over and we practiced her hair...

I think it turned out pretty good for a test run. She has such pretty long hair, so it was fun to work with. She told me I couldn't keep her as my personal Barbie though ;)

 

Then I got started on the wedding cake. Boy talk about pressure! The bottom layer is actually pretty big. Getting fondant to cover that thing was work. And... After the 4th attempt to put the fondant on...out of frustration...I beat it sensless and then it was smooth sailing. (And after wards had a good laugh at myself) The bottom 3 teirs are all styrofoam covered in fondant and decorated with these lovely flowers and lace. It's not done though... It still needs the top layer, which will be real for the "cutting of the cake as Mr. and Mrs." and there's more flowers that will be added. Then I will be baking a very large sheet cake for guests to eat. With the famous Chantilly Cream and fresh cut strawberries. YUM! I can't wait to see it all finished!

 

This cake was just a little extra for her birthday today! Happy birthday!!! And she loved it! And I was so glad!

 

Then during lunch I did her nails. I did gel with a really pretty, light, almost kind of goldish (I honestly don't know what to call it!) color. So, now all that is left is finishing the wedding cake, and then Sunday morning I will make my way to her house to do her hair and then she will be Mrs. Dustin George! All the planning, and stress, and money spending will be over! I know she will be so relieved!

 

In the mean time, I am really grateful that I get to work with her. She has been a great co-worker and has become a really great friend. I'm so glad I get to help her get ready for her big day!

Best wishes Dustin and Kristen!

 

My Best Friend's Wedding!

 On September 15, 2012 my best friend got married!!!

 She made such a beautiful bride! I'm so happy I got to be part of her big day. I got to be one of her bridesmaids. I'm still kicking myself for not taking more pictures. Her wedding was beautiful! They had it at The Gathering Place in Pinetop. Jake could not be more perfect for Brandis and I am so happy for her.

 

I couldn't resist posting the above picture. I can't remember what was going on at the time to make Dana look angry (Her Mom), but Ashley was lacing up the back of her dress and Brandis was about to fall over. Haha.

 

I wish the both of them the best and a life full of happiness!

Some Hope When You Need It...

Most of you know that I have long battled anxiety for a long time. It's been an uphill battle for far too long. And some days I just have to sit and wonder why. Why do I have to go through this? Why can't I just grow out of it like "they" say some people do? And I'm not one to throw a pity party for myself. In fact, if you ask my mom, she is the one to say that you'd never know if something was wrong because I show no signs that something is wrong. 

This year has seemed to be particularly hard. It seems like it's been one thing after another. And with that has been added stress which then results in more anxiety. Its a vicious cycle, and I pray everyday that it would just end. 

So, today on my lunch break I decided to read some blogs as I do every now and again to see what the family is up to and I came across Hilary Weeks' blog. If any of you have never been to Time Out For Women, I highly suggest you look up when the next one is nearest you, and GO! She was one of the speakers at both of the ones I have been to and I just admire her so much. She is a singer/songwriter and is just such an amazing person. So I started reading her blog. It was just what I needed to hear today.

She wrote about this goal she had about conquering what she calls the "killer hill." She explains that it's basically at a 90 degree angle, but she is determined to run the whole way up, no stopping or walking. So she stops for a moment to prepare to run up this hill, says a prayer for strength and then begins. She kept her head down the whole time. She didn't want to see how far she had to go to get to the top, she just wanted to see each step she took to get there and kept her goal in mind. She felt victorious as she reached the top. Then she said this:

 Killer Hill Takeaways…
1.  If I am not willing to push to the top of a painful hill, then I don’t deserve the flat ground.  I appreciate the 0% incline much, much more after experiencing the effort of the steep climb.  (That is an analogy for life…)
2. I can do hard things. (And so can you.)
3. Prayer works.
4. When you are approaching something HARD – get your mind right.  Stop.  Pause.  Focus.  Tell yourself you can do it.  And then go.
5.  When you are focused on your dreams, it makes the effort worth it.

In another post, she talks about her husband's business going under due to the economy crashing. One day she was away from home at another Time Out For Women and she was feeling alone and scared. She got down on her knees and prayed. Her answer came. She said she grabbed a pen and paper and this is what she heard: “Be brave and trust a while longer and the benefits will be worth it.” She had no idea how long it would take, but she carried on and continued to trust in the Lord. Five years later they sold their business and are now on the road to recovery.

Both of these stories were just what I needed to hear. Sometimes when we are going through a hard time, and we just want it to be over, we have to remember to just keep watching our steps with our goal in mind and "be brave and trust a while longer and the benefits will be worth it." It will be victorious when we reach the top. 

Heavenly Father knows and loves us so much. I know he does and I know he is aware of what we are going through. I know his plan is so much bigger than the one I have for myself. If not for trials we wouldn't learn valuable lessons and I can truly testify for that one. I have learned so much from them and I am letting them make me the person I want to be. I am so grateful for this gospel and for the hope that it gives me.