...just sayin

"it's in Russian- I can't read it!"

2010-11-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

Soo....Remember how this happened two months ago?
And that I leave two months from now?
Love that.
Sorry it took so long... but here are (way too many-oops) pictures from Sept. 8th when I was called to serve in the Russia, St. Petersburg mission! You can see the complete shock can't ya? haha

The reaction shot. Gotta love that!

I cried harder hugging adorable Ashlyn than when I read the call. Love that girl SO much

hahah I love this one of Seth-man

Sorry about the bright red face in all these...I was still cryin baha

So glad Tom could be here! He had to come home from his mission for some physical therapy for his back - but he is back out in Germany! Perfect timing Elder Calton. I wouldn't expect anything different from you. haha

My roommate and best friend since elementary school, Christie. She has been called to serve in the Scotland/Ireland mission! She reports to the England MTC just two days after I report!

My best friend from Jerusalem, Emma. She is currently serving in London! She literally went right to my house from her long drive from Oregon. SO glad she could make it! We like to think that we were companions in Jerusalem. haha

My favorite Jerusalem people- thanks so much for coming! May or may not have had to wait for one carpool to get there....haha love you guys!

My girls :)

MELC -- Mckenzie, Ellen, Lindsay and Cortnee
Kenz is serving in McAllen Texas - Spanish speaking
Ellen has been called to Neuquen Argentina - Spanish speaking obviously and leaves the week after me
Cort is just a little younger than us. We will see if she serves as well...but she might have some other important things happening while we are gone :)

triplets

You know what? after all that....why not just give ya the video? hahah I've watched this COUNTLESS times! Thanks for recording this Liz! This is priceless

felucca and camel rides

2010-02-14T07:08:00.000-08:00

No big deal...just lookin at the Nile from the hotel...about to go on a felucca ride

In STYLE! Russell will be proud ;)

elizabeth, jenni, me, eric, jill, leslieMuhammad and my camel Mr. Lufaluv...or something haha couldn't ever get the name rightlike a natural needed a quick pit stop haha check out that sunset! Oh gosh I could NOT get over that. mmm so so good.
Egyptian sunsets are way up there for best sunsets!

tombs and temples

2010-02-14T07:04:00.000-08:00

Pretty much everything in Egypt is a tomb or a temple of some sort... I love it!

Check out the shadow on that little light spot. neatMarissa, Taeler, me, Emma - Kinzie, Brooke, Elissa, Gretchenbasically whenever us girls take a cute/funny girl picture...the boys copy

spot the pyramids in the distance?

I LOVE when the sun does that!

britt, me, corina, brett, mary, anna, natalie

elissa, emma, me

pyramids

2010-02-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

So we finally made it to Egypt! We pulled in right as the sun was setting - I wish i had a picture of the first sighting of the pyramids...but I was in the back of the bus and it would have taken a lot of effort to weasel through the crowd of us trying to see/take pictures. (Don't worry..i'll steal one from someone who did- it was awesome) You're just driving on the freeway through the city, enjoying the orange sky and BOOM! in the distance you see the pyramids! We were all screaming and were probably a little too excited about it. haha

This is from the "Sound and Light Show" that night... hilarious. The show lit up the pyramids and sphinx as it told the history of them and Egypt in ridiculous narrative.

Doesn't get much better than that :)

me, Gretchen, Emma and Natalie

So far - I don't have any signs of having lice. Thank goodness.

The merchants in Egypt are RIDICULOUS! Pretty much do and say whatever they want and then beg after. haha I should do a post all about them....

"shhh....just go" hahah movie quote anyone?

Ali, Anna, Elissa, Jess, Kinzi, Mary, Gretchen, me, Emma, Kim, Corina- Katie, Natalie and Brooke

Jill, me and Marissa

The first human pyramid of the day, later made an all girls, all boys and all professor one as well! I'm sure no one in the world has thought of doing this picture....right?

My glasses make a fun sort of "where's waldo" game dont they? haha love those things

Check out this guy with Mary and me! haha He is like an Egyptian Yoda!

We saw SO many pyramids that day! So crazy to believe I was actually there seeing them.

Amazing :)

drive to egypt

2010-02-14T06:57:00.000-08:00

Sooo before going to Egypt Emma, Gretchen and I stocked up on money and food so that if it was necessary- we could live off of Sprite, Snickers and Honey nut Cheerios...and 1 dollar bills. The food there is pretty dang sketch and they gave quite the scare for the "Cairo quick-step" or "Pharoahs Revenge" if you ate the wrong food if you know what I mean... Can't be too careful.

On the drive from Jerusalem to Egypt we made a lot of stops at different sites. We would drive for a little over an hour and then be at an ancient city or look out of the wilderness. It made the drive seem long..but short at the same time.

Emma and I were sad whenever the classes would have to split and go into their own buses because a lot of the people we usually are with are in the other class. thank goodness we have each other.

That night we stopped at a Kibbutz where the community basically just does everything as a unit and shares everything! Very interesting way to live that's for sure.
This is me showin my love for dairy :)

Jericho

2010-02-07T07:14:00.000-08:00

Woah it's been a while! Sorry...buckle up for a lot of posts comin one after another!
We will start off with our field trip to Jericho - the oldest and lowest place on earth.
The city was way smaller than I expected, but it's so interesting to see what it really was like.
Neat.

We went up to the monestary of temptation - Supposedly the rock that Christ was tempted on was up there...I didn't have enough time to see it because another huge group was already in the room. It was quite the climb up there!

Here's the view from the balcony of Jericho (to the left a bit) and some caves people lived in in the cliff. ok awesome!

Eric, Eric, Madison, Jill, Katie, Marissa and I on the balcony

On the way back to Jerusalem we stopped at an overlook of the Judean Wilderness... I have no idea how people survived walking through there. I would get so bored! Not to mention there is no food, water, or shade anywhere!
Me and Emma

Check out that sweet camel! Some people were selling things at the overlook and offered a donkey or camel ride. I caved and bought a sweet necklace that apparantly is made out of camel bone! It was a fun trip!

random pictures with little info

2010-02-07T07:08:00.000-08:00

Check out that crazy sunset! I was staring at the window at this one night during my Hebrew class. I even put my back toward the window so I wouldn't get distracted...so much for that.

This is Elias, one of the most incredible, happiest and most loving men I've ever met in my life. He is a Holocaust survivor and had such interesting and inspiring stories and things to tell us. Cutest man ever!

On one of our free days a bunch of us went to a park to play ultimate frisbee! I don't even have to explain how excited I was. It was pretty sketchy though because look at the ground...mostly dirt, rocks, and trash everywhere - luckily no one got hurt and it was a lot of fun! Hopefully we do that again - for my sake. haha I may or may not have been called the Pistol Pete of frisbee...just throwin that out there.

One night we (Emma, Gretchen and I) were bored so we tossed a frisbee in the hall. After a while we got the paper recycle bin and basically played frolf! We got a few more people interested and they came and tried too. For sure a good way to pass the time :)

We got to go the Western Wall one Friday night to welcome the Sabbath with the Jewish community. It is so interesting to see how the different Jewish people celebrated this. Some just sat there praying and others sang and danced! We joined in with some and a few of us put prayers into the wall as well - it was such a neat experience.

Uhh...Don't tell...But Emma and I were SO sad we didn't get candy before....so we ran and got some right before we were supposed to go to the bus. Sort of broke a few rules for those Peachy-o's and straws... but it was necessary and absolutely worth it

This is the Dormition Abbey. One of my favorite buildings I've been to so far - SO beautiful!This was inside the building...one of my favorite mosaics because it was unique. And African. haha I don't know - it was so stinkin' beautiful in there!

That is me and Bethlehem in the background - no big deal

Emma me and Marissa

Tomb of Samuel the Prophet

Basically all of the roofs here are NOT even and are like this. I dont know what Emma and I are even doing either... oops

Jill and me - can you believe this thing?

My new family :)

the gardens

2010-01-18T05:46:00.001-08:00

Corina and me looking at the city from Orson Hyde Park

The private Garden of Gethsemane that I think they only let us students go into This is from the Mount of Olives (I live down the street) looking at some Olive Trees and the Old City as the sun started setting. LOVE IT!
I cannot believe that these beautiful and sacred gardens are just down the street from where I live! Am I the luckiest or what?

i can't believe i just walk around the Old City

2010-01-18T05:38:00.000-08:00

This is Marissa Purser and I looking at the view of the Old City. Marissa is also from Murray and is a year above me in school - so we knew of each other and have the same groups of Murray friends...but I didn't really know her that well before. It has been fun to have at least one person I know here!This is the road right as you walk through Damascus gate, the gate we go through most often. This is a HUGE pile of different seasonings/spices with a little Dome of the Rock thing on top - can you believe that!? I've only had this stuff called Zatar on my bread...tasty stuff!

On our first free day (Sunday) we went on the Ramparts Walk, which is where you can walk on top of the wall surrounding the Old City. It really helped me figure out how the city is divided up into the different quarters. It took a while to walk around it all, but it is fascinating to see the city and everything surrounding it from up above.

This was just a hallway outside of the temple mount...neat

I'm sort of obsessed with the Dome of the Rock.
It is GORGEOUS!haha Peace in the middle east!

haha these guys were intense!

In front of the Western WallAnd these beauties were in West Jerusalem - the more modern area. haha Too bad they are both right feet...
I still can't believe that I'm really here! Seriously this is amazing and I am loving every second!

Well here I am...living in the Holy Land!

2010-01-18T05:17:00.000-08:00

I left on Jan. 5th for the Holy Land! I was one of the lucky groups that had to meet at the airport around 8 - rather than 4 like some of the others - pshew! Glad I dodged that bullet. Praise you Delta. It's funny because we left later, only had one lay-over in JFK and we actually got into Jerusalem before any other groups! Spoiled? check.

The beautiful building with the arches is where I eat, sleep, go to school, church, fhe, forums - everything! Isn't that gorgeous!? Sorry the picture isn't fantastic...it was taken at night. But really though.

Here is the main entrance. They built the Center to be like temple quality - so true. It feels amazing in there and is gorgeous!

Room 411 - home sweet home.
You walk down hallways with little openings outside to get to each of the rooms.

This is our view of the Old City from our porch :)

The Jerusalem CenterSunset and the view of the Old City from the Center

My roommates Corina and Emma - They are SO great. We get along really well and they are always making me laugh. They are so fun to be with and are way easy to talk to. I'm really excited to get to know them more!

haha no big deal right? Just a street sign where I live. Hebrew, Arabic and English :)
I LOVE it here!

i want to go to there....take 2

2009-11-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure all of you know already...but...yeah. I am going to live in Jerusalem this Winter/Spring!! I know, I know I just went on a study abroad...but hey, this is the time to do it right? My mind set for the Caribbean was "wait a minute...all of my friends are gone on missions...I want to do something too! This'll show 'em." And I had a blast, learned a lot, and it did change my life in some aspects.
Well...The Caribbean will look like NOTHING compared to the Jerusalem program! Serious....I'm about to change my life. :) It's funny actually because I had to apply for the Jerusalem Program the week after I got home from the Caribbean. I felt so so spoiled and like I probably didn't even deserve to give it a try. But...my justification is that I apply for these things- so it can't make you spoiled if you earn it right? ...ok I kind of sound like a brat. Next?

Alright, so in order to apply I had to fill out a bunch of papers, get ecclesiastical endorsements from my bishop and someone from my stake presidency, get papers signed by a notary, and write a couple of short essays. WOW it was stressful! Mainly because I put it off until it was crunch time - I was working on my paintings and final from my Caribbean study abroad all that week. I am SO lucky I have family and church leaders that were so willing to help me out.
I honestly had the mind set that I wouldn't get in. Lets be honest- so did my mom. haha It's a pretty intense program. So, the plan was to apply for Winter semester...probably not get it, and just keep trying. When I applied I didn't know what my address would be down in Provo, so I just put my home address in my information. I knew I was supposed to find out on a certain day because I would get a letter sent in the mail. So the fateful day was here and I called my mom a few times to see if the mail came... and there was NOTHIN! I won't lie right now- I was pretty upset. Later that day I met up with a bunch of different friends down here from Murray and found out that Marissa Purser (she's a year older than I am) got into the Jerusalem Program! No one but my roommates knew that I had applied- so I just sat there thinking... oh..I didn't get anything in the mail...guess I didn't get it... I was pretty bummed, but WAY excited for Marissa!Well, I should have thought this through before - but because my letter was sent to Murray it took longer. I got a phone call from Rob the next day and he started reading "Dear Lindsay, Congratulations! You have been given initial placement on the 2010 Winter Semester Program at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near easter Studies..."
I honestly couldn't believe it. I kept saying "stop...you're serious right now.. wait really? Don't even joke!" I think I literally went into shock. haha I later got the big white envelope from home that had my acceptance letter and more paperwork I need/ed to fill out along with a handbook. I also had to have an interview, but that was very relaxed and basically they just needed to ask more health related questions, and allowed me to ask questions about the program. I guess I should say that I will be there from Jan. 5 - April 22. I get to be there for EASTER! AH I am just so so excited!
I am studying Old and New Testament, Jewish and Arab and Islamic Civilization, Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Hebrew! Sure, school is going to kick me in the pants...but wow I'm stoked for it!
The only bummer about this whole thing is that i'm leaving again. I'm really sad to leave my roommates and my awesome ward down here. It's sort of a topic that's off limits because it kinda makes us sad that i'm leaving. BUT - Marissa's roommate is another girl from Murray - CC er..Jaclyn Cowley - who is going to take my spot in the apartment! Which is awesome for me, but more importantly, awesome for Christie because they are way good friends.
We're just living right over here.
I'm also sad because Brooke will be coming home from China a week before I leave. It could have been worse world- she almost came home the day before...death. Thank goodness she's the best and is coming home in time to play with me.
Oh and another downer...Right when boys are coming home from missions I leave... Well, they can get out of the weird stage while i'm gone - right? Here's hoping anyway
I obviously don't have to say that I'll miss my family... that goes without saying.
I don't know if you can see if very well, (it's a picture of a picture- sorry) but this picture says "Be virtuous, Be wise, Be ready" I have it on my bedside table and it just gets me so excited to go!
I'm ready....now I just have to work on the other two...

yeah....about that...

2009-10-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

Remember that one time I was obsessed with blogging? Oh yeah...absolutely I do.

While I still check blogs occasionally, each time I have this weight over my very soul. I believe that this is called
I'd like to publicly apologize for my lack of posting for all of my readers. All I have done is take, take, take from the blogging world. This is not fair to anyone involved. I will do better. Cross my heart and hope to die.
Meanwhile....I suppose I could post pictures of some watercolors I did in the Caribbean...I've heard from so many admiring people that they would love to see...ok maybe like one person..
Alright so I had to do a set of paintings that had a similar characteristic. My favorite thing to paint was the colorful houses, so that was my set.
This set is just random stuff...obviously Then I had to collect things and make a set of collages. This actually saved my bacon because they are a lot faster than painting. I'm obsessed with detail so painting took me FOREVER!

Caribbean Study Abroad pics!

2009-08-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry this is a lame way of talking about my study abroad experience... but it's the easiest way! I had to break down a LOT of pictures, so hopefully these can show you mostly what I did. It was really so much fun and I actually did learn a thing or two! I wouldn't have changed a thing!
The first slideshow is from St. Lucia- the first island we visited, and the second one is from both Trinidad and Tobago.

...i want to go to there...

2009-03-12T12:14:00.001-07:00

So I have wanted to do something wicked-sweet this summer like a study abroad or some sort of service organization and go somewhere awesome. Well, the last week of February I got an E-mail about a Study Abroad program that had extended the deadline till Saturday March 7th in the freakin’ Caribbean! Hahah So, I called my mom to ask if I should even try applying- unfortunately she had just seen the movie Taken (Oh and lets remember how I had to sleep in Russell’s room for a while after Elizabeth Smart got kidnapped …yeah biggest fear right there) needless to say, my mom was pretty nervous, but was like “eh whatever you want.” Anyway, I didn’t really think about it that much…Until I think Wednesday (March 4th)…And I just up and applied! Why not right? I was bored that day… haha
So I had an interview Friday afternoon (the 6th) with a Humanities professor and it went pretty well I thought, except there is a prep class I have to take the second block of this semester – a.k.a. the next Monday! So the professor was sayin that I have to go get an Add/Drop card and come back and have him sign it, then run it to the registration office. So I did all that and get there and apparently the deadline was the day before…so I had to go to this petition place and write something about why I needed to add the class and why I should be an exception. SO, I still had to meet with another professor that was going to be at the first interview-but was teaching class… I e-mailed him saying that I could have my interview anytime after 4. I went to the library around 2 and just studied and kept checking my e-mails. I finally got one around 4:20 saying that he was in his office and that I could go over right then and talk to him. This guy was an art professor of some sort and was really chill and way nice. Anyway we were talkin for a few minutes about my admittance essay, my major and what not and he just says “so…do you know that you got accepted?”

“…umm…WHAT?! I just had my interview with the other professor” and he’s like “He e-mailed me after your interview and accepted you already” hahahahhahaha WHAT THE CRAP! HOW DID THAT JUST HAPPEN TO MY LIFE!? Me and that professor were talking for a while about the classes (that can work as GEs p.s.) and the prep class I’ll have to take, and about other random things. OH MY WORD! HAHAHA I was honestly still in shock! My program goes to Trinidad, Tobago and St. Lucia... :)

World, I’m full on going to live in the Caribbean for about a month. Well, June 22-August 10 and the first 2 weeks of class are down in Provo. I guess I’ll just live with Rob and Rachele during that. (sorry guys…Good thing I like sleeping on couches!) Anyway how crazy is that?! Just sign up for something on a whim and it totally works out! I’m gonna live on 3 different islands this summer what the heck. Lol So I will be taking a watercolor painting class…just going to different beaches and painting. Haha It isn’t an advanced class at all or anything, and I’ve always wanted to get better at painting. The reason why it’s in the Caribbean is because this world famous poet Derek Walcott lives in St. Lucia and we are going to study his poetry and meet him! That will be difficult, but pretty sure it will be worth it! The funniest thing about all this is that I didn’t tell anyone I had applied. My mom and dad didn’t even know because they were still in Mexico! So I just called and left a message…bah! Mom was kinda worried (again with that Taken movie…) but dad seemed pretty excited! St. Lucia is a small island that mom and dad have been to before and they say it’s probably the best scuba diving they have ever done! So maybe I’ll talk them into getting me certified, and coming down to visit sometime Hahaha Don’t think it’ll be too hard to talk them into that huh?! I mean seriously…who wouldn’t want some of this…

my missionary boys

2009-01-13T00:01:00.001-08:00

Well reader I am in that special time of life where all my amazing guy friends leave me for 2 years to serve the Lord. I have sent some of the greatest friends out and am about to send out another bunch of them coming up here pretty quick...buckle up Linds.
My whole life I have grown up with boys to play with...many of which are these boys I sent/am sending off. These amazing young men have made me the way I am (uhh...not sure if that is good or bad to say...sorry if that hurts your feelings boys). Honestly I have looked up to each of them as examples throughout each of our friendships. But nothing impresses me more as these last few years as these boys draw closer to their missions. I was lucky enough to be the "it" for them. I got this title because i'm not a guy to them...but i'm also not a girl to them either.
Some may think this is an insult, or something that I shouldn't just throw out there and be proud of. But I am.
I am proud to be the one they would turn to for advice, they could completely be themselves by, someone who they knew they still had to be a good example to, the person that expected so much out of them- because I saw so much within them.
These boys have helped me in so many different aspects and different times in my life. They have made me recognize what is important in life. They have showed me how to truly be happy, no matter what is happening at the time. They taught me the true meaning of friendship. These boys have strengthened my understanding of the gospel and have helped me build on my personal testimony through sharing theirs. They have taught me that serving the Lord is one of the greatest things we can do on this earth. Their excitement about serving a mission helped give me a true assurance that the young men of this generation are strong and valiant.
I am forever grateful for the friendships that i've had with these valiant young men, and for the influence they have had in my life. They are and will be incredible missionaries.
Look out world! You're gettin' the best!

Alma 53:20-21
"And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all-they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him."

lots to work on for 09...bring it on!

2009-01-09T11:27:00.000-08:00

Gotta have a picture...

So this week as I was waiting for classes to start...I decided to stop doodling and make some goals! Well I have a LOT to work on and had lots of time to think of things...So here is my monster lists of goals for 09! (in no particular order mind you...)

1. Get good grades
2. Don't fall behind on reading and homework
3. Fix my sleeping habits! (almost posted this late last night- but i'm doin fairly well on this)
4. Spend my time wisely
5. Do better at writing missionaries
6. Be more kind-stop teasing
7. Do more service
8. Read and study regularly and earnestly
9. Exercise vigorously and regularly
10. Get in better shape
11. Focus more on the Gospel and learn lots more!
12. Apply for Jerusalem or Romania this year!
13. Focus more on others
14. Be more patient
15. Don't gossip
16. Stop over-eating!
17. Sincerely care for and help others- don't give up
18. Be more grateful and SHOW it!
19. Stop focusing on the past
20. Stop over-thinking things that aren't a big deal
21. Branch out- make more friends
22. Don't be reserved
23. Challenge myself
24. Be positive
25. Gain a greater desire to LEARN
26. Keep in touch with friends
27. Work more on physical appearance
28. Don't miss a day of scripture study and personal prayer- ever!
29. Don't just settle
30. Be honest
31. Stand by my word
32. Go home when I NEED to - not just want
33. Cook!
34. Be more independent
35. Don't procrastinate
36. Keep a spiritual journal
37. Maybe even keep a normal journal
38. Make sure everyone is included and happy
39. Be a better example
40. Help boys want to go on their missions
41. Be on time
42. Make people feel special and so good about life
43. Take more pictures
44. Get my notes and markings from my old scriptures to my new ones
45. Work on my quote book more often
46. Be more helpful
47. Never show that i'm having a rough day- make people guess! hehe
48. Teach swimming lessons
49. Prepare for a mission
50. Love 2009!

Just had to get to 50....ocd haha If there are other things you think I should work on- let me know! haha

Slumber Parties!

2008-12-01T21:09:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I had the best weekend in Provo ever!
My niece Ashlyn came down and we had such a fun slumber party!

First we went to J-Dogs with the family and had a tour of my little apartment.
It was funny because I had drawn on our huge whiteboard
Welcome to BYU Ashlyn!
And Ty-guy saw it and just started erasing....we asked why he was doing that and he just said
"It just doesn't have to be there" haha he was a tiny bit jealous, poor guy.

While we waited for my roommates to all get home Ashlyn and I made a trip to the Creamery and got about $15 worth of snacks! Don't worry, we shared and there was a lot of leftovers! We played a few games like Jenga and brought out the 10 piece game set but didn't play much of that... We played computer games instead. hehe Gotta keep up with the times.
Oh! Also uncle Robbie came over and we went to the Creamery again and got a little ice-cream. Gotta love the Creamery. :) Then Rachele came by for a little bit. It was fun to be with them!

Holy smokes we danced the whole night away! We put 4 of our matresses in the kitchen and had music on and just started jumpin and dancin!
It was so much fun! And boy was it hot in there...haha

Here we are dancingn to Bet On It from High School Musical 2 :)
Good times with that one.All for 1!
(from High School Musical 2 once again)We also danced to a lot of David Archuleta. Lots of Ashlyn's favorite songs :)Here is our bed set up :) After coolin down for a little we settled down and watched Enchanted before falling asleep. This beautiful girl is really one of my best friends! I was so glad she got to come down! My roommates all loved her too! What's not to love right?
Thanks again Ashlyn! :)

Also this last week was Thanksgiving break! Oh praise it. haha The first night all my girls got together and we had a fantastic slumber...wait...we didnt sleep! These pictures were takin at about 7 am :) Worth every minute Oh, we think we are funny because this is Russells bed.
This will get him back for all the pictures he and the boys would take in my bed when I was gone. Basically, i'm a firm believer in slumber parties.

big hair cut

2008-11-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

Well world, Big Linds got a hair cut. Bangs and all...
All that hard work in the second grade of growin those suckers out...haha
My beautiful cousin Allie cut it. She is the BEST!

best friends

2008-11-11T14:43:00.001-08:00

So, I am in this Human development class...It is my favorite! It is a class for those people going into education or nursing, so I am in it with my roommate/best friend Christie and a TON of girls! haha (only a handful of boys in there- props to them)
Anyway... We are currently learning about the social development in children, and oh my word I loved the material we learned the other day! I'm gonna look really nerdy putting my notes on here- but stick with me world...

Relationships:

1. Influenced by past interactions and expectations for future interactions.

2. Closeness of relationship determined by:
A. Frequency and strength of influence
B. Diversity of influence across different behaviors
C. Length of time the relationship has endured.

3. Defined by emotions experienced within them

4. Commitment (to continuance)

5. Uniqueness
-How interchangeable the person/relationship is

6. Like larger social organizations, they include role differentiation, specialization, division of labor, sense of shared membership, and shared culture.
-Nicknames, inside jokes, special things/places, something you do JUST with them

Think about your best friends...I'm sure they fit into these categories.
I looked like the biggest nerd when I was taking notes that day...I just had the biggest smile on my face and would even start giggling occasionally!
It is so interesting to look at the relationships you've had throughout your life and how different they are with each person.
You can be in the same "group" and will have different specific things with each friend. It is so fun to really focus on what makes each relationship unique!

I am lucky enough to be able to say that I have quite a few best friends in my life. I am so grateful for the relationships i've made. I have the BEST best friends ever!
I honestly couldn't have asked for any better. I could go on forever on different things that make my friendships unique...but that would take forever...besides, you know what we do ;)

Oh, haha I'm retarded and cant figure out how i can post this....So here is a link to an awesome episode of the classic Saturday morning cartoon- Recess. :)
Enjoy! (oh come on, it's only 10 minutes)
Recess- "the break up"

college tour...wait... little late for that

2008-10-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Christie and I made our trek up north to have what felt like a college tour!
First we dropped off our friend Jordan at Utah State and quickly said hi to Brooke and Abbey..
then were off to head up to Idaho State!

We didnt get there till around 10, and I was SO stinkin hungry I was in pain. So once we met up with Ellen we made a quick run to ihop. Then we got back and just sat and talked for a while- bueno! Missed my late night talks with Ell Bell. Christie even stayed awake the whole time! Monumental moment for sure.

So the next morning Ellen's awesome friend Cyndal made us a delicious breakfast, then Ell had to go get ready for her game. It was awesome getting to know Ellens good friend, I have heard a lot about her and she was a great girl! Want to get to know her more..
Anyway, Christie and I got ready for the day and then decided to look around campus and take pictures heheYeah...oops hehe
Good ol' Lola the Corolla worked so hard that weekend. Proud of my baby :)

Love that Bengal At the soccer stadiumWicked sweet blow-up bengal the team runs throughRoss the super-fan. Pretty much ISU wont ever need a mascot with this dude around. haha
He is hilarious. Wish I could have gotten a better picture of him.
Ell Bell about to sub in! Ellen is the one on the far right. hehe After the game went to Texas Roadhouse with her family, went to Walmart for some shoppin and then we met up with some boys to play ultimate frisbee! We could only play 3v3 but it was so much fun to finally play with my better half again!
That night Christie and I made our trip to Utah State to stay over at Brooke and Abbeys for the night. We visited Amy Hansen real quick and then went to Brookigails for the slumber. It was so fun to be with these girls again!
It was such a fun weekend to finally be with all of my best friends again! Even though it wasnt for very long, it was so worth it! I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Thanks for letting me spend some much needed time with you girls!
I miss ya like crazy!
Basically I have the BEST best friends ever!
Couldn't have picked better ones.

trip to idaho? ....why?

2008-10-21T02:41:00.001-07:00

I can't tell you how many times I've heard
"but why would you go to Idaho for the weekend?"
Here's why...

Road trip to see my best friend Ellen with my best friends...are you kidding me?!
I'm way too excited for this weekend :)

(yes...we struggle taking pictures of all of us...we will work on it though ;) )

p.s. My roommate and I made a blog for our apartment.
If you want to see what us girls are up to down here you can go ahead and check it out!
http://horne52.blogspot.com/

Time for what you've all been waiting for...dang it

2008-10-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

Yeah...it's almost been a month since this happened. But I was behind on posts and a little busy and well...not feeling like doin this post. (it's happened before)

But here it is world.
The "Russell-leaving-me post."

side note: You might notice that I added some new songs to my playlist...well blog, I added some songs that are just creepin my life..for instance Living In Your Letters. Hmm...interesting. Been my favorite for some time now.
But another song I added was mine and Russell's song from The Goofy Movie-
Nobody Else But You. (we say I'm Goofy and he is Max)
Love it. Check it out if you need a reminder of its goodness :)

Alright well...let's start this cry-fest.

I guess people see that it is hard for me to part with loved ones. I mean, the day Ellen moved I had 12 people ask me how I was holding up. (no exaggeration)
After Russell's "opportunity-to-speak-before-his-mission" they would congratulate him and wish him luck, and then come to me and comfort me.
His farewell was on our birthday. I'll be honest I completely forgot it was my birthday! I was only thinking about Russell and his talk.I was so nervous before! I sat in the front row by my girls because it was too crowded where my family was..and my girls pretty much just grabbed me and sat me by them. hehe Maybe because they could see my hands shaking, my eyes already filling up with tears, and were excited to see the rare sight of me crying...and crying hard. hehe
Really though, I could not hold still. The girls were there to try and calm me down though. During the sacrament I had to force myself to stop thinking about Russell and focus on the sacrament instead.
I cried the whole meeting dang it. Everytime I would look up at him, especially when he would look back. When the Calton's would talk about Russell and his incredible example, when they talked about my boys and how excited and ready they were for missions. When Russell stood up to speak, when he said anything-especially the words Mission and Germany. When he would get emotional and tear up talking about the gospel and his family. When my grandfather gave him mission advice, and pointed out how his family, friends and angel twin sister were supporting and loved him. Wow I had serious cry-face! I think I cried even more because I was so embarrassed of my cry-face. hehe Anyway, brother did an amazing job. I was/am so proud.

I had to go back down to Provo that night cuz I'm stinkin in college. But to be honest, I was home so much that it was weird being down there still. Tuesday afternoon I went back up to Murray for his setting apart. My grandfather got to set him apart. It was amazing, loved it. He was now ELDER Irion. Wow he was happy.

Well, that night he had the boys come over to say goodbye. Gosh that was hard to watch. We all just sat and talked for a while, but then it was getting late (for a missionary) and wow reader, watching best friends say goodbye was awful. Watching the boys cry and thank him and everything made me cry for sure. While they were doing their "mission goodbye rituals" Ellen happened to call. I had cry-voice and sounded funny but it was good to hear from her and know that she was thinking of me. (thanks again ell bell)We went inside and packed up a few things, and Russell got ready for bed. I couldn't leave his room. We talked and talked. Because he couldn't listen to music we started singing our song. I made him take a picture in a pose like in Saturday's Warrior (the twins do this-so whenever Russell would touch my leg I would quickly get into this pose and he would always get mad...not tonight :) hehe) We did our "simultaneous light switches" with the light and his lamp that we always used to do,
then we said "gute Nachtbruder" and "gute Nachtschwester" and I shut the door and
went over to Sam's to bawl.
The next morning I had to go to Provo cuz of class. I had to just meet up with the family at the Brick Oven for lunch. Russell didn't eat much- he was so anxious! We went down the street from my apartment to the MTC (can I just say how crazy that is?). We took the beloved pics in front of the MTC sign and in we went. Russ was so stoked he just wanted to get in there! We took the pictures in the front room and off we went to the dreaded "goodbye room"
I couldn't sing Called To Serve- too choked up. I couldn't look at Russell. I couldn't look at my mom. I could only look at the ceiling so my tears wouldn't come out. But wow could I NOT look at him saying goodbye to the family! I just had to sit in my own little world because I couldn't handle watching that, and also knew people were watching me too. I hugged him so tight and finally got the words "I love you. I'm so proud of you. I'm gonna miss you better half" out. He said "I love you too. Thanks for everything Linds. I'll miss you. Love you" and I had to let go so the others could hug him. Yes, I got another quick hug in there again..ahh I'm gonna miss those hugs. Then I stared as he smiled and walked away to the Missionary door.Overall I think I did a great job in there.. I got myself together by time we were in the hall. The fam came and hugged me and comforted me. But yeah, I did better than I was thinking I would do...so I was pleased. (p.s. That cute boy wore the tie I gave him for his birthday. love him)

I kinda just sat around for a while that day until Joe Tom and Christie took me out to dinner. They know how to cheer me up ;) But really, the next couple of days were fine. I think I was still in denial. I waved at the MTC when I drove to the temple down the street and when I drove home that Sunday. Luckily/Unluckily, it wasn't till Sunday when it really hit me and was real hard for me. Even though the whole family was there, I just sat in silence. I was missing MY spouse (everyone else has one..) I didn't even know where to sit at the table. haha It was just really weird for me to be there without him. It had finally hit me that he was gone.

This is uber long and I apologize world. So I will keep the conclusion short and sweet.
I love getting emails and letters- especially ones he sends to my apartment.
I am so proud of Elder Irion and know he will do an amazing job.
I am so grateful to have Russell as my better half.
I love and miss him with all that I am.
Most of all i'm grateful that "It's just our luck, we're stuck together.
Nobody else but you"

you know you're missed when...

2008-10-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

I will admit, that it is pretty hard for me to go home now-a-days because Russell isn't there (I know I know, i'll post about that depression later ;) hehe).

I guess it's hardest when i'm home alone and just go take naps in his room, or just walk around the house.
But it is all worth it when my family and friends come over.

You know you're missed when "your boys" text or call you and see when you will be home next so you can play. I guess before Russell left I never really saw myself calling his buddies to hang out, but I would go crazy without them! We mostly talk about Russ or their upcoming missions, but I just love it. I love when they come over and say "is Russ just downstairs?" because they are joking of course, but I know it's hard for them too- I know they aren't just giving me a hard time. You know you're missed when you go to sunday school and the guys sit by you and visit the whole lesson (sorry dad). I love forgetting school and responsibility and just relaxing with my boys. You know you're missed when the boys ask when you will be home next and have to promise them that you will call them once ya get back and that you won't have a boyfriend while at college. hehe

You know you're missed when you surprise your friends that you're home and they scream and run up to hug you. When all you want to do is sit and talk and will be so content with life. When they show up wherever you are-even if it's awkward or lame. When your friends-and their families- want you to come visit whenever you can. When they hesitate to say "when will I see you next?" or "I'll see you in a few weeks" You know you're missed when they tear up when they see you, or when you have to say goodbye again. When they won't let go of a hug because we both don't want to go home.

You know you're missed when right when you open the front door you hear cheering. When your parents and sisters put their arms up and smile wide once they see you. When you don't have to do any chores around the house. When my mom was sad she couldn't sit by me at the Relief Society meeting and when you have to promise to sit by her at dinner after. When she kicks your sister out of "Lindsay's spot." You know you're missed when your older sisters don't mind when you follow them everywhere around the house. When they act really interested in what I have to say. When you are offered SO much of your favorite foods. When mom gets upset that we didn't get to hang out very much because of our busy schedules. Oh, and when Molly wags her tail a little extra for you.

You know you're missed when your nieces and nephews become an extra shadow. When they sprint to you to give bear hugs and never let go. When they say "every time I come over I hope you are home!" When they ask you time and time again to play this game or this activity. When you ask if you can go to a friends house and they say "can I come with you?!" You know you're missed when the kids say "goodbye! I love you! peace out, Love you!" over and over. When they give you just one more hug before you go. And after you let go they walk away and say "I just wish Lindsay didn't ever have to leave this house" (-tyler)

Thanks for making coming home so worth it! And making me feel not-so-alone.
I love you, I miss you, I want to hold you in my arms!

Movin Down South

2008-09-26T23:36:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that this is the new "home" (or as Thomas Calton says- fake home) But it has been really fun to be on my own with "my place" "my groceries" "my kitchen" weird. hehe I'm very grateful to be so close to home though. I can't imagine having to pack pretty much everything and not being able to go home for the weekend and grab what you forgot or what you need. Lucked out for sure. :) Anyway, I'm on campus at Heritage in Horne Hall (the E is silent alright? ;) hehe )
There's a pic of my crib. hehe Christie and I have matchy matchy beds thanks to our angels mothers. Funny story actually- our other roomates from Colorado (Katie) and California (Andrea) had matchy beds too! Some sort of awesome voodoo goin on there...Too bad Shalece and Kenzie didn't get the memo...
The first morning, Chrisite and I made ourselves some delicious parfaits for breakfast. Yes we are nerds and decorated them! hehe We had placemats and tucked our napkins into our shirts too...then our roomate Andrea walked in and thought we were bizarre!
I was in Murray for my birthday for Russell's farewell, but when I came back to my apartment this thing was on the outside of our apartment door! That came down quick hehe
My roomies also decorated the kitchen for me. They are so cute and thoughtful! Pleasant surprise for me :) Really though.. I love all of my roommates! They are all so cute, way easy to talk to, and we have a ton of fun! I'm so excited to learn more about them and get even closer.
That night we met our Family Home Evening group...this was their present to me. hehe They had secretly opened the fruit by the foot and wrote the message, then glued it back shut! I didn't even notice! eye on the prize my friend...hehe I'm so spoiled.

The "night crew" hehe almost every night Christie and I go clean up the kitchen and do whatever needs to be done. Our roomates probably think we are psycho...but hey, as far as Christie and I see it...they should be happy about it right?
We kept up the decorations and switched the LINDS on the wall to KENZIE because it was our roomates birthday a few days later. We had to switch it up a little though, so Shalece and I bought 28 balloons to fill up the kitchen. The funny part is that Shalece had to run to class...so I walked from the creamery to our apartment looking like this. This one girl tried not to stare, and I just laughed. Good experience :)

My first BYU game. Yes you better believe it was the game vs. UCLA! 59-0 Wow I think it was the best football game I've ever been to. Joe is convinced that I am goodluck. :) (Pics: above- me Christie, Shalece, Andrea. below- me, Joe, Parker, Tom)

Oh and yes....Cosmo! hehe What an awesome game! I lost my voice at that sucker.
Well world, I'll keep you posted on the fun stuff I do down here...mostly I just study and go to class...but we throw in some goodness in there every so often :) hehe

Trip #2- california

2008-09-16T22:38:00.001-07:00

Rather than going to my first Thursday and Friday of college...I went to Disneyland! Are you kidding?! Of course I'd do that! The whole fam packed up and headed to California for an awesome last vacation before Russell's mission. It was such a BLAST!

We pretty much had to kick everyone out in order to get enough room for our whole family in this picture. Probably shocked people..

Thanks Walt :)

Me and the Olsen boys checkin out the letters

Linds and Luke

Yeah..realized the next day that it had my initials haha AwesomeMy buddy at Disney. Me and Ashlyn played all day! This was on Splash Mountain. She started freaking out and telling me to put my camera away heheI decided I love pictures on rides. Look at cute Ashlyn and Katie screamin their guts outWell they had good reason to..we got SOAKED! I've never been that wet from that ride!Cute Seth-man puttin his arms up on Big Thunder MountainTy-guy lovin the tea cups

Ashlyn's first time on Space Mountain. haha
She was a little nervous, squeezin my hand pretty tight.

California Screamin...Russell and I thought our pose was appropriate..This is the gang on waiting/stroller duty. We looked awesome :)Getting stoked for the Toy Story ride. So fun!Happiest place on earth or no? Gettin together for an asian picture :)
After two full days of Disney we went to Six Flags! Oh my word it is the BEST place ever! I almost blacked out on a few rides! I was going to try to take pictures of all the rides I went on, but they were too big for the picture. Wow if you love rollercoasters, make a trip to six flags! I want to go again!
Thanks mom and dad for an amazing vacation!

pretty hawaii pics continued...

2008-09-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

Trip #1- Hawaii

2008-09-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

Well..the youngens from the Irion clan got super lucky and got to go on a trip to Hawaii! Sorta makes Russell's mission worth it don't ya think? I'll keep the comments short cuz I have a lot of pics. :)

Got off the airplane and there were some awesome Lei's for us girls! That dad of mine is so smooth.

Checkin out our beach

I would go watch the sunset every night. AHH I just loved it! hehe hence the heartThis was one huge waterfall! You can only see the bottom of it here. Gosh it was pretty.Couldn't help myself :) but all I could think was "Please don't snap, please don't snap, please don't snap"

I don't even know...haha I was going to try to fan myself...but it didn't really work for a picture..

left ear = taken right ear = available hehe Proud to be the only one

Black sand beach

Had some good times reading these beauties. Everytime we went to do something i'd say "but i'm at such a good part!"

You can't see them, but Russell is in the Forest Gump shoes :)

Coolest bike ride ever! You go up to the top of a mountain and just bike down! You go like 30 mph down that sucker!

Gettin pumped for the ride!We had to ride through the clouds! It was so stinkin cool!
You can see the road just dissapear in it. :) neat.Hard core brother
Hilarious sign in front of the Mexican restaurant we went to. :)
Sorry it's a really watered down explination of the trip..but I think pictures are good at talking :) I have a ton more, so i'm going to post some more scenic pictures I took too.

Lots of posts coming

2008-09-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long!
I have been out of town or moving down to college, so i've been pretty busy.
I will post as soon as I can...for some reason my laptop won't let me upload pictures from my iphoto on here. lame! I'm tryin reader.
I've got lots to post about, so once I get this goin' I'll be postin quite a bit.
Sorry!

goodbye better half

2008-08-10T22:53:00.000-07:00

The goodbye post... Well I guess there isn't much to say... Ellen moved and it was really hard to say goodbye. I helped her get last minute things together and (against my will/wants) put her things in her car.Once everything was in and ready we all just kind of stood there... This picture was taken when we both started crying and then saw each other trying to hide it and just laughed. haha
hugging, crying, me yelling "this sucks!" among other things haha
Ellen and I made each other "leaving" cds...yeah we both made 5 cds! haha We are crazy. I also got Ell a frisbee that has two girls on the front! I decided that the one catching it was Ellen and I was the one that couldn't beat the other one...crazy how that frisbee was creepin my life..
I wrote Ellendsay and drew our symbols...of course
Here was our first toss with that little beauty. We decided only we could toss with it. :) preciousWow what amazing girls... love those Larsens
The girls who saw Ell off...oh and yes, I wore my Sunbeam shirt for my Ray of Sunshine Ellen :) I'm a nerd
We all got together and did the "super success" chant...I don't know if it was for Ellens drive or for all of us, I said it for both.
Here is "the last toss from Ell"...magic.

A few days after Ellen left I was forced to play Ultimate..without her. There were older people there, so it wasn't so hard on my emotions...but I wore our shirt in her memory and took this hilarious/depressing picture to send to her.

Well come to find out, Ellen came home that stinkin weekend! That little bugger surprised me while I was at work and sat on stand with me for a little bit. We didn't get to hang out as much as I hoped, but we had a few more good times, and the second goodbye wasn't quite as hard.
Miss you already better half. I'm looking forward to September 13th when you come play BYU. :)

Week O' Goodness with Ellendsay

2008-08-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

Warning: This is one long post

Sunday night (the 20th) Ellen needed to deliver something to her friend...and decided that she didn't want to do it alone, so I tagged along for the ride. We left about..11 and I think I got home around 4. It was then that we decided that Ellen's last week would be known as the Week O' Goodness. We planned out all of the things we needed to do before she left, visited a few people (mainly the Voorhees) and drove around until we were content with our list. Well reader, we did it! It was an awesome week! Here's some proof of its goodness...
The first thing I did was go visit the Sponbeck family. (I know, it has nothing to do with Ellen or our list..but it still added to my week :) ) Collie had just had her baby boy and I just had to visit that amazing family. It was SO much fun! We talked, read letters, looked at pictures and laughed a bunch. And I got to hold baby Easton for a long time- what a stud. He is Josh's first/only nephew so I got a picture and am going to send it to him to rub it in poor guy. ;) Thanks again for the visit Sponbecks!

Later that night (tues) Ellen and I were just talking...and talking...and talking...until we realized that it was getting brighter outside. (we have done this before- not a problem for us) So we grabbed the camera and went to our "all-nighter-sunrise-spot" to enjoy the goodness. As you can see..it got pretty bright.

That day I had work- which I started sleeping on stand :S. I went home, took an hour and a half nap and headed over to a pool party that Ell and Chelsie Milne had planned. At first I thought I would drown from being so tired, but I had a blast!

Then, Ellen and I had our actual planned slumber at my house where we talked, had grahams and milk and tried to stay awake the second time for the Little Mermaid..but didn't last very long. After sleeping until mid-day, we were ready for an action-filled day!

First we had to get a rock. Why a rock you ask? Well when I was little, painting rocks was an activity my family did...and I had recently done it again with my nieces and nephews..when I told my friends "hey...I painted a rock today" they all laughed..except Ellen. That's when we decided we would paint a rock..no OUR rock and bury it in Southwood park somewhere :) So, we went up Big Cottonwood Canyon to search.

The next thing was to eat a watermelon. We had done this before, cut a watermelon in half and just eat away. Well after we had done that we decided to eat a watermelon...EACH! We walked into the store and the watermelon were HUGE! For the sake of time, we just grabbed the biggest looking one and decided to just cut that in half-therefore having the size of a whole one. We went to buy the sucker and it was too big for the scale! (meaning it was over 20 pounds) We knew we were in for a treat...We buckled in our watermelon with our rock and went home to get started on both projects.

We were curious as to how big our watermelon really was...so grabbed the scale at home and it was a whopping 31.4 pounds! wow that watermelon did not mess around. We grabbed the power knife to cut this bad boy in half- worked like a charm. And started eating.

Here is a pic of our first watermelon...and the second one... Cant even compare! Gosh I can't even believe we thought we were cool the first time we did it. Now we're freakin awesome!

Reader, can I just say that you get SO uncomfortable eating a watermelon. That is SO much liquid! I can't tell you how many times we had to stop everything and just run to the bathroom. Wow it was a good time though.

Don't forget about our rock! We had planned it out to be our, well...our monument at Southwood park because that is one of our friendship-building places that we love! All of the things on our rock would be things that represented us. oh we were excited.

Mountains and the sunset, some of our favorite things ever. Us tossing a frisbee of course, on the top there is a sun for Ellen and a flower for me. (our friend called us that once...it just stuck) and a line from our song Those Nights-Skillet (in my music) This song is perfect for us because it talks about staying up all night and talking! haha The date in the corner (7-25-08) and ELLENDSAY across the top...couldn't be more perfect. :)

We also made t-shirts for us to wear at our last game of ultimate frisbee before Ell moved, we showed up at Southwood in our shirts and with our rock. Wow we are awesome. We took a picture by the little tree of course (we are crazy like this and need to stand so Ell is on the ELLEN side of ELLENDSAY and I'm on the DSAY side of it...even our cars knew what to do...awesome) We found a good spot to place the rock and got diggin!

It was a pretty good game of ultimate, but I was sad it was my last one with Ellen for a while. We always make it so we are on the same team because well...it's just not good for our friendship if we aren't.

That Sunday we got together to have our last Preach My Gospel study group together. Normally it's just us girls, but we invited the boys to come along. WOW that was a good choice! I have the best friends ever!

Well that was the documented Week O' Goodness with Ellendsay. I spent almost the whole week with Ellen and I wouldn't have had it any other way! I forgot to mention a few late late late nights I would go to Ellen's and not get home until around 5. Mom, if you're reading this i'm sorry...and I hope you understand. haha
Thanks for all the good times Ell. It's going to be hard without my better half, but this week made it sort of worth it.

This is a monster post and I still need to talk about the goodbye...so I will save the depression for another time ;)

Favorite Aunt Awards

2008-07-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of people to thank for this award... obviously my sisters and brother who made it possible for me to be an aunt. All the times they have come over or we got together so I could play with the kids. All of the activities and things we have done together that I was included in. And of couse I'd like to thank my little nieces and nephews for making me, Lindsay, their favorite aunt. (sorry sisters ;) )

I'll have you know that it hasn't been easy. I've been wrestled with, trapped, changed dirty diapers, put kids in time out, punched/slapped hard enough to get a bloody nose, got hit in the face so hard while dancing that my tooth stabbed through my lip (I didn't realize at first because my niece was crying and I kissed her head better-then realized the blood was from me). I've been bit, stuck at the Nintendo for days, my things taken from my room, homework colored on, had a blow out all over me, thrown up on, peed on, my phone drooled on so it stops working, have had the "booger badge" on my shoulder, and much much more.

"Favorite Aunt Award" you ask? Seems like i'm bitter, yes...but that's not the case. This is a small list of things that make me love them more. I know that sounds weird, but it's true. I think these things happen so I recognize that my babies are not perfect (hard for me to believe). They make me grateful for the times I DO have with them, the fact that they want to play with me, the fact that they want to be like me, and the fact that they love their aunt. I'm so grateful to be the favorite aunt of 10 little guys that I love like crazy! Here are a few reasons why it's the best thing in the world- and to show that there is a better list of things than the first one I listed...

When I walk in the room and they yell my name and run to hug me, the first time they say my name, playing nintendo with the boys, when they tell me i'm beautiful and they love me, all of the funny/adorable things they say, when they ask me to play with them-no matter what it is, when they make cards for me- sometimes at random times, when they fall asleep in my arms, when they want to listen to my music and wear my clothes so they can be like me, when I walk in the room and they share all of their toys, when they want me to read to them, when they prefer me over someone else, when they cry when I leave the room, when they ask their parents if I can 'babysitter' them, when they make me crafts, when they want to sit by me, when they have 'cuddle time' with me, when they have sleepovers with me and steal the whole bed, when they give me hugs and kisses, when they hold my hand, when we 'fight' to see who loves who more, when they are my constant shadow, just to name a few..

Maybe my Favorite Aunt Awards are from BOTH my lists. The medals/badges I get are cereal necklaces, bruises, kisses, bloody noses, pictures they draw of me and the kids, pee-blow outs- throw up, sea shells or rocks they collect and share, boogers on my shoulder. I'm grateful for it all because being an aunt is the best thing in the world!

Thanks kiddos. I love you most. :)

Ode to Abigail

2008-07-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

I realize I posted like...yesterday, but the day after the boating trip was one of my best friends birthday. I'm behind on the days...but hey, at least I got to post right?
Tuesday was Abbey Maughan's birthday! This birthday was different because I could really only text her and celebrate... She has moved back East for the summer with her parents and is having a grand old time. (she has an awesome blog that documents great stories-go ahead and creep if you want) However, I miss her a ton. It seemed like after she left-everyone was gone and there was nothing to do. For reals. Abbey is one of the prettiest girls i've ever seen. She is so smart and so much fun- a few reasons why I was so intimidated by her at first... I was so scared to talk to her because I was just "Russell's twin" and would never get up to her level. Well, Russell is a smarty-pants and Abbey (and ocassionally Ellen) would come and study math with eachother and I would just sit and eat or do my homework nearby so I could ease my way into at least talk to that pretty Abbey. Well, if there was a time that I would be in the other room, Abbs would text me and tell me to come in and say hi, or would hear me sing and say I had a good voice (what a suck-up hehe). She was so outgoing and willing to branch out, thank goodness for that. We became best friends really quickly and I loved every minute of it! From sitting around talking, watching chick flicks, listening to music (aka-me listening to her amazing voice), I could do anything with Abbs and have a blast! I was able to open up to her so quickly and tell her everything! She is an incredible listener, is so understanding, and honestly wants to help. She loves to plan things and is a stresser, which at times can be hilarious. She can just laugh at herself when I try to calm her down. It's the best! Abbey is the kind of person that is always ready to get up and do something fun! She's always there to talk to and is so fun to listen to as well. Especially about the gospel. Wow, this girl knows her stuff... I was always blown away at our Preach My Gospel study group or in just every day activities. She really sees the church in everything and applies the teachings so well. She amazes me. Abbey really does make me want to be a better person. I hope I can be at least half the person she is now. Really, she is going to be something big later in life- look out world. I miss her like crazy and can't wait to see her again.Happy Birthday Abbey. Thanks for everything.

Miss you beautiful. Friendly love you.

Boating

2008-07-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

Thought I might post... This week my parents, Russell and some of our friends and I went boating! It was so much fun to be out there in the water with some of my favorite people. Here are some pics-

supporting the flip flop tan lines

My baby. This was my old life jacket..I was forced to get a new one last year

Sick of my hair flyin everywhere- naturally I put my jersey on as a dew-rag..thing

Me pretending to be good at wakeboarding

As you can see, I just laugh and sing instead of anything cool

My cute boys excited to jump in

oh boy...i've been putting this off for too long..

2008-06-17T11:58:00.001-07:00

Since the beginning of this blog, my brother Russell has "begged" me to tribute a post to him. Of course I was already planning this post for later in life...when I had nothing to post but should post, when he is leaving, or possibly when i'm liking him a little extra one day..Well blog, today is the day.

Why is this so difficult for me you ask? Well reader, I challenge you to post about your best friend in the whole world that you've had your whole life.
Someone you had chicken pox with.

Someone that would "help you with homework" and print off two copies.

Someone you got in trouble with, but would take the blame.
Someone you've played with every single day.

Someone that is very similar and very close to you.
Someone that when people hear your name the first thing they ask "oh you're Russell's twin?"

Someone you didn't mind being called "Russell's sister" rather than your own name.

Someone who you have very rarely fought with, and when/if you would-you would laugh about it minutes later.

Someone you can always talk to- about anything.

Someone who knows when you're upset and tries to cheer you up.

Someone who you are protective of...especially when it comes to girls.
Someone who pretends to threaten any boy that comes near you.

Someone who would "stay up" and watch a chick flick with you.

Someone you secretly try to compete with but usually lose.

Someone who doesnt make you feel like you always lose.

Someone who has been with you every step of your life.

Someone you are proud of.

Someone you have always looked up to.

Someone you call Superman because he is literally your hero.

Someone who you miss after only 2 days of not being with them.

And someone who will soon be leaving you for 2 years.

ouch.

Well shoot blog, this is tough... My twin brother just got his mission call. Are you kidding me? I have been mentally and emotionally preparing for this..well sort of. Whenever people bring it up I usually say "No words" and change the subject. It is too hard to think about still. My siblings would always talk about how they will miss him, but can't imagine how much i'm going to. How true that is. I've had 3 siblings go on missions, sent my best friend and some other people out on missions this year..this one is going to be hard for Lindsay.

So his mission call..Before he opened it I couldn't eat, I could hardly breathe, I actually had to go sit down. I cried of course.. and let me tell you reader-I don't cry that much. I work very hard to not show that to the world. Well, Hamberg Germany is taking my brother from me for 2 years. Lucky. I'm so proud of him. He is going to be an incredible missionary. He is so good with people, is so so smart, is a leader, and has a strong testimony. Don't get me wrong, I am so excited for him and I want him to go. I'm just going to miss him. I've got a serious love-hate relationship with missions. Good thing I still have a little time left to prepare myself.

Lots going on

2008-06-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

Wow i've been busy lately. It seems like there have been a lot of big/fun events that i've been wanting to blog about but just couldn't find time for. So, here it goes!

Lacrosse playoffs! Wow, the last few games we were saying how we just needed to win this game in order to get INTO the playoffs. Well, our last game in the season was one of the best games we've played in and we won! So we got into the playoffs! We were way excited. The first round we beat Olympus i think 15-9 or something like that. The next round was against Jordan- our rivals who always beat us in the playoffs and who has taken state for the last 3 years. We tied them, so had to go into overtime which is two 3 minute halfs..tied that again (12-12) and had to go into sudden death (first to score wins). A few minutes of playing and we scored! We were so stinkin stoked! I could hardly believe we beat Jordan in the semi-finals. The final game was up at Park City. Wow was I nervous. My body was already pretty tired because I play a position where you have to just run the whole time on offense and defense (sort of like an outside halfback in soccer) and my coach doesn't substitute people. And I was in the flippin finals! Wow I was worried but SO excited! It was really fun to have announcers and what not though. I'm sorry I can't go into very much detail about the game, but it was a nail biter! We ended up tied 7-7 and had to go into overtime like we did with Jordan. Park City scored 2 goals and we got really nervous..but came back and ended overtime 9-9. Sudden Death again! We were so so tired! At time outs we would get wet rags and just cool down as much as we could and catch our breath. It was so intense! Sudden death lasted about 5 minutes until a girl on their team got a yellow card and had to come out-so they were a man down. We got the ball and got down to their goal and someone shot...and missed. In lacrosse if the ball goes out of bounds behind the goal, usually whoever is closest to the line gets possession- So I sprinted so fast and was reaching towards the line with my stick and i beat the girl. I got the ball and right in front of the goal was a girl on my team. WIDE OPEN. I passed the ball and she threw a rocket at the goal. FOR THE WIN! WE WON STATE! It honestly felt like a dream. We were all hugging and jumping around screaming. Wow it was so fun! I was so so so tired! After getting the trophy and celebrating we went up to a hotel and swam and had a bbq. I just like sat in the water because I was so worn out, but it was a blast! ...I'm a state champion...hahah All those hours of conditioning and practices and games for months were worth it. (oh and yes..i stole these pictures. oops)

Pictures- 1. Funny goggles and mouth guard
2. Me and my buddy Nessa Milne after the game
3. After the winning shot- I know I still have my mouth guard and look really good...stop laughing.
4. State Champion team

Next event- Graduation! Wow I could hardly believe it was actually my turn. It was a great ceremony... ok you caught me...it was really boring and I wanted to sleep the whole time, but I was on the first row...dang. That night my family all came over and we had a bbq for Russell and me and Ricky because it was his birthday. Then later, we had the graduation party at the Rec. Center. It was way fun and I stayed there all night. After, Ellen Larsen Tobin Prince and I went to Southwood park and tossed a frisbee. Yes that's right. at 5 in the morning. We played until the sun came up and then went home and crashed. What a good way to start off the rest of my life. :) Here are some pics from graduation...

(top ) We are goofy-mom didn't like that. (bottom) Me and my boys :)

(left) Best friends and future roomates! (right) My fans. kidding! My younger girls.

(top) Best friends, sisters, other halves, heroes. (bottom) The fam. :)

I went to Lake Powell for my senior trip...We are all going to share pictures and what not, so I will wait and post about that later. :)

One Graduation Down...

2008-05-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Seminary graduation was last week. Holy cow it makes the end of the year seem even more real. I can't believe I'm almost done with high school...Don't get me wrong, i'm excited to go to college and what not. But i've enjoyed high school. I've had a blast! I guess i'm just one of those people that don't want to grow up! I mean...I have coloring books, Little Mermaid pillowcase, blanket and a poster in my room, and stay up late just to watch old Disney movies. Maybe that's just my form of denial. But I love where I am. It's been great so far :)

- In photos- (left) Thomas Calton, me and Russ. My brothers ;)

(right) Alex Cottle! He is the cutest kid ever! He has a normal class when i'm in Peer Tutor, but we are still good friends. He gives me the biggest hugs and gets so excited to see me-probably because I'm so excited to see him. I got to sit by him at graduation, that just made my day :)

my turn to rebel

2008-05-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right... i'm a rebel. I was accepted to BYU and recently got housing taken care of. I say i'm a rebel because I was raised a Ute...when I was accepted my dad was in mourning and wore his Utah scrubs for a few days after that. He is 7-0 with his kids all going to the Y. (well Russell was accepted, but is going on his mission first- NUTS!) So here I am..getting ready for college.

Housing was a stressful thing! My best friend since elementary, Christie Beck, and I have been planning on rooming together pretty much our whole lives. Our friend Shalece Kehl and her friend have been planning/hoping to all get an apartment together. So the first day you sign up for a chance to apply is before you even apply for school. Why? I'm unsure.. You had to get on the computer RIGHT at 8 and sign up..unfortunately Christie's computer did something weird and she had to re-try and had a later time- meaning that she couldn't apply for a room till a day after me. (i'm sorry if you can't follow this...it's a confusing process) Anyway..my angel mother was on the computer trying to figure things out for a total of 3 days. Shalece (her friend) and I signed up for our rooms in Heritage- Horne Hall. Everything went great. But that night a girl chose my room and there was ONE bed left in our apartment and Christie still had to wait. Well the Becks are living right reader, because Christie got the bed! Prayers work..can i just say that? Wow! Christie e-mailed the girl that was in my room and kindly asked her to switch, NOT A PROBLEM! Everything worked out..What a great thing. I can't believe this all worked out. Makes me excited.

Funny- I typed in BYU into google images and this came up..Excited for this..

Quiz of 5

2008-04-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

5 Things on my to do list:

1. sign up for college classes and housing-weird!

2. homework...i guess...i think i have one thing..one hehe

3. spend more time with my buddies and take lots of pictures!

4. make cd's for my girls and my parents

5. create a post about Russell-at his request

5 Jobs I've had:

1. babysitter-my job with the greatest income hehe

2. file at the cottonwood hospital

3. lifeguard at the outdoor murray pool

4. favorite aunt- trust me, it's a job...and i'm the boss ;)

5. pooper scooper- a silly term that Sam Lennartson and I made up for someone who helps someone feel better. ie- One day I said I had a poopy day, after she made me happier I said "thanks for being my pooper scooper" :)

5 Favorite Snacks:

1. yogurt with granola-praise the home made parfait

2. grahams and milk- i'm sure my mom is sick of buying grahams. I always have a whole packet in one sitting...and I eat them frequently. :S

3. ice-cream- I'm very into putting different condiments in now and making shakes. I'll show pictures of the suprise shake later ;)

4. a can of pears- Some people laugh, but I love this! Just break out a can, pour out the juice and enjoy.

5. bowl of cinnamon toast crunch- yes...it's a snack for me, even when I have more than 1 bowl :S

5 Things you would do if you were a billionaire:

1. Tithing

2. Be smart and save a bunch

3. Take my friends to six flags or wicked or something amazing

4. Vacation with my whole family

5. Do some killer service or give to a charity of some sort

5 Things you do in your free time:

1. Tetris Attack- a game on the super nintendo. It's sort of like bejewled rather than tetris..but wow i'm obsessed. If I could make that a career I would be filthy rich.

2. Listen to music- I'm a teenager, what can I say

3. Go on drives- I have routes I go on, silly..yes, but I always drive around my best friends houses and some parks. Just places with good memories.

4. Toss a frisbee with Ellen...wow it's like magic. hahah No one loves that sport more than us.

5. Clean- I know, i'm a crazy ocd girl.

a not-so-quick update of lindsay

2008-03-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I said that I would actually use blogger and look at myself...posting months later...way to go Linds. Haha Anyway, I wasn't really sure what I should post because i've done a lot that I want to talk about. So here are some pictures and little comments about what I have been up to in the past few months. I apologize in advance...

Here I am with my date, Spencer Jolley, for Senior Ball. I went shopping yet again at the Marshes for my dress. What would I do without them?

This dance was made just for me. DISNEY THEME! Wow, pure bliss. I was Mrs. Potts and my date (Scott Dunn) was Crazy old Maurice. Thank you Marshes..once again.

The all-time-favorite assembly Prince Charming. The beauty pageant for boys! Here I am in the middle of my charming boys. Russell and the two boys by him (Logan and Joe) danced to My Little Buttercup from the 3 Amigos. I think I was the only one to give a standing ovation at the end of their performance...I was so proud of them. hehe

Woah, here are some of my favorite girls. Ellen Larsen, Alicia Voorhees and Sam Lennartson at Prince Charming.

Ode to Lacrosse! Here is most of my team on our trip to Las Vegas for a tournament where we got 2nd place! Good times down there.

My attemt to be artistic at the Oakland temple in California.

Exploratoriam in San Francisco. This toilet/fountain was testing if you would drink out of a never used/clean water fountain in a TOILET! As you can see, I faced that fear and the water was great!

The gang at Great America (kind of like Lagoon) for 9 hours! We found a nice patch of grass and took an hour nap! 100% necessary.

Thomas Calton, Russell and me on the sky scraper thing. $15 well spent.

Golden Gate Bridge! Neat Some best friends in San Francisco.

Happy Easter to us! Our cute friends/roomates hid candy in our room. We were pretty excited. :) Then we bought some eggs and stuff to dye with (not hard boiled might I add) which was a big success....untill one of us spilled the red dye on the carpet! Russell and I just laughed the whole time while some other girls started to panic. Handy Thomas snuck his way into the janitors closet and found some carpet cleaner and extra towels. The stain is still there...just a beautiful pink section on the carpet. oops. Good story though, and the eggs look great!

blogger?

2008-01-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

Ok people, this is my happy little blog. There are so many different pages like blogger such as facebook or myspace, which i have had...but I must confess I hardly used them. We will see how this one goes. The main reason I have a blog is because some of my classes are using these for homework assignments, announcements and what not. Secondly is because my siblings and cousins and some friends have it, and it's fun to see whats new and see some pictures of their kids. So yeah, i don't have children...so i'm not totally sure what i'm going to write about, but if anything super exciting happens in my life i will blog it. I know you are so interested. :P