Not Me Monday

Here we go again:

I did not work out Monday & Wednesday morning and then skip Friday because I was so sore from the two days before that I just couldn't do it again.

I did not get teary sorting through my mom's pictures because my siblings were all so cute when they were little and it makes me sad that they're big now.

I did not wake up at 3 AM on Saturday morning and then was unable to go to sleep because a story popped into my head and I didn't want to lose it.

I also then did not get up and write for 2 hours straight, 8 pages, single spaced, just to get the story out. That would indicate that maybe I'm actually becoming a writer.

Sorry, not so much again this week, but enjoy!

What have you not done lately? Join in!

Father's Day

For Father's Day we went to my parent's house for a BBQ with my dad's side of the family. Not everyone could make it but we still had a great time. And I don't think we could've fit everyone if they had made it because we had to do it inside because of the weather. I guess we're all getting too big.

Me & Wendi

Wendi & Ben
(She forgot to put her wedding ring back on after being in Mexico for a week.)

My cousins Sarah & Brittany

After dinner we headed over to Brian's parent's house for pie with his mom's side of the family. Unfortunately we didn't get pictures of everyone, but we did get a few after everyone else left.

Brian made me put on this hat. He's having way too much fun with his camera.

Me & Stuart playing Speed.

I just want to say how much I love the "Dad's" in my life.

I can't even explain how much I love my dad. He's done so much for me and I know I wouldn't be who I am without his influence.

My grandpa Barlow passed away when I was almost 18, but he wasn't even supposed to live that long. He had quintuple bypass surgery when I was born and wasn't expected to live through that. He did, and he lived to see all of his grandchildren born and even some greats. He had a great smile, and he always used to say to me, "You're so good-lookin'" or "Do you know how beautiful you are?" Great memories.

My grandpa Walker has always treated me as a princess, probably because I'm the oldest grandkid and got a lot of love. He's a great man who's always tried to lead our family in a good direction.

Brian's dad is someone I will always love because of how wonderfully he taught Brian. I know Brian is so patient because of his dad (and mom's) influence. Brian's dad is also really outdoorsy and is really great about teaching his sons as well.

And finally, the the future dad in my life, Brian. I know he'll be a great dad one day and I appreciate all he does and how much he loves me and how much he puts into he schooling so that he can provide for our family.

Happy Father's Day!

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House

On Saturday Brian and I went with my mom and brother and sister to the Temple Open House. It was so cool! We had gone to see the Draper one too, but it was cold and dark and you were directed through plastic tunnels the whole time. This time, even though it sprinkled on us a little, it was totally open and you just walked in the front doors and even got to take pictures in front when you were done.

The inside was beautiful. I loved it, especially the chandeliers. Just amazing.


Some of you may have heard of this but I totally hadn't until yesterday. Then when we looked at our pictures up close we noticed the black trumpet and arm of the Angel Moroni.

After the temple, we took a small detour to see where we used to live since it was somewhat nearby. I lived in this house from 2 1/2 to 9 years old. It looked a lot smaller than I remember but I had fun telling Brian all about my memories there.

As we were driving home my mom showed me where the house we almost bought was. It turned out that if we had gotten that house instead of the one my parent's live in now, then I would've gone to Taylorsville High and I would've met Brian there. As it is, they had to move from Taylorsville to Sandy so he could come meet me. So either way, we were destined to meet. :)

After the temple, because it was so gloomy, Brian got the day off. We went back to my parent's house and I sat down to sort through my mom's hundreds (thousands) of pictures that were not sorted or in any order and sitting on a shelf. I didn't think I would finish it all in one day, but I did. It took me about 8 hours, but I did it! And now they're all sorted into different children's piles and are just waiting to be put into their books. I'll be going back another night this week to finish that project too.

Weekend Fun & FHE

On Friday night Brian and I went out with his cousin Jason & his wife Michelle. They were married six months before us and we have a great time going out as married couples. Jason and Brian are only about six months apart in age and have been biking buddies since birth. Also, if you don't know them you'd think they were at least brothers if not twins. So when we got down to Jason's Deli and stepped out of the car, it was even more hilarious that they were both wearing white striped polo shirts. Almost identical. We all laughed and decided that people were going to give them funny looks for being 25 year old twins that dress the same.

Last night we took brownies over to our friends Landon & Marci because Landon's taking the boards today. We stuck around and played Ticket to Ride, which we really loved! I was actually winning most of the time, until the very end when Brian beat me by ONE POINT! But it was still pretty fun, especially because Marci was dying to play and then got upset when she wasn't winning. :) Don't worry Marci, we'll have a rematch soon.

Not Me Monday

Here we go again. All the things I would never do, or that would never happen to me, because I have no flaws. Enjoy!

I did not skip work on Tuesday and rationalize it by going to the temple for 4 hours.

I also did not get sun burnt while taking picture outside the temple for an hour, just because my skin never sees the sun because I work inside all day.

Brian and I went out with his cousin & his wife on Friday. We went to Jason's Deli for dinner. For those of you who don't know, they give you free soft serve ice cream when you eat there. That's just one of the many reasons to go eat there. Well, while serving myself to this treat, I did not squeal, at least twice, when the machine got away from me. Good thing it was almost closing and there weren't that many people there, or that would've been really embarrassing .... if I'd actually done that.

Not much this week, sorry. I'll see what I can do to rummage up some better stuff for next week.

What have you not done lately?

The Last Summer

This book was OK. Unfortunately it reminded me of some of the books I read in my Adolescent Lit class, which I didn't like. The characters were very internal, only thinking, never speaking what they felt. I started the book feeling like I was supposed to analyze the characters and it never changed. While the ending was a little sad, it did tie things up pretty nicely so that's good.

It makes me a little hesitant to read her other books (The sisterhood of the travelling pants.) Has anyone read those? Are they really as good as I've heard? I've seen the movies and loved them. Should I ruin it by reading the books?

The Count of Monte Cristo

I really enjoyed this book. I know it seems forever long (600+ pages) but it really moves quickly. A plus was that I'd seen the most recent version of the movie, so that made it easier to follow characters and the plot, but I would still recommend this book to anyone. It also helps to have a good chunk of time to read it, like say, a car trip to California, or driving during rush hour in California. But still, very good.