Okay guys so I'm discovering.. as I'm sure most of you have also... how much of a blogger I'm NOT!! So here's the deal. I'll just let you know what's going on and then I'll stick a bunch of pictures on at the end. It's easier that way. ;o)

Life is good. Just doing the same old thing. Really nothing too exciting. Yep, that's it. Now for the pics: (ha ha!)


Thanksgiving. This is us making a "I'm full" face. Naomi came and tolerated our crazy family for the whole weekend!! What a trooper!

This is Pie Night. The day before Thankgiving we (all the ladies of the fam) get together and make a bazillion pies. It's good times. I love this tradition!

Here's me with some of my cousins. I just thought this was a good shot of almost every single toothe in my mouth and the lovely brace stuck to it. I'm so incredibly excited to get these babies off!!!!

We did a big Thanksgiving Dinner here as a stake for a huge group of Burmese Refugees and this is the family we took care of. I lost track of how many times we played tic-tac-toe on the table with crayons and I also discoverd that the cute little one in the front with the striped shirt is named Kleepa (pron: Kaylee-pah!!!!) We bonded.

It felt good to do as little as we did. They were very cute!!

And I can't leave out this cute little body!! I just love this cute little body!!!! And I love how Addy is pulling some kind of face in the background! Such sweetness!!

Where's Waldo????

(Hint: He's on the bottom)

The End

Craziness!!! So much fun!

After the make-up wore off...

Yep.... I pretty much look wasted on something....

I love this one!!! My sisters do too... Ha!

Sassafrass.......

So I'm a little slow getting my blog updated... as I am with a lot of other things in my life... but we won't go there.

Rachel came up over Labor Day weekend (as many of you already know if you've seen her blog) and we played pretty hard. She seems to bring out the child in us and boy did she this time!!

We started off with just taking crazy pictures with Rachel's friend that was there, then it got to doing the hair all nuts. Then, like any normal girl would do... we had to throw in the make-up turning it into an all-out dress-up party!! We had so much fun making faces and laughing at eachother. I have a really good one of Sara but she would probably kill me in my sleep if I posted it. (still tempted...)

After that got boring, we were still so worked up that we decided to go play in the rain. It was so much fun. We got chewed out by people trying to sleep, we got laughed at by the "mature young adults" in our midst, and we were even joined by some good friends. I love just letting loose of that "mature adult" in me and just making crazy memories that will last me a life time.

Just so you "mature adults" out there know.... you'll never find a good wife that way! Have a little fun for cryin' out loud!!!!! :)

Fun Weekend!!

Going up....
Now across...
oohp... almost lost it!!....
And... Down the zipline!!!!
Good friends, good hikes, good memories, good weekend!!

We went to Heber Valley camp and did all sorts of stuff. But more than anything we learned how to balance our lives. It takes a lot to be balanced.... A lot!! But I'm working on it. One day at a time. (There are a lot more pictures... maybe I'll post them later when I'm not so tired.)

People can be so rude!!

Okay, so my old roommate decided to come and get her furniture out of my living room yesterday, that she left until she could get into her other place. No big deal. Knew it was coming. Sooooo, we were in the market for a new dining set and new couches. We looked on KSL.com and on craigslist.com mostly to no avail... until we came across a decent looking couch and loveseat set that were super cheap! We called the lady and she told us she sold them. Bummer. Minutes later, however, she called back saying that the person who was going to buy them was being really flaky and she said she would sell them to us!!! Yay! We went over and looked at them and told her we would take them! We have issues around here as far as larger vehicle goes so we told her we would come get them the next day and she seemed fine with it. THEN... this morning we get a text from her saying that she had sold them to someone else and that they had already come to get them. GRRRR!!!! So rude lady! That's called really bad business management! We did venture out this morning and found a dining set for $50. Wow. Crazy stuff.
I wonder if she even feels bad??! I mean, it was like stealing a lollipop from a baby! Hmf!! Rude!

Hmmm...

So I didn't really have any new pictures but wanted to post one even though it doesn't really have to do with anything. :) However it does somewhat symbolize how I feel about life at the current moment as far as relationships go. I am also going to choose to not go into more detail than that.
I just wanted any and all friends of Katie Woods to go check out her blog. Never have I met such a creative and talented blogger!! I laugh so much at the amazing adventures and discoveries of that girl. Just go see for yourself!
This week I had my own adventures of the cyber world. My rommie and were up way too late one night and she had the brilliant idea of getting on to a chat room and mess around with those poor souls who feel they may find their true love hidden in the vast openness of the cyber world. (Poor guys!) So immediately we were "approached" by two young men, both from Oregon. They started by asking questions about life: where you from, how old are you, will you marry me... you know... the usual. We answered the two of them in totally different ways. The one liked the crazy high school approach and the other didn't like the confident "popular girl" approach. We bid them both fairwell by wishing them luck in life, love, relatshinships, (and about ten other words) as well as reminding them to put on sunscreen and look both ways before leaving the parking lot because bikers in flourescent spandex tend to fly out of nowhere. I feel like we left on a very positive note.
Our adventures brought back memories of high school when chat rooms were really big (if that doesn't date me...) sitting in Carly's computer room on her mac, chatting up a storm with random strangers and we had a blast!!!! Ahh, sweet memories.

Happy 4th!

Okay, so I'm a day late. But I just spent a lovely holiday with my family and a cute boy!! :) (I made it to the airport just fine for those that care.) A nice barbeque, games, lots of neighbors and friends, and of course, fireworks.... Fireworks are really nice when you are snuggled up with someone...
Anyway, the point for me posting today was because I was thinking about our country and the true luxuries we enjoy and take for granted every day. Having lived in a 3rd world country, I have seen first hand how blessed we really are. So here's a shout-out to all those service men and women giving up these same luxuries just to protect them for you and I. And to also remember our forefathers who gave up just as much- if not more- for the very same reason. I am grateful. God Bless America.

I hate Driving!

So it's really interesting how I can totally handle navigating myself around the cities of the Amazon without blinking an eye... Yet I hate traveling to places I don't know. I honestly have a phobia of being in the middle of traffic making people honk at me as I find my way... Although it never has actually happened. Today I am going to the airport to pick up Dallen and I am nervous. I've never driven to the airport before and I don't know what to do once I get there. Yes, my heart is already beating with even the thought of it!! I have asked a number of poeple about how to get there and where to go, I have it mapquested, and I'm still having an anxiety attack over it!! Okay maybe not to that extent.. but I still hate it. I am a small-town girl and always will be. I just hate driving-- end of story.

Really Great News!

So the other day I was checking my e-mails and I got one from my mission trainer and she sent me the pictures and article for the ground-breaking of the Manaus Temple!!!!! I was so excited that I cried! The people there sacrifice so much to go to the temple. One of my dreams was to have a temple there and now it's coming true. Happy day!!

Another fun tidbit of info is that I am going to have two new roomies by the end of next week! One of my roommates got married and the other decided to take a good opportunity she was offered and off she goes too. But in all reality it's a great thing because I have two really good friends from my ward that are closer to my age that will be movig in with me. I am really excited. We are going to have a blast!! Yay for good changes.

Progress

Life is good. Today I have the day off and I am just getting random things done around the house.... Kinda boring actually. One thing that I don't think I wrote about was my new calling!! I am the Visiting Teaching Coordinator of my ward now. I actually really like it because it is a lot more involved and it is an excellent way for me to become familiar with the girls in my ward.

One thing I am kinda struggling with is how everyone else seems to be taking off in their lives. I found out that Carly Everett is pregnant with her second!!!! I'm so happy for her. Carly Bingham is expecting. Shay is such a cute pregnant lady don't you think?!!.... and then there's me. Not going to school, not married or close to it... just watching everyone else take off. But if that's what life has to deal me.... SO BE IT!!!!

I AM having fun living up here. I am meeting new friends by the day and enjoying the heck out of it.

I think I'm gonna go make some cookies. : )

Life continues...

So, not much has happened since I last posted. I did go home over Memorial Day weekend and got to spend time with my amazing family at our annual Jones Family Reunion. It was really enjoyable. The weather was a bit interesting in that it would start to sprinkle and there was a nice chill in the breeze.... then moments later the sun was shining and we were shedding our layers. But all in all it was so good to see my family. It was the first reunion back from the Mission and it felt like I had been gone 5 years instead a year and a half!!

I did it!

So I've been thinking about making a blog for myself since I seem to be a bit of a world traveler and also have some serious issues with keeping in touch with the people I care the most about.... I know, it's bad. I'm going to therapy don't worry. : )

Right now you find me located in the Salt Lake Valley in lovely Utah. I am currently working as a receptionist at an orthodontist's office and am really liking it. I am also trying to talk myself into going back to school in the fall.... not sure where yet.

I am still working away at setting up Power Training in Brazil. If any of you are wondering what it is, it's a motivational program that I attended and loved. I loved so much that I decided that the brazilian people could really benefit from it. So here I am working on setting up down there. We hope to make it there in August of this year. Any financial donations are absolutley welcome!!! ; )

I got home from serving my mission in Manaus, Brazil in August of last year and loved every moment of it. If anyone wants to pay for my ticket down I'd be more than happy to give you a wonderful tour of the Amazon!!

Well, that's pretty much all that's happening in my life for now. I'll do what I can to keep you all posted....if you so wish. Hugs and loves for all!!!