So as you may have noticed I have been a total slacker this past week with my updating. Well that would probably be because I have been both out of town and had family in from out of town. A week ago five members of my family flew in from Upstate New York and Washington DC to spend the weekend with us and to celebrate my grandfather's 80th birthday. I haven't seen any of them in at least five years so it was fun to catch up and to do some shopping! Plus my family members all have mad bowling skills! I have decided that it is definitely the family sport! (view pictures here.)

Then on Monday morning I went with the Brinton family and some friends to Lake Powell. I haven't been to Lake Powell since I was ten years old and so I was ready for the adventure. We stayed on the most beautiful house boat.

One of the reasons this trip was so much fun was because I did a bunch of things I had never done before. I rode on a jet ski (and was thrown from a jet ski - which according to Lindsey makes me a certified jetskiier!), went khayaking, went off a slide with a six foot drop into the lake, enjoyed NLP, and had an all around good time!

There is nothing like spending time with really great people! (view pictures here.)

Most people who know me know how much I love to read. It is a hobby that I have enjoyed since I was a small girl. I started out with favorites such as Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Bloom, Charlotte’s Web by EB White or The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald. In high school I hated being forced to read Shakespeare and The Good Earth but I could be found at the library reading books by R.L. Stein or Lurlene McDaniel. During my college years I discovered the greatness of the classics such as Les Miserables by Victor Hugo or The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and renewed my love of the Anne of Green Gables Series and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. As I have grown my love of books and my library has grown. I now read a little bit of everything. Today I am reading Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen and recently finished the Harry Potter & Twilight Series of books.

For me there is a sense of escape, adventure and intrigue in reading. A chance to delve into the lives of others and empathize and experience the love, pain, circumstances that they are experiencing. I feel that I learn so much with each adventure that I share with the characters that travel the pages of the books I read. You walk the streets with them and each character becomes a friend of sorts.

May each of us discover the great world that awaits us inside each book and each story. Whether it finds you fighting along side the Cullen family or being courted by Mr. Darcy a whole new world awaits you within the pages!

Relationships between man and woman, family, friends, adults and children, etc are what make this life worth living. Loving others and being loved by them is what makes the various struggles of mortality worth enduring.

My mind had been swirling around relationships even prior to reading the book. My relationships with all of the people who truly matter in my life. How I relate with my mom, my nieces and nephews, my “sisters”, my friends, my co-workers, my friends that are no longer a part of my life. I questioned the way they feel towards me, how things have progressed. I look at the pictures that surround me both in my apartment and at work and think about these people.

Some of my thoughts deal with my insecurities and thinking if I love them too much and whether or not they love me too. Some of my thoughts deal with how they have factored into my life and what I have learned from the time I have spent with them. Some of my thoughts linger on to situations in their lives and things that they are experiencing.

There are still a lot of thoughts rolling around in my head and even more unanswered questions, but the realization that I have come to is my gratitude for the individuals who walk the paths of my life. The lessons I have learned from my knowing them and the parts that they play in helping my life be better.

So in parting I would like to say thank you. Thank you for the ties that I share with you and the blessings that each of those that truly matter factor into my life.

1. Of television programs that aired before you were born, what’s your favorite?
Probably Bewitched! I have always loved this show from the time I was little. And yes I did try to make my nose twitch with absolutely no luck at all!

2. What person of historical significance was from your neighborhood or city?

Hmm ... does Roseanne Barr count?!?! There are many individuals in my church's history from Salt Lake ... my personal favorite was Gordon B Hinckley.

3. What’s a story that’s often been told about someone in your family in the years before you came along?

The story about my grandmother having firecrackers set off in her work office while her back was turned and having them so close to her that it effected her face.

4. Which of previous generations’ dumb mistakes (in deed or thought) baffles you the most?

How in the world did we ever let Nixon into office? J/K I have no idea!

5. What aspect of life in the good old days would you love to see a return to?

People sitting on porches more and enjoying the simplicities of life. I got a taste of this on my mission and I wish people knew their neighbors better and just took time to really enjoy life.

I am extremely proud of my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have of my Savior and of His love for me and for all of his children. I know that that Thomas S Monson is a prophet called by God to lead His people in this day. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and contains the complete Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for this knowledge and the peace that it gives me.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.

Thanks in advance for participating!

His comment stuck with me the rest of the night and even this morning. As I was getting ready I wanted to look nice. I put on eye makeup and even some lipstick. I have felt so pretty today. You just never know what your one comment can do.

I have been learning a life lesson the past few months about self doubt and learning to not only believe in who you are but learning to love the person that you are. I have spent a lot of time over the course of my life caring about what others think or doubting myself because of what others said. I can tell you that this is not the way to live your life. I consider many of the people in my life good people and I learn a lot from them, but living your life always trying to make others happy is the one sure way in which to limit your own happiness.

The other thing I have been learning is to love the little imperfections that you have. Those are the things that make you unique, special, YOU! I am not saying that I am perfect at this yet, but I am definitely improving. I am learning to not focus on the fact that my laugh is loud and annoying. Instead it represents that I feel that life is good and worth enjoying. I try to find all the positives that I possess and to believe in the person that I am. I am a person worth loving, worth having as a friend, a person who deserves to be treated with kindness; a person who is beautiful and amazing.

'cause a face without freckles is like a sky without stars
Why waste a second not loving who you are
Those little imperfections make you beautiful, lovable, valuable,
They show your personality inside your heart
Reflecting who you are