LiSa wAlKeR BaNkS

PinK sHoeS... seWinG... HaiRbAll... STOP!!!

Today is Lisa's birthday! I am so lucky to have such a wonderful sister (in law but that is just a technicality!)!!!!! Lisa is so amazing! I am so lucky to be not only her sister but her friend! When Lisa and I get together things get a little bit crazy. We make things: a mess, blocks, dresses, caramels, hair bows, a tutu, headbands, sugar cookies, laughter, but best of all memories! I am so lucky that I was able to live close to her last semester, and I miss her everyday this semester when I am thinking about what I need to get done and realize I can't escape by going and seeing her and her beautiful children. Lisa is an amazing mom to Parker and Julia and a wonderful wife to Chad. I am so lucky that she joined our family!

Lisa and I are so much alike sometimes it is crazy! In the picture below, take note of Julia's dress- we made it! When we were at the store, looking for material for a quilt for Julia as I pointed out a fabric she was reaching to grab it because we both thought it was so cute! Well we split up for a while and I saw this material and thought it would be cute to make a dress out of but didn't say anything to her. Later when we walked by it together she picked it up and was like "Wouldn't this be a cute dress?" Well we made four the next day! One for her, one for me, one for Julia, and one for Lilly (her niece).

I am so thankful for all that she does for me and for all that she teaches me! Thanks for everything Lisa! I love you! Happy Birthday!

Thanks for being one of my best friends!

Lisa and her beautiful children!

This is what happens when I leave my camera out and she sees it...

What a fun road trip... :)

We don't care what you think of us.... as long as you love us!

MOM and DAD

31 years ago tomorrow, on June 26, 1978 my parents were married in the Salt Lake City temple. I am so thankful for their decision. I am so blessed to have such great parents who love and support me in all that I do! I am so thankful for them raising me in the gospel and for them strengthening my testimony. I am thankful for my mom because she is a foundation that I can always fall back on. She cheers me up when I am sad, holds me when I cry, and tells me that I am doing great and to keep it up. My mom always calls to check on me and to make sure that I am keeping my stress level down. I am so thankful for her concern for me. I am so thankful for my dad because of his supporting me always. My dad was never the kind of person that told me that he loved me when I was growing up, but when I moved to college he started to call all of the time to check on me, and ended every phone call with "I love you bubsy." When my dad was in a car accident a couple of years ago I was the first person he called, who knows why! I was freaking out! BUT he knew that I would be able to get a hold of my mom and that I would be able to figure things out. I am so thankful for the trust that my parents have in me and have always had in me. I am so thankful for all that my parents do for me and for all that they will do for me! I love you Mom and Dad!!!

On My MinD....

These pictures went all crazy and I can't move them.... but you get the point!

Karissa and Adam

Parker

Julia

Lisa (this is so our personality!)

Chad

Mom and Dad

Grandma

I have had a lot of things on my mind lately as the semester is starting to wrap up (only one or two more tests in all of my classes!). I am so thankful for many things, especially my family:

• My mom: for all that she does for me and for her support and example to me.
• My dad: for his strength to our family and his worthiness to hold the priesthood.
• 
  
• Chad: for the great father that he is to his children and his example and help in all that I do.
• Lisa: for the great friend that she is to me and always being willing to listen when I need to talk.
• Karissa: for the laughs and the smile that she always puts on my face when I see her.
• Adam: for giving me a hard time and being willing to cook for me.
• Parker: for the smile he always puts on my face and for loving me so much!
• Julia: for the bright spirit that she is and for what she is growing up to be.
• Grandma: for the laughs and her great love and support for me.

Also to all of my other family... you have been on my mind too lately. Thank you so much for all that you do and for supporting me in my adventures! I am so blessed to have such an amazing family! I love you all!

SkYpE...

I am a fan of Skype, definitely. Today I had the chance to skype with the girls in Puerto Rico! It was so fun! I have pretty much the coolest web cam ever... you can make it look like you are the phantom, a ware wolf, it is snowing, you are on fire, or you can make your voice sound like a man, robot, funny accent, the list goes on! Anyways I put on Taylor Swift love story and we danced together on either end of the video. It was so much fun! I absolutely love these girls and can't wait to go and visit! Thanks for being so wonderful Alicia, Aly and Heather! I love you all (you too Mike!)!!!!!!

DAM Volunteer and Missionary too!!

I know everyone wants a shirt like this!!!

One of the many times up the hill...

Excited for people to get to us!

Ashley and I were able to be volunteers for the Teton Dam Marathon (half-marathon, 10K, 5K, and relay) yesterday. We met at the stadium at 7:40, got our sweet shirts, and then loaded up to go to our spots. Ash and I were dropped off at the last hill, right before mile 25. When people got to us we had to keep them going, after they got to the top it was downhill to the end. For the first few people we stood on the corner and cheered "WAY TO BE!" "THIS IS YOUR LAST HILL!" "MILE 25 IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!" and other things like that. Well I decided sure I was doing ok, but I could definitely be doing more. I noticed that some people had running partners, some were alone and some were plain tuckered out when they got to us. I decided that since I wasn't running a marathon I could at least run their last hill with them! I don't know how many times I went up and down that hill with numerous people. I was thanked so many times for being so encouraging. I tried to get people's mind off of the hill so I would ask them where they were from answers: Salt Lake City, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Shelley, Blackfoot, Sugar City, Rexburg, Virginia, Layton, who knows where else people were from! One man that I walked up the hill with was doing his 293 marathon! It is his 5th time around the United States! This part of the course was also through a neighborhood so people were out doing yard work all morning. At one point I was headed down the hill, there wasn't anyone for a ways off. A man started talking to me, he said, "Can I just tell you how much I admire you?" I was kinda like... "Sure, but I'm not doing anything spectacular." He responded, "What I have seen you doing the last 3-4 hours has been incredible. My name is Brother Groom and am over ... Services (that is all I heard I later went on and found out he is the Director of University Services), My office is 207 in the Manwaring Center. I would really appreciate it if you would come visit me next week as soon as you can." So tomorrow after I get out of class I am going to stop by and talk with him! I had so much fun as a volunteer and can't wait to do it again next year!

Oh one other funny story from the people I talked to. One man in particular was from Illinois, he was telling me how incredible it was that there were so many girls volunteering and asked if they were from the university. I told him that we went to Brigham Young University-Idaho. He asked if we were part of a sorority, I told him that they just set up a table and whoever wanted to from the university volunteered. I asked him if he was a Latter-Day Saint, he told me no that he was Methodist, but that it was ok because the important thing was that we all believe in Christ. I told him that was true and he responded, "I like to drink my Coke too!" I laughed to myself and told him that we could too. He said "YOU MEAN YOU CAN HAVE CAFFEINE?" I told him that the Coke thing was a misunderstanding and as we got to the corner encouraged him to look up the missionaries when he got back. I don't know what will happen from here but at least he knows now that if they choose, "Mormons can drink Coke".

President Henry B. Eyring

On Tuesday I had the amazing opportunity to go to devotional where President Eyring was speaking! I was so nervous I wasn't going to get a ticket, but my super smart roommate Beth decided that since the Internet was being slow she would try to call the ticket office. We both got one and I was able to get one for Ashley! The week before devotional in classes we were reminded about the honor code on campus. We were also asked to make sure to prepare ourselves for devotional. In my nutrition class Brother Keller talked about the last time President Eyring was here for devotional. Brother Keller said that President Eyring later said that he changed his talk to give them (the students) because they could receive it. I tried my best to prepare for devotional and had a few questions in mind I was hoping to have answered. The doors for the Hart opened at 1, it was a madhouse! President Eyring's son is a stake president here on campus and also the Advancement Vice President here on campus. When President Eyring's son walked in a few people in the back stood because they look so much alike they didn't realize it wasn't President Eyring (man that might be confusing!). When President Eyring did walk in though it went silent as everybody stood. His talk was inspired I have no doubt. It was AWESOME!!! His talk is titled The Temple and The College on the Hill it is so good! The BYU-I website doesn't have it in a printable version yet but you can listen to it if you click here. I recommend it to everyone, especially if you have been to BYU-Idaho or live in the surrounding area!

UpLiFtINg...

I love being assigned talks by the General Authorities as homework! It is one of my most favorite parts of going to school at BYU-Idaho. Here are a few of the ones that I have read this week:

For Nutrition: To Young Women by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Click here

For Humanities: The Example of Abraham by President Spencer W. Kimball

Click here

For FHE: Finding Joy in the Journey by President Thomas S. Monson

Click here

I love rereading conference talks or even being assigned ones that I haven't ever read before. I am so thankful for the talks that I get to read because they always have something in them that I need at the time! I love the gospel!!!

Mid TerMs....

I am so blessed! I just found out that I have straight A's at mid-term! I am taking 17 credits this semester and am working my rear end off-- too bad not literally! Tuesday is my longest day, I leave at 7:45 and get home at 4:15... at least I have a break for devotional, which helps me make it through my last class. I am so thankful to be able to get everything done and to get good grades on it all! I am so blessed! I know the church is true and I am supposed to be here going to school!

Jacob Kent Hansen

As an escort for Miss Russet

Graduation

Seminary Graduation

One of my best friends went to the MTC this week, Jacob (Jake) Hansen. I am so thankful for his amazing example to me! He has always been there for me and supported me! He will be serving the Lord for two years in the Roseville, California Mission. I am so thankful for his willingness to serve the Lord. He is going to be an amazing missionary!!! Good Luck Jake!

I am Thankful for the PRIESTHOOD!!!

This week has been midterms! It is crazy to think that I am already halfway through the semester! I got at least a 90% on all four of my tests that I had! I was so thankful! I also had an amazing experience this week. On Wednesday I woke up at 5 a.m. sick to my stomach. I was miserable. I felt like I was going to throw up but didn't ever end up throwing up. Well at 7:30 I called my hometeachers because I still wasn't feeling better. I couldn't tell if I had woke Trevor up or not but he said that Randy was already at school but he would find a roommate and be over in 15 min. Sure enough 7:46 there was a knock on the door. Trevor and my Sunday School Teacher Josh were dressed in full Sunday clothes with smiles on their faces. They talked to me for a while and then gave me a blessing. I am so thankful for the power of the Priesthood! I was able to make it through my day and the two tests I had that day. I am so thankful for home teachers that love their calling and are willing to serve whenever they can!

I love to SEE the Temple... but I love it more to go IN it!!!

After baptisms.... (explains our looks) Carrie, Jessica, Me, Ashley, Andrea, Tina, Keila

It is so beautiful!

I had the most incredible opportunity to do baptisms for the dead in the Nauvoo temple. Words cannot describe my experience! But it all started a few weeks before the trip.... Ashley and I were talking about the trip and she asked me if we got to do baptisms. I told her that I didn't know because they are by appointment only, but I would ask Brother Wahlquist (my Book of Mormon teacher and co-director of the trip). The next day in class I asked him and he said they had just made an appointment! When I got home and told Ashley we were both so excited! Next jump to Saturday on the trip... the day we are going to the temple. We are on the bus coming back from Carthage Jail and they are reminding us about the day's schedule. They started reminding us that were were splitting into three groups tonight 1. those going to the play, 2. those doing a session at the temple and 3. those doing baptisms. Ashley and I looked at each other and said in unison "I FORGOT MY RECOMMEND!" Our hearts sank! I was sick to my stomach. I told her that I was going to cry if we weren't going to be able to go! Well when we got to our next stop we went to talk to Brother Wahlquist. I said "Brother Wahlquist, we have a problem." He responded, "You forgot your recommends?" We weren't the only ones! He told us that we needed to call our bishop and ask him to call the temple to give them our names so that we could do them. Well after many phone calls I got the bishops number (which I now have saved in my phone with my home bishop's) and called him! He said that he would call right then! I called back a while later to check and he said it was done. I was so thankful! Our group did 235 baptisms and one girl brought family names. It was awesome! I love the temple so much and am so glad that I got to do baptisms!

To Learn more about LDS temples click here.

Smith Family Cemetery

Burial Site One- Nauvoo House

The Bee House

Final Resting Place

(To the left is the Bee house and behind is (what you can't see at all in the pic) Joseph and Emma's first home, behind that is the Nauvoo House where they were buried first.

I learned so much on this trip so I decided that over the course of hopefully the next few days I will share what I learned through a bunch of little posts. This first one is about the Smith Family Cemetery. After Joseph and Hyrum were martyred, their bodies were brought back to Nauvoo. They had a funeral and were buried- well people thought they were buried, but really their caskets were full of rocks because their families thought that there could be a possibility for grave robbing. Really their bodies were buried under the foundation of the Nauvoo House. Later their bodies were moved by decision of Emma, they were moved to under the foundation of the Bee House, but only Emma's family knew. When Emma died she asked to be buried so many feet from the Bee House (I can't remember what the guide said). Years later there was concern about the bodies being lost when the Mississippi gets high, so the bodies started to be searched for. Joseph and Hyrum's bodies were found under the foundation of the Bee House and Emma's was found right were she had asked to be buried so many fee from the corner. All three bodies were then moved and just up a little bit and were given a head stone. The bodies have remained there since. ( Sorry I don't know exact dates... I should have wrote this stuff done it was so amazing!)

NaUVoo and FriEnDs TOO!!!

Most of the group at Carthage

The Nauvoo Temple! It is so beautiful and the clouds made it look so cool!

Andrea, Ashley, Me and Beth at Carthage Jail

Ashley, Andrea, Me and Beth with Apostle Sheldon from the Church of Christ Church, they own the temple lot in Independence.

The fun at the back of the bus! B-F L-R

Andrea, Ashley, Me, Lauren, Keila, Beth, Senna, Laura, Hannah, very front Kelly

Well like I mentioned in my last post I had such an amazing chance to go to Nauvoo with the school. It was amazing! My testimony was strengthened so much! These are some of the things I absolutely loved:

*Being able to walk where the prophet Joseph Smith had walked

*Being able to go to the Nauvoo Temple to do Baptisms

*Having Prayers answered in the Temple

*Being able to sing hymns on the bus

*Making new friends!!!

*Being able to learn more about what the saints went through

*Martin's Cove-- The saints went through so much!

*Making memories with friends... ONE HEART!!!

*Fried Cauliflower-- Thank you Lisa!

*Carthage Jail-- We had the entire group in the martyrdom room at the same time, the spirit was so incredible. WOW!

*Liberty Jail-- I can't imagine how it was for Joseph and those with him during those cold winter months!

*Historic Nauvoo-- The Mansion Home, Lucy Mac Smith's Home, The Brickyard, The Bakery, The Blacksmith, The Red Brick Store, Joseph and Emma's first home in Nauvoo, Brigham Young's home, and Smith family Cemetery

*The bus ride-- sounds crazy but it was so much fun!

*Seeing the way that the Lord prepared the Saints, they went through so much and there isn't a way they would have been able to do all that they did without the Lord.

NauvoO

(last year in front of the Nauvoo temple)

Last year I had the privelage of going to Nauvoo with Lisa, Parker and Heather Hammond. It was a quick trip but I was so excited to go and see all of the Church History sites, plus I got to watch my nephew and hang out with two of the coolest people ever... (don't worry Alicia... you are on that list too!) Tomorow I leave to go back with the school! I am so excited! Two of my roommates, Ashley and Beth, are coming as well! I will post all about it when I get back!

To look at some of the sites I will get to see while I am there click here.

Chicken Noodle Extravaganza!!!

Today we had our FHE family over for Chicken Noodle Soup! It was so much fun! After church we started the noodles and set them out to dry for a little bit while we had the home teachers over. They gave such a great lesson! We talked about service and the priesthood. It was awesome! They even brought us brownies (which we hurried and ate after they left!). Then it was time to get the soup started! Ashley started the water and chicken while I cut the onions. She kept an eye on that while I peeled potatoes and Jordyn cut them and we got those going. The girls across the hall started croissants (SP!). It was so much fun! We had invited about 20 people over and didn't know who was going to show so we wanted to make sure we had enough... well we did! Our pot was huge! Someone even said that you could fit a baby in it! We had a blast making it! Everyone was so happy while we were making it, we were all smiling so much! We had about 15 people show up, so it was a pretty good turn out! Lance brought dessert which was a sour cream lemon pie... sounds disgusting but it was soooo delicious! We have tons of leftover soup for the rest of the week and maybe longer!

Seeing if it is suitable!

Mashed Potatoes... my mother would be proud!

The girls across the hall

Clockwise: Franco, Lance, Amanda, Ethan, Mark, Kaycee

Kayla, Bree, Josh, Jordyn,  Me, Ashley, Jessica