Isn't blogging the neatest? It's such a fun way to connect with people. It's especially nice when they actually live close and you can
        become friends IRL. Such is the case with Emily! She asked me to model for her in a stylized shoot, and I agreed even though,    HAH, I'm not a model. But you know what? It was super fun to get out of my comfort zone and be on the other side of the camera! I didn't look like a freakin idiot like I thought I would, and Emily made me look awesome pretty legit!

So if standing in the middle of roads and running out of the way of cars, mouthfuls of bubblegum, cat calls from strangers (yikes), doing what it takes to get the shot (shaking blossom trees in other people's yards to get a raining blossoms look), and just laughing a lot is what it's like to be Emily's friend IRL, I think it was meant to be, haha.

It was super fun and these pics really dig my vibe. Check out her skills at www.emilycooperphotography.com and see below for some of my favs!

I really love going to the Conference Center for Conference because it's just so much easier to pay attention. Also the music is 100 times better when you are actually there to hear it. And let's be honest. In general, women are not as tone deaf as men hahaha, and when all the women were singing together, seriously that is what Heaven sounds like. I was SO filled with the Spirit as we all sang "How Firm a Foundation" together. Music definitely makes me feel the Spirit more than anything else.

I loved hearing the messages of how important it is to defend the home and family and marriage. I know that the home is truly a sacred place and should be a place of refuge to you and your families. I can't wait to start our family one day and make it that safe haven for my kids. Also, if there is one thing I have learned from having a calling in primary, it's that the Gospel and it's principles are truly taught at home. Church is great, and it's awesome to come together as a ward family and teach each other and set aside one day of the week to worship, but you really shouldn't just live however you want at home, not worried about setting an example for your kids, and rely on church once a week for 3 hours to do the trick. That's so far from the truth. I can also see that in my life. I firmly believe that I am the way I am, my behaviors, beliefs, and life style are they way that they are because of how I was raised at home, MUCH more than the influence of just going to church every week. I'm so thankful to my parents for creating a home that I felt safe, loved, comfortable, and happy in, and not just on Sundays but every day.




Another thing! For the last few months, my mom keeps mentioning that she is so excited for my birthday present she got me and how she just wants to give it to me! So as we were able to spend the day together, she decided she wanted to share the moment with me. She handed me a package and I opened it. It was my blog (from college) printed into a book! A hard bound, super nice book. Then, she handed me another package. ANOTHER BOOK! My blog from my years at college up to when I married Chance and created the separate blog, are printed into 2 volumes! I've always wanted to get them printed but it's expensive and I just never got around to it! I was SO excited! It is like the ultimate journal. All my writings (gosh I was crazy sometimes) and pictures all in a book together. I have already loved looking through it so much!

Reading and looking through it, I have decided to make some goals about blogging. When I started blogging, it was totally for fun. I literally wrote about anything and everything. I wrote in it almost every day! The pictures weren't always the prettiest, and sometimes I said stuff that didn't even make sense. In my current blog, sometimes I feel like I don't blog things because I don't think it's interesting enough, or I don't have cool pictures to post with it, but looking back in my blog books, that stuff doesn't even matter! I'm going to make it a goal to blog and document more, even the littlest things that no body else will care about, and even with ugly pictures if I have to! Because it's SO WORTH IT in the future! Those books are priceless! Thank you thank you thank you mom!! I can't wait to keep printing them!