Loving Summer

I captured summer in pictures today.

And there is really nothing to write about it.

It's summertime folks. 

Can you feel the sun on your skin?

guess whooooo

Guess who is home from Lake Powell!?

Even though I am a little sickly, nothing could keep me away from Yogurtland QT with my best friend.

She is stinkin' adorable, and makes me so happy.

Now that I am staying in Orem instead of going to USU, it's time to spend as much time as possible with my Catherine before she starts her college adventure.

Celebrating Those Pioneers

The weather was kind of crazy tonight. A little rain storm came out of no where!
But that didn't stop us from celebrating the 24th,
well it didn't stop the boys.

Nate, Sagan, Zane, and I bought a bunch of fireworks, but then it started raining. The plan was to just set off one or two and save the rest for tomorrow when hopefully the weather would be better, but of course, the boys quickly went through everything we bought.
{The best kept firework secret, giant "Lady Bugs". Look into it.}

The girls stayed dry on the porch with our sparklers,

And by the end of the night, our crazy boys were soaked. 

{"okay boys, act like you love each other", "Well we DO!" laughter follows, as you can see by Nate's face}

Despite the crazy weather it was a lot of fun. 

Nate and Zane are a hoot when they get together. 

Alone they are both quirky little guys, but get them together and its like their weirdness feeds off each other. 

They quickly become more entertaining than any firework. 

They're quite a pair, you gotta love 'em.

little conversation clip from tonight:

Me: "Seriously, they are so weird."

Sagan: "and they are all ours."

oh gosh. 

The Rifes.

If any of you know the Rife family, or even if you don't, please keep them in your prayers.

I have been very good friends with Michael Rife since we were just little kids. He even took me to my senior prom :)
His family are some of the sweetest people you will ever meet, especially his mom. And they need the lord's help now more than ever.

Read here for more information, coming from the amazing Janet herself.
Read here to hear from Jenny.
Read here for Michael's thoughts while on his mission.

Sometimes the lord's plan seems unclear from way down here on earth.
It's times like these when we need prayer the most.

I am thinking of you, and praying for you, Rife family.

Mr. Z

June 7th, I went on my first date with a Mr. Zane O'Gwin.

We got ice cream, and went on a little walk. 

It was pretty much perfect.

But I had a boyfriend, who I liked.

{He knew I was on this date, I was honest, I swear.} 

So after the date was over, I told Zane that he was great, and I'd love to be friends, but no more one on one. 

Then a couple weeks later, and exactly a month ago today, he invited me to a BBQ with some of his friends. 

I didn't find out till much later how much effort went into finding something "groupy" Zane could ask me to do. Apparently we both felt strongly that our first date wouldn't be the last, and he made sure of it. 

This BBQ non-date was even better than our first.

And I have hardly left his side since. 

Thanks to Sagan for always snappin' secret pictures. 

Im standing on a long board, Im not taller than him I swear. 

And I thought it was time I officially introduced you.

This is the boyfriend. 

He is somethin special, and I think you'll like him a lot.
I definitely do. 

Thoughts Before a Nap

It's funny how things work out.
It's also funny the way they don't.

People always say that "everything happens for a reason", and "it will all turn out the way it's supposed to in the end", but it continues to surprise me how true that really is.

I caught up with a really special friend over texting today; the communication of our generation today, pathetic.
And as we caught up on each others lives, me not returning to USU, and his recent engagement, we congratulated each other on the others happiness, especially his upcoming nuptials.
He very sweetly said to me, "If I hadn't already been in love when I met you, I would have wanted there to be something between us. You were a great friend and we always got along really well. You're guy is lucky."

I started to cry.
First, because I'm a woman and it is that time, but mostly because it was sweet, and I think it's beautiful the way god puts every persons journey together, specified to their wants and needs.
There are so many pathways to the right destination, none better than the next, but I do believe there is one specific one meant for everyone.
I know I'm on my pathway, and my friend is on his, but it is really cool to get a glimpse of an alternate pathway. One that for one reason or another just didn't quite fit.

It is no coincidence the way things all seem to fall into place.
The time that people cross or join your path. The paths you cross, or choose to avoid completely. The bumps, dips, and steep hills.
Everything is too ironic, too easy, or too perfect to have happened simply on accident.
And I think that's pretty beautiful.

I blog multiple times a day, deal with it

Updating my room is coming along nicely, especially now that I decided I am staying home for fall semester. 

It's going to be a perfect grown-up, girly feel when I'm finished with it. 

or maybe just an almost  grown-up, girly feel... 

Home is Where Ever I'm With You

For weeks I have been contemplating a pretty big decision in my life...

To return to USU in the fall, or to officially move home to Orem.

I have talked to my parents, my sister, my best friends, my boyfriend, family friends, practically strangers, and of course, God.
Kind of hoping that someone would make the decision for me.

That was not the case. Everyone had so many different things to say, so many valid points were made, and some didn't have much to say at all.
One day I leaned toward Utah State, and the next I was leaning toward home.

It seemed there was no perfect solution.
There are huge risks and loses on both sides.
And I over thought this for weeks, and weeks.
I made it dramatic, and complicated, and life altering. And maybe it is..

But I stumbled upon this quote..

"I think we like to complicate things when it is really quite simple;

find what it is that makes you happy, 
and who it is that makes you happy and you're set. 
Promise."

And that was enough for me.

I am moving Home. 

Pen Paling

I forgot to mention, I received my first e-mail from this young lady today...

Why not use a random Nickel City picture?!

Miss Bodine FINALLY e-mailed me back today and I was so excited when I saw her name in my inbox.

Seriously. I was giddy. Like girl waiting for her missionary's e-mail giddy. 

When I read parts of her e-mail out loud to my mom, I got choked up. Real tears welling in my eyes. 

Which seems kind of weird, and a little dramatic now that I wrote it out like that...

Nonetheless, it's the truth. 

She is alive and safe {we pray} in Ecuador. 

She is absolutely loving it, and I am absolutely proud of her. 

I am also absolutely missing her. 

hillaryannbodine.blogspot.com

is where you can find her, and learn more about her adventure. 

but it's private.. so you will have to work that out with her through e-mail. 

Pen Pals are too much fun, everyone should have them.

But you can't have mine. 

My Pick Me Ups

My favorite Pick-Me-Ups, besides my cycle tone class...

A cute boyfriend who takes me on perfect, silly dates just to cheer me up. 

And...

a best friend...

a cute pooch, and a 4 mile walk in the sun

Mother nature and growing up isn't gonna get me down

Meh

I took the day off of the BF yesterday so I could spend time with Lindsey Lou.

And we discovered that two girls experiencing "that time of the month" at the same time, and long discussions on big life decisions doesn't exactly equal a cheery time.

So with our less than upbeat attitudes, we made some crafts, watched a movie, and got some sonic drinks {tradition}. It might not have been one of our better nights, but spending time with Linds is important to me. For better or for worse.

Not our finest hour, but it had to be documented nonetheless. 

This is my craft. one of them anyway. Stole the idea off Pinterest.

I am going through a bit of a pink phase. It'll look super cute when my room is all put together.  

Don't judge my craft skills. I am new at the whole thing. 

To pick up my spirits a little bit, this afternoon I finally made it to Cycle Tone at Golds for the first time in 2 weeks. 

It felt sooo good to be back. If you guys haven't tried cycling, I highly suggest it.

Alysha came too, which made it all the more fun! I miss her and our old gym time together. Not to forget my Uncle B was there too. 

A perfect work out if I do say so myself. 

Nothing makes me happier faster than a good sweat.

Chewyyy is Home!

Lindsey is HOME!!!!

Till Friday, and I am loving it already.
With CC in Powell, Hillary in a third world country, Lindsey in Logan, my sister in Florida, and Zane with a full time job, my days get a liiiiittle boring, verging on pathetic.

So Lindsey is going to keep me sane for the next few days, and I couldn't be more excited.
We started off with a little hike up battle creek falls, it was easier and shorter than hiking the Y, but it was a great way to catch up on her new job and such.

Can't wait for more best friend quality time to come. 

Winnie The Pooh and Harry Too

Sometimes when you are dating you fall into what I've dubbed "a movie rut".

When you see someone sometimes 6, but usually 7 days a week, you simply don't have the energy, or the means, to be doing something exciting every night.
This is where movies come in.

On our worst days as a couple, we watch 4 movies in a row...

Some, like Winnie The Pooh, and Harry Potter are actually worth watching.
Others, like 3 hours of an anime series, are not.

More often than not, one of us will fall asleep.
And more often than that, both of us fall asleep.

We could choose to go our separate ways when things get that boring, but we'd rather be bored together. And thats okay.
It seems less pathetic than if you were home by yourself asleep in front of your TV.

Needless to say, there are no pictures of this, and there isn't much to blog about either.

But life is good.

And so is Winnie The Pooh, seriously, go see it.

See Ya Hillary!

Tonight was my last night with Hillary before she leaves for Ecuador Thursday morning!

There is literally nothing to do around here with just us two girls, so we got me some dinner, we planned our Pinterest weddings (no need to be alarmed, neither of us are getting married anytime soon, but a girl can dream), and we went to our favorite look-out spot and talked for hours.

It might not have been the most exciting night of our lives, but it was full of laughing, talking, and of course pictures!
It was a perfect way to say goodbye to one of my absolute best friends.

I am going to miss having her around for boring nights like these.
I am going to miss having our long talks.
I am going to miss having the one girl around who just gets me.
We get each other :)

But, I know this is going to be an amazing adventure for her.
And, I am excited to have a new e-mail penpal.

Here are some of our final shots together... try not to tear up.

Isn't she preeeeetty?!

Curb talks, worth the bum pain. 

Obviously the jumping picture had to happen... sorry Zane. 

Best Friends, through thick and thin, forever and always :)

Bye bye HillBo, I'll see you in 4 months.

In the meantime, I promise to be the best penpal you've ever had. 

Take lots of pictures for me, I will be stalking you. 

I lovers you :)

Love, 

Dew

A boy Like Mine

Find yourself a boy like mine, and you'll get to wake up to this.

Who says a man needs an occasion to buy you your favorite flowers?

Hiking to the Y

It's me again.
Twice in one day, I know, going through FB withdrawals.
But I have more pictures to share!

CC, Lindsey, and I decided on Thursday that we were going to hike to the Y on Saturday morning.

We have grown up in Utah our whole lives, well me and CC have, and we see that white Y every single day. Pathetically, neither of us have ever hiked to it before. And we decided it was time we changed that.
So we woke up at the crack of dawn, 7 AM to be exact, to start our little trek because we wanted to beat the heat.

The hike was harder than I expected it to be, and that might say a lot about the shape I am in, but so be it. 

It was straight up switch backs, and it was hard.  

I never felt like I couldn't do it, but I was more winded and sweaty than expected. We all were!

Cute, tired hikers.

Obviously I brought my Thomas the Train bag

We kinda matched, but not on purpose. 

Gotta love the bun hair. 

When we finally got to the Y, the view was absolutely worth it! Utah Valley looks beautiful from way up there. 

The Y on the other hand looked like dirty, painted rocks,

but it's really about saying you've been there. 

and I HAVE!

Resting at the top

The View!

Such a fun morning with the girls,

We are going to miss Lindsey Lou!!!

Nothin but Love

Miss Lindsey leaves on Tuesday, so last night we had a little girls night with us "USU girls", meaning the friends that will be up at Utah State together.

Since FB no longer exists for me, get ready for picture overload... 

Lindsey, Catherine, Nikki, and Me!

It's a good group :)

And since lately I have been spending countless hours on Pinterest, I had this collage idea I wanted to get started on so I could have it put together all cute in my new apartment in Logan.

We had a blast messing around with this little idea. We aren't artists, photographers, or models but it was fun and it's going to turn out real cute in the end.

If you know us, you will understand. If you don't, then don't judge haha. 

And no, I am not naked in that last photo. 

And because it is literally an addiction, we went to Yogurtland. YUM.

"Tots the best hun cal fro yo."

And because we are kind of bottomless pits, we also went to Del Taco...

 but, "OUR diet starts tomorrow!"

If you don't know what either of those quotes are from, you must watch the video below, I'm a little ashamed to say this may or may not be me and my friends.

 exaggerated of course...

Ahahaha. 

The point is, I love these days with my friends. They always remind me how blessed I am to have such amazing people in my life. It was such a simple night, but it was super fun because of those pretty ladies :)

Happiness Today

My happiness today is...

adorable new pillows on my bed...

a stack of books to read...

some new clothes...

And some yummy dinner with my cute mom.

Summer is lovely. 

Plain Tart

Yogurtland Rules:

Always stick to your gut.

Plain tart, with bananas, strawberries, and crushed graham cracker topping.

It's perfect and allows me to pretend it has some nutritional value. 

Don't cheat on the plain tart with fruit. 

It's even yummier with a best friend in tow. 

Rodeo Drive

The weekend of the fourth as come to an end, and I'm feeling a little sad.

There is always a little bitter note when holidays end, like after you open presents on Christmas.
It's the reality of having to return back to ordinary, magicless days, giving you a little pinch.

I ended my 4th with the O'Gwins at a rodeo.

I have had one prior experience with rodeos that I can remember, and it wasn't a great one. I left early actually.
I am not a huge animal cruelty activist, I'm no member of peta, but something about watching those calf's get roped around the neck and yanked to the ground tugs at my heart strings.
I understand they are okay, and that cowboys love their little farm animals, but lets be honest, it's got to hurt the cows, bulls, and horses at least a little bit.

But I was invited to a rodeo and I wasn't going to be rude and decline, so I went.
I actually had a good time!
Maybe the crowd was bigger, or the music was louder, but I couldn't hear the little calf's yelps of pain this time. And I adopted a new motto,
"if you cant hear 'em crying, then don't worry about 'em."
'em so I sound more like a cowgirl, duh.

And at the end they even had a cool fireworks show, which turns out is all it takes to keep me happy.
It was a fun way to end the holiday.

Silly pictures at the rodeo. If Zane looks like he is about to fall asleep,

 it's because he totally is. 

okaaaay singles ward!

Singles wards are a little bit ridiculous.
At least mine is.
Or maybe just today was.

Chances are being in a singles ward isn't getting you any closer to marriage than being in your home ward, lets face it.
So let's stop teaching every lesson on how to get a date, and what to do once you're on a date, cause if any of that information is actually new to anyone, you are most likely hopeless.
It'll be by the grace of god that you find your eternal companion.
I mean that in the nicest way possible.
So let's teach lessons that actually draw us nearer to god, because it is through him that the hopeless will find their happiness.
Actually it's through him that even the relationship inclined find their happiness.

"When and how to decline a date" and "who should text who first" isn't going to get you anywhere.

Gems like Prayer, Faith, Repentance, Charity, now that's worth talking about for an hour and fifteen minutes.
Mastering those, among other things, will bring you closer to finding your eternal companion than learning advice from a slew of different women.

To be completely honest with you men, us women, we change our minds A LOT, not one of us is the same, meaning one girls trash is another's treasure, so really listening to our advice could get confusing and contradictory.
Most importantly we usually don't know what we want until a handsome, worthy priesthood holder is standing right in front of our faces showing us what we need.

so everyone, men and women, just work on yourself. Focus on becoming the person you want to be, and let a higher power worry about who you'll marry, and when it'll happen.
Any plan He has for you, is better than the one you're trying to figure out for yourself.

{This is not meant to offend anyone who has taught a lesson on this before, I was just feeling a little frustrated at church today}

Bye Bye Best Friends

Lindsey got the job she interviewed for in Logan, which is pretty amazing for her, but it means that she has to move to Logan in about a week, for the rest of the summer, which basically sucks for me.
Hillary is moving to Ecuador in about a week till November, which is even more amazing, but also really sucks for me.

Granted the three of us spend a lot of our days apart from each other even when we're home, but the comfort of having them so close has been a blessing since we were neighbors in Snow Hall.
I am excited for both of them, but I am going to miss having them around so much it hurts to think about a little bit.

Luckily there are a few other people, who kind of love me, who are willing to keep me occupied for the rest of the summer...

I think Some QT with my Catherine..

And being serenaded by Zanela,

Will keep me happy enough to get by.