day 1 and 2

day 1: Friday April 29th
6:00   am airport landed, getting luggage, taxi ride
6:45   am arrived at Ashley's apartment

7:15   am SLEEP
12:00 pm woke up and then slept some more
3:00   pm blogged, got ready
4:15   pm  left Ashley's house for the subway (I miss walking and public transportation)
5:00   pm arrived at Ashley's work, Victoria's Secret corporate offices
5:20   pm met up with Kristen (another FIT dancer) and went costume shopping for the show in SoHo
7:45   pm we found a place in Little Italy for dinner, it was delicious!
9:00   pm dessert at a cafe in Little Italy (Gelato, Napoleon, Chocolate Cannoli)

12:00 am back at Ashley's-we chatted for a while
3:00   am SLEEP

day 2: Saturday April 30th
12:15 pm woke up (glad I didn't wake up in Orem to this....well actually I like snow so I probably wouldn't have minded but.. it is basically MAY and I am ready for the warm weather that I have here in NYC))

1:45   pm errands with Ashley-more costume shopping and grocery shopping
4:00   pm made oreo cupcakes and banana butterscotch scones (they were all HEAVENLY! the recipes are from Alice's Tea Cup-an NYC restaurant that I am FOR SURE going to when my mom comes to town!)

oreo icing, marshmallow filling

literally AMAZING!!!!!!

7:00  pm Ashley made us dinner-chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes. So good! Then we just chilled all night watching dance videos and TLC

Haven't done much in the city yet but it has been so nice and relaxing.

new york city.

Leading up to my trip I...

• ran errands with my mom and went to Sammy's for a pie milk shake and sweet potato fries
• went to Les Miserables @ Orem High School with my family and it was actually very good!
• had movie night with miss Talyn and her daddy. We watched Tron. 
• 90 minute massage/therapy session (I'll post more later on how AMBER from REMEDEZ is a miracle worker-she is AMAZING-go to her!)
• visited my lovely girl Kenzie (Elder Jones departed for his 2 year mission on Wednesday)
• shared Cold Stone with Bain and my mom (sweet cream ice cream with oreos and graham cracker/pistachio pudding ice cream with graham cracker (it was AMAZING. I make a mean pistachio pudding pie so I was very excited for this new flavor))
• PACK.... I HATE PACKING!
• Katie Agle visited me and brought our NYC favorites-mango licorice and a carmelita bar!
• helped Alex pick out a b-day card for his brother, then went to his soccer game
• errands again with mom: Bed Bath and Beyond (small toiletries), Deseret Book (whole wheat ROLLS! perfection!), Avenia Bridal, Banana Republic (did a  little shopping..... I haven't spent money in about 4 months so, today was the day (my purchases are incredible! and everything was 40% off!)  AND miss Katie was shopping there too! (it is where she works)), Target (some extra NYC needs that BBandB didn't have), Debbie's house (to say bye and good luck before we both head off to NYC-me to dance, and them to pick up ELDER WILKINS!)
• finalize packing
• my dear Megan stopped by (her Elder gets home May 20th)
• TALLY WALLY graced me with her presence (she leaves next week on her graduation cruise!)

Around 9pm on Thursday I left for the airport.

 (I need a new camera. The settings are horrible and everything is always blurry...)

GAP: scarf, socks

URBAN OUTFITTERS: gray v-neck and pants

BANANA REPUBLIC: new! earrings, cardigan and coat

SPERRY TOPSIDERS: shoes

(no j.crew?!-weird. That NEVER happens)

Lovely red eyes.... NOT my favorite things in the world... AT ALL. I don't mind the whole flying part (this flight did have a bit of bumpy turbulence so since I'm addicted to LOST I did ponder about what would happen if we crashed.... only it wouldn't have been somewhere cool like an island, and there was certainly no Jack Shepard on board) I just hate how uncomfortable they are. I can't sleep a wink no matter how tired I am. I was to the point that I was bored with my ipod and was so excited when we landed. I did watch the royal wedding guests arrive (we landed before the bride walked the aisle) and oh my! these ladies were so elegantly, modestly, fashionably, beautifuly, perfectly dressed. They had so much taste! Their hats were INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!! AH I want to live there, I want to wear those clothes, I want to wear huge amazing hats! It was a sight to see. I also was able to get most of my dance choreographed, which is what I needed to do on the plane so that was wonderful.

to see photos of Kate's dress and the wedding guests with their hats click HERE

I LOVE MY DADDY! We said bye on Monday night because he was out of town until Thursday night when I had to leave. I got through security very quickly and easily and when I was approaching my gate I saw none other than my dad waiting for me!!! His flight came in around 8 and he came to my gate to wait for me. Such a surprise, so cute!

I landed around 5:45- got my luggage, got a taxi, and made it to my friend's (and FIT dance team coach) apartment around 7. She left for work and I slept until almost noon, and then fell asleep a few more times until I found the internet code so I could blog. 

I will try to take MANY pictures this trip. I am so excited to be back in the city with all my friends!! It is going to be a great vacation! NYC until May 17th!

a little tour

of my room.

Welcome. 

new picture wall.

my cute willow tree angels. I LOVE THEM!

Dress form, inspiration/scrapbook bins, books, jones soda bottles

some updated photos

My FAVORITE picture!

my wall says: Live like you believe, live like you know, listen to your heart, search your soul, you'll find the strength. This picture wall is full of photos I took from my photography class in high school, I also painted the canvases. AND I have the best bed and the softest sheets and blanket EVER!

My room connects to my sink and closet as well as to the bathroom that my sister and I share. The black thing in the left corner is my tutu. 

  

Sy painted this for me. LOVE IT!

Bathroom

I just get excited because it's all organized now and I love my room! My sister just redid her room too and it is adorable. She got very creative and made some decorations that I adore! My room is already FILLED with stuff-it's almost too cluttered (I just love pictures so much) so I don't think I can steal any of her cute ideas.

She made the fabric banner and tissue flowers

bed spread

late night entertainment....

YES... i did just waste SO much time looking at videos.... I guess this is what happens when I don't have a schedule..

no bueno.. it's WAY past my bedtime...

easter weekend

 Easter dinner is one of my favorite meals. I look forward to it all year and since I was in NYC last Easter I was double looking forward to this year. Seth and Jenn came into town, since they needed to leave in the early afternoon on Sunday to get back home we decided to have our special dinner on Saturday night.

Our annual dinner consists of mandarin orange salad, 7 layer jell-o, leg of lamb, asparagus, and rice pilaf. I LOVE it all. THEN for dessert we have trifle. Heavenly.

On Sunday we had our Easter egg hunt and yummy brunch. (If you can't tell our family is all about the food!) We had egg and sausage casserole, fruit, and cinnamon and sugar bread...with creme brulee for dessert (yes, dessert at brunch.) 

We each got 3 coupons in our eggs. Mine were good for; lunch with my daddy, jamba juice, and a 1hour massage!

 

Bain gave a talk in church today, her topic was temples-she did such a good job. Here is her talk..

"I was asked to speak about temples and Easter today.

Our bodies are sacred, just like the temple. Only the most pure and precious are permitted to enter the temple because it is an extension of God’s Home here on Earth. If this is true, if temples are a Holy place for God to enter here on His Earth and if it is true that our bodies are temples then we can truly be a vessel for the Lord. He can reside in us if we prepare ourselves and let Him in. We need to keep our bodies clean and pure so that we are ready for the Lord. Temples are all different. They are each unique in design, size, location, and structure-just like all of us, we are each special and unique. The beauty is that each temple, including our bodies, were inspired and designed by God. Each has their own personality with the same purpose, to perform God’s work.

We as individuals can use our temple bodies to spread the word of this gospel to all God’s children. Our duty is to bring souls unto Christ. This Easter season we recognize the Atonement and all God did for us, His children. He paid for our sins so we could return to Heavenly Father. In return we must help Him in the work of redeeming souls.

Because we accepted God’s plan we accepted this work. God’s plan is meant for all men, we agreed to this in the pre-mortal life, which means we agreed to be saviors for not only ourselves but to all of our brothers and sisters. We joined in a partnership with the Lord. We have the duty to help achieve the purposes of the eternal plan of salvation.

My sister had to read a book for her New Testament class at BYU this semester and she shared parts of it that she really enjoyed with us. In this book His Final Hours, Jeffrey Marsh expresses the importance of our duty to perform temple work.

“The Savior invites us to become saviors with him. In Doctrine and Covenants 103:9 it reads, “For they were set to be a light unto the world, and to be the saviors of men.” Brother Marsh explains, “that the word ‘saviors’ in this verse is plural and not capitalized. It refers to the volunteer corps of latter-day saints who would help God accomplish his work. And that is our privilege. Imagine! We can, at God’s invitation, under his direction, and with his authority, help him accomplish his work. What an incredible opportunity.” Close quote.

We talked about this as a family and realized that we had never really thought of the Atonement as a group effort before. Jesus Christ willing gave up his life and suffered in Gethsemane so that we could be reunited with our Heavenly Father, but that reunion cannot happen without the saving ordinances that are performed in the temple. We all have a part to play in our own salvation and the salvation of our whole human family.

Quoting from Brother Marsh again he says, “We have a great responsibility. We are responsible for all who have lived, all who now live, and all who will yet live. The eternal salvation of the world rests on our shoulders. We will not finish this work “until we have saved ourselves, and then not until we shall have saved all depending upon us. “ Close quote.

It is not only our duty to perform work for others, and to take care of our bodies, but it is essential that our home becomes a heaven on Earth.

Boyd K. Packer has said that if you put the words “Holy Temple” and “Home” together, you have described the house of the Lord.

“Under the definition of ‘Temple’ in the Bible Dictionary, we read the following: ‘It is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth,’ followed by this insightful statement: ‘Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.’ For me this suggests a sacred relationship between the temple and the home. Gary E. Stevenson said this, “Not only can we turn the doors of our homes to the temple, or the house of the Lord; we can make our homes a ‘house of the Lord.’

"If we can look back through the generations, we see those who helped us to get where we are now—those who forged the way before us, whether they were members of the Church or not. And in the restored gospel we realize even more deeply our responsibility to link them to us through the ordinances of the temple. In a letter from the Prophet Joseph Smith to the members of the Church, we read: 'These are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over. . . . For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, . . . they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect' (D&C 128:15, 18)."

My sister Bree is a great example to me of temple work. Two summers ago she and her friend did a temple tour. They went to every temple in Utah as well as the Las Vegas temple to do baptisms for the dead. While she lived in New York City she tried to attend the temple once a week there as well. Bree and her friend invited me to join them when they went to the Las Vegas temple, which included a visit to the St. George Temple. I really enjoyed being included with them and that experience has motivated me to want to follow in Bree’s example of being a savior for those who have died without the blessings of temple ordinances in their life. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen."

Then my friend, Austin Jones, gave his mission farewell talk. He is the boyfriend of one of my lovely friends, Kenzie (we met in elementary school and danced on the same team all throughout high school). He did such an amazing job. I am so excited for him to go out and teach the people of Michigan...my hometown (well from age 3-10.) I love studly missionaries. When they are ready to go out and preach they just have a glow about them that is so precious and amazing! 

I am grateful for the opportunity I had to be with my family this weekend and celebrate Easter with everyone I love! Happy Easter.

Easter

life since finals.

I was born in the wrong era... 

I WANT THIS DRESS! 

it is perfect

Yesterday I cleaned and organized my room... I didn't get the chance between coming home from NYC and starting school and it was stressing me out all semester.

I feel much better now.

I switched out all my winter clothes for my summer clothes so it needs to get warm soon! I am SO looking forward to my swim suits and dresses!

I think my favorite item of the summer will be my white pants. I actually have three pairs.... one REALLY skinny pair of Hudson's, one pictured below which is more relaxed from J.Crew, and a high waisted pair that I designed and sewed a couple years ago.. I originally got a new pair from J.Crew this season because my Hudson's were too small.... yes, I gained quite a bit of weight in NYC. I tried them on today and.... THEY FIT AGAIN. Still a little tighter then they were a couple years ago... but they fit!

 Shirt/Pants-J.Crew

Shoes-DSW Chinese Laundry

Necklace-aBree Original

Flower-Anthropologie

 

Shirt-Urban Outfitters

Shoes-Michael Kors

Pants-aBree Original

Talyn's graduation!!! 

just some gifts..

 

 

Happy DANCE!

My current FAVORITE NEWS.....

I just bought TAYLOR SWIFT TICKETS!!!!!!! SO dang excited. Talyn and Taylor Swift = the best night ever! -September 28, 2011. 

You can read more about how much I love Taylor Swift HERE

AND

Seth and Jenn are coming tonight for EASTER! 

the best holiday EVER!

It's been a fantastic week and it's only going to keep getting better!

just my amazing sister...

Photographed at The Dance Club
Stylists: Joey Dowling and Jacki Ford
Photographer: Jacki's husbands friend...don't know his name

 

finals week

Wednesday April 13: LAST DAY OF CLASSES. tornado dust storm and tumbleweed. Alex's soccer game. cold stone (banana/caramel/reese's). guacamole. wedding singer. many laughs. sleepover with Talyn.

My daddy made Talyn Dinner. So cute.

Thursday: accounting review 8-12:45 (missed the 8 o'clock memo and got there at 9..oops). first anthropology paper. Zermatt. Katie and Emily. yummy food. sixteen candles. sleepover. huge comfy bed.

strawberries and honey greek yogurt, carrots and jalapeno yogurt dip, oreos, chips and homemade salsa, pizza, ceaser salad, cadbury eggs, swedish fish. YUM!

no pictures of us... oops

Friday: library. study history. dinner @ Talyn's. accounting. walmart run at 10. the Madsen's. white corn meal. say "yes" to the dress. ghost adventures. sleepover with Talyn.

Saturday: banana cookies! second anthropology paper. avenia bridal. first time consulting with a bride on  my own. mommy got a flat tire=unable to get to Megan's UVU ballet performance, boo. Rumbi and Farr's with Talyn. edit anthro paper. bed before 11. sleepover with Talyn.

Sunday: Janna's farewell. Talyn's new ward. nap. steak and yam dinner. phone calls with Seth, Jenn, and Debbie. new testament studying and final.

Monday: 7:30 run with daddy. workout and personal study. powerpoint practice test and final. study history. cramps of DEATH! and more history... and more. more. more.

just studying flash cards... my mom looked up and saw me like this and laughed hysterically saying I looked like a little person.

Tuesday: rise and shine 5:30am. 7am history final. 8am "oh, by the way if you want, you can stop taking the final and for your grade I will just take the average of the last two tests......" -spoken by my history professor. seriously... my average would have been fine with me! I studied for over 11 hours yesterday for no reason.............. dumb. anthro paper. nap. ghandi with alex. 

Wednesday: 8am ballet written final. library. accounting. turned in 3000 word anthro paper. scariest most stressful test of my life. surprisingly happy ending. HALLELUJAH. I AM DONE WITH FINALS! no school until September! noodles and co. with mom. glee. one tree hill. grey's anatomy. nothing. feels so good.

FINALS...

New Testament-online, comprehensive. 95%

PowerPoint-online, pass/fail. PASS

Anthropology- TWO 1500 word papers.

History-In class Tues. 7 am. Multiple choice and 2 essays. 

Ballet-Performance final last Wednesday. Written Final today 8am. 

Accounting- Testing center/JSB. 95%

DONE!

BY the way... this lovely lady GRADUATES TOMORROW and SHE HAS A BIG GIRL JOB, she starts MONDAY! p.s. she is only 20! LOVE HER! Congratulations TALYN

photo by Kiara

FINALLY! bahaha. twenty years old... she's so funny

and by by the way... I received a scholarship for fall and winter semester!!!!! YAY

and by by by the way.. I go to new york in a WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!