Two mountains...

My family and I went on our last "5 family" vacation before I leave for the mish.... MOUNT RUSHMORE!!

Call us weird, but we love trips like this. We all have passports for the U.S National Parks, so any opportunity to get a stamp is just awesome for us!

Our GPS was programmed to have George W Bush's voice... It was always so great to hear him say "You have reached your desti-fication" hahahaha!! Poor W. ;)

But while we were on vacation we saw Martin's Cove,

Independence Rock,

Devil's Tower (in Wyoming),

Mount Rushmore,

Crazy Horse Mountain, (will take decades to finish!)

Wind cave, (200 feet below!)



 the Badlands,   

and the beautiful Black Hills. We stayed in a cabin in the Black Hills, and were only 15 minutes away from Mt. Rushmore.

Gosh we all had so much fun! We drove FOR.EV.ER... so we all got kinda crazy.

But it was so fun :) Jamming to Billy Hill (our favorite show at Disneyland), Disney songs, listening to Brian Regan and just dying, and having comic-drawing contests between us sibs.

We were gone from Sunday night to Thursday. It was great.

So when we got home, the next day was my birthday which meant.... TEMPLE!!!

I LOVE the temple so so much!! It was INCREDIBLE. The Spirit is so strong in the Lord's house, and I just want to go back over and over again! So much is taught in the temples, and it is my prayer that everyone lives in such a way to get themselves to the sacred temple. It changes lives :)

I decided to receive my endowments in the Salt Lake Temple. My mom was my escort, and I was so grateful to have her there right by my side. My parents were so helpful in the temple; it made me so much more at peace. It was so awesome to see so many of my aunts and uncles, and to have my Grandma Godwin and both Grandma and Grandpa Moore there. I have such an amazing support group, and it was just a little piece of heaven to have them share that day with me.

It's interesting to think of the temple as our own kind of mountain. Driving towards Mount Rushmore, you could tell everyone on the road couldn't stop looking at it. When we have something in sight, it's easier to make it to our true destination. The Temple is our mountain, and when kept as our guiding point we will reach our true destination; our Heavenly Father.

And I was right... I'll never ever forget that day. Ever.
I've said it before, but I'll say it again... My life is awesome :) And I'm eternally grateful.

Temples, bike rides, cake... just some of the blessings in my life :)

First off, this whole cake business is going amazing!! I've made so many cakes just in the past month and a half! I've been so blessed to be surrounded by such supportive friends, neighbors, family... the list goes on! Every person who has purchased a cake has contributed to the Lord's work, and there have been so many who've helped me out! My gratitude and thanks are endless! From birthdays to anniversaries and even to "just-because-cakes", the orders have been keeping me booked.

I've stayed up long hours finishing cakes, and as exhausting and time-consuming as it is, I'm grateful for the opportunity to earn money by using the talents Heavenly Father gave me.

But despite all my time being busy with cakes, I've had quite some time to play...

Ever since I was little I have LOVED bike-riding. Who doesn't love a rush of endorphins as you're speeding down a hill or down the road?! I love it.

It had been years (since I was about 15) when I had last ridden a bike. Before I got my first car it was my means of transportation. Sad to think that I gave up something so healthy and amazing for a gas-guzzling, lazy car! (Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that we have cars now-a-days. They're amazing tools for fast, easy, and efficient transportation). But I missed my bike.

So my parents got our bikes all fixed up a couple months ago, and now I can't stop riding my bike! I've ridden it to work and mainly just for fun.

The other day was simply a GORGEOUS day! It was sunny, not too hot with a slight breeze in the air... so the bestie and I went bike riding to the park.

I am telling you now, if you don't own a bike GET ONE. I'm no cyclist who likes to race on a bike, nor do I go into the mountains and go "off-terrain", but simple bike rides bring you back to childhood. It's a terrific way to excercise and have fun all in one! (Schwinn better call me for a marketing position or something..)

It was just a beautiful way of enjoying the day.

Earlier that day (Tuesday) Mom and I went shopping for temple clothing. I had such a blast! The lady who helped measure me and such was so nice. She and my mom gave me great pointers and made me all the more excited to enter the holy Temple. I look up to my mom so much. Her reverence for the temple clothing astounds me. She has such a strong testimony of this Gospel, and I know she'll always be there for me when I have any questions or need her strength. I love having her there with me as I prepare to enter the temple.

I feel so honored and privileged to be able to do this for myself. Next Friday on my birthday I will be surrounded by many of my loved ones in the Salt Lake Temple as I recieve my own endowments. This past Sunday I finalized my temple recommend with the Stake President.

The Spirit in that interview was indescribable. Moved to tears, my Stake President signed my recommend as we discussed the importance of this next step in my life. The Spirit testified that this is the true work of Christ, and that this is one of the greatest blessings I can receive on this earth.

How lucky we are to live in a time with temples and prophets.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate my own life here on earth :) It'll be a birthday I'll never forget.

Yeah... I STILL don't get it...

So Sunday was my Daddy's birthday! Yay! Happy Birthday, Dad! My Dad is an awesome guy! From taking time out of his day to teach me how to fix my bike, to patiently teaching me how to drive a manual. He's ALWAYS been there for me. He's a funny guy who can't help but try and make every situation (even the most sad or hard) a better one. I love my Daddy :)

So we spent the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's and had some delicious cake and dutch oven apple pie to celebrate! Well, after all the festivities, my little bro (the Dude) decided he wanted to ride home with me. Everyone else went with Madds.

So I'm driving down the freeway towards home and The Dude turns to me and says "Have you seen The Office?"

... I knew it was going to be a long ride....

Sure, it's a funny show, but I've never been able to just sit down and WATCH it, ya know? It's soooo....dumb.

But there the Dude sat, laughing his head off, telling me just about every episode he could think of at that moment. Half the time I couldn't understand him he was laughing so hard at his own story. I wasn't going to just interrupt his story-time so all I could do was just laugh right along with him.

Which only made him continue telling me more about this bless-ed show...

Somehow, even after that "long" drive home, I still can't quite appreciate The Office.

"...and the one where Dwight did that *blah blah* STUPID *blah* SO FUNNY! *blah blah* (who's Dwight?!) *blah blah*..."

Just a tad bit feverish...

Only 36 more days...

It's gonna be epic...

I'm gonna cry....

(and no, I'm not talking about my mish..just yet..)

HARRY POTTER!!! The final movie comes out so soon!!!

So to be honest, I used to HATE Harry Potter. I know, I know... I'm quite ashamed of it. I think the only reason I wasn't fond of the whole thing was because of the hype. But last summer I decided to just sit down and read them all. Last summer was the beginning of a whole new life for me: I have the Harry Potter fever. I read all 7 books within 6 weeks! I was addicted, and now the fever is starting to rise again.

I love love LOVE midnight showings and I seriously cannot wait to see this one!

Last year's midnight showing for HP 7: Part 1, I decided to "dress up".... but with my own kind of twist.

Since Twilight is HUGE right now, too, I decided to represent both! The bestie and I went to Olive Garden before the showing and that is when I revealed my own "costume"....

With just the magic touch of a sharpie, we were set! Now THIS is what I call my kind of Harry Potter!

So in celebration for this year's movie, I'm trying to think of something clever to wear and/or do.... Hm... Well in the mean-time, I found this awesome pic online.... For the Win!!

Stars 4ever...

This past weekend, the bestie and I went on our last vacation before we both leave (I on my mission and he onto LA). We love roadtripping together and to celebrate the end of the dance-teaching year, my birthday, summertime, and just because, we went to St. George!

The bestie and I never fail to have an amazing time together, whether it be just sitting by a firepit contemplating life, to wandering the aisles of Wal-Mart, to sitting in a hospital lobby drinking chocolate milk and playing games, we ALWAYS have a blast!

So on Saturday after seeing The Little Mermaid (my all-time favorite princess!) at Tuacahn we went stargazing...

Sitting on the car next to my best friend, gazing at the beautiful desert sky, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at all of the blessings I've received because of amazing people like him in my life. I don't want to leave anyone behind. It kind of scares me as I prepare to leave so soon... But I'll stick my chin up and move forward with confidence. Friendships and family relations shouldn't just die because one leaves on a misson..

A big part of my past makes me fear this tremendously. Saying goodbye is never goodbye with me... at least on my end. Am I doomed to that kind of fate again?

Nah. I hope not.

I know that I will be blessed for going on this mission. My friends and family back home will be blessed and watched over. I just don't want to miss anything.

It takes a great leap of faith to leave your loved ones behind. I have faith that all will be well! It just has to be...cuz why not?

This past weekend made me realize how much I'm going to miss everyone back home. (gee... I sound like I'm dying or something! Haha!)

I just have to forget myself and go to work. It's only 18 months! No biggie, right? :)

Called to Serve!

SO.... Wednesday..... :) :) :)

ARIZONA TEMPE MISSION!!

Oh my goodness, I am so super excited to serve in Arizona!! When I first read where I was going about a million things ran through my mind! But the biggest thing of all was the knowledge and an overwhelming peaceful confirmation that this is exactly where the Lord wants me to be. And I couldn't be happier!

I leave August 3rd, which is only two months away! I have the list of all the things I need to bring with me, and for some reason a coat isn't on there! ;) Oh my goodness, it's going to be hot. I heard that three months out of the year the AVERAGE temperature in that area is over 100 degrees! WOWZA!!

I'll be the queen of sunscreen out there. It's becoming the new joke that I'll be known to most of the missionaries as "Sister Sunscreen". Haha! But sadly, it'll be so true :)

I've been asked a lot if I'm truly happy with being called so close to home. To be honest, that kinda hurts! Of course I'm happy! Sure it's nothing exotic, and sure I don't get to learn a language, but I know without a doubt that it's the perfect place for me. If I would feel any different about where I'm serving, then I think I would be serving a mission for all the wrong reasons.

The people of the Tempe Arizona mission don't know what's coming! There are the Apache Indians, the Mexican border, a bit of Cali, and some New Mexico all in there.

The Lord never fails to do what's best for us, even if everyone else doesn't understand.

So if you ask me if I'm truly happy and I say yes, it's because I truly, truly am!!
I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

....WAITING...

My mom just called me and informed me that they have a giant white letter sitting on the halfwall.... from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!!!!!!!

MY CALL IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to wait till I get off work to go home, quickly decorate a cake like the map of the world, and then open it at 7!!!

I'm so not a patient person.... I know that wherever I get called to serve is the perfect place for me. The Lord needs me in a specific place and that is where I'll go!!! (I just don't know WHERE yet!!) I'm hoping somewhere foreign... but then again, I shouldn't hope for anything besides exactly where the Lord needs me.

Okay, I gotta go freak out some more... new blog post to come soon!!!