Moments

Today Harold Hatch spoke in our ward at church.  I really enjoyed his talk.  He read a quote from Elder Neal A. Maxwell that really got me thinking.  

"Moments are the molecules that make up eternity."  

I just loved it.  Then I got to thinking about all of the moments this week.  

Monday morning I went on a trail run with Taffy.  I just remember getting to the end of the trail and being there with my sister and just soaking in the beautiful view.  Great moment.

I made bread this week.  As I worked with the dough I knew it was going to be good.  I pulled it out of the oven and it was the most perfect bread I think I've ever made.  Great moment.  

My dad and I got to go and watch my nephews play soccer up in Afton on Wednesday.  Owen didn't see us before his game started.  As he was running down the field after he had scored a goal he noticed us cheering for him.  He yelled out, "Hi Livi!! Hi Grandpa!!"  Great moment. 

Friday I got home from a branding (thanks again Trev!) and there was a letter for me from Tessa.  I just dropped everything and read it.  She's doing so well and I'm just so happy for her.  Great moment.

Friday night I went with friends up to a roping in Afton.  They roped well and it was so fun for me to be there and watch.  When it was over I told them great job and they were like, "Thanks Liv!"  Just a reminder of how great of friends I have.  Great moment.  

At the roping I got to sit and talk with one of my little friends, Mason.  He reminded me again how wonderful kids are.  They're just so loving and honest and real.  We laughed all night!  Great moment.

Saturday morning I got to help my mom arrange all of her lovely flower pots in front of her greenhouse.  We set them up mixed in with all of the fun, old furniture and equipment that she has collected over the years.  After all the switching pots and moving them back and forth, we finally stepped back and decided we found the perfect balance.  I love doing this each year with my mom.  Great moment.  

Kalbie and I had to take one of our riding lawn mowers to Logan for repairs.  We loaded it, strapped it down, drove there, and unloaded it all by ourselves.  No men minds involved!  It was a good learning experience for both of us.  When we finally got that thing unloaded we both breathed a sigh of relief! haha  Great moment.  

On our way home from Logan we decided to stop and hike to the Wind Caves.  Neither of us had ever been.  We had the best conversations and I was repeatedly reminded about how thankful I am for her in my life.  The hike and the view were beautiful!  Great moment.  

My life is full of moments like these.  Moments that go undocumented.  Moments that get looked over.  Moments that seem unimportant.  BUT, these are the moments that make my life so happy.  Don't get me wrong--I love the big trips, the fun weekends, the picture worthy moments, but nothing quite beats these small, everyday, great moments.  

The Miracle of Mary

After my sophomore year of college I wondered how I was going to go back.  I loved school, but mostly because of my roommates.  They all decided to go on missions and I had no idea who I was going to live with when I returned in the fall.  I was bummed.  

The day I returned home for the summer I got a call from my cousin Mary.  She was heading back to school down there and wondered if I wanted to live with her and two of her mission buddies.  I said yes not knowing it was going to be one of the best decisions of my life.  Here are some of the miracles I have been a part of because of Mary.

I made so many friends because of Mary.  I really realized that last night at her wedding reception.  I was surrounded by people I love and I know most of them because Mary introduced me to them.  

Every since my first day at BYU when I would tell people who I was or where I was from they would ask me if I knew Mary.  They immediately loved me.  

Mary was my first roommate that I had that was super diligent.  She inspired me to be more committed to everything I was doing.

I always want to put people first.  Mary always does put people first.  She is friends with so many and reaches out to everyone around her and makes them feel loved.  

Mary asks the best questions.  When I would see her at the end of every day instead of asking me how my day was, she would ask me what the best part of my day was.  Way better question!  Instead of just responding with "good," I had to reflect back on my day and come up with a good answer.  Another one of my favorite questions of hers was, "What's your favorite thing about ________."  Whether I'd been out with someone or talking on the phone it was fun to answer her question and think about all of the good things about the people I choose to spend my time with. 

Mary is so frugal and thrifty.  I've saved many pennies trying to be more like Mary.

Mary always puts the Lord first.  She always studies her scriptures, prays, attends her meetings, and serves those around her.  You can see it in her eyes, her smile, and her countenance.  She just glows.

Mary got married yesterday and I was privileged enough to be asked to do her hair.  I don't know if she knows how much I really loved doing it or not, but it meant a lot to me.  She was a stunning bride and Ryan is one lucky man!  It was so fun being part of her day. 

Living with and near Mary since I've been at college has been a huge blessing to me.  I'm sure she'll continue to be a large part of my life since we're related and all, and just because she's a great person like that.  I'm so thankful for The Miracle of Mary in my life.  

Me?! Play the Piano??

I started piano lessons in 1st grade and finally got to quit in 8th grade.  I fought my parents about piano practice for at least 7 of those 8 years.  All of my siblings play the piano very well.  All of them are able to accompany people, play the organ (well, minus Sulli), and just respond whenever they are needed to play the piano.  I, on the other hand, have accompanied one song one time.  In Jr. High I had to play "Let the Holy Spirit Guide" for my parents and Sulli and Tessa for one of my dad's high council assignments.  

Well, today my streak of good luck ended.  I was asked to help with the Young Women's lesson and because of all of my siblings' skills at the piano it was assumed that I also played.  When I was asked to play the opening hymn for them I was like oh I don't really play.  The sister just kind of laughed and was like what page number?  I quickly thought of the first song I knew and said, 142.  "Sweet Hour of Prayer."  You guys, I can't even believe I agreed to do that?!  I faced a huge fear and I played the piano in church!  Thankfully I only messed up once!?  It was a huge blessing cause I literally never play since I quit all those years ago.  You can even ask my mom.  

Two 23rd's

When I came to the Philippines I didn't plan on anyone I was with knowing that my birthday would go by while we were here.  Well, on Sunday I became friends with Yet-yet on Facebook, and she found out!  The lovely Ryskamp family and Leo and Yet-yet went out of their way to make my 23rd birthday great!  My day started out by being greeted by these signs when I walked down the stairs.  They had stayed up the night before and made them.  So nice of them! 

The day was fairly normal with school in the morning and then a trip to the beach in the afternoon.  We also had Cebuano lessons, which I love.  

Here's a 23rd birthday selfie at the beach, because I will probably never have a birthday at the beach again, seeing as how my birthday is in January :)

That night, Rix said we were going out to dinner and that I got to choose the place!  I had no idea where to go, so we went downstairs and asked "the guys" (the filipino men who work for Rix) what some of the best places were here to get some authentic food.  They suggested Captain Ribbers, so that's where we went!  It was so fun!  Our plates were these giant banana leaves, and we all kind of shared.  

They brought our food out in these huge platters that had a little bit of everything in them!  I tried it all, and I liked it all!  Even those little fish :)  I felt so brave! 

When we got home I was given these cute birthday flowers.

Then we had a delicious cake that was made and decorated so beautifully by Leo's mom.  Angie bought the candles, and they were awesome!  Seriously, so fun!  Everything was just so great!  

Then the next morning, the 27th here, I continued to receive the birthday love from everyone back home.  I had emails, messages, and Facebook posts all wishing me a happy birthday.  It really is amazing what a kind word or two can do for someone, and I was humbled to be the recipient.  What fun to be celebrated twice :)  

Tessa. My BFF Forever.

It's Tessa's birthday today.  She's seriously the best little sister anyone could ever ask for.  I can not imagine life without her.  Here are some of the reasons I love Tess.  

She always has an awesome attitude, even when times are tough.  

She likes to watch sports with me.  And she came to BYU.  

She has the coolest/weirdest talents.  

 She likes going to concerts with me.

She's always got me laughing out loud.

She has the best booty.

She's my favorite ski buddy. 

 She loves America, and she loves going fun places. 

She went on a million hikes with me and only complained once. 

She accomplishes any goal she puts her mind to.  

Really though--always laughing!

Our names just go together.

She loves hanging out with me and my parents.  

She lets me cut her hair. 

She's just so pretty.  

We have the same brain which often leads to us saying the same things and dressing the same.

 Again...

and again.  

I really don't know what I'm going to do without this girl being there for me basically every second this next year and a half.  I'm so happy for her though and her decision to serve a mission.  She is going to be such a great missionary.  She is going to bless so many lives.  I know that the message she is taking to the people of Argentina is true.  God loves us and has a plan for each of us, and right now His plan is for us to be apart.  I know this is starting to sound dramatic, but people!  She is my BEST FRIEND!  You don't just go without seeing your best friend for 18 months unless it's for a very worthy cause (a mission just so happens to be the only qualification...).  Anyways, happy birthday Tess.  You're the bomb.com.  

The Cemetery Girls

This post is LONG overdue, but I just needed to write a post about three of the most influential girls in my life.  They all have something in common--they were all my work partner up at the cemetery :)  When you spend about 30 hours together every week, just you and them, you get to know each other pretty well!  

Holly and I worked together the first two years.  Boy was it fun!  Neither of us had any clue what we were doing, but we had fun figuring it out together!  We were pretty good friends all growing up, but in those two summers she became one of my best friends!  I was lucky enough to get to watch her fall in love and marry Ryan.  Now she has a baby and lives in Germany?!  Where has the time gone?!  I can't go too long without a good chat with Holly.  Since she's moved to Germany we've had some good skype chats.  I just love her and her little family!  Holly has taught me to never give up--even when there seems no way out.  She taught me to laugh when you want to cry.  She inspired me with her diligent training for her half marathon.  She's a great friend to all, and I'm so glad I was able to spend so many hours with such a great girl!  

She came home for a little bit to bless her baby, and I was lucky enough to get to visit with her and snap this picture :)

After Holly decided she wouldn't be coming back, I was devastated.  I didn't think that I would ever be able to find someone that great to work with.  Then along came Sierra!  In high school Sierra and I referred to each other as "church friends" cause we were besties in our ward, but we both had different best friends.  Well, we became more than church friends that summer.  We did literally everything together!!  The summer started out pretty rough, but we got it turned around.  At the start of each week we would plan all of the fun things we wanted to do, and then we would plan our work schedule around it.  We did so many fun things!  From fishing to shopping, we did it all!  Sierra has such a deep love for our Savior.  She knows that He knows what's best for her, even if it doesn't make sense to us.  Many of our conversations revolved around the Gospel, and she was so good about sharing her testimony with me.  She taught me to love our little valley more than I ever thought was possible.  All summer long we would say we were the same person because we thought so much alike.  Most days we laughed until we cried.  This last month I was lucky enough to be one of her bridesmaids.  I was so excited for her to meet and fall in love with Trevor.  All the heartbreaks were worth it--he's great!  I felt so honored, and I absolutely LOVED getting to spend some extra time with her and her family preparing for, and enjoying the day.  She was a stunning bride, and had the happiest, best attitude the whole day!  What an awesome, inspiring girl!  

Her wedding day was seriously the best!  She didn't seems stressed at all and was smiling to the last minute!  

When Sierra wasn't coming back, I really thought I was in trouble.  I had already lucked out twice, and there was no way I was going to find a third girl that I would get along with that well.  Then along came Kalbie!  I cannot even begin to tell you how much this girl has impacted my life.  When we started work up there in May we had only talked to each other like 3 times.  We were practically strangers.  After the first day, I knew we were going to be great friends!  She is so happy and outgoing and fun!  You can't help but like Kalbie Harmon.  She has that same love for the outdoors as me, and we had fun doing a few adventures together.  We were always thinking about the next place we wanted to go hiking or running.  It's also convenient that she married one of my best friends from high school, cause now I get to see both of them often!  Kalbie taught me about how important it is to constantly be progressing.  She is always trying to become the best person she can be whether it is spiritually, physically, or improving her relationships with others.  She greets everyone with a big smile, and she just makes you feel so loved!  It wasn't unusual to see Kalbie and I talking for another hour after work, because we never seemed to run out of things to talk about.  I'm glad she lives in Cokeville and that I get to see her, but I also love a good phone chat with Kalbie.  She's just so great!

We actually do have a photo of us in nice clothes, but I just like this one better :)  

When I started working at the Cokeville Cemetery in 2012 I had no idea it would have this large of an impact on my life!  I'm forever grateful for these girls and the things I've learned from them.   

"Como un niño pequeñito"

Tonight Tessa planned an awesome FHE "Banana Boats and The Book of Mormon."  So, we made banana boats and shared one of our favorite scriptures from The Book of Mormon.  Everyone's scriptures were so good!  (Imagine that...haha!)  When Tessa told me that this is what we were doing I immediately remembered a scripture I had read in El Libro de Mormon three days earlier.  I had been reading in 3 Nephi when Christ is talking to the people in the America's before he appears to them.  Chapter 9 verse 22 really stuck out to me.  Maybe it was because I finally understood a whole verse, but I just loved it.  I read, "Por tanto, al que se arrepintiere y viniere a mí como un niño pequeñito, yo lo recibiré, porque de los tales es el reino do Dios.  He aquí, por éstos he dado mi vida, y la he vuelto a tomar; así pues, arrepentíos y venid a mí, vosotros, extremos de la tierra, y sed salvos."   

Today I went and read it in English.  "Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God.  Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved."  

First of all, this verse stuck out to me because I am an Elementary Ed major and I love kids.  I think about them all day.  At the start of the verse it says to come unto Him as a little child.  I can not think of any group of people more pure and Christlike than kids.  They are so innocent and they just want to do good.  They truly are closer to God, and I'm so glad I'm going to be able to surround myself with them everyday.  

The second part that stuck out to me was when it said, "for such I have laid down my life..."  Christ died for us that we could have the chance to repent and live with Him again.  He knew that we were going to make mistakes.  None of us are perfect, but He was willing to pay the price so that we could all return to live with our Heavenly Father again.  

I love my Savior.  I know that I can return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father again, but only through the Atonement.  I am far from perfect, but He helps me out all the time.  Almost daily I am able to have an experience with the Spirit, just like the one I shared above.  It's moments like that where I truly feel His love for me, not only from the sacrifices He made for me as He atoned for my sins, but the love He still has for me as He cheers me on and helps me out each day during this journey here on earth.   

My Body

Guys, I figured out my favorite gift.  It was the gift of a body.  My body.  Now, before you think I'm conceited and love my body or something like that (cause I've got plenty of problems with it, I promise!), let me explain to you a little about why I'm so happy with this gift.  

First of all, my body houses my spirit.  My personality, my ideas, everything I think about gets to happen because I have a body.  I get to feel.  I get to love.  I get to hurt.  If I didn't have a body I wouldn't be me (obviously...).

Second, my body works perfectly!  I get to hike, ride my bike, run, jump, play sports, walk, cook food, and the list could go on and on!  Would I love to be more athletic?  Certainly.  Am I grateful for what I have?  Definitely.  It just blows my mind how I can just work my body to the point of complete exhaustion, get a little rest, and go right back at it.  I'm so blessed!  

Finally, by having a body it means I chose Heavenly Father's plan during the war in heaven.  To me, that is the most significant part of having a body.  All of you reading this chose to come to earth and have a body!  You made the first biggest decision correctly!  I'm thankful everyday that I made that choice.  

Sometimes I focus on the negative parts of my body.  Most of the time I wish I was skinnier, or my muscles were more toned, or I had better skin, but when I'm thinking negatively, all I have to do is remember all of the amazing things my body can do!  How did I get so lucky to be given a body that functions properly and allows me to do so many things?! I mean, I can do this everyday:

I was gifted with this body, and I'm going to try to use it the best I can.  I'm going to take care of it.  I'm going to be grateful for it, and try to make my Heavenly Father proud by using it for what He would have me do.  Next time you're feeling down about your body, just think about all of the great and amazing things YOUR body can do! 

To: Dads

Dads are great.  I feel so lucky to be surrounded by men who are great dads.  

Let's start with my neighbors.  Everyday as I ride my bike down the street I see at least one dad out playing with his kids.  The kids are laughing and running, shooting hoops or throwing a baseball.  Making memories with their dads.   It just warms my heart.  

Next comes my bosses and people I've had a chance to work with.  I get to be around these men without their kids, and they still speak so highly of them.  Sometimes they're frustrated with their kids choices, sometimes they don't know what to do, but they're always proud of them.  When they are with their kids they are always trying to make the most of their time.  They are trying to be the best dads they can be.  I know these men love their kids.  

My life just wouldn't be complete without my brothers.  I have three who CHOSE to join our family?!  As well as two who are stuck with us by default.  Four out of five of them are dads now, and they are awesome at it.  They are always supporting their kids in their activities, taking them camping and fishing, teaching them to ride bikes, spending quality time with them, and just being good examples.  My neices and nephews are pretty dang lucky.

Grandpas.  Grandpas are like dads on steroids.  They know SO much and have the best stories.  Nothing quite compares to a grandpa's laugh either.  I've been blessed with two incredible grandpas--one who has passed on and one who is still here.  Both are great men who love their kids, grandkids, wives, and most importantly, the Lord.  Because of their faith and diligence, my family can be together forever.  

Being able to associate with all of these dads now, as an adult, has shed a little more light on to just how much my dad loves me.  I have spent countless hours with my dad--around the dinner table, family scriptures, in the gym, in the mountains, in the car, at the school, in the garden, and the list could go on and on...  He's been frustrated with me.  He's been proud of me.  Most importantly, he's loved me.  

So, on this beautiful day in June, I just want to say thank you to all the dads.  You're awesome, and you're all influencing my life in more ways than you know.  

Livi's Logic #12

When I think of the most beautiful people in my life, it's those that are constantly finding the best in others.  I'm so lucky to live with some awesome girls that are always finding the best in others.  It's contagious!  So, here's to finding the beauty in others, so that I too can be a beautiful person.  

Lessons From My Days in Peru

Today marks two months since I got back from Peru.  I've been back for almost as much time as I was gone (not very long) and it's about time I reflect on some of the things I learned from my trip.  

1. The Church is TRUE!  Some of my most special times while I was in Peru were while I was at church.  The curriculum, the order, the sacrament, the happy people--it was all just like it is here and it was so refreshing. While there I gained an even stronger testimony of our prophet, Thomas S. Monson and his apostles and how they are called of God.  I also gained a greater appreciation for the Hymns and the power of music.  My favorite part of each meeting was singing the hymns in Spanish.  So beautiful.  

 (Where's Waldo?! With the YSA from the San Jeronimo Ward)

2. Kids are the best.  Saying goodbye to these cute little rascals on November 27th was possibly one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  Knowing that I probably wouldn't see any of them again just broke my heart.  They are so full of love and patience.  They never got frustrated with my bad Spanish.  Each time I lost my patience with them, they quickly forgave me.  Their warm hugs and shouts of "Profe-Tee-chair" greeted me each day.  We had so much fun together learning, laughing, brushing our teeth, reading stories, dancing, and so much more.  I understand why the Savior teaches us to become like little children.  They are just so pure and genuine.  I hope to become half as humble, kind, and pacient as the kids at Nuevas Americas.  

3. Everybody has something to give.  The people of Peru work for what they have.  Everyday I saw grandmothers, mothers, and young girls walking up long hills and hopping on and off busses with giant packs tied around their backs.  They did whatever it took to get to the market to sell their goods.  Everyone down there had something to offer.  Husbands spent months and even years working away from home to help support their families.  The youth worked after school was out, earning money to help buy food.  For the most part, people gave what they had to have a good life.  I was very inspired.  

(Her dry, cracked heels were on countless other hard workers as well)

4. I love my family very much.  As I was saying goodbye to my parents in the SLC airport I was somewhat shocked to find myself fighting back tears.  I had been looking forward to this trip for so long!  Why in the heck was I starting to cry?! That was when my mom said, "Isn't it nice to have something so great that it's hard to leave?"  She was so right.  Even though I was setting out to fulfill one of my dreams, it was hard to leave my family and friends.  They're just so great.  While I was gone I got excited about each FaceTime call, each email, and each Facebook message.  Family really is everything.

5. Be thankful.  We are so blessed to live in America.  We have drinkable water.  We have carpet.  We have pretty good sanitation systems.  We don't have a million stray dogs.  We take care of each other.  We have nice vehicles.  We don't have to worry too much about food poisoning or parasites.  We have great hospitals.  We have a great life. 

5. There's more adventurer in my soul than I thought.  While I was down there, I kind of thrived off of doing new things.  Everything around me was new, but I could have easily gotten into a routine and not tried new things.  I tried to do the exact opposite.  I took the public transportation everywhere!  A little sketchy at times--yes!  Culturally educational--you bet ya!  I would try different routes walking home from preschool each day.  I got pretty lost a few times, but I always managed to find a familiar landmark and I got to see a lot of the city that way.  I tried to see all of Peru that I could while I was there (money and time allowing...). I didn't care if I had a buddy to go with me or not, I was going to make the most of it.  At the time, I didn't feel too adventurous, but looking back I figure a young blonde girl, going to Peru --by herself--, finding her way around Cusco, visiting ruins, taking tours in Spanish, and just flat out living in a different country is pretty darn adventurous.  

6. I can do hard things.  You guys.  Learning a language is hard.  It can be frustrating.  It can make you want to cry.  It can also make you cry.  It can also be rewarding.  Spanish is beautiful.  

7. Let your heart love people.  Even though I knew I was only going to be in Cusco for a short time, I decided to love the people I was with.  I grew to love the other volunteers, the people in my ward, the family I lived with, and mostly the kids and Flor.  Putting my heart out there made saying goodbye so much harder, but made my time there so much more worth it.  

This list is not all.  In fact, I'll probably think of 5 more awesome things I learned tomorrow, but it's a pretty good summary.  The trip changed my life.  While I'm still the same Livi, I've learned so much about life, about friendship, and most importantly, about myself.  

My Word

Last year I decided to approach New Year's resolutions a little differently.  I picked one word, and tried to make it one of my character traits by the end of the year.  So, at the end of December I asked my older sisters which word they think I worked on.  After a little prodding they finally guessed my word: Kind.  It was so great for me to focus on being kind to everyone.  I recognized that when I was kind to others I was able to see them as Children of God.  Being kind is still something I need to work on every single day.  

  

Well, this year I've picked another word to add to Kind.  This year is going to be more of a struggle for me, but I feel like this word is perfect for me.  It came to me while I was attending Institute, so it has to be inspired, right?! :)  Hopefully by trying to change myself a little bit each day, I'll become a better person.  

I've had some good talks with one of my roommates, Rachel, about how we need to be constantly changing.  Not necessarily changing our likes or dislikes, our personality or our appearance, but we need to be changing by improving ourselves.  To become more Christlike we need to make small changes daily.  We need to be more willing to heed promptings from the Spirit.  We need to prioritize a little better than the day before.  We need to smile more than the day before.  Luckily for me, I'm surrounded by people that make me want to make the right kind of changes.  They make my want to become a better person.  So, here's to a great year, full of changes for good :)

Sisters

I have THE best sisters.  Thanks to a recent wedding I now have seven of them.  That's quite a few.   Luckily enough, we all get along so great!  I'm second to the youngest of all of us, and I love it.  I learn so much from them every time I'm with them.  I get to watch them be wives, mothers, friends, daughters, and sisters.  They are all involved in a wide variety of things, and they all rock at life.  So, here's the line up of sisters, starting from my first sister, to my most recent.

This here's the lovely Taffy.  

She's the oldest and most likely wisest of us all.  She is an amazing mom of four (soon to be five) kids.  She juggles all of their schedules and still manages to do the things she loves--coaching volleyball and having a beautiful lawn and garden.  She's a very talented piano player and is now going to try her hand at the "wife of a rancher" life.  She's gonna be bomb.  I'm so thankful for her example of looking on the bright side of the situation and trying to take advantage of all the opportunities life offers.  

Next is Tami in all her natural beauty.   

She's probably the most competitive of all of us, but likes playing games the least. (try and figure that one out…)  I envy her ability to look gorgeous with no make-up on and her ability to wrangle four wild boys all day, every day.  She actually tries her pins on Pinterest and is one of the handiest ladies I know when it comes to building things.  She always stays up late chatting it up with us young ones and gives us some of the best laughs.  I'm so thankful for her example of putting her family first and getting along with everyone.

Now for the beautiful Violet Rose.    

Everyone just knows when Vi walks into a room.  She always looks so put together and is always full of life.  She's a people person, and she has the ability to carry a conversation with everyone.  She's always up on the latest fashions and she tries her best to help me out in that department… I'm so proud of her for living the college student life for going on about 10 years now.  She's a champ!  She always makes time to come to Cokeville and visit with us.  I always love going on walks with Vi.  I'm so thankful for her example of patience and her love for the Lord.  

The last blood sista--Tess the mess.

I love this girl.  We have been best friends since we were babies.  She's so fun to be around and can make anybody smile.  She comes up with the best questions to ask people--questions that make them feel a little uncomfortable, but end up making them feel like they're best friends. her personality is infectious.  She is always trying to do what is right and makes me want to be a better person.  She's a hard worker and she's beautiful to boot!  I'm so thankful for her example of always doing what's right, no matter what the circumstances are.  

"Married-in" Michelle comes next.

Because Michelle is from Cokeville, we've known each other for forever.  She's always been so nice to me.  I was the libero on the volleyball team my sophomore year, she was a senior and the setter, and she never gave up on me.  Even if I shanked 3 passes in a row, she still made me feel like she believed in me.  It meant so much to me.  She's an awesome photographer, I covet her skin, my brother is SO in love with her, and she's now the proud mom to a precious little girl.  I'm so thankful for her example of doing what she loves and being flexible.  

Finally, our newest sister, Candace.  

Candace just joined our family on Thursday, and we are pumped about it!  We love her!  She's so spunky and full of life and is game to try anything.  She's an artist and a dental hygienist.  She puts up with Tyson and is one rare person who has the ability to give it right back to him.  Her laugh is contagious.  Everybody loves her--kids to adults.  She's the lone soccer player of the family, but I'm sure she'll get a few converts soon.  I'm so thankful for her example of making the most of your life, even if it doesn't go as planned.  

I think it's pretty easy to see that I am the winner of the best sisters award.  We are all so different, but one thing we all have in common is our love for our family and our love for the Savior.  All of these ladies are trying their best to do what is right.  They all have strong testimonies and are great examples to me of living the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am so thankful for them in my life and so thankful that we get to be together for ETERNITY.