THE MARTIN KIN

Yay or Nay?

2012-02-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

Here is my #1 choice for my prom dress this year. Let me know what you think! Your opinions mean more than anyone else's.

A Visit to Perry Dell Farm

2012-01-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

A Martin Thanksgiving!

2012-01-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

Julia's Christmas Parade Pics

2011-11-20T12:01:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Surprise!!

2011-11-20T10:38:00.000-08:00

New Look

2011-11-19T16:14:00.000-08:00

Sorry I felt the need to give "The Martin Kin" a face lift. It's nice hearing from everyone through the blog even though we pretty much keep up with Facebook and our own personal blogs. I promise to post more on here and hope to hear from everyone soon esp during the Holidays. We love you all!! --Staci

Classic

2011-09-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

This is such a great movie! Just thought I'd remind you. I have a sudden urge to watch this. Too bad our copy is on VHS...

BUTT FACE!

2011-09-15T15:46:00.001-07:00

Thanks for keeping me entertained jules!

Trip to NC...Part 1!

2011-09-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this post is waaaay overdo, I know. I just don't have the patience to upload a butt-load of pictures at one time. So anyway!

We went down to North Carolina in July to visit Matt and Mica, and we had an absolute blast!

I took a lot of pictures, so I'm gonna do this in 2 parts. We spent a lot of time at the beach, and I have to say that it was the most fun I've ever had at any beach.

It was so nice to stay in the Brew's beach house, and the weather was pretty much perfect. We played lots of card games, domino's, and ate lots of yummy food.

I will post more later!

We had a pretty fun ride down to good ole' Greenville. It got boring after a while, so I had to find ways to entertain myself. :)

We come in peace, little duckies.

Woot woot!!

Oh, we love you Mica!

Wuv...twue wuv.

There were some of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen! Ahh, I miss it!

Labor Day at Angel's Landing

2011-09-11T13:53:00.001-07:00

David and I spent the day of da brothers at Angel's Landing and here are some pics:

Whew! Close one

Brotherly Love

The view was totally awesome!

This picture is just a joke, we're not actually falling off the cliff fyi

The top was pretty dangerous, but we made it!

We dropped our supply bag down the cliff, luckily it caught on a branch. I got it while David took my picture

A good day of da brothers.

We only had each other to take the other's picture, so I'm solo in most of these.

Awesome day, thanks again dave for taking me

Road Trip!!

2011-08-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

Road trip baby! woooo! Welp, this is a bit old bu
t I've been wanting to put something on the family blog for a while now, just to say hello to everyone out there. 'bout a week ag
o, August 18th, I started the journey out west, getting ready for school. I was wondering for a while now how I was going to get out to school, and have a car.

So I hooked up with Matt and Luke Duffield for a road trip out west. But I was going to leave about two weeks before school, so now I'm just spending time with Rob,

Staci, and the kids.

But the trip was sweet. From seeing hail storms to a motorc

ycle church, it was a sweet and smooth journey. Equi

pped with snacks and CDs I was ready for the journey ahead. I'm not gonna lie though, that hail storm was freaky, just waiting for the window to cave in on me.

Here are some pics on some stuff. Not too much, but just to let ya all know. We have some beautiful land out here in Colorado, Utah, and others. Kansas is crazy though. Flat land and storms.

Just Some Randomz

2011-08-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

Faith

2011-08-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to make a habit of working on Personal Progress a little each day, and today I was working on the value of Faith.

I was supposed to read a few scriptures, and one of them was Alma 32: 17-43. We're all familiar with the analogy "faith is like a little seed". But when I read it again today, it touched me more than it ever has before.

I especially love where it says in verse 28, "...behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves - It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me."

I really like that because it really testifies to you that this is the only true church on this earth. We've all felt that swelling in our hearts, and that tells us that what we believe to be true...is true.

Time to get healthy!

2011-07-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, family! It is time to change our bad eating habits and our non-existent exercise routines and get back in shape! Or just get in shape, if (like me) you've never really been in shape your entire life.

Except for in Middle School when I played field hockey, but that didn't last very long. Anyway!

I've started a routine for myself, and I am determined to stick to it no matter what! I know everyone says that, but I am serious. More serious than cancer.

My routine:

1. Go to bed early and wake up early, and be consistent about it. (I haven't exactly started that one yet, but I am working on it.) This part of the routine is important because then you won't feel lethargic throughout the day. For example, if you wake up at say...10 or 11 every day, then you feel lazy, am I right?? I'm right.

2. Make sure you don't skip meals. Many people believe that skipping meals will help you lose weight, and that may be true, but it backfires on you. It's not very healthy, and your metabolism doesn't work as fast if it's not getting the nutrients it needs. It's better to eat small meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism going. Plus, in my opinion, it's a lot easier to eat smaller portions than it is to skip meals. I love food too much.

3. Eat lots of veggies and fruits. Little meat and dairy. Little grain. And no sugar. (Ughhh.) I don't really know about this part, I'm just going by what sounds healthy, haha. I've heard that it's healthier to avoid eating too much meat or dairy. But...whatever.

4. And finally, exercise for at least an hour each day. My current routine is doing 35 minutes of Pilates (Pilates for Dummies...works great) and then 30 minutes of speed-walking on the treadmill (while listening to a playlist entitled "Just Do It." Haha.). Today was my second day, and I can already tell it's working! My abdomen is a little sore, and so are my thighs. And I also sweat like a freak during the exercises. Which, I assume, means that it's working. And DON'T weigh yourself more than once a week. Your water weight fluctuates all the time. Just go by what you see in the mirror.

So, I hope this has inspired some of you to kick your bad habits, and start getting healthier.

I also just wanted to post this on the blog in order to motivate me more to reach my goal. I figured that if I post my weight goal on the internet, I can't really back down because now everyone knows about it. Good thinking, right? Right. So here is my goal:

150 lbs

I am NOT, however, going to post my current weight because that is just a liiiiittle too personal. Wish me luck! Actually, pray for me. I'm going to need all the help I can get.

Haircut

2011-06-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Guess who got 5 inches of hair chopped off their head! Meeee! I've been wanting a change for a really long time, and I finally got it done last night. The second I looked in the mirror, I missed my long hair...but!! I love my new look, and I don't regret it at all. It's going to take a LOT of getting used to.

We know how to Party!

2011-06-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

Jenn brought her xbox connect over so we got our groove on. No Rob and I didn't and will not dance but you can enjoy everyone else. Matt was exceptionally great!

reception

2011-06-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

prewedding

2011-06-20T14:34:00.001-07:00

Temple Sealing

2011-06-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

Here is just some of what I captured on Temple day! I was a little sad that the photographer didn't have Mica, my kids and I in any of the pics so you won't be seeing us in these. Enjoy!

(click to enlarge)

Babysitting Miles and Lu

2011-05-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

Jenn and I wanted to spend more time with Miles and Lucy, so we kidnapped them from Rob and Staci which in turn allowed them to have some alone time. We had a lot of fun with them and they had a blast with a different atmosphere. New toys to play with!

The playground

The Tramp

And don't forget to LOOK! A Hela-ca!! Bye, Hela-ca!

(They looked at the helicopter for a good 2 minutes, we couldn't stop laughing)

*Thanks to Jenn for helping me organize this post*

Lake Powell

2011-05-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

Jenn and I went to Lake Powell and LOVED it! It seriously is out of this world. Kinda reminded me of that one movie called "Water World" where everyone is living on a boat. Luckily we didn't run into any Pirates looking for gasoline, cuz we had about 6 jugs of it.

After this mini weekend getaway trip, I've decided to take some more time off coming this August so I can spend a whole week out there! I seriously loved it! Hope you guys enjoy the pics! I know its not much, but I'll be taking a whole lot more in August!

High School Prom 2011

2011-05-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

Yes...I know I said I wasn't going to go to the high school prom, but I was forced into it, I swear! I really didn't want to go, because I knew I wouldn't have fun, and that it would just be a bunch of inappropriate music, dresses, and dancing. And I was right. But to be honest...I did have fun overall.

In my group was my best friend, Becky and her boyfriend Nick, and then me and my date, Tyler Kunkel. But everyone calls him Kunkel.

We "dated" in 6th grade for about 5 minutes, haha. But we've always been really good friends. He was also my date for homecoming last year.

So anyway, we went to Cracker Barrel for dinner. Classy, I know. But we didn't want to go somewhere that we knew would be super crowded.

After dinner, we needed to waste some time, so we decided to go to Goodwill. We looked very out of place. It was fun.

The dance itself was very boring, and I didn't really dance that much at all. The whole time, I kept thinking of "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." Haha. I don't think I've ever felt so out of place in my life. Being Mormon...you're very different from your peers. But I don't mind.

It was also pretty funny to hear about what people did after the dance. Drinking...drugs...all that jazz. We went to Nick's house, sat around a fire, roasted hot dogs and made s'mores. I'm glad I'm not friends with those people. Very glad indeed.

Staci, I wish I could've done what you suggested. About showing up to the dance in jeans and a t-shirt...but you couldn't get into the dance without the proper attire; a gown or a tux. I was a little bummed.

Thanks for the hat, Staci!

2011-05-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

David Jackson????

2011-05-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

Can't Think of a Title

2011-04-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

Alright, people! Here are some pictures from prom. The dinner party thing that I had beforehand was a LOT of fun. There were 7 people there, including myself. We had lots of yummy food, thanks to Mom. The actual dance was fun too, it was Hawaiian themed...of course. There were youth from 4 different stakes. So like...200 people, maybe? I have no clue. Anywho, the only downside was that guys these days do NOT ask girls to dance. It's like we're all hideously ugly and fat. But really, the boys are just dumb. But oh well! Me and my girls still had fun gettin' down on the dance floor!

So, here's the group! Logan Peiffer left early because he had to meet up with his hot date. ;) From left to right, we have Christian Daniels, Mckenna Estes, Me (duh), Desi Anderson, Hailey Lyman, and Jessica Oxborrow.

Christian looks terribly awkward...I have horrible posture...Desi is a creeper...Mckenna's eyes are closed...Jessica can't smile to save her life, and...Hailey is looking in the wrong camera. But still a great picture!

And of course, Mom insisted on getting a picture of my fabulous hair. I must admit, it did indeed look pretty fabulous. Thanks Teri! (Little pieces fell out of the bun throughout the night, though. Guess I was just partying too hard.)

These are two of my closest friends ever. There's Hailey again, and on the right is Cassie Fernelius. Most of you should remember them.

Logan and his date. So cute!

Cassie, Hailey, and me. It's tradition.

Desi is so awesome! She has a few learning and social disabilities that she has to deal with, but despite all of that, she is such a funny, sweet girl. She was so excited when I invited her to our pre-prom dinner party, but she was SO nervous for the dance. But as you can see, she eventually got over her shyness, and had a blast.

Here is Christian, one of the TWO boys in our group. There aren't many priests around here...

So there ya have it! Sorry about the poor picture quality with some of these. The camera was kinda cruddy. I will post more pictures later. There was a photographer at the dance, and she's putting together a website, so I'll try and get some pictures from there. :)

family weekend

2011-04-24T19:05:00.001-07:00

We had a lovely weekend with mom in town. It was like a little mini family reunion. I didn't get any pictures of everyone at Cherylanns :(. Also Laura's bridal shower was fun, good food, cute woman, and gifts. We are excited to see everyyyyone in June.

New Car

2011-04-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

Testing my new baby in the car parking lot. The echo makes it sound more epic! Jenn would make fun of me each time I would use my new keyless entry remote.

Jenn and I =]

2011-04-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

OK so I know you've all been waiting for something like this. I finally gathered up most of the photos of Jenn and I. I've been wanting to post something like this for some time now, but its kinda hard to do when your spending just about everyday with the one you care about sooo much! Some of these pictures go back as far as December of last year. Hope you enjoy! I probably won't explain too much for each photo cuz I have better things to do than Blog =P (There's no particular order!)

We went to Vegas as you can see! We went with Jenn's sisters Rachelle and Annalisa. We were on a "wanna be" Price is Right show and I got my name called! But it was only for some lame Vegas Spending Card, the more you use it the more points you get er something like that. We also went to the Shark Reef Aquarium and Ruth Chris's Steakhouse.

Eating my first "Cram-Bru-Lay" at Ruth Chris's Steakhouse

We could only use one finger to touch the Sting Ray, I did all 5 when the guy wasn't looking...

Male or Female?

Went and saw the Broadway show "Wicked". First and Best Broadway I've ever seen. If that makes sense... Anyways, I loved it and would go again in a heartbeat!

Group Date with one of Jenn's Mission Companions

Jenn's Family at Wicked

Going to see wicked! Jenn's siblings - Ryan and Annalisa

Seeing Jabbawockeez in Vegas. This was the Christmas gift I gave Jenn. She took me to see Blue Man Group in Vegas for my Christmas gift. We couldn't take pics of the Blue Man show cuz we both forgot our cameras... but it was funny how we both got each other tickets to a Vegas show of things we both enjoy.

The night I got my Honda Civic was the same night we went and saw Jabbawockeez. I was very happy of course! Not only because I was going to be with Jenn, but also because I got a new car =]

Lucy's Birthday

Tada!

2011-04-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

First of all, I just wanted to share this beautiful picture with you.

Isn't it cute?!

And now for the main event! My dress finally came today, and I love it so much! I'm so excited to get my hair did, and slip this baby on. There's only two problems. 1) It's wrinkled. Mom can fix that. And 2) The sleeves are waaay too small for my genetically large arms, so Mom's gonna fix that too.

All of this needs to happen before Saturday! It will happen....I have faith.

Extreme Makeover: Martin Edition

2011-04-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, here it is! The new upstairs.

So, here's Christopher's room! The walls are a really light green. Not sure if you can see that in these photos. They used to be a light blue, with an airplane border. Just to remind those who had forgotten what it looked like before. :)

And look at our awesome new futon! Right now, mom and dad are sitting together, watching a movie on the new TV. It's really comfortable. And Dad is loving the new TV.

Sorry about the random spots in the pictures. My camera is kinda cruddy. Or maybe.....they're actually ghosts....

And here is Katy's room! Every bedroom now either has a double or queen bed so that married couples can be together. :)

The walls in this room are a light purple, if you can't really tell. Looks weird in the photos. This room used to be blue, with purple stripes....haha. Oh Katy.

And here is my room! I just chose beige for the walls, nothing special. They used to be green, with a horse border. And there's sweet Sophie!! I think she likes it too.

So there you have it! The upstairs looks so much better! Right now, our painter guy is working on the hallway, so I'll show you that when he's done.

Mom and Dad's room is being done last. I'm excited to see how that turns out.

Silly Girls(Spring)

2011-04-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you all have seen these on FB but I had to post.

This was my absolute favorite shoot so far. The weather was perfect...of course St.Goerge springs are the best, minus the allergies. The theme was "Seasons" and we chose "Spring"...hippies! Guess why this one was my favorite.....b/c my lil Lu got to be a silly girl this time and we did a sweet video!

Prom

2011-03-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

The big day is almost here! That's right people...Julia's very first prom! And it's not just any prom. It's the LDS prom. The one where you don't feel awkward if you don't have a date...because almost NO one has a date. And where shoulders and cleavage are hush hush. Yay!

So here is the lucky winner. This was actually my last choice out of narrowing it down to the top three. But I eventually warmed up to it, and mom said it looked "very glamorous". Plus, the first one was kinda boring and the second one was a wee bit on the pricey side. Anyway. I procrastinated finding my prom dress until just last night, but no worries! It will definitely be here in time.

(Prom is April 16th)

And guess how much it cost.....99 dollars!! Three cheers for frugality!

And here is the color it's coming in. Mom and I pondered and prayed over which color to choose, and we both agreed that purple (they called it "grape") would compliment me the best.

But what I really need your help on (all my sisters out there!) is choosing a hairstyle. I'm pretty sure I want a low bun, with my bangs down. And I'm pretty sure I want the hairstyle that Miley is rockin' in the picture above. And Michelle Williams is gorgeous, so I just threw her in there for shiggles. But I am totally open to any other ideas! Also, jewelry and shoes if you have ideas for those.

Also, I'm still not sure if I want to go to the high school prom. I've been to homecoming once, and if it's anything like that...well...I don't think I wanna go. I'm worried I'd feel really uncomfortable. Also, I don't have a date, so that would make it even more awkward. It's in May, so I need to make a decision soon. So what do you guys say? Should I or should I not go to the high school prom?

...

2011-03-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

I have a secret. I started "something" a few weeks ago....and didn't tell anyone. I had my reasons! I was worried about how things looked and wanted to perfect my "something's" style. The thing is, I haven't taken the time to perfect anything. So no judging! SOMEday I'll make "it" look the way I want it too... For now, it is what it is. Enjoy.

Phew! Feels good to get that out...

Shenanigans

2011-03-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

Mom requested a Silly Girls update. Starting with our first one...

Theme: Mystery Action-The Omega Force

Theme: Movie Genres-Mystery (Clue)

Theme: Summer-Aqua beauties

Theme: Fall-Pumpkin People

Friday Self Portrait-Day of the Dead Skeleton

Theme: Halloween-1900 old photos

Part 2: after death ghost

Theme: Akward family christmas photos-Polygamous family

Friday Self Portrait-Frost

Theme: 12 days before Christmas-Piper pipping

Friday Self Portrait: Glamor-Hollywood Glamor

Glamor shots

Theme: Fairy Tale-Friendship

Fairy Tale Troll

Friday Self Portrait-Working for the weekend

Theme: Harajuku

I am really excited for this year and all the shenanigans planned. Look forward to some hippies, circus freaks, steam punk, and Omega Force part 2!

Temple

2011-01-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas Fun at the Martin House

2011-01-01T16:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from the wonderful 2010 Martin Christmas Celebration!

We had a blast opening up presents from each other. The best gifts were the 72 hours backpack kits that Mica and Matt received. Thanks Mom and Dad!

By the way, it would be fun to find out what everyone received this year for secret Santa. Leave a comment describing what you got and from whom.

Here we are at church, obviously. This may have been the first year that we did not fill up a whole pew at church. Next year will fix that!

We had some fun time relaxing with games, movies, and family time.

Mica blessed us all with her Mexican cooking skills. She made some homemade enchiladas, Mexican rice while Mom made a delicious cilantro-lime dressing for the salad. Mica made two extra pans for the family to freeze. Maybe we can enjoy those saved pans for next Christmas!

And finally, Sophie was upset that her room was stolen for a week. Here you can see her attempting to break back in.

Meow-meow!

2010-12-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

Someone's excited for Christmas...

M&M Halloween

2010-12-01T06:21:00.000-08:00

Hey there! Remember October? You know, the month that isn't THIS month...or LAST month... Well, here are some pictures that were taken at our friends Halloween party. Matt and I didn't want to spend any money on costumes, so naturally I thought we should go as "pregnant friends". Matt was such a trooper. I love him. He let me dress him up, stuff his chest AND put makeup on his beautiful face. Enjoy!

Our costumes won 2nd place!

When we got home I wanted a few more pictures of Matt...because he looked so pretty:)

Okay. I'm not going to lie. I was really, REALLY excited about putting mascara on Matt. The thing is, it was sooo hard to do! I could never be a make-up artist! His lashes look kind of stubby here but they're not! They're the opposite of stubby!! They're lusciously full and long! Oh, well...ignore my face in these next few pictures. Matt's faces are priceless.

Cruise Teaser...

2010-11-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

We're back!!! We had a wonderful, unforgettable and delicious time on our Caribbean cruise. After two days in, our camera broke:( Fortunately, Danny Brew (our generous friend who made this cruise possible) brought an extra camera. He kindly let us use it during the remainder of our trip. We've yet to retrieve the pictures from it. Until we do, here's something to look at to get you excited.

Shhhh...

2010-10-27T18:24:00.000-07:00

David is getting Old

2010-09-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

Costume Ideas

2010-09-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! It's your favorite little sister, Julia here.

Okay, so over the past few days, I've been thinking a lot about what I should be for Halloween this year. But I can't think of anything good! I want to be able to create it with things I already have at home. (And things I could buy at Goodwill or something.) So, any ideas??

I kind of have one idea. A mime. I thought that would be really cool. The only thing is that I would have to find the right clothes. And buy makeup. So yeah...just give me any suggestions you might have. I'm all ears! (Haha...get it? Cause mimes can't talk?...)

The only rule is that it can't be anything gorey and I can't wear a mask. That's just because of the little kids at church.

This is kind of a wierd advertisement but...I like what she's wearing. And her makeup, too. Plus, the little baby mimes are really cute.

Hey! Maybe Lucy can be a little mime! Yes? No? Okay...

I Survived!

2010-09-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

Okay! I lived! Here's pretty much what happened:

They knocked me out, then I woke up about 2 minutes later (in my mind, but it was really like an hour). I was a little confused at first, but then I figured out where I was and what was happening. Then the nice nurses helped me into a wheelchair and rolled me into another room where they sat me in a recliner to wait for mom. While they were doing this, Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles came on the radio and all I wanted to do was sing! But I couldn't, because I couldn't even feel my mouth. My cheeks, my chin, my bottom lip, my gums, and my tongue were completely numb. When I touched my face, it felt like I was touching the face of a dead person.

But anywho, I was so flippin' tired, I couldn't keep my eyes open. But then mom walked in, along with one of the nice nurses. I was so happy to see her, I couldn't help but smile! She came over, sat down next to me, and gave me a lot of lovin'. (You know mom.) I was like, "I'm so sleepy". Then I told her I loved her. Don't really know why, though...kinda random. But as I looked around, I noticed that I had an IV in my left hand (which was kinda bloody...so we were guessing that they probably missed a couple times), one of those pulse-taking things on my left pointer finger, and also one of those blood pressure thingies around my upper, right arm. Apparantly (and I vaguely remember this) I kept looking at the IV in my hand and giggling.

Then finally, we were on our way home! But we had to stop at CVS first to get my drugs. So while mom was inside, I waited in the car (of course). But about 10 minutes later, I started to get really frustrated. The car was getting hot, people who walked by kept looking at me funny, the taste in my mouth was unbearable, and my throat was really dry because I hadn't had anything to drink for about 11 hours. I kept thinking, "She's never coming back!!". It was only like 15 minutes, but I about died. I was slowly loosing my mind.

Finally, we were home!! I just plopped on the couch and we started watching the movie we had rented, Remember Me. It was alright. Kind of a dumb story though. The ending was good. But anyway, my face was so numb that I could barely sip water through a straw. Plus, it was really gross because of the nasty taste in my mouth. But then, after a while, I was able to down some applesauce and some oatmeal. Then I had my drugs and I was happy. I also tried watching Sherlock Holmes, which we rented as well, but ended up falling asleep. I woke up about 2 hours later, refreshed and no longer numb! Hooray! That was a relief.

So now...here I am. I have a bag of raspberries held up to my face with my shoulder. It feels good. This whole thing really isn't as bad as everyone said it was going to be. Although, I'm guessing that the second day is worse than the first. I guess we'll just have to see. All I have to say is, God bless the people that created Motrin and Vicadin. Seriously. (Although, they're most likely dead now. Oh well.)

Back in the day...

2010-08-29T12:40:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I know this is really late but...Happy Anniversary mom and dad!! (I also just wanted to put something else up so we wouldn't have to look at the poopy pictures anymore.)
Here's a photo of them on that most special day, 31 loooong years ago.

Doesn't mom look absolutely beautiful? And dad looks so dashing in his sweet tux! (I love the frilly stuff on the front.)

Sophie's Gift to Us

2010-08-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

Today, I was just chilling at the computer, when all of a sudden I hear Katy scream from upstairs. I yell, "What?!" (I thought she was being kidnapped or something.) And she says, "Sophie pooped on the floor again and I just STEPPED in it!!" So I go up and I see Katy standing on one foot with cat poop smeared on her heel. How lovely!! (Not to mention that the smell was unbearable.) But I just started laughing.
She was like, "I smelt it......and then I felt it."

This is probably the third or fourth time Sophie has pooped on the bathroom floor in the last week or so. (And compared to the others, this is nothing.) Mom thinks it's the kitty treats we've been giving her. But we stopped that a few days ago and she's still doing it! So this time I put it in a little sandwich baggy to take to the vet so they can see if anything's wrong with her.

I know....that's really gross. Sorry.

Williamsburg, Baltimore, and Waynesboro

2010-08-24T18:06:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from our visits to Williamsburg, Baltimore, and Waynesboro. We hung out with my old roommate Brian Wall and his wife Katy. They were the best host and hostess. Brian is finishing his third year of law school at William and Mary. Katy just got a job helping with the history tours. It was great to see them especially since they may be in Scotland this time next year!

Next, we swung up to Baltimore to see an old high school friend of mine, Jay Rossman, and his lovely fiance Ann. They showed us around town and Jay and I got to catch up with each other. It's probably been 8 years since I've seen that guy. Great visit to Baltimore! You can see all the pictures of the harbor we took. For some reason, I completely forgot to get a picture of Jay and Ann!? We did have a sweet time at the Science Museum though where I excavated some bones while Mica got comfy with a triceratops.

And then finally, the family. We spent time with them in Gettysburg. The best part was hearing the Union band play Civil War era music and then eating at the Dobbin House in the basement. Or maybe my favorite part was eating delicious Italian ice cream at Rita's and then feeding bread to some friendly ducks. Hard to decide because it was all so much fun! Thanks family for a wonderful weekend! Can't wait to see you guys again!!

Red Wood Forrest BEAUTIFUL!

2010-07-23T16:46:00.001-07:00

Family Time in Stockton

2010-07-23T16:16:00.001-07:00

San Fran

2010-07-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

picnics in the rain.

2010-07-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

The past three days have been spent slipping in the mud, dances, rain, bathrooms, swimming with our clothes on, and many other things. It was finally time for Youth Conference. We went up to Palmyra, New York for some of the sites and also the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Here are just a few pictures of me and my friends. Some are from the dance, dinner, goofing off together, and also some of us at our host family's house. It was an amazing time. It rained like crazy on us while we were up in Palmyra seeing the pageant and touring all the sites. But still you can't deny the spirit that we all felt. And of course the fun we had being together :D

This last picture here is of me with the kids in our host family. From the left it's Tori, Dylan, Lily, and then Sabrine (lil bean) in my arms. I love these lil guys, the whole family is amazing. I fell in love with them very quickly.

Summertime ♥

2010-07-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

Elder Martin...

2010-06-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Chicago!

2010-06-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

Alright, so this was a while ago, but here are pictures from our band trip to Chicago this past spring. Sorry it took me like 18 years to finally post these. I just didn't feel like it. Plus, there are so many. And because there are so many, I just put them into a bunch of collages. Enjoy! At the Navy Pier, which was this street next to Lake Michigan with all these little shops and restaurants where we shopped and ate. We went to the Shedd Aquarium. Then we went shopping. And yes, my friends bought underwear. And later that night, we went and saw Yo-Yo Ma perform with the Chicago Symphony. It was amazing! But, unfortunately we couldn't take in cameras. Dang it. A tour of the city. Cubs stadium, pidgeons, wierd statues, parks, Harpo Studios, NBC Studios, some more tall buildings... This was our first day in Chicago. All of us looked like crap because we hadn't had time to shower or get ready or anything yet. We didn't even go to our hotel until that afternoon. We visited the Sears Tower, took a boat ride, and ate dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (among other things). We ate lunch here our first day. Deep dish pizza...Chicago style!! So good!

The Sears Tower. So much fun! It's 103 stories tall. It was insanely scary to look down from the very top. Just the thought of it was terrifying. They had these glass boxes where you could stand and see all the way to the ground.

But, unfortunately, it was too cloudy to do so. It was still pee-your-pants scary though.

Semi-new Appliances and Such

2010-06-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

I realized today that a few of you haven't seen our new appliances and things yet. So...here they are! As you all know, we have been in desperate need of these things for a long time and let me tell you...it was worth the wait! We are all enjoying them greatly. Mom especially! The fridge! This thing is awesome. There is so much more room than the old one. The only thing I don't like is that it's not magnetic! Who ever heard of a fridge that is not magnetic. Oh well.
Our awesome Kenmore Elite stove/oven. And our dish washer. (It's actually a couple years old but some of you haven't seen it so.....) Oh, and there is Katy on the laptop watching one of her many shows. Looking absolutely bored out of her mind. I think she was watching "Angel".

Our beautiful 61" Samsung television. Also our Blue-ray player and computer. (It's a bit dusty.) Daddy is pretty much in love. The most comfortable pair of sofas you could ever place your rear-end on. And they recline too! While mom is quietly enjoying her book, she's thinking, "No more wooden couches with crappy cushions! Woo-hoo!" Oh, and a new coffee table too.

Well, there ya have it. Can't wait 'till we can all enjoy a movie together on our huge screen! Love you all!

-Julia

Happy 30th!

2010-06-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

A week later sorry I'm just now posting this. Rob's 30th Birthday was a fun day for him. Turning old is hard but that doesn't mean it can't be fun! I threw Rob a surprise bday party and it turned out to be pretty AWESOME! He was totally surprised and he said it was the best birthday he has ever had. Mission accomplished!

The gift that keeps on giving. One of the best shows EVER. It's so fun to go back and watch it again.

Congrats Graduate!

2010-06-10T06:01:00.000-07:00

Faith and Hope

2010-05-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

I was reading the scriptures this morning and came across these wonderful verses about faith. Lately..(actually for most of my life)..I've been frustrated with the world and many of the people in it that just don't seem to care about anyone but themselves, not even their families. It's disheartening, and actually kindof scary. But when I read these verses, I was comforted and was reminded that Christ will come again..and he will make things good again.

"For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled."

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

-Ether 12:3-4

Horizon

2010-05-25T16:39:00.000-07:00

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life, you will have been one of these.

-George Washington Carver

Always and Forever

2010-05-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

I can't imagine my life without Matt. I love him so much.
Here's just a few reasons why...

He reads to me
He carries me to bed almost every night
He sings and dances everyday
He loves the gospel
He loves his family as well as mine
He loves the field he's going into
He's tender and patient with me
He offers to help when I cook
He takes out the trash
He kisses me before he leaves for school
He kisses me as soon as he comes home from school
He cuddles with me
He holds me when I cry
He takes care of me when I'm sick (like right now...)
To him, I never have "fat days"
He sees the cup as half full instead of half empty
He's consistent
He's a true gentleman
He makes me smile and laugh everyday

Matt is my better half. I feel so happy knowing I'm his and he's mine for all eternity.

Light of the World

2010-05-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 8:12

Unexpected Beauty

2010-05-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

This is actually a weed, but I thought it was really pretty. (And sorry I didn't post the past three days...) Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.

-Groucho Marx

Fly Away

2010-05-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

Come to the edge.

We might fall.
Come to the edge.

It's too high!

Come to the edge!
And they came,

and he pushed,

and they flew.

-Christopher Logue

Paradise

2010-05-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

Alright, so a while back (maybe a week or so) I went out and took some awesome pictures of our beautiful yard! There are quite a few. So, I thought I would just post one picture each day.

Flashback

2010-04-26T18:35:00.001-07:00

A while ago, my friend and I did this thing online called Yearbook Yourself. You've probably heard of it. Anyway, what you do is you get a picture of yourself and place it in these old-time photos that they give you. It's pretty interesting to see the results. These are just a few of them, the best ones anyway. In some of these I think I look a lot like mom! Oh, and sorry you can't click on them to enlarge them. I don't know why that isn't working.You could also have pictures of multiple people. Some of them were couple photos so I chose...Zac Efron!
I look like David!!

A Night in Paris

2010-04-24T11:35:00.001-07:00

Well, last weekend was our annual LDS prom. Dad was my date and Katy went with a bunch of friends. It was a ton of fun! The theme was "A Night in Paris".

Katy and Chi Reyes.

Me and Hailey Lyman.

Me and Cassie Fernelius.

Emerald Isle, North Carolina

2010-04-18T06:50:00.000-07:00

We stayed in a beach house during conference weekend and had a blast! This is the Eason family, our new BFF's in NC. The first night we were there they laid out a spread of shrimp, corn cobs, and sausages for dinner. And there were no plates or utensils! Such a fun idea.

While on the beach, I tried out "skimboarding" which is a type of surfing that uses a very small amount of water on the beach. It's kind of tough to pick up but it was fun. Mica put her foot on the board ... and then decided to take pictures instead. :)

On Saturday, we participated in an egg hunt with the Easons. I helped Tony, the dad, hide the eggs. The kids found all the eggs except for one which, to this day, I have no idea where it is. And I'm the one who probably hid it! Finally, the last picture is a far away shot of the house we stayed in. It's a beautiful, large beach house that is right on the waterfront (it's the yellow one). We wish we would have taken more pictures because it was so much fun to stay there. Thank you for having us Eason family!!

Fun with Mother Heinzen

2010-04-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from a recent visit (a month ago - yeah, I know, we're kind of slow on the posts) from Mica's mom, Alex. She came to see her daughter who lives so very, very far away (thanks to me) and we loved having her!

While she was here she converted Mica (and me, consequently) to a new "nutritional lifestyle". We now eat salads that are as big as my face. But, hey, I feel better already! It's actually been nice eating more earthy foods. We've tried to cut out as much processed wheat and sugar as possible. I'm trying to cut all ice cubes out of my diet as well.

Here is our new produce-friendly refrigerator. We are still trying to decide whether or not to use only hormone-free meat and milk. It's actually an ongoing debate that Mica and I are having. I think that I am losing.

And then here's our new trundle bed. It has two mattresses. One is underneath that you can pull out and hook up to the other mattress for a double bed. This is where Alex stayed and YOU can too if you come and visit us! Mica and Alex found some great colors to spice up the bed. Blue and orange are my fav colors.

Mr. Bean Goes to the Swimming Pool

2010-04-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE FOR LAUGHS!

To Lucy

2010-02-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

Here's a cute little video I made for Lucy the other day. Sorry if you don't like country music....cause I do! Haha. Hope you like! Love, Aunt Julia

New Hair CUT!!!! Hope you like it cause I Sure do!!

2010-02-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

Before...

AFTER!!!

And YES i took these pictures in my bathroom!!

First snowfall in Greenville, NC

2010-01-31T07:25:00.000-08:00

We had our first snowfall in G-ville this past weekend. It's a pretty big deal here to get snow and ice. The town pretty much shutdown Saturday morning as the sleet and snow fell. But Mica and I decided to brave the weather and attend a book sale at the local convention center. Here I am in my winter gear and scruff posing next to the sign.

There were tons of books that had been donated to the library or removed from the shelves to sell. They ranged from mysteries to travel to food to philosophy. And they were super cheap! We got seven books for $7.

Mica has gotten into science fiction recently and so we got this fat book full of short sci-fi stories. I got a psych book, a self-help book, and a travel book. Mica got Treasure Island, Red Badge of Courage, and a children's book that she grew up with: David's Waiting Day. Now we'll put them on our shelves and never read them. Just kidding!

Here's our lovely parking lot complete with cars and snow. Nothing was plowed in the whole city and I mean nothing! I don't think anyone in Greenville even owns a plow. It seems like we'll just have to wait for it all to melt!

After the book sale, we went to the Unnatural Resources showcase. They presented various art projects made from junk materials like bottles, cans, scrap metal, and old shoes. I love this tin man with the stubby legs and arms. My favorite, though, is the castle made out of cardboard carton-stuff.

This is Mica's favorite part. Here they (and when I say they, I mean the kids from various elementary schools) used old shoes to decorate junk materials with. Some of the shoes you can barely recognize!

OK, so this is obviously a door/floor mat. BUT, can anyone guess what material was used? The first correct response gets a free hug from me the next time I see you. :)

And finally, here is the best use of junk material at the showcase. Read the title on the card to see what it is. Pure genius!

2010-01-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

OK, it's about time we had something different on this family blog!

Here are some pictures from Antonio and Alicia's wedding in Sacramento, CA on December 29th. Mica and I were there to represent the Martin side. It was a beautiful ceremony although I caught Antonio giving a fat yawn halfway through the sealer's talk!

Antonio had a killer tie for his wedding. Alicia was absolutely beautiful! The reception later that night was a lot of fun for me because it was a little reunion with the Wilson and Rawlins side of the family. Just between you and me, I would not mind living in Stockton or Sacramento at all because we'd be living close to both sides of the family!
Here I think Mica looks radiant and beautiful. But, as for me, I've got that preppy look down cold although I've got to do something about that hair.
Oh, and here's Paul and Emily's adorable baby, Lydia. She is so sweet looking!

Winter Wonderland in Pennsylvania

2009-12-20T08:45:00.000-08:00

For the past two days it had been a real winter wonderland for us here in Pennsylvania. It began to snow on friday night and continued to heavily snow for the rest of the night and did not stop until saturday evening! All events have been cancelled including church and the choral concert. But we have all been busy with cleaning and baking! We now have tons of goodies waiting for people to come and eat them (aka laura!). We all can't wait for Christmas to come along and spend some time with Laura. And for the first time in a long time it will be an actual white chirstmas here! Hope everyone is having a great winter experience as well.

love you all, Katy

Mommy baking some Christmas goodies
Snow in the backyard, it's over a foot deep :D

Daddy plowing the driveway free of snow

HAPPY 5TH ANNIVERSARY ROB and STACI!!

2009-12-18T14:47:00.000-08:00

You guys bring so much joy to the Martin family!!! Congratulations on 5 years! haha and yes i love this picture of you too...made me laugh out loud!

All-Time Favorite Youtube Videos

2009-12-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

Click on My top three favorite Youtube videos!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w87N32DChc4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtkU2ch0sRI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n79jSzKA0L8

Please share YOUR favorite Youtube videos!!!

Looking Perfect: Just not all it's cracked up to be and apparently DANGEROUS

2009-12-01T14:02:00.001-08:00

"Miss Argentina dies from cosmetic butt implants; plastic surgery complications"

I'm very sad for her and her family's loss. But SERIOUSLY!!! Society has gone WAAAY too far in trying to become perfect. People are risking their lives to have perfect bum's, faces, stomachs...you name it, it has been worked on. So ridiculous!

Scout Hike

2009-11-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

I've decided to finally get my Eagle Scout award! But I was told by the Boy Scout Council that I have to start all the way back in Cub Scouts again. Ha ha! Just kidding. No, my church calling is the Webelos Den Leader. This past Saturday we went on a hike to pass off some requirements. These boys are fun but crazy. Lots of talk about video games. I almost want to tell them, "Stop playing video games! Get out while you still can!!"

Here are some quality photos of the hike.

The first one at the top is me with the four Webelos in my den. We all made walking sticks that morning for the hike. They used them mainly for hitting things and people. If any of you have read Lord of the Flies then you might think the kid in yellow with the glasses looks like Piggy! No one pushed him off a cliff though.

This second picture is of the whole group. The girl is the daughter of the Pack Leader.

And here we have a lovely fire that I had to monitor the entire time. The last thing I wanted was a brush fire. In fact, that field behind us is a cotton field. Not the most flame-resistant piece of land.

One more thing: if anyone can tell me what Webelos means, you get a gold star for today! I found out, for the first time, just a few months ago!

Happy Halloween!!

2009-11-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

So each year I'm never really satisfied with my costume. This year I think I actually did pretty well. Here's some pictures from Friday night at a Halloween party. The picture right above (Cambria- doll, Me-sexy cat :), Emily- pirate, Tasha- Nacho Libre)

Japan, Getting Lost, and Dancing til the Night Ended

2009-10-26T16:28:00.001-07:00

Homecoming this year was a BLAST! from the past...literally. I went with an old friend Michael Mowen, who graduated last year, and whom i haven't seen in a long time. We ended up going together because i had finally decided to tell him how i felt about him, blah blah blah, anyway hahaha, jk. We hung out a lot during the past month and I finally asked him if he wanted to go with me. We went together and it really was a magical night for me. My group and myself went to a Japanese Hibachi restaurant...I had never been to a place like this and it was a crazy experience! When the chef first lit the fire, i actually squeaked and covered my face it was so bright and hot! The show was amazing and the food was even better. After that we of course went to the dance. It was a lot of fun and I really liked the music. All in all it was an amazing night and I'm really glad that I was able to go with Mike.
True story: we actually did get lost, but don't worry I didn't hit him. hahahaha
just silly lil me Our Studs
Just shows how comfortable we are with eachother & how much fun he is to be with!
*SHOCK* when I saw the speed we were going! (just kidding mom and dad)
~Me and Mike~

Fall is the greatest time of the year~

2009-10-05T22:08:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to.....
Dad, David, Katy, Julia, Staci, Chris!
Happy Birthday to you!

What were your favorite snacks growing up?

2009-10-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

Remember your favorite snacks growing up? Some of these snacks aren't around anymore in stores. But it's been fun to think all my favorite snacks that I had in my lunchbox or an after school snack. You guys should add what your favorite snacks were growing up too....This will be fun!! Take us all back memory lane!

Spiritual Thought

2009-09-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

Hello eternal family! It's your favorite youngest sister....Julia!! So this afternoon, I was watching videos on lds.org and got this awesome idea. I am going to post a spiritual thought every sunday. Yay! It could either be a powerful scripture that stuck out to me that week, a video I saw, or whatever. But anyhow, here is a wonderful video that I saw on lds.org that really touched me. Actually they all touched me! lol, but you know what I mean. And I'm not really sure why, but it doesn't work when I try to post it on the blog using the embed code. So you'll just have to watch it on YouTube. Enjoy! xoxo

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF01BQAcj8E

I'm getting my Gallbladder out yay!

2009-09-17T07:08:00.000-07:00

So I'm scheduled for Friday morning to get my gallbladder removed because I have yucky gallstones and it's causing my liver to be sick as well. Once I get my gallbladder out my liver will be perfectly happy and I won't be staring at dark orange urine in the toilet anymore..haha! I'm going to American Fork Hospital. Dr. Peugh is my or one of my surgeons. It's a 30 min procedure. And lucky enough I was able to find me a chauffeur and the lucky winner is Hannah Michalsky! Wish me luck everyone!

Awesome Video

2009-09-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! This is Julia. Last night I was just watching some random videos on YouTube and I thought it would be cool to see videos of people getting their mission calls. Well I got to this one and, of course, I immediately thought of Chris and got emotional. So I just thought I'd share this with you to put a smile on your face. Enjoy!! :)
Carpenter Twins Mission Call

Oregon Wedding~

2009-08-17T23:46:00.001-07:00

I went to Oregon(my dream state) a couple weeks ago for my cousin's wedding. Seriously of all the weddings including the two million dollar weddings this one beats them all. It was at my grandma's sister's (Aunt Beth) home. Her home has always been our "secret garden" such a magical place and so many wonderful memories!
This is when you first walk into her home. My Aunt Beth planted every single flower in this garden on her own. She is amazing!

You can get lost in her garden..there are so many paths, hide a ways, and beauty

When it got dark that is when the real magic happened. They had lanterns/candles hanging in all the trees, candles surrounding the whole pond and floating on the water.

My cousin Erika, the bride. She is Japanese and had a lot of Japanese traditions in the wedding ceremony.
Me and all my cousins, and of course my Aunt Beth who made this wedding so wonderful!
Yes I know a cheesy pic of Steph and I in our favorite tree.....fyi all pics provided by Steph!

More Pics...

2009-08-17T00:43:00.001-07:00

The fam!

2009-08-16T12:08:00.001-07:00

Happy Graduation!

2009-08-16T12:03:00.001-07:00

Summer Reading!!!

2009-08-02T16:32:00.000-07:00

So I've dragged my butt into the library and finally got myself a library card a couple months ago! It's been an absolute blast getting back into reading! I use to love reading growing up but then it was interrupted by annoying teachers making you read and writing book reports on them. Thus, I started to not like reading. Before long, I was in college. I never had time to read. I never really wanted to read because textbooks take up enough reading as it is. So my goal this summer was to get back into reading. I started to read a couple of books and absolutely loved it. Although, every now and then I would get antsy for some reason and don't have enough patience for reading. My friend travels a lot and listens to books on audio. I thought I'd try it out and I've become addicted. I love audio books because then I can get so many other things done. Mainly I listen to audio books when I"m getting ready for the day which HAH takes me an hour so perfect for listening while I make myself presentable for the day. So here's the books I've read/listened to this summer. Let me know about the books you guys are reading. I would love some suggestions!

The Blonde Theory by Kristin Harmel
This book is interesting. It has a good ending and I believe it's quite women empowering.

The Messenger by Jan Burke
This book is quite good! It's about a young man with a secret and has a bit of romance in it but mostly adventure!

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
This is also a movie now with Kristen Stewart from "Twilight".

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
I loved this book. It's about an odd girl that moves to a new school that wears interesting clothing and sings and plays a ukulele in the cafeteria. It's quite funny and it's a really cute story about being yourself and not caring about what others thinkMy Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Excellent book! Highly recommend it to anyone. I had no idea what to expect in this story but it has some great surprises in the book that keeps you hooked. It's well written. She writes from different standpoints of the characters in the book.

Right now I'm listening on audio "Memoirs of A Geisha"
I thought I would be bored listening to this because I've already seen the movie. I was totally wrong! So well written. It's probably the most interesting book I've read this summer.

I'm also working on Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates but I've barely gotten into it.

Semi-Professional Matt

2009-07-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

I recently asked a friend of mine to take some professional head shots of me with his pretty cameras. I thought it would be nice to have a high quality picture of myself in case I need it for applications and such. So my friend and his wife showed up Tuesday morning with two poster boards and a reflector. They used the poster boards and reflector for some sweet lighting.

Now, I need your help. Take a look and let me know what you think. At first, it was so weird to see professional pictures of myself and I actually didn't like any of them at first. But here are eight shots that I like so far. Let me know which are your favorites. My friend said that he would be willing to retake the pics. By the way, this is my friend's hobby. He's not a real photographer but he's got some nice equipment. Personally, I like most of the shots but it seems like my head got cropped off too much. But the lighting is nice. Let me know what you think!

Ireland At Last

2009-07-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

OK, some of you may recall that I visited the Emerald Isle two months ago. Well, finally, here are some pictures. I hope you enjoy!

Here I visited two magnificent sites in Ireland. The first is an ancient burial mound on the east coast of the island near Dublin. This burial mound is estimated to be older than the pyramids. You can see us walking around it. The second is the Giant's Causeway which is a natural volcanic formation along the northern coast of Ireland.

These are the famous cliffs of Moher along the northern coast. It was a windy day. But what a view! There's a random castle tower on the edge. You can see it there. I think it was built for a dwarf.
Here are some pics with other Singers. The top left one shows me and some guys eating our first traditional Irish dinner. The top right one shows me and another tenor at the top of a castle. That castle is older than our country. :)
Some more beautiful castle shots. I loved exploring the castles. This one is called Blarney castle. There's a legend about a stone located at the top. If you kiss it, you're blessed with the gift of gab. I kissed it but I'm still shy!
Here are some random pics. The top left is the Queen's University in Dublin. The rest are other shots in other Irish towns. I really enjoyed the feeling of being some place that is so old and full of history. Lots to see and do.

And finally, some shots of Church History sites in western England. The top left and bottom right are pics of the Hill Farm where Wilford Woodruff baptized some of the first members of the church. The church doesn't own the farm but instead just purchased some land surrounding the baptismal pond. The family who owns the farm are compensated by the church to maintain the property. The other pics show the first LDS chapel in the world! This tiny chapel though isn't used anymore but is filled with a nice little museum.
I have tons more pictures but I'll have to save them for a holiday when we're altogether and I can put them into a long slideshow that will make your eyelids heavy.

Panera Bread~

2009-07-16T20:05:00.001-07:00

As you all know my favorite places to eat is "Panera Bread" and my favorite thing to order is their broccoli cheddar soup, because it's the BEST SOUP IN THE WORLD! I was so excited to find the recipe online and tried it out for myself. DANNNNG was it good! I'm so proud of myself it was my first soup and it was probably the easiest thing I have ever made. I can't wait to make it again and again. So I was just too excited to share my new achievement with the ones I love!

EFY~2009

2009-07-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

This past week I was at EFY, SVU. It was a wonderfully, amazing experience. I can't even begin to tell about everything that happened. But it was also a very spiritiually uplifting week for me. I made lots of new friends and learned many new things about the Church. It was also a real treat being able to stay at SVU like a real student. Kind of gave me a little insight of what college will be like and i can not wait! Here are some pics from EFY. I hope you all like it. And hopefully i can go again next year. :D

i just thought that this was so cute! i had to take a picture of it.
with one of my roommates Kamilla, she and i were able to get really close during efy.

a lot of us got these AWESOME sweat pants. they are soooo comfortable!
The Entire Group: Might Be was our name

I miss these people so much.
My nickname that week was Kickbutt Katy.haha
we were stoked after we had won a game against everybody else at efy
just some crazy people that i love from EFY. haha
my two awesome roomies! Kamilla and Sarah

MIGHT BE...WHAT?...MIGHT BE THE BEST!

North Carolina House Huntin'

2009-07-12T13:20:00.001-07:00

OK, it's time to update this blog. But, unfortunately, we didn't take too many pictures! :(

Here are two pictures of me and Mica outside our new residence in North Carolina. We spent all day Friday July 10th with Mom and Julia looking at apartments and townhouses. Personally, I wanted to find a townhouse because I've lived in apartment complexes for most of my BYU life.

We also wanted to find a place that had at least two bedrooms because we're not sure what bundle of joy may fall into our laps during our stay . ;) We also wanted a clean place overall with an open kitchen. Neighborhood was very important to us. There were some places that we didn't even check out after seeing the surrounding area. Yikes!

Finally, we found this fairly new set of apartment/townhouses that sit to the south of Greenville. It's close to some business areas and new residential areas (down the street is Sam's Club, The Fresh Market, movie theaters, and more). But what we really like is that we're on the outskirts of Greenville. So it still feels like country because it hasn't been "civilized" yet.

Sorry, we don't have any inside pics. Don't worry, we did take a look inside but we took these pics after we had turned in the key and signed the lease.

We can't wait to move. I've been here awhile and Mica has too. The people we met there were so nice and we just loved their accents. And the countryside is gorgeous. For those who don't know, we'll be moving after BYU graduation on August 17th. The move itself will be an adventure!

We love you Dad!

2009-06-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

1st Boat of the Summer!

2009-06-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

So finally we went out on the boat! It started as a pretty over cast day but slowly the sun came out. If I would of had it my way the clouds would of stayed out. But for the sake of those who actually like to get into the water and not freeze, I let the sun peek out every once in awhile.

The men and their tubing!
Me and the pregnant lovelies, your lovely too David.
Happy boy!
The gang, if you don't know who everyone is these are all the guys Rob works with and their wives, plus David the 11th Wheel...he invited an ADORABLE girl but she had to work, she was bummed, another time though ;)
Yes Rob lost his shorts while tubing...good thing all the wives were safely in the boat!

Goblin Valley , Southern Utah

2009-06-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend we drove to southern Utah to Camp, hike and walk around in Goblin Valley. If you guys have seen "Galaxy Quest," you guys should remember the planet where they fight that rock dude Goblin Valley is where a part of the movie was filmed. The weather was absolutely perfect. I slept under the stars, had a yummy cooked breakfast and got some sun. It was the perfect weekend :).