AZ

To finish off my completely crazy busy summer of work, I took a roadtrip with my friend Mo to Arizona! It was my first time visiting this desert of a state. But I absolutely loved the drive. It was beautiful! The redrocks of southern Utah, signs for the Grand Canyon, the pretty trees in Flagstaff, and the real life cacti as you get further south in Arizona! You could feel it getting hotter the more south we went. Driving without AC would be impossible and even if you got too close to the window you could feel the intense heat. I actually think I could a little bit burnt from the drive. oh dear.

We met Philip in a random parking lot of the freeway and off we went. Philip's family had been discussing their plans for the weekend throughout the week and had decided to stay at one of the many resorts in AZ. On the drive down, Philip texted me and said that they couldn't get a room so it wouldn't work. He also said they had already made arrangements for where I would be sleeping that night so I didn't have to worry about that either. He then asked if I was sad, and I said that even though it was a little disappointing it didn't really matter because I just came to spend time with him regardless of what we were doing or where we were going. Thinking nothing of it after that exchange through text, I was completely shocked when we showed up at the Point Hilton Resort. 

He lied to me! Well, more like just playing a big joke on me haha!

I walked in, met the family, and then we hopped right in the pool. I had been warned that this heat was even unbearable for the locals so get ready. But it was unreal just how HOT it really was. Even after 10pm it's still over 100 degrees. And I'm used to pools and bodies of water that are freezing even in the summer. Nope, the water was lukewarm. It was so bizarre. The lazy river was so relaxing though. I was a fan! It was just so surreal to be with Philip again. part of me felt like we hadn't seen each other for years and part of me felt like we just picked up right where we left off.  That night we played games with the fam. Philip and I made a great team and I think we should've won all the games because we were the only ones who didn't cheat haha!

On Saturday, we had lots of adventures! In the morning, we went out into the pool again and then came back and showered and packed up so that we could head to the mall to help Jordan with his fall wardrobe. His mom gave us a budget and we just went at it. Except for one problem. I was really not feeling well. Probably a mix of exhaustion and heat and all that good stuff. Plus, I'm not a huge fan of shopping anyways. So we get into pacsun towards the end of our shopping escapade and the employee is like, wait a minute. Something's not right here. Usually there's two girls who are all gung-ho about the shopping and there's a guy walking behind them completely unenthused. But this time, it's completely opposite! There's two guys that are super excited about the shopping and the girl behind them does NOT look excited to be here at all. I would definitely calling the trip a success though. Jordan is completely ready for his last semester of undergrad! after we got a bite to eat and then Philip and I headed down to Gilbert to see Hermana Torgersen!

It had been over a year since we had last seen each other so it was SOO good to see her again! We just picked up right where we left off, giggling way too much as usual :) We talked about everything. School, Alabama, the MTC, elders and sisters from our mission, our summer adventures, boys, our families, you name it. I just love that girl to pieces! I wish she lived closer to we could see each other more often! 

We made a short stop at the Gilbert Temple on our way back up. It was so pretty. It was almost too much to be outside in the heat so we just took a quick walk around it and then got back in the AC. As we were driving away, there was a gorgeous sunset. I am so grateful for so many temples on the earth today and how you can find one pretty much everywhere you go! They are always a highlight of any place I visit! The beauty of the buildings, the ordinances that are performed there, and the spirit that is felt both inside and on the grounds is just indescribable. 

That night, we met back up with Philip's family and we went to Top Golf. It is pretty much the coolest place! It's just a huge driving range and you get to hit as many balls as you want for an hour. There's also big holes that are worth a certain amount of points. It was hoppin though so we had to wait about an hour. We stayed in the car and just relaxed and talked to Adam about coming to Provo. Can't believe that school is starting so soon. The boys just loved hitting it as hard as they could. I enjoyed just actually making contact with the ball ha! I had a great swing but sometimes I just missed a little bit. It made for some good laughs! 

On Sunday, we got ready for church and then went to Aunt Elaine's for lunch. Just me, Philip, and his mom. It was the best home cooked meal I've had in a long time. All I've done this summer is eat in a cafeteria or in a restaurant so this was a nice change. After we ate, we sat on the couches in the living room and she got out a box of old family photos. It was so much fun to learn all about their family and to put names to faces and try and connect all the dots. It was also so fun to see pictures of Philip was he was little. He was a cutie for sure. Still is ;) 

We then dropped off his mom and headed off to the young adult ward. It felt so good to be at church with him again! I remember going to his ward during the school year occasionally and we always had so much fun but also tried not to distract each other because we just love to TALK. I got introduced to just about everyone there and the funny thing was, they all knew who I was. Someone had been talking about me...

It was good though!

One thing I love about Philip is that he really knows how to become a part of a ward. Wherever he is planted he does his best to reach out to others, to fulfill his calling, and to make the most of any situation he is put in. It was so cool to be there with him because he had established relationships with these people and you could feel the love and the spirit that was there among these people. 

After church we took naps, watched a couple Sabbath day appropriate movies and then Philip took me down to Mesa. Before I came down to Arizona I made Philip promise me that he would take me to all the nearby temples down there. I'm so grateful he was so willing to do so! I absolutely LOVED the Mesa Temple. I didn't realize how old it was! Plus, there's a Visitor's Center there so that was fun too! As we sat at the Christus, there were some people speaking spanish and it was so fun to listen to them and just take in the spirit of being there. And the grounds are so GREEN! That's kind of unusual down here in the desert. 

Philip has this thing about not liking the way he looks in pictures. and let me tell you, 

sometimes it's a struggle to actually get him to smile. and even more difficult to get 

him to do his real smile haha! 

So for some reason he always likes the weird pictures. 

Like our sassy face picture below. Don't ask me why!

Isn't this picture gorgeous? Philip took one in black and white as well that you can see on my insta!

Another thing I love about Philip is how we can talk about literally everything! It's always just so fun to be with him! We spent a lot of time in the car and there was never a dull moment. Sometimes I was kind of sleepy so I tried to rest, but overall it was such a pleasure to just be with him again and to talk in real life. Although we have such great means of talking over technology, it just doesn't do justice to being able to talk to someone face to face. I'm grateful for the great communication that we have and that we're always willing to work on it and try to understand each other better and work on the problems we may be facing. 

This was the last morning. We all woke up, Philip picked Jordan and I up, and we headed to IHOP where Mo would take me away back to Utah. We made a pretty funny video but I don't have it to upload yet. I seriously love these two. They have been such great friends for the past 4 years and since we returned home from our missions, our friendship has grown and become so much better.! It was so fun to spend the weekend with them and see their hometown. Although it was blasted hot the whole weekend, I really did love Arizona! I look forward to going back and seeing it in a different season when it might not be as hot!

See ya in a couple weeks! It's been real AZ.

movies

I vowed as soon as I got done with work on Saturday morning that I was just relaxing for the next week. Matt and Mikelle finished their basement and so we have quite the setup down there! It is PERFECT for movie watching. And since I haven't watched anything all summer long, I'm taking full advantage of this lovely situation. Sometimes I watch a few during the day and every night after the kids go to bed, we watch one. Here's what I've watched so far:

habits for life 3

Wow, the last week. I went for 7 weeks straight and let's just say I was exhausted. But I was looking forward to making this week one of the best! It started out RAINING. What in the world. It hasn't rained all summer. So it was kind of refreshing but kind of a downer at the same time ha! From the minute I met my girls I LOVED them! They were adorable and so much fun! I loved talking to them and getting to know them throughout the week.

Thank goodness for SWIG this summer. It was so fun to take a little adventure across the street during free time with our kiddos and lucky for us, we got free drinks and cookies! There really is power in the polo.

Wednesday is hike ROCK CANYON night. I've absolutely loved this place ever since David took me rock climbing three years ago. The weather was perfect this week. Overcast and not too hot with a slight breeze. It was glorious. Our whole group got to stay together this time so it was so fun to see the kids bond and enjoy some nature! Plus there was a beyond gorgeous sunset at the end. 

These kids were rockstars. Seriously, even though most of them were just 15 years old, they were so mature and were ready to really apply the things they were learning at camp. It was so fun to discuss with them the principles of the book. They also got so close to each other and we were able to create this environment of trust where they really opened up and talked about some deep things where we were able to help and support each other. It was awesome!

This is my friend Alex. We bonded over good books, traveling, piano playing, being counselors, missions, and wedding dreams. You could really talk to Alex about anything. He's also an amazing dancer and I loved waltzing across the dance floor with him on friday night.

On friday night after the dance, we had to make our way back to the dorms in a giant RAINSTORM. It was pouring. Hence, our lovely soaking wet picture we took to remember the moment. 

Now, this week was not without its challenges. But I honestly feel like I was just prepared to do whatever the Lord asked of me this summer. It was so taxing emotionally, physically, and mentally but I know that I wouldn't have had the same experience if it had been easy. i wouldn't have learned as much, I wouldn't have had the same interactions that I was able to with His children, and I wouldn't have had the satifaction of knowing that 

I can do hard things.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to be a part of this camp this summer. It really does change lives. It's amazing how much control we have over our lives and that we can create new habits and do things that will allow us to be more productive and successful in our lives. Just like with the gospel, when we work on ourselves we then have the capacity to reach out to others, and then we draw upon each other's strengths to make things happen! It's awesome. 

100

The past 100 days I read and completed the Book of Mormon.

The young women in my ward at home were completing this challenge and I thought I would join them! I'm always up for a challenge and let me tell you, it was definitely challenging since I was so busy this summer. I was behind many a times but I at least read a couple verses every day. And I finished on time!

Each day it gave you the chapters to read, a verse to mark, a quote to go with it, and a question to ponder. It was the coolest thing! It's fun to read it so quickly because you really get a sense of the story and who all the people are.

I know the book of mormon is true. I know it was written for our day. I know it was translated by the prophet Joseph Smith. I know it answers our questions. I know it gives us peace.

"The Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." --Joseph Smith

mrs. allison dockstader

What in the world. Alli started what will begin a long line of close friends getting married. It was an absolutely fabulous weekend though! I'm so happy for her and Keiton. They are fabulous together!

I wish I would've taken more pictures of the reception and stuff but basically Alli and I are twinners and it was all in purple, our favorite.

I am so grateful I met these cute girls 3 years ago. We bonded from the first day we met! 

After a full year of being RAs, missions, breaking up with silly boys, 

we made it through and we're closer than ever. 

IN LOVE with this temple. It is absolutely gorgeous. Today there were 35 weddings. It was hoppin!

I love this picture because it is such an Alli party face! And that's what she wanted her wedding to be. A party haha! So much happiness.

These two couldn't keep their hands off each other all day haha! So in love.

love this beautiful bride with all my heart!

Congrats Alli and Keiton!

While we were waiting for the luncheon to start, Emily and I drove a few miles south of Payson to this cute Red Barn. They have the BEST ice cream there. It is so creamy and delicious. And that's coming from two girls who love ice cream more than pretty much anything in the world haha!

Emily told me all she wants to do is live out in the country with a cowboy. Isn't she just adorable? :)

enjoy some much needed freedom

 America the Beautiful

efy redlands

6:00am Sunday July 26

Not the greatest pic but I think it's important to post because it has quite the story behind it. 

On Saturday morning we check the kids out and then we are free! (at least for a day and a half) I had a couple hours to get stuff done. On the list was finishing packing, showering, possibly doing laundry, and most importantly finishing my paperwork for Jerusalem. It was a bit stressful and definitely not all of that stuff got done, but I made it to the shuttle almost on time. 

We made our way to the airport and then sat there for a few hours. Of course we stopped at cafe rio. So good!

This is my efy friend Seth! He was in the airport at the same time as us because he was going to HAWAII. I was seriously so jealous. Except he wanted to do EFY another week so really we just should've switched places. He sat and talked to me and we watched Emperor's New Groove. Quality movie. 

Right when we were supposed to start boarding the plane they announced that they were fixing a part and it would be delayed 3 hours. We had already been there for 3 hours! A lot of people stood up to change their flight or make other arrangements but we just sat there because we had group tickets and all of our decisions had to be approved by BYU travel. Plus we weren't in a hurry to get anywhere. So we literally just sat and did nothing Our flight was supposed to stop in Las Vegas and eventually the airline decided that the flight wasn't going on to Ontario, California but that it was just staying in Vegas. We looked at the option of just flying there and then driving the few hours to Redlands, but eventually at 6pm they just decided that we would take a flight to LA the next morning. So basically we sat in the airport all day for nothing. They got us hotel rooms in Salt Lake and that was that. I showered, read my scriptures, and then went to bed at like 9:30. We then woke up at 4am the next morning and made our way BACK to the airport. We were there before the check-in counters even opened. But we had no problems (thank the heavens) It was quite the adventure!

When we got to LA, I experienced the biggest culture shock of my life. It then occurred to me that I really don't get out much. In fact I had been in Utah Valley for 8 months straight. Like I honestly never left. And so when we get off the plane and it's humid and there's palm trees outside, and hiphop music playing, and so.much.diversity I just didn't know what to do with myself! It was definitely a whole new world! We had about an hour drive to get to the campus and as soon as we got there we ate breakfast and then got ready for church. And right when we pulled into the church parking lot we saw THIS:

The TEMPLE. It seriously is such a safe haven. And after the craziness of the previous day, it was such a relief to see something so beautiful. We made it through 3 hours of church and let me tell you, it was rough. During sacrament meeting I had to people closing in on me as they bobbed and swayed trying to fight the fatigue haha! Before we left my roommate said, "I need God more than I need sleep" What a good reminder that was that despite how tired we were, how much we had been through, and what we needed to prepare for the upcoming week, we really did need the sacrament and when we put the Lord first, there is no doubt that he would take care of us. 

These are my co's Hillary and Mo! They are fantastic! I couldn't have asked for better people to work with this week.

here's my cute girls! yay for being in CALIFORNIA!!!

This is Matthew. He was in my group this week and guess what. I met his brother at BYU. It is such a small world!

Sometimes your hair and your outfit is on point. Trust me, I had to get real creative accessorizing with the polo this summer.

My cute co's! We went through a lot this week and we were better together. 

Seriously SO grateful for them!

We had a grand total of 38 kids. It was a bit much! Mostly I was just sad that I didn't get to know the whole group as well as I usually get to. 

Courage to Stand Strong

2010

Scripture: Joshua 1:9

pre-game night ninja

the cheer!

Hunter showing off that banner

*wave your flag*

when the kids get ahold of your phone...

#selfiesfordayss

counselor lip sync battle

you better believe we rocked that j biebs

Thursdays are my favorite days :)

This food? SOO good. Two thumbs up for the cafeteria.

This week, as with every other week, was definitely an adventure. Don't mind James' creepy smile. This is the aftermath of a phone mishap. We were about the start the YW activity which is on the family proclamation this year and I took my girls over to some concrete steps. I had a few things in my hands plus my backpack and as I was putting my stuff down, the phone slipped and landed face down on the ground. It was one of the worst sounds I have ever heard. And I just knew as soon as I picked it up that it was going to be bad. But. It was way worse than I expected. I literally just stood there and stared at it for a minute, almost in tears. But then I just thought to myself, it's just a thing. A worldly thing. And today, we are talking about eternal principles. So I just put it away and tried to carry on with the spirit. 

Later, one of the other counselors told me about an object lesson a counselor used because she had a participant that also cracked her phone. She talked about families and how they are falling apart and losing value in the eyes of the world. Just like the cracked phone. However we, as members of the church, have the opportunity and responsibility to be defenders of the family. In regards to this broken phone which represents broken families, what can we do to protect the family? Example: put a case on it, take care of it, don't put it in places where it could be in danger and break. 

love these cute girls!

back: Abby, Amy, Renley, Edie, Kyra, Ivy, Haleigh, Alanna

front: Kitty, Kandi, Melia, Mary 

all our kids!

It's been real Cali