This weekend Jon and I were able to take family pictures for my parents, sister and I. Jon did all the work behind the camera, and I was so happy with how they turned out!
My mom looked totally amazing!
and my dad looked pretty shnazzy himself.
I was so glad to get pictures of everyone together. Of course my sister and I can't do anything without goofing off a little...
ok, maybe a lot...
My dad had to get in on it too. I started making faces while we were trying to get a normal picture together, and he joined in. As most of you know about me (that is, if you have ever heard me REALLY laugh...) I have a snorting problem condition... After I snorted a couple times in a row, my dad was laughing so hard that he decided to imitate me. The bottom right picture shows Jon capturing his face mid-snort.
Overall it was a really awesome experience getting to work with my family. These are the first all together official family pictures we've had taken since I was about 10. (14 years ago!) We won't talk about it.
As most of you know, Jon and I have a little photography hobby. Usually I don't post about it specifically on here because we have a dedicated photography blog and a website already. But this experience was so much fun, I just had to share!
Last weekend we were invited to second shoot a wedding with a friend from the ward who owns her own photography business. The wedding was in the Bay Area and our friend, being 4 months pregnant, could not easily photograph the entire thing by herself. We went along to assist her and get in some back up photos and angles while she got the main pictures. It was such an awesome experience doing what we love and it was probably the easiest, most stress free wedding we have ever photographed!
The bride and groom are chinese, and I had never been to an asian wedding before. It was absolutely gorgeous and the tea ceremony was really neat. Although the bride wore a white "western" dress for the ceremony, she had a second more traditional chinese dress and hairstyle for the reception after dinner and it was fantastic!
Here are just a few of my favorites from the day. I love that Jon and I have a creative hobby to share with each other and with others around us. What a great way to further our year and create!
Every 6 months The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints holds a worldwide conference where we hear from our general leaders. Our living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, speaks as well as his counselors, the Quorum of the 12 Apostles and other members of the general authorities including the Presiding Bishopric, the Relief Society presidency and other auxiliaries. It is a time that I look forward to twice every year because it can give spiritual guidance and answers to questions I may have been struggling with. It is also a good reminder of covenants and commitments made to follow Jesus Christ's example in our lives. And I also really like watching a church meeting at home where I can be in my pajamas and eat breakfast at the same time :)
I have thought a lot recently about posting on General Conference and the things I learned a few weeks ago. I could of course post a list of all my favorite talks and quotes on each one that I wrote down in my journal, but you could always go to lds.org and read the talks for yourself. I thought about posting my testimony and sharing how much it means to me to live a God-centered life, but somehow it didn't seem enough. I always have a lot of thoughts about the church and how I feel like I relate to the rest of the world, having been raised a "mormon".
When it comes down to it, what really spurred my decision to post today, was this video. It's a little long, but I think it's worth watching. It didn't make me upset when I watched it, only curious. And I think it's good to pay attention to.
So what do I think? Well, as a born and raised Mormon with her own free will and choice, let me tell you:
I do not live in a compound and follow a charismatic leader who tells me what to think and when to think it. My husband and I live in an apartment with our dog, and the President of our church is a witness of Jesus Christ and teaches us to follow him. We do not worship Thomas S. Monson or Joseph Smith in any way. I do not have extreme beliefs and lifestyle practices (unless you count the fact that I've never tried a cigarette, tasted alcohol, and we don't buy things on Sunday.)
I testify of Him as our one and only way back into the presence of our Heavenly Father. By writing this today, I am giving another testament of our Savior to stand forever. In the same way, the Book of Mormon is a collection of testaments, written in a timeline very similar to that of the Bible, and supports the truth that God is the creator, that His son, Jesus Christ, atoned for our sins, and that reverence for life and things that are sacred are key to our Heavenly Father's eternal plan for His children. In the end, aren't there thousands and even millions and billions of testaments of Jesus Christ in the world from the beginning of time?
Revelation didn't just stop with the Bible. Heavenly Father did not just stop speaking to His children. He wants us to have guidance and direction, and he wants us to know that he is there. It's part of why I pray everyday, for personal revelation and guidance.
I know that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Say Saints are true followers of Jesus Christ and are in fact Christians who stand with the rest of the Christian world in declaring that He is the Son of God, and our redeemer. We believe that it is only through his merciful atonement that we can be brought back into the presence of our Father, and I know that he suffered and gave his life for every single one of us on Earth. Even if there had only been one person, He would have done it, because he loves us that much. We have a picture of Christ on our mantle at home, and I am reminded of that fact every day. He loves each of us. Every single one.
Christmas 2010
To quote Dallin H. Oaks, "Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten and Beloved Son of God. … He is our Savior from sin and death. This is the most important knowledge on earth."
I hope that if any of you have questions about what it is we believe in, you will just ask. I am always willing to share. And if you want to search for answers on your own, check out mormon.org. It is centered around Jesus Christ, and the people of the church around the world who live their lives as "Mormons" (which, by the way, is a nickname we're ok with - you can check out M. Russell Ballard's talk for more on that!)
Although today seemed to officially mark the beginning of
Fall (now being October and having overcast skies with a bit of sprinkling)
last week we were still having super warm, sunny weather. My sister Michelle, sister-in-law
Amanda, neice AnnMarie, and I celebrated the end of September with a trip to
Folsom Lake. Sadly, Jon had too much homework so he couldn't come :(
See what I mean? Sunny and gorgeous!
My neice was very excited for this trip. All she talked about was wanting to make sand castles.
Sis-in-law Amanda with her dog, Copper:
Michelle was a good sport and let me take some fun pics of her:
Margo was a champ and practiced her swimming skills:
AnnMarie gave her treats as a prize:
Margo, looking scraggly and pathetic, wanted all the goldfish she could get:
Don't worry, I really was there too:
And to end the afternoon, Margo got to share a peach with us. She especially wanted to wear the sticker. She takes after me, I suppose.
I recently opened up my crafty side (and took an idea from a display at my work) and made Margo her very own cookie jar!
Previously we just kept her cookies in the box, but this is way more fun :)
The clear craft paint cans at Beverly's were the perfect jar. I used purple polka dot scrapbook paper for the top of the lid, and found bone and paw print stickers (bogo free!) to embellish.
The letters are brown chipboard alphabet stickers, and the finishing touch was 4 alternating 1/4 inch ribbon prints. Purple polka dots, brown polka dots, brown paw prints and tan bones that say "bow-wow".
I was SO happy with the finished product! Margo loves it too. Whenever we pull out the cookie jar, she knows they are for her!
This idea would also be awesome in different colors for gifts and REAL human cookies too. The clear paint cans come in all different sizes. Happy crafting!
September 11th was Jon's Mom's 60th birthday. We had dinner at his parent's house to celebrate. It was a pretty small deal since the big celebration was all of us going to San Diego back in July.
Chris looks radiant, as always
Jon and I got her a cute sign to go with their decor...
Their home is very woodland-esque. See what I mean?
Jon's mom also has a bright green thumb and is pretty much an animal whisperer. Flowers and bird houses, baths and feeders can be found all around the yard.
Of course I mean birds of all shapes and sizes. The chickens have their own coop next to the garden, which Margo thoroughly enjoys.
Margo even got in some play time with Shasta. She loves to roll around and tease Shasta, trying to steal her toys away. Shasta has always been really gentle with Margo and will softly growl right back while waving her toys just out of Margo's reach.
Our neice, AnnMarie, and sister in law Amanda were also there for dinner. AnnMarie loves playing with Shasta and Margo!
She was also very excited to show off her Hello Kitty shirt. What a ham!
The night ended with Beth skyping with the family from BYU-I. I think it was Chris' favorite part!
Happy Birthday Chris!
We're glad we were able to celebrate it with you and hope you have many many more! :)
Well, it's been a couple of weeks now, but Steph turned 24 on August 27th! Geez it sounds so much older than 23... We had a lot of previous obligations that weekend so the birthday festivities were limited, but we were able to spend time with both families which was nice!
Saturday we had a bbq lunch at the Bailey house where we got these awesome pics with Michelle's camera! (We forgot ours at home)
Michelle and Steph:
Mom and Steph:
Woot woot! Delish chocolate cake:
They sang happy birthday!
Steph made sure to take lots of pictures of herself for Michelle's camera...
Jon and the birthday girl:
Dad and Steph:
Evil Michelle, dishing out cake:
nom nom nom!
The birthday spoils!
Sunday we were at the Alston house, but again forgot to bring the camera... oy. Better luck next year.
Among the list of new stuff: a Beverly's gift card (which was used to make Margo a cookie jar), some fun money, The Hunger Games series, awesometastic coconut lime lotion (mmmm), ALIAS season 1 and Community season 2 on DVD, Galaxy Quest (love it!) and gift card to Target (with which Steph bought an AMAZING new pair of flats!) No, 'spoiled' is not a descriptive enough word.
On Monday they invited us over for dinner. They are leaving for Ireland soon so that they can do a semester abroad! Ali studies Law and Tim is working on his masters in Jazz Studies.
I love going over to the Goff's house - their home is so unique and the food is always amazing.
There is never a loss for color and art at the Goff house. Jon has told me before that he would love for our house to be interesting like theirs. There is always something to look at. It's a beautiful collection of awesome personality:
When Jon and I come over, cooking is always a family event:
They use fresh food from their garden:
With homemade pizzas as appetizers and chicken with asparagus and goat cheese on the menu, how can you go wrong??
Of course the cats were really the stars of the show:
The boys were a little jealous of this...
To see more of our harrowing adventures and kitty mustache licking - check out the finals here.
Thank you, Tim and Ali, for an awesome night! Have fun in Ireland!
