Dat’s gonna be espensive….

So I am SO behind on blogging. I am so sorry. I am going to play a big game of catch-up right now so be prepared for a long post!

First of all. Shout out to my home girl LAUREN FABER who is going to SYDNEY AUSTRALIA on her mission, leaving OCTOBER 9TH!!! This girl is one of my best friends and I can’t imagine a more perfect mission for her. I am so lucky to know her, and so lucky that I get to spend time with her. She’s a wonderful person and is going to be an amazing missionary. Go convert those kangaroos Lau, I LOVE YOU!

Ok so once upon a time we went on a road trip. To Idaho. And it was one of the funniest things that has ever happened to me. Here are a few highlights from our trip:)

  • Finding Pride Rock, for cows
  • Listening to/discussion Les Mis for a good portion of the car ride
  • A gas station called the Garden of Eden, complete with giraffe or tiger spandex and enough stuffed snakes to make you wonder which one really was Satan
  • 100% boy. Need I say more?
  • CAN WE STOP AND GET SOME WINE?
  • TYSON THE LANE IS OVER
  • Hugging people that I’ve been away from for far too long
  • Chick-fil-a twice. In a two day trip
  • It’s my pleasure….oh Mindy. 
  • Lauren making faces at dogs in the drive through
  • The car next to us asking for an Oreo, and us throwing them one
  • The VERY friendly people at the stores we went to
  • Garrett. Seriously the cutest kid EVER
  • Josh at Lucky Fin trying to get fired 
  • The greatest buser EVER named Rachel
  • Wondering if Rachel really worked as a mermaid dancer
  • Being at Jack’s house with his sisters and learning that he loved Mulan and the Aristocats.
  • Huns.
  • Sitting in the back of the truck and realizing that was the most fun thing to do in Idaho (I’m kidding though, Idaho is great)
  • Holocaust references 
  • Racist references all around
  • Dat’s gonnnn be ESPENSIVE.
  • Ya’ll have the same last name? That’s lucky.
  • Just Tyson and his black woman impressions in general
  • Disney and Harry Potter Scene It (Snitch, please)
  • Jack/Rachel/Dylan’s AMAZING families
  • Sleeping in Rachel’s huge bed.
  • Crepe Saturday morning
  • Laying outside in the sun.
  • Billy’s mom and laughing way too hard at her house
  • Getting attacked on the trampoline
  • It’s just a number…
  • Pulled pork sandwiches
  • Table Rock and the AMAZING sunset
  • The Newlywed Game (Jack, we rocked it)
  • Dinosaur language
  • Dylan’s wonderful talk
  • Kurtis being free out the back of the truck
  • Screaming girly songs all the way home
  • Tyson singing London Bridge
  • Flying down the freeway being sad that we had to say goodbye
I’m probably forgetting some things….but I’m sure Olivia or Kurtis or Lauren or Tyson or Rachel or Jack will remind me;)
Anyway. It was an amazing weekend and a good reminder to me that I am pretty blessed with some great friends:) Thanks for making this weekend perfect guys!
Happy Monday everyone!

How’s today feeling

So there’s a long post to come about being reunited with my dear friends and having a blast in Idaho, the land of the potato and Oreo cookies. Don’t worry, it’s coming and you will love it!;) I just have a few thoughts to get out right now and I want to do it before I forget them!


I feel like this a little bit


And I feel like this

So these are kind of conflicting themes….kind of how life is going. I have some people telling me that this is probably where my life is headed, and other people telling me that my life is headed in the opposite way. But it doesn’t really matter what other people think or what they experienced or how the pattern goes. I’m doing what I am supposed to, what makes me happy, and what I feel is right. End of story.

So that’s all. Don’t worry, the huge post about my mini-vacation is coming. Happy Saturday everyone!

Breaking News

Sister Monson, beloved wife of LDS Church leader President Thomas S. Monson, passed away around 6:30 this morning. She was surrounded by her family in a Salt Lake City hospital where she had been checked in for several weeks.

Click here to read the Church’s official statement.

Breaking Sports News


End it like Beckham: Global superstar David Beckham retires



Soccer legend David Beckham announced his retirement earlier today. After playing for two continents and winning many trophies for each, the 38 year old is leaving the sport for good, giving up his salary of nearly $46 million a year. 

Click here to read the entire story!

News May 16, 2013

NBC News Headline: Search for Susan Powell’s Remains Underway in Oregon

A tip to Susan Powell’s father has reopened the search for Susan Powell’s body. An anonymous tip suggested that the search continue in Oregon where the family had rented a home and were staying around the time when Susan went missing. 

Click here for the full story.

Washington Post Headline: Groups that sought tax-exempt status say IRS dealings were a nightmare

The IRS has reportedly been targeting ultra-conservative groups involved with the Tea Party or other “patriotic” groups. This extra examination of these groups have made filing incredibly difficult for these groups, even driving them to spend more money on attorneys and fees than they would have on the taxes they were trying to get exempt from. The IRS’s dealings with these groups has sparked quite a controversy, and even the president has reprimanded the actions.

Click here for the full story.

News May 15, 2013

New York Times Headline: An Atrocity in Syria, With No Victim Too Small

As the war in Syria rages on, the destruction is becoming more frequent, and more viral. Different groups have filmed themselves committing atrocities and put them up for the world to see. A mass killing this month is just one of the many horrible episodes of war that have happened recently. There is no knowing how, or when, this will end.

Click here for the full story.

KSL Headline: 3 children hit by texting driver

Three girls were hit by a driver in Midvale who was supposedly texting, and didn’t even see the girls when he hit them. All of the girls survived, but were taken to the hospital in critical condition. Their conditions are said to be improving, and the hope is they will be able to come home soon. The parents are upset and hope that something is done to prevent further texting and driving accidents.

Click here for the full story.

Sister Francis

My cute roommate Heidi is leaving on her mission tomorrow. She is going to knock the socks off those Frenchies. They won’t even know what hit them. I am so proud of her and I am so lucky that I got to be her roommate for the past 9 months. I feel like I know Heidi really well, and I am so grateful for all the things we shared. She has been there for me in times good and times bad, and I will always be so thankful that I got to roll over and see her beautiful face in the mornings. Heidi is amazing, she has a beautiful testimony and loves helping people. That’s why she’s going to be an amazing missionary.

So Heidi thanks for all the times in productions, for being a great older sister, for being an amazing bedmate, for the jokes and the laughs and the tears, for venting to each other and our weekends sitting in our room just messing around. I will miss you so much but I am so excited for you and this awesome adventure!


This is us really…


I love her.

I love you Sister Francis! Go and preach 🙂

Happy Tuesday everyone!

News May 14, 2013

New York Times Headline: Russia Detains American, Saying He Is C.I.A. Agent

Russian officials have reported they have detained an American CIA agent after he reportedly tried to recruit a Russian. The United States Ambassador to Russia will be getting involved with the court proceedings this week. 

Click here to read the full story.

KSL Headline: Teen driver dies in I-215 wreck

A 17 year old girl died early this morning after hitting a concrete wall on I-215. Troopers say that several witnesses saw the car collide and roll just after midnight. Troopers also believe speed may have been a factor.

Click here to read the full story. 


Mash up of lots of things

So I’m really behind! And I don’t even have time for news today….I’m so sorry!!! I promise I’ll get back on schedule this week!

So here’s a game of catch-up saying what’s been going on lately.

Friday I went and saw The Great Gatsby with some friends. To say it was phenomenal would be an understatement. It was incredible, not exactly like the book, but still very true to the story. I could go on and on about it, but I won’t. Just know that it was amazing and you should go see it!

Saturday I spent the whole day with my family at Thanksgiving Point for a special Mother’s Day outing for my cute mom. It was so much fun! I loved getting to run around acting like kids with my family. They are so awesome and it was so much fun to spend the whole day together!

Sunday was Mother’s Day. So before I go further here’s a shout out to my mom. My mom is fantastic. She is smart, talented, beautiful, and finds time in her busy day to make sure our house always runs smoothly. She’s a personal cheerleader, psychiatrist, and most importantly she’s one of my best friends. I love my mom so much and everything that I am I owe to her. So you may all think you have the best mom, but I can assure you that MY mom is the very best! I love you mom and I hope you had a wonderful day!

The rest of my Mother’s Day was farewells, which were awesome, spending time with my cousins and grandparents, and a very special phone call.

Elder Low is doing AWESOME and it was so great to get to hear his voice and talk to him a little bit. He’s still himself, making me laugh every minute, but he’s different too. He was so compassionate before, and now he’s even more compassionate. You can tell how he feels about the people in Japan and how much he loves the gospel. He was awesome before he left, and I can tell he’s just getting better and better every day. So thanks to the Low family for letting me be there to chat with him, and a special thanks to my favorite missionary for making me a very happy girl:)

Happy Monday Everyone, and happy 13th!

Grasp The Moment Challenge

So lately I haven’t known what to blog about! Nothing really huge is going on, I get to spend lots of time with my family or working everyday, which is wonderful. But nothing really crazy or interesting to readers has happened.

Then I realized something. It’s up to ME to be happy. It’s up to me to do something interesting or find the good in the days so that I do have something to say! If I just wait to say things that are very exciting or funny, I’m not being true to the name of this blog, “Grasp the Moment.”

I haven’t been “Grasping the Moment” lately. And that stops right now!

So here’s the story of how this blog came to have that name.

I was creating my blog the summer before senior year. I had blogs prior to this one, but didn’t post very regularly and they were sapppppy. Junior High stuff, we’ve all been there.

Anyway.

I was picking a background (which I’ve changed a million times) and a URL (average day of a ginger? Classic) and then came time to come up with a title. I couldn’t think of anything. I started thinking about what I wanted this blog to be about. My life, the things I was doing, the things I found interesting. I wanted to make every moment of my life matter.

BAM.

Grasp the moment. I typed that in, felt very clever, and that was that.

So now here’s my “Grasp the Moment” challenge for myself. Feel free to join in:)

So here’s the challenge
Grasp The Moment Challenge:
1. Every morning, wake up and pick one thing you want to accomplish that day. Not a daily, menial task, but maybe you want to make someone smile, or you want to have ten minutes to yourself. Pick something meaningful and DO IT.
2. Look for one good thing in a bad situation. Something you can learn, something you’re glad you have now, or something you could do to help another.
3. Laugh at every single opportunity. Don’t be too cool for something, don’t stress out about something that isn’t worth it. Just laugh instead.
4. Recognize and vocalize your appreciation. Look for things you are grateful for, thank someone if necessary, or make a mental not that you are thankful for something.
5. Every night, write down how you Grasped the Moment that day. 
I’m doing this challenge, and I hope you’ll join me!!!
Happy Thursday everyone:) AND. Happy 4 months to me:)