road trip.

over the weekend we went to st. george for a friend's wedding.  we got to see some beautiful scenery along the way.  

and we had a great time at the reception:

the whole wedding day really made me think about how grateful i am for john, and that out of all the people in the world he could have married, he chose me.  and that i am so excited to be with him forever.  isn't it just wonderful?

{p.s. don't we live in such a gorgeous state?}

today, i read catcher in the rye....

and i kind of didn't love it.
i also made cookies with jenna and andy jack.
and i kind of loved it.

hand-crafted cookie cutters, easter-themed, of course.
{except for a bat per andy jack's request}

and.... john and i celebrated the birthday of one of our friends!

hope you have a great night, friends.

recapturing beauty.

today, i have been thinking a lot about the beauty that surrounds us.  beauty is everywhere.  we are enveloped by beautiful blossoms in particular this time of year.  the rain is also quite beautiful.  so are the foggy clouds as they paint the mountains around where i live.  and the sunsets these days?  gorgeous.

and then i started contemplating another kind of beauty.  a beauty that is so often ignored.  

our bodies.

{take it from a nursing student to bring that up}

the body is one of god's greatest creations.  it is an amazingly intricate network of systems and organs working together to produce one living, breathing soul with a beating heart.  all the systems working together function with so much finesse and poise to protect the body against the wear-and-tear of the world.  just the network of blood vessels in our bodies is a wonderful sight to behold:

{from the bodies museum exhibit, which i saw in NY three years ago. source.}

despite all that it allows us to do {and the incredible capacity to run smoothly and keep us healthy and feeling well most of the time}, the beauty of our bodies is so often ignored.  so often, little outward imperfections of our bodies drive us completely nuts.  "my thighs are fat", "i have a double chin", "i wish my breasts were bigger", "i wish i didn't sweat so much", "i'm so bony", "my feet are big".  {etc. etc. etc.}  what is wrong with imperfections?  everybody has them.  {everybody, except supermodels, that is.  because their pictures are fixed in photoshop to diminish or eliminate any minuscule imperfection on their skinny little bodies....}

ask yourself, why am i so critical of my body?  {i'll give you a hint - maybe it's because you see this all day...}

and yet i still look through the magazines and think, how do i compare?

well, true beauty lies in our attitude and our hearts.  even a simple smile, {as i was told by all my friends in high school,} can make a girl so much more attractive.

so today, i am starting a challenge.  just a ten-day challenge to recapture the beauty and remember all the great things that our bodies can do.  {feel free to do it with me, if you chose!}

day 1:  write in your journal ten things that you are grateful for that your body allows you to do.  my top three:
my body enables me to....
1)  have children {someday}
2)  eat delicious food {and enjoy it!}
3)  go running, hiking, jumping, skiing, kayaking, 4-wheeling. {and a plethora of other things that i love to do}

let's recapture the beauty.

weekend photos.

1-3. one of our favorite little underground eats.

4.  delicious banana cake.

5.  listening to john play guitar.  {my favorite past time}.  

6-8.  beautiful blooms in our neighborhood.

9.  going through john's missionary stuff, and realizing how incredibly wonderful, and special his time in taiwan was.  and hoping and wishing and praying that someday soon we will be able to go there together.  

we laughed until we cried.

it all started with one picture.  

one little picture from one little app that distorts your faces.

one little picture which i refuse to post on this blog.

{sorry friends, i wouldn't subject myself to that much ridicule.}  

one little picture that made john and i laugh until we cried.  

literally, tears were streaming down our faces.

and i really, really needed that good laugh.  

here are the more acceptable pictures, from my pudding camera korean app i was testing out.  

and if you want to add even more fun to your day, try out "the impossible test" app.

i'll give you a cookie if you can beat my high score of 233 seconds.  {that doesn't include you, mr. brunt, but i'll make you a cookie anyway!}

happy friday!  

studying: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

take it from a starving, studying, stressed-out college student:  at byu, nursing school is hard.  {maybe it's hard other places, but just go with it.}  my first final is saturday.  i have studied approximately 12.2 hours so far for it, and will probably study about 20 more before i take the plunge.  is that extensive?  yes.  am i neurotic?  yes.  am i simply hoping to get through it all so that i can spend the entirety of my summer eating delicious food and reading wonderful books?  you bet.

so here it is, my list of the good, the bad, and the ugly of studying for finals.  {don't worry, i really do love being in college and learning "stuff".  but seriously, i need sunlight, strawberry shortcake, my saucy husband, and no more studying for awhile}

the good:

a perfect excuse to eat whatever you want, whenever you want.  i need the sugar for studying, right?

the bad:

piles and piles of books, and slides, and notes, and lectures.

the ugly:

a quiet, stuffy library in which to stare at my notes mindlessly. {while it's warm outside and beautiful things are popping out all over the place!  perish the thought!}

but last night, john harman said to me:  

"i love you more than tasting... and smelling... and hearing... and thinking... and feeling... and seeing... and breathing..."

"well, then what would you have?"

"just love."

lots and lots of love.

a little list.....

of the top ten things i am most excited for this summer.... {in no particular order}

1.  going on a {surprise!} trip with my shmohn.... {john dear, i've decided that i want you to decide where we go.  - hence the surprise part.  i'll be happy with anywhere, but preferably somewhere with really good food.  i think you can handle that...}

2.  being shut up in cabins {by choice} almost every single weekend for the next four months.... {this includes 4-wheeling and hikes and fishing and frisbee golf and floats down the river.... i get thrills just thinking about it!} 

3.  reading the twenty-eight books that i have lined up for summer.... {the alchemist, the catcher in the rye, and jane eyre made the list.... i am a sucker for any good book and always open to suggestions.... hint hint.....}

4.  soaking up the sun whilst teaching swim lessons to little rugrats at the neighborhood pool. {they are so adorable.}

5.  wake-boarding in lake powell {and eating, and boating, and playing, and exploring, and cliff-jumping......}

6.  crafting!  {i want to make this, and this, and this, and quite possibly fabric curtains for my bore of a bedroom.}

7.  cooking..... 

8.  cleaning {is it strange that this is in my top ten?}

9.  a new show!  {my friend madison picks a new tv show to start each summer.  and since she's great i like to copy her.  i am thinking saved by the bell might be a good one.  i have seen so little of it, unfortunately it was before my time....}

10.  snuggling, relaxing, chilling with john.  {more on why i am the luckiest girl alive here and here.}

last day of actual classes for me today.  

super thrilled.

hope your day is warm and bright, and simply lovely!