A Change of Pace

This was Phillip last week...



This is Phillip today...



That's right, law school finals are officially OVER! Let the holiday fun begin!!

A Full Thanksgiving

We had so much fun this past week! We have barely been able to catch our breath as we have ran from one activity to another. This Thanksgiving we were blessed to be able to have two dinners- one at Phillip's grandparents on Thanksgiving day and another on Friday with my parents and siblings. Besides shoving our faces full of delicious food, here are some other things that we have been doing:

Last weekend I went up to Boise and spent a few days with my two sisters and brother. It was so much fun and I'm so happy I was able to go!

On Black Friday Phillip, my mom, my sister Becky, and I got up at 3:30 am (yes we are crazy- or at least we thought we were before we met many people who were up all night) and went shopping. We had SO much fun finding bargains and laughing at just how crazy the holidays can make people.

Yesterday we were surprised when our friends gave us free tickets to the BYU/Utah football game! (Thanks Joe and Felicia!) It was SO MUCH FUN! The weather was great and our tickets were amazing. We were on the third row right behind the BYU players. We had fun laughing at the crazy fans and cheering on our team. We were SO excited when we won in overtime!! It is definitely the best game I have ever been to.

Phillip is still doing great and loving law school. He recently just turned in a memo that is 80% of his grade in one of his classes. He has been so busy but really enjoys what he is doing. I'm so proud of him! Now he is taking a few deep breaths before plunging into finals

We just finished decorating our home for Christmas! It is so nice to be surrounded by reminders of the Holidays. We are looking forward to a lot of Holiday fun.

Learning to Create

I'm sure that everyone can agree- life does not always go as planned. If you would have asked me a year ago what I imagined my life to be like today, I definitely would not have predicted spending my days completely alone with "nothing" to do. However, I know that I am exactly where my Heavenly Father wants me to be right now- in Provo supporting the man that I love. I therefore can't imagine that Heavenly Father expects my life to be full of "nothing." I have thought and thought over the past month or so what to do with my endless free time. If I don't fill up my time, I find myself getting discouraged. So.... what is the answer? CREATE! Creating is something that everyone can do. As said in the following video, "it does not require money, position, or influence to create something of substance or beauty." It is instilled in me as a woman to be creative. How awesome is that! So, I am going to make it my new goal to create something every day. I will try to keep you posted on what I am creating!

Pumpkin Pie Conference

Last weekend all of my siblings came to Utah to enjoy general conference weekend together. The whole family came down to Provo on Friday so that we could go to a BYU football game. It was so much fun! After the game we had a huge sleepover at our apartment (which was quite a feat considering how small our apartment is) We stayed up most of the night singing karaoke and having fun. It was definitely a memory we will not soon forget!

On Saturday we had a fun day together and celebrated "pumpkin pie conference" by watching conference together (which was amazing) and making homemade spudnut donuts and pumpkin pie. Yummmm!!! It was so much fun and I am already itching for another fun party!

My favorite time of year

I know it may seem a bit early to make our blog celebrate autumn... but what can I say? I LOOOVE fall!!! Here are a couple of reasons why autumn is my all time favorite season:

~The BEAUTIFUL color changes in nature

~PERFECT temperature- not too hot, not too cold

~My birthday :-)

~Girls start wearing clothes that actually cover their body

~Pumpkin pie
~Crunchy leaves

~BYU football starts (go cougars!)
~The anticipation of many different holidays which equals time with the family

~I love the smell of fall (am I the only one that notices this?)

Last fall was one of the happiest times of my life. Here's to another great autumn!

Law School!

It's finally here! On Wednesday Phillip officially became a law student! So far, he has been attending countless meetings for orientation, and next Monday all of his classes begin! He is already busy with homework every spare moment of the day (which will definitely take some getting used to) but we are extremely excited and so grateful to be here making our dream of law school a reality!

Starting my studio!

I am SOOO excited to be starting my violin studio here in Provo! I began my advertising about a week ago, and I already have 2 students! That may not seem like a lot to you, but for 1 week of advertising I am very proud of myself! In addition, I have developed a studio website that I am REALLY excited about. (thank you so much Kristal for all of your help!) Please check it out and let me know what you think! I need some helpful tips on what it is lacking. Thanks!

Summer Fun

So far, this summer had been filled with fun and adventure! Over the past month we have...

Gone on a week-long cruise to Alaska








Enjoyed the Diehl Family reunion (which included having Phillip's family come to Utah)



Gone camping with our cousins





Went camping with Robin's family to Palisades




Gone on a fun scenic drive with Phillip's Grandparents, Peter, and Jenny on the Nebo Loop





and...

Moved into our new home in Provo, Utah!!





In addition to all of this, we have been inventing a new, fun boardgame called "Gateway!" Details and pictures of this will be coming soon.

PS Law school starts in a little over 2 WEEKS!!!