I love the beach... Don't you?

Last week I kept saying, "We should go to the beach!". So on Friday after our rehearsals we headed over as a family first to the glider port in Torry pines. Here are some pictures from there.

When I see something REALLY interesting it catches my eye and I just have to take a picture! That's what I did with the pics below!

One of the gliders taking off

My mom & Dad

My Dad

UM, Does this look relaxing OR what? Too bad it was off limits to spectators!

The beautiful ocean

Oooh I love this picture! Thanks to editing I love it more!

We decided to take a little hike and we saw some really pretty views.

Evan walking down the trail

Mmmm, this says spring to me

So then we drove over to La jolla. We parked right next to this motorcycle with a SPARKLY helmet! It was so awesome I had to take a picture. Don't see this every day!

The La jolla cove cave

I was in LOVE with these flowers and the fence. So I hope you find beauty in these pictures too!

Me!

My Dad, my Mom and Evan

Sunset

Then we went to BJ's for dinner (I love their pizza) and then found out Sprinkles (The cupcake place I have been wanting to go to) was down the street from BJ's! So we waited in the 25 min line and got our cupcakes!!

It was a fun afternoon and I really need to go to the beach more often!

Alyssa

I haven't gotten to take pictures of my cousins lately but yesterday Alyssa was willing so I jumped at the chance! I was LOVING the lighting! Thank you Alyssa!

















And I couldn't leave this one out. While I was taking pictures of Lissie, Cammi really wanted to get in the pictures!

A baking post!

Yea!! I haven't done a baking post in a while...So here it is! Up first is......

Valentine cookies you will want to make, (and um, eat!)

So for some time I have been looking for a good royal icing type of frosting recipe. Well I can't remember which blog I clicked on and it took me to this awesome recipe on an awesome blog!
Click HERE to see this REALLY easy icing recipe! It's not royal icing but it is way easier to make I think! (I never have tried making royal icing though). And then once you read how to make the icing you can get cute ideas on how to make your valentine cookies! HERE is her post on her CUTE cookies!


I will say this icing was difficult for me to work with at times! AND frustrating but it was worth it! (It also took a looong time.) I didn't like how some of them looked with plain incing but then when I piped words on them they looked cuter. I wished they looked perfect but they don't but that's okay. Oh and my favorite thing is that even when the icing dries (it takes a few hours once on the cookies) the cookies still stay shiny and glossy! BTW- For the cookies I just used a cookie mix.

THE COOKIES
(Cus I know you all love to look at 500 pics of my baking, right?)
(PS. Sorry for the glare on some of the pictures)

Aren't they cute? You can leave me a comment and say so. :)
Happy Valentines day!!! Let me know if you try and make these cookies... or any valentine cookies at all! Oh and did you notice in some of the pictures the paper in the background? Did you like that?I decided to try that today!

My next post will be cupcakes. Like AMAZINGLY yummy cupcakes.

January photos

Here is my January colloge for my picture a day project. Sorry it is kind of small! Hope you like it and I hope febuarys will be a little more intersting. You can always go to my flicker too to see each picture.

Happy Birthday Grannyannie

Yesterday would have been my Grandma's 69th Birthday.

So we decided even thought she wasn't there to celebrate for her. We did a balloon release for her (like we did at her funeral) in colors that she liked. The colors were Purple, lavender and white. Those colors are just her. We sang happy birthday to her, let go of the balloons, watched them and of course thought of her.

We got her some pretty artificial tulips for her headstone and I really like how they look. It was hard at times to celebrate because we miss her so much. But she would have wanted the party to go on. So it did!

We had a dinner that was breaded chicken (that she made for us and I loved)and our favorite potatoes she always made at family dinners. She always made them and I'm missed them, but even more I've missed her not being here to make them for the family. She loved doing anything for her family.

And we HAD to have Peanut M&Ms. It would be wrong to not have them... this was her party!

But some members of the family are allergic to nuts so we had: M&Ms, Dark choc M&Ms, Pretzel M&Ms AND Peanut M&Ms! And cinnamon bears which she loved.

We had a nothing bunt cake and sang to her. I know she was there with us and I'm sure she had quite a few laughs at us that evening. That's just what she'd be doing. :)

Grandma Anne's birthday. Jan 20th 2011

She is my hero and one of my greatest examples. I am lucky to be named after her and of course my other amazing Grandma who passed away before I was born. Happy Birthday Grandma! I love you! I am so blessed to have you as my Grandma! And I can't wait till that joyous day when I'll be able to see you and laugh with you again.

My word for 2011 (You'll love it!)

This morning as we were reading the scriptures together I was thinking a lot about my word for this year, 2011. We were reading in Alma and all these words from the verses we had been reading kept popping up in my mind for my word. I was excited!

Then we read a verse that stood out to me SO clearly and SO strong and I knew at once what my word should be. Let me share that verse with you. It is now one of my favorite scripture verses and I hope that when you read it it will be one of your new favorites too!

Alma 26:35 - "Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name."

I just connect with that verse so well. Why shouldn't we rejoice?
So if you guessed right... my word for 2011 is......


Rejoice


For me personally this is something that I need to do in my life every day. To simply rejoice! There are SO many things to rejoice about. And today even though I have been upset and annoyed
at times I have been doing my best to rejoice. And guess what? I'm already noticing a difference. I read my scriptures, got my school work done quicker than normal, I was just Happier. All because I know I have reason to rejoice.

There are so many things to rejoice about! I rejoice in the knowledge of the Gospel and that I have a savior who loves me. I rejoice that I know I'm a daughter of God. I rejoice in knowing that I always have another beautiful day ahead of me to try to do better and work things out. I rejoice that I have a wonderful family and friends. I rejoice in my talents and the things I love to do.

And right now I rejoice because I know that my beautiful Grandma Anne who everyday I miss so much, think about her and wonder what she is doing, is on the other side doing wonderful service to others AND I rejoice that I will will be able to see her again, hug her again, laugh with her again, talk to her again, and live with her, my family and my savior again. Someday that wonderful time will come. That is something I think we should all truly rejoice about, to know that we can live with our families again someday.

So today my chalange for you is this, to try and rejoice in the wonderful simple things. Try it! Yes, there are many challanges, hard times, dissipointments and sorrow in the world. BUT There is so much to smile about laugh about, be gratful for, love, look back and remember and rejocie about!

So insted of being like this today or tomorrow....

Try insted to be like this. And Rejoice.

Picture a day 2011

So, I am WAY behind on blogging!!! But I'm doing my best and still taking pictures. So I once again started doing the picture a day thing like last year and I really like it! (I've only missed 1 day so far.) And it feels good to take a picture a day. So you can go to my flicker here if you want to see my picture a day 2011. Hope you like it! I am also trying to come up for a "word for 2011" like I did last year. Last year mine was JOY. So I tried to find joy in everything. Any ideas for my word this year??? Right now I'm liking "Cherish", "Smile" and "laugh". Well bye for now!