Jessi's Journal

Our new blog

2010-04-04T00:31:00.001-07:00

So I decided to start a blog for Ryan and me, here it is:

ryanandjessflake.blogspot.com

Keep updated with us there!

Engagements!!

2010-03-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

We just got our engagements back and I LOVE them.
Here's a sneak peak:

Thank you, thank you Jessica Kettle

1 month

2010-03-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

So I know I promised I would catch up on my blog once I was done with that week of 3 tests, but honestly, things have NOT slowed down since. School is getting busier, with the realization that this semester is over in 3 weeks and my 2 page list of clinical requirements have to be done, the tests and daily quizzes in my 5 other classes never end, and I can't quite put into words how this wedding has taken up every second of spare time that I use to have.
But I guess the big news is that our wedding is exactly ONE month away.
As stressful as the planning has been, I'm so glad that it is coming up. I couldn't be more excited to marry Ryan. The announcements are currently being printed so expect one in the mail soon!
&if I don't have your address- please send it :)

Big News..

2010-02-11T23:16:00.000-08:00

I have sooo much catching up to do on my blog, but I couldn't help but put up this one, most important post- to let everyone know that...

We're engaged!!

Ryan proposed Thursday night and I could not have been more surprised and excited. I promise the story will come soon, but 3 tests this week don't allow me to drop everything else in my life and just focus on my wedding like I wish I could. So here's a picture right after he proposed, and the rest will come soon :)

I can't wait to marry this boy
April 23rd, 2010

Festival of the Trees

2009-12-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

This year we started celebrating the Christmas season by going to the Festival of Trees with Andrew and Carrie. We first had a delicious dinner at their apartment (that was so cutely decorated for Christmas)- complete with our family's famous Christmas candies for dessert and then drove up to Sandy. There were so many amazingly decorated trees- from classy gold and red trees, to motorcycle themed, and everything in between.

The BYU themed tree

They also had a ton of gingerbread houses on display, which I have a better appreciation of after Ryan and I made our own small one this year.

All 4 of us in front of the gingerbread castle
[disclaimer: my purse is not always BURSTING full of random things, I had just pulled everything out searching for my camera :)]

Thanksgving

2009-11-25T21:59:00.000-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving my whole family was home and it was so fun. Wednesday morning the girls went shopping and then we had our annual Thanksgiving Turkey bowl and the park. The weather was absolutely perfect and we all hadfn playing football, even Audrey who even ran in a touch down for our team :)

Most of the family who got to play

After football we came home and play some rock band

&the kids danced

Thursday was the only day the entire family was able to be together. We spent Thanksgiving in San Francisco and rode bikes over the Golden Gate Bridge and down the Embarcadero.

The girls

All 16 of us

My cute parents

We rode to Boudins and had clam chowder in bread bowls

The Golden Gate

Carrie, Melissa, Rachel, me, Sara, Michelle
all the sisters

the kids

That night we all came home and had our big Thanksgiving dinner. We were each in charge of making a dish and it was so fun to try everyone's new recipes. I made the a sweet potatoe dish that I had at the Flakes house and I'm glad to say everyone loved it at my house as well.

Sara and Ben were in charge of doing the turkey and I have to say it wasn't just the prettiest turkey I have ever seen, but the best tasting as well!

Friday night we all went to see the Blindside, which I loved, and then for part of our parent's Christmas present we took them out to dinner at Johnny Carinos.

Saturday night we took our parents ice skating as another part of their present. Even the little kids put their skates on and we all had a lot of fun.

The whole group ice skating

We spent Sunday at church, making Christmas candy, and relaxing. It was a great trip and I loved being home- thanks mom and dad for everything, I am truely grateful for all of you.

Matthew's Baptism

2009-11-22T23:25:00.000-08:00

Matthew Topham was baptised in October and I was lucky to be able to join the Tophams for this occasion. Sam and I drove down to Vegas and spent the weekend with her family playing games, eating frozen yogurt (quite the experience), eating cookies (lots of cookies), watching Dani's soccer game, and relaxing at home. It's been so fun watching Matthew grow up over the past few years and I was so excited for him and his decision.

Matthew and all his cousins

(I was lucky enough to be included in this cousin picture)

Drew, me, and Sam

I almost look like another adopted sibling :)

New Moon

2009-11-20T23:20:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am proud to say that Sam and I went to see the midnight showing of New Moon &had a blast.
Who doesn't love having an excuse to make shirts, stay up extra late to eat candy and watch a good chick flick with your best friend?!

Halloween at DISNEYLAND!!!

2009-10-31T23:29:00.000-07:00

You would think that being from California, I would have been able to say that I have gone to Disneyland several times- but that is not true. Sadly, before this weekend, I had never been there. But now, thank you to the Topham family, I have experienced the magic of Disneyland. They are regulars there so I was privileged to go with a family who knew the ways (to say the least) and have a blast with them.
I was getting ready to go and wanted to clear off my memory card for my camera, and on the plane half way there I realized my memory card was still in my computer and not in my camera :( Thank goodness for camera phones...

Matthew, me, Sam, and Danica
Standing outside of the gates before 8am.
(which is big for a college student on a weekend)

Dumbo

Splash mountain
with the themed pose of "asian tourist"

I dont know how Sam and I ended up being in the front of the log- but I do know that we got soaked, and were wet for the majority of the day
(hence the bad hair in the rest of the pictures)

The lovely hats in the gift shop

The tea cups.
I was with Sam's mom in the fact that we didn't know how much spinning we could handle, so we decided to ride seperately
(Matthew was sad because he wanted to be in the "fast cup" with Sam, Drew, and Dani)

Saturday at California Adventure

I think I look like I'm 12 in this picture, which I love

Thank you Tophams for letting me come with you all and be apart of your family once again,

I always have an amazing time.

Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

To begin the Halloween festivities, we had a group date with a few of the girls with whom I go to school. Karolyn, Zahara, Julianne, and I all brought our dates and had a fun night of dinner at Chillies and then a fun pumpkin carving contest.

The group at dinner

Everyone with their pumpkins before the carving started

Starting the carving

Cleaning out pumpkins

Our 'electric' pumpkin, with out initials on the side

All the carved and lit pumpkins

Thanks everyone for a fun night- I can't wait for more UCDH girls date nights :)

Mom and Dad's Visit

2009-10-10T22:49:00.000-07:00

I always love when my dad has his dental implant class and they get to spend the weekend in Utah. Sadly, this is probably one of their last times coming up for the class- but hopefully they will still get to come up often.

We had a big dinner at my grandma Toolsons which was so fun. The whole group- my mom and dad, grandma and grandpa Toolson, grandpa Tingey, Andrew and Carrie, Blake, Sam, and me. Ryan is the only one not in the picture, as he was the one to take it.

On Saturday, since my dad didn't have class, my parents, Andrew, and I headed up to Mt. Timp to hike the caves and take the tour. It was such a pretty hike up and it was the perfect way to spend a Saturday morning with my family. I sometimes take Utah for granted, just how beautiful it is- so I was glad to take a break from my crazy life to enjoy it.

Thank you mom and dad for such a fun weekend. We always love having you come up and spending time with you- and the groceries you so kindly buy us :) I love you both.

BYU Football

2009-09-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

Power Tumbling

2009-09-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday night Bryce, Sam, Ryan, and I went on a group date to the Tumbling Gym. Oddly enough, it was my first time to a tumbling gym and it ended up being a ton of fun.

Ryan and me in the foam pit

Just about as daring as I got that night- a front flip

Needless to say, Ryan was a little more daring

Bryce and Sam

Ryan and me

Horseback Riding

2009-09-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

Ryan took me on a date where we went horseback riding up at his house and it was so much fun. I haven't rode a horse since I was little and I forgot how much fun it is..
[&how sore it makes you..]

ryan and me on the horses

the view from the top of hobble creek canyon

I think it kinda looks like Ryan was photo shopped into this picture :)

After riding the horses, we walked around his uncles house
&went on their HUGE rope swing

[you can barely see me at the top of the picture]

Then we headed back to Ryan's house and had a delicious dinner in the backyard and played games all night.

it was the perfect day.

True Blue

2009-09-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

Every year around homecoming, BYU hosts True Blue. I have been every year since attending BYU and I love it. This year Sam, Ryan, Blake, Andrew, and Meegan, and I all partied together.Before the blue foam fight started

Ryan and I,
still relatively clean

love it.
[but don't love having blue hair for weeks]

Park City Conference

2009-09-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was little, I remember my dad going to dental conventions and coming back with tons of toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other dental things. Now that I am in dental hygiene school, I went to my first dental hygiene convention, which was a lot of fun. It will probably be my first of many, and it makes me excited about finally getting into dental hygiene.
Some of my classmates at the conference

Of course, a Park City convention isn't complete without a visit to the Park City Outlets :)

Tyler's Trip

2009-09-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

Tyler and Lisa came up this weekend for Ty's last weekend before he headed out to BYU-H. The Wellings have been like a second to family to me and I have loved growing up with them for the last 15 years. Tuesday night we headed up the canyon and had a delicious dinner up there with Blake, Ty, Lisa, Andrew, Carrie, Sam, Lisa, and Andrea. We are all so excited for Tyler to go to Hawaii and play on their golf team. You'll do great Ty.

me and Tyler longboarding

Andrew, me, Tyler, Blake, and Lisa

Thanks so much for a great night and an even better friendship.

Labor Day

2009-09-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

I love Labor Day. I love having the day off school, and knowing that you can just play, all day. We started that morning by having breakfast at our apartment where we made breakfast burritos.

Me and Sam cooking the eggs

Who knew with 5 boys and 4 girls we would need THIRTY eggs.
needless to say, our boys were big eaters.

Natasha, Michelle, Christian, John, and Brent

That afternoon we enjoyed the amazing weather and went swimming

Me, Sam, and Cheyenne

Sam and I then drove to Draper and had dinner at Chiptole and did some shopping

Where we were the typical students and shared a burrito and a drink

After shopping we went to our friend Chase's surpirse birthday party. He was in our ward last year and is engaged to one of my really good friends now. It was so fun to see so many friends who we don't get to see as much anymore.

Leigh, Sam, me and Helen
love these girls.

All in all, it was a perfect day.

Just Dance

2009-09-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

One of my friends from my Stats class last year was having a back to school party at his apartment, so we loaded up the car and headed over. It was such a fun night, with good music, perfect weather, and even better friends. I love being back in Provo.

All the girls

The whole group
Love these friends

Planning Ahead

2009-09-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

So Sam and I went to Walmart a few days ago to pick up a few groceries, and while we were walking down the soda isle, we were pleasantly surprised..
A 2 liter of Diet Dr. Pepper, our favorite, was on sale for 99 cents!
so, naturally, we followed the council of being prepared- and bought 5.
Here's to the many late nights of studying..
as awful as they are,
I'm glad to say we are officially prepared

Thursdays are the new Fridays

2009-09-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

So some very smart person, who happens to have a say at UCDH, decided that we should not have class on Fridays. I love them. Even though 8-4 Monday through Thursday makes for a long week, it all pays off come Friday. Thursday I got home from school and I loved the feeling of not having to do a ton of homework and knowing I didn't have to try to go to bed early because I had to wake up at 7 the next morning.

Thursday nights have a new meaning in my book, and Sam was so fun to join the party

(even if she regretted it the next morning when she had school)

the movie watching essentials:
2 glasses of Diet Dr. Pepper,
1 large bowl of kettle corn,

& 1 amazing bestfriend/roomate/cousin

a perfect Thursday night

Back to School

2009-08-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

So after 4 months of working at the pool, relaxing at home, and not studying anything, I am officially back to school. I had orientation on Wednesday and Thursday and by lunch on Wednesday, I felt like I had known these girls for years. There 60 girls in my Dental Hygiene Program and I love them all already.

I feel like because everyone is coming back to school, everyone feels like they should have a party- and I definitely won't complain. I think we counted 5 parties this weekend, all within our complex. The girls above us had a dessert party Sunday night which was a huge success.

Jessica, Sam, me, and Britton

School started Monday and the homework began there.
Dont worry, we still took complete advantage of the pool at our complex,
and decided to "study at the pool"

But as fun as this was, it shortly turned into naps at the pool..
once again, no complaints

Shopaholic

2009-08-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

So I really do hate moving, unpacking, and pretty much all of that sort. It is especially terrible when you show up to an apartment with TONS of stuff left in the cabinets, nasty stains on the couch, and moldy fruit in the fridge (really?!) I was so lucky to have my mom drive up with me and help me unpack and get settled. I could not have done it without her, and all the help I had from Andrew, Carrie, and Blake. They really are the best.

One thing that I definitely don't mind about unpacking and getting settled is the shopping that comes with it. So Monday was one busy day with a trip to Walmart, Costco, Ikea, Ulta, Michaels, Nordstroms Rack and two different DSWs.
I secretly loved it.

Yes, we took Sam's Land Rover to Costco, because I'm pretty sure everything would not have fit in my car. We bought all the essentials.
Smart Water
Fiber bars
Prego
Laundry Detergent
Yogurt
Oatmeal
Fruit Snacks
Chicken
Ground Turkey
&much more

Having way too much fun at Ikea:

Oh how I have missed Sam and our silliness.

Rugs- or backdrops?

We're kinda famous around Nordstrom's Rack

So I'm not sure why I'm laughing in this picture, but it was one of the few I have of my mom and I this weekend. This was outside the airport before I said goodbye. I really truly hate goodbyes. I remember balling my eyes out when she left after driving me up for my freshman year, and I don't think things have changed much. I am so lucky to have such an amazing mom, who is one of my best friends. I miss you already but can't wait to see you soon. Thanks for all you do for me, it is way too much to list.
I love you mom.

Sundays at Grandmas

2009-08-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

I love having my grandparents live so close. They are always so nice to have us over, let us eat their food, and take over their house. We had a big Sunday dinner at my Grandparents on Sunday with my Grandma and Grandpa, my mom, Grandpa Tingey, Andrew, Carrie, Sam, and Tommy. After dinner we made some delicious peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Soo good.

Enjoying the dough with Grandma

And more.. with my mom

My cute grandparents.
Thanks for everything, you guys are the best.

Unpacking..

2009-08-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

..is one of my least favorite things to do... ever.

but is so much better with this moral support group :)

Ashley's Wedding

2009-08-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

One of my good friends, Ashley Peet, got married and I was so honored to be one of her bridesmaids. Everything about her wedding- from the bridal shower and rehearsal dinner to the temple and the reception- was amazing. The whole weekend was so much fun, and I am so excited for Ashley and Paul.

I just have to tell quickly how much I love this girl. She is one of the most genuine girls I know, she is always so nice and it is impossible not to have fun when you are around her. I have known her since I was about 7, and I have always looked up to her in so many ways. So Paul- you are so lucky to be able to call this beautiful girl your wife, and I don't think there is anyone that could make Ashley happier.

Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures from the wedding, but when they're posted I will add more. Till then, here is a sneak peak:

The fabulous bridal shower at Juicy Nails

The bridesmaids and the beautiful bride

The girls at the amazing reception

As Ashley and Paul left, we all lined the way with sparklers

Congrats Ashley and Paul-
I couldn't be more happy for you guys.

Leavin'

2009-08-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

I honestly can't believe how fast the past 4 months have gone by. Time honestly flew. I feel like so much has happened, but it was all just a blur at the same time. My last day at home was so much fun- January came to the pool with me and we went to a water aerobics class in the morning which was a surprisingly decent workout. After I taught a few lessons, my mom, January and I all went to Chipotle for lunch. Apparently this is where you go to see people you know. We ran into the missionaries, the Pedersens, and the Walkers.

Allie and me
Love this girl

January and my mom have regular lunches at Chipotle, and it was so fun to join them.

I love these ladies.

me and my moms

Thursday morning we woke up, went to the club- worked out and said my last goodbyes, then packed up the car and were on our way.

Finally pulling out

Rach was so cute and came to the gas station to say goodbye
I'm going to miss having her so close

We stopped in Sacramento to see Evelyn on the way out. Evelyn is another grandma to me. She is one of the cutest ladies and is so sweet.

Just as she always says to me,
I love her to pieces

After a stops for gas and food, and way too many of these signs,
we made it to Utah in a full 12 hours

Thank you mom for driving up with me and helping me move in to my new place, I could not have done it without you
And Dad, thanks for letting me borrow her :)

Who Knew

2009-08-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

So many times this summer I have been so tired of working. I was tired of being kicked in the stomach when kids push off to swim, tired of having kids spit in my face when they come up for air, tired of being hit in the chin by little kid's heads, and tired of being splashed when I really didn't want to have to wash my hair for the 6th time that week. There are so many ups and downs of my job, but who knew when I finished my last swim lesson for the summer, which is probably my last summer, I would have to hold back a few tears. I really, truly love these kids. I have worked at this pool for the past three years and have seen them grow up. I have babysat them, taught a majority of them swim lessons, and in some ways, feel like they are partly mine. I can't help but to smile when they run up to me and give me huge hugs or cling to my leg, or when I talk to them during lunch and ask who their best friends are and they reply "Jessica".

So, although it may seem odd,
these kids are some of my best friends.

I will miss them all so much,
& the many memories that go with this pool

Party On

2009-08-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

My last few weeks at home were a constant party- and I don't know how it went by so quickly. Michelle, Audrey, and Joshua came out to visit which made for a full, fun house. I have loved being at home and being able to spend time with my family and it was the perfect way to end my summer.

Melissa, Michelle, and me driving to Larry's Produce

me and January

Party at the Pool

Audrey's swim lesson

cute girls

The ward had a day at the lake so we all went and had so much fun
Luckily it didn't end for me like it did a few years ago- with a broken rib

GrandD, Joshua, and Grande

Meliss, Savs, Joshua, and Michelle
Savy LOVED the tube- she kept blowing kisses and saying "so fun"

Since I work at the Sports Club, they let me have a free pool party so everyone came up and we had a bbq. It was so fun to see everyone before I left- I am really gonna miss them.

most of the group in the hot tub

me and Audrey underwater

Grande, the famous 'swing pusher'

Ryan's parents have a boat so Ryan and Rachel were so nice to take us all out on the boat for an evening.

Joshua driving the boat..
..or pretending

Shelb and I won most improved intertube riders-
Ryan tried to throw us off but couldn't even do it

Shelb and Joshua

Only after bribing Audrey with 20 gummy bears, would she get on the tube.
She was so brave and loved how she could sign to Ryan to go faster or slow down

my cute mom- she got up right away, she is amazing

..with me it was a little more of a process

..but after coaching from everyone, including Audrey telling me to be Ariel in the water,
I finally got up

Shelby on the skis

on the boat

Rach on the wakeboard

Ryan on the Slalom ski

Thank you so much to my family who really make my life what it is. I have so much fun with all of you and am so grateful that you are not only my family, but my best friends.

True Love

2009-08-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

My toothbrush + my adorable nephew=

TRUE LOVE
(between an extremely germophobic aunt and this sweet boy)

Wisdom-less

2009-08-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

So having my dad as a Dentist has been a blessing in so many ways, one of them being that I can usually be fit into be seen whenever I need to and I get my teeth cleaned whenever there is a cancellation. So a week and a half before I left for school, I felt one of my wisdom teeth start to come in, so I told him about it and he had me come by the office. So, I had an hour break from work so I drove to his office, for what I thought was going to be a little exam. I was very incorrect. We decided since I was already there, we might as well take it out. So before I know it, I am numb and my dad is pulling out my wisdom tooth. Literally 10 seconds later, it was out and done. So we packed in some gauze and made sure it clotted and I was on my way. The only problem being that I had to go back to work to teach swim lessons, instead of going home to relax, like a normal person.

Lesson Learned:
Having your wisdom teeth pulled then heading to the pool to teach lessons, is wisdom-less in more than one way.
But, I must admit, I mastered talking with a large piece of gauze in my mouth

California YSA Conference

2009-08-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

California held a state wide Young Single Adult Conference that was held in 7 different locations. It was really cool being a part of it considering it was President Monson's idea and California was the first state that has ever hosted an event like this. We were assigned to the Oakland Temple and I loved everything about it. Steve Young spoke to us, there was a broadcast from L. Tom Perry, and my mom even taught one of the work shops.

So the picture is a little blurry- but its my mom with a few of the kids that attended her workshop. She did an amazing job.

Lindsey and me
LOVE this girl

Emma, me, Hanna, and Eryka
I had so much fun with these girls...

...as you can tell :)

love the California sunset
view from the Temple

love them

There was a dance that night, which was a blast.

We danced. A lot.

after the dance

fun boys

A Grande Birthday

2009-08-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

For my Dad's birthday we all went to a Giants game the Friday after his birthday. With me, my parents, Melissa, Luke, Savannah, Rachel, Ryan, Rick and Lonna- it turned into quite the party. We had great seats, delicious food and treats, and perfect weather.

most of the group

me and Savs

Savy and the birthday boy.. well I guess man.

Happy Birthday Dad- I love you so much

Party Time!

2009-08-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

Madi's Birthday

I love this girl.
We always have fun together- whether its talking about boys, laughing about our ridiculous swim lessons, talking while scrubbing lawn chairs at work, being mixed up for each other, trying to avoid being splashed in the pool, or just watching movies
thanks for always being there for me Madi-
you truly are a great friend
Happy Birthday!

Introducing...

2009-08-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

Zito

So we have this tradition in my family of naming cars. I think this mostly came because whenever one of the kids had a car and called it 'theirs' my dad corrected them saying it was not their car- it was his car that he was letting them use.
So here is Zito, my dad's new car that he is so kindly letting me drive :)

January was helping me think of names and she suggested something to do with tuxedo since it's white and black. So naturally it was shortened to Zito, and it's stuck ever since.

Cici will be missed

la vida es mejor en mexico

2009-08-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Every summer my family goes on vacation to Mexico but this summer because of various busy schedules and school, it was just my mom, my dad, and me. It was definitely different without the rest of the family- a lot quieter, but very relaxing. We flew to Cancun from Dallas and spent the week there.

On Sunday we were your typical American tourist. We drove into the city Cancun (our resort was in Playa del Carmen) and saw the large hotels and beautiful beaches.

We came back and my dad and I played some cards. I have so many memories playing cards with my dad on vacations. I taught him a card game called 'golf' years ago and it was an automatic favorite (I think it might just be because of the name)

His golf game is as good on the table as it is on the course...

...much better than mine

Monday

Monday morning I was thinking about how if I were at home, then I would probably be at the pool teaching torpedo glides. So my parents decided they would be my pretend swim students and practice their torpedo glides

Reading- which turned into napping- on the deck

Tuesday

the epitome of a perfect relaxing day

Wednesday

We have been to Xel-ha a few times and I think this is one of those places I could go everyday and never get tired of it. There is snorkeling, tube rides, cliff jumping, rope swings, and delicious food.

The oh-so-attractive snorkel mask

going down on the tubes

my cute parents

My dad thought it was fun to splash me, so I made him a deal that every time he splashed me, I was going to take a picture of him (he likes pictures just about as much as I like being splashed) It worked out great, he wasn't allowed to complain about pictures for the rest of the day :)

Cliff jumping:

Snorkeling

Iguana!

A couple asked us to take a picture of them, and they did a pretty funny pose-
so this was my parents imitation

The first time I took this picture, my dad wasn't smiling, so I told him to smile, and this is what he did haha

"cheers"

as Audrey&Savs would say

love the hammocks

Thursday

The cute swings at the bar by the pool

the famous pool

The pier

Friday

We spent the day in Tulum- which has the most amazing beaches. We went here last Thanksgiving on the way home from Koba and I fell in love with this beach. My dad was so nice to make the hour and a half drive "just to go to a beach" (his words exactly)

Clearly, this was not "just another beach"

my mom and me floating on the rafts

The water was unreal

under the ocean

life is better in mexico.

july25-aug1

Texas

2009-07-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

My mom, dad, and I went down to Texas to visit Michelle, Dave, Audrey, and Joshua. They moved down last month because Dave started his Endodontics program and we have missed seeing them. It was so fun to see them and spend some time with them, I love this family.

A little background: When Audrey use to come visit she would sleep in my bed with me, which was perfect because I have a king size bed. She is such a little cuddle bug and I loved every second of it. When she found out that I was going to come to Texas to visit her, she told me that we could share her bed- which is a twin size. Needless to say, we were very cozy all night long :)

The next morning: Good morning beautiful.

cute Joshua came to join the party

love those cheeks

Joshua, Shelb, me, and Audrey walking around the harbor

Swinging

After we had lunch at Taco Bueno, we headed to the swimming pool. Since I teach swimming lessons I had always try to help Audrey swim but she never wanted to go under the water. So when she called me from Texas saying she went all the way under the water I was so proud.

Look at the little fish :)

Shelb, Audrey, and me

While the kids took a nap- Shelb, my mom, and I went to Sam Moons. It is this cute shopping area where they have everything from purses, belts, hats, jewelry, and then a separate home decor store.

Of course we had to take a picture sitting in the zebra chairs.

After the naps we went to my dad's favorite store- The Bass Pro Shop. It is kinda like Cabelas, with all the outdoors equipment, and animals on display. The kids loved it and we had a blast.

Grande and the kids.

Joshua with the bear

They had a shooting area where you could shoot animals which moved

Action shot with GrandD and Grande

Love this cute little boy

On our way home we stopped at Bahama Bucks for some shaved ice- delicious.

My mom gave Audrey a set of scriptures and a book that you draw pictures in that tell about the stories that Audrey loves. When we got home that's all she wanted to do.

sweet Audrey and her D

playing some cards

Shelb taking a hand

as Audrey kept saying:

"my mom is killing us"

Friday was Pioneer Day so we told Audrey about the pioneers and all day long she kept asking when the pioneers were coming. We had to explain that this was in the past so we decided in remembrance of the pioneers, we would walk to the pool instead of drive :)

We told Audrey that if she would work with me a little on her swimming than we would get her a surprise at the store. She did so well and even swam all by herself:

needless to say, she definitely deserved her surprise :)

Not quite her typical 'princess cosmetics' but shin guards instead.
Audrey is signed up to be on a soccer team in the fall so I wanted her to get a head start.

She only agreed to put them on when I told her it was like soccer jewelry :)

Grande was showing Audrey that if she was wearing her shin guards, then it would not hurt if someone kicked her shins. I love the trusting look on her face.

Practicing some dribbling

It was a soccer practice for everyone

Action shot of Audrey's throw in

My little soccer star- with the pink ball that I gave her for her 2nd birthday

After dinner walked around the cute town

adorable.

love this girl.

Saturday morning we packed up and headed to the airport to leave for Mexico. We were sad they weren't coming with us but were so glad we got to see them before we left.

Sitting on the porch before we left:

such cute kids

Thank you Dave, Michelle, Audrey, and Joshua for letting us come stay at your cute house, eat your food, and even share your bed :) We love you sooo much.

Family. Fun. Utah.

2009-07-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

I am starting to love my dad taking his dental implant classes in Utah. I loved it before because it meant that my parents were coming up to visit, and now that it is summer time, it means that I get to visit Utah with them. I love Utah in the summer. First, there is no school, the weather is beautiful, and I get to see my family.

We got to Utah late Wednesday night, drove to my grandparents house, and found a container of bran muffins with a note from my grandma on the counter. She is the best. Thursday afternoon we met up with lots of friends and family at Cafe Rio. LOVE this place.

me, my mom, Grandma, Kade, Ellen, Maria, and January

Mark Sanders and me
he has lived two houses down from me since I was born- practically an older brother to me

Preston, me and Kade
My cousin Sara's adorable boys

After lunch my mom, Maria, and I drove to my Grandma's grave.

It is so pretty up there and I was so glad that I could go with my mom.

From there we headed to the Park City outlets. One of my really good friends Amy Adams met my mom, Maria, and me up there which was a blast. It was so good to see her and catch up a little. We hung out all the time last summer and had SO much fun. I miss that girl. Sadly- no pictures.

Friday afternoon we had lunch with my grandpa at P.F. Changs. We always go there with him and I love it. We even had Cold Stone after- it was quite the meal.

my cute grandpa.

After lunch I met up with my friend Ashley. We have known each other since we were little but she moved away and we were pleasantly reunited at BYU. We went the Nordstroms sale, and have to say we were pretty successful. It was so fun to just sit and talk, she is getting married in August and I am so excited for her.

Friday night we celebrated my grandma and grandpa Toolson's birthdays. They are close together so we had a birthday party for both of them :)

I am in love with this picture of them.
They are the cutest.

We had a theme of an '80 plus' birthday party so for part of their present, we all told things that we love and remember about grandma and grandpa. My mom put them all together, and stopped counting when she reached 160. Needless to say, there were definitely 80 plus things.

the pages&pages of things that we LOVE about them

Happy Birthday Grandma and Grandpa!!!

Saturday my mom, Andrew, Carrie, and I went to Seven Peaks. I love this place. I feel like I'm 12 again when I go. We use to go all the time as kids and I feel like it is just as much fun now. We rode tons of rides, relaxed, and loved Andrew and Carrie's new waterproof digital camera.

my mom, me, Carrie, and Andrew in line

Carrie and Andrew

me and my mom after Boomerang- my favorite ride

cheesin' on one of the rides with Andrew

this picture might capture how much fun I had :)

the lazy river

Andrew underwater

the lily pads.
I use to love jumping from one to the next when I was a kid.

We also took some videos going down the slides at the park, which are pretty entertaining. I'll post them soon :)

I was planning on flying home Sunday night but because of a last minute change of plans, I ended up catching a ride home with Ellen and LaNell. It was so much fun to drive with them- thank you so much! Love you guys.

Smile.

2009-07-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

You might think that the only thing that could make a
bad week worse is going to work..
but it proved to be the opposite for me this week.

These kids put a smile on my face everyday

classic jumping picture

otter-pop break

bingo!

The kids, Madi, and me

the important things...

2009-07-13T21:02:00.001-07:00

Yesterday in church there was a talk that I felt was meant just for me- about the important things in life. I feel like I've been so caught up with relatively small things in my life, when in reality I need to take a step back and figure out the important things. I have so many things for which I am grateful and even if some things are rough, it doesn't mean I shouldn't or can't be happy. My family is such a blessing to me and I don't know what I would do without them, especially right now. They have always been there for me- from times of just having fun together or coming to my soccer games, to phone calls to cheer me up and put a smile on my face. So thank you to my Mom, my Dad, Sara, Ben, Dave, Michelle, Audrey, Joshua, Melissa, Luke, Savannah, Rachel, Ryan, Andrew, and Carrie for being such an important part of my life.

I love you all

mom&me

2009-07-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend my dad and one of his golf friends took a boys golf trip to Oregon, which left my mom and I at home all by ourselves. On Thursday I actually had the day off, so my mom and I decided to make a day out of it. We woke up and headed to the pool to go to the water aerobics class (which I always see while I am teaching lessons) then laid out at the pool after. We came home, got ready, then headed to Napa. We first went to the outlets and did a little shopping which was a blast. When we had worked up quite the appetite from all the shopping we went to Rutherford's Grill. I haven't been since my 8th grade graduation with my best friend Megan and the food was that good that I still remember it. They are famous for their ribs and the cute setting. We sat outisde and enjoyed delicious cornbread and ribs that you could eat with a knife and fork.

Yes, the cornbread was that good, it was photographed

The famous ribs

After we were suffiently stuffed with the delicious ribs we headed to Dean&Deluca. This place is another one of our family's favorites because of their apricot bars. We shared one while we were there and then of course had to get one for the road :)

love the vineyards

After Dean&Deluca we drove straight to the movie theater to see The Proposal, which was cute. I sadly cant remember the last time I have been to see a movie.

By the time we got home we were ready for our late night snack of another apricot bar..

Which was quickly devoured

Thank you mom for a fabulous day. You are truely one of my best friends. I love you.

Jammin'

2009-07-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was little my mom has made homemade strawberry freezer jam. It is my FAVORITE. Our family can seriously finish off a whole jar in one sitting. When Michelle was in high school all of her guy friends loved it so much that they wanted to learn how to make it. So one day over the summer they came over to join the jammin' party. Considering the amount of jam we go through in a year, it is quite the ordeal. So she taught all these high school boys how to mash the strawberries, measure out the ingredients, bring them to a boil, add the strawberries and then pour them into the glass jars. Not too far into the process, I came in saying that my arm burt because I fell on it when jumping on the trampoline. So my mom and I were off to the emergency room, where they told me my arm was broken. We came home hours later with the jam all done and lined up on the counter. This year we had our annual jam party, but it wasn't quite to that extent. My poor mom was pretty much on her own considering I was at the pool for almost 10 hours. I came home for my break to my mom in the kitchen surrounded by hundreds of strawberries, and quite the assembly line set up.

My mom doesn't mess around :)

Making my single batch of jam

My final product

12 hours later my mom had finally finshed the jam for the year, Thanks mom, its reason 834892 why you are the best :)

Work Work Work

2009-06-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

So I seem to only do blog posts when something big happens or when I go on a trip but I realized I was skipping out on a large part of my life this summer.. work. I work at the pool teaching swim lessons and love it, but will admit it is definitely work. I have worked at Rancho Solano's pool for the past 3 summers and realize this may be my last because of Dental Hygiene School. So although 88 hours at the pool in 2 weeks is exhausting, I really do love my job and these kids.

Tray- one of the kids I teach and Audrey
they became friends and are two of the cutest kids in the world

Working a swim meet- Madi and I are swim team coaches
Madi and I keep each other sane during the endless hours of lessons, meets, and camps

Bailey and Izzy
during one of the sports camp

The whole group

So my dad's phrase of "some must work so some can play" is definitely true- and I'm glad to say that this summer I'm not only playing hard, but working hard as well.

Savy Turned Two!!

2009-06-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

Savannah had a birthday on June 11 and I can't believe she is already two. She is such a fun little girl and I love her so much. I remember last year I was still at school on her birthday so I was so happy to be home this year and get to celebrate with everyone at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

The birthday girl before she ate cake

At the whale show

My mom, the kids, and I in front of the fountains

Audrey and Savy cooling off- and getting soaked in the process

Dave and the kids

Audrey and her GrandD

Luke, Meliss, Joshua, Michelle, Dave and Audrey
(the lion behind them walked out of the picture)

Walking through the Shark display

Audrey kept me safe while we were in there and told me
'they will not hurt you aunt jess, they are behind glass!!'

Joshua and I on the ride

In the airplane

Luke, Dave, and I on the one and only adult ride we went on all day...

...which was a blast

Happy birthday Savy girl. I love you so much!

Rachel's Class

2009-06-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

My sister Rachel teaches a second and third grade class in San Leandro so my mom and I went out one afternoon to visit her and her cute kids. Since we were going in to the classroom she asked me if I wanted to talk to her students at all so I talked to them about brushing their teeth- I know, typical for the future dental hygienist :)

Showing them how to properly brush their teeth with "Tony" the giraffe.

me with one of Rachel's students

me and Rachel
It was so fun to see her teach and to see how much her students love her. Whenever people ask her if she has children she says she has 25 from 8 to 3 which is the total truth. She is a great teacher and I am so glad I got to go and see her with her kids. Thanks for having us Rach!

Midwest

2009-05-23T15:18:00.000-07:00

A week after Andrew and Carrie's wedding the Linebacks were having a reception for them in Kansas. My mom, dad, and I planned on going to the reception and decided to make a week long trip out of it. Our flight left in the morning and was planned to land at 2pm in Kansas City- which would have been perfect for the 6pm reception. Of course, it didn't end up that way.. Because of the terrible weather, the Kansas City airport closed and our plane had to land in Tulsa, Oklahoma instead. After a long day of traveling with bad weather news followed by more bad news, our flight landed in Kansas City at 9pm and we finally made it to the reception a little after 10, needless to say, slightly late. The reception was beautiful and we enjoyed a great after party with delicious food and great company.

The next day we woke up and headed to the Cabelas head quarters. Cabelas is a huge outdoors store that has everything you could ever imagine. It was fun to walk around and my dad and I even got Cabelas hats :)

My parents after eating at Cabelas

After we left Cabelas we met up with Andrew and Carrie and saw some church history sights. We went to Independence and saw the visitors center there and then went to see Liberty Jail. It was a fun afternoon and it was interesting to see all these sights and learn more about what happened.

Visitors Center in Independence, Missouri

Eating chocolate covered strawberries from the reception- they were soo good!

Liberty Jail

That night we drove to Branson, Missouri where we spent the rest of the week. It reminded me of a little Las Vegas, but much cleaner.

Branson Creek Landing- this was a cute area downtown with lots of little shops and fountains next to the lake. We spent the evening walking around and watching the water show.

We also went on a lot of walks, there was a really pretty path that led up to an observation tower that looked over the Ozark mountains.

my dad and I walking up

Climbing the observation tower

My cute parents, I love the smile on my mom's face.

Picture from the top.
(it was still pretty early in the morning for me haha)

We went to a place called Silver Dollar City which was an amusement park, but everything was oldfashioned. When you walked in everyone was dressed different and you really thought you had gone back in time. The park was really pretty and it was fun just to walk around and

There was a sign about teeth, so naturally we had to take a picture by it :)
&no- my parents did not plan their matching outfits haha

my dad watching one of the shows

My mom on the cave tour

One thing that seems to be a trend on vacations is playing ping pong. We've never had a table growing up but I remember playing with Andrew when I was little and then also with my brother in laws on vacation when I was a little older. My mom, dad, and I kept the tradition and went down to the pool to play some ping pong.

My dad's champion picture

Some action shots :)

classic tickling picture.

Thanks mom and dad for such a great trip and for being so much fun, it was a great vacation.

Sisters Weekend

2009-05-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

The weekend after Andrew and Carrie's wedding we had our first (and definitely not last) sisters weekend. Michelle, Melissa, Rachel, and I drove to LA to stay with my oldest sister Sara. We got there late Friday night, but not too late to eat half a chocolate cake of course. There the party began.

Saturady morning we slept in, had a family favorite of bran muffins for breakfast and headed out to hike the hollywood sign.

All the girls on the way up

So someone told us about their daughter actually sneaking down to touch the sign but had to run back up because a helicopter came around with its lights. When we got to the top we sat down and talked for a while until everyone else had left. We then had the great and daring idea of going down to touch the sign.

Going under the fence to get to the sign

Running back up when an alarm- yes, there is a motion sensor alarm- went off

After the hike we went to a farmers market for lunch. They had the best food that was so cheap, especially for LA.

Melissa's food was a little spicy

Getting some produce to take home

After we got back to the apartment building we went and sat by the pool and then the fire pit.
Shelb took this picture and we thought it looked like I was throwing fire
(She's just that good of a photographer :)

We decided we all wanted to go out that night and that it'd be even more fun if we all wore Sara's dresses. So we all showered- with a strict 5 minute limit to ensure hot water and leaving in a decent amount of time- and got ready to go out.

All of us before we went out

The fountains at the Grove

Dinner at Maggiannos- my FAVORITE

Going to see the stars after dinner

Sunday morning we got up got ready for church- all in one mirror..

Then headed to the beach for a relaxing and fun afternoon.

So a little background- all of my sisters were cheerleaders in high school except for me- which would explain the following pictures..

Just some coaching
my sad attempt of a toe touch

we had fun :)
just about as good as we got

needless to say, I am not very flexible

all the girls

Monday morning we woke up at 4:30 and were out the door before 5 to get in line for tickets to the PRICE IS RIGHT!! We stood in line for an hour for our tickets then were told at 6:30 that we needed to be back at 8:00 for the 1:30 showing. We all ran home, got ready quickly and spent the morning reading magazines, talking, and snacking. Finally at 1 we got to go into the room where it was filmed. The show was great and when it was time for the last contestant to be called down we heard "Jessica Toolson come on down, you're the next contestant on The Price is Right!!!" Words can not describe how ballistic we went. We jumped and screamed and I finally ran down feeling like I had won a million dollars right then and there. I was the last contestant up and the first to bid so I didn't make it any further but it was still unreal.

All of us after the showing
Because it's so loud in there they hold up posters with the names on them so I got to keep my poster. I also won a floor lamp and a phone for being called down.

All of us in our sister #1-5 shirts.
We had people ask if we were really sisters or 'sistas'
I am proud to say they are my four beautiful sisters all from the same parents :)

My best friends.

Thank you to my four amazing, wonderful, incredible sisters for one of the best weekends of my life. I love you all.

The Bride and Groom

2009-05-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

Andrew and Carrie were married on May 1, 2009. It was almost unreal that the day actually came and that all the preparations were put into play and the wedding happened. Even though it was a rainy day in California, the wedding was BEAUTIFUL. Carrie looked gorgeous- as always- and Andrew looked handsome. It was great day.

Andrew and Carrie outside the temple

Andrew with the Bridesmaids

Me, Andrew, Meegan, and Aimee

The night of the wedding there was a wedding dinner at McCormick and Kuletos in Ghirradeli Square. The dinner was deicious and the place was beautiful. The room had an amazing view of the bay and it was great.

Dancing after the dinner

Weddings in our family have their own special traditions- including a sentimental (but most of the time random) gift and a song we change the words to apply to the Bride and Groom. So for Andrew and Carrie's gift- I gave them a roll of aluminum foil and a Chipotle gift card with the following explanation.

Andrew and I have always been really close growing up and especially since all of our siblings were married he was kinda my partner when we were all doing things together. I remember meeting Carrie and really liking her (who couldn't like her) but I have always been kinda nervous for when Andrew got married because I thought I would lose my brother. Last October when Andrew and Carrie were dating, Carrie called me and said they were going to Chipotle for Halloween because you get free burritos if you dressed up as a burrito and invited me to come. So being the poor college students we are, we drove up to Sandy, wrapped ourselfs in tin foil, and enjoyed our free burritos and had a great time. It meant so much to me that Carrie called me and invited me and it was really that night that I realized that I wasn't losing my brother but I was getting another friend- and now sister.

We changed the words to 'Lets Hear it For The Boy' to our own version of 'Lets hear it for our boy'. It's been said that Andrew doesn't just have 5 sisters but also 5 other mothers, and this is partly true. We all take pride and credit in the fact that we have all helped raise him and he has always been a great son, brother, friend, and will now be a great husband.

The reception at our house the next day

Andrew and Carrie are just perfect for each other and we are so excited for them. We are all thrilled that Carrie is a part of our family and we couldn't be happier.

Congratulations to the new couple <3

Busy Week

2009-05-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

All throughout finals I kept telling myself how excited I was to just come home and relax, but I have to say, things here have been far from relaxing. This past week and a half have been so fun, busy, stressful, and amazing all at the same time.

My mom and I drove out of Provo on Thursday at about 3pm which made it a late arrival in California. As we were leaving I realized that my ipod was in my backpack and thought that I would just get it out at our next stop- but no, it was never needed. I think my mom is one of the few people were I could be in a 10ft x 5ft box (or car in our situation) and not get bored after 11 1/2 hours. We talked the entire way home. It was so much fun just to talk about things and catch up on things that had happened but we had not talked about because of how busy finals week had been.

Friday morning I woke up and came downstairs to an amazing surprise- my sister had come to visit with her two beautiful kids. We made a trip to the store (where I realized how nice it was to live at home since I wasn't buying the usual onions, bread, milk, and tortillas that were on my shopping list from school), went out to Murillos- my FAVORITE mexican restaurant- with my family, got some frozen yogurt, and just enjoyed being with my family.

Saturday morning my mom and I drove out to Danville to see my sister Melissa who was so kind to do my moms and my hair. When I am saying she is so nice, it is a serious understatement. Just ask her- it takes literally HOURS for her to foil my hair and I appreciate it soo much, she is a great hairstylist. We went shopping that afternoon, played with Savs at the park, then met up with my dad and had some dinner. We went to a little place under Luke's office where we played ping pong and had some delicious food. From dinner my dad and I drove to San Jose for the SHARKS game. I LOVE the Sharks (another understatement). The game was so much fun- I even got to see my friend Mark that I know from school- and best of all, the Sharks won it in overtime. It was a great day.

On Sunday Rach and Ryan came out and had dinner with us after church and the wedding prep began (well atleast for me). We trimmed the (hundreds of) flowers and put them back the buckets, folded the boxes for the favors, and moved outdoor furniture.

Monday and Tuesday I worked up at the pool for a few hours and on Tuesday my mom was so nice to take me to get my nails done. This whole week kinda blends in my head with wedding preparations, family, and eating. We went out to Green Valley with the Linebacks (Carrie's family), Chevy's with the family, and just enjoyed being all together.

The wedding was on Friday and it was beautiful. I'll have pictures and details in a later post.

Done..

2009-04-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday at 12, I am done with all my finals and BYU in general. Now I'm packing- well I guess taking a little break, and my mom and I will drive home to California on Friday. As excited I am to go home, I think its hit me today how much I really do love it up here. Over all my complaining of the bipolar weather, school work, and stress- I have had SO much fun up here and I will miss everyone and everything while I'm home, especially:

Getting ready in the morning with my roommates. Making gym trips at insane hours of the night. Making cooking a social event. Cannon dinners with Erik. "Family" dinners with our closest friends. Watching What I Like About You. Salt Lake trips. Dates with Mac and George :) Concerts. Wendy's frosties. Cafe Rio (almost weekly). Trips down to Yo Zone. Snowboarding. Walking to class with Blake. Laughing so hard we cry. Quote board. Watching Donovan do his version of the Single Ladies Dance. Karaoke. My FHE group. Dance parties. Cookie dough. Las Vegas Trips. Home made pizza. Halloween at Chipotle. Hearing Torrie yell through the apartment. Having Sam read my mind and know what I'm trying to say when what came out was nothing close. Our craft/hardware drawer, Yup- its the same drawer :) Our Colorado trip. Watching How I met your mother. Phase 10. Blue Line Deli. Looking out my window and seeing the mountains. Sunday movie nights. Dance parties at Carries. Rachel's delicious desserts. Anatomy lab friends. Volleyball. The boys that are leaving on missions.
My AMAZING roommates.

So this leaving is bittersweet but thank you to everyone who has made this year so great for me.
I love you all!

Routines

2009-04-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

So I've come to a realization that my life has become a basic repetition of routines. We haven't had classes these past few days because we had reading days and then finals and I am so lost as to what day it is. This is when I came to the realization that depending on what classes I went to that day, I know what day it is. Mondays and Wednesdays was always Religion and Chemistry, Tuesdays was Volleyball and English, Thursdays was Volleyball, English, Anatomy lecture&lab, and Physical Science, and Fridays were English and Chemistry. Besides the fact of knowing what day it is by my weekly routine, I realize that I do a lot of the same things everyday:

-Set my alarm clock 9 minutes earlier than I want to get up so I can hit snooze once
-Roll out of bed, say my prayers, head to the bathroom
-Go to the bathroom, get my toothbrush, and as I'm brushing my teeth I make my bed
(that's my new definition of multi-tasking)
-Then depending on how ambitious I'm feeling I go to the gym
-Come home shower
-Do makeup and hair
-Go put water on the stove to boil
-Get dressed, when I come out I add my oatmeal to the boiling water
-As the oatmeal cooks I make a sandwich and a snack to take to school

So I think we get the point. Getting ready for bed is pretty similar to that, even with folding down my sheets as I'm brushing my teeth. So as uninteresting as this blog post is, it was just another realization about my life.

Really?

2009-04-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

No, not Christmas, but APRIL 16th.
gotta love Provo.
1 more week till sunny c.a.l.i.f.o.r.n.i.a.

the view from my apartment:

I've decided

2009-04-15T20:31:00.001-07:00

A carton of ice cream and a spoon can fix anything..

EASTER

2009-04-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

So Easter was a little different this year- without being at home and all. Last year I went home for Easter so this was my first Easter away, but still a good one. We woke up, and sadly walked out to no Easter basket- but had a good breakfast and got ready for Church. I always love Church on Easter as it is so centered on Christ. It was a really good opportunity to really think about the atonement and how much it means in our lives.
After church we came home, did our visiting teaching, cooked some steaks we had marinated (we are becoming quite the chefs), baked some potatoes, put together a salad and Erik and Justin joined us for a delicious dinner.
Sam and I even made our favorite cookie dough pie for dessert :)
After dinner we had planned on dying Easter Eggs so we boiled some water and waited for them to be done. We thought they'd be done when they floated but 25 minutes later we figured they couldnt float because there wasnt enough water in the pot. Don't worry- we entertained ourselves quite well while waiting by using the egg stickers to decorate eachother and proving to the boys that jumping pictures are harder than they look- I think after about 6 attempts they finally believed us.

We also watched an episode of the Home Makeover Extreme Edition, which was surprisingly really good. I like to watch the show to see all the cool things they put in the houses, and how they decorate but in this episdoe the house was done for a family who has adopted 6 special needs children from China and whose father was diagonosed with a brain tumor. To make a long, sad, story short, they were able to build a new house that fullfilled their needs better but the father was never able to see it because he was in the hospital and passed away 3 days after it was finished. This was really just a wake up call to me about how blessed I am and how I should never take things for granted. I am so grateful for all of my family, friends and people in my life.
Sometimes we all just need to take a step back when we are feeling down and realize all of our blessings.
Overall, it was a great Easter.

Girls Do What They Want...

2009-04-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

..Boys do what they can. -The Maine

Last night me, Sam, Torrie, Rachel, and Justin went to a concert in Salt Lake. We went to The Pie (a really fun pizza place) before and then headed over the concert. It was soo much fun. There were 5 bands- Hit the Lights, Family Force 5, Rocket to the Moon, The Maine, and 303. Were we mostly there to see The Maine but the other bands we a lot of fun as well. After the concert was almost over and we had had enough sweaty people rub against us we left and hit up Wendy's for some frosty's. Oh new favorite- Vanilla Frosty. I LOVE them. I know you think the chocolate can't be beat, but your going to need to try it :)

The girls at The Pie

So we started up in the front but we were literally getting THROWN around. I was half laughing and half crying because I couldn't even move and was getting SO claustrophobic. Luckily we found a spot a little further back- still fun but without the stomping on our feet, shoving, and insane amounts of sweat :/
We also got ourselves our very own bodyguard, or thats what we called him haha

Big John.
That's what his name tag said.
Our new friend.

Torrie, me, Rachel, Sam

Me, Rach, and Torrie in the backseat on our way home
Apparently I missed the memo of the peace sign

Pretend Spring Break?

2009-03-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

3/26-3/29
So as many people know, and hate, BYU does not have a Spring Break. It is nice that we get out so early, but it makes for a long few months without any breaks. One of our friends was getting married in Las Vegas so we decided to take a long weekend and make the trip down- it was such a fun weekend.

We left Thursday night around 7 and made our first stop at IN N OUT in St George. We meant to take a picture but I guess the food was just too good that it was gone before the thought crossed our minds again. We got to Vegas late that night, and were in bed quickly after.

Friday morning we went over to Sam's aunt Cydni's house and she did our hair. Mine was needing it pretty badly so it was quite the treat. It was fun to go over there and see her cute kids and get to know her better. Thanks Cyd!
That night we went to Matthew's baseball game, where all the people from Las Vegas were talking about how cold it was- while Sam and I were very content in the mid 50s weather.. Guess we've lived in Utah too long. We went out to Mexican food after (which was also quite the experience :)

Saturday morning Sam, Dani, and I ran a 5k. It was a lot smaller than the Rex Lee run we did a few weeks ago but it was a lot of fun.

Sam and me before the race
Did I mention it was before 8am?

All of us after with our ribbons
So Sam, being the amazing runner she is got 1st place in our age group and I was pretty proud to get 4th, considering there was a cross country team that happened to be in our age group. Dani was the only one in her age group but she was still the champion getting 1st as well :)

When we got home we made some breakfast, put our swim suits on and headed straight to the pool. The sun was amazing. I forget how much I miss just laying out when its warm outside and just relaxing. I think we also forgot that we had NO base tan so needless to say, after 6 hours out in the sun- we were a little toasty. Oh well, its better than pasty white!

That night was Tori's wedding reception. Tori was Sam's roommate in the dorms and we all became really good friends. I cant believe she is married but I am soo excited for her. She looked beautiful and the reception was amazing- from the food to the decorations.

Congratulations Tori!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-03-28T21:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the best mom I could ever ask for!I just want to express to my mom how much she means to me. She is my best friend and I look up to her in every way possible. She is the most caring, generous, loving, inspiring person I have ever met and I can't put how much I love her into words. She has given her everything to our family, raising 6 kids and caring for all of us soo well. She is the most amazing example to me and I would be honored to be half the person she is when I am her age.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH MOM!!

life is good.

2009-03-22T22:05:00.001-07:00

Sam and me with the fruit trays we made for Tori's bridal shower

We ran the Rex Lee 5K for the cure last weekend

Dinner with the girls across the hall

My parents came up to Utah this weekend and it was SO much fun to be with them. My parents are definitely my best friends in the entire world and I dont know what I would ever do without them. They help me in so many ways and I am so blessed to have them.

Intramurals

2009-03-15T13:58:00.001-07:00

I love them. This year I have played on quite a few different teams and it has been soo much fun. I miss played sports in high school and I think this will be the closest I will get up here. In the fall I played on a girls soccer team, named Tetris. I'm not quite sure where we got this name, but it was such a fun team. I love all these girls.

This is us trying to be our own mascot?
Needless to say- it didnt work out as well as hoped

A better picture of our team

This winter we had a Fairfield (well mostly all from Fairfield) team. Our very first game my parents were in town so we made it into quite the event. My parents, grandparents, Sam, Torrie and Carrie all came to the game and then we had Cafe Rio (a must) after.

Not a great action shot, but still an action shot

My cute grandparents and Carrie during the game

My grandpa Tingey and my mom

Carrie, Torrie, and Sam
our season long fans

Fairfield United

We are also on a coed waterpolo team which is a blast. I have never played water polo, but luckily for me, this is intertube waterpolo, so we get to sit in tubes while we play. Our team doesn't always- well ever- win, but we always have more fun :)

More sundance

2009-02-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

Buying a season pass to Sundance was probably the best decision I have ever made. It is nice just to be able to go up for a few hours on Friday afternoons and get away from school- especially with such good company. Justin, Sam, Leigh, Elizabeth, and I went up to Sundance for a great afternoon of boarding (&skiing for Elizabeth)

All of us on the shuttle from the parking lot

So when you get to the Summit of the mountain you get off and there is such a pretty view. We wanted to take a picture in front and it ended up being quite the process. So here's our many attempts.

After we were all strapped into our boards, we decided we wanted a picture-
so we scooted over to the side, stood up and were tried to keep our balance while not sliding downhill. One thing led to another, &like dominoes and we all hit the ground

So we temporarily settled for a sitting picture

The second time we got off the lift, we were a lot smarter and waited to strap up until after the picture, which gave us all an extra foot to keep our balance.

(thanks justin for being the photographer for all of these pictures :)

A Vegas Valentine

2009-02-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

For the last three day weekend (which conveniently included Valentines Day) we made a roadtrip to Las Vegas, which has kinda become my second home. It is where Sam is from, and I've offically adopted her little siblings. Being the youngest, I've never had little siblings, so it is so fun to be able to play with them a reverse the roll a little bit :)

Valentines Day:

We went shopping in the morning

A delicious lunch at Pei Wei

After lunch we came home and went to Sam's little sister Danica's indoor soccer game. The adults all went out to dinner and we volunteered to make homemade pizza with the kids for dinner. It was a fun night, including a trip to Golden Spoon.

Matthew, Sam's little brother, my pretend date for Valentines day <3

not the best picture, but a picture of all of us at Golden Spoon

The next day was Cameron Brooks farewell talk. He did such an awesome job and it was fun to see him one last time before he left for his mission. One of my favorite parts of going to Las Vegas is going to church and seeing all of Sara's friends. Sara is my sister who is AMAZING. She is the nicest, most real person I know and it is so fun to talk to all her friends about how much they miss her and adore her. I do too :)

After church there was an open house for Cameron at the Tindle's house.
Me and Sid- one of Sara's best friends, in front of the delicious food :)

Stuck in Sundance

2009-02-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we decided that we wanted to go up to Sundance to go snowboarding after class. So after class, we got some lunch, then drove up to Sundance. Sam, Erik and I drove up to the resort and met up with Blake, Darren, Justin, and Christian. It started to snow pretty hard and the snow looked like pellets (which we called Dip n' dots) and it was pretty cold. It was also pretty windy so my face was freezing so the boys were nice enough to let us use their bandannas. We felt pretty hard core haha.

Sam, Erik, and me on the lift

So we decided we'd take a few more runs and then head back home but when we finished up and headed to the car, the traffic was totally stopped. The shuttle was stuck on the way down so we got tired of waiting and decided to walk all the way up the hill carrying our boards (it was quite the workout). We got to our car and then got a call from Blake saying there was an accident so everyone was stuck there and there was no moving traffic. So we parked our car, went into the lodge and got some food at the deli, had some sandwiches and played a few card games. After about an hour we heard that the cars had been cleared but there was an avalanche that covered the road so we were going to have to wait for that to be cleared as well. So about two hours later, after a lot of card games, building card pyramids, more food, and lots of talking, we were finally able to leave. Although it wasn't quite the plan to stay a few extra hours in Sundace, overall it was still a fun day.

Darren, Blake, me, and Sam in the lodge

Black Diamond Baby

2009-01-28T20:50:00.001-08:00

So one of my new favorite things to do is snowboard. I honestly love it. I am in a BYU snowboarding class right now, which is so fun, especially because Andrew, Sam, and Torrie are in the class with me. I have been quite a few times this season- but I can honestly say that I have not skipped school to go, maybe study time, but never missed class. So today we had class and my level one teacher said that I could move up a group because I was catching on fairly well. So I decided to move into Sam's group, because I always have fun boarding with her, and so I moved into a level 3 class. I was excited until the point where half way up the lift Dave, the instructor, said that we were going to the back mountain and we were starting out on a black diamond. I think my jaw may have dropped, but I tried not to act scared. So to make a long story of lots of falls- but thankfully in powder, short, I successfully went down my first black diamond run. Well I guess it is my second time, but the first was in Colorado with Sam- and that was on accident. So we did a few different black diamond runs, some steep blues and then we had free board. I met up with Andrew and I told him I wanted to race down the mountain, but only if I had a 20 second headstart. So off I went, thinking I was going so fast, when Andrew was already right behind me. We kept going and even though I think (well I know) he let me win, I can honestly say I beat Andrew. It was an accomplishing day :)

Home Sweet Home

2009-01-27T15:12:00.000-08:00

A rare occasion happened- my entire family was able to be together, which was SOO much fun. We all met in California at my parents house and spent the weekend watching movies, having fun, playing, eating, riding bikes, and more. It was such a fun weekend and makes me realize how much I appreciate my family.

We spent the day in San Francisco, riding bikes, having a picnic, and enjoying the BEAUTIFUL weather- how I miss the California sunshine..

Rach, me, and Andrew

Almost the whole group before our picnic

Two of my favorite boys (i guess men) in the whole wide world

Me and my niece Audrey

I can't even put into words how much I love this little girl

All the siblings
Love you all!

Nickelcade

2009-01-24T10:15:00.000-08:00

So some of our friends decided that we should all go to the nickelcade. (the nickelcade is an arcade where all the games are just a nickel) Its this pretty old, run down place, but that night it was packed. Sam, Justin, Erik, and I went and met up with a bunch of friends and had a lot of fun. It was fun going back to the nickelcade because I remember when I was about 10 I came up to Provo and was staying with Michelle, and she and Dave (they were just dating at the time) took me to the nickelcade and I thought it was about the coolest place I had ever been. I wanted to go back every time I was in Provo. So times have changed, and now I am going to school in Provo, and still having fun at the nickelcade :)

So this is a terrible picture, blurry and all, but it was the only picture I had of me and Sam attempting to do DDR (which I failed in about the first round)
btw. the patriotic theme in our outfits was not planned.. our outfits oddly tend to unintentionally coordinate often

This is me and Erik with all the tickets we won. With all the tickets we successfully earned a lot of bracelets, rings, some candy, and a stuffed gorilla for Erik.

Cancun, Cable Cars, Chirstmas, Cruise, Colorado

2009-01-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

So this is the ultimate catchup blog. I haven't posted anything since before Thanksgiving so here is a brief overview of what I have been doing:

Cancun, Mexico
11/22 - 11/29

For Thanksgiving my mom, dad, Andrew, Meliss, Luke, Savannah and I all went to Cancun. It was one of those much needed vacations with this being my to-do list for the two weeks before:

I think I had at least one test or major assignment due in every class. The good thing about that was that I didn't bring a single school book to Mexico with me and I was able to relax the entire time.

My dad, Andrew, and I having a water fight in one of the beautiful pools.
gotta love boys :)

One of the days we went to the ruins in Cancun where there is thought to be a history with the Lamanites (from the Book of Mormon) There was one ruin that was 10(?) stories high, so we climbed to the top.

Andrew and I climbing the stairs to the top. It was so steep that they had a rope that you could pull on to help yourself up.

Andrew, me, my mom and dad at the top with the beautiful view in the back

Since we went and saw all the ruins, my dad said that we could stop by a famous beach on the way back- it was a little bit of a trade off :)
The beach was truly amazing.

One of my all time favorite things to do in the ocean is to bring floaties and just float out and get rocked by the waves. I have so many memories with my mom out in the ocean- in so many different places- just talking about everything. I remember on a previous vacation talking about my BYU application, and now we were talking about Dental Hygiene school. How times flies.

On Thanksgiving day we went to a place called Xel-ha. I LOVE this place, we came a few years ago with the family but Melis and Luke had never been here so it was a lot of fun with them as well. It is a big lagoon with a ton of fish-so you can snorkel, there are tubes and you can ride down a river, there are rope swings, cliffs to jump off, and best of all, it is all inclusive- which meant lots of virgin margeritas and lots of delicious Mexican food. Needless to say, it wasn't the typical Thanksgivng dinner of turkey and stuffing, but there was definitely not a shortage of food :)This picture is purely for bragging rights. Luke, Meliss, Andrew and I often play Rook (a card game) on vacations, and it is always boys vs girls. We played a few times in Mexico and this time we KILLED them. 515 to 0. The girls rule after all :)

Cable Cars
12/22

The night of my birthday was so much fun. My parents were so sweet to organize a night in San Francisco on a private cable car. There were about 40 of us and we all met up at the church in SF where there was lots of food, treats, and hot chocolate, and all got on the cable car where we rode around San Francisco seeing the Christmas lights and singing Christmas songs. It was so nice to be able to see everyone and to all be together that night.
Andrew, Tyler, me, Blaker

Almost everyone in front of the Cable Car
Thank you to everyone who came and to help make it such a special night

After we got back and were cleaning up at the church, the police came in to see what was going on (it was quite the party at the church :) After telling them we were just celebrating my birthday and were just cleaning up, they gladly took a piece of my mom's famous homemade brownies and were on their way. Gotta love SFPD.

It was the perfect day. I spent the morning in San Ramon with Melissa, who was so nice to do my hair and to take me shopping and have a fun memorable night. The perfect 19th birthday.

12/23
The birthday celebration continued on the next day where my mom, dad, Andrew, Carrie, and I all drove into San Jose and went to my favorite restaurant, Magiannos. After the delicious dinner, we went to the Sharks (my FAVORITE hockey team) game. It was the perfect birthday celebration.

Christmas

Christmas Day was so much fun. As usual, we woke up, finished getting everything in order, lined up on the stairs, and all ran down together. Being the youngest, I have always been in the front, but now with Audrey and Savy I was pushed back a little. We ran in, opened our Santa presents and stockings and then made a big Christmas breakfast, complete with buttermilk pancakes, home-made buttermilk syrup and all my favorites. After breakfast was done we headed down to B Gale Wilson (an elementary school) to play a game of mud football. It was a great, relaxing day. The next morning we woke up early and headed to the airport for our big Christmas present, our...

Carribean Cruise

We woke up early on the 26th and had a long day ahead. We drove to the airport where we met up with Luke, Melissa, and Savy and got on our first flight to Alberquice, New Mexico. From there we flew to Dallas, Texas, and then to Houston. Because of the weather, some of our flights were a bit delayed so when we got to Houston, our flight to Ft. Lauderdale had already left, so we ended up on a flight to Tampa Bay, Florida, where we spent the night and the next morning, took our 5th and final flight and were finally in Ft. Lauderdale. We met up with the rest of the family and all boarded the ship and were excited for the next week.

Key West, Florida
12/27

We were in Key West on Sunday so we took a taxi to church. It was fun to see all the local people and also get to walk around the town to see some of the sights.

Gerogetown, Cayman Islands
12/28

In the Cayman Islands we went to a place called String Ray Bay. We took a boat out into the ocean and we stopped at a place were the water was absolutely clear and there were HUGE stingrays swimming all over the place. We swam around with the string rays and even held them. They taught us how to pick them up hold them. It was such a fun day.

Rach, me, Andrew, and Ryan holding one of the string rays.

me, my mom, my dad and Andrew

Almost the whole family

Cozumel, Mexico
12/29

Melis, me, Savy, and Sara out in the water

Me and Andrew on scooters that we rented and drove around Mexico.
Thanks Ben for teaching me how to drive!

New Years Eve
12/31

Ben, Sara, Andrew, and me at dinner.

Me, Melis, Mom, and Rach on the top deck celebrating

Cayo Levantado, Dominican Republic
1/1

This was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. We spent the day laying out, swimming out to the buoys, playing beach football and relaxing. The perfect day.
The last day on the ship was a day at sea and the weather wasn't very good so we stayed inside most of the day. It was the perfect opportunity to play lots of Hearts, eat lots of food, and just all hang out together.

Thank you Dad and Mom for such an amazing fun trip.

Keystone, Colorado
1/16 - 1/19

Carrie's family has a cabin in Colorado and for the 3 day weekend 8 of us drove up to Keystone and spent the weekend there. It was such a fun weekend, full of snowboarding, cards, relaxing, TV, movies, desserts, hot chocolate and more fun. Thank you so much to the Lineback family for letting us stay at your beautiful cabin, it really was an amazing weekend.

We pulled into Keystone Colorado late Friday night and stopped by a grocery store to get some food for the weekend. Saturday morning we woke up early, got ready and were on our way to the resort.

Torrie, me, and Sam on the bus on the way to Keystone.

Sam and me

Torrie, Sam, and me in the lodge after lunch getting warm by the fireplace

So I think this might be one of those 'you had to be there' pictures. Sam rides goofy (right foot forward) and I ride regular (left foot forward) so when we were in line it looked like we were standing back to back, so naturally we took a picture :)

All of us on top of the mountain

Me, Blake, and Andrew on the mountain
These boys are so good, they were nice to help me along.

On the bus on the way home from boarding
(we know we look gross, its just to show that we worked hard..)

FHE

2008-12-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

So this semester my calling in my ward has been Family Home Evening mom. At first I wasn't very excited about it, but I have really enjoyed the calling. I really love and care my 'kids', which is funny because I'm the youngest one in my family.. I decided at the beginning of the semester that I wanted to be a good mom, so Nate (my 'husband') and I have planned something to do every week. Here are some of the highlights:

Homemade Pizzas

Sam and I making the dough before everyone else came
Sam is pretty much another mom to this family because she always helps me think of ideas, get stuff together, and even clean up. thanks :)

I'm sad that I don't have a picture of the pizzas when they were done, we had some pretty creative toppings, some with bell peppers, pineapple, pepperoni, mushrooms, and of course, lots of cheese. This is Jesse, Nate, Cedrick, and Patrick eating their pizza

Pumpkin Carving Competion

Sam, me, and Torrie getting started on our pumpkin

Here are the three pumpkins. The one on the right is a pumpkin 'throwing up', the one in the middle says 'boo' and the one on the left was supposed to say 'hot rod' but did not get finished.

All the pumpkin carvers

We found people out in the hallways to come inside and vote. We didn't tell them whose pumpkin was whose (to decrease bias- look at my stats kicking in) and in the end the vote was pretty close. In the end, the girls pumpkin won! :)

The winning pumpkin!

Caramel Apples

The boys putting the sticks in the apples

Dipping the caramel apples

All the apples

[almost] the whole family

ps. thanks karly for your pictures :)

Three's a Party

2008-11-29T23:20:00.000-08:00

We usually go grocery shopping every Monday to get everything for the week and carrying the groceries from the car to the elevator and down the hall to our room is quite the work out. One day we lucked out and found a cart by the elevator- so we loaded up the groceries, and pushed the cart all the way into the kitchen, and then proceeded to take pictures in it :)

We went to Las Vegas the weekend before Halloween to relax. We shopped, ate a lot of muffins, played with my adopted little siblings (Sam's siblings), and had so much fun. We figured that Las Vegas had a better selection of Halloween costumes to choose from and we had a lot of fun in the Halloween store.

A little bit of a paint fight that turned into Indian war paint
while painting the "Mystery Machine" from Scooby Doo for Drew's homecoming float

Driving home from Vegas
[just a little bored on the 5 1/2 hour drive]

After our ward's neon Halloween party. Long story short- the party ended extremely early and we ended up back at our apartment taking jumping pictures and watching a movie.
[this picture only took about 7 attempts to get timed right]

Dinner at Macaroni Grill before the Gavin DeGraw concert
(which was amazing)
&of course- Dr. Pepper for the way home

One's a company
Two's a crowd
Three's a party
-Andy Warhol

Catching Up..

2008-11-13T22:15:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to finish blogging about the summer before I did current things but I seem to just keep getting more and more behind. So as much as I would love to do all the full blogs and write all the details, I am going to quickly get caught up, well at least through the end of summer.

Amy, Clara, Andrew, Erica and I had a massive car wash one day where we washed 6 cars. It was quite the production, with lots of water fights, bubbles, and fun.

My whole family. It was the first time all of us have been together since before Andrew's mission. Sara and Ben flew done for Sara's birthday and it was so fun to all be together.

All the girls

The whole family with Grandma and Grandpa Toolson

Sunday dinner

Me, Amy and Clara at Chipotle.
(a favorite restaurant)

Amy and I before driving to Utah
(in a car without air conditioning)

This summer Donovan, Andrew, Amy and I played tennis almost every morning. We played at 7 am and I don't know how we got up every morning. It was always Andrew and Donovan against Amy and I, and Amy and I always won. This was our last day of the summer playing tennis, up in Utah. It was our final championship game, and we played for lunch. We won, so the lunch at Cafe Rio was on the boys :)

Sam, Tori, Amy, and I at the BYU football game.

Amy and me.

East Coast

2008-10-31T11:28:00.001-07:00

My dad, my mom, Andrew and I all went to the East coast for a week this summer. We went to Savannah, Georgia, Hilton Head, and New York City. We walked around Savannah and saw all the old sites which were all really pretty. We then drove to Hilton Head and stayed there for a few days. We went on a lot of bike rides, walked around, shopped, went out to eat for Southern food, went to the beach, went to the Hilton Head light house, and relaxed.Riding on the bike trails

Andrew and I on top of the light house

My mom and dad at the bottom

Mini light house

Dad&Mom

An extremely large tree..

My mom and me riding on the beautiful bike trails

After we went to South Carolina we flew to New York and spend a few days there. We walked around the city, shopped, saw the Statue of Liberty, went to see Wicked, went to Carnegie Delly (twice), went to a Yankee's game, and had a lot of fun. We stayed at the Marriott in Times Square which was beautiful.

The Brooklyn Bridge

My dad, me, my mom, and Andrew before the play

Wicked.

Walking around the city after the play

My mom and me eating Kabobs on the street before the Yankees game

In the Empire State Building

Andrew and me pretending to be the statue of liberty

(its in the background..)

Sam's Stay

2008-10-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

Sam came to visit in California for a week over the summer and it was so much fun. We spent a day in San Francisco with my mom and Ellen, where we walked around, shopped, ate, and took lots of pictures. We also went to the river with some friends and to Marine World, it was a great week.

Coit Tower in the background

My mom and Ellen, unknowingly came with twin outfits.

[A delicious breakfast at Sears Fine Food]

The top of Lombard Street with the bay in the background

The Golden Gate

Cliff jumping at the American River in Sacramento

After rafting

Sam, me, Amy, and Andrew

we were all hiding behind Andrew trying not to get wet

We have always wanted to make boxer shorts so we decided this week would be the perfect time to do it. We bought 'practice' American flag material that was pretty similar to a table cloth material. It was a good thing we had practice material though, because our plan of tracing shorts and sewing the two sides together did not work as well as we hoped. We ended up with some good shorts, with a lot of help from my Grandma Toolson, equipped with a drawstring, and matching headbands. Success.