MEMORIAL WEEKEND

Jacob and I headed to Idaho for a small vacation and the Peterson/Gibby Reunion. We spent the first couple days just relaxing and getting a couple errands done. I was able to listen to live broadcasts for my photography business by a favorite photographer of mine. Marketing and learning different techniques to adapt to my photography are honestly some of my favorite things to do. Jacob and I were also able make some extra cash by selling old things we didn't need. We ended up making over $200! Pretty much paid for our trip to Idaho. 

We went to Cafe Rio and Coco Bean was right next to it, so of course I begged Jacob to take me! I had the Better Than Whatever cupcake. Soooo Good! We'll have to make it a new tradition or something. 

On Friday we left for Island Park to the cabin Jacob's grandparents own. Jacob went fishing multiple times and caught some pretty big rainbow trout. Once I brought my camera out the fish did not take any bites. 

For a new family tradition, Connie brought out a table cloth and we all traced our hands and wrote what happened the passed year. It was fun seeing what everyone wrote. We also wrote to Elder Joseph Peterson our testimonies. I can't believe he's been out for 10 months!

I have lived in Wyoming for about 15 years I have never been to Yellowstone, until now! Grandma and Grandpa Gibby offered that I could go and I took them up on it! I was shocked at how much Yellowstone actually covers, and how much there is in the park. We got to go see guessers and Old Faithful which was probably my favorite part. I was thankful my sweet husband went with us. 

All in all, it was a great week with family. I'm thankful we were able to have a weekend to take a break from the busy. I'm also thankful for the men and women fighting everyday for the freedoms we have. We truly are blessed. 

MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND

50-60 hour weeks are definitely taking their toll on me. I'm beyond exhausted, but so thankful to have the opportunity to be on vacation for Memorial Weekend. I'm sure I'll have a future post on our actual vacation, but for now we'll stick to covering what I haven't documented yet. 

Mother's Day Weekend my brother Jacob had Mormon Prom in Fort Collins. My parents asked if Jake and I could take him there and have our own date night. Most things were closed by the time we dropped them off, but we did get some dinner there. I forgot the name of the place, but it was honestly one of the best burgers I've ever had. And we finished the night out by watching Here Comes the Boom in the car in the parking lot of Prom. It was nice being able to relax a bit that night. 

As for Mother's Day, I reflected on two very important women in my life. My mother and my sister. And here's just a few reasons why they're amazing.

My mom works full-time at Sunrise Engineering, she manages the office at Ross Construction, continues running the house when she's home, and she makes a hot dinner for her family every night. It amazes my how much she does for not only me, but for the rest of her family. Especially my dad. I cannot express my appreciation for her example to me. She continues to see the good in everyone and is always serving her neighbor. She keeps a smiling face even through some of the toughest trials. As I went to college, I realized that my mother had always been my best friend. She told me why every boy wasn't worth my time, reassured me how cute red looked on me, and even when I went to school mismatching, would still claim me as her daughter. I hope that I can be half the mother she was to me. Thank you for always having my back, mom.

(Did I mention how absolutely stunning she is as well? My dad is one lucky guy.)

Jodi has been there for me through the thick and thin. When we attend BYU-Idaho together, we grew extremely close. We made brownie cupcakes with carmel centers, which would be the definition of a Pinterest fail. We studied together for Natural Disasters and Math 108, and we spent many nights up venting about pointless things. If you'd like to see some of our dumb, but kinda funny, college YouTube videos, click on of the links below. 

Talk Show   Halloween Scare   Cake Mix Cookies

Jodi has the greatest talent of making others laugh. She knows how to have fun when it's appropriate, but is also one of the hardest working people I know. She has so much motivation that when her mind is set, she will go anywhere she wants. I'm always amazed by how much she accomplishes. I'm also thankful for her ability to make everyone feel good around her. She accepts all and makes you feel as if you've always been apart of the friend circle. Thanks for being another great example to me Jodi. Cannot wait to spend two weeks with you this summer.

You. Have. Time.

I hear too often people saying, "I want to do ______, but I don't have time."
I used to believe them. I saw myself being pretty busy doing my daily tasks I never thought I had time to do what I loved. I had to be a full time student, I had to eat, I had to sleep, and I had to do daily tasks such as make dinner, driving, cleaning, and doing laundry.
But I became extremely ambitious about what I loved. I started making it one of my biggest priorities. I made it the first thing I did when I had a free moment, or when I had the chance to research about it.
And here I am, pursuing my life long dream of being a photographer.
I decided to do the math.
We ALL have 168 hours a week. That is a given. But how we spend it may vary. But I did my best at making some averages. Most people have a full time job of 40 hours. Whether this is being a mother, begin a construction worker, or being a secretary, 40 hours is typically what is full-time. I went ahead and put 50 hours in. This could include a commute, lunch breaks that are spent on the job, and other things.
Then we all need 8 hours of sleep each night. I went ahead and did 9 hours per night to include getting ready for bed, as well as those few mornings I lay in bed for 15 minutes not wanting to get up quite yet.
For me personally, I attend a 3 hour church meeting every Sunday, as well as have a calling within it. This time varies from calling to calling, but I went ahead and set aside 10 hours a week just to be safe. I can always put those hours towards something else if needed.
We still have household activities to do as well. This includes cleaning, laundry, making dinner, eating, and showering. This is almost 3 hours each day of the week to do these tasks.
Now we have 25 hours left over. This time can be spent however you choose. Whether it be watching Netflix, calling an old friend, scrolling through Facebook. or spending quality time with family, it's all up to you.
You do have time.