The Great Salt Lake Field Trip

I had a blast on the Salt Lake Field trip. We went everywhere and did everything. Even down to the kids swimming fully clothed in the salty water. They were hating it on the way home! It was a lot of fun. A lot of great pics and good times were had. We all bonded and are better people and more cultured because of it.

I was suprised at how clear the water was. That picture is of water. It was so clear you could see right through it. I should have done those pics in color. I was just getting out my Ansel Adam's eye though...hoping to capture something really beautiful.

We saw pretty cat tails, duck weed, and other fun things. We even cut plants apart.

Miss Tamee and Miss Becca: the leaders of the field trip!

Time at the beach! You could almost think that we are at the ocean! So we were the ones supposed to be in charge of this field trip and we had so much fun. Later on that day I fought with a kid over a bag of Cheetos.

Tamee and I with the really cool, intelligent lady that knows all about all the plants and everything there. She was really good and patient.

It was seriously really beautiful. I really enjoyed it and felt so blessed to beable to be a chaperone on the field trip. It was way fun!

Really pretty sights at the reserve we went to before the great Salt Lake.

I love to take pictures, so that is what I did. There's a whole lot of picture takin' goin' on!

Really cool tower that you can climb and get a great view at the reserve.

My trip to the Great Salt Lake

I found tons of these cute little guys inching their way around.

Little caterpillar, so cute, just walking along on his way happy as can be.

bubbles

I just thought these bubbles looked really cool! I love abstract photos like this.

Festival of trees time again

It's time again for FESTIVAL OF TREES I'm so excited. i just sent in my volunteer sheet. Kara and I are going to do it. It's so much fun. This is my favorite tree from last year. Love s'more, serve s'more, give s'more. It was donated by a nice lady who just wanted to do s'more.

My harvest...guess i didn't sew very much.

These are my cute little green bell peppers that watered all summer long, and well, we'll just say that having a garden is better when it's not in a pot! Better luck next year.

Water brings life!

Agua rocks! Really, one of my most favorite things about the conference center is all the flowing water and how it relates to the scripture about being ankle deep, then knee deep, then waist deep and as your knowledge in the gospel grows your testimony grows and you know more and more about the beauty of the gospel and how amazing it all is...living water.

Confernce is my favorite.

Living water once again!

Brindy and me after first session. Good times had by everyone! I do love conference so much.

See above post for details on my living water photos.

I just went to conference today and it was seriously what i needed in my life. Normally, i would be at the temple today, becaues it's Saturday, but wow, i sat there during the first session of conference, just in awe of how perfect those messages were. They were so perfect for me. I brought a friend who is learning more about the church and it was perfect to answer any questions that she might have. I loved it. The church is true and life is really great! I also met two very attractive gentlemen today! It pretty much doesn't get better than that!

I love black and whites.

So as i look at these amazing pictures, I think, "What is it that makes us love them?" Well, it is interesting, because photographers and painters try to capture the beauty that is in scene and I can understand that, because sometimes I look at scenes and I just want to cry because of the beauty and I think, "Wow, i want to take a picture of that so i can capture it for forever." and then i recently learned something from C.S. Lewis's book about photography and paitings.

In his book, "the Great Divorce" he says that the only reason we here on earth try to paint or take pictures is to capture the beauty that we see, but that in Heaven we won't do that, because the second we try to capture that beauty we will no longer have it in our grasp, because the beauty we see here is a piece of heaven that we are trying to hold within us on earth, but in heaven that beauty can not be captured or it would, in essence cease to be. What a profound thought. I would have never thought something so deep unless i had heard it first, but wow, now that I've heard it I think I just may believe it! What an amazing book once you get into it and figure it out just a little bit more. I have had to listen to parts multiple times to understand what it is saying, but wow, it is amazing and so right on target. Enjoy the black and whites, soft and serious, crazy and romantic...it is in all forms: beautiful.

When's that behaby due??? (Brian Reegan)

Me and Katie at her baby shower. I can't believe she's having a baby. It seems like she just got married yesterday. Well, at least i know her so i can rub her belly for good luck. I had so much fun going to the baby shower and i won the "don't say the word 'baby' game" So i'm off to the movies with my prize. Kate I'll meet you there. we gotta go before you have the baby.It was so good to get together with one of my most beloved friends and just laugh and talk and realize what life is all about:relationships. And though we hadn't talked in like a year (my how time flies) we were still able to be ourselves and pick up right where we left off. Life's good like that and you know you have good friends when you can not talk for a long time and then, just pick up the phone or go to a party and ta da...there you have it...baby time...time to talk and catch up. i really enjoy those moments in life. truly, people are what make this life worth living...I guess that's why we're here, to figure out how to love enough to get back to where we need to be, where we loved everyone to begin with. Interesting how that works.

Que lindos bebes! Que el senor le protege.

Me and Hermana O'rullian at cooking classes

So I have this amazing mission companion who helped me figure out how to do this blogging thing, she also invites me to go to cooking classes with her. They are so fun, free and good recipes and then they give us coupons it is great! And not only that, i get to spend time with my most amazing hermana and we just have good times. I really love the memories we make. I have fond memories from last year, and then we would go to her husband's football games. I love my hermana. We have really good times. I'm sure she's posting a recipe right now!!!