Thanksgiving 2014

This Thanksgiving was SO. MUCH. FUN. Seriously. My parents came to visit us for the weekend and we did a bunch of fun Atlanta-y things! So naturally I had to document all of it through the billion pictures I took. Whoops. #sorrynotsorry ;)

T H A N K S G I V I N G  D A Y

Please don't focus on how terrible I look... this was the end of our long day of cooking {my very first} Thanksgiving meal!

It was a dang good turkey. Just sayin'.

obligatory table setting pic

oh hey food. so much food.

my dad's well loaded dinner plate

most thankful for this man <3 

i love my dad!

And of course visiting Dooley - Emory's skeleton statue that was dressed to the nine's for a race at the time! We had to show my parents around campus - prove there's a reason we're 2,000 miles away from home ;)

D A Y  2

Showing my parents the famous Krog Street and they were impressed! If you haven't been, it's a must see! It's basically a tunnel full of graffiti - but really it's so much more. 

true love.

I couldn't resist. It seems like Emory made it onto the map when the recent ebola scares - this was just necessary.

This my friends, is the wall of helmets at the College Football Hall of Fame. And actually - this was just one part of it! 

When you go, they give you lanyards that you can personalize to your favorite college team. Naturally we had Utah following us everywhere we went.. thank goodness or we may have been overwhelmed by the SEC ;)

Can you tell he was a football player?

Flashing the U all over the place!

best dad

love these parents the most!

We all had the chance to attempt an extra point kick... here is Kyron. needless to say, it's ten million times harder than it looks! {except for the 10 year olds about to go pro as kickers..}

Every time we go somewhere new, my dad insists on eating at the local Hard Rock Cafe. As soon as I knew there was one in Atlanta, I knew we could get him to visit us ;) 

D A Y  3

We decided to try and work off our turkey dinner and go for a beautiful walk on the outskirts of Emory campus. This is the President's home tucked away off a gorgeous trail.

Found this fancy little bridge across the creek.

my pondering dad across the lake

the leaves may be missing, but it has been one amazing fall here!

oh sorry, just had to be romantics for a second

this mom <3 she is the best example and the ray of light that photobombed  this picture

Later that night we hiked up Stone Mountain. Seriously - the only mountain in Atlanta and it was about 2 miles. But it was a blast!

I think I was the only one who knew my mom was trying to take a picture here.. happy hiking!

It got dark so fast, but the view was incredible!

Love these folks <3 

 In all honesty, this Thanksgiving was one for the record books. We were so grateful that my parents were inspired to come visit us right at this time. What a happy way to start the holiday season!

countdown to conference

Hey ya'll. I can't believe it's September already! Where did the summer even go? 

Kyron has started school again so even the back-to-school hustle and bustle is already dying down

There have been crazy thunderstorms here the past two days and they make me feel all cozy

I noticed some leaves changing here and there 

I made a fall wreath {that has yet to be hung}

I even had some chicken noodle soup today during the storm

Seriously aching for some autumn

But my most favorite part about fall is October General Conference. I love conference.  I have been blessed enough to attend sessions live in the conference center. I always love curling up in my pj's on the couch and watching it from home. And it seems to always creep up on me without much notice! This year I wanted it to be different. I've been thinking about how I can prepare for conference over the next month. 

I live off of short term goals. If any of you are like me, you understand. The shorter the better. To-do lists for the day are the best. 

Wake up before 9 am? Check. 

Start the laundry before noon? Done. 

Put on pants for the day? Calm down, let's not get too crazy. 

But you get what I mean. 

So when I came across this "countdown to conference" today, I was pretty stoked. It was exactly what I was looking for. One conference talk a day for the next 30 days before conference. Perfect! That's a goal I can handle. 

[[I found this on Kyron's mission Facebook page. Check it out here.]]

{original challenge: Here is a challenge I would hope you would accept. Upon accepting please send us a post of your experience to ipm4life1@gmail.com so we can use it on our website.}

I hope some of you can join in with this too! Let me know if you do and the experiences you have. I know that I've already been blessed by the first talk today by Elder Holland. It's the exact thing I need for my lesson this Sunday! Already reaping blessings from conference and it's still a month away. 

Happy reading!

I'm a Mormon.

As I think every person who may come across this blog knows, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm a Mormon. And I've been thinking a lot about what that means lately.

It means I have faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ.

It means that I know that I am a daughter of God.

It means that I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God - and that's because I've read it and learned for myself that it is true.

It means that I know God restored the gospel on the earth through His prophet Joseph Smith.

It means that I know God lives and loves each of His children.

It means that I know that Jesus Christ suffered for our sins, our pains, our trials, our sorrows and that because of Him, we can be lifted from our burdens and forgiven of our sins.

It means that I know Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again so that we can have eternal life.

It means that I know that as we keep all of God's commandments, we will be blessed.

It means thatI know that I have been blessed by the choices I've made to follow the teachings of our Savior.

It means that I know that families can be together for eternity.

I'm Marie, and I'm a Mormon.

And to quote Sister Ann Dibb - I know it, I live it, I love it.

Check out my new profile at mormon.org. And if you have any questions, just ask!

georgia's on our mind

before you read about our road trip to georgia this may - please get in the right mindset by clicking this link.

G E O R G I A

fact: it is 2,073 miles from SLC to ATL
fact: google maps said it would take 30 hours to drive that
fact: google maps didn't take into account the u-haul we were trailing on little white truck
result? best. roadtrip. ever.

so, i thought it might be fun to take pictures of the welcome signs for each state that we drove through and here they are!

okay fine, you caught me. i didn't take the one for georgia. maybe because it was approaching 40 hours of driving and the alabama/georgia border came up on me way too fast and the picture came out so blurry it's embarrassing. sorry. but don't worry - google is always coming to the rescue and here is a fantastic picture of the welcome sign.

in all seriousness, i super loved this road trip. kyron and i really had the best time spending 4 days in the car together. 

{doesn't kyron's face say it all?!?}

from hauling an insanely heavy trailer behind our truck 

to spending the night in sketchville hotels 

to being in complete awe of the scenery of the south..

we partied hard in our slow-moving drive across the country. and we couldn't be more excited to be here. we're glad georgia's on our mind <3 

"…cheerfully and with patience…"

My dear friends! So many exciting and wonderful and happy things have been happening in our life! 

don't i have the handsomest man in all the land?!

My cute hubby graduated from the University of Utah this weekend! I am so proud of him and all of the hard work he has put into school and graduating! Now we are making the trek across the country to Atlanta, Georgia this month so he can start the Master of Public Health program at Emory University.

Crazy, right?! But we are more excited than I can even tell you! We went through the long process of deciding where to go and we feel so right about this adventure. And I'm sure that is exactly what it will be -- an adventure!

I also had the amazing opportunity to go to BYU Women's Conference where I learned so much, I felt the Spirit of God, and I was buoyed up. Plus - it was so much fun to spend the day with my fun mom!
{{My mom is in the General Young Women Presidency and had the chance to sit on the stand for the large sessions and to give a five minute talk with the other presidency members. I am so proud of my sweet mother and all the love she has for everyone around her.}}

There was one big thing I was reminded of through our process of deciding where to move, at graduation, at the conference, and again in my scripture study tonight -- fourth times the charm right? Actually, it's been on my mind through the past year. 

Mosiah 24:15 - "yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

If there is one thing I have learned well this year, it is that everything happens according to the will of the Lord. He knows who we are, and he does "visit {His} people in their afflictions." 

Kyron and I have been so busy and doing so much lately. We've been making life-changing decisions, trying to do our best, and not knowing our plans until little-by-little, things have been falling perfectly into place. I had no idea that we would be where we are today one year ago. And I could not be more grateful for the experiences we've had and for the opportunities that have come our way, all unbeknownst to us. And I know, that as we "submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord," He will provide for us and take us in the path that we need to be on. He will help us grow in ways we never thought we could. 

I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father and His love for me and my sweet husband. We feel so blessed and are thrilled to embark on our new adventure together!

Because of Him

Easter is this weekend! And I've been thinking of the many ways I can prepare for it. As fun as all the crafts and treats and everything are on Pinterest, I have a different kind of preparation in mind.

Easter is probably the most meaningful holiday to me. It is a time for me to reflect and rejoice in my Savior, Jesus Christ. 

The power of His glory.

The grace of His love.

The mercy of His forgiveness.

The meaning of His sacrifice.

My preparation was inspired by this short clip: Because of Him. And I want to prepare for this Easter weekend by building my relationship with my Savior. 

And I encourage all of you to do the same, whatever that means to you.

Jesus Christ was born through Mary. He lived on this earth performing miracles through the power of our Heavenly Father. He showed mercy and love, and gave commandments for us to live by so that we can return to live with Him in glory. He suffered the pains of our sorrows and sins. And He died as the ultimate sacrifice. And then, He rose. He broke the bands of death. He died, yet He lives again. 

He lives! I know that He lives. I know that He loves us - each and every one of us. I know that He will forgive us if we come to Him in humility and repent. I know that He will bring us up through the sorrows of life and guide us to do what is right. I know that we can have true joy through Him as we serve others and share our light around the world. I know that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior and Redeemer. He lives. 

And because of Him, I am.

{I think the majority of whoever actually reads/looks at this blog probably knows this - but in case you didn't - I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm a Mormon. And if you want to learn more about what we believe - please ask! Or visit mormon.org.}

The Happiness Experiment

Remember how it was the International Day of Happiness a couple days ago?

And remember how I told you to check out my friends blog, Forever Furness, for her happiness experiment?

And remember how I promised said friend that I would participate?

(Seriously, if you haven't looked at Cortnee's blog, do it now or this won't even make any sense)

Well. You guessed it. Here is me embarrassing myself dancing to Happy for the world to see! Now that you've seen this - and you can probably never unsee this - you should definitely pull out your camera and send your Happy dance to Cortnee pronto! (Or me if you don't have her info.)

{{ Side note: this "I Heart Coke" shirt was not an unconscious outfit decision. But Coke is just one of the many things that makes me happy. Oh the simple things in life }}

my #happyday

Did you know that today is the International Day of Happiness?! 

Thank you Pharrell for making this happen. 

(check out 24hoursofhappiness.com if you haven't heard about this - and listen to that fantastic song that is bound to make you happy!) 
AND check out my best bud's blog Forever Furness to participate in her Happiness Experiment! do it!

Well, this day started off not so happy and pretty stressful for me. But! I made that change pretty quick. In the process of doing things I had to do, I had the chance to take this bad boy for spin at work today. It is a BEAUTIFUL day outside, it's the first day of spring in fact! And just taking a minute and enjoying the things I get to do and am learning at my job - ah, sweet happiness. :)

The University of Utah Marketing and Communications Golf Cart

So go! Be happy! And share with everyone your #happyday! 

being better.

Friends. It looks like I am caught in a terrible cycle. 

I am up and down on my recording of life - and I keep saying that I'm going to be better. I am really good for a few days, weeks, even months, and then I go for a while without doing a thing. 

I guess that's a pretty good sum of my life. Unfortunately. Do you ever find yourself in that vicious cycle? Blogging. Exercising. Eating healthy. Praying. Reading scriptures. Any other habits that are just hard to be consistent with? That's definitely me. But who's to say you can't pick up right where you left off? 

I once heard a talk by Elder Aidukaitis (a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). To paraphrase: "If you skipped brushing your teeth one morning, would you just give up and never brush your teeth ever again? No! You would do better and remember to brush your teeth the next day!" So, why would we stop doing good things, just because we forget to do them consistently?

Now is the perfect time to keep working harder and trying to do better! After all, isn't that what life is all about?!

(photo credit: heavenslds.tumblr.com)