Leap Day

This thought came to my mind at 11:30...

Why didn't I Propose to my

 boyfriend on Leap Day in Ireland?!

 Wow I am an idiot! I have been

 waiting for leap day forever!
 Today was the only day that girls can
 rightfully propose to their boyfriends;
it's an old irish tradition! I really

 should have taken that opportunity.

 oh well, maybe next

 leap year.;)

I had a great leap day though,

 I had a very long day at school/work!

 My dad came into the salon

 and surprised me with

3 letters from Sam!

I felt like such an idiot

 and started crying! I was

 so happy that on a stupid holiday such

 as Leap Day someone was still looking out for me

 and making me feel important! 

Out with the Old, In with the New

New Honda CRV 2011

Today my family bought a brand new car! Normally I would be excited because haha it's a new beautiful car...but I don't want to except this change. I may or may not have cried a few tears when my parents brought home the new family car... we have had the old 2000 red excursion since 4th grade! That is the car that taught me how to drive, and crash into the garage, carry more garbage on the floor than I thought was possible, become a pro parker, and get a whopping 10 or less miles to the gallon. My family cars made us very patriotic, but now we lost our red, so I guess black will have to do instead. I learned to love that car! I have been through 2 moves and countless vacations jamming to tunes with the windows down.  It is going to be weird trying to learn to love another car, especially with killer gas mileage and a sun roof.  

Cars carry us around in all of our memories! But change is part of life, so out with the old, and in with the new!

"Bootie Whop"

"Let's do this thing!"

Here we go baby!!! I am coming back and I'm coming back strong! I am going for my bikini body!!! This bootie is going to get whipped into shape! I worked out tonight with Jill and Steph and I swear I was going to die, but it was amazing! This is my year! If I am going to fit into a bikini and feel good in it this is the best year to do it! I owe this to myself!! My favorite part about working out to a video is that you can scream at the t.v.! haha Working out was awesome!! I missed it bad! But here we go, all out and victoria secret style! By summer time I am fitting myself into this bikini! All in favor say "I" Here we go!!!


Game Plan:
1. Work out for at least 60 minutes 6 days a week!
2. Cut down on sugar and eat like a health monster
3. Do Body cleanses and wraps
4. Use personal affirmations to jump start my mind
5. Buy the bikini and hang it in my room as motivation!
6. Allow myself one "free" meal a week 
7. Weekly weigh-ins and measurements

Peanut Butter Addiction!

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches

Makes 12 ice cream sandwiches

24 fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, cooled (about 3 inches in diameter)

1 1/2 quarts vanilla ice cream, slightly softened 1 1/2 cups creamy or crunchy peanut butter Toppings of your choice (ie. chopped peanuts, mini chocolate chips, toasted coconut)

Spread layer of peanut butter on 12 cookies and add a scoop of ice cream. Create a sandwich by topping with the remaining cookies. Roll edges of the ice cream in toppings of your choice. Place on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Serve slightly frozen.

  http://peanutbutterlovers.com/2011/05/peanut-butter-ice-cream-sandwiches/

Let's Go to The Bea-c-h!

Vegas was beautiful!!! We walked the strip for a few hours. I don't think I have seen so much porn in my life! I was definitely not used to that! I feel like we lived the night described in Katy Perry's songs! Vegas was a blast! One of the best parts of this trip though was the last minute decision at midnight to drive all the way to L.A. We pulled an all nighter and rolled into Cali around 4! We went straight to the beach where we watched the sun rise! We met some funny guys and went to breakfast! We drove all the way back to St. George the next morning!  Such a last minute thing, but so fun!

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Getting Ready For Vegas

   

Eiffel Tower

New York, New York

The Strip

M&M World

                       

Race Car in M&M World

The Giant Wall of M&M's

The Sunrise in L.A.

Bowling Dirty

Today was a great day full of swimming, and watching movies. We now have 4 girls staying in the condo! We just got back from the best game of bowling ever! We bowl dirty! Especially when we have bumpers! We all made up our own inside joke names. We had our own cheer and everything! I think everybody in the bowling alley was super weirded out by us. haha We followed bowling with a big ice cream from Iceberg. Fun night!

Vacation!!!

Hello St. George!!!! 

I am so excited for this 5 day weekend! Warm weather, swimming, laying out, otter pops, bowling, anti-gravity, spinny park, late night movies, girl talk, and shopping!

Today we drove 4 hours to St. George! We jammed to every kind of music with the 3 of us in the front seat of a Buick! It is so warm!! I am going to lay out or roll around town chillin' with the radio on and windows down! Happy Weekend!!

Load and Explode!

Today I learned a good lesson and that is not to let people walk all over you! Some people are going to be jerks and say rude things or give you nasty looks, but sometimes brushing it off isn't good enough. I had a situation at school tonight that caused me to stand up and not let people walk all over me just because they were having a rotten day! It was totally out of my comfort zone to say something back, but I just have to say it felt amazing! My favorite teacher at school told me she was proud of me and sometimes you have to teach people how to treat you and expect nothing less! People are like garbage cans; they load and load until they explode and you never know when you'll be the dump! 
Important thing is to not let people walk all over you and make you feel like you're their punching bag! Stand strong and call them out, then Kill them with kindness! 

"You are worth what you think you are worth in life, and if you think you're worth two cents, people will treat you like you're two cents."

-Annie's Baby

Peach Roses

Today I received the sweetest thing! I heard a knock on the front door and to my utmost surprise it was a big bouquet of peach colored roses! I have the sweetest boyfriend who doesn't ever forget to remind me I am not single! haha I feel like an idiot now because I didn't get him a thing!  Thanks for the reminder Sammy that will sit on my desk all week! 

I am so lucky to have him in my life! He is seriously the best thing that ever happened to me! I love him! Have an awesome Valentine's Day!

 "God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you."

-Blake Shelton

Happy Valentines Day!

I am so thankful for all of the broken, dead end roads I have been down that lead me to where I am. At times I was heart broken and discouraged, but in reality it lead me directly to where I am and who I am supposed to be with now.

"Love is what you've been through with somebody."

-James Thurber

So even though my someone is 7000 miles away this year on Valentine's Day, I know that I am not lonely! I am happier than I have ever been in my life because of him. He's the peanut butter to my ice cream! I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day full of love!

Happy Birthday Brynifer!

 Today one of my really good friends turned 19! She's so cute! She made the best food! It was all really healthy! My favorites were the kale chips lightly sprayed with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt, baked in the oven at 300 for 20 minutes. Yum Yum Yum!  The homemade graham cracker sandwiches with low fat cool whip and almond butter frozen in the freezer were amazing! She also made a cake she found on Pinterest where the entire cake is under 500 calories! It was amazing! Thanks for having a birthday Bryn! I love you!

"I wish you a great and wonderful Happy Birthday!! I hope you have an amazing day and lots of fun! Enjoy this day, 

you deserve it!"

Pumpkin and Cream Bread

Yield: 2 loaves (14 slices each)

Batter:

1-1/2 c. pureed pumpkin

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

1 whole egg

3 egg whites

1 c. all-purpose flour

2/3 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. Stevia Cup For Cup sweetener

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

Cream filling

8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 T. all-purpose flour

2 egg whites

1 t. vanilla extract

*Bake @ 350 degrees for about 40 minutes

Sara & Me taking a dance break

Smile for the picture :)
(L-R) Madi, Me, Sara & Bryn

Dip and Drizzle!

I have a tradition that I do every Saturday before Valentine's Day with my wardies. We dip and drizzle strawberries and deliver them by the dozen to people in the ward! It is so fun and is a good way to get in the Valentine's Day spirit! Service is the key to love! 

"When you are in the service of your fellow beings you are only in the service of your god."

-Mosiah 2:17

Valentine's is my favorite holiday! It's the one day that seems to have the most love that is freely given. I love how every one gets along and gives gifts. I know all of you are probably saying, "Katie, you are describing Christmas"...but Valentine's Day is different! I love seeing the pink, red and white everywhere filled with "I love you's" and hugs and kisses! I usually do the 14 days of Valentine's for Sam every year...but since he's not here I'm trying to spread the love! So every body get ready to be heart attacked! Happy February! Spread the love!

Moments of Impact

"Life's all about moments of impact and how they change our lives forever. But what if one day, you could no longer remember any of them?"

                                        -The Vow

I went and saw the Vow last night at midnight with some of my best friends! The movie was wonderful in a depressing kind of way! The one thing that hit me the hardest was what a blessing our memories are to us! I need to somehow back up all of my memories in my head so that I won't forget all of the fun, sad, happy, or depressing times I have had. What if today I got in a really bad car accident and all of my memories were swept from me? I don't know what I would do! I think from now on I am going to start writing down all of my memories in a journal so that if anything were to happen now or later that I could read them and try to reassemble my life back together. 

Moments of impact are huge in my life! They are the mile stones that shape and mold exactly who I am. Without them life would pretty much have to start over. Life is fragile and therefore should be handled accordingly. So from now on I Vow to always wear my seatbelt, obey the speed limit even if i'm in a hurry, and do my best to protect every person in my car at all times. Protect your moments if they mean something!

"Every moment is not equal. Some moments simply pass, others determine the course of life"

-Hoyt W. Brewster, Jr.

Defining Moments

"Twenty-Four"

Has anyone ever wondered where they'll be at 24? I sure have! Will I have been across oceans and seen far off places, will I be married, will I have kids? Will I still have my siblings, and parents? Will I be rich or poor? Where will I be working, or will I be going to college? Will I be happy or sad? Will I have lived in 24 different places? Will I be living the last year of my life, will I have had 24 treatments as I battle that sickness or trial? Will I still be looking to God for my answers? Or will he be looking for me?

 We know what we are now, but not what we may become."

-Hamlet

I know we all have this mind set of exactly how our lives will be and how they will pan out like a story book, but in reality at least 24 people will change your fairy tale 24 different times. In the end though it is our decision to create a story that has the proper ending that we desired even dreamed about. We have the ability to change our story at every given moment. That's why every second counts 24 hours a day! Take those 24 pieces of advice people give you about those 24 things you need to do or have before you're 24. So get out there and live your story and fight to see the good ending just like any good fairy tale! 

"Think of yourself as a blank sheet of paper, and write on that paper a winner's story."-Stand Tall

Want Silky Smooth Hair that Shines with Healthiness?

I am obsessed with hair masks! You can find several homemade hair masks online, but here are a few that I use all the time!I hope you enjoy and try some of these out! They're A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!


Mayo, Honey & Olive Oil Mask

You'll need: 
1 cup Mayo

1/2  cup honey

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Mix together in a bowl and throughly coat the hair from top to bottom! Leave on the hair for 30-60 minutes under a plastic shower cap so it doesn't drip. I use a gallon size bag on my head. Rinse and wash as normal. Use this treatment at least once a month for beautiful hair that shines and grows off the charts!

Protein Mask
You'll need:

1 egg white whipped stiff

Whip up one egg white until stiff with a hand mixer.  
Scrunch into clean, towel dried hair as mousse. Diffuse with hair upside down with hair dryer, and leave in for 2-3 days for best results. This mask will leave the hair with a cute curl and the curl loosens up the longer it's left in.

Ultimate Moisture Mask

If your hair has been damaged and dried out from chemical processing, hot styling tools or the sun, use this homemade moisturizing mask to nurse it back to health.

You'll need:

1 ripe avacado

1 ripe banana

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Table Spoon sweet almond oil

Mash together finely and throughly spread through the hair. Leave in for 30 minutes. Rinse and wash as normal.

Vitamin A: Peaches and Banana Hair Mask

You'll need:

1 peeled mashed peach 

1 mashed banana

Peaches and bananas offer the hair sufficient amounts of vitamin A. Peach and banana hair masks are ideal for healthy hair. When both fruits are combined to form a thick paste, the paste should be applied generously to the hair. Apply a plastic cap to lock in moisture; and allow the paste to sit for 45 minutes. Wash hair thoroughly, and style as desired. Vitamin A helps your scalp produce sebum, which makes your hair shiny and soft. Hair will be noticeably shiny and healthier after one treatment depending on your hair's texture and condition.

*most masks found on eHow/style.com

Hearts on the Wall

Today I spent the whole day decorating my room with valentine love! I found some sweet decorating ideas on Pinterest So I decided to try some of them out! My room is now a place of love that fills in all of the cracks and missing items that have damaged me this Valentine's Day. ;) 

I decided to take extra scraps in every shade of pink and randomly design them into a modern pattern under my desk...thanks to my Cricket I was able to make some pretty awesome phrases.

The PiNk Wall

Hearted Headboard

Half of a Half!

Today marks the day that my best friend and love of my life has been gone for 6 months!!! Time is starting to speed up and life has adjusted. There is always going to be a place in my heart for that wild African though! within the last 6 months, summer faded to winter, Friday turned to girls night, and school is 10 hours long (by choice) a day! I feel like I have gone from being 25 to 19 and it's been kind of a youthful experience. haha I wonder what the next 6 months will hold? 


This has been quite the sacrifice that has left its mark! But I know that someday, somehow God will make this sacrifice all worth it, and everything lost will be made up for. Forever is a long time, I guess 2 years is not even a dent!

"You are making a sacrifice, but it is not a sacrifice because you will get more than you give up, you will gain more than you give, and it will prove to be an investment with tremendous returns. It will prove to be a blessing instead of a sacrifice. No one who ever served this work as a missionary, who gave his or her best efforts, need to worry about making a sacrifice because there will come blessings into their lives as individuals for as long as he or she lives."

                               -Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley

Sweet & Sour Bonding

   Tonight my brothers decided to play a game. I decided to chime in and play...and at this moment I wish I wouldn't have. haha They had this game called Bean Boozled. It's a game that contains 30 jelly beans of different colors. However, the beans only come in 10 different colors so there are multiples of the same color, but they are different flavors. For instance, there are 5 yellow beans with orange spots on them; some might be carmel corn or moldy cheese, you just have to take the risk and try it. It's a game that kids are playing now a days. I almost threw up when I grabbed a yellow bean thinking I would get buttered popcorn, but instead I got a rotten egg! yuck! It's amazing how jelly belly has created flavors that taste exactly like the desired flavor. A few of my favorites happen to be toothpaste and baby wipes.:) 

"Family is like jelly beans, some times their sour and sometimes they're just down right sweet!"

I guess I can compare this to family...Some moments with family are  sour and distasteful, but others can be sweet and entertainingly fun! I guess if it takes a disgusting game of Bean Boozled to sweetly bond with my siblings I have to take the sour punch!  

Hello Marilyn!

"I wish I were a woman of 36, dressed in black satin with a string of pearls!"

                                                            

I had the funnest time yesterday doing a photo shoot for DATC's Cosmetology advertisement. I really became connected with my character and era I was set in. I was set in a 1940's Marilyn Monroe look. I arrived at the salon around 9. My hair was created in one hour, makeup was very detailed and precisely done in 2 hours, and clothes were strapped tight. Then it was off for the shoot! I honestly think that I was born in the wrong era. I think I should have been born in the 30's so I could experience the 40's, 50's, and 60's. Why does it seem like every year past the 60's has lost their class? It's interesting to me that the world doesn't value beauty like they did in the olden days. I think I would give almost anything to go back in time and live for one day in the 40's. I would buy all the pearls I could wear, and go out dancing in fancy night clubs.

"Prince Charming"

 "So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday."

-The Notebook

Today I had the cutest little old lady came into the salon wanting me to do her hair. She brought her husband, and he waited patiently for her in the waiting lounge. She kept glancing over at him with the biggest smile and her eyes just seemed to light up. She saw me look over at him a few times and she finally grabbed my arm, pulled me in front of her and said, "You see that man over there?" I said, "yes, who is he?" Her sweet reply was, "That's my Prince Charming." She was probably 85 years old and still head over heels in love with the man she married 65 years ago. I couldn't help but tear up a little because of how sweet their romance was.

She continued to tell me that he has been by her side through infertility, the miracle of having their one and only child, cancer, and little tiffs and quarrels along the way. She gave me a lesson not only on how to style her hair, but how to have a love that lasts forever. She told me that being in love is hard and is a constant gamble, but so worth it! 

It is my only hope that someday I'll be able to smile the same way at my Prince Charming with such fond, sweet memories. 

Happy February, Love is in the air! Soak it all up!