Christmas time 2012

I love this time of year. I have been so busy with work and basketball that it was a great break to relax and enjoy having everyone around. I love my family so much and love the traditions that we do.

Love temple square! 

We got these awesome glasses that made the christmas tree lights turn into snowmen. 

Out in the barn doing the nativity! 

Gotta love the pajama picture!

Sunni and I bought mumford tshirts when we were in Mumford, NY. It was fun to finally give them out.  I am proud to be a Mumford!

Thanksgiving 2012

It was so great having everyone around for Thanksgiving this year. Being the only person at home with my parents can get boring sometimes, so it is always fun when any of my siblings come home. I love my siblings so much, I even gave up my amazing bed to McWayne and Shannon for the weekend. This year, I had the wednesday off before Thanksgiving so I spent the whole day in the kitchen cooking up a storm. My mom had to work and Sunni didn't fly in until later that night, so I had fun making the grapefruit cocktail, the yams, and a few pies. I made a few pecan pies, a squash pie and a pumpkin pie (made out of a real pumpkin). On the saturday after thanksgiving, we took some family photos. It was fun and we got some cute pictures. Katie is a great photographer! I sure do love my family! They are the best. Can't wait for baby #1 and baby #2 to make their debut this upcoming year.

I did it!!! Accomplished my weight goal in 2012!

My goal was to get my weight down to 150. It was a long shot but I was determined to accomplish it. I must say when I set out for my goal last april, I wasn't quite sure if I would be able to really reach it or not.  I finally got to the point where I was depressed and hated looking at myself in the mirror. I have always struggled with thinking I wasn't skinny enough, or that I wasn't cute enough... Dang, self esteem! I decided I needed to get rid of the negative energy in my life, and so I decided to try out the south beach diet. My mom has been doing it for awhile now and she lost so much weight. She was my inspiration and both my parents have been so supportive and have kept me going. I also have to thank my siblings and a few of my friends. All their compliments and encouragement have kept me strong and have increased my self-esteem dramatically.

Losing weight is tough, but I knew if I set a goal for myself and if I had enough determination that I could do it. My first motivation was to set a goal and accomplish it. The second motivation that pushed me through the tough times was thinking about the new mac book pro I was going to buy myself when I accomplished my goal. Yes, I bribed myself.... what can I say, it worked. I have worked my butt off, and have been eating so healthy. I can feel such a difference on how I feel and how I feel about myself. I hit my goal in the middle of November and since then I have lost a total of 40 pounds! I still have a little bit to go to be fully happy with my weight but here is to a new year and achieving more goals.

Me and my new mac book! I love it!

Last adventure of Summer 2012

DMB at the Gorge- August 30th - September 3rd 2012

Well to end my summer adventures, I went on the annual labor day Dave Matthews Band roadtrip with three of my great friends. It was a great way to end the summer, even though I had started work a few days before the trip. I have looked forward to doing this trip all year, even though it was bitter sweet. It was the first year without Whit around and to make it even harder it was the one year anniversary of her death. This was one of her favorite trips to take and I know she was dancing in heaven with us. It is because of Whit that I LOVE Dave Matthews music and that I LOVE the Gorge.

Jared and Kate met up at Jared's parents house Thursday night and then came and picked me up. We made it to Idaho Falls where we crashed in a hotel room for the night. We got up and headed the rest of the way to Moses Lake to set up camp before the concert. Bryce met up with us at the campsite. It was so great to see him. I love hanging out with my boys. We headed to the concert. It was nice not to worry about getting their early. We got a pretty decent spot on the grass friday night and had fun with all the people that were drunk and getting high. After the concert, we went to the good ole Angie's restaurant.

Saturday was our big day. We all had pit tickets (or so we thought). I don't remember what all happened at first but me and Kate went down to the venue first to save our spots up by the stage. Well come to find out, our tickets were not pit tickets, they were seat tickets. We were so devastated. Bryce and Jared met us down by the stage, and when we told them about our tickets they both were sad for us. I mean, it couldn't be as fun without me and Kate dancing with them right? Well for the next few hours, Kate and I tried to come up with ideas on how to sneak into the pit. Kate was even flirting with all the boys that were guarding the seats to let us come up to the barrier. We made posters so that the boys could get us a drumstick. Just when we thought it was hopeless, we came up with an ingenious plan. I want to say it was my idea, but Bryce's wristband was loose enough he got his pit wristband off without completely tearing it. It was genius! Maybe a little on the naughty side but what a story to tell. Jared came out and gave Kate the wristband and then Kate snuck in and then he did the same with me. It totally worked! I must say I was super nervous about getting caught and getting kicked out, but know I can say that I snuck into the pit. HaHa. It was incredible. We were so close! and they played some of my favorite songs. It was an epic night! And of course, we ended the night by hitting up the Angies after the show for some grub.

Sunday, we hung out by the river for a bit before the concert. Sunday was our day to make a run for it and get good lawn tickets. Kate has been doing this for years so she has this system down. We did VIP parking, which got us closer to the venue. When they started letting people in, Bryce and I made a run for it. I am proud to say that neither one of us biffed it, while running down the hill. We got pretty awesome spots for the show if I say so myself. It was a great night! The pit is awesome, but there is something about just chillin and dancing on the grass, listening to awesome music. The Avett brothers opened for DMB all three nights and I thought they were pretty good too.

Earlier today, I was reading emails that Whit had sent me. I read one from before the first time I went on the trip with them. She reassured me that I would fall in love with the music since we had the same taste in music. She was right! Dave Matthews is one of my favorite musicians and I owe that one to Whit. I will never forget the memories that were made with Whit. I am thankful for the tradition that she started for me, I just wish she were here this year to share it with me. Until next year dave.....

So sad not to have Pit tickets....

the Boys in the PIT without us...

Kates Love!

The crew (Jared, Kate, Me, Bryce)

Dave Matthews!

I love Boyd!

I am so glad that I could share this bitter sweet weekend with Jared, Kate, and Slicer. Thanks for the great memories throughout the years guys!

Summer Adventure #3

Adventure Back East! 

July 19 - August 1, 2012

Cami and I had been talking about going back east forever because she had never been and my sister Sunni lives out there. We finally made it happen. Sunni was so nice to let us stay with her. We went out for a few weeks and wore ourselves out. We had our ups and downs, but we survived each other. 

Western New York : Niagra falls/ Mumford, NY/ Palmyra

Thursday & Friday, July 19-20 - My friend Megan was a doll and dropped us off at the airport. The flight was a piece of cake after the redeye flight back from Hawaii. Sunni picked us up and we headed to her place to get ready for our first adventure. We went to Pete's Pizza for some delicious pizza and then went and picked up Garrett (Sunni's boyfriend at the time). Then we hit the road for Western New York. What were we thinking! Seriously, never drive 8 hours over night right after a 5 hour flight! It was a long night but we got to Niagra falls early the next morning. Early enough not to have to pay for parking. haha! The falls were beautiful! I can't believe how close I was to Canada! Next time I am totally going to the other side. We went down on the Maid of the Mist. It was so funny to see all the people on the boat freaking out when we were really close to the falls. Thank goodness for our ponchos, we didn't get too drenched. After spending time at the falls, we headed to Buffalo. We walked along the Lake Erie (I think) for a few minutes. We then headed to Mumford, NY. It was LEGENDARY! I am so glad that Sunni stubbled across it on her searches of places to stay. Sunni and I were so excited when we found out that the town existed. It is such a cute little town. When we first arrived, Garrett and Cami were sleeping and they missed out on the Mumford sign craziness. Every sign that we came to, we pulled over and took lots of pictures of ourselves. It was hilarious and oh so much fun. Cami joined us for the adventure on main street. We went to a few cute craft stores. We also went to the fire station, where we continued taking pictures. haha. The men that were outside came over to talk to us. I am sure they were wondering what the crap we were doing taking a picture of a truck with Mumford on it. We explained that we were Mumford's. They were so awesome. They let us buy Mumford fire department t-shirts. They also let us sit in the fire truck. So awesome! After our little adventure to Mumford, NY, we headed to our hotel in Henrieta. In Henrieta, there was a Macedonian Festival going on. We ate some good food!

Saturday & Sunday, July 21-22 - Sunni's singles ward was going to the Hill Cumorah Pageant on Saturday, which is why we fit this side trip into our vacation. I am so glad that we did. I never really cared to go to Palmyra, but it was such an incredible experience. I am so glad and thankful that I got to go. We spent the day going to the sites in Palmyra. We went to where the Book Of Mormon was published. It was cool to see the printing press and learn how they did it. We then went over to the Joseph Smith Family Farm. The Sacred Grove was incredible. So Beautiful and so peaceful. I felt the spirit so strong and it was another testament that this church is true. The temple is really close to the farm so we went and saw the beautiful Palmyra temple. The stain glass windows were cool because they were pictures of the sacred grove. After the temple, we headed to the Hill Cumorah. The pageant was so awesome. It is about all the prophets of the scriptures. So cool to watch the recreation of Joseph Smith bury the plates on the actual Hill Cumorah. On Sunday, we went to church at the Peter Whitmore Farm in Fayette, NY. We went back to Palmyra and drove to the top of the Hill to the monument. We then ate some delicious lunch at Mark's Pizza.  This was such a great and uplifting weekend. I am so so glad that I got to experience some church history. It was so much cooler than I ever expected. I can't wait to go back and it made me want to go Kirkland. We headed back to D.C. in the afternoon. The drive back wasn't so bad. It was so beautiful and so green. 

Niagra Falls

Mumford, NY

The sacred grove, Palmyra, NY

Palmyra Temple

Hill Cumorah Pageant

Washington D.C.:

Sunni had to work all week during the day so Cami and I played during the day and Sunni joined us at night. 

Monday, July 23- Cami and I hit up the Smithsonian today. It is crazy how many museums there are in this strip. We went to the American History Museum, the Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and to the National Archives. I didn't do the National Gallery or the National Archives last time I came to D.C. so it was really cool to go to both of those. It was incredible how big the National Gallery of Art is. We only went in one of the buildings but you could spend hours just looking at the art. I loved going to the National Archives. It was so cool to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. After the Archives, Sunni picked us up and we headed to met up with one of my college roommates, Whitney Todd, and her boyfriend. It was so great to see her. We went to the Eat Bar for dinner. It was a cool little place to eat. We then went to Alexandria and got some ice cream at the Dairy Godmother.  After, we walked along the river which was cool. 

Tuesday, July 24- We went to visit one of Cami's friends, Jaime and her kids, and got to play in the pool. Who doesn't love a pool day! Her kids were super cute. Sunni picked us up at a metro stop and we went and got lunch at the taco truck that she loves. It was super good. She got pulled over which made me feel bad. But she did run a stop sign.... haha she told me I had no sympathy. I did feel so bad though. We went back to her work and I got to meet a few people that she works with and see her office. Later, Cami and I went to Bethesda. A fun place to do some shopping. We found a snow cone shack and hit up the Trader Joes. For dinner, we went to the Cheesecake Factory with Sunni's roommates. 

Wednesday, July 25 - We went to the Library of Congress and took a tour of the Capitol building. There were some cool facts that we learned about the Capitol. After, we went to the Holocaust museum. Such a cool museum but defiantly makes you sad. What a hard time to have gone through. Later that night, I got to go do baptisms for the dead in the D.C. temple with Sunni. It was such an amazing experience and one that I will never forget. It has been forever since I have done them with Sunni and I got so lucky because it was Sunni's singles ward temple night. It was so important to me because my Grandma and Grandpa Mumford served their mission at this temple. It made me feel closer to them being inside where they spent so much time serving the Lord. It is such a beautiful temple. 

Thursday, July 26 - Sunni let us take her car today to go exploring. I was a little nervous to drive in D.C. but all went well. It turned out to be a super hot day, but that is what you get in July. We first stopped at the Arlington Cemetery. We then drove to Virginia and went to Mount Vernon. It was cool to see George Washington's home and estate. It was beautiful. We then went shopping in Georgetown. Sunni's friends Shari and Jill came over for dinner, along with Garrett, and we had Thai food for dinner. 

Capitol

Arlington Cemetery

George Washington's Home

I found a Paul's in Georgetown. Not as good as in France, but still made my day. 

D.C. Temple

New York City

Friday, July 27- New York City here I come! I was so excited to go to New York. We got up early and caught a bus. The bus ride wasn't so bad, but it seemed to take forever. It was crazy walking in New York City. People and buildings everywhere. Time square is so cool. So many lights! Sunni's friend hooked us up with a discount at the Marriot by Grand Central Station. We dropped our stuff off at the hotel and headed out to explore the city. First, we got some delicious pizza. Then I got to experience the New York City subway. We walked down to the 911 memorial. We didn't have tickets but it was crazy to see the place that used to have the trade centers and just to imagine what the day would have been like. We walked down Wall street and met up with my friend Lisa Winn who is living in Harlem. It was so fun to hang out with her. We took the ferry to Staten Island. It was cool to see the Statue of Liberty. Then we went to Brooklyn to try on some Warby Parker glasses and ate dinner at a taco truck. We spent the night shopping in Soho. We went to the Mac store. I was in heaven. We spent forever and Cami, Sunni, and I all spent too much money on new makeup. We ended the night by going to the Top of the Rock. It is the view from on top of the Rockefeller building. It was such a cool way to see the city.

Saturday, July 28- Sunni and I got up and headed out to Central Park. We stopped at a little farmers market. I got some fruit and some bread. We saw the Manhattan Temple. It is so crazy that it is in the middle of the city. Next time I go I hope to go inside. We stopped and got a drink at Starbucks. We met up with Lisa in Central Park. I loved Central Park. It is so huge and beautiful. We watched some men playing baseball, Lisa took us to her favorite view in the park. We went to the pond. Later, we met up with Cami in Time Square and went and saw the broadway musical Newsies. It was incredible. Hot men singing and dancing.... I was in love! The show was amazing and the music was so good. When we got out it was pouring. We got drenched, so we found a pizza joint and ate and relaxed until it stopped. We did some more shopping and then went back to the hotel and Lisa joined us to watch some Olympics. 

Sunday, July 29- We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge today. It was so cool and turned out to be a lot of fun. Cami and I experienced a New York hot dog from a hot dog stand. Pretty good. We then went to China town and little Italy. After, we hit up Bloomingdales. We got talked into buying the Marc Jacobs perfume, which came with a free manicure. It is always fun to get pampered. We then spent our last hour in Central Park. There was a concert going on so we went and checked that out. It was sad to leave New York but we had a great time and I can't wait to go again. 

on the Staten Island Ferry

Top of the Rock

Mac Makeovers!

Manhattan Temple

Central Park

Lisa's Favorite spot. So cool!

Brooklyn Bridge

Bloomingdales Manicure 

Back to Washington D.C.

Monday, July 30- Today, we rented bikes and road them around to the different monuments. It was such a great way to get around. Then we went to the Ford Theatre where Lincoln was shot. After, Cami went to dinner with one of her co-workers so Sunni and I had a great night spending some quality sister time. We went and got some delicious Indian food. 

Tuesday, July 31- We went to the Zoo today. I love the zoo! We then went and saw the new Batman movie. It was so good, and we got to see it in a cool theatre, where we sat in the Balcony. After the movie, Sunni picked us up and we headed to the Nationals Baseball Game. 

Wednesday, August 1- We were exhausted and ready to come home. I went and ate at a delicious French cafe with Sunni and one of her co-workers. I then took Sunni's car and went back to the house to pack and to pick Cami up. We then went back and got Sunni and she took us to the airport. I had such a great trip visiting my sister and I am so glad that she got to spend a lot of time with us. She is so great and has been one of my role models my whole life. Thanks for a fabulous trip Sunni!

Ford theatre where Lincoln was shot

National's game

Washington Monument

World War 2 Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Jefferson Memorial