Magical moments in bullet-point format.

Okay, I know I know...I am a terrible blogger. Every summer. If you need to check up on my track record, the archives are below for your perusing pleasure. * sigh *

A concerned friend emailed me a little while ago to make sure I was okay because, well, the blog has been a little debbie downer lately. Oopsie. :) I looked it over, and - yup. That's true. 

Ew. We're changing that: NOW. 

Yes, life is hard sometimes. Blah, blah, blah. But  you shouldn't have to read about that every time you come to my blog, now should you? No. :) And truth be told, that's sort of why I haven't blogged in a little while. I'll go to write something, and erase it, thinking, "Ugh. Nobody wants to read that!" and then I'll go for a run instead. Haha.

Let me catch you up on the oh so fabulous life of the life of yours truly: (you're welcome)

Cinco de Mayo 2011:

Some friends and I ran a little 5K that evening that turned out to not only be a great little run, but ALSO had the best spread of after-race food I have ever eaten. Seriously. Always run a race if it's held on aforementioned day. They had horchata and more chips and salsa and fruits and veggies than I've ever seen. For free. (Okay, if you paid to run, but I did, so it was "free") Best idea EVER!

Uh...but then remember how I locked my keys in my car just before the race? Yep, I'm a moron. :) But we decided to pretend like it didn't happen until after the race so we could still enjoy our time.

So then it's after the race. Oopsie. We tried opening my trunk. Sometimes it just likes to open. No bueno. So then I pulled my phone out from under the car (yes, I hid it there. stealth.) and called every boy we knew. Okay, many boys we knew. ALSO NO BUENO. Geez. I'll keep my comments on that one to myself... :) Then we found hangers in my friend Lindsey's car. BINGO! :)

 After a few failed attempts, my friend Angela hit the jackpot, and we were no longer carless. :) If I had a picture of the pure JOY we three experienced in that moment, I'd show you. We were SO proud of ourselves. Suffice it to say I broke my personal jump record. Which is very high. I jump really high. Also, I've always thought breaking and entering would be a great RS activity. What? How many times are you locked out of cars and houses? HUH? Wouldn't you give money to know how to pick a deadbolt sometimes?

You know I'm right. The end. It was a hilarious night. :)

Later in May:

Getting ready for the EFY season. Story of my life. This year, though, we had to check out a hike for the kiddos. In May. In the rain. And because it's work - no jeans. Anybody else wanna hike Ensign Peak in the rain and mud? This is what you will look like afterward:

  It was a fabulous time. I highly recommend it. :)  I love my job, but I DO also love the days when we don't have to sit behind the desk. :) I also have some of the best co-workers. I love working with people who honestly love their jobs, and love the youth. It has its hard days for sure, but I still think there's really nothing better. Especially when you have fantastic people working right along with you!

Meet Jenny and Lindie. The two people I couldn't do without during the summertime. Jenny has been working with me for a couple years now, and I curse the day she graduates this August. :) It'll be a sad day for me when they're both done at the end of this summer. I don't know what I would do without them! Not only are they fantastic at their jobs, but they are both stellar people. Love 'em both. 

Please don't leave me. Drat growing up. :)

Memorial Day:

Much-needed break from all the drama! I gladly left my craziness behind for a roadtrip with the fam to Grouse Creek, a.k.a. my favorite place on earth. Jen and her family and Daniel, Ben and I all drove out the night before the rest of our family, and it was just like old times. Our family sort of grew up in two phases: the older half, and the younger half. Haha. But the older half of us haven't been able to just spend time together like that in...years. It was so refreshing, and I discovered how much I have missed my brothers. MISSED them. We talked about all the things we wanted to in the car on the way up, vented, laughed, slept...ate junk food...it was perfect. :) I went running the next morning from my grandma's house to the cemetery and back (there are more cows than people in this town.) Running on dirt roads passing all the beautiful wide open spaces? 

YES PLEASE!! 

 My brother Ben met me at the cemetery on his four-wheeler, then we met everyone else on the way back, and my little nephew Brandon ran a little ways with me. He was hilarious. "DeeAura! I'm running! I'm running! Catch me! hahahahh!" I love my little guys. :) 

Then came four-wheeling for hours on end. 

Then grandma's cooking. :) And more four-wheeling. I think this is the most beautiful place on earth. I love that house behind us, I love those trees. I love that white picket fence. I love the dirt roads, I love the cows, I love the sage brush... :) What? I just love it all!

Then card games until 3 or 4 a.m. 

This is EXACTLY what it's supposed to be like. :) 

If only we all saw each other more often! It's a circus, but I love it from the bottom of my heart.

 

I love my family. We can't take decent family pictures to save our lives. :)

 JUNE

 Deciding to move has been the best decision I've made in a while. I needed it so much, and explaining it will only make me sound sad. :) hahah. But I'm not! I loved where I lived before. LOVED IT. I miss the people. But meeting new people has been...refreshing. Change can be so hard. But it is also SO GOOD. More on that later...bet you can't wait. I bet you're not even reading this. This post should be about 5 posts. Oh well. I'll just write whatever I want while you scan the pictures. :)  These are a bunch of people in our new neighborhood/ward. Love 'em. They're hilarious. They're good people. We play in the pool every weekend. Hahah. Don't worry, we all go to work all week long. :)

 

Then came more EFY goodness. The Salt Lake Special Edition session came, so we left the office again to go hike Ensign Peak with them. We spent the day with the session, and there were times I just had to stand there and soak it all in. I miss being with the teenagers all day every day. Haha. But somebody has to sit behind a desk all day to make it happen for everyone else, right? * sigh * :) Standing on top of Ensign Peak with all those kids was a moment I really needed. You'd think after 28 years, I'd have my life figured out. But the only thing I keep figuring out is that I have to keep figuring it out!

The Session Director for that week said something when we were up there on top of that peak that really stuck with me. There we were, looking out over all the Salt Lake Valley, and we could see everything. He talked about goals; setting them, remembering where you're going. Don't forget the big picture. Then get down the mountain and go to work. 

We always need to be a light to others. There are always more choices to make, and digging down deep within to constantly rekindle that light is something we can't ever stop doing. 

Later that day, we were at another historic site, the This is the Place Monument Park, and the teacher there was talking to the youth about being in "the right places." And it made me think on the times in my life when I've just...known...or felt...that feeling...

"You're in the right place. This is where you should be, right now."  

My mission. The temple. EFY. Utah State. Working at BYU. Moving.

There are right places in life, and they're different for everybody. But that feeling? It's the same.

And like Elder Bednar says...sometimes they come all at once, like a light switch. 

But sometimes, they come gradually...like the sun rising.

The past 6 months have been more like the sun rising than a light switch, but either way I'm grateful for that comforting feeling of light - of knowing it's going the way it should, no matter what.

So, yeah. Onward. :)

JULY: isn't over, but so far... 

 Strawberry Days. Pleasant Grove, UT. One of my top favorite moments in LIFE happened while the three of us were getting whirred around in the classy carnival rides. The Zipper. Hahah...Mel screamed and yelled and said words I've never heard her say, and Tania and I laughed and laughed...I cried a few laugh tears. I don't care what it takes, I'm going on The Zipper with Mel every chance I get from here on out. HILARIOUS! hahaha...I'm laughing just thinking about it. :)

 Summer BBQs with friends, drive-in movies in the beautiful town of Moroni, UT...hahah...this summer has already been packed with fun and great company. I forgot how much I love drive-in movies... :)

 Ummm...remember the time we went to see Brad Paisley at The Stadium of Fire and we sat on the  

SECOND ROW...FOR FREE????

Um, side note: let's talk about how long my hair is getting...YESssssss...

 it. was. magical.

 Uh, fyi - these are not zoomed in. We were just THAT close. Holy crap...be still my heart. :) I was like a kid in a candy store. :)

 o em gee. he's so good. I couldn't wipe the stupid grin off my face the WHOLE night!

See these two men with us? They are officially our favorite people. Thanks to them, we had the best night of our lives this summer!! Chad and Emory: you rock my world. :) Thank you, thank you!!

I'll stop there. Everything else can just wait. I'm re-living the Brad Paisley goodness in my head. So-o GOOD!

He's freaking good. He's not bad on the yes. Ehem. He's married to Kimberly Williams (aka Annie Banks-Mackenzie). He's hilarious. His songs are hilarious. I love him.

Here's a DeeAura sidenote: Wanna know what I think is one of the best things about country music? For the most part, it's all mine. No man will ever ruin that for me because they're generally against it. :) THIS is fine by me! The winner might need to be able to tolerate it, though...but until then, ya'll can be ignorant and hate it. :)

Peace. Out.