Oops

Elise, thanks for keeping this blog updated.... and oops from all of us slackers who don't keep it up for ourselves ;)

Things are absolutely fabulous in my life! I finally am over a case of food poisoning that I got after a lovely dinner at that Tucanos with Mimi, Sterling, and Jed-bubbly-umpkin

(haha, I thought I'd throw that in. I've never ACTUALLY called him that in case you're wondering...but I may have to try it. Gag*twitch)

You've probably heard the story...but Jed and I got engaged on June 21st around 4:00pm, when both he and I were 22 years old

(We were both birthed on June 21st; he at 4:36pm, and me at 11:03am one year later.

SO therefore, we are the same age for exactly 5 hours and 33 minutes)

After having lunch, walking on the Jordan Parkway, browsing around Target, and whatever else Jed could think of to stall until we could meet his sister and she could sneakily give him the ring, we FINALLY headed up the canyon to hike Donut Falls.

Halfway up the hike, we pulled off to a little clearing and he asked me to give him a little private dance lesson so we could practice dancing for our wedding. After dancing in the clearing for awhile, he said "I got you something for your birthday," got down on one knee and proposed. I was very happy, said "yes" (duh), gave him a kiss, and he proceeded to hug me VERY hard.

(Caution: when you hug someone really hard, you may squeeze unwanted gas out of them, and it is very embarassing, but very funny at the same time)

SO the next thing that was said after the initial acceptance (this is embarassing to admit, but since you girls are the only ones who read this and I think you'll appreciate it...) was "Uh, we need to clear the area!" Which made us both laugh and perfectly demonstrates how I unintentionally ruin any romantic setting he ever makes (but he still wants to be with me for some reason anyway). It was pretty funny, but unfortunately I get the feeling that this part of the story will be what is passed on to our kids and our kids' kids' kids....

We went on and finished the hike and as we hiked back we found some fellow hikers to take a picture of us (they were the very first to know of our official engagement). We then proceeded down the mountain, through the canyon, onto I-15, and to my house for a combined family BBQ/birthday party.

Pretty sure this was the best birthday present ever :) Ah, geez...I love this kid!

p.s. Keep August 10th open

Elise....Sereen....we need your stories and pictures now!

On Behalf of Mimi and Sam

They are both anxiously engaged in good causes.

On Behalf of Myself

I am also engaged to be married....figured I would help keep everyone updated on the news.

On Behalf of Bethany

She is also engaged to be married.

On Behalf of Sereen

She is engaged to be married.

On Behalf of Kelli Haws

This is Elise writing on behalf of Kelli Haws. She is extremely busy as she is currently an EFY counselor and has just been informed she will be leaving on her mission next Wednesday, June 16th instead of the previous July 28th. We can pray for her to have enough time to get everything together!

Now I am Elise and just wanted to say that I am marrying Christopher James Peterson on August 20, 2010 just in case you didn't know;) We are excited and once again my wonderful schoolwork has been a little on the back-burner. All I can say is that the Lord knows what we need so much better than we do. It is in Him I am putting my faith and trust. My prayers reach out to each one of you my beautiful sisters. Thank you for blessing my life with your light. You are remarkable.

Love you,

Elise and Kelli

Memorial Day Weekend

Hello Sisters!
First off, I love you all so much, and I really miss those of you who I don't see on a daily basis! We really need to make some plans together before you all start going on missions and getting married and what not!

I had a really great Memorial Day weekend, so I'm going to fill you in on some of the highlights! I was home from Wednesday afternoon to Tuesday morning, and it was so good to be there. I went to my sister's graduation. She was Senior class president, so she got to speak, and it was great. She has officially decided to go to Southern Virginia University after receiving a $15,000 per year renewable scholarship. It's really crazy to think about her going to Virgina. We are all going to miss her, but it's going to be such a fun experience for her!

On Friday I got to spend some time with Dallin. Our stake's singles ward went on a temple trip to the Twin Falls temple. Dallin and all of his friends that are getting ready to leave on missions did all of the ordinance work. It was really cool to see them have that opportunity to exercise their Priesthood in a way that they never had before.

Saturday was a girl's day, and it was a lot of fun! My mom and my sisters and I had a shopping trip in Twin Falls. It served as my Mom's birthday present (Her birthday was on Sunday). And then we ate dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant!

Sunday was Dallin's farewell, and he gave a really great talk. We went to lunch at his house for several hours afterwards with friends, neighbors, and extended family. (And Adam Ruri! He is dating my friend/neighbor! So funny!) Later that night we had cake and ice cream back at our house for my mom's birthday.

My brother Mitch passed the sacrament for the first time on Sunday. I went home for his Priesthood ordination two Sundays ago, which was done by my Grandpa.

Sadly, we didn't decorate any graves on Monday. We don't have any family buried in the area, and with everything going on that weekend we couldn't travel anywhere. I planned to go home Monday afternoon, but then got a better offer and postponed my travel plans until early Tuesday morning. I spent the evening with a very cute friend from high school, and it was quite great! He says he hopes to do it again soon...I hope to as well! :)

Late that night after I returned home, Dallin came over so we could say our final goodbyes. It was not fun. We both held it together pretty well, but it was really hard. Dallin is my very best friend and has been with me through so much. I talk to him about everything and go to him whenever I need anything. He knows me better than any of my other friends, and outside of my family, he is the person I care about most. I have been thinking a lot about how long two years really is, and I now have experienced how hard it is to send someone close to you on a mission. I was a mess for most of the day Tuesday, but I have been fine today. Althogh this part is hard, I'm so excited to have someone so close to me on a mission. I can't wait to start getting his emails and see the growth and progress that he will make!

The whole Dallin thing has made me think a lot about what I will be doing in the next two years of my life. It kind of scares me to think how many things can change in two years. However, I have had a mission for myself on my mind all weekend. I'm not ready to make any decision yet, but I want to prepare myself to make a decision at a future date. So I bought a Preach My Gospel book to start studying, and I'm taking Mission Prep from Brother Bott in the fall.

As of yesterday, I have housing for Fall/Winter. My friend Kristen had an opening come up in her apartment, and she really wanted me to live with her. I had no plans at all yet for housing, so I agreed and signed a contract to live with her at the Colony. I hope it was the right decision...I didn't feel that great about it...but then again my emotions were all out of whack yesterday!

Ok I'm sorry this got to be so long. I love you all and miss you so much! You should each be aware that there is a Summer Fun Calendar and To Do List at the Moon and each of you are invited to all of the chosen activities. And let's for sure plan to do something all together!

Only 2 weeks of Spring Term left! Woooo! I love you each a lot, a lot , a lot! Have a great week!

Sam

Finally! I'm posting something :)

I've wanted to post for awhile, but I never know what to write. However, I have come to the conclusion that even at the risk of writing something completely boring, I still want to write something, so here's what's on my mind right now...

Things this summer have been incredible so far! I am working 2 jobs, the first at the hospital in Provo, and also drug testing (I know how repulsed you all were knowing I watch people urinate, but I can guarantee that I see worse in the hospital, lol) Thankfully, even while being uber busy with my two jobs, I have still found time to play. I am still getting to know my new roommates, but luckily when I need a break from my quiet apartment, I have my two lovely visiting teachers (Sam and Mimi) living right next door. Things with Jed are still going great, sometimes I still find it hard to believe it's all working out this way when just a few months ago I was struggling and didn't even think there was a chance things would happen like this! Through everything that has happened I know our break was for the best and God really does know what's best for each of us!

Here are some things I've missed about you girls:
Mimi: You singing or whistling in the shower when you thought no one was home
Sam: You always being willing to listen to my frustrations and laugh at what I said...even when it was ridiculous.
Elise: Your genuine concern for each of us...and March Magnification goals that helped us grow
Kelli: Yoga! I made my sisters do sun salutations with me a few weeks ago and they thought I was crazy...
Sereen: You making cookies, but leaving some cookie dough for me to munch on later

I love you girls and am so glad I had the opportunity to live with you and learn from you! I'll try to keep ya updated on what's happening and share any funny experiences I have with you.

~*~Bethany~*~

p.s. No, that picture of Jonah didn't have anything to do with my post; I just wanted to post a picture and that one made me smile :)

Internet

I just had a little thought....remember how the apostle's have been encouraging us to find ways to use media/internet to build testimonies...well, after reading your most recent posts I am just beginning to see the importance and impact of what they really mean! We have living prophets on the earth today!

All my love,

Elise

Gratitude

Hello My Beloved Sisters,

Just wanted to let you know how much I love all of you. You are each in my prayers and in my heart. Thank you for blessing my life with your remarkable testimonies and examples. What a tender mercy our Father gave in blessing us with each other. You are truly angels in my life and I hope to send prayers of gratitude to Heaven all my days for each one of you!

Thank you,

Leesee