Christmas 2010

A new (much needed) laptop! Dustin got his big Christmas present a little early - totally against my ideals - but this year was different with traveling to Scotland. Oh well! Merry Christmas!!

Thanksgiving 2010

Well I managed to make my very first pie (apple...yumm!) this past Thanksgiving and it was fantastic if I do say so myself. I must say that I felt very domestic and festive ;)

Then we headed down to St. George for Thanksgiving -

I love these shots of some of the cousins playing basketball.

Happy Halloween!

Joe and Jane

The Dancer Can Golf?

Shocking ... I know! I took a golf class this semester because it is Dustin's "thing" and I wanted to learn and be able to golf with him. So back in October we finished our third round of golf at East Bay in Provo. It was so fun for me to learn and better appreciate something new to me that my husband loves. Dustin is such a good golfer and I'm amazed at the control and precision he has gained. He was such a trooper because I admit the second round was tough for me with a couple terrible holes. I guess I just wanted to be so good at it ... I guess I'm a little naive like that. But hey, we had so much fun together and I'm so so glad that I got the opportunity to learn to play golf and share it with my husband!

Favorite Pic of the Moment

To keep things going, I decided I'd do a little "Favorite picture and memory of the moment" thing every now and then. So here is #1:

This was my little 4 & 5-year old tap, ballet, and jazz dance class from last year. Aren't they adorable? They really taught me a lot actually. Patience was big, but love even more. You can't help but love them when they run up to you and say, "Miss Lauren, watch this!!", and do an exhilerated leap for you. Haha! Sometimes I had have one who couldn't focus or do what they knew they were supposed to instead of do what they wanted to do. My first reaction was to gently 'get after' them, but on the other hand, the more I told her how much I knew she could do it and just talked to her as a friend, she completely turned around. She wanted to dance her best every class. I think that taught me more about how to love people. That is so much more important than any differences between you. But anyway, they were a ton of fun and look so stinking cute in their flower costumes. Good job little ballerinas!

How Lucky Am I?

Darn it! I'm horrible at keeping up on my blog... Well the summer came to a screeching halt and somehow it's that time of year again...Back to School! I have very mixed feelings about this particular year because it's my last at BYU. I will be graduating in April. I've really been feeling myself burning with the ;work' part of school and I know I won't miss that at all. But on the other hand, I love learning and I love BYU. BYU gets a lot of grief from people, but I've been so blessed to attend. I've grown academically, mentally, and spiritually. There aren't many places in the world that allowe you and even encourage you to blend academics with spirituality--they both enhance each other.
I'm sad and glad to not be performing this year. I already miss those girls and the fun time we have together. But I feel ok because I'd rather stop before I hate it...if you know what I mean. But I'm taking some awesome classes this year that I've been looking forward to for a long time. Here's the run-down: Teach two sections of beginning ballet at the University; Somatics (once I really figure out what that means...I'll let ya know); golf (hey, why not?); interior design (don't worry, I've already looked through the whole book and magazines, and can't wait to get started); advanced writing (...it's required, otherwise, no way); cooking!; "The Living Prophets" taught by Brother Lloyd Newell (so wonderful already); and of course, ballet class. Although I've already felt like I have more homework than I've just about ever had in my college career, but it's going to be great! How lucky am I?

4th of July Weekend

I love the 4th of July - I love the red, white, and blue, fireworks, and American spirit. This year's was just as good as any. To start off the weekend we headed out to the hot-air balloon launch. It was even more fun than I thought it would be. We got there early in the morning while the 11 balloons were being laid out and blown up. Unforunately, it was quite windy so after waiting for a half hour only three balloons took off. Bummer!! But it was still exciting to see the balloons tower over you and fly into the sky.

On Monday, we went to the PRCA Oakley Rodeo with my parents. I really wanted Dustin to come since hasn't had the experience. I'm a huge fan of this particular rodeo because it's such a culture; it's like you're in a totally different place because of the cowboys everywhere, smell of dirt and manure, and "country-talk". I get so excited to go! It's out in the middle of nowhere and they certainly put on a good show. If you're an animal rights person (which I must admit I personally don't feel very strongly about), it may not be your cup of tea. But this year we saw some awesome stunts along with some moments that made your heart jump - awesome ;). The highlight is of course the bull riding and let me just say those guys are crazy. I mean, come on, bareback on a gigantic bull that's a bit irritable?? You don't realize how ginormous those are until you see them in person. But it's sure exciting to watch!