Another Giveaway!

Ok... so it has been longer than a couple days... forgive me?

I know I promised another giveaway back in November... well here it is!!

This giveaway will be an autographed book by Emily Freeman. She is the best selling author of several books including - "The Ten Virgins", "21 Days Closer to Christ", "God Bless Your Way" and most recently "The Woman at the Well". She has another book coming out in the Fall that is incredible! Depending on how many comments I get I may throw in 2nd book!


Emily speaks all over Utah & Idaho at Young Women's New Beginnings, Young Women in Excellence evenings and Relief Society Enrichment nights. I have attended the presentations for the "The Ten Virgins" book and "21 Days Closer to Christ" and both were fantastic! She recently started presenting with the Time Out for Women tour this year and her presentation is AMAZING! You can read more here.

Here is a clip from the Question and Answer portion of Time Out for Women last month. If you are still unsure about going to an event. Hopefully, this will give you a little taste of what it is like. When you have Emily, Kris and Hilary on the stage together, you know it will be funny and uplifting!





Emily lives in our ward and I have had the opportunity to get to know her the past 2 1/2 years. She and her husband Greg were actually one of the first couples we met before moving into the ward. We went to church about a month before we moved in to check things out. That Sunday I sat by another dear friend Julie who talked me into signing up for dinner groups that month and she promised to make sure we were in the same group. About a week later, (I had forgotten that we signed up) I get a call from Emily letting me know we had been assigned to her home for dinner and would I mind bringing a salad (I think). She had been told we were new to the ward and let me know Julie had requested we be in the same group. We had a great time that evening getting to know Emily and Greg better and they did a great job helping us feel welcome!


Now as kind of a side note... when my sister-in-law Monica found out we were moving to Lehi she said "I think one of my high school friend's lives down in that area. Her name is Emily Freeman." Come to find out 2 of her brothers were also in the ward and Brad knew them growing up as well. Small world eh?

Anyway, after that first meeting, Emily always made a point to say "hi" and check in. A few months after we moved in, Emily was called as the Relief Society President in our ward and served for just over a year. Which worked out perfectly, because right about that time I was in need of an assistant camp director. Our current camp director needed to attend to her family and was unable to finish up the last minute details. So with 3 weeks until camp, Emily was called and pulled everything together with the help of our YCL's. Here is a picture of some of the leaders at camp. She is the camp director again this year and everything is coming together nicely! I will save the fun camp stories for another post! :-)

Emily, Josephine, Mindy, me and Trish

Brad and I have really enjoyed getting to know Emily, Greg and their wonderful family. They have always helped us feel included and have been great examples of how we want to be as parents. Emily has an amazing testimony of her Savior and is one of the best examples to me of seeking guidance from our Heavenly Father in all that she does. She knows the scriptures and understands how to liken them to any situation. She is also a great friend, as I have sought advice or comfort she always knows the right thing to say. I have seen her in action on many occasions within our community, neighborhood, ward, etc... and I always know I can count on her. She gives of her time and talents to all those around her and places the needs of others above her own. Brad calls her Wonder Woman - if she can't do it- no one can! We have learned great things from Emily and Greg and are grateful to call them our friends.

Now in order to qualify for the drawing you must make a comment on this post by Wednesday May 13th @ 10PM. I will announce the winner(s) the next evening. If you make a comment on this post and have (prior to today) made a comment on one of the previous 2 posts you will be entered twice!

HAPPY MONDAY!!

I promised a 2nd giveaway back in October and I hope to have that posted in the next couple of days. Until then enjoy the following ...

Here is a portion the most recent parody by Hilary Weeks from the TOFW events for 2009. (just posted on YouTube.) There are 2 other parodies from this year which you will have to go to an event to see! HAPPY MONDAY!!!

Laundry!



In case you missed the songs from previous years...

2007 "My Favorite Things"


2008 Ultimate Mom "TO DO" List


"He Is" if you are not familar with Hilary's music.

Weekend with friends...

A couple weeks ago I went with some friends in our neighborhood to TOFW in Ogden. I realize I talked about this event when I attended in Long Beach, Las Vegas and San Antonio, but I have to say this was by far the BEST event I have attended! Seriously, the spirit present the entire weekend was incredible. Of course it helped that 3 good friends were participating, so supporting them made it even better! Thanks to Laurel and her team for all the time and prayers that went into this event! We had such a great time! Thanks ladies for a memorable weekend!!

Kris Belcher, Emily Freeman and Hilary Weeks during the event.

The event theme this year is "SWEET ASSURANCE...the certainty that comes from knowing life's truths." Our friend's Emily Freeman and Kris Belcher were presenting at TOFW for the first time and they both did a FABULOUS job! Emily spoke about the miracle of creating abundance in our lives. She gave us 3 principles from the parable of the loaves and fishes and taught us how we can all have abundance in our lives right now. Kris was born with a rare form of eye cancer and spent most of her life blind in one eye. Approximately 5 years ago, the cancer returned and she was forced to choose between loosing her sight to save her life or the possibility of dying. She spoke about the 4 principles of healing and how all of us no matter our circumstances can be healed through the grace of our Savior. Emily is the author of The Ten Virgins, 21 Days Closer to Christ, God Bless Your Way, and most recently Women at the Well. Kris has a new book coming out in March which tells her story - Hard Times in Holy Places. If you want to learn more details for each of these principles you will have to find an event where Emily or Kris are presenting - you will NOT be disappointed!

Hilary performed at the event Friday night and Saturday. I posted about Hilary when I did the CD giveaway back in November and this was by far the BEST performance I have witnessed so far... She continually amazes me with her talent and sense of humor. If you haven't had a chance to see her perform in person YOU MUST! She is traveling to several of the TOFW events this year. Find one in a city near you and go! There are a couple fairly close if you live in UT - there are events in Pocatello & Boise, ID as well as St. George, UT this year.

Here are some pictures from the events.

Kenneth Cope, Wendy Ulrich, Emily Watts and Emily Freeman.

Kim Nelson, Hilary Weeks, Kris Belcher, DeAnne Flynn and Brent Top.

Hilary and Kris

We also heard from S. Michael Wilcox, Ardeth Kapp, Mark Mabry, Jenny Frogley, Abe Mills, Michael McLean, Brad and Debi Wilcox, and Chris Stewart --all fantastic!

Jenny and Abe put on an amazing concert Friday night. You can check out Abe's "Boy band tribute" here. It was very entertaining.

Shelly, Emily, Kris, Josephine, Tasha and Me after the event!

A few memories from the weekend... in no particular order.

• Waiting for our lunch at Wingers, paying for it, leaving to get back to the event and then returning 3 hours later to eat it. (we did get free dessert - can't complain about that)
• Jo yelling at our server to get her brother - I can't even remember what we needed!
• Angela falling - Tasha saying... "I saw you...then you were gone!"
• Umbrella basics - If 3 people are trying to walk under the same umbrella and one is blind then the one that is blind needs to hold on to both of the others' elbows instead of just one.
• Lots of RAIN!
• Listening to "I'll Sing" during each break both days.
• Chocolate covered cinnamon bears - Thanks Shelly!
• Sophie getting us lost and Emily talking to her like a person.
• Tasha trying to find the "correct" parking lot in the fog.
• Kris throwing a pillow at Tasha while she was trying to go to sleep.
• Angela almost running Kris into a pole and Shelly saving her. Sorry Kris!
• Tasha telling Kim Nelson he was svelte.
• Slurpee's and ice cream cookie sandwiches...yum!
• Tasha being our chauffeur - Thanks Tasha! She kept us from getting drenched!

Ladies feel free to correct me on any of the details or add a memory to the list!

Here is actual feedback on the event from a few that attended:

Your experiences~

This was the most amazing experience. I have been to a TOFW event previously, but this was far and away the best one! I have had many many struggles, and it was through this event that I finally feel like I am getting better. Thank you.—Jana


My friend and I went on the 23 and 24! It was so wonderful! I'm so glad I took the opportunity to try something new. Every speaker and music number touched me in some way. I had to hurry home and journal all my notes into complete thoughts. I won't ever forget it, and will make it a tradition. I don't want any of my friends to miss out on this again!—Rebekah


Wonderful time. So inspirational. Great time to listen to great uplifting music and presenters with friends and family. Thank you for coming to Ogden. Hope you come back again. I also helped volunteered and just have to say the TOFW team is awesome to work with. Thank you for the opportunity. —Nicci


Wonderful. There are so many words to describe my day(s) at Time Out for Women. It is an experience that everyone needs to attend. I was on such a spiritual high for the next day... and continue to be. I wish I could go every weekend! Thank you for creating the tour. Until next time!—Melissa


This was my fifth time to attend TOFW and they have all been awesome! Every woman in the church should take the time to attend your events. It is uplifting, fun and a great way to spend a day with your friends, sisters or just any female that you value. I bought my friend a ticket for Christmas and took her. She hugged me and thanked me many times for bringing her with me! THANKS SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS AVAILABLE and keep them coming!!!! —Jan

Definitely something you should try to attend if you are able. It is great to get away from the worries in your life and just focus on YOU! And of course spend some quality time with a few close friends or family!

San Antonio trip with my mom...what could be better?

**Disclaimer... get a snack settle in and enjoy this post.. but I warn you it is a long one but in my opinion very well worth it! **

When an opportunity to visit San Antonio where I served my mission I had to take it! My dad was going to be out of town for 2 weeks and when my mom and I were talking about things she could do why he was gone she mentioned TOFW in San Antonio. She had been wanting to go to a TOFW ever since my first experience last year but it just never worked out. So...with 8 days to go she booked our flights and within 24hrs we were all set to go. We wanted to stay right on the "Paseo del Rio" (River Walk) for those not familiar with downtown San Antonio it is beautiful!

Things I love about Texas... the Texas flag flies at the same height as the American flag. People use the shape of their state for anything from stepping stones in front of their homes to cookie cutters (yes I have them!), HEB (best grocery store ever!), BLUE BELL ICE CREAM...YUM! ok.. i don't love this one it is just another funny memory..there is an unwritten law that all overweight men MUST work in their yard without wearing a t-shirt and in short shorts.

The weekend could not have been more perfect. I got to spend time with one of my favorite people –my mom! And on top of that, being spiritually recharged by attending the Time Out Life Seminar (I had not been to this before and I would TOTALLY recommend it!) and of course the Saturday TOFW which did not disappoint. Another surprise was that my friend Sonia Lynn had just started a new job with Deseret Book a couple weeks before and was asked to travel with the TOFW seminar crew to get a better idea of how to perform her new responsibilities.


The weekend started with a visit to the dentist, not fun! I had been experiencing some pain above my jaw in my cheekbone and thought it was related to the sinus infection I had been to the doctor for on Monday. After a couple days of pain and realizing we were leaving on Thursday I had a feeling I should call the dentist to make sure this was in fact related to the sinus infection and not to some toothache that would get worse while I was out of town. My dentist asked me a few questions and determined it was probably a good idea that I come in just in case so he could run some tests to make sure it wasn’t something more serious. Well after 20min at the dentist’s office it was determined that one tooth was dead and I would need a root canal! It was about 2 hours before our flight took off and he said if I didn’t take care of this now it would get worse - especially while flying and I would be in a lot of pain. He promised to have me finished in 30min by putting on a temporary filling to get me through the weekend. Those that know me understand how terrifying this was.. I hate the dentist, not the man, but the experience. I get tense inside and am usually numb until well into the evening… I was not excited about the start of the trip but after it was all said and done it wasn’t as bad as I imagined it to be.

My mom was going to meet me at my house and we were to drive up to the airport together but after being at the dentist and running out of time we decided to drive separate. We did finally make our flight –barely!

Thursday evening we arrived in San Antonio around 7pm and were to our hotel by 8pm. We called Sonia Lynn and headed to the river walk for a late dinner. I have been back to my mission 3 times previous to this and there was only one time, with Brad, that I had experienced the river walk at night. I forgot how incredible it was! We found a Mexican restaurant, that ended up being not that great, but the ambiance was still fabulous! After dinner, we needed dessert. We walked around a bit more and ended up at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company. My mom had us try the most amazing caramel apple with white chocolate, cinnamon, and sugar. We also showed Sonia Lynn some amazingly cheesy Texas souvenirs… ahhh the memories! As I walked around I was reminded of all the Texas “stuff” I had in boxes at home.

Friday morning was the Time Out Life Seminar, which was AMAZING! If you see one in your area you should definitely go. The speakers that day were Sheri Dew, Wendy Watson Nelson, Virginia Hinckley Pearce, and R. Wayne Boss.

Sheri Dew taught us how we as women can be better leaders within our families, communities, wards, and our careers. She also helped us realize as women we have more influence that we think we do. She said women are leaders of future leaders… "who has more influence on a man than his wife?” OR “on a child than his mother?” She told a story of when President Hinckley was being interviewed by the press in Washington DC, (she said this happened a lot) they asked him how he felt about the oppressed women in the church? He answered “We get out of their way and watch with wonder at all they accomplish!” She also demonstrated that in our church we have at 3 organizations in each ward or branch which give at least 12 women the opportunity to learn leadership skills. She said that if you include every ward, branch and stake throughout the church we have more opportunities for women to learn leadership than ANY other organization in the world.

Wendy Nelson talked about how Satan does not want us to have good relationships with our families and friends. He will do anything to help us be as miserable as he is. She talked about how powerful questions are in relationships. Instead of telling your husband or children “I love you”; ask them “Do you know how much I love you?” OR instead of “You are adorable”; ask them “Do you know how adorable you are?” She said questions can be powerfully healing…. “What can I do to learn from this difficult relationship experience?” “If you change your questions you can change how you think and feel.” She asked us to keep track of the questions we are asking ourselves every day.

How am I to be my true self? How can I be my better self?

Why am I so blessed? Why am I so cursed?

How do I tell my story? What is the story that got me to where I am today?

What beliefs are holding me captive? What beliefs are moving me forward?

“Painful or confusing life experiences can lead to constraining beliefs so that … you see things that AREN’T there and you DON’T see things that are!”

“If you were able to believe that the Holy Ghost was your constant companion, how would your words, ideas, or thoughts change?”

She also said if you are ever having a bad day to read Alma 5 –“There are great questions that invite us to reflect on our lives.”

Virginia Pearce talked about the importance of learning. We should be always looking for ways to increase our knowledge and be continually learning. She said “You should saturate your environment with things that invite the spirit, the books we read, music we listen to, TV or movies we watch and the people we associate with." When teaching others… “Find out what their need is and let them know how you can help that need.” She encouraged us to find out ways to increase our spiritual learning by using things like Preach my Gospel manual or other manuals. There was a lot more to her presentation but not enough time to document it all now.

Wayne Boss talked about power. He said most people misunderstand power and its influence. Once again… he had a lot of information that is hard to document. Luckily they gave us a manual that we could take notes on which makes more sense than writing it down could. He said “Power is the potential to accomplish what you want to accomplish.” He gave us a list of 8 or so “types” of power and then had us guess which type of power is most effective. He said “referent power was the most powerful… it is not WHAT you know but WHO you know, which is based on trust.” He told us not to ever do anything that causes someone to distrust you – it will limit your power.

What I have shared is only a small portion of what I learned in that one day. I have to admit when my mom suggested we go a day early and attend the seminar, I was not that excited but I am so glad we went.

Representation of the line drawn in the ground by Lt. Col. William Travis stating "Those prepared to give their lives in freedom's cause. Come over to me!" It was a tradition to bring all new missionaries to this spot by the Alamo and have them "symbolically" cross the line stating that we were "prepared to proclaim the gospel" (or something like that.. who remembers the exact phrasing?)

Friday we had a 3 hour break where we took Sonia Lynn to the Alamo. She had never been and wanted to see inside and get some pictures. We also watched the movie which gives a bit more background. Then we headed back to the River Walk to get some food. We went to another Mexican restaurant that Sonia Lynn, Laurel and others had gone the day before and it was amazing! I had remembered this restaurant from 3 years ago when Brad and I had visited for the Temple dedication.

Mom, me and Sonia Lynn

Best Mexican restaurant on the River Walk! The Casa Rio!

We then rushed back to the Time Out Friday event where Chieko Okazaki spoke, Hilary Weeks and Michael McLean performed. I haven’t seen Michael perform since I was in high school and he was pretty funny.. I love watching Hilary and the more I do the more I am amazed by her talent.

Chieko was great! She was a lot funnier than I expected and she really spoke from the heart. She spoke about a quote she found by Joseph Smith in this year’s Teachings of Presidents of the Church Lesson 24. Where Joseph Smith says “I teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves.” I found this quote the most interesting she said “Heavenly Father will not override free agency even to bless us!” I had never thought of it that way but it makes sense. He gave us our agency to allow us to “govern” ourselves, he teaches us correct “principles” but ultimately we still have our agency. Sometimes we are posed with conflicting “good” principles she said to look at both principles and determine “what decision will honor the free agency of those involved?” How do you teach correct principles? By precept and example. She also said “the most important 20 min a day are spent reading the scriptures to our children.” She gave an example of children in her 2nd grade class that would come to her to tell on another child in the class. She would not listen to them but tell them to sit on 2 chairs facing each other, then they were to talk out their issues which allowed them to “govern” themselves and “govern behavior”. She never had problems with the children telling on each other again. Some of the things she accomplished with 2nd graders were amazing… not enough room to document all.

We left after the break, talked with some of our friends & staff at the event, and then Sonia Lynn and I went to the workout room in the hotel.

Saturday I was able to meet up with another one of my favorite people- Jill and her roommate Hannah. Jill was a life saver to me at the end of my mission and her friendship means the world to me. We hadn’t seen each other in at least 3 yrs and yet it felt like just yesterday we had seen each other. I truly cherish friends like this- it does not matter how long we go between visits we can pick up right where we left off. The day was filled with incredible nuggets ….

Emily Watts quoted from a book on adversity by Carlfred Broderick “The gospel of Jesus Christ is not insurance from pain, it is resource in event of pain, and when that pain comes…rejoice that you have resource to deal with your pain.” Isn’t this a great quote? All too often we think by being a member of the church that we are “protected” from pain or trials. I love love love how he stated this. The gospel is so simple and yet we are constantly making it harder than it has to be. Great reminder!

They had a Q&A session and one of the questions was about how to keep balance with family, life, career, etc...Hilary answered this one. She gave 4 things that has helped her keep balance in her life.
1. Do all the things the Lord asks of us.
2. Read the scriptures every day – refill our well (she can always tell by how she reacts to her children if she has read that day or not.)
3. Good, Better, Best – talk by Elder Oaks. She always tries to choose the BEST.
4. Take time for yourself – she loves date night (spending quality time just talking and enjoying time with her best friend!)

“We need to MAKE time for scripture study” and “you can read D&C 25 in less than 3 min”. –Carolyn Rasmus.

“What are you NOT doing that prevents the spirit of the Lord from being with you?” “Are you feeling peace? Why not?” “First things to go when we are busy - scripture study and prayer” - Carolyn.

“Bad things CAN and DO happen to righteous people.” – Carolyn.

“Sometimes life breaks our bows!” - Chris Stewart

Jason Wright discussed the lost art of handwritten letters. He said a handwritten letter takes more time to process and write so it means more than an email, text, or typewritten letter.

Jill and me on the River Walk where there is a band that plays "the music of the Andes" - such great memories!

I hope that by reading this you will have a desire to attend a future Time Out for Women event, and hopefully something you have read has inspired you in some way.

After TOFW was over, Jill came with us to walk around the River Walk one last time before meeting up with some other friends of ours that evening. Here are some pictures of the River Walk.. isn't it amazing? I wish I had more pictures.

Saturday night we were able to go to the BEST Bar–B-Q place on the planet - Rudy’s! Beef brisket that melts in your mouth, spicy BBQ sause (yes they spell it with an “s”), and cheap white bread. Doesn’t get better than that! Love this place, and we were able to meet Mike, Susie, and kids there also! Jill came with my mom and me to drive around San Antonio a bit. We drove by the Temple which took us by the “great and spacious building” all you TSAMers out there know what I am talking about! We then drove all the way around 1604 to get to Rudy’s by Sea World. We had so much fun! Thanks Jill, Hannah, Susie, & Mike for an enjoyable evening.
San Antonio Temple

Jill, me, and Susie

Wow that was a long post! Those of you that read until the end can get 2 tickets entered into a raffle I will be having later this week. Make a comment so I know you read this last line! Thanks for reading!

Girl's weekend! TOFW - Las Vegas part 2

TOFW - LAS VEGAS

Girl's weekend #2 started with Girl's weekend #1 here. We were supposed to be 5 but ended up with 3. We originally planned to go to TOFW (Time Out for Women) in Las Vegas back in February but because of President Hinckley's funeral it was postponed to September. We went from 5 to 4 at first because Becky just had her 4th child and wasn't ready to take a road trip with a new baby. Here are the 5 of us at our last GNO - dinner at Texas Roadhouse - YUM!

L-R Me, Becky, Nikie, LeAnn and Kim.

The story of how we went from 4 to 3 will have to come at a later date. We started the trip Friday morning driving straight to Vegas with a few potty stops (Kim is pregnant.. that should say it all!) but forgot to get gas so we barely made it to the edge of Las Vegas on fumes! We also had to plan out our meals around Kim's schedule.. every 4 hours she would ask what we were going to eat next.. it became a fun game to guess when she would mention it again! We love you Kimmy Sue!

We spent a great deal of time in the Caesar's Palace Forum shops Friday afternoon and evening..especially at FAO Schwartz. We helped Kim find some Christmas gifts for her kids. We went to dinner at La Salsa a Mexican restaurant that evening and then headed to the Von's grocery store to get some treats for TOFW the next day. I almost stole a protein bar but luckily remembered I had accidentally stuck it in my purse instead of on the check stand. It could have been awkward sitting at TOFW feeling guilty about not paying for my bar. Good thing I figured it out then so I could pay for it before leaving.

We stayed at a hotel approx 5 miles or so from the strip and the convention center. It was surprisingly nice and a great set up for 3 women to get ready bright and early in the morning. We were upgraded to a golf course view for free and didn't get to see it until the morning as we were leaving. oh well...

The next morning we headed to the Time Out event. (Click here for more of an explanation of what TOFW is and my previous experience.) We thought we were getting there early but when we arrived, there were 4 lines of at least 40 women in each line. Luckily, we still found great seats right up front. I was able to see Hilary before the event and chat with her a bit before getting started. I have only been to TOFW events where she has been performing and I can't imagine one without her. With her fun sense of humor and strong testimony she has it all!

The day started with having each presenter introduce themselves and a little bit about what they were going to speak on. We were fortunate to have Virginia Pearce stay over from the previous day to fill in for Carolyn Rasmus who was ill. She was so inspiring and by far my favorite speaker of the day. Amanda Dickson was presenting at a Time Out for the first time outside Utah and she was fabulous! She was so hilarious and really spoke on a level for many to enjoy. We also heard from Michael Wilcox, Pam Hansen and Chris Stewart who were all great as well. Overall, a great day filled with inspirational presentations that made me laugh and cry all at the same time! This weekend was a great way to relax and really evaluate where I am in my life.

Here we are with Hilary.. L-R Kim, Hilary, LeAnn and Me.

Just us girls!! Aren't we cute? All color coordinated..that is what the lady who took our picture said!

We had such a great time laughing and making memories! Thanks Kim and LeAnn for making this a very memorable trip! Love you both!

We can't wait until next time when Nikie and Becky can join us. We missed you guys!

Girl's weekend Las Vegas TOFW ...Part 1

A little something to get you excited for the official Girl's weekend TOFW post!

September 19-21, 2008

Top 10ish list (ok 62! Thanks to LeAnn for putting this together)

( In no particular order)

1. Kim’s sweater hitting the baby in the carrier right behind her seat and the mother getting snippy and throwing her sleeve back at her. Kim didn’t know there was a baby right behind her.
2. The bathroom at the 7-Eleven saying “Out of Order, Not a public restroom.” And when Kim asked about it, the cashier replied, “There’s a reason it says that.” Then he let Kim and Angela use it.
3. Kim’s conversation with Laurel Christensen and trying to figure out how they knew each other. “She asked if I went to BYU, not if I lived in Provo!” They were in the same singles ward in Provo.
4. Running into MaryKay Orgill at the event and Angela asking her if she knew Traci Norris. She also asked Laurel Christensen if she knew Traci. She’s apparently the only common link if Angela knows them as well.
5. The Thunder From Down Under billboard of hot men in Vegas. Angela and LeAnn took pictures of it through the open sunroof.
6. Angela yelling at the man standing on a barricade “You’re hot!” out LeAnn’s side of the car.
7. Angela asking a man/worker in the Forum Shops “If I were a bathroom, where would I be?”
8. Playing in the FAO Schwartz store and trying to find gifts for Kim’s kids.
9. Kim’s fajitas not sitting well with her and eating 20 tums in an hour.
10. . Disgusting Nephi bathrooms – separate building from the gas station store – worse than the ghetto 7-Eleven in Las Vegas.
11. Hilary asking LeAnn if she says offensive things too after Kim said, “I can tell this is an old CD because your picture is old” after Hilary commented that she chose an interesting CD – it was her Christmas one.
12. Hilary telling Kim she looked like she was 10 minutes pregnant.
13. LeAnn talking with Amanda Dickson while she had Michael Wilcox sign her book.
14. Borrowing Shannon’s (a girl behind us) sharpie marker so Hilary could autograph Kim and LeAnn’s CD’s. Then the break was over and Shannon wasn’t able to get Hilary’s autograph.
15. Discovering we’re BFF’s (Best Friends Forever) with Hilary Weeks because of two degrees of separation through Angela.
16. The waiter burning his finger on Kim’s hot fajita plate at La Salsa and showing Kim how quickly it blistered.
17. Kim asking “Where are we going to eat?” at the beginning of each day and around meal times. 18. Angela trying to get LeAnn to jump up on the back of a statue in a fountain at the Forum Shops and pull its tail.
19. Walking up the stairs in the Forum Shops and getting winded. So we decided to take the curved escalators the rest of the way.
20. Getting a view room of the golf course at the Sun Coast Hotel and not being able to see it until morning.
21. Going to bed Friday night in Las Vegas around 10:30 p.m. – heading back to our hotel at 9:30 p.m. So much for staying up late on the strip!
22. Angela and Kim giving LeAnn dating advice.
23. Parking LeAnn’s car at Angela’s parents’ house. “Does your car leak?” – Angela. “I don’t think so. Oops it must, there’s a puddle there now that I’ve moved it!”
24. Driving down Las Vegas Boulevard and Kim trying to remember where her sister Heidi got married. It was the Little White Chapel of Flowers – same place that Dennis Rodman and Carmen Elektra got married.
25. Kim measuring the beds in the hotel room in St. George with her arms because she thought one was a queen and the other was a double. Nope, both are doubles.
26. Semi truck tire blowing out on the drive home from St. George. Kim telling Angela to hurry and get past him, “Go, go, go!”
27. Driving down to Las Vegas on one tank of gas. We stopped a couple of time for breaks but never thought to fill up on gas.
28. Eating brunch at Gandolfo’s in Mapleton. Tasty breakfast sandwiches.
29. Picking up our lunch boxes behind the stage and then eating outside on a shady hill and digging in our heels so we don’t roll down.
30. Trying Power protein bars. LeAnn picked a different type and Angela later told her she should always listen to her recommendations.
31. Kim saying “I hate to say this, but I feel better already” after Angela got her to drink some Bragg’s apple cider vinegar and water.
32. Kim asking frequently, “Will that detach my placenta?” or reassuring us that it wouldn’t.
33. Laughing hysterically at the “4 Christmases” preview in the movie theater when Vince Vaughn was struggling to keep vomit down after a baby threw up on Kate Hudson.
34. Kim throwing up in her mouth when she smelled LeAnn’s banana that she brought with her in the car.
35. Kim saying her baby was the length of a banana. LeAnn kept calling her baby a banana.
36. Three ladies completely zonked out during the TOFW afternoon break.
37. Crawling over a railing to get to our seats because we were sitting next to an older lady and a lady with a cane. Kim saying that a pregnant lady shouldn’t have to go over rail.
38. LeAnn asking Kim if she was concerned that she had 3 bottles of drinks with her when she came out of the gas station store. She had thought LeAnn went to the bathroom more than she did as a pregnant lady who goes 10 times a day.
39. Kim telling LeAnn that she needs to get her phone number unlisted.
40. Kim giving us a fashion show of her outfit choices and being worried about wearing red shoes with the brown pants with pink and white plaid print and having to readjust because her pants were too big.
41. Kim trying two times to push the door open to go into the bathroom while Angela was in it in the middle of the night in St. George. She had her ear plugs in and couldn’t hear Angela saying she was inside.
42. The really loud air conditioner and brown box filtration that drowned out the outside motel noise in St. George.
43. Mini teddy grahams – small portions of chocolaty goodness.
44. Angela almost not paying for her protein bar. She stuck it directly into her purse when she picked it up.
45. Buying treats the night before the TOFW and Kim getting a Savings Von’s card. We all used it and then left it in the hotel.
46. Leaving the melted yogurt covered pretzels in the St. George motel freezer. We forgot to take them in from the car during TOFW.
47. The ladies from Hurricane, UT getting teased throughout the TOFW. Hilary asked people to shout out the states where they were from if she didn’t already mention them. After hearing them she said, “I didn’t ask for cities. Let alone a town!”
48. Kim saying we should have a prayer for safety after the semi truck tire blowout “Ok LeAnn will you say it!” 49. Kim buying a couple of Halloween cups and saying that her kids will be scared of the skeleton head one but will later fight over it.
50. Walking through the casino lobby at 7:30 a.m. and seeing people who looked like they hadn’t gone to bed yet.
51. Walking out of the TOFW for lunch break and seeing a woman from the Home Show next door smoking a cigarette.
52. Angela telling us about Hilary Weeks on the drive down.
53. Using the men’s bathrooms converted to women’s during the TOFW event.
54. Wishing the Cold Stone Creamery was open at 9:30 a.m. We frequently talked about getting some ice cream but never did.
55. Our post event critique of what we think should be done differently or what we thought went well.
56. LeAnn calling it TOWF, TFOW and mixing up the sequence.
57. Pam Hansen saying that when the sound guy turned on her microphone she “would be hot!” Later she asked “Am I still hot?” when she forgot to release us for a break.
58. Telling Amanda Dickson that we would vote for her to continue on the TOFW events. This was her first one out of state. We made sure to let Laurel Christensen know.
59. The lady telling us we looked color coordinated before taking our picture at the TOFW.
60. LeAnn and Amanda Dickson calling themselves Amazons.
61. Kim asking if we thought Cesar would have a puppy for her when she got back.
62. Kim’s cashier at 7-Eleven giving her change in poker terms – full house and some change. He said that his job at 7-Eleven was just math practice.

TOFW & Girls - Long Beach - Nov 3rd

I don't know about you but until about a year ago I had no idea what "Time Out For Women" was. Here is the link to Deseret Book so you learn more about it. http://deseretbook.com/time-out/schedule. We have the privilege to live in the same ward as one of the presenters and back in Sept I had the opportunity to attend a "Time Out For Women & Girls" event in Logan, UT - with a couple ladies and their daughters from our ward as well as my sister. It was great to have my sister there; she learned a great deal and enjoyed the experience. The day starts out at 9am and ends at 3pm, with remarks by the presenters and musical performances in between.

It was such a great experience! At the Women & Girls events, the presenters tailor their remarks to the young women and since I had just been called as YW president, I internalized everything they shared. Although I don't have a daughter, I still learned a lot of things that I could apply in my own life. I came away feeling uplifted and with a renewed desire to be a better wife, daughter, friend and leader for the YW in which I serve. Another highlight was seeing Hilary perform in person, she is amazing!

Ok.. so now I get to the "Long Beach" part of the story. I know you were wondering....why is she talking about Logan when the title is different?! Alright, maybe you didn't care. Anyway, a couple months ago I asked Hilary if she ever wanted a buddy to accompany her on one of these trips. She agreed, so I went online to see what events were coming up and which presenters would be at each event. In reviewing the list, I found that Sister Ardeth Kapp was going to be speaking in Long Beach and Dallas. I was a young beehive when the YW theme and 7 values were introduced, while Sister Kapp was serving as the YW General President. I will never forget the impact those values and theme had in my life. I also had the opportunity to meet Sister Kapp at a Regional YW camp in Nashville, TN when I was 14yrs old and had my picture taken with her. Needless to say, I was excited meet her again! After looking at the dates for each, I decided the Long Beach event would work best with my schedule. (Bad hair day or something, not loving the pic.. can I blame jet lag? :) )

I know that was a loooong intro to this weekend but I felt the background helped to make the story. We left on Friday afternoon and returned home late Saturday night. It was a quick trip but sooo worth it! We had Friday night open to do some tourist stuff, so after checking in to the hotel and unpacking, we headed off to the Long Beach pier which was about a mile away. We were able to see the ocean and even saw a large freight ship, which seemed massive from where we were standing.









Next, we needed food! As we looked around we saw popular restaurants from here in Utah, Outback, Chili's, California Pizza Kitchen, PF Chang's and the list goes on... we were hoping to find an original California restaurant or at least one we don't get to frequent back home. While trying to decide where we should go, we both mentioned a restaurant called Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.. and how fun the atmosphere was there. Wouldn't it be fun if we saw that restaurant down at the pier?! Since we didn't see anything that wasn't a chain (at least nothing that looked good) we decided on Outback. (They have an amazing dessert called the thunder from down under, you should try it sometime.) After dinner we decided to take the bus back to the hotel, the bus had to drive us in the opposite direction we had taken to get to the pier. As we drove by the many restaurants we had seen, lo and behold.. we drive right past a Bubba Gump Shrimp Company! We couldn't believe we were within 50 feet of seeing it but missed it all together. How disappointing!!

The next day was the Time Out Event.. what a blessing to be surrounded by several hundred other women and girls that believe exactly as I do! The event was fabulous! There were 2 different presenters from the Logan event Michael Wilcox and Ardeth Kapp, the others were the same, yet the messages touched me in a different way this time. It is amazing how the spirit helps you pick up on the things you need at that moment and then next time you hear it, you learn something entirely different. It was such a neat experience talking with Sister Kapp and the other presenters during the lunch break and on our way home. (The other presenters were Hilary Weeks, Abe Mills, Jenny Jordan Frogley, & John Hilton III - all amazing!)

I also told my friend Jenn from San Diego about the event and she drove up to Long Beach to attend. She is the YW president in her ward and brought 9 young women and 2 other leaders. (She was actually called that same week to be the 1st counselor in the Stake YW presidency, good luck Jenn!). It was sooo good to see you!

I was also able to meet a friend of Hilary's from other events like this, she is darling and I am glad I got to know her during the event.

I am grateful to Hilary for being willing to share her time with me, which allowed me to have this experience. She is such a fun, talented, and giving person and I am grateful to call her my friend! I look forward to having more adventures!