Flashback Friday - My Girls

So today,

I'm going to wax a little sentimental

{forgive me...}

seven years ago,

I took my Miamaid class

to the temple grounds for a little photography lesson.

I paired them up in groups,

and each group got a camera,

and they went around the temple taking photos.

I LOVED the end result...

So for today's flashback Friday,

I'm sharing a few them!

And then this shot from yesterday,

Seven years later...

My Joyful Day

Today was awesome!

I had the amazing opportunity

To attend the sealing of one of my former Young Women.

I just cannot even express

How absolutely wonderful it is

To see them all grown up

And not just grown up, 

But living amazing lives

And most importantly,

To see them HAPPY. 

It is just so...

I don't know what the right word is,

But my heart is simply full.

If I had to put in one sentence what my deepest hope

For ALL the young women I had the honor of serving,

It would have to be that I wish them JOY.

Absolute uncomplicated JOY. 

And truthfully

It brings me great joy

To see them full of joy!

It all comes back

To that whole "life motto" of mine:

{But With JOY, Wend Your Way}

I Can't Help it...This made me laugh!

If only I had some Abercrobie & Fitch clothing to give away to the homeless...

There are a lot of people panhandling lately in Utah County

and it would be FUN to give them clothing!

Bike To Work Day!

Today was "bike to work day"

But, 

When in all reality,

I live 25 miles

Away from my office,

...actually biking to work

Is really not practical.

So, we decided to take our bikes to work

And then go for a ride after work

Up Provo Canyon.

These are the shots I posted on Instagram

Of our ride...

{Nancy declared me to be CRAZY for breaking out my phone to snap photos while in motion...}

This last shot I took while riding

But didn't post to Instagram

Until later, when I had time to 

Play around with the photo...

Really?

I'm loving riding my bike lately!

It makes me so happy,

And in many ways,

Yes, I feel like I'm following 

My own yellow brick road.

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope your day was lovely...

I feel lucky to have been blessed

with two women in my life to call Mother.

Of course,

on Mother's day

I am always reminded of how much

I love and miss my Mother,

 

but again,

I feel lucky to have been

given a second Mother

who stepped in

and blessed my life

when my Mother passed away.

 

I feel blessed.

And on a silly note:

have you seen this?

{you have to LOVE Kid President!}

 

Flashback Friday - Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Oh man.

This photo makes me smile

on so many levels.

First of all,

I'm so proud of my pineapple upside down cake!

If I am remembering correctly,
 I made it for a young women activity...
I think it was a "Daddy-Daughter" thing.

I really used to love to bake,

and really,

I have always loved pineapple upside down cake.

{for reals}

I'm totally entertained by the obvious care and effort

that went into making a pretty "pattern"

out of the pineapple rings.

Not your traditional look mind you,

no.

I went for a "flower"

{very typical of the designer in me...}

Then there's the hair...

and the glasses...

and the DRESS!
It's so...80's

{I loved that dress!}

Let's not even talk about the objects hanging on the wall behind me...
{basket? fan/flower thing? pewter plates?}

or the macrame plant hanger.

{It was another era people...we live and learn!}

I'm sure you all are totally bored by my Flashback Friday pics,

but really they make me smile...
and they kind of make for a great journaling opportunity of sorts
for all my memories.

Thanks for indulging me!

Pinterest Pet Peeves

I seriously love Pinterest,

because I think it is a fantastic way

to organize or "bookmark" things I've seen online

that I want to remember.

and yes, 

I have WAY more recipes, DIY projects, etc pinned

than I will EVER get around to trying.

From time to time I have spent time on Pinterest

attempting to "clean up" my boards,

mostly because they aren't useful to me

unless I can actually FIND what I'm looking for.

At any rate,

I've grown to dislike a few things 

that other people do when pinning,

and I'm curious if you feel the same way?

So in no particular order,

here are my Pinterest "Pet Peeves":

First of all,

I almost ALWAYS disregard a pin

if the comment below reads something like this:

"Original pinner said:....."

Because seriously?

How do you even KNOW who the "original" pinner is?

It always makes me think that it is just someone

trying to self promote,

which {don't get me wrong}

self promotion isn't ALL bad,

but sometimes it can be shameless.

Secondly,

I also HATE when the comment says:

"Pin now, read later!"

Because, again....really?

Shameless self promotion is what that tells me.

Also...

I'm not pinning it now and reading later.

Read now, then decide if you even WANT to pin.

That is my motto.

Which leads me to my BIGGEST 

Pinterest Pet Peeve of all...

When I actually DO click through on your  pin,

and it either isn't legit...

like goes to an advertisement instead of what it claimed to be,

or 

{almost worse}

someone pinned the general website

instead of the SPECIFIC post that the photo is on

and I have to search in order to find the actual information.
Useless I tell you...
Totally useless.

I don't have time in my life for this people.

Ok.
end of rant.