2015: A Year In Review

I can't believe how quickly 2015 came and went! It was a good year for me, however, I went ahead and got the first mistake of 2016 out of the way on January 2nd. In an attempt to transfer photos from my phone to my laptop, I restored my phone, thus wiping all of 2015's photos from existence. Well, maybe not completely. I have an appointment with a technology genius to see if we can restore some/all of the photos I lost. Fingers crossed! I did some fancy footwork and got the following photos from Instagram and Facebook so that I would not have to delay this much anticipated (ha!) blog post.

 The year started off with a New Year's Day hike up Skyline with my good friend Jone and her daughter and work out buddies.

 I didn't realize how much time was spent with this sweet girl, my cousin, Shannon, in 2015 as proven by the following photos. Here we are after lunch and valuable catch up time.

 Sadly, this is the first and last photo taken of Tammy and I in 2015. She was so sweet and cooked me dinner and we exchanged our holiday gifts and then we both got so busy we were only able to communicate through text and social. I'm going to make it a goal to see this sweet friend of my more in 2016.

 Shannon and Hannah cooked me dinner and hung out with me! So much cousin love.

A super fun outing with one of my newest and cutest friends, Stephanie! We did one of those paint nights and I don't think we did too badly.

 On Valentine's Day, I took two people that I love most in the world to a Taylor Swift Exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles! We started off at In N Out where Christa, Eric, Maddi, Lily and I ate before our trek out to L.A. The girls and I drove out and walked around the exhibit, reminiscing about the T-Swift concerts we had been to. We sang Taylor's songs in a recording booth and oohed and aahed at the tour and red carpet dresses on display. We saw the rest of the museum but my favorite, of course was the TS exhibit. After the exhibit, I took the girls to Sprinkles Cupcakes where we got cupcakes from the ATM! Then a quick trip to Starbucks before we headed home. All in all, one of my favorite Valentine Days.

 For as many times as I was at the beach in 2014, I think I only put my toes in the sand while inhaling salt air twice in 2015. Not my best. Something else to work on.

 In April, my sweet baby cousin married the love of his life and I was so honored to be a part of their special day. Here I am with my squad. I adore these girls.

 Quick cousin pic during all the wedding festivities.

The happy couple and Chris and I.

 The summer kicked off with a visit from my favorite Utah family! We did nothing but fun things for a whole weekend! 

 Angel game with the whole fam!

 Then we went to Aquarium of the Pacific! We also had a movie night and trips to the park.

 Chloe got baptized!

 The fourth of July is for sure my second favorite holiday. Kaylene and I went to my ward pancake breakfast.

I bbq for my parents and Eric and then that night, we all headed to St. Johns to watch the fireworks.

 Stephanie and I went to Top of the World in Laguna Beach and hiked until I felt like I had got a sufficient sunburn (not on purpose of course).

Always a wedding guest, never a bride. I was so happy to be at Makenna's wedding. She was stunning and I was so proud of her. 

 By far the highlight of 2015 was taking my girls to the Taylor Swift 1989 concert! We saw her in San Diego this time around. I convinced the girls that we needed matching t-shirts and they convince me that I needed to make them. So after weeks of sketching, planning, screen shots and designing, I not only made our t-shirts but I also made us hoodies! Super cute and the girls said they loved them.

 We ate at Burger King (their pick) when we got into San Diego and we made a quick stop at Starbucks before heading to Pet Co Stadium. Our seats were GREAT! We got bracelets that lit up to Taylor's songs and the girls and I danced and sang and had a good time. I love our T-Swift concert experiences. The girls get along and we always have a great time. The girls got a concert book like they do every tour and Lily got guitar picks. She started taking guitar lessons in 2015 so buying picks seemed appropriate.

 Just before we left for the concert.

My sweet nieces. 

 Labor day was still one of the hottest in the books! I invited a cute boy to hike Skyline with me. Sadly, nothing ever developed between us. After our hike, I had lunch with Kaylene at Miguel Senior.

 Kaylene said, "Let's go to a Centennial football game and wear our Letterman jackets." So I said, "Okay!" We met for dinner at Nordstrom and then headed to the game where the huskies mopped the field with the other team. I'm pretty sure they won because we were there cheering them on.

 My first favorite holiday, Halloween! I love dressing up every year. Two of my co-workers, David and Taylor showed up and the three of us were so excited to represent some of the Justice League. My boss, Doug, did a little photoshop magic!

 My favorite day of the year, MY BIRTHDAY! I don't mind getting older. I really don't. I just love my birthday SO MUCH. Mostly for the cake, but also for all the great friends and family that I get to hang out with. My sweet friends from church, Kerri, Stephanie, Jenny and Jone took me out for pie.

My goofy co-workers, Doug and David took me to lunch. These two guys are two of my good friends. I'm so lucky to work with two people that I get along with and have such a good time with. It makes going to work that much easier.

 Of course my family showered me with love and cake on my special day!

 OH MAN! Thanksgiving was so fun this year! Eric's family and I went up to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with Jason, Abby, Lizzie and Captain. Thanksgiving morning we played in our first Turkey Bowl! The blue flag team won! It was so much fun but also FREEZING!

 We played games, cooked dinner, took pictures and watched a Inside Out.

 By far, my most favorite Thanksgiving.

I was so lucky I got to play with Camille while I was in SLC! We did a little shopping, walked around Temple Square and took pictures, froze our little California hineys off and had dinner!

 On our back to California, we stayed in Vegas. Right on Fremont Street. What a great area! I've never been to Fremont Street and it did not disappoint! The kids and I zip lined through Fremont! We stood in line FOREVER, froze a little once we were at the top and zipped about 45 seconds! It was really fun. I'm actually scared of heights so this was kind of a big deal for me.

 Maybe I just love dressing up. I went to an Ugly Sweater Christmas party and maybe my sweater isn't "ugly" but it sure was itchy!

 December started off by saying good-bye to a great man. Steve, my dad's cousin passed away. He was one of the kindest people I know. He was such an example to me and I'm truly going to miss him. In life, he owned a gun safe company. It was told to me that he would often joke that when he dies, to just put him in a safe and bury him. Well, check out his casket. A few of the guys that had worked for him, designed and built the top of his casket to look like a safe. A very sweet tribute.

Not a bad looking casket. It may be weird, I really like the matte look.

These sweet girls and I had an ornament exchange. We did the 12 Days of Christmas, but with only 6 days being represented. We will do the other six next year. It was so fun to have dinner and give our ornaments to each other. I can't wait to do it again.

SO, that is 2015. 

Susan "that is so last year" B.

A Story of Conversion

So, one of my friends here at Uni is Daniela. She is an International Journalism major like me. We had two classes together last semester and we worked on a couple of projects together and she lived down the hall from me. Daniela is originally from Mexico but moved to Texas when she was 9-years-old. Her  and her family have lived there since.

Daniela and I were both on the school trip to Poland. We shared a hostel together with one other girl. One night, after a full day of sight-seeing, the three of us, plus a few of the other students were hanging out in our hostel room. Daniela was editing photos she had taken that day when she got a Skype call from one of her friends back home. She said, "oh, this is my friend from Texas, he's away at University too at BYU." A red flag went up on my LDS radar. So I asked "Is he Mormon?" I already knew the answer. She said "yes, he is" and I said, "Oh, me too." Daniela got happy and she turned her computer around so that Michael (BYU student in the computer) and I could awkwardly wave at each other. Once the Skype conversation ended, the room of students I was in, started asking me questions about the gospel. I get real nervous answering these kinds of questions, for fear that I might say the wrong thing or say something that will lead people to think badly about the church.

I made it through the Q and A with flying colors, but I kept asking Daniela about Michael to find out how much she knew about the gospel and who he was. She told me he had put in his papers to go on a mission and he was leaving on January 4th. I told her she should write him letters while he was on the mish, cause I know how much missionaries like that. She said she planned to.

Fast forward to the end of January when I went back to University after Christmas break. I caught up with Daniela and she told me she had been to Michael's farewell and she had written him once. One day, I logged into Facebook and I had a message from Daniela asking me where she could find a Book of Mormon. I told, I was on it. She had that book in her hands within 48 hours. I felt a little guilty, like maybe I should have been the one to ask her if she wanted one. Turns out, Michael had written her and gave her scriptures to look up and read.

Every once in a while I would ask her if she had any questions on what she was reading and she always smiled and said she didn't. I told her if she did, she could ask me. Then one Sunday I was sitting in sacrament meeting and the bishopric were giving the talks. In his talk, the Bishop gave the ward three challenges: (1) Read the scriptures daily (2) Meet two new people in the ward and (3) INVITE someone to meet with the missionaries. He emphasized the word 'invite'. He explained that the only thing required of us was to ask someone if they wanted to meet with the missionaries. If that someone said 'no', we still did our part.

I immediately thought of Daniela. After church that day, I sent her a message and asked her if she wanted to meet with the missionaries. She responded happily with a YES. So, the next week I went and told the sister missionaries about her and set up the appointment. The first day the four of us  met was Tuesday, March 20th. We continued to meet every Tuesday and Thursday after that and three weeks after the first visit, Daniela agreed to be baptized on April 20th! I was SUPER excited for her! She read the scriptures on her own, she prayed on her own and she came to this decision on her own. WOW.

In all honesty, I don't feel as though I did much by way of Daniela's conversion. I'm just excited that she was open and willing. I have been really lucky to be able to sit in on the discussion and hear the basics of the gospel. You remember things and learn new things when you go back to the basics. I will never forget the first time I heard Daniela pray! Inspiring. It's a scary thing to do in front of your peers even when you have been doing it your whole life and she did it with out that kind of experience. She took the bull by the horns! And then, the missionaries asked her to write down her testimony a few days before her baptism and she read it out loud to us. Made me proud and warmed my heart. It was UH-MAZING. 

So we planned the baptism and I was asked to give a talk on 'The Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End'. It was OK. I got through it. Also, I brought cupcakes.

Daniela and I after she got baptized.

Daniela and one of the sister missionaries that came.

With the elders.

Sister Buckley has been teaching Daniela since the beginning. Daniela was Sister Buckley's first baptism since being on the mission.

Sister Freeman on the left started teaching Daniela with Sister Buckley a couple of weeks ago.

The four of us in front of the baptismal font.

Sister Felix with Sister Buckley are the two original missionaries to speak with Daniela. Sister Felix finished her mission on April 12th and is back home with her family.

That is Easter Sunday.

Susan "choose the right" B.