good times

rebellion photoshoot

this sista & I decided to have a spur of the moment photoshoot ..

I styled her hair after refreshing her color & helped with the makeup then off we went down to the ever so popular farm of the families for some pictures .. haha I even made my own sun reflector in seconds, out of tin foil and card board hehe..

the wind was crazy ..but to my suprise made for some amazing shot I think !!
we paired the rockin rebellion photos with some of Shawnas favorite lyrics from various artists..

I think I have the most beautiful sister .. she is the hot rocker chick yet..with such a softness these photos totaly capture her personality ..

it totally flipped our " single bleak" friday night into a delight !

(psst.. I'm still figuring out how to change the pictures size here on the post )

* to see the photos better double click the collages !

psst...i love me sista

spring and all that comes with it

2011 egg hunt, I played easter bunny and hid all 30 some odd eggs ...


love this boy ..

most beautiful family of 3..

I took the kids to the arts festival & didn't lose either one of them the entire time (phew)

we enjoyed the lunch I had packed under the cool shade ...

and thankfully we managed to go without any tempertantrums !!

only at grandmas ....

Last sunday ..Kyle hopped on Grandmas jazzy chair & chased the kids around the house with the Louisville slugger it was hilarious.. goll what we wont do to run down the lil ones haha !! I'm so glad I caught a lil bit of the action ..

Gottta love Sundays at Grandmas ..

... The sun is shinning in my life and In my home town !!

I'm so richly blessed, I have so many options at my finger tips & I am reasured

everyday in some small way that there is something great in store for me !

This month has literally been up and down with all sorts of emotions. I'm sure my family & friends think I am bipolar at times but I find safety and comfort in the temple (my home)

I am more my true self there and I wish I never had to leave ..

My heart is expanding !! I don't want it to end this month has been tremendous

couldn't have asked for more

me and my dall

Oh my... I'm out of words !!

words can't express the weekend I had.

I've tried using words like ...remarkable, inspiring, exciting,uplifting,delightful and refreshing but... they don't give it justice !

I was fortunate enough to have Jennifer join me on the trip up north and was able to have dinner with my gals (chantel jen and me) at Cheesecake Factory mmm.. our friendship has meant literally everything to me as of late, I have been truely blessed to have the choicest friends anyone could've ask for.

I totally made a list of all the things I wanted to do on the trip

- Park cafe breakfast

-The dodo

-Charlie Chows

-Este pizza

-Happy sumo

-Tasty Thai

- Pibs exchange

-American apparel

- Temple

Just to name a few haha ...

It all turned out better than I expected though. Instead of the Park Cafe we had Kneaders all you can eat french toast (which I will say is like food heroin in your mouth !) Happy Sumo funky roll and thai peanut stir fry is simply divine. Este pizza garlic knobs (knots) you just can't beat it !!

My sister inlaw Dallas was my bossom buddy all weekend long .. We shopped at pibs exchange and got sweet deals and strolled around downtown and took pictures !!

She embodies true kindess and sincerity !! oh how I love her ...she's talented, beyond creative and the most wonderful mother to the most gorgeous lil boy

to ever grace this earth...baby G (I dare say hehe)

She has such a passion for photography and I was so excited she wanted to have a photoshoot with me ! -here are just (some) of the beautiful photos she captured..

http://dallphoto.blogspot.com/2011/04/me-me.html

- Conference was literally all for me.. every word spoken was to me (period)

my soul was deeply and profoundly touched, my heart was about to burst out of my chest and I wished it never would end !

I would love to share all my notes and thoughts I had but ... I'll admit my note take'n skills are a lil messy ..it works for me but you'd all look at it and think to yourselves ... "what the ??" so I'll spare you the trouble in just saying that it was a miracle for me to have been there !!

oh and ... thank you Olsen family for treating me to the best brunch buffet I've ever had between conference sessions !!

such a blessed weekend I will never forget !!

mr. grahm

It's not often that I get to see this beautiful boy but when I do..

he seems to be more beautiful then I remember !!

some things I learned about my lil nephew ..

.he loves birds

.sweeping & mopping

.being photographed

.loves other kids

.he needs some warming up too but ..

when he lets you into his lil world he's refreshingly delightful !

.when you first see him he rolls his eyes as if hes trying to hide .. so cute !!

.he lets you steal a kiss on his check and tickle his ears

.he gives bones and waves bye bye

darn this kid is just too cute..

I'm so grateful for every second I get to see him

I hope he can come to know his Aunt meme more !!

going forward with youthful vigor

After much frustrated prayer Matthew and I have chosen to divorce.

I share this news with you all because I want everyone to know how mutual and loving this decision is for us. Matthew and I love each other very much and ultimately want the best for each other and what we would have to sacrifice to make our marriage work would be detrimental to our individual happiness. I see always a respectful and close friendship with Matthew but I know I will have to grieve a little over the life I had envisioned with Matthew.

Oh but how grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father who gives me trials and comes to my aid so that I may learn and become a stronger woman. I have such a better understanding of myself and what I need to be happy. I've been so blessed with the gift of realization and comfort. I have been given an unmistakable sense of peace knowing this was right for both of us! I'm so grateful for the lessons learned and the time we shared together ... I don't feel like a failure or have huge amounts of regret. I know that we put forth a lot of effort into making it work but all in all the decision has been made so .. I have an overwhelming sense that I can be able to move forward with youthful vigor and with a bright hope for the future.

I must express much appreciated love to the entire Kirk family. I know I must have at times been very hard to understand I was very quiet. I kept to myself a lot because I was in such an ugly place I didn't recognize myself.. that still doesn't excuse my neglect as a daughter in law for that I deeply apologize. You all are such choice people and I will never forget you individually and collectively. You all showed me so much beauty in the simple things of this life. You have enlightened my mind in countless ways and I am so greatly indebted to you all. I'm so sorry for any hurt or discomfort I may have caused you, your brother, son or grandson Matthew.. please know it wasn't my intent. What love I will carry with me throughout my life for you all .

I need to also thank my own family for their love and support. You warn me of dangers, you strive to protect me from hardships, and I have an overwhelming sense of that love you all have for me .. To my friends thank you for staying on the phone when I know you are so busy with work and school.. I'm sure there were other things you were doing when I called but thank you for being so understanding and your overall concern for me . To my lil dancer girls how heart wrenching it was to have to leave you .. dance with all the passion of your heart and knock'em dead at competition and the upcoming recital .... keep in touch too

There is truely so much I have to be thankful for !! I'm so scared yet excited to move back to St. George, my home! I have missed it's unique beauty and I pray that with the unfortunate new title I bear of being a divorcee will not overshadow the beauty there.

So what's next you may ask ?? I have a lot of things I wanna do and accomplish like run a 5k, join a performing dance group, sing in Norm Listers choir, travel, work at a salon, go to school studying Interior or Architectural design, and possibly study abroad !!

Stay tuned and see what happens next for me ...