one week left

 only a short 7 days left with some of my favorite people in the whole wide world.

and i'm not letting a single minute go to waste..... by the way. 1 week kids!

my 19th birthday!

my 19th birthday was definitely one i wont forget! i had so much fun with my family and friends, and so many people just spoiled me to pieces. including my boy Tyler, who sent me this massive package all the way from AZ (hahahh... ha.. not that far:) it was filled with so much goodness and it just made my already wonderful day.... PERFECT.

my day started off with some yummy breakfast with Hanni at our new favorite place, Aubergine &company! it is so yum, and i got to experience my first Acai bowl. so so good! and those green smoothies? straight fruit with a little spinach. (hence why it turned it all green haha!) but oh so delicious!

 me and my girl Mia went to the gym together (my favorite person to go with! haha we have so much fun there.) then got ourselves ready and headed to a nice little salon in Provo where we were pampered with a nice pedicure and manicure. PURE HEAVEN.

we went to dinner with the fam at one of my favorite restaurants.... Bangkok Thai. i looovveeee Thai food! it was so so yummy and we even just kept the eating going by heading to Hokulia for our first snowies of the season! YAY for the best summer treat ever!!! 

after much anticipation i finally got to open my package from T-money.... and boy did he spoil me. he treats me like a princess and makes my birthday so amazing even when serving his mission. i didn't even expect much and boy was i surprised! he must really love me to make me feel so special. 

one of my favorite things he got me was this little frame he made. it's so perfect i could cry! wait... i did. 

he knows me too well and everything he got me made me so so happy. cute little minnie mouse shirt.... & check out this cutie, Squirt! #1 disney fans for life my friends.

not to mention the videos + cd's he gave me. gahhhhhh, yes. you could definitely say i love him :)

i opened presents with my fam after... i made my mom & dad promise me they wouldn't spend a lot on me because i am leaving so soon and honestly don't need anything! + a mission already costs enough... haha. they know how to make me the happiest and my mom took forever on making me a cute little mission calender. the cutest! (and please appreciate the red snow cone tounge....)

+ lots of last minute mission things i needed... and cute crafts from my cute sissy quincey. 

 ^^^ man i love them. gonna miss them like crazy. ^^^

i felt so blessed yesterday. also have to give a little shoutout to the peery fam! tyler's parents gave me a brand new camera for my mission/birthday. they are the greatest and i am going to be SO SO happy i have that nice little wifi camera in about a month!

thanks to everyone who made my 19th so great. here's to my last year as a teenager, and finally being old enough to serve an LDS mission! eeeeek!

its the good life

 ^^^ a few pictures from my farewell on sunday! i love my siblings. ^^^

^^^ temple with Meggie! we decided to do a session together on Saturday... and i am so happy we did because she is now in the MTC getting ready for Hungary! gahhhhh time is flying! ^^^

^^^ hike with my girl hanni franni!!!! we hiked stewart falls today and had the bestest time together. plus we had yum food after at a new restaurant called Aubergine &company. sooooo good!^^^

^^^ a trip to Yogurtland with Quince, Ky, and Aydels. love me some fro-yo! yogurt > ice cream. nonfat sorbet baby. with raspberries? yessssss please! and after this.... it was an afternoon in the park chasing ducks. the funnest! ^^^

having the greatest time with my family and friends before i leave for my mish! also i got a real nice tan/sunburn yesterday. so you could definitely say life is gooooooood. xx.

on my mind

making: a workout book for my mission! and i know im gonna be real grateful for it. also an address/birthday book!
drinking: water. like crazy. being as healthy as i can be 24/7 before i can't make as many "choices" as i can now
reading: do not attempt in heels: mission stories & advice from sister missionaries who have been there. it's gets me so excited!
wanting: to relive last summer. i would give anything! also wanting a hug. from tyler of course.
looking: forward to heading on my adventure to canada!
playing: with my siblings. spending quality time with them because i know how much i'll miss it
wasting: time looking through "my book of letters" or, my tyler book
wishing: i could go to a warm, deserted island RIGHT NOW with my sexy boy
enjoying: fresh fruit. HELLO my favorite thing ever
waiting: to learn Spanish....... in 15 days! eeeek!
liking: the fact that my birthday is this Saturday... and there is a package on it's way from AZ :)
wondering: how i will even get myself to say the words goodbye to the people i love
loving: my new mission wardrobe. booooo-yah!
hoping: to go to all my favorite restaurants before i leave
marveling: at how amazing the gospel is and how grateful for it i have become
needing: more room in my suitcases..... hahaha of course
smelling: my moms cooking. man am i gonna miss it
wearing: scrubs. because it takes me a few good hours to change out after work :)
noticing: a stronger and healthier body. thank you golds gym and warm running weather! 
knowing: these next 18 months will be the hardest but also the most rewarding. i plan to make the best of them
thinking: about the future
feeling: blessed. extremely blessed. i feel blessed to be given so much.
opening: my tyler babes letters. i love him. and his letters!
giggling: because i got the voice recorder yesterday with T-money's voice on it & i've never been so happy!
feeling: grateful for a beautiful life

my farewell talk

here are some sections from my farewell talk today -- in case ya missed it and wanted to hear

▲ each and every one of us should be engaged in missionary work, with or without a little black tag…. or in a foreign country speaking an entirely new language. 
▲ “Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together and labor in the Lord’s vineyard, to bring souls unto Him. He has prepared the means for us to share the gospel in a multitude of ways, and He will assist us in our labors if we will act in faith to fulfill His work.”

▲ The Lord knows the gospel needs to be spread even more than it already was. It is our responsibility to invite others to come unto Christ. We are asked to spread the knowledge of the truth, and convert people to the gospel. 

▲ Mosiah 27:36 // And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer.”

▲ The Savior has already provided a way for us to live with our Heavenly Father again. We should be eager in wanting to tell everyone of this sacrifice of the atonement. We should want ALL our brothers and sisters to join us at our Heavenly Fathers feet.

▲ “It is impossible for us to fail when we do our best while on the Lord’s errand. Become engaged in doing what you can in sharing the great message of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” 

▲ One of the biggest reasons I found myself wanting to serve a mission is to introduce to anyone and everyone the happiness and blessings the gospel brings

▲ “Every time you take someone figuratively by the hand and introduce him or her to Jesus Christ, you will feel how deeply our Savior loves you and loves the person whose hand is in yours.”

▲ Heavenly father is there for us. He loves us. He sent His son to die for us so we can live with Him again….. and we are asked as His children to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

▲ 3 Nephi 11:41 // Therefore, go forth unto this people and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth.

▲ It is our duty to proclaim the gospel, missionary with a little black tag for 18 months or not

thank you for all the love and support today! xx.

random snippets

it's been quite the week in the Horton home! from an unexpected funeral, to a flooded basement from a water heater, and a sick house... we're lucky we made it to the weekend (seriously though.)

i was throwing up (ew) on Wednesday (along with Marcus.... ) but im feeling 100% better and happy to be healthy! being sick is the worst. i was happy Thursday morning to get back to my old self and be able to go running and to the gym again.... haha. anyways, here's whats been up lately.

 ^^^ mothers day skype. it was SOOOO good to see Tyler's face! except i just wanted to kiss it the whole time. he is lookin so good and doing so good. he is loving the mission field. i miss him so much! and pretty much that's all we talked about. sometimes it's hard to believe we wont see each other for another year and a half. especially when we said goodbye and realized that was it until we see each other in person again.... #crying ^^^

 ^^^ miss Haley had her farewell last Sunday! she did such an amazing job. she already headed to the MTC... im hoping to see her there! Haley is going to Cambodia on her mission... which is absolutely crazy, but i know she will do SUCH an amazing job!! ^^^

^^^ sister date. we have these a lot. this one consisted of shopping (our fav :) and my cute sissy buys me a shirt i so desperately wanted but didn't want to pay for. HOW WILL I LIVE WITHOUT HER. ^^^

^^^ made 100 of these babies with my mom to pass out at my farewell (which is THIS sunday! ah!) ^^^

lots to do this weekend, but still trying to make every minute count. have i mentioned i LOVE my life??? xx. 

to my loving grandma bellows

 my sweet great grandma bellows passed away last week, and yesterday was her funeral. she passed away unexpectedly, because even though she was 90 years old, she was pretty healthy. we actually ALL expected her to outlive her daughter, my grandma gillespie. she isn't healthy, and has been sick for 8 years, so i would have expected the call about her, instead of grandma bellows

because my grandma gillespie has been sick and doesn't remember who we are anymore, my great grandma bellows has been our grandma who loves and cares for us and makes us feel special. she was amazing at that. because even though she had 25 grandchildren and 90 (NINETY) great grand children (and even 2 great, GREAT grandchildren) she made each of us feel like we are her absolute favorite.

she gave the best hugs, had an awesome sense of humor, demonstrated true and affectionate love, made the best treats, and showed us all how to live the BEST life possible. she also NEVER forgot a single birthday and made sure we had a birthday card with $5 in it, every single year. she never complained, and always had a smile on her face. 

^^^ a painting of her and my grandpa by my uncle Kris. they are such amazing people. and SO in love. i actually hope that grandpa can join her soon, just because i know how much he misses her.^^^

families can be together forever. i'm so grateful for that! because i miss you already grandma. thanks for setting the perfect Christlike example for me! i hope i can be as good as you are someday. 

and PS: i'll forever remember how excited you were for me when i was called to Canada :) watch over me while i'm there okay?? i love you!

future sister missionary

 Tyler's mom Jeselyn is an amazing photographer and offered to take my mission pictures last week! we headed to downtown provo and had such an awesome time together! she did such a good job... i love every single one of them so so much! 

it made me very excited to be a missionary just being dressed in my mission clothes :) and even though i probably bought wayyyy too many... i know i'll be grateful for them when i don't have to wear the same 6 outfits. you could say im pretty excited about having a whole new wardrobe :) 

crazy to think i have just 23 days until i enter the mission field. 

im antsy... and giddy... and nervous... and excited.... and anxious! is it crazy how fast it is coming? YES.