The Laws are going to Law School...

...we just don't know where yet.
David has applied to six schools.

Did you notice a trend? We are hoping/planning to stay on this side of the country where our family is.
BYU is our top choice because I have a teaching license and job in Utah (income and health insurance are nice...). Plus tuition is less. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

DECEMBER

It's here! December, that is!!! Oh December, I have been waiting for you. In a few weeks it will be the joyous "Holiday Break". David and I are flying to Washington this year. David is sooooo happy to not have to drive the long, treacherous drive. I am mostly happy to visit our family. We don't get to be home as long as in years past, but it will be great anyway!

The Worth of Souls

As I have been teaching I worry about children a lot. I worry about my siblings. I worry about extended family. I worry about my friends. I worry about acquaintances. I worry about my future. I am a worrier.

I have been thinking about the choices others (and I) make quite a bit. Although I am far from perfect, I feel that I have SO many good things going for me and overall am happy with the choices I've made and the direction I am going. There are many things I would like to improve on, but that is what life is about-learning, growing, and changing. I have so many supportive people in my life and knowledge that helps me know, despite all of the worrying, that everything will be okay and that I can continue to do better and become better.

Lately I have worried a lot about women and their self-worth. As a woman I understand what it is like to constantly be at a battle with myself. I feel like one of the adversaries best tactics is to go after a woman's self worth. I love the talk Elder Holland gave to young women in General Conference 2005. In it he reminds us of some very important things.

First of all, I want you to be proud you are a woman. I want you to feel the reality of what that means, to know who you truly are. You are literally a spirit daughter of heavenly parents with a divine nature and an eternal destiny. That surpassing truth should be fixed deep in your soul and be fundamental to every decision you make as you grow into mature womanhood. There could never be a greater authentication of your dignity, your worth, your privileges, and your promise. Your Father in Heaven knows your name and knows your circumstance. He hears your prayers. He knows your hopes and dreams, including your fears and frustrations. And He knows what you can become through faith in Him. Because of this divine heritage you, along with all of your spiritual sisters and brothers, have full equality in His sight and are empowered through obedience to become a rightful heir in His eternal kingdom, an “[heir] of God, and joint-[heir] with Christ.”Seek to comprehend the significance of these doctrines.

I love this doctrine and know that it is true. No matter what you have done, what you have gone through, you are a son or daughter of God. You are of great value to Him. He knows what you can be. I am literally a spirit daughter of heavenly parents with a divine nature and an eternal destiny. I hope that this amazing truth really is at the heart of the decisions I am making.

I think if all of us really had this fixed in our soul and at the heart of our decision making, people like me would have to try harder to find things to worry about.

141st Flag Football and Stuff

 David is playing on the ward's flag football team. So far only one game has been played... We didn't score, but these lucky boys definitely had the cutest and best cheering section. They also looked legitimate in matching jerseys, which were all the same size. ha! I didn't get very many good pictures.

David took me on a date to Nickel City.  We had fun playing around.

 David is displaying what we "bought" with our tickets!

 David has been making delicious bread in our newly purchased dutch oven.

Yum!

Back to 5th Grade

Birthday Week... or Birthday Month?

My birthday was last Saturday.  David knew that Thursday night I was going to be at my soon to be sister-in-law's bridal shower and that Friday we'd be up in Idaho for my grandparent's 50th anniversary. He wanted to surprise me and do something special.  This is what he has in mind....

After work on Wednesday he took me here for a late lunch:

Then he drove me up to Park City.  Neither of us has been there before, so we drove around and checked out little shops and such.  We bought over priced gelato.  We both really liked the plum, but we both don't really like plums... Odd, I know! It was delicious!

David drew a heart in the melted gelato.  The lighting was all red in there...

We then checked out this store called World Market. We found it pretty interesting.  David saw a lot of foods that he had in Europe on his mission.  We bought some of the candies he used to eat on his mission.  My new all time favorite candy bar is this:

I would even call it "muy bueno".














David then took me to a Utah Symphony performance.  We were there early so we checked out the "Instrument Petting Zoo".  I had played the flute in middle school, so David tried to get me to play.  He tested it out first. This is the lady who showed him.  She plays for Ballet West.  I was a little wary of having an audience, but it was fun.

We loved the symphony.  Well, except for the lady burping up pepperoni smell near David. Gross!

We sneaked a few pictures before the performance started.  Afterward we drove back to Provo in a thunder and lightening storm.  It was fun! Thank you, David!!

Friday we had planned to drive up to Idaho for my Larsen grandparents 50th wedding anniversary celebration.  Lots of cousins and aunts and uncles would be there, so we really wanted to go. David was supposed to work until noon and then we'd head up, but he showed up a bit after ten and was ready to go! The six hour drive seemed a lot longer without any air conditioning... Our compressor is broken and we didn't shell out $700 to fix it.  The six hour drive during the middle of the day was a bit torturous.  We were both drenched in sweat and a little deaf from having the windows down upon arrival.

The weekend was filled with family, re-roofing the grandparent's house, cleaning, games, and food.

David doesn't like heights after a bad fall he once had,  but he was brave and helped when he could. These guys(and Alana) kept on working through the middle of the day! Insanity!

We realized we had forgotten David's church clothes, so on my birthday morning I got my mom and sister to come with me to find some.  I bought him a pretty good looking outfit if I do say so myself. :) My mom then took me to pick out a purse for my birthday.  She also bought me some shoes. Score!

That night was the reception for my grandparents.

After we cleaned up and changed, my dad took David, Kamille, and I to ice cream for my birthday. The next day we went to church with grandpa, had a big meal, and played a long game of Apples to Apples. David and I decided we didn't want to drive in the middle of the day back because that was very unpleasant. So we woke up early and made it back to Provo by noon. It was a fun time!

When we got home I was surprised with a cupcake from my visiting teachers, cards in the mail from my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, and an anonymous plate of cookies!

My family will also be here this whole week for my brother's wedding! Happy birthday to me!!

What do you do in the summertime?

I am pretty bad at keeping up-to-date with this.  The last bit of June David and I spent in Washington. We are both from there and loved visiting with our family.  The first week we spent a lot of the time with my mom and sister Kamille before they took off to California for the birth of my new nephew, Thomas. He's a cutie.  We ate lots of food, played a fun game of Balderdash, went mini-golfing with the family, played "Holey Board"- I won, Wii, spent time with David's sister Jenny, brother Ryan and family, etc. David and I got fishing licenses and I caught a fish! David caught lots of fish, but he went with his Dad and brother on trips, so he had more opportunities to do so (also lots more practice). ;)

  

We were back for the 4th of July in Provo.  Some ward friends invited us to sit with them at the parade.  They participated in the crazy save your spot all night tradition people have here.  We did not, but reaped the benefits. Later that night we sat across from the Hinckley building and watched the Stadium of Fire fireworks.

 

One day we went on a little Hike. David brought the camera. 

 

David was feeling guilty because I have done all of the housework this summer, so he scrubbed the bathroom and kitchen floors.  I am home and he is working..... but it was really sweet of him!

David and I participated in the World's Largest Water Balloon Fight!!

It was at BYU. 120,021 water balloons and 3, 927 people. It was pretty intense. You can find videos on YouTube- check it out.