This is Bliss

Do you ever have times in your life when everything is so fabulous that you are positive something catastrophic has to be right around the corner? That is where I'm at right now.

Work is going great...about as great as work can go.

Fall is my favorite, favorite time of year and the weather has been perfect.

College football is here! And even though the Cougs aren't the greatest, I still LOVE it!!

All my TV shows are starting back up! I heart TV!

I am feeling fabulous!! The weight loss is going smashingly! I gave blood a couple of months ago and they sent me my cholesterol level...118! Healthy heart...love it! Here is a little glimpse...these are pants I bought at the beginning of summer. It's a tough life when I have to by myself new clothes every other day! I now wear pants that are a smaller size than I've ever worn in my life! Yahoo!

I have some of the bestest friends a girl could ever have! And we like to play a lot! I love them!

I watched the most beautiful sunrise down in St. George this week.

I've gotten to see the parentals like a billion times this year already, and they are coming back here in a month!

I got to go camping a couple of weekends ago. Few things make me more happy than sitting around a campfire and sleeping in a tent. The place we camped was stunning too! Oh, and I backpacked to it. First time I've backpacked since girls camp like a billion years ago.

I love, love, love my calling...gospel doctrine teacher! Teaching is greatest calling you can ever have!

I have a small and rapidly growing crush on a boy, and I think he kinda likes me too! Kind of a miracle when that happens! And even if it goes no where, I'm sure enjoying it at the moment.

I have the most incredible family on planet earth. Amy and I went a got a pedicure the night before this little perfect, priceless piece of heaven just joined the clan. Welcome Sophie Darlene Grossen!! I want to kiss her constantly!

My little Jack, Jack turns 2 this week. Can you believe it? Two-years-old! He makes me smile so much! I could sit and watch him all day and be totally entertained.

Another little one is about to join the fam courtesy of Ryan and Kara. Come out and play little Isaac!

I love my new apartment so much! I especially love my new king size bed and the bigger kitchen. I really promise I will post pictures of it soon.

I've been playing NERTS a lot lately with my friends. I'm remembering how much I love that game!

I've been to the temple something like 6 weeks in a row now. That might be a personal record! I love it there!

General Conference is next weekend...my absolute favorite weekends of the year!

I started a craft project yesterday. It is for Jack's birthday. I will post pictures of it soon. I love crafty time!

My birthday is just around the corner, which will be followed closely by Thanksgiving. Then it will be Christmas before we know it! See why fall is the best time of year!

I could go on and on and on. Life is so great! I can't stop smiling! Thanks to everyone who helps make my life bliss! Let's hope there isn't a catastrophy lurking! I am one blessed little girl!

Play, Play, Play

This weekend has been awesome! I don't want it to end. I'm so good at playing!! It started Friday with playing at the Grossen's. Amy and I were going to strip, sand, and re-stain some furniture they got from my parentals. We got one square foot of one drawer stripped. Sort of a poor attempt! But at least I got to kiss my Jack, Jack and hang with Amy and Dan.

Then on Saturday, my friend, Heather, and I went out to play in Midway for Swiss Days. It was so great! It's pretty much your standard outdoor festival type deal. There were 100 booths selling car seat covers. Welcome to Utah! I bought a fashionable new hat (will be featured in the pics at the football game) and a new skirt. I love everything Swiss (except Roger Federer), especially cheese!
From Midway, we headed down to play in Provo for the first BYU football game of the season. My cousin, Devin, hooked me up with a ticket, and boy, did that game take years off my life! We looked ok...better than expected, so I can't complain. A "W" is all that matters! And I got to see all these legends during the halftime festivities. Look at all these oldies but goodies...Ty Detmer, Steve Young, Jim McMahon, LaVell Edwards, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, and others. So classic!

The game was this stressful...

After the game we headed over to Kara and Ryan's for a quick game of PR. I always love cousin time!

What a great lookin' bunch!

Sunday was your standard Sunday. I stayed down in Provo Saturday night to avoid traffic after the game and came home Sunday morning. I went to church and hung out with friends.

My friend, Heather, stayed the night, and we got up at the crack of dawn this morning to head to Mt. Timpanogos. It was hike day! This is us at the trailhead, which we had to park a mile from because the lot was already full at 6am. So we are already a mile into our hike here. Lookin' good!

Yeah! The sun is starting to come out! Yes, I did pee in this toilet along the trail. It was horrifying! Full to the brim and someone missed the toilet with a #2. I'm sure I caught some sort of disease squatting over this thing today.

We thought we were close to the top at this point. Not so much, but isn't it beautiful?!

We made it to the first saddle! What a view! Only one more treacherous mile to the top!

We made it! Can't believe it! It was so, so, so windy and freezing! There were like 100 BYU students up there with us. What funny kids!

Someone just owned Mt. Timpanogos! Holla!
Here is us with the view behind us. That's Utah Lake. Looking the other direction you could see Emerald Lake, Deer Creek Reservoir and Jordanelle Reservoir. Looking north, you could see the Great Salt Lake, and you could see the Timpanogos Temple too. So awesome!

We couldn't stay to up there too long, so here's us heading down. Sort of crazy! I hiked up that?!

This was the craziest part. Little switchbacks up a steep rockface...what?!
On the way down, our fingers turned into swollen sausages. Not sure what that's all about, but they are back to normal now! Look at my thumb! Hahaha...kills me!

Been there, done that! Woop woop!

On the way back, we refused to visit the horrifying toilet again. We took our business out into nature this time. That's always an experience!

Cute Heather featuring the cute new hat she bought at Swiss days!

On the way down....I swear it took twice as long to get down as it did to get up even though it took us less time in all actuality. Me = Quasi eye

Just steps away from the trailhead! What an accomplishment! Too bad once we emerged at the trailhead, we still had to walk a mile to the car.

From the trailhead to the summit, it is 15 miles round trip with a 4580' elevation gain. Add the mile to and from the car, and I'd say we hiked nearly 17 miles today. I am pooped! Don't you love when you set a goal and then accomplish it!? Love, love, LOVE it!! I'm so good at playing! Can't every weekend be a 3-day weekend?! I'm going to bed now...7:30pm! Here are few more lovely shots taken along the way.

California Dreamin'

Holy canoli...I was so excited to post pics from this last weekend that I forgot I hadn't posted about my trip home to Cali yet. This is how my brain works these days...not so well! The first week of August, Kara, Amy, Jack, and I road tripped down to the good ol' B-town. We mostly just chilled at home and ran errands, but we did go down to SoCal for a couple of days to the beach and visited the Salo's.

Here is Jack all ready to drive us to CA. He was a very good boy for our long trip home. The trip back to Utah didn't go as smoothly, but I still love him more than anything on earth!
I tried to teach Jack about making funny faces for the camera. I think he's a natural!

I am teaching him young! The only book he wanted to look at on our ride down to SoCal and back was the California Atlas. He's so smart! He would name every color on the page, and I taught him how to find lakes on the map. A future geography lover just like his aunt Kerri and uncle Ry!

Here's Amy and baby GG (Girl Grossen). I think she liked her first trip to the beach in womb bomb!

Jack loves the beach! He can chase birds...

water construction cones with Grandma...

get his GQ shots on...
and put his face in the sand. P.S. Yes, I am wearing Jack's Spiderman sunglasses. Mine were mashing my head!
I love California because I can see views like this...

and because these two people and their hats live there!

Partners in crime!

We got to see Tyler and his kids (Nate and Savannah) when we went to the Salo's. We also got to see Claire, Jim, and Devin. I failed to take a picture of them though. Dang it! Here's Jack with his cousins...second cousins...some sort of cousins. The Salo's = another reason why I love California. I love them so, so much, and it was so fun to see them!

Jack and Mommy

Jack and Grandma

I also got to have lunch with my dear friend, Sara, from high school. It was SOOO good to see her and catch up. I forgot to take a picture of that too! I could seriously maim myself for that!

Amy took pics there too and so did Kara, so tune into their blogs for more photos (grossens.com and cosbycrew.blogspot.com).

There...I think I'm all caught up with blogging! I mentioned that I had moved amongst all these goings on. Pictures of my new place will be coming soon! As soon as it's all put together and looking fabulous! I love, love, love it already! Continue reading for two more new posts below!