Life is just so busy. All the hustle and bustle, worrying and making sure you do all these little things, just to find when your done with those little things a million more little things to do have suddenly appeared. It is so, so busy. Somehow, though, it all manages to work out. And sometimes, in between those hectic busy body moments, you find yourself in a moment that just takes your breathe away. Whether it's a stunning sunset, or being caught in swirling leaves when your driving your car, or talking to someone who is very kind, or reading a particular verse in the scriptures that reminds you that everything is going to be okay. It's times like that I feel just completely at peace, even when everything else is complete, utter chaos. Life truly is a lovely blessing (:

It's the little things that count.

photo by Nika Fadul, on flickr.com

Williamsburg

This weekend my family and I spent the day at historic Williamsburg - it would usually cost our family about 250$ to go because of ticket prices, but we got in for free because of Veteran's Day weekend, and veterans & their families were free (: It was SO fun! You all know I'm a history lover, so it was basically just a blissful day for me. We visited where Thomas Jefferson studied law, where governors appointed by the king lived, ect. It was such a fun day. I learned a ton, and got some awesome things - another book about Thomas Jefferson & a really cute folk art Christmas scene print of Williamsburg I'm going to frame (: Ate some delicious food, handmade dark chocolate, saw lots of awesome costumes & historical reproductions...What an awesome weekend! So glad I could go with my family too!

The Governor's Palace!

George Washington (:

The Governor's bed... gorgeous!

Awesome blacksmith

Cute brothers!

Handrail, original to the home - where Thomas Jefferson studied law (:

mr. adorable

awesome kid!

pouty

a floating head. Pete climbed into this, used as punishment way back when, and didn't want to get out (:

cute brothers (:

The Capitol

Embarassing! I'm sending this to my architecture professor for extra credit (: Haha

playing the harpsichord. it sounded so cool!

a painter painting downtown. gorgeous!

the leaves are incredible! look how their reflected in the windows

Day 6 - A Stranger

In honor of Veteran's Day, I'm going to dedicate this post as a thank you

 to strangers who have some of my most utmost gratitute

veterans of past wars

the founding fathers

 members of the USA Armed Forces

 in the past and present.

People, most whose names I know not

 whose faces I wouldn't recognize

 who sacrificed their time, their health, their lives, for the cause of freedom

so that they, and their families, and their country

so that you and I

could enjoy the freedom and rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness

to worship how we choose

to speak opinions freely, without fear

I am so grateful for them

These are strangers I will forever hold dear in my heart

I hope we can remember and keep these men and women in our thoughts and prayers

to take time to appreciate what they have done for us

Thank you Veterans!

God Bless America

“Oh posterity, you will never know how much it cost us to preserve your freedom. I hope that you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that I ever took half the pains, to preserve it.”
-John Adams

Toothless? Tyrannical? Tropical?

Haha! So I totally want to start top 10 Thursdays, but I wanted a super unique fun name (: So I looked up t adjectives... and here are some things that came up!

Toothless

Tyrannical

Tropical

Theivish

Taunting

Triumphant

Thrilling

Turquoise

 Seeing as I'm not toothless (aw darn.. haha just kidding) I don't think that would work. Tyrannical? Me? Yeah! Just kidding! No! Tropical, maybe, except it's November and I want it to be Christmas. The closest was probably turquoise, because I love that color. So, obviously, that attempt was an obvious fail. Anyways,
I'm going to start doing top 10 Thursdays because I think their really fun.

 This one is the top 10 places I would love to go in my life!

*not necessarily in order I would like to see them. Just as they come to mind (:

1. Sweden/Norway... Scandinavian countries

 

This one's a bit obvious considering my family's background. My Daddy is a total Swede, my Mom Norwegian, and we have strong family connections here. So many ancestors and things. My Dad goes out every year, and my Mom goes quite frequently too (every other year the past few years). I would just love to see where my ancestors came from, which means kind of where I came from, and the place my family loves so dearly! Plus it's supposed to be stunningly beautiful. I want to see down South by the coast, then up North in the wilderness where you can see the Northern Lights.

2. London, country of England

 

london6.jpg

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This city just seems incredible. So much history! I would love to go to all the museums, parks, ect.

3. Rome, Italy and ancient monuments in Greece

I've been learning about Rome in my History of Western Art class, and have LOVED it. Wow. I mean, these people designed some of the most incredible buildings and sculptures I have ever seen. Their proportions and the techniques they used are incredible! Their government, politics, the way they lived, their society growth then decline.. it is so fascinating. I would love to go see where it all happened and what they built.

4. Jerusalem

Jerusalem.Where the Saviour walked, lived, and taught.. and where many things happened in the Old and New Testament. I would definitely love to see this. It's also a city filled with so much rich history, and many different cultures consider this place the most sacred in the world. It's been a place of conflict for so long. I just think it would be incredible to go here.

5. France

I would love to see Paris. That one is terribly romantic, obviously. I would also love to see the art. I also want to go to Normandy Beach. I think it would be very powerful. I am very grateful for the soldiers who served and sacrificed then for freedom, and continue to serve and sacrifice today.

6. Germany

I would love to see the castles, and the landscape. I would also like to see the museums in Berlin, where alot of ancient works ended up, because of German excavators that took goods back home. I would also like to see the WWII history, concerning the Holocaust and what happened. I think it would be a powerful experience.

7. Russia

My aunt came here to teach english to children for a few years, and she told me lots of stories about the experiences she had and people she met. Ever since then, I've felt a very strong connection to Russia! I don't know why. They have a very tragic past, and it seems like a place filled with so much emotion. I would just love to go there.

8. Australia

This place seems so COOL! I love the accents! The freaky animals, incredible beaches, beautiful landscape... yes, this would be amazing. I would also love to go see New Zealand while I'm out there (someday!) Just very neat!

9.Hawaii/Yellowstone/Alaska

I know it's random to combine these, but their my "most wanted to go to" places in the USA, and the world is a rather large place - there's so many other things I want to put on this list! So I took the priviledge of combining these. It would just be really neat (: Go to the beach in Hawaii, visit and camp? in Yellowstone, go fishing in Alaska, see a Broadway in NYC, go to North and South Carolina...
I would also like to go to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Yes, these are all on my list to go. Absolutely.

10. South America

I would love to see the Mayan Ruins. I think they have them in many different countries, honestly I don't know that much about South America. But I would love to go (: Especially to see the ruins of the ancient cities! So cool!

My Dreams

My greatest dream is to be married in the temple, and have an eternal family. I would like to be a stay at home mom, and have lots of kids. I would like to be the type of mom that my children will learn and be inspired from my example. I want them to grow to be close to the Lord. I would like to know alot about the arts, and would like to be able to use my talents in some meaningful way. I would love to be a missionary. I would love to live next to my siblings and friends and be able to watch them grow and their families grow. I would love to own horses, and would love to live in a cozy home where we experience all 4 seasons of the year (lots of snow, I'm in the Christmas mood right now, & maybe not so hot summers). I would love to marry a man who is strong in character and in the gospel, who makes me laugh, and who I could completely trust with anything. I would like to marry someone who makes me feel safe and cherished. I would like to marry someone who I can talk to about anything. I am looking to marry my best friend. I would love to have a huge garden, with corn and watermelon and tomatoes. I would love to be able to have lots of people over at my house, and continue making friends and serving people throughout my life. I would like to be able to do alot of family history work. I would like to go to Sweden and Europe, where my ancestors came from. I would love to go on a mission, if it's right! I have lots and lots more dreams. But these are probably the most major ones (:

This is probably going to be me, because I'm really short (: Haha





Day 5: The Sibling (s)

Whitney

Dexter

Katharine

Isaac

Hannah

Jacob

Adam

Peter

yes, that is me and all my siblings, in chronoligical order.

Crazy, huh?

I love them to death!

Dexter is a total wise guy. Totally hilarious,and way cool! Now he's super buff because he does MMA. He is soo funny. We used to get in the worst fights, but now he's one of my best friends. I guess that's how it works with siblings sometimes (: He always makes me laugh. We are kind of polar opposites in some ways, and super similiar in others, so it's just fun when we hang out haha. I love this kid! and am protective of who he dates, so watch out girls! He's a cutie, I know, but yeah.

Dexter

Katharine is the person I tell everything to. We have the funniest moments! Haha. She's very witty, and we're both have really... weird senses of humor. So it's great (: She's definitely one of my best friends. I miss her a ton right now. She's a total cutie as well. I love our deep talks and taking hundreds of pictures, especially at 1 in the morning! Or in our awesome photoshoots, haha.

Katharine

Isaac is so witty. He is the smartest kid - he loves science, fishing, geology, animals - he's pretty much your next Indiana Jones. He has the funniest comments, and always makes fun of me. Always. Without fail. He's a total middle school boy right now, but has traces of the man he's going to be I think. His personality is so great (: and he's such a good kid, as much teasing as he does. I love fishing with him. and I TOTALLY beat his fishing record. So ha (: haha. love you Isaac!

Isaac

Hannah is the sweetest girl ever. She is so kind and patient to all her siblings, even when were being crazy and obnoxious and rude (sometimes). She is the one who stays nice through pretty much everything (unless you push a rare button. Then watch out). She is such a beautiful girl, inside and out. She loves to write, and is so good at it. That is definitely a lovely talent she has. She has a typewriter up in her room she goes and chatters words away on. She's even working on a novel right now. She is so smart, and so sweet, and so patient. And has a very strong personality! She says when she means, haha. I love this girl.

Hannah

Jacob is wacky! He is always making the craziest faces, and the craziest comments! Like sometimes he says something and you are just astounded, wondering where the heck that thought came from. Haha. He is such a good kid though. He is so funny, but can be really sweet. He sometimes does really sweet things, like just giving random hugs with this great big smile on his face, and is just a really great kid. He's also really good at baseball, and fishing, and video games!





Adam is one huge personality in a teeny, weeny body. Haha! He has one of the strongest personalities I think I have ever seen in a kid his size! He is constantly on the move, and is so smart. When he talks, sometimes I forget how young he is because of the things he says and the way he speaks. But then he says something weird or makes a crazy face and I remember again. He's such a cutie. I love just watching him play baseball and do things. He plays outfield? and 3rd base? and sometimes he gets bored standing out there, so he starts looking around and talking to himself to entertain himself. It is hilarious. He has the funniest expressions, and is also such a sweet kid. I love jumping on the trampoline with him. What a cutie (:

Adam

Peter is a total doll. He is a very somber child, unless he thinks something is funny, then he has this great, warm, loud, cute laugh. His whole face just lights up. He's wonderfully kind of a ham - he can tell when people are paying more attention to him, and he either hides or soaks it up. Haha. His eyelashes are so long that when he closes his eyes, they lay on his cheek. It's the sweetest scene I've ever seen when he's asleep! I love jumping on the trampoline also with him. He just started kindergarten this year - my first year of college! - so it's weird to see 2 such completely different stages of life, 2 great beginnings. I love this kid so much.

Peter

And that is all of them, for now. Daddy & Mom have been trying to kids for a while, and someday more will be added to our family. So I'll be the oldest of 9?...10?...12? Haha! Weird! But I'll be so happy for them when that day comes. And.. that's the siblings. With all our different personalities and traits, I know they are all such awesome, special kids. Their just so good. I'm excited to see what they go out and do in their lives (:

and this picture just made me laugh haha (:

Day 3: The Parents

My parents are incredible. How else do I say it? Seriously. Their like, some of my best friends, and the people I always go to for advice and help. They always know exactly how to help me! I love them so much, and am so grateful for them!

Some of my favorite things about Daddy are how hilarious he is, and how wise he is. He is such a great example for me, in so many ways. Somehow he always seems to know exactly what I need to hear when I'm struggling to solve problems, and he always gives me the most awesome advice, but lets me know I need to be the one that makes the decision. He is such an awesome man. And he is so funny. So stinkin' hilarious! I want to marry someone with his character someday - and someone as funny (: . He's one of the people I look up to the most.

Mom is one of my best friends. I love how she instantly just loved us kids, and we loved her from the very start. She is such an awesome example for me, and I couldn't begin to say how much she has helped me as well - from comforting me when I'm crying (usually accompanied with the can't speak, snot running down, ect) to laughing until we can't breathe to just talking about life and all the crazy things that come with it. She has taught me so much.

I love and miss them soo much.

Mommy has always been one of my best friends, also. I remember ever since I was little her teaching me so much about art, and letting me paint and draw and write to my heart's desire. We have had some awesome times together - thrift shopping, having crazy adventures, talking, laughing, and everything. She's a great example to me in how strong her testimony is. I also love how much she loves the Constitution and history. She's always inspired me with her passion for the things she does. She is also ALWAYS so happy to help me with anything - i.e. art projects. Haha. I love talking to her! I'm so grateful for the support she gives me

I love how Dad is such a strong support for our family. I know we'll always be protected when he's around. I love his example in how much he loves spending time with the kids, and how he has been able to give us so many incredible experiences. These things have taught and shaped me alot, into the person I am today. We've been able to see so many places and learn so many things because of this guy. He also has a very wacky sense of humor! And I love that he gives me Navy air fresheners, and I always feel cool when he wears his uniform around (: I'm so grateful for the example he has given us to serving our country, and being a great Dad to his kids.