Sun Valley

Immediately following Girls Camp, things got even busier, with two days to prepare for our next trips. I came home and Ben and I reunited with Josh, Kristen, and Tate (Ben's brother and family) who were in town from Iowa on their break from Josh's Chirporactic school; we went to a family reunion, went shopping for my birthday, which I greatly appreciated, and prepared for Youth Conference and Sun Valley.

Ben grew up going to Sun Valley every year, except his mission and last year, because his dad would go to the Utah Banker's Association meeting every year where bankers could bring their families and spend a little less than half of the time in meetings and the rest of the time with family. He has told me about this for a while, and so I have been greatly looking forward to this! This year, because Ben works at the bank, Ben was invited to attend as a Banker.

Ben and I stopped along the way and took a picture in the fields of Idaho. It was a fun Sunday drive, listening to church music, which I love. As we were driving along, I was a little skeptical as we were a half hour away from our destination and there was sage brush and desert all around, and I wasn't sure how it would magically turn into the lush green resort town everyone speaks of, but it did! I just had to wait for it, and then Wa-La!

It looked so beautiful that it almost looked fake. 

We stayed in a condo with three bedrooms; Josh, Kristen, and Tate were in one room, Frank and Deanna in another, and  Sam and Natalie came too and, being engaged, they had to be split up so the only logical explanation was to put Natalie and I in one room and have Ben and Sam in the floor in the family room (poor guys). Although it was sad to be away from Ben, it created some fun late night talks with Nat, which I loved!

Where Natalie and I got to stay! These rooms were the most charming things ever. I would love to decorate like this; it feels so cozy and picturesque. 

Eating outside was a favorite.

I loved the elegance of all the conference rooms, and lobbies; the whole town area had a Swiss/European feel, and the inside of buildings had a lodge theme that definitely portrayed elegance. 

Who doesn't like to watch ice-skating while they eat? I am obsessed with ice skating so seeing some amazing pair skaters on my birthday lunch just about made me in heaven. 

Upon our evening arrival, Ben immediatly took me on a tour and we explored what Sun Valley had to offer. 

I loved the greeness.

There were beautiful ponds everywhere.

The next day was my birthday, and our first full day at Sun Valley. Family was so kind and made a poster for me, a llama pinata, and delicious chocolate cups with icecream (thank you, Kristen!)

Delicious food

Ben and I with our one and only nephew, Tate. Isn't he a cutie!? :) Some of my favorite 25th birthday memories are from Ben and I walking around Sun Valley at night and stalking a raccoon. It was so fun to spend my birthday with my husband. Last birthday was the first time we held hands; now we are husband and wife!

Raccons look kind of cute

Until you realize they are evil stealers of the trash!

All in all, it was a wonderful birthday, intermingled with business meals, family bingo, meetings, family fun, and stalking a raccoon with my husband :) The rest of Sun Valley was filled with fun with our Iowan family, getting to play with our cute long lost nephew

going to the Kenny Loggin's concert with cute Sam and Natalie

Making funny comments about the concert, throughout :)

And watching an amazing sunset!

The highlight of the concert was watching Natalie and Sam dance to Kenny Loggins, the original singer of Footloose, dance to it LIVE just as we were about to leave early. I'll admit it, Kenny Loggins is great, but we were probably the youngest people there, practically :) I am so glad these two are getting married for many reasons; one of them being I can watch impromptu dance concerts at any time. 

Sun Valley is already such a beautiful memory to me made up of a charming place, wonderful family, banker family fun and an amazing time that flew by too fast. 

Stay Tuned

The theme for Girls Camp for our geographical area in our church this year was Stay Tuned: Testify, Unite, Notice, and Encourage Daily. That was inspired. Our girls really did strengthen testimonies while noticing and encouraging each other to become unified. 

• Thanks to our amazing camp leaders, that's what really happened. We actually stayed at my parents' cabin this year, which was fun although a little stressful for me at times because I was hosting at a place that was not my own. Other than one mishap of a fire in the oven :) it was low stress. 
• I am so grateful for this calling in Young Women's. I honestly think it was the perfect way for me to meet amazing women in the ward who teach me so much. The picture on the right is of Jamie, my first fellow leader friend. I met her on the night of New Beginnings, the first night of my new calling, and she asked me to stir two of her pots of delicious cheese soup. Don't ask how it happened, but somehow I ended up burning one of the soup pots so there were little black flecks throughout the soup, which we threw away. She didn't skip a beat to tell me not to worry about it and that it would be fine. She was so sweet and forgiving immediately, and it made me stop to think if I would have been as quick to forgive if I had spent a long time making a delicious soup that was viciously burned by a stirrer. What great friends I have made!
• Speaking of friends, my sweet 5 laurels make some wonderful friends. They always welcome me, tell me secrets; we giggle, we sing and dance in the car, basically they are some of the funnest most amazing people I know. I love that some will stop by just to chat, and it was fun to spend some more bonding time with them at camp. Within a few weeks, for three of my laurels I went from Mrs. Browning, their English teacher at school, to the Laurels' advisor. Poor girls :) but I sure do love them!
• There were so many neat things going on through this girls camp. From TV-show based games with our theme "Stay Tuned" to Volleyball, to delicious food (the best food camp food ever), to finding a lost dog, to the KSL Studio 5 host coming to speak to us, to a beautiful fireside, to a wonderful testimony meeting, to devotionals, to firesides, to camp songs, to late night leader chats, it made a beautiful, wonderful, uplifting camp. Here's the rest of the photos that tell my camp story:

Me, Tasha, and Karlee (my Laurels)

Hannah and me

Fun Games with the Camp Directors and girls

Volleyball was one of the most unifying experiences for many of the girls

America's Got Talent audience. These girls are talented with their singing and dancing!

Early morning devotionals

Karlee at the talent show

Laurels and Wendy karaoke-ing to Disney Princess music!

Fear Factor!

The Wall of Fame of shout-outs to girls and their good-doings :)

Girls Camp was such a memory-building experience for me that strengthened my testimony. I hope these girls felt the same way. Eight years after attending my own girls camps, I loved looking back on it with a renewed perspective, and I hope the girls loved it as much as I did :)

Meeting My Heroes

I know I didn't have to wait as long as many do to get married. I know I had many experiences I would probably never have if I had met Ben right away.  I know that much of my single adult time was wonderful and would qualify as "fun." I know everything worked out the way it was supposed to. This does not mean being single long after most of my friends married and started their families was easy, even with some very neat opportunities. In fact, it was hard. Truly hard. Lonely--at times.  I sincerely celebrated and rejoiced with my friends as their lives seemed to speed by in their married lives with children. However, there were times that I couldn't help but feel a little left behind. Although receiving a Master's degree and participating in committees were some rewarding experiences, I ached to have the fulfillment of starting a family some day, and after a while in Ogden where prospects my age were limited, that hope seemed bleak.

 Scripture study, prayer, getting involved in service, going to devotionals and firesides, completing my education, working, and maintaining and keeping fulfilling friendships were what got me through the hard times. And to so many of you friends who got married earlier on and started your family, thank you for your persistence in keeping me a part of your friendship and for never putting me down and never making me feel like I wasn't good enough because my experiences were different. I can't count the number of times I have expressed gratitude for you friends who never abandoned me during those trying times whether through phone calls, text messages, and visits. You could have decided to "move on" because our lives became so dissimilar than they used to be, but instead you were there to set the example of what kind of wife and mother I would hope to and aspire to be.

I have many heroes. They range from James Madison to Hyrum Smith to my grandpa to William Wordsworth. Some of my heroes are some strong women leaders in the church.

Through those trying times, I read many church books in addition to my scriptures study, and so many of the things I read helped boost my spirits and reassured me that I was doing what I was supposed to (through the Spirit). Among these books I read many by Sheri Dew, Ardeth Kapp, and Wendy Watson Nelson (Elder Nelson's wife). I have always admired these women from a far, reading their books and hearing them speak. Sister Dew and Sister Nelson both came and did firesides when I was a single adult, and their remarks inspired me. I always felt the resolve to "hold on thy way" (D&C 129) after listening to them and to use that time to do as much good as I possibly could. Both were examples of being single for many years and still having the resolve to keep DOING and to act, even when times are discouraging.







Due to work circumstances, I was able to be in the same room with Sheri Dew, Wendy Watson Nelson, and Ardeth Kapp for two days with just thirty other people. I just felt so energized and motivated to be and do good with these wonderful examples and to have the wonderful experience to talk to each of them individually and for quite a while. Sister Dew gets so much done effectively; she is to the point while still being loving. Sister Kapp was so sweet and gracious and makes you feel like a million dollars. Sister Nelson is also so sweet and has the willingness to say things how they truly are. I was able to ask Sister Kapp some questions about how to approach modesty with young women--what better person to ask than the former general young women's president? :) They are all so kind, and I want to be like them! I want to have the energy they do. I want to "not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ" to the point they are, where they say things exactly how they are in a loving way without worrying about offending others. I want to always have a thirst for knowledge like they have. I want to be unafraid to say kind words, give someone in need a hug, and to devote my life to service. I told them when I got the picture taken with them that I would look at it and think that's what I want to be like. I hope I can follow how I feel :)

Everything Happens in June

Everything truly does happen in June, and this is only the beginning. Other than the things mentioned in this post, I have girls camp, youth conference, a bridal shower for Natalie, a family reunion, a bank convention with Ben in Sun Valley, and Kelsi's wedding all by June 30th. And it is already June 15 so know that the rest of the month I may be out of commission (other than a quick post of meeting my heroes this week, which I hope I find time to do before I leave for forever.) Here goes the happenings :)

Actually, this happened at the end of May, but my youngest sibling, Mary graduated from high school and is about to embark on her adventures at Utah State! I am so excited that she will only be 50 minutes away from me as opposed to an hour and a half :) Go Aggies! They are lucky to have her.

For my first time ever, we planted flowers right by our walkways. Periwinkles, actually. Epic fail. They only looked like this for the first week.

  

Kelsi is getting married two weeks from tomorrow, practically :) So I had to throw a friend bridal shower

which had lots of food ...obviously. In fact, I now have the recipes for toffee fruit dip (amazing with apples) and the best chocolate chip banana bread recipe ever (in my opinion). I am so glad I get to experiment food when I host. It is kind of nerve wracking to serve something you have never made, but I figure it's better than I used to do it when we first got married, and I would practically eat a whole pan of bread by myself before I made it again to serve it for others. Thanks to Becca, I am now in love with cucumber sandwiches, and it was the perfect delicious, refreshing, and easy sandwich for the shower. 

I absolutely loved chatting with lots of Kelsi's old companions and friends who I had heard tons about but never really knew. I just love Kelsi Joi Anderson! June 30th is going to be a beautiful wedding :) Speaking of weddings...my cousin Megan got married yesterday! It was such a beautiful day at the Salt Lake Temple, and Megan just radiated. 

waiting for the bride and groom...

The beautiful happy couple!

We are silly.

Meg and I! I love this girl...and her voice :)

The beautiful reception

I am so glad I married Ben Browning 8 months ago, yesterday :)

June's craziness has just begun...brace yourself. 

Memorial Day Weekend

This Memorial Day weekend was so much fun and much of that is owed to Ben's brother, Sam, for getting engaged to the amazing Natalie!! We are so happy for them; they are absolutely adorable and perfect for each other! Their engagement happened the night before our fun-filled journey to the Browning cabin in Island Park, near Yellowstone. Thus, we were able to bask in their excitement the whole trip!

Oh, and our trip wouldn't be properly accounted for without mentioning these little guys:

These are the first chocolate truffles I have made...and possibly the last since they were pretty tricky, but they were delicious! In fact, I made them a few days before the trip and knew I couldn't resist the temptation, so I sent them to Ben's parents because they are far better at resisting than I am; however, I did write "Dead Carpe" on them, just to ward off any truffle invasions. 

Footnote: Just know that much of this trip was spent eating delicious food.

I digress. . . the fun of this trip was really getting to know Natalie better and just spending time as family with Ben's parents. We had fun going to the shops together and trying out ridiculous things.

Sam is an animal--I don't know what kind, actually.

Life long goal reached--to hold a bald eagle on the tip of my finger!

 

Bald Eagle balanced on Ben's chin!

We also had fun going to the Playmill Theater and seeing "Drowsy Chaperone."  Once we came home, we had the honor of watching Sam and Natalie (who are AMAZING dancers) do some ballroom and social dance for us. It was the highlight of the trip for me :)

Here is a preview of them dancing. I am, sadly, not the best videographer, but you get the point--their talent is world-class :) 

Then we had so much fun singing all together. Sam and Natalie have beautiful voices so this was a blast!

After out "talent show" of sorts, we went to bed very late then awoke Sunday morning for church. There's nothing like ending a Sunday with a Nerf War; I know what you're thinking. . .I am amazed I participated myself :) Natalie and I were on a team against the boys. . . I am not sure who won, but I am pretty sure that wasn't the point. 

I think I missed a memo on this one...

Husband against wife...

I don't think he ever thought I'd actually do this...

This is how I look when I get competitive; okay, let's face it--I don't know how to be competitive.

Even with all the fun times, the best part of this trip was just being together as family. What good memories...Happy "late" Memorial Day!

Nature and Spring

"I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world, Heavenly Father created for me."

Looking at the news and then contrasting it to these images...this is better

Pictures taken in the last few weeks: I love spring!

I am sometimes still so amazed we have this beautiful view.

Even though there is lots of gardening...

I love every time the flowers pop up--it's a surprise to us every time because we have no clue what they'll be!

This is my favorite view from our front yard. I love seeing that steeple with the mountains.

Butterfly wings--there are so many butterflies up here

1. 360 view of what I see on my morning walk/runs 

2. Another view

3. Another angle

4. Fully turned...

"Written in Early Spring" by William Wordsworth (one of my favorite poets)

I heard a thousand blended notes
While in a grove I sat reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What Man has made of Man.

Through primrose tufts, in that sweet bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure - 
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature's holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What Man has made of Man?

Blind Dates

The thing about blind dates is that they work. Sometimes. Especially in my family.

In fact, I'd say they are hereditary.

My grandparents met on a blind date.

My parents met on a blind date.


My brother met his wife on a blind date.

And guess what my parent's first blind date consisted of?

Mini-golfing!

Guess what my first date with Ben was?

Mini-golfing!

Coincidence? I think not...

A year ago today, 25 May 2011, I went on a blind date (probably the billionth for Ben and I) with Ben, my husband.

The morning of the 24th I was having a conversation with my co-worker Josh about dating. Somehow, through a name mishap, Josh thought I was talking about Ben Browning when I was talking about a different Ben. He asked what I thought about his elders quorum president, and I responded that this person was not an elders quorum president. Well, we found out we were talking about different Bens, and Josh convinced me that I should go out with Ben Browning; after all, he was a Y graduate, too, and one of the best people he knew. He immediately texted Ben and set us up for the following night--talk about pro-activity! Ben called me that night to ask me on the phone, and we talked for an hour, and we hadn't even met each other yet!

So the next night we went mini-golfing, both a little scared that we wouldn't have anything left to talk about. However, we talked the whole game and thus played the slowest game of mini-golfing ever, and then talked in an hour in the driveway to top it all off. This was a good sign, especially for me who loves good, deep conversations--nothing compares! I was smitten, and the rest is history :)

After it all, Ben recalled that I said my grandpa had a farm in West Haven, close to where his boss had farmed as a youth. Turns out, Ben's boss is my mom's cousin who had worked on my grandpa's farm. We also found out we knew many of the same people at BYU (it's kind of ridiculous, actually), and a month before we were actually set up, someone else had said they wanted to set us up, but we didn't find out until later--crazy. So many connections, and yet it took us a while to find each other.

Timing is everything, and the Lord had the perfect time for us to find each other, May 25th. So Happy May 25th, and if you are single, go on blind dates; they may actually work on the 122nd time!