Family "Chopped"

We were impressed they set up so quickly since

we only had an hour. It's got a cookie crust.

Our fearless team + Dad

Over the MLK weekend I went home and it was so much fun. I got a ride with A's friend K and she stayed with us for the weekend. Saturday night we held our own "Chopped" competition. It was so much fun. Mom and Dad put together baskets of food and we had to use all the ingredients in the basket plus we were given $10 extra to get extra things from WinCo. A lot of the ingredients pointed to Mexican food. C and M and I were on a team. S, A, and K were on another team. Mom, Dad, and T were the judges. My team made guacamole stuffed chicken with bean dip and homemade tortilla chips. I got to make mini cheesecakes. Oh heavens, they were so good. I made berry topping and made Nutella whipped cream. Our team won! It was really fun.

Every Step of the Way

I have a testimony that Jesus Christ lives. He is always there for me. It doesn't matter if it's good times or rough times I know that whenever I pray, my Father in Heaven listens and is there. I know that because of the atonement, I can become a better disciple of Him. "I know that he (the Lord) loveth His children." (1 Nephi 11:17) I know that he sent us to earth to grow and to learn through experiences. I won't say that trials aren't hard because we all know that they can be. I just know that He won't give us anything we can't handle. He won't abandon us. Trials are really there to strengthen and stretch us. I love this quote, "On particularly rough days when I'm sure I can't possibly endure, I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days so far is 100% and that's pretty good." I know that I can't get through those days alone. I know that the Lord knows exactly what to bless me with when I need it because I know He has perfect timing. He has blessed me with wonderful people around me. He has blessed me with wonderful experiences. I know that He is mindful of me. I remember a time when I was feeling low and I was in a store and overhead the music came on and it was a John Mayer song and it cheered me up. It may have been just another song for anyone else but I really believe it was more than just a coincidence. If we look around we can find evidence of His love for us. Consider your blessings. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above..." (James 1:17) We are each divine sons or daughters of a Heavenly Father. The gospel of Jesus Christ strengthens and calms by soul. It brings me happiness and peace. You can learn more about what I believe here: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints(I love this picture)

It's Incredible

I am extremely blessed. I'll tell you why. I am surrounded by incredible examples. I have incredible friends. They support me when I don't feel like I deserve it. They listen when I am down or I just want to talk. They have strengthened my testimony so many times. One such time I was feeling pretty down and I got a text during the day that simply said "How are you Jess?" These days, this particular text has been my favorite. This tells me a couple things, the Lord is mindful of me and watches over me, I am blessed to have such caring friends, and I am not alone. I can't thank them enough for their support. I can be entirely too stubborn sometimes in asking for help but I am working on inviting help when I need it. One of my great friends reminded me that the Lord has blessed me with tools like my roommates, them, family and others to help me and support me. I love spending time with them. It boosts me and I only hope I can be there for them like they are for me.

New Years

As tradition for New Years, we always get take out Chinese food. We play games. At the old house we would go outside and run around banging pots and pans at the corner. This year M's friend B came and played games and ate with us. We went outside and lit sparklers. It was sooo cold. It was hard to start the lighter when we couldn't feel our fingers. It was 10 degrees outside!! 2015 was a great year and I hope 2016 is even better. Happy New Years!!

"Be of good cheer, the future is as bright as your faith." - Thomas S. Monson

Us Girls

I was ready to take the picture and Mom joined in. These are my sisters. From left to right we have C, A, and M. (and mom on the right in the top one) M is the oldest. She loves to travel and is super skilled at sewing and loves to plan (and is great at planning) parties. She just graduated from BYU-I a couple of weeks ago. We sew together and watch movies like North and South, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and Persuasion. A is going into graphic design, she is super talented at drawing and lettering and cute things like that. She is my "Adventure Time" buddy. We watch it together and anytime I'm in the car with her going anywhere, (D.I.s) it is always an adventure. We usually rely on the gps, sing to the radio and then laugh when we realize the signal was lost and we try to figure out how to get home. C is the youngest. She loves playing games (especially Ticket to Ride these days). She loves doing hair and wants to go into Cosmetology. Definitely more put together than me. She enjoys hanging out with her friends. Love my siblings to pieces!

Sleepover

Just missing A

M, C, and I went to S and T's place for a sleepover. It was probably the only and last time in that place since they will be moving here soon. Jack was there and boy is he a cutie. We picked out the movie "Princess Bride" but it was more background noise while we played games. The best game we played was Wackee Six. I love this game now. Most of the time while playing I kept thinking how fun it would be to play at my apartment back at school. As the game went on, it usually ended up with all of us standing hovering over the table. It was pretty fun and pretty intense. We ate brownies and had so much fun.