...................: 2011 scrapbook (part 1)

Here are some of the fun, happy, wonderful things that happened this year. And yes, I'm posting pictures :) finally! I'm sorry I didn't post pictures more throughout the year. This makes up for it. :D

January: Back to Brigham Young University (in Provo, Utah) after a semester-long study abroad in Jerusalem. The study abroad was INCREDIBLE but it's good to be back at BYU, too. I move into an apartment with two amazing women, Elise and Ariel.

February: School, school and more school. And temple trips with roommates :)

Elise, Ariel and me outside the Provo temple

March: School continues. (I love my classes and my professors!) Ariel and Elise keep the white-board lively with important reminders ;)

Ariel writes inspirational messages and Elise illustrates

April: Mom celebrates her 51st birthday! Ariel, Elise and I attend general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. Winter semester ends at BYU and I stay for spring term.

Me, Elise, Ariel at the conference center
with the beautiful Salt Lake City temple in the background

May: The weather warms up and I enjoy hiking with friends. School continues, so I enjoy long days of reading homework outside on our apartment's small balcony. Also, my hair goes platinum blonde after hours in the salon with one very tenacious hair stylist (Amy, thank you!!) and I've finally done just about everything I've ever wanted to do with my hair (besides dreadlocks). Platinum blonde was the last thing on my to-do list--which included blue, pink, and yellow colors over the years--and a fohawk. How I miss the fohawk...

More importantly, my cousin, Christy, gets married! Uncle Chance and Aunt Diane come to visit from Colorado. And Kaitlin turns 18!

Hiking in rock canyon with Megan and Debbie

My blonde hair

Reading Austen's Persuasion

Me, Uncle Chance, Kait, Shalane

June: The spring term ends. More hiking in beautiful Utah before I head home to Idaho for the summer. My family picks me up from school and we head down to St. George, Utah, to enjoy family time before my mom's back surgery. We have a great time! One of the highlights is Zion National Park.

Hiking with my good friend, Mary, who got married shortly after this hiking trip.
So happy for her!

I love these mountains

My sisters and me in Zion National Park

My dad and sisters in Zion National Park

July: Ariel comes to visit me in Idaho and we enjoy 4th of July celebrations together. We also throw Shalane a surprise 16th birthday party! Later in July, Mom and I head to Utah for mom's surgery. A few days after the surgery, my mom and I head back to Idaho and Grandma Walters comes from Michigan to visit to help out. We love having her with us. (My mom is still in a lot of pain, but doing somewhat better. We're not sure what will happen next, but she keeps a positive attitude and keeps her spirit of love and joy. She is my hero!)

Shalane at her party. Yes, she wore the funny hat we gave her (for a little while) :)

Kait and friends enjoying good food and good company

Ariel and me mixing virgin drinks.

The vitamix came in handy for this!

Grandma and Kip

August: On a whim, I have my hair dyed to a light brown color. I fly to Kentucky to visit my Grandma Carson for a week, and we have a lovely time together. I enjoy spending time with old friends and visiting places from my childhood. I then get to go to Michigan to visit my family there. Shalane meets me in Michigan and we enjoy time with our family. Uncle George and Aunt Kelly graciously take us on their road-trip out to Ohio for a wedding. We enjoy getting to know our family better (we miss them here in Idaho!) and we visit great places, including D.C. and Virginia beach. The highlight of our trip is our stay in North Carolina, where we enjoy days of beautiful beaches and wildlife.

Shalane and me outside the D.C. temple

Shalane, me, Uncle George flying a kite
in Nags Head, NC (we love it here!)

Moon jellyfish

Me and Shalaney enjoying a beautiful beach at Nags Head

Aunt Kelly and me up for sunrise

Aunt Kelly and Uncle George

Me, Shalane, Uncle George at one of the best places I've eaten

Shalane enjoying an evening walk

We stopped on the way to Ohio to enjoy a short hike and view of the Appalachian Mountains

Aunt Kelly and me

With Grandma Walters on Gun Lake (in Michigan)

Shalane and Grandma Walters

Me, cousin Tyson, Shalane

Later in August: I apply to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I enjoy time with my good friends the Weimer family; Shalane begins school and we attend her first cross country meet of the seasons (the "mud run"); Kaitlin and I head back to Provo for Kait's freshman year and my junior year (what?!) of college. And, of course, my hair color changes again to a very dark, rich brown. Thanks, Amy. :)

Rees cooking breakfast (she is a pretty impressive 7-year-old)

Kait and one of Sammy's dogs
(Sammy's cute doggies invade our household one day.
Our cats freak out a little--but we love them!)

Krew and Kendyl

The Weimer children and me (minus Krew)

The new dark hair color

Me, Shalane, and Kait at the XC mud run--taken BEFORE the muddiness begins :)

September: Back to Provo for school, again living with dear friends Ariel and Elise, but this time we have a new roommate: Ariel's cat, Kalamazoo (or "Kali"). She is a diva and we love her. I (not-so-patiently) wait to receive my mission call in the mail. In the meantime, I begin a wonderful semester. A few weeks later, my call comes and there is (much) rejoicing!! I find out I'm leaving in February and I'm going to Tampa, Florida--and it's a Spanish-speaking mission--YES!!!!