my happy place

you know when you're having a freak out attack or you're watching a scary movie or you're in a weird sketchy place, people tell you to 'go to your happy place'???

well these past 15 days have been an all encompassing 'happy place'

there is no greater feeling then being home.  

home is comfortable, easy, sunny, yummy and loving

home is where im constantly surrounded by my family and best friends

a place where all my new best college friends live! 

these 15 days post college-prebackpacking could not have possibly been more happy!

and here are some fun reasons why!!

i came home and went straight to laguna 

with my piercey poops and mikaykay!

mmm im home!

bowl of heaven is my heaven and jessie smith is a pregnant angel

 taco tuesday with mi favorita hermanos!!! (?)

 <scuba certified!!

>aren't my brothers the cutest?

ahh :) i belong in the water!

after erica's (mind blowingly spiritual) farewell, we took a trip to the beautiful newport temple! 

 sunday night at the staples! uke-ladies with sis stap, first kiss stories by the bonfire, s'more, slumber party in the bunks and a pancake bar (bananas, coconut flakes, pb, nuetella, chocolate chips and more!) in the morning!

after dropping off del for sam's brother and a parking violation (dang proctors) i got to see this kid!

 oh goodwill, you never disappoint

 balboa and the fun zones with my fabulously fun friends! 

 mexican monday! a fun cooking fiesta at the stapley's!

 

 

junior year we said we were going to hike this & it finally happened! this goofy usc man is the best! 

 this particular three arch day was quite unique...we were the only 5 people on the beach all day!

and boy was it a beautiful day full of sun shine, paddle board stealing and the jonas brothers 

 

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHY ROO ROO!!! rach and lily came down for pretty much a day to celebrate this beautiful shining dream of a person she is. we valeted the car at the montage, and walked in like we owned the place. we laid by the pool and enjoyed the luxuries of the place for as long as we could before we were asked to leave. lol. we went to riptide for a sushi dinner and died of laughter at our ridiculous waiter.  she was so wacky haha im giggling thinking about her.  i love lily and rach so much and love how i know if i miss them, i can see them! happy bday rach!

 michael's going to mexico, we ventured (chickened out) at black star canyon, took a 1:30am in-n-out run, we ate chocolate fountain goodies and threw water balloon, then jake and louie serenaded me.

 the boys played a little show at some community center in laguna for some high school boy's spring party.  over all the party was off the heezy, little skanky middle/high schoolers and precious little blonde surfer boys that i was falling in love with.  the boys are so talented! after we hit up "harb house" (so the local calls it) to do nothing but loiter and spit fire water into my face! yolo?

blakey (my little 16 yr. bro) couldnt figure out which one was me! haha do you see it? from the back?

 so much brown sugared bacon (thanks trav!) and chocolate chip heath bar pancakes!

 after trevor's farewell we had a fun pancake party at my house.  bacon grease was poppin, guitars were strummin and it was a happy place to be.  i really love my friends and i'm so excited to have my girlies in provo in the fall and i am oh so proud of these boys leaving on missions.  "see ya in two" was a frequent phrase being thrown around.  i can not wait to see where we all are in two years.  will sammy stapley be married with a child on the way? only time will tell :) 

so, tomorrow ill spend my last day home purchasing a back pack and packing a t shirt, shorts and a jacket...maybe a brush. then ill wake up early tuesday morning...

AND MY BACK PACKING THROUGH EUROPE ADVENTURE BEGINS!!!

kendall, nicole, riley and i are only a day away from embarking on the craziest thing i've ever done.

we will be traveling to england, ireland, spain, france, switzerland and italy. 

im not really nervous, yet.  it honestly hasnt really hit me. 

but it soon will and when it does im gonna be sitting next to my best friends on a flight to london! 

bring it on, baby!! 

ill be posting as often as possible!

happy sabbath!

winter semester wrap up!

the conclusion of my time as a helaman halls resident was rather bitter sweet.  the title of a 'helaman halls resident' has been mine since june!...june! the cannon center has been my food source for almost 10 months (have you seen me? cause that statement would then make a lot of sense)!! but as i say good bye to the empty toilet paper stalls, 1121 mailbox, smart waters upon smart waters, the hill to walk up to campus, a full parking lot, stalked vending machines, and a perfect room mate, i look back at the past 10 months of my life and couldn't feel happier! ive been totally blessed with the best of friends, the coolest major, the funnest dorm room! i cant complain about the utah winter i experienced this year,  i cant complain about anything! my freshmen year at byu will forever be in my brain as one of the best years of my life!

if i could offer any advice to future cougars i would advise them to: go summer semester, take easy classes, prepare for little to no sleep, take every opportunity to do something fun, go to all the dances, go on all the dates you are asked on (because they dont happen as often as assumed), go tunnel singing with your friends every sunday night, get to know your bishop, call your mom all the time, make friends with everyone, even those you typically wouldn't see as compatible (two of my best friends are bleached blonde,  designer loving, girly girls and i couldnt imagine life with out them!) dont get stressed about classes, sometimes sleeping through them is just a better option, go on sunday midnight food runs, use the gym in the locker room-there's wifi to watch hulu while you work out(!!!), play the stupid silly kissing games byu loves, and just be happy-stay happy cause there is no better university!

i spent my last week as a freshmen at byu...

five freaking flawless days!!!

wednesday 4/4/12

ladies night at rio tinto stadium baby! 

you dont understand how much i look forward to real games

why? cause it means being with my best friends, being catered with the finest foods, watching the game in the best seats in the house, and the caramel brownies! 

this past wednesday was our last shabang for a while. 

we all go our separate ways in the next week 

(me: europe & the south pacific study abroad. lily: real internship & london study abroad. rach: italy study abroad. brookie: marriage life!!) 

and we wont all be living in the same city unto next winter!! :(

and it sure was the best night ever! syd and ally came along and they are just so much fun! 

 

brooke put together a little video on the ride up...

(sorry mom for the absence of a seat belt. it was restricting my dance moves!)

thursday 4/5/12 

first off, we watched emperors new groove in spin class and as i giggled over kuzco, pacha and yzma,

 i was reading mockingjay! it was honestly perfect, three of some of my favorite things: 

comedies, the hunger games series and working out.

but for the most joyous part!!...MADELINE ROSE DAPPER

maddy and i have been best friends for a long long long time. 

she hugged me and told me i was "like home"to her and i couldnt agree more, being with her is home.  we took a zillion photos on campus at 9:30pm and she plopped her phone into the fountain while doing so. we had yummy sandwiches at gandolfos (my first time! yum!). we went on a lovely run, like old times. we peed our pants from laughter in the tanner building while singing to eminem. we stopped by a birthday party and ate yummy cake (happy birthday trev!). we went to chad's house and she met my friends! we watched wolverine at some randos apartment that her man was friends with and the jokes rattling off by the people there were hysterically awful. and we fell asleep mid conversation after a long awaited, much needed pillow talk.
thurday night was happy, it was home!

 i love maddy so much and can not wait to have her here with me in fall! 

 

friday 4/6/12 

woke up, ate some b.fast with annabel and steven (they're newly engaged! yay!) and went to class!

after a productive day, maddy, chad, ashton and i ran a few errands.  

which led us to the provo beach resort! now who doesnt love a good photo booth sesh?!

i for one, love them.  infact i collect them! (yes, yes i do suffer from over sentimentalism) 

anyways, our shots literally define 'the good, the bad and the ugly'

then after watching grey's anatomy and a sad goodbye to madeline, it was time for

annabel wallace's  bridal shower!! 

when i am with these lady friends, hysterical silent laughter is a guarantee!  

annabel is a goddess and we all couldnt be more excited for her june wedding in the san diego temple!

 p.s. the grandmas were a hoot! syd and i were dying!
thanks annabel for being such a great friend and being gorgeous and being engaged! love you!

(p.s. how stinking BEAUTIFUL are brooke and annabel's engagement rings!!!)

after the shower, i made my way over to the 'enda semesta palooza' 

we got reprimanded publicly for dancing too hard. sorry im not sorry, resident hall association!

and of course the good times kept on coming...

luke's exclusive cabin! 

the night can be summed up with these words:

popcorn. cookie dough. 007. tk's body. spa. backstreet boys. justin timberlake. boy>girl ratio.

 saturday 4/7/12

we got back from the cabin around 4am so technically it was saturday and waking up 3 hours later probably wasnt the smartest idea!

but who the heck cares cause 

!!!!!!!WE WENT SKYDIVING IN MOAB!!!!!!!

 emily nixon, anne collins, ashton strauss, megan francis, anne capener and i jumped out of a plane!

 with the help of paul & jimmy (or gunther?) we had seriously the most perfect day ever!

the 3 hour drive wasnt bad at all! we arrived in moab around 11am and left around 430pm!

taking only two jumpers at a time allowed us plenty of time to lounge in the sun, eat more snacks & become a little too close with the workers (it got creepy!) 

however we LOVED paul.  paul is the sassy head honcho who was a total jerk over the phone,

and turned out to be our best friend who was obsessed with us! 

he over used cuss words, called us all 'mamasita,'and had too much fun giving us crap!

 skydiving is one of the coolest feelings in the world!

the 20 minute flight up in the worlds crappiest plane, reaching 10,000 ft. is beautiful, 

moab is beautiful!!

 (however i couldnt stop thinking about 127 hours and how aaron was stuck in those rocks! awful!)

anyways, once you reached the top, the door opens, you climb out, 

and BAM you're doing flips through the air!

when you're free falling and you cant distinguish which way is up, is def. the most exhilarating thing!

after a maybe 40 second free fall, the parachute is pulled and you're gliding through the atmosphere!

doing spins and drops and stops! 

its like the craziest roller coaster on the planet times a gazabillon!

 to have had my first skydive with my dad for my 18th and his 50th birthday was so special!

and to have had my second skydiving experience with some of the all time greatest girls 

at byu was un-freaking-real! we had an award winning day that will never be forgotten!

sunday 4/8/12

He is risen! He is risen! happy easter!! happy easter! yahoo! 

this morning begun with a bang by going to church! 

we took the sacrament and all i was thinking about was Christ and His atoning sacrifice for me.  

i feel super lucky to have a testimony of His son, my Savior.  I brings me a lot of peace. 

after church we went straight to brandon's to continue cookin'

anne capener was the queen of the kitchen!

she made ham, potatoes, salad, deviled eggs, muffins, cupcakes, cookies, and rice krispie...

all from absolute scratch!!!

we are talking home made dressings, fresh cut veggies, and def no boxed cookie dough!

it was incredible! she was an out of this world domestic perfectionist! gosh i love her!

we even had a little easter egg hunt in the back yard!

i was so happy to have spent my easter away from home in a way that felt like home!

huge thanks to brandon and anne for doing so much! 

and the day was concluded with some slack lining, trust falling, all the aboving fun!

i cant even put into words how happy life is right now!

my family come to provo in two days!

i move home in six days!

i go to europe in three weeks!

i go on a study abroad to fiji australia and new zealand in two and a half months!

and i get to move back up here to provo after all that fun and live the coolest cats in the dev, baby!

boy oh boy i could not feel more thankful for this blessed life i am ever so lucky to live!

truly divine modern day revelation: conference weekend april 2012

this weekend was general conference weekend! one of the coolest weekends of the year! i am overwhelmed with Spirit i felt at conference and i'm in awe of how many of prayers of mine were answered and concerns are now at peace because of the divine inspired words i listened to.

as a little preface:

general conference is a semiannual gathering of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. during general conference weekend, church members and others gather worldwide in a series of two-hour sessions to receive inspiration and instruction from Church leaders.

this conference is viewed in 175 countries and translated in 94 languages.

i was so blessed to be able to sit in the conference center with over 21,000 other saints and the be in the presence of the prophet of the Lord and His apostles. there is an unexplainable feeling in this room, kinda like an appetizer of heaven!

 
i thought i would share my top fav quotes that touched me the most. these quotes were most applicable to me, but you can find your own individual top fav quotes personal to you by watching or listening to the talks delivered this weekend here, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/conferences?lang=eng.

(talks will be available to read in a few days...i think)

 
 "In our fast pace lives, do we pause for moments of meditations?" Thomas S Monson 
balancing an 18 credit hour schedule, two jobs, and a social life has been a challenge this semester. i need to try harder to make a conscious effort to slow down my pace, find time to ponder and listen. for i know that the Spirit guides us with quite promptings.

"We enter mortality not to float with the moving currents of life but with the power to think, reason and achieve" -Thomas S Monson 
laziness is so dang easy sometimes! but we are here on earth and have the potential to be a powerful force to mankind. why waste away this precious life without goals/aspirations or a knowledge of our purpose here? i know that i need to be stronger and more bold, for i believe in will in turn bring me more happiness and light in my life. 

"Come back, come up, come in, come all, come unto Thee" Thomas S Monson
our prophet invites all to come unto Christ.  i believe that even the most lost sheep is not forgotten. He is mindful of us perfectly. i know that i always can turn to Thee in my lowest lows and highest highs. He is there, waiting for us, arms wide open and we just need to let Him embrace us with His love.

"Heaven is filled with those who are forgiven, and those who forgive" Dieter F Uchtdorf
we are far from perfection. as humans we are constantly making mistakes and we need to also be constantly repenting and forgiving. the acceptance of an apology is just as important as the apology.  heaven is for all and we must be quick to forgive.


"Trouble can be a way for you to build your faith" Henry B Eyring
trials are apart of life, its how we handle them that is the most crucial part. when crap happens in our lives, there are two roads to take, growing nearer or growing farther from our Heavenly Father. i think we just gotta booya satan and cling to our Savior to get through the scummy days life throws at us.

"Stop it." Dieter F Uchtdorf
today there is a growing epidemic of gossip, envy, contention, etc. and President Uchtdorf simply says "stop it." that's all! we gotta stop it. and trust me, i am most definitely a victim of this warning.  gossip is gossip even if its true.  we need to stop judging and have a heart full of love towards God's children.

"We have the responsibility to be God's hands on earth." Elder Haleck
yes of course, i believe that Christ lives! however he doesn't literally walk the earth today, but that is why He uses His children to do the work on earth for Him. questions are often answered through other people, God utilizes His children to act for Him. i need to try to be more Christlike and by finding those He would include or lend a helping hand to, i can become closer to achieving that level of righteousness. He is our greatest example and i can only work at becoming worthy of His great blessings in my every day life.

"Remember who you are and the things you must protect." -Julie Beck
we are children of God, given the greatest opportunity to gain a mortal body, come to earth, be tried and tested, and to eventually return back home to live for eternity with God and our families. when i really think deeply about where i came from, who i am, and where i going, my mind is blown. i stand firm in my beliefs and will protect it's truthfulness till the day i die.

"Prayer is the passport to peace"
i would go ape shiz crazy with out the power of communication with my Heavenly Father through prayer. i pray constantly, in the most reverent and irreverent locations, at all times, for the most critical and simplest things. i know with certainty He is always there, wrapping His arm around His children, we just need to humble ourselves and believe in the power prayer truly has.


"Lift up your hearts and be happy, everyday." L Tom Perry
flawlessly, simply said.

"Be not afraid, only believe, in seasons of peace and seasons of struggles." Paul Pieper
again, so flawlessly simply said.

i know that this gospel is absolutely true.  i know that the Book of Mormon is the most correct of any other book.  i know that Christ lived so i can be saved and live with my Father again. i know that the prophets and apostles who spoke this weekend are truly men of God who lead the gospel how God would if He was on the earth today. i know that i have an eternal family because my parents were sealed together for time and all eternity in the temple/the house of the Lord. i know that just as much God is real, so is satan and he is doing all he can to oppose the only true church on the planet. i know that when i turn to my Heavenly Father in prayer, he hears and answers me. i know He is mindful of each and every one of us on the most personal level. i know that i am a divine daughter of a Heavenly King who loves me and who has a perfect plan for me.

 and i am forever grateful to have this knowledge, cause i believe that is it the root to all my happiness!

happy sabbath everyone! :)

3/17/12

• woke up-HUGE breakfast at the canc
• rex lee run 10k with lilz
• ran errands, read some hunger games, and took a nap
• real salt lake season opener! 
• solid saturday!

my best friend is ENGAGED!!!!

what a whirlwind these past few days have been!

"holy monkeys is all this really happening?" keeps popping up in my brain

last night, saturday the 10th of march, i watched as my best friend was proposed to!

all week, i avoided brooke. 

something entirely unusual for us...we have been as one for all i can remember of my college life!

but i wasnt going to ruin this surprise, the surprise that she will tell and retell for the rest of her life!

i awkwardly left the room, changed conversation topics, and faked watching a show to avoid any potential dropping of hints! and i did it! i kept a secret from her, something i thought was impossible!

and her face on saturday night proved she was entirely clueless! 

and sure, ill give myself some credit, i did set this cute couple up. 

brooke inspires me everyday. i cant imagine what college would be like with the absence of our friendship. she is everything you want in a roommate/friend and i couldnt be more grateful to have been blessed with her to conquer my freshmen year of college with. 

and for jeff, is such a great guy!  he is so good to my brookie cooks. he put me in my silent hysteric laugh, he is so thoughtful to brooke, and i know he will love her and take care of her for eternity.

throughout this whole sabam, ive been completely at ease with the quickness of this relationship.

why? because they are meant for each other. and i know that with complete surety. 

after robert sang this brad paisley song and i was watching the proposal right in front of me, i lost it. 

there was no stopping these tears!

a tsunami of emotions crashed over me and i was goners!

the things jeff said about brooke, killed me.  the look on her face, killed me.  the way she kissed him, killed me. the way he looked into her pretty eyes saying "i love you" and "will you marry me" on one knee with the most gorgeous ring in his hands, killed me.  

let me repeat, i was goners.  

but luckily i was able to put that aside and take some presh pics

there couldnt be a more stunningly beautiful duo on this planet.

there are more pictures/videos but i dont want to spoil the cuteness of the pictures of her perfect night!
so these are just a little sneak preview of the cuteness to come 

after they had time to themselves, brooke and i laughed and cried and hugged (she actually hugged me!!) and spun and squawked about how 3 months ago we were avid hulu watchers every night, how we were "too obsessed with each other to ever find a guy" (...an actual quote from josh regarding our love lives) and how quickly life happens.

later that night when all the commencing ended, brooke came back to the dorm and we chatted for too long, maybe we talked for longer than we slept but, oh well. it was so worth it.  

there really isnt anyway i could be more thrilled for these two love birds! 

their happiness makes everyone around them happier!

their love makes everyone around them more optimistic!

their future is going to be crazy awesome and i can not until they have some #indianbabies!!!

a ginormous congratulation to brookie and jeffers!

love you so much b.

cosmo horoscope was spot on!

  cosmo magazine got it right guys...

i was planning on going home this weekend and surprising my family and olivia but that fell through and if there was ever i time i needed to get out of provo the most, this weekend was it.  

school has been stressful,

ive been working a lot at my jobs,
im very very very single,

and i just miss my home (aka my family, olivia and the ocean)

FRIDAY

 lily noticed i was having a crappy day on friday so she said, then lets get out of here! and boy did she know exactly what to say.  we drove up to park city and talked about life and ate at this fancy little bistro on main street! and i only spent 10 buckeros! an additive bonus. i really loved spending time with her and just catching up. im really lucky to have her in my life, she has way of just making me feel 100% at ease. after, she left to go have a disney movie night with her boyfriend (don't you wish you had those, ya i do) and i met up with great friends in park city.

 then just the girls walked around main street, got some sassy attitude from the employees of the store that we were clearly loitering in, then thought of sneaky ways to get an invite to brandon's cabin. we got it! yes! so we headed over there and went in the spa, used a free car service to go to the grocery store (NOTE: this is the part where i read my horoscope in cosmo magazine and had my mind blown of its crazy accuracy!!) we picked up some goodies and headed home singing songs from grease...the driver wasnt too supportive of our singing.  we made fancy deer valley cookies and watched the goofy movie.  friday night was a happy one.  it was exactly what i needed. 

 SATURDAY

 the fun of our saturday wasn't photographed enough, but this will do!

in the morning we woke up and went to "crave" an acai bowl place in park city

here is rach with the chiropractor, he was very passionate about his job. 

surprisingly,  i won this bizarre healthiness test and got a free bowl! yipe!!

i drove down to provo to work, then drove right back up after! (thanks ash!)

upon our arrival, we crammed 9 people in chad's car and headed back up to brando's cabin for round 2

we played sardines, made some pina colada, had (not so) deep chats in the bunk room, made cookies and crescents, jammed to some oldies, and enjoyed the company of the coolest cats in p town. 

ash and i slept in the master bed! i havent had a slept like i did on saturday night in ages!

i drempt that i was justin beibers girlfriend, and im not even a j. beibs fan!

 SUNDAY

ash and i woke up to the smell of pancakes, eggs and hashbrowns, thanks chad! 

we forgot it was fast sunday! yikes! 

we got all ready for church and sure enough they changed the time for the visitors ward. such a bummer! so we had no choice but to head home and go on a sunday walk. 

no, not just a sunday walk, more like a sunday hike through the snowy deer valley mountains.

we are talking knee high treading is snow...and i was wearing a skirt and moccasins!

thanks cosmo, for having my back in a time of need! 

i really love my friends.  

avery is officially out of her "rut" HOORAY!!