Life is beautiful!

Well it's about time to update this thing!

First off- Insanity was bust. Just kidding it wasn't...I actually really LOVED it. I was dedicated for two weeks and then I messed up my ankles really bad so I stopped...and getting back into it never happened. BUT I got new workout shoes for Christmas so starting January 1st (maybe sooner) I'm starting back up again. Honestly though, the two weeks I DID do it, I saw results. Amazing results. I can't wait to start up again full force!

Aside from that, life has been absolutely amazing these past couple months. I can't even begin to explain how blessed I have been. I don't know what I did to deserve all of the blessings I have been blessed with but I am definitely not complaining.

October, I got a new car! The fact that I do not have to fight over my parents car (at 20 years old, mind you) is AMAZING! I got a 2002 Nissan Sentra which I love. The gas mileage is awesome, and I love that I can personalize everything about it. I also love the fact that I do NOT have car payments to worry about! Thank you mom and dad! :)

In November I was able to go to the UK! THE UK! I have been dreaming about going there since I can remember. I have always loved the history that is EVERYWHERE there and I FINALLY was able to see it in person. On Sunday, November 13th, one of my best friends informed me that I could use a buddy pass for US Airways (compliments of her AMAZING sister) to fly to the UK with her. This meant that I could fly there for a FABULOUS price! She was going to visit our good friend Rachel who lives in Scotland, and she thought I would want to go too. Yes. I. Did. One problem though- I didn't have a passport and she was leaving that coming Wednesday the 16th! After a ton of research, I found out that there is a passport agency in Tucson that issues same-day passports if you can prove that you are traveling within two weeks. I prayed and prayed that it would work out and it did. Seriously everything worked out perfectly without a single problem. A little over a day and a half later, we were off to the UK! Honestly, it was the most spontaneous thing I have ever done in my life! We flew to Charlotte, North Carolina first, then to London, then to Edinburgh, Scotland. Our plan was- well, we didn't really have a plan (and if you know me, that is something that I would normally NEVER feel comfortable with because of how much of a planner and worrywart I am). The only thing we really knew was that we were going to visit Scotland for about 2 weeks and then we were going to stay a few days in London to visit our other good friend, Cami, who was studying abroad there at the time. Because we were using buddy passes, how long we stayed was flexible because we could go home on any flight we wanted as long as there were seats available. THAT was wonderful! I am not going to go into detail about our trip (I will do that in a different post) but I will say that I had the best time of my life! I felt so independent! Our host, Rachel, was amazing and planned something for us to do every single day, even when she had to work or had school! I am so grateful for her because she made everything possible. I miss her!!!!!!! We met so many wonderful people there, and formed so many new friendships. We even cooked an "american" Thanksgiving for our new Scottish friends (because we were there over Thanksgiving). The night before we flew to London, Michelle and I were trying to book a hostel to stay at but they were completely full! We were so worried so we pushed our flight to London back a day so we could figure it out. Luckily, Rachel's mother knew of an LDS lady who ran a small bed and breakfast in London so we were able to stay there for 10 pounds a night. She was such a sweet lady and I am so grateful it all worked out in the way that it did. There is a reason for everything! Seeing Rachel and Cami again was wonderful and I am so glad we were able to! On the way home we ran into minor problems but the way they worked out turned out to be a blessing- I don't even consider those minor "problems," problems anymore! The flight we were going to get on to go back to the US got cancelled after most everyone on our flight had already been checked in. Dragging our HUGE bags everywhere was a nightmare and we were not sure what we were going to do because we had nowhere to stay that night, and there were no more flight to North Carolina until the next day. After waiting in line for a few hours to get our new flights arranged, we were informed that US Airways was going to put everyone up in a hotel for the night for free. Normally they don't give these perks to standbys (us) because we can change our flights at no cost, but the line was so long they ended up giving us hotel vouchers anyway. Not only that, they gave us vouchers for free lunch, dinner and breakfast at the hotel. We stayed at a gorgeous Hilton which was RIGHT next to the airport so it made it easier to get to our new flight the next day. When we finally arrived in North Carolina, the flights to Phoenix were completely full. Michelle's sister and brother in law live in North Carolina so we ended up staying with them for a night (thank goodness). The next day we got on a flight and finally made it HOME! Heavenly Father was definitely watching out for us. He always does, and I feel so blessed that I know that. Everything worked out wonderfully and in the way that it was supposed to- I will never be able to describe how grateful I am for the opportunity I had to travel to Europe. I can't wait to go back! I missed my family and Kent a lot, but it was worth it! :P Haha just kidding- I want to take them ALL there!

I also got a new nanny job and I start in January. The family lives in my neighborhood which is so convenient. Woohoo!

Can life get any better?!


I'll write a blog post about my Europe trip in more detail later- I am too tired and there is WAY too much to say. Plus, lots and lots of pictures! Stay tuned!


Cheerio!