Catch Up!

Flip, I've had no time for anything it seems like lately! School and soccer have taken over my life!! ANYWHO! Ü So, I'm going to do a bit of a catch up since I haven't done anything posts of my summer or nuthin'! So here goes! Ü
May 19th - June 1st:
We went to Danny's Medical School Graduation over in Milwaukee, WI! What a trip!

We're leaving Denver to Milwaukee...an 18 hour trip...

We turned it into a Church History Trip after the graduation! So so SOOOO awesome!!

Me in the Sprecher Brewery in Milwaukee! haha Ü

Danny graduated, and we played in Milwaukee with him for the weekend.

Someone broke into our van and stole our camera. :(

The Mississippi!

Then we left to Nauvoo, IL.

Lil' cabin we stayed in while in Nauvoo. It was tiny!!!

Now, this place is AMAZING. I love it. I love the spirit that you feel while you're there too! It's just wonderful. We got the opportunity of going to do Baptisms for the Dead there in the Nauvoo Temple when we went! Best and most amazing experience of my life!!! Ü

Joseph & Hyrum

We stayed in Nauvoo for a couple days and toured around.

Me in the Mississippi!

Then we went to Far West, Missouri (i don't know the initials for that state..). But on the way, we stopped at Tom Sawyers Cave! His ACTUAL cave!!!! Ü
That night we got to stay in some cabins in the woods!
That was fun! Ü While in Far West, we went to Haun's Mill,
the Far West Temple Site,
Adam-ondi-Ahman,
and Jamestown.

Notice the sign... Ü

Jamestown is a little Amish town there in Missouri. We saw them riding their carriages!! Ü After Far West, we went to Independence. We went to Liberty Jail,
the Independence Visitors Center, and then to the Community of Christ's temple that is across the street from the Visitors center. It's a really weird temple...Then after that, we went back home. Stayed in Denver with my Aunt Karen for a couple days, then finished the trip home.

Me and cousin Julie!

It was awesome!!! Ü

Hiking in the Rocky Mountains! Ü

We stopped at a gold mine on the way home!

June 9th - 14th:
My mom and I made a trip down to Pheonix to help Danny move into his new condo! That was a fun trip! Just me and my mom! Ü I love my mom! Ü It was fun playing and helping Danny too!

Me & Danny in his newly furnished condo! Ü

We went to Ikea a LOT!! But I didn't mind, because Ikea is SOOO cool!! Ü When it comes time to decorate my house, I'm going to Ikea! Ü

Misty, Lil' Jacob, and Me! They came and said 'Hi' while we were in Pheonix!

June 17th - 20th:
BROWN FAMILY REUNION!!! I love going to the Brown Family Reunion!

Kelsey, Rachel, & Me!

It makes up most of my childhood summer memories! And it's so calm and peaceful while you're up there at the ranch!
Except for when Betsy gets after us teenagers about the A-Frame... And I love going to see all my cousins!! It's a blast! Ü
June 21st - 25th:
Soccer Camp up at SUU. It was a crazy busy week! So. Much. Soccer!!!
But it went good! I barely got sore too! So that was really nice! Ü And my face didn't swell again like it did last year so when I got home, I didn't look like a Klingon! Bwuahaha Ü

Ouch... (that's me in the pink)

July 2nd - 4th:
We went to California to celebrate the Fourth of July with my Grandma Stone! It was fun! We rented a condo that was only ONE block away from the beach! Hoorah!!! Ü

Can you see the ocean between the buildings there!?! Ü

And then one block away from the Bay, which every night you could go to the Bay and watch the fireworks from Sea World! Which were SOOO awesome! Best fireworks I've ever seen! They were at least 3 times longer than the ones here in St. George. The grand finale was even bigger than the firework show here in St. George! It was Epic! Ü Then for the actual 4th, we went over to some cousins house and went down to the beach and watched the fireworks being shot off the pier! I love fireworks! Ü

Fireworks on the pier Ü

July 5th - 10th:
Loren and Nelda Tyler family reunion! It was so fun!
We had a cabin up at Lake Arrowhead that we went to for the reunion! I didn't really have many cousins my age there, so I played with all the youngins

Ain't she a cutie!? Ü

Which was fine by me, because they were so fun!
And so cute!! Ü Lake Arrowhead was beautiful, and it barely got above 80 degrees! It was so nice!
July 12th - 17th:
UREA!!! Ü I flippin' LOVED this week! It was so fun! And I made some awesome friends! (see previous post) Ü
July 19th - 23rd:
Soccer conditioning. UGH. Not the funnest week...at all.
July 27th - 30th:
Girls Camp!!!! Ü

Best of Friends! Ü Me, Kara, & Shayna

This year at girls camp, we had bunkers! It was like we were in a concentration camp! It was SO weird!

Our bunkers...weird, eh!?

But it was still so fun! And it was actually quite nice, because for most of the week it was raining the whole time, so it was nice to have a dry place to retire to. Ü The 3rd day of girls camp we had a ropes course!
It was so fun! It got quite muddy by the end, but it was fun! Ü

We look the best when we're dirty. Ü

At the end of that day, I had to leave girls camp early because I was going home to meet my brother Loren, as he came off the plane from his mission in Fiji!!! (so it was worth it to leave girls camp.) Ü

Kara, Saya, & Me! Ü

July 29th:Loren is BACK!!! And with an accent too! ;)
No worries, it's starting to go away, but it's still faintly there! Hehe, I LOVE having Loren back!!! He's so fun! I've missed him so much! It was fun while we were waiting at the airport for him. We 'waved' the plane down, and then anxiously waited till he got off the plane. He tortured us by being the last one off the plane, and taking his sweet time to come in through the doors of the 'HUGE' airport we have here in St. George! ;) When we got home, he told us stories, showed us pictures, and gave us gifts! And showed all his souvenirs!

Us Girls in our Sulu's! Loren brought 'em back for us!

It was awesome! He even brought us back some brain forks! 0_o (Fiji used to be cannibalistic...) It's wonderful having him back home! Ü

The Fam Ü

August 2nd & 3rd:
Soccer tryouts! I made it! Woot! haha Ü And Rachel made it too! We're gonna 'rock' the team this year! ;) Haha get it? 'Rock'? We are the Stone's! Ü Anywho..hehe Then soccer practice started and summer was pretty much over. And then school started on the 11th of August. That meant summer was officially over. :( And now I've just been up to school and soccer ever since! And homework...can't forget that stuff... :/ But, occasionally I do get some free days/nights! So one of these free nights, my best friend Shayna and I did our Senior Picture Photo Shoot with my parents! The pictures look amazing! Ü I'll post them soon!
OH! And I almost forget. So Homecoming for Pine View is this week! And guess what! I got voted to be on Homecoming Royalty!!! Ü

The shirt is WAY too big for me! haha Ü

What a surprise that was to be woken up at 5:45 in the morning and be told I'm on royalty! It's awesome! I'm really really excited! And I've got an awesome date! Scott Carlson! It'll be fun! I'm so excited! I'll post pictures of Homecoming after it's all done! Ü Well, that's my quick short catch up of my BUSY summer!! (even though it's not that short...)

Keep Smiling!! Ü

UREA!

This past week I was able to go to a Leadership camp called UREA. (Don't ask me what it stands for because I can't remember!!) Ü Anywho! I had a BLAST!!!! It was so so SOOO much fun! I made some AMAZING friends!

Aspen, Mckensie, & Marissa! I LOVE these girls!!

We stayed up at Snow College in some apartments by the campus. The first day, we got there and changed into our swimsuits and went and did "Snow Follies". It was a HUGE water fight and water games! So much fun! After Snow Follies, we had to change again and go to some classes.

My AWESOME shoes!! Don't they look grand!? Ü

Tuesday, the second day, we had classes ALL day. It was quite tiring!! But they were good classes! And awesome people who spoke! Ü Tuesday night we had a talent show! Hunter and I were supposed to sing a duet, "Lucky" by Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat, but Hunter lost his voice during the Snow Follies so we weren't going to do anything. But 20 minutes before the talent show ended I decided to sing a solo. I sang "The Call" by Regina Spektor. It went alright...I won't go into details. And after the talent show, we had a dance! Well..we mainly just learned some dances for the 'real' dance on Thursday. Ü

Marissa, Me, & Aspen!

Wednesday, in my opinion, was the FUNNEST day of the whole week!!! Guess why!?

Me on the Catwalk!

Me climbing up The Wall

YUP! We went to a ropes course and did courses and challenges ALL day!! It was SO FUN!! Ü

Me & Ross climbing up on the Duo Ladder Ü

Climbing over the Log - We had to get everyone over without losing contact of the person next to you.

Me jumping from the 20ft. pole to try and get the trapeze

Sha-Nay-Nay Group! Ü

After the ropes course, we went to the rec center down the street and played there. I played indoor soccer, and then went swimming!

Cherish, Cami, & Amerie Ü

Thursday, another day of classes. BUT it was the last of the classes! We had classes till around 3. Then we took a test on all the stuff we learned from all the classes. The test was to determine who got a scholarship or not. Each co-op had a different number of scholarships they give out. My co-op, Dixie Escalante, gave out 8 scholarships. (6 - $2,000 scholarships, 1 - $1,000 & Washington DC trip scholarship, and 1 - $2,500 memorial scholarship) After the test, we then got into our co-ops to choose a youth director for next year. A lot of people ran, including me. Then we put our votes in. (We wouldn't find out who was voted youth director until the banquet that night).

Marissa Ü

After the test, we had 3 hours just to hang out and PLAY! Ü Oh, and to get ready for the banquet too. After our time was up, we went and took group pictures, and then went to our banquet. We ate dinner, and then the scholarships were awarded! I got a $2,000 scholarship!!! Ü After all the scholarships were given, they then introduced to new youth directors. I got voted to be the youth director next year for Dixie Escalante!!!!! Ü I was so so happy and excited!!! And my friend, Aspen, got voted to be a youth director too!! Yay!

Marissa, Me, & Aspen! All ready for pictures and dinner! Ü

After all the awarding and presenting, we had a speaker, and after, we had our 'Black Out' dance! We all decked out in glow in the dark sticks and everything! Ü It was so much fun!

Me, Aspen, Karli, & Chelsea! My roomies!!! Ü They were the best! Every night we would stay up until about 1 and just talk! They were so fun!

Then I got a 'lovely' surprise. All the new youth directors were called down under the pavilion Thursday night, and we were told that we had to stay up ALL night so as to make sure no one would sneak out of their apartments. UGH!!! Hardest thing ever for me! We had to stay outside too! It was sooo cold!!!

Chase, Cody, & Tawni - Keeping warm!

I had to keep taking pictures so I wouldn't fall asleep! Although, I still fell asleep every once in a while for about 20 or so minutes at a time.

Playing the guitar, keeping awake!

Rhett, Mitch, & Cole - they stayed up for a little bit with us too haha Ü

Bored..and trying not to fall asleep!

I finally gave up at 5:45am and went inside to my bed. But hey! I made it till it was starting to get light outside, so I think it counts! ;)

You can kinda see the sunrise (barely) behind me!

Friday, we said goodbye to all the awesome friends we made. I'm seriously going to miss everyone so much!!! Haha, I made plans to go and play with my friends that I made that live up by Fillmore. It'll be fun. Ü They are AWESOME!!

Me & Jess - She's AWESOME! Ü

Me & Marissa! Ü Love her! She's WONDERFUL!
Aspen & Me! She's AMAZING Ü

Mckensie, Marissa, and Me! Mckensie & Marissa are flippin' awesome!

On the way home, one of our bus tires BLEW UP!!!!! It was crazy!!!

Crazy, eh!?
We all had to just 'chill' and play while we waited for the bus to be fixed!

One of the best weeks of my life. Ü I loved it! And I love all the new friends I made!! Ü

Cousins United! ;)

Wow, what a busy summer for me so far! I have so much to tell, so many pictures! But the main thing I want to tell about is my family reunion I had a week ago! For one of my 'long lost cousins' finally came again!! ;)
Each and every year, I have a Brown Family Reunion. This is my favoritest part of summer! I have a lot of awesome cousins, and I have three that are like best friends to me. :) Rogan, Kelsey, & Bethany! We are always hanging out at the reunions, catching snakes and lizards! :) I love going to reunion to see them!

2000 - Bethany, Rogan, Kelsey (and her lizard), & Me :)

Well, one year, Rogan didn't come.
2002 - Last year I saw Rogan

Then the next I didn't go, but she did. Then she didn't go again until this year, 2010! I figured it out by looking at pictures in my scrapbook, that I hadn't seen Rogan in 8 years!!!! Crazy, eh!? It was so good to see her and play with her again!! Hehe :) It made reunion a blast to have her there! The four of us were all back together again! :)
Me, Rogan, Kelsey, & Bethany :)I love my amazing, wonderful cousins!!! :) They are the best!

Dance Mary Dance

I love you Mary. :) ♥
There's a light in her eyes that escapes you and me. From the worries of life she will ever be free. Imperfect in form, but a soul that is pure, her place in heaven is sure. In a world that is hers, on small nimble feet, she whirls and she twirls to an unheard beat.

There's a smile on her face, what's she thinking of now? Is she hearing a song in the silence somehow? Though her voice in this life cannot sing a tune, she has a song of her own. In a world that is hers on small nimble feet, she whirls and she twirls to an unheard beat.

I bow on my knees and thank God for sending Mary to teach me of love. A blessing of rare and infinite worth, she's showing me what matters on Earth. In a world that is hers, on small nimble feet, she whirls and she twirls to an unheard beat.

Dance Mary dance, Mary dance. Dance in your own way. Dance Mary dance, Mary dance. Dance Mary dance, Mary dance.

Song written by Patricia Stone

NACD Cleaning group! :) - 5/1/10

L to R: Top Row - Mary, Dad, Mom, Cindy, Chandis, Wades, Me, Jessica, Shayna, Hunter
Bottom Row - Rachel, Hannah, Kelsie, Nathanial, Aubrey

ACT

Well, the ACT came and went. On April 10th I went and took the ACT. I thought I did pretty well afterward, and then I had to wait. Wait, wait and wait for my scores to finally either be mailed or show up online. FINALLY they were put online!! Today they posted ACT scores online! What was my score!? I got a 26!! I could have done better, but it wasn't too shabby for my first time! I'm going to sign up again for the June 12th ACT and hope to get better! Also, I'm taking the writing portion of the ACT next time. Yikes. We'll see how it goes!! :)

Preference!

So this past Saturday (the 20th), Pine View had a school dance...Preference!! :) It was girls ask guy, and I asked this really nice guy - Beau Jones. Beau had soccer games up north (in Salt Lake) that weekend, and came home that Saturday, so we didn't start our day date 'till about 1:30. The day date was fun! We dyed easter eggs, had an easter egg hunt, and then played games! Our group consisted of 4 couples. Jessica Hutchings & Kaden Cox, Jillian Schmutz & Corey Kimzey, and Kylee Sawyer & Mike Cooper, and then me & Beau! It was a fun group! After games, we went home and got ready, and then later we had dinner, pictures, and then the dance! Dinner was great, and pictures were fun. :) The dance was awesome! Haha it was so much fun! After the dance, we went to Jessica's house and had brownies and ice cream! We were all so crazy just from being tired it was awesome! :) So much funness! hehe :)

On the tire swing! :)

The Group! L to R: Jessica, Kaden, Jillian, Corey, Kylee, Mike, Me, & Beau

Me & Beau! :)

The group again! :)

Gone!

So, my 3 best guy friends are all gone...the last one leaves for his mission just this Wednesday! Mitch left first and went to Brazil; Ryan left second and went to Washington; and Josh is leaving for Thailand! So much crazyness!! :) It's awesome to see them all go, and now I can't wait for two years to come and see them all come home! :)

Mitch, Josh, and Ryan at graduation May '09All of my best friends before Mitch leaves

L to R: Josh, Shayna, Mitch, Me, Ryan, and Jill! :)St. George TempleI can't wait to get letters from them and hear about how they are doing, and hear all their awesome stories of serving the Lord! :)