This is our testimony, last of all, which we give of Him: That He lives! (Doctrine & Covenants 76:22)

I know I have missed telling you a lot. Since I last wrote there have been 2 engagements, 2 weddings, 2 first birthdays, 2 new babies on the way, 2 college degrees and 1 major decision that will forever change my life.
My sister Heather's wedding was beautiful and I am so grateful to have been able to be there for it. Congratulations Heather & Marc.
I am sad to have missed Patty's wedding (thanks for the pictures Aunt Tina, Hunter was so cute in his little tux) and that I will also miss Kirsten's.
I am so excited for Patty and Kirsten to have found such wonderful guys that they want to share the rest of their lives with. I think Chad and Brian will make awesome additions to our family.
I missed Rustin and Maddie's first birthdays as well. (I guess that is what I get for living in another state.)I can't believe they are both already so big. I can see Maddison is already turning into a lovely little lady. And that Rustin, oh boy, is he gonna be a heartbreaker.
Congratulations to my sister-in-law Sara and best friend Kapri on the new babies. Kapri will be an awesome mom and, although Sara is already an awesome mom, I am sure Jackson will love being a big brother.
Congratulations to my brother-in-law Tom on his MBA. I knew he was one smart cookie. And I am certainly glad to have finished my Associates Degree.
But the reason I am writing today is because of that ONE big decision I made. Last Aug. I made the decision that I would serve a full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a surprise to a lot of people, most of all me after a lifetime of being sure that a mission was not really for me. But I sent in my papers and received my call and now, in just a week and a half I will be entering the Missionary Training Center to prepare to teach the people of the North Carolina, Raleigh mission for 18 months.
I know this decision will bless my life because it already has. The love and support I have felt from my family and friends has been overwhelming. I have learned more about my relationship with my Heavenly Father in the last few months that I did in years as a member of this church.
I will try to keep you updated on how I am doing. My sister Courtney will be posting e-mails on here from time to time...hopefully. But, I am leaving for Utah in 2 days so I knew this would be my last chance to write on here for a while. I don't have any pictures to post or detailed stories to tell but I would like to leave you with my testimony.
I know that God is our Heavenly Father and that He loves us each individually. I know that Jesus Christ is His son and that He came down to this earth to die for our sins so that whomever will come unto Him and repent can one day live again in Their presence. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church and that it was restored to this earth by the modern day prophet Joseph Smith. I know that he, by the power of God, translated the Book of Mormon, which is the word of God. I know and am so grateful to have a living prophet on the earth today even Thomas S. Monson. And I know all these things by the power of the Holy Ghost which is within me. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have been given to go out and teach others of these great truths. To preach of the love of our Heavenly Father and the Savior Jesus Christ. I truly know that He answers prayers. He knows us. He loves us. He lives!

Some time with Rustin...and Heather...in Utah.

I've decided I should probably call this blog 'Trips to Utah' because that's all I seem to write about, when I finally get around to writing anything.

So summer is nearly over and I figured I should document what I did with it while I still have a few school free days. I started my summer with, of course, a trip to utah. I got to visit my sister Heather for three whole weeks and I just had the best time. I got to spend a lot of time with Rustin and that was great! Most of the time we just hung around the house but we had fun doing it.

We managed to fit in errands and other fun outings as well. Like one of Hunter's T-ball games where we got to see some of the fam and even though it was raining (just a tiny bit) we had fun. Hunter has gotten much better than when he started apparently. He just looked so cute out on that field...

And a trip to the zoo. We went with Hunter and Madison (Jackson couldn't make it cause he broke his little foot :( sad. )... oh, and their moms were there too. Cheryl and her kids got to come, as well as Allison and Morgan and J.T. and Jamie. I was excited to get to spend some time with Jamie who I never see and I was given the honorary title of Aunt Lauren, it was sweet. It was great day. Rustin loved the giraffes. I just wish I had gotten more pictures...

All in all it was a great start to my summer. I am sad it is coming to a close now but I suppose I'll deal with it. More happened this summer but I will have to fit it into another post. Which I promise is coming ( Aunt Tina, I promise. )

Part Five: Last Christmas.

Finally! Took me long enough. I guess I'm not much for this blogging business. I guess I'll just have to be an archive blogger.

Well I had a great Christmas with my family. First time I had spent all of christmas with my Dad in a long time. Christmas eve we went to the big Tye family party. All the little kids perfomred the Christmas story and then we all got a visit from Santa (even the big kids got to sit on his lap). After that we went back home and all opened our Christmas PJ's. And, because I'm not a mom, I got to go to bed after that. We woke up and Dad, Ann, Patty, Kirsten, Hunter and I opend presents. Family came over a little later and we all exchanged gifts. Patty gave me my gift this year. It was a framed picture of the grandkids. I loved it so much I cried a little.

So we mostly just hung out as a family for the day playing with/putting together presents and passing around the new babies. At one point I ended up with both of them. How did I get so lucky? Really, how? I have such a wonderful family back in Utah and I miss them every day.

Part Four: New Years!!

I know, it's been a while a and I should be done with this trip since it was almost 5 months ago but I couldn't go on without posting the last of the pictures from this awesome Christmas vacation. And these aren't even the last of them. Some time next week I will have the fifth and final part: Christmas! Technically that should go before New Years but I don't care.

So I spent New years up in Logan with my friends. It was awesome, we had an amazing time. We stayed up until...? I can't remember sometime after 4 I think, having some crazy times. Watching mystery science theatre and chinese monster movies (creating our own dubbing of course)playing guitar and reinacting the 'shamwow' commercials. And the next day after a breakfast of Top Ramen, eaten sometime after noon, we all went to Angies and 'Cleaned the Sink'. The Sink is a giant banana spilt, that they serve to you in small kitchen sink. It is huge, It took five of us to finnish off one and we all felt sick. but it was worth it, just look at those bumper stickers!

Like I said I had a great time and I can't wait to see my friends again. I miss them very much!

Part Three: Here Comes the Bride.

I know it's taken me a while to continue the pictures from my last trip but I thought I better get some more up before I come back to Utah in a week!
So like I said I was Maid of Honor for one of my best friends, which was my third (but not final) reason for coming to Utah.
Kapri and I met in Highschool and we have been friends ever since. She is wild and crazy and we have so much fun just being insane together. We were roomates at USU for one year where we quickly learned that for the sake of our friendship we should never live together again. Well, that is not something we need to worry about any more now that she is a happily married woman. To celebrate, we had one last girls night out. Nothing too crazy. But I had so much fun with her and our friends especially, the other bridesmaid Tanya. We had fun shopping for Kapri's 'intimates' earlier that day! Thanks Tannie!

The day after the Girls Party Kapri hopped on a plane to get married the next week...in CALIFORNIA! We thought it was pretty funny that she was going to get married in the state I just left. So I missed the actual wedding but a few weeks later, after the honeymoon, she came back to Utah and they had another reception. It was rather small but so many of our friends showed up to it, it was great. Especially since that was last night in Utah. I got to say goodbye to everybody.
Kapri was beautiful and I got teary eyed a few times, like when her mom was helping her put on her dress and later when I gave my speech and was explaining to everyone how I thought of her as family. It was so great to see how happy Jake makes her. He seems like a great guy and they are both so cute together. It happened fast but it seems like it will last forever.

I wish them both the best of everything and I love them very much!

Part Two: Hunter and Jackson

There is no way I could not include the other two little kiddies that made my trip so special. While it wasn't my first time meeting either of my older nephews, Jackson and Hunter , I was still so excited to see how much they've grown.

Hunter is such a funny and michevious little boy. He was constantly making me smile. He's so observant and involved. He doesn't miss anything. "Aunt Lauren, why you say uh oh?"He has a stubborn side that sometimes I couldn't help but laugh at. He always wants to be in charge. And boy does he love his younger cousins! I felt bad sometimes because I would have to hold him back from Rustin or Maddison just cause he always wanted to hug them and sometimes he needed help being soft. He is so happy that Jackson is big enough to play with now.

Speaking of Jackson, oh my! I couldn't believe what a little boy he had become while I was gone. He was walking and talking and playing games and just being down right adorable. I only got to see him a few times but I was so happy when I did.

Seeing these boys was a definitely a huge highlight of my trip. And it made me realize how much growing up I am missing. I just hope I don't miss all of it.

Part One of my trip: Maddie and Rustin

As many of you know I went up to Utah for Dec. this year. It was great. There was Christmas with the family, Maid of Honor for my best friend, New years with friends. I had so much fun and there were so many pictures and stories that I knew I couldn't fit it all into one post. But I knew I had to get something up because my aunt says she doesn't even bother to read anymore 'cause I post so infrequently. So it looks like my trip will just have to be posted in sections.

There were many reasons for my jaunt to utah this winter. But one of the best reasons was to meet my new niece and nephew. Madison was born in Sept and Rustin In Nov and up until last month I had not seen either of them. The first time I met Rustin I was having a horrible day. My car broke down, I lost my phone and I had just driven into town at 5 that morning. But he really made it all better. He was so tiny and perfect and I loved him right away! For my first week there I stayed with him and his mommy. He's so adorable!

Aunt Courtney's trying to copy his "Oooo" face. Were he purses his tiny lips into a perfect 'O'.

Heath and I were talking while he slept in her lap. We looked down and he had his fooot in his face!

Family Portrait

I think he looks gansta' in that cap.

When he smiled, half of his face smiled first.

Looking so cute in the outfit Aunt Patty(?) bought him.

That first weekend all the sisters and Marc and mom were together. So we had "Family Christmas" on Monday at Heather's house. And earlier Monday evening Dad, Ann, Kirsten and Shelly came over to see Court because she was leaving the next day. The best part was, Shelly brought Madison! She is such a beautiful girl and so alert. Her eyes were always wide open. SO cute! I just LOVE her. Over the next two weeks I was at my dad's house and I got to see Maddie quite a bit. She was so much fun.

She really seemed to like this chair.

Sometimes her eyes were open so wide she looked mesmerized.

Me and cute little Maddie. I made her that hat.

Isn't she cute in her new Christmas jammies?

I know she's yawning but doesn't she looked Shocked and appalled by something?

For a few minutes she found her hands fascinating.

I just love Rustin and Maddie. They are two wonderful additions to our family. They are both so beautiful and such a joy to be around. I know they will grow up to be adorable little toddlers (just like their older cousins). And, may I say, they are two very lucky babies to have two such amazing mommies that love them so very much. Not to mention their daddies, who are so proud (I can already tell Maddie's got Tom wrapped around her tiny finger). And on top of that, they've got some pretty wonderful grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins who love them unconditionally. Yep, these are two lucky kids. And we are one lucky family.