How could your heart not melt when you see these kids??

I am such a sucker for my nieces and nephew. I LOVE THEM!! They are soo much fun to have around! I just can't get enough of these kids! They all have such fun little personalities and it is so cute to watch them play with eachother (and talk in their own language). Here are some fun pictures of all the kids on our trip to Sun Valley.

Allie has some pretty classic faces she pulls

Jack LOVED riding this stone lion

Allie was not a fan of Austin, probably because he teased her!

Our newest addition: Rylie Kate Bunnell

Such a handsome little guy

Kali LOVES Allie...I think Allie is a little overwhelmed...

Kali is such an AWESOME big sister! She doesn't let Rylie out of her sight!!

My Humble Abode

I just got back from moving my stuff up to my new house in Logan! I am soooo thrilled with my new place! I am very excited to be in a HOUSE, have my OWN ROOM, and have FUN ROOMMATES! I am super excited for this year!! It will be sooooo much better than last year (I hope!). My mom, trudy, and I went to work and got me moved in and my room decorated in record time!! Here are some pictures of my new place! Feel free to visit ANYTIME!

My cute little house

A picture wall

My bed and these cute little dots that stick on the walls super easy and add a little personality!

My cute desk!

Trudy got very creative with hanging the heavier pictures cause we couldn't use nails!

So that's the new place, I can't wait for a GREAT school year!!

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND

So somehow I got lucky the other day. I randomly get this phone call from my neighbors who happen to have an extra ticket to the Dave Matthews Band concert and they need a date for their nephew. I was the lucky winner. Are you kidding me? Tickets to a huge concert?? I am totally down! We had tickets for the "Grooo Pit" which is like where the people stand right in front of the stage before the seats even start! It was super legit, and I must say....Dave ages quite nicely! He was very easy on the eyes! I didn't know like any of the songs cause I never listen to Dave Matthews, but it was still a way good time! Let me tell ya, that man can perform! It was so fun to watch him and I was so happy that I got hooked up with this free concert! This was the best pic I had on my phone, cause you couldn't take cameras!

SUN VALLEY

So I just returned from a sweet little trip to a little place called Sun Valley, Idaho! The whole family came, which was pretty cool that we got everyone together! Katie even came three days after getting a C-Section and she brought her new little girl Rylie Kate Bunnell! She is so cute and I was so glad that I got to spend some time with her before I move back up to school. There was a lot to do up there, but mostly I just relaxed, played games, went running, and slept! I did, however, go river rafting down the Salmon one day and go to an ice skating show that featured the recent Men's olympic gold medalist! All in all, it was a good trip and fun to spend time with the family, especially all the silly little kids!

The Legit house we stayed in

All the kids played so well together

The WHOLE fam...hard to take a good picture with everyone

The Four Grandbabies!!

Kelli: Little Miss Outdoorsy

Going through the "quiet zone"

My favorite dad!!

LOVE YOUR LIFE!

SOOO...I have had a pretty good life in my short 21 years. I pretty much live by the saying "Carpe Diem" or Seize the Day! I always am looking for ways to "Live it up" and make life more exciting. Today, I realized how much I have been lucky enough to do! I really have done so much and can cross off many things on my invisible bucket list of things to do before I die! Here are some things that I have done in my life....

Skydiving!

I ran college cross country for Dixie State and actually made it to Western Regionals!

I went on an African Safari!

Yep, that's right...I DROVE AN AIRPLANE!

This is one of my favorite pictures, cause it totally illustrates the joy I have whenever I get to water ski!

I was a snowboard teacher this past year!

I always dreamed of playing college soccer, and that dream came true at Dixie State my freshman year!

I went on an 8-day backpacking trip through the Andes Mountains to Macchu Picchu. This picture is of us making clay to build a school!

Yep, that's right, I have performed a minor surgery! I interned at a Dermatology office, and the last day I did my own surgery on a guy that worked there!

I ran a marathon! And I actually did pretty good! 3rd in my Age Group!!

There is so much more I want to do, but I have been pretty lucky to have been able to do so much in such a short time! Next up...Half Ironman in March!

All My Toys

So this past year, I have made some BIG purchases. All of them I love, and all of them have been because of my active lifestyle. I have no regrets. Why should I? I am young and single and can do whatever I want! Might as well get all my toys now while I am in college and have no other expenses! Did I mention I love my life?

Here is a glimpse of some of my little treasures I have gotten in the past year...

My most recent purchase as of last week, Saucony Kinvara- The lightest running shoe on the market! I have been LOVING these! They are PINK, LIGHT, AND COMFY! All the things I love in one shoe!

My new board, K2 Va Va Voom Rocker. LOVE this board!

Felt Z6 Full Carbon Bike. I have LOVED this during my ankle recovery. It is great to cross-train with!

And...This post wouldn't be complete without my BABY! 2009 Hyundai Elantra. This is my most favorite toy of them all. (Her name is Ariel if you were wondering). She just turned ONE!

Be Thankful Always

So BIG news! I graduated from physical therapy today!! I can FINALLY do whatever physical activities that I want to do! I was SOOO happy when I got the news today. It has been such a long long road since I first felt a pain in my foot back in February. I remember being sooo bummed when I had to quit my job as a snowboarding teacher, laying on the couch after surgery feeling so low, trying to get around campus on crutches, pushing through pain and swelling to improve my strength and range of motion. I NEVER thought I was going to be back to normal. It just seemed too out of reach for me! I think that I have learned a lot through this experience, and even though it was hard, I am glad that I had this experience at the time that I did. Heavenly Father always knows when you need to go through a trial to have the opportunity to grow.

Lately I have felt a real sense of loss. I have missed a lot of people who were once in my life, but have moved on for various reasons. Although it is hard to lose people and miss people, I would never take back my experiences with them or love I have for them. I have learned to always be thankful for the time that I have had with them, and know to trust in the Lord to bring the people in my life who need to be in my life at a particular time.

Through everything, I have learned that it is always important to take a step back to be thankful for all that I have. It is important to be thankful and not take anything for granted, because who knows when it (or they) might be taken away? You don't! But through every trial, there is always an opportunity to learn and grow and become a more efficient instrument in the Lord's hands.

So here are a few things I am thankful for....

The Gospel

A healthy body

Nature/Snow

My Family

Lake Powell/Summer

My VERY supportive parents (my mom never missed a soccer game)

This Guy and all I learned from him during his time on earth

The best friends I have ever had!

(Dixie 4 Life!)

Best.Day.

Yesterday was oh so very grand. I babysat Allie (In pictures above). I decided that we were going to play outside, because I can't get enough of this awesome heat! I love it! Anyway, so we walked around a bit and played for awhile, until I got pretty tired. Allie was pretty tired cause she has been getting teeth and has been pretty fussy. So I decided we were going to just lay in the hammock. Most kids (Jack and Kali) would never wanna just chill in the hammock. Allie definitely did. We laid there for about TWO HOURS swinging back and forth and jammin to Bob Marley and Jack Johnson. It really was sooo chill and awesome just to enjoy time chillin with her. She was all cuddly and would fall in and out of sleep. It was so fun just to chill with her and bond. After we came in, she was totally attached to me and would only come to me. I think we have finally had a breakthrough!