The Best Summer of My Life

I'm missing summer so badly that I figured WHY NOT POST ABOUT IT!

2016 brought me the greatest summer yet. I had so many Firsts, laughs, smiles, and jam sessions. I wouldn't change a single thing.

This summer I found a love that I NEVER imagined I would have. Baseball games. If you know me, you would know that I'm the very opposite of athletic, and my knowledge of sports is minimal. So realizing that I actually enjoyed sitting for hours on end watching baseball was monumental. It's something that I will now always share with my dad and his family. (And I learned lots of funny cheers to make fun of the opposing team from Ben. Oh, the many things a 10 year old boy can show you.)

This is a photo of the first Polaroid I've ever been a part of! Seeing Sophie is something I don't get to do that often, so being with her is really wonderful. Before she moved, she would walk down the street to my house each day during the summer. Sometimes she would even walk into my house, wake me up, and suggest that we make pancakes! Pretty Little Liars themed, of course. (If you've never put pancake mix into a squeeze bottle and made designs on your pancakes, you're living your life wrong.)

Another First this summer was GETTING A PUPPY! Best. Day. Of. My. Life. I cannot believe how much love I have for our little Bear. He's the reason I wake up every morning. Thinking about how much love I have in my heart for a dog makes me really excited to see how much I could possibly love my future kids.

When it comes to family reunions, I'll admit that I haven't always enjoyed them. I never saw what the big deal was, it happened the same way every year, and my family members always thought I was a moody teen. WELL, this year was so different! Seeing so many cousins I've literally grown up with begin new paths in life was so amazing! I realized that I'm finally one of the Big Kids. I never want to forget running up a dirt hill singing High School Musical and Fergalicious with kids who are now on missions and in college.

One of my favorite memories was going hammocking for the first time ever!! Such a fun thing to do. Really really grateful for Emily Price for showing me how much fun it could be and for sharing a hammock with me, even though I kept apologizing because I thought I would break it.

USULC was one of the best experiences of my entire life. I can't begin to explain how close I got to our Student Council. Sharing a dorm with all my girls was so much fun, and getting to know each of them on a personal level was amazing. I'll never forget sitting in a circle talking about the gospel with a bunch of girls I hardly knew, and realizing how much I already loved them.

Also, fun fact, this was my favorite photo of the summer. We did this pose in the mirror every day. It made me happy.

Lake Powell was an interesting trip. It was the first time I had gone with other people planning the trip. Haley and I spent most of the time together, and we had awkward bonding moments over Hamilton with strangers.

I also went to my first rodeo. That was an interesting experience. But there were BABY MONKEYS RIDING DOGS!!!!!!!!!!! Cutest thing I've ever seen. I almost cried.

 Youth conference was super great. I got a lot closer to the Laurels in my ward. We rode in the Mystery Machine, and our nicknames are still going strong today. There's nothing like listening to Madie, Kennedy, and Jillian scream in the middle of the night. Building cardboard rafts to float on the lake was so much fun! I'm grateful for my ward. 

Baelei Jo makes my life continually better. She deserves another post entirely.

I went to my very first drive-in movie! That was super cool, and even though I fell asleep it was really fun crossing something off my bucket list.

I went to EFY with a girl who became my very best friend. There have been no coincidences in our friendship. Cameron was meant to be my friend, it only took us 3 summers to finally figure it out. She has been such a huge blessing in my life.

Girls Camp as a YCL for my last year at Heber Valley was great. I conquered fears and tried to reach out to others. Heber Valley is a very special place. 

I got to spend the day with one of my best friends. Jaxson has always been there for me. It's been hard not being around him, but when you click so well with a person, it's worth the time away from each other.

Emma invited me to go on a temple trip with her. Just being there and feeling peace with someone who means so much to me was incredible. I am so thankful that we are still friends after so long. She means the world to me.

This summer helped me grow so much as a person. I did so many things that I would've never considered doing. I am truly grateful for all of the people that blessed my life with their smiles. Here's to the upcoming summer, I'm optimistic that it will be fantastic.