Some Good Advice

Today is the first day of the 184th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints. For those who are unfamiliar with this, you can learn more here.

Today I really, really enjoyed Elder Holland's talk where he mentioned standing up for what you believe, and doing so in a kind and respectful way. One of my 2014 goals was to not be afraid sharing my thoughts, opinions, and beliefs. I have always been kind of afraid to do so because many of my beliefs are rather conservative and not accepted by the vast majority of the people in the world we live in. Another reason that sharing and defending my beliefs has made me nervous is that many might take offense because they might not understand what I believe. However, this quote really touched me today because it reminded me that it is, indeed, OK to stand up for what I believe and defend my beliefs by doing it kindly, courteously, and compassionately. I have never had any intentions of defending my beliefs unkindly, but this was just a good reminder.

This General Conference I'm wanting to share favorite quotes from talks via social media. If you have any favorite talks that you would like to see in a design like this, comment below or message me and I'll make one! I'm hoping to share quotes like this through Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (though I have no idea what I'm doing with Twitter!) to share the gospel and uplift people regardless of their beliefs or faith.

Adios, 2013!

2013 has been a great year. I don't know what it is about odd numbers, but they do great things for me. I was born on 7/15/91, graduated from high school 5/09, engaged on 11/13/11, married on 3/15 (of 2012, but it still counts!), I graduated and we celebrated our first anniversary in 2013. SO, let's hope 2014 can keep up with the odds!

Taylor and I both learned a lot and had a lot of fun in 2013.

Last year we celebrated the start of 2013 in Hawaii! I had gotten the flu after Christmas but was better by New Year's Eve, and I was so happy we were able to celebrate and not be sick.

New Year's Eve in Hawaii last year 

In 2013 we celebrated our first year of marriage! For us, the first year was a learning experience. A lot of people say "oh, the first year is just the best because you're always happy and you're still in the honeymoon stage". Well I guess we like to keep it real because we definitely weren't always in the honeymoon stage our first year! But don't worry, we had a good share of laughs, smiles, and fun moments as well. We learned and grew a lot, and we're now almost done with year 2 (which has been my favorite so far!). We're excited for year 3 (where does the time go???)! Taylor is the best roommate I've ever had :).

Celebrating our 1st Anniversary 

I started an internship with Shabby Apple at the end of 2012 and worked for them as a social media intern through May 2013. It was really neat to learn more about business and fashion production. Being a small business owner I loved learning how to use social media as a means to advertise and get people buzzing about products. This was such a fun internship, and I was so grateful I was given that amazing opportunity!

One of the emails I wrote for Shabby Apple 

After teaching in primary for about 8 months, I was called to be the primary secretary at church. This calling keeps me on my toes and always makes me have to work a little extra to stay organized. If you know me you know that I'm not the best at that, which is probably why I got this calling haha. I love working with the little kids of our ward congregation!

This year I ended my job at Allyse's Bridal (I was there for almost 5 years!), and I started my new job at the Provo Missionary Training Center as a clerk at the information desk. This desk is open 24/7/365, and there was a LOT to learn. This was a VERY hard transition for me. I went from working with some of my best friends in a bridal shop that had a real 'family' feel (with our wonderful "mother" Janet), to not knowing anyone (except Taylor--which was a big plus--as he works for MTC security). At this job you have to know the ins and outs about all MTC policies & procedures, answers to "frequently asked questions" from angry/sad/super emotional missionary moms/families, know how to answer the most bizarre and random phone calls (people often think we're church headquarters so they call with the most random "needs" and "suggestions"), and also know how to deal with a lot of confidential information and know whom you can and cannot give that information out to (and if mistakes are made with this you can easily lose your job). You also have to get used to the fact that General Authorities of the Church could call at any time and visit often (this is an awesome part of the job, but also obviously very intimidating). I felt so inadequate at first and like I wasn't going to ever be able to get all of this information down. However, Taylor was so supportive and always told me "you can do it!", and now this has honestly been the best job ever. I have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people through this job. I've seen companionships of missionaries here who can't understand each other at all who speak different languages, but they are so happy to be at the MTC preparing to serve missions. I once worked with an elder who was from the middle of nowhere (it was the most random little island that I had never heard of), who ended up coming with just one small bag, wearing his one and only tattered suit, and arrived at the MTC a week early at 10PM and spoke no English. He was there and ready to serve. There were missionaries who never got packages or letters and felt no support from loved ones, but they were there and wanting to serve the Lord wherever He would have them. I was able to work during the Mission President Seminar in June where all of the newly called mission presidents come to the MTC to be trained by prophets and apostles. I was able to see seven out of the twelve apostles in one day that week. Being so close to them and seeing how they interact with others strengthened my testimony of the organization of the church and the men who God has presiding and guiding us. I finish working at the MTC this week (it's a student job, and I graduated so I have to say goodbye!) and it is definitely bittersweet. I'm excited for the future but so, so sad to leave. I have such an amazing supervisor. She never beats around the bush which can be intimidating, but then when she compliments you, you know she means it. She has been amazing to work under. Though we don't work in the same department, it has been so fun being able to work with Taylor. It has been a blessing to work for the church at the MTC and to be able to work with my husband. This job played a big role for us in 2013!

One of the rare times that we saw each other at work for more than a few minutes. 

{Sorry for that mini novel, but that was a big part of our 2013!}

I became a biological aunt in April 2013!
My older sister, Nicole, and her husband, Glen, welcomed Leo Eric Ellsworth to the world on April 2. He (his middle name) was named after my dad who passed away in 2007, which makes his name extra special. He definitely makes me a little baby hungry, but for now being an aunt is the best :). Click here to see his birth story (the pictures are amazing! Taken by Lizzy Jean Photography).

We had some family visit from Hawaii this summer. This is my sis-in-law teaching little Noelle how to be gentle with Leo :) 

We ran our first 5k together for the 4th of July! Not a huge deal if you're a runner, but I'm not a big runner, and I had never done a race before, so we were excited and proud of ourselves! I'm excited to have time to run more now that I'm graduated.

Taylor took the OAT  (optometry school admissions test) in July 2013. He put a lot of effort into studying, and it paid off as he scored in the 95th percentile! I was so, so proud of him. He is currently finishing his optometry school applications! We'll know where we'll be living for the next few years in just a few months!

Being the wife I am, I made him pose for a "before" picture before he left to take his test 

Tay super happy after getting his score, telling his dad how it went

We took a "quick" trip to Hawaii in August (quick being about 2 weeks, but for the time and money it takes to get there we like to stay as long as possible!). We love spending time with family there and giving Taylor some time at home before we came back for school. Read about the trip here, here, here, and here.

One of my favorite days in Hawaii this trip

Our nieces and nephews minus two 

WEDDINGS: I had lots of friends get married this year! All of them I consider to be my best friends! My friend Matt got married to Amanda in May. I've known Matt and his twin, Rob, since high school. My old roommate and BFF Lauren got married in July, and I got to be one of her bridesmaids! It was such a beautiful day with a gorgeous reception. My best friend Andrea (whom I've known since I was like 8) got married in August to Nathan, after he flew around the world to propose to her while she was in Thailand. On that same day, my friend Scoty (also from high school, and best friends with Matt & Rob) got married to Larissa. And last, Matt's twin Rob got married to Hallie in October! Their wedding day was amazing. Their sealing was wonderful and their reception was so creative. It was so whimsical and had a 'bountiful' feel. I'm so happy for all these people, and I'm so excited for the rest of my friends to find their special people one day!

Matt's wedding day 

Lauren's wedding day (see her wedding here)

Andrea's wedding day 

Also Scoty's wedding day 

Rob's wedding day 

In September I opened my second Etsy shop, INKH. Designs. I love making invites so I decided to share that love with others! You can see some of the work I've done for friends here. I'm up & running again with Just Buttons & Bows as well. I'm excited to work on expanding both shops in the coming months! If you or any bloggers you know would want to review a bow, let me know!

Of course among all these events we had all the holidays and traditions including celebrating the 4th of July with the Nielsens (Glen, Nicole, and Leo were in town!), dressing up as Guess Who characters (from the classic game), Thanksgiving at my mom's house (and some Black Friday shopping!), and Christmas in Provo this year!

Taylor & I both worked on Thanksgiving morning during the Thanksgiving Devotional. Elder Nelson was the speaker. 

Christmas morning 2013. Read here about it. 

I'm honestly super antsy to find out where 2014 takes us (literally). I end my job this week and I don't have another lined up (yet), so I'm hopeful to find a way to help our income while Tay finishes school! We have family coming in town to celebrate our graduation when we walk in the graduation ceremony in April. We'll hopefully find out soon where we'll be going for Tay to go to grad school. This is the first year together that we don't already have a full plan (last year we knew we'd just be working and in school, and the year before we knew we'd get married and spend the summer in Hawaii).

So cheers to 2014! I have a post coming up about 2014 goals (I give up on the word "resolutions" because who keeps those anyway, right??).

Happy New Year to you and yours!

God Loves His Children

God loves His children...he really does!

The past couple weeks I have felt so much love from my Heavenly Father. I'll share some experiences in more detail later, but tonight before I go to bed I just wanted to share that I know that God knows all of His children and what they are going through. He knows what makes them happy, what makes them sad, and everything in between. This past weekend was General Conference for my church. General Conference is something that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has twice a year where our prophet and apostles and other leaders speak on various topics and give us guidance and direction. I  grew up as a member of this church my whole life, so conference has never been something new to me (and to be honest when I was little it wasn't all that exciting), but this year General Conference just hit me hard and was so powerful. I felt so strongly that God is always working to help us all get on the right path to happiness and righteousness through His prophets and apostles, and through the inspiration of those around us. Here is one of my favorite talks from this conference. Even if you are not LDS, and even if you don't have any of these specific struggles, this talk gives so much hope and offers so much peace as we are all battling to be successful in such a hectic world. I'll post more of my favorites later. But for now, enjoy!

CPK, Pepper Spray, and other fun things.

Hello! It's been a great weekend so far. Yesterday was super fun. After school Tay and I just hung out at home and literally just relaxed and talked for a couple hours, which doesn't always happen since we're usually really busy. It was nice to just spend time together with no place to go or rush to right away. I was craving California Pizza Kitchen and even though Tay wasn't super hungry at the time, he took me there for dinner. Such a sweet guy :). I decided to try something new, so I asked the waiter what his favorite thing was: the Jamaican Jerk. I tried it and it was pretty good! Also, for those of you who go there frequently enough to notice, they changed their bread! It was more like how the bread is at Macaroni Grill. Super yummy.

My cute cousin Morgan just got home from her mission in Georgia, so we made signs and took pictures of ourselves with them to post on her Facebook wall (she lives in California). As you can see from the photos this task wasn't super easy to do ourselves (holding the sign, both fitting in the picture, then taking the picture).

My sister sent me this photo from school. She's a cheerleader and they had to each make a big poster to but hung around the stadium. I may or may not have helped a little (just a little!) so it was fun to see it hanging at her school. She's the youngest so it's crazy seeing her already in high school!

My sister's (the one on the back) school mascot is the Thunderbird, so Tay helped us come up with this saying for the poster! 

Taylor and I possibly made a mistake yesterday...we started watching the ABC series Once Upon a Time on Netflix...and now we're addicted. Seriously though, we stayed up until 1am watching it when Tay had to be at work at 6! (ok, Taylor stayed awake. I, as usual, fell asleep on his shoulder).

After a couple episode's we went to Taylor's Intramural football game. The other team had to forfeit because one guy didn't have his ID (they're required to show that they're the one who actually registered for the team). They still played just for fun, and it was fun to watch. While I was just sitting watching, some girl came up to me and told me I was really pretty. I share this because it makes me have faith in humanity that some people just do or say nice things just because. It was really sweet of her and it gave me a little confidence boost! I'm gonna try to pass that on to someone else!

Oh, the joy of taking photos on your phone. If I had an awesome camera these shots would've been great. Tay played a great game! Plus he wore orange to stand out so it was easy for me to find him playing :) 

My cute boy getting ready for the game

just chilling and wishing I'd worn rain boots because it was wet! 

Shameless selfie. 

As I've mentioned before, Taylor works as a security guard at the Missionary Training Center where LDS missionaries are trained before they serve their missions. The other day they had a pepper-spray training. In order for the guards to carry pepper-spray they have to be sprayed first!!! It is optional, but required if you want to carry pepper-spray. And for those of you wondering if it would ever be necessary for them to use it...you'd be surprised at some of the people they come across! Last year Tay couldn't make it to this training so he didn't have to worry about deciding whether to do it. This year he told me he was going to do it....let's just say I almost embarrassed myself by the amount of worry I had for him ALL DAY before the training. I feel like it might have been similar to how mothers feel when they have to take their babies to get shots. You're just letting the person you love get hurt and you can't help them! I was a baby about it. So he went, and he was sprayed. He said it was really bad, but he recovered pretty quickly. That was an interesting adventure. Oh, and I'm still sitting here wondering, why don't you have to be shot by a gun in order to carry a gun? Not to get all political...but who knows!

I've made it another week without buying clothes. Sometimes I see really good deals on Facebook (have you checked out GroopDealz? They are AWESOME!) and then I have to remind myself of my goal! But it's all good. I did get a really fun new curling iron/wand...not really sure what to call it. I've been curling my hair with my flat iron for the past four years, which works but it sometimes takes long and is a little tricky sometimes. I'm still deciding if I like this one (pretty sure I do), but it's been rainy so I haven't really been able to use it and see how the curls stay because it just rains. I'll show a good pic some time soon and see what you all think.

Loravs Got married!

Last month one of my best friends and former roommates, Lauren (Lauren Ravsten=Loravs), got married! I was honored to be one of her bridesmaids and help her celebrate her big day! It was such a fun month and the wedding was beautiful!


.::The Bridal Shower::.
We threw Lauren's bridal shower at her and Mack's apartment they would be living in {lauren got to move in early and live there}.

Date night jar for guests to write down date ideas. Holly (lauren's BFF and my old roomie)  and lauren made one of these for my bridal shower and Tay and I love it! 

I bought this chalk board bunting banner at the Quilted Bear and I am in love. What do you think? 

Lauren & Mack :) 

Mack's last name is Robins, so it's fitting that they have a pic of a robin's nest :) 

Typical Holly and Lauren :) 

Me and Lauren! {side note: still undecided about the shirt I'm wearing}

The maid of honor and wonderful shower hostess! 

I gave Lauren a "Honeymoon Survival Kit". I was given a similar gift for my shower and I loved it! Includes stuff you might forget when you go on your honeymoon: food, chapstick, candle, lotion...and then some other stuff :) 

Giggling at one of the items I put in the basket...hehe :) 

Just some typical shower gifts of course :) 

.::The Bachelorette Party::.
We went up to SLC to first pick up one of the bridesmaids who had just flown in and then we ate dinner at The Pie! I had never been there before, and I was hooked on my first bite!

Lauren gave a little gift to each of us bridesmaids with a note and picture of each of us with Lauren, a lace hair bow, and an adorable bow shaped necklace. 

Holly brought a game called "Find a Man". We were each given cards with different characteristics of a man and we had to find a random man who had that. Not all normal things though...think, lives with his mom, balding, does karate, etc. It made for hilarious encounters with strangers. 

Everyone feeling a little bloated after consuming all the yummy pizza and breadsticks. 

Me and a man who can do origami. (We got extra points if we got pictures with the men, and I was determined to win!)

Bride-to-be!

Our night was so fun...complete with helping someone who had a "push-start" car. 

Caitlin and a "man who can do the robot" 

We went to a local Karaoke bar (don't judge, virgin drinks all around) to do Karaoke. Turns out people don't enjoy your singing as much if you're not drunk. 

.::The Wedding Day::.

Lauren and Mack got married in the Salt Lake temple. I had never been inside that temple before so it was really neat to be able to go inside as we attended the sealing. To learn more about LDS temples and why they are important to us click here. :)

Maid of honor and bridesmaid! Ps yes, I do match for the wedding line I promise. Lauren had a "color palette" she wanted us to all pick from to have an away of colors. Her colors were a range from peach to pink. 

Bridesmaids! 

Typical Lauren picture :) 

Mr. & Mrs. Robins! 

I loved this picture. 

Maid of Honor speech

Chatham 26 + Macy & Bri reunion! 

It was so fun to have everyone together again! Holly, Lauren, and I were roommates at Chatham town. Macy lived next door/with us, Bri went to school with Macy and therefore also "lived" next door/with us.