Friday's Fabulous Find

fThis last Friday I happened to have two Friday finds and both turned out to be pretty fabulous. The first one I actually didn't mean to find. I was in search of another place and this place just happened to cross my path. Since I could not find the one I was looking for I decided to go on in this new one. After all, that is what Friday finds are all about; finding new and exciting things to experience. The place I found is

Salissa's Boutique
"A Unique Experience"
Location: 1950 S. 1100 E. Sugarhouse
Phone: 801-467-2909
Hours: Monday - Saturday 11am - 7pm
Prices: a little high

When looking at this place you don't really know what to expect. The shop is in an old house and is right by other cute and nifty shops in houses as well. In this place you will find really cool and unique clothing, hats, scarfs, jewelry, shoes, belts, and hairpieces. It is a little bit pricey but the stuff is really cute and fun. If you are looking for something cool and unique to wear or give as a gift then this is the store for you.

My second Fabulous Find happened later that night. I had gone to a friends baby shower with Kendra. After the shower we decided to leave and head to a movie. Kendra really wanted to see the show 17 Miracles.

It was a show that I had not heard of and didn't know much about. Kendra explained to me that it was about the Willie Martian handcart company and their journey west. We decided to go and see it and I am so glad we did. This is a show that reminds you what those people went through to get here and what getting here meant to them. Getting here to Utah meant freedom. It meant living in Zion. And most of all it meant having a temple where they could be sealed for time and eternity. How grateful we should be to live here with all that we have. This show made me cry, but not in a bad way. It made me cry for the joy of seeing miracles happens. It made me cry for remembering my time in Martins Cove and what it meant to me. It made me cry to see the joy that the gospel brings to peoples lives and the power that it has to restore all that was ever lost.

17 Miracles is also a show that reminds you of the work of God and what he can do in your lives. It reminds you of his presence and of the miracles that he does daily. But, not only does it help remind you of the past, it also gives you strength for the future. It reminds you that God still exists today and that he is a God of miracles. It reminds you what truly matters in this life and makes you think about what you are willing to give to achieve it. God never gave up on those people and God will never give up on you. But it is up to you to never give up on him and his promises that he has made to you. You must remember that you are his child and that he does love you and will always be there for you if you but only ask.

Nicknames

Growing up I have had a variety of nicknames. Some have come and gone, some are just associated with certain people, and some are the ones that seem to stick around forever no matter how much time passes. And then, of course, you have the universal nicknames of just shortening someones real name. Such as Austin to Aus and Christopher to Chris and Jessica to Jess and Brittney to Britt. For some reason when we start to become friends with someone it seems easier to shorten their name to just one syllable. I always felt bad for the people whose name was already one syllable. After all, you can't really shorten Ann to A.

My first nickname was probably "boo". When I was little I always remember being called Brittney Boo or just boo boo. IT is a name that I have always been called by my mom and dad. No one else calls me it, just them. And it is something that they still call me to this day.

Throughout the years growing up I became the victim of many nicknames. As a little girl my Uncle Cory would call me Gummie Bear, no, he doesn't anymore. Once I started playing baseball I always seemed to get called Walker and then somehow it got changed to Walkerkins. In Jr. High my friend and I liked a show on cartoon network and started calling each other the names, I was Bubbles. Then I had a friend who wanted me to have a middle name so she said it was Marie so that my initials would then be BMW. I had another friend who wanted me to have a different middle name so she said it was Jane so that she could then call be BJ. In High school my cousins and I thought it would be fun if we started saying things backwards. That was when I became Yenttirb. Some names are really cool backwards like Mackay becomes Yakcam and Wendi becomes Idnew. There was a time when I went bowling every Wednesday night with a friend and we decided that we needed bowling names. She became Groovy and I became Lucky. All of these nicknames have come and gone. On occasion someone will still call me one of them, but not very often.

And then there was this one night. A night involving three girls, dancing, Dr. Pepper, a camera, the Notebook movie, a sleepover, and no sleep. A night that we were all sure we would forget about and a night where we were sure the nicknames wouldn't be remembered and would never stick. But guess what...they were not forgotten and they have stuck ever since.

This particular night happened about six years ago. Brett, Wendi and I had all decided to get together and have a sleepover. We started the night off by going dancing at Trolley Square (this would be the old Studio 600). After a few hours of jumping around and singing along to songs we left and headed back to Brett's. Of course along the way we stopped and got huge Dr. Peppers from Taco Bell. Once back at Brett's house the night continued with movies, junk food, disposable camera's, and lots of laughter. Somewhere in the middle of it all and probably at about 3 in the morning, we started thinking about initials and what sounds the letters of our initials make. Don't ask me why, because in all honesty I really don't know. We started with Wendi's name. Her initials are W and then L. Somehow we just started calling her WL. Not very creative, but that's how it goes. Brett was next with the initials B and A. Now imagine three girls hyper beyond belief and very sleep deprived making the sounds of these letters and trying to put them together to make sense. Highly entertaining. And in all of our Letter sound making Brett became BaHa. That left me. Now since I don't have a middle name that also means I have no middle initial. Brett and Wendi were trying to come up with something that started with B. They went through a variety of things and somewhere along the way Wendi shouted out Sting. There was then this Ahah moment from Brett and all of a sudden I became B-Sting. We all started laughing at our new names for each other and kept calling each other by them the rest of the night. When we finally decided that we should go to bed and laid so when we were all sure that A) most of the laughable moments of the night would not be remembered, including the nicknames. and B) if the nicknames were remembered they would never stick and we would never use them.

Well, the next morning came bright and early. We all got up and got ready for the day. When it was time for Wendi and I to leave we all just looked at each other and started laughing. At that moment we knew that all nicknames had been remembered and that they would from that moment on be what we refereed to each other as. And they have continued to stick ever since that eventful night. Isn't great to have friends you can be that close with.

California

A trip with Brett, Jacqui, and Allie to the great state of California for a total of seven days. What more needs to be said to let you know that this trip was awesome! It included friends, laughter, jokes, baseball, sun, beach, theme parks, corn dogs and hot dogs, pb&j, swimming, walking, and most of all just living.

This wonderful adventure started on May 17 when we all meet up at Brett and Allie's house to get things packed and ready to go for the next morning. We got off to a ruff start with smashing Jacqui's fingers in the car door. Not the best way to start a trip. Luckily, nothing was broken and she could still move them. After taking some Advil and with ice pack her hand we all headed off to bed around two in morning, after we had painted our finger nails of course.

May 18th started bright and early with all of us getting up at about 6:15 so that we could be packed up and on the road by 7. We didn't quite make the 7 o'clock goal but we were gone from the house by 7:30. Not to bad when you have four girls getting ready to leave on a trip, one girl getting ready for school and one girl getting ready for work and all using one bathroom. After filling up for gas and getting some breakfast we were on our way. On our way to California with a 11 hour drive before we were to get there. Luckily, to pass the time Allie and Brett had decide to give us a surprise every hour of the trip. The first one was coloring. It was awesome and it really did entertain us for the next hour as we all colored our Disney pictures. The next was crossword puzzles, also Disney related, followed by starbursts, the fave red bag of course, Disney Princess tic-tac toe and ping pong, ring pops, beach toys, a Frisbee, glow sticks, and kites. Needless to say, between taking naps, singing along to our favorite songs, and the gifts every hour, it was a pretty entertaining drive. Plus you throw in a snowstorm, a stop in St. George with pedicures, and amusing drivers and you get to California in no time flat. Once there we found our hotel, checked in, and promptly threw all our stuff into he room. Then we headed out for supplies. Once finding a Walmart we proceeded to buy all of the stuff we realized we had forgotten and stuff to make sandwiches throughout the week to save money on food. From there we went back to the room where we ate dinner showered and then watched the Roommate. Creepy show by the way and not the best one to watch when you are in a hotel room in a different state with just girls right before you go to bed. Oh well, we survived.

May 19: After getting very little sleep for the second night in the row we all woke up bright and early and were across the street at Disneyland by 7:45am for Magic Morning witch started at 8am. Once inside we spent the day running around from ride to ride all the while laughing our heads off and enjoying our time. We went on everything from Peter Pan and Mr. Toad to Indiana Jones and Space Mountain and all that is in-between. We also ran over to California Adventures and played there as well. We met Mickey, rode Tower of Terror and Screamim, played video games with Woody and Buzz, soared over California and had oh so much fun! When we decided that it was dinner time we went in search of Corn Dogs from a stand that had once been on the pier. By this time of the day our feet hurt and we were starving. Needless to say when we had walked around the pier multiple times and throughout the park to find the place and couldn't, we were a bit disappointed....ok, just down right upset. We ended up getting soup in bread bowls instead, which was good, just not what we wanted. After dinner we went and saw the World of Color, which is still amazing and worth seeing.

May 20: Friday. A day that started with sleeping in. At least a little bit anyway. Once we all got up we headed back to the parks to play some more. We spent the morning in California Adventures and had a blast going on our favorite rides. And guess what we just happened to find when we went around part of the pier that none of us had gone on before...I will give you one guess....The Corn dog Stand. Yes, the one that we had been searching for the night before. We were so excited that we had to take a picture with it. No, we did not get a corn dog at the time. We knew that we were having hot dogs that night and did not want two in one day. No worries though,we would be coming back later. We did however, venture over to Disneyland to get the Pineapple Dole whips. They are fabulous and if you have never had one then the next time you go to Disneyland it is a must. We left the parks around 5:30 and went back to the hotel for a little rest and to get ready for the Baseball game! That's right, we went to the Los Angeles Angels vs. Atlanta Braves baseball game. All of us happen to love baseball and were ecstatic when we found out that there was a home game we could go to during our trip. We ate our hot-dogs and pretzels, watched the Angels kick butt, saw fireworks at the end, and had the best time ever. Gotta love baseball.

May 21: Saturday. After our last few days of adventures and lots of walking, we decided that this day was going to be spent at the beach. Once we all got out of bed we threw on our swimsuits, hoped into to the car and were off to Newport Beach. Once arriving we found a spot in the sand and made our camp. Ok, not really a camp, we just claimed our spot with our towels and supplies. Then we proceed to be lazy and lay out in the glorious sun. It was so nice to just relax, listen to the waves, and feel the sun on our skin. and yes, we did wear sunblock. After a few hours of laying around we decided it was time to play on the beach and in the ocean. After all, how often is it that you get to swim in one and let the waves crash over you and wash you back to shore. Needless to say, we had a blast. Once we had had enough sand for the day we headed back to the hotel and then went out to dinner and relaxed the rest of the night. It was a fantastic day.

May 22: Sunday. Also, Jacqui's birthday and the perfect day to go to Hollywood Blvd and Santa Monica Pier. We spent the morning sleeping in, shouting happy birthday, opening gifts, and then getting ready. Once we were off we headed back up to LA and straight to Hollywood Blvd. Once here we realized that is was quite crowed and that part of the street was blocked off. It turns out that they had had the premier for Kung Fu Panda 2 and were in the process of cleaning it all up. We wondered the sidewalks and looked at the stars, we also went through the shops and went to the Chinese Theater to see the footprints and hand-prints. then we went to the Disney Soda Shop and got some delicious treats. When we were done with Hollywood we headed over to Santa Monica pier. IT turned out to be the perfect night for walking along the pier and playing on the beach while watching the sun set. It was so nice and relaxing to just be there and watch the waves crash into the shore and the sun set over the water. After the pier we headed back to Anaheim and went to the Rain Forest Cafe in downtown Disney for dinner. If you have never been here, you should go sometime. The food is pretty good and the atmosphere is fun to experience. And to top off the night, on our way out four French guys hit on us and asked us out for drinks. No, we didn't go. and yes, it was funny and nice to be noticed.

May 23: Monday. A day back at the parks. A day for meeting princesses, minus Aura, going through castles, riding our favorite rides, shopping, posing for pictures, taking last minute photos, getting corn dogs, and watching the World of Color one last time. All in all, it was a day for fun, laughter, and making lasting memories.

May 24: Tuesday. The drive home. No more needs to be said.

Little Reassurances

Throughout my life there have always been moments when I wondered what in the world I was doing and if I was headed anywhere good or right at all. These moments always seem to come after making decisions. Some might be small decisions or they might be the big life changing ones. And no matter how much you put off, or hate making these decisions, the fact is that they are a part of life and always will be.

Then after you have made these decisions sometimes there comes a moment when you wonder if what you choose was right or if it was completely insane or just even plan wrong. This uneasiness can last for a split second or a month or anywhere where in between. Sometimes you don't even realize that you have this feeling, you just feel like something might be off. And then, just when you think you might need to change your whole life again, you get this little reassurence.

It can come in a variety of ways; by a friends kind words, a stranger commenting on your work, a picture in a store, a song on the radio, or even just a thought in your mind as you day dream. But no matter how it comes, it comes with peace and a reassurance that you are exactly where you are supposed to be and doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. All of a sudden you know in your heart and in your mind that you are on the right path and that all will be ok. And then you feel an overwhelming joy for knowing that you made the right choice and knowing that your Father in Heaven is watching out for you and will make sure that you will be and become who you need to be.

It occurred to me awhile ago that Heavenly Father does not want us to fail. He doesn't want us to be cast out into outer darkness. In fact, it is quite the opposite...He wants us to succeed. And not only does he want us to succeed, but he wants us to enjoy doing it and to be the greatest we can be at it. With this it also occurred to me that if we start to go down the wrong path in life then he will correct us. We just have to doing the things we know we are supposed to and be willing to listen and follow his guidance. If we can do that , then he will not let us ruin our lives. He will, in fact, help us to succeed in them. For you see, He knows the plan. He knows who we need to be and where we need to be in order to become that person. And because of this he will help guide us to get there.

Knowing this helps me to make those decisions. Those decisions that matter in our lives and that can change the course of them. And the then if I have moments of doubt or uncertainty (and I usually do at some point) it is the little reassurances that My Father in Heaven provides that help me to continue with that decision and have the faith and the trust that it will all be ok. And who knows, it may even be great.

Friday's Fabulous Find

I know i have missed the last couple of these. Life can get crazy busy as I am sure you all know. But, I did happen to have a Fabulous Friday find this last Friday. And let me tell you, it was utterly fabulous. First of all my dear friend Jenny came along to experience the excitement of something new, second, it was a bright and sunny day, and third, it is just so much fun to discover something new. Our something new this last week was Memory Grove.

Memory Grove Park
Located: 135 E North Temple, Salt Lake City

I choose to go here because it is a place that I have always heard about. I know lots of people who have talked about, I have read about it in books, and I just figured that it was high time I visited this place and figured out what it was and what it had to offer. I wasn't even sure how to find it and where it was really located. I had to look it up on the internet to figure it out and once I did I knew I then needed to visit the place.

Memory Grove is a park that has monuments dedicated to the people who have fought in our wars. There are monuments from World War I to Vietnam. It also has great ground and is just a lovely, peaceful place to walk through. While Jenny and I were walking through and looking at everything we had the thought that this place is a like a Utah version of DC, and because we both enjoy DC we loved every minute we spent in the grove.

The park is laid out right in City Creek Canyon. The city creek runs through the middle and the grounds are covered with grass, trees, flowers and the canyon walls. What some people don't know is that there are also trails that lead you up to City Creek Canyon and up to the capital. The trails up to the capital lead to other monuments that are part of the park. Jenny and I stayed in the main area because of time, but are planning on going back to enjoy and explore the rest of the park.

After our walk through the park we headed down to temple Square and ate lunch at another Fabulous Friday Find.

The Nauvoo Cafe
Located:Joseph Smith Memorial Building, Lower Level
Hours: Mon - Fri 7am to 8pm
Saturday 9am to 8pm

This place was fantastic as well and was also one I didn't know existed. It is a great cafe that serves Hot Carved sandwiches, salads, soups, and the JSMB desserts. They also serve breakfast if you happen to be there that early. I got the Chicken salad sandwich and it was delicious.

So if you ever happen to be downtown and have some time to spare then you should go and check these places out. Memory Grove is a fabulous place for an afternoon stroll and the Nauvoo Cafe is the perfect place for a quick and tasty bite to eat.