WHAT A WEEKEND!!

Jeremy & I took off for the weekend to
LOS ANGELES!!
We had the most FANTABULOUS time!

This sunset was incredible

This slideshow shows most of our trip.. but you know me.. I have to go into a little bit (okay A LOT of bit) of detail.. so bare with me once again.

.... and this one is a long one.... so I won't feel bad if you don't read it. Blogging, to me, is sometimes just like a journal... and writing is therapy in a lot of ways... you agree?

The main reason we chose L.A. was to see the play WICKED... and let me tell you it WAS wicked.. ill .. phat ... crazy awesome Ü! If you haven't seen it yet its coming to Salt Lake this April.. so get it planned now.... it really is a MUST SEE!!

Another thing that drew us to L.A. was, like I have mentioned a million times, Jeremy LOVES baseball and he wanted to see the Dodgers play, they weren't there this past weekend so Jeremy said he would settle for the Angles game..

so....Saturday night we were on our way to the game...and traffic in L.A. on a Saturday night is INSANE! By the time we got to the stadium we were already an hour and a half late to the game; still planning on going we were trying to find parking and saw a billboard that said

"SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE LIVE TOUR.. TONIGHT".... I FREAKED.. to say the least! Jeremy was actually more excited about it than I thought he would be and said we could try to get tickets last minute instead of going to the baseball game because we were already so late for it. LOVE THAT GUY! We got tickets!! Jeremy said it was more fun to watch me than it was to watch the show because I was screaming the whole time and couldn't stop smiling and got jiggy with it a little Ü. Anyone who knows me knows how crazy in love I am about dancing, even though I'm not good at all! But since the show started I've always wanted to see a "So you think you can dance" tour.. so it really was the truest treat ever Ü!

We also drove to HOLLYWOOD and got up really close to the Hollywood sign. It's funny how something that simple can be so exciting to see for the first time. I think its because we have seen it on T.V. a million times and in movies.. so it made us feel pretty dang sweet to see it up that close.. we're so lame Ü It was also so cool to see all the names of famous people on the stars on the sidewalks.

I have my own STAR!!!! Ü

... and one little last treat for you all..... Jeremy and I were walking around downtown Hollywood and guess who we saw.... KEVIN.... FROM THE OFFICE!!! I stared as long as I could before Jeremy told me I was on the Verge of being slightly stock-ish, creepy and rude Ü I tried to get a picture but it didn't turn out very well.. he as wearing a hat and glasses.. but we KNOW it was him.. he is pretty hard to miss, right?!!

Now for honestly the biggest highlight of the entire weekend...

I have started reading the book "The Peacegiver" by James L. Ferrell, a couple of times, and have loved it every time I have attempted to read it, but something has always come up and I never finished it. I took it on the trip with me this weekend and finished it. I wish I could put into words the feelings I had as I read this book. Just one of those moments that you're whole life, present and future, flash before you and the purpose and importance of this life are crystal clear and completely make sense. I'm sure we have all had many experiences like this.. if only we could make them last all day everyday to the extent we feel them right in that moment huh?!!

As I was reading this book it was like I couldn't read fast enough, my heart was pounding out of my chest, and my eyes were watered up through most of it. I guess the best way of explaining this experience was that the Spirit was truly teaching me so many things about my life and "reminding" me of things I should be putting more effort and energy into throughout my everyday life.

This books centers around a marriage that is on the rocks and teaches a lot about forgiveness and repentance... two things I could improve upon each day! It also teaches that the burden of holding grudges and the damage of thinking we DESERVE so much better than our current situation, is in reality the very feelings that hinder our own happiness, stunt our growth, and diminish our relationship with our Heavenly Father. The book reminds us to put these trials, temptations, and natural man tendencies in the Lord's hands because he has ALREADY taken them upon himself. The key is LEARNING how to let go of these things, and doing so by understanding the atonement more fully. I'm so grateful I don't "get what I deserve" (make more sense after you read it)... and I'm eternally grateful for the Savior's infinite atonement and the opportunity that allows me to try... learn from that trial...then try again after I fail over and over.

The book goes so far beyond just being able to apply it to marriages or relationships. It can apply to every aspect of life in one way or the other. Jeremy and I are both so blessed and we talk about that all the time, and we HONESTLY know that is because of nothing that we have done on our own, but because of the perfect love our Heavenly Father has for us and because of how happy and successful he wants us ALL to be.

Reading, learning, and "feeling" was the easy part... now if I can put those feelings and realizations into action! But I really do have a new motivation to try to do just that!

Read it if you haven't.. you will love it!