Driggs 4th of July Celebration

Usually we go to Idaho Falls for our July 4th celebration. However, this year we didn't have any family come to spend it with us and mike had a concert for band in Driggs, Idaho so we had a change of plans. We decided to invite friends to come with us instead and it was so much fun. Our friend Lisa came with us and kept me company during the concert since mike was off with the band. The band was amazing! The setting next to the Teton Mountains was gorgeous and the company was wonderful!

Their was a fireworks show after the concert that was amazing. I feel like most of the time July 4th is just about 'who can blow the most crap up'. I felt like this performance really captured the spirit of the holiday and celebrated our country and our freedoms...the way this holiday was meant to be celebrated. The fireworks were timed to patriotic music, which the audience sang along too and their were pauses after every song when they played videos of veterans from Idaho who talked about why they love America. They showed pictures during the show of the different battles we have fought and talked about the pride and spirit of America. It was an amazing celebration! The entire day was wonderful! It was great to be with Mike and with friends. We had a great time!


Mike with his trumpet before the show :)

Lisa and I waiting for the fireworks :)

Mike and I :)


Glenn Beck speaking on stage before the fireworks show :) Don't ya love the giant flag.


Flag raising and the Teton backdrop :)

Mike's New Bike!

So Mike's half-birthday was a week or so ago and he has been wanting a bike for a while now. It was getting really frustrating to go back and forth to the school to pick him up or drop him off and it was wasting gas. This led us to decide to get a bike for him since I have too much stuff to haul back and forth and use the car as my own personal, portable locker.

This was a long process. He did so much research trying to choose the perfect bike which actually makes me happy that he doesn't just buy the first thing he sees. He's had the bike for about a week and he loves going for rides.





Now all thats left is for me to get a bike too so that we can go riding together :)

The Children We Kidnapped!

Mike and I live next door to the sweetest family ever. They have three little girls: Claudia, Aeris and Summer. I should mention that Aeris is one of our sunbeams and just the sweetest three year old on the planet. Last Sunday Mike and I were outside in our 'back yard' and Claudia and Aeris were out playing. It took them a few minutes to get the courage to come over and talk to us. (I think they thought it was weird to see their teachers outside of church and in normal clothes). We had so much fun playing with them. We played tag, frisbee and colored with chalk on our patio. They were so much fun :)

When they had to go home for dinner, Claudia and Aeris invited us to come to dinner but her parents didn't have enough for two more people so the two girls went home quite upset that we couldn't join them for dinner. I don't think they understood the concept that they have food, just not enough for 7 people. It was pretty sweet though :)






Hopefully we can spend more time with them this summer. Aeris definitely liked bragging to the other kids in sunbeams that she got to play tag with the teachers :)

Happy Father's Day!!

I have some amazing men in my life. I'm a pretty lucky girl.
First, is my daddy. My dad always has been and always will be the strongest and smartest man on the planet to me. My dad was always the one I went to for help in science and math. He always, even when I went to college, made time to help me with my homework. He always pushes me to keep going and to do my best. He always reminds me that I can do anything that I want to do as long as I work hard. He drove me to seminary for the first two years of high school. Those were always fun rides to school because it gave us lots of time to talk. He always took my me to the park and would push me on the swing. He would talk in a silly voice in the car and it always made me laugh. My dad used to sing me to sleep with the song, "Give Said the Little Stream" in Spanish, to this day its the only song I know in Spanish and I sing it when I babysit and put the kids to bed. He still treats me like his little girl and loves me unconditionally. He always tells me that I am his favorite daughter, while I am the only daughter, I think I really am the favorite ;). Dad, thank you for the support in school and life, for all of the hugs, for being a friend, for the tickle monster, bedtime songs, for taking me to park, for reading to me and taking me to the library, for watching princess movies with me, for making me laugh and for teaching me what it means to be a strong member of the Church and to have faith in Jesus Christ. Thank you for being a powerful example and my superhero. I love you Daddy with all of my heart. Wish I could have spent today with you.

The next man in my life is my wonderful husband Mike...a future daddy! Mike is going to be an amazing Dad someday. I love watching you with our little sunbeams every Sunday. I love watching you hold Aeris and help Alaina with her coloring. It makes me smile to see how much they love you and how much you love being with them. You are so sweet and kind and I love that you make me laugh. I'm so happy that we are still in the "honeymoon" phase of marriage and I hope we never leave. I love that you are silly and that you remind me that its ok to play in the rain, to squeal with delight when something wonderful happens and to have pillow/tickle fights. You remind me that just because we are adults, doesn't mean that we can't be like children sometimes. I love that the little things make you happy. I love that you are strong when I can't be and that you remind me of all I am capable of. I love you and I can't wait until we have our own children and I can tell them how wonderful their daddy is.

Next, my father-in-law J Epperson. I'm still the newest member of the Epperson family but I know that J is a wonderful dad. Without you J, Mike wouldn't have grown up to be the man I fell in love with. So thank you J for raising such a wonderful son and teaching him how to be kind, how important the gospel is and much more. Thank you for your constant love and support. Love you.

Two other important men in my life are my two grandfathers. My Papa passed away when I was 10 but he was a great dad for my mom and a wonderful Papa. He used to take me to the park, out for my favorite ice cream and for cinnamon rolls as big as my head for breakfast. He got me out in the pool when I was scared of the water and he and my grandma came to my baptism. I know that he loved me.
My grandpa, dad's dad, is also a wonderful grandpa. I go to visit when mike and I are in Utah and he always wants to know how school is going and he really listens. He and I used to take the dog for a walk together all the time. It was our time. Both of my grandpa's were wonderful dad's, without them I wouldn't have the parents that I have. They also taught me many things. I love you Grandpa Williams and I'm so happy that I live close by so that I can come visit. I miss you Papa...I wish you were still here but I know you love me and I love you too.

Thank you to all of the other dads that I know. Without you, the people that I look up to and love might not be who they are today. I love you all and I'm grateful for your examples.

Love,
Nicole

Happy 21st Birthday!

Yesterday was my 21st birthday. I spent the morning getting my hair done and getting a message and getting my back adjusted at a chiropractor. I was so relaxed all day. Then mike made me dinner and set the house up for my birthday party. It was a small party. I invited more people than could come (I love and hate that my birthday is memorial weekend) but I love the people who were able to come and we had a lot of fun.



This is the crowd that was there at the beginning. Our friends Skyler and Lisa came over to play with us and then our friend Jeff came too. It was a pretty fun group.


This is the real group shot :) Sara and Nick came a little late but we still had a lot of fun. I had everyone wear party hats and I wore a princess crown because Mike said I was the birthday princess. I had to stand out.


Now its time for cake!!!! Mike made me my favorite funfetti birthday cake! It was delicious :)


The girls :) (Lisa, Me, Sara)


We played Apple to Apples. I don't think I've laughed that much in a long time!




We then had balloon fights! Then we sang Disney songs and songs from wicked! I'll post videos later :)

I had so much fun at my party!!! I missed those who couldn't come but theirs always next year :) Thank you for coming everyone, it was great!

Mike got a me a keg for my 21st birthday :)

Moving!

This past weekend mike and I moved into our new apartment. We stayed in the same complex but we wanted something a little bigger. So we decided to go with a one bedroom with a den/guestroom. We didn't realize how much stuff we had til we moved. We got rid of a lot of stuff we didn't need and still had quite a bit.

These pictures will give you a good idea of how much we had to move, although its not quite everything. We had some wonderful friends come over to help us. Mike, Derek and Nick carried all of the heavy stuff over to our new place while the girls scrubbed the old apartment til it shined. Our friends Lisa and Skyler came over and helped us move too. With all the help we had, the move only took about an hour and the cleaning just a few more hours after that. Once we had moved, Lisa and Skyler helped us move in and unpack in our new place. Then to relax after a tiring day we went out for dinner with them and watched Sherlock Holmes in our new house. It was a fun day. I'm so grateful for such good friends who are so willing to help and do anything we asked. We totally owe them!





I'm going to post a few pics of our new apartment but I'll post better ones once we're completely unpacked and decorated.

This is our living room from the back door. I love the window in the kitchen so I can see into the living room.


This is our new kitchen! Twice the cabinet space as our last apartment!


This is the new den/guestroom/storage until we have guests ;)




Our bedroom! I love having two windows and my own closet!


Thank you Taylor, Derek, Sara, Nick, Lisa and Skyler for all of your help! We couldn't have done it without you!

I Can Hear You!!

As a part of my Special Education class, we are required to experience in a small way what people with disabilities experience everyday. One of those disabilities is to have visual impairment for 4 hours. This means wearing masks that limit sight and in one case, eliminate it all together. Their are 4 masks, one for each hour of the simulation. I can't even imagine what it must be like for those who are blind, to be that way all the time. I'm so grateful for the blessing of good sight.
The first feeling I felt was self-consciousness. Everyone is staring at you and whispering. Although I was wearing a mask which must look kind of silly, I could hear people asking their friends, "whats wrong with her?" or "is she crazy?". People saying things like, just stay away from her. I wanted to tell them that I was just a normal person and nothing was wrong with me but I couldn't explain the simulation.
It was amazing how much my other senses were strengthened and heightened when I couldn't see. I could hear what was going on around me so well. This allowed me to hear the whispers of , she's a moron, or I wonder whats wrong with her...or it must suck to be her...she must want to die. I wanted to tell them that while I couldn't see them, I could hear every word perfectly. It made me wonder how those with real sight disabilities feel. Do they have to listen to the whispers too? This caused me to feel incredible frustration at those around me. Why do they whisper and point and laugh? Do they think the person who can't see doesn't know. I promise...they know.
I was surprised at how few people offered to help me walk around or help me if I looked like I was struggling. Most people walked quickly by or walked as far away as possible from me.
The most powerful emotions I felt were humility, empathy, and some sympathy. I never thought about how hard it would be to lose your sight and I never paid attention to the actions of others around these people. I don't know if people just don't know what to do around someone who can't see so they just don't do anything...that's better than the alternative at least. If nothing else, I am more grateful than ever for the blessing of sight. I will never take that blessing for granted again. Nor will I pass by the opportunity to help someone in need.