Have faith, not fear.

Get ready for a very long post with tons of pictures! I got off work on Friday around noon and then had a lot of shopping to do to get ready for the hike. The other activities co-chair, James, and I went to Costco and Maceys to buy all of the supplies we needed. I attempted to take a nap from 6:15-9:30pm but couldn't sleep much because I had so much anxiety/fear about what I was about to do. I didn't really know what to expect on the hike, but I knew that I would have to rely on God to help me through it all. I have never been more scared in my whole entire life as I was at times on the hike. It's not that it was a hard hike, but there were some very difficult spots to get past. I wasn't aware that there would be so many glacier/snow-fields that we would have to cross on such a steep incline. It was a test of my faith the whole way through, but with God's help and the great friends that helped me, I was able to conquer the mountain and fulfill one of my life dreams :)
This was the group from my ward right before we started the hike (nice that my face was cut off!)
Lane and me. Word of advice...if you are going to do a night hike, wear a head-light, no matter how dumb you feel. All of my siblings and me got them for Christmas and I was thinking "I am never going to use this!" I was SO grateful to have it.
I can't figure out how to rotate this because my Mac is so confusing, but you get the idea. This would be my fake smile on the way up the mountain because I was scared to death lol. Luckily someone let me use this stick that was a complete lifesaver when we hit the snow and ice.
On top of the mountain before the sun came up!
Looking out over Utah Valley. We hiked up the Timpanooke trail up American Fork Canyon, so when we got to the top of the mountain, we saw Utah Valley over on the other side.
Almost there!

It was SO gorgeous!
Hiking gear :)


You can see the little people hiking up the snow. It doesn't look that steep, but one slip and you will go tumbling down the mountain with no way to stop until you reach the bottom of the hill. I can't even believe I did it.

This is the trail leading up to the shack from the saddle.
Looking up the first glacier that I slid down. Talk about scary! It wasn't too bad because it's just like sledding, but it would be so easy to get hurt.
I was much more enthusiastic on the way down the mountain!

Again, can't rotate the picture lol.
It was just us three on the way down, which was kind of nice to have such a small group.
Um, yeah...there was no toilet. I did have my first experience ever going to the bathroom in the woods. Not to mention it was on top of the mountain right before the sun came up. I had to go so badly and there were no bushes or anything. Luckily I found a big rock and had someone guard me hahaha.

Absolutely beautiful!

This was how most of the hike was haha. Lane had to hold my hand across every glacier so I wouldn't fall.
This doesn't look steep, but think about the fact that the glacier drops down hundreds of feet, and if you slip, it would not be very possible to grab onto the snow.
There were so many pretty flowers and trees on the way down. It was so different hiking up the mountain in the dark and then hiking down in the sun. I recognized some landmarks, but most of it was like a completely different hike.
Home at last!!! After the hike, we went to a counselor in our Bishopric's house, Brother Wells. He had pancakes and fruit for us. It was so good to be safe, sit down, and relax!!! It was funny watching us walk from the car to the table because most of us could barely move.

I got home around noon and decided I wanted to try and take a nap before my date at 7pm. I was in bed from about 1-5pm and don't even know if I really fell asleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I would see myself falling down a cliff or tripping in the snow lol. It took me a while to get over it. I got up around five and showered, which was so nice after being all muddy. My date was really fun. We played mini-golf and then went out to Thai food. It was great to talk and get to know each other as opposed to seeing a movie or something. I was home by 10:00pm, which has never happened, and I appreciated it so much! It was nice not to stay out until midnight, especially since I needed rest from the hike and I had a meeting before church in the morning. I had a great Sabbath day yesterday and was grateful to relax. Now I am at work and today I am going over to my sister-in-laws to help Xanthe with her bridals. She is getting married THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy for her. I am missing my new nephew and think it's time I pay a visit to him this week. Okay, I am just putting random things down now. I just want you all to know that I have a testimony of faith and prayer. It grew so much stronger because of this hike. I also think it is great to make a list of things you want to accomplish in life. I have more on my list that I am looking forward to accomplishing. I want to sing the National Anthem for an event someday, go on a mission :) (if marriage doesn't come first), have a family, make a CD (even if it's just for my family and close friends), go to the Rome, Italy temple, etc. It's great to always be working on some goal that will bring you joy. I can't necessarily say that hiking Mt. Timp brought me "joy" haha, but I don't regret doing it. Anyway, I'm grateful for Heavenly Father in my life and all of my great friends. I don't know where I would be without them :)

Broken toes, pranks, best friends, and hikes :)

So...last week I was getting ready for work on a regular day and when I was going out of my bedroom, my toe caught on the door frame. Let's just say I heard a crack or pop or something, and it hurt extremely bad. I had to wear flip-flops for the rest of the week and could still barely walk. Here is a picture a few days after the "incident." As many pictures as I took, I still couldn't capture how bad it was. It's a week later now and I still have a bruise, but I'm doing much better!My apartment and another apartment have been playing pranks on each other lately. Well, last week while we were at church, the apartment of boys went into our apartment and played a prank on us. I guess one of them had gotten the code because they stalked me when I opened the door once and watched what code I punched in. Anyway, they weren't at church because of a mission president homecoming, so we didn't expect anything. When we got home from church, this is what we saw in the hall:
We knew something was up, so we hurried and opened the door to run to our bedrooms. This is what Alex and I saw when we opened our door:
It was horrible!!! Twenty-four rolls of toilet paper all over our apartment. It was ripped up into little pieces too! And there was lotion all over the doorhandles. AND obviously there was no warning that they were coming over, so they saw some things on the floor and in open drawers that they should NOT be seeing! Overall we had a great laugh. Well, I guess we got a better laugh because the next day my roommates went over to their apartment and totally got them bad. Shaving cream, toothpaste, fish sauce, and the toilet paper that they used for our apartment. It is all in good fun and I think we are laying low on the pranks for now.
My best friend Xanthe is getting married next week and she came over yesterday to hang out. We went out to eat and then went to the mall to look for a bridesmaid's dress for me. I finally found one and it's pretty cute. Now I need to find some gold shoes to go with it :) It was so fun spending time with her. We went over to my friends' apartment in the ward (the same apartment that we prank with) to play games and talk all night. I'm so grateful for all of my best friends and the way they touch my life :) Now for the hiking part of the post...I will have much more to write later, but for now we'll just have an intro. I am hiking to the top of Mount Timpanogos-TOMORROW!!! I am scared out of my mind. Hiking the Y pretty much does it for me and it's only about 45 minutes. We are starting the hike Saturday around 1:00am. I am the activities co-chair in my ward, so it is a LOT of planning. I printed all of the fliers today and posted them on everyone's doors. I am going to Costco today with the other activities co-chair so we can buy all of the food. I've definitely never done anything this intense before and I'm pretty excited. My roommate, Alex, inspired me when she wrote a list of life-long goals. My list is pretty short because honestly, what I want in my life more than anything in the world is to have a wonderful, righteous husband and family. That is all I will need to be happy. So I have to think really hard about what other goals I can put on the paper. Well, hiking Mt. Timp is one of them. I didn't know I'd be doing it this year, but I'm excited to cross that off my list :) My next post will be all about the hike. I'm sure I'll have positives and negatives (I can already list a negative...I have never in my life gone to the bathroom in the woods and I am NOT looking forward to it). Stay tuned!

Independence Day!!!

July 4th was a great day. I love America and am so grateful to live in such a wonderful country with the freedoms that we have. I got home from my cousins in the morning and then had a family BBQ at my sister's house. Erica came with me and it was really fun.
Later that night, Erica and I got together with some boys and girl (hehe) from our ward to play the games and then watch the fireworks.


Such great friends!

Visiting my cousins

My cousins (the Potters) live in Highland and I was super excited to visit last weekend because two of them were visiting from Idaho. I hung out with Stephanie, who is a year younger than me, and slept over on Friday night. We swam and laid out in her pool for hours and I was dumb and didn't wear sunscreen! I am totally fried now and can barely touch my shoulders. I'll definitely be smarter next time!

Mexican Spaghetti Squash

I've recently loved cooking with spaghetti squash. It is such a healthy alternative to noodles and as long as you mix the right ingredients, it doesn't taste any different. I love putting spaghetti sauce on it. Here is a recipe for Mexican Spaghetti Squash that I made last week. It tasted pretty good, but was even better when I added some salsa to my individual plate.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

You'll need:
1 medium spaghetti squash
sea salt and ground pepper
extra virgin olive oil, as needed
cumin and chili powder
a splash of water, as needed
cut up garlic (optional)

Halve the spaghetti squash lengthwise and place cut side up in a roasting pan. Season with sea salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, some cumin, chili powder, and garlic (if adding). Roast in a hot oven for about an hour, until the squash is fork-tender. Half way through roasting I poured a couple spoonfuls of water on each squash to keep it moist.

When the squash is done, remove it and let it cool.

In the meantime, gather:

Extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet or red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can corn
cumin and chili powder, to taste
1 cup ripe and juicy grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (I did quarters)
1 can black beans, rinsed, drained well
Two whole roasted green chiles, seeded and chopped (I bought canned ones)
1 lime - for zest and juice

For garnish:

chopped cilantro
lime wedges

Option: cubes of goat cheese or feta. (I didn't put any cheese, but it would have been really good).

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillit. Add the onion, garlic, corn kernels, and spices; stir for five minutes until the onion has softened.
Meanwhile, when the squash is cool enough to handle, take a fork and scrape the squash, making spaghetti-like strands. Toss the squash strands into a large mixing bowl. Add a little olive oil to moisten. Season with more sea salt and pepper. Sprinkle some cumin and chili powder. Toss well. Add the skillit mixture, tomatoes, black beans, and green chiles. Combine. Grate a lime and add the zest. Cut and squeeze the lime juice all over the mixture and toss lightly.
Pour the mixture into a casserole style baking dish. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven until heated through - about 20 to 25 minutes.
Serve with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and some lime wedges.
Enjoy!