bet you didn't know i have a twin

This is Levi. He left yesterday for a two year LDS mission to Madrid, Spain. The last few years we realized how alike we are in mannerisms, mentality, likes, dislikes, etc., and he started calling us twins. As you can imagine, I feel like I said goodbye to part of my heart. 

I was so impressed with his farewell talk and how much he's grown in the last year. He made mention that since receiving his call, he has struggled with feeling inadequate for the task ahead. Instead of being disheartened, he prayed harder, studied more, and turned into this soldier.

Work hard, little brother. See you in two years.

the annual backpacking trip

My dad has taken us on backpacking trips since I was about 15. It's usually a three-day excursion in Wyoming, where few dare to adventure. Miles of dirt roads, the elevation, and no phone service seem to keep the crowds away, which is just how my dad likes it. 

Things started off a little dreary--we got out of town three hours later than planned because the truck broke down and then it rained all the way there. Miraculously, the rain stopped about thirty minutes into the hike. We took off the sticky ponchos and walked the rest of the way with the sun shining.

I think my dad selected this hike for its incredible landscapes and features. We trekked past Steamboat Peak which looked like the Titanic, slid down a glacier, and swam in an icy lake.

I think it's safe to say this was the most difficult hike my siblings and I have ever done. There were some cruelly steep peaks we [literally] climbed up and stumbled down. (One section was aptly named "Devil's Staircase.") All things considered, we made it. Dirt under our fingernails and behind our ears, exhausted feet, and sunburned necks, but we made it. We climbed up to 11,000 feet and walked about 23 miles, and even the elderly dog and the puppy survived. I think we all feel like big kids now.

so, we got a puppy.

her name is mattie, and i'm telling you--you've never seen anything so cute. she's our second english shepherd, and we got her so we can make more little puppies as cute as she is. 

in other news...i graduate from college today! wish me luck. i don't think it'll sink in until this fall when everyone is buying notebooks and textbooks and new pencils, everyone but me.

Those are two little cuties right there. That's my (now 6 foot 4) little brother on the left and my dad on the right, and I can't believe how similar they look in both shots. Aren't my dad's pants RAD? My siblings and I love looking through the bins of old photos, and these were among the other gems we found.

Classes end next week, then it's on to graduation and an incredible summer. Everyone who comes for my graduation is going to help me move my stuff up north, into the apartment Jess and I will live in after we get married. It's so quaint (code word for small, yes...) and charming (code word for old), but we love it! I can't wait to get it all decorated and start doing projects with our space. All my Pinterest boards--DIY, Organization, Cottage--will finally get put to use. 

Meanwhile, I'm plugging away on my April Happiness Project goals. Yesterday I did a little refocusing because so far the whole cheerfulness plan hasn't been going well. Anyway, I'm smiling and back on track.

february happiness project: love

I got to go home for this little guy's birthday this weekend--he's turning 9. Hard to believe it's been a whole year since he was baptized in the freezing cold river! Also, don't fret...he was completely in support of this dramatic pose.

I haven't had a chance to officially post my February goals, so I better do it before I lose any more of the month. Hopefully our Happiness Project updates don't become repetitive--we're posting about them a lot, partly as a reminder (hopefully an inspiration!) to keep track of your own new year resolutions, but mostly for ourselves. It's a way of being accountable. 
How are yours coming? If you've fallen off the wagon, jump back on! That's what's so great about the Happiness Project, each month is the chance to reset goals and start fresh.
My February goals are based around love and relationships.

1. Answer texts right away. Don't ever not text back.
2. Don't multitask while on the phone with anyone. Be fully invested in the conversation.
3. Be the initiator and call or text people first occasionally.
4. Do something sweet for Jess (specifically every day that I'm with him). 
5. Try to cater more to others' love languages.
6. Don't gossip. Don't judge. Don't criticize.
7. Give compliments when I think them.

xo

Jane

journal prompt // a memorable birthday

Jane Because of my end-of-summer birthday, July 30 usually falls on the yearly backpacking trip with my dad and siblings. We get up before sunrise and take off in the old pickup toward the heart of Wyoming to the Wind River mountain range. These mornings aren't always our favorite, having to kiss the warm showers and soft beds goodbye, but they have been some of the more memorable.  My siblings and I played our version of "Marry, Date, or Dump"for a good three hours on the trail one day ("Hey, Levi...marry, date, or dump--Hermione Granger, Alice Cullen, and Katniss Everdeen."). Another time we managed to locate the lookalikes to the major landmarks from The Hunger Games (Rue's meadow, the stream, the clearing). Sometimes my sisters and I will share boy stories the whole way. Occasionally we find ourselves speechless, standing atop cliffs thousands of feet high and staring out across trees and lakes and other mountains that go for miles and miles.  At the end of that day every year, I cuddle myself into a ball inside my sleeping bag and, tucked between my sweet sisters, fall asleep with a smile on my face after taking a mental photo of the majesty of being with my family, thousands of feet closer to heaven.
Harley my favorite birthday was that of my 16th. perhaps cliche. i was a tad bit socially behind. i didn't want to plan a party because who would i invite? plus my birthday was on a monday. a monday of all days! i was at rehearsal for Anything Goes when the back doors opened. my friends began parading down the stairs disrupting the entire rehearsal. the choreographer was not pleased. i was terribly confused. then they started saying, "we are taking her with us!" they dragged me off the stage and out the door. there were a parade of mini vans waiting in the high school parking lot to drive us back to my house. when we arrived the house was decorated and a party was in full swing. a surprise party just for me. boy did i feel loved and special.  my mom knew i was weird about the whole party thing. she had planned the entire event right under my nose and invited, what felt like, every person i had ever talked to. one of my friends even brought me a birthday couch and set it on my lawn. a boy also shoved cake in my face and my dad looked like her was going to beat him up. i suppose we are all a little socially challenged when we are 16. 

i lost my heart to the west

I've got the sweetest siblings and cousins in the world. These little cuties (Alaina and Jayme) currently live in D.C., but they came to visit for a long weekend. We had fun in the sun, floated the river, ate at Applebee's, watched scary movies and ate Red Vines. 

They like to chat and get their hair done. Did you notice their faux red streaks?

This is from last year when Sister and I visited them in D.C. on our way home from Belize. Little girls have grown up!