A Porter Family Update

I have been slacking on this whole blogging.. keeping people updated.. thing. Just so you know we are still alive and yes we are both going to school. As most of you probably know Blake and I have been under construction. Our sweet 86 year old landlord Carma forgot she left her bathtub on and when we came home... we came home to a  sweet surprise. The water came through her floors onto our ceiling. It created so much pressure that it created a softball size hole in our bedroom. The carpets were drenched and water was coming down the walls.  The walls started to bubble, it was awesome. The first night we put the couches together and had the worst night sleep of our adult life's.  

Two days later the couches got replaced with our bed. They tore our whole ceiling down during fall break. Oh the adventures we have had in this 70 styled apartment has made for some good laughs down the road, but for right now we are wanting out. It was an amazing price and perfect for our first apartment, but so many things have gone wrong. It is time for a change and to live closer to UVU. Hopefully we will be moving in the next week or so.

Last week was our fall break and we tried to use our time wisely. Here is a rundown of our fun break..Wednesday my little sister  ran in state cross-country and took 5th even though she should've gotten fourth. She didn't know the girl behind her was so close and she beat her by less than a second. 

Thursday- One advantage of living in Utah County is being so close to Provo Canyon. I LOVE AUTUMN. The weather is perfect and how could you not fall in love with the beautiful mountains?!? DROP DEAD GORGEOUS! I am so glad we took advantage of the good weather and pretty scenery by doing something I have been wanting to do forever.. run the Provo Canyon. Oh, and we threw in a picnic to be more romantic. 

Friday we went to a haunted house called Nightmare on 13th. As most people know I am as jumpy as my mother and I pretty much jump at anything if it's loud or catches me off guard. Blake and I don't watch scary movies, but a good thriller that isn't gory or satanic is okay. We just might be wimps, but I am okay with that. SO why did we go to a haunted house? I don't know, other than it is fun. I have already been to this haunted house so I thought I would be okay, but once the chainsaw guys came around I booked it through the rooms and into the clown room which is even worse. This isn't the first time I have ran through a haunted house... it was actually my third time. I'm okay thanks for asking, but I do feel bad that I sacrifice everyone in front of me by knocking then over or pushing them for my own safety to get the H out of there! 

 We weren't planning on painting our pumpkins this year, but our friends bought us these and invited us over to paint them. It was so much fun.. I highly recommend painting your pumpkin. Less mess! Blake accomplished the two on the left while I was perfecting my smile. 

Saturday- Rise and shout the Cougars are out! Blake and I have been very fortunate to have been able to go to many of the BYU football games this year. Last Saturday was our fifth game we have gone too. I love going to the BYU football games not only to watch, but to be with my Jackson family. It has been exciting to watch Blake get big into it this year. He loves sports, but he wasn't the biggest fan of football until I introduced him to BYU football. GO ME! 

Friends are the best but my best friend Blake Porter is the best of all. I find it funny how much we are alike. He makes me smile and laugh everyday. This is totally random right? Okay well school is getting crazy and now I have to go study for my Micro test tomorrow. 

PS Still haven't found a Job yet anybody out there that can hook a sister up? 

So.. this is what it is like to go to a million dollar party

 Vivint hosted a black tie event to celebrate the hard work the boys did over the summer. We had a blast walking the red carpet, eating tons of food, drinking expensive drinks, dancing, playing games, watching sports comedy and fire dancers. It is hard to capture the fun just with photos..

We made some good memories this summer with these two. We love them and are grateful to learn from their great examples.  

 This totally beat prom. 

If you can't tell it is an ice sculpture that says united.. 

Wake Skate

 Wake skating at Utah Lake with my sister and brother- in-law, and two of our friends from the summer. 

There were so many cute kids during the summer. I have missed them all... and their moms too ;). This cute boy loves to cuddle.

 Gwen and Ellie were the only ones who could do it without a rope. They're pros and we attempted to be like them. Thanks again Gwen and  Ellie for inviting us. 

 I am married to that captain... SO HEWT!

Lake Powell

Blake and I would have to agree that we would choose Lake Powell over any theme park in the world. The reason being is that it means warm weather and you can play all day and not have to spend it waiting in lines. We love Lake Powell because it keeps the world out. There are no T.V.'s, Computer etc. Yeah, there is service now for phones, but let's be honest you don't you use them much. 

This moment right here earned the best crash award. Blake and I were flying all over the place. There were times I didn't know when we would hit the water. My family told me I was doing cartwheels in the sky. Too bad we didn't catch it on tape. Blake and I are both completely fine. I had the wind knocked out of me, but it was SO MUCH FUN!! I love Lake Powell and it's the best when it's with family.

The rest of the trip was posted on facebook under Lake Powell Video.

Our Travel Back

The summer is over!!! And we decided to make the most of it... SO, we went ahead and finally did some traveling for ourselves on our way home from South Carolina and Georgia.  First stop... NASHVILLE! It was a blast since it was both of our first times there.  We absolutely had to see everything it had to offer! Turns out if you don't like to drink, then your choices are limited. Haha that is mostly a joke, but seriously... We had a blast though; we went to a bunch of different cowboy stores and saw the live performances. Just take a look for yourselves! 

 This is my handsome cowboy!! And this is as country as you will ever see Blake look (you should have been there when I was trying to convince him into trying on cowboy boots). I guess I can't turn this city slicker into a cowboy. I love him no matter what!!

 Apparently this is Elvis Presley's hometown..we found him on every corner and he only has this one move... here it is. Now he is our homeboy!! 

 Tribute to Tombstone. One of our favorite movies!

 In Nashville beer goggles are a must, so we decided to try them out. We recommend this to kids of all ages

After Nashville, we went for the complete opposite experience and headed over to Nauvoo.  It was Blake's first time there and I loved going back and seeing everything again.  It's such a beautiful little town with so much history within it.  If you haven't been, you should make time to go.  It was just as good the second time as it was the first!

 We had quite the experience trying to find a place to sleep when we got into Nauvoo after twelve. Luckily, we found something. I guess they work off of reservations rather than showing up at the hotel. Looks like we missed the memo..Nauvoo MUST be a holy place cuz God watched out for us that night and helped us score a sweet cabin!

Carthage Jail is incredible. From the moment we stepped onto the grounds we could feel the sacredness of this historic site. It was one of my favorite places when I went on the CHT with my classmates and I really wanted Blake to see it. Blake and I couldn't help but feel the spirit when we heard the testimonies and reflections on Joseph Smiths life. What an incredible man. This was the actual door that the mob broke through to get to Joseph and the other men. It was surreal to think that we were standing in the place where this tragic event happened.

 The Blacksmith shop was one of Blake's favorites for obvious reasons..

Here I am sitting in the very spot that Emma Smith sat when she became head of the Relief Society.. False none of that was true, but that would be totally cool if it was. I just loved all the beautiful gardens around Nauvoo.

 Our favorite statue

This picture looks like an earthquake happened, but it didn't.

My Hometown

The older I become the more I appreciate this beautiful valley..

Two weeks ago I flew to Utah for my best friends wedding and I also spent some time with my family. I have missed my family very much.. they're my best friends. I am grateful for each and everyone of them. Being far from home this summer has given me the chance to reflect on how blessed I have been. Not only for my family, but growing up in Lyman, Ut. Traveling this summer has opened my mind completely to realizing how lucky I have been...

Was I raised on a farm?? Not really, but kind of.. we have cows and chickens. I moved pipe with my friends growing up and that's about all the knowledge I have about farming. Cool huh? haha Lets just put it this way the kids that grow up in Wayne county are not lazy for the most part.

My pretty sis about to go into our chicken coup

K this post may be lame, but when I went back to Lyman this time out of all the times I appreciated it more. The reason I am who I am today is because of this little valley of wonderful people who raised me. Like the proverb says: It takes a village to raise a child.. I am related to the majority of the people in Lyman, but even if your not related you feel as if you are. It has been fun for me to introduce Blake to the "WHOLE" family..

My fishing buddy and our dogs. ( No I didn't spill water on my pants..it's paint from previous years working at the FS)

Fishing is absolutely one of my favorite things to do!! I have so many cherished memories going fishing with my fam!!

Another pleasure of living in a small town is that there isn't any traffic unless someone is herding their sheep or cows that day. Lauren and I have done an anual bike ride since I don't know how long.. she was really tiny when we started doing this tradition every summer. We ride our bikes on the backstreets to Loa and its about 3 miles there. Back then this trip felt like an accomplishment!! When we arrive to Loa we park our bikes wherever we want to eat that day. This trip however we didn't have much of an appetite. 

This is a shout out to my Grandpa Chappell he turned 91 yesterday. This picture up above is the secret to staying young. My grandpa has a brilliant mind and he doesn't waste it.. he has been inventing since I can remember. I loved watching him in church sketching a new project and then when he finished I would ask him First, What is it? Second, What does it do? He would then tell me the engineering behind his project. Many of his inventions have been to  make life easier for him and my grandma.
You know how scents remind you of certain things? The smell of sawdust reminds me of my grandpa he always smells of sawdust. I loved sweeping the sawdust in the shop when I was young and listening to old school music. I love you Grandpa....

I bought the whole family a Georgia peach and the most excited people were my grandparents (as you can tell by the pic). They served their mission in Atlanta Georgia . A peach... brought back some special memories for them.I enjoyed listening to their stories..

 Wow what to say about this special women.. she just gets my heart. She is my grandma and one of my best friends. Like I've been saying I feel extremely blessed and here is another one of my blessing.. 

Georgia

For those of you who haven't read my sisters blog we are now in Augusta, Georgia. We moved here right after we got back from Hawaii and it has been nothing short of a whole new experience. From their famous peaches to the wild alligators its been another big adventure.

The Savannah River

The homes across the Savannah river are BEAUTIFUL!! A dock in the backyard?! Are you kidding me?

 We've never had to worry about this before.. You will have company swimming in the lakes around here y'all

The alligators live in a pretty place.. very deceiving

When it rains it pours..