Hi. My name is Ivy and I currently am living in an oven.

Some summer days (like today) are simply the price I pay for getting to live in such a beautiful place. 

Right now, however, I don't think anyone thinks it is necessarily...beautiful.

It also just so happens that today everyone took the cars with a/c, but me and mom and this little guy realllly wanted a soda from Sonic. So we toughed it up and drove in the crap-truck. All the ice in the soda was pretty much melted by the time we got home.

Summer adventures. Gotta love 'em.  

xo

Lately I am a little obsessed with making quotes. Get ready for another spiritual post ❤ 

Every week me & K exchange our "scripture of the week" via snail mail (aka: letters).

Sometimes they are super profound and involve deep doctrine, but more often than not, they are simple little verses that never fail to remind me of important things that I often take for granted.

It is one of the reasons I so look forward to Thursdays and getting his sweet letters. I get to be taught a little mini-devotional from a missionary! I just love it.

Anyways. Lately the ones he has sent me have had a lot to do with the life and healing power of Jesus Christ, and how truly loving and important he is...(i.e, the one above).

It'd be impossible for me to explain my entire testimony and feelings of my Savior on this blog.

Sometimes it is easy to get caught up with our day-to-day lives and forget that we are a part of something way bigger than we think. 

I don't think my little human mind will ever be able to understand what he has done for me. And I am no spiritual or doctrinal master by any means.

But I do just want to say that I know he is real. He really is, guys! He really did come to this earth. He really did teach and heal. He really did suffer for us. All of us. And he really does live and loves each of us more than we can imagine. 

Isn't that just amazing?!

The Savior of this great big world, the man who lived an absolute perfect life, knows and loves each and every one of us no matter how flawed or we are. 

Our lives can be so amazing and wonderful because of what he did. 

I don't know. Some days it just hits ya. Like today. 

The world is a crazy place (like you didn't already know that),

and a midst all this chaos it helps me SO much knowing that I have a Savior that loves me! 

Build your faith and hope upon Christ.

Like a solid foundation of a house, Christ will keep you up when everything and everyone else fails to do so. Let him keep you up.

Even if your "house" is not the strongest or best house their is, when it's built upon the rock of Christ, it will not fall. 

I am so grateful for that.

It is a wonderful, wonderful thing and sometimes we just need a little reminder.

  

xo

{p.s} shout out to big K for inspiring this little post.
He's having a great time in NC.

Today after church I came home and watched a movie called the Legacy, which is one of my favorite churchy-movies. If you've never seen it, it's one of those movies about the Mormon pioneers heading west in the mid 1800's. 

Anyways, I was reminded of how difficult it must have been to be one of those people who risked everything to walk hundreds of miles in extreme weather. Many did it while they were sick or pregnant or trying to take care of their families. There were several who didn't survive the journey and had to be laid to rest along the trail. 

I really admire those who did that, and I'll forever be indebted to my ancestors who came all that way. 

It is a really remarkable thing, what they did, and anybody can learn a lesson or two from their experiences, even if their lives haven't been directly affected by their actions.

Like stories of peoples lives often do, It got me thinking. 

Life sometimes is so hard. It just is. 

Everyone is on their own journey, and many times it is easy to want to just stop.

But like those brave pioneers, our progress will only continue if we keep going. 

When your life feels difficult, boring, unimportant, hectic, stressful, trying or lonely, get on your knees, ask for the help of your dear Father in Heaven, and then keep going. 

Endurance is the one factor that keeps many people from reaching their destination. 

My mind goes to this simple story that I found a few years ago...

Darby’s uncle had gold fever, so he staked his claim and started digging.  After a lot of hard work, the uncle found a vein of ore, so he covered up his find and returned home to raise the money for the machinery that he would need to bring the ore to the surface.

They raised the money and Darby travelled with his uncle back to the site to make their fortune.

Things started well and before long, they had enough to clear their debts.  They were excited, everything from here on would be profit and things were looking good.

Then the supply of gold stopped.  The vein of ore had disappeared.They kept on digging and digging and digging, but found nothing day after day.

After a while, they quit in frustration and sold their machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars.After they went home in disappointment, the astute junk man called in a mining engineer who checked the mine and calculated that there was a vein of gold just three feet from where Darby and his uncle had stopped digging.The junk man went on to make millions from the mine.Darby returned home, paid back everyone who had lent him money and was determined to learn from his mistake in giving up too soon. He learned the lesson that you need to persevere through difficulties and stay focused if you are to become successful.

Whenever you feel like giving up, remember that you may be just three feet from gold. Whether it be walking across the country, trying to remain positive, living with some sort of affliction, or simply encountering your specific daily trials, remember that sometimes it is important to just keep going. 

Just a thought :)

Hope you're all havin a sweet Sunday.

xo

Making packages is SO much fun...it really is. 

This week I had a little bit of extra time to do one.

I am kind of horrible and have sent out one since K has been gone. 

Do people give gifts on the 4th of July? No.

But it's one of my favorite holidays so I thought I'd do it anyways. 

It takes awhile to get to him so I got started quick. 

I basically just went crazy at Hobby Lobby, Deseret Book, and the dollar store and ended up with this.

Are sparklers even legal to send? I have no clue. 

And what is a package without something totally cheesy like this^^?!

Haha, ohh gosh. 

Happy packaging! 

xo

//via//

Lately I have been thinking a lot about trust.

It is something that I really tend to lack.

I like to do things myself, to make sure they are done right. 

But as I have been learning, sometimes I can't  just do it on my own. Sometimes I need help.  

In life, once you have exhausted all of your resources, you need to take your problem, no matter how big or small, and simply give it to the Lord. 

It is quite a wonderful thing, really, because he knows how to help more than anybody else! 

Since I have done this, little, teeny miracles have been popping up all over the place lately! 

I was super duper worried about paying for college, I mean, it is a very pretty penny especially if you are going out of state. But somehow, some way, I was able to get a couple of scholarships that have paid for my  entire first year.  

What!? 

Yes people, miracles really do happen. 

It wasn't because of me, it was because of the Lord. 

Now, I am not some wise & spiritual genius, and I have a great deal of learning to do, but I do know that when you do what you are suppossed to, the Lord will make up the rest. The Lord is so good, and he is everywhere. 

The sun coming up, the birds that sing, the random yet sweet texts you sometimes get, are all just little miracles.

After all, miracles are still miracles no matter how small. ">

This week, all 12x12 scrapbook paper at Michaels is 6 for $1. 

And Father's Day is this Sunday, so that means it's time to get crafty! 

Plus, I feel like my letters to Kurtis have been getting really boring lately. It's like, he's out there teaching and preaching the gospel, meeting all kinds of interesting people and telling me crazy stories, and then there's me. I  don't really have any crazy things going on lately, and I feel like I am kind of boring, ya know? So sometimes I like to make little things like this for no real reason, except to make my letters a little bit more exciting.

These are great for dads, grandpas, missionaries, or any other guys. You can kill several birds with one stone.   

WHAT YOU NEED:

-Piece of black cardstock. It can be any size you like! Just make sure beforehand that it'll fit in the envelope, if you're using one. Made that mistake. Fold it in half, like a normal card. For all of these directions we are only focusing on the front of the card. Don't cut or do anything to the back half. 

-Piece of white/light blue paper or cardstock. This will be the shirt. It should be a little bit wider than the front of the card.   

-Small scrap of tie-looking paper. Any design you'd like :)

-3-4 little buttons

-scissors

-tape/glue dots/glue stick

-hot glue gun

xo

The other day, to my wonderful surprise, a cute little package showed up in my mailbox from my favorite missionary!

Luckily, Haley was there to share my excitement.

It was a very long day, and it is summertime so obviously I'm not wearing makeup, so please excuse my great looks.

He sent me lots of t-shirts and candy, and obviously knows me too well because I just happen to be CRAVING Reese's Pieces on that exact day. 

He sent me a little North Carolina Tarheels duck key chain and it was making kind of a weird face. 

It kept Haley entertained for a good while. 

I love getting good mail, and I love my sweet boy! 

xo

Hi. School is done. The sun is shining. Life is beautiful, and it is summertime. 

I could not be happier!

In Arizona, the weather makes it feel like summer just about 90% of the year, but now it really feels like summer. I love it so much, and here is a quick glance at the many reasons it is so great. 

1. The sun. 

I love the sun rises and the sun sets around here. They are great and makes me happy. It is HOT and I love it so much. Weird, but true. I am going to miss my Arizona sunshine when I go up to college. 

2. Time

For the past 10 months, I fell like I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Just going, and going, and going! Every time I turned around something needed to get done quick. Deadlines were everywhere and it was just crazy! Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot to do, especially with college coming up and all but I feel like I have finally been able to just breathe! I mean, look at this, I am blogging! Ah. It's wonderful. 

3. Craftiness

So, because there seems to be a little bit more time to do things I love, I have been able to get super crafty! Michaels has become my newest go-to place (I kind of feel like a grandma sometimes, but it's okay).

4. The Price is Right

I finally get to watch my favorite game show! Yay! Every morning at 9am on CBS. Again, I am sounding more like a grandma....But really. If someone doesn't like that show, they are lying. 

via

5. The Beach

The nearest beach in San Diego is a 5-hour drive from here that is SO worth it. 

6. Summer Romance-ness

Summer is the cutest time of year! But when the cute boy in your life is over 2,000 miles away, you can spend your time watching chick flicks from the 90's, say yes to the dress, and the Titanic while eating Neapolitan ice cream and it is all wonderful!

6. The music

Music is always better in the summer. Concerts are too, lets just be honest, especially if you like country music. (Luke Bryan and Tim McGraw are coming and I am kind of freaking out about it).

 via. 

7. BBQ's & Fireworks 

Specifically 4th of July barbecues. There is something about the whole atmosphere of a family barbecue that  that makes me happy. July 4th is my second favorite holiday, just in case you didn't hear. 

So there you have it! 

All kinds of things have been happening lately and I really need to write about them. 

I just had to make a list before I let summer slip away from me. 

What are some of your favorite things about this wonderful time of year? :)

xo