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Our European Adventures

Seeing that school has already started

(our last semester, woot!)

It might be time to update you on the adventures we had this summer ;)

To start off, we went on the trip of a lifetime. 

As you read in a previous post, 

Stephen and I spent a significant portion of our time January-June

working with the BYU Ballroom Dance Company on light dresses. 

In May we left with the BDC on a month long European tour. 

First stop: Blackpool, England for the British Open Championships

where the dresses made their debut and both the Ballroom and Latin 

formation teams took home the first place trophy.  

The remaining weeks were followed up by performances all over 

England, Germany, and Switzerland. 

Fortunately, we were able to have fun despite the anticipated dress stress

and here are some pictures to prove it.

Enjoy!

We are Beloved Spirit Daughters of God

THE RELIEF SOCIETY OF
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

are beloved spirit daughters of God,
and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction.
As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion
to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar.
We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who:

Increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ
through prayer and scripture study.

Seek spiritual strength by following the
promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Dedicate ourselves to strengthening
marriages, families, and homes.

Find nobility in motherhood
and joy in womanhood.

Delight in service and good works.

Love life and learning.

Stand for truth and righteousness.

Sustain the priesthood
as the authority of God on earth.

Rejoice in the blessings of the temple,
understand our divine destiny,
and strive for exaltation.

Heirs to His Kingdom

Last weekend, Stephen and I traveled to Northern Utah to visit the Logan, Brigham City, and Bountiful LDS temples.  As we sat in the Celestial rooms at each of these temples, I was overwhelmed with a sense of majesty and grandeur.  The exquisite crown molding down to the tiniest piece of crystal on each magnificent chandelier made my heart melt.   Stephen and I saw half a dozen impressive castles while in Europe a little over a month ago, but none of them compared to the beauty and majesty of these temples.  Temples are the house of the Lord on the Earth, His "home away from home."  We, as His children have the opportunity to inherit ALL that He has.  Every single piece of it.  Can you imagine?  If these temples are His Earthly homes, can you even imagine what His heavenly home must be like?  He is the greatest being in all existence, far greater than any Earthly king.  His kingdom is glorious because there are no peasants, only royalty.  Every single person on this Earth can be an heir to His kingdom.  If we obey His commandments and do as He has requested, we will be given this most precious gift.  Can you even imagine?

It was said in church once that,

"It's either true or it's the greatest fairytale that's ever existed.  Well, I quite think it's both."

And I agree.  Knowledge of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and our living Heavenly Father are the greatest truths in all existence.  They are pivotal in understanding our purpose here on this Earth, and our potential for the eternities.  I am so blessed to have this knowledge and the opportunity to learn and grow every day.  I want to share my testimony with every person I come in contact with for I truly believe with all my heart that this Gospel is true, and we, as children of a loving and perfect Heavenly Father, are given all the tools necessary to inherit all that he has.

I am so grateful for this knowledge, this gospel, the Savior's atonement, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My life would be incomplete without it.

I'm thinking about...

1. my new calling

2. Switzerland

3. graduate school applications

4. my next project

5. baking this

6. my sister coming to town

7. my boy

8. going back here

9. what to do for our 1 year

10. procrastinating

What are you thinking about?

Why We've Been Absent

The last thing you heard from me was a sob story about the stressful semester I had ... 

and then I dropped off the face of the blogging world. 

I know, not good timing. 

To catch you up, 

Stephen and I have been working the past 6 months on 

light dresses for the BYU Ballroom Dance Company. 

You can read about the dresses and the major competition we won at

BYU News 

BYU Dance News 

Salt Lake Tribune 

Mashable 

LDS.org

LDS Philanthropies

Swarovski

BYU Dance Department 

YouTube

and there are more...

but they all take bits and pieces from the articles above. 

To read about the other things we did on tour, check out these Ballroom Dance Team tour news posts: 

Ballroom Dance Company in England

Ballroom Dance Company: England, Germany, Switzerland

Phew. 

It was one roller-coaster 6 months

full of major highs and ultimate lows. 

In the end, 

it was worth it.

Will share pictures and tour stories another time

xo

ALi 

Mountains to Climb

This school year has been one of the most difficult times in my entire life. 

While this time has made me question myself, 

a few things I now know more certainly than ever.

1. Trials make us stronger.

2.  The Lord has perfect timing.  

3.  I am married to the most wonderful man in the entire world.

4.  The temple can bring you more peace than any other place on Earth.

5.  Daily personal prayer and scripture study are a key to happiness.

My trial is not over by any means.  Right now the only benefit I've received is several answers to the classic interview question, "Have you ever failed at anything?"  I do know that eventually I will overcome this trial, and I will be stronger for doing so. 

The Lord knew what lay ahead of me this year.  He placed Stephen in my life so I would have someone to lean on through these tough times.  My marriage has not encumbered my trial, it has lightened the inevitable.  I am so grateful for the Lord's timing in giving me Stephen.  I am more grateful to Stephen for being the best support, study buddy, friend, inspiration and example I could ever dream of.  He is my rock, and I would not have made it through this year without him.

Stephen and I made a goal to attend the temple weekly.  I can truthfully say that since we have been married, we have missed less weeks than I have fingers on my right hand.  Even when we didn't think there was time in the world, we went.  Those precious hours in the temple were a source of peace and strength to me. 

Most nights, when all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for the few hours I had left, I got on my knees and said my prayers instead.  We would read scriptures and talk about what could be learned from our readings.  To be honest, there were not many days where I saw a direct correlation between what I read or prayed for and the answers I received.  But this I do know, the spirit has been with me each and every day.  And if there is one thing I have succeeded in this year, it is reading my scriptures and saying my prayers daily, for the first time in my life.

Trials are hard. 

I pray everyday that I will see the purpose in mine 

and be able to overcome it.  

I am grateful that the Lord has blessed me

with my family, 

Stephen, 

and this incredible gospel.

They have brought me closer

to my Heavenly Father, 

who loves me with all his heart

and is preparing me to be the best I can be. 

"The Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace."

- Exodus 14:14

Fathers

My dad is one of the most incredible men I know.

My protector,

My hero, 

My strength, 

My example, 

My friend, 

My father. 

Words cannot express my gratitude for him, 

for the constant love and support he has given me. 

For every show, swim meet, and primary talk he attended. 

For every word of encouragement

and every hug. 

For trusting me, 

and trusting himself to give me away. 

For letting us dance to the song that makes him cry, 

and singing the whole song through. 

I am the luckiest girl alive. 

Happy Birthday Daddy :)

And in lieu of fathers, 

here is one of my favorite Mormon Messages

He Knows Me Oh So Well

This week we celebrated 

Valentine's Day

and our

6 month Anniversary

On Thursday, 

Stephen and I were incredibly busy with school work and projects so 

Valentine's Day was the last thing on our minds. 

In between meetings, I ran to my desk to grab a binder and noticed it was a mess!  

My lotion and sticky notes were on my desk and not in the drawer.  

So I open my drawer to quickly shove it back in and get to my meeting. 

When I saw a beautiful rose. 

And a note that said: 

"Surprise!! I LOVE YOU! Happy Valentine's Day"

That boy knows me oh so well. 

He knew I would be annoyed by a bottle of lotion and a pad of sticky notes on my desk

and I wouldn't be able to focus unless I put them away. 

Which I did immediately. 

And found his beautiful rose :)

He's the greatest.

It gets more beautiful every day

 6 months

 6 more until we enjoy this cake again

my happily ever after

Valentine's Dinner

The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach. 

pictures via Instagram

@mrsaliwood

2013 Goals

Yes. 

This post is over a month late. 

Better late than never, right?

ALI'S GOALS:

# Journal once/week

# 100% Visiting Teaching

# Work on posture

# Read entire Old Testament

# Improve personal prayer

# Publish a paper

FAMILY GOALS:

# Attend the temple 52 times

# Visit 10 temples in Utah

#Start to finish ordinances (baptism - sealings) for a couple 

in SLC temple in a single day

# Family prayer morning and evening

# FHE, 7:00 every Monday

# Apply to graduate school

# Graduate

# Home by 10:00 pm, bed by 11:00 

*extreme cases warrant an exception

# Write Lexi once/week

# Finish special projects 

snow shoe soles, iPhone apps, Stephen's books

Admittedly, we have already broken the bedtime rule several times due to senior project deadlines. 

Other than that we are doing good so far.

Here's to a new year!

What are your goals?

Mockingjay

A nice end to the Hunger Games series. 

"The best yet, a beautifully orchestrated and intelligent novel that succeeds on every level."

- Publishers Weekly

Worth the read. 

Catching Fire

Book Two of the Hunger Games Trilogy,
Catching Fire did not disappoint. 

A quick, fun read.
Rebellion.
Teen indecisiveness.
Not heavy.
Not deep.

You may as well read it.  There will be a movie soon. 

Jane Eyre {Try #2}

I decided to give Jane Eyre another try.  

This time it was a success.  

Jane Eyre takes a little while to get exciting (trust me, I tried two times).  Once I got into it, I really enjoyed the book and had a hard time putting it down.  

Jane Eyre is classic for a reason:

1. Language

2.  Slow moving

3. Still good

All in all, worth the read.

Book Reviews

Fall semester postponed my summer readings a bit, 

but over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks I was able to do a little catch up. 

Reviews to follow.