rushley & crew

I first entered the world of blogging when I was finishing high school/entering college. A bunch of my friends and I all got blogs around the same time, and we'd just read each other's blogs and think we were so cool. But then I fell out of the habit. A few years later, I got married and decided to try out blogging again. I don't know how it happened, but I got looking around at blogs of people that I didn't know, and I started to learn that the blogging world is a way to connect with tons of people you don't know, as well as the ones you do know and want to share updates with. It was awesome! I also learned that the blogging world is filled with giveaways and sponsorships and such. Some people really don't like sponsored posts, but I don't usually mind them. I often find myself reviewing products or places on my blog for no reason other than I like to tell people about good or bad experiences with certain things. (Hmm . . . maybe I'm a Maven...

Well folks. I got a library card! And it's made getting books to read so much easier. The first day I got my card, I was just so excited. Having fun isn't hard, when you've got a library card! ;) Name that tv show . . . anyone? ;) Anyway, here is a continuation of my  23 before 23  goal to read 23 books. {SIX}  Daughters in My Kingdom  published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Genre:  History Synopsis:  This book details the history and work of the Relief Society, a women's organization in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My thoughts:  Every woman in my church was given this book about three years ago, but I had never even really glanced at it. I decided it was time for me to read it. I enjoyed reading it because it is uplifting. It talks about being a better woman and living up to God's expectations and plans for us. It was nice to learn more about the Relief Society, and it strengthened my te...

On Friday, we were last-minute invited to this fancy gala (one of those things where it's like a million dollars/plate) because a family friend from out of town decided to buy a bunch of seats last minute (basically to just make a donation) and told my parents to invite their kids, so that is how we got invitations. We were also able to extend an invitation to Russ's sister, Lacey, and she got to bring a friend as well. Though we didn't get to sit by them during the event, we went to Lacey's after for a few hours to hang out and chat. The gala was for Mentors International , a company that goes to poor countries and finds the poorest of the poor, gives them tiny loans (we're talking like $20), and then those people are expected to build a business with that loan, repay it, and pull themselves out of poverty by doing so. So it's pretty awesome :) The event included dinner and an amazing performance by William Joseph and Nathan Pacheco . And guys. They were A...

Well folks, it's happened. I've finally found a zumba class that I really enjoy! I've never been a huge fan of exercising. I want  to like it, and I want to be one of those adorable fitness junkies, but really, I'm just a foodie that hates exercise. It's a problem. BUT the one form of exercise that I love  is zumba! I went to my first zumba class during my freshman year of college, and it was perfect. I was on the dance team in high school, but didn't really continue dancing in college, so zumba was reminiscent of a dance class. The teacher was awesome, the dances were fun, and I went every Thursday with two of my best friends, Talyn and Ashlee. Talyn invited us to the class and I'm so glad she did. But then that place shut down, the teacher ended up moving out of state, and so I was out of a zumba class. Since then, I've tried many different classes with many different teachers (at least five) and I just never loved them. BUT! I finally found o...

What do you want to be when you grow up? When I was really little, like five years old, I wanted to be a princess when I grew up. I mean, who didn't, right? via Now that I'm old (aka 22), I mostly just want to be a mom, with perhaps some magazine editing or freelance design on the side. via But somewhere in the middle of those two dreams, I wanted to be a singer/songwriter. via It started in fifth grade. I really don't know what brought it up, but my friend Briana showed me some songs she had written (just lyrics with a tune, no actual instruments yet). I was intrigued. I listened to music, and like all 10-year-olds, I wanted a rockstar life. But I never actually thought that happened to real people. But for some reason, Briana's songs gave me the idea that we could do something big. So we started a band. I started writing songs, and she continued writing songs, and we recruited our other friends Kaylee and Elayna to join the band. We were going to ...