23.

A prime number. The atomic number of vanadium. Michael Jordan's jersey number (oh, and Nathan Scott's).

So I can no longer sing Taylor Swift's 22 with quite as much zeal as before. But it's totally fine because Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World and Yellowcard wrote songs about being 23. I'm partial to odd numbers, so I actually prefer it.

This year really took me for a spin, but in the best of ways.

Since my last birthday...
I went on a couple different road trips to California.
I bought a plane ticket to New York City on a whim.
I went to NYC and explored its glory.
I got engaged for the second time (to the same person).
I got married in the Provo temple.
I spent my first Christmas away from home.
I went on road trips with friends to Lake Mead and Boulder, UT.
I went to San Francisco with my inlaws.
I took all of my teaching classes.
I got a job as a mentor at a therapeutic boarding school.
I was hired for my first teaching job in the fall.

And I spent my birthday with my mom and then my husband, mostly just eating good food.

The only real hiccup of my day was when I decided to finally use my floating lantern (that I've been dying to use since I fell in love with Tangled) and it basically was a disaster. It didn't work at all, but I guess it makes for a good story. Think: my sister-in-law almost catching everything on fire as she waved the lantern around to fill it with air and eventually my brother throwing cups of water and my husband stomping the whole thing out. All while the rest of us were screaming and laughing at the same time.

Life is pretty good my friends, it really is.

Read my 22 post here. 

what watching tangled with britton is like.

happy birthday to the cutest boy I know!

He's two. 

I miss him more than I ever thought I could. 

And I will never get enough of his little voice saying, "Hi Jaaane." 

Thank the heavens for skype.

cheers to elegance and class and the good old days. 

happy birthday to audrey hepburn. 

nineteen is a good age.

He's officially old enough to take that call he's been given.

(The one I listened to him open at four in the morning while crying in the lobby of a Roman hostel)

In just over a month he'll be on his way to

learning Spanish

living in Guatemala

with the Guatemalans

teaching them life-changing truths

and making the people fall in love with him.

He's the sweetest brother a girl could ask for.

He teaches me kindness. And that it's okay to lighten up sometimes. 

Happy Birthday Big Al!

I sure do love you.

dad.

A long time ago, I remember waking up in the middle of the night and becoming amazingly upset. I had had some nightmare that caused me to really think about life and how, without any say on my part, it could just end at any time. Death and loss gave me a feeling of discomfort (as it does most people, I believe). I hated that feeling...the thought of everything ending. Life over. Possibly being alone forever.

I had always been taught at church that our families are forever, life doesn't end with death. One of the great things about this being that we will never be alone. 

But I have an imagination...and I (without control) think every possible situation through to the core...so I could not help but think about what it might be like if forever consisted of nothing. Darkness. No one but yourself. Completely alone.

These thoughts scared me to the point of breathlessness.

As the thoughts grew in my mind I began to cry and tumble into a worried mess.
(My preteen self was completely unable to handle this type of self-inflicted stress)

And somehow, through all of my anxiety, my dad ended up right next to me. He sat me up in my bed, automatically trying to fix the pain I had caused myself.

His comfort was immediate.

He reassured me with something similar to this,
no matter what happens in life (or outside of it), I will always have prayer.
And because of that reason, that truth,
I will never be alone.

(side note* the reason for the emphasis on being alone...my biggest fear has always been a fear of being alone in life)

Of course, I can't remember his exact words, or all of the wisdom that he shared with me.
But I remember the feeling I got from my father that night.
I knew that no matter what happened in my life that he would love me.
That he knew that I was a daughter of God and regardless of
the stresses, the worries, or the hardships of life...
he would do everything in his power to make sure I am alright.
To make sure that I know how much I am loved
To make sure that I know how deeply he cares for me.
To make sure that I know how life is hard, but it's always, completely worth it.
And the knowledge I gained, knowing my dad would be a constant in my life, changed my world forever.

I'm sure he does not remember that specific night. And I'm also sure there has been many moments like it since then. He's always been that way with me...a shoulder to cry on, someone to reassure me that everything will be okay, a person to trust with all that I have.

And for that I am so grateful.

Thanks daddy, for everything that you are. For being my go-to for all the times I need someone. Thanks for being patient with me. For never letting me settle.

And thanks for reading my blog :)
You are truly one of the best parts of my life.
I'm glad you were born. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

some things you should know about a friend of mine.

She cried once when she saw a truck upside down on the side of the road, because I drove one just like it. (even thought the truck was a different color than mine).

She cried harder when I had appendicitis and had to have surgery.

She was already at my house when a boy broke my heart my senior year of high school and I was crying uncontrollably. 

She took me to a BYU football game and expressed concern for the fans that were not in the light, because it was probably way colder in the darkness. (it was freezing all around and it was night, in case you were wondering).

She let me sing in her ear during English every day Sophomore year of high school.

She memorized the entire chew out scene of A Cinderella Story with me. (we also attempted one of our favorite rap songs...but changed our minds once we saw the lyrics...)
She has a spot on her forehead that, when pushed makes her fall straight to the ground.
She's the one I thought of when I watched Christina jump into bed with Meredith and Derek on Grey's. (can't wait to do that with her and Eric... ha).

She also turned 20 today and is getting married on the 21st of this month.
I cried when I saw her bridals (it's kind of a big deal, her getting married)


Hays, I love you lots and lots. And couldn't be happier for you.
happy birthday

djWhittyBEATS

What can I say about djwhitty....?
well.
I like to think of her as
the peanut butter to my jelly.
the cup to my cake.
the mary-kate to my ashley.
And today is her birthday.

I couldn't be more happy to have her as a friend.

My favorite part about us?

We HAVE FUN. On a regular basis...

life is a dance party.
Why not enjoy it?

I love your guts my dearest whit.
Life would be such a bore without you!

thank you for the dance parties. the laughter. for taking my wit to the next level. all the adventures. and for just being my friend.

you ROCK don't ever change.
(credit goes to lizzie mcguire)

Oh baby.

I love, love, love this picture.

Beckham Todd Moon is the newest member of the Moon family. And quite the studmuffin he is.


JUNE 9, 2010
9:56am
8 lbs 4 ounces
20 inches


Welcome to earth baby boy!
So many people already love you
more than you know.



"It's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


I am grateful for this little one.

forever yours. faithfully.

I kind of wanted to cry last night as I watched the season finale of Glee.

Chills. WOW. Faithfully (favorite journey song. ever.) WOW.

To Sir With Love. WOW. Somewhere Over the Rainbow. WOW.

Quinn had her baby.

(best line of the night...Quinn: (to Puck, while in labor) you suck, you suck, you suck!) hahahah.

VERY appropriate.

My dear sister-in-law is pushing out a baby right NOW.

Literally...pushing.

Baby Beckham is comingggggg.

My brother is gonna be a DADDY.

and here I am...holding down the fort (at the hospital) because the rest of my family deserted me...

But's it's OKAY because we get to talk through SKYPE.

Which I decided is basically soooo awesome.

I also decided that my nephew Brit is too cute for his own good.

He and his cousin will be exactly 10 months apart! (august 9th and june 9th)

AHHHHH.

I'm excited.

REALLY.

Sooo excited. And I just can't hide it.

I can't get enough of this song.

again,

WOW.

It is the epitome of awesome.

PEACE. LOVE. BABIES. and JOURNEY.

cinco de mayo.

I learned from Wikipedia that:

The atomic number for Cobalt is 27.
The New York Yankees have won the world series 27 times.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed 27 concerti for piano and orchestra.
There are 27 letters in the Hebrew alphabet.
The planet Uranus has 27 moons.

There are a total number of 27 books in the New Testament.

Wanna know what else is 27?

JACOB ALLEN MOON

This big guy just so happens to be my handsome oldest brother.

When I think of Jake I think of...

his gorgeous and totally awesome wife.

his beautiful baby boy.

how he can basically do anything.

his fantastic fashion sense.

how everyone loves him.

and how he's always taken care of all of us.

I remember things like:

The billions of basketball games I have attended over the years (all of which he dominated on the court).

Us singin' our hearts out (in the car...kitchen...anywhere really...).

His best ever birthday fiestas (carne asada...divine).

Me crying during my speech at his wedding dinner (and me also admitting he was my favorite).

Him telling my mom and I after the first time he met Michelle that he was gonna marry her (which he did).

Watching him hold his baby boy for the first time (I totally cried then too).

(oh and he also cleaned up after me when I threw up just an hour after Britton was born {in Michelle's hospital bathroom}).

Being bummed when he moved to Texas...

But realizing he'll always be there and when he comes back nothing has changed one bit.

Everyone should be jealous that I get to have him in my family :)

Jakey...

I hope your day was full.

of love.

of goodness.

and of awesomeness too.

I love you big brother. Thanks for being born into my family.

sweetheart.

today is my grandpa's birthday.

he died when I was six.

I feel lucky I had six years to know someone like him.

I feel lucky I still remember bits and pieces of who he was.

if it were possible, I would tell everyone I could about how wonderful in every way he was.

but I'm not sure it is.

he was a surgeon.

he loved motorcycles

diet pepsi

and his grandchildren.

grandpa,

thanks for showing me how to love people. for letting me be your nurse when you were on call. for explaining to me what the benches at cemeteries are for. for covering my eyes with your giant hand when you took us for flu shots. for rubbing off on my brother jake. for raising my mom. for letting me be your sweetheart. for the memories I can still see in my mind. and for never leaving my heart.

this little girl has a birthday.

meet michelle. you might know her from here or here. today is her birthday.

she is basically the most awesome person I've ever met.

she married my brother.

they now have one of the cutest little boys I've ever seen. and you can see for yourself here.

Dearest Michelle.

I hope your birthday is the best yet (although that might be hard because you can't party with us :)). Thanks for helping me face my fears at the gym, making me laugh pretty much all the time, and for marrying my brother so we could all have you. Happy birthday! May all your dreams come true birthday girl.

Love you lots!

molly jane xo

PS I miss your laugh and can't wait until April (best birthday present ever)

happy birthday vaughany boy

he won't be seeing this, but that's alright. vaughan is 20 TODAY. and guess what I found out? he's already gone to NEW ZEALAND. I'm pretty sure he left yesterday, but I have no idea, I just barely got a letter from him telling me this. ha. If he left yesterday, he missed his birthday... (they are 14 hours ahead of us so if he left on the 1st he would have arrived on the 3rd, sad! :)

I'm soooo excited for him to finally be there!

I miss him.

He has been such a big part of my life for the past three years it's rough not being able to talk to him every day. He's my best friend and I love him to pieces :)

happy birthday elder greening!

thanks for being in my life

hope you're enjoying the *warm* sunshine

happy happy birthday zachary dear

happy birthday to my brother zach!!! he's a quarter of a century today.

crazy right? {this means soon I won't be a teenager anymore :/}

{this is us in france, aren't we awesome?}

zach is one of the funniest guys I know; I have no idea what we would do without him. he has an amazing heart and is just a good guy {like my dad}. I could hang out with him and stef all the time {and I pretty much do}.

love you mucho zach! happy birthday!!!

I'm FINALLY an AUNT!

Britton Jacob Moon was born on Sunday August 9 at... well really early in the morning. But he is just about the cutest thing I have EVER seen. Michelle did amazing. She let me and my mom in the room while she delivered and I don't think I've ever seen anything cooler! I was the designated videographer and babies really are such a miracle.

Oh he is such a doll. We found out yesterday that during birth he broke his collar bone. Sad, huh? Poor thing. He's adorable, I can't get enough of him. Jake and Michelle are the cutest parents ever. He looks so much like Jake it's amazing! I LOVE babies and this one's even better because he's my blood! haha. Britt is going to be quite the basketball star. He was 22 inches long and has the biggest hands and feet. He weighed in at 8.8 lbs.

This is kind of a sad picture but just look at his feet and those long fingers!

The proud parents Jake and Michelle Moon

Babies are the best!

jk...one more birthDAY!

Happpy happy birthday RACHEL dear!

Rachel Fairclough was my first {and bestest} friend from BYU!!! Sent straight from heaven :) Thank goodness for L&T.

Isn't she pretty? She's 21 TODAY. So, now it's really time to party. We've had lots of fun times and I love her dearly.

Hope you have a beautiful day Rach, love ya girl!

one more birthday shoutout... (until Baby BRITTON that is :)

happy birthday MOM!!!

This beautiful woman is 29 today {and yesterday} and I'm lucky enough to have her as my mommy.

It's hard to express how grateful I am for my mom. She's my best friend and I don't think she realizes how much she means to me. We always have fun together and she is always there for me to cry to, laugh with, and she supports me in everything I do. I Love her with ALL of my heart. She's the glue that holds our family together and she is just great in a million ways. Anyone who knows my mom loves her and her fun personality, she is extremely lovable. She's always the life of the party. Her beautiful smile will brighten anyone's day. I don't think I could go a day without talking to my mom. She knows me better than anyone and definitely knows what's best for me {even when I don't listen}.

Thanks for all you do Mom, I love you to the moon and back (and then some:)

XOXO

BIRTHDAYS galore. (and more to come)

Wishing a happpppy birrrtttthhdday to three very important people in my life!!!

TODAY is Grandma Jake's Birthday!

This lovely lady is one lucky duck. She's spending her birthday in NEWPORT BEACH with her sweet sister. She is quite the trooper and has been through a lot in her life. I look up to her in so many ways and I hope she has a fabulous day! I LOVE YOU GRANDMA. I don't know anyone who knows her that doesn't just love her. Thanks for being so wonderful and for your continuing love and support. xoxo

On July 23rd... my dad.... TURNED 50!! Happy 1/2 of a century

I've previously mentioned how awesome my dad is, but really let me tell you, he is the coolest guy in the world! Our family always has a blast together and he is a big part of that fun. We went up to the Farmhouse to celebrate his b-day and had a grand time. I hope his birthday was just what he wanted! I love you dad!! Thanks for being the best guy I know, I couldn't have made it this far without you.

and last... but definitely not least... Hayley Kathleen Brady...

turned 19 on 07/08/09!!! And she will be my bestie for life. I know I have posted this a little late {just a few weeks...}, but it's the thought that counts, no? I have no idea what I would do without Hayley. We have been best friends since 6th grade and have so many memories...

• Hayley's many boyfriends... my one boyfriend {plus one night stand? what? :/ hahaha}
• One Tree Hill/ Gilmore Girls/ The OC
• Watching movie scenes over and over... and over.
• Midnight movie showings... or midnight naps?
• birds of a feather...haha
• Lagoon
• A cappella tour
• Sleepovers {late night talks... oh wait, Hayley's sleeping}
• Kneaders
• IDAHO... started two weeks after me?? what? cute friends.
• Florida
• Newport Beach
• EFY

and about a trillion more memories. High School would have been a nightmare without a friend like Hayley. Whenever we are together we have so much fun and I am incredibly grateful to have had her for so long, can't wait for the years to come! Thanks for being you Hayley and for always being a great example. I love ya!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY I LOVE YOU ALL

I'M LUCKY TO HAVE EACH OF YOU IN MY LIFE