General Conference Knowledge Value Project

As a youth, I mostly slept through General Conference. My family would gather around the satellite television, bring our big comforters, lay around in our PJs and BOOM! pass the heck out in the middle of the profound words from the prophet.

I don't want that for the young women I'm over at church. So I thought it would be fun to give them a workbook to help keep them awake and focused on the messages being delivered.

*are you wondering what General Conference is??? Click here to find out*

I found several ideas online and the best one (or the one I liked best) was from SugarDoodle, but it wasn't updated for October Conference. So I copied it (well, recreated it and tweaked it a bit) and have it here for you and your young women to use this conference.

I plan on updating it regularly so different young women can use it each conference.

Please excuse any misspellings and typos. I did it late at night.

It was a fun project for me to work on and I am really excited to use it as a way to stay awake this conference. Don't get me wrong, I really do love the messages and the spirit that can be felt. As a leader, I get to complete the Personal Progress program again with my Young Women and for my Good Works Value Experience, I'm counting this. 

Click on the image above (or right here) to go to the link for the full download.

*It will say that no image is available. Just click download*

There is a higher quality and a lower quality. Both are fine for printing, but some printing services won't take the higher quality ones and the lower quality's pictures look a little off. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

kaylee{dot}gwyn {at} gmail {dot} com

Happy Conference Watching!

"The Wilderness Must Be Explored! Caw Caw ROAR!!!"

The King and I are Disney Annual Pass Holders... Have I told you that?

We have been for about 6 months now.

That means we only have 6 months left to accomplish our one goal for Disney:

Do. Every.Thing. EVERYTHING!

You see, Animal Kingdom is kind of a tough one because, one, its not EPCOT (my favorite... hands down) and two, because its so freaking hot.

The King loves him some animals though and we decided to devote the entire day yesterday to checking those animals out.

My lifelong friend, Laurel, decided to tag along (she works for Disney, so she's like my permanent Disney buddy). Laurel and I are... how would you say this???.... special. That's it, special. So when we saw the "Wilderness Explorer Troop Tent" and that there were real life Wilderness Explorers there giving out merit badge books, we said, "yes, please sir... sign us up!"

After enthusiastically learning the Wilderness Explorer's chant (the blog post title, but with hand wing motions and claws) we were presented with our own Wilderness Explorers badge books. The King rolled his eyes, did the call along with us, and then realized that he did marry "That Girl" and would be going around doing activities meant only for 3-10 year olds all day.

We did learn a lot of important things though, including:

+ Tarantulas shed their ENTIRE exoskeleton (including their lungs and eyes).

+ Cheetahs are the only cats whose claws cannot retract.

+ How to greet and say good bye to someone in Thai.

+ The Country of South Africa has three major capitals and they are all there for different purposes.

+ The brontosaurus never actually existed, but was two separate dinosaurs put together!!! (This is just like the whole, "Pluto isn't a planet" thing alllllll over again.)

Honestly, I've never had so much fun at a Disney park and never spent ALL DAY at Animal Kingdom.

You bet this Wilderness Explorer will forever explore the wilderness.

Here are a bunch of pictures I took around the park.

It was seriously the best day. I hope everyone else had a fun, restful and memorable weekend.

Our Home: Downtown Abbey

It's been a little over a week in our new home and slowly, but surely, we are making it our own.

I cannot describe to you how surreal it was sitting down at a table and signing all of those documents.

That is truly one of life's weird moments that help you realize.... Yes, I am an Adult.

I mean, the King and I have both been living our adult lives for a while. We've been providing for ourselves and making our own decisions. But now, we have an added commitment binding us together. One that makes us more responsible and accountable.

But.... it's all ours.

That's the best part.

This. Is. Our. House. HOME.

I can't wait to share with everyone the progress we will make on it.

Last weekend we started with the first bit of painting. Next stop: washer and dryer.

After that... who knows.

Welcome to our new downtown house: Downtown Abbey.

Freebie: Bloom Where You Are Planted

Here is my first freebie for you!

Let me know what you think.

I'll be making it into an iPhone background as well.

Click here to download blue and pink.

Click here to download pink and teal.

Click here to download blue and yellow.

Ventris

As the King and I move into this next stage of our life (home-ownership) I cannot help but think of how much my life is about to change. 

You see, the King has been an adult a lot long than I have (at least 6 years longer), but I’m kind of freaked out by becoming a real life, mortgage having, home repair making adult. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am so happy, blessed, excited to be able to purchase a home with my husband, but I feel like one stage of my life is coming to a close. And quickly.

My teeny tiny little cottage was my first home. The first place I lived in by myself. The first place I provided for myself. The first place my husband and I lived together. It’s the smallest castle in the world, but it was mine.

The neighborhood was, at least to me, magical. The tree lined streets were perfect for the not so frequent walks I took. The train went past my house at all hours (literally RIGHT NEXT TO MY HOUSE) was exciting. The library directly across the street was a safe haven. And the parks (all three within a two second walk of my house) were the best place to relax. Oh, and let’s not forget Jeremiah’s that was two blocks away (BEST Italian ice… ever… hands down).

These next two weeks (actually, less than two weeks) are going to be hectic and fast paced and fun as we transition into being homeowners, but I want to try and slow down and appreciate what I’ve had for almost the last three years. I want to really say goodbye to MY area of town. 

With that said, I’ll try to post about my little area of Central Florida before we move.

Join me on my own sort of “good-bye” to Ventris Avenue.

Family High

Yesterday the King and I went to my aunt and uncle’s house. I don’t know if it is the fact that my husband is closer in age to them than he is to me, or the fact that they are just incredible people (perhaps both), but I cannot help but just feel like they are one of my biggest support systems. 

Their family is so sweet and loving and hilarious. Their kids are the best at making a bad day better. Jamie and Jeremy are amazing at making you feel like you are a part of it all.

Sometimes, even when everything is good in life, I just need to go over there and spend some time with them. We had so much fun trying (but ultimately failing) to fly a kite in the middle of their subdivision and just running around the house.

At one point, my aunt looked over and said, “Ben’s a good guy. Really he is. He’s going to make a great daddy.” Then I looked at him and totally saw him though everyone else’s eyes. He is amazing. I know this. But sometimes you just have to see how in awe everyone else is of your significant other to really appreciate what you have. He is going to be a great father. He is the best husband. I really lucked out.

I don’t know what it was, but yesterday really just made my heart so full of family, fun and love. It didn’t matter that we got home at 2am and I had to go to work in 6 hours; I totally had the high of family to get me through my Monday.

Oh... Hi There.

Whoa… It’s weird to get back on here…. I mean, it has been five months.

That is ONE LONG BREAK!

To be honest with you, I have no clue why I have been so scared to post on MY blog, but I have.

I can chalk it up to the fact that my boss knows it exists and that I don’t want to have to be censored at all.

I can chalk it up to the fact that I was burnt out on making it about other people and not myself (you know, sponsor posts).

I can even chalk it up to the fact that I’ve been busy…. But honestly, who hasn’t been busy?

Honestly, I just think I needed a break. Plain and simple. I needed to reconnect with my “real” life and what made me happy. I needed to step away from the blogging world to not get burnt out on the same people and the same blogs. I needed a little more reality…

With that said, I am VERY excited to be back, and let me clue you in on what we, the Gwyn family, have been up to.

May was our one year anniversary. To say that first year FLEW by would be an understatement. It really did and I have cherished every moment of being the King’s wife. We went to Miami for a few days. It didn’t help that on the day of our anniversary I got some sort of food poisoning and the King helped take care of me, but we made the most of the trip down south. We stayed at the Hotel Astor in South Beach and mostly wandered around the city. That’s what I love about us. We like to wander. And it works.

We also are buying a house. No big deal. Except IT IS! We found the house on craigslist (no joke) the day before we left to go to Miami. We are supposed to be closing on it by the end of the month and I cannot tell you how happy I am… (and scared too). The King is almost 30, so this is more “his stage in life,” but me… I keep freaking out and thinking to myself, “I’m not an adult yet!!!!” Regardless, we NEED the space and this house is exactly what we both wanted.

Not that buying a house is a walk in the park, but I think I’ve been using it as an excuse as to why I’ve neglected my friendships, my blog, my growing blog design business and my sanity. This house is taking almost every last ounce of sanity I have.

Anyhoo, that’s what has been going on. I cannot wait to share my plan and hopes for this house. Oh, and to share my life with you too.

Also, if anyone reads this, please leave me a comment. I think the love will help.  OH! And I’m going to start creating freebies for phone/desktop backgrounds and printables. Any ideas or requests??