1345.64 miles away.

Tonight was my last night CLOSING at Wienerschnitzel, and I only got three hours of sleep last night, and yes it is 12:39 right now, but sometimes, you just need to post. Tonight while I was at work, I got a text from my mom letting me know she'd been on my email and she thought that I had already been on it for the night.  Mondays are when Elder Parmley has p-day so he sends an email home and his mother forwards them for all of us to read. :) So between my mom and I, we're always checking to see when the email gets sent. But like a good mother, my mom USUALLY doesn't read them until I do. The reason I say usually is because tonight, that wasn't the case. Haha. :) I was so anxious that I made SURE we clocked out by 12, (but it was 12:04) so I could rush home and get on the computer! Needless to say, it was a GREAT email. In a letter I sent a while ago, I asked him if there was anything he would like me to share here, on this blog, and in the email today, after he finished something he wrote, "Livi, you can quote that on your blog if you want :)" So here I am, on the blog... haha. :) BUT thats not the best part. You may be wondering what the title of this blog has to do with this post.... and after reading what he said, I'll tell ya. :) So here you go! I present to you.... Elder Parmley!

"It was such an amazing spirit in sacrament meeting.  I did sing with the really small choir, but it was such an awe inspiring program.  I’ve missed singing and bearing my testimony of the Savior through song.  Elder Hunter (he plays the piano phenomenally) and I are working on “Savior Redeemer of My Soul” so that we can perform it in sacrament meeting soon.  I’m really excited for that J I love music.  I absolutely love to share my testimony through it, to open up my heart to an audience and tell them how much I love my Savior through song.  It is precious to me to feel the spirit while I sing.  I need to sing more.  I’ve missed feeling the spirit in that way.  Sister Jeansome ( the Ward Choir director) pulled me aside after church, grasped my hand, and with tears in her eyes simply said, “thank you.” She said some other things to, but I only remember exactly the way she said “Thank you.”  Music can touch the chambers of the hearts that words alone can never reach"

If you read my post from yesterday, you'll understand why this brought tears to my eyes for more than one reason, and that's because of the experience I had in sacrament meeting when I sang a solo about the Savior. There was just something about singing it in that meeting that touched me and made me almost lose it in front of everyone. And yesterday (after the fact) Jacobs words, were the VERY thoughts in my head. Miraculous.

So here's where the title of the blog comes in. Isn't it INCREDIBLE how even though you can be 1345.64 miles away from each other, you can STILL be having the same experiences and it being as though they are with you? And even though Jacob wasn't there, It sort of felt like he was in a way and after reading that, I can't deny it. I'll admit, another reason why it was hard for me to sing in sacrament yesterday was because the last time I sang in my ward, was last summer when I sang a duet.... with Jacob. And just thinking about that and remembering how far we had come since that day and thinking about the Savior, and all that he has done for us, and the experiences I've been through in this past year, just brought tears to my eyes. So reading THAT in his email, you can imagine! I was a wreck! Haha :) I am so grateful for this gospel and for music. Music really does touch the chambers of the hearts that words alone can never reach. That statement was testified to me as I was singing the song yesterday. It doesn't reach only those hearing it, but it can also reach the heart of the person singing it. It's just up to us to share it.

So tonight I just thought I'd share that little thought with you from Jacob... and I... both being 1345.64 miles away.......:) ................ and THAT'S a sip of Livi's Lemonade! :)

p.s. For those of you that don't know. He has the most amazing voice... it's seriously is so beautiful. There is just an amazing spirit in his voice when he sings. I LOVE listening to him sing.....{After all, we all know it was when I heard him in Fantastiks when I first wanted to be his friend ;) haha}

Blessed Easter

Today I feel very blessed. For everything in my life. In fact, I've been on the verge of tears all day. But today in sacrament meeting is when it hit me the most. First of all, I went to church early today to have an interview with the second counselor, for a calling!!! HORRAY!!! I then in sacrament I was sustained to be a Nursery Leader and I couldn't be more excited! :) As you all know I absolutely LOVE kids! :) Even though we only have two kids in there right now, I absolute love it! :) So today as I started my new calling, we were having the lesson, and Sister Olsen had all these different pictures of Jesus. She would ask each of the two boys who are 17 and 18 months old, "Can you show me where Jesus is?" and with out ANY hesitation, both of them would point to it and smile all huge and say, "Dedus!" and they'd grin and giggle. :) It was the CUTEST thing in the entire world. I love how you can feel the spirit through little kids and how even though they are so little and only know how to say, "Mamma" and "Daddy" they STILL know who our savior and redeemer is! I am SO blessed to have this calling, I couldn't imagine anything better than to be with those two little boys, and being totally surrounded by the spirit every week!

Anyway, back to sacrament meeting. Haha. As the meeting went on, there was a choir number, a talk, two more choir numbers, then I had to sing a solo. Most people don't know this, but even the thought of singing in church TERRIFIES me. Weird right? I lived my whole high school life on the stage singing solos, why would that terrify me? Well I'll tell ya. When performing on the stage, I'm fine because I'm not myself. I'm acting as another person. But when I have to sing in church, I'm not acting. I'm being myself and singing from my heart, not through the character I'm pretending to be. The hardest character to play is yourself. When singing in church I always try to hide it (being why most people never know) but today, I'm pretty sure it showed. I was sick this week and didn't get to practice that much, so that added on to the nervousness.
The solo I sang I found one day while looking for songs on the Internet to record for my Easter CD I've been creating and recording with my voice teacher. I was on "Sally Deford Music" when I found the song titled, "For Me Alone". It was the most perfect song! The whole song was about if only I had wandered from the straight and narrow way, he would have come for me. For me alone. So a GREAT song for Easter. It really is SUCH a beautiful song.


As I was walking up to the pulpit, I had no idea what was going to come out of my mouth. I had sung this song numerous times, I recorded it a couple weeks ago, so I knew it really well. I knew the words, and I knew what it meant, but I had never FELT the words or FELT what it meant. Then, as the music started playing, it hit me. (Big, uh oh. Haha, if any of you had been in the first rehearsal of me singing "Days of Plenty" in Little Women, you'll know why. Haha when emotion takes over me, I can't even BREATH let alone sing, and I just literally SOB and can't ANYTHING out for the life of me!) BUT the show must go on! Next thing I knew, it was the measure before I needed to sing and I was opening my mouth and BOY did I struggle getting it out. LUCKILY, I have no idea how (really I do, haha, the spirit) I was able to buck up and sing the entire song. I only wish that I didn't let my emotions get over me entirely so I wouldn't have missed the key change.. bummer. Also a good thing that I never looked at my family, or I would have lost it COMPLETELY considering my sister and mom were crying, haha. But I did it! I still don't feel that great about how it sounded, because it HAS sounded better. But there was such an amazing spirit about that song. It was just another little nudge from the spirit reminding me that even if I alone had to come down to this earth, the savior would have come just for me. And that I am SO grateful for. I'm also SO grateful that I was able to sing it and share it with my ward on this Blessed Easter Sunday. Ahh I love promptings from the spirit, aren't they great!? :)

It's been kind of a rough week, but after church today, receiving the calling, hearing the wonderful talks given, and being able to seen that song, the cherry was put back on top of my ice cream sundae. I am so grateful for the knowledge of this gospel and the comfort it can bring you in times of need. :) I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday as well!............................. and THAT'S a sip of Livi's Lemonade! :)

and also, because some of you have asked, if any of you would like a copy of my recording of the song, just let me know and I'll give it to you. :) Thanks you guys!

Flight UA 4662Y

I'M BACK FROM MY CRUISE! WAHOO! :) And I have more posts to come talking about how wonderful it was, but today I thought I would talk about my flight home from the Texas (IAH) Airport. Enjoy! :)

Yesterday morning we woke up at 1 am Utah time, to start our travel home. We started at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport in Florida and then flew to Huston Texas and had a 3 hour layover before boarding our flight to Salt Lake City. Well once we arrived in Texas, we went directly to our gate and waited. About 2 hours later, we saw FOUR LDS Missionaries walking up to terminal B87. (Which was the terminal our flight was leaving from). My mom then said, "Hey! We should get a picture of them with "Flat Jacob". Me being the chicken that I am, wouldn't go over, and next thing I know, my Mom and Dad were walking over with "Flat Jacob" to get a picture! When they got back, they told Elaine and I that they were from a Mexico mission heading home to Riverton (2 of them), Tooele, and Idaho. But don't worry, it only got better! Once we boarded the plane, the two that were from Riverton, sat right in front of Elaine and I and it was the FUNNIEST thing to watch them the last

3 hours and 22 minutes before they would see their families.

At about half way through the flight, one of them turned around and asked if we had any food. They hadn't had anything to eat since they left Mexico the day before! Luckily we had a brand new bag of Twizzlers that Elaine and just bought at the Airport and we gave it to them. Once we handed it to them, he turned back around and said, "You will be blessed". Elaine and I were laughing because it's just so funny/cute to watch missionaries be missionaries. Towards the end of the flight the captain came on and told us that we would be landing in 45 minutes. One of the missionaries smacked a hand to his forehead and dragged it down his face while saying, "THIS HAS BEEN THE LONGEST PLANE RIDE OF MY LIFE!!!!"  It was SO funny! As we started flying over the mountains you could see the snow. Then they started complaining, haha, "It's going to be so cold!" "I guess we could just go back to Mexico!" "I HATE snow now!" "It's SPRING! Not winter!".

Gotta love Utah's bipolar weather!

As we got closer, they started making bets about who was going to cry! Haha. One of them said, "My mom is going to BAWL!!!" They honestly were SO excited! Haha. They were jumping up and down and hitting each other and patting each others backs and couldn't stop talking the whole rest of the way home! Then right as the wheels of the plane hit the ground, the missionary closes to the window threw his fits in the air and yelled, "YES!!!" HAHAHAHA! Everyone on the plane heard him and started laughing. :) The smiles on there faces were so cute. BUT it didn't stop there. Once we got off the plane it was like we walked into the MTC! There were atleast 50+ missionaries waiting for flights to where ever they were called to serve! As the newly returned missionaries passed them, they wished them all luck and you could tell some of the ones just leaving were so envious of them! Haha. Then they had to go make sure the Elder flying on to Idaho made it to his terminal, so we got ahead of them and saw all of their families holding up the signs and trying to see past the gates if they were coming down the escalator. I was loving every moment of it!

We walked over to the baggage carousel and I couldn't take my eyes off of the families waiting to see their missionaries for the first time in TWO years! It was so fun! Then one of the mom's squealed and put her hands over her mouth and jumped up and down and ran over and hugged her missionary and from then on out the other families followed the same pattern. :) I started getting teary so I had to turn away haha. But watching all that happened, seeing the return of the missionaries, being on the plane ride with them before they came home, and watching the new ones leaving to their missions made me gain so much MORE respect for missionaries! It was just another eye opener at what they are really sacrificing. They leave for TWO YEARS to places all over the world to share this gospel. In reality it goes by so fast for them, they grow so much, and it ends up being the best two years of their life, but it really is a sacrifice to leave everything at just 19 years old!

 Having had my dad, my mom, two of my brothers, my sister, cousins, friends, and my best friend serve/serving missions I am so grateful for them. They truly are blessing their lives, the people they teach lives, and our lives by giving up two years to serve our Lord. I am SO incredibly grateful for what they are doing. Thank you to all of you that have served missions, are going to serve missions, have a missionary out, or are being missionaries every day and are reading this! You are ALL hero's to each and everyone of us! :)

So today, if you have time, I challenge you to write a missionary and thank them for what they are doing. 

Even if you don't know what to say, just draw a picture or something!

They will LOVE to hear from you! :)

...................... and THAT'S a sip of Livi's Lemonade! :)

Here's the Elders with "Flat Elder Parmley"

(One of the Elders stepped out of the picture so it would be like they were on splits! :))

cupcakes & footprints.

I have been blessed with SO many amazing, wonderful friends and family and I wish I could blog about every single one of you! And I hope that someday I will actually be able to blog about all of you in the future because literally everyone that I am friends with has made such an impact on my life and you all deserve your own blog post for being the wonderful amazing people that you are! But for today, there is one certain friend that I want to blog about..... so until it is your turn to be blogged about, know that I love you and this post does not mean I don't love you any less. :) Enjoy!

“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart”

Today I got together and made NINETY-SIX cupcakes with my best friend from junior high (9th grade).

 She and I were the complete package! We hung out every day, had the classic "note book" we passed between classes, and had sleepover almost every weekend. But because of a certain.... well, we'll call it a "reason". So because of a certain "reason" she and I fell away when I was in 10th grade, and weren't friends anymore. It was really weird and hard at first because it's always hard when you lose a best friend, especially so quickly and abruptly, but life went on and well, we just didn't really talk anymore. We kept in touch a little bit through facebook, and said hi in the halls, but we never really hung out. We always talked about going to lunch, but it never happened.

Well today she and I got together for the first time in three years and it honestly felt like we were never not friends! And after talking for awhile it was as if we were living in the same body the time we weren't even talking! It was seriously the best! We've both grown up, and now the "reason" is just funny thing to look back at and laugh. It actually kind of makes us a little mad knowing we got torn apart because of a "reason" like that! But because of this "reason", we've learned many life lessons and grown so much more! And on the plus side, both of us have moved on and found NEW "reasons" and we are both happier than we ever were! :)

It was her boyfriend's court of honor tonight so I helped her make 96 cupcakes! Her boyfriend is (Samoan) so hence the 96 cupcakes. ;) It was SO nice to be able to spend those 4 1/2 hours together (yes, it really took that long!) and just talk about old memories, and what we've missed in each others lives! I hope that she and I will be able to do something again soon because hanging out with her today made me realize just how many "footprints" or so to speak, she left in my heart. I will always treasure her friendship, and I'm so glad that she is a part of my life! :) Her boyfriend will putting his papers in soon, and then be leaving on his mission, so we will hopefully be able to do missionary stuff together! (Hooray!) Because we all know how much I love doing missionary stuff! ;) Haha! :)

So if you have a friend that you miss and you haven't talked to in a REALLY long time, I challenge you to do so. It just might make your life a billion times better! :) "Real true friends never leave your life for good, they just go on a mini vacation, then they come back and it's as if they never left." :)

Thank you Court! Your friendship means more to me than I think you know! It's amazing how Heavenly Father puts certain people in your life right when you need them most! TIMING IS EVERYTHING! I've missed you more than I realized, and thank you so much for a fun filled day, and the wonderful memories! I look forward to making many more! Especially because we will both be "Ladies in Waiting" Together. :) But once again, seriously thank you for being one of those friends that continually saves me life without even knowing it! Love you!............ and THAT'S a sip of Livi's Lemonade!

I can't find any pictures of us because we got a new computer and they're all on a hard drive I can't find, so for now I'll just post pictures of the cupcakes! (Court do you have a picture of us when we were little and the one we took today that I can post?)

Look at the eagles! :) All 96 of them! Hahaha.

Anchor

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while.... okay, 3 months. BUT, that's not the point. Ha ha. 3 months ago, my sister introduced me to the best CD in the whole entire world. Some of you may have already heard it because it's becoming more and more popular. I also have 2 of her song on my blog playlist. Anyway, her name is Mindy Gledhill, she's and LDS singer/songwriter and she came out with a CD that's strictly up beat happy love your life music. :) I seriously listen to the entire CD at LEAST 2 times a week. So I highly encourage you to buy it! It saves you on rainy days and turns sunny days into even sunnier days! Every time you listen to it, you can help but have a little smile on your face, and a little bounce in your step! :)

This is the album cover--

Doesn't that picture alone make you want to listen to the music!? You will NOT be disappointed if you buy this CD. Some of my personal favorites are Anchor, Circus Girl, All the Pennies, Crazy Love,

and the one that is my absolute favorite on the CD that is VERY near and dear to me, is

All About Your Heart.

If you know me, and you listen to this song, you'll know why. Ha ha. 

So go buy this CD today! You can get it anywhere, even on itunes!

Happy Listening!......and THAT's a sip of Livi's Lemonade! :)