Leading up to our Kid Ink performance we put in A LOT of practice time.
Sometimes I can't believe that I have been getting up for 4:00 am practices for a good 6 years now, but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way!
My team and fambam.
Setting up and getting ready.
Marking the stage.
💜 Love my aunt and all the opportunities we share! #kidink #dixiefest2k16 #kalamitydance #kalamity #bestfriends #bff #sister #blessed
Ready!
The performance was great, definitely a different crowd then what we are used to, but it was a great learning experience and a good reminder as to why we do what we do...SERVICE.
My first tulip in bloom! Proud garden moment!
And then they all popped up and made my heart so happy! This was my first time growing tulips, I planted the bulb back in October and then they popped up and made me so excited! Yeah...I grew those. No big deal.
I am also a proud herb garden grower!🌱 #herbgarden #pottedherbgarden #potgarden #chives #cilantro #basil #spearmint #wheatgrass #parsley #lavender #rosemary #oregano
Then it was JUSTIN BIEBER TIME before we knew it!!!
So my aunty Tia and I headed down to Las Vegas Friday day where we met up with my Aunty Irene and her kids, and Tayvia and her friend Kenya. This was us all excited and ready for the concert!!!!
Waiting in line to check our tickets in! This was before our adventure really began...
Right as we were getting to the check in ticket area, we noticed my Aunty Irene was getting low (she is diabetic) and so we were trying to make sure she was okay as our tickets were getting scanned in and our bags were being checked and then two of my aunty Irene's tickets didn't work. We had the workers yelling at us that two of us couldn't go in, while we were trying to explain to them that we had to get sugar for my aunt but they weren't listening. After a little bit of a struggle and getting my aunt back to normal, my Aunty Tia and I decided that we would take her bad tickets and go try to figure it out. We didn't want to separate her from her kids and she was still not sure what was happening so we just decided to bite the bullet and hope for the best.
We waited in the long box office line and when we got to the front, sure enough they were FRAUD. Someone had purchased them then sold them multiple times to different people, so awful that there are people like that out there. Anyway, we were told that the concert was sold out but decided to ask anyway. Turns out they only had tickets left in the pit, knowing they were out of our price range we asked how much anyway and were shocked at the answer...$140 a ticket...WHAT??? Those tickets are normally in the $1,000-$2,000 range. We instantly said yes, got our wrist bands on and started making our way into the concert just in time for Bieber to take the stage.
We still weren't sure what was happening and kept saying, "Is this really happening???"
Yep it really was happening.
And we were happy...if you can't tell haha.
Justin Bieber was literally right in front of us the WHOLE CONCERT!
He had some kids from Vegas dance in his song "Children" and they were amazing. That was the only time I saw Justin Bieber smile the whole concert!
"Mark My Words"
His concert was seriously AMAZING!!! His light show, props, dancers, themes for each dance...AMAZING!!!
He came down in a glass box, had a light cage come down on him, a huge trampoline stage come down from the ceiling, harnesses, a water curtain, seriously his show was AMAZING!
"Sorry"
Oh and did I mention that he touched my hand, looked in my eyes, and sang to me? Cause he did, three different times!
I've always liked Justin Bieber, but being there in the pit, having him sing to me, feeling the energy of his show, and singing along to all his songs, I became a full-blown BIEBER FEVER Justin fan!
#sorrynotsorry
Saturday I woke up saying, "was that real life?" then made my way home!
Saturday evening was Jeff's family Easter party, Grandma Hirschi made a quick appearance and we had to take a picture with this beautiful lady!
Jeff's cousin Dresden Joseph Empey was in the Brussel's terrorist attack and so we wanted to send our love to him as a family.
Here's his story...
Court and Amber Empey of Santa Clara, Utah, didn’t know that if their cellphones hadn't been set to Do Not Disturb, they would have been ringing for hours. Later, when they woke up with the sky and the home phone began to ring, they assumed it was just the beginning of another endless day of political surveys and robocalls.
Shortly after 6 a.m., with their smartphones awake, an international number popped up that they instantly recognized as European. It was their son, Elder Joseph Empey, calling from a hospital in Brussels. In his trademark all-is-well way, the young man announced what the world was also discovering — terrorists had struck at the Brussels Airport.
“He was so positive,” Empey’s mother, Amber, said during a phone call from Salt Lake Airport’s International terminal. Empey and her husband will arrive in Brussels Friday afternoon. “He said he was calling from a hospital with burns on his face, head and hands. He had shrapnel in his feet and potentially a fractured ankle. But he was so optimistic.”
As widely reported, Elder Empey, Elder Mason Wells, Elder Richard Norby and Sister Fanny Rachel Clain, who are serving as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were all injured during the blast that killed 31 and injured more than 300 others.
Although the Empeys believe nothing prepares missionary parents for that kind of phone call, it wasn’t until the call ended that they understood the scope and magnitude of the morning. “As soon as we hung up, we went online and that’s when it hit us. We couldn’t believe what we read," Amber Empey said.
Later in the morning, a nurse emailed the Empeys photos of their son in his hospital bed. “I was scared,” his mother said. “And yet as I’m realizing more and more how serious this was, hearing about burns, surgeries and at least a 10-day hospital stay, there he was in photos with a smile on his face.”
Over a series of calls, the young missionary with just three months remaining before his mission concludes shared his firsthand account of the moments before and after the blast.
“He told us he was there with Elder Wells and Elder Norby to drop off the sister coming to America," she said. "They had wanted to use the electronic ticket station but it wasn’t working, so they went to wait in a long line that snaked back and forth. Then after a few minutes, it happened and (Empey) blacked out. He doesn’t know how long he was unconscious but when he came to, he just started running to find the others. He found Elder Wells first and he was bleeding quite a bit. He gave him a blessing on the spot.”
Empey moved on and when he reunited with Norby, his parents said he gave him a blessing, too. By the time they found Clain, Empey reported to his parents that the adrenaline was gone and the pain set in.
"He could tell the foot was worse than he thought and he couldn’t walk," Amber Empey said. "So he calmed down and waited for the ambulance.”
Choking on emotion, Empey’s father expressed the family’s gratitude for the survival of all four missionaries, and the heartbreak at the many other families having very different conversations in the aftermath of the blast. “We know how fortunate they are," Court Empey said. "He said that they estimated they were about 30 feet away from the explosion. Yes there will probably be more surgeries and time in the hospital, but he’s alive.”
Court Empey paused when asked to describe how it felt to have people of all faiths around the world praying for his son and others injured in the attacks.
“It’s overwhelming," he said. "To see how much love there is in the world, it reminds us that God truly is our Heavenly Father. It’s why strangers feel sympathy and empathy for one another. It’s because we really are brothers and sisters with eternal relationships.”
According to Empey, this example of extraordinary love in the world outweighs all the evil. “It’s interesting, isn’t it? From this horrible act comes so much goodness.” The family believes no amount of hate will ever defeat the will of the Lord.
As they began to board the first of three flights to their son’s bedside, Empey expressed gratitude for his son’s missionary service. “He said on the phone that he would not change it," Court Empey said. "This has been a great time in his life to serve, forget himself and learn more about the Savior. His mission has enhanced everything about him and he is so grateful for every day.”
His father added that over his final three months, he believes his son will continue to grow from every experience, including that tragic Tuesday morning moment.
Sunday was Easter and here we are in our Easter get ups! (Thanks mom!)
Because we didn't have Easter bunny suits we improvised and created bunny monkey man (if you've seen the puppy monkey baby commercial you get my reference.)
It was hilarious and kinda sad to see how scared the kids got, but it was worth it hahahaha.
After a delicious Easter dinner we walked as a family to the Temple where we had a beautiful FHE on the grass. It was a beautiful night full of love, beauty, and the spirit. I LOVED IT!
This week was Snow Canyon Cheer tryouts, the last year of tryout for Syd! CRAZY!!!
I was able to help Paige get ready this year and then I choreographed all three of their try out dances.
I am proud to report that all three of them made it!!! YAY!!!
So proud and excited for Syd in her Senior year of cheer...WHAT??? Where does time go? Seriously....
I love this man and all the support he gives me in everything!!! (Especially Kalamity!)
Then it was conference weekend, one of my favorite weekends! And we started a new tradition with my family...CONFERENCE SLEEPOVER! It was a blast to hang out together, eat yummy food, laugh, and just hang out! I can't wait for Trevor to be home to join in on the fun!!!
Anyway, it has been a pretty exciting three weeks.
I hope everyone has a great week!!!!
