Going to Yellowstone...Maybe don't call, cuuuuz I won't have service.

Hey there. Sooooo, yeah this weekend I'm peacing out. Gonna go see some wildlife/get some good use out of my dream catcher necklace that never goes with anything. Thought I would leave you with this. Found this and am still laughing like 10 minutes later. LOVE the Roots, and LOVE bongo boy back there...having the time of his LIFE. I will try to make some sort of video with bears and bison to share for next time! Happy Weekend to all :)

Goals for Weekend;

1.  to see ^^THIS^^( a baby bison sighting would make my life complete )

2. figure out a way to eat beef jerky W/braces (also while simultaneously looking at wildlife and not feeling guilty...) (AND. life stinks now bc seriously 2 of my favorite foods are popcorn and beef jerky. #bracesdiet)

3. do Yoga while gazing upon Old Faithful, while watching the sunrise

Rubberbands, Prizes and Pain, Oh My....

I've been having terrible flashbacks to "The awkward years" for the last 24 hours. Yesterday a casual check up at the the orthodontist turned into a soon to come social casualty. This is me coming out to the world. Doc broke me the news that I am about to embark on a twelve week, painful  trip down memory lane. Think of the absolute WORST thing the orthodontist could say to you at this point in your life. That's right, I'm getting braces again. Yea. You better believe I CRIED. Some people get a bad hair cut that does it for them. Others, maybe they pack on a few extra pounds. Some, get told they need braces when they are weeks away from turning 24... The last time I had braces I was 14. I was EXCITED to get braces. Somehow I remember it being some sort of "right of passage" in Middle school. It made you seem older, and the metal mouth somehow made you wiser. I had a cool T-shirt that if I wore it to get my braces tightened I got cool little prizes like hacky sacs and glow-in the-dark bracelets. Well, I put my fears at ease when i asked the Orthodontist if I could win prizes even though I'm a big kid...And he told me I could! WOOOOO!!!! (stoked about that though.. for reals.)  The other cool thing about braces was being able to get all sorts of cool colors. Like for the fourth of July you could get red white and blue brackets etc etc. So, lets look at the major events that will take place during this 12 week Brace Face adventure. Oh and did I mention this will be a 3 month endeavor? Yup. That's the one thing that gives me hope. That's short enough that I can make a chain! And you better believe I'll be throwing a "Monica's getting braces party" and then a "Monica's getting her braces off party" (Info will be soon to come...)

So, lets look at the major life milestones that will be happening during this 3 month Braces...thing.

1. My College Graduation- GO BYU. Staying positive... maybe people will think I'm a SUPER brainiac thinking I'm waaaaay beyond my years in smartness (being a 12 year old graduating from BYU...)

2. My brother's Wedding.- Maybe I can get some brackets in her wedding colors. "Dr. do you have champagne and coral colored brackets??" Perf.

3. My 24th Birthday-There's gotta be some sort of special prize they give to people over 14 on their birthday's that are plagued with metal brackets plastered to their face. Right??? (You'd think I would be a little more mature about this at my age, haha but I'm definitely kinda throwing a tantrum.) 

4. 1st Day of school(yes University that is...not 6th grade)-Yes, before people/Professors know my name in class, I will SURELY be known/referred to as "that girl with braces"

I've also done a bit of research on celebs that have had braces as adults. The most legit one I found was our friend Tom Cruise. He still landed Katie Holmes, so I figure there is still hope for me. 

My next thing is to master the toothless smile. Look at how great Katie rocks it??!! Tom had both braces AND height working against him. Look where he ended up. (lets just pretend they aren't getting a divorce right now...) There IS a light for me, THERE IS A LIGHT!!!!! 

July 23 -October 15th. I hope the Dr. knows that when he told me 12 weeks, that means 12 weeks on the MONEY in my eyes. Trust me, I've already done the calculations...

Lets be honest....I'm about to be known as "the girl with blonde hair, drives a Volvo, and...oh yeah...she's got braces [insert awkward silence here]" That awkward silence is where th two people exchange their telepathic communications/glances of whether or not they would take out/date or kiss a 24 year old with braces.....HAHAHAHA! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I invite you to embark on this 12 week journey with me. I need your love and support friends. I'm not ashamed, I don't have crooked teeth. It's just what they needed to do in order to put a permanent retainer in. But I'm totally not gonna lie, this is TRAUMATIC for me. So if I haven't seen you in a while, or if we are only Facebook friends and you happen to meet me for the first time in real life and think my whole FBook page is a lie bc I don't have braces in any of my pics...well, know that I'm not hiding anything! It's 12 weeks, 3 months. Let's do this, bring on the heavy metal and let's jam.

I will entitle the labels... "Monica's Quest to a Better Mouth: Age 24." (ps I'm laughing out loud at myself right now! hahaha) To come will be blogposts depicting what it's like to be an adult with braces again. Dinner disasters, first impressions, and dating woes... Coming soon! "Monica's Quest to a Better Mouth: Age 24."

The Provo Bucket List

So a week or so ago I floated the Provo river. 

For the most part, a relaxing float :) An occasional rapid, but nothing too intense...

I'd say the highlight was seeing a legit MOOSE on the bank of the river. On the left you can see him. He just chilled and let us watch him as we floated by. In the crazy coolness of the moment we didn't really get that great of a pic. Oh well.

Every 9 weeks...

 I got so attached to this group! They're gonna be bomb missionaries!!! 

This pic is hilarious haha cracks me up ( they insisted on taking it) It's supposed to be me as the "Mamma Miller Duck" and them the baby ducklings. 

Every nine weeks I have to say goodbye, and every nine weeks, I feel like I turn into a blubbering Mom!! It's always a bitter sweet feeling to watch them venture out on the most phenomenal experience of their lives! I'm so excited for them, but at the same time I have come to love them and will miss them! Saying goodbye never gets easier...It's SO cool to be with them every day, and to watch them become amazing missionaries.  The process is seriously incredible. In just 9 weeks they grow and learn so much! It is a blessing to learn from them, and always a great reminder of how reliant we have to be on the Lord. Even though I still have years until it's my own son I'll send off...at least I've had a bit of practice saying goodbye!

Hiking with my 91 year old Canadian grandpa.

When I was living in Italy, I loved the fact that old people just didn't seem to age. The pasta seemed to just make people more youthful, the gelato didn't ever make them fat, and old people didn't go to nursing homes, they went to the streets. They sat in groups and played cards, people watched, and whispered about beautiful women as they walked by. I always looked at them and wondered how they were so lively and jubilant?!

I also look back and wonder how they did it and realize that for Italians, family is by far their number one priority!!! This is an aspect of Italian culture that I came to respect and admonish. I saw how their commitment to be with their family was also connected to their long lifespan! Whether or not there has been some study done on this O have no idea, but I am SURE that there is a correspondence between these two things. Life is longer and more fulfilling when you fill it with the things that matter most. My grandpa Miller has truly done this, and he is incredible!!!

I have been reminded this week, that life is mean to be LIVED! My Canadian grandather is much like the Italians! He has not for one second, stopped living his life. He lost his wife a little over a year ago after over 60 years of marriage. Even though he lost his best friend, he has continued to have fun, and fill his life with as much purpose as he can. My grandpa is 91 years old, and he doesn't act a day over 20!!! Mentally, physically, spiritually, he is an example to me of how I hope to age. Every day, he wakes up and rides his bike around the neighborhood, then he goes out to his greenhouse and takes care of his flowers. He might spend a few hours after that out in his flower garden, or speeding around the town on his electric scooter.

Yesterday we all wanted to go for a hike up to Redrock and Blackiston Falls in Waterton Glacier International Park. You better believe that grandpa wasn't going to let his age stop him from  having a good time! He was THE trail blazer! He borrowed my grandma's old walker, and led the way on the 1 mile hike! He was amazing the way he just got out there and kept us all laughing! He is still so witty and is always cracking jokes--Why not just take chances and go hiking at 91? He is a strong man that has a strong desire to be with his family all that he can. He and my parents both have taught me the importance of family, and what it means to have our priorities in line!

This is my favorite video I've taken so far on this trip. This was my grandpa on a FLAT part of the trail. We took breaks every few minutes, but seriously I was amazed at this!!! Watch when he just takes off running!!! hahaha

Here is Uncle Mike and my Dad helping Grandpa 

The views were spectacular at the top! It's always moments like these where I absolutely cannot deny the existence of God! This world is too beautiful!!!

Mamma