2000-2009

I've been thinking about the last decade. I've had many changes in my life and have grown in all areas of life. Those years were exciting. Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we?!

2000- Graduated high school in June. Moved out of my parents' house. In July, I started my first semester as an art student at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. I had a fun summer, taking 3 college classes and learning how to succeed as a college student. I made many new friends and had fun on a day trip to Yellowstone National Park. I also started working out frequently at the gym. That fall, Ricks College became a four year university, BYU-Idaho. I spent Christmas with my family in New York.

2001- Completed two more semesters at BYU-Idaho. I had great roommates, neighbors, and friends and enjoyed school and my social life. I really enjoyed being a member of the University Choir along with a roommate and three neighbors. (All of us sang alto). I worked for a couple months cleaning the campus library from 4-7AM. In the winter, I worked at Western Wats where I conducted phone surveys. During the summer, I had four jobs: house sitting, Summer Cohesion counselor (a day camp for kids), waitress at Friendly's Restaurant, and Camp Star counselor (a week long camp for handicapped kids).

2002- Met Sam Ward in April. Worked in Arizona for the summer in the gift shop at Jacob Lake Inn (near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon). Sam began calling me soon after I began working there and continued to call me as often as he could for the rest of the summer (about once a week). We also wrote letters back and forth that summer. Sam picked me up in Provo, Utah at the end of the summer, took me back up to school, and we've been together ever since. I changed my college major to Photography. That fall, Sam and I took a religion class together at BYU-Idaho. Sam and I were engaged to be married by the end of the year.

2003- Married Sam Ward in the Palmyra New York Temple on May 10, 2003. Honeymooned in Niagra Falls. Moved into our first apartment in Rexburg, Idaho for the summer. Worked several jobs that summer (Wendy's, The Galley, other odd jobs) to earn money for college tuition. In August, we moved to another apartment in Ogden, Utah and we both started school at Weber State University. I worked at Cash Advance in Layton, Utah to help pay the bills. We spent that Christmas in Illinois with Sam's family.

2004- In June, we were thrilled to find out that we were pregnant with our first child. In July, I had the opportunity fly to New York and be the wedding photographer for my friend's wedding. It was a great experience which boosted my confidence as a photographer. While in New York, I informed my family that I was pregnant with their first grandchild. Sam and I both worked at Chick-Fil-A and at Mervyn's at the Newgate Mall that summer. We also helped a friend paint his dentist office. In December, we moved to a 2 bedroom apartment and prepared for our baby boy. We spent Christmas with my family in New York.

2005- Brian Samuel Ward joined our family on February 24, 2005 (my dad's birthday). I slowly adjusted to the life of a stay-at-home mother. Sam and I were called to write the monthly newsletter for our ward.

2006- I was the wedding photographer for my sister, Jenny in May. That same month, Sam graduated from Weber State University. In July, he accepted a position with Micron in Lehi, Utah. So we moved to a nice apartment in Pleasant Grove, Utah. In August, Sam left for job training for 4 months, leaving me a "single mom" with 18 month old, Brian. I was called to be the Wolf Den Leader in Cub Scouts. It was a very time consuming calling, but I had fun with it.

2007- Sam was asked to go work in Fishkill, NY for 6 weeks. It was a fun time because Brian and I were able to go with him and spend alot of time with my family (who live 3 hours West of Fishkill). In April, we found out that we were pregnant with baby #2. Soon after that, I was called to serve as the First Counselor in the Primary Presidency. I became very good friends with the women I served with in Primary (Beth Reese, Bethany Deveraux, and Lindsay Strickland). In July, Sam and I went on a trip to Arizona. We stayed a couple nights in a cabin at Jacob Lake Inn and visited the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. The highlight of the year was when Tyler Jacob Ward joined our family on December 30, 2007.

2008- In late April, Sam accepted a job offer in Logan, Utah. The company wanted him to begin working 2 weeks later. While in Logan for a day, Sam picked out a lovely 3 bedroom apartment for us to live in. We packed up our apartment, said good-bye to our friends, and moved to a new town. We really enjoyed that apartment. My Grandma Hallstrom lived on the other side of town. The apartment was only 1.5 miles from Sam's work, we had a playground right outside our door, and we had a great mountain view (with a nice view of the Logan Temple).

2009- In February, we began looking to buy our first house. I spent many late nights on the computer searching for the perfect house for us. On our second trip out with our realtor, we found "the house." After a rollercoaster of events, we got the house and moved in just days before my 27th birthday. In July, our family of four flew to New York and spent 2 weeks with my family. All 8 Hallstrom kids were home and we enjoyed some quality family time. In October, we were thrilled to find out that we're pregnant with baby #3. Our baby is due to arrive in June 2010.

*** After writing this up, I realized how much my Heavenly Father has blessed me. I strive to stay close to my Heavenly Father and counsel with him in making big decisions in my life. I know that if I am in tune with the Spirit, I will make the correct decisions in my life. Life is full of surprises. I can't wait to see what the next ten years have in store for me and my family!