My 2010

2010 was a rough year, I'm certainly glad it's over. Here's to 2011! Happy New Year!

1 . What did you do in 2010 that you've never done before?
I became an aunt, Relief Society President, got a Blackberry, went to the Color Festival
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I made a goal to read 50 books this year, I'll will be just shy of that goal coming in at 43…boo! I however have lost a total of 30 pounds, so that counts for something right?
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Welcome to the world Liam – thank you Kenzie and Austin!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
He wasn't super close to me but to my dear cousins, Uncle Quinton and at the moment I can't think of anyone else. Sorry if I missed anyone…
5. What countries did you visit?
Do you consider California a different country? If so then yes!
6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
I have some big changes planned for 2011 and I'm hoping God likes my ideas too… haha!
7. What date from 2010 will remain etched in your memory and why?
I'll remember always when Liam was born, and I always LOVE my birthday of course. I can't really remember EXACT dates.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I read 43 books, and lost 30 pounds.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Letting things get out of hand and not having enough faith that things will turn out for the best.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Don't get me started on illness… bleck that was half of my 2010!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
I buy amazing things all the time, probably a pair of shoes or clothes of some sort. I do love my Blackberry too!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My brother Hyrum, I wish I was more like him.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Not so much depressed as appalled… 2010 had it fair share of drama that's for SURE!
14. Where did most of your money go?
Medical Bills, bills, and clothes… haha
15. What did you get really, really, REALLY excited about?
I had a great family reunion this summer, and I was really excited about that. And the birth of Liam, that was VERY exciting!
16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Anything by the following artists – Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and Eminem
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier? – Yes
Thinner? – Yes
Richer? - No
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I didn't travel anywhere really exciting this year, 2011 I am taking a vacay where I have to get on a plane and spend at least 3 days somewhere!
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Spending (always), worrying
20. How did you spend Christmas?
With my family of course, I heart them!
21. How will you spend New Year's Eve?
I'm not sure yet, I have several options (yes I'm that popular!)
22. Did you fall in love in 2010?
Yes, with my jeggings!
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Glee, The Sing-off, Modern Family, Jersey Shore, The Real Housewives
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
 Hate is such an ugly word, I don't hate anybody! There are people that I chose to not associate with
25. What was the best book you read in 2010?
Ok this is the hardest question of all, because I read so many amazing books this year. So I'm naming a few – The Help, the entire Vampire Academy series, City of Bones series
26. What was your biggest musical discovery?
Does Glee count? Ha, I really didn't discover anything new
27. What did you want and get?
I wanted a change, and I got a lot of it!
28. What did you want and NOT get?
A boyfriend, haha!
29. What was your favorite film of the year?
Another hard question but I loved Inception and Toy Story 3!
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old did you turn?
Well technically it wasn't on my birthday but I had a Black and White party with Mocktails, it was so much fun! I turned 26, on the downslope to 30!
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A boyfriend? HA, I mean I don't need a man to be satisfied in life (ok that sounds wrong too), but maybe being a size 4, that would be nice too!
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
I embraced a new style – including jeggings which I love and the now I have another obsession with skirts and big belts.
33. What kept you sane?
God, Prayer, & Family
34. What celebrity did you fancy the most?
Fancy? Zac Efron hands down, and Leo he rocked my world in Inception.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Hmm, lets see. The whole Wikileaks thing REALLY annoyed me, and how America wanted change in the House and got it!
36. Who did you miss?
My family, I always miss them and Jenn.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
I got a lot of new roommates this year and that's been fun. I've met so many awesome people in my Ward in 2010, and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them!
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
Sometimes it's better to just walk away then fight, and having faith is easier said than done.
39. Favorite play you saw:
7 Brides for 7 Brothers at the Playmill, what an eventful day.
40. What is your goal for 2011?
Read 52 books (1 book a week), save my money, become a teacher, and go on a cruise!!

Christmas 2010

My Christmas was fab, and as usual I only took two pictures and both are of Liam playing with his toy that I got him for Christmas. I had a nice relaxing vacation and got a good haul from Santa - including the best blanket ever, clothes, a crockpot, a new pea coat, and numerous other goodies. Delightful! I love Christmas, and I'm always so sad when it's over. Everyone loved their gifts I purchased for them, I love that part of Christmas! Well until next year!

A Full Heart

Today is my last day of work for a week and I'm feeling pretty good about that. I've had a stressful December at work, and today I can finally get to my desk. It's piled so high with papers that I'm sure I'll find something that needs to be done. I would take a picture but there are confidential papers on it (I know I'm important), so just visualize. I mostly wanted to talk about the experience I had today actually. Every year our work adopts 5 families in the Idaho Falls area that needs help during Christmas time. Our employees are so good, they donate gifts and a lot of money to make sure each one of our families has what they need and want during Christmas. I had the opportunity to be really involved this year, from finding the families, to shopping for them, wrapping up the gifts, and today we delivered. We went to this house in which a mother lived with her two daughter's age 10 and 7. The ceiling of their house was just black tarp and come to find out the mother just had brain surgery in September. The house is in much need of repair. The mother showed us the Christmas lists of her two daughters; the first one explained that she wanted a violin, a kitten, and most of all for her mother to be healthy. Then she concluded with this:

 "Santa, I really actually don't need anything this time of year, I just want to be with my mom and sister, I am sure there are others who need it more than me".

When I was reading it I just started crying in the house, here I am a 26 year old who had a full page of wish list items on my list, and because my mom is amazing she gets a lot of what I want. This 10 year old girl who is wise beyond her years recognized that family and love is all you really need during Christmas. I was so humbled as the mother wept and expressed her gratitude for the 2 big garbage bags full of gifts her children would receive on Christmas morning. Little did she know that she gave me so much more today than we gave her, a full grateful heart, a smile on my face, and a remembrance of why I love this time of year. I hope and pray I can keep that feeling with me always, the spirit of Christmas and gratitude for the Lord and all of his tender mercies he has given me. God bless us, everyone. May you have a beautiful Christmas, and remember the reason why we celebrate this season, the birth of our Lord.

It’s Almost Here!

Ok its crunch time, 9 days until Christmas which means 8 more days of shopping. Wow, that's sick. I would like to think that most of my shopping is done, except for a few people. Never ending I guess. I have now resorted to shopping during my lunch hour, which makes me in a hurry to just run into the store and buy what I need and move on, or online. I LOATHE paying for shipping though, so I've trolled around to find who has free shipping and who doesn't. Most of the big stores now have their big push before Christmas so Wal-Mart and Best Buy both have free shipping. Thank you kindly!

Another random thought, I do NOT miss finals, not in the least, I do however miss that feeling of being done with that last final and knowing you have NOTHING to do but sit around (as Hyrum said read books and watch movies). I still have 5 days of work left. That is probably why I need to become a teacher, a nice looonnnggg Christmas break.

I'm also excited for Jenn, her brother Coleman comes home from his mission tomorrow night. That's the best thing in the whole entire world, to see them walk through that corridor. I get teary eyed just thinking about it. Presh!

Christmas Miracles

Miracles happen every day, but it seems that I notice them more during Christmas, probably because the reason for the season is a miracle in itself. Anyway, this weekend Sarah and I ventured down to Salt Lake City. I really wanted to see Jenn and I really wanted her help in shopping for some Christmas gifts for my family (since she's like pretty much family). So we left after work and after a brief stop in Moreland, we were on our way. Jenn and I caught on some gossip (per usual) and then went to bed, we had a BIG day ahead of us. We decided to be out the door by 9:00 (to beat the holiday rush at the Sandy mall). Christmas Miracle #1 – a better than Handicapped spot by Macy's! Hooray! There were some awesome deals and we spent a good amount of time in Forever 21 because it's amazing. I decided to stop by Pac Sun to just look at the guy clothes, and Jenn found this awesome present for someone in my family (since most of the read my blog I cannot disclose who it will be going to), but I couldn't bring myself to spend $40 on it. After much thought though, I decided it was perfect and went up to the cashier with the rest of my items in hand. When my total WITH TAX popped up on the screen it said $40.84, Jenn and I looked at each other like "was that on sale?"… there weren't any signs around it or anything. So I hurried and bought the items and we both RAN out of the store before the clerk told us that there was an error. Christmas Miracle #2 – I saved $30 total at that store by whatever reason, clerks mistake or what, definitely a miracle. The mall was starting to get packed so we decided to get out of there before we went crazy, so lunch at Sweet Tomatoes (why doesn't IF have one?) and then on to Gateway. Christmas Miracle #3- parking there is insane, and hard to find. We went into the parking garage trying to find something when we spot this car waiting for a pick-up to reverse, I told Jenn, "I don't think that pick-up is going anywhere", so the car in front of us moved and what do you suppose, the pick-up started to reverse and we got a SWEET spot! Delightful! We spent a good deal of time in Urban because that store has some CRAZY cool things (like an extend-o-fork) and just walked around. Good people watching at the Gateway, and we thoroughly wore ourselves out. We then met up with Sarah and Katie for our Christmas Miracle #4 – a backstage look at the Conference Center, and our own personal tour guide on Temple Square. It was really awesome, that is one thing that should be on everyone's bucket list. Katie then took us to an Indian restaurant that was SO GOOD. I loved it! We arrived home very tired, but happy nonetheless! Sunday was delightful, and I'm glad I got to see Jenn and just spend some one-on-one time with her. I think we BOTH needed it! That is my Christmas Miracle #5!

PS – Some other things I learned this weekend:
Coffee shops are cool, sugar free Italian Sodas are gross, Indian guys are cute (some) and think that black licorice is an alcoholic drink, you'll always see someone you know on Temple Square it's inevitable, a lot of work goes into to making sure Temple Square is ready for Christmas, the bums at Temple Square are really well off, sometimes shopping is better when you have someone to do it with, it's ok to feel overwhelmed and stressed out sometimes, and life is about making yourself happy….

Jenn & I at the beautiful red tree

Beautiful!

I just love it!

Stressed Out

It must be December because this is how I feel:

All of the sudden work just became a living nightmare. Not enough time to get everything done, and steady stream of people in my office wanting their stuff done first! So instead I just laugh, this morning I was laughing so hard I started crying. I remember in college thinking that I would be so grateful to never have finals again because it's way stressful, I TAKE IT BACK! I would happily study for 2 hours and be done!! Good times... Vacay is still 3 weeks away!

Christmas Randomness

So this weekend I wandered around the mall (if you can call the pathetic arrangement of stores in Idaho Falls a mall), trying to get some Christmas shopping done. Sadly, I just got a couple things for dad. I just didn't know what to buy. That's why I've decided it's pointless to Christmas shopping unless you know what you are going to get. I got a few ideas, but here's the weird part, when I Christmas shop, I think I like to do it with people who know the person I'm shopping for (if that makes sense). I love to shop by myself, in fact I prefer it, but for Christmas I want others opinions. Like "oh do you think my mom would like this?" or "do you think this will fit them?" Anyway, I'm only made a small dent in my Christmas shopping this year, I better get on it, it's only 24 days until Christmas! That's why I know I'm going to make Jenn shop with me this weekend in Utah! I better start making a list!

Also, I do love Christmas music, it's been playing on and off since Nov. 1^st! I do have my list of favorites:
O Holy Night
Jingle Bells (sung by Barbara Streisand)
Muppets 12 Days of Christmas
Silent Night (it makes me cry EVERY time I sing it!)
Carol of the Bells
The Christmas Song

Ok so mostly all Christmas songs I love, but there are a few I really don't like, in fact I skip them or change the channel:
Christmas Shoes
Santa Baby
Any hick Christmas song… like I heard this one called Camouflage and Christmas, sick…

What are yours?

The Real Housewives of Beverley Hills

I love TV, and after living 4 years without it in college, I don't think I could live without it. OK if I had to. Anyway that isn't the point; the point is I LOVE the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. So for one all the other housewives can claim to be rich but they are paupers compared to these women. I mean Adrianne OWNS Interscope Records and the Palm Resorts in Vegas. Um hello. Her house and Lisa's too, cost at least 30 million. Last night they went to a party of a man named Muhammad (oil tycoon I'm guessing), and they were all in awe of his house, 60,000 square feet. What do you do with a house like that? Anyway, there wasn't much drama this episode which is nice sometimes (considering last week I wanted to punch Camille in the face!). Camille is Kelsey Grammer's wife (well ex-wife now), and she thinks she is Angelina Jolie because Kelsey is a A-list actor (sister, Kelsey is more in the B- range these days). My favorites are Lisa and Kyle; they are the most sensible by far. Anyway, I think the reason that I love this show so much is because even though they have more money then I will EVER see in my lifetime they have problems (and sometimes more) than me. Husbands who are LAME (Taylor) or don't love you anymore (Camille), or a crazy sister etc… Plus who doesn't want to escape for an hour in someone else's problems (this is probably why I LOVED The Hills so much too). If you haven't watched a least one episode you should at least check it out, if nothing but to humor yourself (and to see all the plastic surgery), Thursday nights on Bravo. Here is the question though that I always wonder, what do these women do when they sit down to watch themselves on the TV (please you know that they do) and they see all the backstabbing that goes on? I would keep detailed notes, so I could bring them up at the reunion, that's what I would do!!

*side note – my other favorite housewives are New Jersey (both seasons are just great), and New York (this latest season was CRAZY)!

Thanksgiving Weekend

I didn't take 1 picture during the Thanksgiving Holiday. Oops! I did however have a good time (minus the whole BSU losing thing, I don't even want to talk about it). It was good to have our entire family together for the holidays, and we even had some extended family come and enjoy Parma too. We also have a foreign exchange student, Izzy, from Germany and she made Thanksgiving even better. Thanksgiving is totally an American holiday, so she was quite enthralled with all of our traditions and the turkey. She never had turkey before, so it was all a brand new experience for her. I was just so thankful to be able to make it home in one piece. Of course, my flight got cancelled on Tuesday so I had to wait until Wednesday. I had 5 minutes to get from Terminal B to Terminal D. I was RUNNING through the airport with my Ugg's and winter coat on. I made it though, and on my ride home I sat between a Justin Beiber and a Jack Sparrow. Oh delightful! Black Friday was actually uneventful, most of the time mom and I were not in the mood to stand in an hour line for 1 thing. Don't even get me started on JoAnne's, there's a bunch of crazy old women up in there, AND they have like 2 people working the cash registers, HELLO people!! We just walked right out. I got to spend quality time with my family and especially Liam. I love that baby so much, and can't see enough of him. Good thing Christmas isn't too far away. Our drive home was pretty bad too, we hit a bad snow storm between Burley and Pocatello which slowed us up for 2 hours. Thank goodness we made it back up here in one piece. Now I have the task of trying to get my shopping done, I think I need a trip to SLC to shop because Idaho Falls has nothing!! Tis the Season, and how I love it!!

Snow Storm!

Holy Blizzard of Wonderland, its crazy up in here. It took Sarah and I 8 hours to arrive home last night, the roads were so icky. This weekend, I'm just trying to shuttle between friends in Idaho Falls so I don't have to make the commute because well, the weather is that bad. Here is what I look at every morning to see how the roads are, keep in mind red means bad roads (for those who don't know, I live in the Eastern part of Idaho):

 Yeah, it's that bad. I've had to clear off at least 7 to 8 inches of snow off the car just to get into it. The funny thing is I spent time at home this weekend to see this kid:

Ok and the rest of the family. Anyway, for some dumb reason I just have little moccasins, so pretty much I'm clearing out snow in my bare feet. The roads were too bad to make it the rest of the way up to Rexburg. It's a no go believe me. This morning I was thinking of warm places with no snow as I had to poor hot water on my door so it would open. This storm is supposed to clear out by Wednesday, just in time to bring tempatures in the single digits as highs. LOVELY. Oh Idaho, I forget how much you snow EVERY winter. It does however make it feel like Christmas, which is a good thing. Plus the snow is really heavy and wet, so needed moisture for sure. I'll try and get a picture and post it because I have NEVER seen it dump like it has the past couple of days. JESH!

Prayer

I'm always thankful for that communication with my Heavenly Father, but the past couple of days I've relied a LOT on prayer. It's something that I know I take for granted, knowing that I can talk with God whenever I want. He's always there and always listening. I seem to be better at saying my prayers at night, rather than in the morning. I know weird, and of course I seem to pray more when I need some serious help then when life is peachy. I'm thankful that my parents taught me to pray when I was very little, and I'm thankful for the knowledge that I know prayer works. In my prayers I'm definitely going to be thanking Heavenly Father for all the things I'm grateful for too, because well, he's blessed me so much.

A Good Book

Sorry, I've been neglecting my blog for a couple of days considering I'm still doing my "25 Days of Thanksgiving"… so I skipped a couple of days…sorry! Today I'm thankful that 1. I can read, and 2. For books that let me escape into a different time and world. This year I set a goal to read 50 Books in 2010. I'm currently finishing #40. That means I have little over a month to finish 10 books. EEK, I HAVE TO GET ON IT! So right now, I'm listening to one and reading another (not at the same time mind you). Since I still have to keep a job, I listen to my books during the day and read the other at night. I do not get the stories confused MOST of the time. That is the problem with a good book though, once you are in, it's hard to put down. I am halfway through Mockingjay and I HAD to put it down to go to sleep last night. Good thing I have it on audio also, so that should be done by the end of the day. That's what I love about a good book, it lets your imagination flourish, and transports you into a world where you are the one calling the shots. I'm just so grateful that I was blessed to grow up in a country that believes in educating its youth, and that gives me an opportunity to learn and grow through books. Granted through college I didn't enjoy two-thirds of the books I read, but I did learn. One day whilst traveling home (my reflection time), I thought, what if I couldn't read? Do you know how much your life depends on literacy? It's NUTS! Anyway, I'm thankful for my education, and my degree which I hold precious to my soul. Here's to the last month and finishing 10 books. Don't worry I'll be listing them all in different post, WHEN I complete my goal.

Madison

So I've arrived at the baby of the family, and her name is Madison, but we all call her Maddie. I don't think anybody calls her Madison, but just the same she's special anyway. The adopted one we like to call her, because well she's the only one with blond hair! Mariah and Maddie have always been known as "the girls", I don't know if it's because they are the youngest and we just refer to them that way, but we just do. I do love Maddie, she's so funny, and wise beyond her years. It takes a lot to upset her, and so if she's upset you know it had to be something big. I love how she has such a mild temperament, and I know she gets a lot of that from my dad. She's so not about drama (but seems to have a lot of it, although when I was 15 everything was dramatic). I also love how random Maddie is, we will be talking about shoes or something and she'll just pop up with a comment like, so I'm thinking about getting my hair cut. Oh Maddie! HA! I also am grateful that she lets me sleep in her bed when I come home for the weekends. I don't know why, but I always just stay with Maddie in her room, it has always just been that way. She's also very smart, and loves to read. She's a great athlete and loved by many. I'm thankful for a great little sister who gets teased mercilessly by all of us (still), and just laughs it off, it's just part of our family dynamics I guess. This summer I got to spend some time with Maddie before she went to EFY, we had a good time together, and I'm excited to watch her mature into a young lady. I love her dearly, and I couldn't have asked for a better kid sister than her.

Veterans

I really meant to post this yesterday. I mean here I am talking about all the things I'm thankful for, and yesterday was day to "thank" a Veteran! So today, I'm thankful for the many people who have served this amazing country I live in, and all the comforts of life I enjoy because of them. I have many family members (included both grandpas) who have served my country and I'm thankful for every one of them. My grandpa Melton often tells me about his time in Korea and I always feel so blessed to know that one he came back alive (unlike so many who have not), and that he proudly served this country. What a great holiday, a time to celebrate and remember those who so freely paid the price for my freedom. Thank you Veterans!

Mariah

Mariah is my 1^st sister; I remember when my mom was pregnant with Mariah, and how I prayed EVERY night that she would have a girl. I wanted a sister so badly, granted I was going to be 8 years older than her, I was sick of being the only girl. Mariah is a vital part of our family dynamics. She's what I would call our humor, but it's not like she purposely tries to be funny, she just is. There are so many stories of Mariah and the random things she says, oh I love her. I mostly love her "tentacles" story and tell it often. I love her very much, granted I was out of the house when Mariah was in high school and most of middle school she's still a great little sister. I do remember however when she was born we were all excited and couldn't get enough of her, now I couldn't imagine our family without her! I've never met a person who didn't like her; she's funny, nice, and gorgeous! I'm so glad she's in Rexburg with me (even though she's off track next semester – and I'm going to miss her). I love seeing her become an adult, learning what college and life is all about. She's very talented (she's in high demand for her photography) and smart, and I'm thankful that's she's always been there for me. What I admire most about her is that she's friends with EVERYBODY, no matter what they've done to her, and everybody likes her. I'm thankful for Mariah and her kind heart (and stubborn soul J ), if you don't know her you should. She's just lovely. I love you kid, thanks for being a great little sister.

Hyrum

Hyrum is my youngest brother (ok so I only have two, but hey), he's also the middle child, and you can definitely tell! He's so full of life and rarely has a care in the world that is probably why he is so loved by so many people in this world. I've been so lucky to grow really close to him these past couple of years. We've attended the same college, and then after his mission I moved back to Eastern Idaho. While we were in college together we spent almost every day together, and really being with family makes life a lot easier! I really missed him while he was on his mission… The reason I love Hyrum so much and why I'm grateful that he's my brother is because he's always so understanding and compassionate. He's the most loyal person I know, and I love that about him. We've been through our share of trials with things and I can say that we've grown a lot closer through it. I think he's the really the ONLY person who can understand the way I'm feeling sometimes. Bless his heart. He's also so funny, and really a party is 10 times better if he's there. His motto – the louder, the better! He's also so good to me, he often drops whatever he is doing to come help me or listen to me. Even this last month he helped me move into my apartment, for a while it was just him and me moving. I'll owe him for a long time for that one. Hyrum is everyone's friend, and everyone wants to be friends with him, something that I think will take him far in life. I do love that we can talk about anything and everything, never a dull moment that's for sure! No matter what he does, he's good at it, which is rude, but also admirable. He's such an example to me of the way he has overcome so much to be where he is now! I love him very much and there's nothing I wouldn't do for him. Thanks brother for being everything a younger brother should be and more!

Austin, Mackenzie, & Liam

So I love my brother and his little family. They are so presh! Austin is the brother next in age, and growing up I will venture to say that we fought the most. He just knows how to push my buttons, but now that we've grown up (and he's gotten married), we get a long so much better. He's always been the comical one of the family, and when Hyrum and he get together, you'll be laughing for hours. He's also the smart one of the bunch, he's going places, and I'm excited to see where he ends up. He also married Mackenzie who I just adore, they are good fit, and I'm glad she's stuck with us, FOREVER! She's seriously so great, and she's just a like a sister! Together they made Liam who is probably the best part of this whole mixture; he's the cutest baby and brings life to every occasion. I'm thankful that they decided to have such a beautiful baby who I can brag about often! Austin has always been an amazing brother, and has a remarkable testimony of the gospel. So many letters he would write to me on his mission changed my outlook and perspective on things. In fact one of his letters I still carry around in my scriptures because it was just so profound! I'm thankful for a great little brother who is wise beyond his years and a great support system!

My Dad!

I am thankful for my dad. Really, if you haven’t met him, you should. I have a hard time not writing or talking about how much he means to me without getting emotional. He’s one of a kind, and someone who is always such a great example, to me and I know others. He practices what he preaches, and has the most upstanding integrity. He does so much for our family and he works so hard so we can have a comfortable life. He has worked so hard and accomplished so much and I find quite inspiring actually.  He even built our house, by himself. Yeah, pretty much amazing. Most importantly I know my dad will always be there for me, no matter what’s going on. His family comes first and I love that about him. I love that he loves my mom so much, and for some reason I find so much comfort in that. He’s a good soul, a kind soul, and very sensitive. Never once has my dad yelled at me, he’s always been my biggest fan, greatest cheerleader, and best coach. Most importantly I know that my dad has a strong testimony and is willing to share it (even with his daughter who doesn’t understand how he can relate roommate drama to the gospel, but he does)! Recently I've been pretty sick but after a blessing from my father I knew that everything was going to be ok, because I felt his love. Thanks dad for everything you do for me and the hard work you continually do, you are pretty much the best!

25 Days of Thanksgiving

Ok I know, I know its November 3^rd, but I saw this idea on another blog and I thought what a great idea! For each day of November I will post what I'm thankful for that day. So look below for the start (a late one at that)!

My Mom

It's hard to describe everything that my mom does for me that makes me thankful to have her in my life. I mean seriously, how do you express your gratitude to someone who gave birth to you? Here are some of my most favorite things I love about my mom, and that's why I'm so thankful for her.

1. The first time I really opened up to her and told her my problems, she just sat there and listened to me for hours, granted I was in Middle School and everything was so dramatic, but since then I've just told her everything (ok ALMOST everything).
2. She always has made the holidays so special for our family. Christmas is hardcore in our family and it's because of her. I do love that Christmas is an important part of our many traditions.
3. Any meal my mom makes is good. Her Chocolate Mallow cake is to DIE FOR!
4. No matter how busy she was, she made time to go to all of my events. When I was a senior in high school she had three kids in three different sports and still managed to make it to every one of my games.
5. She was my Laurel teacher whilst I was in high school, she gave some of the best lessons and I even remember a lot of them. She's that good, her testimony has never wavered.
6. Because of my mom, I think I'm pretty well rounded. I love to dance, sing, and play the piano. I love the arts, and she always made sure we could have a good time!
7. She's pretty funny, and you'll always know her opinions (which I inherited both of… HA!)
8. She gave me my dark hair and dark skin. Thank you kindly!
9. Most importantly, she taught me to be a good and honest person. Have confidence in who you are and what you believe, and that has taken me so far in life. Don't be a wilting flower! I have confidence because of her.

There are so many more things my mom has done for me that make me often think, wow, I'm so blessed to have such an amazing women to bring me into the world and raise me. Thanks mom (and I'll say thanks now for the Thanksgiving dinner you'll be making!)

Halloween Festivities

Ok so my weekend was crazy, actually my entire week was nuts. It felt a little like how hectic the holidays get. I had something going on EVERY night, and to top it off, I decided to move this weekend. I know, I just moved, but this was a deal I couldn't pass up. I was paying less about $75 less, I get my own bathroom, and I get the Master Bedroom. Which equates to a bigger closet and ALL of my furniture fitting quite nicely, it's a little older than what I usually live in, but it's very spacious and I can still have guests and what not. I will post pictures once everything is unpacked. I just love seeing my bed all set up. I do love it!
On Friday night I went to a Halloween concert, it was great; I love feeling like I'm artsy like that. It's like saying; oh I went to the ballet, or to the opera. HA! Friday at work it was our company party so I of course dressed up along with many of my co-workers. They are all so creative. I do love it! Saturday I moved, and bless Hyrum's heart he helped me so much. It was just me and him most of the time, but he did most of it. He's a great little brother. A little later some guys from the ward came and helped us finish up, they were so generous and let me borrow their truck most of the morning. I just felt so guilty asking people to help me move because I just moved, but oh well. That night my new roommate Monica and I got dressed to go to a church dance, we had a great time. So many funny and creative costumes, I just wanted to sit there and look at them all. Granted even at a church function there were sketchy outfits but you know, be who you are and love it I guess. I'll attach some great pictures of the festivities. It's not on Thanksgiving or aka Holiday Season. That's right, I'm playing Christmas music as I type this!

 Michelle, Heather, Ashley, Me, Monica at the Halloween dance!

 With Mr. Clean, it was a SWEET costume!

 My favorite part? My boots, I can wear them all year round!

 Work gals, Rosy the Rivetor, Apprentice contestant, and Twister!

My new roommate Monica and me!

On top of everything else I had to teach a lesson on Sunday to the entire ward. I thought it went great, and I have a great love for the people in my ward, actually I was most touched because I felt their love for me whilst I was up there trying to piece together my thoughts. Blessings in heaven, for sure!

Cute Pumpkins!

Ok so Fall always gets me in the crafty mood, and usually I ignore it and go back to my book reading and football watching, but alas our RS needed a craft so I searched around for some ideas and found this one. It's a Mod Podged pumpkin. Now don't worry I was trying to be like the other crafty blogs and take pictures of each step, but then I erased them off my Blackberry. RUDE! So I just have a picture of the final project. My BFF Jenn also did the same thing, but she went the fake pumpkin route. I highly recommend that route as they are super cute and take some time to do and I'll have to throw them away soon because of course, they are real pumpkins. Anyway, you just need Mod Podge, pumpkins, paper (but not anything too heavy, cardstock was difficult to work with), and scissors. You just drench your paper in Mod Podge and stick it to your pumpkin. The two smaller ones I did in triangles and the bigger one I did with stripes of paper. Either way I think it turned out darling. I'm excited to see what my RS girls do with their pumpkins! I'm also starting another project for my new room, I'll make sure to save those pictures. HA!

Weekend Fun

This past weekend I actually stayed home for once, I know a miracle. I played with my work friends on Friday night. We went a women conference/show thingy. I bought some Christmas gifts so that was exciting! I also convinced Mindy and Kristin to go eat sushi. They've never had it before and I love it. I think they really liked it too! We had a good time. Thank you Blue Hashi. Saturday I went apartment hunting with Hyrum, and then we picked up Mariah and went to IF for some shopping. Oh Idaho Falls I wish you had a mall bigger than 10 stores (ok there is more than 10 stores, but seriously, it's small). Mariah and I went to Porters to get a craft and then we watched football and just hung out. A pretty low key weekend but I needed it, that's for sure! Sunday's I really never have a break, but I do have enough time to watch The Amazing Race. I love that show! I love Mallory and her dad. Someday I will be on that show!! HAHA! I know that my mom would rock it because she's obsessed with that show, and she knows all the little corners you have to take to win it.

I've started also thinking about what I'm going to buy people for Christmas. I know, I know, it's not Halloween yet, but I've got to plan and space it out people! I love the holiday's, however I do not LOVE that it's getting cold!!

 

Liam and BYU!

This weekend we went to Provo to see the kid, and of course Austin and Kenzie.  We had a great time, and got to spend some time with Liam. I love him very much! There new apartment is huge, so that was very nice! We also went to a BYU game, and BYU won! It's pretty much a miracle (it's a rebuilding year), Liam didn't like the game very much. My parents have a foreign exchange student from Germany though and she was in awe of the stadium and football in general. I love it! On our way out we got to see Jenn for a little while, her apartment is super cute, and what have you. Typical. HA!

Big Boy Liam and Maddie.  He loves to play on the couch!

Rough day for the both of us, he's teething and I feel crappy!

BYU Family!

Close up!

Liam and his Fargo hat!

Faith

Wow, I haven't blogged for awhile. Sorry about that. I'm still feeling crappy, and it's definitely a trial of my faith. I've have trials, but this one seems to be one of the biggest ones I've ever struggled with.  For starters when Heavenly Father wants you to learn something, He REALLY wants you to learn something.  For me it's been the following things:
a. Faith - this is probably the biggest, I've never felt hopeless before this said event in my life, I could never really sympathize with anyone who felt that, but take it from me I've felt it. Having the feeling that prayers aren't being answered or that blessings aren't working isn't fun. Well quite frankly it's what Satan wants you to feel, and he's RUDE! I mean there have been times in the past couple of months that I've felt so alone, and no one is there. No fun, and really I can't imagine living a life like that. It takes a lot of soul searching and a lot of time on the knees, and I still don't think I'm there, YET.
b. It's OK to ask for help. I'm RSP and there is NO way I could have done half of my church callings without my counselors, they have helped me in so many ways, and they are so understanding.
c. Happiness is choice. I've heard this so many times, but really never understood it because well I've always been healthy and happy, but now, I know. I know that even if you are so tired and in so much pain being grumpy isn't going to solve anyones problem.  When we are happy, others are happy, and seriously it could be a WHOLE lot worse (that's really hard for me to say, because well I don't think so, but I know so!)
Don't worry I'm still trekking on, who knows how long I'll feel bad, or how long this trial will last, but it's about the end result, and how I deal with it. I have been promised to make a full recovery and that is what I have faith in, and what I cling to.

26!

Happy Birthday to ME! I just love my birthday, and it's been a great day (so far), and the weather here is BEAUTIFUL! Plus I get to go home and see my mom and dad this weekend, which is even better! My office is decorated with all sorts of crepe paper and banners, and I wore this crown ALL day long.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

Black and White Birthday Party

It was going to be hard to top last year's party, but I still wanted to have a super cool party. Between Jenn and I we came up with the idea of having a Black and White party and serving mocktails. It was such a hit. A lot of friends and people from the ward came and everyone dressed up, which was so cool. Jenn and Hyrum were the bartenders and they did a fab job of course. I secretly have always wondering what a Mimosa tasted like, but Jenn found all these drink recipes minus the alcohol. Thanks Jenn for paying for a lot of it, and also for organizing most of it, you are pretty much amazing! Here are some awesome pictures from our adventures! Oh and the best part is, my birthday isn't until Wednesday, so I'm still celebrating!

This is the bar set up... the paper cups are for tasting, then when you decided which one you liked best we would fill up your glass! So amazing!

Thanks Jenn, it was amazing... I mean Black and White glasses...WITH FRUIT!!

Mariah and Me... and I have heels on... this girl is tall, and I love her

Mariah, Me, Hyrum, I love that we all live in the same town!

Britney and I.  She's straight Hollywood and the life of the party!

My work BFF's. They are more then half the reason I stay sane at my job. I'm so happy they came.

Nellie (my amazing hairdresser). I'm so glad she came too, she's such a good time.

My lady bug pillow pet! I love it!

Clint and Tenille’s Wedding

I have known Clint since I was 17! He was my very first FHE brother at my first year of college. The first thing I remember about him is that he made me laugh so hard I almost peed my pants (not a very good first impression I'm sure). He's always been in and around my life since then. Sarah and him have kept in touch over the years and are really good friends. When I moved in with Sarah I got to know Clint even better and we became fast close friends. When we moved to Rexburg Tenille and I had similar callings at church and liked her right away. I invited her and of course Clint to a house warming party. The rest they say is history (but may I add a caveat that Clint needed a little pushing and prodding at first). They were married on Friday, September 24^th and I could've have been happier. Their sealing was beautiful and I'm glad I was there to see two people so in love. Congrats you two, you OWE me, BIG TIME! HAHA!

Her dress was beautiful!

Thanks Ry, for my blurry picture! HA!

Presh

We are so happy Clint finally did it!!

Countdown!

I am so excited for my birthday... tomorrow will be the week countdown. I've decided to celebrate with a Black and White Party, and serve mocktails (oh you know, cocktails minus the alcohol...).  I've been trying to think of some of my most favorite games to play and I've got a few ideas, but the more ideas the better. I mean nothing will compare to last year's event, but that's OK, nothing is supposed to, and really, I'm saving for my 30th when I told myself I would go to Europe! I'm making it happen, I PROMISE! Anyway, it should be a good time, and if anyone happens to not know what to get me... there's always this post. 

Other than that, life has been slow. I'm still feeling super crappy, but if this is going to be how my life is then I guess I'll make the best of it.  I've had enough Dr's appointments to make me want to vomit (literally), but I'm still hoping and praying that I can find the disease and then CURE it! Happy Day!

Funeral, Wedding, Volleyball, Homecoming

This weekend I had the chance to go home and see one of my childhood friends get married and also attend a funeral for a great uncle. I also got to ride down and back with Jenn. I loved it, we seriously could talk for hours, and I miss her already. Good thing she's coming up for my birthday festivities!! The funeral was good, and I got to see family which is always a plus. I didn't think I would be as emotional as I was, but it's just hard to see people that you love have to go through things like that I guess. Friday night was the Parma High School Homecoming game. Good times! Parma won the game in a thriller, with only 30 seconds left. Needless to say I was jumping up and down (not a good idea considering my health condition). My parents then flew out to NYC early the next morning. I'm so jealous they get to there. Someday… Anyway, so I was officially babysitter for my 15 year old sister and the foreign exchange student Izzy who is living at our house (from Germany, nonetheless!). Anyway, Friday morning Jamie got married. It was a beautiful sealing, and I was emotional. Just because well, I've known her my entire life, and I'm so happy for her! I'm so glad she made it there! We stayed and took some pictures, and then I went home and went to watch Maddie play in her JV volleyball tourney. It was good to see her play I haven't had the chance in like 2 years. After her tournament we went home and I had to help Izzy get ready for the Homecoming dance. Luckily there was enough dresses in our house so she could have her pick on which ones she wanted to wear. She wants the entire "American" experience so hello, Homecoming dance. She's funny. So I went to Jamie's reception, the food was delish I mean hello tri-tip… YUM! Then I raced back home to help Izzy with her hair and take pictures. Her date brought her a corsage and she was pretty funny about it. She's like what is this? I'm supposed to wear flowers on my wrist? Haha, I loved it, and she looked great! By then I was so exhausted I laid down and feel asleep until the "kids" came home. I think I did pretty well for playing mom for one night, the "kids" were home before curfew! Here are some pics of the wedding!

Hooray for love!

Her dress was amazing, and she's super happy

Friends since birth...

Jenn and I - we can never have too many pics together!

HA!

OK I am loving blogging. It's a great way to keep updated with friends and family, and a personal little journal for me (and I learned there are places you can print out your blog and make it into a book, say WHAT?)... but I learned about this blog  from a friends blog, HA, and had to check it out. It makes fun of the wife/mother/girl that exists in the blogosphere and I love it! Seriously, read it, it will brighten your day.

PS - If I ever get like that will SOMEONE please let me know... :)

My Birthday Wish List

As suggested by my BFF Jenn I am writing my birthday wish list for anyone who would like to contribute to my birthday celebrations. I know, I'm silly, and it's not like I'd EVER get everything on my list, but I love presents (giving and receiving mind you). You should see my Christmas List. It's always at least 2 pages, because you want options always right? So here is just a "few" things I've been wanting lately.

• Pillow Pets - ok I know I'm way TOO big for them, but every time they come on TV I just want one. I like the ladybug, unicorn, giraffe, penguin, and hippo. Am I weird? Probably yes.
  
• Black Shoes – I think a pair of Globes or DC's, size 10
  
• Gift Cards – Best invention ever, why not just give me $$ to spend on clothes at Target, Old Navy, Maurices, Macy's, Kohl's, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, DownEast etc…
  
• Crock Pot – granted I have one, but I want a BIG one
  
• DVD's – Ok so mostly I want Gossip Girl Season 3, Vampire Diaries Season 1, I will take any seasons of Laguna Beach, and of course Glee. Oh and random Zack and Kelly's Wedding (Saved by the Bell, haha)
  
• Books – endless books. There are SO many that I want – Vampire Academy (all of them, but I already own #4), Clockwork Angel, ugh there's just so many, anything in Young Adult I will most likely read.
  
• Purse – Granted I want a Coach, someone convince my mom to buy me one, or give her money to buy me one! (I'll take a wallet too)
  
• Fingernail Polish – my new obsession, I love unusual colors
  
• iPod touch – wishful thinking
  
• iPad – still wishing
  
• Laptop – HA!
  
• Casserole dishes - I want a smaller square one
  
• BlackBerry cover
  
• $$$
  
• Plane Tickets (to anywhere!)
  
• To feel better!!!!
  

I'm still deciding on what to do for my birthday actually. I love spending time with friends and family, and making it a celebration. Of course, it will be hard to beat last year's party, but I'm thinking like a Murder Mystery party or something like that. Whatever I choose I know it'll be fun, and really presents aren't that important compared to spending time with those I love (and feeling better).

Down for the Count

It has been ages since I've blogged, don't worry, it definitely is not because I'm so busy having an amazing life. Quite opposite actually, almost a month ago I was on my way home driving through the desert of Las Vegas when I felt like I couldn't breathe. I thought I had eaten something that I was highly allergic to because my throat closed up and I couldn't breathe. Anyway, it was scary because we were in the middle of nowhere so I prayed really hard and took some Benadryl. It totally knocked me out but I did start to feel better. I thought it was just a fluke thing and would avoid Ginger Snaps like the plague. The next day after lunch I started feeling really weird, nauseous, dizzy, and tingly hands and feet. So weird, after work I went to the temple and whilst in the session I felt like I was going to pass out. So I left the session and headed straight to the Doctor. The doctor, after examining my symptoms, said that she thought something was wrong with my heart. SAY WHAT?! So she put me on a heart monitor (pictured below) for 2 days.

A miserable 2 days in fact. I ended up staying with Melissa for those 2 days just because she lives so close to the hospital and Sarah was out of town. I arrive home Saturday and I am in some SERIOUS pain. My chest hurts something fierce and naturally if you think its your heart you don't want to mess around. So I decided I better go to the ER. After x-rays, blood work, EKG, the Dr. determined I had some sort of bronchial infection, set me up with a bunch of meds and sent me on my way. That night was still really painful, and I continued to persevere. I went to work on Monday and it was rough, I probably shouldn't have gone, but I did. I was miserable. So I called in sick the next day and went back to the Dr. half of my face was numb and super hot, and I was like, what's going on? This Dr. took more tests and chalked it up to anxiety. 4 doctors later I was still having anxiety and not getting ANY better. I couldn't even get out of bed on Thursday and I was scared that the rest of my life I would be confined to a bed watching Saved by the Bell. Finally on Friday night a couple of boys came over and gave me a blessing. It was an awesome blessing, promising me health and full recovery, but also that there were numerous things wrong and I would have to persistent in finding out what was effecting my body to react the way it did. To top off this whole thing Sarah and I were in the process of moving. I however couldn't even walk, so she packed up most of my things and people from the ward came and helped me move my stuff. I was (and still am) touched by the service that has (and is still) being offered on my behalf. What great people I know, and how they seriously made me sit on the couch as they carried everything away. I am so blessed. I'm still down for the count but slowly recovering. I went to a cardiologist, and had an echocardiogram and lung test. I'm also going to an endocrinologist to see if something is outta whack there. I feel like I'm taking the right steps to get a diagnosis. Most of all I've learned not to take my health for granted, it's such a huge blessing. I've learned it's ok to ask for help, people are willing to help, and they want to help. Most of all I've learned how many people care and love me. It's through faith that I can survive my trials (and having faith especially when sick is the hardest thing I've done).

Random Ramblings

So this weekend I'm making an impromptu trip to San Diego. I haven't been there since 8^th grade. I'm pretty excited. Mostly though, we found out that we can get discount tickets at the most magical place aka Disneyland. Say WHAT?! I'm incredibly thrilled about that! I will be sure to document my trip with lots of pictures. On a different note, I found a website that will print off my blog. Isn't that amazing?! It's like a scrapbook anyway, that also made my day. You can even pick and choose what posts you want to include in this book. I'm definitely going to have to check it out! Ok this is now turning into the most random posting ever, because I'm sick to DEATH of misspelling these words. I don't know what it is, I just can't spell them right:

• Definitely
• Obviously
• Appropriate

Hooray for the summer road trip I've wanting to go on all summer!

The Tetons and Yellowstone (again!)

I had another fab weekend. My family came to visit before picking up Maddie from EFY. My brother Hyrum and sister Mariah decided that they wanted to come up also. So we had a mini family vacation. Thursday we went and gave Mariah a tour of BYU-I. She'll be attending that blessed place in less than a month. I miss it so much up there sometimes. Nostalgia set in as I walked through some of the buildings. Granted even though I live in Rexburg I rarely go on campus. That's a whole other life up there. I also ate at the new Crossroads, it was awesome, and I can see why my brother always talks about how great it is. That evening I took my family up to Island Park, Mesa Falls, and Big Springs. They loved the clear water and beauty of Eastern Idaho. The next day we woke up bright and early and headed to Jackson Hole. I've only been there once, so I was pretty excited. I've never been to Grand Teton National Park either, so I was so very excited. We of course had to stop in Jackson and take pictures by the Elk Horns. We ate at the Cadillac Grill, which was delish! Then we jumped in the car for our next adventure, which was Jenny Lake. We decided we wanted to hike, and thought oh we can do this. By the time we got to Hidden Falls we were exhausted, 3 miles total, and the last part is straight up, but it was beautiful. I can now cross that off my bucket list! We were so exhausted we decided to take the boat back to the visitor's center. Then it was on to Yellowstone. That's right, 2 weekends in a row for me! Since we all have been there, but haven't seen the entire park, we wanted to go to Mammoth Hot Springs. What an adventure. My dad cruised across Yellowstone so fast and we hurried and saw everything (sounds like a typical vacation), and we also saw a bear! Delightful! I swear I saw another one on our way out of the park, but maybe it was just a burnt tree stump! That side of Yellowstone is beautiful, and I want to go that way another time. So many awesome cliffs and waterfalls and canyons. We made it home at midnight, boy were we tired. On the way home we were listening to the Broadway Channel on Sirius Radio. I LOVE that station and wish I had Sirius Radio in my car!! I love my family, and we had a great time. They left Saturday morning and I was so exhausted by then, I just wanted to sleep all day, but I had a ward party that night and afterwards I went to see Inception. SO GOOD! I still dream about it! Summer is amazing, and life is good! Next weekend is San Diego (impromptu trip that I'm super excited about), so don't worry, more adventures coming!

The Grand Tetons - So beautiful

Jenny Lake

Mesa Falls

Lunch in Jackson Hole

Mammoth Hot Springs