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!