missions

So, I am not writing to tell you all that I am going on a mission (not saying it isn't something I am thinking about right now), but rather to try and describe the strange sensation of being a 20 year old LDS girl.

My closest friends left about two years ago and starting this Thanksgiving season until summer, they will all begin to come home. While they have been away, I have become good friends with those around me. Now it is time for these friends to go serve the Lord for 2 years. 3 of my favorite people enter the MTC on Wednesday and one came home last Wednesday. I went to both a farewell and homecoming on Sunday. There is so much excitement about all the coming and going, but then there is this anxiousness left for me...how long will it take for my friendships to be as comfortable and normal as they were before my friends left 2 years ago?

Andy - He is a brother to me. I met him while he was just a little freshman and I was his sister's best friend. She left us early for BYU and while she was gone Andy and I began the greatest swim team at MHHS and have a love for each other that is often found only in siblings. He will be serving the Lord for 2 years in Canada!

Chris - Who knew we could grow up in the same stake and take so long to become friends?! The summer before my freshman year we met. Oh what a crush. We have since spent summers and breaks together. He is a fabulous kid who really knows what he is doing. He told me the summer after my freshman year that he was going to go on a mission when he felt ready. Brazil is lucky to get Elder Jones!

Drew - I could easily write an ENTIRE blog on Drew. We met freshman year - one of the greatest stories I have. A pick up line gone wrong and a boy too nice to let the poor girl make the mistake again. We did have a period where other girls came inbetween us, but as of about a year ago, we have been as close as they come. He is my best friend and I have seen him grow so much. He has such an excitement for the mission - I know he will do amazing things. AND he gets to serve in Chile...the mission my aunt and uncle live in!

Tim - Tim just got home. His best friend (JOHN) moved into my ward while we were just kids and that led to the bringing together of me and Tim. He was one of the first to leave and is now home. I sure hope he is ready for the bombardement of Tati and Lauren as we come back together to bring back our old KPFM crew.

momma

You know those days when you have so much floating around in your head? I can't focus on school and it is because I just have so much to say.

My mom came out to Utah this weekend. Michelle (mommy's sister) just moved from her little townhouse in Provo to this beautiful, gorgeous, unique house in Draper. Michelle flew mom out to help her decorate, move furniture, and make the house hers. I spent Friday to Monday commuting between Provo and Draper and trying to be social in between. It was a great weekend.

I left work a little early on Friday to run back to Michelle's house and shower. Michelle picked me up and we drove out to the airport to get mom. What a happy reunion. I, of course, kept us on a time limit. My boys had their first real basketball game of the season! I just had to be back to watch Cummard show Long Beach what's up. We had a quick dinner together and I sped back to Provo (always safely though!). I was so late to the game so when I got there and found my friends in the FRONT ROW I was beyond pumped. I had let Jesse McCartney keep my mind busy on the drive there and then shouted like I have never shouted at a basketball game.
Following the game was one of the greatest dance parties I have been to in a long time. Oh we danced and we danced and we danced.

Saturday I woke up super early and headed back to Draper for some good house shopping. IKEA, Tai Pan, Gardener's Village, we saw it all! There are some really great things out there right now. Michelle's house is going to be beautiful. The one drawback in all of this was the cute young families. Oh my chunky babies, everywhere! I know my mom saw it and she is just as baby hungry as me. So cute. After all the shopping Michelle took us to Cucina Toscana. Absolutely DELICIOUS. I wasn't able to stay with them for a very long time (I was meeting Aubrey for the Real Salt Lake game...) but enjoyed a few diet Cokes and a great ceasar salad. Mom brought my leftovers home for an after game snack :)

I spent the night with Mom and Michelle on Saturday and woke mom up early Sunday morning so she could accompany me to a farewell and homecoming. What a Sunday it was. After saying goodbye and welcome home to two of my favorite boys, we went back to Michelle's place to get ready for all the family that was coming down for dinner. Lyman and Lorena brought the entire gang. Alex was driving through Utah and decided to stay and eat dinner with his family. And of course Grandma and Grandpa were there. Lorena made the most fabulous pizzas I have ever eaten in my life. Grilled onions, palm hearts, artichoke hearts, mozerella, olives, bell peppers, yum yum yum. Mom and her siblings all got together - an attempt to take a good picture. All I could hear was laughing as they enjoyed being together. I think mom laughed so hard that she was crying.

I love my family.

It was hard saying goodbye to Mom on Monday, but she only reminded me that I would see her again on Friday. That's only 3 days away!

power of pictures

This week - in all of the free time that I don't have - I have looked at picture after picture. I have searched through all my boxes of pictures as well as the many many many that I have collected on my computer. There hasn't been anything in particular that I am hoping to find, I just enjoy the emotions caught in every memory.
I can't believe how things have changed since the time I was the 2 year old, big-lipped, little girl with stick straight, dark hair, styled in the ever fashionable bob cut. My hair has since returned to the bob (who would have ever thought I'd cut my beautiful long hair?!) and I am a JUNIOR at BYU!
So far, all major goals in my life have been accomplished and I am studying Special Education - something that brings me so much happiness.



Then Kelsey begins to appear in the pictures with her round face and her arched eyebrows that left her looking like she was in a constant state of surprise. She was my best friend then and is my best friend now. It's fun now that we are both semi on our own and we really bounce things off each other. I call her almost daily and together we laugh at how ridiculously good looking mom is - a ridiculously good looking trait that she has passed on to us, her beautiful girls :)






Before long, in comes the blue eyed beauty. Syd has grown up faster than any of us. I remember fighting over her when she was the baby. I never wanted to let her go. Oh and how she could dance....She would roll around on the floor, jump straight up, flail her arms and be back on the floor doing aerobics again. She went from 7 to 14 over night, only when I was 14, I looked 14. She is gorgeous and mom and dad are fighting boys off of her left and right. She can text faster than us all put together and can get through and around facebook like no one I know.




Porter was as round and chunky as they come. I don't know how I ever picked him up at the young age of 8...I must have had some really nice arms. He is my weakness. I love everything about that boy and thanks to him, all my children will be as round as can be. He is a total boy living in a house of girls and every time I am home the entire deacon quorum is over creating chaos.





Now, Hannah is our fashion diva. This started from the beginning when I, the lucky 12 year old, got to test my make up skills on a 2 year old! I would give her a little mascara here and there and oh how she loved lip gloss. Today she is turning old skirts into dresses that she'll wear to church. She can take any hand-me-down, make it fit, and look adorable.

I love them and I cannot wait to go home...8 days!

Home SWEET Home

Last Thursday was the start of my favorite road trip quite possibly ever. It was so needed and was better than I expected.
We didn't leave from Provo until almost 4. It was the greatest road trip group - Me, Aubrey, Alison, and the lucky Todd. Since Alison lives in Rancho Cucamonga we stopped there Thursday night and went costume shopping Friday morning. Friday Jackie drove from La Verne to hang out with us in Rancho. Oh how I miss Jackie - it was great to see her.
Ana, Alison's sister, joined us for Friday's activities. We made it back to San Marcos around 1:15. I love getting of at Deer Springs and just taking in how beautiful San Marcos really is. The drive is just not pretty through Murrieta and Temecula so when you come up to the hills of Fallbrook - you know you are almost home. The anticipation makes that the longest leg of the drive.
Once we made it home we cave my family hugs and then we were off for lunch at Mr. Taco. All of my friends from home - take advantage of the Mexican food you have. It's not nearly as good in Utah...After Mr. Taco we picked Hannah up from school (so very exciting) and ran home to be greated by Joe teaching my dog to swim. Apparently he told Woody to get in and Woody is just really good at listening. We sat by the pool, the girls on one side, boys on the other. Typical...AND THEN the boys started getting us wet. A water fight broke out and Porter was punished with kisses.
Before long all the road trippers were out - Aubrey even napping on the floor! By 6:30 we were eating the yummy pasta mom made and getting all ready for the Halloween BOAT DANCE! in the San Diego Harbor. 2 fairies, a queen bee, and a modern snow white. We were adorable and the dance was a blast. We were dancing to our new favorite song (move move shake shake now drop drop drop) when the dj said, "Hey! This is DJ Ryan D...." Ryan D!?! My friend over summer and San Diego's greatest DJ came down from Utah too!
Saturday we spent all morning at the beach and I honestly think this may have been better than the beach weather I saw all summer (that might be just because I was so excited to get out of the Provo cold!). The water was cold - but not unbearable and I had no trouble getting in. There wasn't a breeze to freeze us when we got out either. The sun felt warm and I even got a tan line!
The beach was followed by a quick stop at pei wei and a run through Nordstrom rack for some cute bright blue shoes. After this we rushed to the McMaster's where we tried to enjoy some BYU football. We won...that's about all I have to say about that game.
Saturday night everyone came over and we just hung around my house like we always do. The jacuzzi was on and we enjoyed each other's company.

I love home. And I get to go back for Thanksgiving break in...15 days and counting!

Hee Haw Farms = FIELD TRIP!

The Friday before Halloween we had our second field trip of the year. It couldn't have been a better day and the kids were so well behaved. The sun was out, yet the weather was cool. We jumped on the hay trampoline and took the little tractor ride. Max and I went through the corn maze several times and then we saw the world's biggest pig! We finished by picking our favorite pumpkins from the little pumpkin patch.
One great day at work can make the entire week worth it.