Journalings from a lost but searching soul.

Catching up on the blog....

2012-01-10T22:19:00.001-08:00

It has been almost a year since I last blogged, and I thought I should update this blog and hopefully be better at blogging. I'm going to focus more on blogging about my training for the half-marathon I've signed up for in June, as well as the normal events life brings.

However, for now here are the highlights for 2011.

January:
* Celebrated New Year's at the cabin
* Ran Hale Freezes Over 10k with Michele and my mom
* Went to a UVU Basketball game with Linda, Shanine, and Michele
* Went to Hale Center Theater, Orem and saw The Foreigner

February:
* Michele kidnapped me for my birthday and we went to Salt Lake City
* Celebrated my 29th birthday with family and friends
* Took a trip to Wendover with Linda and Shanine
* Went tubbing at Soldier Hollow (Twice)

March:
* Won 1st place in accapella at the Thanksgiving Point Competition
* Ran my first half-marathon, Shamrock Half
* Took a couple 1st places with accapella duets at the St. George Competition

April:
* Went to Moab with Linda and Shanine

May:
* Visited Chalyse and Patrik in San Antonio, Texas
* Clogging Nationals at Lagoon
* Saw Suessical at Hale Center Theater, Orem
* Threw my mom a surprise 50th birthday party

June:
* Ran my second half-marathon, Utah Valley Marathon
* Went to Disneyland with clogging
* Went to San Francisco, CA with Michele

July:
* Ran the Freedom Run 5K in Provo
* Was able to go to Stadium of Fire for the first time
* Went to Sacramento to visit Mandy
* Saw The Hit at Hale Center Theater, Orem

August:
* Went to the cabin for a scrapbook weekend
* Krayton celebrated his 1st birthday
* Volunteered at the Park City Marathon

September:
* Ran the Top of Utah 5K with Mom
* Attempted to cut my index finger off while cutting squash (Ouch!)
* Saw The Drowsy Chaperone at Hale Center Theater, Orem (Aldolpho....or Alfondo)

October:
* Volunteered at the St. George Marathon
* Saw Thriller at The Covey Center, Provo
* Visited my dad in Mesquite and went to the Las Vegas Temple
* Saw Grease at Tuacahn
* Went to Witchapalooza at Gardner Village
* Ran the Highway to Hale 5K with my mom and Tiffany

November:
* Had the awesome opportunity to be a guest at Michelle Roylance's Wedding
* Went to Time Out For Women in Salt Lake City
* Ran the 5K Turkey Trot in American Fork
* Took a trip to Moab with Michele, Linda, and Shanine
* Threw Michele a surprise 30th birthday party

December:
* Went to The Forgotten Carols at UVU
* Saw The Christmas Carol at Hale Center Theater, Orem
* Went to Temple Square with my family

The greatest moment in 2011 was that I graduated in December from UVU with my bachelor degree in Business Management! Yay! It only took me three years taking night classes to finish it, but I finished! I will walk at the commencement in April and more than likely throw a little party to celebrate. WooHoo!

Happiness is.........

2011-01-16T14:15:00.000-08:00

The quote I’ve been focusing on for the past month is off of a picture I saw during Christmas time.

"Happiness is not in our circumstances but in ourselves. It is not something we see, like a rainbow or feel, like the heat of a fire, Happiness is something we are."

For the whole month of February, I've focused on doing and appreciating things that make me happy. I've decided to list a few things that do make me happy.

1. Family: I love my family and cherish the time I'm able to spend with them. We enjoy camping, playing games, watching movies, and even just having dinner together. My family is the best! This may be a biased comment but I honestly do believe they are the best.

2. Friends: All of my friends bring some sort of joy to my life. I'm just blessed and happy to have so many wonderful people as friends. They have taught me so much and are always there for me. Friends are those whom we can rely on and who have our back in anything.

3. Religion: I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And I’m grateful for the blessing my faith in Heavenly Father brings to my life each day. I know that our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of his children. He wants each of us to be happy and is very aware of our needs. At times, I don’t remember this and try to do things on my own. This doesn’t always work out well for me.

4. Clogging: I have been clogging since the age of 8 and love this talent which I have developed and continue to develop. I started clogging with Rocky Mountain Express on their adult clogging team, Unlimited, about four years ago. We are a Championship/Pro level competing team. I look forward to going to class every week and am sad when it gets canceled. It’s also a ton of fun to go to competitions and compete with the awesome clogging team!

5. Running: This past month has been somewhat hit and miss when I’ve been able to run. With work and school, my time is pretty limited and some days I have to really convince myself to go running. I have some pretty big and almost overwhelming races coming up and I need to keep training for them. I honestly have to admit that I’m not necessarily happy while running, but the feeling that comes after I’ve run all I can run is euphoria. To be able to overcome my own negative thoughts and feelings and prove to myself time and time again that I am capable of running is an incredible feeling!

6. Music: I have quite a wide range of music on my i-tunes/i-pod. As long as it has a good beat I generally like it. Some of my favorites lately have been Sugarland, P!nk, Step Up 3D Soundtrack, Black Eyed Peas, Wicked, Katy Perry, and Kings of Leon. I almost always have music playing whether I’m at work, home or in the car. Music is such a great way to express thoughts and feelings without actually saying or writing anything.

7. Movies: My roommate, Michele, is quite the movie buff and has introduced me to a wider range of movies that I normally wouldn’t have watched. Even with this movie “widening” I would have to say that some of my all time favorite movies are the romantic comedies like 10 Things I Hate About You, The Proposal, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Definitely Maybe. This is just a small list of the movies I enjoy. I could be here all night if I were to list all of the movies I enjoy. :)

8. Books: For as long as I can remember, I’ve also had a love for reading. When I was in junior high I really enjoyed reading books by Jack Weyland. He is an excellent author and writes age appropriate books. However, as I have gotten older and have read a wider variety of books I would have to say that almost anything with a good plot and not too much fluff and stuff is something I enjoy reading.

The Beginning of a New Year - 2011

2011-01-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

As everyone reflects on the past year and sets resolutions for the new year, I can't help but make some of my own. One of them is to have a more optimistic and positive outlook on life. I've decided that in order to achieve this resolution I would pick one quote each week and focus on that for the week. The quote for this past week was by President Gordon B. Hinckley, a beloved prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"I would hope that we might go to the house of the Lord a little more frequently. . . . In this noisy, bustling, competitive world, what a privilege it is to have a sacred house where we may experience the sanctifying influence of the Spirit of the Lord."

On January 4, 2003, I went through the temple for the first time in the Manti Temple. This week was the 8 year anniversary and Michele and I went to the Provo Temple as a sort of celebration. Over the past 8 years there has been times when I haven't been able to enter the temple, and even though those times weren't easy I'm grateful for the opportunities life has brought me. I am also very grateful for the temple and the blessing it brings to my life. It definitely brings some peace and calm to my extremely busy life.

September 2009 thru March 2010......

2010-04-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

Life has been so crazy busy lately that I haven't had time to blog. I've really been thinking that I want to start blogging again on a more regular basis. However, I want to get my blog somewhat current.

September 2009:
In September, I tended for Kara and Cody and took their three darling boys to the Scera Pool. They are seriously such cute and oh so active boys. While I was tending them, I put Carson and Corban to bed and after about 30 minutes of listening to them giggle and talk, I went back down to their room and discovered that Corban had taken markers and drew ALL over himself.

I was so not impressed and told him in a very stern voice to give me all the markers and go to bed. I can laugh about it now, but at the time I was very, very pissed. LOL

Also, Michele ran her first Marathon on September 19th. She did an amazing job and totally beat her personal goal. She is an inspiration and motivation for me and my future running goals.

October 2009:
The first day of October was the USU vs BYU game. I convinced my dad to let me take the tickets and Shanine went with me. She cheered for BYU and I cheered for mostly USU. But honestly USU isn't the best college football team so it was hard to stick with my team spirit for them. We had to take a picture to show the clash of team spirits. :)

The last 5K race we ran in 2009 was the PiMi. This was the toughest race we ran all year. It was even more difficult than the 10K. The race course was on a dirt trail for like 4-wheelers and had a bunch of hills. The last part of the race was also uphill. So NOT fun but we did finish it. Yay!

Carson got baptized on Halloween. It was such a neat baptism and confirmation. I'm grateful to have been invited to this special day for him. And it is a date not easily forgotten.

November 2009:
Some of us went down to Time Out For Women in St. George. I had always heard what a great experience T.O.F.W. is and was happy for the opportunity to attend. Hillary Weeks was probably the best part of the whole two days. She is one of my favorite musicians and is so spiritually motivating. I really hope that we can go again this year. :)

November was a month of traveling. On Thanksgiving day, I went with some friends on a trip to Moab. Of course I ate Thanksgiving dinner with my family and then hit the road. It was a really nice get away. Moab is such a fun place with beautiful arches. I love all the variety and gorgeous places there are to visit in Utah.

December 2009:
Besides having finals for Fall semester and a Christmas Clogging show in December, the month was pretty uneventful. I spent the night at my parent's house for Christmas and got a pair of new running shoes, a quilt, and a new winter coat. Then for New Year's my family went to the Preston cabin. We had a lot of fun and had a full house. I enjoyed being able to slow down a little and enjoy spending time with my family and friends.

There was a Blue Moon on New Year's Eve and this is a picture of it.

January 2010:
Kolby and Tiffany decided to get married on January 16th. A lot of her family came from California for the event. She comes from a very loving and neat family. The wedding went well and they both looked very happy. Part of the reason for their quick wedding was because they find out in December that they are having a baby. We now know that I will be the proud aunt of a darling little boy, Krayton, at the end of July. :)

February 2010:
I have to admit that I am so blessed with WONDERFUL friends that went to a lot of effort to make my birthday weekend very memorable. We went to dinner, played pool, and played games on Friday night. Then Michele was a HUGE sweetheart and spoiled me rotten from a massage to a movie to shopping to dinner. It was a very memorable day and I felt so loved. On Sunday, it was also the super bowl, we had family dinner and cake. I love that I live so close to my family. I have definitely grown closer to them as I've gotten older and realized that my family is pretty dang awesome. :)

March 2010:
The last weekend in March, my clogging team went downt to St. George for the Dixie Spectacular Competition. We had a lot of fun and did an excellent job. We won overall! Wahoo! We freaking ROCK! :) For being some of the more matured (older) cloggers we really do an excellent job. Way To Go Unlimited!

This is a picture of most of Unlimited with our Trophy!

So now that I've somewhat got things up to date, it is time for me to go to bed. LOL

About Time for an Update.....

2009-08-30T00:02:00.000-07:00

I'm sure several of you are shocked to see that I've actually updated my blog. Well, I've had a pretty busy couple of months that have prevented me from having time to update it. Truth be told I don't really have the time now but I'm taking it anyway.

After the last blog post, my clogging team continued to learn our new Madonna dance and got ready for Nationals at Lagoon in May. We did really well and took another overall trophy in Championship for our 9 to 5 dance. Yay! That made a total of 3 trophies for our clogging season. We were so excited to be consider one of the top 10 teams at Nationals. :) The new clogging season is about to begin and I'm excited to see what Greg has in store for us.

At the end of April, I had a really neat and spiritual experience. I was able to go to the temple again after 3 years. Even though it wasn't an easy road to be able to go back there, it was a road I'm glad I took. It made it even more special that my mom and dad were able to go with me. I love my family!

I decided to take 3 summer classes and because of that May, June, and July were very busy. But I passed and even got an A- in Calculus. WooHoo! Now Microeconomics wasn't quite as well, but I survived.

I've created the following slide show of some of the other activities that went on during May, June, and July. Looke for future postings about my hair cut, running activities, and the month of August. I promise it will be in the near future. Perhaps tomorrow. :)

St. George Clogging Competition

2009-04-02T22:32:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was the St. George Clogging Competition. My whole clogging team went down to compete. We were excited to compete at this competition because last year we took our first overall trophy. We did an excellent job and won overall in Championship. Yay!

Here is a video of our dance:

We took a picture of our team before the awards were announced and also after. Can you tell by our smiles in the second pic that we were very excited to win the trophy?

I had to take a pic of the hair and make-up I do for our 9 to 5 dance. It is very 80's and so not my style.

An Exciting and Eventful Weekend!

2009-03-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been a very exciting and eventful weekend. It started with the Thanksgiving Point clogging competition on Friday night. We performed our 9 to 5 dance in both Pro and Champ divisions. There wasn't any other teams in our age division, but we were trying for an overall trophy. We got one in the Champ division. And according to Greg, we were the highest scoring dance. Yay! That is so very freaking exciting! Usually in each division there can be 30-50 dances and the top 5-7 receive overall trophy awards. And most of the cloggers are a lot younger than the majority of our team. Very cool! :)

Here is a pic of some of our team with the trophy:

And one of Sunny and I with the trophy:

On Saturday morning, my family (well most of my family) went to the Draper Temple open house. I was so excited to see this beautiful temple, and to feel the peace and serenity that comes from the temple. Since I've been working so hard to be able to go back to the temple this was a much needed experience. I seriously was so overwhelmed with the spirit that I didn't want to leave as the tour ended. I'm so excited for the end of April. I'm so grateful for this gospel and the power of the atonement. I couldn't be who I am today if it weren't for the knowledge that I have of Christ. He is my savior and redeemer.

Here is a pic of my fam infront of the temple.

Saturday night, Lindy and I went and saw "He's Just Not Into You." It was a good movie, but one that definitely makes you think. And confirms the point that I really don't understand men. Ugh!

Tonight, Chalyse and Patrik came to visit and have dinner with my family one more time before they move to Texas. Patrik got a job with the border patrol and they are moving in one week. I'm happy for them because this is a dream of Patrik's but it makes me sad to think that I won't be able to see them as often as I have. I love their family and they have been there for me through all the ups and downs I've been through. Thanks Pinon Family! I love you guys and will miss you!

Mom and Santiago:

Valentine's Weekend/Scrapbooking Impromptu Weekend

2009-02-28T21:51:00.000-08:00

On Valentine's weekend, Amy came to visit and to drop off her laptop to be fixed by her computer guy, AKA Jesse. ;) We decided that we would take advantage of the opportunity to get together and scrapbook while she was in town. I was also looking forward to using my cricut. Yay! I pulled out some of the card kits I've bought as "must have deals" from Scrapbook USA and finally put them together. It was a lot of fun to be creative and to use some of the THOUSANDS of supplies I have. And of course it was fun to go out to dinner and to spend time with Amy and Nat. But we missed all the other crazy scrapbookers that weren't there. However, we are planning another get together for the first week in April, so everyone had better be there and come play.

Here are a few pics of that weekend:

Jesse and Natalie

Stasha, Amy and I

The Whole Gang

The Cards

What A Fun Birthday Weekend!

2009-02-09T20:48:00.000-08:00

At the first of the year when I realized my birthday was on a Sunday this year I was little bummed. The last birthday I had on a Sunday was my Sweet 16. I had such high hopes for my sweet 16 birthday, that when reality sunk in I was slightly disappointed. But this weekend was definitely NOT disappointing. The festivities began with a fun dinner with Linda, Shanine, and Julie at the RC on Friday. They then took me to Comedy Sportz. It's an impromptu comedy club. I had been once before, but this time was really fun to be with these gals. We then went back to Linda's and played Kanasta. Love that game!!! They gave me the softest and cutest blanket and some very yummy smelling lotion. Thanks guys!

Then Saturday, Eric took me to PF Changs for the best lettuce wraps ever! We then went to the movie and saw Underworld 3. I really liked the movie but I'm a little odd liking vampire and werewolf movies. Funny thing is that this obsession began before I ever read Twilight, but definitely was enhanced after reading it. Anyway, after dinner and the movie we got some ice cream from Coldstone and then hung out at his house. This is when he gave me a very surprising present......A Cricut! :) Yep. You read that right. A Cricut! I was very impressed and very happy. Can't wait for the opportunity to use it. Thanks Eric!!!

On my actual birthday, Sunday, my family had our usual shin-dig of dinner and cake and ice cream. We always have fun when we all get together. Both of my grandfathers were there and that was enjoyable. My parents, Grandpa, and Scott and Amber all gave me money. Now I get to by some fun accessories to go with my Cricut! Yippee!!!

One of my favorite Birthday presents is my bird! I decided to buy a lovebird about a week ago. He is a beautiful blue and I named him Jorgan. It is a norwegian name of a little boy that was so dang cute in my first area. Jorgan is slowly warming up to his new home and to me as well. I'm so excited to have him and to love him!

16 Things About Me....

2009-01-21T13:14:00.000-08:00

As I was blog surfing today, I came across a couple blogs that had listed 16 random things about themselves. I thought it might be good for me to do the same.

1. I worry about everything. I've been told a number of times to stop stressing and worrying so much, but that isn't always easy. I realize that not a whole lot of good comes from worrying, but I just can't help it. I honestly believe I was born a worrier.

2. I get overwhelmed when I think of everything I want to accomplish in my life.

3. I love watching funny movies and laughing.

4. I enjoy getting to know people and gaining new friends. I try to be good friends with all of my friends, and hope that they will forgive me of my shortcomings.

5. Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. I love exploring new worlds and people without leaving the comfort of my bed.

6. I LOVE touchy, feely, soft fabric. It is so soothing to me.

7. I enjoy traveling, and I hope to visit Greece and Europe before I die.

8. I speak Norwegian.

9. The temple is my favorite place to visit. I can't wait for the day that I get to go there again.

10. Learning new games and playing old ones make me happy.

11. If I was a millionare I wouldn't spend the money on a new car or boat, I would buy presents for all my friends and family. The joy that comes from someone receiving something unexpected is priceless.

12. I can't wait for the day that I own my own home and the opportunity to decorate it the style I choose.

13. I enjoy clogging and am grateful for the talent I have.

14. I go stir crazy if I'm by myself and it is quiet. I LOVE music and almost always have something playing.

15. I get anxious in large groups and crowds. I would much rather prefer to have small gatherings of close friends and family.

16. I have long hair that is naturally blonde, but very dark at the moment.

Christmas and New Years 2008!!!

2009-01-05T21:41:00.001-08:00

As 2009 is beginning I can't help but reflect on the past year. The year was full of ups and downs, but I'm happy to report that it is definitely ending on and up. On Christmas Ever, my family had the annual Preston Christmas party with approximately 80 people attending. In some cases this is the only time of year that I see some cousins. Kind of sad since we all live so close. The highlight of the whole evening was hearing Grandpa Preston bear his testimony of eternal families and Jesus Christ. That will be something I treasure for a very long time. He also gave every one of his children and grandchild a wood carving that he had made over the years. That was probably the best gift I received all Christmas. After the party I spent the night at my parent's house, and my crazy brothers woke us up at 6:30. I really tried to convince them to sleep until 8 but that didn't work. LOL I got a new camera that I've had a blast playing with, and because of that I have a picture palooza to post.

Then for the week of New Years our whole family went to the Preston Cabin. The boys went up on Monday, and Amber, Mom and I went up on Wednesday. It was a lot of fun to spend time as a family and just relax. Ryan West and Kylie came to the cabin as well, but he is just like another brother so it didn't seem out of ordinary to have him there. Ryan and Kylie taught us a fun new card game, Kanasta. We love learning new games and this has definitely became a favorite. Here are a couple of pics of our New Years Party.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!

December Update!

2008-12-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else feel like this month just flew by? I do! It has been so insanely crazy that I've hardly had a moment to breath. I'm very excited that tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I get some time to just relax and spend the holidays with my family.

As far as an update goes for December, work was really busy getting year-end stuff done and we had a Strategic Planning Meeting that I had to organize and get everything for. Than on top of that I had finals. The official grades haven't been posted but I was sitting at an A- in both classes and so hopefully that is my final grade. I'll let you know once I find out. Clogging had two performances. One was at the Festival of Trees and the other was their Christmas Spectacular. This was the first time performing our 9-5 dance. We had a blast performing and feel more confident about competition in March. Now we'll start working on a new line dance for competition. Here is a link to Sunny's blog with a video of our performance.

I finally got a Christmas tree put up at my apartment thanks to my mom letting me take her old one. It turned out cute and made our apartment so much more festive. I will post pics of the tree later. (The camera is home and I'm at work.)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Be sure to enjoy the holiday season and take time to reflect on the birth of Christ. Through him we are able to return to our Father in Heaven. This is definitely a special time to remember his gift to us.

Rock Band!!!

2008-11-20T23:01:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I had the opportunity to play Rock Band for the first time. I went to Lindy's house and hung out with her and her two kids. Those kids are so smart. They knew so many songs. I didn't dare try the drums, but I did try the guitar and singing. Can't wait for our next Rock Band night! Thanks Lin!

Scrapbook USA/Girls Weekend

2008-11-09T23:28:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a fun-filled fabulous weekend with my scrapbooking buddies. Natalie and I drove down South and stayed with Amy. Subrina and ML met us there. Like I already said, it was a TON of fun! I needed to get away and this was perfect. These amazing women know how to have fun without totally going off the deep end. Several times we were splitting a gut from laughing so hard. LOL I am so grateful for wonderful friends that have been so supportive of every decision I've made. Love them! While we were there we also went to Scrapbook USA. Lots and lots of shopping, but hey, who doesn't need more scrapbooking products.

Here are few pics of our weekend!

As Nat and I were leaving today, Subrina stopped us at a very cool round-about and we took a few last pics. So here are a few shots of our photo shoot.

Can't wait until our next girls weekend!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2008-11-07T23:19:00.000-08:00

The weekend of October 17th thru the 19th, I watched my cousins two little boys. Carson and Corban are really cute little boys and actually behave well for me. My Aunt and Uncle's family went to the local pumpkin patch and I took Carson and Corban because I didn't want them to miss out on cousin fun of picking their pumpkins. It was freezing cold, but they had fun and were proud of their pumpkins.

Here are a few pics of them picking pumpkins with Grandpa John.

That afternoon we went to the Nickel Arcade, then went to Sub Zero. We had fun and it was very yummy ice cream!

Presidential Election 2008

2008-11-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

I realize that not everyone has the some political views that I have, and I hope I don't offend anyone with what I'm going to blog. However, this is my blog and where I'm free to post my opinions. While it is exciting to be a part of history as it changes and unfolds, I am still very disappointed with the choice of president. Race/gender/ethnicity had nothing to do with my vote. I honestly felt "safer" with Senator McCain and Governor Palin. I hope that President-Elect Obama will be able to help our country with the economic crisis we are in. The one thing that I believe that many people forget is that it takes years for what one presidential office does to take effect. For example, the Fanny May bill that President Clinton passed had repercussions that we saw in "Black October". I sincerely hope that our country stays true to our constitution, "for the people". All I can really say is that it scares me to see everything happening because it is a testament that we are in the last days. But God Bless America for giving me the right to freedom of speech! I wouldn't want to be a citizen of any other country. We truly are so blessed to live in America and have the freedoms we enjoy EVERY day. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

My turning point.....

2008-11-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

A lot of personal stuff has been happening lately and I've been debating on how much I want to put on here. I'm going to just share what I feel comfortable with sharing and for those of you who want to know more personal details, you can call me.

In the past few months I've been reflecting a lot over the past few years of my life. I've had some really great times and also some really bad times. Although it has been a roller coaster of experiences I always seem to come out on top and have learned something through it all. My blogs title states that I am searching...and honestly for a little while I wasn't sure what I was searching for. I've finally decided (well I decided a while ago) that I am searching for true happiness. In a fast-paced society, we often times expect to have everything right here right now. True eternal, long-lasting happiness doesn't come from the instant gratification. The only true happiness I've found is through God. Through living his commandments and having daily communication with him I am able to have a more positive, happier attitude about life. By putting my trust, fears, faith in him I am able to accomplish anything. I know that he loves me and wants what is best for me. I also know that he wants me to be happy. That is why I've changed a lot of things in my life so that I can achieve the happiness I seek.

8 Things Tag......

2008-10-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

So I'm trying to get caught up on the tags that I've been tagged in, and this one is an eight things tag from Miss Lindy.

8 Things...

8 TV Shows I like to watch:
1. The Biggest Loser
2. Lipstick Jungle
3. Chuck
4. Heroes
5. Starter Wife
6. Pushing Daisies
7. Private Practice
8. Clean House

8 Things I did yesterday:
1. Went to work
2. Picked out fabric at my mom's store
3. Went to Seagull Book
4. Had dinner with Shanine
5. Played Ticket to Ride with friends
6. Checked Facebook
7. Updated my blog
8. Went to sleep

8 Favorite Places to Eat:
1. Bajio
2. Joe Bandido's
3. Zubs
4. Barry's
5. Pier 49
6. Pizza Factory
7. Olive Garden
8. Panda Express

8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Getting my bachelor degree
2. Getting out of debt
3. Owning my own house
4. Eventually get married
5. Eventually have children
6. Being caught up on all my scrapbooking
7. Finishing all my sewing projects
8. Reading all the books in my bookshelf

8 Things on my wish list:
1. A house
2. A mustang
3. A happy marriage
4. To have children
5. To Live a healthy life
6. To Teach good values and morals to my future children
7. To go to Disneyland
8. To go back to Norway

8 People I tag:
1. Amy
2. Kim
3. Natalie
4. April
5. Mena
6. Cami
7. Linda
8. Julie

Brilliante Weblog Award!!!

2008-10-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

I was awarded the Brilliante Weblog Award by Kim. She actually gave this award a while ago but I'm just now finally getting around to posting it and also awarding a chosen few of my own. I first want to thank Kim for this award. When I started my blog, my main purpose was to have a way for me to journal my life. I've enjoyed being able to be creative with the pages and learning more about the blogging world. So it really is an honor to recieve this award. :)

I now nominate the following blogs for the Brilliante Weblog Award.

Natalie: She was the one who really encouraged me to start blogging. I would check out her blog about once a week, and I loved how honest she was in her blog. She is always doing fun things with her family and I love to read what is happening. And on top of it all she is a truelly great friend, wife, and mother.

Lindy: She has been a friend since high school. I love reading her blogs and catching up with her. We just recently got back in contact with each other and it has been a ton of fun to get reaquainted. I love how open and honest she is on her blog.

Linda: She is a more recent friend that I met through a class. She is always so understanding and a ton of fun to be around. She can be very competitive, especially when it comes to playing Ticket To Ride. ;) I enjoy reading her blog and the fun things she does with her girls.

April: This is my cousin. She is such an amazing woman. I'm so impressed by her always positive attitude even though she has faced trials in her life. I love being around her, because when ever anyone is around her, you can't help but smile and be happy. She is also an amazing blogger. Her kids will love being able to read it as they get older.

Mena: This is also my cousin. I am continuely amazed by how close she is with her husband and kids. They love doing things together as a family, even as her kids are becoming teenagers. I don't know how she has done it, but I want to learn a thing or two from her. She is also an amazing photographer. She captures those moments that sometimes gets missed.

You all are amazing people and deserve this award!!!

Here are the rules:

1. The winner can (and should, really) put the logo on his/her blog.

2. The winner must link to the person whom they received their award from.

3. The winner may nominate at least 7 other blog for this award.

4. The winner must place links to those blogs on their own blog.

5. The winner must leave a message on the blogs of the people they've nominated.

It felt like a little piece of home....

2008-10-08T23:17:00.000-07:00

This past Friday, Unni Stulen from Norway came to visit. It was wonderful to see her. She was a fabulous member in the Oslo ward that was always so willing to help the missionaries. While on my mission, her sister and her came to Utah and stayed with my family a few days. They enjoyed seeing her again as well. My last mission companion, Marla Sowards, was able to get three tickets to the Sunday afternoon session of General Conference. It was such a wonderful experience for not only Unni, but also me. The talks were just what I needed to hear right now. I've heard what an amazing experience it was when the prophet walks into the conference center. And it's true. All of the 21,0000 people in the conference center stood up and went completely silent. The feeling that came over me was unbelievably strong. Words can't even describe how neat of an experience that was.

Here is a few pictures of the weekend with Unni.

After conference, while we were waiting for Trax, Unni saw a lady that looked like a Russian member that lives in Oslo. Both Marla and I thought the same thing. Marla went and stood behind her to try and listen to her to make sure before we went over and said something. It turned out to be Tatiana. She was just as surprised as we were to run into each other in Salt Lake. It really is a small world.

Unni was wonderful to have as a house guest. She has such a strong testimony of the church and is a terrific example to me. I loved being able to talk to her in Norwegian. It really did feel like a little piece of home to have her here.

What Color Purple Are You?

2008-09-29T23:17:00.000-07:00

You Are Grape

You are bold and a true individual. You are very different and very okay with that.

People know you as a straight shooter. You're very honest, even when the truth hurts.

You are also very grounded and practical. No one is going to sneak anything by you.

People enjoy your fresh approach to life. And it's this honesty that makes you a very innovative person.

What Color Purple Are You?

Veslemoy Fluge Berg

2008-09-25T23:06:00.001-07:00

Last night I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a concert at BYU where Veslemoy Fluge Berg sang. She was one of the most outstanding members I knew in Bergen. She has such an amazing talent but she puts her family first. I saw first hand how she loved, taught, and lead her beautiful children.
I was so excited when I found out she was coming to Utah. I truely feel so blessed to be able to attend her concert. That will be a night I remember for a very long time.

Her delightful mother, Judith Fluge, came with her to the USA. Judith reminded me so much of my own Grandmother Roylance. She has the dark complexion like my grandma. She was an amazing cook. And she loved people and to have them at her house. All of these qualities were ones my grandmother had.

I asked my last mission companion, Marla Sowards, to go with me to the concert. She never met Veslemoy while she served in Norway, but she was a good sport to go with me. It was fun to see Marla again and catch up. Life gets so busy that we don't see each other very often. Thanks for going with me Marla!

Fun Times!

2008-09-21T23:56:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the opportunity to re-unite with an old friend, Lindy. We used to hang out pretty much every day together. It's interesting how friends tend to lose contact when their lives go different directions. But it's even more interesting how when you re-unite it seems like you just saw each other yesterday. This is how it felt last night. I'm really glad that Lindy and I have gotten in contact with each other again. She really is a great friend and support.

Thanks Lindy for the fun times and for listening to my drama!

What kind of flower are you?

2008-09-19T09:03:00.002-07:00

I saw this on Kim's Blog and I thought it would be fun to see what kind of flower I am. I had to laugh at the definition because it's pretty true. LOL

I am a
Hydrangea

What Flower
Are You?

"You are just a little bit of a show off and like to prove just what you can do. Every time someone double-dog-dared you, you proved that not only could you do it, but you could do it with style."

Go ahead! Take the quiz! You know you want to see what kind of flower you are. ;)

Phone Companies and Technology....

2008-09-19T09:03:00.001-07:00

My uncle has this picture in his office, and on Monday I found it very fitting as to how I felt. For some unknown reason my phone just stopped working on Sunday. It would make or receive phone calls and I couldn't send a text message. Most of the day I thought that I just wasn't receiving any texts messages (which is somewhat unusual for my phone). But then when I tried to send one; it didn't go through. So I used the phone at my apartment and called the phone company, but of course they are closed on Sunday and provided an "emergency" phone number. So I tried that number, because in my eyes this was an emergency. LOL After being on hold for about 15 minutes a lady comes on the phone and asks for my information. The only problem is that I could hardly hear her. This didn't help with my frustration. Then she proceeds to try and help me by doing the usual, "Please turn your phone off, wait 30 seconds and turn it back on." After doing this and the phone still wasn't working, she put me on hold to get a 2nd tier tech. Well after 45 minutes passes, I'm pretty upset by this point, another lady comes back on the line and starts over. WTH!!! And then she couldn't even help get it fixed. All she could do was tell me that she would put in a work order. UGH!!!! I was very pissed and annoyed. But then I had to take a step back and examine my life. In high school, I had a phone but it was only for emergencies. And then slowly over time I've become more and more dependant on my cell phone. Almost the day after I got home from my mission I had a cell phone. It's crazy how much we rely on people having cell phones and being able to get in touch with everyone whenever we want. Has technology helped our society or hindered it? I have to admit that I love text messaging for the simple reason that I can send a simple text without picking up the phone and actually talking to someone. However, that is very impersonal. And it can be very frustrating at times when you are trying to have a serious conversation via text. It really is a double-edged sword. I guess like everything in life it is finding that balance.

(Oh, my phone was working by noon on Monday. So even though I thought I'd die without it, I really didn't have to be out of commission for too long. LOL)

Tag! You're it!

2008-09-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 obsessions/collections, 3 surprising facts and then tag five other people. Leave a comment for the people you tag so they know they have been tagged. Okay, here goes...

Joys:
1. Music. I love all sorts of music and honestly think I would go crazy if I couldn't listen to music on a daily basis. It is my way to feel certain emotions and has been a powerful source in my life to bring order to some of my chaos. This may sound crazy but it's true.
2. Spending time with family and friends. I enjoy spending as much quality time as I can with family and friends. I love to play games, watch movies, or just hang out. I honestly believe that each one of us has so much to give and to offer other people that spending time getting to know someone is the best way to learn from each other.
3. Reading and/or Scrapbooking. I love to read and I also love to scrapbook. I know these two don't really go together but since I can only list 3 joys I figured I'd put them together.

Fears:
1. Spiders and snakes. My biggest fear are of spiders and snakes. They are so creepy and crawly that I can't stand them. Eww! Gives me the heby gebies just thinking about them.
2. Losing a parent or sibling. I'm sure this will probably change once I have children to include losing a child. But I'm very scared to lose one of my brothers or my mom and dad. I don't know how people cope with losing a very close loved one. I've lost both grandmothers and an aunt. Boy was that tough, but I can't imagine losing a parent. I know one day I'm going to have to face this fact but I honestly hope that it is when I'm a senior citizen and my parents are like 90. Maybe then it will be easier to cope.
3. Not living up to my full potential. I'm afraid that through the choices I've made and the decisions I continue to make that I won't be able to live up to my full potential. Right now I would classify my full potential as being worthy and ready to marry a worthwhile man that is respectful and supportive. Also, it would mean being a good role model and parent to my future children.

Obsessions/Collections:
1. Books. I've decided that as much as I love to read I also love to buy books. So I've classified myself as a book collector. I have so many books that I want to read one day that I'd be set not having to buy another book for quite some time. Maybe one of my goals should be to read all the books I've bought before I buy another. LOL
2. Scrapbooking. I would say that I'm both obsessed with scrapbooking as well as collecting scrapbook supplies. I try not to think about how much money I've spent on scrapbook supplies and focus more on using all the hundreds of supplies I've purchased.
3. Clogging. I absolutely love clogging and would probably say that I'm obsessed with it. I love the clogging team I'm on and am so glad that I decided to get back into it 2 years ago. It's excellent exercise as well as something that I do for me once a week. =)

Surprising Facts:
1. Want to go Sky Diving. Not many people may know that one of my goals I want to achieve before I die is to go sky diving. I love the thrill or the feeling that comes from doing something high risk that I think sky diving would be up my ally.
2. Hate being by myself. This may come as a shock to some of you because I come across as so independent. But I honestly hate being by myself. I get really restless when I have to think about going home to an empty house and spend time alone. I enjoy having people around me, but I also don't like large groups of people I don't know. My mother said that even as a young child I hated playing by myself. I guess we just don't outgrow some things. LOL
3. Have a blood disorder. I have Factor V Leiden which basically means that I'm prone to get blood clots then a "normal" person. This was discovered through tests after I was in the hosptial last summer with blood clots in my lungs. Now I have to be very cautious about taking anything with Estrogen in it. The hormones in like birth control can cause blood clots so I can't take any form of hormonal birth control. Aren't I lucky? LOL

Well now that you all know a little bit more about me it's my turn to tag 5 people. And I tag Lindy, Julie, Linda, Mena and April.

Vegas!!!

2008-09-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I took a trip to Fabulous Las Vegas to visit my life long friend, Katie. We had a blast all weekend long.I played the penny slots where I won some and then lost some. I can so understand how people can become addicted to those things. Every time you push the button you think maybe this time I'll win. But boy am I glad that I set a limit as to how much money I was going to spend. We also played Bingo. That was my first time playing Bingo but I had a good time.

On Sunday, we went to the Shark Reef Aquarium and walked around down town. Vegas really is a fun city to visit. And I really enjoyed the time spent with Katie. She has the sweetest most kindest heart of anyone I know. While I was there we went to lunch with her parent's, Linda and Jim, and her brother Chris. It was fun to hear stories about how I was as a teenager. Jim said that he remembered me sitting in their van telling them that if I wanted to go on a mission I would because it was my choice. And that I was going to get married in the temple to a worthy man. I was so determined and so independent. It's interesing how life unfolds and you forget what matters most. Thanks Freeman's for being wonderful friends and for reminding me of who I am!

Baby Kacey Has Arrived!

2008-08-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

Sharee had Baby Kacey on August 25, 2008. He weighed 8 lbs 5 oz and 20" long. The poor thing was in labor with him for 25 hours. Ouch! But he is the cutest little thing. He is going to be one spoiled little guy. Congrats Sharee and Matt!

A Day at Lagoon!

2008-08-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

This past Friday, Ryan, Matthew, Matthew's friend (Jason) and I went to Lagoon. Charley was able to get discount tickets through his works and was nice enough to invite us to go. We got there at 11:30 AM and spent the whole day there. We didn't get in the car to come home until 11:00 PM that evening. We had fun but boy were we all wore out.

Some of the rides we went on was Wicked, the new ride at Lagoon. This one is a lot of fun. It shoots you straight up in the beginning and then straight down. As if that wasn't bad enough it also has a cork screw. This was obviously a favorite ride for us. The only discouraging part was the line. It was always so long so we only went on it twice.

The boys are so funny. For some reason they got it in their head that if we were going to go from one side of the park to the other we may as well take the sky ride across. The thing is that by the time you stand in line for the sky ride, take it across with the frequent stops it always has, and get off....we could have walked to the other side and back. LOL But if this is how they wanted to spend their day then I let them.

For Ryan, Matthew and me this was our second time at Lagoon this year. I can definitely say that I'm Lagooned out! It was fun but very tiring.

Here are a few pics of the moments we had.

The Beginning of My Weightloss Scrapbook....

2008-08-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it is amazing that I'm actually posting twice in one day, but I uploaded all the most recent pictures and figured I'd get my blog updated.

Last night I went over to Nat's. I had a lot of fun. It felt like I hadn't seen her and her family for forever. Can I just say that she has some of the cutest and funniest kids!?! I miss not seeing them as often as I used to back in the day. When she had to go log-on for work I went in her office with her and pulled out my scrapbook stuff. I had originally planned on just making cards but then I came across the pics from our outing to Amy's this past January that I had had printed and decided to scrapbook them. When I printed them I decided to have them be the beginning of my weightloss scrapbook. Here are the first 2 page spreads in my new weightloss scrapbook.

Thanks Nat, Amy, and Subrina! That really was a fun trip!

Santiago's 1st Birthday Party!

2008-08-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, my friends Chalyse and Patrk's son, Santiago, had his 1st Birthday Party. Chalyse had asked me to come up early and help get things ready for the party. The theme was Elmo. Santiago loves Elmo! She is so creative and amazes me. She made and decorated the cutest Elmo cake. Here's a pic of it.

Isn't that amazing! It looks like she bought the cake, not made it. I was very impressed!

He wasn't sure what to think about the whole eating the cake at first. But then he got into it. It's so funny to watch little kids with their first birthday cake. Here are a few pics of Santi with the cake.

It didn't take him very long to realize how much fun the cake could be.

After all the fun with the cake, Chalyse helped Santiago open his presents. He got a lot of fun toys including a shopping cart and some Elmo books. It was a fun party!

Memory Tag!

2008-08-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

I saw this on a friends blog and thought it would be fun to post on mine and see what kind of memories come up.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember, good or bad but be nice please!:)2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.We can make it a competition if anyone wants. Let's see who can come up with the funniest memory and who has the most memories. Please keep it going. ENJOY :)

What a crazy busy month!!!

2008-08-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

Everytime I've thought about updating my blog it seems like something come up. But I'm sitting down and taking the time to do it now. At the end of June, I flew to Sacramento, California and visited my friend and old roommate, Mandy. We didn't really do much while I was there for 5 days, but I honestly didn't mind. It was nice to be able to sleep in and just relax. I was so very glad to have time away from both jobs and the other drama that seems to always be in my life. It was a break and vacation that was much needed. While I was there I decided to spend some of my hard earned money on a video IPod and some new walking shoes. Both of them have gotten some use, but unforutnately not much because of my busy schedule. None the less, I was very excited for the IPod. I've wanted one for a while now and I'm glad I made that investment. The walking shoes are cute and also worth the money.

Once I got back from California, it was the 4th of July weekend. However, before I could enjoy the holiday I had to send out Bridal Shower invitations for Scott's fiance, Amber's shower. Thanks to Natalie's help I was able to make them digitally and then just have them printed at WalMart. I think they turned out pretty cute.

Thanks Nat!!!

Then it was on to one of the busiest Saturdays of my life. I took July 12th off to have Sharee's Baby Shower. And then once I realized that we hadn't planned a day for Amber's Bridal Shower I figured what the hell! Let's have them both on the same day. I think I was on something at the time that I thought that was a good idea. LOL

So the day started, well I should say that the week before that Saturday, was filled with shower preperation activities such as getting the games ready, making sure I had the right food assignments, and of course figuring out what to do as party favors for the bridal shower. I woke up Saturday morning and put all the party favors together, then I got ready and went to the Baby Shower. I'm so grateful that Marilyn and Megan helped on the baby shower. It made it A LOT easier to be able to manage that day. Megan had found this really cute game where you have to hold a baby doll talk on the phone and hang the laundry up to dry all at the same time, and who ever did it the quickest won. All and all I think the shower turned out really well and Sharee went home with a lot of great things too.

Then it was off to my parent's house to finish getting things ready for the Bridal Shower at 7 pm. At Cami's bridal shower, her sisters played a game where each guest picked a gift out of a basket and on the gift was a question that that guest would ask the bride. If the bride answered correctly then she got to keep the gift, if not then the guest would keep it. I decided that this would be a fun but very low key game. But of course, like Preston style, I waited until 2 hours before the shower to wrap all the presents that would go in the basket. But I got it done and then finished helping my mom set-up for the shower. We ended up having the shower outside because of how many people we planned on coming and I think it turned out really well. We had a great turn out and Amber seemed to have enjoyed herself. Whew! What a day! But I made it through and survived. ;)

Let me just add in here that on top of working 2 jobs, getting ready for these 2 showers and getting ready to move by the end of July....my dating life decides to pick back up. I hadn't been on a date for over a year and then all of the sudden guys start coming out of the wood work. Oh joy! Isn't dating so much fun!?!

Anyway, the next thing I knew it was the 24th of July and Scott's wedding right around the corner and then I had to move. On the 24th of July, Scott and Amber had a wedding dinner. It was her immediate family and ours. I enjoyed getting to know her family better as I'm hoping her family enjoyed getting to know us. Then the big wedding day, July 25, 2008. Scott and Amber had the ceremony at Thanksgiving Point. I swear they picked the hottest day of the year to have an outside wedding, but it really was a beautiful setting and it turned out really nice. After the ceremony, my dad and I followed Scott, Amber and the photographer around. I enjoy doing this because I manage to get some shots that the photographer doesn't always get. I guess it's kind of symbolic in a way as to how life is. One person may see it from one point of view when you may see it from another. Anyway, the following is just some of the many pictures I took. If you have my myspace or facebook, I have the full collection up there.

Now the following 2 pictures are kind of funny. (This is where I captured something the photographer didn't.) As they were moving from place to place, Scott was so good about helping Amber with her train. He would even make sure that it was straightened just right and was very picky about it. Well in this shot, he was already standing there and the photographer had Amber come stand by him. So she was the one to fix the train, but if you look closely Scott is making sure she fixes it just right. LOL

However, as the next picture shows, she didn't do a good enough job and he had to fix it himself. ROFL!!!

The wedding reception was that evening at a church in Woodland Hills. They had a nice turn out and it was very casual. It was a lot of fun to see friends and family we hadn't seen for a while. All and all it was a really nice day and we are very blessed as a family to have gained such a neat sister. I've often said that I've never had any sisters but before too long I'll gain 4. Well now I can say I have a sister. She is a wonderful person with a very kind heart and is perfect for Scott. She compliments him in every way. She is patient when he tends to not be. She is very smart with money and will help him save and manage his money. I'm looking forward to getting to know her more and to watch them grow as a couple.

The last big event that happened in July for me was that I moved. The lease on my apartment was up and Charley and I decided it was time to go our own seperate ways. I found an apartment here in Orem that was cheaper and all I had to worry about was paying for the room rent. I live with 2 other girls, and so far we all kind of keep to ourselves and do our own thing. Let me just tell you that it was very very difficult to schedule time to pack and move with working 2 jobs and with Scott's wedding. But I managed to get everything packed and moved in 3 days. Boy was that fun! NOT!!!! So I had coordinated with my father and brother to come help me that Saturday night and it started raining. Ugh! I was so frustrated because I didn't really have any other days to move the big stuff. Luckily, it stopped raining before they got there. Yay! And we got all the big stuff moved as well as most of the boxes. To make a long story short, I'm moved. But not unpacked yet. LOL

Thanks for reading this very long post! But now you are current on what's happened in my crazy busy life.

Amanda and Ryan's Wedding! 6-7-08

2008-07-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

My long time friend from kindergarten, Amanda, got married on June 7, 2008. She was sealed in the Manti Temple and my mother and I had the opportunity to go down there with her. For those of you that don't know how far away Manti is, it takes about an hour and a half to drive there. This was a good bonding drive for my mother and I, although, I slept about 30 minutes of the drive down there. What can I say!?! I was tired and it was early Saturday morning. LOL Anyway, Amanda looked absolutely beautiful and so so so happy! Ryan couldn't stop smiling either. I was only able to take a few photos before my dang camera battery died. But I thought I'd share.

Clogging Videos

2008-06-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

I've finally uploaded my clogging videos from Lagoon. This past clogging year was a lot of fun. Last year when I started clogging with Rocky Mountain Express, the team (Unlimited) had about 9 people. This year we grew and had 16, at one point. We all are very talented and brought out the best qualities in each other. It really was a fun clogging year. We even took a trip to Saint George for a clogging competition. That was a great bonding experience for us as a team. Greg, our teacher, always tells us that the better friends we are the better we dance as a team. And boy did that show in St. George. We took Top 5 Overall in the Championship level. It really was a blast! Thanks for a great clogging year ladies!

This video link is of our line dance, the one that took overall in St. George.

This video link is of our precision dance.

Oh, and if you can't tell. I Love Clogging!

Sharee and Baby Kasey!

2008-06-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

Last night my friend, Sharee, and I went to a park in Cedar Hills and took pictures of her pregnant. She had found a darling idea for her baby shower invite where a pic of the expectant mom was like the background paper and then the invite information was printed on vellum and placed over the top of the pic. I thought it was a darling idea and agreed to help her by taking pics and then we'll put the baby shower invites together once we get the pics back.

After the "photo shoot", we went to Babies R Us and got her registered. It was fun to go with her and help her. Although, I tended to want to pick out the adorable girl stuff which didn't apply since she is having a boy. LOL It still was a nice break from working and a good bonding moment for us. I felt like a serrogate mother since her mom passed away a year and a half ago from cancer. This pregnancy has been hard on her because she doesn't have her mom to ask those normal questions like, "Is this what you experienced when you were pregnant?" or "What is the most important thing I should get before the baby is born?" And so on. She is one brave and strong woman, and I know she will make an excellent mom to little baby Kasey.

Here are a few pics from our photo shoot.

Frustrated

2008-06-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

The past 5 months have been interesting, for lack of a better word. I decided on January 1, 2008 that this year was going to be the year to put me first and make me happy. With that happiness came the fact that I needed to start living a more healthy lifestyle. A friend introduced me to the greatest site on earth, www.sparkpeople.com. It is a totally free site that allows you to track what you eat and to track how many calories you burn doing different exercises. I have enjoyed being so in control of my routine and have had some success. However, lately I've hit a plateau. I'm so frustrated! I exercise and I watch how many calories I'm eating, but NOTHING! This is definitely a frustration.

Also, since I've been working two jobs I don't seem to be able to find the time that I would like to do the things I enjoy. Such as reading, sewing, scrapbooking and yes, cleaning. Okay so the last one might not be one I enjoy but it gets neglected when a busy lifestyle comes into play. I also do enjoy exercising. So the whole two jobs bit may have something to do with the not losing anything. Don't know.

But I'm not going to let this plateau get me down. I am going to overcome and conquer, therefore, reaching my goals.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-05-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

My mother's birthday was last Friday and I took her to lunch. It sounds like the day turned out really nicely with my dad taking her out that night as well. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mother. She is more than willing to do anything for her family. She is constantly putting herself before anyone. She is also so very talented. For as long as I can remember she has always done something crafty. As a young child, I remember her and my aunt, Jo Nann, would make wood crafts and rent booths at boutiques to sell what they had made. She then co-owned a craft store for about 9 years and excelled at that. Now she has her own quilt store and loves doing that. I definitely think that I got my creative juices from my mother.

I found a vinyl sign that I thought she would enjoy to either hang in her shop or in her house. It says "Quilts warm the heart." I wanted to put it on something that she could move and not just stick it directly to the wall like a lot of the vinyl signs you see nowadays. So I decided to adhere it to a picture frame and thought that instead of putting a piece of paper behind the glass some fabric would look really neat. However, I didn't decide the fabric portion of this gift until about 10 pm Thursday night. So I gave her the gift without the fabric in it.

On Thursday night, Natalie and I had planned to get together and scrapbook. So I took the vinyl and the picture frame with me because I figured I could get that put together and then scrapbook. Well, Natalie ended up helping me put it together and then we just talked and googled about "Twilight". Putting the vinyl on the glass was a little more difficult than I thought it would be. But it turned out really cute in the end. Thanks Nat for your help!

Turning a new page

2008-05-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

I've decided to enter the blogging world and see where it takes me. I honestly feel a little intimidated by the whole idea, but I'm going to give it a shot. At times it is easier for me to express how or what I'm feeling by writing it down. So I hope to accomplish just that through this blog. On that note I may express some very deep and at times not so appropriate comments, so if anyone does read my blog please be aware that this is going to be my outlet for my journal.