Snowy Christmas

Wow, we have so much snow!! Living on my own I though shoveling my own snow at my own house would be way fun. Well, it was way fun...until the other night. I was outside shoveling around 6:00ish, I wanted to get the walkway all shoveled before it froze. I got the cement walkway done and was creating my own little walkway along the grass from my car to the cement. I guess shoveling was pretty tiring because I decided to take a little unexpected nap in the middle of the snow bank! Yep, I passed out and face planted it in the snow. We later decided I was out for about 45 minutes to an hour. When I woke up I was SO SO cold!! I couldn't even move. I was literally frozen in place. Luckily I had my cell phone in my pocket and my hand wasn't too far from it, so in agony of pain I moved just enough to grab my phone and call my Bishop. He was on the freeway and couldn't hear very well, and I was frozen and couldn't talk very well, so it was kind of an odd conversation. All I really remember telling him was that I was cold. He hung up and called one of the counselors in the bishopric who lives not far from me. The next thing I recall Bro. Johnson is carrying me to his house. I got there and his wife stripped me down and stuck me in a tub of warm water. Wow, I thought it hurt being frozen and trying to move, but being unthawed hurt a TON worse! It was all I could do not to cry. However, the water did the trick and I was soon warm and able to move, talk, and breathe normally. I got dressed and ate some warm soup to help. It was a crazy night, and made me rethink this whole idea of shoveling the snow being fun....what was I thinking?!? Anyhow, I recovered and had a nice warm Christmas indoors wearing my warm pj's, wrapped in blankets, drinking hot chocolate!

I'm Back

Wow, I haven't written here since June?? Oh man! Sorry guys, life just got a bit busy I guess. Actually I moved out and haven't had much access to a computer, but I recently bought me a laptop and so now I can visit here more often. YAY! So basically that is my big news from the last few months. I moved out and am loving it. I live in a little hobbit hole in north ogden. It's fun. I have gone through a lot in my life the past few months but I think I've come out on top so it's all good. I've learned a lot and made a lot of changes to my life. I love myself a whole lot more now. I'm like a caterpiller who is making the transition to being a butterfly. It's not been the easiest thing ever nor do I think it will get any easier as time goes on, but I do know it's the best thing for me. I may grumble sometimes, but deep down I love turning into a butterfly!

Help! I'm Under Attack!

Ok, so I am currently house sitting for a friend of mine while she is on vacation in California. It's been great fun being here, but things are always a bit different when your out of your own environment and the things that your used to. Last night as I was sleeping I woke up around 1:00 am to a strange sound coming from downstairs. As I lay there listening I began to get very afraid. It sounded like someone was trying to break in through the back door! I quickly sat up in bed and contemplated what I should do. I headed over to an upstairs window to see if I could see the outside of the backdoor to confirm my fears. Unfortunately, I couldn't see clearly enough to tell. I sat against the wall huddled in fear for a minute or two coming seriously close to calling a male friend who lives nearby or better yet 911. Then I realized that if someone was really trying to get in they would have been in by now. I decided to investigate further...I tiptoed down the stairs ready to sprint back up them at a moments notice. As I reached the bottom of the steps I sat and once again just listened to noise. It was then that I realized the true source of my fears. It was not a burglar, nor was it some crazed maniac trying to break in. No, it was the stupid ice machine on the refrigerator!! Ugg! Upon my discover I rolled my eyes and headed back to bed feeling very grateful I had restrained myself and not called a friend and/or especially 911. Can you just imagine...

911 Operator: "911 what's your emergency?"
Me: "Help! The kitchen appliances are coming after me!"

They would have locked me away in a white padded room for sure!

I Love The Mountains!

I love the mountains, I love the rolling hills....

I just had to write today and say how much I love being outdoors this time of year. I went on a hike with some friends today and had such a fabulous time! It was absolutely perfect weather today, not too hot and not too cool. We found a secluded little picnic table and ate lunch. It was so fun as soon as we arrived at our little spot and I got out of the car I could smell nature all around me. I stood there for a minute just taking it all in, it was awesome! We spent some time relaxing next to a beaver pond and even got to see a beaver or two swimming around. The trail we hiked was beautiful! Everything was so green and colorful. We passed patches of yellow and blue flowers that were so pretty! At the top of the trail there was a little river, it was fun to sit and watch the water as it crashed against the rocks...so relaxing!! I could have stayed there all day! Unfortunately the time came when we had to pack up our stuff and head home. However, the fun of the day was not quite over...on our way out we saw a young moose! He was only about a year old, but he was standing out in front of a group of trees. It was so fun to watch as he noticed our presence and trotted away from us and up into the trees.

All in all I had a great day, and can't wait to spend more time in the mountains throughout the summer! Spending time surrounded by God's creations is one of my most favorite things to do. It makes me feel so happy and peaceful inside. The only place I feel closer to heaven than when I'm in the mountains is when I'm in the temple. They are both the most peaceful places on the earth!

Birthday Bash

Well, yesterday was my sweet sisters birthday. What a day it was! For the first time ever we threw her a surprise party. We rented out a couple of lanes at the local bowling alley and got pizza and pop, had cake and ice cream and just bowled for about two hours. It was so much fun! Tara was totally suprised! My brother and I met everyone at the bowling alley early and my parents blindfolded Tara and drove her around for a while then they walked her in and we stood there all quiet. Poor Tara hates blindfolds though and was pretty terrified not being able to see. Finally my mom stopped her, pulled off the blindfold and we all screamed surprise. She was so cute about it and just kind of said...Hi guys! It was funny! There were about 20 people who showed up. She got tons of great presents, she beat just about everyone in bowling with her score of 119, and she had a great time chatting with all her friends! All in all I think she had a great birthday. I heard her telling someone that it was the best birthday ever! It made me so happy to see the big smile on her face all night long.

Funny Travel Mishap

Ok, I just think this is so funny!! I had to share it with all of you! Remind me to be careful what I pack when I fly to Australia!!





hehe

Girls Night Out

What's more fun that a night out on the town with a bunch of your girl friends? I submit that there is nothing more enjoyable. What a good time we had, and I have photos to prove it!

We originally headed off to the Cheesecake Factory to enjoy some of that delectable goodness, but once we arrived we were informed that it was a 4-5 hour wait!! Yikes!! We ended up walking over to Macaroni Grill, the wait there was only about an hour and a half...much better!! While we waited we walked over to the bookstore for some frozen hot chocolate. Lisa and I approached the cute little worker girl behind the counter and asked if they had frozen hot chocolate...she had never before heard of such an item but as we described it to her she agreed to take on the challenge and create it for us...therefore, our treat became known as "The Experiment". I have to say that she did a great job at one point she offered us a taste test to see if it needed anything else...we told her to add a bit more chocolate, she did and it was perfect! She then gave our Experiment the full treatment topping it with whipped cream, white chocolate shavings, and a stick of dark chocolate! It looked so good I took a picture!

Finally after devouring our Experiment it was time to head back over to the restaurant for dinner. We still had to wait a little while for our table and were given Butterfinger shots and cheese bread while we waited. Yum! While several of us were contemplating stealing the ever so cute shot glasses the lights in the room started to flicker and we noticed some commotion going on in the center of the dining area. We soon discovered that it was the restaurant's 20th anniversary and they were celebrating by giving out free meals to different tables throughout the night. How fun is that!?! Speaking of fun, we were soon called out from the crowd and headed to our table where we found the tablecloth made of paper and crayons on the table!! YAY!! We get to eat and color at the same time, I like this place! As I was creating my masterpiece on the table the chef (cutie patootie Brandon) came over to the table and asked if there was a Tiffany at the table. I hesitantly raised my hand wondering how in the world he knew my name, he then showed me a drivers license for a 40-something year old named Tiffany and asked if it was mine...Um...nope... last I checked I wasn't 40 and blonde! Although this little encounter did lead to a nice bonding moment with the chef who told us he would try really hard to help us win the free meals. Throughout the night, we continued to eat, laugh, and enjoy ourselves. When the time came for the free meals to be given away he unfortunately didn't call our table number, but he did give us a little shout out..it was awesome! A few minutes later he came by and said he really had been pulling for us to win, but since we didn't he would give us the 2nd place prize and brought out free desserts!! Wahoo!!

Once again what is better than a night out on the town with a bunch of your girl friends, a cute chef, AND free cheesecake?? Nothing, I say, Nothing!

Root Canal's, Readings, and other Randomness

Well, I had to get my a root canal today. I've never had a root canal before, but I have heard horror stories about them. I was not looking forward to my appointment at all! I had imagined this entire appointment of pain and agony...to the point that I was pretty nervous to go. Well, I am happy to report that all my stupid worrying was for nothing. The procedure went perfectly fine, no pain at all. I'm just barely starting to come out of the numb stage and it's getting a bit achy, but nothing a few Tylenol can't handle. I'm just so excited that it is fixed and I can start to live without the pain my tooth has been causing me.

So, I've been reading these Twilight books and I just have to say that I am addicted. I'm just now starting on the third book. I find it funny that I am actually liking them. I never would have thought that I'd like a book about a girl who falls in love with a vampire. I've heard people talk about them for a long time and just rave about how good they are, but I just could never bring myself to read them...they just sounded so lame. Now, here I am raving about them on my blog! LOL I guess it's true that it never hurts to try a new thing...you never know what may come of it!

General Conference is this weekend and I'm so excited about it. It's going to be a bit strange at first without President Hinckley there, but I am so excited to be able to raise my hand and sustain President Monson as the living prophet on earth today. I'm also very excited to hear who the new apostle is going to be....not to mention to hear all of the talks and messages. I just love conference weekend!!

Ok, last but not least I have to talk about American Idol. I am so into it this year! I love Brooke and David Archuleta! Brooke is just SO cute and man David can sing! I also am really liking David Cook, he just keeps getting better week after week. I only wish that he weren't so cocky about it. I do have to say though that I really really don't like Kristy, she definitely needs to go home!

Happy Easter!!

Ok, I know it's been forever since I last posted on here. I'm sorry! Life has been sort of busy lately. I do have some good news though! I can drive again!! Yippee!! The main thing that has been holding me back from driving was my eyesight. When I had an episode and fell down some stair in October of 2006 I got a pretty bad concussion. I have been suffering from what is called Post Concussive Syndrome ever since, basically that means I've had a concussion for the past year and a half. My eyes were effected way bad, for a long time I've been seeing double sometimes triple of everything. Well, that is all better now! Yay! Since I can see again that also means I get to drive again. It has been so nice to be able to have this freedom back. I've missed it SO much! It's crazy how restricted you are when you can't drive. My mom bought me a little car..it's kind of a beater, but it gets me where I need to go, so I love it...It is a 1992 Honda Accord, it's actually in pretty good condition for how old it is. It only has 115,000 miles on it...which is AWESOME for a Honda!

So, now that I have a car it is much easier for me to get out to all the activities and good times with my friends. I've been gone a lot, running around doing this and that. It seems like my life became busy overnight! I'm looking at getting back into school. I'd like to work too, but I don't want to add too much to my plate too soon...the last thing I want is a relapse with my health. I'm keeping busy with my ward. In fact today I taught Relief Society and sang in Sacrament Meeting! We have a fun activity this Thursday I'm excited for. We rented out a theater and are going to see Horton Hears A Who...It should be way fun!

Well, today is a wonderful Easter day! I love it when Easter Sunday is such a nice day weather wise, it just makes me happy! We had a great Sacrament meeting today. Elder John Lasater spoke, he gave a great talk. One thing he said I absolutely loved, he said, "He loved you enough to die for you, do you love Him enough to live for Him?" What a profound thought and question for each of us to remember every day!! I love this gospel! I love Easter, and all that took place that first Easter morning. I know that Christ lives and he loves me. What a joyous thing to get to celebrate!

Friends

I wanted to take a second today to talk about how grateful I am for good friends. Friends can make such a difference in our lives. Most of the time our friends don't even realize the difference that they are making just by being a part of our life. They can help help you see what really matters in life. They teach you a lot about yourself because they can see things in us that we don't see in ourselves. As mortals we have a tendency to point out all the good in others but all the bad in ourselves...this is where friends come in and remind us of they see in us. Our job is to listen and truly take to heart the things they say.

I heard a talk today that pointed out how we can demonstrate our love for others without saying a word, but instead can be conveyed through a thoughtful smile, a heartfelt look, a listening ear, and a warm touch. Our eyes can say I care, I understand, I'm with you. Our ears communicate caring by listening in a truly open, non-judgmental way. By simply listening we invite friends to share without the fear of rejection. A touch speaks a lot louder than words. A friendly hug or pat on the back can have so much more meaning to someone than a bit of friendly advice. Even a simple smile can carry with it a heart full of love. I have found this to be true in my life and association with my friends. I only hope to be the kind of friend to others as my friends have been to me.

One of my favorite quotes about friendship comes from Elder Neal A. Maxwell when he said, "One of the reasons we love each other in the Kingdom is that our friendships are not friendships of initiation at all, but are, instead, friendships of resumption." (Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book pg. 132) I love this quote!! The reminder that we were friends before we met here on earth makes our friendship now even stronger.

Chances are if you are reading this you are a friend who has made an impact on my life. Thank you! I love you!!

Kindergarten Memories

For my writing class we are working on creating texts from our memories. Man, they are making me think. My assignment right now is to write a narrative about my favorite kindergarten memory! Ok, kindergarten was 20 years ago! I barely remember yesterday, let alone kindergarten!

I have been wracking my brain for days now trying to remember all I can about those days, and have found it interesting the few things that I can remember. For example, I remember "fruit art" day. My teacher had easels set up all over the room and we each got to put on a painters apron. We then took various kinds of fruit and cut them in half. I particularly recall using apples, oranges, and lemons. Once we each had our bundle of fruit halves we would dip the fruit into a bowl of paint and then stamp it onto our paper. The result was all kinds of bright colored fruit texture lines all over our paper. Funny huh! I also remember the alphabet characters. The classroom was decorated with letters of the alphabet that all had faces and arms and something that started with each particular letter. Each day or week or whatever when we would work on each letter my teacher would bring that particular alphabet character down and put it in the center of the chalkboard. Then one day toward the end of the year when we had finished we had an alphabet day where we each got to dress up as our favorite alphabet character. I don't recall which one I chose, but I do remember it was fun! Finally the last thing I remember about kindergarten was nursery rhyme day. This memory is pretty fuzzy, but I do remember that we all got to dress up and act out various nursery rhymes. I remember I got to be Little Miss Muffet!

So, these are my Kindergarten memories. I'm not sure yet which I am going to use for my assignment, but it has been fun reminiscing and recalling the innocence of childhood.

Snow Day!

Well, we have definitely had an interesting winter this year. I can't believe all of the snow we have had. There is so much snow that they actually canceled my church today. They asked everyone to go help neighbors shovel snow instead. I know we need the moisture so I don't want to complain too much...but I am getting a little bit tired of it all. I think what need to do is really go and play in the snow. I haven't done that yet. Pretty pathetic that we have had all this snow and I have not gone sledding, or even had a snowball fight! What's up with that!?! Anyone want to go play in the snow with me?? I promise I'll let you hit me with at least one snowball?? hehe...

I do have to say though that I love the timing of this current storm. As I watch it just dumping outside I can't help but think what President Monson said about how many had prayed for a "nice, bright, sunny day," yesterday, and we got it. The only nice, sunny, day all week. I think it is a great testimony to the power of prayer and that we have a loving Heavenly Father who was aware of all the people who would be out in the weather. THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!

Beauty to God

"Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue, with an understanding of why she should do so...who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizons of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth." - President Gordon B. Hinckley

I love this quote! Nothing more beautiful or more inspiring! God has created some very awe-inspiring and beautiful things. A sunset on a summer evening as the colors of the sky blend together in soothing pinks and oranges. A bright rainbow right after a spring shower, the air smelling as fresh as a newborn baby. These are beautiful and so inspiring to me. Yet, according to Pres. Hinckley a person who knows she is a daughter of God and lives her life in accordance with His teachings is even more beautiful and inspiring than these scenes. I can never turn myself into a sunset or a rainbow, but I can become the type of woman Pres. Hinckley describes here. I love that he did not say that it was a women who always had her hair done perfectly in the latest fashion, who had flawless skin, and always dressed in style. This is the type of woman the world trains us to believe is the most beautiful, but this woman is impossible to become! It is just another of satan's tactics to drag us down and make us feel bad about ourselves. Thankfully we have been taught that "the Lord looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

Gordon B. Hinckley

I wanted to spend a few minutes this afternoon expressing my love and appreciation for our beloved prophet President Gordon B. Hinckley. Pres. Hinckley became the prophet when I was just starting high school. His teachings have had such a great impact on my life. I loved his sense of humor. He always had a smile on his face! He was so down to earth. I also loved to hear him bear his testimony and to watch as he would get emotional about things. The spirit he portrayed during these moments was incredible. President Hinckley was a great man, and a true servant of our Heavenly Father. He will be greatly missed! Below is a video I created in honor of this great man!

Grounded For Life

Last night I was talking with my mom and she reminded me that she had a meeting early this morning and would need me to get up and get my sister off to school. I set my alarm, but just as a precaution my mom came in around 7:00 am to wake me up. Knowing my alarm was set I decided to stay in bed until it went off. However, when the alarm went off I still thought to myself, "Oh I can still sleep for about 10 more minutes" at 7:40 I woke up. Tara's bus comes at 7:45!! I freaked out! I jumped up, ran to Tara's room and literally ripped off the covers and yanked her out of bed. I grabbed some clothes and pushed her up the stairs so she could get ready. I brushed her hair while she got dressed, just then the bus showed up. I told her it was here and to go, so she grabbed her notebook and started for the door....that was when I noticed she didn't even have her shoes on yet! Luckily there was a pair of slip on shoes right there, so I hurried to put them on her and shoved her out the door as the bus began to honk. She ran to the bus and all was well, but it was pretty crazy for a bit. So...Tara just came home from school and is now telling me that I am grounded for life because of it all! Funny huh?!?

Time

Time goes by so fast. I miss the time when I was a child and time always seemed so slow. A month until Christmas felt like forever and summer's three month vacation felt like a lifetime of fun. Life seemed so much more enjoyable. Maybe that is one of the great keys to happiness - learning to always have a child-like view of time. Make the most of our time, don't throw it away in the hustle and bustle of today's fast paced lifestyle. Life is not a race, it's a journey, take time to enjoy it. On the other hand I remember the days when being grounded for a day seemed like an eternity. When it comes to the negative aspects of life for example: illness, pain, grief, any trials and tribulations...rush hour traffic...these are the times we need to have a God-like view of time. D&C 121:7-8 "..thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment, and then, if thou endure it well God shall exalt thee on high."

Handle with Humor

You know when you send a package with something really important inside and you are afraid it is going to get carelessly thrown around by all the postal workers you stamp it with a reminder to "handle with caution", well I think that when God sent us to earth knowing all the struggles we would face he stamped us with a reminder to "handle with humor".

I've found that whenever I'm having a difficult time if I can just find one thing to laugh about it makes everything seem a little bit better. My cute friend Mary Ellen Edmunds gave a talk once where she suggested to keep a box of things that make you laugh so that when your going through a hard time you can just pull it out and cheer yourself right up. I love this idea and am going to get started filling my box right away. Here are a few things that are definitely going in my box:

- "I was in my friends car the other day, He's driving. He had a pair of glasses on..I said, 'Hey I didn't know you wore glasses.' He goes, 'Oh, I only need em when I drive.' What the heck does that mean? Like ya get out of the car BOOM 'I can see! It's beautiful!' " --Brian Regan

- He said: You're the sunshine of my life. When you're near me, the gray clouds disappear and the radiant beams of light chase away the dark and the cold. When you leave me, the world is chilly and the clouds appear...
She said: Is this a marriage proposal or a weather report?

Savannah

I just have to say that I have the cutest cousin ever! I love the weekends I get to babysit her. She is such a little ray of sunshine. The poor girl had a cold this weekend though, not at all fun for her...but I have to say I love that it puts her into the cuddly mood, pretty soon she will be too big to cuddle with and so I love those tender moments when they happen. I gathered a few recent photos of her so you can all see how absolutely adorable she is!! I'm not biased or anything am I?? LOL

New Year Resolutions

Well, I hope you all had a great holiday..both Christmas and New Years! I have spent a lot of time lately thinking about what 2008 is going to bring for me. I think the biggest resolution I am going to set for myself is to get better. I start my therapy more consistently on January 16th. I know that this therapy is not going to be easy, but I am fully committed to it. I am going to do whatever I have to in order to make it work. I want to be able to drive again. I miss that freedom. I also feel bad for all my friends who have become my taxi drivers! So...regaining my driving privileges is one of my main goals for 2008.

My next goal is to find a way to make money. I'm so tired of being poor! I can't really go out and get a job at this point, but I still want to find something to bring in a little money. I'm not sure what this is going to be, or where to even start looking for something like this...but it's a goal of mine and so I'll see what I can come up with!

Another thing I would like to work on this year is to be more outgoing. I have always been pretty shy...although I think I have improved on this a little over the years...I still think I could use some improvement. I'm going to try and find one situation a day that I can be a bit more outgoing for and go from there. Hopefully by this time next year I will be able to look back and see it's effect on my life.

Well, that's about all I got right now. Hope you are all having a fun time contemplating the little ways you would like to improve your lives in 2008...it's going to be GREAT!