Friends for Life

Today just happens to be the 29th of November. It also happens to be a Monday. What some of you might not know though is that it also happens to be one of my best friends birthday. And...it also happens to be that this best friend is my sister.

Now I have known my sister Wendi for my whole life (I know, shocking right?) But we have not always been the best of friends. In fact, growing up there was a point where I would have told you that I hated my sister. For you see, growing up together we fought pretty much every single day. And not just yelling or stealing toys, no, no. We would literally beat each other up. I am talking punching, kicking, pulling hair, and so forth. I am pretty sure that our mom thought we were going to kill each other one day. So it is a good thing that one day between my last year of junior high and first year of high school we decided that we were cool enough to hang out with each other. I am not sure when, but sometime during that fateful summer we decided that we didn't have to kill each other, but that we could be friends instead. And I have to say that I am glad we made that choice and we have been the best of friends ever since. Don't get me wrong,we still have had our arguments, but we have also learned to laugh and love along the way. Since that summer we have spent many days laughing and many nights talking through the hours. We have completed high school and even graduated from college together. But most of all we have spent our days being the best of friends.




So this is to you Wendi....Happy Birthday! Happy birthday to you as my sister and to you as one of my very best friends. You are amazing and wonderful and can accomplish anything that you set your mind too. It has been fun growing up with you, but even better learning to laugh with you. I hope that you have had a marvelous day my dear and thank you for being not only my sister, but for also being my friend.

Cars

The good, the bad, and the ugly. I truly believe that a car is everyone of those things. The good because it is an amazing form of transportation that has the potential to gt you and passengers to other destinations. The bad because they can have their moments where they are not dependable and you always have to keep something up, whether that is paying for gas, oil changes, tires rotated, etc. And the Ugly because when your car happens to decide that it no longer wants to run while you are driving it you end up with a big hunk of metal that you have to look at the ugly bill in order to get it fixed.

Don't get me wrong. I truly do like my car. It works for me most of time and usually gets me to where I need to be. It has air conditioning for the summer and heat for the winter. It has automatic locks and a radio. All in all, it is really all that I need. But, in all honesty....it can be the biggest pain in the butt and the wallet. I am sure that any of you who own a car know what I am talking about. Sometimes they just suck.

Now I have had my far share of car problems over the years. I have had ruined brakes and roder wheels (and yes, it was my fault for driving on them as long as I did), a shattered window, a thermostat break, an antifreeze hose burst, a dead battery, a burned out and broken transmission, worn out tires, and I am sure that there are many more to come. No matter what you do, you always seem to be fixing something. Take this last week for me as an example.

On Monday I decided that I should go and get my brakes fixed because on my way to work I heard that dreaded noise of the squeaking and then the grind. I know that noise and knew that it was not one I wanted to hear. Therefore, on Tuesday morning I found my way over to Les Schawb Tire center and got my front brakes replaced. On Thursday I realized that I would not make it very far if I did not go spend some money and fill it up with gas. And then it happened today. You know that thing that you dread will happen. The thing you don't even think about because you would never want it to happen. Yeah, well that happened to me....my car decided to no longer run while I was driving it on the freeway on my way to work this morning.

It was about 7:40 and there I was running out the door to the car so I could be on my way to work. I needed to be there by 8:15 so that I could ready before my students showed up at 8:30. I smiled because it was a beautiful morning that was just a bit windy. I jumped in my car, started it up, and backed out the driveway. Now I don't know about you, but I like to jam out to songs while I drive and think about life in the process. I found my favorite station and proceeded to head off to work. Car problems where the furthest thing from my mind. Then,just as I was jamming away and getting ready to sing the next song I heard a snap and smelt something burning.

You know that burning plastic smell, that is what it was. I wondered what it could be and whose tires were burning, then I happened to look down and realized that my car was overheating. And not just by a little, but an awful lot and the gauge was climbing higher into the awful zone of problem. I knew then that it was me who had a problem and I needed to get off of the freeway and quick. I worked my way over and headed for the next exit. As I was getting off I noticed that the gauge was as high as it could go on the overheating and that my steering was starting go out as well. Plus, the burning smell was still around, which I new was not good. I followed the curve of the exit and then turned left onto the side road. I promptly pulled off the road and turned of the car. Then I had to decide what to do.

The first thing I decided to do was make some phone calls. The first, to my mom who didn't answer her phone so I left her a message about being stranded on some random road in north salt lake. The second call I made was to my step dad Dennis who did answer and quickly started to call to get me a tow truck. The third call was to my boss, who I woke up, and told that I would not be making it into work today so he would have to cover instead. With all of that taken care of I decided to go look under the hood. That's what people do when you break down so I figured I should give it a shoot. I popped the hood and went to look under it. Upon opening it I didn't notice a whole lot. It all looked the same to me...and then I saw it. My major discovery about what was wrong with my car. The fan belt was broken. The next few hours went something like this.

More phone calls to mom, Dennis and the boss. Waiting on the random street for the tow truck driver to come. The tow truck driver arriving, loading up my car and then me riding with the driver to Big O' Tires. The guys at work asking if I was ok and what I needed done. Then the guys checking out my car to find the problem. them telling me that the water pump had stopped turning causing the belt to get stuck causing the rotater to freeze and then start to melt causing the belt to tighten and then snap, thus causing my car to overheat and essentially stop running. The guys telling me that it would take two hours to fix and wondering if I needed a ride. The tow truck driver charging me for the bill and then offering to take me home. Me accepting the offer and then riding home with the driver. Then me waiting until I get the phone call that it is finished where upon I get a ride from my mom back to the shop, pay $400 and then get to drive my car back home where it now rests in the driveway. All in all, it was a pretty enventful morning that I had never planned on.

It is after weeks like this where you wonder if you should have just bought a new car instead of trying to fix the old one. to bad you only ever realize this after you have spent the money fixing it. Like I said, cars are the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Magic of Disney

No matter how old I seem to get, I still get excited over things that are Disney. I love Disney movies, Disney parks, Disney songs, Disney TV, Disney merchandise, and Disney on Ice. What can I say, I am just a kid at heart. A kid who will always be a Disney fan.

Therefore, it should not surprise you that when Disney on Ice came to town again I signed up to go. I remember going when I was a little girl with my mom. It was Aladdin and something else I am sure. All I really remember form it was watching Jasmine skate and getting a snow cone in an Abu cup. Even though I don't remember a whole lot from the show, I remember having a blast. As a family, we never went again.

Then a couple of years ago one of my good friends invited me to go with her. She said she loved Disney and wanted to go see the show. I was totally game to go. So we went, and we had a blast. Everything was so much fun from the actual show to the songs, the cute little kids dressed up, and just the overall Disney atmosphere. Plus, being there with a friend who was just as excited as I was made the whole night magical. And ever since, we have gone to the Disney on Ice shows almost every time they have come. I will have you know that they come about every six months.

So when the announcement came that Disney on Ice was here again, we just had to go and on Friday night that is just what we did. We had called up some of are other friends and meet downtown at the gateway for dinner. We ended up going to Costa Vida. Mostly because it was fast...and that fact that we were freezing while standing outside trying to decided. Therefore it won as it was the closest. As friends we always have fun when we are together. And dinner was no different. We love hearing about each others adventures and stories in life, it is was makes it fun and what makes us friends.

After dinner, we decided that we should probably head over to the Energy Solutions Arena for the show. Upon entering the building you walk into a world of Disney. Disney music, Disney booths, and people dressed up like Disney characters. It is exciting and fun right off the bat. We decided to walk around a little bit and see all of the fun things you could get. They always have the same basic things, but they are still fun to look at. They have cotton candy with fun hats, snow cones in character mugs, t-shirts, stuffed animals, coloring books, wands, photos, etc. this year they even had Mickey Mouse blankets. I decided to get one because I realized that in all my Disney adventures, that I had no Disney purchases. i had no Disney merchandise. I figured it was time to change that, plus the blanket is pretty cute.





When the show was about to start we found are seats and got ready for the magical journey to wonderful lands. We were just like little kids when it started with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy coming out onto the ice followed by the goofy Goofy. From there went on a magical journey to a world where Pride Rock is centered around lions and monkeys, then one under the sea with singing fish, from there we traveled to the native islands with hula dancing, and after that we went to a land you can only get to by flying past the second star to the right and then go straight on til morning. Throughout the show we found ourselves singing along to the songs, dancing in our seats, and laughing along with the skaters. After the show we decided to finish the evening off by getting dessert. We headed over to the gateway and wondered into the cookie shop and the rocky mountain chocolate factory for the perfect apple pie caramel apple. All in all it was a magical evening filled with laughter, sweets, and the best of friends. A magical evening that just might have to get repeated again in six months.

Adventures at the Dentist

It all started on a Friday morning in October. October 15 at 9:40 am to be exact. This is the day and time that I pulled up into the dentist parking lot. At least I thought it was the dentist parking lot. But this is what I pulled up too.

You can imagine my surprise at seeing this where my dentist office was supposed to be. I parked my car anyway and took a look around. At first all I could see was boards, construction workers, and a fence. It took me a moment to see that there was a sign on the fence and that it wasn't just for the workers. This lovely sign said that my dentist office was still open during construction and all I had to do was walk in the opening in the fence to get into it. My first thought was why in the world would I want to walk into a building under construction, let alone when it is the dentist office that I am walking into.

I walked in anyway. And the inside of the place looked.....exactly the same. Apparently it was only the outside that was getting redone. The only difference on the inside was the noise. Since they are working on the building you could hear it all when inside. Lets just say that listening to saws, hammers, and drills is not the best soundtrack when you are getting your teeth cleaned. Now I don't like the dentist as it is. I had way to many cavities as a kid to make me ever want to spend time there. Upon hearing the noise I almost turned around and went right back out the door. But they were too quick. They saw me and had me back in the chair before I could think what to do.

Now even though I don't like going to the dentist, I really don't mind getting my teeth cleaned. I always love the way they feel after the fact. So when the dental assistant came in to clean them I didn't mind at all. In fact I willing sat in chair and opened my mouth so she could get to work. The one thing that I have never figured out though is why they always try to talk to you while they are cleaning your teeth. I swear, every time they ask a question their hands are in my mouth and they look all expectant like they are waiting for an answer. I don't know about you, but there is no way I am going to try and answer a question when there are someones hands in my mouth with sharp pointy tools. Anyway, the cleaning went well and the lady said that my teeth looked good to her. She even said that I was keeping up with things really well and that she would see me again in 6 months. She then said that the doctor was just going to come in and take a look and then I would be on my way. It turns out that the doctor didn't agree.

He took a look at my teeth and said that they looked pretty good. Then he looked at the x-rays....and looked at the x-rays some more and then made that thinking sound that only doctors can make. That one that lets you know that something is just not right. He then turns to me and says that he is concerned about one of my back teeth. He thinks it might be dying and wants to do a test on it. He then proceeds to get another x-ray, a can of air, and a cotton swab. From here he sprays the air on the swab to make it extremely cold. He then tells me that he is going to place it against my teeth and wants me to tell him how it feels. Sounds fun right. So he puts it against my tooth and looks at me expectantly and I know he wants me to tell him what I feel. Well, this is what I feel.....absolutely nothing. I mean I can feel that something is there, but it doesn't hurt in the slightest. He then moves the swab to the tooth next to it. Now I feel something, and it sure is not comfortable. To him, this proves that my tooth is dead and that I need a root canal. I told him to try again. He just laughed and told me to come back in two weeks to get it fixed.

Therefore, two weeks later on October 29 at 9:00 am, I once again found myself pulling into the construction zone known as my dentist office. When I walked in they got me right back into the room. I never even got the chance to sign in, let alone to sit down. I guess they knew that if I had to wait very long I probably would have bolted. Once I was in the chair the assistant put the numbing stuff on my teeth. You know, that stuff that no matter how much you try not taste you always manage to taste and get your tongue numb in the process. Then came the shots. The shots that I always hate that pinch and sting as they go in. While waiting for my mouth to go completely numb my dentist kept talking about how easy it would be and how I would walk out of here in two hours with a cleaned out tooth and a new crown. He kept saying that all would be perfectly fine and that it would be quick and easy. I should have never believed him.

For you see, no project with me is ever as easy as it should be. For some reason whenever I do projects or whenever people do projects with me, they always turn into some complicated mess that requires lots of patience. Therefore, I should have known that getting a root canal would be the same way. It all started out simple enough. Put the plastic lining in my mouth to catch the debris, put the green sunglasses on to protect the eyes, and start drilling out the filling to get to the roots. Well, upon drilling out the filling he noticed that I did not have any blood vessels within my tooth, hence the no feeling. Because of this he started to get concerned that my tooth was further decayed then he first thought. He decided to keep going anyway. After drilling out the filling comes drilling out the roots. So he starts drilling them out and he comes to realize that I do not have three roots like any normal person. It appears that I have four. And not only do I have four, but two of them cross over another and then connect. This means that he can not just drill them out, but that he now has to cut them apart as well. So then while he is cutting out my roots and into my gums he tells me that since he is cutting and since I had no blood vessels that he is worried about infection within my gums. Therefore he would like to fill the root canals that he just drilled and cut with antibodies. Because he wants to do this it also means that I can not walk out with a crown today. It means that I have to get a seal put on and wait 7-10 days before I can get it finished. Which means that I will be coming back....and not in 6 months, but in a week. At this point I just laughed.

The next week, especially the next few days, were filled with pain. Lots of pain. Like getting your wisdom teeth yanked out and punched in the jaw type of pain. But since that whole side of my mouth was now bruised and cut up, it was to be expected. Therefore, I was none to thrilled to go back the next Friday on November 5, when it was most likely to happen all again. . . . I went back anyway.

The third time pulling into the parking lot I walked into the office unfazed by the construction going on(when you are getting used to being in the building under construction, you know you have been there way to much). I walked up to the desk, said hi to the secretary by name, signed in, and began my wait in the lobby. About 15 minutes later I was called back to the same chair in the same room that I was in the week before. That alone should have tipped my off to how the day was going to go. For you see, once again I was given the numbing gel that made my mouth go numb. Once again I was given the shots. and once again my dentist was talking about how smooth the visit was going to to go. He stated that he was just going to clean out the antibiotics, finishing drilling the canals, take the images to make the crown, let me chill while the crown baked and then glue it on. He was pretty sure I would be out before the two hours were up. Once again, I should have not believed him, because this is how the day went.

It started with the plastic lining not fitting right. Therefore, whenever they would spray water to clean off the tooth I would get water going down to the back of my throat, as well as out he side of my mouth and down my neck. The assistant kept trying to fix it, but to no avail. Then when my dentist went to drill the rest of the root canals the drill bit was to long and he hit the bone. So he switched drill bits, and and hit the bone again. Turns out that the drill bits were out of order so that one was too long as well. Next, the rubber band on the plastic lining snapped, which caused the metal frame holding it tight to cut the inside of my check opposite the tooth. Apparently, that side didn't want to be left out of the pain. When he was finished drilling out the canals I had to get an x-ray to make sure that they got them all cleared. While doing the x-ray though they could not unhook the plastic lining. Therefore, the whole time they were trying to take it, I was being gagged by it. To make matters worse, it took them three times to get the picture right.

Once they got the pictures he noticed that he need to drill out one of the canals a little bit more and then file down the rest of the tooth around the canals so that the crown would fit. I laid back down on the chair, they fixed the plastic, and then proceed to get back to work. There was one slight problem though...I was no longer numb. We realized this fact rather quickly because of the pain and the jump I gave when he started drilling again. It was quickly decided that I should be given more shots to make me go numb again. For that, I was grateful. From there the drilling got completed and the filing began. The only mishap with the filing was when he dropped one of the sandpaper like pieces onto my neck and then when he ended up cutting my gum in the process of filing the tooth. At this point, I no longer thought that it was funny or amusing. As this point, it just plain hurt and sucked.

With the filing finished he stated that the worst was over and that now we just needed to make the crown and glue it on. He took the pictures that were needed and then I was left to chill while they went and made it. About 15 minutes later he came back in with the crown. By this point I had already been there for over two hours and I was just ready to go home. I thought I was going to be free and clear. But this is what happened. I went back to the chair, laid down, and opened my mouth. They proceed to dry the tooth and put the cement glue on it. Then he placed the crown and pushed upwards to make sure it was in place. From there they place a machine on it to make sure that the cement cures. So the assistant dose this and then my dentist goes in to clean off the extra cement. It turns out that the cement had not cured all of the way yet so when he pulled on the side the crown lifted up. In that action though, the cement hardened. So now I have a crown that has been cemented on crookedly. This means that my dentist now has to forcibly remove it. Now remember, I am no longer numb at this point, which means that I fill all of the tugging and pulling that he is doing to rip the crown back off. He finally gets it to come loose and cuts my lip open in the process. In order to get the crown back on, he now has to drill off all of the hardened cement from my tooth and from the crown. Once that is complete, they try again. They proceed to dry the tooth, put new cement on it and then place the crown. The assistant once again cures it, this time longer then the first. Then my dentist cleans off the excess cement, wipes up my bloody lip and proceeds to take another x-ray to make sure all is right. the x-ray is good and they tell me I am free to go. So I now get to leave the dentist after being there for 3 hours with not only a new crown, but also with a bloody lip, a cut check and gum, a bruised bone where the drill hit, and a sore jaw from my mouth being opened so long. On my way out the door the assistant asked if I had drugs that I could take for the next two weeks. That statement assured me that there would be pain, and lots of it.

By the end of this adventure this would be my advice to all: If you ever need a root canal, don't get it. Rather, just get the dang tooth pulled. It is seriously not worth the trouble.

News as of Late

I realized the other day that I have not posted much about what has been going on in my life. Therefore, I thought I would share my recent happenings with you. So here they are, in no particular order (really they are in just the order that I thought of them) the happenings and news of my life.

*Went to Thriller with the girls and had a blast. We tend to go every year and every year we still find that we love going together. It is just so much fun to all go to dinner and then to a dancing Halloween performance. I think this is one thing that we will continue to do for years to come.




*Went to the dentist. This is something that I am not really fond of doing. In all honesty I would rather just skip it and let my teeth be what they are. I think this comes from having a lot of cavities as a kid. Trust me, when you spend more time then anyone else in your family at the dentist with a drill, you come not to like it so much. Anyway...there I was hoping that all would be well and that i could walk out and not return for 6 months. No such luck. It turns out that the one tooth that has bugged me and caused me problems as yet another problem. It turns out that even after it had an abscess and was pulled out, even after the new tooth grew in and then decided to get a cavity, even after that tooth cracked and part of it fell off, and even after they fixed it and shaped it with filling...it turns out that now it is dying and I need to have a root canal and a crown which i get to have done this Friday. I mean really, couldn't they have just pulled it way back when and saved me all the trouble?

*Went to Gardner Village on Witches Night Out. This was fun. It is pretty much a night where girls get to dress up like witches and go shopping till the late hours of the night. Plus they have great sales and discounts on this night as well for all of the witches. I went with my sister and some of her friends for the first time this year. It was fun to go around and see all the outfits people had on and to shop the stores along the way.

*Attended and Awesome Vampire Diaries party. Really, it was good. For you see, there are some of us who truly love this show the Vampire Diaries. I am one of them. I also happen to have these really great friends who throw awesome themed parties. We have had parties for HSM(2&3), Supernatural, and now the Vampire Diaries. With each party comes great food, decorations, surprises, and events. Plus, we always get to watch the show that we love. The parties are great because they are also filled with details about the show, friends, and lots of laughter.





*Went on a tour of the Cathedral of the Madeline. This was actually really cool. We went on a tour of it for FHE one Monday night. It was really neat to be able to go inside the building and hear about the history of it and see all the details of the art work and architecture, which are amazing by the way. I love learning about the history and the story of different places. I have to ta say that this building was one that I had been curious about before, so it was very interesting and exciting to be able to go inside and have a tour.


*Went to a blood drive party and taught the Thriller dance. This is a true statement, I promise. For FHE this last Monday we were having a blood drive and we decided to turn it into a Halloween party since blood was already involved. Therefore, everyone came in costumes, we had pie and doughnut eating contests, we carved pumpkins, I taught the Thriller dance, and somewhere amidst all of this we did donate are blood. All in all, I would say that it was a pretty eventful evening.

*And the greatest happening in my life at the moment is that I found out I am going to be an aunt!! I am so very excited about this and can't wait for the day to actually come when my little niece or nephew will be here for me to play with, babysit, and love. I am so very happy for my sister and her husband. They will be fabulous parents and will give their little child one of the best homes to live in that will be filled with love, laughter, and many adventures.

Something about Sundays

I have decided over the years that there is just something about Sundays. Something that makes them different and unique from all other days. Right not you be saying "duh...hello, Sundays are the days that we go to church instead of work, that is what makes them different." And although that is true, I think it is something more.

I am not quite sure what exactly it is , but for some reason Sundays are just a different type of day. It may be fact that we do go to church and partake of the sacrament. It may be the fact that the rest of the day is spent at home. It may be the fact of Sunday dinners that seem to make you full in more ways then one. It may be the fact of just hanging around in sweats watching movies or playing games with the family. It may be the fact of just finding time to relax. But for some reason I think it is more then all of that. I think that it is the combination of everything that makes a Sunday so great. It is all of those things combined, plus a few others, that just make Sundays stand out, and stand out in a good way.

But even more than any of this, there is also something about Sundays that just make everything ok. There is something about them that seems to make the world right for a moment. For you see, I started thinking about all of this after the day that I have had today. It all started with me stuck in the world this morning. Stuck in the ways of the world as well as the thinking of the world. And lets just say that that is not a very good way to start the day. Here is my story...

So there i was, dreaming away. Dreaming of lovely things I am sure and the next thing I know I am smelling campfire. This is about the time that I wake up, and lets just say that waking up to the smell of campfire is not the best thing to wake up too. I woke up to this however, because some of my hair had fallen onto my face and it smelled like campfire from the night before. It was about the time that I was moving around and shaking my head to get the smell away that I decided I should just get up and get in the shower. Well getting to the shower turned out to be harder then it should have. Lets just say that it involved me getting caught in the sheets, falling out of bed, stumbling to catch myself and running into a wall. Well, then as I am about to get into the shower I hear the shower turn on upstairs. And since it has never been a good idea to have both of the showers running at the same time in my house, I decided to wait till they were done. So now I am not only smelling of smoke and have a stub foot, but I am freezing as well. When the shower upstairs turn off I proceed to get in myself and find that I step onto something that you don't ever want to step on, let alone when you are barefoot. Sharp pointy objects just aren't nice.

The rest of the morning includes me burning my finger on the straightener, me getting a drink of water and then remembering that it is fast Sunday, ripping a whole in my tights, finding a whole in my shirt, now not knowing what to wear to church, finally getting out the door only to realize that half my st6uff is still inside and that I have locked the door, driving and getting stuck behind extremely slow Sunday drivers, and arriving at church only to realize that I am 30 mins late. At this point it was all I could do not to turn around and just go home. I did however proceed to walk into the building and sit in the foyer until sacrament was over. While I was sitting there I had pretty much decided that I was just not going to be happy and it just didn't matter. Then sacrament ended.

From here I went to Sunday school, and then to relief society. I payed my tithing and participated in the lesson. I said hi to those I knew and made some new friends. it was about the time that church was ending that I noticed that I was smiling and I was laughing. For you see, it turns out that it didn't matter how the morning went or that I had decided to be grumpy about it. Something had changed and changed for the better. For you see, that is the thing about being at church and getting involved in the gospel. When you decide to be there you open yourself up tot the spirit and all that it has to offer and teach you. And when you let it get into you and touch you , it has the power to change you. It has the power to make things ok and in some cases to even make them funny. and then you find yourself smiling and laughing with those around you. You find yourself noticing the bright sunny day and all that it has to offer. You find that even with everything going on in the world that life is ok.

It was later today when I realized why Sundays are so special and different. It is not just all of the things mentioned above, but it is the fact that we choose to do those things. Sundays are a day where we choose to have family dinners. A day where we choose to find time to relax. A day where we choose the go to church and let the gospel be a bigger part of our lives. A day where we choose to listen to uplifting music and talks. A day where we choose to make it a day about learning of and feeling of the spirit. Sundays are only different and special because we choose to make them different and special. And that is what is just so wonderful about it. We choose to make them a different type of day. We choose to make them special. We choose to make them better. And in essence we have the power to make other days special and better as well.

I am not saying that life won't happen. I am not saying that things won't happen
that upset us or that hurt us, all I am saying is that we have the power to make them better. We have the power to still be happy and have better reactions to these events. And that power comes from the gospel. It comes from letting the spirit into your life. It comes from following our Heavenly Father and the things that he teaches. In essence that power and comes from truly living the gospel. And with that power comes a peace like no other. A peace that makes things right in the world.

Ahhhh..

I am a 23 year old woman who still is awed and amazed by sunsets. For some reason they just seem to amaze me. It is something about the colors and the way they seem to blend together and light up the sky at the same time. When I was driving home from work the other night this is what I saw



I have to admit that sunsets still take my breath away.

(I also have to admit that I may have been driving when I took this photo. Shhh...don't tell anyone.)

Sitting and Thinking About....

*a trip to Europe...the Eiffel tower, Paris at night, floating in the river in Venice on a tiny boat, Italy, Rome, Greece...next summer

*dancing in a fountain, jumping in puddles, running through water parks with friends

*hope, love, courage....courage to be, to be me, to be strong, to be enough

*Disneyland, the magic, the laughter, the fun, the adventure....the memories

*the old the new, the forgotten and the found, the loved and the lost

*warm summer nights with laughter, baseball, stars...

*lake powell, the night sky, the milky way, friends, songs on guitars, roasting marshmallows, green socks.....

*ones that math your eyes, butt rocket boys, salad shakers, and smothered burritos....

*bad dates, entertaining dates, good dates.....future dates

*who I am, who I'm not, who i want to be...where were you....where was I

*music, song, words, meaning....together they create a feeling

*feelings inspired by others, by memories, by experiences, by life....

*life in general, young, old, past, future, present, life right now....

*what life are you living, whose life are you living, why are you living this life, is it your life...

*rough nights, old memories, old hurt, old fights.....hold tight, its alright

*a song in the background, soundtracks, theme music, my own soundtrack to life

*funny noises, random comments, animation, cartoons, duck tales, goof troop, monster mash...

*Halloween, jack-o-lanterns, trick-or-treat, candy, costumes, witches, vampires, werewolf's, mummeys, bats, dark nights, haunted houses, scared, screams.....

*what to be for Halloween, need costume, old, new, scary? ummmm.....shopping

Wondering

Do you ever just sit and wonder? Wonder about things, days, events, life in general? I do. There are many a times where I find that I just sit and wonder about things. I find myself wondering about things when I drive, when I go shopping (which can be pretty entertaining because I will just stand and stare at the products until I stop wondering) when I go to bed (this seems to be a problem because when I wonder in bed I tend not to go to sleep) and sometimes I find myself wondering just when I stare out the window or look up at the sky. For me, wondering seems to be a daily occurrence.

With all of this time spent wondering some of you might think that I would run out of things to wonder about. But alas, that is not the case. For it seems that the more that I wonder the more I find that there is to wonder about, and therefore..it just never stops. I fear that I will always be a wonderer. But even if that is the case, I do quite enjoy it. Therefore, I figured that I would share some of my wonderings with you. So here is a list of a few of things that I have wondered about before.

*I wonder about zippers and why when you move a metal piece up and down the zipper will go together and separate, but you can't seem to make it connect with using your fingers.

*I wonder about the phrase "new and improved" because how can something be new if it is improved upon because that means it already existed, and then how can something be improved upon if it is new, because if it is new then there was nothing to be improved upon?

*I wonder about who got to name all of the stars in the sky and decide what stars made what figures.

*I wonder about the names of objects, such as gazebo or galoshes...I mean really, who came up with that? And who got to choose how they were spelled?

*I wonder about my future and what life holds in store for me.

*I wonder how I am still alive after all of the crazy and stupid things I have done throughout my life.

*I wonder who went around and tried all of the foods to determine whether they were safe to eat or not.

*I wonder about my future family and who they will be.

*I wonder about elephants and what it would be like to have a nose that long.

*I wonder about clouds and what they would feel like to touch.

*I wonder about writing on here and who reads it.

*I wonder about people and their life stories and the adventures that they have had.

*I wonder about my job and if I will ever figure out all that I am supposed to be doing

*I wonder how hot metal can make your hair curl, twist, or lie straight. And who got to be the first to test that out.

*I wonder how something as small as an ant can lift so much.

*And most of all I wonder what adventures life holds for me tomorrow. For everyday that comes about, there is always a tomorrow to wonder about.

It would seem that I am destined to always be a wonderer. Wondering about the silly and the serious. The strange and the beautiful. But even though I tend to wonder a lot, there are many things that I know for sure. I know that the gospel is true. I know that I have a father in Heaven who loves me. I know that my mom is amazing I and I would trade her for anything. I know that my sister is one of my greatest friends. I know that my brother is truly great. I know that whatever happens in life, someone has a plan for me and that it will all be ok. I know that I can accomplish anything with the Lords help. So even though I tend to wonder a lot, there are also a lot of things that I know. And it is knowing those things that keeps me grounded in life. It is knowing those things that allows me to wonder about everything else and still be sure of who I am and what my purpose is here on earth. It is knowing those things and more that truly lets me wonder about and discover everything else.

Things I Miss

It occurred to me the other day that this is the first fall in about 18 years that I have not been in school. And quite frankly, it is a little bit weird.

All my life so far, well minus the first few years, every time August came around you new summer was almost over that that school would therefore begin. For me, every time we got home from our Lake Powell trip in August we new summer was over. After that we would begin to get ready for school. We would make sure that our schedules where correct, that we had the supplies we would need, and get the clothes we would want to wear on the very first day. First impressions stuck with you all year, you didn't want to be the kid who blew it on the first day.

With this being the first year that that did not happen, it has taken me a while to realize that it is fall and that summer is officially over. It has also made me realize that there are a few things that I miss about being in school. Some of them are a given and some of them surprised me that I did miss them. Some of them are from college, some from high school, and some even from way back when in elementary. (I don't think that there is much I miss about Jr. High) So here are some of the things that I miss from being in school:

*First day of school photo (this one surprises me. As much as I hated getting the photos taken growing up, it is one thing I miss having.)
*Eating lunch with friends and laughing until you absolutely had to drag yourself off to class
*sleeping in the sun between classes
*seeing friends everyday
*attending football games with fellow students
*free food at the institute
*recess and playgrounds (do you think they could install these in work areas?)
*Being in Choir
*A class just to do art
*Learning new and interesting things
*peanut butter bars
*funny teacher stories
*socializing with people my age (when you teach kids that doesn't happen very often)

You see, I was one of those people who loved being in school. I loved learning and I loved to be with people, I loved going to school. So even though I am glad to be done and I am grateful to have my college degree, a part of me wants to be back in school. A part of me misses it and everything that it brings with it. Foe me, school is what always marked fall. It is what always marked a new year of life and new opportunities to come with it. I guess this year I will just have to find something else to mark. For I have found that life is there and it is always new with many new opportunities around the corner. All you have to do is look for them.

Remembering

Its funny how certain things you can remember forever. You can remember the details of an event, the feelings of a moment, even the smell of something that crossed your path. It is also funny how some things you can't seem to remember at all. You can't remember exactly what was said or what happened on a given day or a persons name that was once in your life. And then there are those memories that you can just never forget.

It is said that a persons memory can hold every memory that that person has ever made. It can remember anything that that person has put into their long term memory. Anything that they have studied, anything they have learned, anything that they have seen. The thing that is hard for the person is actaully recalling that memory. Some memories are recalled by something that you associate them with...a song, a smell, a picture, an action. Others are recalled by events that occur that are similar to them or the feelings you have towards someone. Then there are those memories that are recalled by someone else and what they say or do. Most of these start with the phrase "do you remember when..."

It is also interesting how one memory can be shared by so many different people. A memory can be shared by one person or a million persons. A moment can be remembered by anyone who was a part of it, anyone who saw it, or anyone who heard about it. What intrigues me the most though is that every one of those people who remembers that event will remember it differently. For you see, each person is going to remember the even based on their experiences of it. Their memory will be based on what they saw, what they heard, and what they felt. Even though it is just one moment or one vent in time, it can be remember a thousand different ways even though the facts remain the same.

One event that can be remembered by thousand is the day of 9/11. The facts are that two planes crashed into the World Trade towers, one plane crashed into the Pentagon, the towers crumbled to the ground, many people died, and a nation went to war. Many other facts could be added such as people came to help, people where in shock, and people were hurt. It could also be said that hero's were made that day, a nation was united, and a great loss was felt. This one event is remembered by so many people. It is remembered by those who saw it, those who watched it, and those who have heard about. But it is also remembered by those who lived it. It is remembered by so many different people in so many different ways because it is a memory that you can never forget. Here is how some people have chosen to remember it.

The Binch by Rob Suggs

Every U down in Uville liked the U.S. a lot,
But the Binch, who lived Far East of U-ville, did not.
The Binch hated U.S! The whole U.S. way!
Now don't ask me why, for nobody can say,

It could be his turban was screwed on too tight.
Or the sun from the desert had beaten too bright
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.

But, Whatever the reason, his heart or his turban,
He stood facing U-ville, the part that was urban.
"They're doing their business," he snarled from his perch.
"They're raising their families! They're going to church!
They're leading the world, and their empire is thriving,
I MUST keep the S's and U's from surviving!"

Tomorrow, he knew, all the U's and the S's,
Would put on their pants and their shirts and their dresses,
They'd go to their offices, playgrounds and schools,
And abide by their U and S values and rules.
And then they'd do something he liked least of all,
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Would stand all united, each U and each S,
And they'd sing U-ville's anthem, "God bless us! God bless!"
All around their Twin Towers of Uville, they'd stand,
And their voices would drown every sound in the land.

"I must stop that singing," Binch said with a smirk,
And he had an idea -- an idea that might work!
The Binch stole some U airplanes in U morning hours,
And crashed them right into the Uville Twin Towers.
"They'll wake to disaster!" he snickered, so sour,
"And how can they sing when they can't find a tower?"

The Binch cocked his ear as they woke from their sleeping,
All set to enjoy their U-wailing and weeping,
Instead he heard something that started quite low,
And it built up quite slow, but it started to grow—
And the Binch heard the most unpredictable thing...
And he couldn't believe it--they started to sing!

He stared down at U-ville, not trusting his eyes,
What he saw was a shocking, disgusting surprise!
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any towers at all!

He HADN'T stopped U-Ville from singing! It sung!
For down deep in the hearts of the old and the young
Those Twin Towers were standing, called Hope and called Pride,
And you can't smash the towers we hold deep inside.

So we circle the sites where our heroes did fall,
With a hand in each hand of the tall and the small,
And we mourn for our losses while knowing we'll cope,
For we still have inside that U-Pride and U-Hope.

For America means a bit more than tall towers,
It means more than wealth or political powers,
It's more than our enemies ever could guess,
So may God bless America! Bless us! God bless!


Yellowcard - Believe

Little Things that make Me SMILE

No matter what is going on in life, there are always some things that just make me smile. It doesn't matter if other things in life are not so good, or even if some things just suck; there are still those simple things that make me happy and just make me smile. You know...those things that no matter how good or bad the day has been they just seem to make you feel better. Whether it is something that is new or something that is old and just brings comfort. Somedays it is those little things that make it all worth while. Those little things that make you grateful for living the life you lead. Those things that just make living worth it. Here are some of my little things that just make me smile:

*Driving with the windows down
*Sunsets

*The smell of clean clothes right out of the wash
*Dancing in the rain
*When your favorite song comes on the radio
*Seeing the temple lit up on the hill
*Going on vacations no matter how big or small
*My brothers letters and pictures from his mission

*Reading books that I relate too
*Thinking of my friends and our many adventures


*Clean sheets
*Finding what I was looking for
*Baseballs games in the park
*U of U football

*Waking up to the sun shining in through the window
*Late night ice cream
*A full moon and the stars
*Songs played on the guitar

Fear vs. Faith

Recently in my life I have come across a few things to fear. At least they are a few things that I fear. Some of them scare me more then I would like to admit, and some are just something that I worried about for a moment and then decided that they weren't worth worrying about. But the main point is, that sometimes in life there comes a time when you fear something. If you are anything like me, you probably will fear more then one thing throughout your life.

This thing you fear could be that you are afraid that something won't happen, or even afraid that something will. It could be that you are afraid of tangible things or things that no one can really hold. It could even just be a fear of the unknown. Whatever it is, it is a fear. A very real fear.

One thing with fear though is that it inhibits your ability to act. No matter how big or small the fear is it makes you stumble and lose your way. It tends to either root you in one spot or make you back up, but either way, you are no longer able to proceed forward. You are no longer able to walk on the path you were on.

Life is funny though. No matter how much you believe that you have conquered your fears or think that you have nothing to fear, it always throws something in your life that scares you out of your mind. Whether you recognized it as a fear before or not, there it is. Right in your path of life, waiting for you to decide what to do about it. At this point you have some decisions to make. You can stop where you are at and stare at it hoping it will go away. You can turn around and run in the opposite direction. Or you can move forward, praying that you will be strong enough to overcome it. At times, all of these are good options. If you sit there long enough the spider will crawl away. If you are hiking up a trail and see it gets really steep, turning around and moving back down the mountain will let you avoid the height on the edge of the cliff. But there are other times when moving forward is the only way for you get to the path you need to be at.

One of my favorite quotes says this "When you come to the edge of darkness and the next step is into the great unknown, you must believe in one of two things; you will step onto solid ground, or you will be taught to fly." I love this quote because it helps keeps me grounded in life. It helps me to remember to trust in God and keep moving forward. For you see, it occurred to me some years back that God does not want us to fail. He is not up there hoping we quit and turn around. He is not hoping that we give up and join Satan and his forces. He does not want us to get thrust into outer darkness. What he does want, however, is for us to succeed. He wants us to stay strong. He wants us to fulfill our mission and conquer our fears. He wants us to get back to him and have everlasting life. God does not want to destroy us, he wants to lift us. I don't think God gives us trials because he wants to make us crumble. He gives them to us because he wants to make us into something. Something far greater then we could ever imagine.

Therefore, I also know that God will provide a way. He will not give us a trail that we can not get through. He will not give us a trial that we can not overcome. And whatever trial we are given, He will also provide a way for us. God is not one who is going to leave us stranded. He is one who is there if we but turn to him and put our trust in him. This is where Faith comes in. Not only faith in God, but faith that God knows you, loves you, and is there for you. Trials require a Faith in Gods words and deeds. You must believe that he will be there for you. You must believe that He knows who you are and will only give you trials in life for your benefit. You must have faith that there is a way to get through whatever life hands you and whatever you get yourself into. And with having faith, you just might find that your fear is not so scary anymore. It might even go away.

I recently learned a new word, Certitude. Certitude means a total certainty or greater certainty than circumstances warrant. Faith is having certitude in God. It is knowing for certain that He will be there, no matter what is going on, even if the circumstances you are in make it seem unbelievable. So go forward living your life, but live it with certitude and faith; not with fear.

The 24th of July

Otherwise know as Pioneer Day for the people who live in Utah. This is a day that has been celebrated for only the past 150 years or so. And is a day that is only seen as a holiday in Utah. For this is the day that the pioneers entered into the great state and decided to call it home. It is a day where pioneers should be honored for there hard work and determination. A day where one should rejoice that they are able to live here in this great state because people fought for it. In essence, this day is a day that should be celebrated.

In my family we have always started our celebrating by going to the 24th of July parade that is held in downtown Salt Lake City. In all my years I have only missed the parade twice. No, we do not camp out over night. Although, my moms family used to when they were kids. Now days, we all just get up at the crack of dawn and head on down to the city. Over the years of going we have found are favorite spot to park and to sit. We tend to park on second south and then walk down the street to the parade route. We have found that we like to sit by the police families. One, because they sit in the street and they don't block of the road until about 7am, which is when we arrive, which also guarantees us that we get pretty close to front row seats. Two, since the police families are sitting there all of the motorcycle cops in the parade do their shows right in front of us. And three, they set up the radio stand right across the street, so we hear all of the announcements and stories about each entry.

This year was no different. We got up bright and early and left the house by 6:30am. We drove downtown and meandered our way over to our favorite parking spot. From there we walked the three blocks to the parade route and set our chairs up in the street right next to the police. Since we get there so early, we always have time to just hang out and read, play cards, eat breakfast...or my personal favorite...people watch. And lets just say that you can find some very interesting people at the parade. You can also find some interesting people in the parade as well. They themselves make the parade entertaining to watch. Plus, I do like to see the floats and the cop shows(favorite!)


Wendi and Ben dub him my future husband.....






After our fun at the parade Wendi and I decided to go run some errands. Our first stop of the day turned out to be Kinko's. I had been put in charge of making the Whiting family directory and needed to make copies of it to hand out that night at the family BBQ. Then we went to Costco and got free Cremmies, the raspberry ones were amazing! From there we headed up to Layton where we made a stop at Downeast. Once inside this store we found out that they sell furniture as well as clothes. They had the cutest red couches that were so comfy. Plus I also got a new swimsuit. It was a good stop. After that we decided that we should probably go and get ready so we could be to the BBQ on time.

Every year my grandparents hold a BBQ at their house on the 24th of July. After dinner it is tradition to go over to the school field where they hold Butler Days. In all my years. I don't really ever remember going. I know we went when we were younger, but in recent years we have just never gone. We have always gone and done our own thing. But, this year we happened to go and it was a blast. It was so much fun partly because of the food, the park games, the concert, and the fireworks but, mostly it was so much fun because it was my family. When we are together we always find things to laugh about and just have fun in each others company. It doesn't really matter what we do as long as we do it together. Granted, we do do some fun things, but most of the time I think they are only fun because of who I am doing them with.

This family get together turned out to be no different. Upon arriving we were put right to work husking corn and getting chairs set up. Even then, we still found things to laugh about like how the corn was soaking wet (we have no idea why), how Joe had never husked corn before and didn't know what to do, how we would put the chairs down and then grandpa would just go and move them again, and much much more. From there we all just hung out, ate yummy food, told stories, and laughed some more.





Once dinner was over and cleaned up we decided that we should head over to the school grounds to get a spot for the fireworks. Here we met up with the Brown family and quickly claimed our seats. Upon arriving, we found out that Eclipse was preforming. Therefore, after a few moments of hellos and hugs some of us were quickly off to the front of the stage. For you see, we wanted to dance. And not only dance, but dance right up front like we have at their concerts before. I am glad to report that we not only danced at this concert, but we started the dance party right up by the stage. It was such a blast! If you have never run and danced at a concert I highly recommend it. After our song was over we started to head back to join the family when to our surprise they started to sing another one that we could dance to. So what do we do?? We turn right around and go running back to dance once again. And let me tell you, running back in the dark to the stage is not that easy when you take into consideration that half of us were in heels, we were jumping over people and weaving through blankets. I am pretty sure that we didn't step on anyone. After the last song we headed back to the family and made it just in time to sit and watch the fireworks. We love the ones where you can feel the boom and luckily for us there were a lot of them. We did decide that they played some very entertaining songs though..we had the ants go marching in, Yankee doodle, and a variation of primary songs. They also had some interesting fireworks that kept shooting off into a different area. Once the last song was played and the last firework shot we headed back to the grandparents house to do a firework show of our own where we lit the fuses in the dark, almost had one go off on a person, and danced in the street with sparklers to end the night. All in all, I think it was a pretty darn good day, one that will just have to be celebrated again next year. :)