Over and Out

I heard on the radio this morning that Oprah must be on to something with that Gratitude journal because people who are grateful are happier, wealthier, healthier..and probably some other iers...I just can't remember exactly what.

So as I close up my blog for 2008, I'm thinking about the things that I am grateful for this year:





-My family...especially my mom who I have grown even closer to and who has been so incredibly supportive
-Cell phones and internet...so that I can keep in touch with the people who mean the most to me
-New friends...the Blanding bunch has helped me through some rough times and I so grateful to have met some "normal" people
-Old friends...people who know me and understand me and love me despite all that! I'm grateful for the people who understand that friendship is more than talking all the time or being in close proximity or surrending your own needs-friendship is loving someone and being willing to give all you have for them if necessary-it's a give and take relationship
-Internet shopping...I probably would not have survived this long out here if it weren't for Old Navy online
-A job...even though it is not the job that I thought I would have-I am incredibly grateful for the experiences that I am having and for the people I am getting to know. Living here is a great way to realize how much most of us have and take for granted.
-And most of all, I'm grateful for someone who knows me better than perhaps I know myself and who understands why I am the person I am and who can forgive me for all of my mistakes...I'm grateful for a Heavenly Father who provides for me daily and who gives me just enough strength to do the things that He wants me to do.

And I'm grateful to all of you guys! I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. You'll hear from me again in 2009!

Winter Wonderland

Remember those pictures from just a few weeks ago? Well this is what it now looks like where I live...




All I can say is, hopefully Seattle will have better weather! I only have one more day of work after today and the thought makes me a little giddy. I can't wait to sit and relax and have a break from life in Halchita.

Favorite...

Christmas movies of all time:

1. Miracle on 34th Street...the old version even though I will agree that the remake was done reasonably well
2. Elf..."I like to whisper too"
3. A Charlie Brown Christmas
4. Home Alone 1 & 2...who doesn't love movies about kids who get to live on their own?!?
5. Muppets Christmas Carol...probably my favorite of all the Christmas Carol movies
6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas...the old animated one not the new one (this category could also include the old animated Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph)
7. It's a Wonderful Life

Plus I always love the lifetime and hallmark and ABC Family movies that come on all season long! I can't help but love good Christmas movies!

Every year I think it would be fun to make Christmas presents...and every year around this time, I start to regret that decision. Most years, I just give up and take a trip to Target but unfortunately I do not have that luxury this year. So I am a crafting machine.

The good news-I am incredibly close to being finished with everything. The bad news-there is no way that the majority of people on my Christmas list will ever get their presents on time.

But I am pretty proud of what I came up with this year-I'll post pictures once everyone has actually received their gifts so that I don't ruin the surprise.

(Update-it is still snowing and the kids inform me that it will continue through tomorrow-why doesn't UT ever have snow days?!?!)

Snow Angels

Remember how I live in the desert and it isn't supposed to snow? Well this morning I woke up to a good 4 inches on the ground. The kids here are pumped because they never get snow but I feel like I just can't quite escape the bad winters!

At least in 8 days, I'll be on a plane to see some of my family. And I'll get to hold this sweet girl again!

Last night I dreamt that my aunt and uncle gave my mom loads of money to help her get out of debt. She gave some to me and right after I paid off my school loans, I quit my job. And I was so relieved to have all of my options open again.

I kinda wish that I was still young when anything in the world seemed possible. I kinda wish that I had unlimited resources of time and money to figure things out. I kinda wish that I didn't have to be "grown-up" and work a "grown-up" job. And I kinda wish a lot that last nights dream were real.

Sometimes when I am bored, I google random things just to see what turns up. And sometimes something amazing turns up, like yesterday when I found this picture:

That's right...a picture of me, Texann, and Eliza from freshman year in the Cannon Center. It's kinda creepy to think that there might be other random pictures of me floating around out there in the internet world.

Another hour please....

I went to bed at 8:30 last night-8:30!!!!
I was just laying around reading a book on the couch and I woke up later in the night and realized that the last thing I remembered was looking at my watch and thinking I could just close my eyes for a few minutes because it was too early to go to bed.
So why I am still tired this morning? Is it possible to be tired because you get too much sleep? But then why did I fall asleep on the couch if I didn't need the sleep? I should have just gone to medical school so I would have the answers to these types of questions.
Of course, if I went to medical school then I probably would never sleep and this question wouldn't even apply to me. Life is so confusing.

SLC Part 2

We also went to the First Presidency Christmas devotional on Sunday (we spent a lot of time on temple square). I made friends with the old lady that was sitting next to me and she filled me in on all the past Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concerts that I should buy on DVD. She was really cute. As was Elder Eyring...his tales of the Christmas pageants were so sweet. It reminded me of our family Christmas pageants with all my cousins. We still have one and every year the older cousins are still recruited to be angels and shepherds. I usually put up a big fuss but after hearing his talk it made me want to be a part of it this year. I think I could be a pretty good angel or shepherd!

I went to SLC this past weekend to do some holiday shopping and pick up my new (and free) washer and dryer. We spent most of the first day at the temple:


Me and Angie-my bff in Blanding...


That's right, we are dorks and are spelling out words...but we did come from Blanding so we can't be held completely responsible


Me, Angie, Jake, and Thomas...pretty much the only people I hang out with that live anywhere near me!

Conversation with a 10-year old

The following conversation occured yesterday at approximately 4:45 when I was pulling into Angie's house in Blanding:

(To set the scene...As I pull up to Angie's house there are two little kids sitting on a 4-wheeler in front of her house looking very concerned...I get out of the car)

10-year old: Excuse me, are you a friend of Angie's?
Me: Yeah, do you need her for something?
10: Yeah, well we lost our cow and we were just wondering if she had seen it.
Me: Did you say you lost your cow?
10: Yeah, our black one.
Me: Okay, I'll go check with her, hold on.

(At which point, I go inside, wake up Angie from her nap, start laughing uncontrollably finally get the story out just to find out she has not seen the cow and go back outside)

Me: No, she hasn't seen your cow.
10: Oh no...the thing is, she's pregnant.
Me: So what you are saying is your pregnant cow is on the loose.
10: Yeah, we think she might have run away to go see her cow boyfriend.
Me: Right-makes perfect sense. I'll have Angie watch out for your pregnant cow who may or may not be with her boyfriend and I'll tell her to call you if she sees her/them.

Next thought-only in Blanding, UT are there kids riding around on 4-wheelers looking for their pregnant cow. I'll miss that kind of entertainment when I leave.

The Hills are Alive

I realized that I don't post many pictures of where I actually live...so here it is:

Beautiful? Always

Remote? Incredibly

Awe-inspiring? Frequently

Lonely? Often


There are so many things that I love about living here...if only it wasn't so far away from everyone! Every time I look out my window, I am reminded of how much I have to be grateful for and how amazing our world truly is. Every time I go outside and am surrounded by peace and quiet, I am reminded of how important it is to take time to truly listen. And every time I see a sunset and sunrise, I am reminded of how precious life truly is. I'm grateful for these gentle reminders each and every day.

Things to be thankful for:
1. My camera is working again-as you may be able to tell from the above picture of my decorated Christmas tree!
2. My hot water is turned on again and I was able to have a nice hot shower today
3. Wal-mart online where you can download all of your pictures and order prints without ever leaving your own home
4. The internet in general where you can find delicious recipes even when you have no food left in your house (I made a yummy foccacia bread last night...which was pretty much the only kind of bread I could make without eggs and milk)

Thoughts for Today:

1. Not having hot water sucks-it makes it incredibly hard to both take a shower and do dishes which means that I am not a happy camper today
2. Those wooden mind-teaser puzzles also suck-if there are no directions, how will I ever know how to put them back together again?
3. Writing letters to the men and women serving are country definitely does not suck, in fact, it is pretty awesome-I just followed this link which made it incredibly easy to send something
4. I love pomegranate flavored things and pomegranate smelly things-I just started burning one and it is amazing
5. Since water is essential for life, why don't I like it more?
6. Seeing people who are happy to see me makes me happy-does that make me completely self-centered?
7. If you want a good laugh, read some deep thoughts by jack handey...I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my chair!

Bonus! More About Me

I couldn't resist...seriously, it was impossible

ABC:
A- Attached or Single? Single
B- Best Friend? Megan, Morgan, Jessica, Nicole, Angie
C- Cake or Pie? Cake...especially chocolate ones
D- Day of choice? Saturday's because I get to sleep in and do nothing!
E- Essential item? Cell phone/computer/internet/good book
F- Favorite color? It used to be either blue or green but I'm starting to move towards like maroon and robin egg blue's
G- Gummy bears or worms? Worms for sure, especially when they are part of that mud dessert thing with pudding and cookie crumbles
H- Hometown? I guess Brunswick, MD even though I wasn't born there and have been away for many years
I- Favorite Indulgence? Cheesecake...and Jane Austen marathons
J- January or July? Tricky...I like January because it comes after Christmas and I'm still motivated to be doing good but the snow kinda sucks but then July is super hot but it does include fireworks which I am completely supportive of
K- Kids? I don't have any but I usually like them (if you catch me on a hard work day I may claim differently!)
L- Life isn't complete without? Good friends, loving families, and great conversations
M- Marriage date? I'm going to go with sometime in 2010 but I have to meet the guy fist so that isn't definite!
N- Number of brothers and sisters? 1 older brother, 2 younger sisters, 1 younger brother, 1 younger foster brother, 1 younger foster sister, 1 step-brother, 1 step-sister...and throw in a sister-in-law and a brother-in-law
O- Oranges or Apples? Oranges if someone else is peeling them for me
P- Phobia and fears? Losing someone I love, heights, plane crashes, spiders
Q- Quote? For today-"Comparison is the thief of happiness"
R- Reasons to smile? An unexpected phone call, a funny movie, the Christmas season
S- Season of choice? Fall all the way
T- Tag 3 people: Nah-I don't want to make anyone else do these...I understand that just because I love things doesn't mean that everyone does!
U- Unknown fact about me: I don't know how to whistle even though I attempt it frequently
V- Vegetable? Sweet potatoes...it's my latest obsession
W- Worst Habit? Probably biting my nails, or not exercising
X - Ray or Ultrasound? Well I've never had an x-ray so I can't really compare the two but I thought the ultrasound was pretty awesome
Y- Your favorite food? Potatoes or chocolates
Z- Zodiac sign? Taurus...obviously

I have a new favorite show...right up there with Wicked and Phantom of the Opera. Aida. I went to go see it last week at the Hale Theater in Orem and it was fantastic.

The music was awesome, the choreography beautiful, and the story endearing. Within the first five minutes of the show, I was obsessed. Who doesn't love a good story about forbidden love?