It's beginning to look a lot like Chistmas!

Friday Jerry and I went to Salt Lake to go to Modern Display before heading home. It is such a cool store!! They have the prettiest Christmas decorations and lights!! We bought some and then headed home. Once we got home, Jerry and I decorated my mom's grave. It turned out so pretty, but I would still like to get some solar powered lights to put up...we haven't been able to find any yet.

We ate dinner with Bart, Rani, Tayler and her boyfriend. Played a little poker and then we went to my cousins GED graduation. He was the Salvadorian, and we are very proud of him.

After the graduation we went back to Bart and Rani's for some more poker. I won one round and Rani won the rest!

My dad had asked me earlier that day to make something for the V.F.W bake sale that was going to be on Saturday. I didn't get home till around one in the morning and I began baking. I made way more than I had ever planned. I made Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Giant Honey CornBread Muffins and Jalapeno Corn Bread Muffins. I felt it was for a good cause, and I hope it helped them out some.

Saturday, my dad, Penny and I went up in the mountains to cut down a Christmas Tree. We walked FOREVER! Finally we found a giant beautiful tree. My dad wasted no time, and soon enough we were back at the truck and loading up the tree. We ate lunch together and then headed home to decorate!

My mom and I use to decorate the inside while my dad decorated the outside. Last year my friend Katie helped me decorate the inside...it was such a hard time for me, I think that Christmas just happened to be my rebellion against my mom's death. I decorated the tree with red lights, even though my mom and I had been decorating our tree with purple lights for the last ten years. I hated the tree last year. I.hated.it!

This year, I decorated the inside for the most part alone. I wanted to make it exactly the way my mom did. I put so many lights on the tree, I wanted it to be perfect. I hung all ornaments and put bows on the ends of the branches. I think it turned out so beautiful. But, it was hard! I cried while decorating the tree alone, because it use to be such a special time for my mom and I. Finally Jerry came over and helped me decorate everything else. I began putting all of our special Christmas decorations on to the mantle, and began hanging some stringed pine cones that my mom always had on the mantle. Somehow the pine cones pulled everything else off the mantle, and it all came crashing down. Glass flew everywhere, and I tried so hard to hold my tears in. Luckily only two things broke. But it killed me inside as my mom's precious decorations broke. One of the items was a mouse sitting in front a fire place that had a candle holder in the back, it shattered in a million pieces. I picked up all the pieces and put it back together in hopes that I could super glue it back together. The other was a Santa music box and it broke in three pieces and it will easily be glued back together. This morning my dad threw away all of the broken pieces to the mouse and the fireplace, he told me there is no way we could possibly glue all of the pieces back together. I was heart broken. Jerry was so sweet, and told me he would fix the Santa music box. Jerry also helped me by decorating the stairway railing. He spent a lot of time on it and it turned out very pretty.

Even Stanley was in the Christmas mood. He loved this tiny stocking

The railing, the tree and the mantle.

Pretty Tree and Mickey and Minne!

Today, my dad, Penny, Maddie (Penny's daughter), Jerry and I all ate a big breakfast and dinner together. I am so thankful to have them in my life. I couldn't possibly make it without them. We also put up some more decorations outside and it was a freezing five degrees!!! So cold!! This is the last week of school before Christmas break. I have two finals, and then I am home free! I can't wait. Wish me luck on my math and political science finals. I can't wait to be home with my dad and to celebrate Christmas with everyone who means so much to me! I will be working at the court house over the break, that'll be fun! I hope Christmas is showing up at your house. Tonight it is about 10 degrees in Ogden and the snow will be here soon! :)

Comical Relief During Finals Week!

What would I do without him?

Jerry Playing the Air Guitar and singing.

Thanksgivings

Whew, we are finally back from Oregon! My dad, my sister, Jerry, my uncle and three of my cousins began our trek to Oregon last Wednesday, and stayed there until yesterday. It was so much! I am so glad that we were all able to get together and catch up. Let me tell you about some of the memories we made.

First of all, we took lots of pictures. This lead to the hilarious discovery of Max's (my cousin's dog) obsession with the light from the camera. He would jump for the camera, plow his nose into the carpet and beg like a seal. He is so cute!! And I will post pictures soon of him!!

Next, my sister and I found out that we have the ability to make Thanksgiving dinner. With the help from our Aunt Kim and Aunt Sherida the dinner turned out so delicious!

We played Phase Ten a million times. And we even played a new game, Quelf....it was a lot of fun!

We looked at my Aunt Kim's scrapbooks to remind us of all our memories of the past. We all squished together in the living room to watch a movie. We ate turkey sandwiches, visited my grandparent's grave and loved every minute together.

The time for us to leave came quickly. Jerry and I are back at school and we only have a week and three days until Christmas break!!! Oh I can't wait! There is so much to do, including five test, 1 quiz and a few assignments! Ay ay ay! But I'll get through it! I can't wait until Christmas break, and this weekend we will be putting up our Christmas tree!!!! :) I've been looking forward to it since Halloween! No joke! I hope that you have found yourself as thankful as I have this Thanksgiving!! Pictures are soon to come!!!

Stressful Monday

Due to the shortened holiday week (which I am very thankful for), I have a ton of homework, including a ten page paper, 5 math assignments, 2 Excel assignments, and 2 articles to read. Ay ay ay eh? It'll be okay, because once everything is done we get to drive ten hours to Oregon to see my aunts, uncles and cousins for Thanksgiving!!! I am so excited to see them. I just love having everyone together for Thanksgiving. I love saying the prayer before the meal, where we all hold hands and thank God for everything. I just can't wait, I am so stinkin' excited!!

*In other news:

-It snowed a ton last night....and it took Jerry and I almost 2 hours to get to Ogden, which usually only takes an hour. It's so so pretty though.

- Jerry got his wisdom teeth pulled on Friday. He was quite comical, as he was drugged while I drove us back to Evanston.

-Penny, my dad, Jerry and I had prime rib for dinner last night, it was so good!!!

Well, that's it for now. Homework is calling my name, and I can't procrastinate much longer. :P

Thankful Thusday

Today in my Environmental Appreciation class we discussed, our environment and problems facing the situation such as, conflicting points of view, the government, religion...ect. But if we all just do the "right" thing, won't everything be okay? Won't everything turn out the way it is suppose to? The sad thing is, our view of the "right" thing differs. Some of us are never really taught to do the"right" thing. We don't realize our impact on our environment, the people around us and ourselves. Some of us don't see the power we truly have within ourselves, some don't see a problem and some of us are afraid of change. But, nevertheless, we are ruining the world we live in. There are a lot of things we could do to protect this sacred place. We could, use alternative fuel sources, solar panels, recycle more and protect places like tropical rain forests. The truth is, this has never been a major interest in my life. But I want to make the place I live a better place and even more I want to make sure that my kids, grand kids and great grand kids will be able to experience the earth as I have experienced. Today I am thankful for this beautiful earth that I live on. Without it, I simply wouldn't exist.

In relation, I believe we all have it within our selves to make a difference. I mean look at;

*Jesus

*Mother Teresa

*Martin Luther King Jr.

*My sweet momma.

*Lance Armstrong

*J.K Rowling

And so many more.

I think it is important to work towards what we believe in. I don't think it is necessary to "convert" someone to our way of thinking, but rather to influence people toward the common good. I am thankful for all those influential people in the world.

I am also thankful for the Lord today...and everyday. I am thankful for the morals I have made for my self, and those in which my parents instilled within me. I am thankful for the happiness that my parents have given me. I love them with all my heart.

In my favorite move, Legally Blonde, at the end, Elle Woods says, "It is with passion, courage of conviction, and strong sense of self that we take our next steps into the world, remembering that first impressions are not always correct. You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself." I am so thankful that I have the faith within my self to fulfill my goals and the faith in others to help me get through my journey as I help those around me through theirs. :)

I miss you and I love you to Heaven and back.

One year, 365 days, 8760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds without her. One year ago today my mom flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels. For her, this must be an exciting time. For us, it's a tough day.

I can't express how much I miss her. I can't tell you how badly I miss the phone calls and the little notes that she would leave me. I miss

her voice, her clothes, her smell and her sense of humor. I miss her encouraging words, but at the same time I can feel them all the same. I know she's been with me today, keeping me strong. There have been a few times today that I have wanted to cry, but I know that she is holding back the tears. It makes it easier, if that's even possible. I woke up several times last night, and just thought about things. I thought about the look on my dad's face as we met in the elevator one year ago today as he told me that my mom had died. I denied it, I kept wanting him to tell me that he was joking, really it was just a surprise visit. I thought about how hard it was for me to admit to people especially my best friend, Katie, that she was truly gone. I thought about how much I hated sitting in the funeral home picking out a casket. I had the most horrible head ache that day. Our amazing friends and family had all brought over of delicious food, none of it that I wanted to eat. There were so many people there that we don't normally see, and I had wished it was a celebration rather than the passing of my mo

m. But I guess, it was a celebration, she went to be with Jesus, eternally.

I can't believe that it has been a year, the time has passed so quickly. Experiencing everything without her like, Christmas, New Years, her birthday, my birthday, Easter, 4th of July, my parents anniversary and vacations was incredibly tough. I know that the Lord has gotten us through it. He makes some days go faster than others, so that we can simply make it through. I am ever so thankful to have God to lead me through my days, to make me strong and to be there for my dad and my sister when I cannot. But I know my mom better than most can claim, and I know this isn't what she would want me to write about on a day like today. This should be a celebration of her life. Let me tell you a little about this special momma of mine.

*She was the most beautiful person I've ever seen. Inside.and.out.

*Her smile was contagious.

*She was so wise and the gave the best advice.

*She would take anyone in. My best friend, my uncle, a

stranger off the street.

*She was so funny. She could have you peeing your pants from laughter, 2 minutes after bawling your eyes out.

*She could sing any song beautifully.

*She like watching LMN (Lifetime Movie Network), we called it Laura's Movie Network.

*She loved giving our cat Oliver B. massages.

*She loved to cuddle with Stanley.

*She loved the days my sister came to visit.

*She loved decorating for Christmas.

*She loved to ground me from Jerry so that we (my mom and I) could spend some time together.

*She loved having me do her hair and getting ba

ck massages.

*She like to tease my dad about his nose and ears. She would measure them with her fingers and tell him they were huge.

*She loved going on vacations.

*She liked to wear a shirt that matched my dress every time I went to a school dance.

*She loved to challenge people to find a song that she didn't know the words, lyrics and artist to.

*She loves me and I love her, and that's was simply matters most.

Celebrate today by cuddling with your kitty, kissing your mom, making delicious meal or listening to some 70's music. Because I know that if there are kitty's, ovens and 70's music in Heaven, my mom is doing that exact thing right now.

I am so very thankful to have my beautiful Guardian Angel in Heaven, I call her mom.

Keep my family in your prayers today. We'll make it through today, and eventually when it is our turn to meet Jesus and my sweet momma at the gates of Heaven we will rejoice. The longer the wait the better the reunion...right?

Vegas

Riding in the car while Jerry drove. The sun was so bright, and I forgot sun glasses.

Last Tuesday Jerry, my dad, Taylor, Penny and I headed to Vegas for a HUGE car show. It's called SEMA and it is one of the largest car shows in America. There were so many cars there. We spent all day there Wednesday and Thursday. We saw so many cars! It was really pretty cool, and Jerry and Taylor especially enjoyed it. Personally I rather spend my time elsewhere. Nonetheless, it was an experience that not a lot of people can say they experienced, mostly because only a select few people are able to go. We were able to get tickets because Jerry is an automotive student and SEMA was offering the tickets to the auto students at Weber. Luckily we all sort of *snuck* in. :) While in Vegas we did a lot of other things, we celebrated Taylor's 18th birthday, we went to an oxygen bar, ate at nice restaurants, saw the Lions at the MGM, won a thousand tickets at an arcade, laughed really hard and got A LOT of free stuff. It was so much fun, and I am glad we went. I got to spend some extra time with my dad, and I got to get to know Penny better. On the way home my dad and Penny hit a deer. :( Hopefully she can get her car fixed soon....darn deer. The only down fall of the whole trip is.......so SO much homework. I'm getting a little nervous because we don't have much longer left in the semester, only about four weeks. :S But I know we'll be okay, I'll be okay. I always seem to pull it together at the last minute. :) Luckily!

The lion at the MGM. So so cute!

Grumpy Taylor.

HUGE truck!