Girls Night Out

All the girls went out after work one night to celebrate all the August & September birthdays.

It was fun to get away from the "work" atmosphere, and have a little fun.

(not that we don't at work! :)

Amy, Britt, Katie, Tiff C, Nicole, Tiff H, Jenny, Amber, & Joey

Amy, Nicole (in the back), Britt & Katie

Jenny, Amber, & Joey

Jenny, Amber, Joey, Jackie, (Nicole's friend), Nicole, Amy, & Britt

I work with some awesome women. Gotta love friends! They keep us going! :)

Good Friends....

... are a blessing.

I am Blessed!

While Katie M. was in town, we took the opportunity to get together for lunch.

Tiff S, Katie M, Katie B., Amy E., Amy Jo S.

Good Times!

Thanks Girls! I Love Ya!

Be Still My Soul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOus45dorPU I was "in the mood" for this song today.... Did a youtube search and lo and behold this version by Nicol Sponberg was there. She has been a favorite of mine for about a year now, love her voice, and I have followed her blog since the passing of her son. Then the Irony.... her 2 month old infant son that she lost to SIDS just so happened to leave this earth 1 year ago today. I think she needed this song today more than I. My daily dose of a reality check............

BYU Women's Conference 09

I was blessed and privileged enough to get to go and spend 3 days with these awesome women.

A tradition I look forward to every year...... We....

reminisced, laughed, reunited, laughed, learned, laughed, Diets were not allowed, and most importantly...

We were spiritually fed.

Julie (cousin), Mom, Ashley (sister), Amy Jo (sister-in-law), Katie

Katie, Amy Jo, Julie, Ashley

I ran into one of my totally awesome best friends from High School... Buffey... of whom, yes, I do still see on occasion.... just not enough.

Katie, Amy Jo, Ashley, & Mom.

I have said it before, and I will say it again. You NEED to go.... make it a priority, you will not regret it.

My Number's Up...

You Are 7: The Enthusiast

You are outgoing and playful - always seeing the happy side to life. You're enthusiastic and excitable. You love anything new. Multi-talented, you do many things well... and find success easy. You prefer to keep things light with others. Opening up is hard for you. At Your Best: You are deeply involved in each experience. You appreciate life for what it is, and you take the time to enjoy each moment. At Your Worst: You are greedy, self centered, impulsive, and insatiable. Your Fixation: Gluttony Your Primary Fear: Deprivation and pain Your Primary Desire: To be satisfied and content Other Number 7's: Howard Stern, Cameron Diaz, Robin Williams, Jim Carey, and Jenny McCarthy.

What Number Are You?

Flashback Friday

Thanks to Facebook.... I am on a serious High School kick...... So these are from Senior year.

The ever famous "Living Room" shot before leaving for the "Big Dance". This one was homecoming 1991. Yes, I have the ones with my date.... they will come later with a post about dances.

Some friends and I went to Vegas for our senior trip. Had a blast.... and did things I can't believe I did. How freakin stupid.... Like picking up these guys on the Las Vegas Boulevard, going for a ride with them in their hot mustang convertible, and then back to their hotel room at the Luxor. Seriously.... I would strangle my 18 year old daughter if she ever did anything so stupid. We are lucky we survived.

Again.... the trip to Vegas. What a blast. Great memories. Awesome friends. Let's do it again girls!

Flashback Friday - Before and After

Gotta love Before and After shots.... usually.

These I do not like.....

Senior Pictures..... taken in the fall of 1991.

Fall of 1992 (I think)

After Chemo.... had this taken as a little momento of what it did to my hair.... but hey, at least I still had some left! Most can't say that!

What a difference a year makes..... I can see it in my face too... but maybe that's just because I know what it did to me.

Flashback Friday

** A friend has started Flashback Friday on her blog.... and I loved the idea.... so this is the first of many to come**

Jen & Buff

My two best friends through childhood and High School.... I can't say enough about them. They are one of the reasons I had such a great childhood.

They kept me good, and made it easy to make good choices. I Love them both to this day.

Katie, Melanie, Buffey, Jen, & Sharla

Katie, Buffey, & Jen (in the slide)

These pictures were taken at the Syracuse Elementary "Big Toy" as it was called. I am guessing these were taken in the fall of 1991.

Jen, Buff, & Katie

Katie, Buff, & Jen

Seriously ugly hair...... I can't believe I left the house like that. I remember these were impromptu photos. On a Sunday afternoon. We had fun, but man...... Nasty hair.

Nuclear Medicine???

For some reason.... those two words just don't seem like they should even go together.

NOT AT ALL.

Medicine that's Nuclear? Seriously?

But yes, they do. And I had the "privilege" of spending the last 2 days with it/them.

Thursday morning I had an appointment at 10 am to swallow 2 capsules that had to be flown in from Chicago, cuz it's not just something they keep around any pharmacy..... they were labeled as "radio active" and I had to SWALLOW them. Talk about freak you out.

(This test was to help them decide whether the "Nodules" on my Thyroid are Cysts or Cancer.)

This particular test then measures the amount of "Nuclear Medicine" that my thyroid absorbs. If it's a normal amount, they are probably just cysts. If it's an enormous amount, then Cancer..... that always makes for a great week.

But the results were good. Probably just cysts.... because my Thyroid had "Normal Uptake". Guess we will see the specialist on the 3rd and go from there.

Thank goodness for small little miracles.

And if I'm "glowing"..... I most certainly am NOT pregnant. I'm just radio active. wheww....

The Best Gifts.....

.... are the ones from the heart.

This one was from Kassie for Christmas.

A Scrapbook all about Me.....

I know you can't read it.... she used a silver metallic pen. So I will tell you.... exactly how she worded it and spelled it. Each line is a different page.....

"Love's to ride horses.... very pritty"

"Love's flowers and the smell of Tulippes"

"Conpleatley loves scrapbooking"

"Her faviret animal is a monkey."

"Funny"

"Cute"

"Careable"

"Loves to go camping with friends and family."

"good hearted"

"I love you 1 and a 1,000,000."

Now that is a great Christmas present! It made me Cry. What a sweetheart.... I love you 1 and a 1,000,000 too Kass!

Gage's Photo Shoot

Gage got ahold of my little camera last night.....

I was obviously distracted.

Gottta love the outfit....

(and the fingers in the way of the lens)

No makeup.... (with my adult acne problem. geez!)

and singing songs together....

not lovely..... but fun. (man, I love that kid's belly laugh)

Sunday & Music

I didn't go to church today with the best attitude.

There were many things that contributed to my attitude today, that we won't get into, but needless to say.... I just plain didn't want to be there.

What is it with these little children? How is it they know what you need, and have innocent answers that you need to hear? Who ever said that the adults can't get anything from a primary lesson? A simple lesson on how we CTR by keeping the commandments can put things in perspective.... it really can be that easy if we let it.

Sacrament Meeting was just as great.... with 4 prospective elders speaking about the savior and singing a couple of songs that you can't help but feel the spirit.

Which brings me to what I have been pondering since Church.....

MUSIC

What is it with music that touches me? In essence.... it's just words. Words have not had much meaning to me in life. Anyone can say anything, but it's the actions behind them that mean the most to me. Actions are what speak to me.... so I can't help but wonder why music has a way to reach my soul? Words set to music..... but I love it.

Can you imagine a world without it?

I could go to church every week, and listen to nothing but music, and feel of the spirit, come away uplifted and taught of the gospel. Those that are blessed with that talent have been entrusted with a great responsibility from their Heavenly Father. What a blessing it is.

I look forward to great church meetings with Music. Thanks Layne for a great

Sacrament Meeting!

A STAR to Steer By.....

I have said before.... I don't like New Year's Resolutions. So I set goals. I know..... same thing.... but there is just something about a "Resolution".... it's resolute. I guess it makes me nervous and I am afraid of failure, so I avoid it. A goal just seems more like something you are "working towards", but it doesn't have to be "Resolved" in the end. So yes, I set some goals for the New Year. (We'll get to that in a minute) Today I received the following Email, from LDS Living Magazine and I wanted to share..... The fear of failing (again) to not reach our goals is the only thing that holds us from making them. But, as former Relief Society General President Barbara B. Smith put best, goals are STARS TO STEER BY, not sticks to beat yourself with. Here are some tips for effective steering: 1.Set realistic goals. It is easier to set a goal than execute one. Start small, and once you achieve your goal, you can extend it by adding another level. 2. Share goals with your spouse or a close friend and help each other follow through with your resolutions. Set a schedule for checking in and reporting your progress with each other. This will help you stay motivated and give you something fun to do with your friend! 3. Make a short list of resolutions. You'll be overwhelmed enough with one resolution; you won't need twenty to keep you busy. Sometimes people set numerous goals, hoping to achieve at least one of them, instead, they usually put a little effort into all of them and don't achieve any. Set one or two realistic goals, and follow through with them. 4. Even if you don't completely reach your goal, recognize the progress that you have made in working toward it. Feel proud of yourself for your accomplishment, and reward yourself accordingly! This article was meant for me today! I loved it, and thought some of you may like it too. So....... that being said..... My Goal for 2009 (besides my ususal I am ALWAYS working on) is to eat a little more Healthy and "GET FIT". (Yes, I had this goal BEFORE the little quiz) So for those of my friends reading this..... when you see me, ask me how it's going! The guilt of not being able to say GOOD is what is going to do it for me! Thank Goodness for Great Friends!

New Year's Day

I guess you could call it a tradition now...

It's the New Year Day Sale at Dillards.

I went last year, and got so many great deals I couldn't miss it again!

I got the girls all their Christmas Dresses for next year, coats, a couple outfits, some boots and 3 shirts for me! It was great retail therapy!

But when I got home I walked into our bedroom to this mess.......

Cory had found another leak in our radiant heat, and had our bedroom torn apart so he could fix it. ( and yes, I didn't make my bed again. get used to it.)

So the carpet was pulled back.....

and there was a big hole in my floor.

At least he can fix it himself and we don't have to pay for anyone else to come do it! What a guy.... he stayed home with the kids and worked his butt off all day! Thanks honey..... how'd I get so lucky?

Post Christmas Blues

Today I am having a little Christmas "Let Down" I guess you could call it. It's not really a depression, just sad to see it all end. I really enjoyed it this year. (strange since it started out like not feeling like Christmas to me, and feeling like I wanted another month before it came) I could have come away with not one gift for myself, and it would have been just as good. I LOVE that feeling of shopping for someone, and then giving it to them...... hoping it makes them happy. We really tried to have a more Christ centered Christmas this year, and more family activities. We spent more time than usual with each other, and I just don't want to see it end. I asked Cory last night... "Do you really have to go to work tomorrow?" I have really enjoyed just being at home with my family all day long, and soing activites and playing together day after day. I think we all should have this kind of "Vacation" every year. The kind where you stay at home, and everything else in life ceases, and you are just TOGETHER. Normal vacations consist of planning, traveling, running here or there to see this and that, and it's just busy and hectic. Not to mention a lot of work and money. I am liking the kind of Vacation where we just stay home and focus on each other and doing things together.

The WORST Job In The House

I absolutely HATE to clean the fridge. I would rather scrub bathrooms and toilets. When I am pregnant, it's Cory's job, cuz I would throw up..... too bad that will never happen again.

The "Before" Picture. (Notice how far away it is, so you don't really know how dirty it really is)

All empty, and getting a good cleaning.

Kambree wanted to help, so I put her to work at the sink washing out the door shelves and the crisper drawer. (She was actually a really good helper!)

The finished product. Ahhhhh, glad that's done..... for who knows how long. :D

Am I the only one who thinks this is the worst job in the house?

Just A Little Service.....

If you're looking for it! . . . . For those of you "Locals"..... It's time for our annual Cookie Exchange! . . . . We have over 50 sisters we take goodies to on Monday night, so we need all the support we can get! Please plan on attending! (And we'll have goodies for us to eat too! :)) . . . . *Dec 8th* *5:45pm* *At my Mom's house* . . . . Bring your favorite christmas cookie or treat to help us make goodie plates for the over 65 (in age) sisters in our ward and then take the plates home to deliver with your family for FHE!

4X4 Tag!

This is the 4th picture in my 4th folder.

I took this picture while we were camping up in Arbon Valley at some friends property. It was quite a bit farther away, so I cropped it, and edited it. I love it. He had no idea I was taking it...... those are the best kind! Blogger makes the color look a bit off.... it looks so much better printed.

I tag: 1) Anyone who hasn't done it! Git R Done! We want to see!

Another Reason

I have always thought myself to be a good speller. Not a PERFECT one, but I thought I was pretty good, and was kind of critical of others who I thought should know how to spell certain words.......

..... I STAND CORRECTED! Thanks to the cute little spell check button for our posts, I have found numerous mistakes..... and that is when I have remembered to check it! So I have found yet, Another Reason..... blogging is good for me!