Starting fresh....

So this year is almost over.

I am very excited to turn a new page.

I like the idea of starting on a clean slate.

This post is here to say, Thanks 2007. You've been great.

The new colors and music to the blog is to kick off my new beginning.

Life is short, so we need to live it up as much as we can...as long as we can be responsible and trustworthy in the process.

Everyday is a new adventure, but life is a journey.

So look out world, here I come. I'm gonna take everyday as it comes and never look back.

I know where I stand and what I believe in.

Life is rich and vibrant and we were sent here to take it all in one step at a time......

AND I INTEND TO DO IT!

It's a Wonderful Life!

No, I'm not talking about the movie! I'm just talking about my life in general! I am so greatly blessed that it's almost hard to believe! My Christmas was so fun! Santa was very generous this year and took care of me..just like i knew he would. Here are a couple pictures of my awesome Christmas celebration!

Here mom is busy at work in the kitchen while Frank watches...smacking his lips at the aroma of the honey-baked ham.

Dear ole' Daddy-o read me and Nick "Twas' the night before Christmas" on Christmas Eve. Okay, so Bridget is on the activities committee in her ward ..therefore she was in charge of the ward Christmas party. She brought over these decorations to use in our house to make it look more festive. Unfortunately, I was a sucker and they caught me shaking the boxes to see if I could guess what was inside. As it turns out, I just got a plateful of embarrassment ..because they were EMPTY!

This is my lovely stocking! You can't see everything that's inside but let's just say that I got a lot of candy, gum, and other really fun goodies!

Here's Ally baba with one of the bows off her present!

I think Ally had a lot of fun with that bow!

WAY too much fun with that bow!I tried to take a picture with Brinky, but I guess she really wasn't in the mood!

Okay, so I've been raving to Santa about how much I would like an acoustic electric guitar this year. Santa reminded me that our budget was a lot smaller this year, so I had accepted the fact that I might not get one. But dear old Santa, he still came through and surpised me so much! I love you!
My wonderful grandma, knows that I am madly in love with Charlie Brown so she decided to buy me this card that plays the charlie brown theme song on the inside!
MMMM..santa also knew that I love hot cheetos! So I found these in my stocking!

I have been out of perfume for a really long time. Now I can finally smell sweet again!

Okay, so this isn't exactly my gift! But Nick got a really cool nerf target shooting thing, and it was pretty fun! I think I'll try and be just as good of a marksman (or markswoman) as my daddy!
My Christmas was so fun this year! I am eternally grateful for all I have been blessed with and for the time I got to spend with my family!!! Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

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Finally!

So school is pretty much over for the semester! YES! I don't think that anyone can understand how dad gum excited I am! (Dad gum just slipped, I think i've been around my sunday school teachers too much! :] Hey bro. pete, give it a little shakey shake! :] )

ANYWAYS, to celebrate the upcoming holiday, I created this inspired work of art! (me and brinky were playing with play-do!)

If you couldn't tell, it's a lil play do nativity scene. Speaking of Nativities, I wanted to take this opportunity to let you all know how grateful I am for the true meaning of Christmas. I was blessed enough to participate in Rob Moffat's Oratorio called the Nativity and it was so amazing! The spirit was so strong that it was nearly overwhelming! I'm so thankful for my lord and redeemer, even Jesus Christ. He is my light and my song and I know that he's the one who's given me the strength to stand in holy places and not be moved. I love the savior, I love this holiday season, and I love the joy and peace that come from spending time with the family and friends that I so greatly adore! I love you all. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Isn't it about time?

I am TIRED.....

WORN-OUT...........

EXHAUSTED........

AT WITT'S END!

Aka I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ready for school to be over with for the semester!

I think the first hint I got that I needed sleep was when I was sauntering to my bed and saw this:

Actually , Nick staged this one but it phsyced me out for the milisecond that I believed it!!!!!!

You may ask........Why the tiredness all of the sudden?!

Well the answer to that my friend, lies in the name of one book alone.......and that is HUCKLEBERRY FINN!!!

I'm not sure how many of you know this but I DO NOT enjoy reading as a pasttime! I have to be constantly doing something with my body to keep me entertained. (I apologize to the book club lovers out there) but a 300 pg. novel just isn't for me!!!!

I have been up so late the past couple of nights that it is not even funny! Here are a couple of the things that have gone through my mind as I've read this book:

I'm no rebel, but destruction of school property sounds pretty enticing at the moment!!!!!!!!!!

On the other hand, I could tell Mrs. Barker that my dog didn't eat my homework...he ate my entire novel!!!!!

Don't we just love school?! Well...i'm too tired tonight for any more sarcasm so I'm turning in!

Audios muchachos!

Some Christmasy things you may not know about me!

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, copy this and paste it when you're creating a new post and delete the answers I wrote and fill in your own... and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! 'Tis the Season to be NICE!


Merry Christmas

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? I personally enjoy tearing the paper to shreds!
2. Real tree or artificial? I enjoy real trees, but my family insists we use the artificial one we already own!
3. When do you put up your tree? Usually right after Thanksgiving
4. When do you take down your tree? After the wild party that we have for New Years!
5. Do you like eggnog? Uncle Dan has tried his best to get me to drink it with him every year...but it's not my favorite!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I think I was considered a child about 6 years back..probably my guitar that Bridget gave me!
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Not yet, but we're working on it.
8. Hardest person to buy for? Grandpa Ray, I think we've already bought every golf-related gift possible over the years!
9. Easiest person to buy for? Brinky and Ally...they'll play with almost anything!
10. Worst Christmas gift you've ever received? I've been pretty happy with my gifts up until this point.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Me and Mom usually hit up the friendly neighborhood walmart and make our own cards at the kiosk..so we mail them!

12. Favorite Christmas movie? Elf, Muppet christmas carol (oy heatwave! Tis' my island in the sun!), polar express, and the Santa Claus movies.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? My family believes in survival of the fittest and fight the crowds on black friday every year. There was an old lady in the back of Kohls who had a stroke, probably from high blood pressure or something! Not to mention Bid had to tackle people at Kmart for a pink&pretty bike for Brinky!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? If passing around a beef stick back and forth all year long counts.....then yes. We even baked it into Bridget's birthday cake once!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? I can't argue with Aaron on this one! Grandma A's apple pie and buns!! Any baked good she touches turns to gold!
16. White or colored lights? Definitely white...it reminds me of snow and the angels.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Do you hear what I hear and away in a manger.
18. Traveling for Christmas or stay home? There's no place like home for the holidays!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? You know dasher and dancer and prancer and vixen! Comet and cupid and Donnor and blitzen! And of course rudolph! (are you sure you were too lazy to answer that question Aaron? Or have you secretly forgotten their names over the years?!)
20. Angel or Star on top of tree? Star now, but mom used to have a hobby of making an angel every year for the tree.
21. Open presents Christmas Eve or Morning? Christmas morning once the parentals wake up...this usually takes a while.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? How LONG it is taking for school to finally get over!!!
23. Favorite Holiday Traditions? Definitely just spending time with my fam Christmas morning and going on our yearly ski trip to Utah to visit our peeps there! You guys rock!
24. What I love most about Christmas? Catching up with my family. I think we all forget how blessed we are to have each other throughout the year because life get's so hectic. I know that I was gone with Charlie Brown for months, and now Nick is starting music man, and Dad has a lot of work , and mom and biddy are always busy being full time caretakers for the rest of us ,and Wes doggy has been in school...but I just can't wait for everybody to be together for the holidays! I love you all so much!

Baby it's cold outside!!!

I think one of the reasons I love the holidays so much is

because of all the yumminess that we are all so blessed to consume!

(Even if we do gain a couple pounds in the process!)

And I'm not talking about sugar plums....

but HOT CHOCOLATE!

I whipped up a couple mug-fulls tonight for my family

using my friend's secret recipe, (thx matt!) and it was

AMA-ZA-ZAZING!

What's the secret? Well that's for you to wonder about, and me to know! :]

Hot chocolate....oh! We got it!

Ally!

I officially decided today that Ally is a LOUNGE HOUND!

Oh chubsy!

All Hail Suanne!

For those of you who don't know ...Suanne is the director of the outback theater over at Mesa Community College. This means that she runs the Magic of Musical Theater Workshop that has been running for twenty years now!

Anyways, the original age limit on that workshop was people going into their sophomore year of highschool...which was me last year! The end of workshop last year got me and dear Rachy poo and Melia very sad because it marked my last year participating in it!

Now, 5 months later I show up to voice lessons with Linsey tellling me, "Guess what! Suanne bumped up the age limit and you can do it for two more years!" I nearly jumped out of my shoes and was ready to run 50 miles out of sheer excitement!

So in honor of this momentous occasion in history, here's a clip of what goes on backstage, (or in the bathroom) of musical theater workshop!

Ps- Please note Rach Dogg tripping on "achey brakey heart"! It is so cute! I love you!

Tis the season....

So this has nothing to do with Christmas..but I wanted to share this video with you! It's a video of my dear freshman junior high seminary teacher doing his "high kick"! I love it!!!

Now that we've all laughed a little bit, here is a more serious topic....

Sadly, on the night of..(whenever it was) I Calli Anderson ruined the gingerbread cookies I tried sooooo hard to make!

(Mom quickly told me that I should spray them with lacquer and make them into Christmas ornaments) :{

They make look tasty as they are shown here....but oh contraire!

Dad walked in , took a bite of one of the poor excuses of a cookie, and says "Are these sugar free?" Anyways..since I couldn't eat them I decided to take a picture and (sorry mom)

play with my food!

Oh well, I guess I better keep working at it...or my future family will be eatin' flash-frozen dinners each night! Mmmm.....