Jessica

Such a beautiful Niece

2012-01-30T23:56:00.000-08:00

There she is enjoying our birthday cake--yum yum!
She didn't like being all dirty.
We had a little bit of distraction for Roo as she was able to wear the jewelry I was getting rid of. The cute thing was when we were in my room she wanted to wear all of it at the same time!

Sharing cake batter with Uncle Jordan!

"There is something special
About the child of your sister or brother
It is a wonderful kind of love
Unlike any other.

There is something special about
Someone that you have grown up with
And with whom you have shared hopes and dreams
And even playtime and maybe childish schemes...

It is so special
To see their dreams fulfilled
And hold their infant in your arms
An infant full of indescribable charm...

You feel the love bubble up inside
But when you try to describe this love
You realize that you can't....
That is the awesome thrill
of being an aunt!"

Pictures 17-29

2012-01-30T23:06:00.000-08:00

January 29--She absolutely loved the Boston Creme Pie cake Mom made for our birthday!
January 28--So right after Christmas time Mom and I were at Sam's Club. We came across a whole collection of Amaryllis flowers and they were all growing, but getting smashed in their boxes, so Mom and I freed them all by opening the boxes up. We took this one home and it is blooming so beautifully!
January 27--We went to Bozeman to watch Benny's race. Mom and I went to the restroom and I heard the hand dryer come on and heard silly Mom screaming. She then posed for a picture due to the high pressure of the dryer!
January 26--Dad had a sweet tooth so his solution was marshmallow mateys and mini chocolate chips!
January 25--It was the day of transfers which meant my elders from the MTC would be staying their last night in the mission field at the mission home. I cannot believe it is already time for them to come home, but I am so blessed with their friendships and am so proud of our elders. They all were such wonderful guys and great missionaries! Welcome home!!!
January 24--This is one of my favorite pictures of the savior which is funny because growing up it wasn't one I was impressed with. I always thought he seemed too cold in the picture. However I was reminded this day of my love for this picture. I remember sitting in the bishop's office when I was about 17 or so and he was on the phone for a moment so I was looking around the office. However there was this picture to my left on the wall and that time it touched me. As I sat looking at the eyes I felt so much love and realized that I looked forward to the day when I could be embraced in the arms of the savior and be able to express my gratitude for the sacrifice and great gift he has given to me, as well as all of us. I am so thankful that Jesus Christ loved Heavenly Father enough to be exactly obedient, that he could help us to overcome our own weaknesses and shortcomings and that through him we receive that enabling power that gives us strength to press forward. We are so blessed!
January 23--So this may be an odd picture for me to post, but it has a purpose. I decided this day that I really love makeup. I usually only wear my eyeshadow, liner, and mascara since my lashes are so light, but I think it is so much fun. I love being a girl with all its little accessories and fun perks and I love getting dolled up and looking like a girl too. However on blah days, makeup becomes a little pick me up as it instantly gives you a little more boost of confidence and makes you feel better! So my picture obviously only has one eye done, but it just represents the joy of feeling good!
January 22--So Roo was helping Mom make a bundt cake. She was in charge of the powdered sugar and as you can see from the trail from the cake, the front of the stove, and the pile on the floor, she was doing a great job of dusting not only the cake but everything else :)
January 21--I love great sales! Today I bought my coat and saved over $70.00! It was a fun little shopping day!
January 20--During our all nighter Mom pulled out the bubble blower. Roo just loved it!
January 19--One of our clients at work is an outfitter up in Alaska. He brought us in some moose jerky to taste. I had never eaten moose jerky before, but it was pretty tasty!
January 18--The snow finally came, well some of it did anyway. I went out into the work parking lot and was scraping windows and dusting off cars for everyone and I just loved having the flakes gently fall around me. I am hoping we get more snow!

January 17--This picture will be added later. It was -7 degrees outside and Creighton finally brought his pool stick into town. It is a pretty cool one that looks like a bloody hand picked it up. After institute we went and played pool at the 8Ball. Creighton's friend and old roommate showed up so we had a good time with him. He showed us a few new games and then he was pretty funny as he paid for songs on the jukebox so Ryker and I would dance. I think the highlight of my night was dancing with Ryker. We did a bunch of flips and our turns and whatnot with the jitterbug. It was a lot of fun!
January 16--Mom was in a lot of pain and went to the emergency room at 8:30AM. She learned the results of her tests about 3PM (an ovarian torsion) and after 4 she learned she would be having surgery (oophorectomy and cyst removal). After work I went back up to visit with her and she was on my old floor where I used to work on surgical floor. I waited til she was a little more awake and then we went walking around the floor that night. The funny thing was that the blood pressure cuff, that was taking her post-op vitals, would not stay attached when it was blowing up so you would hear a pop and it would look like the above picture. I switched the cuffs before I left, but we of course had to get a picture as it made Mom and I laugh.

New Years 2012

2012-01-25T21:00:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve I was invited to join Ryker and his family on his mom's side to go to Lewistown where some of his cousins and their bands were playing at the fairgrounds. We had so much fun and were able to do a lot of dancing! The above picture is of Ryk's Aunt Erica, Uncle Brett, and beautiful cousin Paige.
These two stunning gals are some more of Ryker's cousins, Haelie and Kenzie
Ryks and Me. We did some jitterbugging and he taught, well tried to teach me the waltz and texas two step!
Paige, Ryker's mom Libby (sp?) and Creighton.
These two were a lot of fun and Creighton, who claimed he can't dance was able to pick up on things so fast! They were all so much fun to be around and to bring the new year in with!

Pictures 12-15

2012-01-15T22:10:00.000-08:00

January 12--This was a stressful day for me for a couple reasons and it just was one of those days where you just feel like blah with things going on. I was looking for another scripture and stopped at this one in Doctrine and Covenants. It is D&C 78:17-19,22 and it one of my favorites when times of discouragement come because it reminds me how small our perspective really is. We can have those days where we are frustrated, but we have to remember that Heavenly Father has a plan for us and he WANTS to BLESS us and although we may not see how our trials or how things that don't necessarily go our way, can be a blessing we can rest assured that He is in control and as we continue to do what is right, it will all work out for our good, just the way it is supposed to. I also love how it reminds us that it is in the Lord's time and to trust in Him because He is there to guide us and give us strength through those bumps in the road. Anyway it was a scripture I needed for today.
January 13: While everybody at my house went to Pocatello, Idaho for Benny's race, I stayed back home to try to get caught up and get some things accomplished. One of my goals was to do some major cleaning so that took up most of my day. I hate to admit it but I kind of find cleaning slightly relaxing and I love that you can see your progress!
January 14: So on the 13th Ryker and I had a date night. We were out late to begin with but he also has about a 40 (?) minute drive home afterwards, anyway the next day his brother Creighton sent me this picture with the caption "Look what you have done to him lol :)" It definitely put a smile on my face. Haha poor Ryks!
January 15: How could this NOT be the picture of the day! She is so precious and such a character! She has just fallen in love with this bear that belongs to dad and she will go to it and stroke its head and say it is "soft" and then she gives it hugs and kisses, even with a melted chocolate mouth! She was posing for pictures with this bear and before she even saw the picture she said, "Awww cute!" I guess she is pretty confident that all her pictures will turn out good. Love this girl!

HEADBANZ!!!!!

2012-01-13T01:01:00.000-08:00

So Jeff and Katie had a game that was new for us to try. It is called HeadBanz and it is such a fun game. You wear a headband and have a card that has something written on it. The goal is to ask yes and no questions to be able to guess what your card says! Several of them were very fitting for the players and some of them we told them they had to pose a certain way for the photo.

Jeff's was perfect for him!
Katie narrowing it down, "Okay so I am a place. . . Can Devin go to this place?" Everybody: No and she guessed it!

Benny: She is a black woman okay. . . is she fat?
Everybody: Yes
Benny: Is she hott?
Everybody: NOOOOOO!

Cheater dad: Am I a bottle?

Other fun quotes from the game:

Mom pulled a new card and it was bedroom,
Mom: Am I a person?
Everybody: No
Mom: Am I a place?
Everybody: Yes
Mom: Am I a fun place?
Everybody: Yes
Mom: Am I the bedroom?

Jarom's card reads John Wayne. He has narrowed it down to it being a famous cowboy and he is stumped! He then says in frustration, "I don't know any famous cowboys! The only one I know is Indiana Jones." Haha wrong!

Then his card is Sylvester Stallone. He has to toss his card in because he has had it for so long so then Katie and Mom make sure he knew who the actor was, expecting him to say Rocky I am sure.
Katie and Mom: Do you even know who Sylvester Stallone is?
Jarom: Yeah he is the cat.
Haha wrong again!

2012 a picture a day: choose one picture that helps to remind you of that day

2012-01-12T23:22:00.001-08:00

JANUARY 1 We had our Christmas party for the beach and Ryker was my date. While he was in town we invited him to join our pre-planned Pirates of the Caribbean movie marathon. Benny had also invited some of his friends over Logan, Jake, Will, I think there was somebody else, and Jarom. After each of the movies we would have snacks, but in this particular picture we went to Taco Bell. One of Benny's friends wanted cinnamon sticks but Benny asked for "Slytherin sticks." We also learned they were out of nacho cheese. Ben asked if they had sour cream and then asked them to hold the sour cream on his order. It was a longer event than we had planned. Jarom, Ryker, and I were the only ones who made it through all four movies and it ended 7:30AM!
JANUARY 2: We got together at Jeff and Katie's house for our New Year's tradition of breakfast burritos and games. The game we played was HeadBanz--so fun! However despite all the fun we had I decided this would be my picture of the day. Aren't those beautiful toe nails! They belong to none other my BOY cousin Parker. He was pretty proud of them and put them up so I could see them.
JANUARY 3: One of the things that had worried me with serving a mission was that I would have problems with the endometriosis. There was always one day every month where it would flare up and I was worried it would affect the work. The blessing and miracle was from January 2010 to July 2011 I never had one flare up! It was such a blessing and I was grateful that Heavenly Father took care of that for me while I was out serving. It was a reassurance to me that I was exactly where he needed me to be. Since being home I had had some pain, but it wasn't anything like it had been prior to my mission and I was hopeful I had lucked out, however this day was a reminder to me that it is still there and it made it a memorable day haha.
JANUARY 4: Due to the pain from above I had had not a good night's rest, but when I woke up I found a wrapped piece of banana bread from Mom. She had made homemade banana bread and saved me a slice. It was delicious and still one of my favorites! The other thing about this day was when I went to work that night it was 61 degrees outside! What is with this weather! It has been quite interesting, but I am enjoying it none the less.
JANUARY 5: So I was too lazy to wash my face upstairs in the bathroom that night and realized I hadn't taken a picture for that day. I took a picture of the baby wipe I used to remove my eye make up because I will tell you that although I love makeup and think it is so much fun, I also love the feeling of right before bed when I take out my contacts and wash off my makeup and floss and brush my teeth. It is my winding down routine and it feels wonderful!
JANUARY 6: Mom made her yummy orange rolls! It has been forever since I have had one and they are still just as delicious as I remember! We also had an allnighter where we were scrapbooking! We watched Red Riding Hood and Dinner with Schmucks as we worked!
JANUARY 7: Ryks invited me to go to a movie. When I got to the theater I got a nice surprise to see Grant and Creighton were joining us. We watched Mission Impossible 4 and then got tacos at Taco Treat (lesson learned on the 99 cent special haha) and went to Walmart where Grant kept hinting about his Snickers icecream. They came over to our house and we all had icecream. It was a good night and I always enjoy hanging out with all the brothers, mine included!

JANUARY 8: So this one has two pictures to go with it. Mom and I came home from church and wanted a fire so out we went to get the wood and Mom chopped some wood. The best part was we were still in skirts and heels.
JANUARY 9: My shoes arrived! Aren't they gorgeous! They are part of a gift from Grandma and Grandpa and I already love them! They are a champagne color, with black lace over the top, they are 5 inch heels and have a peeptoe front with a bow.

JANUARY 10: The things I wanted to remember from this day would have to be 1.Going to Sherlock Holmes 2 with Creighton and Ryker, 2. We actually got snow! and 3. That Ryker and I wore our matching coats!
JANUARY 11: This was a day where I looked forward to coming home and putting on my pjs that night. I wore my VS pjs that I got for Christmas this year and you can see my new bag that holds my scriptures and manuals (it is a perfect fit!), but it is also because this was a night I had a lot of reading before bed. I had my chapters for institute to finish, 7 chapters to read so I am staying with Holly (still think it is so great you read so much!), my chapters with Ryks, and then a few topics I had been studying. It was great to be in my scriptures for all that though.

I will try to stay on top of posting new pictures each day so you can stay updated and also so that I will do better about blogging! Love you all and hope you have a fantastic day!

Finally Back with a bit of an update!

2012-01-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

So I am finally getting around to starting to blog today and obviously it has been awhile as some of my photos are out of order so just bear with me :) The first pictures here are of my final time as a missionary and the flight home. August 11th was the day I came home and what a day of mixed feelings it was! I was so happy to be reunited with family and yet heartbroken that I was no longer a full time missionary. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to serve in the Maryland Baltimore Mission. I absolutely loved it!! Below is a picture with me and some of the elders at the mission home. The gap between elders and sisters still makes me laugh. Glad those days are over :)
Below is a picture of our MTC group and the missionaries who came out with me, minus one who wasn't at that transfer meeting.

Oh how I missed these!
So a few updates on the transition home:
FIRST DATE: Holten
My first date back was with Holten. He was a great one to go with and we had a lot of fun! We had dinner and went minigolfing and got his icecream and then we were able to talk. Holten was a great one to help as he had gotten home from his mission in June and understood some of the weird transitions you experience!
I have to mention this date because it was so fun and such a nice surprise. Chris has been a friend of mine from young men's, young women's and if anybody could've just asked it was Chris and yet he had fun with it and created a fun surprise one morning as he had lined the kisses up to my car and had a little card on my windshield. We went to dinner, then got frozen yogurt, and went to Gibson Pond (first time I'd visited it since being home) and TRIED to feed the ducks. It was also great to talk to Chris who got home from his mission in December.
The month of September I hung out with Holten before he went to Idaho for work. He is a fun guy and he has a charming personality, and there is never a dull moment with Holten! That includes one memory when we went to Institute and he came out to this tire.
He was a little distracted because while we were at institute who should we run into but a mission buddy of Holten's, Ryker. They had served in the same mission and both live in Montana so that was pretty sweet. Ryker got home in February and Holten in June. They were catching up while everybody was working on the tire and I was taking pictures!
We had several guys, two of who did most the work, Holten had snacks, and we had three cars to provide light.
In September we went to the Sluice boxes--great idea Sam! It was so nice to be in the beauty of Montana for a little hike!
Then in October I was lucky enough to get the invitation from Ryker to go dancing. It had been 6 years since I have been dancing and I didn't realize how much I had missed it! I had a blast! Here are our little wristbands from the dance.
Here we are the night we went dancing, and it has been Ryker since then!
This was when we joined Creighton (Ryker's little bro) and Lil Lizer and we watched Wall-E. Such a cute movie! Momma Whitney offered to get blizzards and since DQ was closed, she made us each the blizzard we requested! Loved it!

FIRST MOVIE POST MISSION: RIO
FIRST MOVIE ALL NIGHTER: THOR WITH BENNY AND JAROM
In October I got my feather extensions. I loved them!
FIRST ROAD TRIP: IDAHO TO VISIT SOME MISSION BUDS AND GO TO THE ROCK OPERA
Here we are at the Rock Opera, Deep Love. It was awesome! The above photo is me with (from L to R) Krystyna (also known as Sister Hales from my mission letters), Trina and Bryce (Brother and Sister Kunz from Odenton-my last area)
As you already know we had a great weekend and then while driving to get Ryker in Rexburg I hit a deer. We were very blessed though thanks to all the rescue parties:

**Zach and Sara, Ryker's cousins who let us stay at their apartment for a couple days
**Richard Paul who brought my car back to Montana
**Dad who helped me with the decisions of what to do next
**Ken (Ryker's companion), Josh, and Lonny who came with Ryker to help me with my car and tow it to town
**Brother Davison and Creighton (Ryker's dad and brother) who drove us back home
**Ryker for being such a good sport and so flexible with everything

FIRST HEELS PURCHASED: I ended up not buying any for a couple months, but here were the ones that caught my eye!

The next morning it was pretty cute as I laid in bed because Roo opened the door and came inside. I figured there wasn't anything she could get into so I wasn't worried. Then I heard, "Ooohhh!" and opened my eyes to see her pulling the shoes out of the box and trying them on! So cute!
This is also out of order, but here is Krystyna and me when i was in Idaho!
One of my highlights with being home is that I have been able to get to know Lil Roo better and to bond with her. I am so grateful Holly and Barrett got her acquainted with my face so she would know who I was before I got home and let me tell you I have loved being with family and expecially to be Aunt Jessica! It has been such a joy thus far and I am so pleased with Barrett and Holly's little family. They are doing such a wonderful job and I love them dearly!

WORK AND SCHOOL: So I am working at the beach with Mom and I love it! School is currently pending as I am researching and trying to figure out where I want to be.
This was a little good luck wish from Mom and Dad. Isn't it beautiful!
Here is the note that went with it. It was when I was getting my license back by taking the test, and I passed! So now I am headed back to the hospital, waiting to get some hours!

Because Benny is a slacker!

2010-02-15T14:06:00.000-08:00

My email is jessica.g.vaughan.MDBALT@myldsmail.net

My address is:

Sister Jessica Vaughan
Maryland Baltimore Mission
528 Victoria Drive
Stevensville, MD 21666

Bye!

2010-01-20T00:00:00.001-08:00

Good bye everybody! I hope you all take care!

My current contact information:

Address:

Sister Jessica Grace Vaughan
Maryland Baltimore Mission
Provo Missionary Training Center
2005 N 900 E
Provo, Utah 84604

Email:
sistervaughan@gmail.com

Love you guys!

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

2010-01-05T03:49:00.000-08:00

I have decided this new year's that I am such a lucky girl! I have an amazing family, great friends, wonderful brothers, new sisters that are such good moms and I get to pursue my goals with great support from those around me! I really enjoy spending time with my family and those that make me happy. The beginning of this post has pictures from our Sunday dinner. I love Monroe! She is changing everytime I see her and she is such a beauty!
The above picture is her expression to the bright flash. It shocked her at first haha. Then she seemed to learn as she wouldn't seem to open her eyes back up for me to take a picture.
My family definitely makes me laugh. Aren't Jordan's pj pants awesome! I love pink! I didn't hear the whole story of why he came to dinner in Roni's pj pants but it did make us laugh. Barrett's comment, "I keep thinking I am checking out some girl's butt." Jordan let him know that Barrett should be checking out his butt because it was a nice one. Haha what a nerd.
Tristen was asking for Jordan's hat. Jordan let him wear it and Tristen just beamed when he got to put it on his head. I brought Mr T into the bathroom to let him see himself in the mirror and hear is his adorable expression. He is such a cutie! He is definitely our little chunky monkey and food is his friend but he is just too darn cute!
Benjamin was teasing Danika most of the evening. He took off her collar which is a big no no and then he put it on his head. She tried to ignore him so then he started pestering her by holding her hand. As you can see she had had enough. Haha.
Here is a picture from Tristen playing with Grandpa. Oh one of the cutest things from the night was when Dad was sitting on the floor holding Monroe. Apparently Tristen wanted to hold her too so he was walking towards Dad with his arms outstretched. We were laughing as he then was climbing on Dad's lap to get closer to MOnroe.
The sad part of the evening was Jordan tied Tristen to this chair below. He then spun him around very fast and Tristen was squealing and laughing but then all of a sudden he slid between the backrest and the seat and face planted the floor. Poor little guy!
After Jordan hurt him he still would only give Jordan kisses. Tristen gives such cute kisses, but he only seems to freely give them to Jordan.
We brought the New Year in by pulling an allnighter at Barrett and Holly's house. We had the refreshments: grape soda that turned blue when ice was added*pepsi and diet pepsi*crab dip for the crackers*celery sticks*carrot sticks*grape tomatoes*snow peas*ritz crackers with deli meat and sharp cheddar and pepperjack cheese*baked chips*snickers*chocolate covered cookies*
I worked on Holly's cross stitch. Barrett, Jake, and Jarom watched the Star Wars Family Guy and then played ps3. Holly rocked Monroe who was attached to her bili blanket due to her jaundice levels. Holly, Kim (Holly's mom), and I watched 500 Days of Summer (it was okay) and Julie&Julia (I enjoyed this one). I enjoyed my time at their house but I especially enjoyed getting to visit with Holly!
Poor Monroe was hungry and wouldn't take the pacifier and Holly was gone. Barrett showed us how he uses his nose as a substitute. He wasn't too happy about me taking a pic of this haha.
Aren't they just adorable! Holly is such a good little Momma!
Bandit was a goofy dog that night, but I learned this is his sleeping position.
Here is a our little glow worm in her bili blanket. She slept so well during our all nighter. She would wake up for feedings but other than that she slept the entire night. I don't even remember her fussing except for a little bit right at the beginning when she was hungry.
We then met over at Jeff's house at 10AM for breakfast burritos. They were yummy! Jake came over too! Can you see how tired we are? I got to sleep for an hour and a half and then Mom and I went and bought another pair of MBTs (in brown), knee high EMU boots (Thanks Aunt Colleen!), mittens with fleece fingers inside and 180s (both in pink of course!) So that marks some more stuff off my mission list. Then we came home and ate dinner and I was up most of the night again, but I was asleep by about ten thirty Sunday night which is VERY early for me. I have recovered from our all nighter. :)
Here is a picture of Jeff and Katie's unique, yet spunky tree. Haha. I had to take a picture just incase Katie didn't get one for her scrapbook!

Beauty in Great Falls

2009-12-29T01:28:00.000-08:00

I thought this tree looked pretty cool with the ice on it.

These are some of the views I get to see from the hospital. I will miss getting to see the sunset every night. I loved the view from the 7th floor and will miss it.

Flag hill with the Christmas lights

Milwaukee station

I just thought the lighting behind it, reflecting off the snow in the tree was crazy!

Heading home on 3rd Avenue North after dropping somebody off, late after work I noticed the fog, but thought it looked so neat around the cathedral!

This tree just looked like something from Halloween. I am always glad to have my camera in those moments when you see something unique and rare. When I die I am totally going to hug the person that created cameras! Haha.

Weekend bliss

2009-12-29T00:30:00.000-08:00

So I didn't have to work on Saturday due to working the holiday which meant i got to be home when Barrett and Holly came over with Monroe. The above picture is MOnroe hanging on to Dad's finger.
Monroe hanging out with Grandma.

A big yawn!

I think she was getting a little tired of the Auntarazzi in this picture. I couldn't help it though she is just so cute and absolutely perfect!

Mommy and Daddy bundling her up!

We had a last minute dump-everything-on-Jessica week in primary--Blah! Our presidency members minus myself were gone that week and our chorister was also gone. The person in charge of sharing time apparently had more important things haha SOOOOO I got to take the whole sharing and singing time. We had 12 kids and thank goodness for good teachers. Saturday night I decided we were going to acknowledge Joseph Smith's birthday (Dec 23). We followed a timeline of his life while shaking a jar to make butter (we were successful by the way!) We also made little covered wagons tha the kids seemed to enjoy (pictured below) All in all it was just a fun primary day!

I tried on my MBT shoes I got for Christmas for my mission to see what they would look like with a skirt. The actually weren't too bad!

This was actually at the hospital Christmas eve.

It was Holly's birthday the 27th so we all had Sunday dinner at their house where they made tacos—they were yummy! We watched the movie Land of the Lost.

They also got their canvas from

Jordan

painted this picture of them—isn't it gorgeous! This picture is missing the finishing touches that

Jordan

added but at least you get the just of his work. Thanks Holly and Barrett for inviting us over!

An eventful season for the Vaughan family

2009-12-28T03:27:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Jordan and Roni! They made their engagement official this week!
Christmas Eve I got to leave work early due to the low patient census. Jake and I headed to the traditional family dinner at Jeff and Katie's to find out that everybody already left. We ate dinner and headed up to the hospital so Jake could meet Monroe.
Isn't she just beautiful!
Poor Holly was pretty tired when we came up. I had come up earlier that night and visited with her while she was feeding Monroe. She is a good mom and so loving! This picture also cracks me up because as you can see Barrett kept drinking Holly's water.
Merry Christmas! My Christmas was pretty good! I got to spend the morning with my family as we opened gifts (mine were mostly mission related which is great!)
Look at this face! Tristen and Aunt Jessica were having lots of fun playing on Christmas day.
Aren't these socks the cutest! They look like the adult pairs you buy in the store.
As you can see there was chocolate in the stockings.
Tristen was our little garbage man as he carried around a bag and gathered the wrapping paper.
Dad and MOm got Tristen this little, well big lion. Tristen wasn't quite sure how he felt about it at first.
Benjamin had his leg up on Grandpa like the above picture. Grandpa looked down and Benjamin's hairy legs and Benjamin made a comment about, "you know you like it." It was funny.

I left our house and then headed to Grandma Carole's for a short while before work where I got to see the family but also see Little Karsin who isn't so little! He is also quite the cutie!

Dad put this label on a giant jar of jelly bellies. The joke behind this is that Grandma bought a jar of jelly bellies this size before. That same night Benjamin found them at her house and took them home where he ended up eating the jar so she didn't even get any. Also this container of jelly bellies hasn't left our house yet. I saw it in the living room tonight. Haha.
Some of the neat gifts I got were meant for my future home. Esther made this beautiful cross stitch for me. She has it displayed in her home and I love it. It shows how even Santa Claus knows the reason we celebrate Christmas. Helps to keep things in perspective.
Mom and Aunt Katie have the willow creek nativity sets. I have mentioned to Jake that when I have my own family I want a nativity set for my family to enjoy. This year he bought me my first nativity set. It is pretty large and I love it. I am told Grandma Carole helped pick it out so thank you! I was surprised to not have seen this set before but I really do like it and look forward to displaying it in my home with my family!
This year I made my Christmas presents for the girls. What a pain! HAHA. I started making it and everybody that was supposed to get it would get interested in what I was making and I would have to postpone it some more. Thankfully Benny sacrificed some sleep in helping me to cut paper so I could get them all done in time. Sorry to the aunts and cousins because I didn't get that far. They are little perpetual birthday books!
Baby Monroe in her Christmas present outfit from Aunt Jessica. She was definitely my favorite of Christmas presents!

Gingerbread houses, Christmas trees and a new baby!

2009-12-28T03:05:00.000-08:00

We finally watched the Proposal. Jake, Nick, and I all watched it. Jake and I also made our traditional gingerbread house. I left it up to Jake to decide who we deliver it to this year.

Tristen loved it over at Aunt Katie's house. He could discover the Christmas tree. His eyes were sparkling as he tried to take in all of the lights and balls on the tree. I was showing him some of the ornaments while my brother was being a scrooge and trying to ruin the fun. I love watching children discover the magic of a Christmas tree. Of course it would have been a perfect kodak moment and I left my camera at home. Thank goodness for cell phone pics.

She finally made it! My beautiful niece Monroe Grace was born December 23 around 7:20 something in the evening. She was 19.75 inches long and weighed 7 lb 1oz. I was at work so when I took my break I got to come visit her. She is such a doll and such a sweet baby. I just love her! Her face is absolutely perfect. I am so happy to finally meet her! Barrett is definitely a proud daddy! He just beams at her. Holly is such a beautiful mom. She is so loving and attentive with Monroe. The two of them are also very good at sharing her with the rest of us!

This was the text message I got at work. I asked Barrett what it felt like to be a daddy and he responded with this text message.
Here is the little observer herself!
I was there to watch her get her footprints done as well as her bath. I am so glad I brought my camera!
She loved the warm water in the bath.

Bah Humbug!

2009-12-28T02:53:00.000-08:00

Jake and I went to A Christmas Carol in 3-D. I enjoyed it! We were the only ones in the theater.
Jake was in a really goofy mood that day. He wouldn't sit still for very long that is for sure haha.
Here he is getting all comfy with his soda, candy, and "footrest"
Here we are in our stylish 3-D glasses. This movie cost us $25! Ridiculous!
Like I mentioned before somebody was in a really goofy mood. After the movie I stopped to use the restroom. The door opened again behind me. I turned to see who had come in being there was NOBODY at the theater and it was Jake! I started laughing and was telling him to get out and to find the men's restroom but he already occupied a stall. What a dork.

Shirt vs no shirt

2009-12-28T02:38:00.001-08:00

Okay so Jake and I went to the New Moon movie the end of November. It ended up starting almost two hours after we were scheduled to watch it. During the previews the movie Remember Me played. Robert Pattinson also stars in that movie. A little kid ahead of us was all impressed, "Mom that guy could be Edward's twin!" While watching the movie there is a part where Bella wrecks her dirt bike and Jacob rips off his shirt to give to her for the blood on her forehead. Jake said, "Man any excuse to take off his shirt." Later on in the movie Bella looks out her window and sees Jacob outside her house, once again without a shirt. Jake said under his breath, "Put a shirt on you fag." However this guy that was in the back row of the theater yelled, "PUT ON A FREAKING SHIRT!" Haha. Talk about jealousy in that theater haha. I was telling him the director probably did it because the guy had to pack on a lot of muscle. I meant to say that he had to put on 35lbs of muscle but instead I said, "Jake he has 35 muscles!" Jake didn't even miss a beat. He said, "35 muscles huh? Well I can see you were counting them." It was funny. Jake's cousin has a poster of the shirtless Taylor Lautner and Jake was complaining about how he has to look at this guy everyday. I made him his own poster.
Mom and Dad went to Reno for the weekend because Benny ran in Nationals this year (woot woot!) Well it was below zero and we didn't have any wood chopped. I tried but was not successful at all. I had talked to Jake earlier that day and had invited him to go out to dinner with the grandparents, Jarom, and I but he already promised to be at a birthday party for his cousin. I had told him that i was not looking forward to coming home to try and chop wood in the dark, but that i had to do it because we wouldn't have any heat in the house otherwise. He told me to have Jarom help me. Well Jarom and I joined Grandma and Grandpa for dinner and had a great time. We came home to a roaring fire and a bunch of stacked and chopped wood next to the woodstove. Jake had snuck over before the birthday party and chopped it for us and brought it in as well. What a sweetheart!

December already?

2009-12-10T03:30:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe how fast these months fly by! I didn't really ever get to post in November even though I had a thankful thing for each day. So although it is late here is my gratitude list for all the days:

1. I AM THANKFUL FOR ADORABLE BABIES AND FAMILY. Tonight I got to spend some time with Tristen. He is such a bundle of sheer cuteness and he let me take some pictures of him and played a little. Very grateful for the moments he lets me share with him especially now.
2. I AM THANKFUL TO HAVE MY JOB. It has been pretty stressful and lately pretty exhausting but I am thankful to have the security of knowing my job is there. I am reassured that there will always be ignorant, careless people who will get hurt and will need medical help. It is job security for me!
3. I AM THANKFUL FOR AMAZING FRIENDS. Today was a tough day for several reasons. It was a significant day but it was also that day I had hoped to take out my endowments. However due to not getting my call yet it was canceled. I had many friends who called and texted just to brighten my day today and I appreciated their thoughtfulness.
4. I AM THANKFUL FOR HONEST PEOPLE. There is just something about being able to trust somebody completely and know they have their integrity no matter how terrible the news may be. It is something I value very greatly in other people. Things would be a lot different if everybody was honest with one another. It is unfortunate that so many are not.
5. i AM THANKFUL FOR THE FALL SEASON. Fall is my favorite time of year. It is beautiful! I love the smells, the memories, and the colors! This year i was worried with the snow that we would be skipping fall altogether but I am glad to see we get to enjoy it this year as well.
6. I AM THANKFUL FOR QUOTES THAT JUST SEEM TO FIT IN OUR LIFE. Tonight was a tough night. However when I was in my room going through some stuff I found a quote by Marilyn Monroe that made me smile because it just seemed to be perfect for the evening. "I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
7. I AM THANKFUL FOR SORRYS AND FORGIVENESS. I am so thankful that we are able to fix our mistakes. That we have the opportunity to erase the events of a bad night with a sincere apology. I am also grateful for those who can put their pride aside to say they are sorry even when they weren't in the wrong just to ease the tension.
8. I AM THANKFUL FOR GOOD MOVIES AND CHICK FLICKS. P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANNY! As I had stated above it hasn't been the most fun couple of days. Tonight I watched Bride Wars and I loved it. I love how a good movie can make you completely change your attitude and help you to forget a fight you had or an event that occurred. I just love movies that make you laugh and feel good.
9 I AM THANKFUL MY PARENTS TAUGHT US HOW TO WORK. My dad always told us, "It is not summer vacation it is break. It is not spring vacation it is break. You are not on vacation you are on break." In otherwords if you had a day off of school think again if you think it is going to be relaxing. Whether it was cleaning, leveling out the yard for sod that never grew, replumbing the downstairs to reroute the plumbing to the new bathroom site, cutting sheetrock, reframing new rooms, etc. We all got to enjoy helping. My least favorite was leveling out the yard. Infact I remember making a comment that it was hardwork. My dad responded by telling me that yeah it was hard but it was work that had to be done. That stuck with me. I am grateful we were taught how to work. It was something I took for granted until I had to work and learned the work ethic of others, and am ever so grateful that we were taught right.
10. I AM THANKFUL I WAS BLESSED WITH SUCH GOOD HERITAGE. Tonight I am especially grateful for my Auntie Pearl. She sounds like quite the lady. I have never met her except when i was first born but I love to hear her stories. Grandma always speaks kindly of Auntie Pearl and I learned she is the closest sister missionary to me in my family. She was a charitable woman especially towards the missionary work of the church.
11. I AM LEARNING TO BE MORE AND MORE THANKFUL FOR THE MILITARY. Happy Veteran's day. I am very grateful for those who have brought freedom to the country and have made so many sacrifices for all of us. However this year I am also grateful for the spouses and families of those men and women who gave up so much for all of us. Sometimes i don't think they get enough credit themselves and they have also paid a big sacrifice to us as well.
12. I AM THANKFUL FOR PRESIDENT HINCKLEY. I know President Monson is our prophet today but today I read a quote from President Hinckley and it made me miss him. What an incredible prophet! He guided me through my teen years and I still remember his six b's talk when I was 12. He had such a respect for all women and tried to make us understand how important we are as daughters of God. He had a fun sense of humor and his testimony was always so beautiful. I loved to listen to him as his words poured out with so much love. What a dear man and an honor it was to have him to guide us.
13. I AM THANKFUL FOR GOOD FAMILY TIMES. We went to Banff tonight and I am just always so grateful for the times we get to share as a family. I love my family dearly and am so grateful to have the relationships with them that I do.
14. I AM THANKFUL FOR MY TESTIMONY. I had a dear friend this last year ask me concerning my beliefs, "If you were the only one fighting for what you knew to be right would you lose confidence and want to give up?" I answered this person with a definite no. I know what I believe in. My testimony isn't based on what my neighbor thinks. I feel it is a partnership with God in that case. He is the mentor in teaching what is right and when you know and you gain that witness, then you know. I just feel blessed that I was able to decide for myself what I believe in because it really is a strength and a guideline with my life.
15. I AM THANKFUL FOR THOSE WHO SERVE DILIGENTLY IN THEIR CALLINGS. When one person serves diligently it makes all the difference and when one slacks off it also makes a noticeable difference in how things run. I am grateful for those who are responsible and reliable.
16 I AM THANKFUL TO BE SO CLOSE TO GRANDPARENTS. I have both sides of grandparents in the same town and i think i am a very lucky girl. I love to visit and hear their stories. Those visits are times I will always cherish.
17. I AM THANKFUL FOR SUNDAY DINNERS. I am thankful to be able to visit with all the family every other week and although it gets very loud on Sundays I am so grateful to have my family so close knit with one another.
18 I AM THANKFUL FOR GOOD HEALTHCARE. Tonight I was talking with some of the nurses I work with and hearing the different procedures they practiced. I am amazed people survived with the lack of sterilization and cleanliness. I am grateful for the technology and the education that is available that we are able to have the surgeries and help we need to remain healthy.
19. I AM GRATEFUL FOR PEOPLE THAT COME INTO OUR LIVES AND INSPIRE US. I love the feeling when I meet somebody and I come away a better person having met them. I thought of some of the patients I have taken care during my time in the hospital and there is still one woman who will always be a favorite!
20. I AM THANKFUL THAT I KNOW MY FAMILY HISTORY AND HAVE A DESIRE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT. It isn't just a Mormon thing. It was something I took for granted I think but recently while trying to get a friends geneology put together and not having much cooperation with the only living sources of that line, makes it very frustrating. I am grateful for those who know their family lines and their ancestors. i have many great ancestors and I am so proud of them as I hope they will be of me. I look forward to meeting them someday.
21. I AM THANKFUL FOR THOSE WHO TAKE THE TIME TO MAKE SURE I AM SAFE. Last night Jarom volunteered to go to Walmart with me as it was after midnight and there are weirdos out then. He was a sweetheart to be my protector. My family is also very good at calling to make sure we are okay. I remember this one time I called Mom to tell her i was working late. She called back and asked me if I was telling the truth or was that just what my kidnapper told me to say. Haha! I am also grateful for Jacob Dean who never misses a day. He will stay up sometimes very late to call and make sure I made it home okay after work. I am always grateful for his kindness there.
22. I AM THANKFUL FOR PRIMARY. Primary program was today. They did wonderful. Landon and his mom sang a song that made you tear up for sure. I was so proud of him. I was proud of all the children for their beautiful singing voices and their sweet spirits! I am going to miss them but they have surely brought some fun memories into my life!
23. I AM THANKFUL FOR SUNDAYS. Sundays are my only day off work and I have grown to love them. It is always nice to have a quiet day and that is what Sundays are.
24 I AM THANKFUL FOR MORALS AND STANDARDS. I am so disgusted with the generations of today. The "You owe me", free sex, lazy, uneducated, overly opinionated generations. Haha. Sometimes I wonder if society could really shock us anymore or if the standards could get any lower. Then I learn I have spoken too soon. I am thankful my parents taught me good morals and standards and also instilled the confidence to stand my ground. I am also grateful for other people around me have strong values.
25. I AM THANKFUL I WILL GET TO SPEND THIS THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY WEEKEND WITH MY FAMILY. I am grateful for those who worked with me so that i could have the weekend off and spend it with my family on Mom's side. Ihave missed them the last couple years and I look forward to seeing them.
26 I AM THANKFUL FOR THE SCHAAK, IKARD, LAMONT, STROM, AND KELLY FAMILY. I had a nice surprise today at work as Jake showed up all dressed up with a plate of turkey dinner. My family is in Billings already so I didn't have a Thanksgiving dinner and due to my work schedule I couldn't go to his family's so instead he surprised me with food! He also brought a piece of pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream--my favorite and a camera so I could scrapbook the event! I am thanking all the family because I am sure all of them pitched in to make the delicious food! thanks you guys! love ya!
27. I AM THANKFUL FOR PEOPLE WHO GIVE REAL HUGS. I love hugs--well unless they are unwanted or coming from some creepy guy. However from family I am always receptive. Today I have learned that some people don't know how to give hugs. Half hugs (one armed) do not count and nor do lazy hugs (the ones where there is no return of the embrace) also the suffocating hugs or the ones where they act like you are contagious if they touch you don't cut it either. Sometimes I give hugs because I need one too. However I have also learned throughout the years that if you need a good hug there is always one waiting for you from my mom, Jacob Dean, and my brother Jordan. Those guys give the best hugs!
28. I AM THANKFUL FOR A GOOD CAR. The prius has been a great car for me. I am so grateful I can do my trips and not have to worry about not making it. It is so nice to have a reliable car!
29. I AM THANKFUL FOR THE CRAZY MEMORIES. I had a great time in Billings and I loved shopping on Black Friday. It definitely brought good times to my memory! Love you guys! Benny joined us this year and he was funny!
30. I AM THANKFUL FOR THE MARRIED COUPLES THAT PORTRAY THE EXISTENCE OF TRUE LOVE. Sometimes it is so nice to know a man and a woman can really love eachother for years! Marriage seems to be degraded and lose its importance more and more. Instead of being something sacred it has been seen as a burden. I am so sick of hearing people talk about how horrible their spouse is or how their life has ended when they said I do and blah blah blah. If it is that bad why did you marry them in the first place? Anyway I love seeing the couples who have been married for many years and they still love eachother. My patients sometimes show me that true love really does exist. I love watching my elderly patients walking in the hall hand in hand. Or seeing them give eachother a kiss because the one who is a patient has made progress. The other day I had a patient who has been with his wife over forty years. He was holding her hand and just looking at her. She asked him what and he said, "I just want to hold you my sweetheart." It was so adorable! I just love it!

Mission call and Counting down for baby!

2009-11-16T03:38:00.000-08:00

My mission call came Friday and we opened it tonight. I will be serving in the Maryland Baltimore mission and my report date will be January 20. I am so excited! We also only have 6 weeks and 3 days til our little princess comes! I saw Holly tonight at dinner and she has got a baby belly and makes such an adorable pregnant lady!

Friday the 13th

2009-11-16T03:30:00.000-08:00

I donated blood that afternoon and wasn't sure how i would do being I usually do platelets and I haven't done it for several months. I did fine but was just pretty tired as a result. Mom and Dad bought us tickets to the Banff film Festival. It was pretty neat. We basically took up the whole row. Parking spaces are usually pretty scarce so we took our chances and parked in an "illegal" spot.
After the festival we were getting ready to cross the street and the hand was blinking red and counting down showing that we only had three seconds to cross the street. Jake yelled, "Quick let's go!" I kind of thought he was joking so I didn't go well he was actually serious so he waited on the steps while I waited for the next green hand to cross the street. Haha!

Friday the 13th also means it was my cousin Kelden's birthday! Happy Bday Kelden!!!! This little guy came and visited us a little bit this summer and can you say sweetheart! I love him to death and he is just very cute! I hope you had a great birthday!

The adorable Mr.T!

2009-11-16T03:19:00.000-08:00

During a sunday dinner Tristen came out to see what was going on. he was interested in my camera so we took a couple of pictures. He would look at himself and just get this big grin on his face that was sooooo adorable!

The above look seems to be Mr. T's signature look. He has that stare and his mouth open with that lip out. Haha I just love this little guy!

Right now he is walking around great. He cracks me up because he knows how to eat and he has the cutest little cheeks. he also gives kisses now and he even puckers up his little lips!

Hindsight is 20/20

2009-11-16T03:13:00.000-08:00

When I was in elementary school Dad went South for a work convention. He came back and had brought us souveniors. Mine was a long necklace with the above beads strung on it. He gave it to me and told me that ALL the girls wear those necklaces in New Orleans. I wore that necklace to school and showed it for show and tell telling everybody that all the girls wear these kind of necklaces. Haha now I laugh when I am older and realize that I had a Mardi Gras necklace.

Congrats!

2009-11-16T03:06:00.000-08:00

So I am already going to be missing three weddings. I expect lots of pictures (hint hint) i hope the couples don't mind me using their photos but I just thought they were beautiful pictures to go along with the post. So congrats to Jordan and Roni!
Congrats to cousin Deana and Ken who will be married in August!

Congrats to Cousins Sammi and Rusty who will be married in July!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-16T02:36:00.001-08:00

I love Halloween! I love the colors and I love the excitement of the children who are getting their costumes all ready and getting excited for their candy. I had festive nails during the weeks in October. Above are my jack-o-lanterns and below are my neon green spiderwebs.
Here is Mr. T in his costume!
Jake and I went to the haunted house at Kranz. It was my first Haunted House and they did a good job at decorating. There were some funny memories at the Haunted House and as we stood in line outside freezing we sipped our cider and hot cocoa. Jake also bought me these beautiful flowers. They are some kind of mum and they just look like big puff balls. It is now November 16th and they are still alive! I wake up and they just seem to grow. They are beautiful and I think they just might be my new favorite flower!

A Vaughan conversation

2009-11-16T01:35:00.000-08:00

Sunday after church we were all just hanging out at the house. Benny asked me if I would do his seminary makeup homework for him. I shook my head no and told him that I didn't even get mine done when I was in seminary. He told me he just had to answer simple questions, "like what is the name of David's adulteress?" I answered, "Bathsheba." I had to laugh and then shared with him an experience I had when I was teaching a sharing time for the primary kids. We were talking about how the prophets in the Old Testament all had faith and did what Heavenly Father asked them. I held up a picture of David and Goliath and asked the kids who knew the story. One boy raised his hand and described in great detail the story of the young boy and his defeat of the giant. I complimented his storytelling and went to move on. Then this boy's hand shot up, "Then when David was a man he looked out the window at a woman who was in the bath." I told him we weren't getting into that story this week, but unfortunately in a room full of 5 boys the comment was anything but shoved under the rug. Hands shot up with questions like, "Why was he watching her in the bath?" "Was she naked?" "What did he do next?" I just ended all questions and told them to ask their dad.
The next week we were asked how the boy was acting in primary. His dad informed us that he'll probably act more grown up because they had THE talk. I laughed because the boy is only eight. I told benny the story and he then branched off of it, "I am going to tell my kids early on about the talk so there are no awkward moments later on." I made fun of him saying, "Oh right so you will say,'look son do you see that bird? Well speaking of birds oh and do you see that bee? Strangest thing.'" Benny looked confused and i said, "You know the birds and the bees, the squirrels and the. . . " I asked what the squirrels went with and mom said, "trees. Wait squirrels don't do trees. But then again birds don't do bees!" Benny and I lost it. We were laughing so hard. Then Benny asked Mom if she had had the talk with me and Barrett. She said she couldn't remember it but she did remember in elementary school when I came home and asked her what white trash was. She said she asked me, "Who is white trash?" and I told her it was me. By this time I was in tears laughing as I remembered in first grade this little black peer of mine who let me know she thought I was white trash. Mom talked about how she was going to go to the school and have a little talk with this gal. I told her that I had forgiven her because she is the little girl who was being abused and had showed me some of her scars and wounds. I came home and told Grandma and I remember fighting with Grandma not to call the police because I had promised this little girl that I wouldn't tell. My how little I knew. I still remember Grandma telling me that it was okay to break a promise if it was going to prevent somebody from getting help. I remember getting after Grandma as she made the phone call to report it. I let her know that I was never telling her any secrets ever again but it didn't stop her. The next week this little girl and her brother were taking out of the home and removed from our school. Years later I ran into this girl and she was doing fine, couldn't seem to be happier. I asked her if she had seen her dad and she let me know she never saw him since elementary school and let me know how great it was. I am so grateful for my grandma who made that phone call and taught me that lesson. I am also grateful for the opportunity to laugh at times that may have been hard in the past or had hurt feelings. They were memories I had forgotten and it was fun to share them with Benny even though some of the conversation wandered into the inappropriate zone. I needed a good laugh.

Primary Carnival

2009-10-12T02:51:00.000-07:00

This Sunday in Primary we did a review during singing and sharing time to help get the kids ready for their program. I wanted to have a little fun with it so we did a carnival theme. I made the above posters. OUr ferris wheel carts were the program songs and then they used their tickets to buy a fun song, which meant they could pop a balloon to find the fun song. The kids did very well. I enjoy primary and I love the children. They always humor me and brighten my day, while making me not rush into motherhood haha. They all are so unique and just wonderful. I have been very blessed to work with them the past three almost four years.

Straight or curly?

2009-10-12T02:37:00.000-07:00

I have had a couple people recently ask me about straightening my hair. Yes I do it sometimes and here is what it looks like. I like my curls so I don't do it very often. Also my hair doesn't always want to keep it straight.
As you can see below towards the end of the night it starts to gain more volume and waves begin to show up. It went back in a ponytail during that time.

I hope they call me on a mission

2009-10-12T02:32:00.000-07:00

Okay well I guess I can sort of announce it now. For those of you who do not know I have been working on putting in mission papers. I submitted them this week and am just waiting for the Bishop to return from his travels. I am pretty anxious to know where I am headed and I am VERY EXCITED! The above picture is my mission picture and the bottom one is from the same day, but obviously not sending that one. Haha. So. . . we will play a little game. If you want you can place a guess of where I am going and then I will later post where I am going. I am hoping it won't take very long to get my call. I will keep everyone posted!

A week's adventure--sort of

2009-10-10T03:06:00.000-07:00

Great Harvest sells this yummy soup mix called corn chowder. Grandma makes it for us sometimes and she adds chicken and potatoes to the mix. She made it this Sunday because MOm, Dad, Benny, and Jarom were coming back from BIllings, MT. While we were eating the soup we all were funny and checking our soup closely. We had to all laugh because we knew what everybody was checking for. See there was this one time when Grandma made it for us without checking the bag first. We ended up being served soup with weivels in it haha. I took a picture of our soup this time because I wanted to scrapbook the memory that went with that soup. I think we will probably always check it out very closely before we eat it. Haha. Thanks Grandma for dinner that night!

It was homecoming week at Great Falls High. Benny had to dress up as a superhero. He was Flash Gordon. Dad told him he should run across the gym during the assembly. Benny said that he didn't do that, BUT he did run to all of his classes. Mom made Benjamin's costume.

If any of you know me then you know I am ALWAYS freezing! I am horrible when it comes to trying to stay warm. Sunday night we set up the area heater while we were starting the fire in the woodstove. I wanted to look through a magazine while sitting in front of the heater, but I didn't want to sit on the floor and a chair was too high up. This carseat was sitting by the couch (Mom uses it for a little gal she babysits for) It was perfect height and it is made out of a suede covering so it wasn't cold to sit in. MOm thought it was funny so she took a picture while reminding me the seat seats a maximum of 60 pounds. Haha.

As promised more wedding pics these are all Uncle Mike's fine work!

2009-10-10T01:46:00.000-07:00

Haha my awesome brothers and me!
Sisters

A prelude to a kiss

The pretty cake

This is one of my favorite pics because if you look in the background you will see our little baby girl!

Twins!

For years Barrett and I have done this as our Vaughan twin pose haha. I have to admit this year I almost dropped him.

My handsome brothers

The table settings

Awesome shot of Jordan on the trampoline

Jake, Barrett, and Mr. Roberts (Holly's dad)

THe handsome groom

Jordan ended up with the garter--surprise there. Wedding's next year :)

THe little flowergirl

Holly with her friends. Beautiful picture

The now larger Vaughan Family

LtoR Elyse-Holly's friend, Noelle-Holly's sis, Holly, Barrett, Me, and Steph-Holly's friend

LtoR Jordan, Benny, Barrett, Eldon-Barrett's scout and ym leader, Jake-Barrett's friend

Run Benny Run!

2009-09-23T05:40:00.000-07:00

Haha the picture above is Benny's signature look. The first time I saw it was when he was trying to get me to do something for him. I think it is his puss in boots look you can see the comparison above. Haha. I got to go to one of Benny's races recently. He finished fifth and ran a fast race. It was at the Anaconda Golf Course which means his cheering squad gets to run as well, plus we really have to run because that boy is fast and you are basically trying to race him to each point so you can cheer him on. His time keeps improving and he is really doing a great job. I am pretty bummed I will miss his senior year, but I am expecting him to make sure to write me and keep me updated for sure! I am so proud of you Benny! Thanks for letting me be part of your cheering squad! Love you!
Vaughans got spirit yes they do.

Things that made me smile this week

2009-09-23T05:30:00.001-07:00

During sacrament meeting at church Jake seemed really bummed. I wrote him the above note. The drawings were his answers. Haha.
If you know my Dad then you know to hide all cameras, phones, etc anything with memory space and a camera. Everytime we go to Jeff and Katie's house Dad enjoys taking pictures of himself and making his own videos for the victim to find later on. He usually fills up the empty space. Well on Sunday I left my camera at Jeff and Katie's house. I found these on my phone. Guess they were seeking revenge or maybe they were continuing the tradition.

After Benny's race we went and got drinks. When the guy was handing the drinks out the window to Dad Dad all asked him if he washed his hands before touching the lids to his cups. He got the poor guy who responded, "That's not cool sir."

Number 22

2009-09-23T05:20:00.000-07:00

Jake turns 22! He has informed me he already needs the wheelchair and the commode. I had to work on his birthday and due to not feeling very good his birthday plans were canceled (a ride at night on the newly finished tandem bike). I think he had a good day though. He had a dinner date with Grandma Carole at Cattlemen's, had his birthday cake with his favorite chocolates from Dairy Queen, then when I got off work we watched Dance Flick and he showed me a new way to tie a tie. The following Sunday we sang to him and he had his eclair cake. He was funny because he took his own birthday pictures and Mom sang to him. Happy Birthday Jake ! Hope it was a good one!

Is it really waterproof?

2009-09-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

Meet Obie. He is Grandma Carole's dog and he is quite the little character!

My first mission purchase was a new digital camera. My old digital acts like it has been water damaged and I would have to send it to the company to have it fixed and who knows how much that would cost SO I decided to invest in a new one. I found an awesome one by Canon that is waterproof and shockproof. Which means no matter where they send me I should be safe. Jake decided to test it out for me. He was cute because he was determined, yet hesitant. Before he submerged it in the water he looked one last time at me to make sure he wouldn't be in trouble and then he took pics of him under water. Well it takes awesome pictures and it survived not only his sink full of water, but the all day swimming trip with Jake the next day. Glad he had a good time and I am so impressed with my new camera! I first got a package to find out my camera and it's accessories had been stolen, but the day before the wedding my camera arrived!

1215 2nd Avenue

2009-09-23T05:06:00.000-07:00

Grandma Carole has a porch swing that has become a wonderful spot to sit out on while visiting her. This summer I have grown to really love moments on the porch swing. I usually have to share it with Jake which means you get to go for a ride since he won't sit still on it Haha. Grandma usually sits in her rocking chair, but we sit out, enjoying the weather, and creating special memories. I let Jake know that even if we don't work out I am still coming to visit, which means his wife will get the boot if she is already on that swing. Thank you Grandma for loaning us your swing, for always providing a prayer shawl when it is cold, providing the drinks, and for always welcoming us when we stop by unexpectedly as well as letting us visit. We love you!

You'll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two

2009-09-23T04:49:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa have a tandem bike and it has been sitting rusting in the garage for awhile. Well Jake took it home to work on for his new project. We just got it back and it looks soooo good! He sanded it and got rid of the rust and then he painted it a baby blue color. Replaced the tires, got new pedals, and put it together. We have yet to ride it and get a picture of us on it, but I think he did a great job!

What the wax!

2009-09-23T04:44:00.000-07:00

Instead of using Qtips some people use what is called ear candles. Jake decided to get some himself. He called and asked me if I would help him and I accepted the opportunity to see how these worked. I was doing laundry and washing my bedding so he just came to the house to do them. Benny also came in to investigate. It was funny because Jake was cracking jokes which would make me laugh, causing my hand to shake, knocking some ash off and at one point resulting in Jake getting burned. There was a spark that got loose and I was blowing on it trying to get it away. It got Jake in the arm and he was acting like I did it on purpose saying that I was blowing on it to keep the spark alive. We will see if he notices a difference.

Time Traveler's Wife

2009-09-23T04:33:00.000-07:00

After the reception we went with Nels and Colleen and family to Applebees. There was a bachelorette party across the room for a gal I went to elementary school with. Crazy--I HATE bachelorette and bachelor parties! Anyway afterwards Mom and I went to Time Traveler's wife and LOVED it! I recommend it to anyone considering it. It made me cry, but I loved it!

The above scene had me laughing for awhile. Let's just say that little girl does an awesome job of being a woman scorned. After the movie Mom and I got in the photobooth and just started laughing. We were so tired and just rum dumb. We had fun though!

Mr. and Mrs. Barrett Vaughan

2009-09-23T03:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the wedding. If I get more I will definitely post them. I had a great time and the bride and groom looked beautiful! The day was pretty stressful, and I am glad it is over, but it was lots of fun to get all dressed up and being able to share the memories with them, PLUS I finally got a sister! Welcome to the family Holly! I look forward to many fun times to come! A HUGE THANK YOU to Esther, Tara, Colleen, Geri, Katie, Mom, Grandma, and everybody who sacrificed their sleep and time to help us get ready for the wedding, especially the last couple nights. You guys rock!My highlight from the wedding: As I was going from table to table talking to people I noticed a little girl was following me. I would look and smile at her, but I didn't know what she was doing. I figured maybe she was just looking for her mom or something. However when I would move to a different table she would go with me. I then turned and saw her again, this time when I smiled I decided I would talk to her. I said, "Hi!" She said hi and then she ran off. Her Mom then came over and said, "She asked me if she could go say hi to the princess." How cute is that! Matt from Hi-Line your daughter made my day! What a cutie! I really wish I had taken a picture with that little girl so I could scrapbook her compliment!
Dad sang What a Wonderful World and like always he did a beautiful job

The nervous groom pre wedding

The beautiful bride and my new sis!

bridesmaids

Jake and Jessica

groom and groomsmen

My handsome dad and brothers

Me and Mom

Dad and Me

We got our hair done at the Salon Professional Academy. The gal who did my hair was awesome and didn't charge me the full amount since she didn't have to curl my hair! Yay! Thank you to Mom who added sleeves to my dress as well as took it in since it was a size above what we ordered.

My grandmas LtoR Grandma Grace, Grandma Carole, and Grandma DiAnn

My Grandpa

Jordan and Roni

Cutting and eating the cake

Garter--Barrett was so cute. It was funny because they had to coax the guys to come down to catch it. Barrett tossed the garter and the guys just watched it fall to the ground. Everybody told Jordan to go pick it up since he will be the next groom. He picked it up and then he did a dance acting like he was surprised and had caught it.

Not sure who put what in the punch but the "gotta feeling" and provided some fun entertainment while out on the dance floor.
I didn't want to decorate the car at the wedding because Barrett and Holly would expect it. They stayed at a suite that night so we went to decorate their car. This blue car was parked close to theirs. As we pulled up Jake and I dibbed it PATHETIC and decided to show them how to really decorate a car.

Our car crew LtoR Jacob Dean, Benny, Maggie, and Max. We had a good time and the newlyweds enjoyed their surprise.

Mr. T turns one! Happy Birthday Tristen!

2009-09-23T03:37:00.000-07:00

This photo just cracks me up above!

Utah

2009-09-23T03:24:00.000-07:00

We went down to Utah for a visit. I worked til 11PM that night so Benny drove down with me that night. We had a great time on the way up there. We were laughing and singing our little hearts out haha. When we pulled into Dillon, MT Benny prepaid for a pump at the gas station but when he came out to the car he realized he had given her the wrong pump number. As I was driving to the correct pump I was so far away from the actual pump because I didn't turn sharp enough. Benny did a cute run out with the gas trigger thing acting as if it would reach. We borrowed Em and Nathan's GPS and Benny was so funny with it. It would let us know that we were "off course" Benny pretended to flip it off because it was frustrating him. When I pulled into Pocatello the GPS was telling me, "You are off course. At next opportunity flip a U-turn." Haha. We stayed up singing to the only cd that was in the car. I can guarantee we are both sick of some of the songs like Jordin Sparks Battlefield, Flo-rida Jump, BEP I gotta feeling, BEP Boom Boom pow, etc. We arrived at Aunt's Joan's house around 1030 that morning. We slept til about noon or one and then headed over to Mike and Geri's. We stopped at Sonic to get some lunch. Mike called us to tell us that we would be driving past where they filmed footloose. He said, "So if your foot starts tapping you will know why." Dad complaining about his drink at sonic, "He gave me a coke with two ice cubes!" Mom: That is because you said yes when he asked you if you wanted easy on the ice. Dad responded: No I was answering yes because he asked me if I was EASY ON THE EYES. What a dork! We went up to Bridal falls with Mike's family, which was beautiful. We left them and went to Payson, UT to Chris and Kristi's house. Chris and Kristi fed us pizza and pop. It was the first time I had seen their house. Very cute! I loved Payson, it was so quiet and just relaxing while we were outside. We went inside and little Kaiden had me smell every flavor of the scentsy collection—haha I love that kid! We had a great time and came back with a few cousins. We also ran into Sara and Richard in Duboix. I am so glad to have run into them as well. I just love my family! I wasn't going to go up at first but being we needed another vehicle to bring back some of the family I ended up going and I am sooooo glad! I didn't realize how much I missed our Utah trips that we used to take each summer. I love my family and I loved getting to see all of them. What a blessing!

Aunt Joan has always had the most beautiful roses! Thank you to Uncle Dick and Aunt Joan for letting us stay at their house and for their hospitality ever since I can remember we have always been comfy at their house and they have made it so we always feel at home!
Benny got his bday shoes on this trip. I suprised him by wearing his shoes out of the car. His face was priceless. These are his golden shoes. The picture above is me showing where my toes are. Benny has a size 11 foot!
How cute is this. I tried getting pics of Benny helping Everett down but the two of them were being stinkers.
Bridal Veil falls
Mom and Aunt Kristi
Oh my oh my. Haha! Definitely brothers.
Poor Yoda. He and Dad were buds. He just was good about posing with dad for the pictures.

LtoR back row: Lauren, Mr.E, Mom, Benny front row: Aunt Geri, Crissa, Me, Dad

IT'S A GIRL!

2009-08-05T00:41:00.000-07:00

So the ultrasound determined the baby is a girl! I am super excited! That just means more pink pink pink and it is about time the Vaughan family gets more girls, we are a little outnumbered if I might say so myself ( three girls to fourteen boys). I look forward to meeting her!

Public to Private

2009-08-05T00:28:00.000-07:00

So after getting a couple weird comments I am changing my profile to private. I didn't know how to let everyone know but Tara gave me a good idea to just post it up on my blog and then have you comment by leaving your email address. That way I can give you permission to see the blog. I will hopefully get everybody but if I miss anyone please let me know. Um. . . I guess that is it. Take care you guys and I will be changing my blog to private probably next Wednesday. Have a great day!

Time to exercise!

2009-07-26T22:32:00.000-07:00

So Emily and I joined the peak in February 2008. Can i just say that I love love love it! We don't do the best job of going together due to our conflicting schedules but I enjoy going by myself as well. Mike Hopper set me up with some weight lifting and that has been fun—haha. My legs feel like noodles and I can't walk the next week but I always feel so good when I go. We also do the lap swimming. It is funny because everytime we go we always have crazy experiences. Our very first time that we went they had made the lap swimming only in two lanes, one for Em and one for me. We were swimming and this guy came over and asked Em if she was going to be done soon so he could swim. She told me and then said, "He didn't ask you because you look all official with your goggles." This last time we went we swam and then went to the hot tub. She asked me where I go to get my brows done and I told her. This little old lady chimed in and wanted to ask questions. She told me that she used to draw hers on in her day. She asked, "Does your generation have bushy eyebrows?" I told her, "No we are just vain."

Here is my Peak checklist:

a pink bag

2. A pink ipod shuffle for the times I go by myself so I can stay motivated

oops posted two here. SOrry!

3. Pink Skullcandy headphones, they are awesome and stay in my ears

4. Ponytail

5.Tshirt and yoga capris--love them! I also bring a swimsuit for the days we decide to lap swim oh and in that case I bring my pink goggles!

6. Avia shoes

7. A workout buddy (Emily). However we seem to do better when we go by ourselves.

The crossfire

2009-07-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

So I had a nice little surprise one day at work. I came out and saw a lady by the puzzle and thought how she looked familiar to me. When she turned I realized it was my great aunt Joan. She had come with MOm to bring me dinner! She and Uncle Dick came up for the weekend which was a nice surprise as well! They drove their Crossfire down and were nice enough to let us drive it--very nice car. As you can see Mom was pretty sad she wasn't in the driver's seat haha.

Little thrills in vanity

2009-07-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

Well I have been trying to grow my eyebrows back for a bit since the lady who did them last took WAY too much off (she even told me to go by some brow pencils to fill it in). Well I decided to go back to Studio Montage since they usually do a good job. I made an appointment and got a new lady and might I say I will probably always go to her now. She did such a good job! I am so happy!

I love this poem! Thanks Cami for sharing it with me!

2009-07-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

Cinderella walked on broken glass,
Sleeping Beauty let a whole lifetime pass.
Belle fell in love with a hideous beast,
Pocahontas risked her life for a simple feast.
Jasmine could've had anyone, yet she chose a poor man.
Ariel lived underwater, but found love on dry land.
It was all about blood, sweat, & tears.
because falling in love means facing your biggest fears

Getting a little talking to from somebody

2009-07-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

As I stated before I have had a rough time recently with some of the things going on. I find myself constantly thinking about what is going to happen. I have always let my future stress me out and worried about things that haven't happened yet. I don't know why I do it, but I have really been doing it a lot recently. Family, friends, church leaders you name it have all told me to stop, take a breather, and smile. However I haven't been able to quite do that. Well today was an eye opener because I just felt like I was getting told that I have got to stop. While reading my scriptures I came across Matthew 6:34 which says, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shal take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." In otherwords Jessica stop stressing out over what hasn't happened yet and start living each day to its fullest and doing what you are supposed to do. I have got to learn that me worrying over tomorrow won't change what will happen. I can only slightly control what happens today.

I have also had this mindset that I am going to just work and work and that is all I need to do. No fun and games and just focus on the things that I need to get done. At dinner tonight i was looking at a scrapbooking magazine that Aunt Katie had on her table. I came across a quote that said, "Always leave room in your life to do something that makes you happy, satisfied, or even joyous.--Paul Hawken"

Well I guess I know what I need to work on. Haha!

PRIMARY LAUGHS

2009-07-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

Last week in Primary Sis. Ridl subbed as our chorister. She told one of the boys, "Go ahead and leave the eraser up here as you are the L-A-S-T one." Little Ethan said, "Yeah you are the oldest!" Haha.

BENNY'S SWEET SIXTEEN!

2009-07-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

What can I say except that i love my brother Benjamin! Of all my brothers I have heard many people say that Benny and I are the most alike. My uncle sent me a video of me when Benny was born. I didn't look like a happy camper and he was asking me what was wrong. I explained my disappointment, "It's another brother." My uncle reassured me, "That makes you even more special. You are the rose in the thorns." I have never forgotten that and now I feel even more guilty. What would life have been like if Benny had been a girl, for one he would have had the longest eyelashes ever known for any woman. He has such gorgeous blue eyes. Benny and I sometimes compete with our eyelashes. However mine do not even compare and he doesn't even have to wear mascara! I remember when we were younger and Benjamin was SOOOOOO quiet and sensitive. If he talked you were lucky you even heard him. Dad used to say, "did I just hear the wind rush by." If you looked at him he would run off in tears. I honestly used to worry about him and his self esteem. It is crazy for me to even think Benjamin used to be that way. Now he is the one dishing out the sarcasm and he has such a funny sense of humor. He acts like you are punishing him if you give him a hug, but he will admit someday that he enjoyed them. I always enjoy being around Benjamin as he makes me laugh. You should hear his version of Beyonce's Halo. Talk about a falsetto haha. I am surprised he doesn't hurt himself while he is singing or screeching it. He is funny. He has a good head on his shoulders and he is such a good guy. You better believe I am going to be very protective of the little heartbreaker as he is now 16! I love you Benny and just wanted to say Happy Birthday!!!

Remember the good times

2009-07-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the great memories! Some of my favorite pics and memories. Jake if you can think of anymore please let me know.
CALL FROM VERIZON WIRELESS DEMO PHONE*LITTLE JESSICA BREATHS*KATIE FROM HORTON HEARS A WHO*BROKEN CAR WINDOW=NEW WINDSHIELD*JAKE'S FIRST BLOOD DONATION*KILLING BEES WITH JOEL HAHA*STRIP TEASE BIRTHDAY CARD*STATE FAIRS*NIGHT WALKS*BONSAI TREE*HAND DRYING DANCE=ROBOT*DAVINCI CODE*HANDMADE CARDS*JESSICA BALL*TULIPS ON A COLD WINTER NIGHT*HOLTER*WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON*WEAK KNEES*LOVE LEAVES*NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS*YSA CONFERENCE* HERING IN FIELD. JAKE: LOOK AT THOSE DEER*CARRYING DANIKA TO THE CAR, NEED KEYS OUT OF POCKET*VISITS AT GRANDMA CAROLE'S*CUTE VOICE MESSAGES*DEFINITELY MAYBE*RIPPED PJ PANTS*PIONEER TREK*STATE FAIR*MEAN GIRLS PSYCH HOMEWORK*JAKE FREEZE DRYING A ROSE IN THE FREEZER*CARLOS, THE LATIN LOVER*JAKE THE "GARBAGE DISPOSAL" AND JESSICA "JAKE'S REASON HE WILL GET FAT"*MAKING FUN OF TWILIGHT "JESSICA DID I EVER TELL YOU YOU ARE LIKE MY OWN LITTLE DRUG, SPECIFICALLY HEROINE"*SUNBURNED BACK NEEDS ALOE VERA*BACK AND NECK POPPING*"WOULD YOU HAVE GONE TO PROM WITH ME?" "NO" MOVIE PAUSED "YOU WOULDN'T"*COMPARING TANS*I SPY BOOKS*HUGS!*SQUISHED FINGERS*SAW-A-LOG HANDSHAKE*PAINTING JESSICA'S TOES*LOOK AT THE EYES ON THIS GUY*MUSCLE SHOCKER
*TWILIGHT*HERSHEY'S HUGS ON THE WINDSHIELD—ONLY HUGS THOUGH*KAREN'S CHRISTMAS EVE PARTY*MEANT TO SAY "DANIKA YOU ARE SO HUGE" BUT SAID "JESSICA YOU ARE SO HUGE!"*BUMBLE BEE PILLOW CASE "WAKE UP BEFORE YOU GET STUNG!"*TREE TEA CHAPSTICK*BENNY'S VALENTINES DAY GIFT*IF JESSICA WERE TO SELL DRUGS—HERE YOU GO AND I BAKED YOU SOME COOKIES TOO. TELL YOUR FAMILY I SAID HI*7 DIAMONDS SEVENTY DOLLAR SHIRT*"IF I BIT YOU I AM AFRAID I WOULDN'T STOP."*CASINO ROYALE WITH JOEL AND KASEY AND THEN APPLEBEES*RANCH POPCORN*MORGAN "ARE YOU GUYS MARRIED? DO YOU WANT TO BE MARRIED? YOU'RE JUST BOYFRIEND GIRLFRIEND?"*CHEESE PUFFS*CUDDLES*HYBRID RUNS OUT OF GAS*BREAD MACHINE*SUZY HOMEMAKER*RED HAIR*BAPTISM=APRIL 2008*SNOWSTORM AFTER CHURCH, CARRIED TO CAR AND WINDOWS SCRAPED*BREAKS AT DQ*ZOOLANDER*MEET ME UNDER THE MISTLETOE*PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS WITH BARRETT AND ASHELY*JESSICA FIRST KISS*PINK PEPPER SPRAY=SILLY STRING
*THE NOTEBOOK*DRUNK GIRLS*WHISPER SWEET NOTHINGS "TASTE THE RAINBOW"*WEDDING PLANS WITH JAKE'S HOTT PINK SUIT AND COOKIE DOUGH CAKE*HOMEWORK*STEALING DOWN COMFORTER*"JESSICA COME TO THE DESK" SURPRISE ROSE AT THE HOSPITAL*CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON*FILLING GAS IN JESSICA'S CAR, ONLY HAVE 19.00 AND JAKE WANTS TO ROUND IT OFF AT 20.00 THANK GOODNESS FOR CHANGE*COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO*SACRAMENT BREAD=COCONUT AND THE WATER TASTES LIKE PAPER*BECAUSE I SAID SO*FUZZY SOCKS AND PINK SLIPPERS*FIRST TIME AT CHURCH-STAKE CONFERENCE*CHICAGO*IF PREGNANT AND FACED WITH THE DECISION OF DYING OR HAVING AN ABORTION WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO? "PRAY"* PIZZA HUT WITH GRANDMA AND GRANDPA*DAIRY QUEEN RUNS FOR GRANDMA CAROLE*"
*"MY MOM WANTS ME HOME BY TEN"*THE SIGNATURE THAT WILL SOMEDAY BE FAMOUS*RUM DUM*SITTING IN A SINKING BOAT-JAKE SCOOPING WATER WTH A BUCKET AND PUTTING IT OUT IN THE OCEAN, JESSICA TAKING WATER FROM THE OCEAN AND DUMPING IT IN THE BOAT YELLING AT JAKE TO STOP SO WE CAN END IT ALREADY!HAHA*SKANKVILLE*MISSING TWIX BAR*FEEDING GOLDFISH TO ANTONIO*UFC FIGHT GEORGE ST PIERRE VS. MATT HUGHES =FIRST HOLDING HANDS*CAT-KING JAMES*FOOT RUB WHILE TYPING FINAL ESSAYS*THE PRESTIGE*HI-LINE CHRISTMAS PARTIES*HALLOWEEN 2008 MIDNIGHT WALK AND BATHROOM RUN=NO HAND SANITIZER*"FOOL AROUND" JESSICA'S TERMINOLOGY*MAKING BREAD FROM SCRATCH—ACTUALLY FROM A BOX*DARK KNIGHT*DANCING LIKE TREES*CONDER'S HOUSE*YSA FIRESIDE. JAKE "AVERAGE PEOPLE WERE FEMALE BETWEEN THE AGE OF 50-71"*"IT'S A LOVE BUG!"*PAIN IN THE YEAST*
*CHIPMUNK KISSES*GENERAL CONFERENCE ON THE COMPUTER*ERAGON*NASTY LEMONADE:)*2009 4^THOF JULY BBQ AT AUNT TAMI'S*THE HOLIDAY—FRENCH*MAKING BOTTLE BOMBS FROM FIREWORKS*LATE NIGHT RIDE IN A CONVERTIBLE (YOUR MOM'S) AND THE HOOD SMOKING*NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM*DANIKA*BOBBY PINS IN THE COUCH*BABYSITTING PARKS CRUMBS ON SHIRT*ICECREAM FOR THOSE RAINY DAYS*SQUARE DANCING*"LITTLE LADY"*FREEDOM WRITERS AND JESSICA WAS SICK*REXBURG TEMPLE OPEN HOUSE*STRAWBERRY CREPES AT CATTINS*STRANGER THAN FICTION*"DROWNING" TURTLES*EPIC MOVIE WITH BARRETT, ASHLEY, LAYELL, AND CHRISTOPHER*PICKING UP EM AND NATHAN'S PUP FROM THE AIRPORT*BOWLING WITH JEFF AND EMILY*STOMP THE YARD WITH CAMERON AND KATY*GIANT GUMBALLS*LASER TAG WITH KRISTINA, EMILY, CHRISTOPHER, AND JEFF*"JACOB DEAN"*
*FLOWERS IN A PICKUP TRUCK*VALENTINE'S 2007 ATTACK OF THE HERSHEY KISSES IN JAKE'S ROOM, DIAMONDS AND ROSES FOR JESSICA AND JBS FOR DINNER—GMA AND GPA PAID AS A SURPRISE*CHRISTMAS CROSS THAT NEVER CAME*YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'RE 14*CHURCH IN 7^TH WARD*MINI LAZY BOY CHAIR*PISSY JESSICA*HOUSE ARREST TIMES 2*BROOKLYN*TEXT MESSAGING*BILLINGS MALL WITH PARKER*SURPRISE WET LICKS EWW!*CRAZY EYES*SWAPPING GUM*WOLVERINE AND APPLEBEES WITH NATHAN AND EMILY*JESSICA'S FIRST TIME MOWING THE LAWN*CLAM CHOWDER*SUNDAY DINNERS*MOTORCYCLE RIDES AFTER WORK*2008 MILKING A GOAT*SPENCER AND DEBBIE WEDDING*CTR RINGS*"JAKESTER"*SCRIPTURE STUDY*NEW SHOES!*JAKE SAYING IF WE GOT MARRIED AFTER 2 MONTHS OF MEETING, "CAN YOU IMAGINE MY FACE WHEN THE SEMI PULLED UP TO DROP OFF YOUR SHOES?"*JAKE WHEN EVERYONE ELSE WAS GRUMPY "SORRY I DIDN'T GET THE MEMO THIS WAS GRUMPY DAY"*BREAKING UP 30 TIMES*
*JESSICA'S FIRST JAIL BAIL*P.S. I LOVE YOU*HOT COCOA AFTER WORK*GIVING GUS ADVICE ON ASKING SOMEBODY OUT "JUST DO IT LIKE I DID 'JESSICA! YOU ME 7PM TONIGHT'"*COMPLIMENTS=VOICE CRACKS SO CUTE!*LASAGNA DINNER WITH "HOMEMADE" DILLY BARS FOR DESSERT*STRIKE A POSE*LOVE YOU SWEET DREAMS AND GOOD NIGHT*JESSICA'S FIRST TIME LIGHTING FIREWORKS*MOTORCYCLE WRECK*CORALINE AND MCDONALDS WITH JAROM*MACKENZIE RIVER WITH JOEL AND THE TRANSFORMER MASK*NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS 3-D*GINGERBREAD HOUSES*WARD CAMPOUT, DROVE PAST IT AND WE SAWA BEAR*CARICATURES AT THE FAIR*ETHAN PFILE SEEING US HOLD HANDS "DID YOU MARRY HER?"*"HUN"*KNOW WHAT I MEAN JELLY BEAN*
* "COTTON CANDY"*MARK IT IN RED*IT'S YOUR LIFE I AM JUST IN IT*MARCH 07 MEET JACKIE STROOP*THEY ARE ON YOUR SIDE*EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH*DINNER AT 4BS*JESSICA NIBBLES*SHREK 3*DINNER AT CHINATOWN*JOEL'S WRECK*TANDEM VS. TANJEM*ERIK AND JESSICA'S RECEPTION*CHARLIE*VALENTINE'S DINNER AT CATTLEMENS WITH MOM, DAD, HOLLY, AND BARRETT*PHOTOS AT MOVIE THEATER*CHECKING HOW MY DAY WENT*MAKING SURE I GOT HOME OKAY*LOOKING FOR ME WHEN I WALKED HOME FROM HI-LINE*ONE DAY AT A TIME*BURGUNDY OR BLACK?*DOVE CHOCOLATES*PROPOSAL*PG13 VERSION OF 300 OR AS JESSICA CALLED IT 3000*BAD DAY FOUND ROSES IN TRUCK*STRAIGHT HAIR =DRY HAIR, JAKE BOUGHT MOISTURIZING WHITIE TRUFFLE SHAMPOO*NOVEMBER 3^RD*
*DANYALE'S NUMBER*"FOR SURE"*SLINGSHOT RIDE*INSTITUTE*ENCHANTED MOVIE*BLEACH AND ENTOURAGE*SWORD AND THE STONE*MADE OF HONOR*POSTCARDS FROM HOT SPRINGS IN WYOMING*WEB CAM*HOLDING HANDS*DRIVING WITH HEATER ON-JAKE PASS OUT FROM HEAT*CHRIS'S TATTOO NICE MASCULINE SWIRLY Q*RED SCRUBS*PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 3*J SMITTY*PURE AS SNOW*TANNING*INFANT HANDS AND FEET*SPIDERMAN 3*"SO UH YOU SEEING ANYONE?*FOLDING LAUNDRY*BOAT AND SHOVELS FOR OARS*DANNY PARKER BORN*LOGAN VS. JEFF FIGHT*ROSES IN TRUCK NOTE IT'S A GIRL!*HELLO IS THIS MY BEAUTIFUL ANGEL?" "NO!""OH IT IS ONE OF THOSE DAYS, WELL. . . "*NOT WWJD BUT WWJESSICAD*JESSICA HAVE ANY SISTERS?*PIGGYBACK*TATTOO—THE IRONY*SWITCH QWEST TO VERIZON*COGNAC*NEW YEAR ROSE AT MURPHS*OCEAN'S 13*SERVICE PROJECT CLEANING TEMPLE GROUNDS*BODY BUILDER GIRLFRIEND*NO HOLDING HANDS IN CHURCH*"IF I GET PUT IN A WHEELCHAIR, PUSH ME OVER A CLIFF AND END MY MISERY"*BOWLING*FEBREEZE*STEP UP 2 THE STREETS*SCRIPTURE STUDY*CHOCOLAT*MOVING*STEAL TRUCK TO PUT GAS IN IT*STARDUST WITH BARRETT AND ASHLEY*KMPH VS MPH*LONG TALKS*KARSIN JAMES BORN*TECHNO MUSIC*DON'T STRESS YOURSELF OUT. YOU'RE GOING TO KILL YOURSELF*TOP TEN MOST WANTED CRIMINALS:)*JESSICA 21 BDAY DINNER AT JBS*DINNER WITH MOM AND DAD*THANKSGIVING AT JEFF AND KATIES*ABERCROMBIE PERFUME AND COLOGNE*27 DRESSES*NEAT FREAK*YSA DANCE*GOOD DAY—LET'S GET MARRIED BAD DAY-WE'RE DONE BREAK UP*
*VICTORIA SECRET PERFUME*BUT UH ANYWAY*PUPPY POOPS IN PETCO*MARSHMALLOW SHAKES*PAINTING THE HOUSE*"MS. JESSICA"*DETOUR ON THE LAWN AT PARKDALE*WHILE IN SHOWER, "SO REFRESHING. FEELS LIKE A SAUNA"*HEY LITTLE PIONEER GIRL*ANNABELLE KATHLEEN*DISCUSSING MISSION JAKE"HOPE YOU GO TO TEMPLE SQUARE SO YOU'LL BE PROTECTED." JESSICA "I THINK FIJI OR SAMOA OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD BE COOL." JAKE "YEAH WITH ALL THE BUFF GUYS!"*I CAME OVER TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY, BUT I CAN SEE YOUR PILLOW DOES THAT FOR YOU EVERYDAY*WARM ROSY CHEEKS*PAINTING MY CLOSET*NATE AND EMILY SIEBACH RECEPTION*HANCOCK*"CABANA BOY"*WHEELCHAIR TRICKS*TEMPLE SQUARE MISSION "I'D BE THE BEST INVESTIGATOR EVER, COME GET A TOUR EVERYDAY."*CAR TALK WITH ONE JACKET*TEST YOUR STRENGTH*FISHING CATFISH VS RACCOON*NEW YEARS-RUSH HOUR 3, IN GOOD COMPANY, CINDERELLA MAN*PINK STUFFED ANIMALS*HAPPY NEW YEAR WITH BARRETT, ASHLEY, JORDAN, AND KYLIE*AIR CONDITIONER ON IN WINTER*DID I ASK YOU TO MARRY ME, BECAUSE I DO NOT REMEMBER GETTING ON MY KNEE AND ASKING*AFTER DINNER, CLEANING TEETH SONG*ROCKING UNDERARMOUR*BEAUTIFUL*CLOWN SHOES AND GANGSTA HAT*MYSTERIOUS GROCERIES*TEXT HUGS*LOVE YOU ALWAYS*

SURGERY July 1

2009-07-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

My surgery went well. Went in at 1230 came out 245 woke up somewhere around 5pm. They found more than expected I guess. I got some awesome photos! I am so impressed with the technology now a days. Mom and I were the only ones impressed with the pictures. It was funny because the boys didn't know about my surgery and then they had asked me what it was for. I showed them pictures to explain and everyone of them were bothered by it. Mom asked Barrett if he had had anything exciting from the day he said, "I got to see Jessica's ovaries." Then he turned around and said, "Don't EVER send me pictures like that again." Haha. I was on ibuprofen and vicodin. The vicodin knocked me out—wicked stuff. I really didn't like that at all. Four days after the surgery I had hit my depression from it all haha. I can laugh about it now I guess. Mom would go walking with me which I greatly appreciated and it was good to be able to talk with her. Jarom walked with me another time and Jake also came with me even though he had to slow his pace way down for me. Danika also came around for the ride. Thank you to everyone who checked up on me and for the goodies. I appreciate all of it!

My laproscopic sites. There are just little tiny scars now. The one on my belly button is barely noticable.

New perspective

2009-07-05T22:13:00.001-07:00

Barrett and I were having a good talk when he was explaining something to me and had mentioned how somebody had gone with us to the pioneer trek. i was telling him that it didn't count because that person said they would never want to go back. Barrett interrupted me saying, "I never want to go back. That was a one time pioneer experience! The real pioneers don't want to go back and experience it again either." It made me laugh because I am sure the Willy and Martin handcart companies wouldn't go back again. i guess he proved his point!

I am thankful for. . . Aunt Tara!

2009-07-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

Before I even begin I just want to say that I hope I don't get in trouble for using this picture. It is just perfect though! Tara Lytle aka Aunt Tara isn't really my aunt but I used to always joke that she was my mom's lost sister. The two of them are just crazy together. Tara started off as Tara Lytle, my mom's friend and then she became Sis. Lytle my Young Women's leader, then it changed to Sis. Favorite my Young Women's leader and then it changed again and stayed Aunt Tara. She has been with me for quite awhile as you can tell and I have been so blessed to have her in my life. As my young women's leader she taught me many things and showed me many as well (due to polka dot pajamas pants sthat were too big) haha. I love Tara! She is always smiling and has such a cute laughter that is so unique. She shares a love for scrapbooking and I love visiting with her on our all nighters. She will call just to see how I am doing and to let me know I am loved. She will laugh and she will cry with me and she is just wonderful. I am especially thankful for her this last week because I have been having a tough time the last year, but especially the last two months. I really feel like I am wearing down and have even been told that I am wearing myself down by many people. Well one Saturday I was in tears and thinking I wish I could just talk to somebody who would understand. I thought at the time that my parents and family were too close to any situation and so I wasn't going to them. That next day I bolted from the meeting in tears and headed down the hall. An arm wrapped around me, scaring me and I turned to see Tara right beside me. She said, "You me in the bathroom now." Haha. We came in and she was handing me kleenex and saying, "honey spill your guts." I did, even while Tara glared at the people who had the nerve to enter the bathroom, and even after she shoved me into one of the stalls and locked us both in. She was definitely in tune and afterwards I was so grateful as there wasn't a person who could have understood better what I was going through. Thank you so much Tara for taking the time to "potty train" me that day. Thanks for your advice, your comfort and your support and just for all you did for me in lettiing me breakdown to you. You are so awesome and just part of the family and I appreciate everything! Love ya!

Bubble gum bubble gum in a dish

2009-06-22T02:50:00.001-07:00

Jake is a fan of gumballs. He bought this giant one and we had to take pictures. It was huge. By the time I was able to blow a bubble my jaw was sore.

Sleeping in a bed!

2009-06-22T02:38:00.000-07:00

My room is finally done! After sleeping on a couch for about a year I get to sleep in my own bed tonight! Hooray! I absolutely love my room! Thank you Mom and Dad it looks amazing!
This is the quilt currently on my bed. It is my graduation quilt Mom made me and it is the first time it has been on a bed. I have been too nervous especially with all the white fabric. I love the quilt but white gets dirty very quickly. Mom came to look at it and laid on my bed, well Little Miss Danika thought she should go to bed too so she also jumped on the bed!
This pic is for Jake. I was telling him about my new sheet set that I bought. I got it at a really good deal and it is the softest cotton. I really like the colors.

I obviously haven't had a chance to hang anything on the walls, but my stuff is moved in. I am so happy to have it done! It is perfect!

simple things of joy

2009-06-22T02:30:00.000-07:00

I had asked Holly what shoes she wanted us to wear with our bridesmaid dresses. She said she was easy going but wanted them to be WHITE and FLAT. She described a ballet flat. Well I ordered these shoes and they came in this weekend. Our dresses are a baby pink color.
This picture makes me laugh. I was definitely blessed with Dad's massive veins, both in my hands and my feet. I took this picture so you could see the detail of the shoe, but I can't believe how veiny my feet are. Crazy.
As you can see they are definitely flat. NO heels.
Today during church I was pleased because my legs were as dark as Mom's were with nylons on. I showed Barrett who said, "You are tan! That is the first time ever!" Haha. Oh well.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T02:07:00.000-07:00

This year really makes me smile, especially if you know my Dad. Dad always gives us grief with his pity pool of how “Nobody remembers me or my birthday, I always get ripped off on the holidays. I am lucky if I even get acknowledged.” We usually tune it out or roll our eyes. A couple months ago Mom responded, “Oh Honey what day is Father’s Day this year?. . . and what day is your birthday?. . . Talk about getting ripped off.” They are the same day this year! P.S. The following photos are all ones Dad has taken of himself. If you leave anything that has a camera and memory on it, in the open you will find either pictures of the photographer himself or videos. Haha

I have to say that I am extremely grateful for my Dad. He is just amazing! Throughout the years I feel bad because I think sometimes I don’t always show my gratitude nor my appreciation for my dad. My Dad has always been my protector and my teacher. I loved when I got asked out by somebody that scared me, to respond with a, “You will have to ask my dad.” They obviously got the hint because the response was, “Yeah right. Your dad will say no way.” I remember my dad telling me that at anytime I could get out of a date, etc by simply saying, “My Dad won’t let me.” There usually wasn’t any questions after that. Haha. When I was in trouble I knew Dad could always help me, even now I will go to him, usually with an attitude, with questions with insurance, etc. Dad impresses me because he always has a plan, especially with money. He prepares for those rainy days and tries to teach us to do the same.

He has taught me so much:

EDUCATION—Even if it is through competing with grades or hearing who made the Dean’s list again this semester Dad has made it very clear that a continuing education is important for everybody. He has also taught me that it is never too late to follow your dreams and to always continue to make goals. I am very proud of him. We have had a good time while Dad has been at school. I got a B in my math class and Dad got an A. He was rubbing it in my face. I replied that the difference was that mine was “calculus and matrices, not plus and minus.” He made me laugh with his response, “In college we call it addition and subtraction, it is arithmetics.” Haha.

KINDNESS—Dad can sometimes look like a bully to most people, but I usually describe him as having a heart of gold. He has given me so many examples of patience and kindness. He was always willing to serve those around him. One of my earliest memories with Dad, must have been when I was around four if that because the dress I wore was very tiny. Anyway I remember him rolling up my little tights and letting me hold on to his knee to balance myself as he helped me put my white colored tights on before church. Dad bought us a poster that said, “It is nice to be important but it is more important to be nice.” I still remember when he brought it home and explained what it meant. The more I have grown the more I have realized the truth of that saying. It is one that I hope to carry on to my children. I also remember when I was in primary at church. Dad took Barrett and me with him and guided us to our class. As we came down the hall he greeted those around him and I remember one incident where Barrett made a comment to Dad that one of the bigger guys stunk. Dad must have been embarrassed but he explained to us that sometimes people that are bigger can’t clean themselves very well, but that we need to be nice to them too. Dad was always kind to those around him and it stuck with me.

WORK—During the summers we knew there would be a list of things for us to do around the house. It didn’t matter how much we hated it, it had to be done and we learned that the sooner we got it done the better it would be. We also learned if our assignments weren’t done that we would have some consequences. We learned to work together as a family and to work in general. As much as I might have hated our remodeling projects, or our candy boxes or whatever the event may be, I am so grateful for those experiences because it brought our family close together as well as taught us to work.

TESTIMONY—Through watching my Dad I came to know the importance of having my own testimony of the gospel, but to learn it for myself. I was always impressed by Dad’s willingness to answer questions, but also his pride in his beliefs. He was never embarrassed, ashamed, nor shy about teaching the gospel. I decided that I wanted that for myself and decided to gain my own testimony and it is something I have never regretted, instead it is something I will always cherish. I know what I believe in and as a result I am also not ashamed nor embarrassed to share it with those around me. I also got a kick at how well Dad knew his scriptures. He taught me that scripture study wasn’t something to dread, but rather something to enjoy over and over again. He would do his research of the facts, but also have fun with it. I remember one morning when Barrett toasted the whole loaf of bread and stacked it on his plate for his breakfast. Dad saw it and asked Barrett, “Have you not read the scripture ‘Man cannot live on bread alone.’” It was perfect timing. Dad taught me many things through example and especially with the church. I learned the importance of serving in the callings you receive and the importance of the priesthood. I am very lucky to say that anytime I needed a blessing I knew I could always ask Dad and he would be worthy and willing enough to give me one.

MUSIC—If you know my Dad, then you know he has an incredible voice. I sometimes wish I could record it so that my descendants will know it and appreciate it like we do. Dad has a beautiful voice and he can sing. I remember Mom having a recording of a song Dad sang. At the time Dad was a truck driver and would be gone for periods of time. I remember coming into their room to listen to Dad’s singing. He has a confidence when he sings that I am jealous of. He can sing with such ease and if he has any nerves, well you can’t really tell. He brought music into our home and helped me to understand the importance and enjoyment of music, of all genres and decades. I also remember dancing with Dad when I was younger. We used to have Daddy daughter dances when I was in primary. I remember the dance when I was eleven. Dad canceled dinner with some work people so he could come with me. Haha I even remember him telling me not to let go as he swung me over his back, I let go and fell to the ground. After that incident three other dads dropped their daughters. I also was lucky to have my parents at the youth dances. They were a lot of fun with Dad’s chicken dance, but I always thought it was so neat to watch the two of them dance together. I really love my parents.

LAUGHTER—Dad has a quick wit and is the sarcasm king. He can sometimes push buttons, but he is funny. He showed our family the importance of a sense of humor. We always tease eachother and if you step foot in our house you are fair game to Dad. Sunday dinners are usually pretty entertaining. On the way home from church Benny and I were laughing as we were reminescing some of the “stupid lectures” we received growing up. I said how they were so dumb but I could see myself repeating them to my children:

We would complain about having to work when we were out of school. Dad would respond, “This is not summer vacation, it is a break.”

No tv til after 5PM on Sundays (unless of course we are celebrating East coast time, which is only celebrated during the Tour de France-imagine that.)

Dad would tell me to do something and I would automatically say, “I know.” He would go on, “I know that you know that I know that you know that I know that you know that. . . “

Saying no with an attitude so it was, “NO uh!” Dad would respond, “Noah built a boat!”

Saying well with an attitude, it was “Wul!” Dad would respond, “Wool is for sheep.”

Dad = alarm clock. Always appreciated! I think some of the best times was Dad taking us to school and seminary. I never remember hearing him complaining about taking us to seminary, but I am sure he was tired.

I remember one time when Benny was a baby and I was going into my room. I was upset because I couldn’t find my pink panther. It was a stuffed animal of the pink panther cartoon. Mom suggested I look downstairs. When I came back upstairs I was empty handed and Mom said she would look for it, but that I could crawl into bed. TO THIS DAY I do not know how I missed the BUMP IN MY BED, but I pulled back the covers to find Dad in my bed and he scared me so bad that I cried and went downstairs. Mom came and comforted me, even though she was part of it, and helped me find my pink panther and get back to bed.

I also remember watching Arachnaphobia with the family. All I remember was this part where the spider is in the tent crawling up this guys chest. Dad was sitting behind me and he grabbed my shoulders and screamed, scaring me and making me cry. Haha.

Benjamin thought he was so funny when he was probably one or two. He had the spray bottle and he would spray Dad with it. The funny thing was that Dad had turned the top so when Benjamin squeezed the “trigger” he would spray himself in the face. Dad would act like his breath was taken away (like he got sprayed) and Benjamin would laugh and laugh even though he was the one dripping wet! Parents are EVIL!

Barrett and Dad decided to have a shocking contest with Weasel’s dog collar. Barrett took odd numbers, while Dad had even numbers. Lets just say that Dad had the controller the entire time and he is a good actor.

FAMILY---Dad always emphasized the importance of family. He always made sure we were trying to treat eachother well. If I had to pick two things that I think Dad tried to teach us was to be unified and to love eachother. He always tried to bring us closer as a family. If we were mean to eachother we had to apologize and then give eachother a hug or a kiss. It usually made us laugh so then the tension was gone. I have to say he did a good job. We have had some obstacles, but even as I look at them i have to say I am very proud of my parents because we still have family dinners, we still know we are loved, and my brothers and I are close and we talk. That alone is something to be proud of. He has set a great example of how a husband should treat his wife and I have made note of many things. He has also been a great provider for all of us. He has made a home that has always had the things we needed as well as fun things. I know he has made several sacrifices to provide for us and I appreciate it.

Even though I am the only girl, I was never the stereotypical daddy’s girl. I actually feel bad for Dad because I think sometimes he gets to see the worst of me. I sometimes feel like he is getting after me, when he should know better that my goals will be fulfilled, or sometimes I wonder if he thinks I am really irresponsible or incapable of doing things on my own, he is somebody I don’t want to let down so I take it to heart sometimes, but I have to remind myself that he is getting after me with intentions of trying to help me to be successful and happy. I used to think that Dad and I had nothing in common except our curls (which I absolutely love), but I have since learned that I am more like my dad than I realized and I am okay with that. I love my Dad and know there isn’t a better one out there for me. I do not give him enough credit but he has shaped my life and impressed me enough to make me the person I am today through the things he has taught, by action or word. He is an incredible person and the best Dad! I love you Dad!

Jake's nephew

2009-06-18T04:15:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Danny and Tammy on their baby boy Karsin james. He was born June 15 at 3:15AM and weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces

Road block

2009-06-18T04:13:00.000-07:00

I got sent home early from work due to our floor being over staffed. It had been a rotten day so I decided to go driving to cool off and calm down. I love the rain so I rolled down my windows and drove my usual river drive. As I was heading towards 9^th street there was a goose in the middle of my lane. I am too much of a softy to honk my horn at it and make it move out of my way so I just slowed down. I realized it was honking to its fellow geese who were coming up the side of the road getting ready to cross the street. I counted 102 geese and goslings that crossed the street. They created a road block. I was the front car in my lane and the opposite lane’s line began with a semi. If there were any gaps between the group a single goose would stand in the middle of the road and honk at the group it was waiting for. I thought it was the neatest thing to watch. It brightened my day and made me appreciate Heavenly Father and how perfectly he has pieced all the puzzles together and made organization in everything, including a flock of geese crossing the road.

Jordan David

2009-06-18T04:03:00.000-07:00

June 11^th was Jordan’s birthday. We celebrated it Sunday, so I am thankful for my brother Jordan. He and I have had some interesting memories, but I am so grateful to have him as my brother. He has always been one of my more sensitive brothers, and sometimes I have to remind myself of that trait. He was dibbed early on as a charmer and boy did he take the name to heart. He was the dare devil of the family and I remember a time when we were very young, visiting in Utah, Jordan gave our babysitter a heartattack because he decided he wanted an apple from the tree. The problem was there was only one apple in the tree and it was at the very top. He jumped from another tree to the tree with the apple. Nothing ever seemed to phase him. While we were younger, Jordan was my first victim of me trying to make my brother a sister phase. We have a picture somewhere that always makes me laugh. Barrett, Jordan, and I are out in the yard and Jordan is dressed in a pink jumper dress with a big smile on his face! He used to let me tip his hair and he was the other sibling with Dad’s curls, well in Jordan’s case waves. He has quickly grown taller and bigger than me, but he will still be a little brother to me. I love him and I am always excited to get hugs from him. He sometimes sneaks in a DISGUSTING wet kiss on the cheek and steps back fast enough before I can hit him for it, ew! However I am always happy to see him and to catch up with him. I hope the best for him in his future and I hope he doesn’t always decide to learn the hard way haha. I give him a hard time, but I wouldn’t even change him for anybody. I love ya Jordan! Happy Birthday!!

Grandma's only complaint

2009-06-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

I have started a new fetish this summer. Grandma said, “If the only thing I can complain about you is your tanning then I think we are doing pretty good.” Haha. As you can see from the picture though I am finally getting some color. Yay!

Yay for a room update!!

2009-06-06T02:41:00.001-07:00

Last night when I came home from working at the hospital, I was fuming when I came home, but then I found that the blessing of little siblings is to have the joys of finding that they go through your stuff. It has been occurring for awhile since I haven't been in my room, but last night was my breaking point: dirty clothes thrown on top of my clean clothes that I just washed, coins I have had since elementary school from China and New Zealand being taken, my makeup getting played in (I have BROTHERS!!! this shouldn't be a temptation), pictures and electronics getting broken or wrecked, and then there was the piece of pizza that was placed directly on my laptop, no plate or anything. I was ticked so today I went and bought a doorknob with a lock and key to go to my room. I had all these big plans of just moving my stuff into my room and then the little stuff could get finished whenever. I have been trying to be patient, but I don't like my stuff getting ruined or having stuff scattered across the house. I also like being in my own space, instead of the living room. Haha as much as Dad thinks I love the couch, I will be glad to get back to a bed. Anyway I wasn't able to get to any of my moving plans. It kind of put a blue note on the evening. When I came home from work I discovered that Dad had done one of the "little things" that were left in my room. He put my new light up. It just made my whole night! I think I will be able to move in this weekend which will be such a relief! Here are pictures of my room as of now with the new light fixture! It looks so good!

Hot Eats Cool Treats

2009-06-06T02:27:00.000-07:00

Well due to some goals that I have set my mind to, I figured a little extra money wouldn't hurt. My old boss Theresa hired me back again at the Dairy Queen. I work there when I am not working on the hospital and I am enjoying it! There is a whole new crew and although I find myself remembering the old crew I am having fun with the new ones! The uniforms have changed since I last worked there three years ago. When I worked there in highschool I worked drive thru and loved it and this time I am working frontline, which has been slightly different but I really like it! If you get an icecream craving on Friday nights come in and visit me!

As Jake says, "You will find any excuse to add to your shoe collection." Well I needed some shoes that would be practical for Dairy Queen and I found these ones that matched perfectly and they are also very comfy!
This is my visor, but I don't usually wear it. My hair is always pulled back, but the back of the visor is velcro, which pulls my hair and causes a headache so I tend to leave it home.

Our shirts and the new DQ symbol.

Me and my DQ attire!

Jacob Dean

2009-06-06T02:22:00.000-07:00

Danika (our pitbull) ended up using a blanket and pillow of mine as a litterbox so I had to throw them in the wash. It was pretty late at night and I wanted to go to bed so I grabbed this pillowcase from the cupboard and put it on a pillow to sleep with. It was about 7AM and I was just going to bed so I sent Jake a text telling him to please make sure I was up by 12PM. He came over and got a kick out of my pillowcase. While he was telling me to wake up he was saying, "Jessica you have to hurry or you're going to get stung!" I remember wondering why a bee would be in my room. I also told him, "I am not afraid of bees." When I opened my eyes and saw my pillowcase I had to smile, but told Jake he was an idiot. He then joked around telling me, "I came over instead of calling because I was hoping to brighten your day, but I can see your pillow does that for you everyday." You can't really see from the picture but the pillowcase is definitely a sun yellow. Haha.