The Average Day

Have you ever noticed how when there's things that need to be done and events to happen, they end up on the same day? Always. Well Cece had a busy day a few weeks back. It was a madrigals performance and then about 10 minutes later was the award from the mayor for having a high GPA and ACT score. (Yes I do brag about my family because they won't brag about themselves. I may be a dancer but I definitely don't have a crazy dance mom.) The performance went well and it was a beautiful and hot day out! Middle of May and already 85-90 degree weather? That to me sounds perfect. She's gonna hate me for posting these pictures, but then again she is about the only person that reads my blog, so that's my argument and it's okay.

Then as soon as the performance was over, it was a ten minute run to find a bathroom for her to change and head over to City Hall. We got her looking beautiful and she got her award from the Mayor. Lots of other student got it too and one of them was her best friend Rachel. Alex, who is Rachel's little brother, couldn't be left out of the fun of taking pictures after. Isn't he so cute with his missing teeth? And PS: Cece really isn't that tall, she's just wearing high heels in this picture. 

A Disney Recap

So I never really got the chance to tell you all how Disneymundia was. But all I need are a few words to explain it: magically amazing. We went crazy hard core and ran ourselves ragged and tired just on the first day, riding every single ride in two parks. We decided to take it a little bit easier the next few days otherwise we'd probably die before making it to the beach. About 15 minutes into Animal Kingdom on our very first day I had a fan girl moment when I got to meet Russel and Doug from UP!

Other highlights from the day include our very first Disney ride- Dinosaur, like the movie. Probably one of the slowest not very actiony rides, but since it was the first ride Carli and I had been on in probably 5 years at least, we were scared out of our minds!

We also went to Disneymundia at the right time of year because the lines were so short! The whole trip and our longest wait was 30 minutes. I waited longer in the testing center lines at BYU than at Disneymundia. But since the lines were so short, we were able to go on rides 5 times in a row if we wanted to. Expedition Everest? You can bet that we did that one at least 5 times. 

And you can't forget about the wilderness exploration that we did. Don't mind me, I'm just 40 feet away from a baby elephant and making friends with the wildlife (if goats can count as wildlife, that is.) 

You are Appreciated

For those of you that don't know, my mom was married for 7 years before she had any kids. Luckily after much waiting, she finally had 3 beautiful baby girls. Our mom worked graveyard shifts from 6 at night to 6 in the morning so that she could stay home with us during the day. I personally can't imagine watching three little girls on zero sleep. But if anyone could do it, it would be my mom.
And this folks, this lovely lady, is my mama.

Through thick and thin, she has held this family together even at it's hardest times. She was there for me when I had nightmares as a child. She was there to wipe my tears when boys broke up with me. She would cook special food for me when I was a stubborn child and wouldn't eat hamburgers because I was vegetarian  She would drive me to early morning cheerleading practice and late night dance practice. 

She puts up with all the weirdness in the family, even my little sister. You can tell by her creeping in on my picture with my mom. My mom puts up with all of my weird dating stories. She puts up with all of my complaining. She puts up with all of my crankiness when I'm hungry or tired (or a horrible combination of the two). And no one could do it as well as her. 

Although I love this following video and it makes me cry, I don't want to be like this guy and have a last minute conversation with my mom about these things. I'd say we're one of the closest mother-daughter families. In the past 3 years of living down at college, I've called my mom every day. She's my number one. I love you Mommy!

Seesterly Love

The little sister came down to visit me for the weekend a few weeks ago. (I know I'm horrible at updating my blog. I feel like everything I post is after a few weeks. That's what happens when life get's crazy I guess.) But it was great to have her down here. I got to introduce her to everything she hadn't done in Provo yet. We went shopping of course and bought her some sun glasses for her trip to California next week.

And now to the good stuff. If you haven't been to the Chocolate House on State Street, GO! I love it so much. Thank goodness for girlfriends and sisters that are willing to go with you when no one else will. We got the ever so popular cazookie and a mint brownie and let's just say that we ate until we hated ourselves. But who can blame us when it tastes so good! 

Then it was Comedy Sportz time. Neither of us had been there and it was hilarious. Definitely a great idea and a fun time. Thanks Cece for coming to visit me. And thanks for ditching our woman date this weekend, but hey I guess prom is important. 

Another Post About Home

So perk number 5341 about going home? Your little sister gets on your computer, uses your webcam and then forgets to delete the pictures. It's a good thing she's pretty and her pictures don't look too bad. Oh my spunky little sister.

And then of course I see her on my computer and go join her for picture time. 

At least she makes me laugh.

Sisterly Love

I was out late Saturday night but I woke up Sunday morning to my little sister crawling in bed with me and asking me at about 7:30 in the morning if I wanted to watch a YouTube video. Her latest addiction? The "Hair Tutorial Gone Wrong". You would think she died and went to heaven every time she watched this. 

And these pictures? This is pretty much all we do with our lives. Yep. True story. That or give our dog kisses. Or take pictures kissing our dog. Yep. We're pretty exciting people, I know. 

But it's always nice to be able to go home and see your family. And a random note: I've noticed a growing trend of animal print clothes in my closet. What next leopard print item should I buy?

Late Night Shopping

As all my readers know, my family is a fun loving family. My little sister? A weirdo. We didn't grow up going to Target until I was probably about 14 years old and then they built one just a mile or two away. We had always heard great things about Target and were so excited. We pull up and what's the first thing my sister and the rest of my family notices? These big giant weird looking balls right out front. And like I said, my family is always very interesting. What did they think the balls looked like? Something from a tampon commercial. These my friends, are now referred to as the period balls. Don't worry I still don't get the connection with it either. But she insisted that I blog about this. I'm still not sure what to say. 

Phantom Time

BYU put on Andrew Lloyd Weber's production of Phantom of the Opera.
I had tickets for opening night and my mom bought us family tickets for closing night. 
As much as I enjoyed it opening night, it greatly improved and was pretty amazing closing night. 

My little sister was very much impressed with everything. Right from the very begining when the strobe lights and fog starts, she started to freak. And it was pretty much like that the whole musical. When the man in stilts came out during Masquerade, she leaned in and whispered to me, "One, two, three TRIP!" Then she continued to laugh the rest of that song.
For a college production I was very much impressed and I think my whole family was. And yep we'll be singing Phantom for the next week. 
And whoever plays the Phantom has an amazing singing voice. I would totally marry him. Too bad he proposed to his girlfriend a few weeks ago. 

Also just a side note, we went to Texas Roadhouse here in Orem after the musical and who knew that it would be that crazy! I kid you not, I felt like I was back in South America where you try and see how many people you can squish into a bus or building. Or perhaps a game of sardines, only with a bunch of people you don't know. 

Boxing Day

Happy late Boxing Day everyone!
While many of you might not know exactly what it is (and I didn't either), I took the liberty upon myself to use the ever so reliable Wikipedia to educate you fellow readers.
Boxing Day refers to the day following Christmas. Where the origin of Boxing Day came from though is a mystery. In England, it is said to be from the presents that were given to the servants the day after Christmas so that they could have a Christmas of their own (after their owners celebrated first, of course). Other rumors come from England as well that on Christmas people would put money for the poor into a box and the next day it would be opened and given to the poor, thus making the next day Boxing Day. In Ireland, it is celebrated as the day of St. Stephen, who died for his belief in Christ. 
Most people who celebrate Boxing Day attend or watch horse races, fox hunting and spend time with their family.
What did my sister and I do?
We literally packed ourselves in boxes.

Thankful

Throughout the month of November, I decided to keep a blog post listing the things I was grateful for each day leading up to Thanksgiving.

1. A warm bed to sleep in when the long day is finally over. After a long day at work I was exhausted and my nice warm comfy bed was there to greet me.
2. Loving friends who are willing to go on fun adventures, even if it does mean being at IHOP until 2 in the morning. A big thanks to Brian for driving even when his car had no gas.
3. A job that pays the bills. It may not be the best job or pay the best but I have all my basic needs covered. I feel that for a college student in a college town, my job is such a blessing to have and to make more than minimum wage.
4. Medicine to make me feel better. Curse being sick. 
5. The blessing of school and being able to attend an LDS Private university where I can learn about things secular and religious. My religion classes are some of my favorite classes I've taken at BYU.
6. A government that lets me voice my opinion. I voted for the very first time today! I still have my I VOTED sticker still on my sweater.
7. A fridge to keep all my food cold (which really consists of the cookie dough I bought at Walmart).
8. Wonderful friends that will put up with me at the mall when I see lots of jewelry. I caught up with CC, a friend of mine from high school, and she loves shopping as much as I do.
9. Grateful for a car to get me to school while it is snowing. Today was the first real snow of the winter. I was not made to live in snow. Born and raised in Utah and I've never been skiing or snowboarding. Yuckkkk. But I am also grateful for the snow. Utah is a desert, believe it or not, and when you lived there 24/7 for your entire life, you realize what a blessing water is in life. 
10. Grateful for coworkers who put up with me being irritated when our computers are offline and customers that are willing to be patient.
11.Grateful for the Gospel and the opportunity I have to go to church every week to be uplifted and edified.
12. Telephones for communication. How lost I would be without my cell phone.
13. Marco when he tells me he still loves me even when I look like death itself due to an early morning final
14. Missionaries who serve the Lord and are continually converting people to the Gospel without a day off, even on their birthdays. 
15. The best guy friends ever. Brian was willing to go with me to see the new Twilight movie, no matter how "not manly" the movie is and even though he was worried he would be one of the only guys there. I think I owe him a manly movie.
16. Musical theater. I had the opportunity to go see my little sister as the lead in the school musical. She did great. I'm so proud of her. I even saw her kiss a boy on stage! Is it true? Is my little sister really old enough to be stage kissing (or real kissing) boys? 
17. People who are willing to listen to me vent after a bad and long day at work.
18. Wonderful friends that I am willing to call my family. Tonight we had a Thanksgiving dinner with all of us and can I just tell you how much I love each and every one of them. Turkey and ham. Mashed potatoes and gravy. Stuffing and pie. 
19. A house. I may have had to clean the house after the dinner, but I am so grateful to be living in a house and not in student housing this year. It has been such a blessing.
20. A day off from school. Cancelled classes is the best thing, especially when you are ready for a break.
21. Friends who come visit me at work. One was my friend Christian, who is brother to Jabari Parker. I mentioned to a coworker, who is a big sports fanatic that he was Jabari's brother. His response? No it couldn't be his brother, he's too short.
22. Family. I finally made it home for Thanksgiving today. I don't think anything can beat spending time at the dinner table with the four loves of my life: Mom, Dad, Carli and Cece. We've been through a lot and we still have even more to face. But we get to face everything together. Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.

Little Sister

A happy birthday for the little sister! She turned 17 yesterday! She may be young but she sure is taller than me. I can't believe we've gone from this

to this.

So here's to never being able to find my clothes. Here's to finding them on her bedroom floor. Here's to late night movies in bed. Here's to doing each others hair. Here's to little sisters.

The Dance

Little sister went to Granger's Homecoming Dance a few weeks ago.
Here's a question for all readers:
How many people does it take to pin on a boutineer?

Answer: 6 and it still didn't stay. She ended up just safely placing the boutineer in his pocket. 

Birthday Time

Hooray for more family birthdays! Today is my mommy's birthday.
So Happy Birthday Mom. Can't wait to see you this weekend.

Thanks for always being there for me, letting me post this picture of you on the internet and for being the best mom ever. 

Host Families Are Forever

While on tour with Living Legends my freshman year, we were in Washington when I had the opportunity to stay with the Hillebrant family. To this day, one of my favorite host families. Ever.

Their oldest daughter, Amelia, is now attending BYU. So the family came down to drop her off and we had a mini reunion. 

Can I just tell you how good it was to see all of them again? 

We reminisced on old times and talked about life now. I love that they haven't changed one bit. It's too bad that Branda, another Living Legend member, wasn't able to be there for our reunion, but Branda is on her mission in Peru serving the Lord and we couldn't be any happier for her. 

Thank you Hillebrant family for opening your home to us and for taking the time to meet up a few weeks ago.

Birthday Boy

Happy birthday to the best dad ever.

PS: Can you tell this is the 90's?

Family Outings

This summer I spent a lot of time with my family and a few weeks ago, we went on a family vacation. We tried going on a mini family vacation about 2 weeks before that with our dog, and that was a DISASTER. So we redeemed ourselves by staying at a spa resort and soaking up the sun. We all got sunburned to some degree. But I think we all had fun.

Oh how I love my momma. She is so brave for going with us on our fun night adventure hundreds of feet in the air.

And what would a family vacation be without a photo bomb picture?

Pretty much, I have the best family ever.