December: Memories & Overdue Thanks

I cannot believe how quickly this year has passed.  I remember New Year's Eve like it was a week ago.  I remember what I wanted, where I was going and what I was becoming.  It's interesting how things change, isn't it?  Not necessarily fast or slow all the time, neither good nor bad, just the normal life.  I am grateful for this year.  2011 has been the most educational year of my life thus far!  I have learned much about myself, my desires for my future (husband, family, career, education, etc.), about music, love, heartache, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, true Charity, forgiveness, the list goes on and on...

I have many people to thank for these much-needed life lessons I received in 2011.  They are listed in no particular order, just as they come to mind...  Please don't be offended if you're not listed.  There has been MUCH to be grateful for this year therefore, unfortunately, I haven't the memory to dictate it all.

• My Heavenly Father: For teaching me the most perfect way to love.  My Big Daddy...  For wanting me now and always, exactly as I am, but helping me become who You need me to be. 
• My Savior, Jesus Christ:  For being my Mediator, my Advocate to the Father, my Brother and at times, my one and only source of peace.  For loving me first and foremost so I could come to love You.  Not perfectly, but I'm trying.
• The Comforter:  For being a faithful Companion in times when despair threatened to crush all faith and hope from my Soul.  For conveying the messages, love, peace and HOPE that I have so desperately needed.
• Alma the Younger:  For testifying and preaching in that little book...  All the time and effort you took to journal was not in vain.  It was for me.  I cannot wait for the day that I can meet you and thank you face-to-face for your choice words that have strengthened me.
•  My ceaselessly loving parents:  Simply, for loving me.  For calling me, texting me, emailing me, Supporting me in all of my decisions, and helping me figure out why I was making them.  For carrying me through times when decisions made were not mine...  For praying for me.  For Father's Blessings, for a sympathetic shoulder to cry on at 2:00 in the morning.  For how-to's on my car, my recipes and countless other things.  For being my parents.  I love you, always and forever.  
• The Babcock Family:  For being there when I needed family to run to.  For endless knowledge to my silly inquiries.  For being so ready and willing to welcome me into your home, even though I was an absolutely horrid house-guest.  For showing me why it is so important to read Scriptures and pray as a family.  For loving and accepting me as one of your own...  I love you, always and forever.
• The Greenwell Family:  For being imperfect!  :)  For being that family that feels so much like home, yet wonderfully get-away-esque.  For sending love, advice, comfort, acceptance and positivity through calls, texts, packages, letters, pictures and personal contact.  For acting silly with me, singing with me, crying with me, laughing with me and loving me constantly.  I love you, always and forever.
• Sheesh and Merv:  For showing me that Charity is truly the Pure Love of Christ.  Without love of and for Him, you cannot profess to have Charity, but in possessing those qualities, you do not profess it.  You just do it.  For welcoming me so warmly into your wonderful family, whom I love.  For wisdom, patience, laughter, good food and real enjoyment of life.  I will never be able to say thanks enough...  I hope to pay it forward.  I love you, always and forever.
• Nick Man and Nick Minoh:  You two made my year.  Seriously.  I have been truly and drastically blessed to know you both.  There are many things that I will never forget, for as long as I live, that are because of you -- my, now, intense obsession including but not limited to B.B. King, Simon & Garfunkel/Paul Simon, Tommy Emmanuel, James Taylor, Pat Metheny, John Denver, Eric Clapton, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, etc. etc. etc., my desire to not be "that" sister missionary (Ha!), a strong desire to know and love music as much as you both as well as teach and play it as proficiently, the list is almost endless.  I am grateful for your nearly perfect examples, your great love and friendship.  You are two of the greatest men I will ever know.  Thank you...
• Starshley:  I learned so much living with you!  What great times we had, Ash!  I am grateful for your example, love and never-ending charity.  You're one of the good ones, sweetie.  I'm so proud of everything you're doing.  I love you! 
• Sean Rathbone:  I am so glad that I met you in Bio and that coincidentally-or not...- we were in Institute together.  It was your friendship that got me through those difficult, lonely months, homie.  Seriously.  I don't know if you quite understand what a wonderful blessing you've been.  I'm sorry I haven't repaid that quite like I should have.  I owe you.  Maybe I'll come visit you in the M.I.  ;)
• Shenay Aguilar:  Where would I be without you?  Happy?  Probably not.  I thank Heavenly Father that He placed you in my life, because without you, I would probably be depressed and alone all the time.  You are an huge, huge blessing.  I'm glad we get along...  Glad that we can sit in bed and laugh all night, talk about nerdy things, watch chick flicks, act like COMPLETE and TOTAL idiots and be so comfortable around each other.  You are the example I've needed.  Thanks for being there for me, girl...  TOO MANY!!! 

I feel as though this is becoming long-winded.  There are many more I should thank, publicly even, but will do so at another time.  I can't explain the joy I feel at the end of this year.  I can't explain the intense sadness at the end of this year.  Another one gone by, wasted time, regrets.  BUT I will do better in 2012!  God is so good, guys...  He knows you, I PROMISE!  He knows every fear, every doubt, every pain, every prayer.  Everything.  He knows everything.  And even better, He wants you to know Him!  Isn't that just neat?  He LOVES you.  YOU.  Yes.  Say some thanks to the Big Man Upstairs, guys.  We owe Him everything.

Thanks for putting up with this silly blog... 

I'll be seeing you!

November: Month of L-O-V-E

WARNING: Forgive the length.  It's a whole month's-worth of fun events I wanted to blog about.  :)

So this chick is twenty years old.  :) Yes indeed, my birthday was the 10th and I am NO LONGER A TEENAGER!  (Thank HEAVEN for that... )  I had an absolutely lovely day going to classes, out to lunch with Sean (motorcycle man, read Bikes & Hikes ), making cookies at the apartment, hanging out with the roomies and later in the evening having a party at our apartment.  Newly-made friends in Logan attended and we played spoons, plastic knives ;), ate cookies and the cheese cake Tyla made (Mm...), and watched me fail at demolishing a Disney Princess pinata.  It was a blessed night.  :)  Got a radical necklace from the Marshall Islands (from Sean and his Marshallese family) and a framed picture of the Salt Lake Temple from Dell (my good friend and EQP aka. Elder's Quorum Prez).  It was lovely.

A few days after my birthday, I went out to check the mail and was surprised to find a key in the box...  It said that there was a parcel in the big box and to use the key to get it out.  It was addressed to ME!  :)

I felt so special!  :)

I was so excited to open it!  I grabbed one of the steak knives out of the knife block and oh-so-carefully started cutting.  After a minute I saw the tab that said "pull here to open".  ;)  This is what I found...

Bubble wrap!

It took a lot of patience to pause and take these pictures before ripping into this...  And I mean a LOT.

Package numero uno

This is what was in the first bubble-wrapped package.  Two packs of "Extra" gum (Orange Creamsicle and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream), a little pen and notebook with a quote from the Holy Bible about Rejoicing in the Lord, a hand-made card full of wonderful and kind words, a hand-made "20" card with a 20 in it ($) and another hand-made card full of sweet words.  :)  *tear*  So kind!

Package numero dos

In the second bubble-wrapped package was this gorgeous piece of DIY art!  It's a wreath made out of buttons with a cute little red ribbon and the hand-written word "Joy".  On the back of the frame was the explanation that three of the buttons were from my great-grandmother's button collection and are "practically antiques!".  Isn't it gorgeous?!

Thinks of everything...

In with the framed button wreath were these three hand-made envelopes.  I had made a birthday card for the person who sent all of this to me and told her that I couldn't send it because it didn't fit in an envelope, so she sent me these templates and encouraged me to create some of my own.  Cute, huh?  She even made the PAPERCLIP adorable!

So I have to tell you about the woman who sent this to me...  Her name is Jessica and I love her very much!

This is forever old, but it's Jess and I.  :)

 She is one of the most positively influential people in my life and has always been there for me.  I owe her so much.  I owe her the happiness that I have in my life.  I owe her my family.  I am eternally indebted to her for her love, selflessness and charity.  She is truly one of the most amazing women on this good planet Earth.  I thank Heaven for her every day.  I was blessed to spend Thanksgiving Eve at her home [more on that to come later in this post :)]

Onto the next fun event!  I went to the Caine Chamber Ensemble concert at the USU Performance Hall on the 17th and BOY WAS IT AMAZING!  I realized (or remembered, to be more accurate) that night how in love I am with music.  BRASS is such an incredible sound.  I love french horn, trumpet, trombone, even tuba for pete's sake.  Also saxophone!  Oh buddy...  It should be called sexyphone.  ;)  Ha ha.  I am glad to be a student, because I get to attend these amazing concerts for free!  I go to every single one that I can.  They are very entertaining and professional.  I would highly recommend coming to USU music concerts!

That same day I got a facebook message from a good HS friend of mine that I hadn't seen in 2 years (served an LDS mission in New Mexico) saying that he was going on a double date the next day and his buddy's date bailed last minute.  I told him I would come down and go with this guy who was one of his companions on his mission.  So Friday, after surprising (or maybe not...) my biological dad in his Seminary class, I got changed and ready for this date.  I ended up being late to our meeting point, but it was okay, I think...  :P  Seeing Eric (HS friend) for the first time in two years was NUTS!  He worked really hard and lost a good amount of weight, so he LOOKED different, but everything else was exactly the same...  It's like he never left!  Hilarious. Sam (my blind date) was cool!  Very impressive.  He and I have many similar hobbies like singing, acting, etc.  He apparently has the voice of an angel.  He played Tommy in "Brigadoon", Cinderella's Prince in "Into the Woods" and the lead guy in "Damn Yankees" (I obviously don't know THAT one...).

ANYWAY.  I digress.  Frequently.  My apologies.  So after the drive down to SLC, we had dinner at SamPan (get the Pineapple Chicken or Pad Thai.  YUM AND A HALF!)  and then out to DANCE!  Shoot, it was fun!  It wasn't club dancing or anything, no no...  It was ballroom.  :)  Oh, and did I mention that they had been home 9 days by this time and Eric's date was a Sister missionary that got home the same time?  :P  Random fun bit.  Soooo, the first hour of dancing was the class.  A BYU Ballroom student was there and taught the Rumba.  The hour after that was the "party" where we used these newly learned skills.  I was a failure.  I cannot haven't learned how to dance.  I'll get it some day.  ;)  Anyway, it was SO MUCH FUN!  After dancing, we drove back to Ogden where I said goodbye and drove to SANDY!  :)

Going home was so wonderful!  I got to see my family for the first time since the end of August/beginning of September-ish.  Craziness.  Jocelyn Firefly (my niece, and YES, her middle name really is Firefly) is SO big, now!  She runs around, talks like everyone is dying to hear and loves hard. 

Yup...  That's her!

This was taken quite some time ago, but still her.  <3

Gorgeous, right?  So much fun...  Seeing her with my dad is absolutely adorable!  She has him wrapped around her little finger!  :)

Anyway, that Saturday I met up with some friends at Noodles & Co. and caught up with people I hadn't seen/spoken to in quite a long time.  It was cool to catch up!  In the evening I went and saw "Aida" at Hillcrest High School with my dad and neighbor Jeanne Green.  They did a great job.  It was quite the spectacle!  John O'Driscoll was at Noodles earlier and was texting me.  We wanted to hang out, so after the show he came and picked me up.  We got hot chocolate and talked in his car and later his basement for EVER.  Golly, it was quite some time.  I think I got home at like 2 or 3 a.m. ... something like that.  He's such a sweet guy.  I have a rough time believing most peoples' comments about my looks, but something about John makes me believe him when he says that I'm "a stone cold-fox and class-A hottie."  ;)  Ha ha.  Love you, kiddo.  Thanks for the fun times and great memories.

Sunday I went to Austin Johnson's farewell.  He's headed off to DEUTSCHLAND!  :)  (that's Germany in German...)  He will make one fabulous and faithful missionary!  I will miss him dearly, but am grateful for his constant example these few years that I have known him.  You're wonderful, Austin.  Thanks for being a great friend and beacon!

Monday I visited "dear old Jordan Hiiiiiiiiigh!" Golly-gee bob.  Brian is in HIGH SCHOOL!  It's crazy.  He's like, a full inch taller than me, hasn't hit a hundred pounds yet and is turning 16 in three weeks.  WOAH!  Makes me want to cry!  I remember holding him when he was a tiny (and I mean itty bitty) baby!  It was cool to see him in school.  I went and listened to him in choir with Peter Steenblik, who works miracles with little boys.  Turns them into men!  ;)  Seeing Vicki Rich and Rachel Hardy was wonderful as well.  I love those women dearly.  The three teachers mentioned are the reason I am going into Secondary Ed.  Thank Heaven for amazing HS teachers!  When I was on my way home I stopped at Subway to eat because I was sterved (in my mother's words) and ran into my aunt and uncle from St. George!  :)  What a happy occasion!

Serendipitous.  :)

 

I had choir practice with Lex de Azevedo's Millennium Choir Monday, Tuesday and Friday nights for "Gloria!" which opened the Lights at Temple Square on Saturday night.  It was so much fun.  Seeing people I sang with last year, singing again for the first time in a year!  Wow!  Moving and wonderful!  More on that later.

Wednesday I went out to dinner with my Grandma Daleann, Grandpa Corky and Jessica Greenwell (the same from the package story above).  We went to Mimi's Cafe, ate yummy food, and caught up.  Upon finishing we went over to Barnes & Noble where two of Jess's three kids were hanging out.  I ran into ANOTHER aunt and uncle there who I haven't seen in a long time and it was also serendipitous!  I didn't get pictures though.  :(  We all had fun at B&N laughing at books about farting and looking at creepy Tim Burton figurines such as Brie Girl (as in the cheese Brie.  Her head is a wheel of Brie... A very gross-looking wheel of Brie.) and Pin Cushion Boy (no explanation necessary).  After saying sweet goodbyes to grandma & grandpa, Ivy and I drove with Jess and Harrison following us to my home.  Grabbed my sleeping stuff and chit-chatted with the rents for a wee bit before jumping into the Greenwell van and having a SLEEPOVER at their home.  :)  It was so fun!  We made pies, played "Encore" (a very fun singing board game.  Play it!), made a 18-minute video journal (a nightly ritual of mine, usually 3-4 minutes), and cringed at watched Nick Jonas attempt at Marius in "Les Miserables".  After becoming very loopy we decided to go to bed, and seeing to the fact that we slept in the same bed, it was impossible for another half-an-hour, but nonetheless we got to bed at about 3 a.m.-ish as far as I remember.  :)  What a blast!

This was only the beginning of the loopy stage...

When we woke up that beautiful Thanksgiving morning we made wheat biscuits from scratch and had yummy "McMuffin" things (but MUCH healthier and yummier!), got ready for the day and packed up.  We took about twenty minutes for the family Christmas card picture [I feel so honored to be included  :)].  Getting home I helped mommy cook some pretty dang amazing food, we had a lovely dinner in my home with our immediate family and enjoyed the rest of the evening very much.  I loved that night!

Friday was my daddy's birthday!  I woke up and went with him to the Ream's in Draper to get him some new cowboy boots and MAN am I jealous!  I want to work in the boot dept. there...  They have some great stuff.  All them Wrangler's and stuff.  Yee haw!  ;)  We got home and had a lovely family breakfast and chilled most of the day.  I had "Gloria!" practice that night and we filmed it so we could see ourselves with the virtual choir.  They haven't posted it yet, but it'll be on YouTube and anyone who wasn't able to go to the concert will be able to check it out there.  I'll post a link on here when they get it on.  :)  It's TRULY incredible and inspiring music!

SATURDAY!  The 26th was the "Gloria!" performance!  :)  I was both excited and sad, excited because practices would be over and very sad because I don't know the next time I will see these people again, if I ever will.  *tear* I was at the dress rehearsal for three hours until we had an hour and a half to change and eat.  I met up with Sam (see blind date above) and we had wonderful Turkey-Avocado sandwiches from Toasters and freezed our buns off doing it outside on one of the fountains enjoying the view right next to the beautiful Salt Lake Temple. Some sister missionaries came up and we talked for a while.  I found out that one of them (Sister Steenblik) is Peter Steenblik's cousin!  He was in my top 3 favorite teachers I've ever had, taught choir in HS.  My parents and grandmother showed up and it was time for the show.  I don't know how to explain what it feels like to sing that music.  Lex de Azevedo is amazing and I am so blessed to be able to sing in his choir.  WOW!  Amazing.  If you ever get the opportunity to see a show with music by Lex, PLEASE SEE IT!  He is inspired.  After the concert we headed out and drove back to Sandy, dropped of the rents and gma and Sam & I hung out until about 2:30 am...  :P  Ha ha.  We had a blast.  I almost CHOKED TO DEATH because Sam was talking about face tacos.  Oh heck.  :)  What a great guy!  And I must say publicly that he is extremely handsome.  Yup!  Yet again, I digress...  ;)

Sunday was a nice day.  After church I went home, packed up and left.  Before I left, my mom and I had a sweet little goodbye.  I love that woman so much...  I am a better person because of her.  We hugged and said goodbye as we always have for as long as I can remember, when she responded to my "I love you, mom"  she got choked up.  We cried together for a minute, and I'm not exactly sure why.  It took me a minute of driving to get a grip.  Being away from home is difficult at times.  I miss my family often.  It makes me more grateful for them and their positive influence in my life.

I drove to West Valley to pick up my new charge.  Anthony, a 10-year old 6th grader.  Yup...  He's a genius.  I am a nanny now.  :)  It's so much fun!  We met for the first time that night and I have since lived in his home (in Logan, obviously) caring for him.  His dad works on an oil rig in North Dakota and is there for two weeks at a time.  I get a pretty sweet deal.  Two weeks working, two weeks free.  AND in January I will also be caring for a BRAND NEW BABY GIRL named Mina.  She isn't born yet.  :)  My friend Jessa is going to school in the Spring and needed a sitter soooo...  I said HECK YES!  It's wonderfully exciting!

Over the past week, I've been hanging out with Anthony, making caramels, going to an AMAZING Latin Jazz concert at USU (last night) with Anth and Sean.  It was the most wonderful night I've had all week!  :)  GAAAHH!!  Music makes my life so much better!  Music and friends.  :)

And as for today, I can FINALLY SHAVE!  :P  Ha ha ha ha.  I participated in No-Shave November.  Woooooot!  I'll post pics.  It's ridic!

Thank Heaven for November.  It has been a TRULY blessed month full of gratitude, love, family and friends.  God is good, people. God is good!  :)

I'll be seeing you...