Christmas!

We had Christmas in two shifts this year, the first shift started at the early hour of 11:30 am, then my sister had to wait till the storm passes before she could come down from Salt Lake and didn't make it till around 3:30 or 4. It was such a great Christmas!! We just lazed around and enjoyed having us all there!!

Colt got a 22 for his big gift, and was so so excited!! (Can you tell by the HUGE GRIN on his face?! haha yeah i know..)

My mom is so beautiful!!


Just hanging out.


"Old Faithful" was burried in a huge snow bank!!



Some of my loot. I got a Cricut machine and some boots!!



You know those kids that think that if they can't see you, you cant see them?...Well apparently Colton never grew out of that stage...


FLERN! My favorite sister!

Sp^rk Christmas Cocktail Party

We had fun...the place was awesome, the nonalcoholic drinks were yummy, the music was great...fabulous party!!

I Served My Time

I was in jail last week. I know that you had all better expectations of me, I had better expectations of myself as well...I just dont know what happened. Okay I went to "Jail" for the Muscular Dystrophy Association as part of a fundraiser that they had organized for Jerry's Kids. I felt horrible because all I was able to raise was $25 dollars...people are just holding onto their money a lot tighter these days. I was honored to be asked to help and overall it was a great experience and I even got 'cuffed and stuffed.' I felt legit.

What I've Done...

Copy and paste the 200 statements then bold the ones you have done!! Hope you enjoy it!!
1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Commented on someone's blog

A Christmas Carol

Tonight I went to Hale Center Theatre (no relation to the owners) to see A Christmas Carol. My Grandpa bought the entire family tickets and it was so fun to go and share the fun Christmas spirit with them. We drank hot wassail and enjoyed the fun atmosphere. A perfect way to start out the season!

Four Wheelin' and Shootin'

I LOVE to go four wheeling and shooting and stuff but rarely get to go. Today we got a bunch of our family together and went out to the west desert. It was so much fun!


Us girls took the 4wheelers out for a ride. We don't need men!!

Me and Colt gettin ready for a ride.

My stepgrandma weighs like a buck fifteen and the kick from the 22 knocked her right over hahaha

I look tough, but I am really a HORRIBLE shot. I only hit one clay pidgeon :(

Me and my mom are best friends :D

Earwax

So in one of my classes in high school we tried some earwax candles and ever since then I have been dying to try them at home! Well, I tried them, and they are SO FREAKIN COOL!!! I know that everyone likes to read about earwax...lol but I had to share my secret.
My mom didn't believe me and was a little worried that I had smoke coming out of my ears (literally)...but she warmed up to the idea when I tried them on her.

You can find these at Good Earth, or other health food stores I'm sure, for like $1.39 each or something. And it cleans you out pretty good so you only have to do it every couple months or so.

Miss Utah Workshop #1

I had a great time at the workshop last week and learned a ton. I also increased my stress load by 10. AAAH! I did get to meet Miss Utah, Kayla Barclay...she is awesome. It's no wonder why she was chosen!! I am always inspired when I meet these amazing women.

Homemade Pumpkin Pies

Me and Erin made home made pies the other day... COMPLETELY home made. We boiled the pumpkins and make the crust and everything!!!


(**For loyal blog followers who are worried that this may be Harold..its not. But this poor little guy didn't stand a chance either :D)


Beautiful.

Gingerbread Fesitval

I had the opportunity on friday to help with the Gingerbread Festival at Thanksgiving Point. I had never been and was so surprised by how many people came and how well organized everything was! There were rows of gingerbread houses, ranging from 'kids craft' cute, to absolutely professional. The proceeds went to the Boy Scouts and the PTA.

This was one of my favorites :D donated by the red cross...I love anything medical.

I sat by a way cute family that was showing off their beautifully decorated gingerbread men.

This wasnt really a gingerbread house..but it was all edible. I met the guy who did it and he teaches culinary arts classes at the prison (how cool is that?!) anyways this picture does not do it justice. It is an "under the sea" theme and there are two seamonsters in back, a candy water surface, sunken pirate ships, treasure chests, sharks, seashells, sand, fish, coral...anything you could possibly find under the sea. And he MADE it with candy and food!! INCREDIBLE!!

These were some of the cute performers from Center Stage. They are dancing around in big stockings haha!

This is an acutal gingerbread house, more like a gingerbread mansion. Can you imagine how much time this would take?!

Hunger Banquet-UVU

My Mom and I went to the Hunger Banquet at UVU and had so much fun. I was really impressed with the whole thing!

We were all randomly split into 3 groups... Upper Class, Middle Class, and Lower Class. My mom was placed in Lower class and I was put in Middle Class. We ate according to out classes. The picture above is of what my mom was given to eat, RiCe and bEaNs :)


I was given Pizza and Soda ^ and I may have rubbed it in my moms face a little...Just kidding I totally shared :D The Upper Class people were given a three course meal but it involved Roast Beed so I was actually much happier with my pizza haha. They did get a massive, chocolate brownie...I guess I wasn't given that because the universe knew that my hips really didnt need that brownie.
This is Bill Hulterstrom, President and CEO of United Way of Utah County. He gave seriously one of the most amazing speeches on service and volunteering. A completely different approach to the methods and attitudes of giving! I'll be meeting him in a few weeks to discuss my platform. Hopefully he can give me some good feedback and help me develope a little bit better.

I Love to See the Temple

What is happening to our beloved temples? News of pretests, attacks, and 'mystery substances' are popping up all over. It breaks my heart to see this happen to our church, but I think it was expected. When the Prophet made a stand on Proposition 8, he knew what he was doing. He loves this church and wouldn't do anything to cause it extra trouble...but we have to take a stand on things we believe in. It's time that we step up and remember that we are here to share the gospel. Anyways...just thought I'd add my two cents to this whole scandal.

Here is a link to an article on the attack on the LA temple..
http://familyleader.net/Home/servlet/viewArticle;jsessionid=2BE5B36E2D9CDB3C977E79B45A3ADBB8?contentId=2316&subsite

And a link to the temporary closing of the Salt Lake Temple...
http://mormontimes.com/around_church/temples/

And on a more positive note...some support!! (forwarded to me in an Email)

Proposition 8 is now a part of the California constitution!

That is probably the best news from an otherwise difficult election for conservatives and Republicans. In very large part, we Evangelicals must thank our Mormon cousins for that fact. They, along with our Catholic brethren, were better organized than us and that provided a base from which we could ALL work together to get this job done. What more, as we have chronicled here, Mormons took the brunt of the abuse, derision, and even threats of physical harm that came with this effort.

And like us, they have given thanks to the Almighty that is ultimately in control, even if their understanding of that Almighty is a bit diffrent than ours.

I cannot help but wonder how much more thankful we ALL might be today if we had been more willing to embrace these religious cousins a few months ago - but alas, politics is always about governing today and looking forward to the next election.

Said John Mark Reynolds:

In the battle for the family, however, traditional Christians have no better friends than the Mormon faithful. It would be wrong if that support were taken for granted. We are intolerant of the false attacks on Mormon faith and family. We stand with our Mormon friends in their right to express their views on the public square. We celebrate the areas, such as family values, where we agree.

A heart felt thank you may not win points from other friends who demand one hundred percent agreement from their allies, but it is the decent and proper thing to do.

Thank you to our Mormon friends and allies!

Hard to do better than that. The "Ruth Youth" ministry proclaimed yesterday "International Mormon Appreciation Day." Very appropriate, yet still inadequate.

In addition to our thanks, Mormons deserve our protection. They have been oppressed in ways during the Prop 8 campaign that this nation has not seen since the 1960's and the civil rights movement. The rhetoric has been deplorable, but moreover. we have seen instances of vandalism, property destruction, and some leaders in the fight currently find themselves with armed protection because of the threats made against them and their families.

Our nation will not and cannot tolerate this sort of behavior - it is incumbent on all of us to stand against it, and the best way to do that is to stand between the Mormons and the forces that would perpetrate such evil.

Now I am sure the Mormons can, and probably want, to take care of themselves, but as a Christian, it is my duty to protect the innocent and free the oppressed. To turn a blind eye in this circumstance is not only ungracious, it is simply unChristian.

Make all the theological distinctions you want, but in the political arena we are yoked with the Mormons (he said borrowing some religious imagery) and it is darn well time we started acting like it.

Absolutely, positively thank the Mormons - but don't stop there. Stand up and be counted against the evil that has been perpetrated towards them in this campaign.

As Christians we can do no less.

---

Dress Troubles

So the Miss Utah Pageant is in June and I'm already really stressed out. Besides the fact that I am planning some big events for the great city of American Fork and participating in as many things as possible, I also have to start thinking about the wardrobe and talent part of the pageant. I am always looking online at dresses and have found some that are gorgeous and some that are not so gorgeous haha! My trouble is that none are modest. Well, I take that back, there are modest ones but they are hideous. If anyone has suggestions on where in Utah to find some beautif ul, modest pageant gowns please let me know!

I love all three of these dresses...they are each way different but they all have something that will stand out.
HELP!

Kiyana's Halloween Costume

Kiyana was a LaDyBuG for her first Halloween :) She is so darling!

I had to get a picture of the wings...sorry its a little blurry.


She was eating the pumpkins? Haha it was really random, she just started growling and bit the pumpkins nose! Funny what babies can get away with...

Just Call Me Martha...

So this weekend I have been trying to relax and do some "me" things, and it turned out that most of those things were crafts and baking. I love to do things like that and can't wait to have my own family to do these things with!
This is my Cherry Pie...I was planning on home making the crust but ran out of time, so all I can really take credit for is the awesome lattice design on top and a few secret ingredients ;)

This is the Halloween Gingerbread House that I decorated. I was able to implement some of my cake decorating skills and it actually turned out kinda cute! haha it was so much fun to do it too!
The back view:


The front view:



These next couple things are for Becca's new babies (that should be here in a week or two but cross your fingers that they stay in longer!) I justs bought some plain white onesies and some iron on applique thingies and put them together. Too bad they wont stay cute and clean for long haha

This is also for Becca's new girls, its a little scrapbook/photo album/whatever Becca wants to use it as.

Yay for crafting!! I wish I had more time to do things like this all the time! It really made me feel like I was accomplishing, even though I was really neglecting my homework :)

The Clark Planetarium

We also stopped at the Clark Planetarium on our trip around Salt Lake. We just played around with all of the free little exhibit things and in their gift shop. They have the coolest things!
My mom and Erin found some Alien glasses. Hot!


A huge, revolving globe thing that displayed different things.


This is like a massive gumball machine. I could have watched this all day long!


This is a 3-D gumball machine that operates over your head. Also very cool.


I'm sure we've all seen something like this, the pendulum knocks over a block every 2 mins or so because it sways with the earth or something..