Seeing the lights...

My roommates and I and all of our boyfriends went out to see the lights at Temple Square a couple weeks ago. I think they are so beautiful around the temple it makes for a really great night!

Tyrel and I

Roommates (Melody, me, Chelce)
Chad and Chelce

Melody and Ben

Ty and I again

Chelce and I - Love this girl!!

The Forgotten Carols

Monday, Tyrel and I went to Cottonwood Highschool to watch The Forgotten Carols. I love it so much! Michael Mclean is absolutely amazing! We went last year together and I actually got to meet Michael and he signed my paper. If you haven't heard about The Forgotten Carols it is a book written by Michael Mclean about a nurse that goes to help an elderly man over the holidays. This man is very crazy :) every night he has a different ornament that he has the nurse hang on the tree and along with each one is a "forgotten carol". It is such a great feeling when you go and watch this performance. I love it so much!! If you ever get the chance to go... take it!

Life...

We had a fun Thanksgiving this year... the food was so tasty, even I made a pie haha.. I love Thanksgiving because it is such a relaxing holiday. You don't have to worry about anything but eating and being with the family.. plus you get my mom's homemade stuffing :) After Thanksgving we went up the mountain to get Amy and Krista's family Christmas trees. It was a pretty fun trip and the kids had a blast in the snow.


The kids were having a lot of fun when we went to get some Christmas trees off the mountain...

This is Freddy Bear at Thanksgiving.. isn't he just adorable?? :)

Alyssa and Freddy

Some things seemed so usual...

(Sorry for the long post) The mother of a friend of mine recently passed away... I did not know her but her daughter works with me as well as her son in law and her granddaughter. I feel so horrible when things like this happen, there are no "correct" words to express. It got me thinking about all the people that my family has lost. We all lose loved ones and eventually we all end up moving past the initial grief and moving forward with our lives. I don't think people really ever "move on" (or maybe it's just my definition of it) I believe that people move forward and progress with their lives.. but do you ever really move on from somebody? You never forget their smile, their hug, you think of them when familiar things come around. They are everywhere around you.. so how exactly do you "move on"? Luckily we have the gospel in our lives, and we are able to know that we will see them again someday. I can't imagine looking towards the future, after somebody passes, and not believing that I would ever see them again. It just seems like there would be a hollow hole. Anywho...



I miss you grandpa- with all of my heart I miss you just being you, just being grandpa. Laughing and joking, filling my head full of random facts, but most of all I miss those hugs that you used to give. There is nothing like the hug from the most loving, caring, kind person in the world... grandpa...

Uncle Kunk(Kent) It has been such a long time since you passed, but it seems like it was so recent... I remember one of the last times I saw Uncle Kent he tried to pay me to drink the sour milk in the fridge.. hahaha Miss you!

Uncle Dennis, I am still amazed at how much you knew.. about everything. You were such a sweet sweet man! Miss you!

Uncle Jerry ( the only picture I could find I stole off of Charidee's facebook :) But it is a great picture of Uncle Jerry's smile! He is at Uncle Kent's grave with his grandson Tanner)Uncle Jerry was always so kind! I'm keepin up with your Broncos!! Miss you

I found a poem that my mom had found when Grandpa Barton passed away, printed it off, and gave it to my friend. She loved it and it reminded me how much it really helped me. So I thought I would share it again :)

Some things seemed so usual on that remembered day,
The sun arose, the birds awoke and kids came out to play.
For most of us the hours passed much like the days before.
We lost ourselves in busyness and rushed from talk to chore.
It was not so for you, my friend, and forever will it be
The day God said to your beloved come home and dwell with me.
Yes, on this day, you lost someone you loved with all your heart
and with this truth, the world you knew abruptly fell apart.
How fleeting was the moment that stilled this life so dear,
Yet, how profound the impact on you left mourning here.
Time offered no rehearsal for your feelings of goodbye
Whether sudden or expected it begs the question, "why?"
Some say God sends his children here with special tasks to do,
then calls them to him, one by one, when all their work is through.
Others feel, Thy will was done just life's eternal plan,
and when we enter Heaven's gates we'll finally understand.
Still, you might find little solace in the why behind your sorrow,
the one you love is gone from here, and this changes not tomorrow.
With this, your heart does lead you along a path of grief,
where you gather precious memories, and through tears you find relief.
The pace at which you travel is yours to set and share
with those on whome you'll count on to listen, talk, and care.
You may wish yourself to hurry and believe your mourning through,
Pain from loss prefers to stay and make a home with you.
And there it will become a friend who gently helps you cross
into a life that finds new meaning from your encounter with such loss.
This healing happens slowly over weeks and month and years
and even then, there will be days when memories call fresh tears.
A song, a scent, or photograph keeps your heart in touch
with all that you so treasured in the one you miss so much.
Yet, a time will come eventually when the pain of where you've been
Makes room within your hear for hope in life again.
Then may the joys of every day create memories for you heart
like precious gifts sent full of love from the one you did depart.
May you sense your loved one's spirit on a lazy sunshine day
and know the one you miss delights to watch you laugh and play.
May you recall that radiant smile in the sparkle of a star
and know its shinging extra bright to find you from afar.
May you hear your beloved's laughter in the misty falling rain
and know that tears from heaven fall from eyes that share your pain.
May you fell your loved one's touch when mild breezes blow...
To caress your cheek and whisper soft
"I still walk with you, you know"

Halloween :)

Last minute I decided to come home for Halloween... and I am so very happy that I did!! I love my family so much and they just seem to always put a smile on my face! We had such a great time, the whole family was together that night and we had a blast. I believe at one point all the children were downstairs and the adults upstairs were ten times louder (candy fight) I only got a few pictures (again they are with my phone so not the best quality)

Little Jenna girl as a mouse :)

Keaton- isn't he so cute? He was showing me his karate moves, he claims he taught himself all the moves... I dunno they seem pretty advanced =)

Gavin as Mickey Mouse- He melts my heart



The three youngest... really hard to get a picture of the fairy(butterfly) skeleton and mouse all together lol...

Our family... all squished on the couch. It was funny because we took the picture then about five minutes later realized for some reason we were all still setting on the couch... haha =]

During the candy fight Tara took the swiffer and went after dad haha.... It was pretty funny to watch.

5K

Dad, Kyle, and Amy ran a 5K a couple of weeks ago in American Fork. They all did a great job running in the freezing cold up a few hills and through a cemetary (for some reason they did this voluntarily) haha ... we all had a fun time hanging out and cheering them on!! Here are a few pictures (sorry they aren't the greatest they are all taken from my phone)

My dad :)

Amy & Alyssa before the race Ryan -- being Ryan (Aunt Lisa in the background-she also ran!)Alyssa- Being so gosh darn adorable!

I love it!

Where the Wild Things Are

I finally got to see it!! This particular movie was a very special one for me, because of my grandpa Barton. Grandpa Norm used to read this book to me and the rest of my cousing every chance he could pull that darn book out. As soon as I saw Carol in the preview I knew the movie, I actually squealed in the movie theater (just ask Ty he was not so happy haha). I went with Grandma Barton, Keaton, and Dylan to the movie and it was so cute and really brought out the characters. I wish so much that grandpa could have been there to see it, I'm sure he has already watched it over and over :)

I miss those dreaming days, those innocent days, the "max" days. I sometimes wish when I went into my room it grew into a forest, then an ocean. I could sail away from everything, and come back to hot dinner :) I guess the possibility of those days aren't really gone, they still exist it's just that child's view of the world that is gone....

I miss you grandpa :) can't wait to see you again... maybe where the wild things are!

Audrey

The other day I was blog surfin :) and came across a post of Tana's that was a quote from miss Audrey Hepburn and she said it helped her day. I thought it was kind of funny because everytime I am having a sad moment or a "not great day" I google audrey hepburn and look at the pictures of her or read her quotes, heck if it's a really bad day I pop in "Breakfast at Tiffanys" and lose myself in her world. So tonight I decided to look her up and this particular quote popped out.


"I believe in pink,

I belive that laughing is the best calorie burner,

I believe in kissing, kissing a lot!

I believe in being strong, when everything seems to be going wrong.

I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls :)

I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in Miracles!"



Sometimes the simplest words can completely change the way you look at life.

On purpose

Sometimes I am really grumpy when I have to be to work at 7 and it's still dark outside, I feel as if I should still be in bed. But then I happen to look outside the window and instantly my mind is changed. I feel so lucky to be able to look out the window and see God's artwork, firsthand. First of all I couldn't live without mountains, they are my security blanket. They make me feel secure in a sometimes crazy world. Second the colors that the sunrise makes are amazing aren't they? The picture doesn't do it justice, but when the orange mixes with the yellow that mixes with the blue something magical is created. When I looked out this morning and saw this sunrise it reminded me of a quote ...

I got to meet her =]

Jenna came home today and I got to go and meet her when Tara and Kurt brought her to my grandma's =]

FINALLY!!

I got to see baby Jenna last night for the first time!! Kurt was able to hold her up to the window, he was even able to open the door and he stood on one side back and we stood on the other side and could see her sweet precious face!! She is so so gorgeous she has Tara's gorgeous lips and Grandmpa Norm's chubby cheeks. They tell me her eyes are Kurt's grandpa's as well... she is so blessed! I can't wait until I can hold her!

Life

Waiting in the hospital

Grandma and Gavin waiting while Jenna was being born

The picture is a little blurry cause Gavin took it.. but here is the proud mama, lookin all gorgeous a day after having her baby

He really enjoys looking out the windows.

Cute Kids =]

Dax loves playing with flowers =]
Alyssa likes to be motherly to the other children
Gavin tried on my softball stuff.. I think he looks quite studly =]
Wedding Dress

Well, in the process of moving my parents have discovered a few wedding dresses haha... Krista decided to see if she could still fit in hers and guess what... the little brat can .. ten years later and she is still the same size. I tried it on as well, sadly I only got it half way zipped up haha

Herbert the Spider
Ty and I were driving home to Salina one night and stopped at the red barn for some peaches. Well, the red barn was closed but Ty sure had fun with this spider... it was huge and kept chasing the car, I rolled up the windows so it wouldn't jump in at me haha... he wanted to take it home so it came home in the trunk in a sealed bottle, let's just say it didn't make it. But Dax sure had fun wth it after.

Some Dolce pics =]

this is how he likes to ride in the car...can make for some difficult turns haha

Hey.. hey.. just wanted to let you know I was here haha

Please don't put me away .. I'm really cute