Christmas!!!

I had an AMAZING Christmas!!! I got exactly what I wanted and more!!!
This is what I had asked for but I was sure I wasn't going to get it...But I did get it!!! With unlimited texting!!!

Okay! I'll post more about it later when I get pictures!!!

Quote of the Day:

Joy to the world, the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King!
Let ev’ry heart prepare him room,
And Saints and angels sing

Candyland

Have you ever been to candyland? Nope, I didn't think so...I haven't either...BUT I do know where it is, and I have pictures!!! I know you think I'm crazy, but just go HERE and see the background to this ridiculous post!:)

Quote of the Day:

"There’s nothing as cozy as a piece of candy and a book."
— Betty MacDonald (Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic)

Say Goodby To Monk:(

Yesterday, sadly, was the final episode of Monk:( It has saddened everyone worldwide who has lived off of Monk for the past 8 years...So goodby Monk, we will miss you terribly...Maybe they will make a movie out of you someday.

Quotes of the Day

Ode to Randy-

Randy: If we were both drowning, who would you save?

Stottlemeyer: I don't know. Both of you.

Randy: No. You can only save one of us.

Stottlemeyer: Well, I'd probably save Monk, because he can't swim and I happen to know you are an excellent swimmer.

Randy: Suppose I was holding an anchor.

Stottlemeyer: You're holding an anchor?

Randy: Uh-huh. Who would you save then?

Stottlemeyer: Well, why don't you let go of the anchor?

Randy: It's a family heirloom.

Stottlemeyer: ...I'm leaving.

Ode to Monk-

Monk: (Pulling a leaf out of child's hand) No no, don't touch that. That's nature. Nature's dirty.

Ode to Sharona-

Monk: Wipe!

Sharona: Suck it up!

Missions and Study Abroad

I dont know how my mom did it, but she managed to cram A LOT of stuff into her life experiences before she got married! To name a few: Nanny in New York for a year, Study Abroad to Israel, and a Mission for our church to Winnepeg Canada for almost 2 years! And thats just a few! Well, she has a box that she had my dad go find the other day that has everything from when she was in Israel and on her mission! It has scrapbooks, notes, pictures, letters, cards, trinkets, journals, certificates, manuals, maps, and a lot of memories! So, me being the curious person I am and wanting to hear stories:) I dumped out the box and organized everything into piles! Along the way, I asked tons of questions! "Who is that? Where are you? What?" And every time, my mom would answer my question and tell me a story to go along with the person, place, or thing I was curious about! It made me so happy!!! I now have organized the whole box, and half of the letters! The letters are SOOOOO much fun to read! Some of them I cant read (because I cant read their handwriting) but the ones I can are hilarious!:) I probably know more about these complete strangers than there own children do!:)
Okay, thats it for now!

Quote of the Day

"You don't know me; you never knew my heart. No man knows my history. I cannot tell it: I shall never undertake it. I don't blame any one for not believing my history. If I had not experienced what I have, I would not have believed it myself. I never did harm any man since I was born in the world. My voice is always for peace."
— Joseph Smith Jr.

!!!!!! NEW MOON !!!!!!

I got to go to the midnight showing of New Moon last night (or it was officially this morning:) with my mom and a few of her friends!!! We arrived at the theater at 6:30 and waited in line in the lobby with about 200 other people for a little over an hour. Me, my mom, and Mindee were smart and we brought camp chairs so we didn't have to sit on the floor:) All of the other people were soooooo annoyed they didn't think of it! Then, they moved all of us into the hallway, where we waited for 2 hours...Then, they moved all of us into the theaters! We were put in the second theater they filled and since there were only like 20 people in front of us, we got our choice of seats!!! By the time we were seated it was around 9:45 and there were over a thousand people in the lobby and outside!!! I felt so bad for the people outside, it was pouring down rain and cold:( Luckily we were smart and came early! We were in the theater waiting for a little over 2 hours and then the movie started!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to admit that the movie was AMAZING!!! It was SOOOOOOO much better than Twilight! Edward and Jacob were fantastic, the Volturi (the bad guys) were deliciously evil, and they did a perfect balance of humor, action, and romance!!! (do you love all of my adjectives:) Bella even did better! I actually really didn't like her in Twilight, but she did very well this time around! Yes, there were some moments were I wish she did a better job of expressing herself but overall I enjoyed her! I also loved how they did the animation for the werewolves! They were exactly how I wanted them!!! Okay, so the best was when Jacob would take his shirt off (which he tends to do a lot:) My mom would scream at the top of her lungs "Ohhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!! Jacob!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" And the same with Edward too, so that all of the teenage girls would start screaming! She loves doing that:)
I have to give a round of applause to the staff of the theater we were at...they made it so it was calm and orderly, so we were able to have a really fun night!!!!

Here's a fantastic Quote from the book!!!

"You're impossible. How can I put this so that you'll believe me? You're not asleep, and you're not dead. I'm here, and I love you. I have always loved you, and I will always love you. I was thinking of you, seeing your face in my mind, every second when I was away. When I told you I didn't want you, it was the blackest kind of blasphemy."
— Stephenie Meyer (New Moon)

Sick

Im just going to start out by saying that I HATE BEING SICK!!!!
Okay! That made me feel better! So, since Monday, I have been miserable, stuck in bed, and wasnt able to eat anything... I had a fever, cough, cold, and to top it off there was this terrible migrain that would never go away! I couldnt even stand up long enough to take a shower until Wednesday afternoon! Well, luckily its over!!! Today Im still tired and have a light headache and cold...but I dont have a fever and I can stand! So, im considering today my recovery day!
The worst part is that I missed out on a lot of stuff this week too:(
They made THIS at Young Womens...Isnt it SOOOO cute!!! Thats the amazingness of our leaders! :)

Quote of the Day!

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.
I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.
I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.
I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."
— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers!!!

Okay, so one of my favorite movies of all time is Seven Brides for Seven Brothers! I hadnt seen it in a while, so today, we watched it!!! This was actually the first time my 7 year old brother Sam has seen it, and (of course) he loved the fact that a bunch of guys were kidnapping a bunch of girls! Soooooooo, if you havent seen it, go watch it!

Quote Of The Day!!!

Adam: This is my brother Caleb.

Milly: How are you brother Caleb?

Adam: This is Milly, my wife.

Caleb: Your wife? Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle! Hey Dan, he did it, he got married!

-Seven Brides For Seven Brothers

Beautiful!

Beauty comes in all sorts of sizes and shapes... Go check out this video and see something amazing!!!

Quote Of the Day!

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy." — Anne Frank

General Conference

Twice a year (the first weekend in April and October) my church has something called General Conference. It is where the leaders of our church talk about different principles of the gospel. Well, General Conference was just held last week and one of the most powerful talks I have ever heard was told...This talk was spoken by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He spoke about the Book of Mormon and he bore his testimony of it like no one as heard before! The spirit was everywhere and everyone, including little kids, looked up and listened to him! It was amazing!!! You can go see it here

Quote Of The Day

"I want it absolutely clear. When I stand before the judgement bar of God. That I declared to the world, in the most straight-forward language I could summon, that the Book of Mormon is true! That it came forth, and was given to bring happiness and hope to the faithful in the travail of the last days!" -Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, General Conference October 2009

Leavenworth!

My whole entire Young Womens (9 girls and 5 leaders came) stayed at a cabin in Leavenworth last night! It was one of our leaders family cabin, it used to be a church so it is huge!

When we first got there, me and the other 2 Beehives made Tacos and Pumpkin-chocolate chip cookies for dinner!

Then, we all got bundled up and walked around the town...we went inside the Nutcracker Shop, the Hat shop, the Christmas Shop, and the Candy Shop!
When we got back to the cabin, we all got in our pajamas and did a spa! We did chocolate facials, and foot baths! it felt soooooo good...

Then, we watched The Legend of Johnny Lingo (I love that movie!) and Sabrina gave us all amazing pedicures! When we finally went to bed (around midnight) Me, Sabrina, and Victoria stayed up till 4:30 in the morning talking! We only got 3 hours of sleep!

In the morning, we ate a yummy pancake and sausage breakfast and bundled up again to go on a nature hike at Blackbird Island...the scenery was gorgeous!!! We even saw huge fish in the river! They were so big, they were the size of small sharks!
The trip was great and I hope that the Young Women get to go together again!!!

Pooh Bear!

Some of the best quotes come from Pooh Bear! Here is one of my favorites!!!

Quote Of The Day

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I'd never have to live without you."
— Pooh bear talking to Piglet

Cooking!!!

I had my first cooking lesson today!!! There is this family that goes to our church and they are amazing chefs! Sooooooooo, they are giving me, and my 2 sisters cooking lessons for the next 12 weeks or so... Today, was our first lesson and we made some really yummy ravioli!!! We made 100% of everything...I'm not exaggerating! We made the cheese, pasta, filling, and the sauce! Yummy!!! Sorry I dont have any pictures for you...we forget to take any!

Quote of the Day

Okay, I love this quote and I completely agree with it! I think its great advice!

"Anything thats human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone"

-Fred Rogers

Salmon and Reading!!!

On Thursday, we went to the Ballard Locks with a homeschooling group! The Ballard Locks is where they let the boats transfer from fresh water to salt water (and vice verse) and they have the Salmon Ladder there! The Salmon Ladder is where the salmon travel up the ladder (which begins in salt water) to get to fresh water, to get back where they were born and lay new eggs so that new salmon are born! The salmon were huge but they were also beautiful! It was fun to watch them jump out of the water! We had a great time and I would suggest it to anybody who has a free couple of hours laying around!

I read an Amazing book this week! Its called Hunger Games...It has a ton of action, mystery, adventure, and romance!!! My perfect kind of book! I also read the second book called Catching Fire which just came out last week and is also fantastic! AND, I read Eclipse for the fourth time! The funny thing is though, those books have only taken up 3 days of reading for me, and I wish they would have lasted a couple weeks! Oh Well! Apparently I read too quick and so its my fault!

Quote of the Day:

"He became my confidante, someone with whom I could share thoughts I could never voice...In exchange, he trusted me with his. —Katniss Everdeen "

— Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games)

Homeschool!!!

Im homeschooling this year and I am really excited!!! Over the years, I have gone in and out of public and home schooling... The last 2 years I have gone to my public Middle School, but we decided that this year I am doing homeschooling! All 4 of us are at home this year, plus Sarah the baby is here at home too! It will be busy! But Im still excited!!!

Quote of the Day!!!

"[Homeschooling]...recipe for genius: More of family and less of school, more of parents and less of peers, more creative freedom and less formal lessons."

— Raymond S. Moore (School Can Wait)

Mystery Video

Well, since Im in the very center of all this wedding stuff... I thought I would share this video with you that I saw a few weeks ago! I know that all of you by now have probably already seen it, but it makes me smile every time I see it! So watch it again!!!
You can see the mysterious, fantastic video HERE ...but WAIT!!! Your quote of the day can help you figure out the mystery if you try! Good Luck!!!

Your Quote of the day:

"If this was the last chance to be with you, just this one dance, I want this dance to last forever, but then again, forever may end too soon" — Celina

Fiesta Time!!!

After Rachels wedding, all of the family and close friends went back to my Aunt and Uncles house to have a huge fiesta!

Rachel had this fantastic dress to party in and Edgar had his Mexican suite!

This is the amazing dress that Rachel bought me at the same time she bought hers...It takes SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much energy to wear because of the corset in the back, but its still really fun!!! Rachel, me, and 3 of my cousins were all wearing these dresses! (sorry I dont have a better photo)

Mariachi Band played fantastic music!!!

Here are the wedding colors! Isn't the setup cute?!? This was also the dance floor later that night, they cleared out all the tables and it transformed!

Sam and Sarah (my little brother and sister) were so cute! They danced for hours that night! Sam was dipping, twirling, and lifting Sarah to the point that all of us just stood around and watched them!

"To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love" — Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

GIRLS CAMP!!!

Its that time of year again!!! Girls Camp!!! This is absolutely my favorite week of the year! Camping, zero boys, my best buddies at my side, and a really great spiritual experience! Who wouldnt love it!
My favorite night was when everyone cried and hugged random people (hugging people is my absolute favorite thing to do!) We were at golden hour and they had everyone come up and say "I Will" and then what they would do in their lives... mine was "I will ponder daily about what I am reading in the scriptures" What made everyone really start crying was when at the very end they played the song I Will by Hillary Weeks and they had the lyrics for all of us to sing along to... It was amazing...the spirit was SOOOOO strong and it was an unforgetable experience for me and many others.

"One day each of us will run out of tomorrows. Let us not put off what is important."

— Thomas S. Monson

Celtic Music

Celtic Women is a girls Irish singing group that my friend Victoria told me I had to listen to...Well, I went and listened to it on You-Tube yesterday...And I loved it!!! They have such clear, beautiful voices! My 2 favorite songs by them is Over The Rainbow and You Raise Me Up

I love Over The Rainbow because the 4 girls sing it ocapella and they do it perfectly!

I also listened to Celtic Thunder, which is pretty much the same thing as Celtic Women, except its all boy singers...These guys are just as amazing!!! My favorite song by them is Ireland's Call... I love them because you can distinctly hear their Irish accents in their voices as they sing and they have a large variety of ages in their group!

My favorite singer in their group is Damien McGinty...He has an absurdly mature voice for a 14 year old! But it is amazing! My favorite song by him is Bird Without Wings which is a beautiful song that I could listen to over and over again! He sung that song when he was almost 15... If you want to see a more playful side of him, you can listen to Puppy Love or Young Love !

There are a ton more songs that are great by both of these singing groups! I would highly recommend that you listen to a few!

Thanks Victoria for introducing me to Celtic Music AND giving me the idea for this post!!!

One Night with the King AND Joseph

My Best Friend Sabrina slept over 2 nights in a row this week, on both nights we watched FANTASTIC movies! on the first night we watched One Night With The King which is a movie about the story of Esther and how she became queen, and what it was like being queen...it was a great movie and I highly recommend it to anyone! It is a very complex story line though, so you need to pay close attention or you will get confused...I learned a TON about Esther's story that I had no idea about! Here's a quote from the movie:

Queen Esther: If I perish... I perish.

This was Queen Esther right before she goes before the King without being called upon...

The second night, we watched the movie Joseph which is a movie about Joseph, Jacobs son who's 10 brothers sell him to the Egyptians as slaves...this movie captures the story brilliantly! But, again, you need to pay close attention to the story line, or you will get confused! Here's a quote from the movie!

"I know you wife, I know you" -Potiphar (Ben Kingsley)

This is when Potiphar is telling his wife that she has lied to him, after she has accused Joseph and wants him killed...

I highly recommend both of these movies, you learn a lot, there is some great humor, and it makes a great movie night!!!

Girls Night Out

Me, my 2 sisters, and 3 other girls were having a little bit of what most adults would call wierd fun today! We made a movie called Girls Night Out...I filmed it, Veronica helped with random things, and Sara, Elana, Paige, and Lilly were four different pregnant women that go to our church...Hey! I had nothing to do with the idea for this movie! It was pretty hilarious though! The 4 girls all put bike helmets under their shirts and dressed up to look like their designated women! Youve got to admit, they sure are creative! I promise I will post the video when we finish editing it!
Now, I decided that the quote today had to be atleast slightly related to the days events, sooooooooooo here you go!

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.-- Anonymous

Come What May, and Love It

Both of my lessons in church today were on hardships and trials...they were both great lessons and I decided that todays quote just had to be around that topic... we learned that everyone has those trials in life, big and small, but if you endure them to the end, you will find Joy...you can use these trials as learning experiences and become stronger...

"Every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don't sing and bells don't ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result."
Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Come What May, and Love It," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 26

I gave you a link to this talk on trials, its one of my favorite talks and I invite you to go read it!:)

Fourth Of July!!!

Today was Fourth of July!!! I had a great day! I first, went to a parade and handed out candy for the American Family Insurance agency...I was with 3 of my best buddies and helping out one of the people I love! Those kids were CRAZY though! They would get up in our faces and yell CANDY, CANDY, CANDY! I had an amazing time though!!!
Then, I got home and we headed over to our friends house and we had a delicious barbecue! There was ribs, chicken, burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, watermelon, veggies, potato chips, and drink galore! Before and after we had dinner the rest of the kids (10, not counting myself) were in the hot tub at the SAME time! Our friend has one of those swim spas, so the hot tub is HUGE, but it was still pretty squished!
My family provided desserts for the barbecue! We made Strawberry Shortcake Cake, Texas Sheet cake, and homemade Rocky Road ice cream! It was all delicious!!!
Finally, the fireworks started!!! My neighborhood goes crazy with fireworks! These people spend thousands of dollars on REAL fireworks and then we just sit back and watch them without spending a penny! It felt like we were at a baseball park watching the after-show fireworks they were so huge!

Okay, now...In honor of Fourth of July I have a quote inspired by just that today! Enjoy!

"How often we fail to realize our good fortune in living in a country where happiness is more than a lack of tragedy. " ~Paul Sweeney

We live in a beautiful country that is unlike any other...We need to acknowledge that and celebrate on those special days like today!

Knitting!

My mom has taken up a new hobby...knitting...she has actually become a natural at it! She learned it only 3 months ago and she is already knitting PERFECT little hats, leg warmers, elephants, wash clothes...she is completely addicted to it! So, I saw this quote and thought of you mom! Here you go guys!

"Knitting is clothing made in spare moments, or round the fire, whenever women gathered together... It's something to celebrate-clothes made in love and service, something women have always done." — Anne Bartlett (Knitting: A Novel)

My mom knits when she is watching TV, in the car, watching us play outside...Its just what she automatically does!!!

Sunburn

I am MISERABLE... stuck inside my house on a gorgeous day like today with a terrible sunburn on my shoulders and back...Well, on that note, here's your quote! I decided it had to include the word sunshine, since that, and the fact that NOBODY in my coldasac had sunscreen, is why I am having such a terrible day! Enjoy!

"If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine."

— Morris West

Shirley Temple

I was in a Shirley Temple mood today! I have always loved Shirley Temple...She is sooooooo cute and enjoyable to watch!!!

"My Chicken can do a special trick!"

"And what is that?"

"She can lay an egg!"

"And what's so special about THAT?!"

"Well, Can YOU lay an egg?"

— Shirley Temple

A True Friend...

And Isi always listened, never told Enna she had been foolish, never said hollow things like 'You'll be all right.' . . . Isi saw Enna's struggle and her sadness, and she understood." — Shannon Hale

And that is a true friend...

Cleaning Too Much???

"A messy house is a must - it separates your true friends from other friends. Real friends are there to visit you not your house!" — Jennifer Wilson

If only our parents would understand this!!!

I Couldnt Decide!

Okay, I couldnt decide between these 2 qoutes today! These are actually quotes that I hear a lot but I really love them!

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." — Dr. Seuss

AND

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." — Maya Angelou

Ode To Victoria

My Best Buddy Toria (Victoria) made a mini movie for all of her friends and at the end she had this quote!!! I LOVED it and decided I needed to find it to use! Well, enjoy!

"Nothing you love is lost. Not really. Things, people - they always go away... sooner or later. You can't hold them anymore than you can hold the moonlight. But if they've touched you, if they're inside of you, then they're still yours. The only things you ever really have are the ones you hold inside your heart. Thats where I hold the moon, thats where I hold you"

Author:Unknown

My Quote Site

I get almost all my quotes from this quote site online: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes
It has quotes for everything! From friendship, to humor, to movies!!!
ENJOY!!!