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Merry Christmas and Happy 2012!

2011-12-17T12:16:00.000-08:00

So, just in case you missed out on getting a holiday card from me, here's the basic rundown of my year in pictures. I didn't mean to leave anyone out...I just REALLY wanted to get the cards out before Christmas, so I had to go with the addresses I had! BUT...I really do love you all!

Randi and I being overtaken by a wave in Cancun for my birthday! Such a great trip...and a great way to start out the year!

My first stop in the Moving to Florida adventure...living in Sanford, FL with Amanda and Nate for a little while! They were so wonderful to me...especially when I was FREAKING OUT about making this move!

The first weekend that I was in Tampa, I got to see Keven since he was down here with Shrek: The Musical! So much fun to see him and catch up!

Mt. Rainier, Washington...we took "the scenic route" from eastern Washington where Niels lives to Seattle for the weekend...it was an unusually clear day and we were able to get some great pictures...not only of Mt. Rainier, but this sight was definitely a favorite!

Visting Niels Nielsen in Washington state in September...this picture was taken from the top of the Space Needle! Such a great trip...and such a great man!

The very first alligator I've ever seen in the wild...it was in the retention pond at my apartment complex!!! (October 2011)

My first time on a sailboat...December 2011Hi to all my dear friends and family! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy 2012 to all of you!

I need to apologize for herding all of you to my blog in order to read this...I just couldn't get the letter done in time to send out the cards before Christmas!

So, as most of you know (or know now since you received the card from me that was postmarked in Florida), I moved to Florida NEARLY A YEAR AGO!! What an incredible year it's been! I'm so grateful to finally be here in the beautiful Sunshine State! It's definitely been a long time coming and I'm glad that I finally took the plunge!

So, I just wanted to give you all a quick rundown of what I've been up to since leaving Charlottesville...

I turned THIRTY in January! Holy cow! I can't believe it! On my birthday, Randi, her friend Bobby, his friend Erik and I met up in Cancun, Mexico for a few days...and it was WONDERFUL! We stayed in a BEAUTIFUL hotel, played cards, read, napped in beach chairs, swam, rode the bus into downtown Cancun to go exploring, ate delicious food and just generally had a great vacation! I loved every second of the 80+ degree weather they had there and it definitely made me even more eager to get out and explore more of the world. I'm still trying to get to Puerto Rico, but Randi tells me that I'm not allowed to go there... :( ...not really sure what that's all about!

In February, I packed a few weeks worth of clothes in a suitcase and headed out to Arizona to recover from six months of working in the worst environment EVER...never to return (at least full-time or yet) to Virginia. From Arizona, I flew straight to Florida, deciding that it was just time to give living there a shot! I started out my adventures in Florida staying with Amanda and Nate in Sanford, FL (which is near Orlando)...BUT, at the very end of April, I got a call from a friend down near Tampa who said that she was going to have to have gall bladder surgery and wanted to know if I was in the position to be able to come down and help their family for a few weeks...so on the first weekend of May, I packed up all of my belongings AGAIN and drove an hour and a half down to Tampa...and immediately fell in love with this place!

May, June and July were spent helping my friend after surgery. She and her husband are some of the best people I know here in Tampa...I love them dearly! The very first weekend that I was living in Tampa, I was able to go see Keven in Shrek at the Straz Center that's in downtown Tampa. It was wonderful to see him...especially since the last time I'd seen him was for Kaylyn's wedding back in 2007! In June, I moved into an apartment in Temple Terrace (a suburb of Tampa) with a girl in the singles ward. She's a great roommate and I feel very blessed to have her in my life!

In August, I started a new job at a company called Restocon Corporation...they're a restoration construction firm here in Tampa and they're great people to work for! My "official" title is "Assistant to the Project Managers"...and even though sometimes my job is very challenging, I like it a lot. It helps push me to become a stronger person, for which I'm grateful! About two weeks after starting my new job in August, I was involved in a pretty serious accident on I-4...I made it out alive, but my car didn't! :( I got a new car (a 1998 Honda Civic...with a sunroof...which is definitely my favorite part about the car!) and all is well...I don't have much in the way of residual pain or discomfort from the accident...so I'm very grateful for that!

In September I was able to go to Washington state to visit my dear friend, Niels Nielsen, that I'd met while he was a resident at UVA. It was a great trip and it was so nice to be able to reconnect after not seeing each other for about a year and a half. He lives in eastern Washington now, but there's not a whole lot in eastern Washington but western Idaho, so we went to Seattle for the weekend. It was GREAT and I have decided that I love Seattle...I think that if it had temperatures more Florida-like and palm trees, it would be the perfect city! I look forward to going back sometime! Anyway, Niels and I spent our time together taking TONS of pictures (he's a very talented photographer), touring the city and catching up on each other's lives. It was a terrific trip!

I had the opportunity to go home every weekend in November because Kaylyn and the girls were home visiting...it was wonderful and I only got "stuck" twice in all of that standby flying! I was actually pretty impressed and, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I was very grateful as well! It was wonderful to be able to be home for Thanksgiving, which was the longest amount of time I'd been home since leaving in February. I loved being in Charlottesville, taking in all of the beauty of the mountains and trees, the red mud, the familiarity of the winding roads and seeing people that I care for very much!

So far, December has been great...I've gone sailing in the Tampa Bay, made some recipes from Pinterest, spent time becoming better friends with the people I've met here and have recently been riding out the last part of the year laying on the couch in my living room after severely spraining my left ankle and straining my right one. I tell ya, I do things big...before this I've never had so much as a bloody nose!

I've also (in the last week) started contributing to a website that Josh McLerran owns called "americaland.org"...if you would like to check it out! That's been a lot of fun! Life is sunny and good here in Florida...I love you all and hope that 2012 brings good things to each of your lives!

Love,
Anna

Pulling "notes" off of my facebook...

2011-11-26T10:59:00.000-08:00

This is a "note" that I wrote via facebook when I was going to be moving from Sanford to Tampa six months ago. Just in the process of cleaning up my "notes" section, so I thought I would put this here.

I found out this week that I would need to find a new place to live. Being me, I kinda panicked for a bit...not really knowing what was going to happen. About half an hour after I got the news, I received a phone call that changed the panicked feeling to a relieved feeling...then a few hours later I was back to a panicked feeling for a second and then finally landed on a REALLY, REALLY EXCITED feeling...all in all, I'm no longer panicked about "the future". I really don't know why ever worry in the first place, really...I know (and have always known) that Heavenly Father is there and He will always help me out...but it seems like with every "bump in the road" that comes along, I forget. I suppose I'll get it one of these days!!

So, tomorrow I will be heading out to start a new adventure/chapter/whatever you want to call it further south in Florida. All I know for certain is that I have a FOR SURE, definite amount of time that I will be there...how things go afterwards are a mystery at this point, but I don't feel nervous about it in the least bit. The funny/too perfect to be a coincidence thing about all of this is that for the last several weeks, I have been thinking about "checking out" the area that I will now be staying in to see if it would be somewhere I'd like to live more permanently. I guess I'll be getting a pretty good preview!!

I know Heavenly Father is in control of how things are going/will go for me and I'm looking forward to finding out the reason(s) why I feel so drawn to this area. I'm looking forward to life continuing to be an adventure in this glorious Sunshine State for as long as I'm here. :)

Weekends are my favorite.

2011-10-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

The last few weekends have been WONDERFUL. I got up SUUUUUUUUPER early on the morning of September 18 and caught a plane to Charlottesville for the day...got to see my family at the Knight reunion...after I'd had my fill of "pickin' and grinnin'", I caught up with friends from the singles ward over dinner at my FAVORITE Charlottesville restaurant (Thai 99...mmm...I dream about their curry and drunken noodles...sooooooo good!). It was a great evening! The next morning, Randi and I went to the Charlottesville airport to try to catch a flight to Charlotte so that I could go back to Tampa and she could go to Hilton Head, SC. Turns out our flight out of Charlottesville was C-A-N-C-E-L-L-E-D due to maintenance...so we jumped in the car and started making our way to Lynchburg...the seats we wanted to get out of there filled up before we got there, so we decided to just go ahead and go all the way to Charlotte! Ca-razy! My flight to Tampa didn't work out, so I ended up flying into Sarasota and my friend, Jenna, came to pick me up. I worked Monday through Wednesday of the next week (though those days were some of the longest work days I've experienced in a LONG time) and on Thursday morning I got up early again and headed out to see Niels in Washington state. Thursday was a long day, too...just getting to Washington was exhausting...but the fun we had over the course of the weekend made the long flights, bus rides and wait until he got off work worth it. He is truly one of the greatest people I know and I'm so glad I got to spend some quality time with him...it'd been a long time and we definitely needed to catch up! We went to dinner at a REALLY great restaurant on Thursday after he got off work and then to his offices so he could finish up a few things before taking off for the weekend. After his offices, we went to downtown Pullman for some Huckleberry ice cream, which was really good, and then home to watch lots of youtube videos and talk more.

The next morning (Friday), we got up and ready and packed for spending the rest of the weekend in Seattle. With the hotel booked and our camera batteries charged up, we first stopped by his office to get his water bottle and meet one of his co-workers who was really nice...and then we set out for Seattle...taking our sweet time. It's normally a 4/4.5 hour drive from Pullman to Seattle...but with all of the stops we made along the way to take pictures, taking a pass that made the trip about 100 miles longer so that we could see Mt. St. Helens and Mt/ Rainier (BECAUSE WE COULD) and a little traffic along the way, the trip to Seattle ended up taking about 10 hours...and it was a great ten hours!!! We checked into our hotel and then went to get dinner at a place in Greenwood called Mr. Gyros. Ho-ly cow...it was delicious! The guys working in there were SUPER nice (um, and handsome) and the food was amazing! We walked around in downtown Greenwood for a little while and then went back to the hotel and to bed.

Saturday morning we woke up and skedaddled into downtown Seattle. We went to Pike Place Market and took TONS of pictures, then we went to a place called "Three Sisters Cafe" for breakfast. After Pike Place and breakfast, we walked around downtown Seattle taking TONS AND TONS AND TONS of pictures. We went to the Experience Music Project Museum, did our turn on the Duck Tours, and finished out the evening atop the Space Needle and dinner at Buca di Beppo.

Sunday we saw the Fremont Troll, Gasworks Park, Jimi Hendrix's grave, did the Underground tour and saw the Ballard Locks and then wound down by seeing "Crazy, Stupid, Love" that night. I was glad that it was still playing in Seattle...I'd wanted to see that movie since it came out...and was not disappointed. We both really liked it.

Monday we got up and checked out of our hotel, got some breakfast and went over to Glazer's Camera shop so that I could get a lens cap to replace the one that I'd lost in the VERY FIRST field that we tromped around in back in Pullman on the way to Seattle. After we finished at Glazer's, we started the drive back to Pullman...the trip back, though leisurely, took the normal amount of time...basically. We stopped at a place called Steptoe Butte on the way back so that we could take in the view of the area and, of course, take more pictures. After Steptoe, we went over to the mall in Moscow, ID to check on Pandora charms (which we didn't find anywhere in that mall) and got dinner. After dinner, we stopped back by his office for a few minutes so we could take his lunch for Tuesday over...since Tuesday was going to be such an early morning with a run to the airport and then the early meeting he had to run. After we got back to his house, we loaded the pictures we'd taken onto his computer and edited a few of them in LightRoom...can I just take a moment to say how INCREDIBLE that program is?! Truly. I CAN'T wait to get my new computer and get a copy of it...and learn to use it! :) I love it!

The rest of the week at work was busy playing catch up...and this past weekend was General Conference...which was just the kind of "pick-me-up" that I needed since I haven't been to church in almost a month at this point!

This weekend, my sister Randi and her boyfriend Jonathan are coming to Tampa for Flugtag. I can't wait to see her...and meet Jonathan...and take lots of pictures of people in their "flying machines" shooting off into the Bay! :)

Holy Cow!

2011-08-29T15:13:00.001-07:00

A LOT has happened since the last time I wrote. I started my new job...I really like it...I'm still in the learning phase of all of it, but it seems to be going pretty well so far.

On August 12, I was heading up to Orlando to dog-sit for Amanda and Nate and was in a pretty serious car accident on I-4. The guy next to me started coming over into my lane and as I tried to get out of his way but not run off the road, I ended up losing control of my car and slamming into his car at a perpendicular angle, which caused his car to flip (a few times). I was very, very fortunate to walk away from that accident very shaken, but not seriously harmed. In the time that's followed the accident, I've kept thinking about the line in my patriarchal blessing where I was promised to be blessed with good health and to be free from harm or accident. I'm SO grateful for my entire patriarchal blessing, but lately that's been such a comfort to draw on...especially in the time that's followed the accident where I feel a little extra jumpy behind the wheel of a car. To add to all of the excitement around the car situation, I just got a letter in the mail on Saturday from an attorney that the other people in the accident hired to try to sue my insurance company...and, if they don't get "full cooperation" from my insurance company, they'll have "no choice" but to go after me. Well, guess what...on Monday, I got my deductible reimbursement check from State Farm (their insurance company) because they'd accepted liability. Fortunately for me...there's no case for the other people to try to come after anybody!

Exactly a week after my accident, I had to go to the ER to get a cyst on my tailbone taken care of...I know, I'm sorry...too much information. I've had to go back to the ER twice since then to get them to help me with it...the second time I went, they ordered me to take a few days off work so that I could rest and recover. I'm glad that I took the time so that my body could heal, but because I had to take that time off, I won't be able to go see Niels in Washington this weekend...which I'm REALLY sad about. We've been talking about me coming out there to visit ever since he moved there...and it was SO close this time. I had a standby reservation all ready to go and everything! :( But, on the bright side, we're hoping to get it together and see each other in the next month or two, which will be really good.

This past Saturday, my friend, Tanya and I went out to Tarpon Springs so I could look at a car that her friend was selling. Turns out I loved it...and bought it. It's cute, I love it and my friend Nadia and I are getting ready to go out there tonight to pick it up tonight...I'm pretty excited about it! (Side note...I just got back from picking up the car and I can't even describe how much I love it already! First of all, I'm in love with the fact that I have a sunroof...the car runs REALLY well A-N-D, when I got back to Tampa from Tarpon Springs I filled up the gas tank, which was fairly close to empty, on $33! Super exciting! Especially since my Avalon was costing me approximately double that amount any time I filled up from nearly empty!)

Alright, that's all I have going on at the moment...I'm sure I'll write again in another few weeks!!! :)

XO,

Lessons learned.

2011-07-28T11:12:00.001-07:00

I've punched out and then deleted several starter paragraphs for this post over the last hour, trying to figure out how exactly to write out what I'm feeling.

Basically, I finished my last day (EVER) of work as a nanny. It's been a long road getting here, but I don't regret the time I've spent in this line of work...particularly because it's led me to Tampa and I'm so happy being here.

I've learned...

- I don't regret the time that I spent doing this work. I know that everything I learned from this time in my life will be beneficial when I have my own kids running me ragged one day.

- Nothing is more important at the end of the day than your kids knowing that you love them and that you're proud of the people they're becoming...with or without your help.

- You can't protect your kids from everything that'll happen to them and that it's your job as a parent (or a nanny) to help give them the tools necessary to fight their own battles...and to help them understand which ones are worth fighting.

- The words to the theme songs of more kids' shows than I EVER thought I would.

- Baby wipes and hand sanitizer are on the list of the best inventions on the planet.

- You really should sleep when the baby does...everything else can wait.

- There's a difference between a hungry cry and a tired cry and a hurt cry.

- Kids love funny faces...any time...for any reason.

- Privacy in the bathroom is no longer a guarantee when kids are involved.

- Your job is NOT to make sure that everything's always fair for them...real life doesn't work that way and making them think so is hindering, not helping.

- You're not actually a horrible person for letting a kid learn at an early age to "cry it out" when it comes to nap time.

- Kids really do say the darnedest things.

- It's possible, though not entirely easy, to do many things with one hand.

- One of the best feelings in the world is having your kid tell you that they love you.

There are looooooooooooooooots of other things I've learned, but those are the big ones that are sticking out to me at the moment.

I'm now a seasoned professional when it comes to changing a diaper, folding the laundry, playing cards and playing trucks, reading bedtime stories, finding lost stuffed animals and cleaning the kitchen. Making lunches, grocery shopping and errand running, swing and stroller pushing and applying dress-up makeup are all in a day's work. Kissing a boo-boo, deciphering kid-talk and making up funny lyrics to otherwise normal songs are now like second-nature to me. Playing round after (endless) round of "What time is it, Mr. Wolf", "Hide and Seek", "Wipe Out" and "American Gladiators" is just part of the deal.

Because of this work, I've also realized and recognized my strengths as well as my weaknesses. I have, for instance, a weakness for little reddish-haired and blue eyed boys who (when they were really little) consistently fell asleep on my shoulder with their hand sticking straight down my shirt...and when they were bigger, got so excited to see me every day that you would have thought I was a celebrity (on par with the likes of Dora the Explorer or Wyatt from Super Why!). So much of the world that I've known over the past few years begins and ends with that kid. In fact, with the exception of a few months at the beginning, my entire work history as a nanny revolves around him, his sisters and his cousins. It was because of his family that I ever set foot in Florida in the first place and it's because of his cousins that I ultimately ended up in Tampa. I don't know how to adequately express my gratitude to this family, actually...other than to just say THANK YOU for sharing your kids with me. They've taught me so much!

And now, like with every good nanny story (Mary Poppins and Nanny McPhee actually being the only two that I can think of)...it's time to say farewell to that portion of my life. But, with the knowledge that has come because of my experiences writing my own Nanny Diaries story, I know that whenever the time comes I'll be a good mom...at least in theory...we'll see how it all goes down in practical application! (Which is the story of my life, lately...or maybe always!)

The End. :)

Where to even begin.

2011-07-07T18:27:00.001-07:00

I should write all about what's happening these days...I really should. It's just that so much is happening and has happened that I don't know where to start.

I'll just say that life in Tampa is REALLY good.

In the way of "news" -

I moved into an apartment in Temple Terrace, have a wonderful roommate and love living here so far. We just got internet installed in our house, too, which is great! We will hopefully be getting some furniture in the next little bit, which is kind of exciting...at least to me! I talked to Amanda tonight and it sounds like Carla's coming to town next week, so I'm going to try to get up there while she's here so I can see her and also retrieve my computer desk from Amanda and Nate's house. My computer is currently residing on the floor, with my monitor on a box that my lamp came in...which is super classy, I know! It's totally okay if you're jealous that I'm living in the lap of luxury! :)

I signed up for a photography class at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts...it starts at the end of July and goes for five weeks. I'm SO excited! I'm hoping that taking this class will help me learn some of the things about photography that I don't know. I'm also excited to be able to do something that will help me meet more new people in the area. Aside from the fact that when people get in their cars around here it's like they're ALL driving to or away from a fire, the majority of the people I've met have been really nice. It must have something to do with the nice weather and having the water close by...I know that helps me out a lot! Ha, ha!

There are *hopefully* good things on the horizon for me as far as future employment goes. That's all I really feel at liberty to say right now about that.

I'm building some really strong, solid and honest relationships here, which has been a great thing. I've learned a lot about myself because of the people I've met here and I'm so grateful for that.

Okay. That's pretty much everything I can say right now. I'll try to be better at writing...in case anyone cares!!!

In the blink of an eye.

2011-05-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Breaking news...I don't live in Sanford anymore. Long story short, a friend in Tampa needed some help with her kids for a few weeks after having to have gall bladder surgery and, through a series of other events, I was in the position to be able to help out, so I loaded up my stuff and headed on down the highway to Tampa about two weeks ago.

I have LOOOOOOOOOOOOVED it here so far. I got in on Friday (May 6th) and stayed the night at Jill (Snow) Bianchi's. We went to Fort De Soto beach on Saturday with her kids and one of her friends. Saturday night, I went to see Keven in Shrek: the Musical, which was FANTASTIC. (It was great to get to catch up with him before and after the show and I'm planning to get up to Orlando to surprise him by going to see him again this weekend before he leaves the state.)

Sunday I went to church in the Seffner ward and came away from it wondering what in the W-O-R-L-D I was going to do about going to church down here because that ward was awful. It was completely unlike anything I'd ever experienced before in my life as a member of the Church. The entire time, my only thought was that I desperately wanted to leave...and once I was able to do so, the only feeling I came away with was knowing that I never, ever wanted to go back to that ward again. This past Sunday, I did a little church shopping and found "MY" ward. I have to say that I LOVE the Tampa YSA ward so far. The people were so friendly and welcoming. I already love them and I'm excited to be a part of that ward. I feel at home now, which is not how I've felt in regards to church since I've been in Florida. (And so, I'm doing EVERYTHING I can think of to try and stay here...everyone keep your fingers crossed for me!) This weekend, the ward is taking a trip to Anna Maria Island which I'm really looking forward to. Here's a picture, in case you're interested and/or want to be jealous!

Looks pretty, huh?! I can't wait to post some of my own pictures after this weekend!

So, lastly, work is going well and I looooove the people I'm working for. They've been so nice to be around and the kids are lots of fun...and they've been super supportive and helpful with regards to me finding work down here so that I can stay, which has been so great. I really, really feel like I'm in the right place...which is a good thing. I have no idea how things are going to end up panning out as far as finding a job and staying here, but I feel peaceful about all of it. I know that as long as I do everything I can to be able to stay, if it's the right thing for me to do, I'll be able to...but if not, I know two things...number one, everything will be okay and number two, the world is my oyster and I can essentially pick a dot on the map and go...and be fine. Coming to Florida has shown me that, and I'm grateful for it!

"Been Hangin' Around This Town..."

2011-03-26T04:14:00.001-07:00

I have to say that I really, really love Sanford. All of the people I've met here are really nice and it's just a really cute town! Yesterday I went and took a drug test for my new job (at Target) over in Longwood...the facility was a little hard to find because it didn't come up on the GPS...and then the way back was interesting because it didn't take me anywhere close to the way I came! I got to see a lot of the surrounding towns yesterday!! After I did the drug test - hope I passed :) - I went home and put the pictures that I took for the photo contest the other day at the pottery studio and the art gallery on my memory card so I could print them and give them to the owners as a thank you for helping me. Let me just pause here for a second and say how INCREDIBLY sad I am that I haven't been able to find a place that does quality printing down here yet. I ended up going to Kinko's and getting the pictures printed...but they looked pretty bad (in my opinion) since the only option for the photo paper was glossy finish...and I can't stand glossy finish!!!! Needless to say, I really missed Richmond Camera yesterday and I think I'm probably going to have to start doing online orders with them again.

After leaving the pottery studio, I went for a walk around the lake and ended up at the national headquarters for New Tribes Mission [www.ntm.org] - don't be surprised if the link doesn't work...I have yet to figure out HOW to make links work on here...and it's kind of annoying. They're building is the old Mayfair Hotel and it's a BEAUTIFUL structure! Back when it was a hotel, Al Capone stayed there...and it was also owned by the Giants when they would come down for spring training...in the 1970's it was acquired by NTM and has been their headquarters ever since. Anyway, the people I met at NTM were super nice and offered to give me a tour of the facility and tell me more about what they do. Basically, they're a group of Christian missionaries that bring the message of the gospel to tribal communities all over the world. You'll never guess what their training facility is called....yep, that's right, the MTC! How funny is that! I was able to talk with them about being a member of the Church and point out some common ground that we share as Christians. It was a really great experience!

This is a picture/painting (probably a painting) that I found on the internet of the NTM Headquarters back when it was the hotel...the copyright on the picture says 1944...how I would have loved to have seen this place back then! It's just beautiful! I'll post some of the pictures of it soon that I took yesterday.

When I left the hotel, I walked back to my car and met a man on the way back who was waiting for his wife to get out of work...I talked to him for a little while and eventually gave him one of my business cards in hopes that he'll call me to have me take their family pictures. (Fingers crossed!) On the walk back to my car I also did something I've never done before...I bought an ice cream from an ice cream truck that was parked near the playground at the lake! Fun!! :)

Last night, I went to Orlando to meet a member of the church that lives in Hunter's Creek...the drive down was fine but then on the drive back my GPS kinda went crazy and it took me FOREVER to figure out where I was going! Annoying! I definitely don't think I'll be driving from Orlando at night any time soon. We went to dinner at a great place called Urban Hibachi. The food was awesome and we had a good time talking and getting to know each other!

Today (Saturday) we're going to New Smyrna beach with Juan and Wanda (Amanda works with Wanda) and I'm super excited about it!!

Will write more later...getting ready to go!

Solitary Refinement.

2011-03-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

There's so much that I could say about the last month that I've been living in Florida. So much. I've learned a lot about who I am...and I've realized that I'm not exactly the person that Charlottesville led me to believe I was...but in mostly good ways. (If that makes sense.) It's just been really, really great to have a fresh start. I'm still working out some of the finer details of being here, but I know that those things will come as they're supposed to and until then, I'm okay! All I know is that I'm really excited about the future that's out there for me!

I wish I could write more right now but I feel like if I got started, I would never be able to sleep tonight...and I need to!! I just wanted to write something to document the fact that I've reached a month of being down here! I'll try to remember to keep a running tally of exciting things that happen in this next month... :)

Love you all!

Floridaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

2011-03-19T19:34:00.001-07:00

So, Monday will mark ONE MONTH that I've been living in Florida. I can't believe it! I really love it down here...the friends I've met are really wonderful and the weather and scenery are awesome. Amanda, Nate and I went to Gemini Springs State Park today after Amanda and I went to Downtown Sanford to take pictures at a pottery studio there. It was beautiful (and I'll post pictures as soon as I get home to my computer)!

I went home last weekend to get my car and my clothes and Mom and I drove down on Monday morning. I took her to the airport on Tuesday morning and drove home...didn't even get lost (with the help of my trusty friend, Richard...my GPS voice personality guy). I worked on Wednesday and Thursday...we were supposed to go to the rodeo at the Church Ranch on Friday but we didn't make it...(I forgot my camera and started freaking out - over-reacting really - thinking that I'd lost it...long story...big freak out...didn't lose it...no worries.) Today I went around and took pictures and then I went to Winter Garden to hang out with my friend, Cindy, that's in the ward. She's sooo sweet and I'm really glad we've been able to become friends!!!

All in all, I'm glad to feel like this is where I'm supposed to be...I feel that way quite often, which makes me happy. I know that there are some kinks to work out about it, but that'll come. I know it.

That's all I've got for now...love you all!

Just a quick update...

2011-03-03T20:38:00.000-08:00

I've been in Florida for...10 days now. The weather is GORGEOUS and I've loved being here so far, even though I've gotten a little homesick from time to time. There really is a lot to do here and I'm excited for the chance to get out and explore a little bit nearly every day! I went to the family ward in Sanford on Sunday and while it was great and the people were really nice, it wasn't what I was looking for...so this week, amid everything else I've been trying to accomplish, I've been able to get in touch with some of the people in the College Park singles ward that meets in Orlando and will be attending there from now on. I'm excited to meet some new friends, for sure!

I started reading the Book of Mormon on Tuesday, as the start of the March Madness Book of Mormon Reading Challenge that's issued every year by our institute teacher in Charlottesville...I've already seen some blessings come from that and hope there are more to come! I love the Book of Mormon and I feel so blessed and humbled to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...particularly for the fact that I have a "family" wherever in the world I go...I'm especially grateful for that now, as I'm far away from my family in Charlottesville.

That's all I've got for right now...it's late and I should go to bed...I'll update more later!

Almost 2am.

2011-02-22T22:40:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep. I have no idea if this is because of the fact that I have so much to think about at the moment or if it's because I took a dose of Robitussin that was the non-drowsy formula. Probably a combination of both.

I got to Florida last night around 7pm after a long day of traveling. On the road to the Tucson airport at 4:30 in the morning and then a day of flying standby (which, even though I missed getting on both of the flights I wanted to be on, wasn't really that bad of an experience), makes for an exhausting day. I slept in until almost 11am this morning - I'll pin that on not having gone to bed at all before leaving for the airport on Monday as well as the time change back to Eastern Standard Time. :) Once I got up and ready to go, Nate and I went and met Amanda for lunch and then he took me around to do a little job hunting. I got a few applications in and made an appointment for an interview at a staffing agency for Wednesday (today, really) at 1:30pm. I hope something comes of that pretty quickly, or that I'll get a call back from one of the many places I've sent my resume this evening.

I feel like this is the right place to be and feel good about being here now. I'm looking forward to getting a job and then getting my car and the remainder of my belongings down here.

Okay, that's all I've got for right now...I'm going to try to fall asleep. Wish me luck!

Caution, radical honesty inside.

2011-02-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

A week ago today I was sitting in Sacrament meeting listening to my fellow Charlottesville 3rd Ward members bear their testimonies, dreading that Monday was coming and thinking about the fact that I just COULD NOT bear working another day in the negative environment I'd been in for the last six months. I thought about it all during church and at the very end of the Relief Society lesson, dear Laura Herring got up to bear her testimony and she shared the scripture in Alma 32:27 and it really resonated with me...I know that this scripture is referring to reading the scriptures, mainly, but I felt like it was applicable in my situation as well because I've been stuck somewhere between desiring to believe and exercising a particle of faith when it comes to my future plans. But Sunday I got my answer. I knew what I had to do...and it definitely wasn't to waste one more day at a crappy job in my hometown.

So I decided to give it a shot...I quit my job on Monday morning and, for the first time in six months, felt happier, healthier and more free than I have in a long time...on Tuesday, I picked up and went to Arizona with Randi to visit Kaylyn and the girls, assuming that I was going to be staying out here for a month, trying to find a job. I got out here and took one look at the town and, while I really love that my sister and my nieces are here, decided that I better reevaluate a little...so I decided to make good on Plan B (that's always sort of been Plan A).

Now, lemme 'splain...for over a year I've been considering moving to Florida. Ever since I even started to consider going there as an option I've noticed that there's been an over-abundance of Florida license plates in Charlottesville...I literally see at least one every single time I'm in a car...a constant reminder. I "coulda, woulda, shoulda" gone around this time last year, but the thought of leaving Charlottesville and missing out on my brand new niece that was going to be born wasn't appealing...so I didn't leave. Turns out, Kaylyn, Derek and the girls loaded up the truck and moved to Arizona a few months after she was born anyway...so that obstacle's out of the way. So lately, the main obstacle I'd been struggling with was a sense of absolute, paralyzing FEAR. I was afraid that if I left, any of the following would happen:

- The Charlottesville 3rd Ward would cease to function properly...just kidding, this is not something I was worried about...it was more like, I wasn't sure how I'd react to not being a part of the ward (in body) anymore. For the time that I've been in it, that ward has been my social safety net and what, many times, has kept me rooted in Charlottesville. I've been fortunate to have learned some of the most valuable lessons of my life as a member of that ward. I've been part of so many fun activities and parties and the general merriment that accompanies LDS single adults. More importantly, I've seen myself and my peers rise to accept callings and face the challenges that come with being part of a brand new ward. I've seen already incredible Sunday School teachers follow the direction of the Spirit and deliver life-changing Sunday School lessons. I've seen Relief Society and Elders Quorum presidents follow the Savior in love and guide those who had strayed back to full fellowship in the gospel. I've been fortunate to see and be part of the story of many of those who were searching for the truth. I've seen them find what they were looking for in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and become part of our ward. I've seen people care for each other and serve each other tirelessly until needs were met. I've seen the Gospel of Jesus Christ at work and in action in the little blip on the map that is my hometown and it's been wonderful. I'm grateful to know that I'll have the same opportunities to serve and be a part of it whether I'm in Florida or Zimbabwe. :)

- I would miss out on something (or, more accurately, someone) that was going to happen right around the corner in Charlottesville...I just had to be patient and wait just a little bit longer...and I've been doing just that for the last 3 years, at least. Not that the last three years haven't been good and productive in other areas of my life but the whole "someone" thing still hasn't happened...and not because I haven't "done anything" with my life...as some have been so insulting and callous as to infer (yeah, I couldn't believe it either)...but because it just hasn't and that's okay. I'm not saying that it will happen when I get to Florida and I'm DEFINITELY not saying that getting hitched is my main motivation in going there because it's certainly not. I'm not one to think that getting married is the only way to define myself as a person. I've had a lot of experiences, particularly in the last 5 years or so, that have added a lot of definition, purpose and substance to my life and I only plan on increasing in each of those areas as I move on to another part of the world.

- I would fail miserably and end up in exactly the same situation as I am now, minus a measure of confidence. This has always been a fear of mine but it's never more real than when I'm standing on the ledge of a potential adventure or change. I'm working on moving past this fear and I feel like I'm actually making good progress. I've been telling myself over and over again that, of all of the decisions I could make, THIS ONE can't possibly be the one that's going to completely ruin my life. I've been telling myself that by staying in Charlottesville, I've been living Ground Hog Day (sans the comedic relief of Bill Murray) for entirely too long. I've been telling myself that there are people that I'll meet soon whose life I can affect and people who will do the same for me.

Basically, I've realized that all of the reasons/excuses I've come up with for not leaving and bettering my life are pretty lame so...throwing caution to the wind (but not without having prayed, fasted and pondered over it - for over a year, I might add) I've decided that I'm going bite the bullet and head to Florida straight from here... and I can't wait to update on my new adventures.

XO,

From Wikipedia

2011-02-05T09:43:00.001-08:00

"Flogging a dead horse (alternatively beating a dead horse in some parts of the Anglophone world) is an idiom that means a particular request or line of conversation is already foreclosed or otherwise resolved, and any attempt to continue it is futile; or that to continue in any endeavor (physical, mental, etc.) is a waste of time as the outcome is already decided."

Complex electronic devices easily overwhelm me.

2011-01-26T15:33:00.000-08:00

I got my new camera today...and so far I love it! As I was bringing it home this afternoon, I told myself that this time instead of figuring out how to use it on my own and being frustrated at the fact that I didn't know how to make it do what I wanted it to, I'd read the instruction manual and do it "the right way". I told myself that it should be easy to sift through the mere TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY-EIGHT PAGES of information contained in the manual and pick out the things I wanted to learn. I told myself that this would be nooooooooooooo problem.

Yeah.

I've realized I tell myself a lot of things...like, "It's okay to pay more and get less...you're supporting (insert name of local business I bought my first camera from here)." Or, silly things like, "The manual is your friend...really, it'll be different this time...just go ahead and read it!" :)

I feel good about supporting local businesses but I also feel good about supporting my bank account...so, when I found out that the company I purchased my first camera from couldn't give me the D90 for the price I'd seen online at Walmart (gotta love Walmart for keeping their prices low...especially for a circumstance such as this), I decided to go with another local business that would. I still feel kind of like an adulteress, but I'll get over it. :)

Now as far as the manual, I've opened it twice since I brought the camera home, mostly just to see (hoping against hope, really) if it happened to be a cross between a Magic 8 Ball and a flip book that would know what I didn't know and simply show me how to do it...or if, for the amount of money I paid for the camera, I'd also purchased a human being that could explain to me what I wanted to know. So far, it's no dice on either of those. A lot is the same with this camera and the old one, so I've been able to set it up a little bit, which is encouraging. There's just A LOT more that this camera is able to do...so I should probably find someone that can teach me some of those things because I've always been a hands-on learner. I'm really not great at learning to do something out of a book because I don't think I do a great job at gleaning the information that will be most valuable and helpful...it's just not one of my strong points and that's okay. I know I'll find out what I need to know about the camera as I go along and I'm excited to have a camera that I can really grow into! I have a feeling I'm going to have it for a long time and still not know everything about it and that's awesome.

Here's to a lifetime (and most definitely a few months are scheduled right into my immediate future) of learning new things!

I sold my camera!

2011-01-25T07:24:00.000-08:00

After having my camera posted on craigslist for over a month, I finally sold it. (And I got a good price for it, too.) Richmond Camera is supposed to be calling me sometime (hopefully today) to let me know when the camera I'm getting comes in from their Chesapeake location.

After a lot of thought, prayer and even waking up in the middle of the night with the thought in my head that I shouldn't get the D7000 right now, I decided to buy the D90 instead. I've heard from a lot of people who own the D90 that it's a wonderful camera. I've never actually held one in my hands and tested it out - guess I'll do that sometime before it officially becomes mine - but, knowing that you can never ACTUALLY keep up with the technology that comes along in this vein, Richmond Camera says "The D90 is the flagship in Nikon's newest innovation.", so I'm choosing to believe them and just go with it.

While I got very attached to my camera (D3000) in the time that I had it and was sad to see it go I feel like this year ESPECIALLY is going to be a year of letting go, moving forward and becoming better, so I'm happy that it found a new owner. I hope that they enjoy it very much. I have a feeling they will!

Cancun, January 16 - 19

2011-01-20T06:03:00.001-08:00

Well, I got back from Cancun last night...we went to Cancun because, for whatever reason...the flights booked up or something, we couldn't get to Puerto Rico. (For the record, I'm GOING to get to Puerto Rico sooner rather than later...I just have to figure out when.)

So...I left church after Sacrament meeting on Sunday. Leslie followed me home so I could leave my car there and then took me to the airport. Getting on the flight from Charlottesville to Philadelphia went without incident...it was a pretty quick trip. We nearly missed our flight to Cancun, though, and had to run through the airport, a la Home Alone! It was a little stressful and we were LITERALLY the last passengers on the plane. We upgraded our tickets to fly in First Class on that leg of the trip and it was SOOOO WORTH IT!! I wish I had the money to fly First every single time I flew. The rest of the trip to Mexico was completely uneventful. Once we got to Cancun, we took a taxi to the hotel - and let me tell you...that hotel was BEAUTIFUL. Holy cow! Here are some pictures of it that I pulled off the internet for your viewing pleasure!

After we checked in and got settled in our room, we decided to go out and do a little exploring of the beach. We walked from the hotel all the way down to where the beach was roped off as not belonging to the Marriott compound...and then back. The ocean was beautiful and blue, even late at night. The sand was soft and the wind that blew just felt great. We turned in pretty early that first night because we were all pretty tired from traveling.

The next day, Randi and I got up early (Randi got up at 5:30 and I got up at 6) while the boys slept in for a little while (Erik slept in until around 9:30 or 10...Bobby slept in until ALMOST NOOOOOON!) Randi and I went out on the balcony of our room and took pictures and read books for a while and then decided to go down to the hotel shop to get breakfast. We had conchas and cinnamon rolls and fruit. Delicious!!!

Here's a video of the view from our balcony. Good times!

Randi, Erik and I went down to the beach to relax after breakfast, even though there were a few clouds that looked as though they were threatening rain. Each time it rained, we would head to the covered patio off the beach and play a card game (called "The Game") that Erik taught us until it stopped. Bobby eventually emerged and joined us on the beach...we napped and played in the ocean for a few hours and then decided to walk over to the next hotel to get lunch.

"The Game"

We asked a H-O-T Australian guy that was near us to take our picture. He was baffled by the fact that we had a waterproof camera...so much so that he forgot to warn us that there was a HUGE wave coming to overtake us! :) But, I'm OH-SO-GLAD he got this picture! I love it!

Trying again!

I had the Beachwalk Hamburger...because it had a huge, delicious slice of panela cheese on it...it was soooo yummy!

Here's our waiter...his name is Carlos.

Here we are on the bus, going down to Carlos & Charlie's. I loved the bus. It was like a party! :)

This guy got on the bus a stop or two after us...and promptly busted out his guitar and sang! So fun!

We ate at Senor Frog's...here are the pictures to prove it...

The group at Senor Frog's...me, Randi, Bobby and Erik

Ah. The look of relaxation. I miss it.

So, that's pretty much my trip in a nutshell. Hope you're all jealous. :)

2010-11-24T16:02:00.000-08:00

I haven't written in quite a while because Kaylyn, Derek and the girls have been here since November 13 and I've been trying to spend as much time as possible with them.

It's been so fun to have my sister here. She's my best friend and I just love being around her. She's truly one of the most incredible people I know. I'm absolutely confident that the girl can do anything, because I have yet to see her attempt something that she hasn't been able to do a fantastic job with. She's a great cook, she can sew (she made me the cutest strap covers for my camera AND an awesome apron as of just recently), she can draw, she's crafty (you should see some of the fun stuff she's made!) and she's probably the most patient mother I've ever seen. It's been so much fun to watch as she's transitioned into being a wife and a mom and to see how smitten she is with her kids and how smitten they are with her. I hope that whenever it's my time to be a mom that I'll be able to do it as well as she's done so far.

In addition to all of that fantastic-ness, my sister is the most loyal of friends and has spent countless hours as my sounding board, "vent-ilator", confidant and protector. More often than not, when I have a problem, she's the only person I really want to talk to about it and one of the VERY few whose opinion and advice I take to heart. She's somehow always been able to say what I need to hear...even if it's not what I want her to say and I really appreciate that. She's always been my leading example of the kind of person I want to "grow up" to be like, even though she's a year and a half younger than me. (Derek, I PROMISE YOU...she was, and still is, the boss when we were growing up. No question.)

There have been a few instances in the last few years especially where I've needed someone to come to my rescue and she's been that one every time. I don't know, in those situations particularly, what I would have done without you, Kaylyn. Thank you. I love you.

As I've watched my nieces play and interact with each other while they've been here, I can't help but imagine myself and Kaylyn at that age...Corin and Kendall aren't much farther apart in age than Kaylyn and I are...and then try to envision how they'll grow up together. I'm sure they'll have all the same sorts of "growing up" experiences that Kaylyn and I had being as close as we are in age...sometimes it'll suck, sometimes it'll be great...but I hope that when they get to be our age, they look back and appreciate and love each other as much as Kaylyn and I do. There's nothing better than a sister. For sure.

A Fine Frenzy at UVA

2010-11-04T16:19:00.001-07:00

I had the opportunity to go see A Fine Frenzy with my friend, Lauren, on Tuesday night at Old Cabell Hall...I'm OH-SO-GLAD I did...they were seriously incredible! The acoustics in that auditorium are to die for and watching these three (sometimes four...they had a local Charlottesvillian cellist playing with them on a few of the songs) play together was completely mesmerizing. Their concert was, by far, the best I've been to in recent history.

I, of course, took my camera and managed to take about 500 pictures in the course of the hour and a half or so that they were on stage...which, I'm sure was annoying to Lauren and the other concert goers around me but I simply couldn't resist...and I'm honestly glad I DIDN'T resist!!!!! :)

So, I got about 40 pictures that were halfway decent out of all of those pictures...and I thought I'd share them here...I hope you enjoy them! And definitely check out A Fine Frenzy on youtube/itunes/etc. I particularly suggest the following songs for your listening pleasure - "Blow Away", "Happier", "Rangers", "Almost Lover", "Near to You". Awesome!

2010-10-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

I'm able to fill my photography blog with dozens of pictures, while refraining from much commentary about them because it seems more "artistic" that way. My ward's blog is likewise brimming with piles of pictures of activities with short captions. I write a quick "check this out" email to our ward's list serve and a few people go and do as they're commanded.

That's all fine.

But, when it comes to rehashing my recent "adventures", commenting on the condition of the world today, how the Gospel that I'm a part of is so wonderful or, heaven help me, blowing my "life is great" cover and getting down to what's really going on or not going on in my day-to-day..it's as if I suddenly become irreversibly illiterate.

Even now, I'm considering deleting every word that's in front of me for fear of what may or may not come out if I keep them.

I found out on Tuesday that I didn't get a job that I'd interviewed for a few days prior. I wasn't surprised that I didn't get it. I think I knew all along that I wouldn't and I have no idea why I didn't, but I guess it's for the best and I guess I'll find out sometime in the future, right?! In the meantime, I'll continue working and saving money for something...school, moving, camera equipment, whatever I feel like I should be saving for.

I also found out on Tuesday that my "Grandma" has breast cancer. I never knew my Grandma Quillon (she died of colon cancer when she was 56 years old), but Alice Jo and Bob Morris (my "Grandma" and "Grandpa") knew her and because of that connection, they've become my adopted Grandma and Grandpa. I think they honestly and truly love me just as much as my actual grandparents, and for that I'm so grateful. I don't know exactly how everything is going to play out with her right now, but I know that I hope for the minimum amount of discomfort possible and the maximum amount of healing/recovery that can happen. I saw earlier this week that one of her real grandkids had posted a facebook status from something she'd said...which was, "The Lord arranges things." Because of her and her example and faith, I think I'll choose to believe that's true in my life as well as in hers.

Florida trip - a few days late!

2010-09-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

Jason Greene, Ashley Wilkinson, Margaret Patterson and I went down to Tallahassee, FL for the weekend for the BYU v. FSU football game this past weekend. The trip down and back was so much fun...and it was even fun sitting in the sweltering heat watching BYU get beaten like they stole something from FSU.

Some fun things that happened:

Margaret's co-worker booked us two nights in Tallahassee...for FREE...which was pretty awesome.

The GPS MUST have been set to avoid major roads to get down there...we ended up on a dirt road in the middle of Georgia farmland...which was incredibly beautiful and a GREAT stop along the way.

Lots and lots of inside jokes, Truth or Truth playing and story telling. (We have Boris.)

We ate dinner at a cute little diner called Huddle House. The people that worked there were super friendly!

The farmer's market near the stadium. Didn't buy anything, but snapped a picture of a lady's pottery booth that she had set up and she "paid" me in a piece of pottery, which was kinda cool.

Realizing that it was actually kind of exciting to be part of the BYU cheering section and feeling the camaraderie that went along with wearing the BYU colors, even though I never went there.

BYU sticker sunburns on the cheeks of a certain stalwart Aggie.

Cell phone superiority.

Ice cream and The Office for dinner after the game.

Tamarindo Jarrito's and Carnitas @ Vallarta's Mexican Restaurant on the way home.

FINALLY falling asleep in the car for a little while when we were almost home...I hadn't been able to fall asleep at all the rest of the trip but got a good nap in.

All in all, it was an AWESOME trip and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Rescue - old(ish) post I had saved as a draft...decided to post it!

2010-09-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been pretty exhausting. Two and a half weeks ago (which, by now is about a month ago), I got another cyst on my tailbone. I decided that this time, instead of it getting to the point that I couldn't deal with it, I'd just go to the hospital and have them take care of it there. I went over to Margaret's house after work that night and asked her to come with me. I was nervous as we were going to the hospital - partially because I was FREAKING OUT about the very real possibility of this procedure being as "uncomfortable" (though that word is far too rosy of a description) as the last one AND because I don't have insurance and I'd just switched jobs. When we got there, I checked in and told the nurse that I needed to fill out financial aid paperwork, which I got (and have now filled out...waiting to hear back from them about whether or not I really qualify for financial aid). Our stay in the waiting room wasn't that bad...maybe 45 minutes? Once we got back behind the double doors, we were there for about 3.5 (?) hours...all in all, not as nightmarish as I'd thought the wait could have been. The doctors took care of me...gave me a Percocet and a Lidocaine injection, cut me open and that was pretty much that. We left the hospital and I thought I was feeling much better...particularly because when I went to check out, the nurse told me that my bill was $887, but that all I had to pay was $6. :) Huge blessing! My pain levels stayed pretty even for about a day...and then the cyst started reappearing. By Saturday night, I thought I was going to have to get up on Sunday morning and go to the hospital again (the docs had given me another round of antibiotics to try to clear it up completely...and I was thinking that the antibiotics had had the same effect this round that they'd had last time, which was that the antibiotics made the condition MUCH worse and to the point that I couldn't function!) I was NOT thrilled about this! I was up pretty much all night on Saturday, unable to sleep...got an email from a friend at 2:45am because he'd woken up in the middle of the night and seen pictures that I'd sent him. That was the only distraction that I had until I dozed off sometime around 4. At 6am, I woke up because something hurt really badly. Turns out, the cyst had ruptured and was draining, which was a blessing even though it was unpleasant. I was able to go to church on Sunday and was able to sit through all three meetings like a normal human being. It was wonderful, even if aided by one last dose of Percocet!

I was so grateful for the way things turned out this time because it could have been a lot different and I'm ALL better now!

Ugh!

2010-08-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

The writer's strike that happened last year (was it last year?) may or may not have ruined my Netflix viewing experience with Friday Night Lights. I'm a little upset about this!

Everything was going so smoothly...I just finished the 2nd season of the show...Lyla was a born-again Christian with a born-again boyfriend...Smash was going to a college he didn't really want to go to...Tami was the guidance counselor at the school...and Jason Street was having some baby-daddy drama...all was as it should be. THEN CAME THE THIRD SEASON.

Here's what I've noticed during the first seven minutes of the third season that I have no explanation for from the 15 episodes of the 2nd season that are on Netflix...

Smash hurt his knee.
Tami's the principal of the school.
Born-again boyfriend's nowhere to be found...and Lyla's back on with Riggins...and OBVIOUSLY off the born-again bandwagon.

CURSE THE STUPID WRITER'S STRIKE! I'm so confused!!

That's all.

Saturdays - Part One of Two

2010-08-15T04:58:00.000-07:00

I've made an observation. I'm not a great blogger. Most of the time it feels like there's nothing going on in my life that's interesting enough to write about, so I don't...and then when there IS something to write about, my command of the English language fails me and I end up using words like "great" and "awesome" (all the time) to describe the events that have transpired (ooooh, look at that word!!!). Most of the time, I'll end up choosing not to try to recap experiences, for fear of boring to death those who might actually read what I write!

That said, the past two Saturdays have probably been two of the more perfect Saturdays I've experienced in a long time! Last Saturday started out as Margaret's travel buddy up to DC so she could attend Jessica Oliva's endowment session at the temple. I decided to hang out in the Visitors' Center and watch the Joseph Smith movie instead of doing a session because I'd only gotten between 4-5 hours of sleep per night all week and was EXHAUSTED...and we all know what that can do to the quality of a temple session, right?! :) Anyway, I loved (as usual) the movie and felt renewed in my desire to be the best person I can be. After I finished watching the movie, I checked out (and took some pictures of) a bronze sculpture exhibit that's on display right now. I wish I could find the time and patience necessary to develop a talent for sculpting...but since I'm trying to work on one talent at a time, here are some pictures of some of the pieces I saw...

These two aren't of the sculptures that were special display...I just took them I love this sculpture so much!

Joseph Smith's First Vision.
(For more information, click here.)

I really loved these two women. The first two are obviously from the story of the woman taken in adultery. I can't remember which one the second is from, but I love it.

Christ visiting the home of Mary and Martha.

Lazarus, raised from the dead.
(I shot this one with the wrong lens. Christ is in the background, on the left...Lazarus' head is the round object farthest left in the foreground. Better luck shooting this one next time, I guess.)

Christ walking on the water.

When we got back to Charlottesville, Margaret and I met up with Peter Hilton (a new UVA Law student) and went over the mountain to a bonfire at Leslie Hartman's house. Such a fun night...though I didn't take any pictures. :( The weather was PERFECT and Leslie and I had fun on her family's 4-Wheeler, chasing cats and looking for a bear that apparently lives close by. Mama Hartman told some stories and it was just a good night!

On Sunday, the Bishopric in our ward was changed. Bishop Merkley and Brother Bodily were released and Bob Snow was called as the new Bishop. Keith Brown was kept in as his first counselor and Tony Herring was called as the second counselor. I think it's going to be a great bishopric, though I'll really miss the Merkleys and the Bodilys.

Alright, that's all for Part One of Two...I'll write about yesterday when I get home from church today.

Glad to be in the right place at the right time.

2010-07-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today started out not so great.

It ended up quite differently.

I've realized over again that Heavenly Father really knows each of us and He knows exactly how to reach us immediately to draw our attention to the fact that He always knows what we need.

I'm grateful for being in the right place at the right time.

Hi!

2010-07-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

It was brought to my attention last night when I was out to dinner with Holly, Jonathan and Jason that my blog is no longer fun to stalk because I hardly ever update it...while this is true (about the hardly ever updating it part), I've just spent the last 5 minutes deleting comments from (predominantly) Chinese spammers that left fortune cookie-ish comments - or just comments in Chinese characters - on my last post. Annoying. I know there's a setting that I can enable that will make it so the comments are moderated by me, and I thought I'd done it, but apparently it didn't stick yet...either that, or I have quite the following in China.

Things have been going okay around here lately. Trying to find a new job and generally figure out what the next step in my life is going to be, which is always fun. I went to the Bahamas in June and just got back last week from two weeks in Florida. While I was in Florida, I got to see Amanda, Nate and Logan (which was an extra special little treat, right Logan?!) It was fun to be able to spend some time with them...I actually got to spend the night so I could have a few more hours with them on Sunday.

I didn't take any pictures while we were in the Bahamas or Florida, but here's a picture of where we stayed in the Bahamas...it was a pretty cool place. And yes, those are hammerhead sharks...they had sharks all over the place in aquariums at the resort...and the biggest fish I've ever seen in my life...and sting rays...and giant sea turtles.

My brother, Paul, got married on July 9 to a great girl named Liz...in case anyone out there didn't know that...including you Chinese spammers out there!

I came home for the wedding weekend during the trip to Florida and it was great to be able to see my brother get married and spend some time with my family and friends for a few days before going back. (PS - I took that picture of Paul and Liz...I'm loving my camera...and loving my free PhotoShop-like program that I use to edit them!) Kaylyn, Derek and the girls came home for the wedding...Kaylyn made the wedding cake, which was AWESOME...and it was nice to be able to spend some time with the girls again.

Speaking of pictures, I'm getting a little better at taking pictures every time I pick up my camera...that's not to say that I'm awesome at using my camera...I left it at home during the trip to the Bahamas and didn't use it all that much after getting back and then left it at home again during the trip to Florida, so I feel like I have to re-learn how to use it...but every time I use it, I can see that some aspect of the picture taking is getting a little better.

I went up on the Blue Ridge Parkway with my friends Lauren and Danielle on Saturday and we took some pictures at Ravens Roost...it was a lot of fun and the weather up there couldn't have been nicer! Seriously, it was gorgeous!

Lauren, Danielle and I at Ravens Roost.

That's pretty much all that's been going on in my life lately...

Love.

2010-06-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

It's Father's Day and I just wanted to say that I have the best Dad in the world. He is, purely and simply, the best man I know. He has been such an example to me throughout my entire life of service, sacrifice, humor and love. I love him with all of my heart.

My sister Kaylyn, Derek and the girls left for Arizona today and my heart feels like it's going to fall out of my chest. I'm excited for them for their new adventure, but so sad for the fact that I won't be able to talk to my sister face to face when I want to or give my nieces hugs and kisses all the time.

That's all I can think about at the moment, but I need to try to focus on something else because I've got to get ready to go to church...hopefully I can make it through!

More later...maybe.

New Photography Blog up...

2010-04-20T19:40:00.001-07:00

Hey friends...if we're friends on facebook, you've probably noticed that I've been posting a lot of pictures there...just wanted to let you all know that I finally found the time to create a blog for the pictures I've been taking (and will be taking in the future)...I will be posting the info on my facebook but I just wanted to give the address here, too...

Check out the pictures...leave comments...leave ideas of where to go on my next picture-taking romp...I would love it!

The address is: worthashotphotography.blogspot.com

XO,
Anna

Picture Takin' Fool!

2010-04-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

I've been going for a daily drive (well, at least for the past three days) before work...it's been a lot of fun to have some time to myself, just to drive and think (and watch for places and things I want to take pictures of!) On the first day, I went from my house down through Free Union, then on Buck Mountain Road back to Earlysville. I didn't take that many pictures because I kind of started out late and had to get to work.

On Day 2 of my driving, I had to go up to the DMV in Madison to renew the tags on my car, so I went to 29 by way of the airport, took some pictures of my favorite tree on that road and on the way back decided to go down 609 (Scuffletown Road in Barboursville), then down 20 to get to Pantops. It was such a perfect picture-taking day...

On Day 3, I had to be at work early, but had to go downtown so I went to Court Square and took a few pictures there and then took some pictures of the sunset that was BEAUTIFUL on my way home...

Day 4 was a special day...I went out to Blue Ridge School, (stopping a lot along the way up there) which is where I spent the majority of my weekends growing up. It was so nice to be out there again...lots of good memories were made out there in the woods. I took pictures of the chapel (I have a thing for churches...), the dock and the cabin... When I got back into "town", I went through Earlysville and went to see Peggy and Eddie...the sun was setting as I was leaving, so I stopped and took a few pictures.

Today (April 16, 2010) was Day 5...I was supposed to have gone down to VA Beach for the night, but that sort of de-materialized at the last minute and I had a free night...so instead I decided to go out to Sugar Hollow...what an interesting evening I had. I took my time getting up there, stopping several times to take different pictures of things...I finally made it up to the dam and was REALLY excited about being able to get some of the shots I got because the sky looked AMAZING. When I was pretty much done taking pictures, all of a sudden, a guy in a van drove up and parked (but didn't get out)...with things that have been happening in the mountains lately, (the guy that just recently shot two people - killing one of them - on the Blue Ridge Parkway for no reason) I decided to get in my car and drive further up the road to the river...trying not to be completely paranoid at the fact that this guy was up here as well...I got up there and within a minute of my arrival, Van guy came creeping up the road and pulled into the parking lot by the river. At this point, I started to get really freaked out because we were even more back in the woods and I was alone - I realized that I've never fully comprehended how vulnerable I would feel in a situation like this until I was faced with it...I couldn't get out of there fast enough. As I was coming back down the mountain, there was a fire on the left side of the road. My first thought was that it was a controlled burn...but as I got closer, I realized that it was kind of a random place for a controlled burn, there was no one around AND it was starting to become a huge fire. It was burning right around the corner from the Girl Scout Camp, so I went down with the intention of calling the fire department...when I got there, someone was already on that job, so I turned back around and took some pictures. (Of course!)

"Life is good today..." - Zac Brown Band

2010-03-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

So, first of all, for those of you that still don't know, I never ended up going to Puerto Rico because of dumb snow in Philadelphia that canceled all the flights out. I was seriously sad about it, but I somehow survived the rest of the winter and have been in a great mood the last few weeks because the weather is FINALLY getting warmer here. Trees and flowers all over town have come alive again and it's glorious! I'll have to get out and take pictures soon...it's wonderful and I need to document it so that you all can be jealous because you don't live in VA during spring.

We had Munch-n-Mingle at the Merkleys on Sunday after Stake Conference. It was so beautiful out, so I walked down to the river twice with different friends...Jason and I went the first and then I went down with Margaret, Richard, Niels, Bri and Luther. When I went down the second time, we were skipping rocks on the river and I ended up pulling a muscle in my back. :( Bummer! It's just starting to feel better yesterday and today.

Yesterday I went to dinner with Margaret, Cardin and Aaron...we went to Arch's and sat on the roof...I'm so happy that it's warm enough to do that now! After dinner, Margaret and I went to Sugar Hollow until it got dark. It was cold up there but nice.

These are some pictures that I looked up on the internet of some of the flowers and trees that are coming to life around here...and the last two pictures are from Sugar Hollow. I really will get out one of these days with my camera and take my own pictures...but, as John Mayer says, "Didn't have a camera by my side this time...hoping I could see the world through both my eyes..."

Hope everyone has a great day!

Anna

What in the world?!

2010-02-15T12:15:00.001-08:00

FIRST OF ALL - I'M GOING TO PUERTO RICO IN 11 DAYS. Talk about a huge blessing! Randi and a few of her CHO-workers are going and I get to go toooooooooo! I can't wait to see the sun...and feel warm for a few days! Hopefully this trip will make the rest of the wintertime up here in VA a little bit more bearable.

Sunday was a good day...just a really good day for so many different reasons. The whole, sweet Hartman family came to church in our ward, which was wonderful...I love them all soooo much... there were more people at church on Sunday than have been at church since December...I got to spend time friends...I was home taught by the BEST home teachers in the ward - seriously, I have the best home teachers...went to Sunday FHE...talked through some "current events" with Margaret and, best of all - went to the airport to meet my Monkeys that finally returned home! I missed them!

It's snowing again today. Ugh. BUT, I'm GOING TO PUERTO RICO SOON! YAY WOOHOO!

Memories...feel free to read or not!

2010-01-21T14:58:00.001-08:00

I've wanted to do this for a while now...just kind of a stream of consciousness about things I remember from my childhood/teen/young adult year so far...in no particular order...

Ray Hollins was my very first "boyfriend" in Kindergarten. He liked me...until he was held back and met my sister the next year. Thus begins the story of my life with boys! ;)

I remember that one day, Kenny Greer challenged me to a race to the "big" (thinking back on it, it probably wasn't as big as I thought it was) play structure at school...I TOTALLY smoked him and when we climbed up to one of the little platforms, he kissed me on the cheek. (Thinking about sharing this, I'm thinking that I might need to change the names to protect the innocent, or currently disinterested parties, at some point in the future!)

Michael Landon (from Highway to Heaven) was my imaginary friend when I was little. I would save a seat for him every morning on the bus...and he would appear in a cloud of light, through the bus window, in the same way that he disappeared into the distance at the end of the show.

When I was elementary school aged and we would pass Foxfield, I used to daydream about being a jockey...I would also, from time to time, be a mounted rescue worker racing off to save my friends or family from eminent peril. I looooooved (and still love) horses!

The first time I remember riding a horse, I don't remember where we were...all I remember about the occasion was that I was wearing my very favorite Strawberry Shortcake tennis shoes and I stepped in some mysterious brown gunk that stuck to my shoe and I was sad about it.

I remember riding the Cormanys' horse, Juble, on the front lawn at Blue Ridge...and coming too close to a low-hanging branch at a trot...and getting whacked in the face by that branch. Eh! I never said I was a particularly observant rider...I just enjoy the whole experience!!

I became the president of the Equestrian Club in 6th or 7th grade...it was run by our school librarian...good times?

I took horseback riding lessons for a summer from a lady that lived out in Keswick and ran a barn...I remember there was a girl that rode there too, who quite resembled a horse actually, that would run and jump over the jumps on foot...and I thought that was weird.

I remember spending a lot of time outside as a kid...playing, most afternoons after school, with Brian McGuire who lived a few houses away. I also remember taking off one afternoon with Brian, and my brother, Paul, and sister, Kaylyn, to go for a hike...we eventually hit water and turns out that we'd walked all the way to one of the reservoir inlets near the house. We got a little lost on the way back because it was getting dark. We stopped and said a prayer and then were able to make it back safely. I remember that when we would play with Brian, it was all very exciting make-believe play about having a circus...dolphins living in his swimming pool, PeeWee Herman living in his garage...you name it, we probably dreamed it up!

I remember being in one of my elementary school classes and having to learn random facts about all the different states and then participate in a "Jeopardy" type contest against different classmates...I memorized those questions so thoroughly that by the 4th or 5th word of the question, I was already "buzzing in" and racking up the points. I was awesome!

When I was in 2nd grade, we were lining up to go to recess...I was SUPER excited to go out that day, apparently, and as I was skipping (and smiling) down the hall towards the doors that led outside, I wasn't watching where I was going and planted my toothy grin into the top of the head of one of my classmates, John Bolfing. He had to get stitches and my front teeth felt a little bit more loose after that.

I used to fake sick ALL THE TIME in school because it was soooo boring. I think that the principals of my three different educational levels should have just assigned the school nurses as my tutors because I was there more than in my actual classrooms...I remember one time when I was in the clinic, I was trying to "spike" a temperature on the thermometer by trying to give it a rug burn! AAAAAANNND, I broke the thermometer! Oops!

I remember when we drove cross-country to Colorado as a family for my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary, we listened (over and over and over) to a song by Eddie Rabbitt...something about "windshield wipers slappin' out a tempo...". I also remember that we stayed in a place in Kansas that had a playground and a Yellow Brick Road that went through it. I remember thinking it was the coolest thing ever...and being really bummed that we couldn't play on it much because there was a tornado warning and my parents were nervous.

I remember going to Chuck E. Cheese's ONE TIME as a family...we didn't stay for long because one of the boys wandered off and my Dad wasn't having it! I also remember that Cameron was deathly afraid of the guy dressed up as Chuck E. Speaking of Cameron's fears...he was also afraid of a babysitter we had named Kim Jones (now Rice). He would crrrrrryyyy every time she would come watch us. Now that I've worked as a nanny for the last two+ years, I totally understand how that can make you feel!

I started attending institute classes when I was a senior in High School. I went to a dance at SVU with a bunch of the singles and was asked to dance by a guy named Corey...I thought he was kind of cute...he was heavier-set, wore a cowboy hat and was really nice...we had a nice dance and at the end of it, he went to dip me...AND PROMPTLY DROPPED ME. If that weren't bad enough, when he went to help me up, he lost his footing and FELL ON TOP OF ME. He was all kinds of smooth!

I remember the first time I saw the Utah mountains. As we were flying into SLC at night, I remember looking down at the snow-covered mountains (I moved out to Utah in February of 2000) and thought they were more clouds that we were descending into instead of mountains. Every time I go to Utah now, I get really, really emotional when I see the mountains. It's kind of like coming home in some ways...I truly loved my time out there.

I have been in the Charlottesville 3rd Ward ever since it was started. I remember meeting our very first week at the institute building. We were already too big for that building on our first week as a ward. The guys had to meet out in the parking lot for Elders Quorum. I remember that one time during the sacrament hymn, the keyboard kind of freaked out and started playing this jazzy beat along with the song...so funny! I remember our Bank Church and how the partitions separating the Relief Society from the Elders Quorum (when we finally broke into different "rooms" for classes) would always fall down. I remember how every once in a while, the Elders Quorum and Relief Society would somehow have decided to sing the same opening or closing hymn and I remember how unified and connected that made me feel to the members of the ward. I remember one of our institute opening socials where we did a homemade slip-n-slide...it was awesome, except for the fact that Brother Harris bruised/broke a few ribs while doing it. I remember being a family home evening "Mom" with Holland Walker. He was the best person to have a calling with...he just always did such an amazing job!

I remember the first week I really talked to Devin Mackay, who would end up being my very best friend for the next three years of my life...I remember thinking that I thought he was so great, funny and easy to talk to...which proved to be true for the time that we were close. I have never had a friend that I've felt closer to, which kind of made the unraveling of our relationship that much harder to deal with. It's taken me a LONG time to get to the point where I can talk about him or any of that time in my life in any sort of a positive light, but how things went between us (all of it, the good, bad and ugly) ended up teaching me SO much about myself so I can't say that I'm not grateful for those experiences. I hope he is happy wherever he is and whatever he's doing these days.

I remember walking in the woods next to my house with my older brother, Adam, one time...as we were walking around, he told me to look behind me at who was following us...as I turned around and, upon seeing our cat (named Kitty Puff) I blurted out, "Azrael"...which, if you recall, was the name of Gargamel's cat in The Smurfs...Kitty Puff and Azrael looked nothing alike, but I was scared to death of Azrael at the time! I was a wuss!

I remember going to the SPCA with Virginia (Wood) Washburn one time and being chased by a goat that they had there. Boo.

-------------

That's quite enough for now...more later.

29!

2010-01-16T08:17:00.001-08:00

Today is my 29th birthday. But festivities kind of kicked off last night with a pre-birthday dinner at Thai 99 that Margaret Patterson organized for me since she's heading off to Spain for a week and a half, leaving today. That was a lot of fun and it was good to have those there that were there!!! I have such wonderful friends, really and truly!

This morning, I woke up and went to the Pancake Breakfast for John and Emily Jones at Applebee's that was organized by some members in the 1st Ward. E, P and D came and had breakfast with me and brought me a beautiful balloon, bouquet of flowers, Milk Duds and an awesome gift certificate for a pedicure...haven't had one of those in a loooooooooong time, so I'm excited about that!!! The Applebee's employees who were working (along with Corbin Snow and a few others) sang Happy Birthday (very loudly) to me...while there was a spotlight from an NBC 29 News camera shining in my face, thanks to Ralph Tobias who works for 29 and was taking some footage of the breakfast...I'm sincerely hoping that any footage of me that's on that tape ends up on the editing room floor and not on the news but we shall see, I guess. I did take some pictures at the breakfast, which I will post when I get a CD of them...I took them with J's camera since I can't find the charging element for my camera and it's currently dead!

In about an hour and a half, I'm headed over to grab J, P and D and we're going to go tubing for a few hours with some of my friends from the 3rd Ward (and possibly some people from Harrisonburg). I'm excited to go!!! I've only been to Massanutten to go to Leslie's house (and her parents' house), and I've never been tubing at an actual place that has tubing, so this should be an adventure. I'm glad that people wanted to go and I think it's going to be a lot of fun!

Tonight after we get back from tubing, Colleen Carpenter - who is so sweet and wonderful - organized an Arch's run at 7, so I'm hoping we can make it back in one piece (and on time) for that!

What a birthday "weekend" I'm having! It's been a lot of fun and so far 29 has been just fine!!!

Wow!

2010-01-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

I am continually amazed by how things work out in my life. I can't really say anything else, except that I'm grateful.

New Year's Party...

2010-01-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the New Year's party that Bri planned for our ward!

Holland and Emily

Sister England playing Wii...more than likely my FAVORITE picture of any of our CES Missionary Couples! They're so great! I love them!

The yummy food, set up in the laundry room...on the washer and dryer!

It was such a fun party! And I was genuinely happy to know that there were pictures that I could post on the 3rd Ward's blog...haven't posted any since the Turkey Bowl in NOVEMBER. Unacceptable!

Niels and Margaret are two of my favorite people in the ward. I love them! I look like a vampire...I'm SO PALE! I wish it was summer!

New Year's Eve is Niels' birthday. Made him a cake and we found some awesome candles at Target.

Niels! Niels Nielsen...how great is that name?! And how great is that bow tie?

2010-01-04T06:12:00.001-08:00

To celebrate the beginning of 2010, my friend and party planning extraordinaire, Bri planned an awesome party at the Dudleys. We had a great time prepping for it and then executing it...and we had a great turn out! It was also Niels' birthday, so we were able to celebrate it in style! (Pictures of the party shenanigans will come soon.)

After we'd cleaned up from the party and taken a friend home, Bri and I passed the Barracks Road shopping center where we saw a THIRTY FOOT (at least) SNOW PILE...which we promptly conquered! Here are some pictures/videos from the evening! Sorry about the resolution on the videos...we took them from my phone!!!

Here's Bri...I've also determined that I will never speak on another video as long as I live...I don't like the way my voice sounds! She had on sparkly shoes that didn't seem to have any tread...

And here's me...I had Crocs on...my socks were SOAKED and they had no tread!!

The Barracks Road Snow Mountain. Conquered. Can you see the little groove we created, or, defined?!

And can you see the glow from the street light...the snow pile was very, very tall!

We made it! Sorry so blurry...we were cold!

Take 2

Bri!!!!!! She showed this mountain who's boss! What did I tell you about the street lights?!

View from the top...I think that this picture is looking towards the Post Office/Michaels...

View from the top 2...the Shell Gas Station that faces Emmet.

eHarmony...

2009-12-31T11:28:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, when I was feeling especially un-dated, I signed up for a "free" profile on eHarmony.com. (Don't you judge me!) Since then, I've been bombarded almost daily with new matches...here was my most recent one...

New Match

Hello Anna, we'd like to introduce you to...

Paul
25, Charlottesville, Virginia United States

Learn more about Him NOW!

Our matching system has found this highly compatible match for you.

Um, yeah, that's my BROTHER, Paul.

I think I should let eHarmony know about their little snafu, don't you?! It's a good thing I'm not paying for eHarmony's "service"!

2009-12-27T06:30:00.000-08:00

In light of the fact that 2010 is just a few days away, I thought I would take a second to document my one and only New Year's Resolution/Goal - to complete all of the goals in the Personal Progress manual by December 31, 2010. I know that this is an extremely lofty goal, considering the fact that normally the goals are completed a little at a time over a 6 year period, but doing this basically encompasses every area of my life that I feel needs improvement, so it's worth it. We'll see how it goes. I'm planning to post "journal entries" here when called for by the Personal Progress book, so it will be nice to be able to look back at this year and see how I've changed.

SNOW DAY...WEEKEND...WEEK...WHO KNOWS.

2009-12-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

Our front steps just after it started snowing.

Our front steps the next morning...

Not sure how or how long this guy was stuck, but he's off the road in our neighbor's yard...he finally ended up getting out after a while and then got stuck in the middle of the road for a few minutes before continuing on. Luckily, there has been little traffic on the road in front of our house since the storm started.

The view from my bedroom window on Saturday morning...

Path from the back door to Dad's shop, carved out by the snow blower...that promptly stopped working after that! Not sure if it's thawed out by now...there was something temporarily wrong with it, apparently!

Cameron's car (on the left) and my car (on the right) COVERED in snow! I still have Christmas presents in my car that I need to get to...and wrap before Christmas! Shoot!

Snow drift right outside the back door!

Toby can't be bothered with all this winter snow stuff...he's got more important things to do, like sleep...all the time...

Today is the first day...

2009-12-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

...I'm officially "unemployed" as of today and I have a million things to do this week, which is great. At the top of my "to do" list is to clean the car...I took the car seats out last night and discovered a PLETHORA of cookies and junk that has just accumulated over the last year or so that I've had the seats in. It's gross and I can't wait to have a clean car! Other things I have going on...checking in with PVCC and JSR to see how taking an ASL class at Piedmont might transfer to the ASL interpreter program at JSR (J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond), doing laundry, babysitting for some people at church, three trips to the airport (back-to-back trips to Richmond on Wednesday and Thursday and DC on Friday). OH WHAT AN EXCITING LIFE I LEAD. In addition to all of that, I have to finish Christmas shopping at some point. Ah. Wish me luck!

Extended Weekend Wrap-up...

2009-11-29T15:40:00.000-08:00

This weekend has been kind of a rough one... Don't get me wrong, Thanksgiving was great...and it was nice to be able to relax and watch movies and spend time with friends, and all that.

BUT - Wednesday, our friend and fellow ward member sent this email to the ward list serve...

"Hey ward,
Several of you know my brother-in-law, John Jones (second year medical student here at UVA). He was doing some rock-climbing/repelling in a cave with his brothers in Utah and got stuck in a tight space hanging upside down. He's been there since yesterday and they have been working on getting him out. I believe search and rescue is currently trying to drill the rock out around him. For those of you who know him, and others who feel so inclined, a prayer for his general protection would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,
Nathan"

Not knowing a lot about the cave he was stuck in, and not having much experience with "caving" in general, I figured that this was something that happened frequently-ish and that our prayers would be answered so that they would be able to rescue him and that all would be well.

Thursday morning, as I was checking my email, we got an update email from Nathan and I found myself breathing an initial sigh of relief...

"Dear ward friends,

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. We've really felt the comfort as a family. John passed away last night around midnight after a broken caribeaner and a fall part-way back into a tunnel he had been pulled from. He will be deeply missed. Thank you so much for all your support. You'll have to excuse me momentarily if I take this chance to bear my testimony, Christ never said life was to be a theoretical exercise in a safe classroom. While this is the sort of accident that leads to some probably inevitable questioning (Isn't God in control?), I want to bear my testimony that I have felt the Lord as close and present as ever, nor ever felt more confirmed that in this too God is in control. What promises we have to look forward to! Even if their delay can be painful. What would we do without the gospel? May Christ likewise bring peace to you whose burdens are less public, but no less keen right now.

Yours in the gospel,

Nathan"

As I read Nathan's email, I was obviously shocked by the outcome but was so touched by his sweet and simple testimony of the love of the Lord and the Plan of Salvation that a loving Heavenly Father has provided for us. I am grateful to know that through the Plan of Salvation, families truly can be together forever. Because Emily and John were sealed in the temple for time and eternity, their marriage is not just "until death do you part"...and what a comfort that must be to her!

I am grateful, especially at this time of year where we celebrate His birth, for a Savior who truly came and fulfilled His earthly mission by outlining the pattern for how to be happy and successful in this life and allowing a "second chance" by atoning the sins, weaknesses and inadequacies of all those that have ever and will ever be born on this earth. Because of His sacrifice for us, we all have the opportunity and blessing to live here on this earth and fulfill our own individual missions and return to live in the presence of God and our families and loved ones forever. I, like Nathan, don't know what I would do without the gospel...and I certainly don't express that often enough. I know I have a LONG, LONG way to go...and that's more apparent each and every day...but I'm grateful for a God who "reaches my reaching" and who will not leave me (or any of us) comfortless.

If you haven't gone out with Luther Tychonievich, I recommend doing so!

2009-11-22T01:30:00.000-08:00

I had such a great time tonight with Luther! We went to Milan for dinner, the downtown mall to walk around and check out the street vendors and shops, and then to Bishop and Sister Snow's to look at the stars and drink hot chocolate. It was all a LOT of fun, but I should probably write more about it later since it's currently 1:30am and I'm lacking sleep since I was up until 3:30 this morning! All in all, it's been a good weekend so far!

The weekend so far...

2009-11-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

Paul was in an accident at work yesterday. He broke his leg and had to have surgery last night. He is now resting at home with a cast up to his hip. After I went to go see him before he was taken into surgery, I decided to go ahead and go to the dance in Richmond. I don't like dances, but it was fun to be out of town for a bit and spending time with friends from the ward. We got home a little before 2am, but I didn't get home until about 3:30 because Margaret and I hit up 7-Eleven for some hot chocolate. Oh my tired!

This morning, I met Jill and Holland at IHOP for breakfast at 8:30, which, after about 5 hours of sleep felt MUCH earlier than it usually would. I showed up almost half an hour late - it's a good thing I have such forgiving friends!!! - and we had fun catching up.

At 10am, we had our annual ward Turkey Bowl football game at McIntire Park. I took a bunch of pictures of all the action, had some lunch and then Margaret and I headed over to Fantasy Nails because I wanted to get a manicure, since the one I got earlier was completely wrecked. After that, we went to enrichment which was fun...and after that, we went to Walmart to pick up some items to do the bulletin board at chuch.

So far, it's been a fun-filled (and just plain busy) weekend, which is good.

Halloween and the rest of the story.

2009-11-02T10:40:00.000-08:00

Friday night I didn't do anything social with anyone but myself. I went grocery shopping and did a return at the mall for J&E and then went to see the Michael Jackson movie. (Which, actually, I liked.)

Saturday, I watched M so that everyone else could go to P's soccer game. When they got home, I went around and tried to get last minute things done for my Halloween costume. E called me a little while after I left and told me that the new nanny they'd just hired had quit because her Mom had had a heart attack and she had decided to go back to Texas to be with her family. Oddly, or not oddly, enough...last week when I was sick at the end of the week, I had had a dream that she quit. I don't remember the details of why she quit, other than the fact that she was going back to TX. At 4:15, we all met at the church to carpool to Mika's house for the Halloween Party. The Nesbits roasted a pig and there were lots of other yummy foods, funny costumes and pretty great music for a dance party in the parking area! Randi, Margaret Patterson, Katie Smith and I left the party early and decided to prank Lance/Jason and Brent/Warren/Dave with makeshift "Phonebook Cakes" (which were Margaret's ingenious idea -- normally, you would take a phonebook, cover it in tinfoil and spread icing over the tinfoil to make it look like a cake -- we couldn't find any phonebooks, so we used two boxes of pumpkin bread mix.) Randi and Katie had on running shoes, so they were the doorbell ditchers...Margaret and I watched and waited from behind the bushes across the parking lot. Katie NARROWLY escaped being caught by Brent, who raced off to try to find the culprits. It was all very exciting!

Sunday wasn't a fantastic day all the way around. Church was great and I enjoyed being there, but things rapidly deteriorated afterwards. I think that the fact that it was cold, dark and rainy had something to do with it. I got home after church and made a box of brownies and cut the vegetables for the kebobs that we were planning to have at Katie Craven's house, then I called J to let him know that I was going to stop by the house to pick up their Foreman grill to borrow to make the kebobs. When I got as far down Dickerson Road as the trailer park, I thought I'd gotten a flat tire. I pulled over and looked at the tire, which (from the outside) looked fine, so I kept going -- to the roundabout -- at which point the sound got worse and I decided that I needed to figure out what was wrong. Turns out the tread on my tire (on the side that I couldn't see) was starting to unravel like a ribbon! Boo, hiss. Brent Andrus came and picked me up for dinner, took me to the fireside and then to the house and to J&E's so I could spend the night there.

Monday was a decent day...I was up before 6am and just prayed HARD to be able to have a good day because I was so tired and stressed from everything with the car, etc. that was going on. I'm happy to report that Monday went rather smoothly, though it was a long, long day. The kids were really good and I was able to have a few minutes to myself just to try to think, which was nice. Monday night, I called to see if Victor could come pick me up from work so I could stay at their house, which was a good thing.

This morning, I woke up with a lot on my mind. Got picked up for work and by about 10am, I'd dropped about $400 for a new set of tires. I guess it was going to have to happen sooner or later. The car rides much nicer now.

Duane Snow (Bishop Snow) won the seat for his district in the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors election today. That's good news. I completed some goals today.

All in all, the weekend and the new week haven't been all bad! Life is moving forward FAST, so I need to keep up.

Blah! Welcome to my private blog!!

2009-10-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

I heard this song today and it pinpointed exactly how being here (in Charlottesville) is making me feel. Thought I'd share!

"Give Myself to You"

When I find out who I am
I'm gonna know just what to do
When I pull myself together again
I'm gonna give myself to you

Is this forever?
This feelin' I got
Not enough and too much
So free and so caught up
In somethin' and nothin'
Both at the same time
I'm either out of my head
Or I'm out of my mind

When I find out who I am
I'm gonna know just what to do
When I pull myself together again
I'm gonna give myself to you

Is this forever?
This feelin' that I'm not
Movin' at all
But I just can't stop it
Its like I'm dreamin'
And I'm wide awake too
Will you remember me
Cause I won't forget you

When I find out who I am
I'm gonna know just what to do
When I pull myself together again
I'm gonna give myself to you

I guess I was savin' my life for later
When maybe I should've been givin' myself to you
Now I will, but I got to find out who I am before I do...
Before I do

When I find out who I am I'm gonna know just what to do
When I pull myself together again I know, I'm gonna give myself to you
I'm gonna give myself to you
I'm gonna give myself to you

I hate hiking...but the view sure is nice!

2009-10-17T14:46:00.001-07:00

So, Randi and I did the Humpback Rock hike today...the hiking part sucked because I'm SO, SO, SO out of shape (*have I ever REALLY been "in" shape, though? This is my question.) and I've never been a fan of hiking either way. Anyway, we finally got up to the top and it was FREEZING but very, very pretty. I realized that the last time I did this hike, I was about 14...which was half my lifetime ago! Wow! Time flies. Being up there, though, made me really excited to go on our little "Fall Foliage Drive" on the Parkway tomorrow after church...the leaves were so pretty!

I love my sister.

And I love trees. :)

I fell.

We were a little silly on the way back down...

Trust Walk...just kidding...I have no idea what I'm doing in this picture!!

Family Reunionin'

2009-09-27T06:42:00.001-07:00

I love this picture of my Dad...I stole it (and a few other pictures) from Cindy's facebook page...thanks, Cindy!

Barry and Julie (my oldest brother and his wife) and one of their dogs

Aunt Fay and Barry. My middle name is Virginia, after my Aunt Fay, whose first name is Virginia.

All of the Quillon Kids...Paul, Barry, Robin, Cameron, Carla, Adam, Randi, Anna, Kaylyn (plus Corin and Derek)

Robin and his wife, Cindy

Cameron, Anna, Randi, Amanda, Kaylyn and Derek...Amanda and I kept commenting to each other that one of these days, it's going to be up to us to keep the family reunion tradition going. One day.

Cameron, Logan, Randi, Amanda, Kaylyn

I think that this picture of Barry and Corin is just about the cutest thing ever!

The oldest Quillon boy and the youngest in the Quillon/Meador family.

Such a cute little Boog!

Logan and Corin playing...I think they were pretending that Logan was King Kong! (Love you, Logan...kind of! (: Just kidding! I love you a lot!)

Barry

Once Corin figured out where Grandpa was, she didn't go far from him. She loves her Grandpops!

Me and Molly...I love this girl! Can't wait to see her in FL more often!

Dad and Uncle Gene (he's actually my Dad's uncle, which means he's my great-uncle, right?!)

The cutest girl at the reunion.

Derek, Amanda and Kaylyn

I think this picture is hilarious...it totally looks like they're either squaring off or having an intense staring contest...either way...it's pretty great! (And shows my lack of ability to take "candid" shots!)

Ashley and Linda

Cindy and Adam

Me and Randi

Randi and Paul

The Boog!

Corin and Kaylyn

Carla, Logan, Amanda and Dylan

I've decided to go "Private"...

2009-09-26T13:52:00.001-07:00

Email me if you want to be added to my readers' list!

From the "letter" post I wrote...and have since deleted.

2009-09-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

I had this in a different blog post, but wanted to change it a little (not what I said...just the length of it...I kind of wanted to have this in short form to look back on if/when I ever question my decision to move to FL):

- First of all, and most important above all other reasons I could give...I feel like it's the right decision to make...and the right timing for me. I feel really bad that it's not the best timing for J&E and their family, but it's a decision I've come to after a lot of thought and prayer and, in order to increase my faith in God and His ability and willingness to answer my prayers, I have to act on the answer I've received.

- I've become too comfortable with my life in Charlottesville. I find it hard to push myself to become a better, stronger person here and I just need to change my surroundings for a while in order to become more of who I want to become.

- In addition to being my hometown, Charlottesville has a very small population of single members of the Church. They're wonderful people but, so far, no dice on getting hitched and getting married and starting a family is something I want to do!

- I HATE the winter months and being cold...to the point that it affects my overall happiness and ability to function at a level that I'm okay with.

OH MY GOSH...(part 2)

2009-09-09T17:09:00.000-07:00

In case anyone is interested, I was able to work everything out to where I feel like it should be. It feels good to be back on track. Thanks for all of the comments on the post, the support and prayers...

Love,
me

OH MY GOSH...I HAVEN'T WRITTEN IN FOREVER.

2009-09-07T20:42:00.001-07:00

I have been meaning to write for a while. There has just been so much on my plate lately...and a lot of decisions that I've been trying to make (and make-over) and it's just been hard. Tonight, after a few talks with a few close friends and family members, my mind is working overtime and I can't get to sleep at the moment...so I thought I'd write really quickly.

I just read Randi's most recent blog entry...she was talking about the fact that she'll be coming back to Charlottesville for the semester. She was saying that she's a little apprehensive (I guess) about leaving Rexburg and coming back to Charlottesville for a while. I understand that, but in the exact opposite order. I feel nervous about staying in Charlottesville and NOT going elsewhere.

I had a talk with J/E last week about my future with them and what happened by the end of the conversation wasn't what was supposed to have happened. I told them I would think (and pray) about staying with them for another year (almost...it's like, 11 months). I'm not sure why I did this. I had already thought and prayed about what to do for some time (thus, the opportunity to talk with them) and I had my answer (which is that I need to move on) and my plan (which, among other things, includes school)...and then in a moment of doubt, I chose to go directly against that answer. I knew, even in the moment, that I'd made the wrong choice and since that time, I have had NO peace whatsoever about...well, pretty much anything.

I feel like I was given a good, long look at where my life should be going and what it could be like. I got the travel brochure, picked out a destination that seemed like a good one, (heck, I even went so far as to clear my arrangements with the Travel Agent)...and, then on the day of my trip, instead of heading to the gate and boarding the plane to get started to where I should be going, I opted to stay in the stupid revolving door and either try to make the lobby look more appealing or wait for what seemed like a more convenient time to exit. Truth be told, I don't feel good about staying put because I desperately want to take this trip, wherever and however it goes...and I know the Travel Agent wants me to as well! Fortunately, I think my flight has only been momentarily delayed...not canceled all together. I just have to check my baggage and board the plane, right?

Please excuse the weak travel metaphor that just popped up out of nowhere...it just worked for me, so I went with it...and it's my blog, dang it!

Selfishly, if there's anyone out there that reads my blog, I sincerely seek an interest in your thoughts and prayers over the next week, as I'm going to be rearranging my travel plans. I need your thoughts and prayers...I always do, but now seems like a time when I should be bold about asking for them!

Thanks...and I'll update as soon as I can.

God Loves Me

2009-07-11T05:25:00.001-07:00

So, I've had a hunch for a while now that the above statement (post title) is true...but, as is human nature, I forget that it really is true and that I know that it is. Right now especially, I feel like there are so many mistakes that I've made (and continue to make) that I'm fully aware of and probably at least as many that I'm not aware of making that make it hard for me to comprehend how it is that I deserve all of the blessings and answered prayers that he grants me.

This weekend (particularly today, Saturday) is going to be an outdoor one for me...this week, it's been raining since Wednesday and when I looked at the weather forecast for today it was much the same. When I found out that it was supposed to rain today, I told the other people involved in today's events that I would pray that the rain would hold off for us to be able to do the activity. This came across as a somewhat trivial thing to them, which I wasn't surprised about, but I told them about an experience I'd had as activities committee chair where it had worked in the past...I said that just because this one experience had happened, it wasn't a guarantee that it would happen again, but that it was worth a shot.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to serve as the Activities Committee Chairperson in our ward...past experience in planning activities in our ward had told me that whenever an activity was planned at the Merkleys, there was rain in the forecast. Every single time. We had never had an activity out there that it hadn't rained! The time eventually came that I was planning my last activity...it was at the Merkleys and true to form, RAIN WAS IN THE FORECAST! I don't think I've ever prayed harder for the weather to be nice...in fact, I don't think I'd ever prayed for the weather to be one way or the other. I thought it was such a trivial thing to pray for and something that was so not worth God's time to listen to. I was so wrong. I woke up the morning of the activity to a fully sunny day and warm, wonderful weather outside. Not a hint of rain in the air...and not one drop fell the entire day! The activity went off without a hitch and I've always remembered that experience as one where I knew that God truly cared about those things that were important to me, regardless of the reasons that they were important.

Last night before I went to bed, I prayed hard for the weather. Not for the activity...not because I want to be seen as spiritually powerful in the eyes of the others that are involved. I prayed because of the concept and principle of faith. I prayed to defend the faith that I have in the fact that God IS a God of miracles. I'm not saying that I felt as though I was being ridiculed for my beliefs. I wasn't. I think that the reason that I prayed is because I needed a reminder that God really does love me...and not just me...he loves ALL of His children. I think I got the reminder I needed and I'm thankful!

Aruba!

2009-07-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

The trip to Aruba was sooooo much fun! The highlights were:

Being able to go to the local branch that met in Oranjestad...

and being able to meet so many wonderful people...like Ivon Costa and Sister Gonzalez...(I had pictures of other members that were there, but none of them turned out, which was very sad!)

Horseback riding on the beach was a blast...our Tour Guide was from Colombia and very, very attractive!

Now that you all agree with me about the handsome tour guide, I can show you the fun parts about the ride...

like one of the other tour guides showing off for us...

oh, wait...I meant him!

Getting to ride the horses (my horse's name was Yasser) into the ocean was pretty sweet...

(Sorry it's sideways!)

On Monday, we went into downtown Oranjestad to see the sights...went to a restaurant called Iguana Joe's...it was a really fun place in a sort of mini-mall type building.

Across the street there were a bunch of street vendors and we went to look at all of their wares...

On Tuesday, when we were at the pool, I was going to fetch a pair of goggles when I fell pretty hard and ended up having to be taken to the hospital to get Xrays done. I felt very fortunate that nothing was broken and the hotel paid for the medical expenses.

I loved the view from our room.

And this one...

Kite surfers...

and the speed boats that would stir up some waves on the otherwise very calm shore...

Oranjestad, day and night.

In the end, I can totally see why the Beach Boys included Aruba in their "Cocomo" song and I can't wait to go back whenever I'm able to!

Neglectful!

2009-06-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything on my blog since APRIL! I've got to find something interesting to write about sometime...

Wild, Wild West!

2009-04-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun on my trip and here are the pictures to prove it!

I got to see Brother and Sister Harris and their daughter, Becca (and her daughter, Avery) on the first day that I was there...I was sooooo tired from the early morning flight and all of the layovers and traveling in general on that first day!!!!

The next morning, after I stayed the night at Shon and Charlene Harker's (sad that I didn't get any pictures of them and their sweet family), I took the shuttle up to Idaho to see my friend Jana and her family. Jana served part of her mission in Charlottesville and we became very good friends.

The Rexburg, Idaho temple...and a gorgeous sunset!

Another gorgeous sunset...I loved that there was so much farmland in Idaho! If it weren't so dang cold there during the winter, I might even entertain the idea of a move there sometime in the future...but alas...

Took this picture on the way to Wyoming with Janet Merrell...I was trying to capture the fact that there was NO ONE behind us on the road for a very good portion of the trip up there. Artsy.

The Snake River. We stopped at this lookout to take pictures. There was a chokecherry bush/tree growing there...I had never heard of chokecherries before, but apparently they're all over Idaho...when I stayed the night at Janet's parents' house in Montpelier, we had chokecherry syrup on our pancakes in the morning. Definitely an interesting taste.

Exhibit A: Why I will never live out west again... TOO MUCH SNOW...AND COLD.

This is a part of the road that leads to Wyoming from Rexburg. It's gorgeous!

Me in Jackson Hole, Wyoming...under a bronze horse.

Elk Antler Arch in JH, Wyoming

Real elk...on a preserve...without their horns, which means that there will probably be more arches going up around Jackson soon!

I thought that the elk were pretty cool, until I saw these bad boys. MOOSE! Two of them! They were HUGE. I wanted to get out of the car to look at them, but Janet wouldn't let me. She's a smart girl. I was soooooooo excited that I got to see these...I'd been telling Janet that I'd wanted to see an alligator in Florida while I was there, but hadn't...and was wondering out loud whether or not we'd see a moose...I wasn't sure we were going to JUST BECAUSE I wanted to see one so bad...but we totally lucked out and saw two!!

The Teton Mountains...the picture just doesn't do them justice!

On the way back, we stopped by the Paris Tabernacle, which was built by the members of the church when the town was settled...a long time ago.

And then we drove around Bear Lake. The water was a really pretty blue.

Bear Lake.
On Saturday, I met up with Bartly Mathews and we went downtown. We took a tour of the Conference Center and got dinner at a great restaurant called "Little America". It was fun to catch up!

View from the Top...here's what the stand looks like when everything is taken out except for the choir seating. They were getting ready for a performance to happen sometime in the next week or something.

This is one of my favorite paintings, turned into a stained glass. I love this story...the healing at the Pool at Betheseda. (sp?!)

I love how these two pictures turned out! The first picture is of the skylights above the second picture, which is the jade colored fountain where the tours start.

A view of Temple Square from across the street on the roof of the Conference Center. The building on the left is the temple and the dome shaped building on the right is the Tabernacle.

The beautiful SLC Temple, which took the Saints 40 years to complete.

And the Conference Center, which took the Saints' architects 3 years to complete. (Gotta love the info you learn on the Conference Center tours!)

A look at the mountains in Provo Canyon...on our way up to Bridal Veil Falls.

Bridal Veil Falls

I like this picture but that water was SO cold!

Single Ladies Photo Op @ Bridal Veil...Megan Schramm, Emily Snow, Happy Peterson, and ME!

Coming back from Deer Creek Lake.

Randi's home

2009-04-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

Randi came home from Idaho today! I have to pack for my trip to Utah sometime before Monday night/Tuesday morning but I hate packing and don't want to do it!

Weekend Wrap-Up

2009-04-07T06:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend was WONDERFUL! General Conference, as always, was great. The weather was nice and I found my sunglasses (which had been hiding from me for a while), so that was a bonus. Elder Snow and Elder Holland were my favorite speakers. Elder Holland is always my favorite...Elder Snow just talked about something that hit home with me, so I loved his talk, too.

I went to Richmond yesterday. Fun times. Went to Trader Joe's, Tom Leonard's and the Short Pump Mall. It was a nice day. I loooooooooove Trader Joe's...I'm so excited for one to come here! (Whenever that actually happens.)

Well, I'll be heading west this time next week...in fact, I will be three hours into my trip (the flight portion, anyway) by this time (9:15am) next week. I'm excited to go!

General Conference.

2009-03-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

I can't wait for General Conference this weekend. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Conference in October 2008.

The Infinite Power of Hope - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"The things we hope in sustain us during our daily walk. They uphold us through trials, temptations, and sorrow. Everyone has experienced discouragement and difficulty. Indeed, there are times when the darkness may seem unbearable. It is in these times that the divine principles of the restored gospel we hope in can uphold us and carry us until, once again, we walk in the light."

Come What May, and Love It - Joseph B. Wirthlin

"If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness."

"The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable."

Pray Always - David A. Bednar

"Petitioning Heavenly Father for the blessings we desire in our personal lives is good and proper. However, praying earnestly for others, both those whom we love and those who despitefully use us, is also an important element of meaningful prayer. Just as expressing gratitude more often in our prayers enlarges the conduit for revelation, so praying for others with all of the energy of our souls increases our capacity to hear and to heed the voice of the Lord."

The Truth of God Shall Go Forth - M. Russell Ballard

"God has spoken through His prophet and announced to the world that “the Standard of Truth has been erected” and that “no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing.” That is undeniably and indisputably true. We have seen it for ourselves, in decade after decade, from the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith to the time of President Thomas S. Monson. Persecutions have raged. Calumny and lies and misrepresentation have attempted to defame. But in every decade from the time of the Restoration forward, the truth of God has gone “forth boldly, nobly, and independent.” The little Church that started in 1830 with just a handful of members has now grown to more than 13 million Latter-day Saints in many different nations around the world, and we are well on our way to penetrating every continent, visiting every clime, sweeping every country, and sounding in every ear."

Finding Joy in the Journey - President Thomas S. Monson

"Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.” We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us."

Until We Meet Again - President Thomas S. Monson

"I assure you that our Heavenly Father is mindful of the challenges we face in the world today. He loves each of us and will bless us as we strive to keep His commandments and seek Him through prayer.

We are a global church, brothers and sisters. Our membership is found throughout the world. May we be good citizens of the nations in which we live and good neighbors in our communities, reaching out to those of other faiths, as well as to our own. May we be men and women of honesty and integrity in everything we do.

There are those throughout the world who are hungry; there are those who are destitute. Working together, we can alleviate suffering and provide for those in need. In addition to the service you give as you care for one another, your contributions to the funds of the Church enable us to respond almost immediately when disasters occur anywhere in the world. We are nearly always among the first on the scene to provide whatever assistance we can. We thank you for your generosity."

I love spring!!!

2009-03-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so, I'm going to just put this out there...I'm sure that as soon as I do, we'll get another 10 feet of snow...BUT I love spring! Today has been a gorgeous day and a day like today makes me miss owning my convertible. :(

Interestingly enough...

2009-03-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

I posted yesterday about how I was thinking about my Grandma Q. Last night at the Enrichment meeting for the Singles Ward, Jolene did a presentation on the early history of the Church in Charlottesville. Lo and behold, Grandma Q was one of the people she talked about. I'm so glad I went to Enrichment last night for that...aside from the fact that I scored some pretty awesome "services" from the Service Auction we had!

I'm grateful.

2009-03-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about my Grandma Q today.

Today is Thursday and I said a long time ago that I wanted to do weekly Thankful Thursday posts...and a long time ago is the last time that I posted such an entry!

Today I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to be alive. Even though the details of the future are a little blurry right now, I know that God is (and should be) in control of my life and this gives me great comfort. I know that He can make me into the person that I want to be if I let Him do it. I know that I live "far below my privileges" far too often, but I sincerely WANT to be a good person. I never had the opportunity to meet my Grandma Q, but I find myself desperately wanting to be like her. I have this vision in my head of the kind of person she was and that's exactly how I want to be. I'm sure she had her faults, I'm sure she did things she wasn't proud of doing, but I also know that there were many people who loved her...and she loved many people. I feel as though she had a hard life in many respects, but I do not believe that she allowed her circumstances to get the better of her. She raised three children, all of whom turned out to be hardworking, loving, good-natured individuals who have influenced my life greatly. I don't know...I just can't wait to meet her one day.

I'm also thankful for good friends, two of which I am especially grateful for today. (They shall remain nameless here because, frankly, I want to keep them all to myself!) :) I am grateful for the unwavering support and encouragement that I have received individually and collectively from them. They are wonderful and I love them very much.

I'm grateful that winter is finally (hopefully) coming to a close. This winter has seemed so much longer than it should have been because of the fact that the majority of the bad weather we've had has happened this month. I'll be soooooo grateful when the sun is out and the weather is warm!

Lastly, I'm grateful for the opportunity that I have to choose to be content with the way that most things are going in my life right now. Not everything is perfect, but it's workable and that's good enough for me!!

I can't wait for spring!

2009-03-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

We had a little taste of spring at the end of last week...it was gorgeous! I even got a little sunburn...which felt nice! On Saturday I went to the Richmond Zoo with E &Co. and had a lot of fun. Got to feed a zebra.

Sunday I spoke in Church. Gave the same talk that I'd given in the 1st Ward. Good times.

Um...that's pretty much all that's happening around here lately.

(I can't wait to go out west next month!)

A March Madness Snow Day.

2009-03-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

It's March 1st. Spring is officially supposed to start in 20 days, so NATURALLY the last bit (let's hope that this is the last of it, anyway) of winter has to rear its ugly head and drop anywhere from 3 - 5" of snow on us overnight tonight. Yippee-skippy.

I stopped by Victor and Lucy's on my way home tonight and watched a movie with them about Ben Carson, the first neurosurgeon to separate conjoined twins. It was really well done. It made me feel inspired to reach my full potential as a human being - whatever that potential might be. I've actually been thinking a lot about my personal potential lately (especially today), and while I don't have anything earth-shaking to share about it right now, I do know that I have room for improvement as far as being the "person I want to be" goes, but I'm excited to see which avenues open up to reach that potential that I have.

Since it's March 1st, and since I just wrote a little bit about the idea of potential...I also have to say that it's time once again for the March Madness Book of Mormon Challenge. For the past three years, I've looked at the month of March in a different way. For me, March is now the month to read the Book of Mormon in its entirety - cover to cover - all 531 pages. I hope as I get older, that this is something that I continue to try to accomplish. The first year that the challenge was issued, I took it and started reading a few days before the beginning of March so that I could stay ahead. I finished with a few days to spare and felt that my testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon had increased substantially. I felt like I was better equipped to handle the challenges and trials that I faced on a daily basis. I felt as though I was closer to my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ and I loved that feeling. Last year, when the challenge was issued, I started out reading but quickly fell behind because of a vacation that I took in March. As I've looked at the last year, which has been an excruciatingly painful one - starting IRONICALLY in March, I've realized that I need to start off this next year on a better foot. I need to feel the peace that reading the scriptures brings. I need help to completely overcome some of the things about this last year that are still present so that I can be done with them forever and I know that accepting the March Madness challenge will help me to do that...because I will have the help from my Heavenly Father to do it!

Recipe Book...

2009-02-26T19:53:00.000-08:00

I went to Target this morning and got a binder and page covers to use as a recipe book. I'm a little excited about the possibilities here!

How to Save a Life...

2009-02-25T05:47:00.000-08:00

I gave blood for the first time last night. It was a slow process (I apparently hadn't had enough water throughout the day to make it go quickly - even though I drank A LOT of water yesterday) and mildly traumatic. I faced my fear about it but definitely don't plan on doing it again for a while. The Red Cross worker that stuck me with the hose (I mean, needle) said that my veins were not running vertically up my arm but that the one they stuck was running more horizontally. Gross. I'll post a picture later.

Ambition...

2009-02-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

I love to create things. I have had a lot of fun doing the 3rd ward blog (as I've said in earlier posts)...I love to paint pottery...I love to organize activities (such as the monthly dinner groups that I've taken on planning AGAIN)...and lately, I love to cook. There are a few dishes that I feel very comfortable with making because I know the outcome will be good almost regardless of what I do to the recipe. The oregano chicken recipe is a winner, as are the drunken noodles that I make...but I want to branch out. Today while M was taking a nap, I decided that I wanted to make something...so I got some Granny Smith apples, a can of sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, cinnamon and Quaker Oats...and made something...I'm not sure about it, actually...it's kind of an apple crisp (without being very crispy, unfortunately) but it's also pretty good as an ice cream topping (as I just found out). I'm glad that I made it...even if just for the practice. It's not horrible, so I'll take it home and I'm sure that it will get eaten. I want to be able to cook, and so I figure that the more I practice, the better chance I'll have of actually succeeding.

I found a recipe for a Moroccan dish that I want to try to make next...along with the sancocho that I'm desperate to learn how to make. Hopefully these will both be more successful ventures than today. We'll see.

Sleepless in Charlottesville...

2009-02-17T21:53:00.000-08:00

I've really been trying to do better about getting in bed at a decent hour but tonight I made the mistake of over-stimulating the creative side of my brain with blogging (on the 3rd ward's blog) and trying to create the dinner groups for this weekend. Too much. I've got A LOT going on the rest of the week so tonight definitely isn't the night to be up too late!

Good night!

Road Trip!

2009-02-12T08:39:00.001-08:00

Dear Janet and Jana:

I'm flying out to Utah in April. The exact date and details are TBD...but I'm coming! Just thought you'd like to know!!!

Love,
me

Better late than never?

2009-02-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

I've been so overly-busy working on the blog for the Singles Ward that I've kind of neglected my blog. This year, Lance Brimhall and I celebrated our birthdays (which are 12 days apart) together in sort of a birthday mini-series. The first installment was on January 17 at Thai 99 and the second installment was on January 28 (which is Lance's actual birthday) at Arby's. After the party at Arby's many of us headed back over to Lance, Bill and Tyler's place for home-made ice cream sandwiches. It was a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures from the evening!

Warren Brookes and Brent Andrus

Me, Lance Brimhall, Eddie Smith

Happy Birthday, Lance!

Christine Tsang, Justin Pearson, Katie Smith

Elizabeth Stumm, Danielle Knight, Kristin Skidmore,
Melany Pond, Eddie Smith and me

2009-02-04T21:06:00.000-08:00

A- Attached or single: Single

.B- Best Friend: My sisters.

C-Cake or Pie: Cake.

D-Day of Choice: Saturday, but I love the whole weekend.

E- Essential Item: Cell phone.

F- Favorite Color: Blue.

G- Gummi Bears or Worms: SOUR gummi worms.

H- Hometown: Charlottesville, Virginia

I- Indulgence(s): Key Lime Pie.

J- January or July: July.

K-Kids: They're fun. Hope to have a few some day.

L-Life is incomplete without: My family, my friends, the Church.

M- Marriage Date: TBD

N- Number of Siblings: 2 Brothers, 2 Sisters, 3 Half Brothers, 1 Half Sister.

O- Oranges or Apples: Apples.

P-Phobias or Fears: Needles...and, as a general rule, anything with more than four legs or less than two.

Q- Quote: The same one by Nelson Mandela that I've quoted a million times on other, scarily similar posts.

R- Reason To Smile: Memories, inside jokes, The Boogie Girl.

S- Season: Any but WINTER. I haaaaaaa-aaaaate winter...

T- Tag Six: I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE.

U- Unknown Facts About Me: I can write upside-down and backwards.

V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Give me a break... I love vegetables AND meat!

W- Worst Habit: There are many.

X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Had both. Don't really prefer either one.

Y- Your Favorite Food: Thai...and anything from Lucy's kitchen.

Z- Zippers or Zebras: I would rather see a zebra...on a safari in AFRICA.

Super Bowl Sunday...

2009-02-01T16:32:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure that watching the Super Bowl would interest me more if I understood the rules of football...but maybe not. I know nothing about the teams that are playing tonight, but I like the Steelers uniforms better than the Cardinals, so there! I like watching the commercials, though.

My favorite commercial so far is the one for careerbuilder.com...pretty dang funny.

Love it!!

2009-01-25T05:34:00.001-08:00

So, as most anyone that would actually read my blog knows, I've been called to be the Ward historian in the 3rd Ward. I have really loved this calling so far...it's been so much fun to reminisce about the "old days" of the ward with some of the different members that I've known through the years that have since moved on. I had a great time yesterday talking to (and most definitely laughing with) Emily D and Karen M about the adventures and mishaps of their time in the ward...they are such great girls and definitely helped me out a lot in the 3rd Ward Memories department...I think this post is going to be so much fun for people to read over. I put a counter on that blog to see how many people go there...so far we're up to about 67, or so...the only trouble is, every time I log in to make a change to it, it adds me as a "new" visitor...I think I'm going to have to go back and change it so that it only counts the really new members.

In other news, I have no idea what I'm going to wear to church today...and it's ward conference! Oh me, oh my! Just kidding...the only reason I'm even worried about it (and worried is not even the right word) is because the Bishop sent out an email last night asking everyone to be seated on time - and it seems like most weeks, it's a race against me and the opening hymn! This week I'm going to get there on time...nay...early! :)

I think it would be really great if it were as warm outside today as it's been the last two days...here's hoping!

Okay...I have to get going so I can look into getting ready!

So sorry that what I post is soooooooo boring! I'll get a real life one of these days...it's on my New Year's Resolutions list, promise!!

I LOVE Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

2009-01-22T17:04:00.001-08:00

This show makes me cry every time I watch it! I love that there are people in the world that are still interested in the idea of creating good TV and that people are helped in the process.

On a slightly different note, today is Thursday... A friend of mine has done a "Thankful Thursdays" post on her blog, so here goes my first attempt!

I'm thankful for my family and friends. I'm thankful to have a job and soooooooooooo thankful for the family I work for. I'm thankful for what the kids teach me everyday and I'm thankful for the wonderful parents of this family...they are two of the most kindhearted, warm individuals I've ever met and they are such an example to me. I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to go to institute each week and I'm grateful to have a teacher (as well as fellow students) that are so knowledgeable about the gospel. I'm grateful for the talents that I've been given and for those that I've set about to develop. I'm grateful for the trials that I've had and for the things that I've been taught because of them. I'm grateful for special people that have been put in my path at the right time to help me during times of trial. Lastly, I'm grateful for the opportunity I plan to take to continue the "Thankful Thursday" posts...

Just because I can...

2009-01-17T08:58:00.001-08:00

I think Paul is soooooo cute in this picture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

27 is coming to a close...

2009-01-13T19:03:00.000-08:00

and 28 is fast approaching...here's a picture I found from my Senior Prom TEN YEARS AGO!!!

Me, Jason Dean (my best friend during high school...and my date to Prom),
Sam Knight, Kaylyn (Quillon) Meador

It's 3:44am...

2009-01-10T00:36:00.001-08:00

and I'm not in bed. Why? Because I've been thinking about/working on the 3rd Ward blog and working on my blog...and trying to get things in some sort of order so I can stop by the church tomorrow sometime to organize the bulletin board because I'm SUCH a nerd.

I took a break from nerdiness and went to Christian's Pizza with Bill Doolittle, Katie Smith, Mitzy Montoya, Amy Lamprecht, Aaron Butz and Andrew Patton tonight. I love being back in the singles ward but I've felt a little disconnected socially from the people that are in the ward, so it was good to be able to get out and do something with a group of them!

Anyway...that was my evening, and even though I'm not tired, I'm sick of hearing Toby coughing, so I'm going to go downstairs and go to bed!

Good night!

Florida for New Year's

2009-01-08T17:58:00.000-08:00

Aaron Butz, Randi and I went down to Florida for New Year's this year and it was a lot of fun! We left at about 6:00am on New Year's Eve and got to Lake Mary at around 8pm (we ran into a little traffic and stopped a few times along the way). As soon as we got there, we left to go down to a place in Orlando called Celebration where they were having a big New Year's street party. There was a band playing, horse-drawn carriage rides, food vendors and fireworks at midnight. The fireworks were AMAZING!

Me, looking not so great, on the carriage ride that
Randi, Aaron and I took around Celebration Square.

Randi and Aaron on the carriage ride.

These are not the horses that pulled our carriage...but I liked them...they're HUGE!

Randi, Aaron, me, Amanda, Nate

Fireworks for New Year's!

And again...

We went to New Smyrna Beach and Blue Springs Park on New Year's Day. New Smyrna was pretty cold and windy, so we left after being there for about 10-15 minutes and drove to Blue Springs Park, which is a body of water that manatees come through on their way to warmer water.

The wind was blowing really hard and it was pretty cold down by the water...notice that the waves are a little boisterous, too!

The gray spot near the shoreline is a manatee. Pretty fun!

Me, Randi, Aaron, Nate and Amanda at Blue Springs Park.

Nate and Amanda both had to go back to work on the 2nd, so Randi, Aaron and I decided to go exploring. We went to an outlet mall in Orlando and then went down to Bradenton and Venice Beach. We ended up going to a beach called Manatee Beach in (or near) Bradenton.

Here we are with our wind-blown hair...the weather was
perfect so we had the windows down the whole way!

Here's a picture of Randi and Aaron in the water at Manatee Beach...
the sand at this beach was like flour...very, very soft and white!
I went in the water for only a little while...it was too cold for me.

After we were done at Manatee Beach, we went to a restaurant a few miles from the beach called Beef O'Brady's...not a great choice...the name was appealing, but the food was not.

Upon leaving the restaurant, we decided that we would drive to Venice and try to catch the sunset at Venice Beach...but were unsuccessful, due to a malfunction in sense of direction. We did, however, end up at a nature preserve at sunset so we paused to capture the moment!

We were actually able to get to Venice Beach in just enough time to catch the very last little bit of the sunset...

On the 3rd, we drove to Orlando with Amanda and Nate to go to Downtown Disney...

Me, Randi and Aaron getting some quality close quarters time in
the backseat of Amanda and Nate's car.

Planet Hollywood

Randi

Me

A view of Downtown Disney.

While Randi...
and Amanda and Nate were trying on left-over 2009 party hats, here's what Aaron Butz was trying on...
To make him feel a little more okay with this, Nate joined in on the fun...

The ceiling of the T-Rex building...

T-Rex himself...big head, little arms!

LegoLand Crab

LegoLand Shark

Sea Monster

Hello again...

LegoLand Family.

Transformer?! Maybe.

Another Lego creation...

Lego Rasta :)

After we were done at Downtown Disney, we drove back to Lake Mary to meet up with Molly, who came up from Winter Haven. It was so good to see her and catch up on life...we haven't seen each other since her sister Candace's wedding, almost four years ago! We went to dinner at a place called Gator's...and as our appetizer we actually ordered gator tail...it was pretty interesting. We ate and talked...closed down the restaurant portion of the establishment and when the staff finally cued us that it was time to leave (by putting all of the chairs up on the tables around us), we went out to the parking lot and talked for a bit longer. I love my family! We had so much fun!

Randi, Molly, Amanda and Me outside Gator's.

Sunday morning we got up relatively early and hit the road back to VA. There was no traffic on the way back, which was a blessing...there was a little bit of fog and rain, but it wasn't too bad and we got back to Charlottesville around 8pm Sunday night.

The End!

SANTA BABY!

2008-12-25T13:25:00.000-08:00

So, this Christmas was pretty great...I got a digital camera, complete with memory cards and a LAPTOP. Totally didn't see that one coming! My parents and my brother, Cameron went in on it and got it for me! Wow! Watch out...my blogs will (hopefully) become a lot more interesting in coming posts!!!

A challenge...

2008-12-18T06:54:00.000-08:00

I have been going to institute (which is a scripture study class offered by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through the Church Education System) since I was a senior in high school. I love institute and I have been fortunate to have great teachers...starting with the Goodsells that would come up each week from Buena Vista to teach. After the Goodsells came my dear friend, Richard Stuart...he was such an influence in my life at the time that he was here...I had him as a teacher from the time the Goodsells left until the time that I left to go to Utah and he was still the teacher when I came back from living in Utah. Richard Stuart would also come up from Buena Vista and as Southern Virginia College (SVC, as it was known at the time...it's now SVU) grew, so did the responsibilities at the institute and CES decided that Charlottesville needed its own teacher so that Richard could stay in BV...and along came Larry and Karen Harris. They bought a house in Charlottesville and were over institute here for about 3 years. They came to Charlottesville right as the Charlottesville Third Ward was being formed and Larry was called to be a counselor in the Third Ward bishopric with Bishop Snow and Greg Dudley. I loved Brother Harris's classes...I loved his sense of humor and his laugh will be a sound that will be hard to forget. When the Harrises moved, in came the Morrises. Brother Morris is a fantastic teacher...he's been the teacher in Charlottesville for about two and a half years and the institute program has really grown here, not only because of his efforts, but because of our efforts. As great at Brother Morris is at teaching, I've been so impressed by the members of the ward and their efforts in missionary work. There have been many people that aren't members of the Church that have come to institute on the invitation of a friend and then kept coming because of the quality of the lessons offered. It's been amazing to watch!

Last night was the final class of the semester and it was a great experience. Throughout the semester, we've been studying the New Testament and the life of the Savior. Last week we studied the Atonement...it was a powerful class. I wish I could adequately express the feelings I felt as I sat through the lesson, but I can't. I don't know words that would do the job! This week, we studied the Resurrection. It wasn't really a typical class...Brother Morris didn't really stand up and teach us as much as he normally does...we watched a video clip portraying the Resurrection of Christ, a video clip of a talk by President James E. Faust and went to the scriptures to read about when Christ had been resurrected and came to the Apostles to teach them what they should be doing with their time now that they were in charge of running His church on the earth. The majority of the class was devoted to our being able to write about how we felt about studying the final week of the Savior's life and then were allowed to share what we'd written with each other.

At the end of the class, Brother Morris challenged us to share what we'd written down with someone during this next week...I have someone in mind that I want to share what I wrote with, but I also wanted to write about it here...since I'm pretty sure that there's only one or two people that read my blog...ever! I'm not going to write exactly what I wrote, though...

As we got a first-hand look at what Jesus Christ went through during the act of the Atonement and the Crucifixion (from a medical standpoint, no less), the thing that struck me the most of the feelings I felt was the immense love that He obviously has for us...and not only for "us" but for ME. I had never paused to take such an in-depth look at the Atonement and Crucifixion before...and while it was hard to listen to (Brother Morris played a clip from an audio tape he had that detailed the physical experience of crucifixion), I felt afterwards like I knew the Savior a little better than I had before the class started. Not only did I feel His love for me, but I also felt more love for Him than I ever have before. I was more thankful than I'd ever been that He would perform the Atonement so that I could have the opportunity, if I live the way that I should, to live with Him and with my Heavenly Father (and my family and friends) forever. As I was looking through the scriptural accounts of those that saw the resurrected Christ (part of the assignment), the one that really stuck out to me was in Luke 24:31 where it says, "And their eyes were opened, and they knew him;". I feel, in small part, like this is what's happened to me this semester as I've studied the life of my Savior. I know that my eyes have a lot more opening to do, but I'm grateful that they've started!

It's been a while...

2008-12-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

I "re-joined" the singles ward about two weeks ago, officially and I've already gotten a calling! There will be more information about that once the calling has actually been made final in church next week...until then, I probably shouldn't talk about it too much, other than to say I'm REALLY excited about it! I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

A few of my favorite YouTube videos...

2008-12-09T06:37:00.001-08:00

I don't think they're going to show up as links when I post this, so if you want to look at them, you'll probably have to copy and paste. Sorry!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cAs1YBELmA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ7iaYKUrBM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK_bpCFvfik

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxOytYLlhiQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaRfxjcpYvM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki61e3zFPks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPGWRS9B5_0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRo59u5I6hY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5ALIL7T764

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0eINGyJHz8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaRlOG7twnc&feature=related

Oh my, starry-eyed surprise...

2008-11-30T10:06:00.001-08:00

I don't know what it is with me and naming my blog posts after song lyrics or whatever...it's fun, though! So, today I gave my talk in the first ward. The topic of my talk was "Giving Thanks in All Things". There was a problem with the sound system in the chapel, as well as several items of ward business to attend to AND two baby blessings...so by the time I actually got up to speak, it was about 9:05...I took the majority of the time that was left of the meeting but there was still a musical number by the choir that needed to be done AND Bartly was supposed to give his talk...oops! I'm not a public speaker by any stretch of the imagination but I felt like, for the time I had, I'd prepared for it...so it went okay over all.

I've decided ONCE AGAIN THIS YEAR that I don't like winter (in completely unrelated news). I'm trying hard to be upbeat and energetic until it's over, but I'm convinced that the only redeeming qualities about the winter season are Christmas and my birthday (this is of course according to me...don't mean to offend anyone else with a winter birthday...your day is just as important). I hate being cold. I hate being wet. I hate that there's such an increased opportunity to get sick. I hate that it's dark. I guess the point of winter is to make us appreciate all of the other wonderful seasons of the year but COME ON...does it have to be dark all the time?

Well, I guess I have to try to be thankful in all things...so I'm thankful for hot chocolate, warm socks, sweatshirts, winter coats, blankets, fireplaces and heat pumps! Most of all, I'm thankful for the end of winter!

OH - one more thing...Happy Birthday, Bonny M.W. Harris!

Not Feelin' It...

2008-11-29T13:50:00.000-08:00

Today has just been an off day! Actually, the last two days haven't been great. I'm sure it's because I'm giving a talk tomorrow and the adversary knows that if I get into this sort of mood, I can easily be incapacitated. I suppose it's a good and timely lesson for me about making a conscious decision to rise above those feelings and move past them instead of giving in to them.

Thanks!

2008-11-24T06:16:00.001-08:00

It's almost Thanksgiving! I can't believe how fast the year's flown by! There has been so much that's happened in my life this year...some things have been bad enough that I wasn't sure how I was going to get through them. Most have been good (better than I think I deserve, actually). BUT...all of those things have changed me in one way or another and I'm grateful for all of them.

The year started out with a new job for a fantastic family that I love sooooooo much! They truly have been a blessing in my life and I love being able to be part of their lives. February brought a new little bundle of joy to their family...and he has brought a TON of joy to every day that I'm with him! It's so much fun to see how his face lights up when he sees me! Precious! In March I moved out of the house that I'd been living in and was able to go see my sister, Carla, and her family for a weekend. It was a good trip and a lot of fun to be out of town for a little while. April and May marked the beginning of the end of a friendship that had meant a lot to me (and looking back on it, a lot more than it SHOULD HAVE meant) over the last few years...and the start of more pain (and more growing and learning experiences) than I've experienced in my life. Though I wouldn't choose to go through any of it again any time soon, through those bad things, I've been able to learn a lot of valuable lessons that are probably too personal to write here...sorry!!! June marked the beginning of summer...which translated into warm, wonderful days at the pool pretty much all summer long...and best of all, my beautiful, wonderful niece was born at the very end of June and has been so much fun to have around. That little girl has us all wrapped around her tiny little fingers...we love her soooo much! July/early-August was my first trip to Florida...and I fell in love with being there! The kids went back to school at the end of August. Kind of sad! It seems like September was just spent getting back in the swing of things with the new school schedule and everything... October was General Conference, the family reunion, and the second trip to Florida...which were all a lot of fun. November has been nice...I was gone from Charlottesville for the first two Sundays of the month...we had Stake Conference this past weekend...and Turkey Day is coming up this week, which means that I don't have to work on Thursday or Friday. I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself!!! I'm speaking in church on the 30th, on the topic of "Giving Thanks in ALL Things", so I'm sure I can work on that while I have the break. I hope that the talk goes well...I've been gathering different materials that I want to use for it lately (I know, I'm a procrastinator to the core!) , so hopefully I can get it together. Well, I'm excited to see how the last month of the year goes, and I'm glad that I have a blog now so that I can keep a little bit better track of things that are going on!

There and back again...a nanny's tale...

2008-11-10T05:48:00.000-08:00

I wish that I'd been more diligent about documenting the things that we did while we were in Florida last time...but, I didn't...so here's a short-ish recap:

Drove down on Wednesday (Oct. 29) - got car sick before we even left the state of Virginia...stopped at a gas station to try to find Dramamine - no luck BUT the gas station smelled like burnt, salted pork, which was nice...except, not so much.

Thursday and Friday were bachelorette and bachelor parties, and trick-or-treating (on Friday). P and D were witches and M was the itsy-bitsy spider. Cute!

Saturday was the rehearsal for the wedding.

Sunday was the wedding. D and M made it through the actual service but began melting down (especially M) shortly thereafter - due to an extreme lack of nap time because the day was just so busy. Went home with them and fell asleep in M's room until J, E and P got home from the wedding. Shortly after they arrived home, J and E had to go back out because J's brother and sister-in-law were in a car accident on the way home. Fortunately everyone from their car was okay, but their car was not.

Monday we went to Daytona Beach. There was pretty much no sand because the tide was so high, but it was a pretty day. Monday night I got to go hang out with Amanda and Nate for a while...I got to see their cute apartment and their adorable new puppy. It was good to spend some time with them.

Tuesday I got to see some baby alligators that were in a little holding tank at a mini-golf place...they obviously weren't wild Florida alligators, but at least my "dream" of seeing alligators in Florida was realized! :)

Wednesday we went to Disney World...Magic Kingdom...it was truly a magical place! I'll get some pictures posted on here shortly...I promise...I have them on a CD, I just need to get them uploaded onto the blog. (I do realize that my blog is probably extra boring without some sort of picture documentation of the fun things I try to write about!) It was a lot of fun to be there and the kids did awesome the entire day! M got a few little cat naps in during the day and he was able to hang in with the family until we left right before the park closed for the evening. The pictures below were taken by the fabulous E...she does such a good job!!! The first picture is obviously me...riding Dumbo!! Fun, fun!! And the second...well, it's pretty self-explanatory...and the building is pretty famous - Cinderella's Castle in Disney World.

Thursday (I think) we went to the beach again...I think we went to Ormond Beach this time...it was also a nice, relaxing day. Amanda and Nate came over on Thursday night and we watched Survivor and Grey's Anatomy. The episode of Grey's was sooooooooo sad! :( This is a picture of me and The Budge (aka, my boyfriend!).

I can't remember all of the details of Friday...I went to the grocery store with J and M and I remember that I got sick on the way home...I took a nap for a while when we got home and then stayed home when the family went out for a little while. I think that J and E went out that night and when they got home, I'd fallen asleep on the couch with the monitor so I could hear M if he woke up...and I woke up to J having taken the monitor out of M's room and calling out to me through it...which he and E thought was hilarious. I have to admit, I thought it was pretty funny, too.

Saturday we got on the road at about 10:45am...J and I listed to a book on tape for quite a few hours, which was nice because the trip passed very quickly and uneventfully as far as the kids went, too...but I was definitely grateful when we got home!

I HAVE TO GO TO SLEEEEEEEEEEEP!

2008-10-25T21:45:00.001-07:00

HOWEVER...I just started reading Twilight tonight (I know, I know...I'm a lemming) and 150 pages later, I'm still interested in reading it. I'm thinking it will be a fun time-passer for the trip to and from Florida. Speaking of the trip to Florida, I've got SO much to do before we leave...namely LAUNDRY, PACKING AND SLEEPING...none of which I'm incredibly motivated to do at the moment. I have to be up soooooooo early for Church tomorrow...I have to pick up one of the ladies I visit teach and I usually get to her place at 8:10am, which means I'm going to be up a lot earlier than that to figure out what I want to wear and get ready for the day...wish me luck.

In other news...I made Spanish rice today. It turned out okay, but not how I thought it would so I'm going to keep practicing. It was fun to experiment with it, though.

Kaylyn, Derek and Corin went to Franklin, VA today to visit Amanda Scott and her family...I kind of wish I could have gone...I love Franklin...it's such a cute little town and I love it because it reminds me of my dear friend Ann Councill Brown, who I love a lot...when she was in school at UVA, every once in a while she'd invite me to go home with her for the weekend and I just have some pretty great memories of that little town and of her. Ah, nostalgia.

Anyway...it's really almost 1am, so I should get going. I'll write again soon...maybe next time from the "road"...

Another one bites the dust!

2008-10-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

The Favorites, Have-You-Evers.. and Last Times! Oh, the variety!

What is your favorite..

gum: I actually don't like gum all that much. I usually buy Orbit, whenever I actually buy it.

restaurant: Thai '99 (II) on Rt. 29 in Charlottesville, VA. The people that own it are SOOOOOO friendly and the food is awesome!

drink: Hmm...I'm a fan of Dr. Pepper...but I also love water!

season: Fall. Especially fall in Virginia. It's the most gorgeous place to be!

emotion: Um, this strikes me as sort of a dumb question. My favorite emotion is obviously happy...I also like confident!

thing to do on a half day: What are half days?! I want one!

late-night activity: Sleeping! I'm officially getting old!

sport: Volleyball...I also really like to watch polo.

city: Charlottesville, VA. Salt Lake City is nice too.

store: I don't really have one. I go to Target most frequently, probably.

When was the last time you..

cried: Two weeks ago. I was not feeling well that night and had a lot on my mind that I needed to talk to a friend about.

played a sport: I play mind games all the time! :) Just kidding.

laughed: Today. I laughed at Blackjack today because while I was outside watering the lawn, the hose got tangled up in his leash (and I didn't know it), so when I put the hose down to go turn it off, it sprayed the dog in the face! It was really funny!

hugged someone: Today...before I left Kristin Skidmore's birthday party, I gave her a hug.

kissed someone: I kissed my little man that I nanny...

felt depressed: About two weeks ago...just felt a little weighed down...but it was fine after I was able to get some things off my chest!

felt elated: Hmmm...I accomplished some really great things this week ALL BY MYSELF and was pretty happy with that.

felt overworked: I have weekends off...I'm good.

faked sick: High school.

lied: I don't know.

What was the last..

word you said: Night...as in "Good Night".

thing you ate: Popcorn with P, while watching Scooby-Doo.

song you listened to: "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz

thing you drank: Water

place you went to: The Morrises.

movie you saw: Oh...I'm not sure...Dark Knight, maybe? I'm really not sure...it's definitely been a while!

movie you rented: Baby Mama.

concert you attended: I think the last concert I went to was Rascal Flatts.

Who was the last person you..

hugged: Kristin Skidmore

cried over: Myself!

kissed: M

danced with: D...while walking down the aisles at CVS on the downtown mall.

shared a secret with: There aren't a whole lot of secrets I share with people these days. Found out it's much better that way for right now.

had a sleepover with: Amalia, I think.

called: Randi

went to a movie with: I have no idea. It's been a while.

saw: Grandma Morris

were angry with: I haven't gotten angry with anyone for a while, actually. I've gotten annoyed with some people, but not angry!

couldn't take your eyes off of: Yeah...no one.

obsessed over: No one.

Have you ever..

danced in the rain: Yes.

kissed someone: Yes.

done drugs: Nope!

drank alcohol: Never.

slept around: Not so much.

partied 'til the sun came up: Yes...

had a movie marathon: Yes.

gone too far on a dare: Possibly.

spun until you were immensely dizzy: Yes. We used to have a merry-go-round in our back yard and I spun around on it so much that I was sick for the rest of the afternoon.

taken a survey quite like this before: Yes.

Doing good...

2008-10-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

So, today has been a wonderful day! I watched M this morning while the rest of the family went to services for Yom Kippur and he was absolutely a dream come true. We had so much fun playing in the basement and going for walks...and then he took a pretty good nap. When everyone got home, I was able to go do some errands that I had that needed to be done for myself and was able to do a few things for the family that they couldn't do today. One of the things that I needed to get done was getting my tire fixed that got a flat the other night on the way home from Victor and Lucy's. I went to Sam's Club and got a membership for myself (and gave the complimentary membership to Randi so she can take it back out to school with her this winter) and then headed to the tire department to see if my tire was fixable. No such luck. HOWEVER...the spare tire that Cameron had put on my car the night that I got the flat was a full size tire with good tread on it...so I asked them to just put that tire on the rim for me. My plan was then to go to Wright's and get a spare tire from them, since a spare tire would be less expensive than a brand new one... When everything was done, I was handed a piece of paper that was documentation that they'd worked on my car...and there was no charge! I didn't know that if you have a membership to Sam's Club, they do FREE FLAT REPAIRS! How great! To top it all off, as I was getting in my car to leave, the guy that had fixed my tire came out and told me that he'd found an old tire in the shop that was the size I needed and had put it on my spare wheel...all at no charge! I'm telling you...it's the simple, small things in life! That alone pretty much made my day.

I've been house/dog-sitting this week and when I got here Monday night, I had grand visions of getting caught up on my sleep and being able to relax while watching a stack of foreign films...on Monday night I went to bed early because I had to be up early...Tuesday was out of the question for getting anything done whether productive or lazy (I can't remember why now) and when I woke up on Wednesday morning with an interest in trying to serve this wonderful family that I love so much, I realized that relaxation and foreign films were going to have to wait. I've got 4 or 5 items on my list to accomplish before they get home and I'm positively determined to get them all done. Saturday is going to be the big push day...I've got to make it all count... As I've been thinking about how to go about getting everything done, there have been a few scriptures that kept coming to my head. I had to go online to look up exactly where they are...

D&C 11: 8, 12

8 Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be done unto you; and, if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.
• • •

12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.

D&C 58: 27-28

27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

I know that the first scripture is talking about missionary work, but I love it. So, onward and upward (as my Mom would say)...I've got lots to do!