Catch up!

So, it feels like it's been awhile since I've posted. This will be short and sweet because I'm on vacation and I should actually be working on a project that's due next Monday....

So here's whats been going on.

1. I now have 2 jobs and still going to school. I'm working part time at a law office as a file clerk, and it's keeping me busy. I like it though, I get to dress up which is fun!
2. I don't have to work Friday nights anymore which is truly amazing since I've been working them steadily for probably the last five years! My first one off was last week and it was amazing!
3. Flour bomb wars followed by water fights, are no good! We had a flour bomb war on Friday and then I made the bright idea of starting a water war when I got home with someone who wasn't covered in flour. Lets just say that i lost the war, big time!
4. I'm on VACATION til the 24th!
5. I'm back in Idaho and minus the cold, I love it! And I get to see my best friend get married in four days!
6. I saw a man trimming his trees this morning with a machete and was invited to try it! Unfortunately, we didn't have time to stop!

And Bethany is out of class now so this is all ya get!

Reflecting

So as it would happen, on Sunday, pretty much all of our meetings talked about the Plan of Salvation or our Savior and I just found it so fitting. For Christmas, my mom made each of us a book for sacrament. It just has sacrament hymns, scriptures and quotes that relate to our Savior and the Atonement. Anyways, I was reading in it on Sunday and kind of throughout the week and I came across some things that just kind of struck me. I shared it in my institute class today but it's just been on my mind.

I was reading in Helaman 14: 15-17 . It's talking about how it was necessary for Christ to die so that we could be saved and be with our Heavenly Father. Then I came across this quote and it just hit me.

In that hour I think I can see our dear Father behind the veil looking upon these dying struggles until even he could not endure it any longer, and like the mother who bids farewell to her dying child and has to be taken out of the room so as not to look upon the last struggles, so He bowed His head and hid in some part of His universe, His great heart almost breaking for the love that He had for His Son. Oh, in that moment when He mights have saved His Son, I thank Him and praise Him that He did not fail us, for He had not only the love of His Son in mind, but He also had love for us. I rejoice that He did not interfere, and that His love for us made it possible for Him to endure to look upon the sufferings of His Son and give Him finally to us, our Saviour and our Redeemer. Without Him, without His sacrifice, we would have [been buried in the earth and there our bodies would have] remained, and we would never have come glorified into His presence. And so this is what it cost, in part, for our Father in heaven to give the gift of His Son unto men.

-Elder Marvin J. Ballard

I read that quote and love it. I am so very grateful for our Father in heaven's plan for us. There are times where I don't always know what exactly that plan entails but I know that there is a path for me to follow so that I can return to Him, so that we can all return to Him. I can't express how grateful I am to know that because He sent His Son to earth and let him be crucified, we all have the opportunity to return to our Father. And it seems that Heavenly Father knows when that time will be even when we sometimes we don't.

This is another quote I read today. This was on Jamie's wifes blog. She found this in one of his journals from a couple of years ago and I thought it was amazing. And it just goes along with things that I've been thinking of. I can't put it much better than this.

"Do not give up. Do not stop before the line, sprint past it. Do not consign yourself to apathy because a goal is in sight. It doesn't matter how tight you pulled a line if you allow slack in at the last moment. Moore yourself to the iron rod and receive all the promised blessings from Heavenly Father now, and the blessings of eternal life and exaltation in the time to come."

I think this is what we need to do to make sure we stay on that path so that when our time is here, we can return home.

Eye Opener

Yesterday on my way to work I got a call from my roommate who told me that one of our really close friends had passed away. At first I couldn't even believe it. Jamie, was best friends with a previous roommate so he was always at our apartment. The first time I met him, I was actually looking at the apartment to see if I wanted to live there, and I walk in and this guy is there dressed really nice with a huge mohawk! I wasn't quite sure what to do with that, so I went shopping for hair dye with him and Elspeth. I mean how could I not participate in the dying of a mohawk? Anyways, over the course of the next couple months, I got to know Jamie really well. He and Elspeth were always up when I got home from work so I got to listen to his Navy stories and mission stories. I have a lot of good memories of him and I'm so grateful that I got to know him. I just never thought it would happen to someone so young. He just got married like 8 months ago and was so happy.

It's definitely times like these that I'm so very grateful for the gospel and the knowledge that it gives me. It is such a comfort to know that he is married for time and all eternity and that we will see him again someday. I don't always understand the Lord's timing but thats not for me to understand right now. So, I'll be happy that for a little while he was a part of my life and he made it better with his laughter. He always could make me laugh, and frequently did!

Just so you know.....

.......I'm still alive!

I was told the other day that I needed to update my blog and at the time I didn't know what to write so I didn't. I still don't have a ton to write but I thought I'd do something! So....after doing some research and thinking...I changed my major. I'm in a paralegal program currently and I've got to say, I love it. I don't know if I'd say that I've always been interested in the law, but I have been for awhile. I don't really have the talent for arguing that my sister does so I didn't want to be a lawyer. This is something that really intrigues me though. I get to do research for attorneys and learn more about the law. I'm not very far into the program since I just started a month ago but I do enjoy what I'm learning. So I'll keep ya'll updated on that!

The other exciting thing is my adorable nephew! I can say that he's adorable because I don't have to put up with him crying at night and not getting much sleep! Sorry Mhari, I wish I was closer so that I could help out and let you get some more sleep! I just get to see pictures of this stinkin cute kid and he's just so easy to love! I can't wait for May when I actually get to meet him and see Mhari and James!

Ok, I mean look at this picture. How can you not just love this little guy? I don't think it's possible!

Last thing thats coming up is...my best friends wedding! In March, I get to go back to Idaho for my best friend Bethany's wedding and I get to spend 9 days away from work and school. I can't wait to see her and to be back in Idaho. I've actually been missing it the last little bit. And by missing it, I mean I miss the summer weather, definitely not the snow and cold that's going on right now! Anyways, I get to spend like 5 days with Bethany, and then I get to spend like 4 days with my sisters and bro-in-law. I'm way excited for that also! I've still got like a month before that happens, but I'm already counting down the days!

Well, I feel like thats a pretty good update for now. I'm off to bed!

Julie and Julia

I don't know how many of you have seen this movie, Julie and Julia, but I love it! I got it for Christmas and watched it today while I recovered from working the graveyard shift! I was feeling in the cooking mood, I made bread today and some yummy cheese tortellini soup and I am happy now! Anyways, I do really like this movie and while I don't think I'd really like to cook a lot of the French dishes like they did in the movie, I would like to experiment more! Well, I just thought I'd let you all know that you should watch this!

Christmas!

So, right now I'm working the graveyard shift at work and feeling extremely bored. It's also like 3am so I'm getting a little tired because I was enjoying family and didn't want to sleep before I came in. I thought while I was bored it would be a good time to catch up.

I have had the past two Christmases off so this year it was my turn to sacrifice and I worked Christmas Eve and Christmas. I was prepared to work it but it was still kind of hard. I prayed that I could have a good attitude and still enjoy Christmas even thought I was stuck in Tucson without any family. Well, on Christmas Eve I was invited to a co-worker's house. She and I work together every week and she's a little older than my parents, so all of her kids are grown and she was minus her family this year also. She and her husband moved here a year ago and all of her kids are in Utah. Anyways, we were both missing our families and so we helped each other out. I spent what was left of Christmas Eve with her and her husband and the Christmas morning. It was really nice to be adopted for a day so that I wasn't missing my family so much. I did work on Christmas but it went by quickly and overall it was a great day!

I got to go home Saturday night after work and spend Sunday, Monday and most of Tuesday with Mom, Dad and Brittany. It was really nice. We celebrated a late Christmas on Sunday. It actually started early that morning. We got a phone call from Mhari and James, my oldest sister and brother-in-law, around 8:30ish saying Mhari was on her way to the hospital to have her baby. We were all pretty shocked and excited. He wasn't due for another 2 weeks, but we were still way excited. This is the first grandkid in our family so......he's going to be spoiled rotten! So, little Andrew Keenan was born Sunday afternoon and it was probably the best present ever. My parents are so happy that they now have a grandkid, and a bonus, he's the first natural born boy in our family too! Mom and Dad tried and they just got 5 girls Now there are 3 sons-in-law, and a grandson! I'm very happy to be an aunt though and have a nephew. Mhari thinks now that she has a baby, no one will want to see her, they'll just want to see Andrew. She's wrong, we want to see both! Andrew is just more adorable! (just kidding Mhar- luv ya!)

It was great to be home though and spend time with everyone. Mom didn't have to work Monday or Tuesday and Dad didn't work Monday so we had fun. We got to see one of my grandpa's sister and her husband which is always fun. She cracks me up, and I haven't seen either of them in years. I was also reminded again of how much I take after my dad's side of the family. My aunt looked at me and said I was the spitting image of her mother. I've seen pictures of my great-grandma but only of when she was older. Apparently, there is a picture of Grandma Agnes when she's like 18 and I look just like her. I wish I'd been able to meet her. I wonder what kind of woman she was and if I'm like her in other ways. I look forward to the day I can meet her.

Also, recently I decided that I want to learn how to do more things. I've taken to cooking more and learning how to bake more things. I also have been wanting to learn how to sew. It's funny that at some point in my childhood, Mom tried to teach me these things and I thought I'd be fine without them. Now that I'm getting older and wiser-or whatever-I really have been wishing I listened! So, Mom attempted to help me sew. I've been wanting a bigger bag for Sundays that I can take all my stuff in so Mom concocted a pattern and we sewed it today. She sewed the majority of it because.....I wanted it to actually hold things! I did help her though! Kiersty and Kalli will probably faint when they read this, but yes- I DID SEW! Mom also had this like, 5 foot Santa fabric that's supposed to be a doorhanger but we are going to make a Christmas quilt! I'm excited to learn how to quilt and to have a Christmas quilt for next year! I'll have to post pics of all this later!

Holiday Fun.....

....With Cooking!

12-13-09 Disclaimer: If you are hungry, looking at this post may cause anger! ( This is for you Colton!)

Let me just start out with this: This year I have loved cooking! I don't know what changed exactly but this year I have really wanted to broaden my horizons in the kitchen. I made my very first pie from scratch, dutch apple, and I thought it was pretty darn good. Mom taught me how to make bread, at my request. Now let me just say that homemade bread is so D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! I am so happy that I can make it now. And I actually haven't bought a loaf of bread since October. I have bought lots more flour bread dough rising than ever before though!

My loaves of bread, fresh from the oven

I also had my first canning experience besides corn. I went home in October for like 3 days or so and I learned how to make bread and then Dad helped me can beans and apples. Peeling the apples was quite the chore but having homemade apple pie filling is worth it! Then because I'm baking bread more I've just experimented with the leftover dough and I've made cinnamon rolls and just plain rolls. This may not seem like a big deal to those of you who've been cooking for a long time but I'm just happy I'm learning more. Then with the holidays here I've been experimenting more!

I work with one lady every Friday and Saturday and we've been pretty bored lately, so we look up recipes and then try them out. We were looking at Christmas candy and so we both tried to make a easy toffee recipe. We tried different ones and I'm sad to say that I made mine twice and they were disasters-I thought! But third time's the charm so I gave it one more try and it worked much better.

It was interesting because you use saltine crackers to make the toffee but it is tasty! After that I've been doing other experiments for Christmas goodie plates. I made something similar to peanut butter balls and then tried Oreo balls. The other day I discovered the Pioneerwoman blog that Kiersty loves and I found a recipe on there that looked amazing. So, since I made bread tonight and had leftover dough, I made it. It's called Monkey Muffins or something like that, we used to make Monkey Bread when we were growing up and that stuff was awesome so... I made them and they're pretty amazing, I had to to sample one tonight just to make sure they were okay! I've also found plenty of other recipes that look amazing on that blog that I'm definitely looking forward to trying. I'll let you know how those turn out!

This is the Monkey Muffins, they look so yummy!