The Craziness of a New Semester... and my LAST ONE!!!

Every time at the beginning of a semester I can't help but think to myself, "Oh nelly this is going to be a long one!" I thought that to myself at the beginning of this semester as usual but this time is different. This time it doesn't even make me sad and want to quit because it is my LAST ONE!!!!! That's right folks at the end of this semester I will have my bachelor's degree. I still need to get my masters and finish my cosmetology license, but for now I am relieved to have this done. This semest requires a lot of effort. I have to teach my cute little first graders 40 hours a week, go to 3 classes a week, do my senior portfolio, and still work about 35 hours a week. The only thing that it seemed I could cut out of my schedule would be social life and there is no way I was going to do that. I. Would. Go. INSANE. Even with such a busy schedule, I am having more fun than ever. Michael and I have managed to see each other way more than I had anticipated with me living and teaching in Provo and him living in Sandy so I am very grateful for that. He has a basketball game every week so I try to fulfill my girlfriend duty and try to attend them. Getting to chat with Dasha and Masha is a bonus at those, and then we all usually end up grabbing dinner and/or hanging out afterwards. I also get to see him every time that I babysit my kiddos and he comes down and visits me, so it hasn't been too bad. Another bonus is that my best friend Kirstin is dating Michael's cousin (and good friend) Tyler so the 4 of us do things together quite often and I am lucky enough to get to spend time with my bestie and my cute boy! Then I always manage to get some quality time in with my mom every week. I absolutely love getting to spend time with her and talk with her. I couldn't ask for a better mom. I love this crazy life that I am living at the moment and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Hopefully one day it will slow down a bit, but for now I am strapped in tight on this roller coaster and I am riding it with my hands up!!

VIVA LAS VEGAS!!!!

This year we decided that the new year would be the best if it was celebrated in sin city. Me, Michael, Kirstin, and Tyler started making our plans a while to go on our little adventure. Well as usual mother nature was not on our side and decided to have horrible weather the night before we left. We were contemplating whether or not we should drive down due to the weather conditions. After much contemplation (and let's be honest, a few arguments haha) we decided to go. Luckily good ol' Troy came to the rescue and let us borrow his truck. Michael said we needed it for 4-wheel drive, I said we needed it for the seat warmers... It was a win win situation; my tush was so happy and warm the whole way. Thanks Troy!! Anyway, we made it to Vegas safe and sound. We played black jack (we all won woo-hoo), shopped :), ate WAY too much, and saw The Mentalist. I didn't know anything about it when we bought or tickets but it was so awesome, I would recommend it. We all had a blast and definitely enjoyed the great people watching the Vegas has to offer. I put many people on Michael's team haha. We just might have to make this adventure a tradition!

P.S. None of my pictures will upload... :( I shall try again at a later date but until then, sorry that this is a lame pictureless blog.

Gingerbread Houses

To get in the Christmas spirit we decided that we would make gingerbread houses and watch The Grinch. Little did we know making gingerbread houses is WAY HARDER than we thought. Kirstin and Tyler's downfall - the hole for them to pipe out their icing was huge.
Mine and Michael's downfall - neither of us are crafty, however, in the end we were both pleased with our outcome.
Mallory and Stockton's downfall - I don't think they had one. They did their's in half the time and I think it turned out the best.... They have skills.
We ended up passing up The Grinch because our houses took so much longer than anticipated. We all had a blast and we are planning on making this a tradition. I think this little converstation was everyone's favorite part of the night:
(Michael let's one rip)
Stockton: You rip in front of girls?!?
Michael: Ha ha yeah!
Stockton: I would never fart in front of a girl... Well, not one that I'm hittin!

Oh Stockton... Thanks for the laughs :) Haha

Kirstin and Tyler creating their house
Michael and I attempting to make it look good

The beginning of Stockton and Mal's marvelous creation

Snow covered house

Utes and Jazz we love em' both

Perfection!

A 5 year old MONKEY!!!!

This sweet little girl is 5!!!! I can't believe it!

I still remember going to meet her at the hospital the day she was born. She was so cute and chubby wrapped up in a softy fuzzy pink blanket. It is crazy to think how many memories I have made with her in the past five years. I didn't think it was possible to have so many because it seems like time has FLOWN by! She is such an amazing little girl and has so much love to give. I absolutely L.O.V.E. nights where all she wants to do is be snuggled while watching a princess movie or reading stories. They make me melt... But I also love nights where she wants to paint nails and dance until we can't move anymore. I love that every time she sees me she runs out to my car, jumps on me and gives me a kiss and sings, "You and me baby we're stuck like glue!" I hope that she never thinks she is too big and grown up to do all of these things with me, but I am so also excited to see the person she is going to become. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONKEY! I LOVE YOU!!!!

The birthday girl and I

Waiting.... (and trying to do so patiently)

There are some things in life that I have so much patience for (kids for one, which I am SO grateful for), and other things that I don't have so much patience for. One of them is this whole being single thing. It's not that I am in such a big rush to get married, it's that I want to be someone's number one. I want to be someone's top priority and I want someone who loves me enought to WANT to marry me one day.

I haven't ever believed that there is one specific person out there who is the only person in the world that can make me happy, however I do believe that there is someone out there that will make me feel like that. Anyone that knows me very well knows that I thought I found that person once and it didn't work out. I'm not bitter about things ending, because it wasn't meant to be. What I am bitter about is that I was willing to do anything for him and his family and allowed myself to love him with all of my heart and to take on his family as my own, only to find out that they could care less about me. I'm bitter about that because now when I do find the person that actually wants me to a part of his family and deserves me and all that I have to offer, it is going to be hard to let him and his family in to my life 100%, but I know that it will happen.

Lots of my friends have gotten married and I often wonder if I will ever find the person that loves me enought to never want to spend one day without me. Every time I go to the temple and do baptisms for the dead I always wonder what it will be like to one day be taken through the temple with my best friend to get my endowments out and then shortly thereafter be sealed to him for time and all eternity. Well to that person out there, I have some stuff that I want you to know...

I promise to be your best friend every single day no matter what is going on in our lives. I will love you and have a deeper appreciation for you than you could ever imagine. I will live my life in a way that will allow us and our future children to be together for an eternity, because there is no way I am going to want to let you go at the end of life on earth. I will be the best mom to our children that I know how to be. I'm not promising that I will be perfect because I know I will make an abundance of mistakes along the way, but not one day will go by that I won't try to be the most amazing mom. I will try to make you laugh every single day, I think I am actually pretty funny. I am a fairly decent cook although I have burned a few things, but I'm sure it will get better as time goes on. I love sports so I will never complain about watching them with you (but please just watch a chick flick or Disney movie with me every now and then). I promise to always be honest with you. I will try to make you fall more in love with me each day. I will never expect you to do anything for me that I can't do for you. And last but not least, I will make you happy and proud to say that I am your wife.

Now for all of the things that I have promised you, I expect the same in return. And I know that if you love me enough to promise me and eternity, that you will be more than happy to do those things for me. I know that your out there and maybe I have met you, and maybe I haven't. But for now I will be here, waiting patiently....

The Most Amazing Woman I Know

Mom's are great for so many reasons and every day I swear I think of 50 more reasons why I love mine so much! If I listed all of the reasons, you would read this post for the next 100 years so I will keep it short and sweet, but here are just a few of the things that I absolute adore and admire about my mom...

-She is ALWAYS happy
-She knows every single one of my flaws (probably more so than me) and loves me anyway
-She is beautiful inside and out
-She is absolutely hilarious
-She takes walks with me
-She is a great shopping buddy
-She is honest
-She can always make me smile
-She is so unbelievably strong
-She comes and visits me at my apartment
-She teaches me daily
-She laughs at the same stupid jokes that I laugh at
-She has girls day with me
-Her faith and testimony are unstoppable
-She has managed to make Sterling and I both feel like her favorite (but I really am)
-She makes sure to talk to me every single day
-She is selfless
-She encourages me to follow my heart
-She is sincere
-SHE IS MY BEST FRIEND

Those are just a few of the things that I admire about my mama. Every day I wonder how in the world I got lucky enough to be blessed with her as a mom. I'm not usually an arrogant person, but everyone in the world she be jealous of me because I have gotten the opportunity to laugh, talk, cry, smile, and so many other things with this amazing woman every single day of my entire life. Whenever people that know my mom meet me, they always say "You are a mini-me version of Ros. You are just like her!" And I always give a little chuckle and say thanks. But from know on when people say that, I am going to give them a sincere thank you with the biggest smile I have in me. Because being compared to her is the greatest compliment anyone could ever give me. She is so amazing and I love her more and more each and every day. If you ever get the chance to know her whether it be for the first time or if it is to get to know her better than you already do, do yourself a favor and don't pass it up! Your life will be better because of it. I love you Mom!

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us when adversity takes the place of prosperity when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."

--Washington Irving

Love These Days

I have said it on here a million and one times, so this makes a million and two. I LOVE THESE KIDS!!! They are the greatest ever. I asked them if they had ever been ice blocking and they said no and so I knew I would have to take them. They all loved it and weren't scared at all to tackle the big hills. I love every second I get to spend with them. This was a great way to spend our last day of Summer together before school started for all of us except Ellie, the lucky little girl still has one more year. These kids are amazing and I love all of the adventures we have together!

Aunt Christie

My Aunt Christie passed away on Tuesday August 3, 2010. It threw my entire family for a loop and we all miss her dearly. She had the most gravitating personality of anyone I have ever met and I don't think that there is anyone out there that didn't fall in love with her the instant they met her. Every thing about her was so fun and happy and you couldn't help but want to be around her. I am going to miss getting massages and going to lunch with her and my mom on a regular basis. I couldn't help but smile every time I was around her. She was such a caring person and if you were ever sad around her, you wouldn't be for long because she would always think of away to make you smile. Her memorial was great and it was so good to get to hear the stories and memories of her from the rest of her family, friends, and co-workers. Whenever she was leaving anywhere she would never say good bye because good bye was too permanent. Instead she would always say, "See you in a minute". I miss her very much and I can not wait to see her in a minute.