Yea! The new computer is up and running fabulously! Not much to report that is new and exciting. After a couple of days of torrential downpours, we got the most beautiful double rainbow yesterday! I am only sorry my camera wasn't able to get the whole thing in one shot. We celebrated Dad's birthday with good friends, family, and some fun music. Jeff and I also got to go to Medieval Times with some friends (braved the rain even!). We were on the green knights team, too bad he ended up being the evil guy. Oh well, it was still fabulous :) Happy January!

Is it really 2010?!?!

Wow, I feel like I just updated my blog not that long ago, and here two months have gone by! Crazy, crazy! Anywho, one of the reasons for the delay is the broken computer. Poor thing has got to be at least 10 years old and is through. Fortunately, a new one should be arriving in the next few weeks - hooray! Until then, not too many updates, and no pictures :(
Since the last post, I went to Palm Springs with my best friend, Lynette for a quick one nite trip. Tons of fun and a great break from the same old routine. Thanksgiving came and went, we ate two dinners that day! Christmas was nice and relatively mellow. Jeff and I were both sick on and off for most of December so we did not get to do too many activities, but somehow it was perfect just the way it was. We got to be with our families and remember the Savior, the most important things about Christmas I would say :)
My mind spins sometimes when I contemplate just how quickly time is flying by! I really don't know where the heck this year went!! I am not really a goal setter like my dad, but for this upcoming year I hope to take more time to "smell the roses." There are some very big and exciting events on our horizon and I can't wait to see what this year brings and where life takes us. May this year bring happiness, peace, and prosperity to all of us! xoxo

Hope

I had a thought today - Sometimes we must let go of one dream to make room for a better one. I thrive best when there is an order to things, when they go according to a well laid out plan. There is less stress in my life when I know exactly where I am going and what needs to be done and just how to get it done. Funny then, to think that things very rarely happen that way in real life :) I am strange I think. I plan out my life in every detail in my head and I would be oh so happy if things went the way I had imagined. It is so hard when I feel like I am going down one road and it feels right at first, and then I keep going and things are not going like I planned. I am so quick to get discouraged and feel lost and confused. I don't easily find new roads, I am not comfortable starting on that road that is not clearly laid out in front of me. I want to cry sometimes and tell Heavenly Father that I can't go where he wants me to unless He shows me where it is exactly I am supposed to be going! I get frustrated and do nothing instead of turning my faith over to Him. Because certainly, there can not be anything better then my well thought out plan. The wonderful plan that makes perfect sense to me. Oh how I need to be better! I have a testimony. I know Heavenly Father is in control. I know He knows far better than I what is best for me and what, in the end, will truly make me the happiest. His plan is the best, sometimes I just forget. I forget and get discouraged and sad, because I feel like a little kid and think, hey, my plan is good too! And truth be told, my plan is probably good. The dreams I have are good. BUT, there are better plans and better dreams when Heavenly Father helps us write them. So today, I am grateful for that thought, no, that inspiration from the Holy Ghost.
I re-read the greatest talk by Pres. Uchtdorf called The Infinite Power of Hope. He gave it last October conference and I wish I was smart enough to know how to put a link here so anyone that actually is still reading this blog and post could pop over there really quick. However, it is pretty easy to find on lds.org. I highly recommended it as an ultimate spiritual pick me up :)
May we all make room for the best dreams. xoxo

Ahhh, another month gone

Well so much for me being better about posting! I think sometimes I feel like my life is pretty boring so I wait to post until something exciting or noteworthy happens. That being said, the other day my dad went on facebook and created a profile for himself! Pretty noteworthy, right? I do believe Justin did it for him, but hey, I am proud of him for trying something new :) I also have to put in my two cents and say I really love blogs way more than facebook or myspace! Maybe it is because this is just a much simpler format for me and doesn't have too many bells or whistles. Plus, I really don't need to know what someone is doing every second of the day (sorry twitter, I will never be a fan). Another biggy for me, I know how to download pictures on this! Somehow I always mess something up when I try to put pictures elsewhere. So although I visit you facebook, I love my blog, and all of my friends and families blogs more :)

I have to back up and post some pictures from the tide pools and the Long Beach Aquarium. I totally forgot to download the pictures, hence, I forgot to post about it. Me, Aubs, Hali'a, and my bestest friend Lynette drove to the tide pools in San Pedro and had lots of fun (poor Aubs was not a big fan of the bridge, Lynette and I did not know this before hand or we would have taken a different route). A few days later, me, mom and dad, Aubs and Hali'a went to the aquarium. Mom has a friend from church who is a volunteer diver for the aquarium and took us "behind the scene" to actually feed the fish is the large tank. It was pretty cool!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A big shout out to my most favorite guy - happy birthday hon! This year is going to be so fantastic; I can feel it in my bones :) I am lucky to have you as my hubby and my friend, you're the best!!

Almost at an end

Well summer has almost come to end, it is hard to believe! I go back to work in about a week and time has just flown. Fall is my favorite season though, and so forgive me for jumping the gun so to speak with my fall background :) I really didn't think a whole month had practically passed since I posted and I want to be better a more frequent, we shall see what happens! Since our last posting, Justin has turned 17! That is sooo crazy and hard to imagine! He is going to be a senior this year, makes me feel old. Jordan has been out on his mission a year already too. My cousin Brian is here on break from school. He is in Australia working on his PhD, smarty pants! It was great to see him and get to catch up. Our plumeria plant got its first flower the other day and Jeff really wanted to give it to Hali'a, which I thought was pretty sweet. He really loves being an uncle. We also got to experience a water leak from one of the showers and it just so happened that the leak came into our room - lucky us. We have spent the last week and a half pulling up all of the flooring in our bedroom (carpet, old and rotten wood floors), tearing out wet drywall, and fixing the shower itself. I say we, but I mostly mean Jeff. He is pretty dang amazing and I am convinced he can fix just about anything. He is definitely my hero :) I would say his mother is stinking lucky too that she has him around, saves on the construction bills for sure! You are amazing my love, where on earth would I be without you? I am sorry you don't always get your due recognition or appreciation. You are the best!! xoxo

4th of July...a bit late!

You gotta love summer! (Although not technically my favorite season because I do not like to be sweaty :) I realized I was slacking and hadn't updated about the 4th! We had so much fun. First we started off at my mom and dad's ward pancake breakfast, followed by a BBQ at their house. Hali'a went swimming in a pool grandpa got her while the rest of the kids played on a homemade slip in slide in the front yard. Emma "tricked" me into going outside so her and Jeff could nail me with water balloons, I am sorry I don't have any pictures of that! Jeff let Hali'a try to drink soda out of a can (she didn't get any :) and I do believe she is the cutest thing ever (as are all of our nieces!) After we left my folks house, Lynette and I went to at least 3 different firework stands looking for sparklers. She was totally on a mission, it was awesome and luckily we found some. I think she is a closet pyro! We had a bunch of our married friends from church over for fireworks and were impressed with the punk kids in the neighborhood and their choices of illegal fireworks. Between the crazy neighbors, Knott's Berry Farm, and Disneyland all within view, we had an awesome show. Oh and our dogs didn't even really freak out. :)