Happy New Year!

I know I have been absent awhile but I have been really busy! I went home for a week for Christmas and was on the run literally the whole time! My mom always makes lists of things she wants to do so we keep busy. It was a nice time home and I always get emotional when I have to go. This time was especially hard because we had to say goodbye to my grandma's house. It has been sold and will have a new owner soon. Growing up we moved around A LOT and I never really had a place to call home. Home was basically where my family was not a location. I did however have one place that I always thought of as my home and that was my grandma's house. My sister and I spent so much of our lives there growing up. My grandparent's never seemed to be upset that we were always just coming over. We loved the safe loving feeling you got when you went. Grandma always welcomed you with open arms and made you feel like you were the best thing ever. So saying goodbye to that place was like saying goodbye to my own house. So many memories around every corner and nobody could ever replace that in my mind. There is a song my grandma and my mom and aunts sing called home and its so perfect for the way I feel about that place. They sang it at her funeral and it was such a tribute to her.

When shadows fall
And trees whisper, "Day is ending",
My thoughts are forever wending home.
When crickets call,
My heart is forever yearning
Once more to be returning home.

When the hills conceal the setting sun,
Stars begin a-peeping, one by one.
Night covers all,
And though fortune may forsake me,
Sweet dreams will ever take me home.

One other thing I wanted to mention when I went home is our family singalong. We love to sing around the piano till none of us have a voice anymore. This rarely happens because we are all spread out and dont get to come together very often. I love it when we sing we sound really good. I know that sounds arrogant but we really do sound good. Everyone sings a different part and we blend really well! Anyway we were going through singing everybody's favorite Christmas song and my brother Mark wanted Once in Royal David's City. I thought that was interesting that he chose that song out of all the more popular ones. So I asked him why it was his favorite and he said because of the 3rd verse. So I read it and it brought tears to my eyes. What a beautiful verse that brings peace and comfort! I love our Hymns! Here is the last verse:

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle,
Is our Lord in heaven above:
And He leads His children on,
To the place where He is gone.

Zoo lights!

It has been a very busy month! My calendar can't hold too much more. I have done lots of fun things this month so I have a few posts to do. My friend really wanted to go to the zoo for her birthday. I was really wondering about her since its in December! She told me about the zoo lights so I was curious to see what it was like. So we went and it was really pretty! There were so many lights everywhere that I could have put 50 pictures on here easy! They had a fun train ride but it was really cold and my feet were getting numb. They didn't have any of the animals out so that was kind of sad. We did see a few monkey's and other things that were in an indoor setting.They had these different character's walking around that you could take your picture with. They always had a bunch of people with them so I was happy to catch Rudolph just coming out and nobody was around! It was really fun but next year I am going to dress warmer!

101 things I know...

A year ago today my cousin Shawna passed from this life free of pain. At her funeral her sister read a list of 101 things she knew. It inspired me to do the same and I wanted to share the list with you. Its very random but I wrote it as soon as I thought it. I encourage you all to make a list too its fun to go back and read. I sure miss her and think of her everyday.

1-god lives
2-god will help us we just have to ask
3-Jesus died for us
4-Jesus bled in Gethsemane for our sins
5-Joseph Smith was a true prophet of god
6-the pioneers had remarkable faith and endured much
7-Death is not the end
8-I hate goodbyes
9-I grow way to close to people
10-My grandparents have taught me by example
11-My grandparents are some of the most amazing people I have known
12-My mother doesn't give herself enough credit
13-My dad is full of ideas and common sense
14-My siblings are all very unique and have many talents
15-I love to sing with my family
16-I make friends for life
17-Money doesn't buy happiness
18-Do what your told to do when your told to do it
19-I love to watch fireworks
20-I am proud to be an American
21-I love the flag and what it stands for
22-I am so honored to know my grandpa's fought for my freedom
23-People die trying to defend our freedom everyday
24-I love being an aunt
25-Marching band was one of the best things of my life
26-My nieces and nephew have brilliant imaginations
27-I love camping
28-Family vacations brought us close as family
29-board games are fun with people that enjoy playing
30-my favorite color has always been red
31-people can damage your soul
32-hymns are powerful messages
33-I love country music
34-Boys will break your heart
35-We go through trials to make us stronger people
36-There is beauty all around when there's love at home
37-I have been deeply hurt by people I love
38-General Conference gives me a spiritual high
39-I love the cemetery and the history you can read about there
40-I love walking with my mom
41-I have disappointed people
42-My love for others is really overwhelming
43-Michael Jackson was an amazing singer and dancer
44-life can be hard
45-cooking calms my soul
46-I am a genuine person
47-crying helps heal people
48-grudges make us weak
49-we are here to be tested
50-pictures are worth a 1000 words
51-debt causes sadness and defeat
52-death is sad if you dont have the gospel
53-coloring is peaceful
54-camping is the best therapy
55-losing weight is overwhelming
56-I hate being fat
57-I hate being judged by others
58-We can only help others so much then they have to help themselves
59-The mountains are breathtaking
60-I hate to hike
61-I love Utah State Aggie Basketball
62-family traditions are the best
63-cooking makes me happy
64-life isn't fair
65-people can be really mean
66-I judge people way to quickly
67-I would do anything to bring someone happiness
68-Satan is real
69-I hate to run
70-I love to watch the ocean waves
71-I might not marry in this life
72-Disneyland is a magical place
73-I love how happy I get when I go to Disneyland
74-I love animals I just can't be around them
75-I hate having allergies
76-Ingrown toenails are the worst
77-I love having smores and stories around the campfire
78-I love to swim but hate deep water
79-Temptations are of the devil
80-I love hot chocolate
81-I love to fall asleep to the sound of rain
82-I love the spirit you feel from music
83-The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing like Angels
84-I love the peace I feel at the temple
85-we have a living prophet of God who loves us
86-I love my cousins
87-I love to go on walks
88-I love to take drives up the canyon
89-I love Nauvoo and the history there
90-Chicago pizza and hot dogs are the best
91-My aunts and uncles are some of the most amazing people
92-There are always 2 sides to every story
93-I love the smell of a new baby
94-I hate hospitals and needles
95-I have a very tender heart
96-Crying is a good way to cleanse the soul
97-I loved listening to my grandma play the Uke and sing
98-I love elderly people
99-Cancer has taken way to many people in my life
100-you don't know what you have got till its gone
101-You can do anything you put your mind to

Elder Hardwick

This is Elder Hardwick with a little attitude because he loves pictures. He was called to the Eugene Oregon mission. Last year he was transferred down to Albany and into our ward. He was a great guy and had lots of energy toward missionary work. There were lots of inactive people he got to come back to church. There was just something about him that made people draw to him. This last Wednesday night he was killed in a horrible plane accident. Here is the article its so sad...

All 6 Confirmed Dead in Arizona Plane Crash
APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz. - Three children and three adults are confirmed dead following a small plane crash and explosion in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix.
Authorities have released their names:
Russell Hardy, 31, Thatcher, AZ, co-pilot and partial owner of the aircraft - married with a 3-year-old son
Joseph Hardwick, 22, Safford, AZ, airplane mechanic - youngest of seven children and engaged to be married next month
Shawn Perry, 39, Safford, AZ, co-pilot - divorced father of three
Morgan Perry, 9, Gold Canyon, AZ
Logan Perry, 8, Gold Canyon, AZ
Luke Perry, 6, Gold Canyon, AZ

According to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, the plane originated in Safford and landed at Mesa's Falcon Field about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to pick up Perry's children, who lived in Gold Canyon with their mother Karen. The goal was to take them back to Safford to celebrate Thanksgiving.
"We express our deep sympathy to the families. The remains of all of these loved ones are being handled with great care and compassion, and working with the medical examiners to identify the bodies at this point," said Sheriff Babeu.
"These people were all very close, there were all family, even though they were not related."
Babeu added that he met with the families personally and that they are distraught.
"For me personally, in talking with family members, it is not easy. We have to maintain our professionalism and courtesy, I just wanted to tell them personally we were doing everything possible to maintain the dignity of their loved one and to safeguard their memories... we're heartbroken with them."
The plane refueled and departed Falcon Field about 6:15 p.m. While ascending, the plane was unable to clear the height of the Superstition Mountains -- and crashed into the Flat Iron peak, elevation 4,500 feet.The plane split in two and burst into flames.
"No one could survive that crash... we didn't want to give false hope, even though our efforts are to rescue and to save life, that was not possible," said Babeu.
A recovery operation began and by the end of the night, one child's body had been recovered. At midnight, search efforts were suspended until daybreak. The crash occurred in a part of the mountain range that is very rugged, and because of the explosion, debris was strewn over a large area.By Thursday, the remaining victims were confirmed dead.

This really struck home with me just how important life is. We need to make sure to tell people we love how much all the time. I had an uncle that was killed in a similar accident when he was 21 and I never got to meet him. He was the only boy and I know my grandpa was devastated to go identify his remains in a green garbage bag. He was married and had a 1 year old little boy. Unfortunatley they chose not to be apart of our family. I always wondered what my cousin looked like what his interests were. I finally got to see him this year at my grandma's viewing. I often wonder how happy my grandparent's were to see their son after so many years. I really feel for these families that have been put through this tragedy. At least we have the gospel to make us feel peace. I know that the family that lost the dad and 3 kids were not members of our church. Can you imagine how devastating that would be to attend those funerals? I am so glad for the gospel!

this and that

Its been awhile since I wrote on my blog. I really haven't had that much to blog about lately. I have been working a lot lately which is one of the main reasons I got sick. Dont worry though I started feeling yucky on my first day off. I spent Thanksgiving in bed watching a marathon of Muppet movies they had on tv. Nothing can make me feel better then that:) Today I am feeling a little bit better so I am happy about that. I felt bad that I wasn't with family for the holiday's. That is one of the hard parts of living away from home. I had planned to go to my sister's but my car just wasn't up for it. Its getting old and not wanting to run like I want it to. I still can't believe the holiday's are here! I have some shopping done but not as much as I need to have done at this point. I am doing a lot of homemade stuff this year which I am happy about. I love Christmas time the music, the joy of remember the savior's birth, the decorations and lights. People reaching out to help other people. Today when I was out I saw firemen out with boots collecting money for kids with muscular dystrophy. It seriously brought tears to my eyes when people were rolling down their windows handing over money left and right. That's what the holiday's are all about not all the greediness you feel when you go shopping on black Friday. Sorry for all the rambling maybe its the medicine:) I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!

hard decisions

This last weekend was a very difficult one for my mom's side of the family. With the passing of my grandma in May they knew they would have to sell the house. As much as we wanted to keep it in the family and turn things around we just couldn't do it. This was a very difficult thing for my mom and her sister's. They would have loved to keep it so we could have family things there. They did find an amazing buyer for the house that promised to keep the place as much the same as possible. He is going to be doing a lot of remodeling and upkeep. I know it wont be the same driving past and not being able to go there.
It has been really hard for me to hear about all the decisions. I know its for the best but I have had so many memories there. I know you can always take them with you but its hard to not have that place to go to. I am writing a poem about my grandma's house and when I get it done I will post it. Then maybe it will be easier to understand the way I feel...

Happy Anniversary Reunion

Today would have been my grandparent's 63rd wedding anniversary. Now that they have both passed on I am sure it was a wonderful reunion. They were the perfect couple so good for each other. They got married later in life but I know it was fate that put them together. When my grandpa passed away I thought my grandma would die from a broken heart. They were 2 peas in a pod and were just too cute. They were always found holding hands watching TV. They loved doing crossword puzzles and eating popcorn and dont forget the Pepsi! I am so happy they are together today even though I am missing them so much. I think its always the hardest the first year of holidays when they are not around. I am not looking forward to the holiday's with grandma gone now. She was born in December and Christmas was her favorite holiday. I spent so many hours at her house helping her decorate for the holidays. We listened to music and watched the Lawrence Welk Christmas. She made the holiday's so happy for me. I have a pit in my stomach just thinking about her not being here this year. I just have to think how happy she is now and it makes it a bit happier.