Oreo

Attention Dog Lovers (or not so much dog lovers. .. )!!!

I have this dog, her name is Oreo. She needs a home. She needs someone that will love her, and play with her, and can give her more attention than me. She's a Border Collie, 5 months old. If you want her, she can be delivered to Utah on Monday. If you live in PA, she can be delivered any day! She really is a sweet innocent little thing. She has lots of energy. She is mostly an outside dog, but sleeps in the house in her kennel at night.

Ok, so the real story. . . Connor got this dog for his birthday, because allllllllllll he wanted was a dog. Well, the fantasy lasted for a while, and really the kids have done awesome at taking care of her. Better than I would. . . But, now until we get a yard with her own space, the dog is miserable. So. .. If you want her, she would love to come to your home :)

My Best Friends Wedding :)

Let me tell ya. The words "My Best Friend's Wedding" take on a whoooooooooole new meaning, when its you're Best friend that they apply to!! I'll admit, when I first met Kendra (at 8 years old) and we became such amazing friends, we had our wedding day's planned, the fantasies of a perfect wedding, from the man, to the cake, the dress, the hair, the flowers, the shoes. . . everything. It all sounded like so much fun, and neither of us could wait for the day when our dreams would come true. Well, I remember the first phone call I got when she was dating Doug.
It went something like this. "Yea, there is this kid I went out with tonight. . . He's really nice, I guess I could go out with him again. . . " That was about it. So imagine how surprised, no SHOCKED I was, when 3 months later, we were still talking about the same guy, and there seemed to be something a little "different" about this one. I could tell he wasn't going away. That was fine, I dealt with that. It happens to everyone. . . right???

It is crazy. . . it went from. .. this, (last day of school)

To this:

. . . Way faster than I expected. June 14, 2008, was a day I will never forget.

Seeing someone you love so much, be so happy, is the best feeling in the world. Kendra and I went through everything together. We had so many ups and downs, but we were always there for each other. Her wedding day was beautiful. It was one of the best, and worst days of my life. So many different emotions. It felt like I was losing my best friend, but at the same time I was so happy for her. It was hard. It was SO hard, but so worth it. She has reminded me on more than one occasion, that I have no room to talk, because I was up and out of there as soon as graduation was over. I guess she's right. I am so glad, that we have continued to stay in touch with each other. I hope it stays that way forever.

It was a beautiful day, Everything was perfect. Kendra was beautiful, her cake was amazing, the reception was awesome, I am so greatful I was albe to be there with her. (This was the weekend after Disneyland. . . can you say sick of airplanes?? ;) But I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

How sweet. Kendra and her Daddy :)

Loved the shoes!!

McNeill Family. . .One of the best!
I do have to say, that she truely did find an amazing guy! Doug is one of the sweetest, genuine guys I've ever met. I will be so lucky, if I can someday do as well as she did!! Doug's awesome. . . Ask our brothers!

The cake was beautiful!!

(Ignore the puffy eyes. .. )
I LOVE YOU KENDRA!!!!

And one more picture. . . cuz its gotta be my favorite :)

SuMmEr FuN

OK, so one of my BIGGEST dreams as a little girl, was to go to Disneyland, and meet Winnie the Pooh and the Princesses. That dream finally came true at the beginning of the summer. It was the perfect way to start out my summer. I got to see my family, and be in the happiest place on earth, all at the same time!

It was quite the adventure getting there, it began at about 3:30 on Sunday morning, when I woke up. My boss was so kind to get up that early and drive me to Philadelphia, (Thanks Mike!!)to the airport. I got on a plane (barely made it) and flew to Vegas. That's where I met my family. My Dad and brothers met me in the airport, and then we walked out to the car, where I met my Mom and sisters. Lets just say, that you don't realize how great your family is, until you don't see them every day. It had been a full 6 months, and I was very ready to see them all again. Especially my Mom.

From Vegas, we drove for a very long time (really it wasn't that long, but after something like 6 hours on a plane. . . ) We made it to California to our Hotel. We got checked in and then went to find the beach. . . which you wouldn't think would be too difficult. .. in California. Well, between 2 GPS, and a brother, an Aunt, and a Father that all thought they were smarter than the GPS. .. It became quite the adventure. Needless to say, what should have only been maybe a 15 minute drive, turned into well over an hour. . . But everyone was together, laughing and having a great time, so it was worth it. Monday was the first day for Disneyland. I was SO excited. Now.. . .for those of you who know my Mom. . . you all know how amazingly prepared she always is. Well, we had a schedule, we were to be standing in line having had breakfast, and waiting for the bus by 7 AM. (or something like that. It was earlier than I wanted to be up, however I did have the advantage of being MaJoR jet lagged, so my body was 2 hours ahead of the game, so I can't complain too much) We had a plan. The whole park was outlined, from everything to which lines were shortest just to enter the park, to which food stand had the least amount of people, and the best times to go. Seriously, someone that had the time to come up with this program. . . was brilliant. We all laughed, and made fun of Mom, saying things like "who would have thought that we would be on such a strict schedule at Disneyland" But, when it was all said and done, we had it down to a science. We didn't stand in any line for more than 10 minutes, and got to ride all the way popular rides very first. By noon, we were done with the schedule, (having been very satisfied) and were free to do whatever we wanted. It was seriously amazing. Thanks to my Mom and the help of Des Read, two of my very favorite people, we had a great time and got do so many more things than we probably would have, without their stroke of brilliance!
We did Disneyland for 2 days, and the the 3rd day we went to California Adventures.

We were supposed to head out on Thursday, so that I would have time to spend with my friends before flying back to PA the following Sunday, but decided that we definately wanted to go back to the beach. So we spent Thursday at the Beach, and drove home all day Friday. The beach was so much fun.. . .Only problem was, I scorched myself. I refused to use sunscreen, and fell asleep on the beach. I have never been in so much pain. . but hey, I was not so white after the fact :)

It was a great trip, and I'm so glad I got to have one of my biggest dreams come true, with the people I love the most!

Pennsylvania Journey

OK. . . I just have to brag a little bit about the awesome state I live in!! I am SO grateful for the opportunities I have been blessed with out here. Many of you know, I moved out a year ago with Ryan and Whitney McBride and their family.

(This picture is a couple years old. . . but the people are the same :)

We moved to Lancaster, PA. . . right in the middle of Amish country. Can you say Culture shock? Its a little different when you call home and say your running late because you are stuck behind a buggy, instead of stuck in traffic, or stuck behind a train. . . But I love it. I wouldn't change it for the world. There is such a calm, peaceful, happy feeling about this place. I'm so glad that I made the decision to come out here, stepping completely out of my comfort zone.

I guess what impresses me, is the selfless attitude the Amish have, all the time. They are willing to help with anything, are some of the most sincere loving people I've ever met. Always polite, and hard working. Many remember the Nichol Mines School Tragedy, that occurred almost 2 years ago. This school was located about 10 minutes away from where I am now living, inside our Ward boundaries. I have heard ward members share stories about the love the Amish showed towards everyone during this hard time. They are so willing to forgive, and not hold a grudge. That impresses me a lot.

When I first got out here, I was so intrigued with the Amish clotheslines lol. The system they have going, is seriously awesome! They have the coolest little laundry houses, and its like a conveyor belt system to hang the clothes. Hang a shirt, pull the rope thing, and it moves, and you hang more. I find it pretty cool. :) The little things that impress me :)

Overall, I'm so grateful for the experiences that I've had, and continue to have. This place is amazing!

Blog

Ok, so I swore I'd never have a blog, because I thought it would be too much work, but I figured since, I'm bored at work, and since my journaling skills are lacking at the moment. . . I may as well. . .right? I love reading other people's blogs, and watching old friends grow and see how their lives are changing. . . makes me feel connected to my Utah home, even though I'm so far away :)

So, here goes nothing...