christmas time is here.

Christmas is here. One of my favorite times of the year that's for sure. I love this holiday so much. I love to be with my family and see all the people I love. this past week brings a big change for me. it is time for a new beginning and a fresh start. i hope i can do the best i can and make some positive changes in my own personal life. i am excited for the new year, i hope to take advantage of the one and only "new year's resolutions".  


As of recent.. our bestest friend, Andrew's best friend, Dan, was called to Columbia on a mission. Here's a picture of our family with him the night before he left. Best of luck to Elder Maughan, we sure miss him!! 

here are some of my most favorite christmas decorations we have at our house. we are getting excited for austin and addy to come. i can't wait to see my kiddies. 

merry christmas. another year come and gone. and the last christmas adam will be gone! 


oh. and. i made some of my cute flowers for my first wedding. they turned out so cute. 

africa.

i have the greatest brother ever. i sure do miss him. i got a letter from him today. it made my day, it was just what i needed to hear. to a tee. i am so proud of him, he is doing amazing work for the people of malawi. he is such an example to me. he is past his year mark now, i can't believe how fast time has gone! soon enough he will be home and we will be sitting and talking about life. i can't wait for that moment. 

sure do miss him....

gil.

we had a fun week. tim and becky and austin and addy came to visit! it was so much fun. friday was the alumni golf tournament for BYU baseball. there was an alumni game later that night that we all went to. it was 14 innings long.. that was a little long for me, but it was tons of fun! the kiddies enjoyed that. 

addy doesn't like to smile at the camera. 

 austin is the entertainer. 

we went to the football game the next day and had fun there. here are some pictures of my cuties at the game!! 

 austin loved the binoculars. 

 austin and papa vinny. 

next.. to the sad part. my fish, Gil, came up with a mysterious and onset disease called dropsy. i went home to my parents house on monday and looked at him. he did NOT look well. he was extremely puffy under his cheek area and his scales were pointing out like a pinecone. i looked online and thought it might be dropsy, but i have never diagnosed a fish before.. so i didn't know! i called petsmart and the lady told me it was dropsy after i explained his symptoms. she told me they had a powder that i could put in the water that might help him, but i would have to take my 2 african dwarf frogs out. i hurriedly drove up to petsmart to get the curing powder. this is what Gil looked like, definitely not well. 

i divided the powder up to be proportionate to his tank and hoped it would work. i had to leave and we all went to dinner. everyone thought i was crazy when i said he was sick.. but he really was! we got home from dinner and hokulia shave ice (best shave ice i've ever had!). I told andrew that he was not well.. and to check him out. andrew took one look, and right before our eyes, Gil took his last breath and was so puffy, he flipped right on his back and was swimming upside down. i thought maybe he just couldn't swim, but we slowly saw his gils stop moving and he slowly floated to the bottom of the tank. now how many people do you know that have seen their fish die right before their eyes?? it was sad, i won't lie. i had to fish him out of the bottom.. and sent him to his grave. rest in peace, Gil. 

time to think.

i've had a lot of time to think lately. a lot. i was just thinking about the fact that i drive in the car without music. it is soothing. i can just sit and drive and go through all the crazy thoughts that are running through my head. i reason with myself. i plan out my day. i think about what i need to do the rest of the day. it is nice actually. it's been like that for a while. i think about what i want in life. i think about what i am missing in my life. i have had a lot of time to think. 

i am so blessed. great friends and great family that are always willing to talk.

the time is just ticking away, and it's like it never ends. no matter what is going on, the time will never stop. kinda weird to think about, but nice to know that time passes. hopefully with healing. 

sleepy day.

today. was a great day. i got to sleep in, which i have needed to catch up on some much needed sleep! i slept at my apartment, but woke up and went to my parents house. last night my mom told me that "tomorrow (Saturday) was going to be a car washing day." so.. that's what i did. may i say, my mazda is looking nice nice. washed, waxed, and vacuumed!! andrew told me all about his adventures of the bunny blasting adventures he had last night. what a guy, this is why i love him!!

we had some fun times this summer, here are a few pictures of things we did together. 

san diego for the MWC tournament watching BYU baseball play. 

beach in san diego.

ghirardelli ice cream in downtown san diego.

a trip north to the rainbow sandal outlet store that left us in hours of traffic due to a rolled semi and closed freeways!

stuck in anaheim, CA, walking around downtown Disney.

buffet in Vegas before the "O"show, which was amazing!

he is a studly guy, so cute, and only deserves the best! whoever marries him is a lucky gal.
me and papa v watched the cougar game. my poor cougs! we need a win, this next weekend hopefully.
and........ only a few more days before these munchkins come to see me!!!!

I can't wait!! my little addy is walking now and austin is crazy as ever.

cheers. to a new beginning.

well.. i have jumped on the boat and decided to start a blog! it is a new thing for me, i am loving it already though. it is so much better then a typical journal. and i think of all these little ideas of what i want to do and what i want to post! great idea, i think, whoever thought up blogs.

cheers. to a new beginning of my blog. it has officially been born.