It's been a while....

A lot has happened in the past few months! Here are a few things that I remember most:

1. I moved back home after Christmas break and decided to take a semester off from BYU. It's a great school, but I didn't do too well my first semester.

2. Because I was not taking credits at BYU, I couldn't work as a secretary there. That meant it was time to get a new job (something I'm not fond of). I don't remember how I came across it, but I'm working at Western Wats now. It's a calling center where you take surveys for companies. I get yelled at everyday, but it's helped me learn to not take things personally. I have had some really funny conversations with people. A couple days ago, I called an older man and asked him if he wanted to take a survey about his bank. He said he didn't have time for it, but he continued talking for five more minutes. He asked where I lived and then he told me I should go visit him and he'd show me around (he lives back east). I kinda laughed and told him that that would be fun. I felt so bad for him. He was lonely and wanted someone to talk to. I can't even imagine how that would feel. I'm living at home with family and I want someone to talk to, even though I talk plenty. The calling center has been a good experience, I'm not going to lie though, I'm so done with it! Hopefully, I'll find another job soon!

3. I went with some of my roommates/ward members to St. George for the weekend in February. It was so much fun! St. George is a beautiful place and I'm glad I could enjoy it's beauty :).

The group at the St. George Temple

Me and Nate climbing up :) (I needed some help ;))

4. I turned 19 on March 24th! That was probably the best day I had had in a long time. My mom had ordered a cake for me from this cute pastry/bakery in American Fork. She never orders cake for birthday's and it really meant a lot to me. I got so many nice gifts from my amazing family and the best part of all was that I got to spend it with them. I'm so happy to be 19. I don't know what it is, but I like it :). Oh, and the cake was sooo good! It was a 2-layer chocolate cake with cream cheese in the middle. Yum!

Me with my AMAZING cake :)

5. A good friend of mine, Ryan Rapert, passed away on April 15th. He was only 23 years old. I had met him last year at the LPA conference in Detroit. He was an amazing kid. Two weeks earlier, I had gotten upset with him and I had deleted him from Facebook, Gmail, AOL, everything. He had a strong spirit and we had gotten in quite a few discussions/arguments about religion. I lost it that day and the last words I said to him weren't kind. The Sunday following that last argument, I heard something from someone and I really should've felt the prompting to follow it. It was something along the lines of "we should never give-up on people, ever. Christ never gave up on us, we don't have the right to give up on others." After I heard that, I felt like I needed to write Ryan and email and tell him sorry. But I was selfish, and I didn't follow that prompting. The day I heard that he died, I kept praying that he would forgive me for what an idiot I was. His dad died in December, and I know that Ryan missed him so much. I'm so glad they are together again living in peace. He is a great example to me, and I look forward to the day when I will see him again!

5. Two weekends ago, my parents left to Wyoming for the weekend. They are in charge of the Pioneer Trek next summer, so they had to go to an orientation thing. I was left in charge, and I had a blast! I went shopping with my sisters on Friday, which is always fun :). That night, there was an LPA dinner night that I took the kids too. I thought I had calculated the overall cost it would be, but I didn't. Let's just say, I lost a lot of money that day lol. I had fun though :).

6. The night before my parents left for the weekend, our bunny had babies! It was so exciting for Ally and I. She ended up having eight, however, one died the Sunday after. I thought they'd be cute pink things, but they were not! They were probably the ugliest looking things I've ever seen. Once I saw them, I wasn't so excited anymore. Luckily they don't stay like that for long! They are so cute now! I could spend hours watching them.

Aren't they so cute?!

7. The next weekend, my parents left again. This time is was from Saturday to Wednesday. I was so excited! I thought it would be as fun as the weekend before. Well, the week started out with me being sick with a bad cold. On Monday, Jenny got sick with something like the flu, and she started throwing up. To wrap it up, it wasn't a very good week and I'm so glad it's over!

8. Well, that pretty much sums it all up! Sarah turned 20 on March 11th, my mom turned ?? ;) on April 3rd, Ally turned 14 (Mia Maid now! Ahh!) on May 1st, and Eric will turn 12 on Thursday! It's so crazy to think that my little brother is going to be getting the Priesthood this Sunday! It's perfect for Mother's Day! On Saturday, I will be leaving to Los Angeles for Radio City tryouts! I can't wait!

P.S. We took some sister pictures last month, and it was so much fun!

Merry Christmas!!!

I came home for Christmas and I've been loving it. It's great!! Of course we have our usual fights and arguments, but we are having a blast!! I'm not sure what my mom wrote about all the kids in our Christmas letter, but I thought I'd share my stuff about each one of us:

Dad:
He's been having SO much fun renovating his old car (Ford '33??). He FINALLY got released as bishop at the end of August. It was the week after Sarah and I moved out, so everyone was confused when we came back lol. He has about 50 callings in our ward at the moment JK. But he does have a lot. Every now and then we ask him when he's going to start building our house, and he says in a couple months....It's been a couple months now for about 5 years. He'd like to finish his car first, and then he'll start on the cabinets for the kitchen and bathrooms. We are really excited for him to start!!

Mom:
She's been busy, as always. She is a cubscout leader....or something like that and the ward pianist. I've heard many stories about her experiences in choir. She tends to have a little too much fun :). She has always worked hard, and she continues to do so. She is very excited about a cruise she will be going on in a couple months!! Every year, her sisters get together for a few days and just hangout! This time, they're going on a cruise....yes I am VERY jealous lol. I'm sure they really won't spend time enjoying the scenary but they will have a fun time chatting. She also loves to help the other kids in Eric and Jakie's classes. She's a great person to help out.


Sarah:
She's at BYU still, waiting for her missionary, while working. She thinks she would like to go into Elementary Education, but the last I heard, she was not a fan of it anymore. Every time I talk to her, she usually has a date that weekend or two dates the next weekend. However, she does not have any serious relationships on the horizon....that I know of. She loves being on her own and she has so much fun with her roommates. She really is a hard worker and she tries her hardest to be the best....and I admit....she's VERY close :). She is definitely a great sister. She's been there everytime I needed her. She works as a secretary on campus and she gets about $12 an hour. Quite a bit for a student secretary ;). Her boss loves her and the professors that work with her adore her. Everybody is definitely proud of her :).

ME:
Well, I've been doing alright. I moved out for the first time, and it wasn't as great as I was hoping. It's been really fun though. I went to BYU for the first semester, and I am taking next semester off. I have amazing roommates, which is so great! They are such great examples to me and I'm thankful for their examples. I'm still not sure what career I'd like to pursue...but it's gotta be fun! I have been working as a secretary at BYU just around the corner from Sarah, however, I get $8 an hour :). I have amazing people that I work with. They've helped me more than I can imagine. There aren't any boys in my life right now :) which I am just fine with at the moment. I'm hoping to get everything in my life straightened out by the 2009 fall semester.

Jenny:
She is now a JUNIOR!!! I can't believe it, she's growing up sooo fast. She of course, still loves boys....A LOT. She enjoys being with her friends and just having fun. She just started cross-stitching and she loves it! She is so pretty and such a great girl! I'm so proud of her, we all are. She's always willing to help others who need her. She loves her Child Care class. She is the best with little kids! They love her to death! She definitely goes through hard times, like all of us, but she doesn't show it. She is always so happy even when she is hurting inside. She's such a great example to me. I love talking to her about life. She is very intelligent.

Ally:
Oh my goodness....Ally Ally Ally. She's going to be a Mia Maid in May!! I still remember when she was kissing Gary Harris a long time ago! She definitely brings joy to our family. She is a great sister and friend to everyone. She loves to read and has read probably over 100 books this year ;). She definitely makes life a lot funner. She has gotten out of trouble countless times because of her humor and her personality....I'm trying to take lessons. She has a great personality, once people see it, they are shocked that such a cute girl could be so crazy :). We all love her and respect her.

Eric:
Man Eric is almost a Deacon!! He's going to get the priesthood at the beginning of May. It's been so fun watching him grow-up. When he was younger, he was definitely violent. Now he has turned into this amazing young man who wouldn't hurt a fly! He helps my mom out so much, which we are all very grateful for. He has an amazing testimony of the Gospel and I'm so proud of him. He's into the game Risk and video games. He's a great big brother to Jake and Jake looks up to him. Eric's definitely glad that Jake came along so he wouldn't be stuck with all girls :). He is so lovable. I'm thankful that I am his sister.

Jake:
Oh boy, he is one funny little kid. He got baptized right after his birthday in July and it was so great to be with him during that time in his life. He's in second grade and he isn't the biggest fan of school, but he does great. He's definitely a nerd :). He just got glasses a few months ago which does not help his nerdiness lol. He surprises all of us with the things he says. We have started to watch what comes out of our mouths. He is definitely his daddy's boy. He loves to build things and figure things out. He is a great kid.

Well that's our family from my point of view. We've had a great Christmas and a great year. We can't wait for this upcoming year when Eric receives the priesthood and Ally becomes a Mia Maid. Not to brag or anything, but my family is sooo amazing and I don't know what I'd do without them! They are all very compassionate. My mom asks us to shovel somebody's driveway, and most of us do it without complaining....I complain a little :s. I hope we all remember the importance of Christmas. It's interesting how you don't focus on Christ during Christmas unless you have gone through something hard and he has been with you throughout the whole thing. I think that is one of the reasons that we have trials...we need to always REMEMBER him and stay humble. I hope everyone stays safe and that you have an amazing Christmas and New Years with your family and loved ones. I love you and I hope you guys all stay soo great!

Happy Halloween!

So life's going pretty well. I went home last weekend to go to a little people Halloween party, which was pretty fun. I took my younger bros and sistas with me. I stayed the night and went to church with my family and saw Mark Harris' farewell. He's going to be a great missionary. Today a little boy saw me walking down the hall and he said, "look it's Mini!". Ha I thought it was pretty funny. He thought I had dressed up, but I hadn't. I broke-up with Steve a couple weeks ago. We're still friends, it's just distant now. I decided that I should probably get my act together and start studying. I won't be able to last very long here at BYU if I don't start working. Tonight I'm going to my ward's Halloween party. I love my ward! I think I have the best ward ever! My roommates are also quite amazing. Every now and then I do miss home and miss having money :). But it's good to grow-up, I've learned a lot already. That's about it for now. I don't have the most exciting life, but I get through it. Although I have started seeing things in different ways now. It has helped a lot. Monday was the one year anniversary of my uncle's death. I know he's in the perfect place right now, I miss him, but I know I will see him again. Thank goodness for the gospel! I would be so lost without it!