So thankful...

What a week! What a month! What a life! It's been crazy folks! And I am sure the craziness will continue. I will spare you the details {mostly because I don't have time to write about them}...


However, I just wanted to take a minute and express some gratitude for the many blessings that are mine:

First and foremost is the fam. They are amazing! Can't wait to get away from Mesa and head up to the cabin for a few days with them. Quality time away from the world with my cute little nephews...nothing could be better {unless, of course, a sexy, single man was involved}. And, I look forward to spending a few precious moments with the Utah kids next month too.

My friends are fantastic! I am thrilled to death to see my girls in Utah next month! I could not ask for a better bunch to associate with. They love me {no matter the size of my waistline} and I love them too!

And, of course, I have some fabulous friends in AZ. I couldn't have made it through some of these last months without them. They have no idea how much they have meant to me. Love them!

My Branch rocks! Seriously, this has been one of the biggest blessings in the last year or so. A true answer to prayer and exactly what I need in my life right now.

I can't mention the Branch without mentioning the church. Words cannot describe the happiness that comes from being a member of this church and by living the gospel. If you are not a member, you should look into it! All good stuff!

And then there are the little, simple blessings of everyday life like a car that now works, a job that I like most days, a house that is divine, the Backstreet Boys, etc.

I am a happy girl and for that I am thankful...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

New Moon

Well, I saw the new Twilight movie last night...or I should say this morning. And I am happy to report that it was 7000 times better than the first one! LOVED IT!!! And now I am at work, after getting approximately 3 1/2 hours of sleep. I am kind of tired...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Just when everything starts looking up and I am making fun new changes, something else comes around and kicks me in the panties. Well this morning I got kicked...hard. It started the way any usual day starts, me pushing snooze a million times, not quite ready to wake up and go to work. But then I realized that I needed to get gas before going to work, so I tried to get ready a little faster. I walk out the door, put the key in the ignition, turn the key, and nothing happens! Just some little pictures lighting up on the dash, but no clicking noise or anything. I immediately feel sick to my stomach. Did I leave a light on all night? What the heck happened? So, I call my mother and wake her up to tell her the news. Neither of us are really car savvy, so she suggested I call my brother. My dear, sweet brother drives the 30 minutes to my house and checks my battery. He thinks it's dead. So we take it to the franchise I got my last battery from a little over a year ago (my brother rescued me that time too). They confirm that my battery is in fact toast. Luckily, it is under warranty, so a free battery is handed over. We drive back to my house, put in the new battery and turn the key. Nothing. But this time the nothing is a whole lot more nothing that the last nothing. Confused? This time there were no dome lights on in the car, no little pictures flashing on the dash...absolutely nothing. To make a long story shorter, my car was left in my garage. My brother drove me to my parents' house and I am now driving their beast. How thankful I am that my parents have a car available for me to use! So now, I am at a loss. I have no idea what is wrong with my car, I cannot get it out of my garage unless I tow it, and who knows how much money it will cost me. Geez! I am barely making ends meet as it is. A car problem is definitely not in the budget. Oh well. It will all work out I am sure.

Which leads me to my happiness for the day. For years now I have been receiving LDS Nuggets in my inbox a few times a week. And for years, I have never looked at them or even knew what they were. It was only about 3 weeks ago that I decided it was time I check them out. And, to put it simply, they are just little thoughts or quotes related to a gospel topic intended to bring you comfort and joy. Well, today I got one in my inbox and it was PERFECT! So, I would like to share it with you:

"For those who are discouraged by their circumstances and are therefore tempted to feel they cannot serve the Lord this day, I make you two promises. Hard as things seem today, they will be better in the next day if you choose to serve the Lord this day with your whole heart. Your circumstances may not be improved in all the ways which you desire. But you will have been given new strength to carry your burdens and new confidence that when your burdens become too heavy, the Lord, whom you have served, will carry what you cannot. He knows how. He prepared long ago. He suffered for your infirmities and your sorrows when He was in the flesh so that He would know how to succor you." -Henry B. Eyring, "This Day", Ensign, May 2007, 89-91

Isn't that perfect? I thought so. And I have decided that I am going to serve today. I am going to forget about myself and my problems, and help someone else in need.

a season of change

Ya know, sometimes I really miss seasons. Here in Arizona it is either freaking hot or warm. There is no in between. And there is definitely no fall or winter. I miss seeing the changing leaves. I miss an occasional snowstorm (emphasis on occasional). Yep, I miss the seasons.

But just because the seasons don't change does not mean that change is not in the air. Change is very much in the air...in my air.

First and foremost is my change of church calling. I just got called to be on the activities committee, with an emphasis on the bulletin board (hello, right up my alley...it's like a giant scrapbook page!), missionary board and running the website (I don't have a clue how to do that). I also got called to be a Relief Society teacher (yikes!). I must admit, though, that I am very excited about this change. Maybe not as excited as I was when I was called to be the Enrichment leader, but just about there! Our small little singles Branch has changed a lot in the last couple of months, and I LOVE the changes! Family Home Evening activities are much better, communication is much better, everything is just great. I LOVE my Branch!

Speaking of the Branch, that relates to another change I am going through. As most of you know, my BFF in AZ is named Sarah and she just got married last week (pics coming soon). For quite a while Sarah and I were inseparable. We did everything together and we planned lots of fun parties and social gatherings. My life was social, and I loved it. Then Sarah met a boy and practically fell off the planet. It was not that I was lonely, but I just wasn't putting myself out there to others. I didn't feel like I was without friends, but I just felt like I was without close friends...no one I would feel comfortable calling on a Friday night begging to hang out with me. Well, within the last month or two I have formed quite a gathering of good friends, and for that I am eternally grateful. Maybe I won't be sitting down and telling these people my deepest, darkest secrets...but I feel comfortable asking them to hang out with me if I want to. I love my Wednesday night parties to watch SYTYCD and Glee. I love game nights. And, I love that my new friends can convince me to go to the midnight showing of New Moon this Thursday...especially since I didn't love the first Twilight movie and I have to work on Friday. Friends are great!!!

Don't get me wrong, I love old friends too. And that is why I am so happy to announce that I am visiting Utah in December! I get to see my girls and experience a wee bit of white before Christmas. I cannot wait!!! I am lucky to have some of the best friends in the world! And what makes me even happier is that they throw parties every time I am in town! Woohoo for friends!

Anyway, I just wanted to share a few of my thoughts with you. The only thing that is constant is change, and I am actually happy to accept these new changes.

a love affair

I bet you didn't know that I was still taking cake decorating classes did you? The reason I haven't posted about it is because course 2 did not require the making of a cake until the very last week. And let's just face it...my final cake was less than stellar. Here is a picture of my flower basket/horribly ugly bird cake:

I did love making the flowers and love how they turned out, but I had some issues putting a bird on my cake (I am not a fan of birds and it makes me sad that birds are on everything...especially in the scrapbook world). However, since I was the only person who actually brought my completed bird to class my classmates coaxed me into adding it. And don't even get me started on the basketweave. I was not in the mood for cake decorating that night and didn't feel like taking my time and evenly spacing my weaves. But, the whole cake was a disaster from the beginning. I had issues with the filling and by the time I got to class my cake was spilling out the sides and practically falling over. Anyway, enough of my ranting. It was what it was and now it's over and gone. But here is proof that I successfully completed course 2:


Now on to my love affair. I just started course 3 which is a fondant based class. We made our first cake on Tuesday and I am so pleased with the way my cake turned out. We made a square cake to look like a present, and I think it is the cutest present ever!!! So, for your viewing pleasure, I have taken a picture from nearly every angle of my cake and have posted a few for you:
Honestly, what is not to love? The little details just make my heart sing! I hate the taste of fondant, but I certainly love plastering it on my cake!!! I would much rather work with fondant than buttercream icing. It is a dream come true! I loved every minute of this cake class. It certainly made up for my dislike of course 2. I can't wait to make more! Stay tuned for the week of Thanksgiving when I make my final wedding-like tiered cake. It is going to be really pretty! And then, I will take a cake decorating break and stop spending money on silly cake decorating supplies. Until then, here is a present for you:

TODAY

I slept longer than I anticipated. I was running a little late. I nearly got killed while driving to work...TWICE. I am tired.

But then...I blasted my new and delicious Backstreet Boys CD. I saw a hot air balloon. And I saw a man riding a motorcycle with super short shorts.

And it made everything BETTER.

Halloween...a li'l late

Halloween this year was pretty fun. Or I should say, the day before Halloween this year was pretty fun. Because Halloween landed on a Saturday this year, we celebrated on Friday at work. I woke up extra early just to do my hair to look baby-like (meaning short):

What can I say, I really like taking pictures of myself when my hair is super curly. And sadly, I get ready with a tank top on, so I look naked-ish...sorry! Unfortunately, my hair never quite does what I hope it will, so the cute curly flocks you see above did not quite look so cute by the time I got to work. The bangs just would not cooperate {which you will see later}. As I posted previously, I dressed up as a big cry baby for work. My co-workers really loved the costume, but I pretty much felt like a freak all day. And trying to actually work was a chore. It's days like that where you just want to play and have fun...not work. We did have a little pot luck lunch, but that was the extent of our party.

Flash forward to later that evening. My pals and I had decided a while ago that a Halloween party would be a good idea. Sandy would provide the decorations, Tricia would provide the food and I would provide the entertainment. I was very happy with that arrangement and have decided that I really do like planning parties. I had such a good time coming up with ideas of games to play at the party, and also came up with super cheap ways to play those games. But before we get to that, take a look at the amazing food spread we had:

Tricia just might be a little insane...

And, of course, the decorations were amazing. There were some great tombstones lining the walls with the most unusual writings on them. Here are some of our friends from the party:

We had a smaller turn out that I would have liked, but it still turned out pretty fun. Here we are playing muscial tombstones {sorry again about the quality of photos...my camera has not been cooperating}:

And...my favorite picture of the night: Andy and Mike fighting to get their foot on the tombstone:
We also had a skeleton building race:

...played Boo Bingo:

...and, of course, pin the mouth on the mummy:

However, the real excitement of the night was the photo booth set up in the front room! If you have never had a photo booth at your party, you don't know what you are missing {or you just don't have the right connections}:

Here are a few of my favorite shots of me and my friends in the photo booth:

Me and Jenna puckering up

Me and Stephanie wondering if this party can get any better

Me wanting to take a bite out of Stephanie and Tricia's faces

Me and my roomie showing our jazz hands

And me, sad because my hair sucks and my bangs suck even more.

There were several other pictures taken that warranted posting, but I don't have access to them and don't really feel like scanning them in. Can you say lazy?? It was a fun party and I am so grateful to have such amazing friends in my life right now. You guys are AWESOME!!! Thanks for an extra happy Halloween!

update

Well, the dad is doing well. He stayed in the hospital for one night and that was enough. Many tests were run and all came back normal. Probably just overexerted himself and got a little stressed with the whole work thing on Monday (aka laying off the majority of workers in AZ). I decided to be a good daughter and go visit my parentals in the hospital on my lunch break yesterday (and to deliver lunch to my mother). The minute I got up the elevator to the floor they were staying on my mother called to tell me that they were being discharged. Figures. So we ate lunch and then walked out of the hospital all together. I am glad he is doing ok and I hope he continues to do ok. Thanks again for all of your well wishes. If you could continue to keep him in your prayers that would be great. And while you are praying for him, throw in the name Nikki from the UK as well. I just got some sad news about her (she is a friend of my friend in the UK). She is battling breast cancer, has 2 small children (one is special needs) and her husband decided he could not handle the situation so got out of it. She could definitely use a little Divine help for sure! Thanks blogging friends! Have a great week and I will be posting my Halloween pics soon...

...

So, my dad is back in the hospital again. I guess traveling was not such a good idea...

October happenings

Well, October was one of the craziest months I have had in quite a while. It was just full of things...and I am grateful for that. I much prefer being busy than having time on my hands because time equals thinking, and sometimes it's better if I just don't think. But it's been a fun month (for the most part). The month started with the the upsetting news of my father's open heart surgery. I am happy to report that he is doing ok and my parents actually came home to Arizona this weekend (for a few days). It has been really good to see them. Believe it or not, I kind of missed having them around...

For some reason our Branch decided to have our Halloween party the second week of October. Not many people showed up, which was sad, but it was still fun to dress up and see everyone's costumes. We had some spaghetti and then carved pumpkins. I am not much of an artist, so I simply chose to take pictures of my group carving our pumpkin. Here is Tricia the Jailbird, Sandy the Autumn, and Jenna the Fairy carving away:


Oh, yes...here is my costume. I was a very big, very unattractive baby:

And this was by far my favorite costume of the night:

Of course, this is the real reason I liked the costume so much:

Again, Tricia the Jailbird poses with Tommy the Forrest Gump:

And who could forget Super Andy:

All in all it was a pretty fun party. But then again, I am kind of a Halloween freak! Any excuse to dress up as a clown and not get strange looks is a good time for me! Here I am in one final picture with my new best pals Tricia and Sandy:


Later on in the month I threw a bridal shower for my best gal pal in AZ named Sarah. She is getting married on November 13th and I am really excited for her (and possibly a touch jealous). The shower was a lot of work (but that is just because I don't know how to throw simple, low-key parties) but completely worth it! I rearranged some furniture, blew up some balloons, hung up some decorations...

..and made a lot of food:

It seems these days that bridal showers are just come-and-go, eat some food, open some presents and that is pretty much all there is to it. However, I am a firm believer in throwing a big party with games and prizes! Being the overachiever that I am, I made sure all of the game pieces were easily accessible in a cute little carrying case:

Just a warning, my camera has been sick lately (I think it's the swine flu), so most of my pictures turned out blurry...which is unfortunate because the pictures could have been cute...

Speaking of cute, here is the cute little bride-to-be, Sarah, sportin' her "Bachelorette" sash and glowing engagement ring:

Because of blurry pictures, you don't get to enjoy the pictures of our game and prize winning fun. We played the Wedded Bliss Word Search (Kenny and Sarah's wedding themed), Who's Got the Garter Belt? (the title sounds horrible...but I don't know what else to call it), Who Knows Sarah?, and Wedding Gift Bingo. I think the games were fun...but I could be totally wrong. And, of course, we watched Sarah open some gifts:

I was really hoping for some embarrassing lingerie, but she mostly got games and house decorations. I did give her some zebra print pajamas though. I am so excited for Sarah and so happy that I could throw the shower for her. She is AMAZING!!!

And finally, October is not complete without a Halloween celebration. Tricia, Sandy and I did throw a fun Halloween party, but those pictures are just going to have to wait for another day. There are only so many pictures you can post in one blog entry...