My Sister's 30th Birthday Texts

I wanted to remember the texts my sister sent to me when I turned 30:


HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER!! I love you! Throughout the day you will receive 30 texts of reasons you are awesome. From me. :)

30 things about you that are awesome, here is numero uno:
#1: Your smile spreads happiness.
#2: Your ugly cry is the most sincere expression of true faith and true emotion.
#3: You have an ugly cry. :)
#4: You love people with all your heart.
#5: You value and treasure your friendships.
#6: You are a great listener when I'm talking your ear off.
#7: You are smart, and smart about things that I'm not, or that I wouldn't think you are knowledgeable about, (like financial stuff).
#8: You're financially responsible - way more than me!
#9: It's no secret when you are angry.
#10: You took on the calling of motherhood before you were ever a mother, loving unconditionally other people's children.
#11: You sincerely share in others' joys and sorrows.
#12: You make some fantastic aprons.
#13: You have some crafty talents (see #12, cross stitching).
#14: You sweat in some odd places (which isn't unique because lots of women do), but you deal with it gracefully and vocally.
#15: You have been to and lived in Russia - holy cow!
#16: You are great at planning fun activities for your own family and for other family/friend get togethers.
#17: You truly and fully forgive me, (not always immediately, but when you take your time to forgive me, that is when I know I'm completely forgiven).
#18: You like animals - specifically mine - (but I think you like them more than you admit to).
#19: You are pretty great at agreeing with me ... and validating me when I am venting for whatever reason.
#20: You make some really delicious foods (but only few of which I've had the privilege of enjoying, sadly).
#21: You introduced me to some new foods (you deserve credit for mine AND Dustin's like for hummus, but you also get credit for our dislike of cauliflower mashed potatoes) :)
#22: You really try your best at everything you do - you may not always succeed, or feel you have succeeded, but you put your whole heart into anything you do.
#23: You break out into a rash when you're up in front of people, and that's awesome because when I notice that on other people, I think of you and miss you.
#24: You are more concerned about others than yourself. I have noticed that most when others suffer physically, the pain you deal with doesn't matter to you.
#25: You are not afraid to challenge yourself - like when you did the Bridgeport triathlon. Total respect here.
#26: You can sing in bass clef. Dude, I can't do that. Awesome.
#27: You are patient. Don't smirk, it's true. You wait out the tough times humbly, hopeful, and frugally.
#28: You are still young at heart, finding joy in jumping waves at the beach, craving Disneyland rides, and enjoying silly sitcoms on the Disney channel.
#29: We can talk about just anything (hairy boobs and itchy vaginas) while about doing just anything (taking a dump in a church bathroom and having the lights turned out on you).

Aaaaaaaannnd #30: So as I have been thinking all day about all the reasons you are awesome, nothing can beat out just how much of the space in my heart you fill. How so much of who I am is because of you. You have transformed me and inspired me to be my best self, and you do that to everyone you involve in your life. Don't thank me for the sappy dialogue, you're welcome.

So there you have it. 30 reasons why you are awesome. You can now officially be 30.

Oh but wait, I have to make a subtraction.
-1: Eating nutella on a banana is not your favorite way to eat nutella. So I guess you will just be 29 again. :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DEAREST SISTER!!

Hair Cut

Back in June, I was feeling like I was ready to cut my hair again. Shortly after we returned back home from our trip out to be with family in California and Utah, our niece Jessica started hair school. It was then that I decided that I wanted her to cut my hair for me. But I would have to wait until our visit at Christmas. During this time, as we realized how long my hair really was, I decided that I wanted to be able to donate it, in honor of my friend Lita Delcamp, whose cancer has recently returned stronger and more vigorously. It is not something I have ever told Lita that I have done, but I am grateful that I was able to do this.

So here are the Before pictures:

 

And the After pictures:

With sweet Jessica. She did an awesome job!

And I took these a few weeks later before I mailed in my hair: 

 

 

 

The tips hit at 10.5 inches

A Sad Excuse For Being Caught Up

So, I'm not sleepy, should be asleep, but am trying to be productive with my time. So I figured I'd update the blog. It is in fact, December, almost Christmas, and I haven't added anything since the end of October. I plug in my camera and upload my pictures, only to realize that I have been really bad at taking pictures. I mean, REALLY BAD. So please forgive me.

But of the few pictures I have taken, here are the ones I felt were worth sharing and documenting:

Calvin & Hobbes

Brek "fishing" at the ward Halloween party

Just a cute face Halloween morning

Going trick-or-treating for the first time, with cousins Rose and Nora. And yes, I am dressed up as a Tic-Tac-Toe.

The first house.

Playing scary Halloween music on the organ with Aunt Suzette

A close up of our cute tiger

 In November, our good friend Ben came into town with his boys from California. Brek and I got to join him for touring around Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

Brek with the Christus statue.

Brek has created a new game: Mom or Dad usher him to come somewhere, and he grins mischievously and runs the other direction. (It should be noted that neither mom or dad are fans of the game.) Unfortunately, on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the game resulted in a minor flesh wound.

But after just one week, the scab fell off, the swollen lip is gone, and the wound on the gum has healed up nicely. Now we're just hoping this scar won't be noticeable for the rest of his life.

Still cute and adorable

I guess for non-photographic related news: We moved back up to the Salt Lake area, closer to Joe's work. We are all really happy about not having a commute. And the past few months he's been super busy with the school musical and playing for Annie this holiday season, so being closer to home has been great.
We bought our first washer and dryer. I have mixed feelings about the quality, but at least my laundry is getting done. Now if I can just figure out what exactly is leaking on the washer, that might improve things.
I finished a huge, very complicated cross-stitch project. It took me 11 months. Someday when we get it framed I will post a picture. For now, I'm just excited that it is done.
Our family is growing - we are adopting again! We are hoping that in April we will have a 10-year-old girl from Ghana that will join our family. I'll keep you posted as we learn and hear more.

Well, that's it folks. I know. Lame. Maybe this will motivate me to do/be better. I will admit that there have been other times I have pulled out the camera, and then Brek has stopped doing what was so noteworthy. I hate those missed opportunities, like him climbing on boxes and getting stuck, or getting tangled in the stroller, or me getting poked in the eye or the baton going up my nose while Brek is conducting Joe's orchestra, or those inappropriate moments that I can't actually capture when he's laughing at his jiggling body parts. Good times as a parent. Seriously. :) 

Happy Holidays dearest friends!