1 Down 3 to go

So I've pretty much finished one class completely (all I have left is one test). And from what I can tell, it should be a good grade too.Sweet!

So two tests and one 17 page research paper left (why do they have to be SO long? ) then I'm done for the semester. Hooray! (Just wish it were easier to see where I stand instead of having to wait two weeks until they post grades.)

(Sadly, it starts all over again on January 3rd.)

Happy Thanksgiving!!! My Family Rocks!

I don't think that there has ever been a year that I can't remember spending Thanksgiving with all of my family. I don't mean just my immediate family, but all of my extended family too. It's a tradition that started once upon a time (because I really can't remember its origin) and has happened every year without fail.

And yes, I'll have you all know that MY family's Thanksgiving food is by far the best I've ever had. There is always the turkey and stuffing (seriously SO much better than the bread crap) that my Grandma makes. The green been casserole with toasted almonds on top (one of my favorites) that my mom makes. The assortment of delicious salads and rolls from my aunts (and uncles, but we know who really made them). And yes, in particular, my Aunt Kay made the best orange rolls EVER. (Seriously, I don't know a single person who's had them that could say any differently.) And the pies. All of it an absolute feast for us to enjoy. (Making through the line once was never quiet enough.)

The last couple of years and this one have been a bit different with the passing of my Grandpa and my Aunt Kay this year, but it is still one of my favorite holidays of the year.
I think the other part of it that has always been fun is 'confessional'. Something my sister and cousin made up to 'get the dirt' on each other. I don't know how it is that we made it years without Heather seeming to realize that she was the only one who ever had anything to confess.

But this year we inducted some of our other siblings into the confessional. ( I mean lets face it, how many of us DON'T have an opinion of everything?) It was a lot of fun to get the chance to catch up with my younger siblings who have grown up without me even really realizing it. Some of them are up at college and others are just trying to figure out what int the world they're supposed to be doing in life. But mostly, I think it's just nice to get a chance to all get together and see how everyone is doing. It gives us a chance to laugh and know that we're loved not matter how crazy our lives get.

My family really is the best and I'm glad that I've got so many great memories that have them in it. (Not to mention the great stories I know get to hear about some of their kids.) As Heather said 'The Elders have spoken' or at least until next year. =)

Grateful

A) It's really odd to think that I might actually have a moment to myself since the holidays have gotten here.

B) It's amazing to me to look back at the last year and realize how grateful I am for where I am now.

I'm grateful for Fielding and the fact that he loves me even on my worst days. He's willing to put up with my three crazy cats because he knows I love them. And he's just fantastic. His dorkiness is one of the greatest things I appreciate. (Just recently, he told me a new book at B&N was even more amazing because it was written in iambic pentameter. Really!?! Who wouldn't find that cute?) He's amazing and I'm so glad that I have him.

I'm also grateful that I have the opportunity to go to school. I know some people can't wait for it to be over, but life really does start to get more complicated when you start growing up. Suddenly you have bills to pay, a job to work, and a limited number of hours in which to fit all of the extras you still want to do. So I'm glad I have the opportunity to still go after something I enjoy.

I think overall though (besides Fielding 'cause he's #1 on my list), I'm grateful for the people that have been there when Fielding and I needed it. Life is full of twists and turns and death defying adventures. Things you can't make it through alone and things that mean more in the end because of who was there with you. Sometimes just remembering to offer a helping hand or a nice cold fountain Dew can remind people there are people who care.

-Oh, and I'm grateful for my loud crazy family. They really are spectacular.

Halloween

I love Halloween. It's one of the only days that it's acceptable for an adult to dress up in a costume or a style that is more often than not unacceptable in society. Not necessarily because it's scandalous, but more so because it just doesn't jive with what society expects in certain atmospheres.

I mean how many of us can show up in period dress one day for work and goth the next? Pretty much no one.


But dressing up is my guilty pleasure. It's my rebellion against 'the man', society, and whomever else it needs to be that day. It's my chance to be a little bit crazy, but not be permanently condemned for it.

This year was a bit different than previous years though. I didn't have a costume. But not only didn't I have a costume, I didn't even have an idea for a costume. It was horrible.

Luckily, my lovely husband wouldn't let me forgo the day and instead convinced me to go with him to DI to see what odds and ends we could find for a costume. (Seriously, I wanted to skip the day entirely. If I could participate then it wasn't going to happen.) I had found, decided, and implemented my plan within 5 minutes of being in the store. Pretty much everything I needed. Yes! Flashy crazy skirt (which I really do like), silky top, outrageous belt. Perfection. Gypsy costume complete. Fielding also was willing to go along with my idea and found a swarthy (Mostly I just like saying the word and don't pay any attention to applicability.) red shirt with black buttons for him. Sadly, we couldn't locate a silk type scarf for him though. Oh well.

(Not too mention that getting the chance to try some crazy makeup is always a plus.)

Once again it was great fun dressing up and I can't wait to do it again next year.

Niece =)

Okay, so part of me considered complaining or writing about the paper I just wrote for one of my classes. (I'm just not really good at writing edu papers. *sigh*) But instead I decided I needed a smile and hopefully I won't get in trouble for this. =)

These are pictures of my niece, Ella. (Kelli and Aaron's daughter) I don't know why, but every time I see her cute squishy face I smile. She's just so freaking cute! I think I might try to steal her, but I'm pretty sure her parents would hunt me down.
(I'd consider stealing some other nieces or nephews, but their parent's might hunt me down too.)

The first two pictures were taken when she was about two weeks old by my sister, Kaylene. Definitely not shabby for wiggly, squiggly babies. The last one was taken by Kelli.

Careful, she's a drooler.

I think she might be a flower child.

While she makes a cute modern pumpkin, Kelli and I were cute pumpkins as kids too. lol.

Family Pic

Family pictures are SO not my favorite thing to try and pull off. We had to try and coordinate 24 people in a single effort of posing and smiling at the same time. Really!?! Have you met my family? Not to mention the fact that 9 of those people are under the age of 8 and are related to us. Oh well, I guess we gave it our best shot. =)

Funny thing is, I think this picture is more true to who we really are than any 'normal' picture.

See 'normal' picture of the siblings and I just don't know that I believe it.

Do smiles get any better than a kids?

If I'd only been taller this might have worked out better. =(

Guess for now this will be as good as it gets.

At least until the next time we have to do family pictures. And since two of my sisters are pregnant, that means by next Summer they'll be out of date again.

Holy Carp

Okay, so I know it's a lame title, but in a time crunch that is what I came up with.

I didn't realize how long it's been since I last posted anything. Plus, let's face it. Blogs are always more fun with pictures and sadly I just don't really have that many pictures. (It's hard to take pictures of yourself while holding the camera.) But if this weekend goes as planned (even if I'm not really looking forward to it). I should have a new up to date family picture. Hooray for the picture. Boo for the time to take said picture.

Anyhow, lets see how every thing is going...

School is crazy. Seriously, I re realized that I suck at writing papers. I just can't seem to get the words to come out in an interesting way that all makes sense and is wonderful to read. (For some odd reason my brain says that is how it HAS to be.)

Work is crazy. We're implementing a new QMS (Quality Management System). It's a complete overhaul is taking up any spare minute I might have to blink.

Life is good. I've gotten to see two movie recently with Megan. (Easy A and Secretariat) Easy A was worth a matinee. Not bad, but not great. I loved Secretariat though. It made me want to go watch a horse race, buy a big hat, and race a horse. (I'll have to see how many of those I can do.) Spent time with the family.

Outside of that I turned another year older and seem to be pretty on track with where I want to be in life. I know it's weird, but I really never wanted or saw myself getting married before I was 25. And I wanted to graduate from college before having kids. (I know weird for someone from Utah.) So as far as I can tell, I got married early (21), am still working on school (3 semesters hopefully to go), and am on track to having/adopting/buying/stealing/borrowing kids in the next few years. (Lol) So yeah. All in all life is right about where it should be.

Oh, and just as a side note, if you ever get the chance to bedazzle anything you should do it. It's always guaranteed to be a lot of fun. Fielding and I bedazzled the heck out of a pair of plastic flamingos for his parents. It was a lot of fun. (Okay, so they weren't really sparkly enough for me. I wanted them to shine like a disco ball, but no dice. Oh well, it was still fun.)