Peter Pan

As said before, and I hope to say many more times-this year has been so much fun! I can't believe it's already March! I'm looking back and trying to figure out what I've been doing with all my time. I work a lot and I go to the gym and...I'm going on a lot of little mini trips and having soooo much fun with my friends and family. The Vegas trip was great! Some highlights...The McArthurs in St. George totally treating Liz, Emily, Linx, and myself like queens. They had a full feast prepared when we got there the first night and it was so good for me to be able to see them and catch up with them. Sarah drew us some great pictures in church on Sunday which are definitely kept in a safe spot for forever! In Vegas we rode all the roller coasters on the top of the Stratosphere, which was great! And we did work shopping there! I was the designated quote keeper-this picture had to be included because Emily was the main contributor-some of those gems were...

"I wombed you..."

"Liz...what if the toothbrush is in Kahoots with that thing...?"

"Who is Lady Gaga...?"

"Invert Sugar= 1/sugar"

Mostly this picture captures the best part-her constant mocking of the crazy men who stand on the side of the road and hit their lil flyers trying to get you to take one of their trashy lil papes.

However, recently I got to take a little trip home. I was so overdue for a visit and loved every minute I was at home. My little gems included...

-Seeing the Hissongs:It was great to be able to see them after so many years and spend some time with friends that you can laugh that hard with.

-Nauvoo: I haven't been since I graduated and Fran had never been so it was really good to be able to go and see the sights and do some family baptisms at the temple there.

-The Massimini's- They are such good friends of the family-I'd like to be selfish and claim them for myself but they have become a part of what I look forward to when I'm home. Laughing about how Shane truly has a brother in Brian (& having our own personal chiropractor), spending time with Whitney who ALWAYS listens, is a true friend, and just fun to be around. And the kids!!!! Chloe and I had a lot of fun drawing in church on Sunday and listening to her sing her Disney songs. Playing with Henry & having him come to the door Sunday night after they had left for an extra hug. Getting to take care of Leah during Sunday School (happiest baby ever!)

-Cribbage-even though I lost this trip (which is such a rare occurrence), I love looking forward to that one on one time with my mom. I don't think our level of competition has ever gone down from those first games of slug bug in high school.

-Seeing a new side of Jenna that is not new at all but just took the right boy to bring it out in her-I love Fran because he makes my lil sister so happy!

-Sunday dinner with Pompa & Grandma-I am convinced I have the most loving, adoring grandparents known. I love Pompa's jokes and maybe use them later and being able to look at Grandma and see how serious he actually is. Mostly they just make me feel 100% loved!

-Lunch with Daddy

at The Bristol: One on one time with him is kinda rare so I love that I got to have a lunch date with him. It was really good to have time to just talk. I feel like he and I have such similar personalities & temperaments. It's probably why in his Sunday school lesson he told the ward I was the favorite in my family (cuz in looks and personality we are so similar which obviously means I'm my Mom's favorite too!)

-Cassie is always sooooo sweet and I was really lucky for her to be my buddy in Nauvoo and really all weekend long. She sat next to me at Alice In Wonderland and makes sure I am always taken care of!

-Shane-man is always my buddy. He did really well helping me stay awake as I tried to drive home from Nauvoo, took my teasing as Cassie and I blasted his favorite singer (Justin Beiber-haha), chats basketball with me constantly, and likes to remind me on a regular basis that my "little" brother is in fact much bigger than me & I just hope I won't always lose right now we're matched evenly in our wrestling struggles....

There are so many other little things about my home that make it the trip I always look forward to and make me want to turn the plane around as soon as we get in the air and never be a grown up again. But...I have made my home here and am so lucky to have 2 homes with people that love me in both places. I do wish for the days when I was a little kid and it wasn't so complicated and I could have a little more freedom doing what I want, when I want and not have the complex thought of constantly wanting to be in two places at once. No Hannah Montana life for me with the best of both worlds BUT... "To live will be an awfully big adventure."

A few of my favorite things...

It has been a month and I feel I should be recovered from the holiday at this point and have been putting this off far too long. I made a trip to Vegas/St. George with the girls, which deserves its own post and will come soon, but during the trip I encountered many things that made me reflect on the things that I just absolutely love! Some of them were not encountered, but just reflected on or discussed. They may be random and my reasoning may be weird but hey...can't help what you love, right?!?!

1. Roller coasters-I love the thrill! Most of all though, I've discovered, I'm not a screamer at all. All I can do is laugh... hysterically! (which may be the reason I love them-because laughing would be another love on this list).

2. Car washes-I can pretty much guarantee that my car will always be clean because of this factor. I know, because of my very loving, car-savvy Grandpa (Pompa), that automated car washes just simply cannot get the job done. They just can't get that sparkle that you need. However, this winter, I have resorted to them to make sure that the snow and salt and dust and pollution that are so prevalent this winter in happy valley stay off my car on a very regular basis. These have become therapeutic for me. Turn the music off, the air all the way down and listen to the water on my cute lil' car. My own personal rainstorm.

3. Books! - I can't even describe to you my love to read. Barnes and Noble is obviously, as said in previous blogs, an escape/safe place for me but in the end, has nothing to do with the place and everything to do with its contents. A good solid, moving story has been harder for me to find recently so I am revisiting the classics and stocking up my own personal library of hard cover classics. Right now I am rereading To Kill A Mockingbird (my absolute favorite) and as I read each phrase and follow the story, I cannot help but saying (in my head or sometimes out loud to an unsuspecting group) how much I love this book. There is nothing more beautiful than when the words literally weave a picture of a story that you seem to be a part of-physically and emotionally. And this book is an amazing story to be a part so engrossed in.

4. Music- This category has so many subcategories that I just need to keep it simple. Chill music when I'm getting ready, pump up music when I work out, soft music as I go to bed, singing music so I can belt it in the car (that came from you Mommy), instrumental music when I just need to reflect or regroup and many more. I used to cringe when people asked my favorite type of music, my favorite group, my favorite song-I still feel like I don't have most of those answers because when there is so much to love and so many occasions to listen to each. However, my favorite song of all time is Moon River. I like all versions but prefer the simple beauty of Audrey Hepburn's version. If I had to listen to one artist for the rest of time...that is so so hard for me but I truly think I'd choose Jason Mraz. His music fits into all of the above categories for me and there's something about it that is sooo good to me.

5. Dressing up- Here, sometimes, I have a problem. I am actually maybe a little bit crazy about always leaving the house in a presentable fashion, but hey, I'm from the good part of the south, where all that southern belle stuff is truly a part of who I am. However, I work at a job that tends to ruin clothes with pollen stains, dirt, chemicals, heels get scuffed and scratched and dresses are not always a good idea when going in and out of a very large cooler. But...I do it anyways and love any occasion and try to create occasions where dressing up is involved.

So...it is late and one thing I DO NOT love is waking up as early as I do every morning so, I'm going to go to bed. And more of my favorite things for another day....