These are a few of my favorite things...

I have many things in my life that I LOVE and think "I wish I could share this with more people so they can be this happy too." Well, today is your lucky day!  Here are a few of my "favorite things:"

 My light alarm clock:  

 Starts getting bright 30 minutes before the alarm goes off so it is like daylight in my room when I need to get up.

 My warm, cute, Black Friday Coat

 My brown boots (prown poots) and sailor shoes

Thanks Grandma Richards- awesome birthday present!!

My running shoes:

These puppies helped me run my marathon

Jewelry:

-polar bear earrings 

(from my dad when we went to Yellowstone 6 years ago)

-classic pearl earrings

-My Lucky necklace 

(A 'Jasper' rock- got it at Martin's Cove with Grandpa and Grandma Roush.. it represents strength, courage, and power to hold on when times are tough)

-"Choose Happiness" necklace

(My sister Shirley gave it to me for Christmas-

I LOVE IT!!!!)

My "50s Cat Eye" fire red glasses

:::BEAUTY SECTION:::

HAIR SUPPLIES:

(From left to right:)

Purple shampoo-  brightens up blonde hair in a snap!  (Generic Brand)

-Texturizing spray (Beyond the Zone)

-Dry shampoo (BedHead.. but I have TONS- all brands work great!)

**I cannot express how much I LOVE dry shampoo and every woman should own some!!!!**

-"Surf Spray" (Bumble and Bumble)

-Volumizing Hair powder (Got2B)

-Boar bristle teasing brush (from Sally's)

Remington Pearl Curling Wand

AWESOME!! Spritz with hair spray and it makes perfect waves or curls:

-Diamond Clean Sonicare toothbrush

and Reach Gum Care floss

I LOVE this tb and this is honestly the BEST floss to help with sensitive, bleeding gums

Daily disposable contact lenses

Bausch and Lombe

I used to have really dry, itchy eyes until I tried these four years ago.  

Since then, I've tried "newer, better (aka more expensive)" contacts but they didn't compare to these.

:::MAKE UP:::

I don't use all of these EVERYDAY, but they are all awesome in certain times. 

I just discovered most of these pretty recently- 

Jonathon gave me a "go to the mall and have your make up done and then buy whatever they suggest" present for Christmas (I know, he is the greatest!!!!)  I've always bought the cheap drugstore stuff so I was excited and bought a bunch of fancy make up. I couldn't believe how it was SO EXPENSIVE, yet didn't seem to work much better than what I was using before. So, I went on a quest to find the best make up. It's not PERFECT, but I've made some great finds!! 


What I discovered about make up:
Spending more MONEY does NOT always mean you're getting a better product.
I actually found I don't like Mac much but LOVE LOVE LOVE the Hard Candy brand from Walmart and save SO MUCH $$MONEY$$, yet most of the stuff works just as good or even BETTER than the expensive brand! 

From left to right:

-Mac Fix powder foundation 

(great for on-the-go quick fixes and pretty good coverage) 9/10

-Hard Candy "welcome Home Matte" powder

(I use it for shine in my T-zone to set my foundation for the day) 8/10

-Hard Candy "Undercover" under eye concealer 

(I love this! It brightens and conceals well without settling in the lines) 9/10

-Laura Mercier smooth foundation

(Perfect "dewy" look- not too much, not too little coverage BUT smells weird! Jonno hates that) 9/10

-Hard Candy tinted moisturizer 

(I use this most everyday- perfect coverage for just everyday looks) 8/10

-CoverGirl NatureLuxe foundation

(This is the BEST drugstore foundation- comparable to Laura Mercier-- but $40 cheaper!!) 8/10

-Hard Candy Glamoflouge concealer

(Great for covering blemishes and scars- pretty thick texture so not good for under eyes)  7/10

Eye make up:

From left to right:

-Mac Creme shimmer highlighter

(I use it on the brow bone, bridge of the nose, and cheek bones to highlight.. 7/10

It is 'OK' but I wouldn't spend the money for this again- I'd rather buy the cheaper Hard Candy brand)

-Mac finisher gel

(I apply it lightly after my foundation to help with oil control between my eye brows doing Dental Hygiene each day

-It works 'OK' but again, not well enough for the cost of $25)   5/10

-Mac face primer

(Wouldn't buy again.. works OK but not any better than one from Walmart!)  5/10

-Wet n' Wild MegaGlo

(LOVE this blush!!!  Perfect amount of color with a sheer dewy glow.. not sparkly, but shimmers lightly) 9/10

-Mac Bronzing powder

(I do like this- it is not too dark, not too light- looks very natural) 9/10

(Back to front)

-Wet n' Wild eye wand (eye shadow and liner combo) 

(love the quick, easy color for on the go!) 7/10

-Maybelline eyebrow pencil

(basic ol' brow pencil... great!) 8/10

-Wet n wild dark brown eyeliner

(basic ol' liner.. great!) 9/10

Hard Candy baked eye shadow

LOVE this..  awesome dewy pretty color! 10/10

-Double Extend mascara 

(Works AWESOME - looks almost like false lashes.  I use it only when I wanna get more dressed up because it is struggily to remove- warm water to remove the lil tubules)  9/10

HEAT AND WARMTH:


My PERFECT comfy red cuddly, snugly blanket my Mom gave me many years ago
....
AND my most favorite of alllllllllll
JONNO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love him!

My floor heater!

I LOVE instant heat!!  This thing is my best friend in the winter. 

Favorites.. Honorable Mentions (but no pictures right now...) 

-My blue robe:

Keeps me warm and comfy- a D.I. special for $3 last year!

-My PLUM nail polish

-Tace Bell Double Decker Supremes

-Watermelon

-Mexican food 

-Anne of Green Gables book

-Soma muscle relaxer

-Jonno

-Cosmo

-My wedding ring

-Taylor Swift "The Best Day" song

-Candy

-Kroger Popcorn

WELL, I hope you all enjoyed a peek at my favorite things!  I recommend most all of them so let me know if you have any questions about it!  My blogging posts decrease significantly when I don't have a camera...  or my own laptop.  

-My laptop broke and we haven't got it fixed yet :( 

I'll try to get a camera and some updated pictures sooner than later. Bye!

December happenings

1. Temp at Warners dental office every Tuesday- Love them. They are so nice!
2. Got my wisdom teeth extracted. Starved for three days, got two dry sockets, an infection so my entire right side of my head swelled up, TMJ pain and not being able to open my mouth too big, and now have a huge canker where my teeth naturally bite down on tissue in the back. :( We'll wait two weeks and see if it heals on its own before taking the next step to fix this.
3. Grandpa and Grandma Roush came to visit! I got to see them and my Dad and Nolan and lots of family.
4. Grandpa had to go to the hospital overnight for a mini stroke. He's okay now but I don't like him not feeling 100%!
5. Grandpa and Grandma Huckvale came to visit! They also brought Roger who is Grandpa's aid. We love him and are so grateful for his assistance and being so willing to help.
6. My little brother in law David is preparing to go on his mission to Jacksonville, Florida. He gave an awesome talk at church. Sister in law Jenny sang and sounded beautiful.
7. Robby came home from BYU for Christmas break... and surprised us by bringing our good friend Jeremy! They bought their tickets back in October and only told my Mother in Law, Susie. I can't believe they all kept the secret that long!
8. Going to the temple with David for the first time and being there with loved ones. We went with GRANDpa Huckvale to the room where he sealed Jonathon and me 4 years ago. The three of us just cried together as we told him THANK YOU for doing that for us. GRANDma said that was one of the things Grandpa was most excited for- to get to seal his grandchildren in the temple for time and all eternity.  He performed three of these before his stroke left him unable to speak. We feel so honored and privileged to be one of those couples. 
--We're grateful in general to be raised by great examples in our lives and for all the hard work and love of our ancestors in THEIR lives so we can be where we are today.
9. Eating soooooo many Christmas treats!! :D I LOVE candy and sweets.
10. The whole reason I even began writing this post...  I love Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea! I am drinking it for the first time and it is yummy.
---Robby, Jeremy, Cosmo and I just walked Jonathon to walk this cold morning. The boys stayed to get a tour of the office and I planned to go out for a run so I left, but Cosmo is a pansy and can't run so I just came home. It was beautiful watching the sun rise and seeing the little sliver of the moon and that peaceful feeling of being outside walking. I love it. But i was just COLD! So tea hit the spot. :)
11. Rented a CAMERO (and got it for an awesome deal!!) for a day and drove out to Walla Walla to test drive cars with Alex and Talia. I love Talia! She's one of the cutest moms I know. She could start a "Cute Mom Club." We're still trying to make our final decision but I think we've narrowed it down to two.
--Getting a new car is such a tough decision. It is WAY more fun to do it when you can actually afford what you WANT and have been saving up for it!

Spending time with my FaMiLy!

Grandpa and Grandma Roush and Nancy

Breakfast at Shari's Restaurant

Grandpa and Grandma Roush and Aunt Marilyn drove up from Utah to Seattle to visit! I rented a car (gold Chevy Malibu) and drove up to join in on the fun.

------A couple weeks ago, I was talking to my grandma on the phone. Here was our conversation:

Nancy: "Grandma, I just am missing family so much right now. But Jonathon and I can't really afford to fly down to Utah. Do you think there is any chance you and Grandpa might be driving up to Washington to visit any time soon?"

Grandma: "Well, we're driving up in two weeks to see Susan (my aunt) direct her performance of Handel's Messiah."

Nancy: "WHAT??!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I LOVE my grandparents so much and have missed them a lot since moving. I was thrilled to see them! I also got to see my dad, aunts, cousin, and brother. Yay for family!

Nancy and Dad

Here's my recap of this awesome weekend:

SATURDAY:

-get 4 hours of sleep then wake up and pick up my rental car

-drive 2 1/2 hours North to Federal Way to my dad's place

-Arrive. Say hi and hugs to Dad and his wife April.

-Nap-a-roo (I'd gotten my wisdom teeth removed the Wednesday before and was still recovering)

-Go to deaf party with Grandparents, Dad, and April in Edmonds with lots of cool nativities

-Ate SOLID, YUMMY food for the first time in DAYS. Literally, I was starving since I had been throwing everything up since Wednesday. The first taste of something that wasn't apple sauce, V8, or Jello- I couldn't stop stuffing my face!!

-Finally full, we drove home and I played card games with April's two daughters Mary and Olivia and my Dad. Fun! They are so cute. But I learned I am not a young buck anymore. I was sooo tired when we went to bed at 1:00!

-BED

SUNDAY:

-Wake up to a THROBBING face :( I overdid it eating the night before and got a DRY SOCKET

-Spent the morning icing my dang face with frozen bananas.

-Tried eating a pancake and regretted it instantly from the pain.

-Went to church at the American Sign Language branch where April gave a great lesson in Relief Society on the Final Judgement

-Left during the second hour of church in search of pain relief

-Ended up buying a "dental first aid kit" from Wal-Greens and placed Eugenol oil in my vacant holes in my head (wisdom teeth). And an oatmeal at McDonalds.

-Got back for the third hour of church and had a cool thought/experience involving a deaf/blind man who blessed the sacrament (I'll probably write about that in my other blog)

-Went to visit my little brother NOLAN!!!!!!

-Nolan is my half brother who is 7. He is also deaf. He the son of my dad and his second wife, Dina Marie. He lives with his mom up in Edmonds.

----I LOVE Nolan!! He is SO cute. I am amazed every time I see him how much he has grown up. He is so smart and loves math, even though he struggled with it at first. He has learned in the past year how to write, spell, add, subtract, and sign much better. He also knows the difference between someone who is "deaf" and who is "hearing" now.

---We went to the park and played tag. He is going to be a future athlete- he's so fast! Then walked home and had some dinner Dina Marie made. We played some computer games together and then finished with a game of Monopoly with the three of us. He was so cute adding up his money. And when Dina Marie would win something, he'd LIGHT UP and get so excited and jump up and give her a big hug. Haha. He's so cute!! I seriously can't get enough of that kid. Love him!

Caught him in the middle of signing.. I love his bright, happy eyes!

He said it was his turn to take a picture with his camera so he wouldn't let me take anymore of him. I just had to show how cute he is as a whole- his little pants and coat. Hehe!

-Met my family (lots of extended family including my Grandma's nieces Rebecca and others and my cousin) in Renton to watch Handel's Messiah being directed by my aunt Susan Jones.. she did SO GREAT and I loved being a part of that wonderful performance and message. Very powerful.

-Slept at Mike and Susan's house that night, exhausted again..

MONDAY:

-Went to breakfast at Sherri's with Grandpa and Grandma Roush, Dad, his wife April, my aunt Marilyn, and her daughter/my cousin Melanie.

-Said my goodbyes...

-Stopped by the Bath and Body Works outlet on my way home and picked up some sweet deals!

-Stopped by my dental office to have my two dry sockets fixed up

-----Dr. Brad packed the extraction sites with Clove oil gauze to help with the pain. The right one healed up and was great but the left gauze fell out that night and the next morning, the pain came back with a vengeance- worse than ever before! Ughh.. so ready for my mouth to be back to normal!

From left to right:

April, Grandma Roush, Dad, Grandpa Roush, Nancy, Melanie, Marilyn

April, Nancy, and Dad

-DROVE HOME TO MY LOVING JONNO AND WONDERFUL IN-LAWS!

I found out later that night that my Grandpa had a little mini stroke after I left. He is okay but it just makes you cherish these little moments. My grandpa and grandma are my little protectors always making sure I'm safe and happy and have anything and everything I need.

---I left during the Messiah to rest because my mouth was hurting. About ten minutes later, my grandma found me in a random room to check on me and make sure I was okay. She said Grandpa said "Don't you think you outta go check on our girl?" I love that I can feel their radiating, deep, genuine love. Not just for me, but for EVERYONE they come in contact with. Such great examples.

I LOVE my Grandparents. I love my dad. I love Nolan. I loved seeing my Aunt Marilyn. It was really fun being all together up there. I need to make it happen more often. :)

Farewell Wisdom Teeth

Welcome to my life the last 24 hours. The life of a wisdom tooth-less woman..

In the past 24 hours, I have eaten:

- 1 cup of apple sauce

- 1/2 a banana

- two bites of Susie's homemade chicken noodle soup

- four saltine crackers

- three sips of v8 fruit juice

In the past 24 hours. I have thrown up:

- some apple sauce

-two bites of chicken noodle soup

- a banana...

Okay, okay, you get the idea!!

My body is RARE in the way that for some reason, I can't metabolize medicine. The same percocet that will knock someone out or take away every ounce of pain, does not even affect me in the slightest. This has proved true for just about every type of pain killer and muscle relaxer I've ever tried the last few years.

SO, after having surgery done on your head, that can be a pretty painful thing. This same thing happened five years ago when I had my tonsils out and I ended up just throwing up every couple hours for a week until I healed. :( To try and get some effect, I need to take double, but by doing that, it makes for an upset stomach and I can't keep any food down. Sigh.

If I just don't move, I feel sick, but not enough to throw up. SOoo I am making a perma-mold on my couch of my body shape by only getting up when necessary! I've also discovered I'm really sensitive to lights and sounds right now so the TV doesn't sound good to watch, nor does typing this blog post!

THE PROCEDURE ITSELF WAS GREAT!

Dr. Greg Gillespie (who I work for) extracted my two bottom wisdom teeth yesterday morning. The procedure went great! I was totally knocked out and LaVonna is the sweetest assistant and was really cute and helped a lot too. I seriously love this office. (Cindy is kind of the 'office manager' and called me a few times yesterday to make sure I had someone to take care of me through out the day and make sure I'll be okay. Everyone in the office is just so incredibly nice. I LOVE them!!)

Susie, my mother-in-law, took me to and from the office, helped me get my prescriptions filled, has brought me down soup and food and ice packs and has done a great job taking care of me. She is genuinely a good-hearted woman through and through and I am grateful for her in my life.

Jonathon is the best husband and took an early lunch from work yesterday to make sure I was okay and has set all the timers so I don't miss taking my medicine so I won't be in pain. We had a sleep over in the living room on our couches so he could be close by to help. I love that man!

The sickly puke all bundled up! :)

Thoughts by Nancy

I had an experience just now that I felt I should share with someone. Then I wondered who would be proper to share it with and couldn't think of anyone and realized I was just having a simple ol' thought, which seems to happen a few times through out the day. You know the kind-- nothing important, but something happens and you feel like sharing it? Well, I have decided I'm going to start recording those little thoughts each day here. Just be happy this next one doesn't include a picture from today...

I just gotta tell you.......

I LOVE cleaning up dog poop. Especially diarrhea. Oh, and you better believe I love cleaning it even more when it has exploded all over Cosmo's cage because he whined early this morning and I thought he was just being a pansy. And I LOVE cleaning it when I left his cage outside all day so it freezes in the cage, and then I have to scrub it even harder to get it off. And the smell, oh, that lovely, foul, stinky, putrid smell.. LOVE when it enters each one of my big ol' nostrils delicately so I can't breath. YES!! Thank you Cosmo! And thank you Bob for feeding Cosmo human food during dinner last night so I could experience this glorious tender connecting moment between me and my little boy.

"Who, ME??"

-Cosmo, and his white cotton beard

Assume the best of others

"Treat a man as he is and

he will remain as he is.

Treat a man as he can and should be and

He will become as he can and should be."

-Goethe

A great reminder for everybody. If you treat someone poorly, they will respond and ACT the way you view them. --Think about someone you don't like being around. Whenever they are around, you've already labeled them to BE this certain way, therefore, you don't even allow them a chance to show their true greatness.

I would *hate* to know that I am limiting someone because of my own selfishness.

Oppositely, if you see their potential and encourage it, people will have courage to shine and be empowered because of YOUR FAITH in them to become so.

Trip to Utah

I know this is late, but I had such a fun time and want to remember it!

Jonathon had to spend two weeks in Wisconsin for work to train for his job with Sentry Insurance. I decided this would be a fun time for me to get away too and go back home to Utah to see some friends and family for the weekend.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 8, 2011

First, I got a very special pick up at the airport from my sister Shirley and her two adorable sons Ryan and Brady. Shirley lives out in Spanish Fork which is about 1 1/2 hours from the SLC airport so I felt very special! It was so good to see her and the boys smiling faces!

Jumping on the trampoline

After we were in the car, I asked Ryan if he wanted to open a surprise. I wanted to start a tradition that whenever I come visit, I bring surprises from Washington. He opened them in the car (some gold fish crackers-- He used to love playing a game called UZU on my Iphone and he called the little dots "Fissies!' :) and a potty training book) So when we asked what it was, he replied "A surprise. From Wash-ink-ton!" I LOVE him! I love everything about him.

We stopped by to visit our Mom who was at the deaf church volunteering for a craft day. She showed all of us off to her deaf friends. It was good to see her for a minute!

Then Shirley and I spent the next few hours SHOPPING. I love shopping at thrift stores and finding good deals. And second-hand clothes are cheaper in Utah than WA for some reason. Here is my haul:

Ten shirts, twelve jackets, three pairs of shoes, and a coat..

I think my closet is officially complete.

I had brought a huge suitcase from WA for the purpose of bringing back some of the stuff I'm storing at my mom's house and I ended up filling it FULL of new clothes!!

Shirley and I went to lunch at Cafe Rio. I had forgotten how much I LOVE Cafe Rio since we don't have it in WA! And Ryan got a sharp chip caught in his throat. It was so sad.

Spending the day with them made me really look up to Shirley as a mom. She does a great job and is an amazing mother to her boys. She said something like she was kind of embarrassed because Ryan is just so crazy when they go out and she just doesn't know how to control him and feels bad like she should be better. I was so surprised because all day long I'd been thinking just the opposite! I am amazed how well she handles having such a too-smart-for-his-own-good, gets-into-everything kid and little baby at the same time and how well she parents them and teaches Ryan good principles. He is a GREAT kid and he can owe a huge chunk of that from having such great parents. I hope someday I can have as cute and good of little kids as those two!

The most amazing Mom: Shirley, and my two cute nephews

A few hours later, Shirley dropped me off at my Mom's house in Sandy and I took a nap (I'd only slept two hours the night before from all the excitement!) and I got a special chauffeur to drive me up to Provo for the BYU football game... SHALECE! I was SO HAPPY to see her! I met her and Smallz when I used to referee their lacrosse games and they rescued me one night when I didn't have a ride home. We've been great friends ever since. :) We even went the scenic route through Draper to beat traffic. I love her and have really missed her friendship since moving up to WA so it was so good to spend some time with her.

Shalece and me at UVU

(I was trying to look Asian)

Another GREAT friend, my BOSOM BUDDY Kat came to pick me up and went with me to the BYU vs. San Jose State game (we won- yay!). Kat is another one that I've absolutely missed and yearned to find a friend like this in WA. She's been one of my best friends since 9th grade and even though we don't get to see each other near as often as we'd like, we can always start up right where we left off. I LOVE her!! We also sat with my brother-in-law Robby and his friend Chantelle at the game and it was fun to see him, as always. It was weird being at a game without Jonathon!!

Kat and me at the BYU vs San Jose State football game

We went to a weird Provo party (it made me remember all the reasons I hated the "single life"-- with awkward, superficial conversations, the sole entertainment was the laptop showing a stand up comedian.. etc etc) and then got some hot cocoa at some ghetto 7-11 in Provo then she dropped me at my sister's in Spanish Fork. Thanks Kat!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9th, 2011

We planned to spend the day doing crafts and making hair accessories, but we ended up taking a nice long nap instead! Ryan went with Grandma Lisa to church and we met up with them later that night at my Grandma Richards house.

Oh, first we stopped by quickly at my GUEST FRIEND Shaun Morrow's house so I could see his new little baby Dax. He is the CUTEST little red-headed baby ever. Good job Shaun and Taya on making such an adorable thing. It was also fun seeing their family-- All his family was there for Shaun's birthday dinner. Shaun was one of my best friends through middle school and high school and his family was like my second family, especially his mom Linda. They will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Little Dax!

Grandma made a nice dinner and it was fun just spending time with family catching up and laughing. She always makes yummy dinners so I look forward to eating there every time! Then we played games and, of course, took some pictures.

Me and the little nuggets!

I'm obsessed with them- aren't they so cute??? They are good friends and cute brothers too!

Ryan playing with the 'mustache comb' I brought for Steven as his souvenir from WA

He went around brushing everyone's hair with it- haha!

Ryan and me

He loved the pine cones. We were playing a game where we'd pick up the pine cones and throw them onto the pool cover. He could have done this for hours!

Grandma and her two grandsons

I love this picture oh so much

Cute Brady and Shirley

The Whole Gang

Can you SPOT the differences??

This is our TRUE side shining through!!

I stayed at Grandma Richards house that night. We stayed up until almost 2:00 AM talking. This was like the old days. She's always been one of my best friends. I remember when I was in 7th grade just having a hard day and she came and picked me up and took me shopping. For some reason, that just made my day! And she loves doing things like that for her grandkids. She's always having so much fun and wants to let everyone have a good time. I'll forever be grateful Jonathon and I got to live so close by her during our college years to strengthen that bond. Finally we had to force ourselves to go to bed!

Monday, OCTOBER 10th, 2011

Grandma and I woke up and decided it'd be fun to go get some brunch. We waited and waited for my mom to join us and finally the three of us went to Lettuce and Ladles. It was tasty!

We planned to get pedicures but we ended up not having enough time because my grandma had tickets to the opera that night. We went birthday shopping for me instead. I got the BEST brown boots EVER and some cute little blue shoes. They are both my dream shoes and I get compliments every time I wear them. Thanks Grandma!!! I also helped her find some slip on Sketchers she'd been looking for for years and she was so excited! She got some in black and white. :)

My mom and I went and did a little shopping on our way back to her house and then stopped at Beto's to get some dinner. I LOVE BETOS and MISS IT SO MUCH!!!!!

Mom and I spent some time together chatting then started a movie. She fell asleep pretty quick and went to bed. Steven came home and we ended up talking for almost four hours! I guess we needed to catch up! It was nice spending that time with him and getting that connection back as brother and sister- even if it meant I was a very tired girl the next morning..

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Grandpa and Grandma Roush came to pick me up bright and early in the morning to take me ROCK HUNTING! I'd never been so I begged them to take me while I was in town. We stopped by McDonalds on the way for some breakfast and played the Monopoly game-- 6 tries and didn't win anything! haha. And then picked up a $14 disposable camera since we forgot ours at home.

They are so cute.

The view of Utah Lake- we were near Saratoga Springs

Me and Grandpa

Grandpa finding and picking up a big rock he liked

He said "I like the ones that have got character- bumps and unique shapes"

Loading it in the truck. He's so strong!

Grandpa has a real knack for finding rocks. He'd drive along in his favorite little gray pick up truck and keep his head out the window. Somehow he'd see a GREAT rock thirty feet away, park his truck, get out his gloves and little hammer and pull out the rock and load it into the truck. And those things were heavy! He is my hero. And Grandma is amazing in every way. I admire that woman so much. She has a genuine love for nature and the outdoors. She is taking a class at the Sandy Senior Center where they go explore local trails so she kept picking different flowers excited to bring them back to her class to ask her teacher what they were. She's so cute!

Grandma with some pretty yellow flowers she liked

Me and Grandma sittin on a big ol rock

I loved being out there in the desert with them. It was so quiet and peaceful- we were the only ones there. The weather was perfect for us! I am grateful to Heavenly Father for blessing us with beauty in the world.

Our haul! Grandma and I collected lots of little ones in that white bucket

We stopped by Smiths deli and ate some fried chicken on our way back to my Mom's house.

My mom drove me down town for my massage appointment with Angela- the best massage therapist in SLC! It was much needed and awesome. This was the perfect ending to my trip!!! Then she got me a healthy lunch to eat before getting on the plane. It was so sweet of her to think of that! She dropped me off at the airport where I flew back home to Washington.

In summary... it was a wonderful trip! I LOVE all my friends and family in Utah. To those of you I didn't get to see, I hope I can see you next time. I love you all and am so grateful to have you in my lives. I'm a blessed and lucky girl. :) And come visit me up here!!! I'll take you out and show you the town!

Feeling Sour?

I'm planning my lesson for the Young Women's class I teach on Sunday. I came across this gem! LOL for some reason this made me laugh so hard!

My lesson is "Association with Others" so I wanted to talk about how service can help you view people in a new light and make new friends, etc, etc.

SO... don't be a sour puss this week! "Squeeze in some time for others; kindness and service bring sweetness to your life."

Last week I taught the lesson on "Being Dependable" and for my introduction, I held up a package of DEPENDS underwear. After the lesson, I handed out little diapers full of chocolate candies with a card on front that said "Be DEPENDable- and your life will be filled with SWEETNESS." They turned out really cute! I took a picture but it somehow got deleted. :( The girls were embarrassed to be walking around holding diapers after church! Haha!

Can you tell I like to have some fun in my lessons? I love being in YW!

Updates

1) Jonathon is in Wisconsin for a couple weeks for training with Sentry. He's really enjoying it and learning lots! He even got hit on by his waitress at the local restaurant- My J's still got it! haha

2) I am going to Utah this weekend! I am probably going to the BYU football game, get to see good friends and catch up, and of course, my great family-- and I'm so excited!

3) I have a JOB INTERVIEW either tomorrow or Thursday!

My phone rang this morning at 10:06. I took some Nyquil last night and was pretty out of it so I woke up when it rang. (I swear my alarm was set for 7:00-- where did those three hours go??) I had called and cancelled an appointment for 10:00 this morning at the hair salon so I thought maybe they didn't get the message so they were just calling to check where I was. When I got the voicemail, it was Marly calling so set up an interview for a job I'd applied for online! I jumped out of bed and SCREAMED!

I've been looking for a second job for a few months now and it has seemed like there are no offices in need of a hygienist right now. Is there anything more frustrating than trying to find a job?? I LOVE the Gillespies and have been so grateful to have the 1-2 days a week there. But getting my student loan bills each month quickly remind me that I need an increase in my income.

I called her back and she said she'll talk with the doctors and call me today to let me know if Wednesday or Thursday will work best for the interview. I looked up the office online and it seems perfect. From what I saw there, it looks like we'd be a great fit. Soooo... wish me luck! I am SO EXCITED!!!!!

4) I start my SEWING CLASS tomorrow night! I got a book from the library called "Sewing with Nancy" to help prep before I go. Heh!

5) I have a hair appointment tonight.. and anyone who knows me knows I LOVE getting my hair done! :) Me and Jonathon made a deal a long time ago that he gets to spend money on electronics and I spend mine on hair. It just works.

Actually, I should add that I go to this cute lady up here named Janet who has her own little salon at her house. The last two times I went, she only charged me $30 for a full color! I've been places in the past that charge $120 for the same thing! So, she's been awesome. Love her!

6) I bought Cosmo bad breath spray and I'm excited to see if it works. I also bought more batteries for his bark collar, which was probably one of the top five purchases I've ever made.

7) I'm going to Utah this weekend!! This is deserving of two of the top ten update spots. :)

8) I bought BedHead dry shampoo for 60% off from Ulta this week. And it is awesome.

If I could buy three things for every woman I know, it'd be:

1) dry shampoo

2) pepper spray

3) floss

9) Jonathon and I found not just one, but TWO whole sand dollars at Seaside beach last weekend!!! That is good luck, you know! Which is probably why I got this interview!

10) I got a new calling at church a couple weeks ago to be in Young Womens. I am the newest Laurel Advisor. I have loved it so far! I also get to be in it with Annie, Jonathon's youngest sister. We have a lot of fun together so that is just an extra plus.

I plan to post the pictures and blog about our quick weekend trip to the coast-- it was SO AWESOME. I officially love the coast. But I need to wait until I get the pictures off of Jonathon's camera so I'll do that when he gets home.

And I will see some of you soon this weekend!