Adam and Sugar

Sometimes you arrive at an event and find yourself improperly dressed for the activities being done. When that moment comes you have two choices: to abstain from the activities deemed "inappropriate" for you attire, or to disregard what others might say and have fun. I strongly recommend the second option.

Yesterday I spent hours chasing Adam through bounce houses and going with him down slides just because he assured me they were "super fun!" I was in a dress, and for a moment I thought about telling that sweet little boy I couldn't play with him because I had come in the wrong clothes. But the more he said, "Come! Fun!" the less I could resist him. And guess what - he may only be 2, but he knows what he's talking about. I haven't had that much fun in a LONG time.

Luckily our adventures didn't end there. When we went home Adam and I decided to make cookies. I had forgotten how exciting that can be to a 2 year old. The best part was after he discovered the dough was delicious he splatted some on me. (I'm still trying to decide whether or not it was on purpose). Then he decided to help me get it cleaned up by licking it off my arm. Even better still was that it took him a good couple minutes to get it licked completely clean. 

Of all the roles I play, Aunt Sugar is becoming more and more my favorite as time goes on. 

Thanks, Adam, for giving me a break from my crazy life and helping me play and laugh like a kid again! I love you!

What doesn't kill you

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger... or so I've been told.

But honestly this week I was beginning to think that for me it went something like "what doesn't kill you makes you weak enough that they can kill you tomorrow" or "what doesn't kill you leaves you maimed and useless."

But the truth is that Heavenly Father loves His children, which includes you and me and everyone else out there. And the hard things that we go through are not to make us weak, depressed, or ashamed of ourselves.

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: 

knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

And hope maketh not ashamed; 

because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts

 by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

Romans 5:3-5

If weekends were forever...

Raise your hand if you loved conference!
You can't see it, but my hand is WAY up in the air.
This weekend was absolutely perfect. Not only were the messages given in General Conference exactly what I needed to hear, as always, but the rest of the weekend fell so happily in to place that I can't think of a single thing I didn't love.
Saturday morning I got to sleep in all the way to 8:00am, which NEVER happens! It was a beautiful morning and my brother and I went for a run together (one of our favorite activities) and danced around the apartment to Earth, Wind, and Fire (another one of our favorite activities) all before making waffles and settling down for Conference. After the first session we met up with family to watch Boise State kick Nevada's trash for 2 quarters, watched the second session of Conference, and then finished the game. (GO BRONCOS!!!) Sunday was equally wonderful. Again I got to sleep in, spend time with family, be spiritually fed, and in keeping with tradition get together with some very close family friends for a delicious feast between sessions.
After a seriously stressful week of work it was the perfect way to come back to reality and be reminded of the truly important things in life:
my FAMILY, my FAITH, and of course, FOOTBALL :)

Little Victories

I can't believe it has literally almost been 6 months since the last time I blogged. Guess who has been a busy girl these days... this girl. But I have decided that I feel a lot better about what I do day to day when it is recorded. Even if no one else reads it or ever hears about it, writing it down somehow makes me feel accountable for the work I have done and the time I put in. So it is back to the blog for me!

For anyone who did not have the pleasure of hearing Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk from the General Relief Society Meeting this past weekend I highly recommend that you click on the following link. "Forget Me Not" President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

In his talk I felt that President Uchtdorf spoke directly into my soul and because of that I have been turning his words over in my head all week long. The biggest subject on my mind has been being patient with myself. Long term goals are not going to be realized all at once. I need to find happiness in the progress I make towards my goals every day. I have found that too often I am putting myself down for not yet being where I want to be rather than looking at how far I have come since I decided to change. This is something that has been on my mind for a while now, but I didn't have any idea how to make it better. Then these words spoke right to my heart. "God wants to help us to eventually turn all our weakness into strengths, but he knows this is a long term goal... [your] successes may seem tiny to you and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to him."

And that is when I decided I want to start recording my "little victories" of every day. 

I now have a little notebook I have been keeping in my purse that I have officially set apart to document my little victories. My long term goals are written on the back pages and I have the whole book to get closer to them. So far my entries range from finally writing the letter to my friend in the Army that I have been meaning to get out for weeks to organizing my bills to hearing that one of my patients has actually learned from the asthma class I teach and was able to wake her dad up when she was having an asthma attack the other night and tell him exactly what she needed to come out of it. 

Honestly I have already started to notice a major difference in my day as I write these little victories down. They give me even more reason to smile. 

Are you a WARRIOR?

Once upon a time I moved into my own apartment and didn't get internet set up for a month..... so this is my first post in a long time, but it will be a good one!

I have a question to ask you - Are you a warrior?

Because I am.

How do I know I am a warrior you ask?

Look at this:

A picture says a thousand words, does it not?

Hehe. SO this weekend Casey and I ran a 5K called The Warrior Dash and it was pretty much  the most empowering experience of my life. I literally left there on an adrenaline rush that is still going strong and with a new feeling that I am invincible! How could I feel any other way after hurdling over cars, jumping fences, running through rivers, climbing cargo nets, crawling through trenches, jumping over a fire, and swimming through a mud pit all in the course of 5 kilometers? I think it is safe to say it was the craziest frickin' day of my life.

And then to top it off at the end I was given a medal and a furry viking helmet. As if I didn't already feel powerful, the helmet did me in! It was the best day I have had in a long while and I love that Casey Anne was there to do it with me! WE ARE WARRIORS!

Beach bum

I have a confession to make. There is something I have wanted for quite a while and today I bought it just because. I didn't need it... but I love it! 

I am the proud owner of a big floppy beach hat like Dorris Day or Aubrey Hepburn would have worn with big sunglasses. I plan to wear it while I sit by my pool this summer reading a good book drinking a smoothie.

I tried it out today at the lake and I fear it has already become a part of me :)

I had a great time swinging in my hammock listening to Jack Johnson in the perfect weather we have been having lately.

Then we hit the water for the first time this season. It felt sooo good to be out there in the middle of the lake with the sun shining bright and a nice warm breeze... By the way, how cool is it that in March I can be out kayaking on the lake with my brothers and it isn't freezing cold!? I love Texas!

S'mores made a great end to the day's adventures. I have become a professional at melting the chocolate on the graham in preparation for the marshmallow. 

All in all it was just a great day. New hat, lake, hammock, and s'mores. What more could I ask for?

The bare necessities of life

My life officially got crazy when I started working 2 weeks ago. 

I hadn't found an apartment, but I thought I would be okay for a while commuting to Ft. Worth from my parent's house. However, after showing up a half hour late on my first day despite the fact that I left before 6am and didn't have to be there until 8am I started to consider finding my own place a much more serious matter. 

All I did that first week was drive back and forth between home and work and try not to develop a possibly fatal case of road rage. 

So Friday after work I signed a lease and Saturday I moved my few things in to my brand new beautiful apartment. Seriously it is awesome. 9 ft ceilings, crown molding, brand new carpet, brand new sinks and countertops... AWESOME.

My kitchen looks great! I already had a lot of good stuff and I recently bought the dishes I wanted and a bright red KitchenAid! 

The rest of my apartment though is sadly lacking... 

I have a coffee table and an air mattress.

That is all.

Seriously though, I don't have a TV which would be fine because I do have a computer, but I don't have internet set up yet... and as of right now I live all alone. I GET SO BORED. 

But I am very happy, and I love my job! And soon enough that will result in my getting paid and then I can start finding things (hopefully furniture) to fill my empty apartment with :) Until then I am making memories. I get to tell my kids one day about how I had to eat dinner sitting on a pillow on the floor at the coffee table, and I am sure they will be amused!

I need some HOT STUFF!

This post is long overdue! I was going to wait until I could upload the pics from Ephraim's camera, but he is MIA and i couldn't wait any longer, so I will add them in when I get them.

Last weekend was the best weekend I have had in ages!

Garrett, Sallie, Ephraim and I have been plotting and planning Operation Bill-nap for quite a while, and we finally found the perfect opportunity. Friday morning Ephraim and I went over to the Tryon's house to get Bill and take him out to lunch. As we were leaving I instructed Bill to grab an extra pair of clothes and some insulin. He obeyed, but had no idea what we were actually going to do... hehe. So we got in the car and started driving.

About an hour and a half later we stopped in Jacksboro at a Subway to get lunch - and that is when Bill finally realized that lunch was not the only thing we had planned. But to his credit, once he figured that out he easily came to the conclusion that we were going to Lubbock to see Garrett and Sallie!!

When we got there to Lubbock we went to an activity at the institute where we were introduced to the game Just Dance. Then there was no turning back! We all went to Wal-Mart as soon as it was over, bought the game, and then spent ALL NIGHT laughing as we played and watched each other play Just Dance... as soon as we woke up the next morning we got right back to it ;)

The whole weekend was just amazing! I have the best friends in the entire world and I wish we could do that all the time. Hopefully the next road trip wont be far in the future! I LOVE YOU GARRETT AND SALLIE!

Get a job! Sha-da-da-da! Sha-da-da-da-da!!!!

I don't know if you knew, but finding a job can be hard work. 

Even when you have a degree (or two!) and experience in your field.

I moved down here thinking "I am totally set! I'll be working in no time!" 

But after applying to approximately twenty-five-hundred-thousand-MILLION-and-eighteen hospitals and coming back empty handed I had changed my tune a little.

However, I am not here to throw myself a pity party. 

I am in fact here to announce that I GOT A JOB!!!!!

I will be working at 

Cook Children's Morris Foundation Center 

for Innovation in Children's Health Care! 

(Which is quite a mouthful if you ask me. I hope I don't have to say all that when I answer the phone. Especially because I will probably be doing that in Spanish.)

The job should be awesome and I am sure I will LOVE it! I will be doing everything from phone triage to house visits in both English and Spanish and I am sure things will get a little crazy here and there, but I am so excited I can hardly stand it! I can't wait to work with those sweet little ones and help make them feel better :) Being a nurse is the best!

The Hunger Games

As you can see over there to the side, one of my goals for 2011 is to make time to read for pleasure. I have always loved reading and usually when I start a book you can expect me to disappear until I have finished it. But that hasn't happened in a long time... until Tuesday.

Tuesday night my sister handed me "The Hunger Games" and told me I should read it.Thursday morning I emerged from my bedroom just long enough to go to hers and trade her for the second book "Catching Fire." 

Sadly shortly afterward I had to resume my responsible adult life so I am only about 100 pages in, but WOAH. I had forgotten how much I love a good book, how easily I transport myself into their world, and how fast time passes when you are completely enthralled.

If you haven't read "The Hunger Games" you totally should. There is one important thing to remember though: there is no need to starve yourself just because you are reading about hunger games. Take a break, or eat while you read, but please, read responsibly :)

POND. Vallie Pond.

This weekend my brother's girlfriend came to Texas for her birthday. 

This was her first time in Texas which meant that we needed to show her a little bit of what Texas really is. 

As far as I'm concerned,there is not much that says Texas or South better than FRIED CHICKEN.

So we took her to Babe's!


On the drive we interrogated her with questions that would help us to truly see her character such as:
1. If you could have any super power, what would it be?
2. If you were an assassin, what would your name and weapon be?
3. At five years old, what was your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?


These questions were very carefully chosen in order to determine whether she and Ephraim were a good fit...
(Bill, me, Sallie, and Garrett - AKA, the interrogators)

but based on her answers we collectively decided that we liked her and that she would make a good addition to our tight knit group of friends that have been together for over 20 years. (That is, if she wants to be a part of this... which is still to be determined)

When we made it to Babe's, I think she knew we would embarrass her by having the waitresses sing to her... But I don't think she expected having to 

dance like a chicken while wearing a chicken hat!!!

(Ephraim was very surprised to see Vallie as a chicken)

Once our bellies were more than stuffed, we had laughed excessively and danced the Hokey Pokey (cause that's what it's all about) we were ready to leave. Our great waitress made a few final comments about how cute it was that Eph had brought his girl all the way from Idaho and how great that they were going to get married (do you think she knows something we don't?) and then we headed out the door.


Bill and Garrett "figure skated" in the parking lot at Target while Al and Jen got some last minute necessities and then we spent the rest of the night playing Poo-head and leg wrestling at their house. 


I just have to say, I have the best friends EVER. 

So... Vallie!! (Or should I say, Night Hawk?!) Welcome to Texas and welcome to the FATS!!! 

I hope you had as much fun as I did!

SNOW DAY!

Early Tuesday morning it started to snow, 

and in Texas a half inch of snow pretty much freezes time :)

But sadly it was WAY too cold to be playing out there :(

So after watching a ton of movies, 

drinking hot chocolate by the fire,

and otherwise just relaxing,

I decided to let my creative side have a go!

The awesome apron I am sporting in this picture was the brilliant outcome:

I fell in love the moment I put it on! 

Now I am contemplating starting my own cooking show... 

Can you imagine the tasty wonders I could create while wearing this apron?? 

On my own, here we go

I'm having trouble trying to sleep. It is probably due to the fact that the mattress on which I currently sleep needed to be replaced approximately 20 years ago... but at least I'm not on the couch, right?

I have recently fallen in love with following my friends' blogs and I decided I needed a blog of my own. So as an introduction to my new blog I thought I would give a quick run down of my life thus far. 

I grew up with a wonderful family that taught me all about the good things in life.

When I was 18 I decided to go to school at BYU-Idaho to study nursing. 

I graduated with my associates degree and RN license and got my dream job working in a NICU at a great hospital in Boise. I started making real money and that was about the time I figured out that I was 

SINGLE AND FABULOUS.

I caught the travel bug and decided to see the world! I explored Amsterdam while waiting for my connecting flight to...

CAIRO, EGYPT

 where I spent two weeks with my best friend Casey and her husband Joe.

The next big trip of my life would last much longer than two weeks.

I spent a 18 months as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Buenos Aires Argentina. The experience opened my eyes, my heart, and my understanding. Part of my heart will always be there.

When I got back to the States I decided to go back to school for my bachelor's degree. My big brother and I graduated together in December...

And now I am FINALLY back in Texas where I belong!

So that is me! I am still single, still fabulous, and currently looking for a job and a new adventure :) I have no doubt that something exciting is coming soon... that's what life is like when you're a STAR!