Been a while

It's been quite a while since I have blogged. I'll admit that I don't really like the hassle of uploading photos right now. So you won't get much right now. Yesterday I went to Xtreme Sports with my brother for my birthday. It was such a blast. This place is a large warehouse type building with several foam pits as well as trampolines to jump into the pits with. There was a large rock wall with a large foam pit beneath it so you could fall backwards from the wall. I could only get half way up before I chickened out. It was so high up! Peter just laughed at me.

I got over my hesitation and finally did a flip!!! The first one Peter MISSED! Ack! Ah well, I was able to do more. It was so much fun jumping into the foam pits. It was exhilarating jumping so high and falling through the air...but getting out of the pits was...the pits! It took so much energy, was exhausting, and not to mention, it took FOREVER! Your momentum pushed you deep into the foam and they pressed in on you like a wall. Peter flipped into the air and then disappeared completely in the foam! It was funny to see him dig his way out.

We then went and had Panda Express for dinner. It was a blast. I love spending time with my brother! He's truly the best:P

Fabulous Spring Break

This past week has been such a blast. Monday I celebrated my 18th birthday by going to Hop with my sisters and my friend A'Lea. It was a strange movie. I also borrowed River Secrets from A'Lea and read it that afternoon. It was a very good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The rest of the week I spent at work. Wednesday I came home from work too tired to eat and ended up taking an hour nap before I ate dinner. I spent Thursday with Holly where we watched TV, ate pizza, and relaxednwith her puppies. Friday I spent at my grandmother's as my grandpa had gone to Salt Lake for a marathon. It was really fun. I swear she was trying to fatten me up with all the food she was giving me.

Yesterday I went to work for four hours even though it was my day off. I've planted so many transplants for Holly. I then came home and started laundry and did my chore. Dad and I then went on a long walk up the canyon before we got ice-cream and picked up Faith and Hope from the swimming pool. It was a blast.

I've got to go now for an appointment. This has all been typed with an iPad. Cool huh? I can't wait to get my own. Thank you Dad for letting me use your iPad!!!

Happy Birthday Eve to Me!

Canst you believe it? I'll be eighteen tomorrow! Oh my goodness! I can hardly believe it myself. Life seems to have just completely exploded lately and I'm lovin' it. Life is truly wonderful. I'm so grateful to my wonderful parents for the examples they have set for me to follow and how they are always pushing me to be my best and do what I want to do. My dad is the most wonderful person to talk to. I love taking walks with him and talking about serious things and life. He's always got a good perspective on things. Thank you Mom for being my mom and taking the effort to be involved in my life. Thank you so much for letting me grow at my own rate and pace and letting me come into my own on my own time without trying to push me ahead. You're such an inspiration with all that you do all the time and I honestly think you're super-woman.

I'm grateful to my siblings for all that they've done for me and all the support they've offered over the years. Thank you Holly for being my best friend and having those silly inside jokes that are really just so stupid...but are somehow hilarious because they're our inside jokes. You are always telling me I can do it. No matter what it is you believe in me and I'm so grateful for that. Thank you ever so much for being there for me and listening to all my woes.

Thank you Peter for being my only brother. Your teasing always makes me smile. You have a wonderful laugh and I'm grateful for your sense of humor. I'm so thankful you've put up with me and listening to me rant and stress over what to do when it comes to boys. I couldn't ask for a better brother. You always make me smile and I love it when you come over Sundays to be with the family when I'm sure you could be somewhere else.

Abby...where to begin? Remember when we were so excited to share a room because we got along so well? Remember when you had those conniving ideas that always got you into trouble? Well I'm going to apologize now for ratting you out! I don't know how often I did, just that sometimes I was the reason you got in trouble. You've always listened to me, especially the same complaints over and over. As annoying as you can be, I'm glad that I have you as a sister. Sometimes your faults are very irritable, but I know I'm not perfect either. I'm glad that we can always bounce back as friends after fighting or shouting at one another.

Faify!! My personality twin!!! ... okay maybe not quite a twin. I'm so glad we understand each other so well. It was rough sharing a room, but I suppose I understand you a little better now. I know you are talented, and I'm more glad than ever that you keep a humble attitude about it. Never forget God has blessed you and give credit to him. I love being your sister, and I'm so glad that your my kid sister so I get to tease on you. You're beautiful, I love you, and I'm glad you decided to come to our family.

Hope. Where to begin? I realized today that your the one thing that tries my patience above all, but at the same time you help me grow. I know there are some times I take you for granted and bully you around. I'm sorry. You're so smart, and even though I hate it when you manipulate people, I give kudos to you for being so successful with it. I'm glad your finally growing up more...and I'm glad I've grown up enough to look passed my impatience to see you as my little sister...and not my baby sister. You'll be so tall soon! I won't hardly be able to call you my little sister any longer!

Today I reflect on my family. They make my life. I love Sundays the most because most of us get together and reminisce some. We've got our problems, we've got our sorrows, but we've got each other. I just want to thank everyone in my life right now. I'm going to be an adult tomorrow, and I know I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for the people in my life and all they do and don't do for me.

I love where I live. I love God. Most of all, I love the gospel. Being a Mormon in these awful days is honestly a wonderful blessing. In a world so torn and distraught by war, hate, crime, lies, and selfishness I feel like I've got some refuge. I hope that all people can come to Christ and realize that we don't have to be alone, and we're not always lost to him. I was born in April, on Easter Sunday even nearly eighteen years ago.

I've just realized that my birthday does not belong to me...but to my family and those who care about me.

I'm thankful.

I love my Job

Have you ever had a job you love? Well I do. I just love going up to clean at the Hale's house. Today I got there and had to guess at my work since Sister Hale was busy with a "body talk". I started a load of laundry and Minnie and Michael were hanging on me. Those two know how to make my day! I saw Minnie looked at her and told her I tell people about her all the time. She asked why. I said because she's so cute and it's fun to tell people. This is what she said...

"I don't want you giving my words away!"

Oh what a sweet little darling!!! I asked her why and we talked a little while before I had to go pick up Faith. She's such a doll and she's hilarious. Michael wanted to go with me to pick up Faith from cleaning the studio. So I buckled him into my car and drove down to the dance studio. While I was driving he was talking, but I couldn't really understand him. Then he was going on and on about these supposed "aliens" that Andrew said would crush their house. I tried telling Michael if he was nice and tried to be friends with the aliens then they wouldn't crush his house. They probably just wanted a friend and were lonely. Of course that wasn't the answer he wanted.

"They're yellow, and red, and white, and orange, and purple, and I'm going to have to hide these shoes. And THEN I'll crush them with my Sunday shoes before they steal them!!!!" he was so passionate about crushing the aliens. It was the best car ride ever. I could see that his infectious attitude helped to put Faith in a better mood as she was being really snippy earlier.

I took Minnie to ballet and Michael wanted to go again. Today was really warm (so nice compared to the six inches of SNOW we had Sunday) but after having the windows down to cool off my car she said it was COLD and really wanted me to put the windows up. Naturally Michael and I didn't like that as we both like having the windows down, but I was nice and put them up. When I dropped her off Michael was excited to put the windows down.

My day was really fun. I mopped their floor and folded two loads of laundry and sent two through the washer and dryer. I really love going to their house. It's always so much fun and the kids are great. I'm truly grateful for my job and how wonderful it is. It's always nice to love your job!!!

Of Magic and Sunshine

This week has been busy and full of much exhaustion. My bizarre vertigo has been persistent and evolved as well as obtaining new symptoms. It has been rather miserable some days to the point where I just have to have a nap. Thursday I just couldn't get out of bed for school on time. I couldn't do it! It was as if I hadn't even slept at all the night before. I skipped first period and headed to school. I was so miserable, and my poor friend Jared had been sick as well. We were mellow company. I slept ten minutes in Chemistry (teacher gave the okay!) and was feeling dead in fourth period during Computer Tech 2. When I walked outside I was AMAZED and my frown was turned upside down :) It was so sunny and warm. My dad and I had to go for a walk. We love walking together!!

Yesterday I worked at the Garden Center which was fun, and warm :p I had a fairly good time. I love the blooms there!! They make me happy and they smell divine. Today I was asked what my favorite part about working in a garden center was... The smell. There is just something about the smell of dirt with the mixture of flower fragrances. I love that smell like people love the smell of rain (I like rain too!).

Pretty huh?

This is a forsithia, I love how yellow it is!

What a beautiful rose!

This is an aloe vera when it blossoms! So amazing! I never knew they bloomed...

One of two new orchids my sister bought.

This is both of the orchids! They're small compared to my grandpa's other plants. They're his prized possessions.

This is a BLACK petunia!! OMG!!! Can you say BEAUTIFUL!!!

Black petunias are my new favorite :]

I think this is a type of mimosa...it's one of the spanish ladies.

I'll have you know this is some of the Lantana I transplanted. Aren't you proud?

Got to love Mums!

I love the frilly pansies, though this picture took forever to take outside because of all the wind. It was so windy today! I swept a section outside...I think all that hard work has disappeared thanks to Mr. Wind.

This is the other new orchid...oh how I love orchids!!!

Such a fiery color! Took up the last shot on my memory card.

Calla lilies are one of my favorites.

Today was so busy, and so much fun. Holly and I were a great tag team and did loads of trays full of plugs. I stacked the trays, filled with dirt, and occasionally did the holes in the dirt. We were so fast and did lots!! What would she ever do without me?

Today Mom and I went to Wal-mart. We found a miracle item! It's called a Sea Band.

This is how you wear it. You wear both.

See? You get two!

These things are amazing! A lady in my ward recommended them to my mom to help with the vertigo. Well we bought them this morning, and after a couple minutes of wearing them I WAS NO LONGER MOTION SICK!!! Oh my GOSH!!! Seriously? I was so happy! I was able to work all day with just faint dizziness at the back of my attention. It has no magnets. The secret? Those white plastic things press on an acupuncter point that helps with motion sickness, EVEN for pregnant women! I was so impressed. When Mom and I were off work and driving home I took them off, one because Mom wanted to try one on, and two, to see how I'd feel. It didn't take long for me to start to feel sick in the car and really uncomfortable. I put the bands back on and poof! Just like magic the sickness vanished! WOW!! They are my new favorite thing! I highly recommend them to anyone.

I laugh at myself for how things have turned out. I've got to be the only human being on the planet that gets motion sick from walking. It makes me chuckle.

[Have you ever had a bizarre ailment that is suddenly cured by the unlikely?]