Can't wait to start another project

After making a few "things" as Christmas presents I kind of have the
I want to make stuff desire.
some might call it is a sickness, but it isn't

I can't post pictures of my projects just yet -- because they haven't been opened and what if it ruined the surprise!?

I think that my next project will be this. I can't get over how cute it is and It looks like something I can handle. Well, maybe I should finish my quilting project from a couple of summers ago before I start this one, or maybe not. I'm keeping my eye out for cute fabric that is for sure.

just can't get enough

Yesterday was my sister's wedding.


Snowy Day.

Beautiful Bride.

Happy Families.

Crazy Kids.

All together pretty perfect.

More to come.

Has the cutest mom and sisters. . . .

I have 2 little sisters (and one really little mom). The pictures pretty much speak for themselves, but I am the luckiest girl in the world.

My sister Kristin has 2 little boys who she is an amazing mother to. Recently she has been going through some pretty rough times and I am amazed daily at her tremendous will to keep on moving forward. Rarely is there anything that I can do to help her, but I am pretty sure that the things I see her do and the trials I see her work through and conquer have made me stronger as well.

This is my mom and I during the spring one day. . . I think we put the camera on timer. My mom is one tough little thing. Don't let her size fool you. I think the fact that she had 7 kids under the age of 11 pretty much sums up how amazing she is. Even though all of her kids are "grown-up" she is still a perfect example of a mother and being available if any of us need her help.

My youngest sister, Heather, is getting married in 10 days. Don't be worried. She might look like she is 12, but she is actually 24. Heather is probably the most sensitive and observant member of my family. She just knows what to say and when the right time is to say it. She is a hard worker and if she puts her mind to it you can be sure that she is going to do what she says she is going to do.

If you had told me 20 years ago when Kristin and I were fighting over her wearing my clothes or Heather was bugging us to play barbies with her that my sisters would be my best friends I probably wouldn't have believed you. But, it is true.

Sometimes, what I wouldn't give to go back to playing with our my little ponies, writing notes to leave on my dads bed, building forts to sleep in with our dolls, wearing matching outfits for whatever talent program we had come up with that day, re-arranging our rooms every Saturday just to see if there was any unique way that we could fit twin beds into a really small space, breaking up with Kristin's boyfriends on the phone and trying to convince Heather that if you kiss someone it has to count. Those times were a lot easier. However, I also believe that it is only because of all those time we had together that we will continue to help each other through challenges that will come our way.

I guess we all have our own adventures now and time has proven that it can only get better!?

Has a password problem

I think that the first step is admitting you have a problem. Right?
It is true.
I have a serious Password Problem.

For those of you who don't have a password problem let me do some explaining for you. I hate passwords.
Why?
Plain and Simple: I can NEVER remember my passwords.
It doesn't matter what I pick as my password I can't remember it and then I get "locked out" of whatever I am trying to get into and have to make phone calls, wait for emails and other fun password waiting stuff.

I am wondering how many passwords one person needs to have, because I have way to many for my little brain to remember.

2 email accounts (one work one personal)
1 bank account
innumerable online payment accounts. . . . like home mortgage, banana republic, questar gas, rocky mountain power, comcast, american express, car insurance, FHA, ann taylor etc. . see, I can't even remember all the accounts I have let alone their passwords.

And I can only get to those places if I can remember the password to get onto my computer and then to access my wireless internet. Confusing I know.

password, password, password

My life is complicated. It used to be so easy. I would pick a password I could remember (usually my birthday -- since that is all I can ever remember)
Then, all this password security stuff began. . . "it has to have numbers and letters, it must be no more than 5 characters, it must be 8 characters- no spaces, 3 spaces, can't have any letters of your name, are caps sensitive, are not caps sensitive". . . the list goes on and on.

Then come the security questions. What was your first pets name? Who was your high school science teacher? What is your favorite song on the radio? What color shirt did you wear on October 4th? What is your mother's maiden name? Who is your grandpa's next door neighbor? What date did you start this account? If you could be a super-hero who would you be? Ridiculous! Do they really think that if I can't remember 5 simple numbers and letters to enter into the password box I will remember who I sat by in the 3rd grade?

Once at school my principal set up my computer for me and picked the password. He picked the word walmart as my password, because he knew that I hated walmart and wanted to bug me. I am sad to say that all year long I had type the word walmart into my computer log-in screen every morning (because I couldn't figure out how to change it).
Surprisingly, this is the one password I remembered.

I think I might reset all of my passwords to walmart but I am NEVER going to start shopping there.

Loves these little faces

What is not to love about those smiles?!
A ten hour drive to see these little guys would be worth it every day. I think that I am going to make Thanksgiving in LA a tradition, well for at least as long as Jim and Megan live there with the smiles pictured here.

Getting away to California was just the break that I needed. I think that being away for Thanksgiving was just the ticket to help me make it through a wedding and Christmas without an emotional breakdown (that is not a promise, just a hope).

The drive down and back was fun and Mike was nice enough to let me talk his ear off for 20+ hours. It was a much more exciting Thanksgiving than I would have had if I stayed here. I even tried to take Luke running with me in the collapsible umbrella stroller. Wish I had pictures of that. I think he is the most entertaining running partner I have had in a long time. The only "person" I have ever run with who talks more than me.


We went to the Tide Pools, played games, read books, ate turkey, had dinner on the beach, watched the BYU game, and slept in small doses, but it was worth it to wake up to a little face looking at me through the bars of the crib. Before I made it to my brothers house I got to watch Mike and his friends run a 10k. I thought I would want to run (and I wanted to just a little bit), but really it was just fun to watch the race and they all did a great job.

I can hardly wait to see them again in a couple of weeks. I think they are my biggest fans. It was nice to feel needed.

Does anyone know where I can just buy a few little ones like this?

I'll save all my money and stop shopping at Banana Republic if that is what it takes. Sign me up for reading books, using baby powder to get sand off of dirty feet and cleaning up jello off the floor. Not glamorous, but sounds like a dream come true to me. Oh, and if I could live next door to Megan and have the example of the best mom in the world that would just be icing on the cake.

Side-note: Jim & Megan. . . sorry you didn't make it in to any pictures -- sure you are really sad about that.