Fantastic Jams

Today I made three different kinds of freezer jam. It was a lot of fun learning how to make it. I must also admit that it is scrum-diddly-umptious! I made raspberry, strawberry and blackberry jam. I called my Aunt Vivian and told her that I had this brilliant idea to make jam since berries are on sale right now at Costco. Since she is amazing at jams and canning and all sorts of fantabulous stuff like that I wanted her to help me with it. All growing up my mom would make freezer jam. I remember sometimes stirring it for her. Since I had never made it by myself I didn't quite know what to expect. We ended up making it at my Aunt Viv's house. I also invited my mom to come up and make it with us. She came and we all had a blast! I can now say that I can successfully make jam. Since it is of the freezer variety it will probably last a very long while! Yay!

I Have the Greatest Friends!

Yesterday was definitely a hard day for me. As you know from my last blog post my dear cousin Brittney passed away yesterday. I have had a really hard time with it. Last night a few of my friends showed up at my apartment to comfort me and to just be there with me. Colette Dalton, Jacob Miller and Sara Pennepacker all came to provide me with hugs, back rubs and cuddling. I couldn't ask for better friends. I really needed that. Sara even cleaned up the glass on my bathroom floor from the shower incident last Friday that I had been putting off doing. They stayed with me until after another friend, Scott Shattuck, came with his roommate, (and my new friend Ammon,) to give me a blessing of comfort. Sometimes when things are hard all you need is to know that your friends care and that they are there to give you physical affection! I sure know that mine care, and I really appreciate them for it!

Ray of Sunshine

Today started out like any other normal day. Everything seemed normal. This afternoon I had a feeling that I should call my Aunt Julie and check up on my cousin Brittney. She was in the hospital with some health problems. Brittney was sleeping so I didn't get a chance to talk to her but I was able to tell my Aunt to tell her that I love her and give her a big kiss and a hug for me. A few hours later I was notified by my mom that Brittney had passed away. I couldn't help but immediately start crying. Brittney has always been one of my favorite cousins. She loves unconditionally and cares about everyone. Some of the things I remember most about her are tickle fights and finger nail painting parties. She was such a girly girl! She loved pink and dressing up and looking pretty. She loved dance and all of her many siblings. She also loved me! It has been a while since I last saw her. I loved sending her Doris Day and other old classic movies in the mail. She loved those. She was like a bright ray of sunshine in an otherwise cloudy sky. Her enthusiasm for life and her love for everyone around her will be missed. I love her. I am glad that I am a part of an eternal family and that I will be able to see her again some day. Though her time on Earth was short her impact on the world will last for eternity. Good Bye for now dear cousin you will be missed!

I Really Wish I Had a Garden

All growing up my family always had a summer garden. My dad has a green thumb. I think he could grow pretty much anything anywhere. I really miss the fresh produce from our vegetable garden and the flowers from all of his flower beds. I went to Costco today and got a bunch of produce. No matter how good the produce at a grocery store is, it never compares to my dad's fresh garden produce. Every time I go home this summer I will have to remember to get whatever is growing best at the time to take home with me. I also miss the daisies this month. My dad planted them especially for me and they grow all over the place in our back yard during the month of June. I can't wait until I have a house with a big enough back yard to have lots of flowers and a huge vegetable garden!

25 Random Things about me!

So here are a few things about me that you may not know. Some of them are interesting. Others are completely random and crazy. I hope you enjoy getting to know me a little better.

1. I can only raise my left eyebrow. I have tried repeatedly to raise my right one by itself but my face just ends up scrunched up and looking funny or both eyebrows end up raised.

2. I like to dip Oreos, Cookies, and Graham Crackers in water instead of milk.

3. I am sometimes incapable of walking in a straight line.

4. I am insanely ticklish. In fact I sometimes don't even have to be touched all it takes is someone wiggling their fingers and talking about tickling me to get me laughing. (I have gotten better at controlling this over the years.)

5. I sometimes snort when I laugh.

6. My eyes look green but there is no green in them. (They are actually blue brown and gold.)

7. I have never broken a bone. ( I did crack my collar bone one year on Thanksgiving but no one believed it since it wasn't actually broken just mostly cracked.)

8. My favorite color is green but I also really love pink.

9. When I was a kid I hated the colors purple and pink because I thought they were too girly. (I was a bit of a tom boy growing up. Now I am a definite girly girl!)

10. I collect zebras. (There is a funny story behind that one. It all started with a pair of zebra striped panties.) Ask me and I'll tell you the story.

11. I generally dislike sea food but I sometimes get a strong craving for tuna fish sandwiches or fresh shrimp gumbo.

12. As a child I grew up on a farm and I would often get up between 5 and 6 am to feed 13 baby calves and my horse.

13. I have insanely protective instincts when it comes to family, friends, and the people I love.

14. I usually have some sort of song stuck in my head that makes me want to dance.

15. I once got out of a speeding ticket because I was singing the Star Spangled Banner at the top of my lungs with the windows rolled down. The highway patrol man thought I was very patriotic. (I got off with a warning.)

16. I don't like iceberg lettuce.

17. One of my favorite books is Pride and Prejudice. (I do not own my own copy of the book.)

18. I like to underline favorite parts and quotes in my favorite books that I own.

19. I am very stubborn and independent especially when someone tries to tell me I have to do something, or how to do it.

20. I am a writer and I currently have about 7 projects I have been working on. I have decided to focus on one this summer to get it finished and publication ready.

21. I don't like chocolate based ice creams.

22. I sleep with two normal pillows, a body pillow, and sometimes a stuffed animal. I spray the body pillow with my favorite men's cologne. (What can I say I love to snuggle and the cologne really smells good.)

23. I can put on all of my makeup while driving or occasionally without a mirror.

24. For some reason the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas seriously creeps me out. I haven't been able to watch it since I was a kid and it freaks me out when the haunted mansion at Disney Land is decorated from October through December with scenes and characters from the movie.

25. Last but not least... I thoroughly enjoy my daily naked time! There is nothing more therapeutic than dancing in front of a mirror in your birthday suit while getting ready for the day and saying to yourself I'm a hottie with a naughty body! Try it. I guarantee you will love it!

These are just a few random things I could think of that are a part of the makeup of me! I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little better!

Sleep Over

Last night I attended a sleep over at my friend Julie's apartment. It was a lot of fun! We made home made pizza and it was super yummy. There were two guys in attendance, Carl and Jake. They kicked themselves out at the appropriate time. It was after we made them watch the movie Sleepover with us and played a game of Truth or Dare though. Truth or Dare turned more into a game of Truth since we were all too tired to move at that point. We also had a cuddle pile before the movie and the game of Truth. It was comfy. I must admit the cuddle pile was one of my favorite parts. After the men left we girls stayed up talking for a while. Apparently later after falling asleep Sarah June and I had a sleep talking conversation. Julie and Porsche were the only ones awake to hear it though. :o) The next morning we had a fabulous breakfast of pancakes and bacon and orange juice and grapes. It was delicious. Colette and Sarah June had to be various places and so they left after breakfast. The rest of us proceeded to watch Saturday morning cartoons in our pajamas. The cartoons were the old school good ones. We watched the Animaniacs followed by a very very long continuous episode of Tale Spin. Good times! Sara P left us after the Animaniacs. Aleisha, Porsche, Julie and I ended up watching cartoons, cleaning up, falling asleep, and talking until about 3 pm that afternoon. It has been a long time since we have all stayed in our pajamas for that long especially on a Saturday morning. Below are some pictures of the fantastic cuddle pile. I highly recommend group cuddling. It is tons of fun!

Bathroom Show Down

Today I went to take a shower before attending a sleepover at a friend's house. (No you are never too old to have a sleepover!) I turned off the water and reached for the door. Much to my surprise and indignation the shower door crashed down upon me in a shower of broken glass. It completely shattered. How? I have no clue. It was scary. Needless to say I feel blessed that I was not seriously injured. There was glass everywhere. I literally had to wash off tiny shards in the bathroom sink. I only sustained minor cuts on my feet and legs. One of my friends put it this way... the devil must have gotten really mad at you and decided to take a swing with a bat from H---! Luckily if that was the case I must have had guardian angels looking out for me. Why this all occurred in while I was in the shower is beyond me. Here are some pictures of the shower. Well I am off to the sleepover. Fun and mayhem may occur!

The Crazy Train

Today I attended my cousin's high school graduation. Last week I attended my youngest brother's high school graduation. Both had me reflecting on the past and my own time in high school. It was a long time ago but I did have a blast. I was recently talking to two of my best friends from high school, (Virginia and Natalie.) As we talked we couldn't help but reflect on the way we all became friends. Our other dear friend Emily and I moved to Ephraim the summer before our sophomore year of high school. We became instant friends. I didn't know Natalie or Virginia very well. I had a locker next to Virginia and I was constantly hitting her with my over stuffed back pack as I yanked it out of my locker each day. She kinda hated me for that at first. Natalie was home schooled for most of her life. She had decided to try public school the year before and then we became friends with her too. We are all amazed that we actually became friends. Anyone who became friends with us can attest that they took a ride on the crazy train. I was the engine, Emily was the caboose and Virginia and Natalie were the two main passenger cars. Virginia and I finally bonded over early morning driver's ed. Natalie and Emily bonded when Emily moved into her new house and they ended up in the same ward. We all bonded over 2nd period choir. We were a crazy combination but we somehow managed to work. Our senior year of high school right before we graduated we lost Emily to a car accident. Virginia, Natalie and I are still close. We lost our caboose but we are still held fast together on the crazy train express. In other news I am writing again. I am going to stick it out and finish this novel. I feel very inspired lately and it has the potential to be pretty fantastic. I may need readers to try out new material and bounce ideas off of. Let me know if you are interested! Until next time....

June

June is for Thank You's and blogging! I will be trying to send as many thank you notes to those I care about and those who have influenced my life. I will also be blogging daily. Stay tuned for more adventures!