I Was Young When I Left Home

We got back from our AMAZING trip to California this week! We went to San Fran, we went to Redding, we saw a bunch : ) I'm in the process of uploading all the pictures we took right now. It's gonna be awhile kids.

During our trip to Redding I was able to find some things I have been wanting to take back to Provo with me. Digging through a bunch of random items we have in storage at our house, I found a Polaroid camera! And it works. I was elated to say the least. It made the night even better when my sister found my mom's old Minolta camera. I'm excited to play around with it and today I just finished my first roll. I'll post them if they actually turn out. But for now, you get a couple of good ol' photo booth pictures of me displaying my new pride and joy.

Let You Be Loved

Mother's are some of the most amazing women in the world.

I'm thankful that we have a day to honor their great lives and I'm thankful that I have so many memories of my Mom that still remain with me. I hope I never forget what a strong, independent, and intelligent woman she was. I miss you Mom!

California Dreaming

I'm making a list of things to do when I fly into California this week. I hope I get to do as many of these things as possible : ) I just can't wait, I mean I haven't been home since Christmas and that just seems like such a long time ago.
While in SF:
go to pier 39
-look at the seals
- go to Fisherman's Wharf and enjoy some yummy seafood
-or possibly make my dad take me to Sushi Rock. (even though he thinks sushi is disgusting)
but I mean "What they can't rock, they roll!" that is the best sushi slogan I have ever heard of
-H&m, I need jeans bad!
While in Redding:
-In-N-Out
-Whiskeytown or Shasta Lake trip
-Dutch Bros Coffee (I miss their red bull w/peach and Kiwi flavoring)
-learn to drive stick
-Drive the Stang AND the newly fixed up Jeep pickup
-Enjoy our new hot tub
-watch Law and Order with my Air Bear (my sister)
-and lastly, do something special to remember my mom (she will have passed away exactly a year ago this week). Miss you momma bear

Can't wait for the good weather and good times with my family!

"Whatever Gets You Through the Day"

A lot has happened since my last post. That's almost an understatement I think: My mom passed away, Bri and Adam got married, I've been redecorating the living room, and I started talking to some friends that I had written off for awhile. I've been doing okay, I mean I have my moments but I know that my mom wouldn't want me to be brought down by her death so I have been trying my hardest to not think of her in that way, and instead I just remember all the memories I have with her and how I hope that I can measure up to be at least a fraction of how awesome she was. I was in Barnes and Noble today with one of my friends, Heidi, looking through the new Postsecret book: A Lifetime of Secrets (go to the postsecret website for more info) and I completely felt like I related to one of the secrets. I remember the wording vaguely so don't quote me on it...but it talked about how someone did not really think of someone who had passed away as dead, but that they wanted to believe that the person was on a vacation somewhere having the time of their life. I had just thought about this exact thing earlier this morning. I just thought that it really hasn't hit me yet and really I just feel like she is on a vacay somewhere, perhaps Hawaii just living it up...she loved going to Hawaii : ) I think I want to go there for Christmas now, just to spend some quality time with the fam bam and live it up like I know she would be.