December Happy List

I'll get around to finishing up my photo challenge

I promise.

But today I am posting a happy list.

Because I need a little lift of happiness today.

And since it is December,

I am making it a December/Christmas themed happy list,

to keep in the spirit of things.

1. The Reason for the Season
2.  My Dad, Kenzie and Rebecca. (December birthday's)
3. The Light Parade
4. Christmas music and movies
5.  Hot Chocolate
6. Home made candies
7. Snow
8. The decorations and lights
9. Modern Medicine
10. New pajama's and socks to wear Christmas Eve

Not all of these are December/Christmas themed

some I just need to express my thanks for.

But I am so happy for each one of these beautiful things.

So...

Remember that one time I said I was going to do a 30 day challenge?

Yeah apparently I forgot too.

Or got lazy.

But I will catch up on those

(because I think they are kind of fun)

and fill you in on the other happenings in my life soon.

Maybe this weekend...

I have 4 days off...

I may go insane...

Day 6, 7, 8 and 9

Wow can you say slacker...

I missed 3 days on this picture challenge

so now it is time for catch up.

Day 6: A photo that makes you laugh

This is Braxton.

He cracks me up.

He thinks he is a serious hunter

just like his daddy.

Day 7: A photo of someone you love

How about of 2 people I love?
These are my two best friends
Kami and Kassidy.
Love them!

Day 8: A photo of your favorite band/musician

If you don't know who this is,
I am not sure if we can be friends.

Day 9: A photo of your family

This photo is about a year and a half old.
There is a new little girl
(notice Shalane, front right)
Then Jess is expecting a girl
and Amanda is expecting twin girls.

Yeah my family is huge!

Day 5

A photo of yourself

Hmmm should I do recent?

Or old?

Or when I was little?

Too many options!

So I'll just go with this one for today

I showed this picture before

but it is one of my favorites!

I was Madonna from her Like a Virgin video

for a rally we had with Verizon in Las Vegas.

My mom helped me make my awesome tutu

and I had so much fun this night!

Really I would wear that tutu all the time

if it were back in fashion!

Have a great weekend blends!

See you tomorrow.

The 4th day

A photo of the last place you went on holiday

Oh well doesn't that sound fancy?

The last place I went on holiday was

Sweet Home Alabama!

To see my wonderful sister and her cute family!

Katie, Kenzie, Jenny and Me

enjoying some girl time while

Mariann took Ethan to the Dr.

Miss you guys!

I will come visit soon!

Day 3

A photo that makes you happy

The following photo not only makes me happy

but cracks me up!

Please note the following things:

• I am wearing 3 shades of blue
• Kassidy's face
• Our creative use of fruits and veggies

I think it is safe to say that

Kassidy would kill me for posting this picture!

Good thing she doesn't ready this blog!

Love you Kass!

This photo was taken shortly after I had moved to Cedar.

It was the first big snowfall since I was living there,

so as soon as I got home from work Kassidy and I

decided we needed a snowman in our yard.

The snow was so powdery so it wouldn't pack

and we were freezing by the time we were done,

but it was so much fun!

Day 2

A photo of yourself a year ago

Ok so this one was hard.

Because, as most of you know,

last year at this time I was living on St Thomas!

(you sick of hearing about that yet? Because I talk about it a lot, sorry)

And I have A LOT of pictures from there.

So narrowing it down was difficult.

But here goes:

Brynne and I on Virgin Gorda

This was taken on part of our tour of The Baths

right before we came around to Devils Bay.

More pictures here.

As much as I love Utah

and snow and winter

and everything we have here,

I wouldn't mind going back and seeing this again.

30 day Photo Challenge

So I am trying out this little challenge. 

For 30 days you post a different picture that falls under the category

then give maybe a little story with it.

I will have to make a few changes, but I think it sound fun!

Day 1: Your Facebook Profile Picture

It was Halloween

I was carving pumpkins

Does it need any more explanation?

See you tomorrow for day 2!

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Last week I woke up to a text message from my singles ward.

That night they were holding a costume party for Halloween!

Awesome! 

I love dressing up!

Only problem my original costume idea was maybe not church appropriate...

(it was better then years past, but shorts and fishnets...probably not)

So I had to think of something fast!

I went to the fabric store and picked up a few different patterns

then recruited my mom to help.

My ultimate goal:

Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas

My mom is A-MAZ-ING

and made this:

Not only did it turn out great

but I won Best Costume at the activity!

(she made both these costumes in just a few hours)

Thanks again Mom!

You are awesome!

Thriller!

It was so fun to get away to St George a few weeks ago!

Angie and I went down Friday to attend the

What Woman Want Expo.

They do this twice a year and I love it!

After that we met up with Bethany for sushi.

I hadn't had any since St Thomas

when my friend Sam invited us to the Ritz

and made us so many delicious rolls!

I love sushi so it was so good to have some again!

The next day my mom and Amanda came down

and we all shopped until we dropped!

(literally...none of us wanted to walk another step)

Then that night we went to THRILLER!!!

Odyssey dance theater is so good

and I love watching them any chance I get.

One of my favorite parts of the night was seeing my friend Karolann.

Each year dancers are selected to mingle/frighten the crowd before and after the show

and they also get to join in on the final dance of the night.

She did so good! 

It was so fun to see her dancing as a professional

after being on drill team with her years ago.

All and all it was a great weekend!

I went to this concert...

And she is A-MAZ-ING!!!

Not even joking

she is so good live.

This song is originally by REM,

but wow she sings it so good.

She uses a looping pedal for the background

and I was blown away.

Next time she comes in concert

I WILL be going again!

Its the weekend!

Working retail you sometimes forget that sometimes people don't work on the weekends

and that they can go enjoy themselves for a few days!

In the past 3 months I have only had 3 Saturdays off...

and it gets old pretty fast.

But this weekend I am going to St George with Angie!

Shopping and not having a schedule sounds so good!

My mom and Amanda will come down on Saturday

and we are all going to THRILLER!!!

Remember when I went a few years ago?

So excited to see it again!

Enjoy your weekend and see you next week!

Giveaways!

I was reading NieNie today

(her blog is inspiring, really it is)

and she is doing a giveaway with

The Vintage Pearl.

The VP makes beautiful jewlery

and I love it all.

Go check it out and enter the giveaway!

What is even better then one giveaway though?

TWO!

There is a second giveaway

on VP so check it out as well!

And if you win let me know!

I will only be a little bit jealous.

My cousin.

So this past weekend my family lost one of my cousins.  This hit me in different ways.

1. Shock
2. Sadness
3. And not really knowing what to do.

See here is the thing.  He is my cousin, and I do love him and it is a really sad thing.  But I didn't really know him.  Growing up his mom never came around to family functions- so I didn't really know any of my cousins in his family- and when they did come I was to busy playing with his sister who was the one girl cousin my age!  Then when I was in high school his mom passed away, then our grandma the next year, and our grandpa two years after that.  I don't say this for sympathy but show how little we saw each other.  Other then those 3 times I have not seen him in the past 6 years, at all.  I know little details that have happened in his family, and seen a few of his family members but never him.  I am so incredibly sorry to his siblings for another loss in their life.  And to his wife, to become a widow so young.  And I hope he is happy now.  I hope he is no longer sad and feeling whatever it was that made him get to this point.  I do love you Z and hope that you are happy.



Z. MCDONALD

Visit Guest Book

Z McDonald "My Best Friend" Our beloved husband, brother, uncle, cousin and friend unexpectedly left his earthly home, we miss him dearly. Z was the son of Dennis and Laurel McDonald. He was born in Salt Lake City and was the fourth of six children. He was raised in West Bountiful surrounded by three sisters and two brothers. Z graduated from Mountain High School in 2003 and began work as a lot attendant at Larry H. Miller Ford. He excelled in his employment and received many promotions; his current position was as sales manager. Z had a passion for his work. Everyone who purchased a vehicle from him or engaged with him at work left knowing they had been taken care of by a man who truly loved what he did. He worked there for seven and a-half years. Z, along with his wife and little brother, had two dogs, Daxon and Jace, he was utterly devoted to them. Z enjoyed having fun: we all have memories of tossing the football; trips to the lake; hearing him revel in stories of playing racquetball with his brother, Veto; taking his wife Lindsey for rides on the motorcycle; running, yelling, tickling, laughing, and climbing with his eight nieces and nephews. Z loved music. Music was part of his every day from singing and playing funny instruments to blasting the radio and his iPod. Z loved to watch movies with his wife and in conversation was frequently throwing movie quotes and quizzes at whomever he was engaged with. Z dated and married the love of his life, Lindsey Parkin McDonald, in August of 2005. They shared five wonderful years together. She will hold dear the memories of all the different ways he expressed his love to her and the many nick names he used to express that devotion. She greatly misses him. I love you, babe! Z was preceded in death by his parents Dennis T McDonald and Laurel B McDonald, and his grandparents. He leaves behind his loving wife, Lindsey, whom he referred to as his "heart"; siblings Tavis "Veto" McDonald, Savannah (Justin) Leeper and children Caden and Carsen, Ian McDonald, Samara (Steve) Brinkman and children Brooklyn and Charlotte, and Sarah (Ben) Elmer; in-laws Dennis and Chris Parkin, Matthew Parkin, Scott Parkin (Doug Redding), Megan Parkin, Wendy (David) Shafer and child Ethan, and Jennifer (Daimian) Izatt and children Logan, Cason, and Raisa. Bye, love you. A viewing will be held at Russon Brothers Bountiful Mortuary, 295 N. Main, on Tuesday, October, 12, 2010, from 6-8 p.m. Funeral services will be on Wednesday, October, 13, at Russon Brothers at 11:00 a.m. with a viewing from 9:30-10:30 prior to the service. Interment - Bountiful City Cemetery. Online guestbook at www.russonmortuary.com

Rise and Shout!

This past Saturday I went with my Singles Ward to a

BYU football game!!!

It was so much fun.

(me, Jennifer and Melissa)

I hadn't been to a football game in a few years.

It was so fun to be in the crowd

cheering and yelling and just being completely "in" the game.

(cheap seats = the very top corner of the field)

There were few awkward moments

that had nothing to do with the game itself

but in the seating arrangements

but that is a story for another day...

Oh and BYU pulled out a win

so that made it even better!

October!

Oh October...

I love you!

Your crisp weather

General Conference

Baseball playoffs

Halloween

Sweaters and tights

Football games

Boots

Colored leaves

Hoodies

Trips to the cabin

Oh I have missed my beautiful October

with your wonderful fall weather!

Fun little video

So I saw this video on The Rockstar Diaries

and thought I would share.

Love it!

Telephone

Two things I love about this video

1. Glee is back, and still amazing!!!
2. Some of the lyrics are very fitting for me right now

Baby!

Today my sister Amanda found out the sex of her baby...

......

....

.......

.....

...

.....

Twin Girls!!!

She was measuring big so her doctor moved the ultrasound up

to see if she was father along then they thought or to see if it was twins.

And she was right!

I am so excited.

I think Amanda is just freaking out.

But that is expected right?

They will be adorable!

I did it!

I made a goal to cook every day while my parents were gone.

And even though one night I technically baked instead of cooking

I did it!

My parents will be home tonight

and so I am very proud of myself!

Tonight I made homemade pasta!

If you know me you know I love pasta,

and homemade is even better!

I used a recipe from Pioneer Woman

and it was really easy.

I love her blog, her photography and her recipe's.

If you are ever out of ideas on what to cook,

go to her website, she has some awesome recipe's!

Oh and the pasta was delicious!

Dessert!

So tonight instead of cooking

I had leftovers.

Then I made me this!

Candy Apple Dessert Squares!

I found the recipe in an old cookbook

and it sounded so good!

I went to the store and bought every ingredient for them!

They may look kind of odd

but OH MAN are they good!!!

(yes that piece missing is from me, I had to taste them!)

Just thought I would share!

They are brownies

covered in a cream cheese and caramel topping

with apple pieces and

recces peanut butter cup pieces

crumbled over the top

then drizzled with caramel!

3 nights in a row!

You all might not care about what I eat,

but I am really proud of myself!

Three nights in a row I have made dinner for myself!

Normally when I am home alone I am hitting up

ever fast food place in town.

This week, I haven't been to one!

Go me!

2 nights in a row!

I made dinner again tonight!

I forgot to take a picture

but it was delicious!

I made a Chicken and Rice casserole,

simple, easy and yummy!

Plus we had all of the ingredients already at my house!

This whole cooking thing is much better for the wallet.

Maybe I can buy a new pair of shoes with what I save...

ha ha! Just teasing!

I am a chef!

Or learning to be one.

I have always been big on baking.

Cookies, cakes, bars... that sort of thing.

But cooking was another story.

I can make pasta, and simple easy things

that help keep someone alive at college.

But homemade items,

not the stuff from a box,

I have never been that great at.

So my mom and I have decided that needs to change.

See my mom is an awesome cook.

She can just throw random things together

and they always turn out so yummy!

This past weekend she taught me how to make a pie crust

(yes this is baking and not cooking but she is a pro at them)

and I must say, it turned out really well!

Well today my parents left to California for a few days,

but I decided that I was still going to cook

and not resort to going to a fast food place for dinner.

So I made Pizza, from SCRATCH!!!

I was pretty proud of myself.

I had never made the dough by myself before

so I was really nervous on how it was going to turn out.

But after checking on it a few times

I think it turned out really well!

I made the sauce as well.

Go me!

(sorry for the weird angle, it happens when I have to use the timer on my camera)

And touchdown on finally cooking for myself!

Loving this song today.

A little old

but so, so, so good!

Nervous!

Right now I am waiting for a certain someone to come pick me up.

We are going to my cabin.

We as in me and him,

plus my parents, Jessica's family, Amanda's family and Keldon's family.

Besides the fact that everyone is going to be there,

we are staying overnight.

Wish me luck!

I ran away...

A few weeks ago I ran away.

Ok so technically I drove.

And I only left for about 2 hours.

But I left the house because well...

I NEEDED TO!

Sometimes I need me time.

But when you live with family

(and during this time it was lots of family)

you don't get me time that often.

So I ran away and decided to remember

why I love where I live again.

Here are some pictures from my night.

Hope you enjoy!

I have a lot more,

but these were some of my favorites!

If you see a Guy reach for stars in the sky...

Last Saturday my mom and I went to Salt Lake for the day.

We attended a luncheon at a country club

(it sounds so fancy!)

went shopping at the Gateway

and then that evening we attended

Guys and Dolls!

I was so excited for this for 2 reasons:

1. I was a hotbox dancer for this play in high school

2. One of my best friends Scotty was Benny!

I love this play and this was a great production of it!

I was so impressed with most of the lead characters

but Miss Adelaide was my favorite!

(I wish I had a picture!)

She was awesome and kind of stole the whole show.

But the other best part was watching Scotty do something he loves!

(sorry this one was taken on my phone)

I have known Scotty for about 4 years now

and I knew he sang,

I knew he use to do plays in high school,

but I had never seen him perform.

He did AWESOME!!!

I was so proud!

It was also hilarious to watch him dance.

And Benny was the perfect part for him

because sometimes while he was up there

he was just being himself, not playing a part.

My mom laughed at me for laughing at him,

but I couldn't stop!

I almost hope I can go again when I am up there this weekend!

Good job Scotty!

I hope you start doing plays more often!

One year ago

• I was packing up 2 suitcases with the clothes and items I would need for 5 months.
• I was saying goodbye to my family for 5 months.
• I was picking up my best friend and driving to Salt Lake.
• I was getting ready to start a week of training for a job that would take me thousands of miles away from home.
• And I was scared silly.

I can't believe that a year has gone by!  I was so excited to go on the biggest adventure of my life!  To go to a tropical island and live in a place where I wouldn't know a single person except for my best friend Kassidy who was going with me.  A place that I had only found out 3 weeks before that I would be moving to. 

I had no idea what adventures would come my way.  The people I would meet.  The places I would visit.  I am so thankful for the opportunity that I had to go there.  For everything I learned about myself and the world.  One year goes by so quickly!

Also another celebration that is going on today is a blog-o-versary over at Love and Happiness!  To celebrate she is hosting a giveaway.  Go enter and if you win I want one of the caramels! lol

Remember

Those adorable pink Toms Shoes for a little girl

that I talked about a little while ago?

Well my oldest sister found out this week that

she is having a little girl in December!

I think I just found my excuse for buying those...

Little girls are so much fun!

Congrats Jess!  I am so excited for you!

Gummy Worming!

The other night I was in high school again

or maybe middle school even

but it was so much fun

My niece Lydia and my sister-in-law's

two sisters Sara and Rosie were staying at my house for the night

and I decided we needed to do something fun and adventurous

so we went Gummy Worming!

In case you don't know what this is let me explain...

1. Buy original type of gummy worms, not the sour ones

2. Get most of the said gummy worms wet, usually by putting them in your mouth

3. Flick wet gummy worms around so they get nice and sticky

4. Drive around town and find unsuspecting people or cars

5. Throw gummy worms at said people or cars

(please keep in mind we live in a very small town

where mischeif like this is not uncommon)

These girls were a blast to do this with!

I mainly was just the driver, but I got in a few good ones myself.

I also made sure we were listening to proper music

Backstreet Boys, Lady Gaga and Ke$ha.

Yeah we know how to jam.

(action shots are always the most unflattering,

but the funniest!)

Turn that frown upside down

Yesterday I was having one of those days where everything was sort of setting me off.
After my nephew and I had a small episode over a snack I decided I needed to cool off.

So this is how I fixed my mood:

I made cookies with my niece Gwen for my good friends birthday.

And while we did this we watched a musical.
Yesterday's choice was The Music Man.

By the time the cookies were out of oven and the band marched down the street
I was a happy girl!

Small update

I need to make quite a few posts.
I am behind.
But for today this is what you get.

My current playlist:
Use Somebody by Tyrone Wells (this is a remake, and possibly better then the original)
Hideaway by The Weepies
King of Anything by Sara Bareilles
Break Me Out by The Rescues
5:19 by Matt Wertz
Wild At Heart by Gloriana
Paris (oh la la) by Grace Potter & the Nocturnals

The Latest

One of the blogs that I read and love is

Adventures in Love and Happiness

Well earlier this week she posted about some

of the latest things she loves

and I thought I would take her lead

so here goes!

Lately I've Been Listening To:

Sara Bareilles

Josh Kelly

Lady Antebellum

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

(I heard about them from this blog and I am in love!)

Reading:

Can You Keep A Secret by Sophia Kinsella

Heart of The Matter by Emily Giffin

Return to Red Castle by Dorothy M. Keddington

(don't judge me that I have read this book over 30 times before...)

Wearing:

Maurices clothing!

ha ha a given since a work there...but seriously now

Toms Shoes and lots of flats

Something about this summer has made me want simply flats

and not the heels

weird for me I know...

Watching:

The Twilight Movies

Pshyc

Kourtney and Khole Take Miami

(yeah I love it, don't judge)

Eating:

hmmm cant think of any food I have

had a ton of but I have been

addicted to MetroMint Water!

So good and refreshing.

I like the Orangemint, Lemonmint, Spearmint and Peppermint

Working on:

Trying to find a job in the SLC area

so I can move!

What have you been doing?

Dear Blends:

I have been away in Alabama!

Visiting my sister and her family.

I fly home tomorrow.

And latter this week I promise to update again!

Love you all!

Rodeo!

Every year Salina has a big rodeo as part of their 4th of July celebrations. 

We haven't been for a while, but we decided to go this year

and I am so glad we did!

I loved it!

Almost everyone from my dad's family was there, including most of my family.

I love small town event's like this and I am so happy to live where I do!

Rodeo's are a blast

but definitely not for big animal activists...

Ha ha no worries though

no animals were hurt during this rodeo!

somehow Rosie fell asleep during it...

(via le love)