BELEM, BRAZIL

Christopher, my little brother, turned 19 this past October which made him old enough to serve a mission for our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He filled out his papers and got his call back before the new year.  He has been called to serve in the Belem, Brazil mission for two years.  He was very excited and this past Spring prepared to go.  He finished up school in December and spent Jan., Feb., and Mar. at home with our parents getting ready.  He went to the Provo Missionary Training Center for about two weeks and then spent another four weeks at a training center in Brazil. He has now been in his actual mission for about a month.  We are so proud of him and the pictures below are just a few from our time together before he headed off.

Pinewood Derby

This past winter I had the opportunity to play the role of proud Aunt! (I actually play this role pretty often). David and Steve worked on a car for David to use at the Pinewood Derby and he came in FIRST place!!  He beat everyone - I mean everyone, I don't mean to brag but I was very excited for him.  He was so nervous, he could hardly talk during the actual event.  Mary and Sarah were right there to cheer on their big brother and his Ohio State car (Steve has been influencing him in the wrong direction, I get orange in whenever I can.)

Washington D.C.

Now that I have discovered how great Washington D.C. is, I just can't get enough of it. Britt, a friend from NC, and I headed up to visit another friend Jaclyn the weekend before Valentine's Day.  Jaclyn forgot to mention our activity for Friday night would be attending her Church's Valentine's Dance. I survived and enjoyed the rest of the weekend.  We spent Saturday in the city and went to church with her on Sunday before heading back to Durham.  It was a fun weekend!

 We just couldn't stop jumping while we were there!!

30 before 30

It is hard to believe that I turned 29 a couple months ago.  I still feel like I am a young 18 year old who just graduated from high school - I realize though that I am a young 29 year old who has her whole life still in front of her.  I have loved and enjoyed my life up to this point and look forward to the many more wonderful experiences I am going to be able to have.  I must admit, 10 years ago I would have described my life at 29 completely different from what it actually is currently, but I am enjoying how it is and look forward to seeing what the future holds.  It have had to readjust my mindframe to my current life since it is so vastly different from what I thought it would be, but I am trying to enjoy every day. 

I have been inspired by some friends who did something similar to put together a list of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30.  I LOVE making lists and checking things off, so this is exactly what I have done.  I tried to put things on my list that I would not do/accomplish if I didn't have a little extra push.  Here is a sampling of the list:

Already Accomplished: 1. Hike 30 miles on the Appalachain Trail (ended up doing 70); 2. Visit 30 national parks (includes monuments, parks, battlefields, etc.); 3. go to a UNC football game; 4. visit exotic island; 5. watch sunrise over the ocean; 6. go to a symphony; 7. bike to Apex on the American Tobacco Trail

Working On: run 1/2 marathon, finish house quilt, go to Durham Bulls Baseball game, read Christmas Carol, finish and frame needle point, hike Mt. Rogers, learn to make danish (mormon bread), bike to the top of White Top, read 5 Newberry Medal winners, read the Book of Mormon, have a fancy dinner party - these are just a few more of the 30. 

It has been lots of fun so far working on the different goals and I have had several friends help me accomplish these goals.  I look forward to working on these throughout the year and ending this decade of my life with a bang.

Junior Nationals - Myrtle Beach

My nephew, Matthias, competed in the National Junior Olympic Cross Country competition this past Fall in Myrtle Beach.  He came in around 70th out of 250 boys ages 9-10.  He were/are so proud of him.  He ran his heart out and did amazing.  Jamie, my brother - his dad, told him he could come to the nationals if he won the state of Utah's race, which he did.  I look forward to see his progress with his sports and all the other areas of his life.  I have the best nieces and nephews and love them all very much!!

 Matthias is the 5th boy from the right side in the brown shirt and white shorts, I believe both of his feet are off the ground. This was the very beginning of the race!

 I tried to get an action shot, it is a pretty blurry but I thought pretty cool.  Matthias is the blur on the far right.

 At the finish line - great job Matthias!!

Thanksgiving!

I LOVE Thankgsiving - it is probably my favorite holiday.  It occurs during my favorite season, it is a time to reflect on what you are grateful for, I get to spend time with my family, and eat yummy food.  This year I was the only child to come home - Mama and Daddy please remember that!! =)  We were planning on going to an Aunt and Uncle's home for Thanksgiving but due to illness in their family, at the last minute - 9pm the day before Thanksgiving, it was decided that we would stay home.  This meant a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up food for our own Thanksgiving meal.  In the end, it worked out wonderfully, we had plenty of food and were able to spend a quiet, peaceful day in Bristol. As usual, we went up to White Top and picked out a beautiful Christmas tree, the day could not have been more perfect.

Halloween 2011

The kids were super cute this past year, if I am allowed to say so.  They had a great time trick-or-treating and Sarah was able to make it the whole night.  Several homes in Steve's neighborhood had "treats" (particular types of beverages) for the adults, if you know what I am talking about, that was a first for me.  I was grateful to benefit from their efforts in collecting bag fulls of candy!