Blessings and testimonies...

I felt a little guilty for not getting up during our family's testimony fireside because I had so much I felt I should say. This post is mostly to express what I should have said then.

As I sat there listening to testimonies I began to reflect a bit. Tomorrow I will be graduating from college! If life would have gone as I thought it would when I was little, at age 25 I would be married with 2 1/2 kids and a dog. :)

Even though being 25 is far from what I had planned, I have been able to find great strength in my simple testimony and plenty of joy along the way!

Throughout school (for the past 12 years or so) I have probably had an average of 2-3 migranes a week. I have always been nervous that I would not be able to accomplish much because of this. If life was all about grades and getting the best jobs I would have given up. I am not saying good grades and a great job are not wonderful goals to have, but when I go to the temple I am able to see the bigger picture and I realize they are not the most important goals.

It has been 12 semesters of hard work, but I have finally accomplished something I never thought I would have! I have met some amazing people and have had a wonderful time learning. I am truly grateful to have faith in something bigger than this life of limited abilities and physical struggles. The gospel is amazing and I am grateful to be a part of it!

Happy Birthday!!!, "before pictures,' and ... School Loans

So, I had a wonderful birthday a week and a half ago... :) I just got these pictures off my sister's and mom's blogs and thought I'd post it. I love having family around! These pictures were taken on my Happy Day. These were all my nieces and nephews that were able to make it to my party. Well, all except one. Baby Zachary was in the other room.





Here are some other pictures that I found on family blogs (I seem to only have my pictures taken with the youngest nieces and nephews... that does not mean I love them more!). These can be some of my 'before' pictures... I'll be cutting my hair in about... two and a half weeks! :)









This was taken at my best friend's wedding. I had to throw it in, because I think it's awesome!


Now for the last bit of info. I was going through my papers and found out that since I have only taken 9 credits this semester it might not count and my 6 month vacation from paying back school loans might be ending in October. So, I will not be buying a camera after all... at least not yet! Thanks for all your advice. I will have more time to look into getting a great deal now!

What to do...

Well, I have been looking for a camera...
I want to take pictures like these:







So... what do you think about the following!?:


This is a Nikon D60 with a 28-200mm lens, 1GB SD Card, Case, Tripod, Hard Case... It's $499.00


This is a Nikon D60 with 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses. It is $649.00


This one is a Canon Powershot SX10IS and has 10MP, 20x wide angle zoom, and is just a point and click. It is $369.95.



Also, I've been wanting to cut off all my hair for a while now. This picture shows you how it will be done... kind of. My niece Heidi cut her bangs very short, so my sister cut the rest and I like it! I will have a similar haircut, except with bangs. :) Good Idea or bad idea!? Should I just shave it all off instead (something I have also always wanted to try once)!?

Bella's Book...

Well, for my Child Lit class (the one I'm reading all those books for) we had to make a book.

When there are two pictures on the same page, they are side-to-side. Page 6 is large, cause it is my FAVORITE page!!! :) You'll see why in a second!

Front Cover:

Isabella Grace’s
What I Love Most

“Bella”

Page 1:

Once upon a time there lived a

princess puppy named Isabella Grace.

Her friends called her Bella for short.

Page 2:

One day Bella got a brand new

sweater. So, she went outside to play.

Page 3:

Pretty soon it started to snow.

Bella learned that snow is so much fun!

Page 4:

In the springtime Bella learned to

balance food on her nose, play soccer,

Page 5:

...and jump real high. But, when

Bella gets tired she likes to relax.

Page 6:

There is so much Bella likes to do.

But, what Bella loves to do most in the

whole wide world is to read stories.

Back of Book:

This book was created by
Ashley Benedict

Book Share...

I don't know if it's my load of classes, if it's because this is my third semester in a row (I've been going strong since September), or if it is because it is summer time and I can't play outside (this is my first time going to school in the summer). All I know is that I am TIRED!

Well, now that I've mentioned all that... if anyone knows of any good kid books, let me know. I have quite a few that I am supposed to read this semester.

So, it's time for the BOOK SHARE!!!

These are some of the ones I will be reading this semester:
The Bronze Bow - Elizabeth Speare
Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli
Eleventh Hour - Graeme Base
The Great Gilly Hopkins - Katherine Paterson
Holes - Luis Sachar
The Story of Ruby Bridges - Robert Coles
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast - Robin McKinley
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World - Jennifer Armstrong
Love That Dog - Sharon Creech
Heckedy Peg - Audrey Wood

I have to read 60 children's books this semester (the ones mentioned above and 2 Informational, 10 Nonfiction, 5 Traditional, 11 picture books and the rest are free choice with limited criteria).


My niece Caitlyn has suggested:
Magic Treehouse series - Mary Pope Osborne
Septimus Heap - Angie Sage

Migranes and New Years Resolutions...

So, this year I've been trying all sorts of things to get rid of my migranes. I even went over a week without putting on any makeup. Let me tell you, I've tried the sleep things, exercising, medications, drinking more water, washing my hair every day and even some meditation, Well, I'm GOING to figure this thing out!

Yesterday when I was on my way home from church I saw my Aunt Maxine walking up Barney Dairy Rd. towards my house. She had decided to walk to my house from hers (3 miles) and back. So, I think we might do that 6 mile walk three times a week this summer. It has been so beautiful outside this past week... so hopefully it doesn't snow tomorrow.

So, I am going to keep eating healthy, keep exercising, keep drinking water, keep trying to sleep on-my-back-in-a-straight-line for at least 8 hours every night, keep washing my hair every day, and even keep meditating (as often as I can).

My goal: Go two whole weeks without a single migrane! :)
Deadline: Age 28 (Deadline? Can you tell I'm still in school!?)


Breakfast this morning: