Little Wisps of Air

I love clouds. I love sitting and watching them build up, blow away, and become fuzzy little bunnies (or other creatures of the imagination). But most of all, I love the colors of clouds. They are my favorite parts of sunsets, what makes me love grey days (there's always some color in the clouds). I love seeing the depth of clouds and just the entirety of their beauty.

Everytime I see magnificant clouds that I want to take a picture of to share with Stacy or to keep for myself to remember the beauties of the world, I don't have a camera on me. When I was at college, I was frustrated because I didn't have a single picture of clouds on my computer (I still don't) and I have some beautiful pictures from a plane ride home from somewhere.

I started being in love with clouds when I started driving one of my friends to school from seminary. Every day she would point out something amazing in the clouds. Half an hour after the sun begins to rise is really a beautiful time of day. I miss thoes drives from seminary to school enjoying the beauty that our Father hs put in the world around us. Stacy would say something along the lines of, "He is the best artist in this world." and its true, because He is the artist of this world. In this life, we can only try to capture the beauty of the world around us with the materials that we have in our hands, but he has the air and water and sun to work with instead of paint and canvas, or clay, or cameras.

Breakfast for Dinner

Friday my roomates invited people over to hang out at our appartment. We were on our way to the grocery store when one of the girls, Savanah, said she wanted to get rid of her extra eggs, so we decided to have breakfast for dinner. We decided not to have just any breakfast for dinner, but Dad's breakfast for dinner. So some one bought bacon, another person got cheese, and other people were willing to pitch in with some food that they already had, like the eggs. So we got home from the grocery store and I started the bacon in my small frying pan (which seems too small when making food for six people, but it was just meant for me so its ok). It is supprising how far bacon grease pops. So one package of bacon later, I cook up Dad's potato, ham, and cheese, scrambled eggs.


It was a wonderful reminder that Dad loves me, not to mention it was delicious. So thank you Dad for taking time out of your day to tell me how to make this wonderful dish.


So, while we ate we watched a movie. After the movie ended we had a lot of fun messing around, dancing, rolling down the hill, and watching EFY videos on YouTube. I've had a great start to my college life.



Hope all is well with everyone at home (or not at home).

BYU-I welcomes EFY to its campus. This will definitely be an interesting week

Pioneer day in UT

We had a lot of fun in Kanosh today celebrating pioneer day. Brent participated in the tug-of-war and went on the swing after the celebrations.

Goodbye California. I'm on my way to byu-i. I'm sad to be leaving my friends behind, but i'm looking forward to the new experiences i will be able to enjoy.

Out in the woods

I just got back from Young Women Camp yesterday afternoon. This was my seventh year at camp, so I went as a specialist and had a lot of fun. Our theme was VITAL signs which stood for virtuous in thought, action, and language.

The YCLs (Youth Camp Leaders), Specialists, and stake leaders left from the Granite Hills building early Monday morning and all the girls and their ward leaders left at noon. We were able to eat lunch, heart attack the ward cabins, and take a nap before the girls arrived at camp.

It was a beautiful camp ground we went to, but it was high up, everyone felt the strain of less oxygen in the air as we hiked all around camp. We all got used to the air and hiking as the week went on and we had a lot of fun.

We had a lot of fun playing different games every afternoon in "physical" or "occupational" therapy. We played Tree, Log, Bridge on Wednesday along with a lot of other fun relays. we had a food relay where each ward had to send up ten girls, one at a time to eat something out of a paper bag, like rasins, pudding, marshmellows, ect.

I am glad that I could go one more year and that I could spend a week with my friends before I go to BYU-I in a couple of weeks.

Tamara's Inspiration

Just before I Graduated, I decided it was time to get a hair cut, but I decided to wait untill after graduation to do so, eventhough I wanted to have it cut right then. I had fun on the cruise and then decided that I couldn't stand having my hair as long and annoying to care for as it was any more. I went to my dad's computer (that is where all my pictures are) and found the pictures of my haircut from a year ago. I printed them up and was decided on getting my hair cut exactly like I had it then. Jocelyn then decided not to mind her own buisness and pulled out her hair magazine and looked through it with me to find a cute updated version of my hair cut. (By the way, I am perfectly fine with Jocelyn not minding her own buisness) So added to my hair cut that I absolutly loved last year are some bangs that I was not ready to have a year ago. I love my new haircut and I love being able to spend time with my sisters.

Fun In The Sun

I had a blast going to the Zoo last week with my mom, grandma, and sister. In fact, I had so much fun I decided I should go again, so I talked to Grandma and we decided to go Monday. Jocelyn asked me later if I wanted to go to the zoo after institute on Monday, and found out about my plans to go with Grandma, so the three of us went again on Monday.

Last week the four of us went to see Elephant Odyssey and had fun. Of course, did we have more fun with the hand dryers in the bathroom? For those who went to New Jersey and know about the hand dryers in the one restaurant that blew your skin around, this was a line of air that didn't let the water past it.
Monday the three of us went on Monkey Trails, up tiger trail (formerly Tiger River) at the tigers lunch time, and saw the hippos and of course, Jocelyn's favorite animal, the Okapi.
Where will we go Friday with Andrea? Time will only tell, but I think we should go down center street and Sun Bear Trail (no I don't have the map memorized, I have the map with me)

First time for everything

I got my first job as a substitute SECA (special education classroom assistant) with the elementary and middle school district and worked the last two days of the school year. I had a blast playing with the kids, because that is exactly what I did.

My first day of work I walked in and was trying to find my way around Montgomery. The lady in the office could not believe that I was fresh out of high school and thought that I was at least out of college. She got one of the kids to show me the way to the classroom I was to go to.

There I was minding my own business when who walked into the classroom an hour into the day, but one of my friends. The crazy thing is that I woke up that morning thinking about her. That morning I thought, wow, we really set Steph up for a hard Senior year, we should have made her hang out with more people that were NOT seniors this year, and then there she was in the classroom where I was working.

And now I wait for the new school year to start.

My Graduation party

I've been caught up in so many things lately that i haven't blogged about anything. I had a great time celebrating my graduation with a cruise with a few of my favorite people. We weren't going to be going to Mexico because of the swine flu (i know that it has an official name, but can't remember what it is), but we were able to go ashore after all and had a blast seeing la bufadora and looking through the stores in the city.

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Now What?

I was sitting in my room Friday and thought, now what? How can this chapter in my life really be over? My family has been going to Granite for a long time, how can it be that there is no member of our family still enrolled?

I've applied for my first job and had to get drug tested and have a TB test. So, while I'm waiting to see if I get the job, now what? I'm not in the middle of any book, which is strange for me because I am usually in the middle of two or three. I haven't started any projects yet, but I do want to make an afghan for my college dorm room.

Graduation was fun, especially being among crowd of people trying to find their graduate. Along the way I found one of my friends that I've known since kindergarten. I was an honor graduate and so I got to wear white for graduation. The honor grads got their honor chords (the gold thing hanging on my neck) at Senior Awards Night and one of my friends that sat with me said that he wanted to jump rope with his, and I am sure that he has by now.

The End of a Chapter

I'm graduating High School in about 3 weeks. It will be strange for me to be ending this chapter in my life. I am looking forward to going to BYU-I this year, but I won't know any one else there when I go up (one of my friends is on a different track and I probably won't see much of her up there). At the beginning of each school year, and each new school, I have always known that I will at least have one close friend who I've known since kindergarten, but I don't have that this year. My best friend is staying at home for several years to start her education at a community college. At least I know that I will be able to make friends who have high standards (something I've struggled with in high school).

Well, here's to the new chapter in my life, Jocelyn and I can start our new chapters together this summer

Prom was a lot of fun

I love how my hair turned out, I guess two hours was worth it.

Don't we all look amazing

I love spending time with my friends

Aren't these beautiful Dresses

Renaissance

I went to the Renaissance Fair with one of my friends the other weekend and had a lot of fun. I saw my first joust, had steak on a steak, and tried to keep cool. We went up the night before the Fair to spend the night at Lyn's grandparents (because it was a two hour drive from San Diego and her grandparents live five minutes from the park where it was held). Lyn's grandma said to have me call them Grandma and Grandpa. They both were excited for us to go to the Fair and to see our costumes because, yes when you go with Lyn you go in garb, not street clothes. There were many groups that performed music and on stage that you could see for free. there were stalls that sold paintings, perfume, and even did your hair for you. It is always fun to see different people dress up in different garb, although the pirates do get annoying, they aren't even classy pirates, but Pirates of the Caribbean pirates. Lyn's mom really wants to get her husband to come to the fair with them sometime, and she wants him to wear garb, but he feels that it will just be uncomfortable so he doesn't come. My feet would agree with him, but it is a lot of fun.

Would you could you join the dance?

I was sitting in choir talking to one of my friends about the music during a break from singing, when two girls came in the room with a delivery of flowers. I thought OK, what ever, those are probably for Lauren (who always gets something delivered that all the other girls want), no big deal, that's what everyone thought. So, Mrs. Nelson asks who the flowers are for and the girl says Chelsea Robertson.

Wait, did I hear that right? That's what Mrs. Nelson thought as well, she repeated the girl and the girl said yea (did I say someone else's name, no I said Chelsea). The class bursts into a roar of confusion, "who's sending Chelsea flowers?" "wait, those are for Chelsea?" Then Ben asked, "Chelsea, is it your birthday?" My answer was no (this was still well before April came around). Well by that time I had the flowers and was starting to read the note in them. Ben asked again, "Is someone asking you to prom?"

Yes by now my face was bright red because I had the attention of the entire class and I don't really like to be the center of attention, especially when everyone wants to know what's going on and I don't even know the full story.

"Yes, someones asking me to prom" I say getting choked up with shyness (why is it that I have to be shy when It's really inconvenient, I mean I'm really not that shy of a person). Then Mrs. Nelson asks the question that everyone wants to know, who. Still stricken with shyness, I tell his name, Calvin (no I don't know his last name because I can't pronounce it, let alone spell it, which had the class in an uproar again). Finally Ben asks the last question, "Whats your answer?"

"Yes" I said. Then Mrs. Nelson tried to get the class back on track, but no one was really paying attention to the music anymore, let alone anything we had been working on in class that day, at least it was toward the end of the period so it wasn't like we missed out on the entire class because I got flowers and asked to Prom.

So, I checked my e-mail, for once, and...

I saw this e-mail about financial aid, so I clicked on the link thinking, OK what is this about. Up popped my BYU-I financial page and I skimmed through thinking yada, yada, yada because most of it was stuff I already knew. That was when I saw it. GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS... Award of Excellence Full Scholarship. So I am very excited about that, as are Mom and Dad. I am looking forward to going off to college in January. Right now I've been working on finding a job so that I can help pay for college (the scholarship is just for tuition freshman year). Hope everyone has an amazing week.

Happy Birthday! Now lets go east

I had a great birthday this year, like every year. Jocelyn came down to celebrate . It seemed too crazy to make a whole birthday meal the night before we left town and have plenty of left overs that we would never actually eat, so we went to Black Angus for dinner as a family.

The morning after my birthday we flew to Pennsylvania and spent the whole day pretty much in the airport before we went to bed. We spent the day in Philadelphia and saw the liberty bell, Franklin Court, met Grandma and Aunt Carmela at the B. Franklin Post Office, went to Independence Hall, had a Philly Cheese Steak for lunch, went to the Constitution Center, said good bye to Aunt Carmela, drove to Alantic City (where all your dreams come true), watched part of Conference, unpacked, had dinner, and went to bed. That was a long day, but I think it was worth it, I had a lot of fun.
We spent a week in Alantic City and in the surrounding areas. I was glad to be able to spend time with my sisters (since they were all there and we all lead busy lives) and with Aunt Carmela.

Do you remember?

I don't think our house looks like this any more, do you? I think I recognize the the station wagon on the right, but I'm not sure.

For the last several years Andrea has been scanning our family's pictures (its a giant project with the amount of pictures my mom takes) and has put them on Cd's for all of us so that we can have access to them. This morning I was looking at one of the Cd's and I ran across these pictures from 1993.

Do you remember playing in the back yard as kids? We had this awesome play set that was so much fun. It was right next to the garden when we had one. The fence fell down several years ago and took the play set with it.
Remember playing in the sprinklers on a hot summer day?

Accepted

I am looking forward to going off to college.I found out that I got accepted to Brigham Young University-Idaho. This last week I got the official letter along with a letter saying that I will start January 5, 2010. I will be attending BYU-I during the winter and spring tracks. I will be graduating high school on June 5, 2009.

Choir

A year ago last week I was in Spain and Portugal with Choir. It was sad for those of us in choir who went because we were sitting in class saying "this time last year we were..." about the different things we had done. We had our Benefit Concert the day (and a year) after we got back. There were many talented members of the choir who were able to show off their talent.