Turkey day and Hermana Porter

On the Eve of Thanksgiving, Trace worked all night...doing remodeling at "Magleby's Fresh". He got home at approximately 4:00 am and decided to go grocery shopping and build us a Thanksgiving feast. He got EVERYTHING and DID everything. It was amazing. I just sat back and watched. What a lovely surprise. Oh and I hear-by nominate Trace to prepare and cook the Thanksgiving feast every year. Second it?...say I...."I". It's a done deal.And yes, I enjoyed every minute of it. (I love Trace and he loves me...just in case you didn't know.)

Then today we took some left overs to Sister Brindi Porter. We were walking around the Provo temple and lo and behold she came walking out the front doors. CRAZY. We had NO IDEA she was going to be there. Fancy that. Brody carried around the sack of goodies and enjoyed walking up and down the stairs.

The beautiful Provo temple.

She spoke Spanish to us. I had NO idea what she said. I wanted to say, "You know I don't speak Spanish...in English please." She looks really good and really happy.
Her companion was really sweet and I thank her for letting Brindi stop for like point 2 seconds.Anyway- we had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Watched a lot of football, did a little shopping, and worked on some Christmas presents. We also got to spend some time with Banning and Jaime and Co. We missed our families in AZ but we'll get to see them at Christmas...which is not too far away.

Speaking of Christmas...time to bust out the Christmas tree and drive Trace crazy with my Christmas music and videos.
Love to all!

the Brodster

Brody loves to feed himself AND he is so good at it. He doesn't make a mess or anything... I think we have a little baseball player on our hands!

Learn to Laugh...

{and I quote}

"Have you ever seen an angry driver who, when someone else makes a mistake, reacts as though that person has insulted his honor, his family, his dog, and his ancestors all the way back to Adam?
Or have you had an encounter with an *overhanging cupboard door left open at the wrong place and the wrong time which has been cursed, condemned, and avenged by a sore-headed victim?

There is an antidote for times such as these: Learn to laugh."

-Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, October 2008

* I'm going to insert my own story here...

Trace just finished making our king size bed frame. We got the bed all arranged, put back together, clean sheets, fluffed the pillows...it looked great. At the FOOT of our bed we placed a solid wooden box/chest/junk box (which I made in the 7th grade). So bedtime rolls around and I'm anxious to cuddle with my freshly washed linens (which I LOVE the feel and smell of sheets right out of the dryer...who doesn't?).
Anyway, I take out my contacts and instantly become as blind as a bat. Trace calls me into the other room to...well, I actually can't remember, but it must have been for something good because I headed out of our bathroom at a full, fast walking pace. I can't see a darn thing, so I use my keen since of space and familiarity to guide me through the room. I turn the corner of our bed, take a step, and proceed to take another step and WHAM...my knee/shin collides full contact with that (explicit) wooden box. The collision results is a loud BOOM soud, followed by me mumbling "something" under my breath and grunting "Ahhhhhhhhhhhggggggg"....or something like it. I'm not going to lie...for a split second there I was mad at the box. The box that I put there.

That is where the above quote comes into play. Sometimes life throws "boxes" in our way. Something that we can't see coming, but we should know that it is there. Sometimes accidents happen. Sometimes things don't go our way. Sometimes I have bad days. But, maybe, just MAYBE, if I tried to hold my tongue and remain calm...I would be able to enjoy the comedic side of life more often. (Don't get me wrong, I EVENTUALLY laughed about me pile-drive kicking the crap out of the box...eventually.)

Therefore my new moto is: LEARN TO LAUGH (at the retarded things that I do)

{us}

Things I've learned from the "special" people in my life.
(note: this isn't EVERYTHING that I've learned...just a few random things.)

Tamra (my mom):
* The "silent treatment" is A LOT worse than yelling and throwing a fit.
* No junk on the kitchen counter. ("Junk" is classified as ANYTHING that is not supposed to be there. Even if it is an important document or phone number...beware, it will get thrown away.)
* Bran Flakes is the best breakfast cereal.
* Saturday is a day for cleaning. After the cleaning is done = play time.
* Laughter is contagious.

Jim (my dad):
* It is better to ask forgiveness than permission....at times! :)
* Not everybody is as perfect as me.
* Don't do your chores or anything half-assed. (his words, not mine)
* Work hard, be faithful, and serve others.

Momita Tonita (my mil):
* There is LOVE for everybody.
* You can have more than ONE favorite.
* It IS possible to fall asleep anywhere...if you are tired enough!

Poppa Lon (my dil):
* You are never too old to do what you love.
* Serve the Lord. Read Scriptures. Have FHE. Have Family Prayer DAILY. It IS important.

Ashley (my old roomie and sista from a different mista):
* You can never have too many shoes!
* A boring night can be turned into a fun night...with the right crowd and company.
* Friendships never fade...we can call eachother up and talk and it is like nothing has changed.
* It is possible to sleep through 5 alarms.
* Oh and the "lucky" perfume STILL reminds me of you!
* Ice cream does count as a date on a friday night...if it is called "Ben & Jerry's".
* Have confidence in who you are.

Jesica:
* Don't care what other people think about you. Have your opinions and stick to them. Don't change yourself for someone else.
* Don't leave the hair straightener on for hours and hours. TURN IT OFF when you leave the house.
* Sushi is good....ok, she always tried to convince me that it was good...but it's not.

Brenda:
* People change...but someTHINGS never do.
* My hair DOES go curly....with enough product and goop.

Amanda:
* It is VERY possible to cheat and GET AWAY WITH IT while playing SCUM (the card game).
* f of (g * x) functions are possible to do. She taught me.
* The best friends are the kind of friends that you can act like a complete idiot in front of and they STILL want to hang out with you.
* Good friends are the kind when you can drive for countless hours in a snow storm and not get sick of eachother.

Jaime and Banning:
* You are always welcome at a friends home...the regridgerator is on a come and go basis. Don't ask to get a drink, just get one!
* Board games and card games are very fun.
* Jaime and I make an awesome Sequence team.
* Pregnancy does make you lose your mind and do really funny things...such as trying to "pull" a "push" door...and almost ripping it off it's hinges.
* Any game is fun...when in good company. (Throwing a ball at a frisbee and trying to knock it out of the air.)

Danica (my lil sis):
* It's ok to be stubborn.
* It's ok to cry and show emotion sometimes.
* Some people just suck.

Trace: (I've listed some before...but I had to rattle of couple off)
* Saving money is better than spending.
* How to tally lumber...or something like it.
* If you are going to do something it MUST be done right the first time. "A stich in time, saves nine."
* If you aint cheatin, you aint tryin. (wink, wink)
(did I mention that I LOVE HIM??)

Tatiana and Christopher Robin:
* What can I say??...they just rock and are SO much fun.
* It's ok if your not perfect. Just be you and enjoy it.

Rustin:
* Laughing at yourself is sometimes the best way to fix an awkward situation.
* The "society of High School" becomes null after graduation.
* Do whatever you love....it's ok if your not the BEST, just as long as you enjoy doing it.

There are, OF COURSE, many more things that I have learned over time...cause HELLO...I'm really smart...all thanks goes out to the people I have surrounded myself in throughout the years.