Light and Dark

On Sunday in Sunday School we were discussing what light and dark meant to us and to offer an example if we felt like doing so. This guy gave an analogy and I really liked it...he mentioned that light and dark is discussed many times in the scriptures and then he said that we need to the light to show us the obstacles. He said I like to think about if you wake up in the middle of the night and try to go somewhere you will probably stumble to your destination unless you turn on a light to show you what is ahead. He said the same is for our life, if we try to go without the light we will stumble. 

I really liked that analogy and then I wanted to take it a little further, I thought about when you first turn the light off-the light struggles to stay as long as it can and when you do turn the light back on your eyes can't see for a moment they have to re-adjust. I think the same can be said for life also, when you start making choices that take you away from the light (and Lord) the Holy Ghost tries to stay with you as long as it can but if you keep going towards the dark there is only so long it can stay with you. When you come back towards the light you must make some changes (repentance, choices, etc.) before you can clearly see again. 

I really liked both of these analogies and they have been on my mind a lot since then- do I chose to use the light or do I sit in a room of darkness, struggling to find my way around?

To The Future

Today this place and I became acquaintances again (I thought about saying friends but I'm not quite sure that we have made it there yet). In 2 1/2 hours I will begin my first class of the semester and I'm shaking a bit thinking about it. I haven't always done so well with school, which it why partially it was so easy to stay away.  I'm scared that I will do terribly and I will think "well there you go, school is not for you." and I'm a bit scared that I will do awesome and I will think "well what has your problem been all of this time?" and have no explanation. Kind of silly either way. I love living at home and getting to do stuff with Mom all of the time and I even enjoy working at Trafalga (most of the time), but is it where I want to be for the rest of my life? NO! So here is to the future as I take a giant leap (of faith, excitement, nervousness, etc.) into school!

3, 2, 1...Happy New Year!

New Years Eve was a quite night spent at home, I worked in the morning and boy was it crazy (I would have thought for sure that everyone would to home or have other plans--elsewhere!). Libbey, Erick, Alexia, and Jacob came down to join in our "festivities." Most of our evening was taken up in watching The Swan Princess with Jacob and eating root-beer floats in celebration of Mom's birthday. Once it was over Jacob and Alexia went to bed, Erick called Peru for their midnight, and the rest of us began playing a game. At midnight we popped the bubbly, clanked glasses, went outside and screamed for a few minutes, watched someone elses fireworks, finished our game, ordered plane tickets, reserved hotel for our trip, and went to bed. It was a blast :)

It's tradition to wear Yellow in Peru for New Years Eve, Erick had forgotten and no one had a yellow shirt for him to borrow so he put on a banana. 

Libbey shared her yellow necklace with him. 

Mom and Kyle--don't look so excited Kyle.

Fireworks in the distance outside, I felt almost like I was back in Taiwan with all the fireworks that were going off. 

Erick was on skype with all of his family, we turned around to see him holding up Alexia's shoe to the camera...we had no clue what he was doing. 

Libbey laughing at her crazy husband. 

Our game...look at all that green! (Mom's red, she always takes FOREVER to get anything on the board but she all of a sudden comes out of nowhere playing and whoops all of our butts every.single.time.). 

I wore yellow and I didn't eve know the tradition. 

This is my excited, cheering, happy new year expression/action. 

Happy New Year everyone! May 2012 be as wonderful, exciting, blessed as 2011 has been. 

Oh Christmas Day, Oh Christmas Day!

Christmas Day was a day filled with family, fun, and food. We started out the day a little early (especially considering how it was rather late for us to go to bed the night before--Mom's church began at 9:30). We opted to go to church and then come home and do "Christmasy things." After church the first thing we did was open our stockings! (Growing up that was the first thing we did, then everyone had to shower and get ready- as soon as everyone was ready we would eat breakfast and then do presents). After stockings was breakfast and then presents! My big present from Mom was an ipod/cd dock that I have been wanting for along time. Kyle took me out on a "date," to lunch and to see Sherlock Holmes at the movie theater. 

Next on our schedule was to take naps, most of us slept right up until people arrived at he door. Again this year everyone came to our house for dinner. Growing up our tradition for Christmas Eve was sub sandwiches and then for Christmas day we would do the fancy full turkey dinner. We decided last year that we would much rather have time to gather as a family and not be cooking all day and that we loved the tradition of the sub sandwiches, so that is what we do now for our Christmas dinner. 

Miss C was a big fan of the chips. 

Smiley, frowny, half-asleep, we still love them and find them adorable :)

Katrina has been taking piano lessons for close to a year and Mom asked her if she would be wiling to play a song for everyone, so Katrina practiced and practiced and was ready to share with all of us. She did wonderfully!

Claire has figured out that she is no longer a "baby" and likes to hold the "babies" in her lap. 

The last several years we have been rotating which family you give gifts to. The Chuy's had Ben/Sonia family and their gift to them was a fire pit---they were super surprised and excited. (I had Joel and Becky this year and got them tickets to Disney on Ice--they went earlier last week). 

Lexie wasn't so sure about switching and having Claire sit in her lap :)

I was the official recorder of all gifts. Katrina was also really sweet and bought me these beautiful earrings with her own money and black friday, I've already worn them a couple of times :) Ben and Sonia also had me for Christmas and their big present for me was the game Ticket to Ride (which I love--it has already been played twice since I've gotten it). 

Sonia gave the two littlest nieces these beautiful Beatrix Potter books. 

Where is Claire? 

There she is!

The evening ended with a bubble bath in Grandma's jacuzzi tub for the grandkids and the adults all sat around talking about the upcoming CRUISE!

I love getting together as a family, the only thing missing was Joel, Becky, Aubrey, Parker. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas as well. 

Choose To Become

It's a new year and with new years often come those dreaded resolutions or goals for the year (bleh!), where you feel guilty if you haven't done them yet or even guiltier if you don't complete those that you set out to do. I've done it myself, I start out January 1st with this whole list of things that I'm going to accomplish for the year, about January 6th or 7th the list has been lost and I've moved onto something new.

A couple of months ago I was able to attend Time Out for Women, it was a cool experience, there may have been a few times when I rolled my eyes (picture Jericho Road singing, hundreds of women standing up waving their arms---felt a little too Christian TV to me (not that it's terrible but that's just not me)), but I enjoyed it and learned a lot nonetheless. This years theme was CHOOSE TO BECOME. Choose to become whatever it is that you need to become. They weren't saying that choosing to become means adding more to what is a very busy and hectic life. Don't choose that. Look at your life and choose to become something that would make your life closer to what you want it to be. It's a bit of different thought when you focus that way, what do you want to become?
This year I want to choose to become a better daughter of god. I often wish that I could find my eternal companion (who doesn't that's not married?) but I realized that in order to do that I need to BECOME the best that I can be, strengthen my testimony and be prepared for the covenants that come with the Temple and Eternal Marriage.
What do you CHOOSE TO BECOME?

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

The Chuy's invited us over to their house for dinner for Christmas Eve. After working all day and getting everything closed and cleaned I came home quickly changed and we headed for Salt Lake for dinner. In Peruvian culture Christmas Eve is when all the big celebration happens, they have a HUGE meal (with like 4 different kinds of meats!) and they even count down to midnight and have fireworks/dancing. 

Ben and Lily brought some really yummy meat with a delicious juices and my favorite Peruvian dish Papas a la Huancaina. 

Lexie Lou was getting her pre-meal walking in by having me help her walk laps around the house. 

The beautiful set-up.

Yep Lexie drank her first "wine" :)

Lexie might have drank a little too much and started to choke so we were trying to help her and show her what to do, instead she just started at us all like we were weirdos (which I'm sure we all are).

It was a fun Christmas Eve, we were all more than a little tired by the time we got home around/after midnight but fun nonetheless!

Here We Come A-Caroling

The Monday before Christmas we were invited by the Chuys to go to a Christmas Sing-A-Long. It was hosted by the Larry H. Miller Family and held at the Energy Solutions Center. It was lots of fun, besides getting to sing Christmas Carols with 1000+ (with many dressed in Reds, Greens, Whites, Santa Hats, etc.) I got to hang out with family and play with cuteness that is my nieces and nephews. 

Lexie didn't see the need of wearing her hat inside so I gladly held onto it for her (and of course we didn't want to lose it, where better to keep track of a hat then on top of your head?)

We almost lost Ben, Sonia, and kidlets seats (we got semi-yelled at my a lady) but we held strong and they made it just in time. 

The orchestra that played beautifully. 

You know, Lexie and I just chilling :)

The director, he was quite funny telling us that we needed to pause or sing faster to keep up with the orchestra. 

Look at all those people and how well Katrina and Libbey can sing their ohhhh's.

The Jazz bear even came to visit...he was causing some problems with silly string and other noisy disruptive things :)

They have a special guest every year and this year it was Alex Boye, so that was pretty exciting. He kept on using the camera and big screen to "pop a zit"

It was so much fun, I can't wait until next year!