Bye Brother Whitaker

Today was the last Sunday Alan and I will be teaching together till after the summer (assuming our ward doesnt split) and it was sad to watch how bummed our kids were that he was leaving. It made it more real that I was losing him this week. I do not want that to become a reality. How will I deal with it??? 

After church we went over to Alans parents for his birthday dinner and hung out and then went over to my moms to visit. It is weird with Chad not being there. Overall today was just like every other Sunday but it is just so hard to imagine Alan leaving. 

So heres to today...to my last Sunday team teaching with my hubby, to missing Chad and to pretending that my hubs is not leaving me this week. Thankful for today.

Dirty Thirty

I woke up later today then I should have. There was still a lot to get done for Alans party but I was soooo tired. I was able to accomplish everything I needed to but don't feel like it turned out as great as it could have. Guests started arriving right at 1 and we got the burgers grilling. It was a really fun party. Very relaxed and laid back and stuffed with lots of unhealthy food. My kind of party. 

We really have great friends that love us and it was so great to have Alan feel loved and cared for today. After the party I went and hung out with Dee at Hobby Lobby while Alan ventured to Dicks. When I got home I had some homework to do and managed to get the majority of it in on time. Afterwards it was time for bed so that we could be up for church in the morning. Bryson was having a hard time so I took him on an adventure to see the stars in the car and he fell right asleep. 

So heres to today...to 10 pounds of hamburgers, to yummy treats, to Alans dirty 30, to shopping with LaDasha and to star gazing slumbers. Thankful for today.

Pedis and PJs

Today Alan played in a golf tournament in Syracuse. That meant that we had to be up at 5 in the morning to get showered and off to the course. By the end of the drive I got extremely car sick. McDonalds breakfast fixed that right up! Yum. For some reason I had been craving it recently so it was nice to be up at that time and get my fix. 

It was FREEZING the entire morning but even though the weather was miserable I had so much fun watching Alan play. He is such a stud. I also got to drive the golf cart for half the holes which was super fun. On the way home from the tournament I was so exhausted that I slept the entire way. My face was fried by the time I got home. 

I had to hurry and try and slap a face on and give the last minute refreshments together before Kaylis guests started arriving. The party was super fun. I think everyone enjoyed it and afterwards I got to hang out with Kayli and Vicki for a bit. It was fun until Vickis battery died. I just had to organize what I needed to get done before Alans party before bed and then to dream land I went. 

So heres to today...to 45 minutes of sleep, to a car nap, to McDonalds breakfast, to Alan and his golf, to driving the cart and to a Pedi and PJ party. Thankful for today.

Chipotle

I didn't have dance today so originally Vicki and I were going to go to lunch at smashburger. She had to babysit so I recruited my hubs to go with me. During lunch he showed me the most disturbing article about beggars and their babies and why they always sleep. As I am in the middle of smashburger I am about to burst into tears and so he decided to show me a video about how different animals eat their food. If you haven't seen the video you need to.

After lunch I had to run to class to make sure I got a good seat in my exceptional students class to hear the guest speaker. It was a deaf student and it was so motivational. I really admire his strength and determination to overcome hard things and have such an optimistic and positive attitude. I have also wanted to learn sign language and today makes me mad at myself that I haven't done so yet. 

I had a test in nutrition so once I finished I went straight home to start getting my party for Kayli ready and realized I didn't have any chairs so Alan and I hopped in the car and went to ikea. We found an awesome deal on the chairs and bought what we needed for my classes and for his bday BBQ on Saturday. Makes me even more excited. 

Unfortunately I missed math which isn't good. I really need to make sure that I am there to soak in what I need and be able to pass that class. Makes me nervous. I still have to retake a test. We ended up eating at chipotle and running a few errands before we headed back to Orem. Sometimes these random little trips are my favorite. I love Chipotle because it was one of the places we ate when we were engaged and going through a book of questions that helped us plan our lives together! Such a fond memory. 

When we got home and I was unwrapping the chairs and finishing setting up Dee called me and let me know that she got her first recruit! I could not be more proud!!! SOOOOOO EXCITED FOR HER! Can't wait to meet Trisha either. Really am so proud of her and it just reaffirms what a great opportunity Mary Kay really is! Love it!

So heres to today...to smashburger with the hubs, to a random youtube lifting my spirits, to ASL, to deaf gain, to new chairs, to DeeAnns new team member, to prepping for a party and to remembering fond memories. Thankful for today.

Balloon Blast

This afternoon I went over to Vickis house to watch Life of Pi. I really liked the movie. I also got a call from my step mom Becky with some interesting news that really got my head spinning. After I left Vickis I had to drop off some reminder cards to the girls that were invited to Kaylis PJ and Pedi party on Friday. 

My goals with Mary Kay are big. I know myself and I know where I feel I am helping others and that is when I have a strong team. I really want to be able to submit my form to be a director in qualification by the 1st of next month so in order to do that I need to get 10 personal recruits. 

DeeAnn came over early to mess with some of the makeup and see if she could find something that she liked and the results were awesome. She looked flawless and just in time to get down to Sandy. I had to go to my unit meeting so I gave the girls my car and Dee and Kayli went to the mall while I was at motivational. It was amazing and made me so excited to be working for this company. I cannot wait for SEMINAR.

Tonight was the balloon blast. I had never been to one but heard great things about them and you get to pop balloons full of cash and they feed you. Tammy the National of my area was the speaker tonight and she was so moving. At the end of the night DeeAnn signed and Kayli and my mom want to! This is such an amazing opportunity and I am so grateful that I stumbled upon it and that I can help other woman find their start to something beautiful. 

Dee and I ended up staying up waaaaaay too late chatting and our hubbies went to bed so we just goofed off till after 2 in the morning. I love that girl. 

So heres to today...to afternoon movies, to fried chicken, to motivational evenings, to reaching for my dreams, to DeeAnn starting her own business and to delirious Dee that I have missed so much and love so dearly. Thankful for today.

Gas leak and Alaska

After our Wendover weekend trip I had no desire whatsoever to go back to school. It took everything I had to get myself to class. Dance went great and then in exceptional students we were in the middle of a group activity when a woman walked in and said that we needed to exit the building. She stated that there was a gas leak and when we filed outside in the cold we say policemen and firetrucks and an ambulance pull up. 

They were checking the building for some time and since class was almost over Vicki and I decided to escape the cold and go and get some lunch. We even got to run into Alan for a minute before we had to go back to school. Turns out there wasn't a gas leak it was just something up with that girl that came into our class freaking out.

Once nutrition class was over I picked up Alan and we went straight over to my moms to see my brother off. He decided to move to Alaska and get a fresh start there so I skipped math to say my goodbyes. It was really hard to see him go. I feel like I have been losing everyone lately. I really hope that he is able to do well there and I am so proud of him for getting his GED! I just want what is best for him. 

I have been so exhausted lately. So much to do tomorrow and just wish there were more hours in the day and days in the week and weeks in the month and months in the year. 

So heres to today...to spontaneous lunch dates, to fake gas leaks, to Chandlers fresh start and safe journey. Thankful for today.

Heading home

Our weekend rendezvous was very short lived. We woke up this morning to housekeeping waking us up an hour and a half before we had to check out. We were not expecting that. Once we got on our way it was raining pretty hard. Our drive home was slightly dangerous but we made it to Salt Lake and ate some lunch at blue lemon. 

After lunch we headed home to relieve Kayli of her doggie duties since she stayed with our boys for the night. After some chatting she left and we just hung out and then I had some studying to do for a test in Nutrition and a folder to put together for dance. 

By the time I finished I was exhausted so off to bed I went. 

So heres to today...to surviving the drive, to the smell after it rains, to Kayli taking good care of our boys, to blue lemon lunch and to the semester ALMOST being over. Thankful for today.

Funday

With Alan leaving and us both living such busy lives we really don't get to run away too often. I am sure some of you are thinking that I am full of it since we went on 3 cruises in a span of 3 months but I am serious. Since then we haven't had the opportunity to have much alone time at all. We wanted to get away for a bit before he left to sell. 

We decided to make a date weekend of it and instead of going to Vegas we opted for Wendover. We started our date after conference by going up to SLC and eating at Ruths Chris. Dang that place is delicious. We had never eaten there but had some gift certificates we got to use. It was so fun and we got to celebrate both of our birthdays. 

After dinner we headed to Wendover to check into our mini suite. We stayed Peppermill and it was a blast. We didn't do too much but Alan did manage to win $45 and we stayed in an awesome room for a great deal. We should have done that more often. It was so nice to just get away and be with each other for a night without distractions. I love that man and I am going to miss him so much this summer!

So heres to today...to delicious dinner dates, to runaway weekends to Wendover, to mini suites, to giant jacuzzi tubs and to time with my hubby. Thankful for today.

Business Debut

I stayed up later then I should setting up for my debut but I was just so excited. I am also a perfectionist so I kept changing things over and over until I felt it was just right. This morning I finished whipping up some delicious snacks and then my guests started arriving. A huge shout out to those that came and supported me for the opening of my new business despite my oversight that many would have scheduling conflicts with conference going on at the same time. 

It was really fun to be able to cut my ribbon and unveil my inventory and let everyone play with all the makeup.

I had a number of stations set up everything from facials, pedicures and manicures. They were able to try anything and everything their hearts desired. It was truly a blast. Since I did not get great sleep I am pretty tired by the end of the open house. We planned a girls night because we figured many couldn't make it to the open house but would be able to come play afterwards. 

At the girls night we just ordered pizza and goofed around. Told jokes that made us nearly wet our pants and then as the evening wound down we went to bed. 

So heres to today...to those that love and support me, to a successful business debut, to owning my own business, to lots of fun, to creative outlets, to great friends and wonderful company. Thankful for today.

Frantic Friday

With my debut being tomorrow I had so much to do and so little time to do it. This is what I get for procrastinating the bulk of what I needed done. This morning I had to be at a meeting for something else for 2 hours at 8:30. I am not used to waking up that early! After the meeting I headed to a few stores to pick up some last minute items as I did all of the grocery shopping late last night. 

Once I finished I came home and started trying to organize my set up and make sure I didn't forget anything.By the time I got through unpacking everything it was time to meet up with my dear friend Ashley. I got to meet her darling 1 1/2 week old son Austin Ryan. He is the cutest little boy ever and so tiny. It didn't help my baby hunger thats for sure. 

Lunch was just lovely and she had a photo shoot for Austins newborns so we said our goodbyes and I came home to get cracking on set up. I thought I would do it by myself since Alan was watching tv and doing some other things on his own and I tried to move the ping pong table...bad idea! It collapsed on top of me and I was mashed in the middle of it underneath many lbs of heavy wood and metal. Needless to say I was stuck. It hit me so hard I am surprised it didn't knock me unconcious. I started yelling for Alan and crying and he couldn't hear me up stairs. I managed to reach one of my arms to the wall and started banging but it was no use. After being stuck under the table unable to move for 20 minutes he finally heard me and came running to the rescue. 

I think I messed up my arm and shoulder and I popped some blood vessels and am getting a black eye. Lovely. That's going to make it fun to promote beauty and makeup to women. Ha. I didn't let getting smashed stop me and Alan had to go golf with his dad so I just got straight to work. I think everything turned out so cute. My mom was so sweet and came and helped me perfect everything. I am so excited!

It looked even better then the pictures because this was before I finished. So excited for tomorrow. Just pray there is a good turn out since I scheduled it on the same day and time as conference! I am such a basketcase sometimes!

So heres to today...to the ping pong 1 me 0, to lunch with the lovely Ashley and her handsome little man, to getting ready for my big debut and to praying tomorrow goes off without a hitch! Thankful for today!

Tornado Thursday

I feel like the last few weeks I have been going a million miles a minute with everything that has been going on in my life. To make it even more fun its the end of the semester so I am stressed out of my brains. The only things that hold me together are the few fun moments I get during the week and this afternoon was one of them. My second class was cancelled which was joyous and it meant that Vicki and I got to go to lunch! She brought her darling daughter Kirsten and we went to smashburger. 

I had never been there and it was so good! I don't know how I still enjoyed a burger after yesterday but it was amazing and it was so fun to spend time with those girls. It gave me the boost I needed to make it through the rest of the day. I did great until the second half of math. We were learning matrices and when he said it wasnt something we would be using on the test...I was out of there. 

Honestly, I was just really excited to get back to planning and preparing for my debut Saturday which I am soooooo excited for. I got the rest of the details squared away and the dessert plans and then when I talked to Dee I got some bad news! I planned it on CONFERENCE WEEKEND! I do not know how I did not realize that until she said it. That is how much of a blur the last few weeks have been. 

I am super stressed now and hoping I will still have a good turn out because I am so excited to start my business and I want everyone to see how different I am trying to make this! Cross your fingers for me! 

I decided to do a girls night out for when my husband abandons me to go to priesthood and hopefully some girls will come and hang out with me. Just got to pray it all works out. I picked up all the stuff for the food and now I am super anxious to get that all put together and get everything set up tomorrow!

So heres to today...to fun lunch dates, to a second round of burgers, to STARTING MY OWN BUSINESS, to my debut coming up and to being a basketcase and somehow still smiling! Thankful for today.   

SURPRISE!

This morning when I woke up I was planning on meeting up with Kayli to go to brunch or lunch for her birthday! Its so fun having our birthdays touch. That just proves we were meant to be besties. Anyhow, my inventory came at 10:30 and I was soooooo excited. I spent the next few hours spreading out all my goodies and admiring all of it. Then Alan forced me to start putting it away so I organized it and he helped me take it downstairs. I have some pictures of the event but I will not torture you with all the great stuff I got but you can use your imagination as to whats inside! Or come to my open house on Saturday!

 

After I got that all squared away I ended up meeting up with Kayli for lunch. She wanted Texas Roadhouse but it didn't open till 4 so we decided to try to go to Outback and they weren't open till 4 either. Since our dreams of a juicy steak were smashed we settled for a juicy burger and ventured over to Five Guys. I love that girl we just sat and shoved our faces full of greasy burgers and chatted for hours till I had to leave to go to my meeting. 

Nicole rode up to the meeting with me so I didn't have to drive up to Sandy alone which was nice. After the meeting I decided to stay and watch a facial class and after I got what I needed we headed home. MY FRIENDS ARE SO SNEAKY! This is what I came home too!

 



I really feel like the luckiest and move love woman alive and I am so glad I got to share the night and celebrate my birthday with Kayli on hers (although she should not have been serving others on her day of birth!) it was SUCH a great night. 

So heres to today...to birthday brunches that turn to greasy lunches, to amazing friends and family and to the BEST surprise birthday party ever. Thankful for today!

1/4 of a century

I cannot believe I am 25 years old. Its sort of depressing. Luckily not too many people rubbed it in today. Alan had intentions to do a big breakfast but luckily slept in. School really sucked the life out of me today it was a struggle to get through the day. I decided to leave my math class early to catch a movie with my brother Lindsay and my hubs. We watched Warm Bodies which I thought was actually really cute and surprisingly funny. 

I just feel so blessed. I have so many people in my life that love and care for me despite my many shortcomings. I am so thankful that I am constantly given opportunities to meet new people and have new experiences and get to be surrounded by so many amazing individuals. Today I just feel so blessed to have lived 25 wonderful years and I am looking forward to the next 25 (although I really hope that they don't come too fast) and what it will bring. 

So heres to today...to being alive for 25, to movie night out and to being overwhelmed with gratitude. Thankful for today. 

April Fools Day

I really wanted to prank Alan today so I tried to saran wrap the toilet seat. I had to pee so bad this morning but held it till he finally went to use the bathroom as I pretended to sleep. I failed. He somehow saw it or figured it out. He said it was too shiny! Gosh dangit! I almost forgot and fooled myself. Thats how slow I am.

So with my fooling not fooling anyone I dropped that idea and we planned out our day. Alan wanted to go to do something since I will be in school all day tomorrow on my birthday but then he got an invite to play golf. Guess what took precedence? GOLF! So I stayed home and cleaned and caught up on some homework. Let me just say I cannot wait for this semester to end because all I have been doing since this afternoon is homework. 

Alan felt bad for me having to stay home and him getting to run off with buddies so he decided to take me and my mom out to dinner for my birthday at Texas Roadhouse. It was delicious. I was also happy to finally hear from Kayli whom I thought died since I couldn't get a hold of her due to a spontaneous last minute trip to St George where she has no service and told no one she was going on! Scared me to death. 

Now its back to math so I can hopefully get some sleep tonight before tomorrow. 

So heres to today...to my hubby hanging with the fellas, to checking boxes, to failed april fools jokes, to Kayli surviving a 4 wheeling accident and to counting down the days till this semester is over! Thankful for today.

Hoppy Easter

Last night we had another hard night with Bryson. He was having some really bad thoughts about something bad happening to his mom and was just having a really hard night. He said the most sincere prayer I have ever heard and it brought Alan and I to tears. Unfortunately we did not get to bed till way later than we anticipated so waking up this morning was a struggle. 

With it being Easter Sunday we planted some magic jelly beans last night and Bryson got to wake up and see what sprouted.

He was pretty excited. He actually woke up in a good mood considering but it was hard for me to function. Church was lovely and my kids were particularly fun today with it being a holiday. I am going to miss primary if they ever decide to release me which I hope they never do! I love it so much. 

After church it was such a nice day we couldn't pass up going on a walk and we needed to keep Bryson awake so we let him ride his bike and walked the dogs over to the park. The whole venture took about an hour till the dogs and I were too tired. When we got home we gave em some water took them to the bathroom and headed to Alans parents house. 

When we got there the kids decorated Easter eggs and we played outside. I was exhausted by the time dinner rolled around and starving. After dinner we had an Easter egg hunt and then played a game called hedbanz which was super fun until Bryson fell asleep on the table. We decided to take the poor guy home. 

When we got back to our place my mom and brother were here so we visited with them for a bit and by the time we got the dogs they had both peed in their kennels. That is the first time they have ever done that so I guess we learned our lesson about loaded them up with water before departing. Poor guys. 

Now it is time to lay down and relax and get some sleep because tomorrow we have a LOT to get done. 

So heres to today...to Easter Sunday, to fun family activites, to being young with our nieces and nephews, to a sunny Sabbath, to spontaneous walks in beautiful weather and to the Saviors atoning sacrifice. Thankful for today.     

Homework Overload

I don't understand my professors logic in the decision to double up work the last few weeks of the semester. Seems really backward. I spent all day doing homework. I was planning on taking a break and meeting up with my siblings and friends for the festival of colors but Alan was gone most of the afternoon. By the time he got home it was too late. 

And I got an early birthday present that I am sooooo excited about. My husband definitely spoiled me this year. LOOK!

It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and I got a huge bundle with a tripod, another lens, screen protectors, cleaning kit, cords, extra battery, bag and lots more. I am soooo lucky. I have been dying to get a camera but then we kept getting different things so this was awesome and an early birthday surprise. 

On top of the camera the Blacks bought us Cafe Rio for us and brought it over for dinner. We are seriously so loved and it was so thoughtful. We owe them big time. I finally finished my psychology homework and I am exhausted. I was hoping to get the chairs put down in my office and we have the wrong seat covers! GAH! Can't catch a break there so I am trying to decide what to do. I am thinking about getting this chair:

   

Any thoughts? Bryson is here and went to the festival of colors so he was covered in chalk and I somehow managed to get most of it off of him the bath. Now its time to take a break play with my camera and get ready for tomorrow.

So heres to today...to finishing my homework, to thoughtful neighbors and caring friends, to yummy cafe rio, to an amazing early birthday present and to time with my nephew and to hopefully finalizing my office. Thankful for today. 

In Loving Memory of Brady Tyler Lish

I do not think I slept a wink last night. I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't want to have to see Brady like that I wanted to remember him alive and happy. I knew if I didn't go I would regret it. I got to have a few lovely conversations with my brother Taylor, my sister Brittany and Becky and we were all hurting but we got to talk about how much we loved Brady and wanted to honor him. 

This morning it took every ounce of strength I had to get out of the car and walk into the church. Instantly I was overwhelmed. I haven't seen my dad since my grandmas funeral and it wasn't the most pleasant encounter. Brady is an angel. I feel like he made a sacrifice to piece our broken family back together because there were a lot of severed ties and they all came together today. My dad even pulled me aside and hugged me and told me he loved me. I haven't heard that in 5 years. Brady was there. 

When I saw him I was overwhelmed and my heart was shattered and I sobbed but throughout the ceremony I felt his arms around me and was comforted. I feel that him leaving this life was a tender mercy and that in his death he got what he wanted most of all and that was to bring the family together. It was such a beautiful service and there was so many people that loved Brady so much there so pay their respects. 

I just have so much I want to say to him. After the funeral I felt at peace but still feel an empty piece in my heart. I miss him so much. I was trying to replay the last things that we said to each other and our last moments together and was trying to make sure that he knew that I loved him so much. I was able to read through some text messages we exchanged and found such a comfort in them. I love Brady with all my heart. I will never stop loving him or missing him and will always remember him. I want to do right by him and make sure that I am being the best that I can be everyday to make him proud. I know he is watching over us and feel his spirit with me. I love you Brady and can't wait to see you again someday. 

So heres to today...to a day that turned hurt to healing, to Brady finally being at peace and happy, to a brother and a best friend, to a man with the kindest heart and to my guardian angel. Thankful for Brady.