What a Difference a Year Makes

I was going through pictures last night on my camera that I got last year at Christmas time. It was full on some fun pictures and memories. As I looked at some of the pictures, I realized how much I had changed this year. I have had several different hair styles and thought I would share those.

Here are the hairstyle of Whitney for 2009:

These are in order from the first of the year to the end.
I hope you all have a wonderful new year!!!!

Crazy! Busy! Fun!

This past week was a lot of fun. I was able to do a lot of things that I would not have ever done, if I did not live here. They were wonderful experiences!

~SUNDAY~

Last Sunday, I drove up to Pocatello after church. I was able to watch the Christmas Devotional with my family and really enjoyed it. After that, I went to visit a friend who I miss not having around. It was a good night.

~MONDAY~

I went to the orthodontist on Monday with high hopes that he would say it was time to take these braces off. It did not happen. I go back in January and hopefully they will come off then, but I am not going to get my hopes up this time. After the appointment, I drove back and went to work. It was finals week down here, so for home evening we had a bread and jam social. That was nice to talk to people and relax, even though I tend to talk with a lisp now, thanks to the lovely elastics that I have to wear.

~TUESDAY~

Here is my confession. I am one of those who people who love watching "The Biggest Loser" while enjoying a treat. This week was no exception, especially because it was the finale. I went over to a friend's apartment and watched the finale while enjoying some delicious peppermint fudge.

~WEDNESDAY~

This was probably the least exciting day, but I used it to get caught up on some cleaning that needed to be done and to do my laundry. Nothing too exciting there.

~THURSDAY~

It was ward temple night. I love that the temple is so close and that I can go there so often. I was a little nervous going into the session this time, because the previous week I had been pretty sick and I did not want to have problems. It was an amazing session for me and I was able to get some assurances that I needed about my life right now. There is no doubt in my mind that I need to be living in the present and not worrying too much about the future. The way will be prepared when the time comes!

~Friday~

I had the awesome opportunity to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with some friends. It was so much fun, and might I add that the food was amazing. We ate latkas, hala bread, and matzah ball soup. It was amazing. We also lit the menorah, played dreidel, and read a book. It was such a cool experience and I am so glad that I was invited to participate/

~Saturday~

I woke up to snow, and lots of it. A friend and I decided to go to a Spanish session at the temple. (Yes I went to the temple two times in one week. YEAH!!!). It was so nice to be around the language again. When we got out of the session, my car was covered with snow. I ran a few other errands and then decided that it was time to start my Christmas shopping. For those who don't know, I do not like shopping. I within 2 1/2 hours I had basically finished all of my shopping. It was nice to get it done with. That night I spent some time with some friends and took it easy.

~Sunday~

Our ward is combined with another ward for the next couple of weeks. This week we had a Christmas program that was so neat and I got a lot out of it. I love Sundays, and spent most of the day after church relaxing and studying. I got invited to a dinner and enjoyed some good food, good friends, and fun.

This week was crazy, but it was super fun. We'll see what this week brings!

The Four F's

FAMILY

I was able to spend a lot of time with my family this weekend. We were all there, except for my bro, who is serving a mission. It was so nice to see my sister and her family and be reminded of what sweet spirits children bring, especially around the holidays.

FOOD

What Thanksgiving would be complete without a Turkey dinner with all the trimmings. There are so many parts of the meal that are my favorite. I love Mashed Potatoes. The marshmallow fruit salad was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the yams. The rolls were amazing. Here is the best part, I ate a little bit of turkey!!!!! I forgot how good that turkey tastes. Yum!

FRIENDS

I was able to see some of my most favorite people in Pocatello. There were some that I did not get to see, but I will get to see them the next time I am down. I went for ice cream with one friend and saw some others in the store on Saturday night.

FUN

The weekend was filled with activities to bring in the Christmas Spirit. We had a light parade where people were literally pouring bags of candy in front of us and onto the laps of those who were sitting. The nephews really enjoyed the parade. Saturday was the fireworks. I LOVE FIREWORKS!!! They are some of my most favorite things. There was also football (and basketball on too). That made the Thanksgiving holiday complete.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you found new things to be grateful for.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Click the link above to see the movie.

I loved watching this and it has made me do some thinking. I hope you all enjoy it too! I am not going to lie, this week has not been an easy one for me, but I am grateful for my family, friends, and most of all a loving Heavenly Father and Savior.

I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had throughout my life. I have learned so much from the past. Hard times do make us stronger.

I am thankful for those quiet moments when you know that everything is going to be alright.

I am thankful for the opportunity I have to live so close to a temple and go there often.

I am thankful for random moments that bring laughter and joy to my life.

I am grateful for the tender mercies I have been shown.

I am grateful for the love that I can feel, when sometimes I don't think I deserve it, or at other times when I really need it.

I am thankful for the gospel.

I am grateful to all of you and everything that you have done to help me to find peace, joy, comfort, love, and strength in my life. You are all amazing. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Family Blessing

My niece has been such a blessing to her family, and on Sunday she was blessed. I cannot even explain how amazing it was to be present there. The spirit so strongly. She is such a beautiful little girl.



There was a special feeling of "Forever Families" and I think that below is one of the cutest Forever Families that I know.



I am so grateful that I got be there and share in this wonderful event.

Family Fun!!!

I was blessed with the opportunity to go see my sister and her wonderful family this weekend. We left Pocatello at 6 a.m. I think my mom learned that I am not the happiest camper in the world when I wake up early after getting very little sleep. By the time we got there, I was a much happier person. It could have been the fact that I had food in my stomach, or I had woken up a little, or maybe it was the fact that I got to be around some fun people.

This was my first time getting to see my niece in person. She is so CUTE!!!

We got to spend Halloween with them too. We started out at their ward party.

The boys were so cute. After the ward party, they got to do some trick or treating. It was so much fun to see them both run for the door every time someone knocked, so they could help give candy. My littlest nephew sat on the front porch for while holding the candy bowl, while his brother and nana played with the glow necklaces and bracelets that nana had brought. It was great!

What a great Halloween I spent with Bumblebee, a clown, and Kayleigh "ladybug". (Sorry, I did not get pictures of her in her costume, but take my word, she was cute!)

What A Weekend!!!

This past weekend was wonderful, especially because it was a three-day weekend. A friend in Logan was married on Thursday, so on Friday night I got to help at her reception. Then on Saturday morning, after getting a whole four hours of sleep, at most, I headed to Poky. It was wonderful. Here is some notes from the weekend.

1. Arrived home and spent some time with my mom.

2. Went to lunch with some co-workers from the daycare. Good food and good conversation. I love those ladies.

3. Attended another reception. This one was for two friends from my old ward in Poky.

4. Went to my old ward and got to see so many wonderful people.

5. Had dinner with my parents and my grandpa. We even got homemade mashed potatoes. (I love those things).

6. Visited my grandma at her house with my parents.

7. Hung out with some of my good friends from high school, plus some other wonderful people.

8. Went to the orthodontist with hopes of getting the braces off. It did not happen. I ended up going back later that day because a bracket popped off. I think it was a sign, but they put the bracket back on.

9. Visited the daycare and the kids there.

10. This one just might be my favorite. My mom, dad, and I went for a walk. Part of the way through the walk, it started raining and storming. For those of you who know me, I am not a fan of thunder and lightning. When we got home from the walk, we were soaked and looked beautiful. We all had to change clothes, I think (My dad may not have had to).

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend with friends, family, & fun. Thanks everyone for making it great!