Birthdays, bridal showers, and HOT date nights...

Once again...I had a very busy weekend. I found myself scheduling in a day this Saturday to "not make any plans!" Yes...I actually put that on my calendar. I have to schedule in time to not do anything. It's crazy, but when you have family with birthdays, friends having babies, family getting married, etc...what is one to do?!?

Friday started out with a family birthday celebration AGAIN!! We celebrated my beautiful niece's 8th birthday. I still can't believe that the precious little baby I watched being born is already 8 years old. I am so blessed and proud to have such an amazing little girl to call my niece. I can't wait to see what she becomes!

On Saturday I was blessed with the opportunity to celebrate with my new sister-in-law-to-be!! I love the fact that I truly do think of Margaret as one of my sisters. She is a beautiful person inside and out. I am so blessed and honored to have her in my life. I can't wait to see the amazing life that her and Colby are going to share together. The wedding is in only 26 days!!!

Later that evening, Layton and I went to one of our favorite little spots in Midtown called, Lucca. We hadn't been out on a date in awhile so we enjoyed a great evening of catching up and talking. I don't need to say again how blessed I am to get to spend every day of my life with him.

I truly enjoyed my busy and full weekend. It again reminds me of the many people that I am so blessed to be surrounded by.

Birthdays, baby shower, and rainy days off...

Hopefully this weekend was the culmination of my busy month...until a family wedding on February 20th. This weekend was full of blessings!

Friday night my entire family was all together. It has been a few months since that's happened. We celebrated my beautiful mother's 55th birthday. I am so blessed to have this amazing woman in my life. She has taught me so many things about life and I am honored to call her my mother and my friend. We blessed her with a new sewing machine. I am also blessed by the CRAZY people that I call family. I think I am the luckiest person to blessed with such amazing people. I cooked dinner at my sister's house for everyone!

On Saturday I was able to bless my beautiful friend with a fun and sassy baby shower. 5 of us girls got together to throw THE BEST baby shower EVER!! Our theme was zebra print and hot pink and we had so much fun blessing Jessica and baby Sarah Marie. I am again honored to have all of these beautiful women in my life. I couldn't do it without you girls!!

On Sunday I was felt like I could finally breathe again after the last month of holidays, family emergencies, birthdays, baby showers, etc. I took quite a few hours to clean up my cluttered and neglected house.

Today was my day off and I organized my closet! I took things to Goodwill and traded in some books at the used book store.

I'm looking forward to getting back to normal life...that is until the FUN family wedding that we have coming up in a month.

Looking back on this weekend I feel extremely blessed to have the amazing women in my life that I do. I was a little saddened on Saturday because I was not involved in the baby shower of a person who I used to hold so dear in my life. I thought that I would one day be involved in the birth of her children. However, God gave me a beautiful reminder that I am still so loved and treasured and that I am surrounded by people who can see that I also am a beautiful treasure in their lives. I was able to bless my amazing friend Jessica with what I consider to be THE BEST baby shower around. It didn't matter that I wasn't able to be involved in this other person's baby shower.

Here's to the amazing women in my life!!

Glancing back and looking forward...

As I get older the more I learn how unreliable life really is; however, I'm slowing learning to enjoy the unexpectedness of it. The biggest lesson that life is teaching me right now is to trust. 2009 threw some unexpected things in my path and I think that I dealt with them pretty gracefully. 2010 has just begun and it too has thrown some unexpected things my way. All I have to say to 2010...BRING IT ON!! My motto for this year...and soon to be my new tattoo...is TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART!! Here's a glance back to my 2009 and a expectant look forward to 2010...

January 2009 - Brought an unexpected car accident my way. With it came a few aches and pains (and a new car); however, I was determined to not let those get me down. Because of this car accident I found a new found passion for yoga. My body has never felt better and I now know that I can physically do pretty much anything I put my mind to!

March 2009-I flew to Denver to visit my best friend! We hadn't seen each other for 3 years!! We spent a great weekend together and picked up right where we left off. We also determined that 3 years would never go by again. I'm anxiously anticipating her visit this March!

April 2009-I celebrated my 28th birthday! Here's to almost being 30!!

May 2009-I ended my 4th year of teaching and celebrated a very nice mother's day with family.

June/July 2009-Found us in Boston for 2 weeks. There are too many memories and pictures to just put one up, but I'll try!

August 2009-We celebrated 8 wonderful years of being married. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into when I married Layton as a very young 20 year old! What 20 year old knows anything about marriage. I have been so amazed at the blessing and lessons that I have been able to experience with this amazing man!

September 2009-I started my 5 year of teaching at Capital.

November 2009-Of course I have to mention the annual Apple Hill girl's trip. This always is one of the highlights of my year. We were missing a few friends, but we still had a fabulous time! Layton and I also got to go to Bodega Bay with the entire Wedgie clan! That always makes for a good time!

December 2009-Christmas and a fabulous little mini-vacation with Layton to Big Sur!!

On to 2010...

About 5 years ago I put together of list of 30 things that I'd like to accomplish in my life before I turn 30. I was a little over zealous! I didn't think about the money that it would take to accomplish a lot of these things. Since I started my list, I've made slight revisions to it and I've also come to the realization that I won't be able to do all of the things on my list in the next 1 1/2 years :) So...I've decided to just make it a list of Life Goals. I've decided that I can make revisions and delete things from it. Here's my list. The things in green are the things I've already checked off of it and the things in blue are my goals for 2010!

1. Get back on a bike

2. Learn how to play Monopoly without the help of Layton

3. Learn how to crochet

4. Finish my scrapbook

5. Acquire a taste for tomatoes

6. Take a cooking class

7. Read "Great Expectations"

8. Read "Les Miserables"

9. Read the entire Bible

10. Take a photograph that I can proudly hang in my house

11. Volunteer

12. Play Blackjack in a casino

13. Take ballroom dancing lessons

14. Take a painting class and paint something good

15. Learn another language and actually use it

16. Visit Alcatraz

17. Hang-glide in San Fransisco

18. Start an herb garden and keep it alive

19. Go sailing

20. Start writing my book

21. Fly first class

22. Experience the beauty of the Grand Canyon

23. Live in Chicago, Boston, Italy, and Ireland

24. Scuba dive

25. Own a brand new red Lexus is250

26. Go back to Ireland and kiss the Blarney Stone

27. Start taking flying lessons

28. Overcome my fear of moths

29. Start my own organizing company, photography business and interior design business

30. Turn 30 gracefully

I heard a great quote from my yoga teacher last weekend..."There's no such thing as Try...there's only DO."

I AM GOING TO DO ALL OF THESE THINGS IN 2010!!! And I am going to trust in the Lord...no matter how unexpected or unreliable 2010 proves to be!

My sister...

...has truly become such an inspiration to me. I have watched her over the last 5 days walk through what has been the most difficult 5 days of her life. She has handled these last 5 days with such grace, calmness, patience and love. I have been truly amazed.

Growing up we weren't the closest :) There are quite a few years between us, so I can constantly remember wanting to hang out with her and her friends and I can constantly remember her saying, "Don't be a pest. Go away!" I always wanted to borrow her clothes and often got in trouble for leaving them crumpled on my floor when she wanted to wear them. Such are the things that happen between siblings when they are children.

As young adults we weren't always the closest either :) I think immaturity and our personalities got in the way. We both have VERY STRONG personalities and we are both VERY headstrong :) However, over the past year or so I have been realizing what an amazing friend, confidant, ally, cheerleader, and teacher I have in my sister. She has especially taught me a lot these last few days. She has taught me how to be strong when your best friend is laying broken in a hospital bead. She has taught me that prayer and faith really do pay off! She has taught me to trust in the Lord our Healer!!

I am proud of my beautiful sister and I am proud that people often mistake us for twins :) I am so very inspired by the amazing strength that I witnessed in my sister and my friend.

Today's blessing is my amazing sister, Miranda! I LOVE YOU SIS!

The last few weeks...

...have been quite the up and down roller coaster!! My family has been through quite a lot in the last few weeks. That's most of the reason why I haven't blogged in such a long time. Let's just say we really need prayer right now.

On the Tuesday before Christmas, my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He's still having scans and meeting with doctors to decide on the next step.

On January 1, my brother-in-law, who is a motor cycle police officer for Folsom, was involved in a very bad accident while in duty. He has a severe concussion, which has resulted in some temporary memory loss, a broken clavicle, a broken tibia, broken talus bone in his ankle and a dislocated thumb. He had surgery this past Saturday to repair his tibia and he's having surgery on this coming Tuesday to repair his ankle.

The last few weeks have been quite the whirl-wind.

In the middle of everything, Layton and I were able to enjoy a FABULOUS mini-vacation to Big Sur. It was a nice lull in the storm :) We stayed in a Yurt, went on hikes, ate at a RIDICULOUSLY expensive restaurant, saw a wolf, and just all around had a great time. It was one of the best and most unique trips we've been on in a long time.

I am still trying to count my blessings through these storms. We had a fabulous Christmas with both sides of our families. We truly are blessed with AMAZING families! I am so blessed to have the family and husband that I have. We are definitely bonding together as a family during these difficult times. Please continue to lift my family up in your prayers as we have a difficult next few months ahead of us.