2013!

     It is a new year and new and exciting adventures await me! I am so excited to see what this year brings. I love new things and a new year is always fun. I have never really set goals at the beginning of the year and tried everyday to keep up with them, but this year I decided to change that. I have made many goals and each day I have tried to keep up with them. I also have a few new adventures for this year. They are:
     Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, New York- I have the opportunity to be apart of the cast in the Hill Cumorah Pageant this summer. I am so excited for the experiences I will have there. I leave on July 5th and will be busy with practices and performances until the 21st. My parents are planning on coming to see the last show and when the Pageant is over, we will do some sight seeing in New York City. I am so anxious to go have my own little adventure in New York and be apart of sharing the story of the Book of Mormon to the people of New York.
     University of Utah- I have been in the process of decided where I want to go to school for my bachelors degree in the fall, and it has not been easy. There were two schools in Utah that had an Early Childhood Special Education program. After a lot of thought and pros and cons lists, I made my decision to attend the University of Utah. Although I never thought I would want to go to the U, I am confident this is the school for me and I can't wait to get started. I have been accepted to the University and now I am in the process of applying for the program and scholarships. (Lots of fun) :)
     This year should be exciting and I am excited to see what other new adventures are ahead of me!

Lunch with the girls

     A few days after Mikenzi's wedding, I went to lunch with Kristen Cooper, Nikelle Mantle and Crystal Finlinson Fairbanks. It was so fun to get together again with these girls. We went to East Elementary, Dixie Middle, and Dixie High School together. It was so fun to talk about our fun memories and laugh together. 

Crystal, Kristen, me, Nikelle

Mikenzi's Wedding

My friend Mikenzi Morgan McGinnis got married on December 29, 2013. It was fun to be apart of her happy day. :) It was so good to see friends from high school and spend the day together with some of my favorite people.

Shalyn, Nikelle, Crystal, me, Karliann, Lesli

Kenz, Kell and I :)

Love these girls

Courtney, COurtney, Nikole, me, Kell, Crys, Kami, Dasya

Christmas

     Christmas is my favorite holiday, except I usually don't like Christmas Day. I love the month of December because of the feel of the holiday season. I love the singing, cooking, movies, warm fires, and hot chocolate of the season. I love spending time with friends and family. Christmas day has always seemed sad to me because the season is over and I always want to feel that same Christmas spirit that I felt throughout the month.

     Despite my previous thoughts, I really enjoyed this Christmas. My siblings and their families came over to open presents and eat lunch. We had my Grandma Taylor come over too. It was a hard day for her. We didn't know how many more times she would be able to come over to our house. She didn't know it was Christmas day, which was sad. She loves Christmas and to see her uninterested was a little sad. 

     Later that day, I was able to Skype with Elder Paxman. It was so good to talk to him and see his face. He comes home in August, so that was his last Christmas on his mission. I think it is bitter sweet for him because I know how much he loves serving the Lord and teaching the gospel to the people of Washington. 

     That night when everyone had left it was just my mom and dad and I at home. I gave my dad tickets to see Les Miserables for his Christmas present. It was fun to see a movie with my parents. I don't know the last time we went to a movie together. We really enjoyed the show.

My wonderful parents and I waiting to Les Mis to begin! My dad usually looks like that ;)

Disneyland with the Fenstermakers

      I have three cousins on my mom's side. Lindsay, Mckay and Kimmie. Lindsay, the oldest is exactly one month younger than me. Our mom's dressed us the same when we were younger. They lived in Sandy while we lived in St. George, but somehow I feel like we grew up together. Disneyland is a big deal in their family and we have always dreamed of going to Disneyland together when we were little.My cousin had a job at the Disney store at City Creek Center in Salt Lake since they opened in April. (She is now in Florida working at Disney world with the Disney College Program until August). With that job, she got a lot of discounts and some free tickets to Disneyland. They had a wedding to go to in San Diego and decided to go to Disneyland and take my mom and I with them. Thanks Mckay for the idea to drag along Aunt Becky and Kristen. :)

     Right after my last final, we headed down to Anaheim. We were there Thursday night and all day Friday. It was a fun, but fast trip. It was so fun to be there with my cousins. It was also fun to be there during Christmas time. It was a great way to celebrate the beginning of Christmas break.

Kim, Mckay, me, Lindsay in line for Indiana Jones

Kim, me, Mckay, Linds at small world

My mom and I

Kim, me, Linds, Mckay

Cars land. It looked exactly like the movie, I loved it!

Thanksgiving

     Thanksgiving is always a fun holiday because I love being with my family. We had thanksgiving dinner at my house with my mom's side of the family. There are only 15 people in my family on my mom's side, since my Grandpa passed away last December. I made apple pies and rolls for dinner. I love cooking new things and decided to learn how to make pies (we usually have Costco's special). :) I made my mom's and Grandma's famous rolls. They are a tradition.

     Later that night my sister and her family came over to see us. We put my nephew on the floor and everyone was watching him roll over and scoot around. My Grandma said several times that "one baby can entertain a group of adults". She sure loved being around that cute little baby.

     After my sister left, my mom and dad and I went over to see some of my dad's family. It was a nice laid back thanksgiving with my family.

Curtis and Meleah's Wedding

My brother, Curtis, married Meleah Holden on Wednesday November 21, 2012. It was the day before thanksgiving and all of our family was in town. I always love spending time with my extended family, on both sides. It was a little weird having a wedding so close to thanksgiving and it was definitely a little crazy at my house for a few days, but we survived. :) They are a happy couple and I have loved getting to know Meleah and having her part of our family.

Halloween

Halloween was fun this year. I decided to have a Halloween party with my family this year and make yummy treats and carve pumpkins together. It was fun to see my adorable nephew dressed up as Tigger. (I wish I could show you how adorable he is!) We had our party Sunday night before Halloween so that everyone could come. We had fun!

Lynette and Rick's pumpkin

Curtis and Meleah's pumpkin

My pumpkin. Dedicated to the two year old boys that I watch who LOVE Mickey :) 

My brother decided Chase needed to be in this picture with me. Yes, that is his Christmas card from last year. Yes, it was still on our fridge in October but has since been removed. :)

     On Halloween, my friends and I decided to have a little party. We dressed up David as a scarecrow and then played Curses and some other games.

Nate, Brette, Kortnie, Halie, David, Mike and I

P.S. Mike shaved his head for his costume. Talk about dedication.