Summer of pictures

…ready…set…go!

may 2012-my baby sister’s graduation. the last kid, the baby, one of my very best friends is a high school graduate. and now she is off to BYU. I’m so excited for her and can’t wait to hear all about her college life, but man i miss her already. is it Christmas break yet??

June 2012 we were able to celebrate great friend at their wedding…courtesy of my bro-in-law just taking pics while we were laughing. this night also brought a quite humiliating story involving me, a boy, and a picture booth (more to come on that one)

One of the benefits for working for a doctor is the perks he offers us…he has season tickets for the Green Bay Blizzards (indoor football) and he sent some tickets around the office and we were able to pick a game. took my sissy jilly bean with me. wasn’t sure if i would like indoor football at all with the smaller field but it was actually a great game and it was a jolly good time.

3rd annual Packer 5K Run to kick-of training season. let me say for the record, I was all signed up and ready to go. jill signed up like a week before and jeana was going to sign up at the satdium. the whole way to GB my sisters were talking about skipping the run and going to olive garden. hahaha terrible! jeana ended up just watching (i was bummed) but she got some great pics of us running around lambeau field so i guess i should be grateful. thanks jean! and also just for the record, a high school friend and a past co-worker got married on the same day as the run. that morning i went to the wedding, ran the 5K then shot home showered, got ready and danced til about 1230am. lets just say i was a little sore the next few days

another wedding-another jolly good ol time. the picture of my sisters and i looks so easy but believe me it took about 2-3 shots to get this. you have 4 girls who are picky (ok truth is i’m the pickiest). isn’t my grandpa the most handsome man? he is definitely one of my favorite people. and of course my handsome nephew who took some pushing to dance with but i think he secretly loved it :)

last but not least-sisters trip 2012! we wanted to take a little trip before jas left for utah. we went to the dells, had fun at mt. olympus, downtown dells and a lot of laughing. i seriously am so blessed in the family category. looking forward to the sisters trip 2013 already.

i’ve officially started school this week and i survived my first week- i’m in a fog though so this week is a little bit of a blur, still not sure if this is the job for me but i’m open minded, taking it one day at a time and trying it out.

it’s been awhile…

um, that’s right….not that all that much has happened but i’ve neglected my blog very much. well in the past 6 months…

i started working in green bay, it’s for a doctor i worked for in shawano, just at his main office now. it’s a general&vascular surgeon so everyday i learn something new. (and it doesn’t hurt that this doctor just so happens to be the general surgeon the packers call…darn HIPAA laws)

after 3 years of waiting, one regular day at work turned my world around…..3 months after starting the new job, i get the call saying i made it into my program. someone dropped out and i was next in line…..its been a roller coaster to say the least, but i’m doing it and its going to be hard 2 years, but i’m not quitting.spring 2014 is graduation….too early to have a countdown started??

i recently moved to green bay, driving everyday was getting so annoying and with school i figured it would be better. it’s a tiny one bedroom, just perfect for me. i come home enough to not miss my family too much :)

my little sister danced in her last BCFD recital and graduated….not sure i can say i’m ready for her to go to BYU but i can’t wait to hear all about her college life. i told her to give me at least a year before she starts to seriously date anyone and leave me the last single in the family (haha not sure if she is going to listen to that)

pictures and more to come….

family fun night 2011

once again it was success! we added our newest member of the family this year and it just added to the crazy fun! many laughs and a few stunts that very well could have gotten us yelled at but i think the life guards were laughing just as much as we were so they just let us be….ok i know you’re wondering what exactly i’m talking about. jeana actually has a few videos and seriously they are so funny but i will try to explain, i know i won’t do it justice but here it goes…..at the water park there is a swinging rope that you can use as you walk across lily type wood logs floating in the water. well the challenge was to run across the logs without falling off and using the rope. sooooo funny and there were a few injuries, but more laughs to compensate. just imagine lily jumping across a pool. a lot harder than it seems and when you have siblings pushing and moving the logs on purpose, well thanks to that i fell on my first try but you better believe i made my second time!!! WOOHOO!!

as always, we took pictures. we sure do have a big crew and its chaos all the time but i wouldn’t have it any other way. i sure do love my family and i may be biased but i think they are the best.

my day…

maybe i woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but it has been one of those days. i’m in the middle of training for more at work and i get the awesome job of shadowing. after things continued to happen it was very frustrating, i was venting with a co-worker which only made things worse, i felt like i was gossiping with sharing my frustrations and i don’t like that. that’s not the person i want to be so i said sorry to my co-worker and after replying to my sisters text with a venting one i sent another one saying sorry to her as well. i was determined to turn this all around. i only worked half the day (another issue) and i was craving McDs….again only made me feel worse, how healthy is that? i hate craving fast food. anyway i was waiting in the drive thru and just as i was coming to order i had a thought…i was going to pay for the order in the car behind me. i took noticed who was behind me and it just so happened to be a distant relative. i went to pay and asked if i could pay for the car behind me. the cashier smiled and let me do just that. i went to wait at the red light after getting my load of fast food and as she pulled up behind me all i could see was a huge smile. just like that it felt literally like a load was lifted. i no longer knew what had me frustrated or in a not-so-good-mood. her smile completely turned my day around. i couldn’t even smile and wave at her because i was so over-whelmed by all of it and of course the baby i am, this made me cry on my way home. it had cost me all of $1.06, but what it gave me was priceless. this is now my goal from now on, any yucky mood i may have, i will seek out someone to help instead. today is definitely a good day. 

photo:le love

i am thankful for…

in light of Thanksgiving tomorrow i thought it would be fitting to post of what i am thankful for. first and for most i am thankful for my family. we have a big crew and i love it

now onto my list in no specific order:

• my cell phone-my life-line with many friends and family
• my amazing bed and clean crisp sheets..best feeling
• the amazing Gospel and my testimony
• the rockstar friends that i have, they keep me grounded
• my car and the hard work that my awesome dad put into it
• my ipod while running, sometimes the only thing that keeps me going
• wisconsin..i love my home state and the four seasons
• hair and make-up products….thank you jeana for introducing me to many wonderful products
• my scriptures
• the power of prayer
• food food and more food
• my computer
• the internet and the wonderful things that come from it
• my friends episodes and laughs that i get from watching them

i could go on and on but there is just a few…

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

happy halloween

friday night was my sister and her husbands halloween party and last night i had to work at johns. i was planning on two costumes but as things got closer i stuck with one and i’m pretty happy with it. the party friday night was a blast like always and i must say that it has been a successful halloween weekend. hope yours was fun!

  rosie the riveter all the way

another day, another run

officially registered for the 2011 5 mile turkey trot on Thanksgiving day in Green Bay. ran it last year with one of my awesome sisters and her awesome friend. so this year we shall do it again. my goal this year is to actually train a bit so i don’t feel like death throughout and after the race and hopefully beat my time of 1:06 from last year. to be honest though i question my sanity why i decide to do it because let’s get real, this is wisconsin and in november which equals COLD…. i can do this i can do this! and p.s. this picture pretty much sums it up and describes me to a T…haha and this run is no different but add in freezing cold shivering and you got it. wish me luck!

image: found on pinterest

oh mother…

this AMAZING mother of mine is extraordinary in every way possible and i love her dearly. she’s my rock everyday and i look to her for advice, love, comfort, laughter and everything else that i need. she yells at me when i need to be put in my place and rolls her eyes when i’m being goofy and she tells me i’m beautiful every single day. she is my best friend, simply put…..HOWEVER, she knows my weaknesses too much and last night she made me look like this…

after shutting the tv off (mind you my mom fell asleep) and i went in the bathroom to do my routine getting ready for bed and i thought my mom went to bed…i walk out of the bathroom to find the house dark and as i start walking towards the stairs, my mom yells out scaring me to the bones. here she thought it would be hilarious to climb up on the couch and wait for me and scare me. she rolls over laughing and i try to catch my breath. then she has the guts to say to me…”geez you take a long time getting ready for bed. my knee hurts!” oh how i love this mother of mine.

made me smile

as i was diffusing my hair this morning, head upside down and all, i happened to look over and this picture and it just put a smile on my face. i seriously have the most beautiful sisters and they rock! i am so very blessed to have 3 amazing sisters who are my rock each and everyday. if something exciting, frustrating, sad, super happy, embarrassing happens, they are the first i tell. (i also have 3 amazing brothers who rock too and who are the best brothers I could’ve asked for, but this was the picture i saw this morning) all i know is i’m one lucky gal for this awesome family of mine!

all the best parts of arizona

a HUGE thanks to buttkiss for driving a long ways to come see me and for getting ice cream with me….it was so fun to see this amazing friend of mine. I love you Buttkiss (and yes we call each other buttkiss……inside story that i will always laugh about)

some of my very favorite people….this was the first time seeing my friend dallin in over 2 years and it was so fun to catch up. And then of course there is Max and Charlotte….these two will always have a special place in my heart, they took me in for my 2 years in arizona and put up with me for those 2 years. seriously awesome people if you ask me

 

i’m so glad i got to visit with one of my very dearest friends and her sweet little baby. and this is one of the worst pictures haha i guess thats what i get for trying to do a self-portrait.

the bachelorette party!!! woot woot….we ate at a fabulous restaurant and played some games at our friends house. it was such a fun night out with the girls celebrated Dee and her wedding!! yes i took a ton of pictures while Dee was opening her gifts (we made her open them at the restaurant with the hopes of embarrassing her hehe) but some are a bit risky, so i will just let dee have those pics.

clearly though i didn’t take nearly as many pictures as i should have….one of my flaws for sure. all in all arizona was as beautiful as ever, weather was hot hot and more hot and the sun was shining non-stop. i saw most of my favorite people and am so glad i was able to visit with them!! until my next arizona trip, this one will have to do :)

22 baby!

oh yes august came and went which included my bday. i was in arizona on my birthday at my cousin’s house…. i was a little bummed for not being home, but my cousins had made the day so fun for me. they didn’t have church until 130 pm which i’m usually against late church meetings, but that day i loved it. i was able to relax and sleep in after a week of little to no sleep. church was wonderful as always, then an amazing dinner and later a delicious trifle. yum yum…a HUGE thanks to my awesome cousins for making the day that much better for me. also as another cousin has started, i am officially in a responsible year….so bring it on 22!

all festive complete with birthday hats!

pics from “souf toda”

  

corn palace…yes this is cornelius

 

what can i say?? i’m proud to be from wisconsin

might be my favorite pic….ivy was so tired

ok this be very favorite….this described exactly what it was like sitting in the very back of the van hehe this is where jas had to sit the majority of the trip too, sorry jas sonority trumps you but you were such a good sport.

all in all the trip was so much fun. thanks to brandon and jeana for letting me tag along on your family vaca. i had a blast! love you lots!

so long summer…

am i the only one who feels this way…where did summer go? however i have just purchased a lovely pair of boots that i’m beyond excited to wear and big sweaters so i guess there is something to look forward to.

picture source: unkown, came in an email at work

packer 5K

once again i ran the packer 5K…well when i say run i really mean walked a lot thanks to it being freakishly hot outside and i was on the verge of passing out. thank you 90+ degrees and humidity! anyhow…i am glad i ran it, running in lambeau field was amazing just like last year. i looked and looked for aaron rodgers for us to begin our relationship but no luck haha

before..so excited, look no worried faces little did we know it would be like death running in that heat. ps my favorite part of this pic just might be the guy to the right of us…

after…what can i say red faces exhausted looking….but in no way too exhausted to show just how tough we are!!!

life.

yes i know it's been a whole month..i'd like to thank my darn wireless internet for that mostly, but also for my laziness (i'd like to think i've just been that busy, but in reality not really) so this leaves me blogging a quick post at work, while trying to get out of this "blue" feeling of a day. (thank goodness for my shopping date with my dear cousin later...retail therapy will do the trick i'm sure)

the past month has indeed been wonderful and stressful and lovely and great and sad and exciting and emtional. i have many posts to share all including:

south dakota trip in full
packer 5K (where i swear i almost passed out due to the heat!)
arizona trip
my bday!!!!! 22 baby
car.....the love/hate relationship that i have with betty
lots and lots of family time

hopefully i will get the wireless fixed so i can finally load pics

loving it.

those that know me know that i have a small left eye especially when i smile (seriously i have some pics that i look like a freakin pirate! no lie and those pics are hidden away) well during our trip to south dakota (more of that coming soon) we visited Mt. Rushmore, and guess what?? George Washington totally has a small left eye up on that mtn!! woot woot i have a twinner and he was a great leader so i finally found my "small left eye twin" and thanks to some pushing from my sisters i will from now on.... EMBRACE my small left eye, LOVE IT, and think of it as CHARACTER. (or at least try to...let'e be honest, i'm human and a girl) (oh and i got bangs too, i needed a change and it took my so long to grow my hair long i refused to cut it so bangs it was)

addiction

i have fallen asleep watching friends for a few years now, sometimes i will shut it off right before i fall into a blissful sleep, but other times it stays on for quite awhile into the night hours. however, last night i do my routine, watch an episode and shut it off thinking i was tired enough to fall right to sleep...NOPE! i stared at the ceiling and had a million and one thoughts, so i finally turned my tv back on and did some stuff. darn addiction of mine has caused it just about impossible to fall asleep without it. this is no good, why can't i just fall asleep in a nice quiet room??

(image by google images)

just what i needed.

this handsome nephew of mine sat by me on the couch this afternoon and ever so quietly whisphers in my ear... "i love you". kinda just what i needed today. i am one lucky auntie.

happy 4th

this year for the 4th it was like any other year...parade in gresham was on saturday, lunch at grandpa & grandma's house monday at noon, lots of family, lots of laughs and fun times....all the same except i decided to let my cousin talk me into doing the leopolis triathlon. i've always wanted to do a mini triathlon and this was just it. the swim was in leopolis pond (disgusting is about the only word that comes to mind, we were heat 9 so by that time all the mud and muck and who knows what else was all brought up), 5 mile bike and 2 mile run. i didn't train really so that's my own fault, but i did fine up until the run, by that time my legs were just jelly and i kept getting really bad side cramps so i ended up walking most of the 2 miles, it was also around 90 degrees. i'm glad i did it, but i don't know if i'll do it again (maybe if i actually train it wouldn't be so bad) surprisingly though i was not sore the days following, except my rear from the bike, i guess i have the bellin run to thank for getting me into a little bit of shape...

before. all pumped up and ready!the "i can't believe i just swam in that water" look...classic!

exhausted and so ready for a nap

a HUGE thanks to aunt vicki for taking pictures throughout the race