MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS

I have not been very good at updating my blog and for those few the read this I am sorry. Work has been busy and I have busy getting ready for Christmas. After sending out Christmas cards for my 2 Bosses (240 in all) I have to muster up the energy to do my own. LOL

But in case you don't get a card from me or you get one late I just wanted to take this minute to wish you, your families, and those you spend this wonderful, magical, and fabulous season with a VERY VERY Merry Christmas. I hope your day is full of joy, love, peace, and all things wonderful.

I LOVE this time of year and the giving that brings so much joy to my heart and life. While Christmas is a WONDERFUL GIVING time I try to keep the meaning and joy of Christmas in my heart all year long and I hope that joy and giving spirit you have during this time of year will stay with you all year long.

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Lots of Love and Smiles from the Bay!

XOXOXO

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I LOVE THANKSGIVING!!!

It is one of my most favorite holidays! I wanted to take a minute to list just a few of the things that I am thankful for. They are in no particular order nor is it everything that I am Thankful and Blessed to have in my life!

Happiness
AMAZING Family
Priesthood
Prophet
Yesterdays & Tomorrows

Temples
Health
Ability to Work
Nieces & Nephews
Kindness of others
Shelter
God and the Gospel
Incredible Friends
Valiant People who Serve & Protect
Independence
Nice Bosses and Co-Workers
Great Job

I hope that you and those that you share this WONDERFUL Thanksgiving Holiday with have a VERY HAPPY, JOYOUS, and FABULOUS Thanksgiving Holiday!

17 Years & Counting!

Yesterday (11/16) I celebrated 17 year of working for the same company. The company name has changed from Albertsons to Albertsons LLC to Save Mart Supermarkets. Needless to say I can not believe that I have stayed anywhere for 17 years. After all this is a girl who has lived in 5 different states, 13 different cities, 22 different houses / condos / apartments, and went to 8 different schools. So shocking that the one thing that would be consistent has been my job. While I have been working with the company for 17 years I have held many different jobs from Accounts Payable Clerk, Personnel Clerk, Benefits Clerk, and now my current job as a Administrative Assistant or Secretary. Needless to say the job I have now is the one that I have had the longest and love the most! I really do like my job and when it comes down to it I have learned SOOO much, grown so much, and have become a little better of a person because of my job. I have had the honor to work with and for some pretty amazing people who have helped me in so many ways. There have been many layoffs, firings, and changes take place in the last 17 years and I feel lucky that I have survived them and get to wake up every day and go to a job that I LOVE. While some days are pretty crazy, unrewarding, and make me wonder what I am doing. But in the end it is all good and I get to wake up everyday knowing that I have some place to go where if I am not there people will know and might even miss me. That is a great feeling and it feels good to know there is a place where you can go to and feel like you belong there! So here is to the past 17 years and hopefully 17 more years!

Walk for Hope, Flu, Halloween & Birthday.... Oh My!

The month of October was a busy and crazy one. It started with me taking part in the City of Hope Walk for Hope Breast Cancer walk. Once again I was the Team Captain for my company's team. While we did not have as big of team as last year we had a GREAT team and turn out. We were able to raise a lot of money for a great cause and our team was the 4th largest fundraising team. I was SUPER proud of everyone involved and to be able to take part in such a wonderful cause. Later in the month I ended up getting the flu and I missed a couple days of work which put me behind a little. Lucky for me it was not anything too serious and I was back at work in not time. I hated having to miss work and at times I hate having to leave the office. I know that might make me sound crazy but I do like my job and feel very lucky and blessed to have found a job that I like so much and to just have a job.

A couple of months ago I moved from the singles ward into a family ward. While I thought this would be hard for me it ended up being really good and I like my new ward. One of the fun things about it is I get to see and be around kids and families. This also means that I get to sign up for fun things like make cupcakes for the ward Halloween carnival. I tired to do something different that I hoped the kids would like and enjoy so I made some fun little designs on the cupcakes. I had spider ones, kitty ones, and pumpkin patch ones. I am not sure if the kids liked them or not but I hope that they did.

It was also time for my annual Halloween cookie making. While I did not get to make as many as I hoped to make I was able to get them made for work and friends so it all worked out. I just hope those that got them enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed making them.

My birthday came and went. While I was not too happy about turning another year older it was a great couple of days. My birthday landed on a Sunday this year so a couple of ladies at work decorated my desk for me, or at least they tried. I kind of came into work a little earlier then they had planned and kind of mess up the surprise but it was still a surprise to me. Even though I do not like attention drawn to me getting another year older it was still nice of them to do. My dear friend in New York, Edna, sent me a two VERY VERY nice surprises from New York. I got the most beautiful bouquet of roses, Vera Wang flowers, and a whole cheesecake from the BEST cheesecake place in New York, Juniors.

It was SO GOOD and amazing! Needless to say while I could have eaten it all I did not and shared it with friends. On my actual birthday my two very dear and special friends Misty and Shelli made me a special birthday dinner full of my favorite things. They centered my birthday around all my favorite things but the most favorite thing of all was getting to share my birthday with them. I am VERY LUCK and blessed to have very dear friends and that is the BEST birthday gift of all.

My Favorite 4 Letter Word

Well I am not one who posts a lot about my religion and I guess I should be a little better about that. I am sure those that read this blog, if there are people that even read this blog, think that all I do in my life is buy OPI polish, shop, and look at fashion magazines. But to be honest there is a little more to me than that. LOL

Anyway this last weekend I had the chance to watch conference on TV and boy was it something I needed to hear. I have kind of been in a funk the past couple of months and have had some life changes take place in my life that have made me question my purpose on earth. After listening to conference and getting a little wake up call I was reminded of my my favorite four letter word............HOPE!!!!

Throughout my life when things have been hard, seemed not so fair, or even when I just questioned my purpose for being here I always have relied on HOPE to get me through those time and help me move forward.

I know that I don't have all the answers and my life is not exactly like I thought it would be. There are some things that I thought I would have by now in my life but I don't have them and you know what that is OK. I have a great life and what I have learned, easy or hard, throughout my life so far has made me appreciate all that I have. I KNOW that I am VERY BLESSED and LUCKY to have what I have in my life. I count my blessing EVERYDAY and am SOOOOO THANKFUL for EVERYTHING that I have been given. Every night before I go to bed I am thankful for the day that I have had, even it if was not the best day, and I when I wake up in the morning I am excited because I have HOPE that this new day will be better than the last and I have been given the chance to make it better.

I was so IMPRESSED and MOVED by President Monson's talk from the Sunday morning session. Ever since his talk I have woken up each morning thinking to myself "What Am I Going To Do Today For Someone?" and at the end of the night before I go to bed I ask myself "What Have I Done For Someone Today?" This is going to be my on going goal. If there is one thing that I have learned in life it is that nothing feels better than being able to give. So if I can continue to give and help someone in some small way then I know that will be the best thing I do in my life. In the end maybe I will be able to give a little of my favorite four letter word to someone else.

I still have HOPE that one day I will find that "special" someone who wants to spend the rest of their life with me and I still have HOPE that one day I can be a mother, if not to my own child/ children then maybe to one that needs a mother figure like me in their life.

Yet the best thing is I have HOPE that if these two things that I have always dreamed of having in my life don't happen then my life is going to be just fine and meaningful because I am going to make it that way. I know that there is a plan for me. I have HOPE that if continue to follow the great gospel plan that I have been taught to follow then everything will be as it should in my life. But most of all I have HOPE and FAITH that no matter where I go in my life and or what happens to me as I go through life that as long as I stay on the right path and hold on tight to the iron rod that in the end it will be worth it and so much more than I could ever dream of.

So when I wake up in the morning I have HOPE that it is going to be a wonderful day and that I am going to have the chance to make it that way. When I go to bed at night I HOPE that I have done something for someone that day to give them HOPE that next day will be a WONDERFUL day!

"I DIE"

I LOVE FASHION and two of my favorite times of the year are in February and September when they show the Fall and Spring Ready To Wear (RTW) collections in New York City!

Fashion Week for the Spring 2010 RTW collections was in NYC a couple weeks ago and I have FINALLY finished looking at all my favorite designers collections. I must say I am excited for Spring. While the fall season has just started and fall fashion is in full swing there is not a lot of it that I can wear that will look good on me this fall. I am not a plaid dress kind of girl, leggings paired with a "boyfriends" jacket won't really look all that good on someone like me, I don't wear jean and I am not skinny so the skinny jeans look is a waste on me and boots are really not my thing, mostly because they don't fit my legs to well. The one thing about fall is the color purple is a good color this fall and that color does look good on me so I should be OK and not be considered too much of a "fashion not' this fall.

So needless to say I was really excited to see what Spring 2010 was going to have offer and let's just say it looks like Spring is going to be a good one. It took some time but after looking at all of the collections I found my FAVORITE outfit. NO it is not a Ralph Lauren design, though I did enjoy his collection, but it is an Oscar de la Renta dress. I just LOVED the dress because it just screamed STYLE, CLASS, ELEGANCE, and yet still FUN! Not to mention I LOVE the shoes that are paired with the dress.

In the words of famous stylist Rachel Zoe when I saw the dress from Oscar de la Renta's 2010 Spring RTW collection "I DIE"!

New York! New York!

Ever since I was a little girl I have always dreamed of going to New York City. Growing up I had posters of New York City hanging on my bedroom walls and I would dream of going to this amazing big city. Finally that dream came true and in August I made my first trip to this AMAZING, FUN, EXCITING, BUSY, CRAZY, FABULOUS city! I have a friend that lives in Brooklyn and she invited me to come stay with her. So I flew out on a Friday night and landed in New York Saturday morning and for the next 7 days I would get to see all that I have dreamed of seeing. My first day in New York we went to the new Citi Field to see the New York Met's. It was an amazing time even though the Met's lost. Driving home that night my friend took me over to where you could see the lights of New York City and the Brooklyn Bridge at night. It was AMAZING and SO PRETTY!!!!

Day Two I took my first subway ride into NYC and walked all over the amazing city. My first MUST SEE was the Ralph Lauren store or should I say Ralph Lauren Mansion. What an AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL store. It was everything I thought it would be and so much more. I LOVED IT!!! Next we walked to Justin Timberlake's restaurant, Southern Hospitality, and had lunch. It was very good and a fun little place to eat. Next we walked over to Bloomingdale's and the across the street to Dylan's Candy Bar. Dylan's Candy Bar was so fun and amazing. It was the busiest store I went into in the city. If you ever go to NYC this place is a fun must see just don't go when you are hungry or craving sweets. After that we walked over to the Plaza and Central Park. We did not walk into Central Park because it was starting to rain and we were running out of time. After that we walked to 5th Ave. and I got to see every fashion store I have ever dreamed of seeing, talk about a dream come true for this fashion fan. It was amazing and I was in such awe of everything. We then walked over to Rockefeller Center and went to the Top of the Rock. They have AMAZING views of the city at the Top of the Rock and it was so fun and beautiful. Another must see if you want to see some of the best views of the city. After Top of the Rock we got back on the subway and made our way home.

Day Three we drove over to Staten Island and took the Staten Island Ferry into the city. You got to see great views of the city and while it was a little muggy that day you could still see the city. We went past the Statue of Liberty and that was great to see. When we got into the city we walked to Wall Street and then over to Ground Zero. While Ground Zero had fences around it and they were doing construction it was still an experience to see. It was sad, unbelievable, somber, and very heart wrenching. I was amazed at how big of an area it was and also how close it was to other buildings around it. It amazed me that when they fell they did not hit the other buildings around them. Even though I could not actually see the Ground Zero just being in that area was something I will never forget. From Ground Zero we walked over to Brooklyn Bridge and walked up to it. What an AMAZING Bridge. I have always loved seeing it in pictures but to see it up close and personal it was breathtaking. From the Brooklyn Bridge we walked back to the ferry and then drove to New Jersey for dinner. On the drive back from New Jersey my friend drove me into the city so I could see it all at night in lights. We went to the West Side, Time Square, the Meatpacking District, and back into Brooklyn. It was again a busy day with lots of walking but a very adventurous. fun, and memorable day.

Day Four was a day of rest. My friend and I just did things around Brooklyn and I got to see some of the fun areas of Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Brownstone houses, the trees that grow in Brooklyn, and the fun areas of Brooklyn. It was fun and a good day to just relax a little.

Day Five was another dream come true day. I got to finally see the New York Yankees! We took the subway to the Bronx and went a little early so I could walk around the new Yankee stadium and soak it all in. What a great ballpark and it was so great to see all the history of the old ballpark brought to life in it. The game was so much fun and the to make the night complete the Yankees won!!! Again I had an AMAZING time and it was another dream come true for me to be able to see the New York Yankees play in the new Yankee Stadium.

Day Six we woke up early and drove to Maryland. On the way to Maryland we got to stop in Delaware and Pennsylvania two states I have never been to. Once we got to Baltimore, Maryland we checked into our hotel which was right next to Camden Yards, Home of the Baltimore Orioles. It was really cool to see and it was such a fun ballpark. That night we went to this Mom and Pop place to eat. It was a restaurant that was featured on the Food Network and it was soo good. My friend had been there before and had she not been there I don't think we would have been able to find the place because it was not a fancy place with a huge sign but it was SOOOOO GOOD! That night my friend asked me if I had ever been to Washington D.C. and I said no. She asked me if I wanted to go and I said sure. So that night we drove to Washington D.C. It was about a 40 minute drive and it was so worth it. I got to see the White House, Washington's Monument, Lincoln's Memorial, and all the other amazing cool building in D.C. It was at night so everything was lit up. It was very cool to see. I am glad we took the time to go that night because the next day it was raining really hard and we would not have been able to get out and take pictures or even get good pictures for that matter. I was amazed that in one day I could drive through 4 states and one District in 5 hours and in California I can't even drive to LA in five hours from my house.

Day Seven we slept in a little and then drove back to New York. We were going to go to an Orioles game that day but it was raining really hard so we were not able to. We got back into New York, ordered some wonderful New York Pizza and went to bed early because my flight left early the next day.

So needless to say I got to see and do lot of amazing and fabulous things on my first trip to the East Coast. The trip was so worth it and I can't wait to go back again and see more of the things I did not get to see. There is so much more to see but I am so happy that I got to see what I saw. My trip was amazing and while I did have some problems at the end with my camera's memory card I was able to recover some of the pictures I took so I hope you enjoy them.

I learned that you are never to old to have your childhood dreams come true so never give up on your dreams.

COURAGE

I just found out over the weekend that a very special lady I know passed away. Needless to say my heart broke to hear this sad news but I rejoiced in the fact that I had the chance to meet this amazing lady and share some fun times with her. She was funny, outgoing, loving, and so giving. She is also the only person, who with four other fabulous ladies, has gotten me to camp out overnight in a tent in a long time (for those of you that don't believe me I have the pictures to prove it). Recently I lost another good friend who was just as fun, loving, outgoing, and giving as the other friend and she too was part of my last camping adventure. I also got to thinking that this month will mark ten years since my very dear special friend Cody passed away. I can not believe that it has been that long and maybe because there is not a day that doesn't go by that I don't think of him and am thankful for the blessings, joy, and love he brought into my life. He made me want to become a better person and he is one of the reasons I am who I am today, I only hope you will think that is a good thing.

Now I am not trying to make you sad but all of this just made me reflect back and think about these two amazing ladies and this special man and it reminded me just how short life is. I have never been one to take things for granted. I go to bed EVERY night THANKFUL for all that I have been given and all that I have in my life. While my life is not full of what some might call "worldly riches" it is full of many "FABULOUS RICHES" and I would not trade those for anything. But there are probably a few things that I do take for granted and one thing that comes to mind is my talents. Call it insecurities, fear or both but I often don't share what I think are my talents.

So in this blog I am going to share something that I hardly share with people, my voice. Now for those of you that know me you are probably thinking wait just minute she shares her voice all too much and sometimes we can't get her to shut up. BUT that is not the voice I am referring to. I am referring to my vocal voice. I have taken voice lessons and have had some amazing teachers. Teachers who have stuck with me and have help teach me to open up what was lost or hidden down inside those vocal cords. Now I have never done anything with my voice but just sing in the car, my room, shower, and sometimes in church. I have never tried out for anything due to my insecurities and the fear of rejection that I have but today is a new day and I am sharing. Now please know that I know this is not perfect but I also know that if I did not do this today I would NEVER do it. If you listen please feel free to pass judgement but maybe try to be a little like Paula and less like Simon when you do.

So Nae, Donna, and Cody this if for you. You help remind me how special life is, to be blessed and thankful for all that you have been give, and most of all to not take anything for granted.

Thank you for blessing my life and for allowing me the pleasure and opportunity to know and love you. You are missed but I will NEVER forget you.

LOTS of LOVE and SMILES ALWAYS!

Pool Time

Sorry it has been awhile since I have posted anything. I was on a little vacation visiting my family for a week in Idaho. It is always so great to see them and spend time with them. I don't get to see them often so when I do I LOVE and ENJOY it. This year before we headed up the the cabin my brothers and sisters decided to do a little whitewater rafting trip. As you know from my previous post I am not into that kind of thing and I was good at holding my ground while they tried to talk me into it. So instead of me going rafting I did something more adventurous. I got to watch my six nieces and nephews (3 girls and 3 boys) between the ages of 3-10 at my brothers house while the rest of the family went rafting. My brother Ben has a pool at his house so that made it a lot more fun and easier to entertain the kids. It was fun for me to spend some time alone with them because I hardly get to see them They all were SO GOOD and of course the all are SOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!! I am a REALLY lucky Aunt because I have the CUTEST nieces and nephews in the WHOLE WORLD!

Some might say that watching 6 kids in a pool sounds crazier than a whitewater rafting trip but let me say I had more fun with them then I would have had on a raft.

Whitewater or Heather Rafting?

Every year for the past six years I have gone home to Idaho in July to visit my family. As a Christmas present to us kids my mother rents a cabin and all of us kids come home and spend a week at the cabin on the water and have a WONDERFUL time. My mother calls it our "Christmas in July". There are no phones (cell phone reception has gotten better over the years so those kind of work but because I don't have a cell phone that is not an option for me) and no T.V. (there is a T.V. at the cabin but you can only watch movies and no regular weekly shows). It is a fun place to go and I call it my NO SHOES, NO SHIRT, NO PROBLEMS week because I pretty much live in shorts and my swimsuits the whole week. I pretty much spend my days with my family down at the lake. My mother has boat with all the fun toys but I just like to sit in the boat and hold the flag. I am not a skier, wake boarder, or tube kind of girl so sitting in the boat getting a tan and taking pictures is just fine for me. I get a really good tan and if I am not careful the first couple of days I get really red. I find it kind of funny that I live in California but yet the best tan I get all year is in Idaho.

Through out the years my family has grown and it has become fun to watch as my nieces and nephews get bigger and grow to enjoy this family time as much as I do. It is nice to get the chance to spend with my family and while we do have some differences we always have a good time playing, swimming, laughing, tanning, and just enjoying our time together.

This year my sister planned a river rafting trip for those that wanted to go. Needless to say I did not sign up for this because whitewater rafting is just not for me. When it comes to being in a raft in water I require 3 things; calm, glass like water, and chlorine. LOL! OK so the water at the cabin doesn't have chlorine in it but it is calm and on some days is like glass. I also don't want to wear a helmet and / or life jacket when I am on my raft because that could so mess up my tanning situation. I don't want a life jacket / helmet strap tan line. LOL

So while my family is enjoying the adventures and fun of whitewater rafting I will be enjoying the calm and relaxing "Heather" rafting style. Oh and just a little FYI my raft doesn't require paddles to move around the lake because it is motorized and I don't have to worry about spilling my drink because it also has a cup holder. Now tell me what style of rafting would you like to do....Whitewater or Heather Rafting?

My family may be a little disappointed in me because I won't join them on the rafting trip but don't worry I more than make up for it by bringing my People, USWeekly, InStyle, Oprah and other magazines up to the cabin. LOL

HAPPY 4th of JULY!!!

I hope everyone has a VERY HAPPY & SAFE 4th of JULY!!!
This is such a FUN and FABULOUS holiday so I hope you are able to enjoy it!

I hope you have a WONDERFUL & MEMORABLE 4th of July Holiday!!!
I BIG THANK YOU to ALL the men and women that are serving to protect this wonderful country.
May God Bless You and your families and keep you safe.

My Favorite Children's Books

I know a lot of people that are having a baby or have just had a baby and while I am not one of them it doesn't mean I can't share a few of my favorite books.   I LOVE to read and I really like to find really cute children's books so I thought I would share a few of my favorites to those that are having a baby, have a child or children, or thinking of having a baby. After all I am a big believer that when you are expecting or have a baby the most important book(s) you can read are those that you read to and with your child.  
I have left off the usual favorites like: "Good Night Moon", Dr. Seuss books, "Where the Wild Things Are", "Guess How Much I Love You", and "Love You Forever" which are all wonderful books but here are some others that I LOVE. I hope you will enjoy them too.

• You Are My I Love You  by Maryann K. Cusimano
• You Are My Miracle  by Maryann K. Cusimano Love
• No Matter What  by Debi Gliori
• Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go To Sleep  by Joyce Dunbar
• Tell Me What It's Like To Be Big  by Joyce Dunbar
• I Love You With All My Heart by Noris Kern
• On The Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
• I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rassetti Shustak
• I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt and Cyd Moore
• Love is a Handful of Honey by Giles Andreae
• I Love You As Much by Laura Krause Melmed
• Fancy Nancy books by Jane O' Connor (these are great if you have little girl)
• Olivia books by Ian Falconer

So these are just a few of my favorites and if you have not read them I highly recommend them.  If you are like me and don't have kids they are always great gifts to give to those that are having a baby and / or anyone that just love children's books.

Summertime = Salad Time

One of my favorite things about summer is SALADS.  I love all the different kinds of salads I can make and have fun creating new salads.  One of the best parts about living in California is you can kind of pretty much make salads all year long but for some reason in the summer they just seem a whole lot better.  Now I am a big salad dressing person and I am not so big on the vinaigrette type dressings but I am always on the look out for new healthy dressings.  Part of the reason of making / eating a salad is an attempt to become more healthy but once I add the salad dressing to it well that kind of ruins the healthy part...... until now.  One of my favorite salad dressing flavors is Blue Cheese and I LOVE the Litehouse Chunky Blue Cheese dressing but it is SOOOO bad for me.  Well I have found a new favorite Blue Cheese dressing and the best part is it is good for me and I HIGHLY recommend this dressing and the others by this company.  It is a yogurt style dressing from Bolthouse Farms.  If you would like to check the company's website and see information on my new favorite dressing and the other dressings they offer here is the link to the site.

Bolthouse Farms

I like the flavor of these dressings and I have even persuaded my roommate and friends to try this dressing and they too have enjoyed the flavors.  So if you want to make a good summer salad and use a good dressing without worrying about the extra calories give the Bolthouse Farm dressings a try...... I don't think you will be disappointed. 

Mother's Day

So we all know that this Sunday is Mother's Day and while I am not a mother this is a very special day for me.  Today I was listening to the new Taylor Swift cd on the way home from work it came to the song on her cd titled "The Best Day".  It is a song she wrote about her mother and is all about the BEST days throughout her life she had with her mother.  The first time I heard this song I cried not because I thought it was sad but because I thought it was so moving.  It made me think back and remember all the wonderful times growing up that I had with my mother and how there were LOTS of "Best Days".  I often think of my mother and as I have gotten "older" and am now away from home those memories help bring a smile to my face.  I have always admired my mother and thought of her as superhero.  She taught me to be independent, to be a hard worker, and to care for others.  Throughout my life I have watched my mother go through many trials and she always faced them head on with dignity and respect.  When my dad left and she was left to raise us six kids on her own.  I will never forget the day that she came back from her "divorce" court hearing and I asked her what she got.  She said I got all I wanted I get to keep my kids. Still to this day it still brings tears to my eyes thinking about that moment and how at that time my mother became more than just a mother to me she became my HERO! I was old enough to be able to help her, as well as a 13 year old could, and know when she was not having the "best day".  Some might not think of this as lucky but I did because not only did I learn a lot from my mother during these times but grew to LOVE, ADMIRE, RESPECT, and  be in AWE of her more than I ever thought I could.  There were days I was mad at the world because she had to face so many difficult things.  I wanted to be able to make it all better for her but I knew I could not so I just tried to make it a little easier and better for her just as she did for us kids. As children we never went without presents on our birthday or at Christmas.  We always had a roof over our head, food on the table, clothes on our back, and Wonder Woman for a mother. It was not easy for her to support us all on her own but she found a way to do it and made sure we never went without.  My mother made the smallest things funny, fabulous, and memorable.  While there are somethings we did not always see eye to eye on, fashion being one, I look up to here and admire her more than words can say.  I have so many amazing memories with my mother that there is not enough room to write them all down.  I loved laughing with my mother, watching movies with my mother, talking to my mother, listening to music with my mother, cooking with my mother, watching sports with my mother, watching beauty pageants with my mother and laughing so hard that we had tears coming out of our eyes, and just being around my mother.  Often in High School I did not want to go to a lot of activities because I had more fun staying at home with my mother.  So while I might not have gotten my fashion taste from my mother I did get my love for music, movies, cooking, sports, work ethic, loyalty, compassion, strength, and so many other FABULOUS things that you could not even begin to fit them all in a Berkin Bag.  I do hope that one day I might be lucky enough to get the chance to be a mother so I can pass some of the amazing things I learned from my mother to my children but if that is not in the cards for me that is OK because I have the memories of  lots of "best days' with my mother to last a lifetime.

So I hope this Mother's Day those of you that are moms and / or soon to be moms have a FABULOUS day and it will be one of the "best days" for you because like my mother you deserve the best and you all totally "TIFFANY" 4 C's ROCK!

Is This A Cry For Help?

It is hard to admit but there does come a time when a person has to take a step back, evaluate their situation, and determine if help is needed.  I am not sure if help is needed here but I have just spent the last 2 hours putting my 123 bottles of OPI polish in ABC order by name and logging the polish names on an excel sheet so when I go to buy another color I don't pick one I already have, which surprisingly out of 123 bottles I only had 3 colors that I had bought twice (those are not included in my count.  LOL).  The really sad thing is I don't think that I will stop buying this polish.  I get excited when I hear about a new collection coming out and can not wait to see what names they come up with next.  Some might think I am crazy and I will admit that I just may be a little crazy. Yet when I stop to ponder all of this it makes me smile, laugh, and happy.  So I have to ask myself if it makes me happy, smile, and laugh do I still need to ask for help?

A Good Reason On Why You Should Not Judge A Book By It's Cover

So normally I don't make two post in one night but I just had to share this.

I just got this e-mail from a old bishop /dear friend of mine and had to share.  Normally I don't like to click on mass e-mailed linked stuff because it seems to always requires you to send to 100 people or your wishes won't com true but this one I clicked on and boy am I glad I did.

You have to watch this because you will be totally shocked, amazed, inspired, and full of joy!  

It brought tears to my eyes and gave me a little hope.   LOL

Enjoy!

AMAZING

EASTER FUN

Hello!  I hope everyone had a VERY HAPPY Easter holiday!

I LOVE the Easter holiday.  Not just because of the amazing message it brings but also because of the amazing colors that surround Easter, the fun Easter candy, and the wonderful Easter dinner.

I think another reason I LOVE Easter so much is because as a little kid we always got a new pair of shoes for Easter and we usually got to pick out the shoes we wanted, within reason.  So no wonder Easter holds a fond memory in my heart.  LOL  Well this year I did not break tradition and did buy a new pair of shoes, actually two, but that is not what made it so great.

Growing up I loved sitting around my mother's large dinning room table with old newspapers draped as a tablecloth to decorate Easter eggs.  I was not the best at decorating but it was always fun to do especially since I knew that in my basket would be an egg with my name on it. Easter Sunday I loved going to church because some of my favorite songs were always sung in church and my mother always made the best Easter dinner, she still does but I am not home to enjoy it like I use to. 

Well this year I decided to try and recreate some of those fun fond Easter memories.

I invited some friends over to decorate Easter eggs on Saturday and it was fun.  A little Hannah Montana and Winnie the Pooh egg dye color kits and we were good to go.  My two dear friends Misty and Shelli came over and were good sports especially after just returning from Italy and being a little jet lagged.  

Sunday was my first attempt at making a Easter Ham dinner.  I had never cooked a ham before and thanks to a phone call to Mom I knew what kind of ham to buy and how to cook it.

My biggest worry was if the ham would turn out and so I bought pork chops as a pack up just in case.  LOL  Needless to say it all turned out well and I will save the pork chops for another day. The ham worked and I got to put the whole cloves and brown sugar on my ham just like mom does (normally that is my job when my mother does her Thanksgiving ham but due to the fact I have not been home for a couple years I have missed doing it.).  That was fun and brought back some good memories.  

So now that the ham was in the oven the next probably I faced was making sure that everything was ready on time so when my guests arrived they did not have to wait to eat. I only have one oven so I was worried the ham would get cold while I cooked the scallop potatoes  because those were going to take on hour.  It was also my first attempt at cooking scallop potatoes from scratch and not a box mix so I was a little worried.  Needless to say everything turned out fine and right as my friends were arriving the rolls were coming out of the oven (in my dream home I am going to have a HUGE kitchen with two or three ovens.  LOL) YEAH!!!

So my first Easter feast was Ham, Candied Carrots, Asparagus, Scallop Potatoes, Rolls, Spring Salad with candied pecans, gorgonzola, and orange cranberries, and a Lady Finger cake.  My friends brought deviled eggs and Apple Cider.  I don't have a picture of everything because my camera is not working but I hope you can take my work for it.  Needless to say the meal was a success, according to my friends.  My roommate and friends, Misty & Shelli, had a good time and that is what made it a GREAT & FABULOUS Easter.  Oh and the cute little Easter gift from my roommate and the e-mail card I got from Ralph Lauren wishing me a Happy Easter (the only e-mail card I got) were extra the icing on my Happy Easter cake.  LOL!

I am SO BLESSED and THANKFUL for SO MANY things in my life.  I am blessed to have such a FABULOUS mother who has taught me so much and gave me such fond memories, like Easter ones, growing up that I want to continue those traditions and bring those memories to life even though I cannot be home it helps to remind me of home.  I am blessed to have such an AMAZING family that I LOVE and ADORE.  I am blessed to have AMAZING friends that are willing to help make holidays away from family feel like home just by being with me and there for me.

Most of all I feel so LUCKY, BLESSED, and THANKFUL to have the gospel in my life.  To know what I know and be able to have that peace and comfort in my life no matter how hard and overwhelming it all gets.  While there are somethings I don't understand in my life it is nice to know that there is a plan and that is what gives me hope and faith everyday.  I am so thankful for that and it is comforting to know that someone has a plan for me (even if I don't know), loves me not matter what, and is watching over me.  Knowing that and having that knowledge in my life makes each day I get live a blessing!

The REAL Phelps Hero

Well it has been awhile since I have been on here.  Things at work have been so crazy and busy.  2009 started off with some changes at the office and now I support 2 Sr. Directors of Operations.  It is good and fine but just busy.  Plus with all the Peanuts / Peanut Butter stuff going on I have to deal with a lot of recall products and that is keeping me really busy.  So while I have had time to do some of the things I enjoy I also have been REALLY REALLY busy with work.  I can not complain about that because I LOVE my job and I LOVE working.  I know it must sound crazy and while I am what some might say "just an administrative assistant" I still love what I do.  In this day and time you can't be too picky when it comes to having a job you are just lucky and blessed to have one.  I am just extra lucky and blessed because I like the one I have.  

Anyway I LOVE the month of February for some many reasons.  You have the Super Bowl, Australian Open,  NFL Pro Bowl, NBA All Star Game, Valentine's Day, NYC Fashion Week and of course the OSCARS!!!  So it is a wonder that February is one of my favorite months.  

So I was going to get on here today and blog about all that but I started watching a show on HBO tonight called "Taking Chance" and all of the above just seemed pointless.  This is an AMAZING show and I wish it was not on HBO but on TV for everyone to see.  It is about a Marine that volunteer's to escort a Marine home that was killed in Iraq.  He has never meet this Marine but because this Marine was from his home town he volunteers to be his escort.  The whole movie is moving and touching.  You never see the Marine that died and / or how he died because the movie is not about that.  You do see the love, respect, care, dedication, and honor that everyone takes into taking care of this Marine and his escorted journey home.

I was so moved and touched by this film.  Kevin Bacon does an amazing job in this movie and it is so well made.  I cried through out the whole movie, which those of you that know me know it doesn't take much to make me cry in movies.  Anyway this movie is based on a true events and is about a real Marine named Chance Phelps.  I could not help but notice that he has the same last name of the swimming star Michael Phelps but after watching this movie Chance Phelps to me is the real hero and I wish more of an honor would be given to him and other like him.  All I can say it THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!! to all those that are serving our country, protecting our freedom, and putting their lives in danger to protect me and others.  GOD BLESS them and their families.  They are the REAL heros in the world.