Benzo McGerk

I got to talk to my darling Benny today. It is funny how even after months I still miss those boys like crazy. He was so happy to tell me all about the cool something that he got for Hanuka. I'm still not sure what it was but it had bright blue and red lights. I guess I thought I had moved on because when we hung up I was so surprised to find myself crying. I realize now that when you love someone that much it sticks with you forever.


My little Star Wars Hero & Partying With Webkinz

On another note, school is great and I usually don't just break down and cry around here. I'm having too much fun. This post was really just a place for me let it all out. I really am so grateful that I don't work in New York anymore. Even though it is warmer there I love getting an education and being able to draw closer to God every day.

Oh the Good O'l Days

While randomly wasting time the other day I came across some of my favorite children's books by my favorite author Bill Peet. Kelly now knows what she wants for her birthday. Bill Peet Books! Just looking at the different titles made me so happy like Randy's Dandy Lions, Big Bad Bruce, the Whingdingdilly, Cowardly Clyde, Chester the Worldly Pig, Buford the Little Bighorn, The Spooky Tail of Prewitt the Peacock, The Pinkish Purplish Bluish Egg, Farewell to Shady Glade and The Gnats of Knotty Pine, just to name a few. If you can't tell that I love this author... then you can't tell anything. Oh, the memories of cuddling up in Mama's bed and reading all these wonderful stories.

I Know You Hate Me... But I LOVE You!

I'm such a horrible sister! I thought there was more explanation needed but, that is what it really comes down to. I'm simply horrible, no other words necessary. Someday I will be able make amends for my horribleness, today is not that day. Nor tomorrow. Or the day after that. Not until I can come up with something spectacular to prove to my beautiful sister Steph that she is one of the seven most important people in my life. (The other six siblings fit in there somewhere too.) Don't worry Steph, "We're sealed." I have all the time in the world and beyond to make it up to you. Thank you for holding my had through everything. You are my best friend. I wouldn't be who I am today without you there to make me a better person. I love you to eternity and back.

Char-Char and Benzo

I'm officially leaving my darling boys in three weeks and two days. I'm so excited to be going home but I'm not sure I will survive leaving them. They are what make my life so horrible and more wonderful than I could ever imagine all at the same time. Even though there are times that I would like to kill them, not having them with me is going to be even harder. We've had good times and I will miss my boys tremendously.

Me and Charlie(7) drinking homemade Frozen Hot Coco.


Benny(4) and Me showing off homemade hats that you can't see... the picture is still cute.

Hideous Wench... I Miss You!

If you want to know why I created this post, refer to the Wench's link. She may not be too happy that I'm telling everyone to look at her last post, but I guess that is what you get when you post embarrassing things on a blog. Ha Ha.

Little Buddy, I'm sorry you got stuck in traffic but I'm glad that you made it fun and entertained me by doing it. It seems that happens a lot. Your crazy life makes my boring one more interesting. Thank you for being there for me. I love you like a pirate loves rum!


(Notice the pinkie... Rock On!)

P.S. Care I think you should call me. I don't think you do it enough. Hee Hee.

Just for my Little Buddy

Steph and I went to the Yanni concert last weekend, it was INCREDIBLE!!!!!
I'm posting this one little video of many that I took so that my darling friend Cara can see how amazing the harpist was. I will post more about the concert later!

I Love My Sabe!

Last week my darling friend Sabriel came to visit me in New York. We had so much fun!!!!! Thanks Sabe for being such a wonderful friend and coming across the country to visit me. I love you like a hippo loves eating cute little girls!!!! To the rest of the world, if you want to see the pictures follow the link to her blog. I'm too lazy to post them again, (thanks Sabe, you should just always be with me. That way I would never have to post anything.)

Spring Fun. . .

The last few weeks have been so interesting. There have been moments to laugh and moments to cry but mostly it has all just made for a most memorable spring. I don't recommend Easter on an airplane across the country, but I do recommend eating orange slices at Disney land.

I also don't recommend loosing you cell phone in the ocean but eating a giant frozen white hot coco is always wonderful. (OK, I really didn't eat that. I just found the picture in a cookbook and wanted to make it. Hee hee!)


Life is so good, and to make it sweeter, my dearest darlingest friend Sabe is here in New York this week. Yay for me! We are going to do so many fun things and next week I will post all the pictures and you will all be so jealous that you will decide to come visit me too. Mwha-ha-ha!

Safari Playground in Central Park

Steph and I had so much fun in Central Park last Saturday that one little picture in my last post just wasn't enough to satisfy, especially when I got so many questions about the hippos. So here they all are.

Even after the long cold winter, we couldn't believe how beautiful the park was. I can't even imagine how beautiful it will be once everything comes back to life.


I know it's hard to see, but I loved this tiny little bud, trying so hard to blossom in the cold and rough of New York City.


We were enjoying Central Park so much and it is so huge that we had to keep reminding ourselves that we were still in the Big Apple.


While wondering through the park we stumbled upon this silly little Safari Playground. Our first thought was "how cool, those are fun hippos!"


We decided that we needed a real picture with the hippos.


Then Stephie thought it would be more fun if she joined in on the smooch'n.


Well, if she was going to be all kissy with the hippos I mine as well stick my head in it's mouth.


While sticking my face in it's mouth, I discovered something very interesting.


"This hippo is hollow!" And yep you guessed what happened next.


At first glance, just a normal hippo, until you notice the head in it's mouth and the little red shoes sticking out of it's tummy.


Words can not fully describe the joy of being inside a hippo!



Needless to say, we had a superb Saturday. I will cherish the memory forever.

Around the World with My Best Friend

I just got a bunch of new pictures. Yay for all of you, because now I actually will post something. In getting so many new pictures I realize just how much I have done with my wonderful sister Stephie. She is my comfort, guide, friend, entertainer, strength, inspiration and travel buddy. Whether we are staying home and having 80's night, or walking the beaches of Italy, we always manage to have a scrum-didely-umptious time. Stephie, I love you to eternity and back.

80's night in St. George

I'm still missing about 90% of all the trips we have been on together but here are our most recent ones. I'm so lucky to have seen all the things I have seen and even more luck to have had my best friend by my side for all of it.

I can't even count the number of flights we have been on together. Let's just say, Steph is really used to my droll all over her knees.


London and Big Ben


St. James Park


Marina Di Carrara


Steph, I photo shopped this picture. You can see us now. Aren't we cute?


Florence


Standing on the Golden Bridge in Florence.


The Leaning Tower of Pisa.


The Eiffel Tower. . .


Trying to knock over the Eiffel Tower. We are really strong, but it is still standing.


"We will Triumph!"



Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico.


Hungry monsters in Alabama


We had just eaten a whole box of doughnuts in Boston. We were really happy.


Standing in our most favorite spot on the Brooklyn Bridge.


Thanks Steph, for persuading me to get inside this hippo. We had so much fun in Central Park that day!

Stephie, I love you. Thanks for all the good times!

When I Count My Blessings. . .

I have been thinking the last few days about how blessed I really am. Sometimes I have rough days and sometimes life just isn't that fair, but I have nothing to complain about. I have been working for about a week straight now, but man am I having fun. (Ask me again at the end of next week and I will tell you something different.) This week I am on vacation with the Gandola's in Massachusetts. Usually I don't like working weekends because it means that I have to work for two weeks straight without any kind of break. This week has just been fun though. Yesterday Benny, Caleb (our neighbor's son) and I went swimming and played fun games after. Today we went to the pool again and then went skiing. Today was a dream day, I have always wanted to go swimming and skiing on the same day. Plus, every time we go swimming I have a few minutes after to go run a few miles. Yay for me and getting so much exercise plus getting paid to do it. I love my life right now! To make things even better, the thought that on Thursday I am flying to Alabama with my beautiful mother and all my darling sisters makes just about anything sound wonderful. I am a truly blessed girl.

Here is the random picture that I had to add to this post. Heaven forbid that I have a post without a picture. This one was taken at Benny's fourth birthday party. I thought it was a cute one of the whole family. The four of them are blessings I count twice.

I Hope They Call Me On A Mission

I thought I would create a post in behalf of all my friends that are going on missions. I am so proud of all of them and only wish I could be going too. Only two more years.



I also had to add some pictures of our last ski adventure just for fun.


The break for lunch was almost as fun as when we were skiing.


This would be Chris and Cara's favorite way to ski. I can't say the same for myself.


This one is of Chris and his mom Janae. Really she was mad at him right then because he had just pushed her down. It makes for a great picture though.


This one is of our dear future missionaries trying to look cool while snowboarding. You can be the judge of whether they made it or not.

Ode to My Hair. . .

Today I miss my old hair. Granted, my hair now is much healthier, I just miss the length. I have been going through all my pictures and I found these two of what my hair used to look like, I want it back. Thank heavens it will only take five more years to get it that way. That last sentence was all sarcasm for everyone's information.


P.S. To anyone who cares, the capital behind me in the first picture is actually a cake! Amazing eh?

My Bestest Friends

I thought I would take a minute to tell my two bestest friends in the whole wide world how much I love them. Care, Sabe, what in the world would I do without you guys. Thanks for being the best friends that a girl could ever ask for. I miss you both tons. Wish I was there with you. I love you two more than a fat dog loves butter.

For the rest of the world, here are a few pictures of my two best friends and me. I hope you enjoy looking at them, because you better believe that we had fun taking them. Most of them are from our New Years Celebration in Temple Square.








It was mindnight, and when there are no men around you get kind'a desperate. (They didn't really kiss, but Cara and I almost did. Tee Hee!)


Rock On!






Apparently they can't read.





The last few pictures are of us trying to jump over each other and take the picture while one person is in the air, but this is what happened. . .

Then this!


This one is as close as we got.


Best friends are like cheese, the longer you have them the better they become. I came up with that on the spot. Cheesey I know, no pun intended. I'm so funny.
I Luff Dew