Big Day for the Big Brother

Jake graduated with his Masters last week and we're all so proud. It was loads of fun to go to the ceremony, stand for like an hour while all 5,000 (may be a tad exaggerated. sure felt like it though) graduates did their promenade (wait. promenade...i think that's a Junior Prom thing. well anyways, it's their little walk. you know what i mean) endured the wailing child directly behind me, and waited for all 5,000 to get their diplomas. It's a good thing I had my teddy grahams snack pack and tetris on my phone. Otherwise, I probably would've died.

Well we took pics afterward and then went to Jake & Melissa's for dinner. All the food was so good. Not too surprising with that girl. And then we watched the Jazz game while Chef Boyar-Lee made us Grape Julius's. He's totally my hero now. That stuff is soooo good.

Oh and Melissa had me write Jake a little poem. I think I had a little too much fun with it. It's rather cheesy but hey, it comes from the heart. haha....

Title: JACOB

Oh Jacob, Jacob you’re so cool

You’re so cool cuz you’re done with school!

No more books, no more papers, no more mean and strange professors.

No more time consuming projects to rob you of life’s pleasures.

No more high tuition payments to make your poor heart ache

Yes, the big money you earn now can stay right inside the bank.

Sadly, no more Tomassito's or strawberry sugared milk

No more breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the loud and crowded Wilk

No more journeys to the bookstore where they’re so glad to take your money

With their tough and merciless policies that make the honor code seem funny.

No more standing in the testing center with a mile-long and dreary line.

Only to reach the check-in desk and learn you’ve got a late day fine.

No more countless hours of study time on the famous fun fifth floor

Where you cram your brain with info til it has no space to store

No more dry and boring lectures or endless study cases

You’ve got a real job now and it’s bound to take you places.

Oh Jacob, Jacob you’re so rad

You’re so rad just like your dad

You’ve listened to his counsel and taken his advice

All your success and joy has left him so sufficed.

Oh Jacob, Jacob you’re the bomb

You’re the bomb just like 'your mom'!

She’s always been there to help you and give you all her love

Even when you think she’s done enough, she’ll go over and above.

Oh Jacob, Jacob don’t forget your sibs

With all our jokes and humor that could likely break some ribs.

Oh your stories and your laughter will always make us smile

Not to mention your boots and flannels with your country farm boy style.

Oh Jacob, Jacob you’ve got quite the life

You’ve got quite the life because you have a wife

She’s the perfect match for you so always treat her right

You couldn’t have found a better one who’s so beautiful, sweet, and bright.

Well school may now be over, but life has just begun

You may as well just buckle up and get ready for some fun.

Oh Jacob, Jacob you’re quite a special guy

Don’t ever take life for granted, cuz it may just pass you by.

So remember this day Jacob, cherish it in your heart

Don’t forget that you’re so cool and obviously smart.

Because in the center Marriot, amongst the roaring crowd,

Family and friends were cheering for you and are all so very proud! :)

Life's a peach...or a truck....?

Wow, I can't even begin to say how blessed I am. I'm a completely different person than I was a year ago. For as long as I can remember I feel like I've been spinning my tires not knowing what to do or which direction to go. I've been so lost and the anxiety of it all has worn me to a frazzle. A little over a year ago I inevitably hit rock bottom and had no hope for anything. Life was a chore and I couldn't find any enjoyment. I lost light and joy which left me cold, helpless, and alone. I never thought I'd get out of the rut and I really questioned life in general. Yeah, it was a pretty dark and scary time. But no need to worry because something changed! I found that light again. I realized that I needed to take my foot off the gas pedal and step back for a second to observe the situation and determine the problem. There was nothing wrong with the truck; the engine ran well and it was a perfectly fine automobile. The problem was the gears had somehow slipped into neutral so I was burnin fuel but not progressing at all. So what did I do? Popped her into first gear of course. I may have not been going as fast as others, but at least I was moving forward, right? Well I've taken things slowly and I feel like I've finally worked up through all the gears and built enough momentum to put it all on cruise control. And wow does it feel good. I can take my foot off the pedal, sit back, and just enjoy the ride.

Haha. Wow that probably didn't make a lick of sense. I have no idea where the truck analogy came from. Quite the tangent I went off on. I'm going on little sleep right now so I'm saying a lot of stuff that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But anyways, long story short: I'm happy. I had a problem, recognized it, got help, found the strength to overcome it, and have never felt better. The End. :)

Oh and I took that picture out on the tractor last week. I wish I would've had my good camera with me. It looked sooo cool. The camera phone doesn't even do it justice.

Oh don't look at me like that. You all know golf is cool

Well I have to say I was rather miffed by the latest uproar of the most well-known golfer (and apparently a lot more known than we all thought) and his "glorious", "courageous" return to the gentleman's sport after such a "challenging", and "trying" time. Yeah, I'm sure he was hurtin' real bad the last few years. I've been disgusted by his continued arrogance and immaturity, especially when he had the audacity to so confidently state he would win the Masters this weekend. Oh and for the record, I have NEVER liked him. But no need to bash anyone, even someone so low and pitiful as him. Because this sport is not all about Tiger after all. And yes, even with all the chaotic debacle surrounding the Nike-sponsored player(player is right..oh sorry, no more bashing) the true champion was recognized: The California Lefty, Phil Mickelson. Now, if anyone's had a challenging and trying year, it's been him. His wife and mother have both been battling breast cancer, and from his heartfelt interviews, you can tell it's been a tough time in their lives. Amy hasn't been able to attend hardly any of the tournaments he's played in this year, and Phil wasn't even sure she'd make it this weekend. He was wanting to win it for her, and was hoping she'd be there to cheer him on. While she didn't have the strength to be there the first few days, she did make it out on Sunday to watch him take the victory on hole 18. After his birdie putt and celebratory fist pump, he walked over to his emotional dear wife and embraced her for what seemed to be an eternity. As they stood and held each other surrounded by the cheering crowd, a few visible tears ran down his cheek. I daresay, it was the most tender moment I've ever witnessed in professional sports. I dang near cried. Seriously, my eyes were tearin' up and the waterworks just about went full blown. haha. But I held myself together.

Anyways...this was just so cool. It's rather nice and refreshing to see good people get awarded with such great recognition. He took it like a man, humble and without a speck of arrogance, and gave all the glory to his wife and family. I've looked up to him for a long time, but yesterday he truly became a hero in my eyes. Way to go Phil!!

Success tastes pretty good

Easter is seriously my most favorite holiday. It beats Christmas by a long shot. Reasons? spring weather, new plant life, better candy, funner activities...c'mon! you get to color eggs! haha. On a more serious level. What greater event is there to reflect upon than the Resurrection of our Savior? He overcame death and lived again so that we too may follow His footsteps and return to live with our Father in Heaven. I'm so grateful for that and I'm even more grateful that I have been blessed with such wonderful knowledge.

Well, the weekend was fabulous. I love being home with the folks. They always just make my day. I convinced my mom that we had to put out some Easter decorations. The weekend just wouldn't be the same without a few delightful pastels. So we pulled the boxes out and had some fun with the stuff we found. I was over all the grass. I may have gotten a little crazy with it but hey, I had a ball. Oh and my mom totally made the bunny baskets. Yeah, she's pretty cool, I know. She made them for each of us kids when we were born...well except me. Mine came quite a bit later...like two years ago. Before that, I was always the loner with a store-bought basket. haha. Apparently the mother didn't have time to sew and be all crafty with four little bratty kids bouncing around. Now I can be more understanding. But when I was younger, I'd always be super jealous of my siblings. Except one year when my basket was absolutely ginormous. A whole lot more candy could fit in that, compared to those stupid little bunnies. hehehe. Not gonna lie, I still kinda wanted one though. So two years ago, I finally got my wish. Easter morning came and to my surprise, four candy-packed bunnies were waiting in the living room. My mom didn't remember how to make them so she had a lady in our ward try and replicate the others. The green and yellow one on the right is mine and I love it! So glad I can now be recognized as part of the family. :)

It's such a cute idea though. My mom and I are going to have the lady in our ward teach us how to make them during the summer. We want to make little mini's for all the grandkids. How cute would that be!?


More of our fun decorations.




Well as part of my new aspiration of being awesome, I have decided to master the kitchen. Yeah, it's probably going to take me a while, I can assure you of that. I mean, I just got done eating a bowl of canned soup for lunch. Not to mention the fact that I microwaved it. Heaven forbid having to pour it in a pot and wait eons for the element to heat up. Seriously if microwaves didn't exist, I'd probably wither away and die. haha.

But anyways...My plan is to start off with simple recipes and work my way up to cooler and more extravagant food (like really pretty cakes and stuff). So when I was home for Easter weekend, I decided it was an excellent time to give the oven a try. I found a recipe online for these "tropical snowballs". I picked them mostly cuz I liked the name. lol. They're basically shortbread cookies rolled in a bunch of powdered sugar with a hint of lemon. I have to say, for the work of a beginner, they were pretty darn good. I'm actually quite proud of myself. haha

Overall, I loved the holiday and spending time with the other kids. Though, it was not near as fun without Jess, Andrew, and little C there! :( just a few more months and they'll be here! :)
General Conference was incredible. It always is and always will be. The church is true! It too, Always is and always will be. :)