Thoughts From a Frazzled Mind

Memorial Day weekend is just about my favorite weekend of the year. It is not because it is the day we honor our dead that are no longer with us as well as those who have lost their lives to fight for our freedoms - although honoring them is very important. No, the reason it is my favorite is because it is the "Wood Carving Jamboree"! Although I am not a wood carver, I LOVE this weekend because I join Kim and his brother David and travel to Idaho. The boys spend 3 full days carving with some of the best carvers in the nation - therefore they are very happy. I, on the other hand, am very happy because I get to spend 3 full days all alone doing whatever I feel like doing! I used to haul all of my scrapbooking paraphernalia with me and then spread paper, photos, stickers, etc all over the room. However the last few years have been extremely nice since I now do all of my scrappin ' on my laptop, so I don't have to carry so much stuff - only my computer bag. This...

Tasha passed her state board test, so all she needs now is to file for her license - and then she will be an official Licensed Massage Therapis t ! I'm very proud of her - and I'm also very excited to have my own personal massage therapist! She will start taking appointments in about 3 weeks! Hooray!

Friday afternoon Kim, his brother Dave, and I attended the a session at the Boise Temple. Several years ago we drove by this temple but were not able to attend, and at that time both Kim and I remarked how beautiful it was. Seeing it up close today just confirmed our original thoughts. The Boise Temple is gorgeous! The gray stone and spires are breathtaking. During the session I was struck with the fact that no matter how beautiful the temple's physical attributes are, the real beauty lies in the way I feel while inside. The layout of this temple is quite different than any other I have visited, however once I entered I was immediately filled with the same feeling of peace that I have felt in every temple. I love the feeling of familiarity of the work that is being done there, and it is so comforting to know that all over the world, the it is the same. I love the fact that once you step through the doors you feel that you leave the "world" outside and become enveloped in ...

Breakfast: Who will you be thinking mostly about this Memorial Day? BJ obviously. I also am thinking about (and praying for) my friends who have also lost sons . Lunch: What are your Memorial Day traditions? For the last 15 years Kim and his brother Dave have been attending a 3-day woodcarving jamboree over Memorial Day. I tag along and camp out in the motel room for some serious scrapin’ and “me” time. Dinner: How many graves do you usually visit on Memorial Day? Only one Midnight Snack: What is one thing you hope to remembered for? I hope that I am remembered for making people laugh. Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?) Recharging my batteries!

Breakfast You're about to walk the green mile, what do you have as your last meal? It is a toss up between bar-b-que ribs, funeral potatoes with asparagus, or a big, fat, charcoal broiled rib-eye steak and baked potato - again with asparagus. For dessert Crème brûlée from La Caille. Lunch If you HAD to change your name, what would you change it to? When I was young, I always wanted to change my name to Aubree because it was close to my name but still different. Now, I really don't know. I'm so used to my name that nothing else seems to fit! Dinner What would be your dream job? I think my dream job would be a Certified Nurse Midwife. I love the idea of assisting in the miracle of birth. Since, that is a little far out of my reach, I'm working towards the next best thing as an Labor and Delivery nurse. Second choice would be a travel agent that puts together tour groups so that I could travel all over the world and get paid for it! Midnight Snack What is your favo...

Angie, Stephanie, and I decided several months ago that when we finally reached the milestone of achieving our Associates Degrees that we would take a celebratory trip. So, we packed up the car and headed to Park City. We had so much fun! We ate dinner at Olive Garden (with a very interesting waiter, Mario!) and then drove to the historic part of town where we parked the car and walked all around the streets, admiring all of the fun sights. It was perfect weather for walking, just a little brisk, so the fire pits situated throughout the plaza were great places to sit and warm up just a bit. Steph got just a little wild and crazy and did a fine little dance along the fire pit! She was a hoot! We stayed up most of the night just talking, laughing, and sharing family stories. After breakfast we hit the outlets! We found tons and tons of great sales. I think we hit all but one or two of the stores. It was a great celebration - thanks for a perfect end to a wonderful year Angie and Steph.

I am an avid reader. I devour books, especially LDS novels that have good messages intertwined with the story line. As I read, I usually allow myself enough time to read one or two chapters, and I make a promise to myself that I will stop at the end of a chapter. However, most of the time I find it very difficult to stop at the end of the chapter. Granted, chapter’s end usually is a natural spot to take a break in the story, but most times there is just enough of a cliffhanger or a tease to tempt you to start into the next chapter. That is how I feel about my life right now. One year ago I started attending USU Brigham Campus. I had no idea at the time how the campus would take over my life during the next 12 months. I went from barely knowing the campus existed to having an intimate acquaintance with the lobby, the bookstore, the computer and science labs not to mention the classrooms. I have become friends with the counselors, the facilitators, the bookstore clerks, and the other stu...