Parenting 101

My POOR [poor] Blossom!!! She has not been feeling that well lately. It's probably because I've missed a couple of weekly cleanings but come on Bloss, {give me a break}!! Her check engine light has been on for almost a week. I don't think the cold weather has been to good for her. (And when I say cold weather I mean 60 degrees or below.) In the mornings, as I pull up to the stop sign, I can hear her telling me,"Ahhh ALLEE!!! I'm just getting warmed up! Why do ya gotta do that to me??!!" Literally, she says that...so I called the Toyota dealership where I bought her almost {TWO YEARS} ago to see if I still had a warranty. Of course, it's a car dealership, and they couldn't tell me. I think the guy was going to try to make me buy a warranty for a car I already had, for a warranty I am still paying for an extension on. [It's a car dealer's way.] So I made an appointment for Blossom to see the Mechanical Doctor. I woke up a little early this morning so I could clean her out because how embarrassing would that be??? "Oh ummm ya that's just my papers, and my shirt, and my shoe, {what is this??} oh but that's my neices rubberband, and some girl's bananas [whoa, how long has this been in here?]...." I was a little nervous, it was Blossom's first Dr.'s visit so I asked Abby to come along and of course she did. (She knows how a 1st visit can go for a newby.) Well we slowly rolled into the service station and the 'nurses' were really nice. They told us where to wait and even got our information! Come to find out all Blossom needed was a few buttons pushed and WHALLAH she's better than ever! I could have done that at my own house!! (I hear that's how some people are with their first, you know, a little paranoid.) So thanks to the helpful people at the Toyota Scion Dealership!!

"I knew nothing was really wrong with her. I could have told you that if you would have taken that extra 30-40 pounds out of her earlier she would have been feeling just fine!!!" ~ April Brimhall

Now I've gotten started blogging again and I just can't stop!!! Chooo-choooo BLOGGIN' TRAIN COMMIN' THROUGH!!!! ALL ABOARD!!!!!!!!!!!! I've definatley jumped on this locomotive!

Well I think it's time to do a {SHOUT OUT} to my cous-end (cousin-friend). TIFFY-WIFFY!!!! (Sorry Tiffany, sometimes I just can't resist.) I know you're busy with school and all, okay mostly doing the Senior thing (senior ditch day, senior trip, cashing in those brownie points with the teachers, hanging out in the quad waiting for Mr. Westover to tell you to get to class, ya know, just being the big dawg on campus), but I just want you to know that I am WAY excited to have you closer to me! I know I know, we probably won't hang out much more than we do now but atleast it'll be an option! You'll be so awesome playing volleyball! I can't wait to have a reason to go to the games. I'LL BE YOUR #1 FAN!!!!!!!!!!! If I embarrass you, I'm sorry. I'll try to act suave BUT it is volleyball and YOU ARE PLAYING!!! Whew, I'll be to all the games I can be, even if you only play for a second, you'll be the BEST player. I'll be there for warm-ups, cool-downs, wins, loses, heck I'll even try to bring some friends!!! But I'm not just talking about volleyball either. It's a whole different world outside of Snowflake, which I'm sure you already knew that. It is FUN! errr it CAN be FUN. But I'll be there for you! Forever and always! Love you girl!!

OH GEEZE...I must be growing up [or something]. I'll write a fun post this week!!! I have lots I could write about :-)

{thank you}

HONEY I'M HOME!!!!! Life lately seems like it's been crazy...fun...boring...monotonus...exciting...strenuous...relaxing...pleasant...miserable...average...WONDERFUL...and just plaing {jaw dropping} when I think about it. How the world can life change SO fast?!?? I want to know where the days of not going to work or sleeping in went! Someone please tell me now!!! But then I think again and I wouldn't trade my life now for anything {well you know...besides being married...HECK I'D EVEN TAKE JUST A BOYFRIEND!!!!!}. I thought I was happy a year ago. I thought that life was as good as it could get. I truly felt like I was on the plateau of euphoria. Then it crashed and burned...smothered for way too long...water didn't help...blowing only seemed to make it burn longer...and hoping that somehow the 'burn' would just go away on it's own only made the will of the fire burn deeper and deeper still. So I guess I'm dedicating this [blog] to my FATHER IN HEAVEN. For anyone who knows my life story in the past few years, you'll get the jist of what it all means. I just want mostly my family to know what I know, to feel what I feel. I can't believe the tender mercies that my FATHER IN HEAVEN has given to me through everything. I {KNOW} that OUR HEAVENLY FATHER knows our deepest desires. HE knows what makes us tick. HE loves me (and you) regardless of the flaws that we have. HE knows our weaknesses {but HE also knows our stregnths}. Satan, our brother, also knows us that well. He WILL and DOES pull us slowly down to the gulfs of MISERY. But even in the bottom of the deepest holes, our SAVIOR is the light which we look up to. We will always look up to HIM. Regardless of where in the pit of doom we are, our FATHER will lead us up. HE does everything in HIS power to help us CHOOSE the narrow but straight path of true happiness. HE stands strong and abiding at ALL times! HE is the one true constant in my life. HIS hands (not only HIS hands but HIS arms, HIS ENTIRE BODY) is standing, waiting for my to take advantage of the eternal bear hug of true happiness, {BLISS}. And that's what it is all about. {Our CHOICE}. I CHOOSE my future, I shape my [JOY]. I am going to let MY SAVIOR envelop me in HIS love, {warmth}, but mostly HIS light. I love my HEAVENLY FATHER. I am in debt to HIS son, {JESUS CHRIST}, a debt that I will never be able to repay. [BUT ONE THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET]. HIS sacrifice is perfect. It is infinite. The {ATONEMENT} is the one way that I will ever be able to return to my FATHER. I want to be able to stand by HIM and hear HIS voice say, "WELL DONE, MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT. I LOVE YOU MY DAUGHTER, ALLEE." {and of course a huge ole bear hug}. I have felt HIS warmth and {love}. It is real. Without a shadow of a doubt, IT IS REAL!

I want to thank my family. You all have been my physical reminder of the hug that our FATHER IN HEAVEN is waiting to give us. I love you ALL. {More than you have an idea of}.

This all makes me think of my family. I want to be like our brother, CHRIST. I will {CHOOSE} to hold my arms out, welcoming you, loving you regardless of EVERYTHING! [not that there's anything not to love].

I know we all go through struggles. Whether they are big, or small, public, or private, we all have something to work on.

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that {when} the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, {when} all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
*{WHEN} not [IF]
I hope that I can stand like our HEAVENLY FATHER, with my arms open wide, trying to share my light. I will {CHOOSE} not to be like our brother [satan] (I picture HIM with HIS arms crossed, awful grin on HIS face, fooling us. Making us think that a smoldering fire is not what we want, that we need a HUGE BON FIRE!!!)

I love you all. But I want you to know that I love my SAVIOR, my HEAVENLY FATHER, and the HOLY GHOST. I also love our {other} brother. Satan. HE has helped me realize the true importance in life and where my priorities should be. I love him, but I will not follow.

In some families, please is described as the magic word. In our house, however, it was sorry. ~Margaret Laurence

I am sorry. Thank you for all you've done to help me!!

[Fruit]

There's been alot of fruit floating around lately. Oranges, grapes, grapefruit (not sure why they're called that. It should be yellowfruit if nothing else, but then why is fruit after it? Are we going to start identifying all our fruits in this way? We now have orangefruit and grapefruit, and grapefruit?? Wait wait wait, this doesn't work!!) Well I sat down the other day and peeled me a good old orange. It smelled so YUMMY!! As I peeled it, the oils just ran all the way down my arms and dripped off at my elbows. MMmmmMMMMM!!! I finally pulled apart the juicy fruit and closed my eyes as I slowly closed my mouth over a sliver of the ball of heaven. PPPPTHTHthththth!!!! I had to spit it out?!!!!!! It was rotten, or something. It was one of the grossest things I have ever put near my mouth (if you know me then you know this has to be pretty BAD!) I have since decided that my favorite fruit are grapes. Because with grapes, you always get another chance. You know, if you have a crappy apple or a peach or an orange, you’re stuck with that crappy piece of fruit. But if you have a crappy grape, no problem - just move on to the next.