Christmas 2012

Christmas has come and gone already. This month is going by so fast! Earlier last week I wrapped up my third semester of the Nursing program with a strong grade on the Final Exam. I was determined to do well on the Final and the whole week before Fianls I studied for at least six hours every day. It paid off and I survived another semester. One more semester to go! On Friday afternoon I drove from Twin Falls to Boise for a doctor appointment and then I drove the rest of the way home to spend the holiday with my family. That night I went and helped Lila finish her Christmas shopping and I finished a few things as well while we were out and about. The stores were a little crazy but what can you expect on the Friday before Christmas? We spent the weekend preparing for Christmas and wrapping presents. On Sunday I was able to go to church with my family and hear them sing in the choir. Calvin even sang a solo which was great and his voice is coming along quite nicely! All of my siblings are growing up and each Christmas it is more evident. We were able to enjoy Christmas Eve with the West family and then spent Christmas Day with my parents and the three youngest kiddos. All in all it was great. I am so blessed with my family, friends, and the life that I have. I am so grateful for my education and for the gospel in my life. More news and Christmas pictures to come...

Gratitude

I was awakened at 5:45 this morning by a glowstick...but that is another story for another time. :) As I lay there in the early hours of the morning I was struck with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. Gratitude for my parents and the home that I was raised in. My family was and is no where near perfect...abd let's face it, I am the guinea pig child. My parents did their best though. We consistently had family scripture study, prayer, and Family Home Evening. I remember some of these would end with fighting and tears but my parents never ever gave up and with three children still living at home they still haven't stopped those habits that they began early on in their marriage. I am so grateful that I can say, like Nephi, that I was born of goodly parents. There have and will continue to be multiple times in my life where I stop and say a prayer of gratitude for the home that my parent's established. So Dad and Mom: thank you! Your work was not in vain.

This was the only halfway decent picture I could find with my parents...and of course Cameron and Lila. :)

Burnout with a nice surprise

Quick update-this last week was a little bit of a roller coaster. I didn't do as well on a nursing exam as I would have liked. As the semester slowly comes to a close I have been feeling burned out and a little less motivated. I am determined not to let it affect my grades anymore though! I am blessed though. On Tuesday night this is what I saw when I walked into my apartment:

There were sticky notes with arrows on them pointing in all different directions, but mostly towards my bedroom door. This was on my bedroom door:

I opened the door and my bed was covered in balloons. (I had pictures but my computer won't upload them for some reason.) In each of the balloons there was a piece of paper. I popped each balloon and when I put the papers together, it was a love note. Shelby picked the perfect day to surprise me. :) Now, after that sweet surprise and after feeling angry with myself I am trying to stay on top of things and finish out the semester strong. Nursing school sure does know how to push you to your limits but I am so grateful for the challenge and opportunity that I have to become more educated and to serve others. There's no other thing I'd rather be doing right now and now other place and people I'd rather be with.

Boise Temple Open House

I was able to go home two weekends in a row this month to go to the Boise Temple Open House. The first weekend Shelby and I went with our single's ward. The next weekend I rode with Lindsey and Brenen and got to go again. It was like a feast after a famine since it had been awhile since I'd spent time with my family. I'm grateful for the holiday breaks that are coming where I can spend time with my family and not be stressed out about school...one more month until Christmas break. :)

Thoughts on the weekend...

This past weekend was General Conference. It was so wonderful and the Spirit was strong. President Monson, who is the prophet today, made a big announcement. Young men can now go on a mission when they are 18 years old and young women can go when they are 19. I became so emotional when he made this announcement! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED my mission. It is the best thing that I have ever done and I am so excited that so many more young women will have the opportunity to serve the Lord. So, for all of you sisters who may read this: if you are thinking about going on a mission-just do it! You will never, ever regret the decision to serve. Before I left on my mission, a close family friend told me that for young men, there is one time when they feel the closest to the Lord and that is when they are on their missions. For women, it is when they are on a mission, if they go, and then when they become a mother. I feel so blessed to have served the Lord 24/7 for 18 months and felt so close to Him. It is a daily battle to keep that feeling with me now. Speaking of missions, my mission reunion was this last weekend but I wasn't able to go due to some car problems. I decided it wasn't wise for me to make the long drive to Provo by myself until my car got checked out and worked on. I was bummed that I couldn't go but I had a fun weekend staying home and catching up on life here.

The cooler Autumn weather has been making me go through withdrawals and I miss this:

Nothing compares to a New York fall. Shelby and I went on a walk yesterday and I have yet to find anything that compares to the colors and scenery in NY. I don't know if I'll ever stop having NY withdrawals, I hope that I don't because those memories are forever a part of me. Life is good here in Idaho though and I'm grateful for all that I have been blessed with. I'm so grateful that I could watch General Conference this weekend and am excited for the goals that I have set for myself for the next six months. Go here to watch General Conference-it is definitely worth the time and I promise that you will receive divine inspiration for you personally if you take the time to even watch a little bit of it.

A BIG FAT SUMMER UPDATE!

To the few of you who read this, I apologize for being so MIA the last few months. Life has been crazy busy with lots going on. Here's a quick update from the summer via pictures:

One warm summer night in June, Shelby told me to dress in clothes that I wouldn't mind getting dirty. Little did I know what he had up his sleeve. We finger painted lots of beautiful pictures and ended up in a paint war. This was the end result. :) Thank goodness the river was so close-we ended up cleaning off in the river. It was so fun and spontaneous! That's just one of the many things I love about Shelby-we can have spontaneous fun doing anything. :)

In June, my roommate Amy and I made a quick trip to the Boise area. We stayed with my family and went to Payette the next day to get some decorations for Amy's wedding reception. It was so fun and Amy fell in love with Lila's ELEVEN kittens! I tried my hardest to love them, but let's face it, we all know how I feel about animals. I love my Lila and was glad to spend time with her even though it meant spending time with her kittens also. :)

In August, Shelby and I made a quick trip to Utah to go to the wedding reception of one of his mission buddies. It was a fun, fast road trip! We hurried back that same night because Lindsey and Brenen were in town and stayed with me. It was so fun to have them visit. While Lindsey was doing my hair the next morning, Brenen and Shelby played Mario Kart on the Wii...Linz and I just giggled at their comments while they played. Good times! :)

The last weekend of August Shelby and I were able to go to Middleton to watch Cameron run in his Cross Country meet. He did a great job and even got a pie at the very end. Now that's motivation to run! :) We also went to Calvin's soccer game but I didn't get any good pictures of him playing. They both did a great job and I'm so grateful that we were able to go to at least one of their sporting events this Fall. I love my brothers and can't believe that they are growing up so fast!

Shelby's best friend Sam returned home from his mission at the end of August. It has been fun for Shelby to have Sam home. For FHE on Labor Day we made Zuchinni Boats and raced them down the raging CSI river. Ours didn't win but we definitely won creativity points with our action figures!

My roommate and dear friend Amy and our dear friend Jesse were married at the beginning of September. Shelby and I were able to go to their sealing and it was absolutely beautiful! There is NOTHING better than a temple wedding-no words can describe that spirit that was there. Congratulations Amy and Jesse! We love you!

Here's my friend Nakia and I with the beautiful bride. The reception was great and was perfect for Amy and Jesse.

This picture describes something that we do often-ice cream at Sonic. It's what we do. :)

Have I mentioned that I love this kid? He's great and was absolutely one of my favorite parts of the summer! Now we've made it through the first four weeks of school-exams and everything! It's been rough with lots of withdrawals but it's been good! Here's to two more semesters of school and the changing seasons!

Oregon Coast

I can't believe that it is already the end of July! This summer is flying by and it has been one of the best summers I have had. I have been blessed. Last week I was able to go to the Oregon Coast with my family. We played around with just our family for a few days and then we met up with my dad's family and we had the annual Despain Family Reunion. It was wonderful to spend time with my family but I missed Twin Falls and am glad to be back and getting into a routine again. Here are some pictures from the coast:



We visited the tallest lighthouse on the Oregon Coast, located in Yaquina Bay. We'd all been there before but it was fun to go. Every time I visit a lighthouse I think of Pete's Dragon-love that movie! :) I love lighthouses and all that they symbolize.



My absolute favorite thing to do on the coast is going whale watching! We went whale watching and it was the best trip yet. We saw a lot of one particular whale which was great and there were a few epic quotes from Lila. Once we got several miles out into the ocean, the boat stopped and we sat there for a few minutes trying to locate whales. All of a sudden Lila says, "I want to go here on my honeymoon!" Lindsey and I just started laughing and all I could think of was, what eleven year old is already planning her honeymoon-I haven't even planned mine yet! Second epic quote: we see a whale come up out of the water and Lila says, "Ohhhh, that reminds me of my baby kittens." Let's just say she was going through extreme withdrawals from her precious kitties.



This is our family-except for Curtis-standing on the whale watching boat.



This was on the car ride there. Cam, Lila, and I were smooshed in the back seat. It made for some good bonding time!



When I got home, these beautiful duct tape flowers were waiting for me with some sweet notes. Let's just say Shelby is super creative and he had a lot of free time while I was gone. :) It was a wonderful surprise to come back to, as well as all the window paint on my car. He is simply amazing! :)



Pickles! If only people knew what that really means. :)



Of course we all missed Curtis like crazy but he is doing wonderful things in the Phillipines and I am so proud of him!