Back to my Roots

I grew up in a family of Cross Stitchers. Mom did it,

Logan did it,

Linz started a lot of them (just kidding Linz),

Brendan does them,

(in progress)

Maci does them,

This is one of her simple ones.

and I also started a lot of them (I'm a lot like Linz).

I love Cross Stitching. It's amazing to see the finished product after hours and hours and hours of work that you've put into it. Most of the ones I've done are really easy ones, but I've also gotten into the habit of cross stitching a picture of the temple that each of the kids was married in for their home. So far I've done the Washington DC temple, the Bountiful Utah temple, and the Idaho Falls temple. They all turned our lovely if I do say so myself :)

So, the other day I was really wanting to cross stitch something. I looked at Mom and Dad's house for a pattern, but didn't find any that seemed...right. I looked online for weeks, but I couldn't find any. Then the thought came to me. Do one of Christ!

My search continued and then I narrowed it down to three. One was of the Savior knocking on the door with no handle. I love the message of that one.

Another was of Christ looking after his sheep. I texted Brendan, he's already started that one.

And then there was one of Jesus doing nothing more than just looking. It was beautiful....I couldn't get it out of my head, and as silly as it sounds, it just seemed RIGHT. So I bought it.

It's going to be SO HARD, but this is the one I ended up with.

I couldn't be happier!

It should be here any day. I'm getting anxious and my fingers are starting to itch! I can't wait to get it started :)

On my mind...

A few days ago Ryan texted me at 6 in the morning (RUDE!) with an amazing quote. So I forgave his rudeness. It's no secret that Jeffrey R. Holland is one of my favorite speakers, and this quote really drove the point home.

"God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future--to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities.

God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can't if you don't pray, and He can't if you don't dream. In short, He can't if you don't believe." 


I know with all my heart that this man is inspired. I feel the spirit so strongly every time he speaks! His words always always ALWAYS bring tears to my eyes.


ESPECIALLY these ones:
http://lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/safety-for-the-soul?lang=eng

♥

To the Woman I Took For Granted

Today has been a strange day.
Work was cancelled until 3 for me,
so I had a lot of extra time to do anything I wanted.
 I could have gone on a walk or read a book or taken a nap (my personal FAVE), but I found myself doing the dishes...
             Then sweeping the kitchen...
                                       Then cleaning the living room
                                                Then vacuuming.
I remember how hard mom had to fight to get us to do our chores.
There is one time in particular I remember duping mom...
When I was seven or eight I was in charge of sweeping the kitchen.
Mom and Dad were out of town for the day, and what did we do?
Put off our chores until the very last second.
Most of them didn't get done.
I knew mom would find out that I didn't sweep...
But then I had an idea.
I grabbed the broom and swept only under the bird's cage.
With the most noticeable part of the room looking good,
I lazed around for the rest of the day.
I felt good about everything until Mom and Dad came home.
They scolded everyone but me for not doing their chores.
The worst part was, all the kids knew that I didn't finish...
I was EVERY BIT as guilty as they were...but I didn't speak up.
Up until now, my mom has never been let in on this little secret...

Even after I finished all the cleaning I still had two hours before work
So I sat down and wrote a little poem...
I call it:

To the Woman I Took For Granted

There were many mornings
You woke up with the sun
And though you were tired
The dishes were always done.

There were many days
When I was feeling sick
You would give up your time
And you always came quick.

There were many days
When I needed to talk
A lot of that happened
When we would take a walk

You never asked for payment
You never asked for more
And even when I shut you out
You never locked your door

And now I'm on my own
I think of what you've done
I'm cleaning by my own accord
So thinking back, you've won

I may have fought,
Been anything but calm
But in the end, I know it's true
I love you, my dearest, Mom.

To Carley

I have always really enjoyed writing poetry, even though I'm not the most talented person when it comes to the...putting words together and them sounding good...thing.

I was able to scrape together a couple poems that I wrote to my dear darling best friend Carley and I figured that I would share them with all of you :)

To the Eternities

It still amazes me,

This friendship that we've made

All the good times and bad

Those memories won't soon fade

I went from Mckenzie to Emma

And much to my surprise

You went from just a friend

To the best one, in my eyes

You help me when I need a laugh

You help me when I fall

I know that when my day's been bad

I only have to call

Sure, we've had our times

When the hurt could not be masked,

And holding us together

Was no simple task

But we made it through

And we'll make it to the end,

Even to the eternities

As each other's best friend

The part that says, "I went from Mckenzie to Emma" refers to the fact that one of the first things she ever said to me was, "You look like a Mckenzie to me. Can I call you Mckenzie?" She gets embarrassed by that now, but I still think it's funny.

My Best Friend

You're not perfect

There are many mistakes you bear

But you're my best friend

So I don't care

You say silly things

And often show the color of your hair

But you're my best friend,

So I don't care

You and I

We make the perfect pair

This thing that we have

It's got to be rare

And when you're in the nursing home

Racing up and down the halls

You can bet I'll be there

Helping if you fall.

I was going to be all creative and try to write another...but I don't think I could :( I wouldn't be able to write it down effectively. 

I seriously love this girl!

The Cutest Pregnant Lady on the Face of the Planet!

I still can't believe my older sister is pregnant...
Maybe it's because she didn't tell us she was pregnant until she was
FIVE AND A HALF MONTHS ALONG!
Anyway, I'm over it. :)
On January 7th Linz had her baby shower
and we had an awesome time.

In this game they passed around nine jars of baby food and we had to guess what they were.

It was ridiculous amounts harder than I thought it would be.

I couldn't tell the difference between squash and carrots.

And honestly, who would have guessed that they make a pureed form of Mac and Cheese?

This was probably the most hilarious game.

We had to root through magazines and find a bunch of random facial features and glue them together.

This is what little G-baby is going to look like according to us.

Notice Lindsay's baby bump on the right side of the picture :)

The Owen Family :)

I seriously CAN'T wait until February 19th. 

Come fast G-Baby!

Roommates sure make life interesting...

Today Mystie was trying to convince Ryan to give her a new toothbrush.
"I just gave you one last month!"~Ryan
"I go through toothbrushes really fast." ~Mystie
"You can't possibly go through them that fast!"~Ryan
"Wanna bet?"~Mystie

Proven. Wrong.

The Start of Something New

This new semester is bringing a lot of new challenges for me.

Last semester I had a lot of difficult classes, but no job.
This semester I lowered my class difficulty and load and took on a job.
I'm thrilled to no end that I have income again, don't get me wrong....
I just didn't realize it would be so difficult to get back into the swing of things.

I started my new job as a developmental therapist at Seasons of Hope on January 5th.
For those of you who don't remember, I was a developmental therapist for a year and a half
before leaving to come to Pocatello.
I figured that I would remember everything and jump right in.
WRONG!
I should have known that it would be lots different, DUH.

It's not all bad though. The kids here are every bit as adorable as those in Soda.
I have a boss that is very well trained in what he does
and coworkers that are willing to help me out...

Maybe I just miss having lots of time after class to take naps...
And sleep in... (I had to be at work by 8 in the morning)
Anyway, I should really stop complaining about it because this is a seriously amazing opportunity.
I'm sure I will grow to love it as much as I loved GEO. :)

Oh, and sorry for the total lack of pictures.
My New Year's Resolution to take more pictures this year isn't going so great...

2010 in a Nutshell

2010 was definitely one huge roller coaster for me. I had some really difficult times and some really amazing times, and every one of them built me up.

January-

• I brought in 2010 in Rexburg with the Stoor's. It was an absolutely amazing weekend that I will never EVER forget. We played lots of games, went sledding, and performed LOTS of Random Acts of Kindness. 
• Brendan also came home from his mission, marking the last of the Owen family missionaries.

February-

• was one huge disaster for me. Nothing went right. Ever. 
• Except for my surprise birthday part on the 20th. 
• This month was definitely a test of my faith. February was filled with lots of Girl's Nights, Dove chocolate, and prayer.

March-

• My parents celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary on the 7th :) I surely love my parents and everything they have been through in their 29 years.
•  I was also the lead violinist in the school's production of Oklahoma! 
• I received a letter from ISU confirming my 4-year Presidential Scholarship.
• I signed the contract from my apartment

April-

• was the month I got asked to prom by a very good friend, Bradyn Smith. 
• I registered for my college classes in April, which was a huge wakeup call. 
• This month was also filled with bird watching and lots of study nights. Studying what you ask? Birds. Lots of birds. I miss Zoology to be honest :) 
• I also put the finishing touches on my stats project, which I worked on for 4 solid months. 

May-

• The Suns knocked the Spurs out of the playoffs.
• I was called as the Primary Chorister and officially entered Relief Society.
• Senior "Sneak" to Lagoon. So much fun!
• Graduated from Soda Springs High School...weird.
• Gave one of the valedictorian speeches! Scary.
• Graduated from Seminary, also weird.

June-

• I received my laptop. I love this thing.
• I went to see How to Train Your Dragon at the drive-in and rode home in the back of a truck staring up at the stars. Totally. Amazing.
• Went to the midnight showing of Eclipse with my best friend. And I actually really enjoyed it.

July-

• Got a new phone :)
• Got "throw up sick" for the first time since 4th grade.
• Attended BSADI and had an absolutely amazing time.
• Jammed a joint in my neck and couldn't turn my head to the left for a week.
• Went to Bear Lake with Brianne for the first time :)
• Got released as Primary Chorister.
• Had a cooking party at my boss's house. Best time of my life, seriously.
• My mama had a birthday.

August-

• Got my wisdom teeth out. Ate a grilled cheese sandwich that night.
• Got family pictures taken :)
• I had to leave my job at GEO. GEO was the best year and a half I've ever had. I grew so much.
• I moved into my apartment and was alone for a week.
• I helped Kristin move into her apartment.
• My first day of college. I couldn't believe it came so fast.

September-

• I got my own temple recommend and had a temple trip.
• I went on lots of dates.
• Went to Lagoon.
• Went back to Soda for the homecoming football game and got my yearbook.
• Went on a run with Maci and remembered why I quit running.
• Went to volleyball a few times.
• Played Ninja tag and got soaked by sprinklers.
• Played floor hockey.
• Got a calling as Sunday School Secretary.
• Gave a talk in church.
• Got really good grades on my first Chem exam, speech, and Biology exam (81 was kinda disappointing at first;)

October-

• Watched General Conference and learned TONS
• Played more intramural volleyball
• Was late to Chemistry (first and last time for any class)
• Nathan stayed the night at my apartment
• Went on another date to Lagoon
• Had the ward Halloween party. I was a volleyball player.
• Kenna and I were Greek goddesses for the institute dance.
• Set a goal to study harder for Calculus.
• Found out that Linz was 5 and a half months pregnant.

November

• Found out I don't have to take Biology next semester. Threw a party.
• Played Fugitive and lost miserably. Both times.
• Went to the ISU symphony
• Went 4-wheeling with Ryan
• Mom threatened to disinvite me from Thanksgiving for not calling enough.
• Called mom.
• Totally rocked a biology exam.
• My team won the Chemistry Lab Proposal resulting in 5 whole bonus points.
• Came home for Thanksgiving break.
• Went to Boise with my family for Thanksgiving with Nate.
• Went to the Forgotten Carols with Ryan, tickets courtesy of Brendan.

December-

• Came to Soda to watch a Boy's Basketball game.
• Had an awesome experience while visiting teaching
• Chem TA let us out early because she thought the lab was lame.
• Went to the Nutcracker with Ryan and really enjoyed it.
• Had a couple of super bad bloody noses.
• Have awesome friends who gave me a priesthood blessing.
• Found a job in Chubbuck. Starting January 5.
• Almost missed my speech final.
• Got 4 A's and one A- for my final semester grades :)
• Got stuck in a freakin' snow bank.
• Christmas was absolutely amazing. For the most part.
• Had a Crud night for the first time in forever.
• Spent New Year's Eve with my parents and Maci watching Despicable Me and The Big Bang Theory.

Okay, so that wasn't very nutshell-ish, but it's the best I could do.

A lot happened to me this year.

I can't believe that it's already 2011...it makes my head spin just thinking about it.

Although 2010 started out and ended pretty rocky (I didn't really mention the rocky ending),

I don't want to forget a single thing. 

I am thankful for each and every thing that happened in 2010

And for those who made it memorable.