Iron County Fair

I love love love the Iron County Fair [: This year was different though, because I was watching the parade instead of marching in it, I was at the fair for more than two hours instead of slaving away at Dairy Freeze.. and the time spent with all the friends I saw was spent catching up instead of goofing around and just having fun, talking about nothing in particular. I still loved every second of it [:

Mom, eating her fabulously delicious ribs

The most delectable corn on the planet

Wyatt, chowing down on those ribs

Random snake man [:

He let me hold her! Her name is Katie, and she's adorable [:

Abby didn't like her very much.. haha

Sound booth at the entertainment tent

Waiting for Dylan..

The ferris wheel from a distance..

Spongebob face!

Swings!

Bucket List

#28: Pick & eat a ripe banana, right off the tree.

I'm so very grateful for friends.

I've been having a rough time,
trying to figure out what the heck
I'm supposed to do when I can't be
what someone wants me to be.

I've never had this problem before.


I've always been able to adapt to
situations. I've always had the ability
to live up to the expectations that have
been asked of me. But now.. I've been asked
to be something that I cannot. I tried to
convice myself that if I just put aside
how I really felt long enough, I would
forget. I tried to make myself feel
something that was never there. But it
didn't work, and it only ended up
backfiring on me.

And I've done so much more damage
than was ever necessary or deserved.

And just when I thought I couldn't
live with myself any longer,

because I had no idea what to do,
I asked a friend for advice.

I've only known this friend for
a few months, but they seem to
know me better than I know myself.
I was reassured by this friend that
I can only give my best, and nothing more.

And that as Christ becomes a stronger &
stronger pillar in the center of my life,
everything else will seem to fall into place.
I was not expecting an answer like this
when I asked for help.


But it was exactly what I needed.

I'm so grateful that I have such amazing
people surrounding me, every day.

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person[s] in our lives

mean the most to us, we often find that is is those who,

instead of giving advice,

solutions,

or cures,

have chosen to share our pain, and touch our wounds

with a warm and tender hand.

The friend who can be silent

with us

in a moment of despair

or confusion,

who can stay with us

in an hour of grief & bereavement,

who can tolerate not knowing,

not curing,

not healing

and face with us

the reality of our powerlessness,

that is a friend who cares."

Henri Nouwen

Catchin' Up

Okay, so the past month has been total chaos. And so this will be my attempt to catch up on everything that's happened. But beware.. It's going to be a super long read, so you'd better get comfy and have some snacks at the ready. :]

Warped Tour

On Thursday, August 5th, I went up north with Spence and the kids for an awesomely fun weekend. The ride was so much fun.. Talking to Spence about everything from boys to school to Charlie & Lola ;) And the kids were hilarious.. they made the long ride to Provo go by super quickly!

Thursday evening when we got into Provo, Spence dropped me off at Jeff's office, and from there Jeff and I headed to Spark (a really overpriced "we think we're fancy but we're not" restaurant)for dinner. After dinner we went to Malena's wedding reception. It was so great getting to see her, but super crazy to think that she's married now.. All of my friends are getting married, and I'm not so sure how I feel about it! The reception was really fun, until my wrist started itching and burning like crazy and we had to leave to find some anti-itch stuff so I wouldn't scratch my arm off.

Friday morning after Jeff went to work, Spence and the kids and I went to Cascade Springs and had an awesome time hiking and taking advantage of the beautiful landscape of Midway!



After our hike, we played in the back yard and waited for Jeff to get home so we could go into Provo and play. After Jeff came home and mowed the lawn, we went into Provo and ate at a really yummy pizza place, and then went mini-golfing. It was fun, but towards the end the kids were getting a little grumpy. But after we were done golfing, we played on the grass next to where the van was parked for a good forty-five minutes. It was a blast!

Bright & shiny Saturday morning, Jeff and I headed to Salt Lake to go to Warped Tour! We met Mike and the gate, and he led us to the Warped Eco Tent to meet Tara and so we could get oriented for our responsibility during the day. After about an hour of walking around, searching for bottles, Chase got to the park. We walked around for most of the day, picking up bottles and cans, and digging through the trash cans for recyclables. There were tons of bands in the lineup, including Mayday Parade, Confide, Haste the Day, The Rocket Summer, Breathe Carolina, NeverShoutNever, The Cab, and lots more! My favorites were The Rocket Summer and NeverShoutNever. [:

Jeff left early, but Chase and I stayed until the end and then headed to Denny's for dinner. After that we headed (or tried to head) to Jeff's house. But we ended up getting lost pretty bad. I was super tired and fell asleep. Chase told me afterward that we were lost for about an hour. Apparently, when we were sitting in the car outside of Midway, waiting for Jeff to meet us, I started to talking in my sleep.. I asked Chase what song was playing on the stereo, and that I really liked it. :P



Semaya's Birthday

On the morning of Thursday, August 12, 2010, Danielle and I drove to Cedar to get a part for my car. On the way back, Danielle started having really bad pains in her stomach, so instead of going home, we went straight to the hospital. After the doctor checked her, she got admitted to Labor and Delivery, and I took Kyler home for a nap. :] We played, and I fed him dinner and gave him a bath. My favorite part though was putting him to bed. After I gave him his bottle, he curled right up against my neck and fell right to sleep. I wanted to sit there with him like that forever.. It was such an incredible feeling. But I knew he needed to sleep in his own bed. So I put him in his crib, and went to clean up dinner. At about nine thirty, the rest of the kids showed up to the house. And not even two minutes later, Josh got a text from dad, saying that Danielle had the baby! Semaya Nicole Jones was born at 9:10 pm on Thursday, August 12th 2010. She was 19.5 inches long, and weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces. She was (and is) so perfect!

The Move

Friday the 13th, the day after Semaya was born, I loaded up all of my stuff into the back of the Dakota and the back of Chase's baby Nissan and made the long, tedious drive to St. George. You might think I'm kidding.. but nope! The trip was made slowly, cautiously.. slowly. Because in the passenger seat of the Dakota, Josh was holding Oscar; my baby. My blue and red beta fish, whom I love. I wasn't smart enough to put him in a dish with a lid though. I transported him in his bowl. Open top and all. But we made it to the apartment, safe and sound. :]
Unpacking took FOREVER. And it didn't help the process along having Josh and Chase poking fun and making me the "butt" of their jokes. ;] It was all in good fun though, and I laughed along with them. We got most of my stuff put away, and then took a break, complete with the incredible Bat-Mobile. :]
I love my apartment. My room is small, but not too small. I have my own sink and mirror, right in my bedroom! It makes getting ready in the morning a breeze.



School

I.Love.School.
The End.
Well, it's not really the end, but I really do love school. And all my classes. I get to wake up every morning and go learn about and do one of the things I love most in this world. Music. As much as I love music though, it can get crazy sometimes.

Here's a list of classes I'm taking:

Spanish
Music History
Music Theory
FYE Experience
Ear Training & Sight Singing
Symphony Band
Pep Band
Woodwind Study
Brass Ensemble
Concert Attendance
Private Lessons

Oh. And I work every day at Skyline. And at Iceberg on Saturdays. Call me crazy. Because I am. But that's really okay with me. :D

Well, I think I've caught up all the big events that have happened since my last post.. So I'm going to go cook some dinner and do some homework! (Man, that makes me sound like such an adult!)

I love to see the temple.
I'm going there someday.
To feel the holy spirit,
to listen and to pray.
For the temple is a house of God,
a place of love and beauty.
I'll prepare myself while I am young;
this is my sacred duty.

I love to see the temple.
I'll go inside someday.
I'll covenant with my Father;
I'll promise to obey.
For the temple is a holy place
where we are sealed together.
As a child of God,
I've learned this truth:
A family is forever.

Question:

Why am I so terrified of the one thing I want most?