Happy Birthday Mattchew!

Today, my not so baby brother turns 15. yes, 15. 

he might be taller than me, he might be a major stud, i might not be able to pin him down in a wrestling match anymore, he might be able to drive soon, he might actually like girls, he might be able to beat me at golf, basketball, chess, and any video game, he might be smarter than me in math, and soon spanish, BUT he will always be my favorite LITTLE brother.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT PAT SAT ON A HAT CAUGHT A RAT HIT IT WITH A BAT WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT!

Love you, kid. 

Love Fern

For my LDS Marriage and Family class, I have to grow a plant and then write a paper about the similarities between growing a plant and a relationship. 

I crushed my first seed before it made it home.

The second seed didn't grow.

They say third time is the charm.

It has been about 10 days, and it finally sprouted!!

It is a TINY little guy, but I am seriously SO EXCITED! 

Hope everyone is having a great week! 

"Time is Free, but it's Priceless"

Time is a weird concept. 

I live my life according to the hour of the day.

I only have  a certain amount of time to accomplish, to enjoy, to grow, to learn, etc. 

Time scares me. 

Time keeps me sane. 

Time is a blessing and a curse. 

Sometimes I wonder why time goes so fast.

Sometimes I wonder why time isn't going fast enough. 

I have decided that I need more time in Provo. So, it is with pleasure that I announce...

drum-roll please....

I will be doing a Masters of Library Science online through the University of Maryland. 

yeah, the mascot is a diamondback
terrapin (turtle) named Testudo.

I will start in the fall and I will be living and working in Provo for at least one more year. 

365 more days.

 8,760 more hours

525,600 more minutes

31, 536,000 more seconds.

I am grateful for that time.

Happy Valentine's Day!

i love valentine's day. i don't have a valentine, but i get to celebrate love, and i love a lot of people. i am grateful for the ability to love and for those who love me. some favorite quotes:

"a hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away."

"a loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge."

 

"to love another person is to see the face of God."

"a man content to go to heaven alone will never go to heaven."

"a life without love is no life at all." 

"if you're not willing to sound stupid, you're not worthy of falling in love."

"i can live without money, but i cannot live without love."

"i love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two."

"before i met my husband i had never fallen in love, i had stepped in it a few times."

"love is not a feeling, it's an ability."

"the greatest thing you will ever learn is to love and be loved in return." 

"love is friendship on fire."

"immature love says 'i love you because i need you.' mature love says 'i need you because i love you.'"

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." 

Meet My Boyfriend, Harold

I spend all my time with him.

I learn more about him everyday. For example, I toured the "a" floor and floor 0 today. Yep, there are two floors under the first floor.

He has lots of awesome information.

He helps me out with everything. He prints things for me, hold books for me, employs me, and understands my excitement over learning.

Thanks, Hal. You're awesome.

Rest in Peace Puppy

I am a huge dog lover. Starting when I was eight years old, I begged and begged my parents to get me a puppy. After years of hearing "no," I finally gave up asking. Then, when I was eleven, I was completely surprised when on Christmas morning there was a tiny puppy wagging his tail excitedly sitting on a pillow that said "Bailey." He was my puppy.

Today, my puppy, my best and most unconditional friend passed away. I love that dog so much and I miss him already. 

Here are some good memories:

-Bailey was a Christmas present, and his favorite day was always Christmas. He knew it was the anniversary of him joining our family

-Bailey knew when I was sad, and would just sit and stare at me while wagging his tail until I smiled. 

-He loved being scratched underneath his collar and on his ears.

-He loved food, and I mean LOVED. He would do anything for a treat. He would even go outside and then come back in and then try to get a treat just for being a good dog and coming back inside without being called. 

-Because of his love of food, we could teach him a lot of tricks, except he refused to learn to roll over because he hated it

-Bailey loved to play fetch with a ball. He would get so excited whenever he saw a tennis ball,. 

-Bailey slept in my bed with me. When I was in high school, he would sleep at the top of the stairs until I came home at night, then he would go into my room with me. During my first year at college, he slept at the top of the stairs all night, still waiting for me to come home. 

-He loved riding in the car. We used to have to block the door as we went outside otherwise he would escape, jump in the car, and sit in the driver's seat.

-When Bailey was a puppy, he used to try to climb up the slide, but he hated the trampoline

-As a puppy, he used to get random energy bursts and just start running around the house. He did that when he got excited too, like when I would come home after I had been away for a while (even if it was just a night) 

-Whenever we drove up to the house, we could see Bailey sitting by the window wagging his tail, waiting for his family to come home

-Bailey would always meet Dad at the door and would sit and wait until Dad acknowledged Bailey 

-Bailey pretended to be scared of Dad and Dad pretended not to like Bailey, but I know they loved each other

-He used to wake Matt up by liking Matt's ears 

-Bailey was as we called him a "chicken dog." He was mostly scared of other animals (except other dogs) but if a bird or a rabbit was in the yard and started to run away, Bailey would chase it and then strut around the yard like he was the bravest/coolest thing ever

-Bailey liked to leave the yard and roam the neighborhood. One time we found him in a garage eating the dog food that our neighbors had 

-I used to share Popsicles and ice cream with my dog. And I would dance with him and sing to him. (For example, in a song that said "baby" i would replace it with "Bailey." like "Bailey, I love you.")  

Ok, there is a lot more I could say. He was the best dog for me and my family. He was an incredible blessing in my life and he got me through a lot of hard times. I know he is still watching over me. I know that he still loves me. And I know I will get to see him again someday. 

Enjoy heaven, Bailey. Enjoy being able to hear, see, and run again. You will be missed, but I know you will be waiting for me.