I love her.

Gosh I love this girl.  Carrie is one of the most unique, genuine people I know.  I love her and she is a an incredible sister.  Carrie is kind of hard to read, because she is not super fluffy.  But boy oh boy, she is two hoots and a holler.  This one time (a few years ago), she came upstairs from my moms basement with an old dress on, porcelain doll hands up her sleeve, a nylon on her head to give her a huge forehead, and singing- all in honor of Doonise (see video).  When we lived in New York, I was always jealous of her creativeness as a nanny.  Every night she would either set up a beach bon fire dinner, swim out in the ocean with her kiddos, build forts, windsurf, do art projects, spear fish (which she would then serve at the beach fire), make banana pancakes, and a million more fun ideas.

What I love most about her, is her loyalty, ambition, creativity, humor, humility, honesty, and tender heart.  She would do anything and everything for her family, and she pretty much has.  Everyone once in a while, I become the lucky owner of a piece of her art.  And to top of her greatness, she married the coolest guy ever.  For bachelorette fans, he looks/acts/dresses like Sean.  I asked him the other day that he reminded me of this guy on the show and he said me along with 20 other people have told him that, but he had not idea who he was.  He is so great.  I just love her and glad she is my sis.

Uplift.

My sisters and I have been talking much about the impact of actions and how small actions can have huge impacts.  How they can change the course of so many things, relationships, path of life, outlooks, view points, et cetera.  One thing I love about my mom and sisters is they always remind me about small christlike acts that will make my life better.  Whether it be suggesting reading an uplifting article, handling a situation, being kind to others, with hopes of having nothing to look back on and regretting when I'm 80.  One thing my mom has told us from day one to have a fulfilling life is to daily: 1. Serve someone else, 2. Do something active, 3. Pray.  I feel so lucky to have amazing people around me where these things are brought up on frequent occasions to strive to be better, be kinder, live life more fully.  I love them so.  I am so so lucky.  I saw this quote and immediately thought of these beautiful people I have been influenced and loved by. 

Baby Boy.

My hermana (sister) is having a baby boy in t minus five weeks.  I am ecstatic.  This last weekend my mom and sisters and I all rode in an all women's bike race.  Hailey rode 50 miles!  At 8.5 months prego, she rocked it.  In a couple weeks we are throwing her a shower and I am lucky enough to be planning it with my mom.  I love any reason to throw a party, especially for babies.  We are doing it at Grandpa Leonard's house.  We do everything there, it's just plain fun.  Both sisters had their wedding celebrations there, and my graduation party, and my sister's super fun bridal shower, and bimonthly sunday barbeques.  Want to know how sweet Grandpa Leonard is, I asked him if we could do Hailey's shower there, and the next day I stopped by to find seven planters potted and filled with beautiful flowers for my sister's shower.  He really is that cool.

They have a name pretty much decided which is to die for and I can not wait to love on that little nugget.  And then in August, Spencer's sister is having a baby girl, Amelia.  I am in heaven with all these babies coming my way.

My favorite things that happened.

(Image 2009)

I ran down to Utah with my mom to see my sisters for 36 hours instead of studying for my last final ever of college.  I am officially Captain Loser.  But it was two hoots and a holler nonetheless.

My favorite things that happened in the past two days:

Texting my mom: 

(Me):  When do you want to go? 

(Mom):  Yr mom goes to college.  

Jamming out to John Lennon and Crosby, Stills, & Nash with my mom.  And her knowing every word.  

Buying Sixlets.  At three different stores in one day.  We were addicted. 

My sister doing the baby belly dance, funniest thing I have EVER seen. 

Curling my sister's hair for 25 minutes and her then putting it in a bun saying she hates her hair curled. 

Trying to push a cart through Ikea while almost knocking over a huge tower of glass vases. 

Running around the cemetery a billion times to just get a three mile run in.

Leni's italian voice.  "OOoooh my baby frappucinoooo".

Jumping on the trampoline with three little neighborhood friends, only to get a pounding headache.  Worth it. 

Having a chocolate chip melt on the back pocket of my pants.  Leni didn't think it was a chocolate chip.

Now I swear I WILL study all weekend for my final on Monday.  Unless something cooler comes up.  In which it probably will.  

75 is my favorite number

This past weekend was spent in Jackson Hole for a volleyball tournament I was playing in. Once my family found I out I was heading up there, they wanted to come along for the ride. We love Jackson Hole,  but what we might love more than Jackson Hole is the Square Ice Cream while en route to JH. The ice cream really isn't spectacular, but its square. Cool right? Okay not really. But what really caught my eye was the moustache machine on the way out the door.  These machines are as close as I get to gambling. It. Was. Stressful. Praying that I wouldn't get the dirty orange moustache or the gray one, I was blessed with a black one. Not just any black one. THEE handle bar.  Best 75 cents I have ever spent.  I had more props being thrown at me than I knew what to do with. Don't judge me, because I think its a good look.

In attendence: Mama Kat, Hailey, Aubrey, Leni Jane, and Lauren Ruth.

THE book.

back in may, we gave my mom a book. 

well. not any book.

a very. special. book

remember here.

we always feel bad because her birthday is usually on, the day before, or after mother's day.

you get what i'm saying?

so. this year i wanted to do something really special.

i wanted to give her something she could keep forever. 
so, literally LAST second, i emailed everyone.

and i told them. i need your help.

i asked them to write some thoughts about mom.

it was a lot of work.  i spent a lot of hours in photoshop trying to design 

a book that was simple in design, and meaningful.
and get the letters :)

after paying over night shipping to get it here in time, so we could take it on our trip to california for her birthday. 

we did it. 
oh. so. worth. it. 


the best part. no one expects a really cool present on your 53rd birthday. you expect that at 50 or 60. 
so. we thought we'd sneak one up on her. 

so.

THE book.

opening page.

mom as a little girl.

one of my favorite pages.  i like to think heather and grandma would have loved to write a letter for the book.

however, i think they would have chose these pictures too.

i totally cherish these pictures below. 

 

this page i had angie in guatemala write. she is like a sister.
you have to read what she wrote, i love it!
(click on picture to make it bigger)

mom being mom.

last page. 

the. 

end. 

now. her reaction.

us girls could hardly wait to give it to her. 

mom, we kind of like you :)

yay yay yay

guess who's getting MuuuuRRIED.....

our little carebear!!! i'm sooooooo excited for her! 

Hot Hot Hot

That's right.

They're Hot.

cool nerds.

I have the coolest sisters ever.

very very lucky

This fall.

I am Grateful for my sisters.

I have a lot.

You teach me a lot.

Motherhood, simplicity, creativity, love.

You are Christ-like.

You are beautiful.

I love you all to pieces.