TODAY!!

Today is the day I leave. I get to be with my family for a whole week!!!!!!!!!!!

At Last!!

I finally went to MOAB!!! In my 5 years of living in Utah, I have never gone before. It was absolutely breathtaking there!! It was sort of a long day of driving but it was so worth it. Pictures do not even come close to doing it justice. It is amazing there!!

She is here!!

Thanks for all those who left me a comment, letting me know they read my blog! I promise I wasn't fishing for comments but it is nice to know that someone reads every now and then. I had an idea for a post earlier in the week but now I can't remember what I was going to write about. So, I will just leave it at this:

A week ago today, I got a call at 3 in the morning from my sister. She was very calm and nonchalant. She informed me that her water had just broken. YAY!!! A few hours later they were in the hospital, waiting on their baby girl. Val dialated pretty slowly and was in labor for about 8.5 hours before getting an epidural. All in all, she was in labor for around 13 or 14 hours. In the meantime, I was going crazy and stayed up to date via texts from mom and Val's hubby. Then, a few hours later, a beautiful baby girl was born! She was a bit stubborn and had to be suctioned out, but she arrived!! She was born on May 8, a day before Mother's Day. She weighed 6 lbs 14 oz. She is beautiful!! Mom, Dad, and baby are doing great!! After much deliberation and waiting, her name was decided on. Her name is Jessica Lilly Taylor (3 middle names). I cannot wait to meet her next month!!!!!!!


The happy little family!!



Jessica Lilly Taylor-She is so perfect!!

Here ya go

It has been a long time since I have blogged...but that is ok because nobody reads it anyway, at least I don't think anyone does. Where to start for an update???

Everything is going well. I just finished coaching a Kindergarden soccer team for the last month or so. It was so much fun! I cannot wait to coach again. Coaching is harder than I expected but it was fun and my little kiddos sure improved a lot each game. I'm still working the same job and I love it, although it is very challenging at times. It has been one of the best experiences of my life and I will be sad when it ends. Speak of ending, I am considering a move at the end of the summer. It will be very hard to leave Utah but I feel like it is the right thing to do and I am ready for a big change...scared but exctied! I will miss my friends so much though. They have been my family during the 5 years I have been so far from home. I have met some of the most amazing people out here, as well as built on other friendships from before. I will miss it a lot.

I have been putting together a book for my Grandpa's birthday. The letters people have written him are amazing, he is such a wonderful man. He has touched the life of so many people. I cannot wait for our family reunion this summer. And in even more exciting news....my sister is SOOOO close to having her baby! She has just over 2 weeks left. I can't believe it. I am so excited! My nieces and nephews are the best things in the whole world and I cannot wait to meet this perfect little girl. Plus I am ready for a little vacation! Anyway, here is my update. Life is good! Warmer weather would be nice but I will be patient....

Oh Wow

I just read an extremely sad story, although it has a miraculously wonderful ending. This is a long read and will make you cry but wow. For those of you who don't read it, please do not leave your kids alone in the bathtub. So scary!!

http://stakerzxposed.blogspot.com

The Year in Review

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before? I was a maid of honor at my sisters' wedding

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Some yes, I slacked at the end of the year though. Yes I will make more...i do better when I do them every couple of months

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Sandra had a baby girl-Savannah and Devynn a baby boy-Truman.

4. Did anyone close to you die? my nephew Truman passed away just before he was born. He is a perfect little angel who is greatly loved.

5. What countries did you visit? just America.

6. What do you want in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? I want to have the courage to make the changes I need to make.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? April 20- Savannah was born. June 20-Valerie and Scott were married. November 21-I learned about the loss of Truman...The weeks afterward will also stand out in my memory with the birth, funeral, and everything.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Nothing really compares with last year since I graduated college in 2008, but I won a basketball tournament at the beginning of the year and just all around have grown in a lot of ways this year.

9. What was your biggest failure? Not being the person I should be at times.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I had a stress fracture in my foot and had to wear a boot but nothing major.

11. What was the best thing you bought? plane tickets to see my family and concert tickets.

12. Where did most of your money go? rent, food, car payments, clothes, plane tickets, concert tickets

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about? My new niece and nephew, my sisters' wedding, seeing family and friends

14. What song will always remind you of 2009? anything Lady GaGa or Taylor Swift, they were both huge this year. Also Miley Cyrus-Party in the U.S.A.

15. Thinner or fatter? same as always I'd say

16. Richer or poorer? same...

17. What do you wish you'd done more of? Saving money, helping others

18. What do you wish you'd done less of? worrying, being scared, eating out

19. How will you be spending Christmas? I worked on Christmas and then went to my cousins' house.

20. Did you fall in love in 2009? nope

21. What was your favorite TV program? Prison break!!

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? no but there is one fellow I very much dislike now.

23. What was the best book you read? this is my favorite question...A few that I remember most are: A Thousand Splendid Suns, Freedom Writers, Jesus the Christ, The Ultimate Gift, Night, The Last Lecture, and a few good/sad Holocaust books.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery? I rediscovered my love for Keane in a whole new way after their concert.

25. What did you want and get? I kept my job, family, and friends; I went to several amazing concerts

26. What did you want and not get? a few things

27. What was your favorite film of this year? a few I liked: New Moon, Star Wars, The Proposal, and I KNOW Blindside would be my favorite but I still haven't seen it!! ;(

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 23- I worked like 15 hours and also had a great time celebrating thanks to Kristen. We had crepes, cake, presents, and a LOT of friends. My sister and Scott came to town. Also, we went to Olive Garden 2 days after to celebrate.

29. What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying? moving to all day shifts in September

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? cute but casual and comfy. I embraced new things like skinny jeans and boot cut jeans

31. What kept you sane? family, friends, the gospel, music, writing

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Jacob from New Moon! haha and also Ryan Reynolds

33. What political issue stirred you the most? not sure...

34. Who did you miss? my family

35. Who was the best new person you met? George Clooney...just kidding but I bet that would be cool

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009: Don't worry be happy.

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I have to quote 2 song lyrics, both from Mat Kearney:
"We'll never be ready if we keep waiting for the perfect time to come..."

"On and on and on we pray, we can break into a brighter day
Nothing worth anything ever goes down easy
On and on and on we go, I don't understand this windy road
Nothing worth anything ever goes down easy
And we'll keep on, keep on climbing on down this narrow line,
So we can see the other side..."

Happy 2010!

Wow it is 2010!! I am getting OLD! Where to start?? Well I guess I will summarize the year like so:

This year was a good year overall. There were road trips to St. George and Colorado. I went to Atlanta for my nieces blessing, Memphis for a wedding, and Indiana/North Carolina for a funeral-unfortunately. I played sports and won a basketball tournament early on in the year. This fall, my football team made it to the semi-final game. We ended up getting 3rd place. I survived job cuts at work and was ever VERY blessed to work weekdays for a few months at the end. I had a visit from my sister in January, my friend Kayla in February, from my sister and her husband Scott in August, and my Mom in October. I made new friends, and tried to keep in touch with old ones. I missed my family a lot this year, but we all grew closer together in a lot of ways. I now have 8 nieces/nephews including the one my sister will have next year. Holy cow, they are the best!! Well this is just a quick summary for the year. I suppose it is time for me to write some new goals, which I try to do every couple of months. I am excited for 2010!!!