Karen Marx

September 11 - 9 years later

2010-09-11T08:49:00.001-07:00

Do you remember what happened 9 years ago today? If not you were probably not alive. I have not blogged FOREVER but decided I wanted to share some of my favorite songs about 9/11.

Beacause it has been so long since I blogged I forgot how to embed videos so I will just link to them, you can watch them in YouTube.

Heaven
Courtesy of the Red White and Blue (Angry American)
Have you Forgotten?
Where were you When the World stopped turning

Yes they are all country songs, I love country, and country singers tend to sing more songs about USA, and I like the USA.

I WILL NEVER FORGET where I was when the world stopped turning - I was in a filing class at the UBATC in Roosevlet I was a Senior in High School . I remember walking in and everyone was watching TV and talking about this, I had not watched TV that morning, rarely did in the morning before school. They told me what happened and I remember thinking, I am sure it will all be okay - I had never seen the twin towers or the pentagon, still have not, but I did not realize the effect that that day would have on the history of our country or begin the War on Terrorism that is still being fought be soldiers, families to this day - 9 years later.

I am so grateful for the wonderful country that I live in! I am thankful that there are men and women who put their lives on the line to fight for the freedoms that I enjoy. I know that FREEDOM ISN'T FREE!

THANK YOU!

This is my favorite 9/11 picture!

Movie Monday - yes mostly comedies, specifically romantic comedies

2010-04-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

In What movie...

It is your job to guess what movie I am describing. Some of them are pretty hard, I will be REALLY impressed if somebody guess them. I am POSITIVE I made atleast 1 mistake so try not to get too mad. I worked really hard on this. :o)

Enjoy!

1. Does a woman cry by the window because her adopted dad and pet fish die (the same day) ?

2. Does an adult pretend to pee his pants to help a child not feel so self conscious?

3. Does a man wake up in a church filled with brides ready to marry him?

4. Does Bob Barker get into a fight with Adam Sandler?

5. Does a man throw a whole salt shaker over his left shoulder rather than just some salt, to make up for spilling the salt shaker?

6. Does a teenager make his parents believe he is sick by licking his hands to make them clammy?

7. Does a teenager say a hickey is like a hallmark card (if given by him)?

8. Does a silly man say “No, no, don't speak--for some moments in life there are no words”

9. Does a boy throw money up in the air because he is now rich, really rich!

10. Does a son say “Goodness (but profane) dad’s name, It’s a wonder I was even born”?

11. Does a seven foot tall little boy play the guitar from the Las Vegas Hard Rock Café?

12. Is a boy smaller than a cheerio because his science freak dad made him tiny?

13. Does a child drive his neighbor turned babysitter bonkers?

14. Does a writer for a fashion magazine write a how to article based on her pathetic friends life and bad dating history?

15. Does a High School Math teacher pulls up her sweater after spilling on it (because a not so nice girl runs into her) and then exposes her chest covered only by a bra?

16. Does a girl applying for a job fudge her resume and say she is fluent in Finnish then get introduced to someone who does speak Finnish and slaps them in the face and tells her co-workers he said something inappropriate?

17. Does a boy who is stealing the answers to a test, say he smokes because it is something to do?

18. Does a man complain because he has to read the word hippopotamus after a young boy read the words Electricity, Constitution, and Philadelphia?

19. Does a soon to be mother forget to wash a purple shirt for her soon to be daughter to wear on purple shirt day?

20. Does a young woman win the royal courts approval and marry the man next in line to be king of Denmark?

21. Does a young girl, after having a horrible birthday party which ends terribly wish she could be older and flirty and thriving ?

22. Does a Baltimore street dancer become partners with a Maryland School of Arts senior and then dances with her for her senior project after vandalizing the school?

23. Does a gay man asks a woman When you kissed the (guy you love) did he kiss you back? and she responded by saying What do you mean? We were lip to lip. ?

24. Does a grandma instruct somebody not to let the dog out or the eagles will snatch it.

25. Does a man meeting the family of a single mother he is interested in unknowingly dish up WAY too many peas?

26. Does a single father say "my first day as a woman and I am already having hot flashes."?

27. Does a hitman manager say "tempting but I don't get out of bed for less than half a million dollars"

28. Does a has been music star say, "Sleeping with a clown above my bed?"

29. Does a dyslexic brother say "I tried to wake her up. I poked her and everything. "

30. Does an old wheelchair bound man teaches men to play a sport by using tools.

31. Does a dancing man love a brush (that has a name) more than a human baby and tells his roomamte that he cannot even look at the brush?

Happy Birthday to you!

2010-04-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

Today is someone's birthday! This is a very special someone. They are a person who wears many hats. The hats being mom, teacher, church leader, missionary, follower of Christ, grandma (quite amazing one too I think) , daughter, wife, cook, seamstress, clothes launderer (okay that one is just for me, but hey she is a really good clothes washer) , pet caretaker (not a very good one evidently, my fish died in her care) :( - She is also a baseball lover, scorekeeper, american idol fan, lover of I love Lucy, Likes gardening (which is yucky in my opinion), she loves blue, Likes all things healthy, She eats healthy and trys to get me to be healthier. She is an accountant that does my taxes, I have not fired her yet, but she does do them for FREE. She is an amazing example in every sense of the word. She is an example of faith and hope, example of obedient, example of forgiveness (never met a person who forgives as easily as she does), she is patient and understanding, she has always had the motto peace at any price, which I think beacuase of me and my lack of peace caused her alot of grief. She sacrifices so much for me.

Incase you have not thought of who this person (the birhtday girl) is it is my Mom. I have the best mom ever! She is my best friend and I have tons of fun with her, whether we are cooking dinner, playing games, shopping (I love to shop with her) or moving my furniture (for the 3rd time in 3 years)

She is loved by so many including her kids

and by her almost (1 still in the oven, until May) 14 grankids

as I mentioned earlier she is super patient as evident in this picture; she lets her husband, Virgil, go fishing way more than he deserves to, or any man in their right mind should. Just kidding daddy I love you. I bet he will admit that she is pretty darn nice to him too.

Well I am not sure what else I can see.

I love you mon! You are amazing! Hope you have a happy birthday!

please note that i did not say how young this lady is.

here she is hula hooping!

Hope you have a great birthday!

Who really cares what I think on Wednesdays, are any other day for that matter?!?

2010-04-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have not done my Wednesday post FOREVER to read the last one and thus see the pictures which I will be talking about and see if you (both of you) were right click here .

The answers from March 24th pictures are thus:
1. I think I was excited because I got a 20 cent per hour raise. So Heather was right! :o)
2. I was super pumped for Disneyland, I had not gone yet Susan, but now I want to go back =)
3. Susan was right I LOVE watching dancing with the stars, I dont just like it Heather. I am not sure who is my favorite this season, probably Erin Andrews.
4. Heather is right, i really like Ellen. I watch videos on her website all the time. To check out her website click here.
5. Heather was right I do love Beauty and the Beast but that is not all. I want a guy that looks like the Beast - not in the end, in the beginning. HAHA! :X

here is some tidbits into what I have been thinking about this week:
1.

2.

Tell me what you think I am thinking about! Lets see if you are right, next week that is. :O]

Funny Friday

2010-04-09T07:17:00.001-07:00

Need a good laugh?? Watch this! It starts out slow but gets better.

Monday is... Movie day!

2010-03-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

Today the challenge is to guess what movie all of these quotes are from. They are all from the same movie. DO NOT CHEAT, because if you do you will be in trouble... not by me, but by someone really powerful!

Each # is a different quote, from the SAME movie. First one to guess this can borrow my copy of this movie for a weekend. :o) It really is a great movie. If you have nto seen it, do, after you figure out what it is.

1. And Mine will say IDGARA, I don't give a rat's ***

2. You treat a disease, you win, you loose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you'll win, no matter what the outcome.

3. We can head on down to the maternity ward. You know those chicks put out.

4. I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly without complexities or pride. I love you because I know no other way then this. So close that your hand, on my chest, is my hand. So close, that when you close your eyes, I fall asleep.

5. To blink for an exceptionally long period of time.

6. You're a prick and I like you.

7. So you have a choice: you can have me as a professional colleague, passionate, or you can have me as an outspoken outsider, still adament. Either way I'll probably still be viewed as a thorn. But I promise you one thing: I am a thorn that will not go away

8. I've lost everything. But I've also gained everything.

9. You may think I'm exaggerating, but in another five years you'll be so full of yourself you'll have to hang a cup out your *** just to catch the excess.

10. No no! Look beyond the fingers! Now tell me how many you see

What am I thinking Wednesday...

2010-03-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

To see the pictures from last Wednesday, well Thursdays, click here

Here are the answers to the pictures - answers = what I was thinking when I posted that picture.

1. I REALLY want to buy this movie. It is the greatest. I rememeber watching it when I was a little girl. I want it! If you know where I can buy it let me know.

2. I am not loving paying more $$$ in gas since I have to drive further to work.

3. I saw The Princess and the Frog for the first time on Wednesday, and LOVED it! I bought it... of course.

4. I am loving my tax return money! Thank you tax lady (aka Mon)

I hope you (I keep pretending people are actually reading my blog, maybe if you comment I would feel the love) enjoyed the video. I love that song, and HOPE YOU DANCE.

This weeks pictures are thus:

1.

2
3.

Monday Movie (well TV) Madness

2010-03-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

Okay so this post should be fun... I have random pictures from tv shows from the 80s-early 90s and I want you to guess what show they are in and then guess what the character's name is. You can guess the show even if you dont know the charcter name. There should definetly be a prize if you know all of them and know all oftheir names. ONCE AGAIN YOU CANNOT CHEAT - WELL YOU CAN, BUT DONT!

2.

3.

I deleted 9 - sorry! Just trying to fix the spacing issues. Just wanted you to know I do know how to count.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

Saved by the Bell is one of my favorites of all of these TV shows. Below are two pictures they both have multiple characters - one with boys and one with girls. You need to identify who the people are. Just go top to bottom, left to right and tell me who they are, you dont have to have thier exact name, bonus points if you do know, you can even just tell me what episode they were in, if it is just mainly one episode. So for our girls...

and the boys...

What am I thinking Thursday?

2010-03-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

I am a day late but here are the answers to last weeks picture puzzle, you can see the puzzle by clicking here.
#1 was how much I hate moving, which I was doing last week.
#2 I was thinking about how much I love my mama bear and how much I love bearenstain bears.
#3 I was thinking about ordering those glasses for someone... I think they would be cool
#4 I must have been thinking about how much I love samoas and how good I have been at NOT eating them.
#5 I really like the show hole in the wall, that is all.

Only Melissa and Cindy guessed do here is who won! (won nothing but still they win)
1. You are both right.
2. Good guess Melissa, but Cindy was right!
3. Cindy right again - come on sister!
4. Cindy you are right on. Melissa, I am NOT worried about loosing more weight than you - I probably already have.
5. you were both wrong.

Here are this weeks pictures
1.

2.

5. This week instead of a picture to guess on - here is a video of the song that is in my head.

What am I thinking/feeling Wednesday by just 5 pictures and answers to last picture post

2010-03-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

Answers from last picture post (long time ago - sorry) which you can see here are

1. I was thinking about free pancake day which must have been around the time I did that post. I do love pancakes!

2. I was thinking about how I wanted to see Valentines Day the movie and probably how I wanted a valentine.

3. I was thinking about crab that i had eaten at my moms house that was wonderful. Thanks for sharing! (Cindy we love old bay too!)

4. I was thinking about how i wanted it to be spring - will probably see a picture relating to that every week until it is finally spring. CINDY YOU WERE RIGHT - I do want icecream with a friend.

5. I was thinking about the most awesome song a guy sang to me, Hotel California.

Now for this week.

1.

2.

4.

5.

What am I thinking about?

Movie Madness Monday

2010-03-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

Last Monday's post which can be read here NOBODY guess the movie, come on kids!
It is from Simon Birch! I love that movie. If you have not seen it - find it - I think you will like it. I sure do. Grab a box of Kleenexs when you watch it though. :o)

SO LETS TRY THIS AGAIN... I got some quotes from a movie (different movie) (all the same movie) and you have to guess the movie by these qutoes.

THE RULES - you CANNOT look up the quotes using google, imbd or any other search engine. if you do you are a CHEATER! You know where cheaters go, right?

"Mom, but this arrangement really sucks."

"but if you ask me marriage is supposed to be based on something more than just sex, right?"

"That girl is without a doubt, the lowest, most awful creature to ever walk the planet!"

"Maybe you'll actually find someone on this continent who can whip your tush at poker. "

"Wow , suddenly you're so interested in math!"

"Only the beautiful Leo DiCaprio... "

If you cheat please do not comment or give hints for others.
Please leave a comment and the first person to guess this movie will win a present! =]

Movie Monday

2010-03-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

I got some quotes from a movie (all the same movie) and you have to guess the movie by these qutoes.

THE RULES - you CANNOT look up the quotes using google, imbd or any other search engine. if you do you are a CHEATER! You know where cheaters go, right? Please comment and

1. "You're already a bastard. Might as well be an enlightened one."

2. "So what do they want us to do, play baseball or urinate? Anyway, I was just thinking."

3. "I have faith. I just need proof to back it up."

4. "I don't think God's plan includes breaking and entering. "

5. "It's the *Virgin* Mary, Eddie. What does Joseph have to do with anything?"

Here is a HUGE giveaway! You better get it after this one...

6. "When someone you love dies, you don't lose them all at once. You lose them in pieces over time, like how the mail stops coming. What I remember most to this day was my ?'s scent and how I hated it when it began to disappear. First from her closets, then from her dresses she had sewn herself and then finally from her bedsheets and pillow cases. ? and I never talked much about that day on the ? field. It was too painful for both of us. For as much as I loved my ?, I knew that ? loved her just as much. She was the only real ? he ever had. "

Because this is such a huge hint I took out words that would give it away. haha All of the ?s are not the same word.

The first person to guess the movie who did not CHEAT wins a prize from me! Of course I have to know you but if I do, i will send you/give you a prize.

I remebered

2010-02-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

I am sure you are wondering what I am thinking about today - so here are 5 pictures to describe what I am thinking about. Not in any order. Take a guess and I will let you know next week if you were right.
From Last week - here are the answers:
#1-I was thinking about the weight loss challenge [Melissa was right - BUT I am not worreid about loosing] and how I want to loose weight. I also love the word cankles, don't you? (I probably put the wrong word Mel, sorry!
#2 - I am ready for Spring! [ both were right!] I am so sick of winter and snow and all of that!
#3 - I was thinking about my Disneyland trip [ both of you were right - dang more than 2 people need to comment! ]
#4 - Nobody guessed - I was thinking about the birds singing that morning. This also ties in with number 3 because I am excited for Spring.
#5 - I was really excited for American Idol that night, as I am tonight! [neither of you were right :(]

Here are the pics from this week...
I hope more than just mom my and sister comment, although i LOVED their comments.

1.

How I feel or what I am thinking about (in 5 photos)

2010-02-17T08:26:00.000-08:00

So I am going to try something that I saw on this blog. Melissa, the author does 5 Photos Wednesday where she posts 5 photos and not alot of words. I think it is fun and since a picture is worth a thousand words I decided to do this. I dont know how often you will get to see 5 photos about what i am thinking about or feeling so you better enjoy it when I do it.

It is up to you to determine how I am feeling. I welcome comments where you can guess and say #2 means you ....

well here are the 5 pictures. You should do the same on your blog. :o)

1.

2.

Post for my Mon

2010-01-28T07:12:00.000-08:00

American Idol Post for Mom

My mom and I both love American Idol I believe that both of us started watching in the 2nd season and just love cheering for our favorites. My mom was saying the other day that she wished there were a DVD of the winners of AI that showed their auditions and recent music so this is my attempt at that. This one if for you Mon. I am sorry for some issues (mostly spacing) with this (hope you can forgive me) I started this post like 11 days ago and have had such bad luck with it. I have had my computer freeze multiple times. :( But here it is.... Enjoy. Leave comments!

Season 1 Winner was: Kelly Clarkson

Here is Kelly Clarkson Audition

Kelly Clarkson - with Reba McEntire - Because of you

Pretty incredible that she is singing with her 'idol' Reba. They sound so great together!
Love it!

Next up --> Season 2 --> winner was Ruben Studdard who is equally incredible. I love his voice. I have not listed to his music since the show but did really like him, although I loved Clay Aiken, until I found out his is not into women. ;)

Here is Ruben's Audition.

Here is Ruben singing (still during the show, sorry alot of his other videos that I like are messed up - I love him singing Amazing Grace...find it) Here he is singing A Whole new world. very nice.

Next up --> Season 3 winner was Fantasia Barrino who has such an amazing voice! (I will probably say that again but really she is great! Here is her audition

Fantasia is excellent in this next song. This is also still on idol because I am not as familiar with her music but I do really like her. This song "I believe" is beautiful with the choir behind her. Sooo good!

Next up --> Season 5 winner was Carrie Underwood. This is her audtion video. During this season I was on my mission during this season but heard about her during my mission.
I love country music and she is one of my favorites!

really do believe this girl is a star and love her music so I have quite a few songs for you to enjoy :)

Before He cheats - SO WONDERFUL!

And of course Cowboy Casanova - this song gets stuck in my head SO BAD BUT IT IS SOOO GOOD!

This is the song I heard on the mission. One of my investigators shared it with me. I listened to the CD she gave me for the rest of my mission.

Don't think I am a bad girl listening to Carrie Underwood but it is about Jesus so it is okay, right?

Up next --> Season 5 winner was Taylor Hicks. Again I was on my mission during this season and honestly not super sad I missed this {Taylor is not my favorite} but lets see...

here is his auditon video: {not super great if you ask me, but who cares what I think right?}

Here is one of his songs : Seven Mile Breakdown. One thing I can say for him is that he looks better with the new haircut. ;)

Next up --> Season 6 winner was Jordin Sparks.

I got back into idol this season after my mission. I loved Jordin! She is young, but so fabulous!

Here is her audition video - Simon is a nut - too many sugars? - what the heck?

Here is Jordin's song S.O.S. (Let the music play)

next up --> Season 7 winner was David Archuleta, I mean David Cook. I really loved David Archuleta and was sad he did not take the win.

I did like his audtion, the kid does have talent... here it is.

Here is a more current song of David's - Straight Ahead.

I had intended on including some of my favorites who did not win in this post (namely David Archuleta:( ) But this post has been a pain in the butt - as I mentioned earlier but here is my favorite song by Archy.

This is imagine. I love it!!!!Isnt he SOOO CUTE! and no, I do not have a crush on him. :)

Next Up --> Season 8 Winner was Kris Allen

Here is Kris' Audition

This is a more recent video of Kris Allen. Live like you were dying. I really like this one. Enjoy!

I {heart} Christmas Music

2009-12-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

My question with this post is to find out what kind of Christmas music you like. I love Christmas Music. I dont listen to it year round, but I do love it when Christmas is near. I am so darn excited for Christmas . I have had a great year and hope you did too, my dear reader. Please enjoy the music videos that I have posted below. Listen to your favorites, dont listen to ones that you won't love. But PLEASE vote on the poll to the left you can vote for 2.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FRIENDS.

2009-11-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

I want to express my appreciation for my country today since it is Veterans day. I am so proud to be American. I am thankful to live in a free country where I can worship how I choose, educate myself, and have the ability to vote. The are such a privilege, and many people around the world do not share these same privileges. How thankful I am for my freedom and my rights.

I remember going to Freedom Friday when I was in first grade. I don't remember why we had it but I remember one of my friends dads was in the military and during the program we ( the kids of the school district) sang patriotic songs. This song

"I'm proud to be an American" is one of the songs that we sang and I always think of that day when I hear it. I wish I had the video of that day to share with you.

I am grateful for the men and women who sacrifice so much, even their own lives, so that we can have these freedoms.

REMEMBER FREEDOM ISNT FREE!

2009-10-22T13:19:00.003-07:00

Did you notice that more than one of those cities with crazy names are from the Great Uintah Basin? Enjoy!

Tribute to Utah

2009-10-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

Several of these cities are in the great Uintah Basin.

wendy I did it!

2009-10-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

I had wondered how to arrange multiple pictures together and then to post them to a blog or facebook and my cousin told me how to do it but until today I had not tried. I used Microsoft Publisher and uploaded images of the baby elephant and then selected them all (using control and click )then right clicked and selected save as Picture. This saves them all together. Here is a sampling.

To get the purple edge around it I just inserted a rectangle and made it purple and then put it behind the pictures. Clicked them all (as above) and then saved as picture. :)

October 4th

2009-10-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my dad's birthday. I was home watching conference with no internet, so this is delayed a day. I was not very happy to not be able to go home to spend the day with him but I did call to wish him a happy birthday. I seriously have the best dad ever. I hope he knows how much I love him. He is so great. If you want to read more about what i think of my wonderful dad you can read an earlier post by clicking here.

Here are some of his absolutely admirable qualities: he is a great teacher, he is funny and tells great jokes, he is honest, he is a good fisherman and hard working, he is giving, he is kind, he is silly. I love you dad! I missed seeing you on your birthday. Hope you had a great day! Here is a picture of my dad doing what he likes best - fishing :) well atleast he is in the boat getting ready to fish!

Yesterday was also my nephew Peyton's birthday. He turned 4 years old! He is such the cutest boy! I love him because: he is funny, he is so adorably cute, he is so smart, he is very handsome. He is a great boy! I think he will be an amazing missionary. Peyton I love you buddy! Here is a picture of him with my brother Preston.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-30T13:45:00.001-07:00

Thoughtful Thursday er Friday

2009-09-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

My thoughtful Thursday post ended up on my quotes blog. Check it out here. Please read it!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

Thoughtful Thursday

2009-09-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

Since yesterday was Wordless Wednesday today has to be Thoughtful Thursday, right? I have had lots of random thoughts going on in this brain of mine today but one of them has been about change. I hate change!

I could just tell you about all of the changes that have happened / will be happing / hope to have happen but that would totally bore you. Instead I decided to share with you a few quotes about change. Speaking of quotes I started a new blog dedicated solely to just quotes. Please check it out here - http://karensfavoritequotes.blogspot.com/

I believe that we have all heard the quote by François de la Rochefoucauld who said
“The only thing constant in life is change.” But there are several other quote that maybe you have not heard.

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
Fredrick Douglass

“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.”
Maya Angelou

“If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.”
Gail Sheehyc

And finally one of my favorites out of those that I read that is by C.S. Lewis who I absolutely love. I love this quote for many reasons but mostly because it shows that there is a choice. You can choose to be A or B. Where your life is at right now, it can change. I met many people as a missionary and so many of them did not think that change was A) Possible and B) Worth it. Change is possible and positive changes are always worth it! Now for the quote –

“It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”
C.S. Lewis

Just one last quote (I told you I like quotes) from President Thomas S. Monson, the prophet. He said this at last general conference.
“I begin by mentioning one of the most inevitable aspects of our lives here upon the earth, and that is change. At one time or another we’ve all heard some form of the familiar adage: “Nothing is as constant as change.” Throughout our lives, we must deal with change. Some changes are welcome, some are not. There are changes in our lives which are sudden, such as the unexpected passing of a loved one, an unforeseen illness, the loss of a possession we treasure. But most of the changes take place subtly and slowly.”

I love how President Monson says that most changes take place slowly, hmmm, interesting. I think back and I would have to say that I agree. I think that this is true of my life and the changes that have happened to make me into the person that I am. I am thankful for those changes and look forward to more positive changes. It is OK with me if the not-so-positive changes stay away, just kidding (kinda)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

I love the Zoo!

2009-09-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

My mon being the excellent mon that she is bought a seasons pass "Grandma Pass" to the zoo this year. I had not been during the summer so we decided to go on Labor Day weekend. My brother Sterling and his family met my mom and dad at the Utah Hogle Zoo. My nephews Miles, Parker, and Jonah came along for the fun.

Sorry that my pictures are out of order - I wish blogging were more like Microsoft Word... oh well. We went on the train at the end of our trip. It was super fun, and super fast. We did see a few cool animals though.

Miles and Parker had to have their picture taken by the Gorilla.

Miles getting an Icee - that cost $5.00 and was gone in minutes... what a rip off, but we were so thirtsy becuase it was SO hot. The bad thing was that a refill was $2.50. Should have bought just one and drank it, refilled it, and so on. :)

The darn gorilla kept hiding from us. Other people would say oh he is back and then he would run away. I wonder what those animals think sometimes. :)

I am happy to report that my hand is not bigger than a gorillas. haha

Parker is the size of the Juvenile Gorilla. Miles is the size of an adult female gorilla. Karen is the size of the adult male gorilla. I had to get my picture taken by this becuase I do it every year. Don't make fun of how stupid I look.

THE CAROUSEL was one of my favorite parts of the zoo. We were the second group waiting in line and I was talking about how I wanted to get the elephant. My mom heard these teenage girls behind us saying that they were going to run as fast as they could to get the elephant. Well I was in front of them and ... needless to say I got to the elephant first {without even pushing anybody over like Sterling told me not to do} and enjoyed the ride. I love carousels! I collected them. I love them.

Now back to our zoo day {sorry that everything is out of order GRRRH!}

Here are some of the fun funky animals at the zoo - Tina the Turtle (who was very large and cute) Sammy the Snow Leopard (who was also hiding, it was a hot day I do not blame him to want to be in the shade) Molly the Monkey (Kinda looks like she is sticking her tounge out at you!) And of course Casey the Camel (Who looks so very uncomfortable, but such is the life of a camel) What do you think is the weirdest looking animal? I think that camels are very weird/different/kinda cute in a weird way animal.

Jonah decided not to smile but he really was happy Did I tell you it was hot? It was. Nice picture huh. haha

Giraffes!

Here is a cute little baby giraffe. Babies are so cute, even at the zoo. Abby loved the giraffes. She kept turning around to look at them. We watched the zookeeper feed the giraffes some food. WARNING: THE GIRAFFE HOUSE STINKS! They are cute {kinda weird looking} but man does their house stink! ;)

Zebras

another animal that all we saw was their bums. Here is my Mon with my nephews. oh the kid to the left is not my nephew, sorry.

here is a picture fo Abby and the cute little monkey. SO cute! Abby is such a cute girl!

What would a trip to the zoo be without a picture of the kiddos with the Lion drinking fountain. {I never realized as kid that there are two of these, I think I saw two Anywho}

Miles {silly smile} and the turkey. I hope you are on my plate at Thanksgiving Mr. Turkey.

Now... I must write the sad story of the elephant at the zoo. Can I first tell you a few things.

1. I LOVE ELPHANTS!

2. I went to the zoo mainly to see the baby elephant that was born a few weeks ago.

3. My idea of a perfect zoo is a place with tosn of elephants! I would be perfectly happy with seeing elephants, and only elephants. I had planned on spending hours looking at and talking to the wonderful animal.

4. I LOVE ELPHANTS

Well I totally thought that the baby {no name yet but you can vote on it until Sunday} would be out for me to see but I was very saddened when I found out that both baby and mom were still not out. :( Of course they have to make their debute but I wanted it to be when I was there SO SAD! Anyways, we got to see one elephant. She is super cute and we did get to see her but she had her bum facing us, which is cute but I wanted to see her face too. I am sure she was just as sad as me :( funny.

The group picture! Yeah Marx Family!

Hope that you enjoyed a relaxing Labor Day.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

2009-09-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

Every year, about 12,400 children and teens under the age of 20 are diagnosed with cancer - that is one in every 330 children. The average age of diagnosis is 5. Although cure rates are steadily increasing, 35% of children will die from a diagnosis of cancer.

Cancer remains the number one disease killer of children; more than genetic anomalies, cystic fibrosis, and AIDS combined.

This month is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month! I did not know this until I read this blog
http://littlewonders-heather.blogspot.com/ (which by the way I love) You just have to go and read about this family's fight. I was especially impressed with her words about childhood cancer. PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK AND READ THE POST!

If you know me very well at all you know that I am CANCER SURVIVOR! I was diagnosed with brain cancer when I was 10. I am so happy to be a survivor but can I tell you that not a day goes by that I do not think about cancer. Everytime I take my medicine (not every day mon, I will be better), everytime I see a bald child, everytime I hear the word "cancer" I think about my struggle with cancer. I am so grateful to be a survivor. I am thankful to the people, namely my family, which includes grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings, and my wonderful parents who assisted me down my "cancer chapter" of my life.

I am feeling much like Zoey's mother who wants to make a difference! I wish I knew the best way to do that I would love to volunteer and help kids going through cancer, work at a cancer facility, or something cool like that. This year I donated some $$$ to the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon but it does not seem like enough. I need to think of a great idea of something to do to help. If you have any ideas please let me know. :) I know that there are children suffering as I did, many who lose their very lives to this fight. Please stand with me and make a difference! :)

Because we have all been touched by cancer - if not personally then through family or friends here is a reminder of

What Cancer Cannot Do

by: Unknown

Cancer is so limited...

It cannot cripple love.

It cannot shatter hope.

It cannot corrode faith.

It cannot eat away peace.

It cannot destroy confidence.

It cannot kill friendship.

It cannot shut out memories.

It cannot silence courage.

It cannot reduce eternal life.

It cannot quench the Spirit.

BECAUSE KIDS CAN'T FIGHT CANCER ALONE!

I thought these 2 videos were great if you have a minute - watch them :)

Shoe Drama

2009-09-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to get some brown work shoes for quite a while. Can I tell you about my shoe drama? Oh thanks! I HATE shopping for shoes. I wear a size 12 Wide sheos. Let me tell you that I love shoes, but because I have big feet I do not enjoy shopping for shoes. If you do not have Wide feet I doubt that you understand the frustration that comes with having wide feet. It is so much harder to find shoes. There are many shoe stores that do not have any wide shoes with is a huge bummer. Another frustration with shoe shopping is that I am 5'11". I do not need 2 inch heels - they hurt. I usually try to wear flats because they are more comfortable and if I wear heels people ask me "are you trying to make yourself taller?" I HATE IT! I usually respond with something like "No, just trying to find shoes that fit my big fat feet!"

I see cute shoes in the store that look like this in size 7 8 9 10 11 but when you get to size 12 the shoes are huge!

[ Sorry I did not take time to crop the picture! I was lazy. ]

I usually shop for shoes at Payless but lately I had not been having luck. I looked online and saw cute things like this:

Each of these shoes is about $26.00, which is a great price for shoes. I like shopping online with Payless because they ship them to the store for free, and you can return anything that once you try on and you do not like. The only problem with this is the waiting.

So here is my story - I tried to order these three pair of shoes in my size to have them shipped to my local friendly Payless Shoe Source Store. I got an e-mail the next day saying that my order had an error and I would have to replace the order. I was so mad!

When I placed the order I threw away my old brown shoes, which were cute in their day but had been way overworn and smelt... badly. So during this time I was wearing brown skirts and black shoes - a big no no, right? Don't even try to tell me that it is okay to wear brown and black together.

Anyways -the story continues - I went to Provo last weekend to meet up with my Mon and we went shoe shopping for her. She needed some cute little size 10 shoes to wear to school. We went to the mall and had no luck so we arrived at the Sister Missionary Mall in search of shoes. We walked in the door and there was a shoe display of Propet shoes that were on Sale for $20 My Mon started looking through the shoes and found a few pairs (3) that worked for what she was wanting. My sister Melissa was also with us and she looked for shoes in her little size 9 - and there were no size 9 that worked. HAHA! {Love you sister but I thought that was funny.} Here is the good part - keep reading - On this table display there was one pair of size 12 shoes and they were brown! I tried them on, they fit, we fell in love and now I have a pair of brown work shoes. I WAS SO HAPPY!

I am glad that my order did not go trough with Payless becuase now I have a pair of brown, beautiful shoes for only $20 - well Mon bought them for me so they were free but I will pay her back. :)

If the shoe fits, it must be a size 12 wide.

The Tale of the Wooden Bowl

2009-08-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

I read this story on my friend's blog and loved it. You have to read it. It is great!

"I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson.

The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. 'We must do something about father,' said the son. 'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.'

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.

Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded, 'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. ' The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life..' I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands.You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."

My thoughts - I loved this story. I think that it is so true that we show so much by how we handle the elderly. I have learned so much from my mama as she loves and cares for her mother with such love.
Its intersting how much our behavior would change if we just took time to imagine someone else treating us the way we are treating others. Would we be living in a different world? I believe so. Have a great week!

2009-08-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

My friend Megan posted this video on her blog and I thought it was Amazing!

This reminded me of my rainstick that I made at Camp Hobe (camp for kids going through cancer) I love the sound of rain. I thought these people were super talented.

Miller Family Reunion

2009-07-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

My extended family on my mom's side had a family reunion on the 17th (I am catching up). I love family reunions because it is so great to see family and get to visit and catch up. It is amazing how fast kids grow when you only see them every other year.

My mom is the second to youngest in a family of seven children. I seriously do not know how my grandma handled seven kids. My Grandma Miller (pictured above) is the most wonderful woman ever! i so admire her. She is 87 years old and doing great! She is smart, funny, loving and giving. I have such special memoriest of my Grandma from my childhood. She has always been there for me. She is the only Grandma I have ever known. We are super close (I am her favorite grandchild) I think it is so important to the family to get together while Grandma is still around. I love her so much and don't know that i will ever be able to handle loosing her. (kinda funny story - my mission president called to tell me that my Grandpa Marx had died while I was on the mish, but he mistankingly said my grandma died. I was so heartbroken, not that I was not sad because my grandpa had died but I knew he had been in bad health. I am so happy to have my grandma around!) She is so amazing! Her husband, my grandpa Miller died in 1998. She has been a widow for 11 years. She wrote me faithfully while I served on my mission. When I would write to her I ALWAYS ended by saying "Hope you are happy and healthy." - because my worst fear of leaving on a mission was that my grandma would pass away while i was gone.

Back to the reunion - sorry for the detour, just wanted you to know how fabulous my grandma is. I was asked by the planner of the reunion (my cousin Jeremy and his wife Melanie) to do a game for the reunion on Saturday while we were at the Newton Park. I decided that instead of doing just another silly game I would do a game that would be fun and meaningful. I made sheets for people to record their memories of grandma. On it I had questions like -

What is your favorite food that Grandma Miller makes?
Alot of people said Thanksgiving stuffing and fudge cake - both excellent when made my Grandma.

Grandma Miller is always so supportive of all of her children and grandchildren; in what ways has she supported you in your life?
Everyone put how Grandma Miller has been there for every major event in their lives; which she has, she is amazing!

We also had a game where we (my sister, mom and I) came up with questions to ask people about Grandma to see how well they know her. Some of the questions were -

Q - What was Grandma Miller's first car?
A - 36 Ford

Q - What are Grandma Miller's Sister's names?
A - Muriell, Arva Lue, Ona (Grandma's name is Lael)

The games were lots of fun!

After getting the memory sheets from those who completed them (I tried to bribe people by saying they could have an airhead if they completed it, but some adults still would not do it, but some kids tried to do two.) I started compiling them into a book for my Grandma to keep and be able to read when she is lonely. I really hope she likes it! I also included the pictures of each of the families that we took at the reunion. All of her children and their spouses were there, 20/30 of her grandchildren came and 12/24 of the grandchildren-in-laws came. I am unsure of the exact number but about 44/69 of her great grandchildren came.

Here is Grandma with her children in order (oldest to youngest) L 2 R - Gma, Pam, Brent, Shari, Debra, Layne, Anita (my mon), David

Here are her children and their spouses.

Here are 20 of my Grandma's grandchildren.

This is a picture showing Grandma Miller with Pamela's family - only person missing is Tawna and her family (she passed away)

Brent and Lynne with Grandma - Their 6 children and 12? grandchildren were not able to come.

Shari's family with Grandma. (Except for Chad and Meladie and their children and Scott)

Debra's family with Grandma. Everyone was there except for Kirstyn.

Layne's family with Grandma Miller. Adrianne's husband Jared, and Mike's wife Jayna were not able to come

The Marx bunch! 2 of my brothers (Craig and Preston) were unable to attend, as well as Melissa's husband Malik. (and my husband) :)

David's family with Grandma. They get the award for having 100% of their family there!

As the primary song says, "When it's reunion time, no matter what the weather, it is such a happy day when the family gets together."

I love my family! I love coming from a big family. My dad comes from a family of 8 children so I have 20+ (I don't know all of them really well.) cousins on the Marx side and 26 on the Miller side. I cannot imagine growing up in a family without lots of cousins, aunts and uncles.

Family is such a wonderful thing!

2009-07-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was such a great day. I had a super great surprise that made my day! My first companion in the mission, Sister Rogers was in town and had just attended the Salt Lake Temple and parked at the Conference Center. She had remembered that I worked there and so she came in to see if she could find me. I was sitting at my desk (back faced towards the door) when I heard the door open I looked in my mirror to see if it was someone that needed help. I did not recognize it as being her but turned around to see if the person needed help. I then recognized her and started screaming because I was so surprised and happy to see her. I only got to chat with her and Steve for a few minutes but it was SO GR8 to see them. I really need to make a trip to Arizona to visit them.

Here are some pictures I stole from Megan of us together on the mission:

My first transfer I was in a three-some. I came mid transfer and was given the BEST TWO SISTERS IN THE MISSION to be my companions! (President Cannon told me that - which I believe is true) Sister Yu (on the right) is from Taiwan, she went home at the end of the transfer. She was amazing and I learned alot from her. I was so glad when the Mission President let me stay another two transfers in that area with Sister Rogers. I consider her to be my mission mom because she taught me everything I knew.

She made missionary work fun! We had SO much fun (made up a dance to do on a video for our families, studied hard, worked hard, taught crazy people, took a ton of fun pictures, worked alot with less active members, made visuals to teach lessons to children, did lots of service, she helped me with certification (memorizing scriptures) witnessed a family come unto Christ as mother and son were baptized, lots of fun) After I left Savage Mill area I was transferred to an area where missionary work was no longer, I no longer had a companion that I knew loved me and wanted me to succeed. I missed Sister Rogers so much! It took me a while to kick back in gear and realize that missionary work was fun and that I could be happy doing it.

Seriously this woman taught me so much about missionary work, the value of knocking, the importance to work through members, the importance of being happy, the need for meaningful prayer, the absolute necessity it is to have the Spirit. She was an amazing missionary, teacher, friend, mission mom and companion. She was my favorite companion my entire mission.

Here is a picture of us in my first district

The elders in the picture are (L-R) Valdez, Carpenter, Cassidy, ?, Mortensen, Allen, Wood, ?,Patterson.

Sister Rogers and I were comps from Jan 26-May 25. (I am pretty sure on the dates, but could be wrong) We spent Easter together. I still remember how fun it was; we went to a part member family's home for dinner (they did an easter egg hunt for us), ate a ton of candy, rolled eggs down the hill and made our lips blue as you can see here.

Love you Sissy Rogers!

Men in my life

2009-06-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

*I will apologize in advance for how long this post is :)*

This past week I have been thinking about Father’s Day and how lucky I am to have such a wonderful dad. My husband is playing a huge game of hide and seek, which he may think is funny but I do not. So being in this place in my life that I am in I am extremely grateful for my dad and brothers. They are all great men who I know I can count on to be there for me. I know that when I was younger I drove all of my brothers crazy by being a little brat (which they all tease me about now) but I am thankful that they did not kill me but let me survive and become an adult. (Malik lucked out on that one he did not know me too much when I was younger but I am sure he knows it is true – you don’t have to agree)

They all taught me by example the importance of missionary work, love and service. My brothers are all fathers now and I think that they are all such loving and devoted fathers. I hope they know how much I love them and love their children. I love being an aunt!
I love you Dad, Craig, Preston, Sterling and Malik.

I will always cherish the letters written to me by Craig while I was on my mission. His words of encouragement and wisdom strengthened my desire to work hard and be obedient. I appreciate him caring about my health and sharing his knowledge of drugs with me. J
I will forever remember Preston being there with me in the hospital when I had cancer. He always was able to cheer me up and continues to do it now, years later. He is a wonderful priesthood leader and a great teacher. He has always amazed me with how smart his is, like all my brothers, he is very knowledgeable.
I will always remember the friendship I had with Sterling when we were younger. He was always so protective of me and stood up for me. I was so thankful to again have him there for me when I was in the hospital with meningitis and be able to give me a blessing.
I am so grateful that my one and only sister married a man who has always been so kind to me. Malik is famous for asking me if I had any stories to share with him, I know that he cares about me and is interested in my life. I am thankful that he treats me like his very own sister. He is a great teacher of gospel principles and a mighty fine cook!

Besides my reflecting upon how wonderful my brothers and dad are I also have thought a lot lately about other men in my life whom I consider to have shaped me into the person that I am today. These men have all left a lasting impression upon me.

Bishop Kent Smith was my bishop in my singles ward before I left on my mission. I would have to say that he was the most influential bishop I have ever had. I remember very vividly going to talk to him about my desire to go through the temple 6 months before I was eligible to go on a mission. I was scared that he would think I just wanted to go through early because of my Nauvoo trip (which was one of the reasons) but he was super supportive and encouraged me to keep my goal of going on a mission. He did a marvelous job of preparing me to go to the temple. I will forever be grateful for his support. He made me start to believe in my ability to be a great missionary!

President Jason Willard was my stake president before I went on my mission (and is still the stake president in my stake at home) but before he was my stake president he was my seminary teacher. I had him for seminary my senior year of high school and we studied the Book of Mormon. After a few rough years in seminary it was great to be taught by such a gospel scholar. During that year my testimony of the Book of Mormon was strengthened so much! He was an amazing teacher. While in my interview before going on a mission I began to explain my health problems and began to wonder if I may not be able to serve a mission but President Willard was very understanding of my desire to serve. I so appreciate his help. I will always remember the setting apart blessing he gave me; it is so special to me.

President Cannon was my mission president. Everyone who has ever served a mission knows that mission presidents are special men. I believe my mission president to be the very best! There are so many words that I could use to describe President Cannon but I will sum it up by saying that he is the most Christ-like man I have ever met. He taught me so many lessons while I served in the Baltimore Maryland mission that I will carry with me throughout my life. The most important lesson he taught me is the power of Jesus Christ is real. I believe he is a very inspired and righteous man. I am so grateful that I was able to serve under him. My call was changed (while in the MTC) because of President Cannon; he is an endocrinologist by profession, which is the kind of doctor I needed to look after me while on my mission. I am so thankful for him being not only my Mission President but my doctor. I will always remember the love he had for the work and for us missionaries.

Brian Washburn was a member I met while serving my mission in Maryland. I met several hundred members on my mission but he was one of the few that really made an impact in my life. His family “The Washburns” (everybody who has served in the MBM knows them) is the greatest family ever! Sister Washburn is an amazing, amazing woman who is at the top of my “amazing women in my life” list. Every week while I was in their area we ate dinner at their home. EVERY time after the meal we would all find scriptures to share to see if anyone else in the group could name where it was at. I was really bad at it, but Brian was phenomenal. He is an amazing gospel scholar. I doubt that Brian knows how much I look up to him and how much I learned from him. He is an amazing priesthood leader. I remember so many times being in his home and thinking I hope that I marry a man who is as awesome as Brian. He really did amaze me. At a time when I was struggling he gave me great counsel and wisdom. He truly helped shape me into who I am. He changed how I did missionary work and how I live my life.

25 things I love about my dad
1. He taught me how to work hard
2. He taught me to love all people and to not judge.
3. He always says he loves me when I talk to him on the phone
4. He works hard to provide for his family
5. He was always there by my side while I was in the hospital.
6. He is a worthy priesthood holder
7. He is funny and tells great jokes that make me laugh
8. He loves my mom and taught me to respect her
9. His pancakes, egg in the baskets, French toasts are to die for!
10. He taught me how to serve others
11. He showed me by example the importance of reading scriptures faithfully
12. He shared his memories of his mother, who I never met and made me love her even more
13. He shows respect and love to his siblings.
14. He reminded me every week while I was on my mission to “Keep the Faith”
15. He served faithfully in so many callings and taught me it’s not where you serve but how.
16. He has passion for life and loves life!
17. He lets me go fishing with him and helps me when I actually want to fish
18. He is a super great grandpa.
19. He makes the best roasts ever!
20. He is always there to help me when I am in a bind (like driving out of his way to rescue me when my car died)
21. He watched The Price is Right with me so many times while I was in the Primary Children’s Hospital having cancer treatments.
22. He would play games with me while we traveled which I loved but does not like to do that anymore. L
23. He has given me numerous priesthood blessings that have given me inspiration and determination.
24. He is smart; he knows a lot of useless facts J and a lot of important knowledge too.
25. He is the best dad I could ever ask for! I am so thankful to be his daughter.

There you have it - 25 reasons I love my dad, one for each of the years he has been my dad.Happy Fathers Day to all

My New Place - moving out west

2009-06-19T13:00:00.001-07:00

For the past 2 years i have been living in a hotel. When I tell people i live in a hotel they give me a weird look, like can you not afford to live in a real house? It has been rather comical. The plaza hotel in Salt Lake City has four floors that are used asstudent housing for girls attending LDS Business College in downtown. It has been a great place to live. Most of the time I was living alone but I did have a few (3) roomates at random times.

Here are some of the positives and negatives with living at the Plaza

+ It is in downtown Salt Lake City, close to everything!

+ It is fairly inexpensive

-There are alot of young girls living there that drive me bonkers!

+ It is a nice well kept area

- I have to have clean checks

+ There is a TV room where I can go chill and watch TV

- It is really loud since there is construction going on in downtown and there is Trax outside the window.

+There is a trax stop in front of the hotel.

- There are usually girls in the TV room with their boyfriends making out.

+I can sneak into the pool and go swimming :o) - I don't like having to share my kitchen with tons of other people.

+ If I run out of TP I can steal some from the lobby bathroom.

+ I keep my room clean because I have clean checks

-I have a beautiful view of the city but cannot open the dang sliding glass door because they forbid it.

+ The building is secure and I feel safe there.

+ I can get ice whenever I want.

+ I have not had to share a room since December. I take up the whole room. =)

The time has come for me to move out of the Plaza.

In August when I finish school I have to move out of the Plaza. I have been looking for quite some time for an apartment.

My requirements in a place were the following: (no paticular order)
*Cannot be too far away from my work (downtown SLC)
*I want to have my own room - preferably not in the living room
*Have a full kitchen
*It has to fit in my price range
*It had to be in an area where I could see myself living and feel safe.

Not Requirements but huge bonuses would be:
*have fun things like pool.

So this is what I found.....
On August 11th I will be moving into an apartment. . It is located on 1800 West. It is definetly further than the one block I walked to work before but it is not too bad. The landlord owns several (hundreds) of apartments so it is a big area.

Here are some pictures of my house (This is decored by them, it is their room they show, my house will not be Western.) It is a one bedroom apartment. It has the loft layout meaning that the bedroom is upstairs.

The front room

The kitchen. It has room for 2 bar stools. Super plus is that it has a dish washer!

Bedroom that is up the stairs. Bathroom is downstairs by the kitchen.

So there are some perks in this new place

Tennis courts - If you know how to play you can come teach me.

Volley ball Pits - I love Volleyball come play with me!

Basketball - not so much!

Playground - my nieces and nephews might like this. :) Racquetball courts - I need to learn how to play this.

Big laundry facility - won't ever have to wait for a machine. They run by cards so no more getting quarters.

Nice outdoor pool
Nice little indoor hot tub

Club house area - has big TV and this is where I will have to go to get internet. They do not have wifi in the whole place :( But it is nice to have it here.

I am super excited for my new place. I am excited to be able to decorate it how I want and to actually have my furniture in it. I have already been making plans as to things that I want to do.

I decided that I am going to have to have a party to celebrate me getting my own apartment. So sometime in August we will party it up in my new pad.