This weekend Me, Matt, Brian, and Emily all jumped in the car friday morning and went to Washington for my roommates wedding :) Lindsay (me and Emilys roommate married Travis, Brian and Matts roommate) in 2 days we were in 5 states! now thats crazy!! It was a long 10 hour drive up there a beautiful wedding and fun hanging out then another long snowy 10 hour drive back! we went ice skating with a bunch of people that night.. totally our new favorite! we went in as beginners and came out pro! :)
sorta... hahaha caught the falling in the act! love it!
Lindsay and Travis wedding! it was so beautiful with the freshly fallen snow :)
me and the beautiful bride! Its so weird that they are married now...
This semester is coming to close to soon for my liking! Finals are all next week and life is not slowing down. This semester has been the best out of all of the semesters I have had. The fantastic 4 were back together for the last time (Emily, Lindsay, Ashley, Brielle) Lindsay is getting hitched on Saturday-CRAZY!! we have all been though so much together from our first semester, new friends, failing tests, passing tests, deaths, falling in love, and breaking up! I can pretty much say that we are all sisters for life. We all got along so well, sure there was little things like conflicts over the messy house or something but somehow even though we are all different we are all best friends. Ashley Bullock and I are the only ones that are staying next semester :( Lindsay is getting married, Ashley and Emily are off track and Melissa is doing her student teacher... luckily the boys are all still here so we can still watch Dr. Quinn :) These girls have been making me the person I need to be. I don't know what I would do without them. I know that God knows me and he knows what I need and who I need and they are an answer to my prayers. We always have so much fun together no matter what it is! We are one big family (including the boys Matt, Curtis, Brian, and Travis) This year for Christmas we all drew secret santa names, hung stockings, decorated the apartment and are having our "Christmas" tonight! What a blessing it is to have friends who are like your family when you are so far from home. So to my Best friends, thank you for the best year of my life. For the ups and downs, the dance parties and random nights! I owe it all to you :) It bites that this semester has to end but when one door closes another one opens. I am excited for the new chapters in our lives and that I got to be a part of yours! :) I LOVE YOU!!
Happy 2nd Birthday Auklin! I can't believe he is already 2 I can still remember going and seeing him in the hospital for the first time! He is such a character :) I freaken love this boy!! Its quite sad being away from home but the plus side is I will be home soon enough!! If only i make it though finals week!
When I came home for the break my computer was all messed up... my hard drive was FRIED! My amazing brother Mike figured out what was wrong with it and ended up fixing my entire computer (even though I had to buy a new hard drive) The bad news about it was that I lost EVERYTHING on my computer, my biggest fear! Lucky for me I had started using Carbonite, an off site backup system. All I had to do was press "restore" and BAM it's all coming back to me now! My cousin was the one that got me nervous about loosing all of my stuff, because her laptop crashed a couple months ago and she lost everything (sorry Jami). But thanks to Mike and Carbonite I am back up and running! :)
This year we got to set up for Christmas before I went back to school, it's just not the same if I can't help! Even this year it was just me and mom! :) here are a few of the many decorations around the Craven home!
This is the best Christmas tree ever!! Everything on it has sentimental value or a meaning for why we have it, no fancy "no touching" tree at our house! It's all about the memories, and I LOVE it!
Upstairs is a little more "fancy" where it's the Christ room with all of the nativity sets.
This is just one of the many nativity sets we have, our big fancy one my parents got from a man in Egypt where my dad paid for it with money, his money belt and the shoes off his feet... if I remember correctly!
The best ornament on the tree... MINE! Baby's first Christmas 1991! whootwhoot! There is always a fight for who gets to have theirs at the top of the tree... most of the time you are searching for your ornament that someone else hid so theirs could go at the top. It's quite a sport!
This is also another favorite... Herbert the rooster! If you didn't know we used to have a TRAINED pet rooster named Herbert. He was the bomb! But winter came and we had to give him away :( so like I said earlier, we got an ornament to remember him! Another cool tradition we have is every place we go on vacation or somewhere cool we buy another ornament for the tree, it's fun to see all of the places we have been! Well happy holidays! I hope your Christmas is amazing and your decorating is a BlAsT!! :)
I have been way behind in the blogging department.. life has been quite hectic around here! So feel free to just scan though all of the pictures. First these are some play pictures from our stake play Savior of the World. Dad, Kyron and my cousin Brent were all in this... they did a really good job and it helped strengthen my testimony so much!
Dads big part was about 5 words! haha but he sure nailed it!
p.s the beards are both fake (obviously) but just to make sure.. my dad would never be caught dead with facial hair! lol
we went to the play with most of the family.
Earlier I posted about my dear grandmother. I was lucky to get home on wed. just in time to say goodbye before she passed away Thurs. night. The family was all around (all 7 kids!) she is finally home with my dear grandpa in her "white home" that was prepared for her. It has been a hard week but with the knowledge of eternal families and eternal life its become bearable. I don't know how anyone could live without knowing that we are going to live again. Someone this past week told me that the reason that people die is because sometimes the spirit is to strong to live in such a weak body. I love to think of it that way. She is finally at peace and no longer in pain. I will miss all of the memories and helping her to church every Sunday. I miss the amazing thanksgiving food she made.. jello, rolls, and stuffing. I miss driving home from work and just stopping in to get her her mail and to chat. I miss her silent testimony of this church and her knowledge of it. I miss having her cheer with my success and being there for me. I am going to miss not having her or my grandpa at my wedding someday. Mostly I will just miss her. It was a blessing living so close and we have grown even closer its hard to say good bye but I know she is at home and watching over me now. I love you grandma! :)
here are some pictures at the viewing Sunday night.
Sure do love my brother! This time was not as sad as my grandpa's I think it was because I know that he was waiting for my grandma and that she is finally happy again. Its still hard its was just easier knowing! Honestly I never though grandma was going to die.. I knew she would I just never saw a end. Where when it was grandpa he was always sick and I knew it was coming. Once again I am just thankful for eternal families and for them to show me the way and be my example.
the "blizzard!" it was supposed to be the worst blizzard ever but really it was nothing more than what I live with everyday in Rexburg.. hahah but I was fun to get excited about!
This year for thanksgiving we started a new tradition... DEEP FRIED TURKEY!!! it was AMAZING! I normally don't even like turkey because I think it is too dry but holy smokes this is amazing!
Also this year we paid a tribute to grandma. We wore her and grandpa's aprons, made her rolls, jello, and stuffing (still not quite like grandma could make, she was one heck of a cook!) but amazing none the less!
Cute little Auklin! Boy do I love being an Aunt!!
me and my beautiful mom!
The family all ready to gobble till we wobble! (also using grandma and grandpa's table that my mom help build when she was younger! Isn't she amazing! It fit us all which was perfect!) What an amazing Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for all I have! And the best thing about Thanksgiving is the day after... BLACK FRIDAY!! whootwhoot! here we come.. bright and EARLY! :)
I don't know how many of you know about my sweet grandma but she is really sick and has been for a while now (ever since she fell in Aug.) Well its finally hitting me that she is not going to make it much longer she has put up a good fight and is ready to see my grandpa again and help us from heaven. When my grandpa passed away last year I was up at school and had some of my cousins here with me so it was a little easier to handle but this year they have all moved away and I found myself alone and I felt really alone to. I didn't want to tell anyone what was going on until my best friend Ashley walked in on me talking to my dad and crying so I broke down, couldn't hold it in any longer and we just cried together. I didn't know anyone else knew till tonight... I thought I could fake being okay pretty good until we got back from FHE and I lost it again lucky everyone was out shopping except Ashely so yet again we had a cry fest. She had told me that our FHE brother are a little aware of what was going on and if I needed anything to call. Thats when I knew I needed a blessing. I called them up and they came running over! I could tell they really cared and it was not just routine. We talked for a while and had good times telling memories and stories which I really needed! After they asked if there was anything they could do and that when I asked them to help me with george (my car... he had died earlier and I needed him to work so if I have to hurry home I can) just when we walked outside everyone came home from the store and helped us there was a good 10 of us out there all huddled around trying to find a solution to why george was not starting. Soon I relized that they all knew my situation and was extremly helpful in whatever I needed. Boys kept stopping by offering to help me with my car and anything else I might have needed. Just earlier that day I was talking to my friend and wondering how anything else bad could happend.. its not been my week! and he kept saying he will carry you if you put your faith in him and the song "let me carry you" by jenny phillips kept playing in my head all day. I know that he is carring me and helping me though my hard times. I don't know what I woudl do without the friends I have to just lend a shoulder to cry on. I am so blessed and I am starting to see the positive in the situation rather than the negitive. The blessing my brother gave me was right what I needed to hear, I know that that was from god and he was comforting me. I don't know what I would do withouth this gospel and the knowledge of forever families and I am so glad that I have mine forever!
I just want to thank all of the men and women who have fought or are still fighting so that I can be free! We like in such a wonderful place and owe it to the many people in the armed forces. I want to thank those in my family that have fought my grandpas and my cousin Ryan ( in the picture above). Thank you for your service and dedication! Today is also my Grandpa Cravens birthday- what a great way to spend it in remembrance. Thank you again for serving so that I can be free. This truly is the land of the free because of the brave! I hope you all have a happy veterans day and don't ever forget all of the people who fought just for YOU! God bless America! :)
Its official! I switched my major from early elementary education to PPE which is professional preschool education! I can't wait, I didn't even know we had something like this and thats why i was in the El Ed major before! Its even better because I don't have to take a whole bunch of foundation classes YIPEE!! which means I only have to take 2 more religion classes, a writing class and a capstone class and then I will get my Associates in PPE! After I get that I will just contiune with school and it will switch my major to Child Development and it will become a minor in PPE! Yahooooooo anyway so there you have it! wish me luck!!!
So I have finally come to the conclusion that I have to do something else to get money because my job is not cutting it for me! So what do you do to get extra money? yup thats right you give plasma! ahhh and if you know me at all you know that I HATE needles to no end!! And look at the size of that thing! I hope I can seriously handle it cause its a good 50 bucks a week! well wish me luck!! ahhhh
last night while sitting at my desk I realized something.... I was on facebook doing NOTHING just watching each new status come up I got sooo sick of it so I decided I was going on a facebook fast! I just get on out of habit now and its messing up with my study habits so me and my roommate changed each others passwords and are not getting on for a week! hopefully by that time I would have broke my habit and can get more things done! :) wish me luck!!!
This one is for my dad! I just want to tell him how grateful I am for him. He is the best dad in the world! And I don't know what I would do without him. He is always answering my questions and calling on his "cool down" walk after his jog. He is such a example to be and I look up to him sooo much! I don't know if he knows how truly amazing he is to me and everyone else! He is the BEST seminary teacher/ leader/ favorite uncle/ hardworking/ and dad every! so thanks daddy for all you do for me and all the extra things you do for me that get un noticed! I love you tons! its a dads life... enjoy! :) (P.S mom since I know dad doesn't even know what a blog really is or how to view it make sure he sees this video I am sure he will appreciate it!!)
Hey! What is everybody being for Halloween?! If you have any good ideas for me I would love to hear them! :) I hope you are buying lots of snickers and getting ready for this joyous holiday! :) enjoy!
Last night I had a really humbling experience. I have AMAZING friends, ones who push me to be the best I can be, set the bar high, the best examples to me, and love me for who I am. I just got put into the relief society presidency on Sunday, something that I am both nervous and really excited for. We have 51 sisters in our class and I have been making it a effort to get to know each of them, kinda get out of my bubble and become my like my friends and be friends to everyone. We had a stake fireside last night and I admit it I did not want to go (my ward starts at 1:30! UGH! and so we hardly get home in enough time to eat *side note* our really good guy friends made us all dinner yesterday and it was all set up and ready to go right when we walked in the door from church! I love this new thing of us making breakfast and them making dinner on Sundays! ) anyway.. so my roommate Emily spiritual giant that she is some how talked us all into going to this fireside and I am so glad I did, our stake president talked on turning towards the temple- a over all amazing fireside. After the fireside a few of us were a tad... excited for no real reason after sticky noting Lindsay's bed of love letters and inside jokes we finally started to settle down and get ready for bed. That's when Curtis walked in (nothing new his home is our home type of thing!) Well some how we got on the topic of Ephesians 1:16 this led into a 2 hours discussion about the Gospel and things I have never, realized or even thought of before. I could not stop thinking of the things we talked about so I started to write them all down, around 1:30 AM I was finally able to fall asleep! it was that deep!! anyway long story short it is just such a blessing to have good example in my life and great friends who love the gospel as much as me, but also know sooo much more and are willing to help and answer my questions! It has taken me a long time and lots of hard times to understand the importance of friends, I have made forever friends here and my life has been forever blessed! So here if my little shout out to my amazing friends just to take them for all that they do for me and the examples they are to me. You are helping me become the girl I am meant to be! so thanks!! :)
its that time again!! School started on September 9th and so Mom, Dad,Kyron, and I all jumped in the car Sunday night and headed for Idaho! we stayed the night in Pocotello and then Monday morning headed to good old Rexburg! Dad and Kryon moved all my stuff in while I reunited with my friends and mom helped with my vinyl saying! thanks guys! :) ps isn't my mom just adorable! oh how i miss her :( This is going to be the best semester ever! I can't wait I have already have TONS of fun and school only started last week! :) this last summer all I did was worked, my friends back home are.... well not really friends and so it was amazing to come back to school and hang out with my good friends and have good influences again! Lindsay and Travis (the girl in yellow, and the boy next to her..) are getting hitched the last day of this semester! ahhhhhahah its sooo exciting though and we can't wait. We are all really good friends with his roommates to. Melissa introduced us all winter semester and we all just hit it off. its like we are all just one big family! they are over all the time and when they aren't we are at their house ( they moved into the boys pines so they are less than a minute walk!) its sooo fun! Rachel and Katie came to visit us, they were my very first roommates in the fall a year ago. Friday night we re painted our ugly peach vomit color wall to a really good dark read it looks soo much better and that night a bunch of people just stopped by.. we meant countless new people it was super fun! the boys in this picture is Blake (in blue) he is Ashley's cousin and his roommate Jordan! my AMAZING ROOMMATES! minus Ashely... she went home the first Sunday for her cousins fair well. from left to right Ashley (yes if you didn't catch that we have 2 Ashley's and both of their last names start with a B so it gets really confusing, this Ashley is Lindsay's little sister so its really fun!) than Lindsay,Melissa, Me, and Emily! first day of school!! :) way more to come! :) so i will try to keep you posted on my amazing, fun, exciting, homework filled, enjoyable college experience!! :)
This weekend Me, Matt, Brian, and Emily all jumped in the car friday morning and went to Washington for my roommates wedding :) Lindsay (me and Emilys roommate married Travis, Brian and Matts roommate) in 2 days we were in 5 states! now thats crazy!! It was a long 10 hour drive up there a beautiful wedding and fun hanging out then another long snowy 10 hour drive back!
we went ice skating with a bunch of people that night.. totally our new favorite! we went in as beginners and came out pro! :)
sorta... hahaha caught the falling in the act! love it!
Lindsay and Travis wedding! it was so beautiful with the freshly fallen snow :)
me and the beautiful bride! Its so weird that they are married now...
The boys!
our ice skating group!
one of the many stops on our way to Washington!
