Ode to Carbonite! and Mike!

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! :)

Christmas at the Cravens!

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! whoot whoot! 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!! :)

Thanksgiving break

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!

yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

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!! whoot whoot! here we come.. bright and EARLY! :)

let me carry you

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!

freedom!

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! :)

PPE!

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!!!