going out with a bang.

Can you believe it? Another Christmas come and gone..

Just because the eggnog is gonna start selling out at Basha's,

and the Christmas lights on your street are slowly dwindling down in number..

doesn't mean the Spirit of Christmas has to go out the window too!

Some words of wisdom from my main man, Thomas S. Monson- "As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always. We shall learn to forget ourselves. We shall turn our thoughts to the greater benefit of others."

Happy Holidays!

my late grate's..

HOLY SMOKES i took a long vacation from blogging.. my apologies to my lively fans and fellow bloggians out there. Tis the season to start pouring my life out again via keyboard. Fa la la la!

I'm a lucky ducky girl!

I have an amazing family with whom i feel like i've been getting closer and closer with over the last few months. I've ditched out on friends to spend a weekend at the cabin, being home for FHE and scripture study, siblings' birthday parties, stickin around for holiday gatherings and decorating, chillin with the fam when i have down time... Stuff that i admit, is not like me. And boy has it made a huge difference! Being buddy buddy with your parents and sibs is cool, people. I'm giving you the green light, give it a go. :]

In those Disney movies, they never go off into much detail about Prince Charming.. so i'll fill you in with my discoveries about the guy. His name is William Joseph Betenson. He is 6'2, with brown hair and blue eyes.. the kind of pretty baby blue eyes that make you melt like a snowman in an AZ summer if you stare at them too long. He is from Woods Cross, Utah but is living in Mesa for the time being to work a business with an old mission companion.. Lucky for me. He treats me like a princess and we go on the most fun adventures together. We make the best team. Life is extraordinary with him in it. :]

To all of my friends, you each hold a special spot in my heart! I am blessed to have so many strengthening angels in my life. I thank God everyday for the blessings each of you bring into my life and for the smiles, encouragement, support, and fun memories we have together. I will return the favor..if you're ever in need, drop me a line! I love you all!

don't blink.

FACT. Life comes at you fast.

Me and Taylor were talking the other day in church (don't worry it was a reverent kinda talk, mom) and she asked me "remember when we were 12 and thought the Deacons were the cutest boys alive" and i said "ya, i'd sit on the aisle seats so i could get a better look when they passed the Sacrament". Haha we were defineatly dorks, but it struck me how long ago that was.. i'm 19, and every birthday my Grandma reminds me to stop comparing myself to an old lady. She's right. I have so much life left to live! I decided to put together a Bucket List.. literally. (Pics will be up shortly)

Always remember to slow down in life; live, breathe, and learn; take a look around you whenever you have time and never forget everything and every person that has the least place within your heart.

Don't get me wrong, i'm already filling up my time and journal with fun fuNNN things.

Here's a sample spoon full (can you tell i got Ocean Blue on my mind? :] )

Kenzie, Rachel, and me rented out 12 West Venue for our combined birthday parties.

BORN TO BE WILD theme, barbaric inflateable boxing ring, killa beats all night long, party of the year. :]

Late night trips to QT with my pals.

Soaking up the Cali sun during Spring Break with Ang and some cute, new friends.

Team Sexy (Rexburg friends) came down to AZ to visit Mae, me, and Tiff!

Nathan Askins left to Brazil, he will be an incredible missionary!

oh, and i learned how to turn a shirt into a skirt.. NBD.

Kels= Vannah White

Our rad friends threw a Hot Rod Party.

Cam's farewell. Give 'em Heaven, Elder! :]

Susanna is visiting from Finland! (she was our stuco exchange student my Junior Year.) SO happy to have her back. "Moi mit a kuuluu" :]

Gotta give props to my country inspiration, thanks Mr. Chesney. "100 years goes faster than you think, so don't blink."

Splashing color on my canvas.

Sorry guys, it's been way too long since my last blog.. alittle over a month? Horrible i know, because so many amazing things have happened that i'm craving to share! Let's start with the normal catch-up stuff.. school, work, and oh boys.

1. School

This semester i'm taking classes at MCC on Southern and Dobson. It's way nice because i picked them so that i only have classes in the morning and just 2 each day, perfect for my short attention span. :] I'm trying a whole mess of random: Chemistry, Intro to Art, Child Development, and Health. I'm following in my brother John's advice to "dabble in different areas till it hits you for sure what you want." I'm almost 100% sure that im gonna stick with Social Work as my major, but figured i'd invest in some other fun classes this semester. Change is good, and you can't have TOO much of a good thing right? right.

2. Work

I started the job hunt kinda hesitant about working anywhere other than at the pool teaching the kids. (My summer job which i absolutely love.) But when a spot opened for a waitress at Gecko Grill, my sweet friends helped me nail it! (Thanks Mae and Angie!) Everyone is like family there, so it's always a fun time going into work. The cooks are hilarious, and the sweetest men alive. And I feel like everybody took me under wing the second I put on that pink shirt and apron. :]

3. Boys

Okay so I kinda just put this one on the list for dramatic affect.. Haha really there isn't a "special someone" in my life right now. But I've met lots of awesome R.M.'s since i've been home, and gone on some rockin dates. Last weekend was one of the best ones! Nick O'Sick took me out, and his buddy Sirel took Elle Harris out. They took us to the Jack N the Box parking lot where they blindfolded us and drove us to some REALLY nice house (which i later found out was my friend Leah's). We had a yummy Italian dinner, then had to feed dessert to eachother blindfolded. Haha we were a mess! Then the boys took us to Sirel's sister's house in Queen Creek where we did swing dancing, and got a full spa treatment from them (all while blindfolded). After that, we shaved their faces and munched on popcorn while watching a video of the whole night. His brother had been follwing us all night with a video camera, funniest thing ever to watch! Shout out to all the single guys out there: think outside the box for your dates, everyone will have the best time when it's creative! :] ___________________________________________________

Now that "normal talk" is covered, let's hit up the rest of my time spent! God has been showering me with blessings since i've been home, and i can't thank Him enough for His love and tender mercy He has put into my world. Since I'm not taking English this semester, i don't feel the need to write out everything in complete sentences. Please forgive me. :]

Summin' up my favorite 2010 memories so far:

- Dancing all night at Game Works on New Years Eve

- Hot tubbing at Roman's

- Ice blocking, and human obstacle courses

- Bonfires and meeting old men with Tay :]

- Cabin trip with Mae and Tay

- Getting a tour of MCC from my homeboy Cory, star of the football team
- Feeding sweet homeless people

- Tyler Sandberg's goodbye party

- Bowling, and running into Ryan on his last night. Goodluck Elder!

- Fitting 20 people into Kenzie's hot tub
- Ron's farewell with Taran, catching up with old Mesa friends

- Backflips and dodgeball at Jumpstreet
- M&M throwing competitions with the boys at Britt's house

- Blindfold date with Nick, Sirel, and Elle

- Dance parties and starting the cool "shoulder dancing" with Mae

- Skyping with Jared
- Wet suit boys in the rain. Love my little bro. :]

- Milkshakes and grilled cheese cookin with my nieces and nephews.

- Tuesday baptisms w/ Mae, Brittany, Erika, and Corn Dogg

- Learning sports from Matt and Kyle

- Ice skating trains
- Movie nights in Leah's theatre room

- Apple Store story time from Greg and his co-workers

- Amazing front row seats at Reflections of Christ fireside

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My philosophy on keeping life exciting: Everday is a new blank canvas, throw all the paint you can on it! Try out new things, and meet some new friends. There are so many oppurtunities and great people out there just waiting to meet you, so always have an open heart and big smile. It's amazing all the happiness simply doing that will bring for you. :]