Top Five of 2006

MOVIES	TV SHOWS
The Holiday Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest	Gilmore Girls Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Brothers & Sisters NCIS Deal or No Deal
CDs	SONGS
Josh Groban: Awake Peter Breinholt: All The Color Green Dashboard Confessional: Dusk & Summer	Hand Song by Nickel Creek Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most by Dashboard Confessional Remember When It Rained by Josh Groban Halo by Haley James Scott
BOOKS	STORES
Anne of Green Gables Series Charlotte's Web DaVinci Code Angels & Demons	Old Navy New York and Company Maurices PirateOs WalMart
PLACES TO EAT	EVENTS
Starbucks Great Steak & Potato Co Skool Lunch Sweet Tomatoes Maggie Moos	Trip to New York City Trip to Mobile, Alabama Matt & Misty's Sealing EHS Graduation Cannon Christmas Dinner

I have no problems getting drunk guys to flirt with me, what is up with the sober ones?

Today was the most amazing day. I attended the temple and was in the presence of angels. I know that Heavenly Father allows these spirits to dwell near us on special occassions. They share their love and remind us of how thin the veil is. It just reminds me of how eternal our perspective should be. We are blessed to have the promise of eternity and know that our loved ones are patiently waiting for us.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday tomorrow! May you remember the reason we celebrate and enjoy the company of your loved ones!

Merry Christmas!

I have absolutely fallen in love with the voice of Josh Groban. I have never really listened to him until this past week and oh my! I am in love! I have to get one of his cds this weekend when I get paid ... call it an early Christmas present to myself!

I have decided that the most important word in life is the word remember.

Last night I opened up an e-mail from a dear friend that made me cry. It was a sweet reminder to me how much we are loved by not only the people in our lives, but also by a Savior who gave His life for us.

Many of you know that I have been having some things going on with me lately. Many do not know what those things are, but the gentle hands of kindness that have been extended to me have meant a great deal. After reading this beautiful letter my mind was full of many thoughts. I remembered a poem I had written about ten years ago for a friend who was going through some things at the time. This morning I pulled open that poem and almost started crying, because it seemed as if those words were meant for me. I was reminded just how strongly my testimony runs and how close to my heart it still is.

Today at work I was talking with one of my co-workers about another co-worker and how unhappy they seem at our job. Things have been rough there lately as we have had a lot of things happening and a lot of change occuring. New supervisors, new procedures, new screens in our program, and more. None of it has been fun. During this discussion my co-worker said something that really has stayed with me and I am trying to make it my new goal in life. She said that we choose how life is. Situations will always be tough and bad things will always happen, but wether or not we are happy is up to us. I think she is right. I answered the phone very bubbly even though I was having a rough afternoon and the man on the other end of the phone said, "You must really love your job." It really got me thinking, "Yes I do." No, it's not perfect, but I can make it pretty enjoyable.

Winter is officially here, so I figured it was time to put up my yearly winter layout. Here you go!

This past week I was reminded of how much fun it is to be a child. I spent time this week with my neices & nephew and with my friends daughter. I love the way they look at the world and how chocolate is the most exciting thing ever and how miuch fun it is to sing Christmas songs in the car at the top of your lungs. How simple life is.

I have had alot of time on my hands the past few days as I have spent most of my time at home (and in bed) since I have been sick. I went to the doctor on Friday and she encouraged me to not go to work and to get some rest. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate having time on my hands. I would much rather be up and going and so it is hard for me to just sit here. So even with some spare time I have used it watching movies and reading. Last night I had already made plans to attend a play at the high school I used to work at. The time out was needed and proved to be an interesting experience.

First off, the play was great. They are doing West Side Story which I have only seen as a film, so I was excited to see it on the stage. Here are some pictures from the performance:

Second, this is my first time really going back into the walls of East High for more than just a ten minute visit. I arrived a bit before the people I was planning to meet and had time to go around and say hi to a few friends. I was so glad to see and catch up with so many people. It was a fun, yet it was definitely different this time. I felt like an outsider in a place where I had always been extremely involved. There were so many faces I didn't know and yet so many that I did. Even with their familiarity there was something different, something foreign that seemed kind of distant. I look at what was happening exactly one year ago and I am amazed at just how much has happened in the past twelve months. The people who have come in to my life, the people who have left, the experiences that have occured, the growth and change that has taken place. I can honestly say not much is the same as it was one year ago. Things are so much different than I hoped they would be, then again things are much different then I hoped they would be ten years ago. I am learning that nothing turns out the way you had it planned.

Someone close to me told me how they felt they had nothing to show for the life they had lived. This really got me thinking, because I think that this individual has lead an amazing life. It had me thinking, what have I been doing with my life? If I were to die tomorrow, would I feel that I had truly completed all that I had been sent here to do?

I have been watching the people around me and the lives they are living. The people that I find amazing are the people who take what is given to them and do the best that they can. I hope that I can take the things around me and weave myself a life that is respectful and honorable. I hope that I can live kindly and honestly and treat others the way that I want to be treated. I just hope to make someone else's life better because I lived.