It is that time again ... time to jump on the scale and see if all the hard work was worth it ... the results:

So happy with that result! Now on to week 2!

Also I found this fun site thanks to my friend Leigh ... Hungry-Girl.com.

This week has over all been kind of a rough one in our household, but one thing I know is that it is the simple joys of life that make life worth living and bring light on a cloudy day!

• Holding my adorable nieces
• Using the good post-its
• Phone calls from friends bearing good news
• Trying new foods like fried green tomatoes
• Singing goats
• Family dinners
• A winning basketball game
• A long walk through your neighborhood
• New friends
• Bright orange & pink bag handmade especially for you
• Giraffe stitched on a cute orange onesie
• A new book by a favorite author
• Comments on your blog
• Watching Tom Hanks dressed up as a woman
• Being told that you are "the favorite"
• Going a whole week without sneaking Mt. Dew
• Watching a grandmother with her beautiful granddaughters

There is so much more these are just the ones that came about today ... I could go on and on ... just glad that all of these little things happen from day to day and remind us of all the good that can be found in our beautiful world!

Thanks Kate!

The contents of my purse (keep in mind that I carry a bag formerly known as a computer bag):

Orbit Sweet Mint Gum
Utah Jazz Game Time
Nano Ipod
Inhaler
Prescription Medication
Advil
Chap Stick
A dollar bill (that I didn't know was there!)
Vanilla Cola Lip Gloss
Hair Clip
Book of Mormon
Umbrella
Pilot G-2 in light blue
Biggest Loser Sucess Secrets Book
2007 Calorie Fat & Carbohydrate Counter
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Three Conference Talk Print Outs
Two People Magazines
Work Badge
Cell Phone
Flash Drive

I tag Tania, Melinda, Emily, Corrine, Haley

Yesterday I had the priviledge of spending the day with one of the most amazing families I have ever had the chance to come in contact with. I became friends with the Brinton family back in the winter of 2006 while I was working at East High School. I met Stephanie at a basketball game which helped me become in contact with Sally. The rest literally is history. I quickly came to be welcomed in their home and discovered just how amazing this family truly is.

Greg is the patriarch of this family. He is an eye surgeon and is well known for his skills, but in my opinion what makes him a truly amazing man is the way he leads his family. He encourages them in their studies and motivates them in the gospel. Every night that I am in their home he gathers the family together to read from the scriptures. He asks them questions and teaches them the gospel. Even on family vacations he gathers them together in one of the rooms and they read from the scriptures.

Sally is the heart of the home. She is a trained pianist and is extremely gifted at that skill. She is adapt at whatever she tries. But the skill that I admire the most is that of mother and grandmother. Last night at dinner she held her grandson on her lap and played patty cake. Her love for her family radiates from her. While resting in a spare bedroom I had the pleasure of listening to her playing the piano with her daughters. She has a great interest in the lives of her children and is always supportive of their endeavors. She is sincere and has become a trusted friend and confidant.

Stephanie is my hero. She radiates the light of Christ in all she does. She befriends all she comes in contact with. She is gracious, smart, beautiful and genuine. The gospel is the center of her life and she allows the spirit in every aspect of it. She is humble in her successes from being Utah's Junior Miss to attending Harvard and becoming the LDSSA president. I love talking with her and laughing with her. I consider her one of my best friends.

Lindsey is a woman of charism and joy. A light of happiness comes from her eyes. She loves life and lives it to the fullest. She is a scholar and a socialite and literally could do anything she puts her mind too. I am so proud of this beautiful individual.

Sam is the youngest of this family but has a great presence about him. He welcomes all he comes in contact with. Once he puts his mind to something he can do it. He is going to go far.

There is more I could say about all of this family but I only have a ittle bit of space. I have traveled with them to Alabama to New York City and other places. But my favorite place to be with them is in their home reveling in their joy of each other and their love for music, family & the gospel. They have always been so kind to me and I want to thank them for all they have shared and given to me. They have strengthened my testimony of the gospel and my belief in myself.

I love you and thank you!

I am the girl who is driven by her emotions. Sometimes they are positive and lead me to love and give. Sometimes they are negative and over take my logic. When the first type occurs I can be laughing (very loudly) and overly talkative. When the second one happens that is when I withdraw and am constantly on the verge of tears. Unfortunately the past two weeks has found me constantly in the second category.

As my closer friends know I suffer with depression. This is an illness that many people do not fully understand. I actually had a discussion about depression with some of my co-workers and one stated that she doesn't believe in depression. This really hurt my feelings. She said that she believes we decide to be happy and to not allow ourselves to be unhappy. And to a degree there is a lot of truth to that. Yet depression is an illness that has many forms. One is where your body does not produce the right balance of chemicals in your brain.

Right now my logic is probably slightly distorted but I have never felt so alone or unappreciated. Some things happened today that made me realize that I couldn't hold it together anymore.

I know I can't blame my emotions or feelings on other people, I am just stating where I have been at lately. I needed a place to get all of my thoughts and feelings out.

Congratulations to one deserving young woman! Lindsey I am extremely proud of you.

P.S. To see the pictures I took that night go here.

This weekend I attended a dance at the State Capitol. It has been a while since I have had the opportunity to get all dressed up in a pretty dress and have my hair curled (thank you Kate!). Our group consisted of three couples: My date Zak & I, Ben & Becca, and Troy & Katie.

I had a great time. We started out picking up Becca’s date first. His mom was so cute; she made us take off our jackets so she could see our dresses and wanted to take pictures of Becca and Ben doing the corsage and boutonnière thing. It was so cute! Then we went to Zak’s to pick him up. He gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. When we got there his mother had to go find the camera. Later Zak told me he had no idea she was going to do that. Then when she got ready to take the picture she had us move because there was this giant stuffed turkey behind us and she didn’t think that would look good in the picture. Mom's make me smile! ;o)

Next we went to the Spaghetti factory for dinner. Dinner consisted of one upping each other's orders, playing "I'm thinking of something", and sharing mission prank stories.

After dinner we went up to the Capitol. We ran into many people from our ward and even one of my co-workers. The music was good and even though I am not the world's most fabulous dancers I had a great time. Zak is a nice guy and I had a lot of fun getting to know him better. Thanks to everyone who contributed to making the night so much fun!

P.S. To see the pictures I took that night go here.

I recently received an email where I had to fill out the questions listed about the individual who had sent it to me. Then I had to send it out blank to my friends so they could send it back to me. I laughed at the different variety of answers that came into my email box. So I decided to fill everybody in about me a little bit. So every once in a while I will do a paragraph about some aspect in my life.

I was raised as an only child by a single parent. I was one of those kids who always wanted siblings ... I had some friends volunteer theirs but I ended up passing. Over time I "adopted" siblings. I have two sisters & two brothers (along with two brothers-in-law & two sisters-in-law). My mom's best friend was Allie. We met Allie and her family when we lived in California. The two of them did everything together. When we moved to Utah and they moved to Italy we stayed in touch and the two of them emailed and sent each other fun stuff via snail mail. Allie and Pete moved back to Utah and the friendship was stronger than ever. Unfortunately Allie passed away on February 2, 2001. Since that time her kids have become our family. Then in April of last year I came in touch with my father and discovered that I have three half-brothers and a half-sister.

My family is not traditional but it is my family and I love them all.