Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a great New Year's Eve! And I hope that everyone has a great year as well. Ha ha I wonder how long it will take me to get used to writing "09" at the end of dates instead of "08." I cannot believe how fast 2008 flew by...it is crazy! The year 2008 may have started off a bit bumpy for me, but all in all, I would say it was a good year. I cannot wait to see what this coming year holds for me. I won't say that I have any particular New Year's Resolutions, I don't necessarily agree with all the hype of these Resolutions. Lets face it New Year's Resolutions usually always go to the way side before January is even over, and most won't be remembered in six months. However, I do believe in goals. I do have plenty of goals, some that are even being carried over from the year 2008.

My New Year's Eve was excellent! I think that even Gandalf would have been proud of my dad for his job with the fireworks this year. (I'm pretty sure they weren't even legal in Utah....not in residential areas anyway.) Ha ha. Thanks so much Leslee & LeGrand for waffles, and thanks Dad for the fireworks!

Catch Up - Christmas Eve Party

For those that can make it, going to my Grandma's house for Christmas Eve is traditon. We start the night with appetizers such as cheese-balls and Bloody Maries, Shortly after we have a huge dinner followed by games. Later, ensuing the games, we exchange gifts. My Grandma always gives all 15 grandchildren pajamas, this year's model included a hat!

(Every year for....I really cannot remember when it started.... we have borrowed the Woolstenhulme's Aunt Carol's hideous Christmas sweaters, this year however we felt inclined to make our own! It was so much fun! Perhaps this will be the new tradition???)

Catch Up- Gingerbread House Fest 08!

Every year family and friends that either live here or are visiting assemble to the Woolstenhulmes for our annual Gingerbread house making fest. Although we had a few less people than last year the spirit of the event was just as lively. Deplorably enough, Ben and I had the "Hurricane Catrina" house this year ha ha. Danielle's house caved but she actually turned it into something freaking awesome! She made her demolished house a "twister victim" using an ice-cream cone for the tornado and marshmallows for the clouds at the top. She also placed a yellow ribbon around it for "caution tape." It was as stated earlier "awesome." Other houses I thought were pretty creative this year included:...surprise, Colby and Malea's, who made a camper complete with an outhouse, red necks sitting by a fire, and raccoons in the garbage. And Heather and Chris's who made a McDonald's with the hamburglar and other such characters. This year rocked, and I am stoked for next year because I have the greatest idea!

(I always, without fail, eat the pieces of my gingerbread house! Every year! I can't help it, and the worst part is that it doesn't even taste good!)

Catch Up - Becky and John's Wedding!

In December my cousin, more so a sister, Becky was married. It was another beautiful wedding thrown by my Aunt Lesli, who can make any wedding appear like a million dollar wedding. I honestly don't know how she does it, but she does every time! Everything turned out so pretty, and I was so happy to have all of my family, minus a few, come up to Utah. It is always a party when my family gets together. I was also so happy to see all the youngsters come together too, I still think it is funny that instead of having all girls, our new members are all boys that are close in age!

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My Grandmother and all of the great grand children except the newly born Penny, and the two girls and one boy that are on the way.

Catch Up - 80's Night!!!!!

Oh if only every night could be 80's night, and if only Heather would wear her bangs like that every night! Ha ha!

Who Says it Better Than Homer?

With the semester wrapping up, and so many tests and projects being thrown at me from every direction I am totally relating with Homey in this video!

Tears

It is a strange thing, have you ever been moved so much by something that you find yourself in tears? These tears that surface are not caused as a result of fragility encountered by frustration, nor are they necessarily the result of sorrow, they are simply the result of being so in touch with something or someone that you can actually feel what they are feeling, move with them, and yet it stirs your own emotions and memories deep within you at the same time. You feel your heart is overflowing, expanding to the extent that it becomes close to the surface where tears are easily accessible; before you know it they just come.

This occurred to me today as I read a poem, all of the feelings I stated above occurred within me as I read each line of every stanza. The authors words moved me in such away that I can never truly capture my experience with words, and at the end I literally found myself moved to tears. These tears caught me off guard because I don't really cry. Sadly in the last six years I can count the number of times I have cried, this includes the one tear bit, on both hands with fingers to spare. This isn't because I am a robot, I have felt great pains and every morsel of what I stated above, it is simply hard for me to cry.