Daddy Update

I just got back from seeing Daddy! He's doing really well. He's on solid foods now, that makes him happy. He's going from the IV to pills tomorrow and they said he might be able to come back tomorrow afternoon! I'm so happy that he's doing so well. This is his 3rd major surgery in 9 months, and if you include Mommy's surgery, the 4th Major operation in our family in the past 3 years. Hopefully after this we can all take some time off from the whole life threatening hospital trips and breathe for a while! Well, Samantha's yelling at me to get off, so I'll talk to you later! I'll keep you updated! And, hey for those of you in my area, my school is going to be on channel 11 tonight at 10:00. We're doing a lot of fundraisers for Haiti and today was our Hoops for Haiti Basketball game. High School Students vs. Teachers! It was really fun! If you watch, keep a look-out for me I'm the one with the pink-streaked ponytail, screaming really loud and being ridiculously excited. I'll try and find it online and post the clip later. Thanks again for all your love and prayers! You guys are the BEST!

The Sacrifice of a Nation/Daddy Update

I don't know if you guys know this or not, but I have an another blog dedicated to all thing patriotic. I was just on doing a few different things, and thought that I'd share. This a topic that's very close to my heart and that I feel very strongly about, and i'd like for you to be a part of that too, so head over and check it out! I don't have very many posts, but there'll be more.
It's http://america-unitedwestand-dividedwefall.blogspot.com.
I promise I'll update soon, and put on some pics and of what we've been doing lately. P.S. Daddy had his surgery today and is doing well. We're going over to see him tonight, so I'll let you know than more details, as I was at the gym when he went in, and somewhere between biology, lunch, and art when he got out. Thank you all for your concern and your prayers. I am deeply grateful!

Thank You for your Patience

If you are reading this, it means that you are a very patient person who either is very bored or loves me a lot. Sorry I haven't posted in so long! Things have been really crazy! Daddy goes in for another surgery tomorrow and he'll be in the hospital for another week. Mom;s been working like crazy, so that she can get the time off for Dad's surgery. I've been really busy with school, too this semester. I'm practicing for Dance team tryouts, I'm in the musical, and I'm  the Editor in Chief above the Editor in Chief of the yearbooks for our high school and our middle school/elementary, and our school wide newspaper. And all but Dance is 7th period, so I talked to my teaches, and I'm jumping back and forth between the music class and my yearbook/journalism class. It's a good thing I have really good teachers! We have an awesome new Biology/Physiology/Anatomy teacher! He's soo cool! We have a test coming up and we have to name the bones in the human body, but thanks to his teaching methods, I'm pretty confidant. And...I gave another speech in English today. I think I did okay, but I haven't seen my grade yet. Last time I spoke on why and how we should support our military, and this time I talked on why teens should wait until the legal age before drinking. I tried to pick topics that other teens wouldn't have really heard a lot before, and than go really in depth to educate them in each one, so....I wonder what they thought. How are all of you doing? I love to hear your comments and read your blogs to see how all my wonderful friends are doing! I love you guys, and I hope you know what a difference each and every one of you make in my life! You ROCK!! 

I'll be on soon to post some pictures, and some interesting stuff! 

~Life Lived and Lessons Learned in 2009~

I got this idea from a friend of mine. A couple of weeks ago she posted about herself and the things she did and learned in 2009 that changed her. I loved the idea and asked if I could steal it. After obtaining her permission, here goes!

My Adventures and Life Lessons of 2009

Don't ever take the things in your life for granted. You never know when you'll lose them.

Change isn't always a bad thing.

When you face your fears your guaranteed to learn.

Life's scary, but it's worth it.

Don't let the fear of other people's opinion's keep you from living you re life!

The opinion's of your peers aren't important.

No one can make or break you but YOU!

Don't enter into any relationship expecting perfection.

Only you have the power to be YOU!

There IS such a thing as miracles!

Everything in the world is there for a reason.

The worst of situations can teach you.

Sharing DNA with someone doesn't make you family. Family is a deep, precious kind of love.

Family is the MOST important thing in a persons life!

On reflection being a teenager is exactly like all cleshes, but it doesn't seem like it when your experiencing it.

Your parents ALWAYS know best, so don't question them.

While you should always listen to your parents, their human and as such they make mistakes, so don't expect perfection.

Cliff Diving is the most liberating feeling in the world!

It's the moments in life that leave you breathless and confused that mean the most.

Doing the splits is EXACTLY as cool as it looks!

Keep on a look out for quotes, words live long past the body and teach you more than you ever thought you'd learn from a dead guy.

True friends are the only people that will know what a complete retarded WEIRDO you are and still be there for food fights, laughs, and dancing in the rain, and the 10,000,000,000,000 memories that come with being friends!

Storms are just as much important as sunshine when making Rainbows.

Laugh no matter what.

Never doubt yourself! EVER!

You are beautiful just for being YOU!

You'll probably date over 50 people in your life and only 1 will be THE ONE, so don't let the other 49 stop you.

Strangley, High school football brings with it an incredible kind of rush. Can't wait for next season!

Straight A's is defiantly worth the work, yet not always all it's cracked up to be.

Tears are like Raindrops, they can grow flowers.

Choir geeks make the coolest friends!

High school is only 4 years don't let the things or people around during those 4 years ruin the 70 years that come after.

Live your life for all it's worth!

Laugh everyday!

The best gift you can give someone is friendship and a smile.

Best friends are good for giving hugs and love and incredible insight when it seems like the worlds falling down around your ears.

Dare to love.

Dare to tell someone you love them.

Dare to live.

Dare to be YOU!

Don't be afraid of what might happen, cause you'll never know unless you go for it. That applies to EVERYTHING!

And finally a piece of wisdom passed on from a very dear friend of mine a few years ago. When she said this I had no idea what it would come to mean to me.

"You'll bloom where your planted."

To all those who were a part of my 2009, I hope you'll stick around for 2010 too!
I love you guys!!

Learning to Ski and other Adventures

I love the wintertime. There's something in the air during the winter that makes every little thing magical. Unfortunately no amount of wintertime magic could help me when I went skiing a couple weeks ago. The boy scouts went to Copper Mountain for their high-adventure camp this year and invited the Young Women. So, me being incredibly brave and awesome on the outside while quaking with an equally incredible fear of ice on the inside, decided I'd take a shot at being the cute blond ski bunny in the movies. Yeah. That didn't go well.

Anyway, it was still really fun to be out with all the youth looking like an idiot with my awesome friends who love me even though I really CAN'T ski, and I've decided that when we all go to Monarch next month I'm gonna try snowboarding. So wish me luck, and if I live through the experience I'll tell you all about it!

This is one of my ankles after skiing for 7 hours. The other one didn't look much different.

Christmas was pretty amazing. We had a great time! On Christmas Eve we went to my grandparent's house to visit with my dad's family and see Santa. We all had a really great time, and it was great to see all the Aunt's, Uncle's, and Cousins!

Santa's lap...
My Superhero Momma!

Me and Maren

Samantha and our cousin Rebbecca

Me and my aunt Ann

Derik's favorite Christmas present. A fully automatic Nerf Dart Machine gun. It shoots 3 darts a second. He's thrilled. There are hundreds of Nerf darts all over the house. While I was on my grand skiing adventure, Brianna and the Longo's were vacationing in Branson Missouri, and being the amazingly COOL people they are, brought me back Christmas presents!! I got a really cool pencil from the Titanic museum, and they brought me back a leather belt with me name on it!!! Which besides being completely awesome and matching the one they bought Brianna, completes a goal on my bucket list and Brianna and I's Best Friends bucket list,

-Get a belt with my name on it with my best friend

So cool!
Also, while talking about my Bucket List and the Longo's, they've also helped me pass off a few more of my bucket list goals.

-Share someone else's Christmas Traditions....Check!

-Eat dessert before dinner....Check! Thanks Mr. Justin

-Pick out a real Christmas Tree (which I'd done once before, but it was still awesome to do it again with the Longo's) Check!

And a few more that I know I was excited about, but can't for the life of me remember right now!

I love the Holidays!