Galileo Thermometers Are Awesome

This Christmas for whatever reason I just wanted a Galileo thermometer.  I think it started when I was browsing at Hobby Lobby and spotted one with bright colors.  It just seemed like a fun thing to own.  The same thing happened last year when I spotted owl bookends at Barnes and Noble.  No matter how hard I tried I couldn't let it go that I wanted them.  So this year I repeated with the thermometer.  No matter how impractical, superfluous, or just weird it was to ask for I was the thing I wanted.  Luckily Jordan got me it for  me and I can sleep at ease knowing I have one of my very own.  If it does nothing but make me happy by looking at it I guess you can kinda justify owning it.  Well, Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you got whatever silly thing it was that you wanted.

The Owls from last year

Christmas So Far

CalDon stole Dad's Code enforcement badge and tried to look like a  "Real Cool Guy"...

Nicoley and Hazel enjoying Mom's birthday lunch!

I love these little lanterns 

What I'm listening to

Working at a grocery store means having to listen to the annoying Christmas mix on replay.  It's kinda put me in a bahumbug mood for Christmas.  I just read about this website on a favorite blog of mine and thought I'd pass the tip along.  It's a website where (non top 40) artists compile Christmas music and you can listen/download free.  Check it out HERE

The Little Christmas Tree that Could

When I moved into my apartment it wasn't hard to notice the lone standing tree in the middle of a dirt lot from my kitchen window.  The lot is fairly large and right in smack dab in the middle of it is a approximately 3-4 foot pine tree.  When they tilled up the dirt in the fall they took extra care not to knock it down and you could see the circular path they took around it.  Seriously so much effort for such a pointless tree.  It probably sounds crazy, but lately I've kinda been bugged/inspired by this tree.  Anyone who knows me will testify that I spend way too much energy being bugged by things that are insignificant so you will enjoy this antidote a lot.  To me this tree is incredibly tacky and should have been chopped down, well, several years ago.  It just seemed so significantless without a neighboring patch of grass, flower, or even a rock beside it. As the semester as gone on and I've had my chance to learn to appreciate and love the tree (as it is the only tree in near proximity to my apt).  I realized it's kinda a beacon of hope in the middle of the most dismal and bare lot ever and getto part of O-town.  It stands proud not caring what everyone (me) thinks and grows on!  Anyways to my surprise when I looked out tonight I saw this.  Don't ask me how they even got the power to it.  I just kinda chuckled and realized there could be a million life lessons or cheesy analogies that I could place with this (Let your light be a standard to the nations, don't hide your light, stand out, you're special, don't let the bullies get you down,  etc etc etc), but I'll let you draw your own message.  Holy cow, I think I just taught in a parable...now I'm going to ruin it..... darn it.....For me it just says grow on, shine on, LIFE IS GOOD, no matter who you are!  

The Little Christmas Tree that Could (this is zoomed on my camera at 20x the most I could go without it being completely blurry)

Just to put it in perspective for you (Zoomed at 5x and still tinsey)

My Baby Brother's All Grown Up!

See this kid right here.  The back of the hair curling train.  I know it's kinda hard to see in this picture but he's curling my baby sister's hair as she curls my other baby sister's hair.  While trying to hurriedly get ready for a funeral.  It made my day to see what a good boy he has become. When I took this picture his first reaction was to burn it and the piece of technology that took it, but about 5 seconds later he was bribing me to post it to facebook so he could get all the ladies.  He totally cracks me up.

Today he opened his mission call and he'll be going to the Piura Peru mission.  I am so excited and so happy for him!  He's such a stud!

No Hope, No Cash, No Jobs....No BACON?

Just thought I'd post my favorite pinterest find.  This had me laughing so hard my roommates thought I was momentarily insane (which I won't deny I probably was it was like 11:30pm and I had been studying Calc for about 6  hours that day).

A Heavenly Reunion

Today my 97 year old grandma passed away.  As hard as it is to think that I will no longer be able to go to her house and share orange creamsicle yogurt and reeses pieces, I am so happy that she will be reunited with my grandpa.  He's been missing her for 10 years now! And I'm sure he is starting to get impatient.    Tomorrow would have been their 77th wedding anniversary.  I don't believe in coincidences and I'm betting my grandpa didn't want to spend one more anniversary without his sweet Audrey.  The second sweet heavenly reunion today will be with my grandma's sister.  My grandma's sister died when they were both very young (her sister was 8 and I think she was 13).  I'm sure Audrey has been missing her for a very long time now and will be so happy to embrace her in a hug!  They have a LOT of catching up to do, you know how sisters are.

Today, I'm so glad for this little remainder of what life is really all about and to never take those you love for granted.  My grandma was a wonderful mother, grandma, friend and sister.  She will always be remembered for her love and sense of mischievous around her.  She will always be remembered as being an unmerciful tease and always finding a way to know everything about your love life.  I'm so grateful to have a testimony of the true church of Jesus Christ and to have knowledge that this is only the beginning.  I want to sum up all my feelings with a famous Dumbledore quote, "After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."