The Holiday Season!

I love this picture! This is the ladies night over Thanksgiving weekend down at my Grandparents in Kingston. When I say ladies night it means we are at the end of one room while the fellas and kiddos are watching a movie at the other end. We got the crafts out and had a ball. . . literally:) We decorated styrofoam balls for Christmas decor. Starting from left to right: Grandma Allen, my cousin Sarah, me, my mom, and my aunt Charmaine. My favorite part of the picture, my grandma smiling for the camera. I LOVE her so much and am grateful to spend time with her and my grandpa. Well the crafts went great in front of the very hot stove:)

I saw the coolest looking Santa at the Orem mall and decided that I would even consider sitting on his knee. So I called up Jenn and asked if I would take my nieces to see Santa. So Jenn and I waited in line with Addie and Brynlee for only a couple minutes. While in line we rehearsed with Addie what she should say to Santa and got her pumped up. She did so good! She asked Santa for a baby doll and some clothes for the doll. Brynlee looked at Addie and then at the man in the red suit with a curious look on her face, so cute! Thanks Jenn for letting me take you guys out for a fun adventure!

and BINGO was his name oh!

There is new person in the family that I would like to introduce to you all. . . his name BINGO. After Sally was totalled (may she rest in peace. . . and no it was not my fault), my parents have been gracious in letting me barrow one of thiers. With my new job and my brother soon needing the car this was the perfect opportunity to get my very first car. After test driving many vehicles and dealing with salesmen, Dad many thanks and blessings for you and your patience in helping me, BINGO was found up in Murray. May I say love at first sight. . . YES!

Friends from Logan!

This past weekend was so so awesome! First off an old roommate got hitched so Clarissa and I met up in SLC and went to the reception together. It was so good to see Clarissa again and for the giggles. The bride and groom looked so cute together and I am happy that we went. Then friday afternoon my good friend Amber from Utah State came down to visit, it was so good to see her again and to spend time together! The first night Amber and I went to the Provo temple where Amber did baptisms and I did sealings. The next day we made our way up to the University of Utah to visit our good friend Chris who was in our ward up in Logan and a good neighbor. Chris is in the pre-med program up there and we haven't seen him in a long time. Amber and I may or may not have gotten lost a couple times on campus, but Chris pulled through and got us to his place. Chris made us chicken enchiladas for lunch and showed us the top of the roof. AMAZING view!



Joel, another friend from the old ward, showed up to visit. It was so good to see these guys and to catch up with each other. Chris gave us a tour of his classrooms where he studies and a little of campus. Afterwards Amber and I went to my parents house where she answered my brothers texts and we played a card game and ate dinner. This weekend was fully awesome and I am so grateful for such good friends and great examples! Thanks so much guys:)

Amber, me, Joel, and Chris

Joel being one with the skeleton

Raking up the lights!

I couldn't pass up the opportunity the other day of taking a picture of the annual raking up the lights at my parents house. Let me begin by saying HILARIOUS!!!! Just as I am typing I am giggling. . . let the good times roll. So this blessed event happens every year and has been passed down from the oldest child Logan now down to Steve-O, bless his heart. The event begins as such: Dad instructs that this saturday is the day to put up the Christmas lights before it gets too cold. The children then run to friends houses or say they have homework or try to pass it on to another sibling. As for Steve-O, he is the last and has no way around it. At this point mom and I come home from a Relief Society activity to see poor Steve-O up on the ladder as my dad is handing up the lights. Of course I can't pass up this opportunity and insist on finishing our crafts outside, who wants to miss the lights going up! As Steve-O is hanging up the lights the ladder is not the most stable thing and about eats it. He then calls down to my dad for a little support. My dad then gives me a look and places a hand on the ladder to not hold it or support it at all, but rests his hand comfortably. Then dad calls up to Steve-O if he has been cleaning out the gutters, Steve-O responds "No! I am trying to stay on the ladder".  Then Kaden trying to make a point keeps talking as my dad is trying to tell him how to hang the lights.They slowly make thier way around the house and the tension starts to build as the two are trying to communicate what the other one wants. Of course it doesn't help that I am laughing:) At one point Steve-O, who is on top of the roof now, is talking to me while dad goes around back to look at something. Steve-O thinking he is done throws the hammer at me and misses me by inches and we laugh. Just then my dad asks Kaden for the hammer and needs it now. Poor Steve-O stuck on the roof explains that the hammer is now on the ground. Really my writings are not doing the situation the justice it deserves. Anywho, let me summarize with this, if you want a good giggle come to the Day house for the annual putting up the Christmas Lights:)



The story doesn't end here. . . We make a trip to costco to get more lights. Then trying to find the right lights that match the ones already on the house while trying to hit all the free samples!!! I love saturdays:)

Learning the skills. . .

It has been good to be living so close to home. One of the many perks is that I can learn from my mother some of her many talents. These learning lessons are the lessons that I have been needing and wanting to learn for a while. Of these talents I have now learned how to make the real good cinnamon rolls, to save corn on the cob during the winter, and also how to make my very own grape juice and how to bottle them. Thanks mom you are saving future generations:)!!!!! Here are some pics of the corn celebration after all the work is done. Jenn and I husked I don't know how many dozens of cobs, Addie helped a bit with her one or two. Mom did the washing and putting them in the pots. We then got the knives and went to work cutting off the corn from the cobs. I won't mention that boobing that went on by a certain in-law of the hot corn, but my fingers went numb from nerve damage:) Good times, thanks mom and Jenn!



Andrew graduates in San Diego!

Oh man! So my younger brother Andrew left  for Marine boot camp in July and for 12 weeks went through thier brutal training. He survived and graduated on the 15th of this month. My parents, Kaden, and me, along with my aunt Lez and her two girls Shalece and Shauri went to San Diego for the graduation. We got up early Wednesday morning to make our flight out. Our flight took us to Vegas and then onto San Diego.

Steve-o sleeping on the plane

Dad doing his puzzles and with the light looks Holy or something:)

We took the bus to get our rental van and then we headed off for our great day!

Shauri, Shalece, and me on the bus

Steve-o waiting patiently for our lunch to come. . . he wanted to wait by the 'cool area'

Outside of our condo: Shalece, Shauri, and Lez

After unloading our bagage we headed off to the famous San Dieo Zoo. The Zoo turned out to be a lot of fun. We took a bus tour first and saw a lot of the zoo and from there we went on foot. At the end of the day we had prettty much had it. . . We were all REAL tired from waking up early that morning, the plane flight, and then the zoo. I bet we were quite the sight walking out of the zoo that afternoon!

The lions going fishing

The elephant had an itch. . . HILARIOUS!

Next stop was the primates. . . dad said he wanted to go see the family:)

Uh do you see that face!?!? HUGE! I hope to never run into that thing in the wild. The one behind it was grooming it and every now and again I guess it pulled on the hair too hard because the front one would slap the other's hand:)

Waiting in line to see the hippos

Man that looked so comfortable. . . we especially wanted to do that as we were leaving the zoo.

Later that evening we went to the beach. Shauri had never been to the ocean before and the girls were excited to go swimming. The wind was a little too cold for me to get in the water so I rolled up my pants and got my legs and feet wet.

Steve-o motivating himself to run into the cold ocean. . .

. . . and he DID IT!

The girls slowly making thier way out

Love this picture! Kaden telling them to run out and then the girls getting hit with a huge wave:)

Steve-o and Dad having a contest to see who can get the deepest in the sand. Dad almost ate it a couples times when waves would come up.

LOVE the ocean!

Okay next. . . Family Day at the Marine camp! We were all so excited to see Andrew again and of course the tension and anxiety was all mixing together in the van. To get through the gates all vehicles had to be searched, which means it took forever to get through! My aunt Lez that morning suggested that her girls bring thier ID's just in case we needed them. I wasn't going to bring mine, but at the last minute grabbed it. Turned out that it was a good thing Lez read her scriptures that morning. Besides getting out of the car, showing vehicle registration, opening the trunk and hood, we had to also show our ID's. . . Thanks Lez!

At this point everyone is a little more relaxed . . . but man we want to see Andrew. We find a parking spot and see a huge crowd of people and we can hear them. . . . yes the drill sargeants. The Drill instructors voices are shot!!!! They were yelling at us and telling us what they did to our loved ones. . . to say the least my family wasn't impressed much. I could never do that stuff. I would constantly be crying. Anywho then we could hear the marines coming. They were led by thier drill instructors and ran past the families. We didn't know how we were going to find Andrew but Kaden spotted him right off the bat. As he put it "He is the one bobbing up and down". Sure enough there was andrew in the very first group second row, tall one, and making it easy for us to spot him. But man we were very shocked to see how skinny he is!!!! After that they made the families go into a theater to watch a movie and then be introduced to the drill instructors. Then back outside to the stadium seating. By this point we were sick of it all. . . we wanted to see and talk to Andrew!!!! Not much later we got our chance. It was so good to see him again. Man I love my brother so much! I am so proud of him and what he has been able to accomplish.

It was truly a sight to see all of them!

Andrew spotting us. . . don't know if he is suppose to be looking at us and smiling. BUT we really didn't care:)

After the new marines were dismissed for the afternoon. Mom got him first.

Then dad was next

At the luncheon Andrew's Branch provided to the members and guests. The Branch President is a very nice man, you can tell that he cared for each of the marines that he watched over. I love being a member of this church and knowing that wherever you go the church is there to watch over its members!

We left Andrew that afternoon and headed out after a very long day. On our way back to the condo we stopped to see the San Diego temple.

The next day was graduation for Andrew! Here are some pics:)

After the graduation they dismissed them. . . saying goodbye to Platoon 2101!

Then we did some sight seeing on a tour boat of San Diego Bay and then went to the USS Midway. Best part of the day. . . the discounts our family now gets because Andrew is a Marine:) Got on for free to the USS Midway and saved a lot!

Downward dog in San Diego. . Check!

Waiting for our tour boat to take us on our field trip to the bay

Boarding the USS Midway

Sleeping quarters for those who were on board

The place was so cramped! Best part of the tour. . . trying to keep up with my dad as he tried to find a way out. He got a little claustrophobic:)

Ejection seats for airplanes