Love you, Grandpa!

This morning I woke up to a call from my dad saying that my grandpa had passed away. I was sad of course, but thanks to the Plan of Salvation (http://www.lds.org/) I was immediately at peace. I love my grandpa and know that he is at ease and no longer suffering from physical infirmities. (Below are some pictures along with the pic of him on my dad's bday blog- Emily thanks for letting me take some off of your blog since I don't have all my pics here in Utah :)

There are so many incredible things that my grandpa did while on this Earth, but one that I am particularly amazed by is the program he started years and years ago to get people off of drugs and alcohol. He has had a hand in helping thousands of people change their lives for the better and grow closer to God...which is ultimately what our purpose is here in this life. What an example to me. I remember one specific occasion a few years ago where this guy asked me out and before we went to our date we stopped by a meeting he volunteered at. The meeting was similar to an AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meeting in the sense that each person sitting in the circle introduced themselves and spoke about how their week went in regards to the addiction they were trying to overcome. After a short while I put the pieces together and realized I was sitting in one of my grandpa's meetings! I decided to speak up and ask if anyone knew m grandpa, Reg Lewis. Sure enough, the second I said his name the room went silent. Everyone there knew him, loved him and felt largely indebted to him. One person said to me, with a look of awe on her face, "Reg Lewis is your grandpa? I love him so much and he has changed my life". Each person said something similar to that and I was so humbled and grateful to be his granddaughter. The following week, my brother Josh and I wrote him a card telling him of our experience and our gratitude to him and brought it to his work. He of course was overwhelmed with love for us and got a little teary-eyed as he sometimes did.

Another experience that stands out to me is when I was in 4th grade I became ill at school one day and since both of my parents were unable to come pick me up, grandpa eagerly volunteered and came all the way across Mesa to come get me. We went to his house and I fell asleep in one of the bedrooms. I remember waking up to him standing over me with a serving tray that had chicken noodle soup, crackers and Sprite. I could tell he was so excited to serve me and take care of me that day. We hung out the rest of the day just grandpa and I. That is a memory I will never forget.

I know that my grandpa is with our Heavenly Father right now. I also know that through the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, families can truly be together forever, throughout the eternities. What an amazing knowledge that is!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!!

September 8th is one of my favorite days of the year! Words seriously cannot describe how much I love my dad! I remember growing up, all of my friends would always say, "I love your dad! I wish he was my dad!"...a lot of them actually ended up calling him dad for years. This man is so loving, so kind, so fun, so funny, so cool, so humble, so generous, so AMAZING! One of the many stories about my dad that has truly molded me was when I was about 12 years old, the neighbors down the street only had one car and it broke down so my dad decided to give them one of our two cars for months! I remember being annoyed at the time because of what a hassle it was, but in retrospect I am so grateful for that example of selflessness and charity my father portrayed.

One huge thing that everyone knows about my dad is that he is FUN!!!! I can honestly say I have never met a dad that is even close to as fun as my dad! About 5 years ago my dad called me and said, "Are you sitting down?" and I said, "Yes....why?....." he said, "I got us Billy Idol tickets close to the stage!!!" I was so excited!! In attendance at the concert was myself, my dad, my sister Alicia, our friend Amy, my dad's friend and his daughter. We laughed and had so much fun the whole night! Security moved from the stage for a second so in the true nature of Christina I ran down to the stage, reached up my hand and said, "Billy!!", he heard me and crouched down to put his hands on my face and make our foreheads touch as he sang me the song! It was pretty awesome! Security made me go back to my seat and when I got back up there my dad and everyone else was laughing so hard. We went out to eat afterward and had so much fun the whole night!

There are too many stories to even post, but another thing I always have loved about my dad is that he was so accepting and loving to all of our friends we'd bring home. He understands and lives the true meaning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He would always make sure to show extra love to those who wouldn't normally be accepted. For example, two years ago we had a bbq and pool party where we invited several people. My friend invited his sister and her boyfriend to it knowing that they would feel so loved and comfortable there. The girl and her boyfriend both had severe drug problems along with tattoos and piercings everywhere. Some people may look at them and judge them, but my dad immediately hugged them and told them he was so happy that they came- and he meant it. They in turn talked about how loved and accepted they felt and how much they loved my dad.

Never are there more than a couple days that pass where I don't talk to my dad. Every time I talk to him he reminds me of my great worth and makes me feel better about life and more motivated to do the right thing. He would literally do anything for his children and grandchildren. I am so eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for such a wonderful, Christ-like and loving dad!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I LOVE YOU, DAD!!!!!

Summer so far.....

Wow, I feel like I have already done soooo much this summer and it is only July...well, I guess the end of July. I came to Arizona for my brother's graduation from ASU (Go Jeremiah! He graduated with two bachelor degrees- one in Finance and one in MATH!! I am so proud of him!) and I was also herein AZ for my sweet little cousin's wedding! I say "little" because Emily literally was just this young girl whose hair I'd always do when she wanted to play dress up...so crazy she is married! Anyway, I am very happy for her and Brett; he is a lucky guy! A couple weeks later I flew my mom out to Utah for her birthday. She was so excited that her birthday present was a trip to Utah, but her real surprise was that the next morning we were flying to Hawaii!! I made sure EVERYONE kept it a secret for two months and just a few hours before we were going to tell her at our planned dinner, I messed up and accidentally told her! I was so devastated! Needless to say she was super excited and was laughing at my mistake! So sure enough the next morning we took off to Hawaii for a week and had the time of our lives! One week after that I flew to California with a friend to meet up with some people to go to Magic Mountain, the beach, etc. That was a blast! My friend flew home and I decided to stay in CA for the fourth of July with some other friends....also a blast :) ....(maybe I need a new adjective). Huntington Beach had this huge parade that I actually thought was really entertaining to the point where I ignored the whole social scene (which is what we were originally there for) and became enamored by the crazy floats, old dancing men, gymnasts on moving floats and theatrics....anyway, it was weird- and I like weird. Then I drove home from CA with some friends. When I say "home" I mean my real home- ARIZONA! I have loved seeing my family and friends here! Too bad half my family is gone for the summer; I really miss them!! I flew back to UT for a bit and am back here in AZ for just a sec and then am back in UT! I've decided to move from Provo to Salt Lake which will be fun! So that is my summer wrap up in short! Some pics of the summer are below. More to come....

This silver guy is seriously in the street every time I go to Waikiki....anyway, photo op

My mother is seriously so cute! What a babe! This was at a restaurant- random..
This was taken while on the canoe ride at the Polynesian Cultural Center- so beautiful!

My mom getting up on her surfboard- she was awesome! When my mom begged to go surfing I insisted that it wouldn't be fun (mostly because I have always thought it was so cheesy when people talk about how they went surfing...ha), but since she is from Southern California and she has always loved it, and after all this was her birthday trip, we went. I decided to just hang out on the beach, but after watching her and our friends out there for a while I finally said, "Okay- I'm bored and it's hot so I'm getting in". I tried it, got up immediately and loved it! It was so fun!

This was right outside our room at the Ko' Olina resort....Hawaii is sooo gorgeous!

Fireworks on the beach with some friendsI went sailing with some friends in San Diego and I was absolutely thrilled to get this close to the seals! I am truly a child.. This is my cute little Taylor Eve! She is so perfect & named after me! I love her!

This video cracks me up! I went to go see Landen and Taylor and he has picked up on so much of what you'd see a rocker do! He is so funny and animated for a two-year-old (actually just turned 3 on Saturday- Pioneer day, but was two when I filmed this a few weeks ago).

Landen asleep....probably after a little dancing....

Landen's birthday party at Amazing Jake'sThis was so cute...Josh decided to take a quick swim after his work-out and Taylor couldn't wait for him to come back so she just sat there and starred through the sliding glass door. Dinner with some friendsDiamondbacks game with one of my best friends, Jason! We matched- call it May-Kate and Ashley, but I was so happy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!

Where do I even start? Today is my mom's birthday and if I were to list all of her amazing traits this blog would never end. I love her so much! She is so selfless and Christ-like that it's hard to even focus on just a few of her characteristics.

I can honestly and truly say that I have NEVER heard my mother gossip! There is something to be said about the pure love one must possess in order to be able to accomplish a goal like that one.

Everyone who knows my mom agree.....she has THE CUTEST laugh and voice of all time!! It is so darn adorable! Her voice is so perfectly her- sweet and sure. Sometimes (sorry mom) I'll call her on speaker-phone to show everyone her perfect little voice and everyone just wants to be her friend because she is so warm, inviting, playful and innocent. Just so you know mom, everyone I've done that to either wants to be your new BFF because you're so cute or they want to date you (obviously the guys :).

My mom is soooo talented! She can cook like no one's business, sing like a professional, learn anything in about 15 seconds flat ( When we play Cranium everyone tries to get her on their team because she knows all the answers to the most RANDOM questions ranging from art to history to space to medicine to you name it- she's quick so watch out!). Any time I've ever had a health question she has had the answer. I'm pretty sure she's read close to a million books in her lifetime. She is extremely intelligent.

She is so selfless, giving and thoughtful! If she had something that another wanted there wouldn't even be a second thought before giving it away. Almost every time we talk she tells me about something she found while shopping or online that she bought for me because she thought I would like it. Are you kidding? How cute is that?

She spent her Christmas in the hospital having me. As if giving birth to such a huge baby wasn't sacrifice enough.

My mother had one of the hardest upbringings I have ever heard of. She experienced things that break my heart to hear and yet has become so wonderful after suffering so much. Whenever I even begin to complain about something in my life, I think about her and I quickly realize how much I was blessed while growing up and am still blessed with today. Her example goes to show that through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, anyone can become anything they have ever dreamed about if they just put their faith in our Heavenly Father and do what is right.

She is such a hard worker and is so intent on helping others- even to the point where it has become her profession. She is a firefighter and has been for over 15 years now. This girl is tough and at the same time is so cute and feminine.

Because of her limitless charity and empathy for others she takes her work home with her emotionally. Obviously, in her line of work she has not only witnessed several traumatizing situations, but has also made it her life to dive in and help the people she serves when she goes on call. Recently she described to me with a great amount of emotion and concern a call that her department went on for an automobile accident. A child died and other family members were severely injured. When the grandmother arrived at the hospital my mother just held her as they both cried. Even though this is something she has encountered on more than one occasion throughout the years, she has not allowed this repetition to callous her or desensitize her in any degree. This to me shows genuine Christ-like love for God's children. Not one second of that moment was fabricated on her part as demonstrated to me by her continuing concern for that family and deep emotions portrayed when describing that event. I love her so much for that.

Among her millions and millions of other rare and true qualities, she has a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She has always shared that with us verbally and through her actions. I remember specifically a woman being very jealous of her and was making it known. My siblings and I were very annoyed and started saying negative things about this woman. My mom very soberly and seriously stopped and in her reprimanding yet kind way told us that woman was still a child of God and we needed to stop talking about her immediately. At first, we all openly disagreed with my mom and said that we did not like that woman treating our mom that way and we would keep talking about her because she deserved it, but my mom remained firm in her standards and continued to defend this lady. I will never forget that experience, although I'm sure my mom already has. What an example of righteousness to myself and my brothers and sister. Her example and testimony have edified me and been a guideline for me my whole life and I cannot imagine not having that to aid me. Thank you for that and everything else you have done for me!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

I LOVE YOU, MOM!!

When did I become such an early riser...?

No, seriously....How am I awake right now? Oh well, I am happy I can get my day started! I have not taken the time to really investigate this whole blogging thing or to even blog at all, but I can at least post this pointless story.....

So a couple weekends ago I went to Huntington Beach for this singles conference. I have to admit, I DID NOT want to go, but I felt like I should and it ended up being so much fun! My old roommate here in Utah named Amy now lives in HB so we hung out the whole time; man, I miss that girl! Anyway, I drove down with my friend Ron and his younger brother Steve who are both hilarious. Since this was a "mid-singles" conference (my first one, btw) I was definitely the youngest person attending...besides Steve who is 23 and was such a good sport! On Friday and Satuday night they had a huge dance so Steve decided to spice things up a bit since he was just there for fun and wasn't really lookin' for love....(Just so you know, I have never seen so many vultures ready to strike! All the guys were there for a purpose-to find a wife- and they meant business! It was a meat-market for sure! Good for them, though...I have to admire one's persistence in pushing toward the big M!). Back to Steve...so he stopped by Wal-Mart to get some toiletries and happened upon an eye patch. He bought the eye patch to wear it to the dance and when girls would walk by he'd lift the eye patch and say, "Well, hello there!"...ha!! It was so hilarious! Maybe you had to be there, but I was laughing for hours.

At the end of the night a big group of us went to the ever popular late night Denny's substitute Harbor House; always gross food, but always a good time. While we were waiting for our food, a group of drunk cougars paraded by our table, so naturally Steve decided this was a fantastic opportunity! We all pitched in money and dared him to go give the leader of the pack-o-cougs a dance at her table. Sure enough, Steve didn't even care about the money, he just loved the idea. He went over to the table and started dancing away and lifting up his shirt. What he didn't realize though, despite everyone desperately trying to tell him, was that he was at the wrong table! He was giving a dance to a grown man..a very confused and disturbed man. He eventually realized and just walked away to start his dance for the intended table. It was sooo funny!

Love my sis!

So last night I had one of my many daily talks with my sister. We are so close and always have been. She is so amazing and is the most capable, powerful and amazing woman! After talking for over an hour, I thought about how grateful I was to have had the opportunity to discuss all the things we did. She has been who I rely on emotionally and I am that outlet for her (second to Mitchell of course:). What a blessing to have such an incredible and true friend in my life! I just love her!

Okay, so I totally forgot that I even started a blog; life moves so fast! I have decided to actually use this thing despite my prior inclinations. I thought it was kind of funny when I'd see unmarried/unmothered girls with blogs until I realized how many times a month I get asked about my non-existent blog. I also realized that a good percentage of my friends are married and do not use the same networking vehicles that I do....hmmm....wonder why? :) and we want to stay in contact. So here it is...mostly with pictures over a month old because my brand new camera just got stolen! I'm sure I'll get a new camera soon and will once again be photoshopping away!