what better friends could a girl ask for

I am safely in texas :) :) :) After having a 3 hour flight delay i'm here and so glad to be. It's hot humid and wonderful! Last night was my last night in Utah for 16 days and i couldn't have spent it a better way. I got kidnapped. Kidnapped by four of my friends! They came and picked me up yesterday around four. I said goodbye and gave hugs to my family and we were off. Off to SLC to spend the night partying together. And a party it was. It was grand :) we spent the whole night talking, playing games and laughing with each other. Some of us even pulled an all nighter, which was a bad choice on my account but it was worth it.

My whole life I have been blessed with amazing friends.Friends that lift me up and not pull me down. I can trust my friends and in turn they trust me back! I can't imagine where i would be if i was a little hermitcrab and didn't have any friends at all. I think i would be a totally different person than i am now. You always hear to be careful about choosing your friends because they affect you. And it's true, my friends have affected my life. And i'm so thankful they have. They have influenced me for the better and for that i will always be grateful :)

THE althouse girls

Last night Dianne Kristin and I were left alone. Because my Dad is the bishop over my home ward He and my Mom when up to testimony meeting at APTC (aaronic priesthood training camp). They left around 5 in the after noon and were due to get back around midnight or later. Usually when my parents are gone and it's just us three girls left we like to party :)Well all of us had stuff going on. I had institute. Dianne was cleaning houses and Kristin was babysitting. We were all bummed that we had crazy schedules that night and because of them we couldn't start our partying until almost 10. By that time it's a little late to do anything. But that didn't stop us. We decided to have a camp out! With me leaving for texas on saturday this really was our last chance to do that this summer. So we seized the opportunity. We set the tent up and put all our bedding and "supplies" in the tent that morning so that when everyone gets back we can go straight to the tent and start the party... and a party it was! I love spending time with my sisters. They are the best sisters anyone could ask for. All three of us know how to have a good time so when we are all together there's nothing but fun and laughter. I would post some pictures and tell you more about the stories of that night but you might think we're off our rockers if i did that. But we did enjoy ourselves and i'm so thankful for them :)

the lonestar state

About a month ago Gwen called me and asked if I would like to come down to Texas for two weeks. When she first told me I seriously thought she was joking. I love love love Texas. It's my second home. It's a place I will always love :) When I realized she was serious I was so excited I could hardly stand it! Gwen Troy and their two boys are going on vacation to Florida and they need someone to come stay at their house and watch their animals while they are gone. The lady they usually get to come sit, the "monkey lady" was busy that week so they called me instead! I'm leaving on July 23 and getting back August 7. It's two weeks long and I wish it were longer but I'm excited non-the-less :) watch out Texas i'm coming back!

homesick for heaven

This past week has been a rough one. On monday I got a call from texas. One of my really good friends died in an electrical fire earlier that day. It was a rough phone call and week, for that matter. My friend wasn't LDS or religious in any way. We did have some discussions about the Book of Mormon and the church I belonged to. She also asked me questions and I was more than happy to answer them but that was as far as her "investigating the church" went. The first couple days after she died I felt a bit guilty. I was blessed to know the truth, to have knowledge she didn't have and I didn't share it with here. I felt bad and worried. After doing a lot of praying and talking with some inspired people I felt at peace with everything. I am so blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am blessed to know that there is a life after this one. That there is a loving Heavenly Father who cares about what happens in your life and if you are happy. I am blessed to know that I have an older bother, Jesus Christ, who has felt every thing that I have. That knowledge was a comfort to me. He knows what I am going through, what I am feeling and it was nice to know that I'm not alone. Not ever. I am blessed to know that I can be forgiven of the things that I do wrong. I can be given a second try! I'm so so blessed to have been raised with this knowledge. I am a very blessed person and sometimes it is hard to see. I've been having a hard time lately and I'm so thankful to everyone who pulled me out of my "pitty-party" and helped me see how much I am blessed with :)

10 + 10 - 1

Blowing out the candles
on another birthday cake
Old enough to look back and laugh at my mistakes
Young enough to look at the future and like what I see
My best days are ahead of me

Life hasn't always been a party
but mostly it's been good
There's only one or two things that I'd change if I could
I dont get lost in the past or get stuck in some sad memory yah
My best days are ahead of me

Age ain't nothing but a number
Sometimes I have to wonder
What does it really mean
But heeeey im still putting it together
I keep getting better
if I keep getting better
I can be whatever I want to be
My best days are ahead of me

I've got sunsets to witness
dreams to dance with
beaches to walk on
and lovers to kiss
there's a whole lot of world out there
that I can't wait to see
My best days are ahead of me
My best days are ahead of me

Number nineteen! I can't believe i'm here. Wow last year just flew by and i have a feeling this year will too. I had a grand old birthday :) I got treated to waffles that morning with my friends, went out to lunch with my family and grandparents, played some games with the sisters and got some delicious cheesecake and to top it all off with fireworks! It was a wonderful day.
I had to post this movie! It's a tradition in my family that the birthday girl/boy gets to choose how everyone sings happy birthday to them. We've had some crazy requests over the years. This year I asked my fam to sing to me like in opera :) they did wonderfully, the movie doesn't do it justice

(sorry you'll have to tilt your head to watch it)

Fireworks

This year for fireworks it was very different. Usually we have 40 people at my house. We have a bbq, play games, enjoy each others company and then all 40 of us walk down to the stadium and watch the fireworks! After the show we all truck back to the Althouse residence and party there late into the night. This year was very different. There were only 5 of us. No bbq and no stadium. But it was still a blast!
My mom had girlscamp stuff going on and she wasn't going to be home that evening so the bbq was canceled. Dianne Kristin and I didn't let that get our spirits down. Ya it was sad that we weren't going to party with everyone but we could have our own party! Although that day was not very traditional we did stick with one tradition, painting out toenails and fingernails all patriotic!
We then decided that we needed to go set some blankets out for the fireworks! We usually go into the stadium to watch the firework show but it was $10 to get in! So dianne kristin and I went and found the perfect spots for our blankets! We tested out different places and finally decided on the right place. The blankets we laid out were our beach blankets. They are big, long, "holy" and we didn't really care if someone took them :)
We got home and didn't know what to do with ourselves. We are usually running around cleaning the house, cooking, putting things up out of little children's reach and getting ready for a party. We didn't have to do any of that. Then the idea hit us. We were going to have a fire that night! We were going to cook hot dogs and roast marshmallows before going to the fireworks! And what a wonderful idea it was :) Us three got the fire ready, got the food ready, put up some decorations and made a patriotic play-list on my ipod for our listening enjoyment!The parents arrived and the cookin began! To say the least we enjoyed ourselves! It was a lot of fun to be together, just our family.We quick cleaned up dinner and hurried down to our perfect blanket spot. We got there a bit early so we had time to play with our glow sticks!