Birthday Girlie

Happy birthday to my sister-in-law Shelly! Shelly was the first to marry into the family, not only because she married the oldest, but also in part because she was the bravest. She has survived well with this family, and we're so thankful to have her be a part of it.
Shelly is fabulous! Some of my favorite memories of Shelly include girls nights/sleepovers. She used to come down and visit me at school in Provo with chick flicks and chocolate. Another time she sent Brian away and her, me and Courtney had a girls night and a sleepover. She is just so much fun to be around. She loves goofing around and playing games with us. She loves being pampered and pampering. She just has so many good qualities.
Shelly won't let you get away with anything. She was the youngest in her family and the only girl, so you know those brothers taught her to stand up for herself. This sounds cheesy, but she is just such a strong woman. She's hard working, dedicated, driven, and she's also a people pleaser. She has been such a great example to me of how to get involved with the family you married into. She showed how important it was to her with all the effort she put into getting to know us. (You may want to re-read that sentence. It's poorly worded. My bad.) Shelly is a great sister-in-law and I'm so glad my brother landed her! Thank you, Shelly, for being such a bright spot in our family!

Sick Station and Destin Fun

Pretty much, my husband is amazing. He really takes good care of me, which I love. I love getting attention from him. This past week he helped prove to me again that I am extremely blessed. I was sick with a head cold. Not fun. Stuffy. Achy. Coughing. Tired. You know. I only missed 45 minutes of work at the end of the work day on Wednesday, and 40 minutes on Friday morning. Thursday was the worst day and I was stuck from 8 until after 5. When I got home on Thursday, I came home to see that Lish had laid out a "sick station" for me. He's so thoughtful. I stayed put all night.

(There's a box of tissues and some comfort food there too, aka, vanilla wafers and oreos.)

(This is pretty much what I did all night. It was the finale of SYTYCD, what else do you expect?)

(This is pretty much what she did all night too. Loved the company.)In other news, our friends Nate and Melanie from Provo came out to Destin, FL a couple weekends ago. We had the opportunity to drive out and visit them for a little bit. We got in earlier on Saturday and spent the day at the beach. Then we met up with them that night. We went back to our stellar hotel (it wasn't so stellar) and met up with them again on Sunday morning. We spent the whole day with them and Mel's family. It was so great to see them and catch up. I love spending time with amazing friends! Especially ones like Nate and Mel!

(They're a little sunburned. Alright, Lish is a little sunburned.)

Bahamas Pictures

I've been thinking for some time now that Lish hadn't posted any pictures from his big trip. So I thought I would post some for him. I know it's been a while. Better late than never, right? The last few are from his trip to West Virginia to visit his grandparents. (In the crazy one, he was seeing how many napkin rings he could put on his face...and ears.)

I've Come to Realize...

1. I've come to realize that my toes...
really like getting pedicures.

2. I've come to realize that my job...
is not so bad when I think positively.

3. I've come to realize that when I'm driving...
I should pay more attention to the road when I’m by myself.

4. I've come to realize that I need...
more sleep. I get a good amount, but I could use more.

5. I've come to realize that I have lost...
my belief in some people.

6. I've come to realize that I hate it when...
people complain and don’t do anything to fix the problem.

7. I've come to realize that if I'm drunk...
I’ll know something has gone seriously wrong.

8. I've come to realize that money...
sometimes doesn’t come fast enough.

9. I've come to realize that certain people...
like things done a certain way, even if that means its different from me.

10. I've come to realize that I'll always...
have my imperfections.

11. I've come to realize that my sibling(s)...
are some of my best friends.

12. I've come to realize that my mom...
is an incredible, hard working and strong woman.

13. I've come to realize that my cell phone...
has become a part of me, but not an obsessive part.

14. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning...
I was still tired, after my 2 ½ hour nap yesterday and over 7 hours of sleep last night.

15. I've come to realize that last night before I went to sleep...
I just wanted to stay up talking to my husband.

16. I've come to realize that right now I am thinking...
am I on hold or did they hang up on me?

17. I've come to realize that my dad...
has always been supportive and caring.

18. I've come to realize that when I get on Facebook or Blogger...
I am addicted.

19. I've come to realize that today...
is leading me another step closer to being where I want to be.

20. I've come to realize that tonight...
I get to dance my heart out for 90 minutes.

21. I've come to realize that tomorrow...
I’ve got a lot to get done.

22. I've come to realize that I really want to...
live closer to family.

23. I've come to realize that the person who is most likely to repost this is...
probably going to think this statement is stupid.

24. I've come to realize that life...
has its ups and downs, but is completely worth living each and every day.

25. I've come to realize that this weekend...
I get to go to the beach and spend time with some friends whom we haven’t seen in months!

26.I've come to realize that marriage...
is one of the most amazing things that has ever happened to me.

27. I've come to realize that my friends...
are my support group.

28. I've come to realize that this year...
has gone by too quickly.

29. I've come to realize that my ex...
is a great person, just wasn’t great for me.

30. I've come to realize that maybe I should...
call old friends more often.

31. I've come to realize that I love...
way too many things to count on just my fingers and my toes.

32. I've come to realize that I don't understand...
why some people do the things they do.

33. I've come to realize my past...
is gone and there’s nothing I can do to change it.

34. I've come to realize that parties...
are still awesome with the right people.

35. I've come to realize that I'm totally terrified...
of cockroaches. Ew!

36. I've come to realize that my life...
is full of blessings.

This Morning I...

Tallahassee has had some hot weather lately. It's summertime, so this comes as no surprise. It's hot, it's humid, you can't walk outside long before you start "glistening." Ah, the south. However, yesterday morning when I got up to exercise, I pulled out Lish's iTouch to see what the weather would be like for the day. Do you know what the temperature was? 59. Before I left for work, it had gone up to 62. The low 60's! I loved it!

Hoping that it would be cool again, I decided to go for a run this morning. My hopes were fulfilled. Cool weather again. Had my iPod. My knee brace. I was set. And it was one of the most amazing runs I've ever had! I was out before the sun came up, so I got to see the sunrise. Snow Patrol was running along with me, keeping me from getting bored. I ran a route that I've run before, but I decided to keep going. I ran up a hill, turned down a street I hadn't been down yet, and I got lost. But I didn't turn around. I just kept running. I found my way out eventually. It was a beautiful and quiet neighborhood. I would like to get lost in it again.

I was getting worried about the time, knowing I had to be to work on time today. I headed home to find out I had been gone for only 40 minutes. This story probably made it seem longer. I haven't run for weeks though. And I haven't run that long for months. And even though my iPod froze while I was in the unknown neighborhood, the run was rejuvenating.

Plus, I feel like my arms look skinnier than they did yesterday.

America's Birthday

Next, our July 4th weekend. Lish and I had both gotten home from our trips that Sunday before the holiday. I didn't know I'd have July 3rd off, so we hadn't really planned on doing much. When I found out I did get Friday off, we were invited by Jen and Trevor to go down to Jen's mom's house in Jupiter, FL. Now if this location sounds familiar, that's because it is. It's also where Lish's grandparents live for half of the year, so we go down there for Thanksgiving.

Anyway, we packed up our stuff and the pooches on Thursday after work and made the drive down. We didn't get in until late, but we played at the beach on Friday and Saturday. Watched some fireworks down at Palm Beach. Ate some delicious fish. Swam at the pool. And slept. It was a fabulous weekend! We had such a blast!

(Excuse the jumbled mess that is our pictures.)

Brooke Shoes

I'm playing a little "blog catch-up" here. I've gotten behind.

Here are my 2009 Brooke Shoes, for those of you who were anticipating them. They're so cute and I love them.

Love and miss you Brooke!