Breath of Fresh Air

I am currently enjoying my last few days of......freedom....as I have decided to call it. I have been having a much needed break from school. The clinical part, I love, but the school part...well, it gets to be a little too much sometimes. Sometimes I struggle with the motivation part of school, I just have no desire...period. I want to, but I don't. I can admit that. I would much rather spend my time with Jaiya and Dustin and do things around the house. But, as I said before, I LOVE the clinical part so that I wouldn't want to give up. So, July became a month to rejuvinate and get myself ready to begin school again in August. This consisted of vacations, working in the yard, boating, reading, and some organization. I will get to the FUN we have been having with some pictures in a little bit, but the organization part is VERY important. As I mentioned earlier, I have struggled with wanting to get my homework done, and really finding any desire in me to do so. I absolutely couldn't have cared less. This is when I realized I needed some uplifting and a nice break to clear my head.
Life, even though it's great, can overwhelm us. I decided to read the book, The Everygirl's Guide to Life, by Maria Menunous. It was exactly what I needed. The key to happiness starts with organization. We need our homes, our lives, and our relationships in order to be able to succeed. So this I did (and am doing). I organized my house one room at a time, and decluttered everything. This was more than just things I didn't need. It was the unneccessary furniture and decor, and the unneccessary items that I just don't use. I have designated a "home" for everything, and make sure that it returns there whenever it isn't being used. I am so much more organized, and therefore, in the long run I work less. The lazier you are the more you work...it's true. I was there at one point. Feeling too overwhelmed and having so much to do that I didn't know where to begin...so I didn't. This only made things worse. I also, as I have done before, decided to look into the relationships in my life that were bringing me down. Vampires, as the book called them. People who suck all of the good energy out of you with all of their negativity. This I am still working on, but I realize that these kinds of people only cause unwanted and not needed stress into our lives. I defnitely suggest this book and this new idea for life if you are looking to simplify and organize, and all in all, be much happier;)

YUBA.
Dustin's dad, bless his heart, finally let us take the boat out. We have been twice and it has been a blast! We love boating.





Mator. As in- Tow-Mator!
A guy in Centerfield fixed up this old truck to look like Mator off of the movie Cars! It is so cute, and unbelievable how much it looks just like the character on the movie! Me, Jaiya, mom, Kim and the boys (and two of their cousins), and Brady and Kayla and their two kids all went to see the movie together. It was so much fun.







(I didn't get a pic of Had:( Next time!)

4th of July Weekend.































AI Concert.


Mr.American Idol himself...Scotty;)


I'll continue with a "Part 2"...this is getting rather long.

A BIG Congrats to...

Two VERY important people in my life...

My Brother Jace & My Fabulous Friend Tiff

I am so proud of my brother. No words can even describe what an amazing person he is. He a great example, and I couldn't be more lucky to have him in my life.

He is leaving June 4th for his 2nd Tour of Duty.

I'm so proud that my brother is serving our country, and I am forever greatful for the sacrifices he has made to protect our Freedom!

We had a BBQ with all of our family and all of Jace's friends last Saturday before he leaves. It was a great turnout!

Jaiya, Jace, and I

SIBLINGS...

Jaiya's 1st time swinging!

4 Generations

Me, Dad & Kayla

CONGRATS to the new Mr. & Mrs. Broderick!

Wow...what a beautiful wedding! It was held at Wadley Farms in Lindon, and I must say, EXCELLENT choice Tiff! It was beautiful...and so was the bride! She looked amazing. I am so proud of her. She is such a sweet person and she found someone who she loves and who loves her so much!

I LOVE love-birds...so sweet!

And my sweet Jijjy-bug did so good for having such a long day...Her and Daddy spent the day together while I ran around...Dust is always SO much help. He was running on 3 hours of sleep, and I don't know how he did it...but THANKS to him for always being so supportive.

Now, I need to get caught up on homework...so that I can enjoy and celebrate this Memorial Day weekend with our family and friends! Enjoy and be safe everyone!

Mother's Day & Remodelling

BIG news!
Jaiya said her first word 5-14-11.

"Dada!"

or more like...

"Dadadadadadadada!!!!"

My mom, Kayla & the kiddos, and Jaiya and I went to lunch on Saturday, and I leaned over to JIJ who was squeeling at the leaves while laying on a blanket on the grass, and I said,"Jaiya, say Dada." And, sure enough, she said it...not believing it, I did it again, and like before, she mimicked me! Now she is saying "Dada" all of the time! My goodness, she is growing up so fast!

MOTHER'S DAY

It was my first "official" Mother's Day. (last year, since I was pregnant, Dust gave me a present and a card so I guess that counts too!) Dust worked, so JIJ and I ran to Wal Mart, ate at Arby's and then went to Mom and Jer's til Dustin got home from work. It was a fun day. Not too much going on, so that's always a nice break from every day stress!

Me and My Madre.

Jaiya and I
I am so lucky that I can be her Mom and enjoy every moment with her. She makes life so much sweeter, and adds so much joy in everything we do. I never knew that such a little person could bring so much life and such a sweet spirit in to our lives.

When Dust got home from work, we went to Mom's Cafe for dinner with Mike and Candi! We are so lucky that we live so close to our wonderful Mom's! They do SO much for us! I admire them so much!

Jaiya and Pappa Mike.

Candi, JIJ, & I

I just had to add some pictures that my cousins, Lana & Ashley, and I took of our little ones. Jaiya and Tara were born the same day, and weighed the exact same! And Jax was born just a month earlier! They are gonna have so much fun growing up together.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Jer!

He turned 29 on the 9th of May!

Love you Jer! THANK YOU for all you do!

You are such a great person.

Next..

the KITCHEN.

While in AZ for Easter, Dust and I were watching DIY t.v at the hotel. A commercial came on for some DIY countertops (countertop transformation kit). We have been wanting to re-do our countertops for SO long because that's all we had left to do. You can only imagine our excitement when we discovered this kit! The day we got home, we were on the internet picking out colors and we bought it a few days later. It covers 50 sq. ft. so we decided to get the bathroom and kitchen done all at once. It is so simple and so pretty! We did the Java Stone, and I added glitter (of course) to give it a little sparkle. It turned out so good! I am VERY happy with it!

Oh, and...I am always difficult (according to Dust) and since I wanted the dark countertops I "needed" to re-do my cupboards. So..I did them white and antiqued them with a black glaze.

Love the outcome!

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER