Joy is

getting to gchat with my husband & help him with his math.

getting in a workout before the sun is even up.

attempting to lose weight.

sunshine.

cozy storms.

really big balloons.

new shoes.

smooth legs.

fresh highlights.

comfy covers.

a Friday night in.

payday.

a happy family.

a loving family.

a wonderful husband that leaves really sweet love notes in my journal.

xoxojoyful

Please click on these two links.

I'm sorry Momma & Mama Joan that this next post drew me in because of the dog. Not the baby. Love the precious babe, too, but my heart ached for that dog.

Love

She's a Bella. Just not so deer-shaped.  My heart melted. It made me crave a puppy all over again. You know, the non-shedding kind you can love on.

More importantly let me link ya'll all to my friend Heidi's blog.  This girl is going places. Whether she's a workin woman or if she becomes a 'stay at home mom.'  Seriously, I haven't told her this, but she's incredible & beautiful & everything a woman could aspire to be. She's my visiting teacher, too. I love & appreciate her dearly.  She just recently blogged about this awesome childrens-advocate type program in Utah. It got me extremely interested. I have a year & a half left here in Utah, atleast & I think I will be looking into this program, I hope ya'll will atleast read her most recent blog post.  She pretty much rocks. 

Check out hers here: Also Love.

Let's all look into & think about how we can be better people & serve others.

I have been bad about that as of late. I get consumed in myself & my "oh so busy life." Aren't we all so busy? I need to get over it. How do we do that? SERVE!  Feel free to share any other opportunities you kn

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ow of, for volunteering & sharing our talents & passions to benefit others!

My father-in-law is a pretty big deal.

Dave has been applying for this for years, Grandma Stevens told me. Finally, the year he did not apply & didn't think anything of it he was told he was a Chief Petty Officer Select.

This is a huge honor.

Joan & Lisa

Me, Melissa & Tasha all waiting for it to begin!

Melissa, Tasha, Grandma & grandpa Stevens

Wes & I

Here he comes in! Singing their sailor boy song!

They all had to stand at attention for the entire ceremony. I would have fallen over. Or passed out.

At ease.

Welcome aboard Chief Petty Officer Brinkerhoff!

Standing with fellow chief petty officers. Hardcore.

They've all received their hats & the wifeys have receieved their flowers, these boys (& lady) are happy campers!

After the ceremony. Dave, Joan & Dave's "sponsor."

Dave & his sponsor, which, as I understand it, is his mentor type guy as he went through all the initiation junk the past few months.

Melissa & Dave

This is one of my favorite pictures of all time.

They're both so proud of eachother.

Wes sure looks up to his dad a lot.  I do too.

The Salt Lake City Chief Petty Officer Mess.

Tasha & Dave

Dave & some old guy!

Joan gave Dave this beautiful Navy picture!

Wes & I. Dave was supposed to be in this picture (I didn't get any alone w/ him, or wit him at all!)

He was pretty high in demand, every time we were about to take a picture with him, someone else came up & snatched him. Oh well.

Tashy

My sweet hubby!

Lisa

All serious now that he's a big Navy man!

He likes to think he's tough!

baha

Wes waiting for food. It can get ugly.  Luckily he hadn't started eating me yet.

An ugly end to a wonderful day....

The BYU vs. Utah game.

We watched it in our hotel lobby in Layton.

You betcha I was screamin at that tv.

Lisa & Tash.

Lisa will see the light one day.

game face

Grandpa Stevens

Wes & I reppin in our BYU jerseys

Joan

Tash & I started taking pictures once we realized BYU was being paid to let Utah win.

xoxoitwasaneatoweekend

I've been pavloved.

You know, the social scientist who made the dogs drool by ringing a bell.  Association.

So, I am back at the health center. When I'm in the phone room I wear this cute little headset that gives me a cute little crease in my hair across the top of my head.  I turn my phone on & it does a little double beep as it picks up a call.

I have been bringing headphones in to watch The Office during work. When Weston gets on the computer doing homework or whatever we Gchat.  Well. With the sound, Gchat makes this lovely beep clonking noise.  So, with my headphones now in I hear this beep noise from Gchat.

It is confusing the heck out of me. I guess I fly on auto-pilot a lot more than I thought.  Whenever Weston types something to me, I say outloud, "BYU Student Health Center, how may I help you?"

Dangit.

Pavlov:17

Rachel: 0

xoxoscienceexperiment.

Ode to Utah

This is dedicated to the state where I have attended school for the past 4 years.

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Utah, oh Utah, how I love your spring and fall.

Though you don't get as colorful as Tennessee at all.

I appreciate your dryness and bits of sunny days.

I love to have a chance to exercise in many different ways.

I appreciate your LDS culture.

One day at the gym the girl next to me was reading the Ensign, for sure.

I see it all the time.

The next day another girl reading the B of M, I couldn't believe eyes, mine.

Your beauty is uncomparable to all of geography.
You have the biggest skies, besides wyoming & those other big states quite square-y.
Your high rock mountains and ugly desert lands.
I love to see the contrast of all your distant sands.

I like all of your BYU gear provided at the grocer.

As I flip from cougar shirt to sweats, Walmart lines grow longer.

I appreciate the apparel supply because temperatures fall and rise.

At football games I can stand whether it's freezing out or burning up my eyes.

I have a little problem, though, summers go too fast.

The fall has amazing weather, but just doesn't seem to last.

Winter is around the bend, I feel it in my bones.

I love the beauty of the snow and like to eat some scones.

However, each year after 8 long months of freezing air I need to get relief.

The icey & gray slush just isn't quite enjoyable as it's splashing up my sleeve.

I will endure another year of this, because I love my husband, dear.

He has some schooling left at the Utah Valley school, only, though, 1 & a half of a year.

Love, 

Yours Truly!

Grandmother, birthday girl.

Let me tell you about my amazing Grandmother! She rocks.  She is beautiful, 70 and amazing!  She has been through every major trial I'm pretty sure life has to offer.  I know the Lord doesn't give us more than we can handle in this life, so good heavens, he knows how strong she is!  She is simply amazing! Her & my family have lived together for the past almost 6 years! Can you believe it was 5.5 yrs ago that we moved in with her?! & 2 years ago we moved into the Natchez house?! & I've grown up with her 5 minutes away since 1996.  I sure think she's amazing & such a good example to me.  She is a southern belle & an absolute definition of the word "lady!" She is pretty much amazing!!  I love her so much!

Happy Birthday, Grandmother!!

Tasha's Xrays

My sister-in-law has cancer & had it really bad in April. We had no idea. She wasn't sick & everything was normal.  However, scans of the body showed otherwise. So, she started this miraculous 4 series treatment that did not cause her to lose her hair or be really sick. It is a miracle. She has got some vitiligo spots & has lost some coloring in her eyebrows & was tired. She handled it well & is doing well. She is not in full remission, but that day will be a blessed one!  We all love her dearly & are so glad she's doing so well!

You can find out more at cantkickthischick.blogspot.com

 Tumors before Ipi:

After Ipi on September 15, 2011: 

 All the little white specks are airpockets in the lung! 

She's getting all healthy! The tumors are CONTINUING to die.

Miracles do exist & Tasha's on her way to remission!

The Lord is great.

A little piece of inspiration!

When something bad happens, you have three choices. You can either use it to define yourself,  you can use it to destroy yourself or you can use it to strengthen yourself.

SO MESSED UP!

Did you hear about my $167 speeding ticket in Kansas? Going 89 in 75.  Well I called & got a breakdown from the Logan County Attourney's office.  The speeding fine is actually $69... yep, I paid $98 in court fees. Sucky...veeeerry sucky. Ugh. lesson learned. Only speed in Kansas in daylight!

xoxomissleadfoot

For our anniversary & just "us" time we planned to go to Lagoon!  Aunt Kathy & Uncle Jim said we could use their house in Midway, UT.  It was so much fun!  We spent Friday & Saturday nights at their house & Saturday we went to Lagoon.  Party!!!!

 Our cake! Yummy! & only slightly freezer burned!

 On our way to Midway!

 bahah my little mischievous husband!

 In front of their beautiful house! 

Saturday on our way to Lagoon!

Just as we got into the park!

Please take note of all the other people running on the water pad with him. Children.

Glitter toes! Thanks Momma!

The ski lift thing to cross the park!

Wes was SO excited to go on the Ferris Wheel! We hopped on it & this is the reaction I got. So, of course I milked it. bahahahahha

Our relaxing ride on the ferris wheel...

This ride got us...rather, me SO wet! bahah

Waiting for rides is SO exhausting!

Okay, so we rode the cliffhanger earlier in the day when it was really sunny. & warm. The front row got soaked & the back row stayed dry as a bone!  We decided to ride on it later that evening after it got cloudy, rainy & cold.  We thought riding on the back row would be smart so we could do the fun ride & stay dry. Uh. false. We got drenched. Later to find out the ride operator controls the water quantity.  Apparently the 16 yr olds are only on 4 hour shifts. Our guy was a little water happy. We got destroyed. & FROZE. cutting our park trip a little shorter than intended, but it was SO fun!

I FOUND NEMO!

Feeling as wrecked as we(I) looked, we gracefully exited the park!

All in all...it was amazing!

Watching our 9/11 show at Aunt Kathy's! Wes took a little texting detour!

 

xoxorollercoastersscrambledmybrain