It's that time of year

I got this inspiration from my friend's blog.

Things I'm thankful for:
family
friends
the gospel
a good job
technology
education
Dr. Pepper
flowers
knowing my own Edward is still out there *giggle*
college
dorky christmas decor for my car
CHARLIE!!!!!
my mom
the great outdoors
my own room
e-mail
music!
freedom to do what I want
driving
my new ward MONTELENA
my church leaders
the Sonoran desert
my callings
talents
opportunities to share them
clean sheets
my daddy
black nail polish
being able to go far but not too far
sleeping in
cactus!!!
little notes
random comments (usually made by me @ the wrong time in a conversation)
smileys ;P
laughing
breathing
my blog " ]
singing
modern medicine
swing dancing
cell phones
cute modest clothes to wear
friends who care
having the forest and the cactus all together in one state!
stargazing
mormon boys :)
mountains
writing
my extremely out of tune piano
poetry
reading
good books that keep you up all night
living in the valley
the Book of Mormon
my bishop
christmas
christmas music
weird voice messages
photography
CRAZY DANCING
hot summers!!!!
long, late night phone calls
musicals
going to the mall
rain
elder Holland's talks
crying your heart out
skipping
lip gloss
seminary
falling in love
good songs on the radio
the prophet
parents
little brothers (i know, and yes I'm writing this)
high school and all its drams (makes you appreciate simpler things)
sticky notes!!!
my giant photo collage
singing in the car
pink pens
flip flops
brown notebooks with all your little secrets in it
acting and drama
Arizona
everything life has to offer, even the bad stuff, because it gives you a chance to brush yourself of and to learn from the fall, and then to go on with a smile because you know how strong you really are

Merry Christmas Guys!!!
I love you all

ACCEPTED!!!!

I finally bugged my admissions counselor enough and guess what?

I GOT ACCEPTED TO NAU!!!!!!

I'm gonna be a Lumberjack!!!!

So...

I know it's been awhile since I last posted. Things haven't really been that interesting around here. I'm still waiting for NAU to get back to me. It's driving me crazy! Just trying to stay afloat in school. Working. Sleeping and eating when time allows.

Just typical busy me. I'm ready for thanksgiving to come and go so I can whip out the christmas music and decorate my car. (more on that later) It's just really sad all the stores completely skipped over Thanksgiving for Christmas. Everything is just TOO commercial. Plus the extra reminder that this is my last Christmas living at home is scary. Anytime it comes up, my mom gets a little sad. It's hard knowing that this is my year of lasts. I know I'll come back, but it won't be the same once I'm living in Flagstaff. I just keep thinking about all the little things I'm going to miss. Conner's first date, Conner Driving, Collin dating and driving, Branson prepping for his baptism, just all the boys growing up without me. It just makes me kinda sad, but grateful that I'll only be a few hours away.

I'm super excited to go up to school though. I know it's going to be a blast. I just love hearing about it from all you fellow Lumberjacks.

I guess I'll see you all at Thanksgiving.

you are deeppink #FF1493

Your dominant hues are red and magenta. You love doing your own thing and going on your own adventures, but there are close friends you know you just can't leave behind. You can influence others on days when you're patient, but most times you just want to go out, have fun, and do your own thing. Your saturation level is high - you get into life and have a strong personality. Everyone you meet will either love you or hate you - either way, your goal is to get them to change the world with you. You are very hard working and don't have much patience for people without your initiative. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Thanks Lola

Starbucks. . . Oh My!

A lot of you guys know I work at Starbucks in the Target on the Ellsworth Loop. I've been working there for about 8-9 months and I absolutely LOVE it. The guests, the drinks, it's a great combo for me, I get to use my energy and bubbly-ness. I'm especially excited because we started our new Christmas drinks this week!!

I know what you guys are thinking. Coffee?!? But, contrary to popular belief there are things Mormons can drink at Starbucks. So I decided I would educate everyone on the Starbucks lingo and some great coffee-free choices.

So first-sizes: they go Tall (small), Grande (medium), and Venti (large).
[I know they don't make sense, but it's Italian, and they're crazy anyway. lol]

Starbucks has many different ways to order your favorite drink: hot, iced, and my favorite, blended Frappaccino!
The hot drinks are basically espresso, steamed milk, and your favorite syrup of choice.
Iced drinks are very similar except they're cold milk and espresso poured over ice with flavored syrup.
The frappaccinos are like milkshakes, but not quite as thick normally. They are made with a blended coffee base, or a blended creme' base, then syrup, then ice, and blended to perfection.

Disclaimer: All of these drinks have about the calorie count of your breakfast, but they are Soo yummy. But, there are methods to cut down on the calorie count so don't freak out.

So, on to
Flavors: We have the typical Mocha (chocolate), White Mocha (white chocolate), Chai, Vanilla, Hazelnut, Caramel, Toffee Nut, Cinnamon Dolce. and our seasonal ones: Peppermint, Gingerbread, and Pumpkin Spice. Some of the more basic flavor come sugar free. But all of these flavors can be mixed and combined to make some Awesome concoctions. ;)

I won't go through a long descriptions of all the drinks we make that you can't have, so I'll just describe the 'Mormon Approved' ones.

For hot drinks, you can order any latte minus the espresso. Just pick your flavor and say 'steamer' or 'creme' i.e. Vanilla Steamer, Caramel Steamer, etc. We also make pretty good Hot Chocolates. The chocolate syrup is kind of bitter, so I would suggest ordering it "Black and White" (half mocha, half white mocha) The Signature Hot Chocolates are decent, very bitter though. But the Salted Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate in Bombin'!

Hot Drink Suggestions: Pumpkin Spice steamer, Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate, Peppermint Mocha twist creme', Caramel White Mocha creme, and ***Caramel Apple Spice(this one is like apple cider, yummy,my absolute Fav.)***

Iced Drinks: same thing, just order it creme' or end it in 'milk'. I love the starbucks chocolate milk with ice and Whipped Cream, just about everything is the same as the hot drinks.

Frappaccino: You can drink anything coffee-free for a frappaccino, just specify that it's a cream base, or just order it creme'. I'm bad, I make my own frappaccinos and I don't order anything off the menu anymore. I like it complicated. lol
But I suggest a Caramel Mocha Creme', Green Tea Frappe* (you can drink this), Pumpkin Spice Creme', Caramel Double Chocolately Chip, Strawberry Blended Lemonade (this isn't really a frap, but it's really yummy), Captn. Crunch (strawberries and cream with Melon syrup)

* Green tea does not actually have any tea in it, it's all herbal. but the Chai does.

Christmas Drinks: We have the eggnog latte, which for you is just steamed eggnog, not bad, Peppermint Mocha and White Mocha Twist creme' (yummy), Gingersnap steamer (I like it, but I guess you'd have to be a ginger fan), eggnog frappaccino creme, (very good if you like eggnog).

I think this about sums up Starbucks in a nutshell. Just comment if you have questions.

Halloween

This was my last Halloween at home this year. So I wanted to make it memorable for Branson and the little boys.

Branson and I dressed up as pirates! Arrgg!!


The Boys-Mason, Branson, and Dallin
Darth Vader, Captain Jack Sparrow, and a Ring Wraith

I got a little crazy with the wig.

November!

It's already November and all the stores are setting up for Christmas. :'(

Halloween is over and now it's time for Thanksgiving. I wish I could say that I was looking forward to it though. As you all know, my family is raising turkeys again this year for Thanksgiving. These are some big suckers too! But, just like last year, we will be butchering and preparing these six GIGANTIC birds, all by hand and in time for dinner (hopefully). I was just lucky enough to be 'busy' last year and avoid the whole process completely. But now that I know how to do it, I'm thinking I might not be so lucky this time. I think it's going to take two days this year.

I'm just hoping I don't scare too many boys off, I mean between my mad driving skills and my expansive knowledge of butchering innocent farm animals, I just might be single for life. lol