My Birthday Week...and other updates....

To be honest.... not a whole lot happened on my birthday this year. And.... I didn't really want it to. I had already celebrated with Emily when the Jacksons were here and I was going to Cali a week later so no big deal. I could've asked for my birthday off but.....why should I when I can work and get more hours before I come to Cali?

My birthday week started off good. The Jackson's were here, see post below. They left on the 3rd late in the afternoon and I spent the rest of the day cleaning and being lazy watching a movie. On the 4th I went to do laundry.... cool deal I know. One of these days I will have to get a picture in the laundromat but I always forget. I like my little laundromat though, the people are so friendly and nice. lol. Anyways, then I went grocery shopping since I would be working the next three days, off Sunday then work three days then fly to Cali.  Then I went to work to get some of my training papers signed. Fun times. Later in the afternoon I went over to my friend Stephanie's and spent the 4th of July with her family. I absolutely love them! They are all so great! I've been blessed to know them!

Then I worked. Wow...I know. Awesome right?! haha. Work was good. I love what I do so I can't complain. The day before my birthday though was kind of a nightmare of a day but it turned out well. And my birthday went by fast ;) I went and got myself some appetizers from Applebee's since I had a gift card and watched this movie on Netflix called Griffin and Phoenix. I actually kind of loved that movie even though it was a tad bit sad. I opened my card from my Grandparents and my gift from my mom and brother's and that was that! :)

Birthday week wasn't too interesting but that's okay. I know this next year will be full of lot's of excitement and adventure :) It will be grand! Here are some fun pictures of my happenings on birthday week :)

Me with cute little LiLi she is adorable and my new bestfriend! :) 

Hanging out on the fourth!

Happy Birthday Kati LOVE mom! She is the best! :) 

Major thunderstorm but this is what the sky looked like.... pretty awesome! 

In other updates:

*I've decided tires hate me. I've had one flat and one cracked tire in two weeks. Thus I will be replacing ALL of them (besides the one I already did with the flat) as soon as I get back from Cali. Not a fan of this.

*I really need to make some cake balls soon.  I gave the recipe to some dear friends of mind and ever since I've been craving them and just need an excuse to make them but I think I'll just take them to work or something ;)

*I'm in Cali and totally loving it but that will be a blog post all on it's own coming soon ;)

Happy Birthday Emily!!!!

It's no secret I LOVE birthdays! But honestly I only love them if its not my own! I hate having the attention all on me and it's just another day but I love saying Happy Birthday to people and remembering their special day.

Today is a special day. It might be another day for other people but today is a special day for me. It's Emily's birthday!!! I seriously LOVE her and her family! I think back of when I first met Emily and to be honest I can't even remember a specific time frame. I have a general idea but not for sure but it doesn't matter because we've known each other for SO long and seriously she is family to me.

It was funny the other day because I told her I had to work the early shift but then I would be off and have an early start to my weekend. She was like "Oh good it's a special weekend" because my brain was so fried I thought she was referring to me getting internet on Monday and told her no.. it's just another ordinary weekend full of unpacking, cleaning and laundry. Then she replied saying oh haha yeah I guess it's just special for me. I about died. I haven't forgotten her birthday... I really haven't but that moment I did. It's all that reading and writing and computer work I'm doing haha!

Anyhow.... today is Emily's birthday and I just wanted to write on the blog (and for journal purposes) and say Happy Birthday! Emily has always been there for me through thick and thin and I seriously don't know what I would do without her. She is amazing!! I can't wait for her to come visit me so we can hang out!! (I live a lot closer to her now :) ).

Happy Birthday Em! Thanks for being a true, real friend and always being there for me! Love you!

Happy Birthday Elissa Rose!!!

My sweet little Elissa is turning 8 years old!!! Crazy how time flies!!! It seems like just yesterday she was still in her Momma's tummy and kicking haha. Then she was born and she was the sweetest baby ever! I remember thinking that she was so beautiful and looked just like Em. She is still beautiful...still looks like her momma and is getting even more adorable each and every day. It's hard to believe it's been 8 years! I was talking with Emily about it this week and it's just so crazy that it's been 8 years and looking at pictures of back when and now and how much things have changed...yet so much has stayed the same. Happy Birthday Elissa Rose!! It's great to be 8! Love Auntie Kate!

(I wanted to do a longer post but the internet at the library is kind of crazy so oh well! She knows I love her ;) )

Happy Birthday Mom!! It's the BIG one!! haha

Happy Birthday to my awesome mom!!! Sadly because of moving and trying to arrange everything, I didn't get everything I wanted to do for her birthday done. I figure I have the whole year though to celebrate so it's not that big of a deal ;)

She started off her fabulous day by having breakfast in bed courtesy of me :) She had cinnamon rolls, eggs, bacon, fruit and hashbrowns. Us kids sat on the bed with our plates and had breakfast with her. It was great! Then we all got ready to go and started our fun day. It actually didn't go quite as planned but that's okay.

We went to Cabazon first and did some shopping. Mom got some cute stuff! Then we headed over to the bowling alley. It took FOREVER to even get a lane but we finally did and bowled a couple of games. Chad won one game and Bret won. It was fun!

Then we left and were going to go see Mission Impossible. However because the bowling took longer then expected we just went home and watched The Help. Well they did. I had a terrible headache so I didn't. Afterwards it was too late for dinner so we just had some cake and opened presents. It was a chill day and that's exactly what mom wanted :)

It was so awesome surprising mom with Jeri who flew home for her birthday! So fun! Overall it was a great birthday weekend for her and I know this year will also be great!!

Happy Birthday Mom! You are the best mom ever and such an inspiration to me! I'm so grateful I have you as my mom! Love you always!!

(I will post pictures and video someday but with moving it's been too hard to edit and do all of that so for now just enjoy what I write!) 

Happy Happy Birthday!!!

Okay REAL quick I just need to do a quick shout out to my sister and cousin for their birthday!!! Crazy how another year has come and gone!!!! Sadly I didn't get to spend the day with my sister since she was back in Utah and Carissa was in Hawaii (jealous!). But I think they had a pretty awesome birthday from what I know :)

Happy Birthday Carissa!!! Thanks for being there for me, giving me advice and motivating me!!! I love our chats and all our good times together!!! You are amazing and talented and beautiful!!  Hope this year is the best year ever for you!!! xoxo 

Happy Birthday Jeri!!! You've always been an awesome sister and always there when I need you and I hope I do the same!! You are inspiring and I love having conversations with you about anything and everything! You are beautiful and I admire you! Hope this next year is a great one for you!! Love you tons!!!

Happy Birthday Kara Cute :)

It's crazy how another year has come and gone!! I haven't even seen this cutie in over a year but  at least I get to skype and talk with her on the phone!!! :) This little girl has had a rough year (getting owies) and actually got stitches yesterday! :( But she is tough and strong and get through anything :)

On our Road trip to Texas :) 

Kara Cute and her pretty Momma :) 

I got this picture sent to me when I was having a rough day....definitely can brighten your day don't ya think ;) 

Little Girls

Submitted by: ScrappingK22

Author: Karen Barnes

Little girls are made of daisies and butterflies and soft kitty cat purrs
And all the precious memories of times that once were.

Little girls are made of angel's wings and giggles and a firefly's glow
And all the happy feelings, deep inside, that we all know.

Little girls are made of cinnamon and bubbles and fancy white pearls
And snowflakes and rainbows and ballerina twirls.

Little girls are made of sunshine and cupcakes and fresh morning dew,
And these are the reasons, little one, why everyone loves you.

(Poem found here)

Kara is an angel, happy and outgoing. I love this poem it's just all  her!! She is full of sunshine and love and I just love her!!! How could you not!!!

Soooo cute!!! 

Pretty face :) 

Way back in the day but those were good times having lunch at the Olive Garden :) 

Happy Birthday Cutie!!! Auntie Kati loves you!!! Stay little forever!!! :) 

A Quarter of a Century......

Weird.... I feel like when I see "A Quarter of a Century" that sounds so OLD. Maybe not to other people but to me it does. Seriously. And yes, I am now a Quarter of a Century old. Hmmm....maybe I shouldn't blog about that. haha too late. I quietly celebrated my birthday this year. Well tried to anyways. I told the gals at work that it was my birthday and they were so sweet! Claudia brought me flowers and a cake and Jeanine brought me a card with a gift card inside. I even got sung Happy Birthday to at work. Fun times :) Then I went to Nick's temple lesson, I've been waiting to be there for that lesson and that's when he could do it so that was good then Amber and Nick MADE me go out afterwards. To be honest I was kind of getting nervous about staying out so late because I haven't been sleeping well and I had work the next day. It turned out to be a late night but I was okay at work the next day, well mostly I was. I had a yawn here and there :) I'm not big on celebrating birthdays when it comes to my own. I LOVE celebrating other people's but I don't like having the spotlight on me. It can be on someone else, I'm down with that. :) I still managed to somewhat celebrate my birthday quietly...not a lot of people knew until they got on facebook anyways and that's fine. I did get a lot of Happy Birthday texts too so that was fun :) All in all it was good birthday. One year older and hopefully wiser too..  :) 

My pretty and yummy cake!

My flowers :) 

Me with my cake...it was seriously SO good! 

Me and Nick

Me and Amber

Bret Turns 9!!!!

So Bret is turning nine this year!!! Crazy to think it's been 9 years since he was born! It seems like it was a lot longer than that! Strange to think that when he was born, I was a sophomore in high school and graduated when he was two. This kid brings lot's of fun and joy into our lives. He has SO much energy I wish I could capture some of it for myself haha. Here are some pictures of the birthday boy!! :)

Bret and David 

Happy Birthday squirt! Thanks for always bringing so much love and happiness into our home and always being so thoughtful!! 

Birthdays Birthdays Birthdays.... April 30th must be some special day

So I have 4 friends with a birthday today and one tomorrow!! Crazy huh! April 30th must be the day to be born! haha... not actually July is the perfect month ;)

Anyhow. This is Dean. He is from Taiwan and is here going to school for physical therapy at Loma Linda University. He has NEVER had birthday presents before for his birthday and he told me that birthday cake was unheard of in Taiwan. He said that he remembers his Dad bringing a cake to elementary school like once or twice but it's not usually done a lot. So my friend JJ decided that he wanted to throw Dean a party with presents and I agreed to help so we threw together this bowling party for him and it was so much fun! By the way, this friend, JJ it's his birthday today too (and also Don's and my other friend Marks!) but he didn't want a lot of people to know but somehow word got out... it wasn't me... but secretly I think he liked the fact that people wished him a Happy Birthday too, who wouldn't! :) He did still stay under the spotlight though for the most part and let Dean have his Happy Day :) It was priceless seeing Dean open his gifts. It was so fun to see how excited he got for each and every one. All day I kept asking him if it was his best birthday ever and at the end of the night, he said yes it has been!! Good...mission accomplished :)  Here are photos of our fun group and bowling :) I apologize if they are blurry.... the lighting was bad and it was cosmic bowling so it was dark and smokey with those fog machines lol

Eric, Don (birthday boy as well), Tara and Me... all watching the score of someone haha...gotta love random photos!

Aaron getting ready to bowl

Bogh watching his ball hit some of the pins...not all of them ;) 

Mikey and Em

Elyse and Joseph

This is the only picture of the two of us who put the party together... JJ must've been watching someone get a strike or something instead of the camera lol

Tara and Me :)

Dean, Mike, Tara and Me 

Aaron and Em

Dean and Shelby

I just love the randomness of this one so I thought I would share haha
Sister Brice, Emily, JJ and Jonathan

The cake :)

This is the video of us singing to Dean. He started taking candles off because JJ put too many on haha it was so funny!! 

Handsome at 16 :)

My little bro is 16 today!!! Crazy huh!!! It seems like just yesterday I was 7 and no longer the baby of the family! This guy is amazing and I'm blessed to have him as my brother! He is funny, smart and of course quiet (when he wants to be lol) and he is my brother!!! It's so weird to think that he is 16!!! In just 3 short years he will serving a mission like Donnie and JJ!! Crazy!! I went through some pictures and found some of these of him! Isn't he just the best!! Love him!!! Happy Birthday little brother!!

Best of Friends :) 

HAPPY 16th  BIRTHDAY CHAD!!!

Birthdays are the Best!!!!

It’s no secret I love birthdays. Not for me (because I hate being in the spotlight) but for the people around me that I care about. I’ve had a lot of birthdays to post about and another today! It’s Emily’s birthday and I hope she has the best day ever! I feel weird not being there to celebrate with her...it’s something I better start getting used to. I’m there in spirit though Em! 

I honestly don’t remember how we actually became friends. I think it was when she was watching Bret and Jake and Em were my Sunday School teachers. We’ve been friends for so long though that we can’t even remember how long it’s been haha.... Time doesn’t matter though, we’ve been through the best of times, worst of times, happy times, sad times...you name it, we’ve been through it. She’s one of my best friends and knows exactly what to say, when I need to hear it. If I need her to call someone or look something up, all I have to do is ask and pow..it’s done. I am blessed to know her, and blessed that we are so close. She is like family to me and always will be. It doesn’t matter that we are thousands of miles apart now, we are still as close as ever. This is one of my favorite friendship poems:

A friend is someone we turn to when our spirits need a lift.

A friend is someone we treasure for our friendship is a gift.

A friend is someone who fills our lives with beauty, joy and grace.

And makes the whole world we live in a happier and better place.  

Emily has always been a true friend. She is someone I can count on, someone that takes me out spur of the moment, someone who makes me laugh, someone who cries with me, and someone who always puts the needs of others before her own and gives service with love. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend and my life is better having her in it. Thank you Emily for constantly loving and being the best and greatest friend ever! I love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Elissa Rose

See  this beautiful girl? It's her birthday today and it's hard to believe another year has passed by! I remember when her mom told me she was pregnant with her. We were at Youth Conference and it was a campout and Jake and Emily were leaders of a group. It was cold and rainy so all of us girls went back to the church and slept in the cultural hall. There, lying in my sleeping bag and talking with Em, was I told that she was expecting. I was SO excited and couldn't wait to meet the new Jackson addition.

Now, here she is all grown up and celebrating another birthday and it's the first time since she was born that I am not with her on her birthday. I missed Kara cute's too (didn't blog about her birthday but don't worry I'll do a special Kara post in the future and next year will be double special!). It's a mix of emotions for me today. These girls mean the world to me (well the whole family does) but these girls I share a close bond with. I like to call them my nieces since I don't have any yet and Em is practically family so it's okay right? I think so. Elissa is growing up and while it's fun to see her learn new things, I just want her to stay the little girl she's always been. Now she is learning all about Texas and how to say "y'all" like a true Texan :) She is funny, smart, creative and beautiful and I just love her! 

I've had some very special moments with Elissa and Kara and it's been a blast. Those memories are what I treasure, I will never forget our fun times. When we got down to Texas last summer, I took the kids for a walk and we barely made it down the street, it was so HOT and humid!! So we went back to the house and while the other kids were playing out in the backyard, in the shade, Elissa and I just laid on her bedroom floor to cool off. I don't remember how exactly our conversation but it went something like this:

Elissa:  I miss Daddy, he needs to come home from work soon so I can see him!

Me: Don't worry he will be home soon and he can't wait to see you!

Elissa: (quietly I might add) Your daddy is in heaven now right?

Me: (I shut my eyes, took a deep breath and replied) Yes, he is Heaven

Elissa: Don't worry, your Daddy loves you and is with Jesus

Even though I can't remember exactly how it was, it went something along those lines and it was a very precious moment between the two of us and is one I will never forget. I will always love this little girl and her words of wisdom and love. 

On facebook last year I had posted a status about how Elissa had remembered this one time I took the girls to my friends house to help her pack up before she moved. Elissa was telling me and Em how much fun she had had there playing with all the toys and how we brought some fun stuff home. I had totally forgotten about that and so I asked her to describe the day so I could remember. She did, and described...to the tee who we were with, where it was at. It took me like an hour to remember but she was so detail oriented it would've been hard not to figure it out. Funny how a six, now seven year old can remember stuff like that! I wish I was seven again! I love this girl with all my heart and I hope she has the very best birthday! 

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY ELISSA!!!

Love,

 Aunt Kati :) 

And also Happy Birthday to Kristi who was my other mom during nursing school! You are the best!!! Today is a great day to have a Birthday!