So long and farewell...but not forever!!!

This is a little late since she moved the day after Thanksgiving but It was a must post! Trisha was such a tremendous help while she was here. She came and helped me out with Spencer & Brooklynn one day a week so that I could get the office work done for our business. I just couldn't seem to be able to keep up w/everything without something being neglected and she made it possible for me to get caught up in the office and keep up with everything else around the house and errands. Needless to say I am very sad she's gone and am now looking for a replacement but that has been a very hard thing to do for some reason! Above in the pictures this was the second to last day she was with us just before Thanksgiving! She decided to make cookies in the shapes of turkey's, leaves & pumpkins w/brown & oarnge frosting w/the kids! They had a blast and Brooklynn had a friend over as well, I think Brook & Abby enjoyed eating the cookies more than anything! They were delicious Trish and my whole family loved them!

She is now living in Bend, Oregon which I'm so jealous b/c I grew up in Washington State and miss it every day! So she is that much closer to my home so I think we'll be going up that way to visit someday!!

Thanks again Trisha for everything you are an amazing person and you are so good with kids you will be such a great mother one day! Spencer and Brooklynn adore you and miss you so much! The week after you left and still sometimes to this day when the door bell rings he runs over to the gate to see who it is and I swear he's looking for you :-) You are always welcome here anytime and don't be a stranger! Take Care...

Friend Tribute...Randi lou

Happy Birthday Randi!!! Since I've not done my monthly friend tributes in FOREVER I decided it's time and what better time to do then on her birthday! I've known Randi now for 5 1/2 years. She is the best sister-in-law anyone could have... She is the type of person who will do anything for you and is always there to listen and lend a shoulder to cry on. We have had so many "venting sessions" but the best part about that is that we seem to go through the same things most the time and can understand each other's pain or trials completely! It sure makes it nice-- On the other hand we have so many fun and exciting memories shared as well and it's fun to reminise of those times and find ourselves laughing at them even if we wern't laughing when they happened!!! Funny how those things turn out!

There have also been great goals and accomplishment's that we've shared and done together! The biggest one that stands out in my mind is training for our very first 1/2 marathon with my sister, Rachel! That was such a great time in our lives and we felt so good finishing it! Before hand we both couldn't run a mile but with great determination and dedication we got to a point of being able to run "mostly 10" miles straight w/out stopping before the race day! We were so happy and it's amazing how differant you can feel just from doing something like that! We finished our first 1/2 marathon and loved it so much we decided to do more!! There were a few races we've done together wether they were short or long mileage, experiencing those feats was amazing and it brought us closer in a way we never could of imagined!

We also went through our pregnancies together as well. Spencer and Gavin are only 3 mths apart so almost the whole time but it was nice to have someone that knew what eachother were going through and feeling wether it was emotions, backaches, heartburn, feeling UgLy & FaT, peeing every hour, no sleep the list could go on and on but to have someone there to understand exactly what and how your feeling was GREAT! That also bonded us closer even more!

No matter the heartache or triumphs we grow closer everyday I am so happy to have her in my life! Thank you so much Randi for crying, running, talking, venting, girls night out's, kids playdates, sugaring, getting robbed, parties, sunday dinners or even just simply hanging out! I am so grateful for your friendship and hope that it will only grow stronger as we grow older! Who knows maybe we'll be pregnant together again "someday" and no that's not an announcment for either one of us let's just make that clear right now ;-) It would just be really cool if that happened again! Anyway hope you have an awesome Birthday you deserve it, we love you very much and that adorable Gavin too!!!

Friend Tribute...Darren Christian

So to many of you that are reading this post did not know and will never get the chance to know Darren. I know this is the second sad friend tribute in a row but this month he has been on my mind and I also got some developing information about his murder case as well and that I'm sure is the biggest reason he's been on my mind. I thought I should share with all of you my story on him and the good hearted person he was. I met Darren almost 12 years ago now when I was a junior in high school. We were introduced through a good friend of mine at the time, Jocelyn Burnham. And of course he was 3 yrs older than me, a rebel without a cause, loved to party and of course the parents were not the happiest in the world. But there were so many fun times that I remember and focus on those moments that I remember him the happiest. He was always smiling and making you smile or laugh. He always had to have nicknames for EVERYONE and mine was always Jamilia. There was something about him that just made you never want to leave b/c you always felt so happy. He had such a good soul and heart. He didn't make the best decisions of course but if you knew him you could see the goodness behind his eyes it was unmistakable! But he also had a lot of hurt and sadness inside of him too and dealt with it in well just not the best ways possible. And I knew it wasn't the road I needed to be on, not at first but after graduation I felt so strongly that I needed to be in Utah where my sister was going to school. And I knew moving would be the only way to try and get on the right path, so I did it. That's what got me here to Utah 10 years ago. I never did plan on staying here that's for sure but it happened and there obviously was a reason for me needing to come here. So we kept in contact just a little right after the move on the phone and I saw him a couple times on my home visits but the last time I saw him we played pool in his parent's basement with some friends and it was so fun to catch up with him. For some reason it was very hard to leave that last time I think I knew it would be the last time I saw him deep down but I knew I had to. And it was the last time I saw and talked to him. If I only knew then that his life would of been ended so fast and at such a young age...Could you imagine how differently our lives would be if we all knew when and how everyone goes. It's so interesting to think about. Well his life was taken a little over 2 years ago in Tacoma, Washington where he lived at the time. On February 7, 2006 at only the age of 28, one of his "friends" murdered him and two other people that were with him in his home that day. Sometimes I think what if I kept in contact with him and he knew how good your life could be if you lived in a way that you arn't making ex-con's your "best buds". I know that Darren had every intention that was good with any and all of his friends and he didn't care who you were or what your past was he accepted you for who you were that's just who he was and that's why so many people love him so much. I just feel so badly about how it happened. When talking to his mom after finding out she just said, " I wondered if you'd heard. He was just starting to turn his life around she cried. " How is that, when someone is just starting to get there life back on track and trying to do the right they get killed for it. Life just seems so unfair sometimes. If anyone wants to read the whole story about the murder click on this link. There are also audio interviews of the murderer by press under his picture. There is also an article written by Darren's friend that got shot sister. I just wanted to write about his story because he was a big part of my life then and I just wish he would of had time to finish turning his life around as his mother put it. I am so sorry Kathy and Gerry, you guys are great parents and I know he loved you so much. I also know he is in a better place now and looking down on all of us as an angel. I just hope everything is the way it should be and can be where he is and I also know that Handy, Darren's murderer will definitely get what's coming to him if not already. Rest in peace Darren and know that you are in our hearts and you will always be missed by so many. I'm sure you have your green Ford Mustang with you too...
PS...I apologize if anything in these pictures are offensive to anybody these are the only pictures I have from then and well that was Darren, what can you do!

Friend Tribute...Tracy

Well it's about time I get another friend tribute done...I wanted to do one each month but now that February has come and gone already I guess I'll have to do Marchs' tribute and skip February. Most of you that are reading this blog don't know Tracy but I felt inspired to do one on her because of some news I received last month that has gotton me pretty sad. Tracy is a very close friend of mine that was there for me when I needed someone the most. When I seperated from Taber back in 2001 I needed a place to stay and she, no hesitation took me in, baggage and all! She was always there to talk to and give me advice and just help me in anyway I needed! So I packed everything up and moved in with her to West Jordan, which btw was a 40 min commute to work but it was worth it we just carpooled and she always knew how to make it fun! So obviously she didn't like her picture being taken, at all...and no that's not her throwing up in the sink, she's trying to turn away from me so I won't take her picture...I barely got this and you still can't see her face, darn you tracy! But this was taken while we were making Sunday dinner together, she was a great cook! My favorite memory of living with her was probably her famous and absolutely delicious french toast! She knew that was my favorite morning meal and would make it special for me when she had the time..It was nice because she not only was a close friend but was like a mother figure for me since my mom lived so far away! This is me with her very cuddly cat! His name was garfield and was always sneaking in my room under the bed as often as he could! I know she loved him very much...Also she has a son named Adam..He was in high school when I lived there and was such a great kid! He was so much fun and loved to play with Brooklynn and was very good with her too.We had an awesome Halloween that year too, decorated the porch and got all dressed up and took Brooklynn, which was only 9 mths old, trick or treating...hey it's all about the candy..right! Here's a pic of mommy and my little pumpkin!She was so fun that night and looked so dang cute! She was a trooper too, she stayed up a lot later than usual and was still a happy baby the whole night! We only lived with Tracy for about 6 months but she became our family in just that short amount of time, I love you Tracy and am so grateful for your friendship and hospitality while I was going through my divorce. I really needed someone to lean on at that time and you were more than anyone could of asked for!

I mentioned in the beginning of this post about hearing some bad news I received and I wanted to mention it so that the one's who are reading that do know her or remember her from that time could know what has happened. Once I moved out and got my own apartment in Orem we still kept in contact, but a year or two went by and through moving and phone number changes we lost touch somehow...It was really hard for me b/c these last 3 or 4 years I started having these reacurring dreams about me searching for her, or her being hurt or dying..all different scenarioes that each time I had the dream I would awake in distraught. I always felt there was a reason I needed to find her..A couple time's I tried looking her up and I always came to a de*dend(sorry for some reason this blog won't let me write out the word)...Finally just recently I couldn't handle the dreams anymore and the feeling that kept upon me so strongly to find her... haunted me and I couldn't handle it anymore so I just paid a small fee on a people search site and finally saw her name and a number. So I called it and it was her mom in California! I was so happy and relieved I didn't hit another de*dend...But the words I was about to hear couldn't of been anymore dissapointing and sad. Her mom began to tell me that on April 30, 2004 (in the same year I started those dreams) Tracy lived in SLC and got a phone call from one of her friends in Orem that was too drunk to drive home so Tracy at 2 am went to pick her up..(she always had the biggest heart)so on the way back on I-15 she was having car troubles so pulled over on the shoulder of the freeway. A drunk driver hit her car while they were in it and she had to be life flighted to the hospital for an emergency surgery on her head. She ended up living through all of that but now has brain damage and cannot do a lot of things that most of us can do and that I'm sure many of us take for granted. She now can't read or write, she can't do math and lost a lot of her memory. She only remembers certain things and there is a lot that she now doesn't remember and I'm afraid that all these things I posted she doesn't remember. I havn't been able to talk to her in person yet, just her mom but her mother warned me that she may not remember me at all. But after a few years of her mom taking care of her, she is now at a point where she's good enough to live on her own again. So she is in an apartment 10 min down the road from her mom in California, so I am thankful that she survived that horrible and is doing so well. I just miss her and wish that I could talk to her but time will tell if she'll ever remember our friendship and the memories we shared that I know were special to her too!

I love you Tracy and if you ever see this I want you to know I still have your grandpa's rocking chair and it's in just as good of condition as it was when you gave it to me! I love it and it goes so nicely in my new home...I hope we all take this story and think about all the very little things god gave us that we forget to be grateful for sometimes when life get's so hectic and busy...

My Friend...Deanna!

I've decided to follow in my sister's footsteps and do a friend tribute each month. I've chosen my good friend Deanna for January since she was a part of my inspiration to start a blog! Deanna and I met about 10 years ago in 1998. We have had many memorable memories in those 10 years! From finding a prom date (dressed for prom) at the nearest Macey's grocery store to dying our hair (on our own) and it not turning out so good! I sure do miss those days running wild and crazy, D you gave me so many fun memories that I remember every so often! Ahh the good ole' days...The fun trips to the airport to see off cute missionaries, playing with Lauren (she was so cute), going to the Pam Tillis concert and fun parties held at the Watson home, I sure miss that house it felt so homey... We don't make too many memories these days since I live in Logan and you there in Provo! I do miss living in Utah County but I'm finally adjusting here. But you did make the long trip up for my wedding reception a couple years ago, that was really cool. So arn't you married yet?!! You did catch my bouquie!!! I am excited for the new age of Blogging now it's a lot easier to keep up with each other's life especially living so far away from each other. I appreciate you friendship and the love you have for EVERYONE... Your such a sweet person and an awesome friend. And not to mention very beautiful as well ;) Thanks again D for the memories and friendship we've shared over the years - good thing for your brother, Tim, or else we would of never met each other... With love from your "international friend" ;) ha ha