Neglectful

Hmm...I have been fairly neglectful lately and I'm afraid I will be so for the next couple of weeks.

I have arrived in Washington safe and sound- but now my days will be full and busy with fun children, cute pictures, and hilarious stories.

I'll do my best to repost them all on here but until the next time I love you all!

Gradumatation!

I did it! I'm done! I am officially gradumatated!!

And really, it wasn't that bad. Like, the actual ceremony. I mean I looked really quite good, and that always helps make things better. And first of all we had the salutatorian very subtly but very effectively slam all of our administration in her speech and that was FANTASTIC to listen to! She also recognized me up with the valedictorian which I loved (she is so good to me) and Stirling, the valedictorian, hated. I mean you should have seen his face! It was turning green! Ah, good times.

And then our DaVincian did an interpretive dance for his speech. And not only did that, he did it to "I'm too Sexy for my Shirt" It was....very memorable. I loved it!

Then of course there was dinner- because mom and dad and I are going to have the journey to Washington together I went out to dinner with my best friend, Tiffany, and her mother. We went to the Sonora Grill and it was fanfreakingtastic! And Tiffany got me a necklace for my graduation present, which I absolutely love!! This is what it looks like:

http://www.evesaddiction.com/detail_NL10332__611__Algerian_Love_Knot_Sterling_Silver_Bond_Girl_
Necklace.html

I love it!!!

Anyway, then there was the all night party where we laughed and giggled over stupid things (because everything is funny at 3 in the morning) and I got the award for most likely to be married first (complete with a plastic duck call as the prize...presumably this is what I will use to attract my spouse...) and we had a fire dance show. That was amazing!

And then I got home...and slept...forever! I mean, I slept for forever! I felt way lazy. But it was good, it was fun. I'm glad I did it.

ABC's

A - Age: 17
B - Bed size: twin
C - Chore you hate: laundry- especially folding it. Ugh!
D - Pets' names: Belle, and Quincy too I guess :)

E - Essential start your day item: hairbrush!
F - Favorite color: Love purple!
G - Gold or Silver: Generally silver probably, but if gold matches it better then gold
H - Height: Five feet, and somewhere between 8 or 9 inches
I - Instruments you play(ed): I played the violin in 5th grade *shudder* I played the french horn, the piano a little and I sing
J- Job title: Shift Leader (read that shake ninja)

K - Kid(s): None currently (I know- you can all breathe a sigh of relief)
L - Living arrangements: I live in the den, in my parents house
M - Mom's name: Penny
N - Nicknames: Bonnie Brooke, Bonnie Belle, Bonniemo, Gym, Bondage
O - Overnight hospital stay: I don't think I've ever stayed over night...I went to get stitches once though...
P - Pet Peeve: People who always leave their mouth open, dried ketchup on the lid, and people who pat my head
Q - Quote from a movie: "You're a frog! You're supposed to have cold feet!" Muppet Treasure Island and "Oh, Bonnie has no lover? That's ok- I'll be your lover Bonnie" My 4 year old nephew
R - Right or left handed: Left
S - Siblings: 5 sisters and 3 brothers
T - Time you wake up: It varies- I try to generally get up at 8
U- Underwear: under there
V - Vegetable you dislike: lima beans, and water chesnuts
W - Ways you run late: Traffic being bad, and having to a) do something for someone else on the way or b) having to depend on someone else for my ride
X - X-rays you've had: ...I don't think I've had one....
Y - Yummy food you make: Shepards Pie! And various desserts!
Z - Zoo favorite: Penguins and reptiles

Graduation

My heavens, even though I really did graduate 6 months ago this graduation seems to be fairly important (at least judging by the amount of drama there is over it. :) )

Graduation for everyone else at my school is tomorrow and I never knew that they could make such a big deal out of something that wasn't a wedding. I mean, for heavens sake- the planning and arguments and anger that has come out of this thing....and it's still not even gonna be that good. :)

But yeah, today is the senior barbecue and the end of the year assembly and a big senior cry out as they are calling it and all day tomorrow is graduation practice and graduation and dinners and...sheesh....good thing I got out when I did. Although I am still going and I suspect I may even have a little fun- it is a social event after all.

Especially since Mrs. Kidd has decided that she's going to give the seniors all thank you notes and pens and while the graduation is going we're supposed to thank all the people who have given us stuff (not that I've gotten anything... *cough*)

Can I just say I think this is an extremely bad idea. Does anyone else envision paper airplanes flying around during my graduation? I do...and while that certainly may be humorous to ME I don't know if everyone will think so.

Ah....busy and yet so pointless days. The stuff dreams are made of. :)

Libraries!

Can I just say that I am so addicted to these too?

I mean it, I am virtually useless the night of and the day after a library trip. I love reading, I always have, and there is something so absolutely wonderful about going down to the library and mingling among the dusty old tomes and picking out your favorites that you've read hundreds of times and choosing new ones that you've never read but they look good and they fit in your hand. (Don't look at me like I'm crazy, books have to fit before I'll read them)

And then all the rest of that glorious night I'll read. I'll stay up late hoping to finish the first book (I almost always do...) and I'll actually wake up when my alarm goes off rather than hit the snooze, just so I can pick up where I left off.

And--sadly enough-- I do get grumpy when interrupted. People who need rides or want to talk? Well, not a good morning for those sorry unfortunates to pop their head in my door.

The ardor cools off in a day or so and I'm able to pick up scattered pieces of where I left my life and move on, but in my heart I'm never the same.

Ah, I love libraries! THEY ARE SO AMAZING!

Movies!

Can I just say- I am in love with Redbox. Seriously, I love it! SO USEFUL!

Over the last week or so I've started to get addicted to these $1 movies. I've seen 4 that I want to talk about.

First off I saw 7 pounds- the one starring Will Smith! LOVED IT!! It was one of the best freaking movies I'd seen. LOVED IT!

Secondly was Bride Wars which I had been wanting to see for some time starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson. It was alot better than I was expecting and was really quite cute. You know how sometimes in movies you watch people do things to each other and you just cringe from embarrassment? These ones weren't like that so much- oh they did things to each other but I was laughing so hard at them!

The third one I've seen recently was called Princess A Modern Story or something like that. I'd never heard of it before but it was so cute!! I didn't know either of the main people in it- they weren't big names or anything- but it was such a cute movie! It's about this princess who mistakes a humdrum man for someone special because of a cheesy (and when I say cheesy I DO most certainly mean cheesy) pick-up line he uses on her. It was such a cute movie and I loved it. And I LOVED the princesses dresses, especially this purple one!!

The last one was called Nick and Norah's Infinate Playlist- starring Michael Cera and a girl that I recognized but can't remember her name, which is driving me crazy-- This one was probably the most....dirty perhaps is a good word...of the 4 but I liked it just the same. It all takes place within a 24 hour span of time and it was a cute story of finding love.

I love movies! I love renting them for $1! LOVE IT!

Pictures

Ok, in all honesty I just walked 4 miles in order to get pictures taken. What is wrong with me?

Today was the senior picture day so I dressed, got my hair all fancy, wore a skirt- all that jazz. I get to DaVinci and they tell me we're going to go down the river, find a nice place to do the entire senior class and then do some individuals at different places along the river....

2 freaking miles later we come to a spot where we have some lunch waiting for us and we get our big group photo taken (now that we all look disgusting and sweaty because we just walked 2 miles in the hot sun...)

We eat lunch (thanks heavens for that at least!) and start back. Almost as soon as I started walking I got a stitch in my side from walking so soon after eating. And I had it...the whole 2 miles back to DaVinci.

Yeah, 4 whole miles just to get some pictures. All I can say is these had better be some darn good pictures!

Seminary Graduation!

I DID IT!! I'M DONE! After 4 years of getting up early, going to a noisy/dead (depending on the day) class and trying my best to be good I am officially a seminary graduate!!

I'm so happy!

They made a much bigger deal of it than I was expecting. We had a procession and shook hands and it was like, well a graduation. I'm not sure why that threw me off so, but it did.

Anyway, one of the big things that they stressed was taking institute (which I already was gonna do anyway) and they gave us a list of summer institute classes to take. So, here's what I need help with. I'm gonna post the ones I'm torn between taking and I need my faithful readers to vote for which one they think I should take. Ok? Great!

1) Book of Mormon (1 Nephi- Alma 29)
2) D & C (Sections 77-138)
3) Preparing for an eternal marriage
4) Doctrines of the Gospel (part 2)

Which one readers?

Wedding Reception

So today I was employed working a wedding reception. (You know Jossi, you saw me there--tell me, did I look all professional?)

And it was actually such a blast! Lisa, my boss, had her oldest son Jake FINALLY getting married today and so she hired me and a coworker of my (Bryn, one of my favorites) to work from about 5 to 9:30 and get things prepped for the reception and make sure that there was food at all times (and in all things, and in all places :) ) and can I just say we did a fantastic job!

Bryn and I were absolutely hopping for 4 1/2 straight hours (trust me my feet are killing me!) and there was always food, always fruit, always drinks, always dessert, we pretty much rocked the socks off of those people. But I had such fun!

It was a great night!

Empty House

Ok, this is crazy and frankly I'm not sure how I like it.

Everyone is gone, my house is quiet, and kind of cold and empty. (I mean, it won't be a permanent have everyone gone, more of a most people are gone until tonight thingy...)

But Thom, Mom, and Dad left early this morning to go to the MTC and I have no idea when they'll be home, Thom I won't see for two years and I am going to miss him like crazy! I mean, he's only been gone for two hours and I already miss him!

Val left Monday night, Chuck left Tuesday morning, Dieuwke and the kids left today....I'm feeling extremely alone. I don't like being alone.

The preceding days to Thom's departure have been very very fun though! On Sunday afternoon we did stick pulls and leg wresting and had games. (Chuck TOTALLY kicked butt on the stick pull for males but I would like to proudly announce that I was the female champion for teh stick pull!) Monday was the day he got set apart and we had a huge dinner in his honor afterwards. Then on Tuesday of course he couldn't be left alone since he was officially a missionary so he just did odds and ends to get ready to go.

And now? He's gone....it's so odd!

Now for viewing pleasure (because I personally love seeing pictures on other people's blogs) the pictures!

This is everyone (who was endowed anyway) at the Jordan River Temple, doing a session as a family

Thom's mission picture- a little cheesy we know, but we love it!

Thom, Chuck, and Lance stick pulling. Thom and Lance were using both of their arms, and Chuck was using his...4 against two, well, the 4 won.

However, when Thom and Lance only used one arm each Chuck still kicked their trash

Getting prepped

The kids stick pulled against each other too- it was so freaking cute

I believe Aurora was champion over the kids- of course they didn't really understand the concept so Ethan was always losing on purpose because he thought that was winning

And they wanted to stick pull against the adults too- of course they won all those!

Me versus Aurora. (While it was with the kids I didn't really feel the need to change out of my skirt, but once it got serious with the adults I quickly switched to sweats)

Dieuwke vs. Val- they were quite evenly matched

Haha, look at the expression on our faces- we were definately trying!

Victory was mine!

Heehee, Lance wanted to go against me to see how strong I was. Look at his face!! He is so obviously toying with me and I was trying so hard!!!

Me vs. Mom-- she's freaking tough!

All three girls vs. Chuck- you want to know the sad thing? 6 arms versus 2 arms, and we still totally lost

Dieuwke vs. Mom- look at Mom just haul her up!

Thom vs. Chuck in leg wrestling. In general I'd say Thom was the champion of this one

Lance vs. Chuck

Lance and Thom, :D Look at the strain on their faces!

Me against Maren

All of the siblings after Thom got set apart on Monday night

Thom with the next two missionaries for our family! Don't they all just look so handsome?

Thom and Mom and Dad after he got set apart

The guys- Chuck, Lance, Thom, Dad, and Uncle Jonathan

*sigh* We wish you luck and we'll miss you Thom!!!

Happy Mothers Day

I just want to say Happy Mothers Day to all you mothers out there and show my recognition and love for all of you! Being a mother is NOT easy and I am impressed and continually amazed at how wonderful all of you are and I just love and adore you!

I hope your Mothers Day is absolutely wonderful!!

And now for your reading enjoyment I have two things I received in e-mails over the years that I would like to share with you all now, specifically meant for mothers- to help you all realize how wonderful you are. I know you're amazing- but do you?

Number 1:

By the time the Lord made woman, He was into his sixth day of working overtime.

An angel appeared and said, "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"

And the Lord answered, "Have you seen my spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart -and she will do everything with only two hands."

The angel was astounded at the requirements. "Only two hands!? No way! And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."

But I won't," the Lord protested. "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days."

The angel moved closer and touched the woman. "But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?" asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate."

The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak," the Lord corrected, "that's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride."

The angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing."

And she is! Women have strengths that amaze men.

They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.

They sing when they want to cry.

They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.

They fight for what they believe in.

They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.

They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.

They love unconditionally.

They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.

Their hearts break when a friend dies.

They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.

They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning. They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideals. They give moral support to their family and friends. Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,
IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH



Number 2:


This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's okay honey, Mommy's here."
Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.
This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.
For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T. This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.
This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.
And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.
This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.
This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.
This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.
For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."
This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.
This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.
This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college.
This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomachaches assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.
This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them. T
his is for all the step-mothers who raised another woman's child or children, and gave their time, attention, and love... sometimes totally unappreciated!
For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.
For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting.
For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.
This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart?
Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?
The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation...And mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without.
This is for you all. For all of us. Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them. And pray.

Home is what catches you when you fall - and we all fall."

Family!

Family family everywhere! It is so amazing and crazy!

Nieces, nephews, sisters, brothers, man! It's amazing!

This morning three of my sisters and I just hung out and got jamba juice and great harvest bread and then we cleaned the house (I totally rocked the socks off of that fridge- it's so squeaky clean!) and then we got my brother and together we all went out to lunch. We were going to go to Texas Roadhouse but NO they don't open until 4 (sheesh...) so we went to Ruby River Steakhouse instead.

Afterwards we went to go and visit an old teacher of ours, Mrs. Sepulveda, who actually had all 9 of us while we were in middle school- she was SO thrilled to see us!!

After seeing her we dropped Chuck off and the four gals went to TJ Maxx and bought some skirts and dresses (they are all so gorgeous, but man, Pam's takes the cake- she is smoking in that!)

And then...I had to go to work. Sad. But I'm sure more is on the way!

Fun days, fun days

Family Home Evening!

Alright, so last night I had the absolutely best family home evening (hereafter referred to as FHE) ever!!

So normally we don't really have FHE...we're kind of slackers on that, but last night mom told Kim and me that we were in charge of coming up with an idea. So I told them that we should have a lesson on knowledge and go to the new library that opened in Pleasant Valley. Little did I know when we started on this adventure exactly where it would lead.

So we (we being Mom, Dad, Kim, and I) headed down to the new library doing song, prayer, and spiritual thought on the way.

We got to the library, took a look around, saw loads of books (which wasn't too suprising as it is a library) checked out some books and saw (my personal favorite) a staircase that went nowhere. I'm not even kidding- this staircase was entirely there for show, it led nowhere. I laughed so hard when dad explained it to me.

So, after we had finished with the library dad suggested us going to get something to eat (which didn't really come as a big suprise, the majority of us were all hungry) and so we went to Sandy's for dinner. While we were eating dinner somehow the subject of mini golf came up, we laughed about the fact that mom always won- but otherwise the subject was dropped and forgotten, or so we thought.

After dinner was over we all piled in the car and dad just started driving. We weren't really sure where he was going (I personally wasn't paying too much attention as I had just checked out 11 new books and I was plenty happy in the backseat) when all of a sudden he pulled up into the parking lot of Toads (formally called Mulligans). Apparently we were all going to go mini golfing.

And off we went! It was so much fun! Of course (no suprise to any of us) mom won! Dad came in a close second, Kim third and me, (also no suprise to any of us) well, I came in last. But I looked good, and I had a fantabulous time! (Also for any of you looking for tips on how to mini golf better I've found that if you do a little butt jiggle before you shoot you aim better- not even kidding. Although the jiggle looks best if you're wearing a skirt apparently)

And then after mini golf we headed home to read, correct tests, and sleep. It was all so much fun!! I hadn't been mini golfing in ages, and it was just so great!

Man, life is just so great!

Prom!

Ok, so here's the deal. Start at the bottom of this blog and work your way up? Ok? It'll just be easier for all concerned. Ok... just read backwards, upwards? Read yeah, you'll figure it out

Yet again, still...and we got pictures at the dance too! Go us

Still Zach and me (this part is pretty self-explanatory)

Zach and me

With my date!

Ha! Tiffany and I fake hugged so we could get it on camera--the first REAL hug was much better.

I'm thinking I was torn between smiling and talking when this picture was taken...maybe laughing.

This is essentially what I looked like. We had this nice jewelry for it that matched and everything! I was so happy!

Yep...still ready

Finally ready, after all that work!

Finally ready!:

And she did my make-up, I have to admit, I looked pretty darn good

The sparkles! I loved them! They so matched my dress!

My hair!! Tiffany did SUCH a good job!

Still getting ready- it was a fairly long process...

Part of my hair

I got to put sparkles in my hair- it was fantastic!

Tiffany doing my hair- don't laugh at my face ok?

Getting Ready:

Michael with paint, everywhere. Which is fair, because he's the one that started it all anyway

Tiffany and Michael during finger painting pictionary

Michael with his blue mohawk (which we held up with blue paint...)

Me, looking at the utter disaster that was my face and hands

Michael Farr- enough said

Finger painting:

And now, for your viewing pleasure (drum roll please...) the pictures!

As promised--the day after no less, I didn't even waste time-- I have pictures for you all. We have some crazy pictures of the after effects of the paint fight we had (which was inevitable with the finger painting- we all knew it would happen) we have some pictures of me getting ready, some pictures of me actually ready, and some pictures of me and Zach.

Just in case any of you were curious I had an absolutely fabulous time! We had finger painting and we played pictionary with finger paints (which was quite hard) and Zach and I had dinner at The Oakes up in the canyon (which has an absolutely fantastic view!) and we had s'mores by a fire after the date was over. It was all very grand and I had so much fun!