I found the following pieces of advice while searching for something for a friend, and thought they were great reminders not only to myself but to any woman at any point in her life.

***

Go for the guy that makes you feel like you are more important to him then the air in his lungs and the stars in his sky; the guy who makes you feel on top of the world is the one who will keep you there.

***

11 Things Every Girl Should Hold Out For

1. A guy who can make you smile...Some things in life are not funny. Can he make you at least chuckle when the chips are down?

2. A guy who will laugh at your jokes and "get" you...He might not understand you perfectly on the first date, but if you think you're funny at tall, I hope he gets that and appreciates it about you.

3. A guy who will attend your lame "things"...Adult dance recital, Mom's birthday party? Find the guy who will go to something boring even though he will get nothing out of it- he'll go for you.

4. A guy who will do nothing with you...And I mean nothing, if you're feeling low-energy, anti-social, or blah, can he sit and do nothing with you or does he always leave you on the couch and go party with the guys? And could you two entertain each other on a deserted island or while stuck in traffic.

5. A guy who will give you a thoughtful gift or card...not every time, obviously, but I would hope he would have his moments of showing you he has thought about you.

6. A guy who will say he loves you...I do not care about his made-up theory that love is just a social construct or what have you. Hold out for someone who can and will say it. Also, he shouldn't say it just because you want him to; he should say it because it feels good to say it.

7. A guy you respect...Does he have a good head on his shoulders? Does he like his job? Is he proud of himself?

8. A guy you have good chemistry with...He doesn't have to be Jude Law, but you should be attracted enough so that every time you have an argument, you will be motivated (by your underlying desire for him)to work it out.

9. A guy who agrees with you about travel...If you have wanderlust and he never wants to leave his hometown, don't compromise by staying with him long-term and staying home. It's fine to be a homebody, but if you're interested in exploring, find a guy with the travel bug. Otherwise, you'll look back one day when you're too old, tired or broke and you'll wish you had seen the world.

10. A guy with similar family goals...Don't compromise on whether or not you'll have kids. If you want them, find a guy who does.

*and the most important one*

11. Wait for a guy who sees you the way you want to be seen...He thinks you're smart, funny, beautiful, and powerful-ALWAYS. Even on days when you can't believe any of that about yourself.

***

Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep...wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends, who thinks you're just as pretty without makeup on. One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have you....the one who will turn to his friend and say "that's her".

***

so 10 years ago I graduated highschool.
I was headed to college to play soccer and become a nurse.

I was 17.

still just a girl.

and I planned to take on the world.

...

I'm now 27.

I'm a mother (similar to a nurse without a paycheck).
I sit on the side lines of my son's soccer games.

I'm a woman...

however I still plan to take on the world.

...

This last weekend was my 10 year highschool reunion.

Cougars

(as in the animal not old prowling women)

came from all over the country to celebrate

our youth, our friendships and SLHS.

...

sometimes growing up in a small town was hard.

especially when you were somewhat of a "rebel"...

but I do love that many of the people I graduated Kindergarten with are the ones I graduated Highschool with.

And they are the ones that I was able to reconnect with Saturday.

Some are moms.

others are dads.
there are teachers.

and

lawyers.

Mr. Cook is going to soon be Dr. Cook.

Yet the thing that we all have in common is where we grew up.

It's a family of sorts.

And I kind of love it.

...

Then... Now....

Things I learned from my weekend with the Burkes....

* We are grazers.

* Regardless of how great we

think we are at Rock Band we should not quit our day jobs,

except for Ry he can sing.

* Billy missed his calling as a runway model.

* Nana loves Kevin more than me.

* I am too old to stay up till 4 am two nights in a row.

*Patrick has reflexes like a cat, all nimbly bimbly, jumping in the pool after Ally.

*Ryan has a smile that lights up the room...I realized I miss our summers together, but am so happy to have those memories.

*Nana doesn't currently, nor has she ever liked Bananas.

* Nikole is an amazing girl, seriously world watch out!
* Although we may not cut it as rock stars there is hope for us as a family circus.

* That some people shouldn't talk about dinosaurs when they have had too much to drink.

* Friendship is a beautiful thing....seeing my Nana hug her best friend Joy and hearing her say "I thought I'd never see you again" was such a special moment.

*Cody and Kohl are buds.

* My brother is an excellent stalker.

*I'm blessed to be the only granddaughter surrounded by some of the most amazing men.

*I will never get tired of having my Nana sing "Daddy's little girl" for me.

* My dad could be a hairy, slightly bigger, Steve Erwin
*Old family photos=hours of laughter.

* C-walk (or C-whack according to my mom) is a bowling shark, Frisbee shark, underwater swimming shark, ping-pong shark etc...

**ringer**

*Fire Hydrants can do damage to your cars' bumper.

*Zack and Linds are like the cutest couple ever.

*When Nana said her "gentlemen friend" was a SOB for not coming to her party I almost died.

*Kevin's got a sick 6-pack, too bad it rubbed off because it was 115 outside.

*In my mother's eyes is a beautiful song, especially when sung by my Aunt Pat to my Nana.

*We are winners, similar to Charlie Sheen,

but with more tiger blood.

***Most of all I realized that I am blessed beyond measure. I have an amazing and loving family. It's an awesome thing to walk into a room full of people and know that they love you and support you. As I've gotten older I've realized how special and rare that is. It's how family should be, but far too often it's not. My family has taught me so much....they've taught me to treat people like family, to not know a stranger. They've taught me to laugh. And that it's ok to cry. They've taught me to believe in myself. But most of all they have taught me love.

And love is a beautiful thing.

LiTtLe MiSs SaSsY pAnTs TuRnS 2!!!

So although her symptoms

(tantrums, saying NO a million times, not listening, spitting...yes spitting, so gross right?, saying shu-up, etc...) started several months ago...

Allysa has now officially turn 2!

We celebrated her birthday several weeks ago, and were surrounded once again by many family and friends. I love birthdays, it's such a good reminder as to how blessed the kids and I are. We have the most amazing family and friends in the world.

Ally's party also helped me to realize just how much I love parties! Someday when my dream man sweeps me off my feet I think Is shall start a party planning business...until then Kohl and Ally will have the bestest parties around!

Here's some pictures from her party:

...MoThErHoOd...

So mornings at our house are similar to tornadoes...it's madness. Sometimes I feel as though I'm a chicken with it's head cut off. This morning was no exception. However I came across a scene that caused me to pause and reflect on how precious Motherhood is...

From the time I was little the one thing I knew I wanted to be was a mother. Don't get me wrong like other little girls I also dreamed of being a nurse, a teacher, an astronaut at one point even. But regardless of what career path I choose I knew I wanted to be a Mom while doing it.

Watching Ally this morning put a diaper on her sock monkey melted my heart. She's already motherly, maybe not when she chokes the dog, but it's there. I see it. And I love it.

Motherhood is such a blessing, it's something that I don't think has or will ever get the credit it deserves. It's the hardest job one could have, but with the greatest of rewards. Paychecks come in the form of kisses and I love yous.

Sadly the world doesn't seem to put value in motherhood.

It seems that society today frowns on a woman who chooses to stay home and raise a family, I long for those days. I daydream of them, while I'm selling cable to this person or internet to that person. I dream of staying home and taking care of my babies, of cooking dinner for my family. I dream of a hot, hot husband (it's my dream he might as well be hot right?) to come home from work happy to see me, and our rug rats. One day I hope to have it.

I'm grateful for the women and the mothers in my life that have been amazing examples. That have cherished motherhood. It's an amazing gift, one that I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for.

-word to your mother!-

---my happy lines---

So for the past couple of weeks, possibly even months I have been noticing lines, dare I say wrinkles when I smile.

Up until this morning my thoughts have gone something like this: I'm 27, I'm entirely way too young to have wrinkles. Granted I'm a single mom with 2 kids, I work full time, go to school part time....(should I continue??), I get it my plate is kind of full so maybe it's aged me some, but still I'm only 27,wrinkles really???

Needless to say I have not been excited about these little buggers.

But while examining them in the mirror this morning I realized that they aren't wrinkles caused by my full plate but they are my "happy" lines. They only appear when I smile. And when I realized that I thought back to this last year and found that I am happy.

I'm happier than I have been in years, and I mean years (lots and lots of years). I feel like at 27 I'm finally beginning to realize who I am and who I have the potential to become, and that, my friends, is a great feeling.

2010 was an amazing year! I hiked Havasupai, jumped out of an airplane with my best friend, moved out on my own (Hallelujah!), Allysa turned 1, Kohl was baptized. It was truly a great year. I'm beyond blessed. And it's because I'm surrounded by the best of friends, along with a wonderful and supporting family.

Let me just add that 2011 isn't looking too shabby either.

I guess the moral of this post is that at first glance one may just see wrinkles, but upon further examination one couldn't help but see them as happy lines.

Here's wishing you all lots and lots of "happy lines".

Amazing friend=Amazing Summer

This is Amber....and she's amazing.

She was like medicine to me this summer....she helped me find me again. I realized so much about myself this last summer and it was because I had a wonderful friend by my side, who loved me for me. I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father brought Amber into my life at a time that I needed it most. Before she came to live in Prescott I was in a rut. I was much happier than I had been a year before but I was still lonely. I was awkward. I was still shy to tell my story. I was unsure of myself and honestly lacking so much confidence. But Amber helped me out of that rut....it wasn't anything in particular that she did or said, just an unspoken belief she had in me that helped.

We had so much fun this summer. It was like being a kid again, I felt alive. And felt a happiness that I hadn't felt in about 10 years. She broke me out of my shell....and I will be forever grateful for that. I still am awkward at times, and still short of some confidence. But I'm not afraid to tell my story. Love me or hate me for it...it's mine and I embrace now.

Back to Amber...we had fun this summer. We hiked. We camped. We took a spontaneous trip to California. We volunteered. We played in the mud. Our adventures will continue because we will be friends for life. She is an amazing friend, and amazing "aunt" and I'm blessed to have her in my life.

Here are some pictures from our adventures!