Life is a funny thing

So I graduated for beauty school and am now working full time for Paul Mitchell the School Provo. I work part time at the front desk and part time as a student teacher. It is exactly what I wanted to do when I was done with school. Ethan and I moved out of my dad's. He has gotten a lot better since my moms passing and my older brother is moving home from the military so it was time for Ethan and I to move on. We rented the cutest little house in Provo that was built in the 1940's and I love it. Things seem to be going my way. Everything that I planned for my education is coming to pass. I start Utah Valley University in the spring to finish up my bachelors degree in business. I got the classes I needed at the times that I needed so I can still finish up my student teaching at PMTS. I love my husband and my family I have nothing to complain about, but why do I feel so sad? Why is it that when things are hard and I get hit with trial after trail I can put a smile on my face but when things are going great I can't even force a grin?

The small things

I was thinking the other day about how the small thing always seem to matter the most and thought that with every post i would try to include at least one small thing that I enjoyed

A few things I enjoy just to get started:

the smell of clean laundry
the sound of a baseball hitting a bat
my dads laugh
waking up early, showering, and then going back to bed
the feel of the warm sun through a window
walking barefoot
the smell of rain

Sunday a day for church and BBQ

So today to celebrate my brother coming home before deployment and my sister moving back from North Carolina we had a BBQ and some family time. I made a rack of ribs,two split chickens, corn, mashed potatoes, rolls, baked beans, and homemade ice cream sandwhiches for dessert. I love having my sister close and my brother home. Ethan's sister Meredith, yes we both have sisters named Meredith, came over because she is part of the family.

Part of my silly family

Yes I did the grilling too!

My mom taught her kids well =)


My brother Sam due for his second 18months deployment in Sept.

Oh PS! I added pictures to a previouse post so scroll down

Boating

So my dad has always had a special place in his heart for camping. Camping is the one thing my family did as a vacation. Some of my favorite childhood memories are camping with my family. We have this old 76 Viking party boat. It was nothing pretty but it was ours. My mom would pick us kids up from school in her fish'n vest with the van loaded up and the boat on back. She would tell the front desk she needed to pick us up because we were sick and we were going to be sick for the next two weeks. In second grade we missed so much school the school notified the police. I love to camp and to be out doors. Well the poor Viking boat has seen better days. It has five cracks in the engine. It has been my dad's goal to fix the Viking boat so we can go boating and camping again. By the time we fixed up the Viking boat it would cost an arm and a leg and who knows how long it would take.... sooo.... Ethan and I bought a boat!!!! The boat is in our name but technically it is my dads boat cause he is paying us back. It is not a super nice boat but it is perfect for my dad and he loves it. The only sad part is we are getting rid of the Viking which has been in our family for years. We have been boat twice in the last three days and me and my dad are going fishing first thing Monday morning. I love to see my dad smile and he smiles the biggest when he is on the water.

I Am Goining to Get Better I Promise

Wow April was a long time ago.... ok so in May I was able to hitch a ride with a girl from school to California. It was so nice to be back home and to see people I haven't seen in forever. I got to hang out with my best friend and my adopted little sister Trystan and Sarah Warren. I also got to visit my nieces and nephew. My older brother passed away in 2006 at the age of 25. When he passed he had two daughters with one on the way. For the first time since his funeral I was able to spend time with my nieces and my new nephew who was named after my brother, Nathan Sylvan Adams Jr. When I saw all of them together my heart melted. Each of them had my brothers mannerisms and his laugh. My nephew was the spitting image of my brother. When I held him and he smiled at me with the same dimples and mischievous smile as my brother I couldn't help it I started to cry. I know my brothers spirit is with his kids, as crazy as that sounds, and I know that he is with them always and even the can't see him or talk to him they will constantly have him with them throughout their lives looking after, guiding, and protecting them.

Me and Megs best friend since before I could talk
Trystan and I shopping


My Nieces and Nephew Lili Kaylee and Nathan Jr.



He looks just like my brother




I also got a job. I am the newest employee of Paul Mitchell the School. I am a front desk coordinator for night school. This job has been the biggest blessing. After going to school here at Paul Mitchell and learning about the company and its' cultures I have decided that this company is where I want to make my career, so working here now is just one step closer. It is also nice cause I just go to school all day then clock out from school and clock into work; I don't have to drive anywhere or change my clothes.

What else.... oh. My little brother Quincy had brain surgery. He was diagnosed with a pituitary tumour about six months ago. He then was placed on medication and after waiting a couple months the doctors decided the medication wasn't working and it was time to take the tumour out. We got the the hospital at noon and did not leave until after midnight. Quincy had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days and then was able to come home. He was a champ throughout the whole thing. He is just like my mom a fighter. He didn't let it get him down. He was up and moving around and doing for himself within a week. The doctors were not able to get it all but I am not worried I know in my heart that he will be fine.

I also through a baby shower for my friend Amy from school. It was my first baby shower but all in all I think it went well. My friend Harmony planned all the games which was amazing cause I had no clue what to do. I made a cake and we BBQ'ed hamburgers and had enough food to feed a third world country. Amy seemed happy which made me happy so it was good.

The girls from schoolAmy and her friendsThis is the cake I made
AND!!!! My sister moved back to Utah from North Carolina. My sister moved aways almost two years ago with her husband and two kids. My brother in law is in the military and they had to go for training. Now his training is almost done and she has come back. I flew out on Friday July 3 to North Carolina and on the 4th me, my sister, my sister's dog and my niece and nephew took off for Utah. It took us about four days to travel through ten states but it was fun. I got to spend hours just talking and joking with her in the car. We have become super close over the past couple of years and I am so glad she is back. Her and I are 8 years apart and we have different mothers but the same father. We never say half, she is my sister though and through. She lost her mom when she was 21 as well so we just get each other. We spent the whole trip making a list of all the things we are going to do throughout our lives together and I can't wait to start checking things off that list.

My sister Meredith

My anniversary is this month... July 21,2009. Ethan and I will have been married for two years. It has been a crazy two years but I wouldn't change a thing. I didn't think it was possible to continue to have my love for him grow but it does everyday.

My cute husband... ;)

Too Little Too Late

Ok so I am a horrible blogger. If it makes you feel any better I only right in my journal once a year.

We are still in the process of moving out of Spanish Fork but have successfully move into the house in Lehi. This house is wonderful. I can't tell you what a difference this house has made. My dad is doing better. He has been able to do a little more each day which is nice because for awhile we were not sure if he would be able to even walk by himself again.

I got to go to an educational event in Vegas at the end of Feb with my school. It was a worth while experience. I met John Paul himself along with tons of other people I look up to in the hair industry. Here are some pics from that.

Long Story Short

Ok so here is the deal. The foundation of my dad's house sank. There is three divots in the pipe and the main drainage pipe connecting the house to the main city pipe disconnected and broke. The entire basement (where Ethan and I live) flooded with tons of water and sewage water. We couldn't use the toilets, sink, shower, dishwasher... nothing. The estimate to repair the damage was astronomical. The house has a government lean against it because my dad owned his business when he got sick from agent orange and we lost everything. He was unable to work for a long time because he needs a heart transplant and is not considered an eligible recipient. He owes back taxes for the years he was ill and had no medical coverage. It took the government years to recognize him as fully disabled. We cant afford to fix the house and due to the lean cannot sell the house so we are stuck. On top of being stuck my dads doctor told me that with my dad's health condition I had to get him out of the house immediately. His immune system is weak and the chance of infection from mold and sewage water were too great a risk. The only option I could come up with is to foreclose and move. This way the IRS gets money and so does the bank but my dad is out what he has already paid for the house. We found a nice house in Lehi and moved in about a week ago. Life is crazy. I spend all my time trying to organize, go through, and condense the 50 years of stuff my parents had in their house. It is so hard cause they both grew up on the heels of the depression and keep everything. Everyday is about a 15 hour day between school, packing, and the commute. It is harder then I thought it would be to go through all of my mothers things. There is so much stuff in the house that I have avoided because it reminds me of all the things we didn't get to do together. There is this board my sister made for my mom that says, "the only thing better then having you for a mother is having you as a grandma for my kids." What am I supposed to do with that. It was so true she was a great grandma. Even when she was weak from chemo she built a tent in the living room and slept on the floor with her grand kids. I don't want to get rid of it but at the same time its a reminder of what my kids will never have. There is so much to do and I feel very overwhelmed and I feel like a one man band cause I am the only one doing anything. I know there are plenty of people who would be willing to help me but I am too embarrassed to ask for help moving out of a house my dad is foreclosing on. It is not my foreclosure and I know the circumstances behind the decision to walk away but that doesn't make it any easier. We had to foreclose on a house when I was a kid due to my dad getting sick and I am not sure if I am over the embarrassment and insecurities I felt as a kid for having to live in a hotel. It was not my dad's fault and this is not his fault either I just wish knowing that would make it easier. These past two years have been the best and worst times of my life but to be honest I am ready for it to be smooth sailing even if its just for a little while.

Still Alive.....Sorta

So I am still alive but I just haven't felt like blogging. I wish I could say that I my life has been crazy and I have been so busy nut the truth is eveything is the same with me. the same thing day after day. Her are some pics of me and my hubby. Over the last month or so. Hopefully I will feel like writing soon enough.