10 years ago.....

10 years ago, I graduated from high school. I can't believe it's been a whole 10 years. We had our class reunion and you might be wondering if I went........First, lets look back at some pictures from my senior year.

 I was in an audition choir since 9th grade. I started singing in choir in 5th grade and found a great love for it during 8th grade when I asked my parents if I could take singing lessons. I LOVED them! It was something I  could practice and practice all day long and never tire of. So my high school days were filled with music festivals, holiday party's, concerts, dinner shows and solo festivals. Our high school didn't have an audition choir for sophomores but our choir teacher decided to make a special exception my sophomore year. It was for a mic on mic jazz group. Only 12 people made it in and I was one of the first sopranos. A great experience that I will never forget. We traveled to Seattle my senior year for a jazz festival and I had a solo in one of our songs and I won an outstanding vocalist award! Private groups or companies would pay to have us sing at their Christmas parties through out the month of December. Every year, during the holiday season, those memories come flooding back to me.

 Dinner show was always held in February. My senior year we did scenes from The Music Man and Bye Bye Birdie!

 I was a choir nerd, but I loved it!

 High School graduation! I was so ready to be done and move on with life!

 Seminary graduation!

 Last year of girls camp!

 I sang "Someone to Watch Over Me." in the big auditorium during dinner theater. I'll never forget when my dad was helping with sound stuff one of the nights and my choir teacher told my dad, while I was singing: "You should be very proud of your daughter." What a great compliment :)

 We were a pretty close group of friends!

 A daddy daughter Young Women's activity my senior year!

 Graduation after party - singing karaoke!

 One of my very best friends through out high school! Couldn't have made it through with out you, Jana!

 We had fun at dances, but maybe the most fun BEFORE the dances - getting ready!

An activity for young women my senior year. I thought it was so cool to milk a cow!

 Who would have thought I would marry a farmer?! And a dairy farmer at that ?!

 This was dinner theater from my junior year! This group of girls were all seniors, except for me. We had a little quartet for the dinner show and we sang "Mr. Sandman" for our school talent show :)

 I made a quilt for one of my personal progress goals. I also added sleeves to my prom dress to make it modest for one of my goals as well, my senior year!

 This was high school graduation........confusing because it looks like I was graduating from Boise State...

 And here I am 10 years later with some very dear friends from high school. Andrew was a year younger than Jana and myself. We got together a few weeks ago to catch up a little bit.

There are only a handful of people I still keep in contact with since high school. So, with all of the memories and pictures I have from that time in my life.....I wanted to keep it at just that :) I didn't attend my high school reunion and probably won't attend any future ones. Well, I guess I have another 10 years to think about it :)

Fun stuff!

Evie started ballet a couple of weeks ago. It's just one day a week for 45 minutes. She is taking it with 2 of her cousins. They all love it and have so much fun together!

 We aren't allowed in the classroom during class time. So we all sit and watch through the window. Hopefully on the last day we will get to watch them do a little recital :)

 Zayne does OK while we wait for the girls. This guy is pretty outnumbered during the day :)

 After her first day I asked her what her favorite part was and she said "spinning!"

A couple weeks after ballet started she started swim lessons. She is doing this with the same cousins. Although, Felicity usually refuses to get in. Evie and Lilly really enjoy it! Lilly is like a little fish...Evie is a little more apprehensive.

 She doesn't like to float on her back. See how rigid she is?! Hahha! Hopefully she gets more comfortable!

This last Friday they had them hold on to the side of the pool and follow the edge to the diving board so they could jump off to their teachers. Evie was not having that one....she was really scared. She ended up just jumping off the side of the pool. Maybe next week?! We will see :) She is having fun with all of these activities. It's fun to have a little one get older. It's fun to watch them grow and learn. For now, anyway ;)

The year I turned 28 :)

I turned 28 this year! To me, it sounds old, but I still feel 18....although, clearly, I don't look it anymore.

Here's a flashback for you! There I am in the hospital :)

 My very first birthday cake. I am lucky to have been born on my dad's birthday. It's something special we have always been able to share! Love you, dad!

Here I am on my blessing day - my, how time flies....kind of ;)

 This year my birthday fell on my parents annual neighborhood garage sales. My sister made this beautiful pink lemonade cake for me. Thanks, Char - it was delicious!

 We went to Famous Daves for my free birthday meal. Evie loves Broccoli! It was a pretty low key day. I picked out a new pair of flip flops the night before and have been enjoying them immensely. I LOVE chacco sandals and will probably never own a pair of anything else ever again! I finally used the gift certificate for my hour massage that Owen got me last year for my birthday. It's never too late, right?! And may I say it was amazing! Great gift, love :) And on the bright side of things......this whole previous year I already thought I was 28 (I think I lost track after 25?!) so I guess I didn't turn a year older...in my book, anyway ;)

We love summer time!

We had our first swim of the season last weekend! My brother and Sister in-law neighborhood pool opened up Memorial Day Weekend. It's nice to have a free, but not overly crowded pool to swim in!

Don't let Zayne's face fool you! He had a pretty good time...minus the normal splashes from others around him, he wasn't too fond of that!

 

 
 Cousin Thomas had fun pulling him around....as far as I felt comfortable, which wasn't very far ;)

 Evie took FOREVER to get in the pool. I'm talking, like 2 hours! Anyway, I have her signed up for Swimming Lessons in the next couple of weeks, so we will see how that goes!

 Monday was kind of a blah day. It usually is. Even though I don't go out into the working world where Mondays have a bad wrap..........try being unemployed. You know nothing is going to happen on a Monday. Anyway, Owen had received a gift certificate to a sports bar for spraying somebodies lawn for bugs for them, so we decided to try the place out........not that great. BUT we had fun sitting on the patio and soaking up some vitamin D!

 My handsome nephews at the Splash Pad at Kleiner Park. We love that place! Evie loves it more than the swimming pool. I like it because I am not constantly worried my child maybe drowning! Surprisingly, it wasn't that busy. We celebrated Cousin, Reagan's birthday by going to Yogurtz and then hitting the splash park! It was very fun!

 I got a little too much sun. Luckily the next day my sunburn wasn't that bad :)

 Owen is able to keep busy a couple days a week by going to Oregon to help people on their farms. It's good for him (and myself, may I add?) to get out and about. We usually go to my parents house. I went to the temple yesterday while my mom watched the kids. Came back and we had dinner. Evie likes is when daddy goes because he usually spends the night out there 1 night. Then mommy and her get to have a sleepover. I let her sleep in my bed with me. The only time this happens. It's something fun for her to look forward to!

These two were being so silly together! My mom said "they are having such a fun time together. Before you know it they will be fighting." That's what I'm afraid of!

We have a CD with 10 or 11 primary songs on it that the kids are supposed to learn for the primary program in the fall. We have been listening to it in the car for the last month or so. Evie's favorite is "I am a Child of God." She knows it by heart! While I was driving home from the Temple yesterday the song "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet" was on and the 2nd verse rang loudly in my ears:

"When dark clouds of trouble hang o'er us and threaten our peace to destroy, there is hope smiling brightly before us, and we know that deliverance is nigh. We doubt not the Lord nor his goodness. We've proved him in days that are past..."

It was an answer to a prayer. The beginning of the week I was feeling dark and dreary. After attending the Temple I was blessed with an uplifting spirit. So grateful that the Lord is watching over our family. I'm grateful to know that he knows our needs and that he has blessed me with peace to know that.