Funerals, Good News, Parties, and a Tag!

It has been a while since my last update, and SO much has happened since then!!  We have been busy little bees!!!  So, after much ridicule and harassment about my lack of updates, here it is.  I apologize again for the lack of pictures.  I really am working on taking more.  You'd think with an iPhone, I would take a whole lot more....but I honestly forget.  Anywho.....on with the update!

Well, will start with the good news.  2 Saturdays ago, Cameron received a letter in the mail from the community college informing him that he FINALLY gets to start the nursing program in January!!!  We are super excited about it!!  We've waited 2 1/2 LONG years waiting to find out when he was going to be able to start.  When he initially applied, they gave him the start date of Fall 2011.....at least we didn't have to wait until then!!  He has a lot to do to get ready (booster shots, CPR training, a lengthy orientation, buying scrubs, etc), but we thrilled to finally have a start date.  He was initially shocked, and a little worried about starting so soon, but now that he has had time to process it all, he is super excited.  He has an all day orientation on November 5th, so I hopefully I will have more info to pass on.  

Now, for some not so happy news.  On October 2, my cute little Great Grandma Moss passed away at the ripe old age of 94.  The past year or so, she has suffered several "little" strokes (if you can call any stroke "little") and her body just started to slowly shut down.  She tried to stay positive, but it became harder and harder and she was able to do less on her own.  About a week before she passed away, my family moved her to a facility that was more equipped to give her the care she needed.  It was less than a week later that she passed away in the early evening.  We will miss her a lot, but know she is happy and healthy now, and even standing up straight (she hadn't been able to do that for several years)!  She will be remembered each time I pull something out of the oven and use one of the pot holders she crocheted, or snuggle up with the white afghan she made Cameron and I for our wedding present.  I am going to miss getting my monthly copy if the Ensign from her (that was the birthday gift she has given me for as long as I can remember).  I guess I am going to have to subscribe on my own now.

The second bit of sad news is a real heart breaker.  Many of you have heard me talk about one of the kiddos in my class named Jonah.  He is a darling little boy, but can be quite the handful.  He has been through so much in his life already and is only 5 years old.  Well, last Friday, October 10th, his life became even harder.  After a long battle with addiction and recovery, as well as a bout with cancer, his mom, Amber, passed away after being in a coma for 2 weeks due to a methadone overdose (she was trying to ween herself off of the pain medication they had given her for her cancer treatment).  I was able to attend the funeral on Thursday because it was UEA break.  It was the most heart breaking funeral that I have ever been to. Listening to all the memories people had of her, and hearing how hard she was trying to get clean for her kids, really made me appreciate my family and all they have gone through to make our family what it is today.  I am so glad I was able to go because seeing how happy it made Jonah to see me, made me realize how much impact I can really have on the kids in my class.  I hope that by being there to support Jonah and his family during this difficult time, I have built  a higher level of trust with him (since he has an issue with trust because of his past).

We also have been doing a lot of "partying" the past month.  Our good buddy, Josh, celebrated his 24th birthday on the 10th and we were able to all meet up for dinner and a haunted house in Ogden to celebrate with he and Liz and several other friends.  We meet up at Texas Roadhouse for a delicious dinner and A LOT  of laughs!  Then we headed to the Haunted Hallow for a fright or 2!  It was so much fun!  I wish they lived closer so we could see each other more!  Here are some of pictures from the event (I stole them from Liz's blog....thanks for taking the pics Liz)! 

Josh and Emily

Aren't we just too cute for words?

The Birthday Boy being sung to by the Texas Roadhouse crew!

Liz and Josh at Dinner

 Creepy "Swamp Thing" at the Haunted Hallow.

The other party we've attended this month was for Cameron's Great Grandma Boam.  She turned 94 on October 14th!!  Wow, another Great Grandma who is 94!!  She threw herself quite the birthday bash at her retirement home, Golden Living.  Cameron wasn't able to go because he had to work, and I was only able to go for about half an hour because it fell on a Tuesday night....the night of the dreaded ESL endorsement class!  It was fun to see all the cute little old ladies get all dressed up for the party!  There was a DJ and dancing, and Cameron's Grandparents who are serving a mission in Germany sent a little video to wish Grandma Boam a Happy Birthday!  It was fun!  I hope to be little cute little old lady one day who has the rockin birthday at the retirement community!

So, I have fallen in love with Sex and the City.  I LOVED the movie!!!  It makes me want to move to New York and become a writer!  I had never seen the TV show before I saw the movie, so I decided to add the series DVD's to my Netflix que.  Well, it was a good think I had some spare time this weekend (since I was sick and laid on the couch all day Friday, and it was UEA) I watch the majority of the second season.  Cam and I had watched the 1st season here and there for a few weeks now and liked it, but season 2 really sealed the deal for me!  I immediately added the remaining 4 seasons to my que!  I now know what the craze was all about!

Until the next update......I promise it won't be in a month from now!  Now, on to the tag!!  Liz combined a few into one, so here it is...The Smorgeshborg of Tags!!!

I am: a teacher, a sister, a wife, a daughter, and a friend.

I think about:  what I am going to look like when I am an old lady.

I know:  I picked the perfect profession for my personality.

I want:  to learn to speak Spanish fluently.

I wish:  I could breath through my nose (remember....I have another cold :))

I hate:  to be cold.

I miss:  my friends who are far away!

I fear:  spiders!!

I feel:  content with my life.

I hear:  Sex and the City....the movie in the background.

I smell:  Nothing.....remember the cold?

I crave:  Cafe Rio salads.

I search:  for ways to be a better teacher.

I wonder:  what my future kids will be like.

I regret:  nothing.  

I love:  Cameron and my family.

I care: about my kids at school.

I always:  wear lotion.  I am kind of obsessed with it.

I am not:  the best at updating my blog.

I believe:  all things happen for a reason.

I dance:  horribly.  

I sing:  horribly.

I don't always:  remember to wear my wedding ring.  I love it, but mornings aren't my best time of day!!

I write:  a lot of emails everyday!

I win:  random things.

I loose:  socks.

I never:  fold laundry....that is Cameron's job.

I listen:  to Pandora radio a lot!

I can be found:  a lot of places.

I am scared:  of spiders!  I hate them!!

I need:  a blanket.....I'm cold!!

I am happy about:  everything!  I love my life!!

8 TV Shows I love to watch:

• Sex and the City
  
• John and Kate + 8
  
• The Biggest Loser
  
• Criminal Minds
  
• The Office
  
• Iron Chef
  
• Prison Break
  
• The Cleaner
  

8 Places I LOVE to eat:

• Red Iguana
  
• Cheesecake Factory
  
• The Porcupine Grill
  
• Cafe Rio
  
• Market Street
  
• Z Tejas
  
• Kyoto
  
• Red Rock
  

8 Things that happened this past week:

• I had a little girl poop her pants......twice!  And on purpose!!
  
• I got sick.
  
• I went to a Birthday Party at a retirement community!
  
• I had 2 days off of work (Woot Woot for UEA!!!)
  
• I went grocery shopping.
  
• I went to a funeral.
  
• I learned how to count to 100 in Spanish.
  
• I had dinner with my mom and sister!
  

8 Places I have traveled:

• Maui
  
• Jamaica
  
• Cozumel
  
• Playa del Carmen
  
• San Francisco
  
• New York City
  
• The Grand Cayman
  
• Haiti
  

8 Things I am looking forward to:

• Christmas
  
• My Birthday (Nov. 19th!  Mark your calendar!!!)
  
• Buying a house.
  
• Getting my Master's Degree
  
• Summer vacation!
  
• Going to McCall with the my family in June!
  
• Having kids.....not for a few years!  At least 2!
  
• The Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince movie.
  

8 Thing I love about Fall:

• Sweaters
  
• The colors
  
• UEA Break
  
• Halloween
  
• My Birthday
  
• Cool nights and warm days
  
• Pumpkin treats (mmm....pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are my favorite!)
  
• Fuzzy socks
  

8 Things I can't live without:

• Cameron
  
• My family
  
• A good book
  
• My iPhone
  
• Lotion
  
• Bare Minerals make up
  
• My FuFu sisters :)
  
• Chapstick