The Holidays

I am so blessed. I have a huge family that loves me. Jared and I were able to spend time with both of our families over the holidays. It was so nice to just relax and be together. We were so spoiled by our families. It made us realize just how blessed we really are. Now on to a new year, a new semester, and the last semester, at least for me, of college. The new year is always exciting to me because it seems like everything is fresh, a time to start over. I love it! This year will hold lots of new experiences for me. Hopefully mostly positive as I face what the future holds for me.

We Made It!

Well, we made it. To the end of the semester. We have had a wonderful month or so celebrating the holidays with family and friends and even making it through school with so much going on.

We spent Thanksgiving in Loa with the Hamilton's. Rob, Jared and I did a little black Friday shopping. Jared couldn't resist running this over. You should have seen all the looks we were getting from people as they passed and laughed and pointed and I am sure thought what rednecks!



Then we were able to go watch Katy's Senior Ball. She had a great time with Sam and they both cleaned up rather well.


We also went and watched Cody wrestle in his first varsity tournament. He did a great job! My little buck is an animal! All the other 106 kids better watch out! ;)

I have said it before and I will say it again. It isn't a Hamilton outing unless you get stuck. Well Jared and I went up the mountain above Brian head to get a Christmas tree. We turned off a side road. We drove until we were so stuck, it took 40 minutes to get unstuck. We had high-centered the truck in the snow drift on the side road. We literally dug the truck out. We finally got unstuck and were able to find a perfect Christmas tree. We also found a Chin tree. A Christmas tree for our friends Jared and Carly Chin!

Here is our tree.

Jared putting the star on

Isn't it so nice?

Our finished tree

I'm sure this Christmas, our first Christmas will be one to remember. I am more excited than I thought I could be. We have had a lot of fun enjoying the season. It is about other people not us!

We had Christmas FHE at our house. This is the thought Jared shared. Check it out. Cutest little kids who are so knowledgeable about the real reason of Christmas! Kids and Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Love the Hamilton's!

Terrible Joke

So have you ever had a joke played on you that went the wrong way? Well recently I have. Jared and all his friends decided the play a joke on Jess. They wrote on Facebook his wife was having a baby. She isn't. So Jared wrote on Mayson's wall congrats on the baby. Guess what, his wife isn't having a baby. Then Mayson's wife wrote on my wall congratulating me on my bun in the oven. It went its rounds. I was told congrats at school by someone who saw it on Facebook and I had to correct her that no I am not having a baby. Then Facebook has exploded with people thinking I am having a baby. I am not. This joke is terrible. I am now suffering because they thought they were funny! :) Ok, so it is a little funny, but not true even in the slightest.

What A Fabulous Weekend

We had a fabulous weekend. We were able to go to Nephi and spend some time with my family. We were able to see Cody wrestle in his first varsity tournament. Let me brag he took 4th! He is only a freshman. I am so proud of my little buck who isn't so little anymore. We even got to go to the Juab High School Senior Ball. Katy looked beautiful.

I love going to the high school dances for the county because the last few years it has given me a chance to catch up with my best girlfriend Nicole. We have siblings the same age, so we always end up at the dances. It was so good to catch up with her last night. Even if it was only for five minutes. I love her and miss our chats while we drive the streets of Nephi.

Nicole was the best book girl ever! She was so great to help with my wedding.

So Much To Do

Have you ever wondered why you have so much to do and it seems like so little time to do it in? Welcome to college! It seems I have fallen into the procrastination stage of life. I have no drive in me to start let alone think about finishing some projects, and huge papers that are due in like a week or so. Maybe I should stop blogging until the end of the semester and just focus on the so much to do. Then, I'll have more time to do it. Thank you all for helping me come to this realization. I shall see you when this semester ends!

Growing Up

As I have been talking to some friends lately, they are just ready to be done with school. Then there is me. I am so close to graduation that it seems unreal. When you really get to thinking about it, you have gone to school for 18 years give or take by the time you graduate with a bachelors degree. It got me thinking. I don't know how to do anything but go to school. What will my life be like next fall when school starts for other people? I don't know if I am ready to grow up... I guess like it or not, I am well on my way, so I better learn to just deal with life as it comes to me. Doesn't mean I have to like it though. :)

Leadership Tool Box

I had the opportunity to listen to Allen Fazio, a CIO for Disneyland Resort speak on campus yesterday. He gave us what he called a leadership too box. This motivational speaker was so inspiring about how to have a better attitude and to be a better person at work, in our families, and in our relationships. The six tools he gave us were:

1. Hard Hat: Go to work on your leadership skills
2. Be a Pro: Proud of where you work and proud of who you are
3. Be a Coach: Be the best you can be to help others be the best they can be
4. Be a Fan: Be the biggest fan of the team you lead
5. Be a Pirate: Take pride in what you do and be excited about what you are doing.
6. Fire Alarm: What part of my life do I wish was better?

This was amazing to me because he encouraged us to focus on the little things and helping others have a good experience at the same time. If we are all honest with ourselves we know that not all days are easy and a lot of times we are just ready for the day to be over. It was a change of attitude and behavior in everything we do in each and everyday. I must have really needed to hear these things or they wouldn't have hit me the way they did. I have more desire to have a good attitude and make the most of each situation. Not everyday is perfect. For those days, we take John Wayne's advice for tomorrow.

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." --John Wayne

When we are living our lives in accordance to what God wants for us, we will have learned something from yesterday. I learned yesterday that I need to pay attention to the little things and not sweat the small stuff. It will make me a better leader and I will probably enjoy life more. I wonder what I will learn today!