Sunday, February 23, 2014

Happy Birthday Toni!

10 Reasons Toni is the Absolute Best:

  • Whenever I visit Toni, I can always count on cookies. She always always ALWAYS has cookies. She always tells me the way she messed them up, but they are always delicious!
  • Toni went to school to be an accountant. That's right - she's so smart she made it through the Marriott School of Business, unscathed and awesome. She's great! 
  • Toni is a reader! I love that someone understands my passion for reading and even defends it to my well-meaning mother. She also gives me hope that as a mother, I will be able to put the book down and take care of the babes!
Book Club 
  • She is the most thoughtful gift-giver. She honestly tries to think about you would want. She agonizes over it and always remembers your special holidays. 
A recipe book for a soon to be full-time working woman!
  • Speaking of special holidays, Toni actually celebrates Kelli's Day with me! Like with cards and confetti sent to me. It's always so nice! What a sweet girl.
That Kelli's Day banner = Toni
  • Toni is so welcoming. Sage and Toni were always so kind when I lived in Provo, and I never felt like I was intruding, or making them annoyed no matter how often I wondered over to their home. I was always welcome, even though I often just fall asleep on their couch! #lamesister 
  • Toni is an awesome sister. Despite the hardness of traveling alone with children, Toni has made her way down to Utah with her young children to support me in my life. Like for the Taylor Swift concert and again when I graduated. Sage can't always make it down because of work, but Toni comes anyway because she loves me!
My Graduation!
Taylor Swift Concert!
  • Which leads me to say that Toni is a great mom. She is doing all kinds of stuff to help those babies of hers succeed. Like starting her own home-school preschool to Aubrey and all the other neighbor children get ready for school. Isn't she amazing?
  • Toni is also a fun mom! She's always doing fun thing with the babies! Case in Point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUHAY8uArUQ
  • She is full of genuine love and nurturing those around her! When I was getting ready to leave, and I couldn't handle the stress of packing up and sorting through all of my junk. Toni sat down with me and helped me form a plan. She did this in-between patiently teaching my dad some accounting principles and keeping her children entertained. Isn't she great?!

I'm so glad Toni and I get to be sisters because she is the BEST! 
Love you Bones! Happy Birthday!

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Home Sweet Houston

If you zoom in, I am definitely not looking at the camera.
Exactly one week ago today, I jumped into my adorable Civic, my two parents, and all my important worldly possessions, except for everything that didn't fit into my car, of course.  Since that time, I've sent my parents back to their newly re-emptied nest, moved into an apartment full of gals with full time jobs, started my first ever degree required full-time job, and am slowly but surely getting to know the fourth largest city in Amurica like the back of my hand (joke)!


For those of you interested in an update - this is it! 
I forget how important blogging is when you move away from all of your friends and family, but I'll try to do my best to keep you all updated! 

The Apartment: 
   It's a beautiful townhouse next to a nice neighborhood. I say next to, because Thursday night when I was across the street at the Church - three cars got their windows smashed into. So... that's interesting. Despite that I feel safe in my apartment complex and hopefully, I'll never deal with vandalism. (Cross your fingers team.)  The apartment has two bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, and two large walk in closets. It's a pretty good set-up. Although me and my roomie think our room is the smaller of the two, but we do have the balcony. 

That is definitely an inflatable bed. Jealous?

The Roommates:
I share a bedroom with delightful Diana. She's got a great sense of humor, she works making maps from oil companies. She's going to teach me to salsa dance, and she's from Mexico! She's also a fellow Cougar! She's awesome! 


The other room has Elena and Ashley. I don't know them as well. Elena graduated from BYU in public health in December and now works at a plasma center in Houston! She's from Espana and is also awesome. Ashley is a nurse in the ER at a hospital. She also has a man. Which is apparently why I have only met her twice.

The Job:
   It's good. Like all jobs there will be some getting used to things that needs to happen. The population is mostly developmental disabilities that are somehow visually impaired. There are a few that are completely blind, but for the most part there is something developmentally wrong, although I do suspect there is a stroke survivor or two. It's definitely a place to get some experience and to learn some more skills. 

The Ward:
   Haven't been to Church yet, so this report will have to wait, but I knew there would be questions about this - which is why it made the list. Stay tuned for all the juice! :)