Good times in AZ

I needed to go to Arizona this last weekend for Tim's funeral, but definitely didn't want to drive alone so I went with a few friends who also wanted to go to the funeral. It was a sad weekend in ways, but we had a great time hanging out with family and friends that we haven't seen in a long time.

The drive down to Mesa was soooo loooooong, but we put in some good music and jammed our way to Arizona. We got there friday afternoon and spent that night with friends. The Ellsworth's let us use stay at their house and we had a bunch of friends over from the old ward who either went down for the funeral or who live in AZ now. There ended up being about 14 of us who just hung out all night and told stories and laughed just like old times. It was awesome!

We <3 the Ellsworth family!!!!







The funeral was on saturday and it was amazing. The best part was when Tim's dad spoke and he also sang the song that he and Tim had sung at Tim's mission farewell. Incredible!!!! Big Tim and Cara are like my other parents and it was so good to spend some time with them. Big Tim told me that I could have one of their house keys to ensure that I would still come visit!


Saturday night all of us that were staying at the Ellsworth's went to the ASU/UW football game in Tempe. We ended up having a great time and really enjoyed each other's company. I love that even after not having seen Ty for about 5 months we just get right back to giving each other crap and bantering about everything. But with Ty, it's just our way of showing our love for each other! ;)


The group of us at the game...Matt, Mark, Dan, me, Amanda, Chase, Kaisha & Ty. Oh yeah, and me with my favorite person to cuddle with, Dan (no commitment involved, promise! he is just really ridiculously good looking! ;)

I Love Timmyman!

I know, I know. Everyone has been bugging me about never updating my blog. Well, here it is. I will try to be better about it! Promise!

I hate to get back into blogging with this post, but I feel like I need to post this to pay tribute to one of my dearest friends, Tim Filichia. Tim was killed in a car accident last Sunday, October 7 as he was driving back to Provo after spending conference weekend with his family in Arizona. I'll be honest that the last 9 days have been really hard for me. Tim is the person that I would call when something amazing happened or when I needed a shoulder to cry on and he did the same. I have so many hilarious, spiritual, retarded and amazing memories of Tim. I will always cherish the wonderful times we spent together and the impact that he has made on my life. I am a better person for having known Timmy. I am struggling with him being gone, I keep thinking I'm going to get a text or a phone call from him any minute, but the best way I can think of honoring his life is by becoming the daughter of my Heavenly Father that he always saw me as. I now need to take the things that he taught me through his example and through his words to me and "make of my life a masterpiece".

This picture (even though it is really blurry) is of one of my fondest memories of Tim. I've spent a lot of time in Arizona with Tim and his family and this is a picture of the last time I went down before Tim passed away. It was the beginning of May that Tim and I went down and spent the weekend with his family and went to my old roommate Becca and Clark's wedding reception in Tucson. Now you have to know that Tim has one of the most amazing voices ever and we loved to sing together. We used to spend hours at my house sitting at the piano and singing. This night we drove the 2 hours from Mesa to Tucson and sang the whole way. Our favorite song to sing together was the duet from Wicked called "As Long As You're Mine". It is one of the greatest love songs ever! Tim and I put the CD on repeat and probably sang the song 6 times just on the drive to Tucson. Well, at the reception there was a dance floor. Tim is also an incredible dancer and we began to dance the night away. After a while, our song came on, the one that we had sang 6 times already that night in the car, but the song that we love! So we started singing it and dancing around and we noticed that within about 30 seconds, the dance floor was empty, except for us, and everyone was watching us. Well what did Tim and I decide to do? Of course, make complete fools out of ourselves! We made a huge production out of the song and dancing to it and everyone loved it. It was hilarious! But it was one of the funnest things I have ever done!! Tim was the life of the party that night! After the reception we even went to IHOP with Becca and Clark because they just wanted to spend more time with Timmy. And on the drive back to Mesa what did we do? Obviously, we sang our song a few more times. It was awesome and something that I will remember my whole life.

Timmyman, I love you and miss you terribly, but I know that you are in a better place and that I will see you again! Thank you for always being there for me and loving me for who I am and who you know I can be! Thank you for sharing your family with me and being the greatest example I have of Christlike love. But most especially, thank you for being a part of my life!!

Festival of Colors

This last weekend a ton of friends and I went to the Hare Krishna temple in Spanish Fork for Holi, the festival of colors. It is an Indian tradition to welcome in Spring. They have tons of food and dancers and you can tour the temple and buy cool things. Then they start a huge bonfire where they burn in effigy a devil woman representing all evil. As soon as the devil woman lights on fire everything goes crazy. Everyone has bags of colorful chalk powder and you just start throwing it and rubbing it all over everyone. It is insane. But so much fun. It is so hard to describe, so the picture will have to do. This is not even half of my friends that went. There were tons of us! This is before the chalk throwing. Notice the colorful bags that everyone is holding. After...totally covered in chalk! My eyes hurt so bad because my friend Craig accidentally shoved a handful of chalk right in my eyes. It took forever to wash all the chalk out of my hair and clothes. And even the next day I was cleaning more chalk out of my ears! It was a blast!

Big Changes!

Lots of change is happening in my life! The last couple weeks have been full of interesting things and lots of prayers and trying to figure out what I am to be doing right now. Through some wonderful experiences and help of my amazing family and incredible friends I have decided to make some big changes. I am looking forward to what the future holds and know that the Lord is guiding my life. I am so grateful to be led by the Spirit and to be doing what I know is right.

The first big change (but the last that will actually happen) is that I have decided to MOVE. I have lived in my apartment for almost two years and it's time for a change. I need to get out of my comfort zone and change some scenery. It isn't a huge move, only about 2 miles away, but it is a very different area than I have lived in the last few years. This picture is of the complex that I am moving to. It is only a couple years old and the units are gorgeous. I have three really close friends who live there now and one of them just put her mission papers in. So I am going to take her spot when she leaves this summer. I am excited to be in a new place and meet new people. This is definitely a good change!

A change I haven't been a huge fan of is one of my best friends moving. This past week he decided he needed to make a quick change and picked up and left Provo and moved to Salt Lake for the last six weeks of school and then he is going back home to Arizona. I didn't realize how much I rely on him until this last week when he hasn't been around. Thank goodness for cell phones and texting!! I miss you already Tim!










Probably the greatest change (well, it's a change from the last 18 months) is that two weeks ago my sister got home from her mission!! My parents went and picked her up in the Philippines and they traveled for a couple weeks and returned home to Utah on March 5th. It has been so much fun having her home! I'm especially excited that she is going to be living in Provo for the summer!



The last change, and the one I am most excited about, just happened this morning! I am starting a new JOB in two weeks!! My sister-in-law's mom let me know about some job openings that she thought I would enjoy and that I would do well at, so I applied and interviewed the end of last week and I got the wonderful call this morning. I am going to be working for the Fourth District Court here in Provo as a Deputy Court Clerk. Meaning, I will be on a team that works for a specific judge handling their cases. I am excited to learn something new and expand my knowledge. It will be sad to leave the company I have worked for for the last 3 years, but this is a great opportunity and I need to take it. It just feels right. And now I will have insurance! :)

I have never been a fan of change, but right now it needs to happen. I need to learn and progress and stretch myself. It is going to be an eventful ride the next couple months. Wish me luck!

The 80's are back!

Last night my ward had an 80's skating party at Classic Skating. The 80's and all their glory (or at least all their spandex and ankle warmers) were back.

Chase, the activity organizer! Love the mullet!!

Chad, Allison, Hillary & Josh...sweatbands and ankle warmers...gotta love 'emAaron & Devin...I think my dad had/has those exact same sunglasses. They look like they should be part of Bon Jovi or something...Jen, Michelle, and Jen...at least Jen #1 wore a side ponytail. I was kind of a party pooper. Oh well.I had to put this picture on here from our 80's night last year. It's my favorite! Wrestler Aaron with his fro, sweat band and teeth guard...so hot!!!

and just for fun...

You Know You Grew Up In The 80's If...

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE".
2. You watched the Pound Puppies.
3. You can sing the rap to the "Fresh Prince of Belair " ...and can do the "Carlton".
4. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
5. You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club and tried to start a club of your own.
6. You owned those lil' Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls.

7. "WOAH " comes from Joey on Blossom.
8. Two words: Hammer Pants.
9. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock ".
10. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars... and "spokey-dokes" or playing cards on your spokes for that incredible sound effect.
11. You can sing the entire theme song to "Duck Tales ". (Woo ooh!)
12. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
13. When it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
14. You saw the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles " on the big screen... and still know the turtles names.
15. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.
16. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
17. You played the game "MASH ". (Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)
18. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
19. L.A. Gear... need I say more.
20. You wanted to change your name to "JEM " in Kindergarten. (She's truly outrageous)
21. You remember reading "Tales of a fourth grade nothing " and all the Ramona books.
22. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF".
23. You wanted to be a Goonie.
24. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us... head-to-toe)
25. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted.
26. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
27. You took lunch boxes to school... and traded Garbage Pail Kids in the schoolyard.
28. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
29. You still get the urge to say "NOT " after every sentence.
30. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts.
31. Barbie and the Rockers was your favorite band.
32. You thought She-ra (Princess of Power!) and He-Man should hookup.
33. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
34. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes. (and like #24, probably in neon colors, too)
35. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?"
36. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"
37. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.
38. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
39. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
40. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
41. You've gone through this nodding your head in agreement.
42. You remember Popples.
43. "Don't worry, be happy"
44. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks.
45. You wore socks scrunched down (and sometimes still do...getting yelled at by "younger hip" members of the family)
46. "Miss MARY MACK MACK MACK, all dressed in BLACK BLACK BLACK "
47. You remember boom boxes. and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.
48. You remember watching both "Gremlins" movies.
49. You know what it meant to say "Care Bear Stare!"
50. You remember watching "Rainbow Bright" and "My Little Pony Tales "
51. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.
52. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
53. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool... and don't even flinch when people refer to them as "NKOTB".
54. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By the Bell ", the ORIGINAL class.
55. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
56. You just sang those words to yourself.
57.You remember watching Magic vs. Bird.
58. Homemade Levi shorts. (the shorter the better)
59. You remember when mullets were cool!
60. You had a mullet!
61. You still sing "We are the World"
62. You tight rolled your jeans.
63. You owned a bannana clip.
64. You remember "Where's the Beef?"
65. You used to (and probably still do) say "What you talkin' about Willis?"
66. You had big hair and you knew how to use it.
67. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head,aren't you!

I Heart Hockey

Recently, a bunch of friends and I have been obsessed with going to hockey games. Specifically, BYU Ice Cat games. They are so much fun! We cheer on the Ice Cats, eat nachos, dance to the Black Eyed Peas, and freeze! It is so cold, but we have such a good time! I especially enjoy watching the fights that randomly break out. What would a hockey game be without a good fight?!? Plus, every time I've gone to a game, they've won. I think I am definitely their good luck charm! ;)

BYU vs. Utah game

The girls plus Stephen

Top L-R: Stephen, Lydia, Tansy, Stephanie, Rachel

Bottom: Diana, Maurie, JenMe and Rachel...she is such a cute girl!

BYU vs. UVSC game

L-R: Brian, Stephen, Stephanie, Diana, Jen, Kristy, Lydia

I didn't know we were taking a picture. I'm hiding behind Tyler...

Babies, babies, and more babies

Recently, an insane amount of my friends have had babies. I don't know what was going on nine months ago but it must have been baby making time. But congratulations to all of them! You girls amaze me! And here are the babies, in order of birth...

ANJA ANTONINA PAXMAN

February 1, 2007

7 lbs. 9 oz. 19 1/2 inches

The proud Paxman crew. Yes, that is baby #5! I love you Ani and Dustin and wish you luck with the brood! L-R: William (3), Hunter (1), Ani, Connor (2), Ahna-Maija (5), Anja, Dustin

next up:

DREW AND JT BANKHEAD

February 8, 2007

AJ and Emily Kate are being thrown into this parenting thing with twins. But they will be amazing parents. Congratulations and good luck EK with all that testosterone!

then:

BABY BOY CASTILLO

February 9, 2007

9 lbs. 12 oz. 20 inches

I don't have any pictures and I don't know what they decided to name him, but this is my cousin Ryan's baby. His wife Erin is a trooper! Way to have an almost 10 pound baby. Erin, you're my hero!

and finally:

KYLIE NICOLE HILL

February 13, 2007

6 lbs. 13 oz. 20 inches

Kylie with her two sisters...Cassidy (2) and Makenzie (4). They love her so much! Congrats Aub and Cam on the new addition.

Mini Golf

There are two things that I admit to being very bad at...wood carving and miniature golf! Well, this last weekend I went golfing with some friends and you'll never believe it, but I actually won!!! I don't think I have ever won a game of mini golf in my life. So either my losing streak is over, or my friends let me win by playing absolutely pathetic games themselves. Thanks guys! The first hole...little did I know the joy that was awaiting me!

Lydia and Stephanie rejoicing with me over my hole in one! (Steph really isn't asian, she just looks like it for some reason in this picture)

Mike and Lydia oohing and ahhing at my amazing skills

Mike's nose pointing to my amazing score. You can't see it very well, but the lowest score on the right...50...is mine! I killed everyone!

I also just want to say that I'm looking forward to Sarah's Oscar Night party and I'm expecting amazing things. And who knows, with my recent luck I might just guess all the winners correctly. We'll see if my luck holds out...

Valentine's Day

This is how I feel about Valentine's Day. Ok, maybe it's not exactly how I feel, but I think it's pretty funny. Honestly though, Valentine's is not one of my favorite holidays. I loved it when I was little and you got to make Valentine's boxes and have a party in class and get lots of notes and candy. That was fun. Now, it's just dumb. (Maybe I wouldn't think that if I were dating someone, but since I'm not I get to be onery about it...)

In fact, my fun Valentine's Day plans include going to the BYU basketball game tonight with my family and then hopefully not walking in on either one of my two engaged roommates. Wish me luck on not having to see them making out. YUCK! (Again, I am only saying that because I'm not dating anyone right now...and I don't have the good fortune of one Bone Junior...)

SARAH

YOU ARE DEAD TO ME!!!