I want a hippopotamus for Christmas...but a family party will suffice!

Sunday was family Christmas at our house.  It was a fun afternoon with everyone!!

the Patriarchs of the family

the women

The Men

Wesley learning how to carve a turkey

The cousins did a hat exchange

My baby girl, Lucy!

Graduation Party!

So this last weekend has been crazy.  It started Friday with my last final...ever!!! I was so excited to be done.  I had been in finals all week and planning my graduation party for Friday night with my mom.  When I got home from Fridays final around 2 it was to find a big surprise waiting for me! My best friend, Kim, had told me a few weeks ago that she wasn't going to be able to make it to the party, which made me sad.  So my mom and her planned a surprise.  My parents drove up an extra car we had at the house to Kim and her husband 2 weekends ago for her to keep for the week then drive down Friday.  So when I came home from my final on Friday she was waiting in the hallway to surprise me...it was totally awesome!! We also had a really good family friend drive in from Phoenix to spend the weekend with us.  Also, it was been pouring since Friday night which added to the craziness-but i love the rain so it is wonderful!!!

Kim surprising me

 

CJ & Mike-lifelong friends from the Village

Opening gifts-a good friend gave me a photo album for travelling

and my wonderful Aunt got me a book on Prague! 

I Love my BFF!!!!

Christmas is Coming!!!

We got our tree this past weekend! I love the smell of a new tree, it makes the whole house smell wonderful.  Mom & I put it up and decorated it.  We had so much fun listening to music and we took a little break to drink some herb coffee (Teeccino).  It is so yummy-especially with a touch of Kahlua =]

Of course we have a HP ornament!

My baby Lucy, she was so exhausted since she waited up for me to come to bed, there was just too much excitement going on in the room that she couldn't sleep

finally settling down

Thanksgiving

So I bought my plane ticket to London, Jan 28!!! So excited.  I'm staying with Sharon for a few days then heading to Prague-maybe stopping off somewhere in the middle depending on ow much time I spend in York with Sharon. 
Thanksgiving was fun this year.  As usual we had Thanksgiving with my Mom's side the weekend before actual Thanksgiving. For actual Thanksgiving we went out to Salton Sea with the family & extended family and friends.  It was so cold but fun.  Lucy (my puppy) had a great time and did really well.  I tried to not be to over protective of her, but I treat her like my child...or similarly to how I assume I would treat my child.  I was so worried she was going to run off or get eaten by a coyote.  So after sundown she was either in my arms, on my lap or in the motor home. 

 

 

 

 

Tram, Snow, Love, Family

My Uncle, dad's brother, passed away 16 years ago the Sunday before thanksgiving.  This year, with the passing of my grandparents, we wanted to do something to honor kirk and send them all into the universe together.  So we took the Palm Springs Tram to San Jacinto mountain the Sunday before thanksgiving.  It was so beautiful...totally freezing, but wonderful.  It was the first day of snow-which in itself s magical.  It was a great day with the 4 of us saying a final goodbye to 3 people we loved so dearly....also we had a great dinner and all ordered 4 fun 'foofy' drinks....we had a really good time!

 

 

 

 

Grandpa

My grandparents were married September 28, 1945 and both died October 28, 2010, 12 hours apart.  It is hard to loose them both, but I'm happy they got thier wish, to go together.  Their love at the  end was amazing.  Just to be in the same room together and be able to touch each other made them so happy.  I will love and miss them both until I get to see them again.

Eskimo Proverb

Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy  -Eskimo Proverb

Letter to Nana

Dear Nana,
I am sad you are gone and I wont be able to give you a hug.  But I know you are in heaven, happy and healthy.  I love you so much!.
XOXOXO

Patsy Omelia Black Montgomery

Oct 14, 1928-Oct 28, 2010

Im bude v Praze!

According to Google Translate "Im bude v Praze!" means I'm going to Prague!!
I got accepted in to TEFL Worldwide Prague to become TEFL Certified.  I am over the moon excited!!! I have been riding a high all week and cannot stop thinking about it.  I will be taking the February 14- March 11 course.  Since Sharon is living in York, England I am going to stop and see her for a week and arrive in Prague February 9.  I have housing there February 9-March 15 and plan on taking full advantage of that. 
I am so excited to be going to Prague, since it is one the the most beautiful cities in Europe and the World.

plans.....lets see how it goes!

So I am mid-semester of my last semester of undergrad!! Very excited!!  I am thinking about what I want to do after.  My parents are really pushing graduate school, which had been the plan for the last 2 years, but right now I am so over school that 3 more years does not sound appealing.  I am looking at travel opportunities-I figure if I don't do it know I never will.  I got accepted for a volunteer job in the Galapagos Islands, which I was so happy about, but once the reality of my small bank account hit, I realized that I don't have the resources right now to spend that much time and money for a volunteer job.  I have been looking into getting TEFL certified for a few years, and teaching English around the world.  I just applied to a school in Prague-TEFL Worldwide-and am excited about that! I should be hearing back from them in the next day or 2.  It is one of the best TEFL schools so that is so exciting!!
Halloween is coming up and I have to put together a sailor costume for Vegas! I am going for a friend's bachelorette party, and ma so excited.  I haven't been since I have turned 21, and the girls I am going with are awesome-we are 4 of the 8 bridesmaids and then the bride herself.  We are all so excited to go crazy for the weekend-all of us need a little break from life.  We are going to the Beatles themed 'Love' show by Cirque de Sole!!! I am so excited about that.  Pictures will be posted the first week of November.
Well that's it for now!! Have a great week!
PS Kim-if you read this-I am SO excited to see you next month!!!!

Oh-Sharon is living in York, UK and having a wonderful time.  She has a blog and is learning to use it, when she gets it working I will post the link.  But for now here is an update: She is making wonderful friends and settling in.  She loves her flat mates and is enjoying the British lifestyle-although she informed me that there is a language barrier.  She has friends from all over the UK and is really noticing the difference between accents. I will be sure to post updates until she gets her blog up.

hhmmm....can't think of a good title

School has started back up, it is my last semester which I am very excited about. But this semester is just very difficult-lots of work, but good.  I am applying for jobs internationally.  I got accepted to work (volunteer work) in the Galapagos Islands, which I was so happy about.  I'm waiting to hear about a job in Paris, which I would really love but am very nervous about.  

Mom, Dad & Sharon are on a cruise right now in the Med.  Sharon will fly straight from Rome to London then to York for her year abroad.  She is so excited, and I am so happy and excited for her. 

Here is another picture from the roadtrip: 

In Harry Potter, the ride in Hogwarts is totally awesome.  Here is a picture that we took in it.  We just loved that this is so what we looked like-this was our first of many rides.  We were going through the Forbidden Forest with the huge spiders.

Road Trip Part 3, cont: Universal Studios-Orland, Fl

Our first day at Universal Islands of Adventure

Universal Studios

Shrek 4-D Experience!

Uh, Oh...in trouble Simpson's style

Sharon was an evil villain in a disaster movie..it turned out really cool

ET Experience

Sharon rode this ride...it is totally vertical on the ride up

Birthday Girl!

@ Hard Rock Cafe-they made her stand up in front of everyone for her birthday...so funny

Sharon is trying to be a dinosaur

We got totally soaked on this ride...we waited all day to do it