Pink pills and puzzles...

My mom just had her crazy foot surgery on Friday. She's a pretty special person so I don't mind taking care of her. I have been bringing her food, helping her move around, changing her bandages, and tomorrow I am even washing her hair. So, none of you guys have to worry. She's is doing just fine. She took my advice and has been taking the pills the doctor prescribed for her. They are these huge pink ones! They sometimes make her sick, but usually just a little dizzy and really tired. She's not in that much pain and even walks around on her heels. I spent the day today looking at her MRI's from before her surgery and it's crazy! I can see just where they nodules were and how big they were! I even showed mom today.

The last couple of days we have been spending in her bed watching old Oprah's, Rachel Ray, Charmed (just to humor me probably), and The Wizard of Oz (twice). However, when the kids came over yesterday, Hayden totally ruined our puzzle that we have been working on for a week. The whole right side was gone! I was a bit depressed, but knew I could reconstruct it. So, tonight Mom and I decided that we would do it together. I helped her walk down the stairs and get her situated. She was a little bit mortified because the kitchen was a mess and she even tried to clean up, but I forced her to sit down. That's just mom being mom and I love her for it. So before we started I had to clean the kitchen so she wouldn't freak out and then we got to work. It took us quite a while. It was a puzzle of the Las Vegas strip and it was 2000 pieces. We saved the hardest corner for last which was all black and huge! Mom ended up getting up and getting a flash light so we could see the distinct differences of color on each piece that we couldn't see without it. What a good idea mom. At 10:45 we put in the last piece, BUT it didn't fit! Mom, probably because she was all hopped up on those pink pills, started laughing hysterically! We finished the whole puzzle and our last piece didn't fit! The pieces were all a bit awkward and some of them looked like they fit perfectly, but didn't really so it was hard and we kept on joking that we were putting the whole puzzle together wrong because we weren't sure if each piece actually went there, but we never thought it would actually happen. I found the piece that didn't fit (it was way off where mom had put is btw) and exchanged the two. So, now we have a pretty puzzle of the strip on our kitchen table.

Friends come and go, but family lasts forever

A lesson that I have come to know all too well. The day after Halloween, Lisa and I drove up to Brentwood, her home town which is like 30 mins south of San Francisco. She hadn't been home all year and we both really needed a vacation. Life is really hectic and stressful. Sometimes you just need to walk away, another lesson I learned all too well in that one week.

Anyway, Lisa and I left Saturday morning at 9:30 and made it to Brentwood in 2 hours and 15 minutes. We both decided that I am driving on all of our road trips. The whole purpose for us going was to watch this one football game at her old JC. DVC vs. Butte. It was a pretty good game except for the fact that IT RAINED THE WHOLE TIME, until the game was over and we left anyway. Then it got all bright and shiny. Hi Todd! Hopefully some of you get that and if you don't it's from Bubbleboy. I was freexing! I not only had my sweatshirt with my hood on, but Lisa's blanket and I also had an umbrella so I wouldn't actually get wet. The bay area is a whole different kind of cold than Fresno is. We had a blast though. It was fun to meet her old Athletic Trainer and meet all of her friends. After the game we went out to dinner with a couple of her friends and then rented Made of Honor which was amazing and everyone should see it! The next day we went shopping at a new mall that opened up like 5 mins from her house. They got an American Eagle which is a big deal for a town that's as small as Brentwood is supposed to be. We both ended up spending a lot of money, but it was totally worth it. Then we went back to her house to watch the Cowboys game, which sucked. She is the biggest fan ever and gets really angry when they play like crap. Me, I am pretty sure I ended up falling asleep at least 2 times. Oh well. At the end of the day we didn't want to leave. I didn't want to go home to the drama that waited for me at school. Her mom cooked up this really greay meal and her cats had all gotten attached to me. I actually sort of miss them which is weird cause I am not a cat person. Not just them though, her whole family. Her niece reminds me of Sarah. She's pretty much just as tall, but she's only 5. It was pretty amazing, but she was so cute. I can't wait for more vacations.

On the other hand, I couldn't wait to get home cause Donny was there. I miss him so much when he is in Utah, but I am so proud of him for moving away and surviving on his own. He hung out with his friends a lot, but I didn't mind. It was great to look across the hall and know he was there. It was like he had never moved. I was definitely not ready for him to leave so, I invited myself with Kristi and Chris on a trip to take him back to Sacramento so he could fly back home. We had a lot of fun. Sacramento has a lot of weird memories for me, but it was still really fun. We ate at Joe's Crab Shack, which was amazing, THANK YOU CHRIS, and then headed for the candy store. It was so much fun. After lunch we went to a science planetarium place, I don't even know what it was called, but it was really cool. We got to learn a lot about the planets. Did you know that they have a globa and a map of venus and mars. They even have names for the craters and stuff. It was way cool. The other half of the place was all animals. Donny loved the porcupine and I love the bunny which I name Thumper. He was huge! We even stayed for the little show where the lady talked about different kinds of turtles. One almost peed on her! Then we took Donny to the airport. I was the only one who cried, but I couldn't help it. I love him. So, despite all the crap that happened that week at school it was still a good week. I lost a friend, but it's cool. I decided that family is way more important and they actually care about whether they like it or not, they just have to.

Halloween!

I love Halloween. I love the scary movies, the haunted houses, the scary ghost shows that are supposedly real, dressing up in a costume at the age of 21, and having a good excuse to eat a lot of candy. For Halloween I was a ninja turtle with Lisa. We made shirts that said the names of who we were on them and bought the little kid cotumes so we could use the shells, which we also jazzed up. They were super cute! She was supposed to be Donnie, but we weren't informed that Donnie was the purple one until we had already made the shirt. SO, she was a blue Donnie. I was Raphael, the super cool red one. This was in the car before I had my really cool headband on and you can't really see our shells, but we were all decked out. We had everything except the weapons. We got ready together and then went to my friend Sal's house. It was kind of lame so we decided to leave and hang out with Lisa's friend from home, Calvin. He was pretty cool. Us leaving caused a lot of unnecessary drama, but it was worth it. We ended up having a lot of fun. Ninja turtles was probably the best idea ever. Even though there weren't four of us which everyone talked about that night, and we didn't have weapons. Can't wait to see what we come up with next year.

No clinging to the corners...

So this weekend was a bit of a mess. Friday night I had to work the soccer game. I love working them, but we always lose, which is a big downer. So I have come accustomed to working on the visitors side so I can at least stand in awe of some of the amazing plays they make. This time I wasn't so lucky. It was a great, very aggresive game. Someone even got carded. However, we won 1-0. Something that is totally great, but not what I expected.

Saturday morning Caitlyn and I woke up bright and early to go check out some apartments. My decision is not finalized yet, but we will see what happens. After a few adventures and some great apartments we decided to go back to my house to decorate out Halloween costumes. We decided to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! I am so excited. We don't have a fourth one, but we decided that it was ok. They look super cute. I will put pictures up after Halloween.

Later that night we went to Fright Night at Sierra Vista Mall. It was super fun! I usually get really scared, but this year I tried my hardest to keep my composure. There was a couple of times my ankles shook, but I never screamed! There was even a scary clown and a vampire man chasing people outside as they stood in line. I freaked out at first, but when they actually came up to us I tried so hard just to act normal. They look for people like me cause we are all little and helpless, but when he realized that I wouldn't budge he got a little bored and they didn't bother us for the rest of the night. THANK GOODNESS!

So, since we were in such a large group, we had to get split up for the maze. Caitlyn was in the group ahead of me with Lucas, Bry, and Karen, and I was in the middle group with Cesar and Lisa. Throughout the maze we could hear Caitlyn screaming which freaked me out a little because I was expecting all this scariness! At one point we even heard one of the scary people tell her not to cling to the corners. As soon as we heard him say it, I knew it was about her. It was so funny! All in all it was a pretty good night. I must admit that I was a little scared, but not as much as I was expecting. The last haunted house I went to was an actual house here in Clovis and it was 10x more scary because it was really haunted. As soon as you stepped in the door, you could just feel it. Too bad they had to close it down.

My amazing cousin...

So, I was going through my e-mails last night (sometimes it takes me a while) and I found this... HE IS MY HERO!

I also thought I would show you this...

He's 9...

Twilight

So I found this amazing trailer of Twilight. Maybe everyone already knows about it, but just in case... YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT!

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=44288316

Tag!

I tag my sisters and any other family member that reads my blog!

P.S. Sorry it took so long Ashley!

Ok, the rules are that you have to take pictures of these things in your house as they are right now! You can't clean before you take it!

1. The Kitchen Sink

Remember that I live at home with my parents still...

2. Toilet

Sadie makes her 1st appearance!

3. Laundry Room

4. Fridge

Sadie makes her 2nd appearance!

5. What is your spouse/kids doing?

Yes, she is licking my leg. Sadie appearance #3!

6. Favorite shoes

I don't wear too many shoes anymore. You are lucky I didn't take a pic of the nikes I have to wear to the training room every day. : )

7. Favorite Room

8. Dream vacation

Anywhere in the Caribbean

9. Closet

10. Self Portrait

Ew I know... I can't believe I am putting this on the internet, but I am trying not to cheat!

Car Wash!

Since I have been so busy I have not had time to wash the outside or inside of my car for the last few months. Dad washed it for me a couple of times, but it hasn't been cleaned since before out trip to Utah and trust me... it got REALLY dirty driving all that way. So, I finally got tired of looking at the dirt on my back window and all the bugs on my front window, but I still didn't have time to actually wash it and I don't wanna pay the money to have someone else wash it. I am a poor college student who can't have a job so I have to save money wherever I can. SO, when I got home from class today I fo-washed it. I pretty much sprayed it with water and then dried it. I didn't think it would work as well as it did. The windows are still a little dirty and not all of the bugs came off, but I can wash the windows with those little things at the gas station the next time I get gas. YAY for a clean car!

Since I have time ; )

My Name: Favorite Food:First Job:

Where I was born:

Favorite Color:

College:

Bad Habit:

Favorite Place:

Favorite Animal:

Past Love:

What am I doing now:

Where I live:

Favorite Object:

Grandmother's Name:

(Marlene Dietrich was an actress and a singer)

My Age:

Since...

Kristi told me my last blog was ridiculous, I thought I would take the time today to actually tell you all what I have been up to.

The last five weeks have been absolutely nuts! School is great. My first rotation with football is over tomorrow and I am actually really sad about it. I work with the linebackers (some of the most amazing guys on the field) and they are so sweet. They are sad to see me go too. We won Rutgers, lost Wisconsin, won in Toledo, and we just won again 36-31 against UCLA. WE ARE ON A ROLL!! Yay Ryan Mathews for leaping over a guy to score! It was a pretty sweet game! I was supposed to work the Wisconsin game, but I ended up packing my bags and leaving for Utah to see my family. It was a great reunion. Kristi, Jonathan, and I left Friday at 3 and got to St. George, UT by 12:30pm.

It was an easy drive and I wouldn't mind doing it again. I loved seeing my family. DK is getting so big... he's adorable. I hate being so far away from him. The next morning I got to see the rest of my family at breakfast. We went shopping and then we went to see Le Miserables at Tuacahn. It was so pretty and the play was amazing. I have been trying to find clips of my favorite scene to post on here, but the singing and acting aren't as good as what I saw live. I'll keep trying though. Sunday we drove up to Orem to see my little brother. I have missed him soooo much. It's so weird that he is so far away. I wish I could have spent more time with him. We spent the night at Dusty's that night and stayed up late playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band and of course talking for forever. I wish we were all closer. It's always hard to leave, but we did. Kristi and I treid to leave at 5:30, but we didn't get up till 6. Oops...

We met my mom and Terry in Vegas for the most amazing buffet ever! I had never driven in Vegas before and I had no idea where I was going or getting off at. I had to pull a... "Here's my Exit!" It's a good thing we got out of there alive. Anyway, this buffet has everything a person can ever want to eat. I wish I was a little fatter cause there were things I didn't get to eat that I really wanted to try. Ok maybe I don't wish I was fatter, but everything was so yummy.

Kristi and I got back at 8:30 on Monday. The kids tried to surprise her when we got to her house, but I walked in first and ruined it. ANOTHER OOOPS... It was a nice vacation and I decided it was something that we need to do more often. I was really sad that we had to leave. Especially since I had to come home to tests! We won't even get into that though. Let's just say that my teacher is human and makes many mistakes. It's good of her to realize she was wrong and give us the points we rightfully deserve. Too bad we pretty much had to fight to the death though. Oh well, now we are learning about fascial injuries and I am really excited to start getting my hands dirty.

Since tomorrow is my last day with football, I rotate to good ol North Gym where I will be working with Women's Basketball with Mandy. I am really excited to have her as my ACI. I feel like I can really learn a lot from her. Working with a women's sport will be quite different though and I am kind of nervous. My guys are really attached to me so I can only imagine how attached these girls are to their old student trainer. I guess we will see how it goes. It feels like the school year is flying by. It will be Christmas in no time.

My birthday was amazing. It lasted for a whole week. Starting with a birthday celebration in St. George, then CPK in Salt Lake, then Red Robin and Elephant Bar in Fresno. Almost all of my friends from the Athletic Training program came out to dinner to celebrate. It was a lot of fun. Kristi and her family came over on Tuesday, my actual birthday, to open presents. Mom made a really yummy dinner and then we played Star Wars on the Wii. It's a pretty sweet game. I thought I had made it the whole day without crying, but I opened Kristi's present last. It was 2 pictures framed in white frames (to match my room). One picture was our family at the play, but I didn't start crying until I looked at the second picture. It was one of me and Donny. It was the best present I ever could have gotten. Thanks Kris... Mom got me a grip of clothes and some new tennis shoes that I really needed. Especially now that I don't have time for a job so I am poor : (. Donny got me some shorts that I lounge in or wear to bed from his school. He bought them with his very own money. I wear them every day. Thanks bud. Sheryl got me a really cute pug book and a blanket that I sleep with every night that says "My Heart Belongs to a Vampire." I love it. I also finally took off my Tiffany's necklace and put on the necklace Terra got me. I also wear that every day. She also got me a pair of earrings that I wore for my birthday. Tara and Dusty got me a pug stuffed animal. I named her Pugselina. Now pugsley can have a girlfriend. Thanks every one for making this the best birthday ever! I love you all.

P.S. Since I didn't work the Wisconsin vs. Fresno State game I will be working the Fresno State vs. Nevada game on Nov. 7th so everyone watch for me. You probably won't see me, but it's supposed to be a good game anyway.

No other way to describe it...

I am exhausted! It's only the 5th week of school this week and I feel like I haven't slept in months. Sorry for not blogging in the last 5 weeks. I really do have interesting stories, just no time to write them. So, I decided to post some pics and you can decide what they are of : ). Love you all! P.S. My birthday was great! Thanks everyone!

First day of school...

Today was my first day of my senior year at Fresno State. Everything happened perfect today! I woke up on time, got ready fast, and left my house early enough to not even mind the traffic. One spot opened up with my Dr. and I went to see Reed for physical therapy. The only thing that was kind of weird was that my mom wasn't home to take pictures of my first day. So, being me, I took them of myself. I am not too excited for classes this year. I hate classes where I have to write papers and do projects. Hopefully it all turns out well. My friend Diana is selling me her Chemistry book for $60 instead of $100. Sweet deal.

I also get to keep my job at Reed's. I won't be working as often as I would like, but at least it's some money. Now I will be going in during class breaks to do all the typing. I was surprised to see that both John and Reed missed me. Even thought neither of them would admit it... you could tell.

Yesterday was mass physicals at the Save Mart Center. I was in the Orientation room so my group was done first, but we couldn't go home till everyone was done and everything was cleaned up. So, we played around a bit with my camera. We all look so slick in out polo's and khakis. This is Evan, Cesar, Junior (Javier), me, Caitlyn, and Big Show (Michelle Sanchez). We had to come up with some nick names because there is also an ATC who's name is Javier and we have 2 Michelles. We just love to make things difficult.

I also went to the Bulldog shop today to buy more polo's since they changed the training room rules. We can now only wear polo's and they have to be tucked in. At first my total was almost $100, but when I told him I was in the AT program he gave me 30% off. It ended up being $65. Huge price difference. YAY AT PROGRAM!! Those of us who do get along have a lot of fun together. We all went to Caitlyn's house the other night to hang out. We are all the biggest dorks. We are always laughing and having fun. I am excited for this next year!

Athletic Training

So, the low down is that I have no life and no time. At least not enough to Blog anyway. I haven't even really been on the computer. My life now consists of the Olympics and anything Athletic Training. To be honest, I really don't mind. It kind of sucks that I never really have time to myself or even my family, but I am having a lot of fun. I miss my nieces and nephews and my sisters, but especially my little brother. I never realized how much of a role he had in my life until he moved away. It's so weird to think that he is not just across the hall anymore.

Anyway, the Olympics has been amazing. I record it everday which means I have to come home every night to watch it because our DVR only has 18 hours left on it. I love the summer Olympics! Swimming, diving, gymnastics, and beach volleyball are my favorites. Way to go Shawn Johnson, Michael Phelps, Misty May-Treanor, and Kerry Walsh. Did we ever doubt any of them? I was hoping Shawn would have won all around, but there is always London and I am glad she is leaving China with at least one Gold. Hopefully our girls diving can actually get a medal tonight in the 10m platform diving.

The training room has actually been a breeze too. I am getting sick of eating at RDH (The Resident Dining Hall), but it's fun every day. There are a few people who have already caused problems, but I am trying my hardest not to hold it against them. Football camp will be over on Saturday! I can see the finish line and I am in a dead sprint to get there. I worked with Soccer today which was totally fun and the reason why I actually get a break and am able to bring you this glorious blog. I also got a pedicure today! Yay soccer! School starts on Monday and as much as I need a vacation, I am really excited to see what this year will bring. I have already have a few sports in mind, but what I thought I didn't want for sure now looks somewhat appealing. We'll just have to wait and see what happens...

As for Twilight. I saw they changed the release date to Nov. 21st or something like that. I can't wait. There are so many things going on this year it's exciting! We are going to Utah the weekend before my birthday and for once I don't mind. I am actually really looking forward to going. I hear there may be a few surprises along the way! Anyway, life is a mess right now so SHERYL don't be angry if I don't blog for some time. I am trying to find balance in my schedule. We will get it figured out. In the mean time, the phone goes both ways. I am always down to text or e-mail. Kristi... tell those kids I love them. And Terra give DK some kisses for me. I love you all!

The Vet...

I took Sadie to the Vet today after physical therapy, which is going amazing by the way. I can now open my mouth 37mm without pain. It is clear that my problems with my neck are worse then I even thought my TMJ was. Anyway, I picked Sadie up and took her over there. All I wanted was her shots done because everything else gets very expensive. Sadie is very healthy for a pug. She has no problems with her eyes, nose, or hips. I even made sure her ears were fine before I took her in. Last time they charged me $260 so I would not get tricked into that again. As soon as they brought her back they did a heart worm exam. Dogs get heart worms when they ingest fleas. Well, Sadie doens't have fleas and the test is expensive so I didn't want to get it done, but they didn't even ask. They just did it! I was calculating what the total cost could be in my head from that moment on. When the vet came in she said the test was neg... DUH! But she wanted to make sure Sadie was still on some heart worm medication to prevent it. I really don't see the purpose in it, but they kept on trying to talk me into it. It was ridiculous. I love Sadie and I only want the best for her, but she has gone over a year without it and her test still came out negative. I didn't want them to think that I didn't care. I pretty much gave in.

So, then she started to inspect Sadie. She said her ears were good ; ). But the folds on her face could be cleaned better. Then she saw the stye on Sadie's eye. Sadie has gotten stye's before. Kids get them all the time and Sadie plays in worse stuff than kids do so it's bound to happen. I usually put some baby shampoo on it. It cleans it and it doesn't hurt her eye. She tried prescribing me something for it, but I told her I had already had some medicine. She believed me. I wonder how much that would have cost. She finally gave Sadie her shot which took a whole 30 seconds and then she said everything else was fine. At this point in my head I was already up to $100. I didn't want to ask her a question cause I figured she'd find a reason to charge me for that too. After 45 mins we were done. I walked up to the front desk and found out that my total for the day was $190! I freaked out in my head for a little bit then just paid it. I was ridiculous, but everything had already been done so I didn't think I had a choice. She handed me a bag which I figured was that same stupid heart worm medicine and we left.

When I got home I opened the bag to find more than just heart worm medicine. She charged me $20 for some stupid wipes to clean Sadies nose wrinkles with and she gave me a different kind of heart worm medicine. It doesn't just cover heart worm, but any other kind of parasite as well. The first heart worm stuff we got was $24 for 6 months. So, I decided to look at the receipt to see how much everything cost. Her wipes were $20, her shots were $20, her check up was $35, her heart test was $45, and those stupid heart worm pill were $70!!! I basically got screwed! I didn't even want those stupid pills in the first place! There is no way I am getting her more. So, now I will be giving her them for the next 6 months and she will never be getting them again. I don't even mind paying the $45 for the screen each year, but I will not pay $140 for the pills on top of that $45. STUPID VETS!!

Last one... I promise.

I had my very first in-service over the last couple of days. It was boring at times, but still fun. There are 18 of us and though our level 3's are extremely seperated, I am confident we will be a family. It was mostly classroom stuff, but we did get to do some c-spine stuff on the track. I had done it all before, but it was nice to get our hands dirty after sitting through lectures for a day and a half. When we were done at the track we went back inside and ran through specific senarios. It was actually a lot of fun. Nerve wrecking because every one expects me to live up to a certain expectation, but it was still fun. Ed now calls me #2. He might as well just call me Jr. I don't mind it because I don't think he means it in the sense that Terra is and will always be the best so she is therefore #1. I think he means it in the fact that I am the 2nd Castro-Conde to go through that same program. Hopefully I can kick everyone's butt like Terra did. I am very excited for the new year. They switched around the training rooms and got a few new trainers who I really enjoy. I am very excited.

Ashley and Wyatt's wedding was on Saturday. I didn't think I'd get to go because I thought in-service would run late, but we ended up getting a half day. My day started early. I ran to Target at 8am to get "Breaking Dawn," was at the training room by 9. Left at 5 and was at the reception with Kristi and Jonathan by 7:30. It was a busy day! Everything was perfect. It's weird to think that Wyatt, who is only a few months older than I am, is married now. It boggles the mind.

Curtis and a few of his friends came over when I got and didn't leave till late. So, even though I had every intention on attending church, I totally slept through it. I have basically been doing nothing but reading and sleeping for the last 2 days. I am tired, but I am proud to announce that I have finished the 4th and final book of the "Twilight" saga. It was amazing! I can't wait for the movie to come out in December. Of course I wish the books could go on forever, but I guess I will just have to deal with reading them again until the movies come out. I won't let out any secrets, but you will all love it! Anyway, back to work tomorrow and then football camp on the 13th. My new crazy schedule awaits me. It's bitter sweet. I have to start school and spend ALL my time there which sucks, but it's one step closer to graduation.

Physical Therapy

I found out from my wonderful dentist that I would have to try physical therapy for my jaw. I have had TMJ since I was 15, but it hasn't started bothering me till recently. I have been having awful headaches and my neck is always tight. I couldn't tell if the headaches and neck aches were from the TMJ or not. I talked to my dentist about it and he said that if PT doesn't work I would have to wear a splint and then possibly consider jaw surgery. It's a good thing I work for the best PT in town! He diagnosed me with TMJ and Cervicalgia (neck pain). We found out that my neck range of motion (ROM) was severely limited in my neck and jaw, but we still aren't sure if they are even connected. I have only had 4 appointments and I can already feel a great difference in my face. I can now open my mouth 30mm without pain (on my first day it was only 16mm) and have even yawned a few times without hearing a pop. Of course some days are worse than others, but I am very confident that we are on the road to success. Now our biggest concern is my neck pain. It doesn't seem to be letting up at all. In fact I am in constant pain from it. Even the massaging doesn't help for very long. I still have 8 more appointments left so we will see how everything goes. Wish me luck!

Yet again...

It has apparantly been way too long since my last blog and certain people are having withdrawals. So much has happened in the last 2 weeks. Sheryl came to town and stayed in the guest room which was the reason for this madness! We had a lot of fun while she was here. I tried to spend as much time with her as I could since her and my little brother would be leaving for UT soon. We had a blast playing Tennis... Which I still need pictures from BTW ; ) and we even washed our cars together. Mine was by far the dirtiest, but I like it that way. My aunt and her sons and my grandma also came to town for my cousins farewell. It was a lot of fun spending time with them. I do wish her sons actually knew I was when they first got here though. This just means that we need to make more trips. I can't have my family not know me. The three of us had a lot of fun. We laughed A LOT! I owned my pony tail and worked my up do, Sheryl liked the Mike n' Ikes, and Donny sniffed people asking if he can get their number. Inside joke, but it's still hilarious. I wish they could have stayed longer. We went up to Yosemite the weekend before they left. We made it all the way to the top. The falls were little, but still beautiful. I do have pics, but I am too lazy to put the CD in right now so you guys will have to live without it. I did perfectly fine, but the rest of the family had me a little worried. I also MADE them "walk an extra mile," even though it was only 1/2 a mile. They complained pretty much the whole way. SISSY'S!! I got to see my first rattle snake and we also saw a Mommy bear and 2 bear cubs from across the trail. We had a blast and it was beautiful. I miss them already. Donny's room is so empty. I can't even keep his door open because looking inside makes me sad. Mom and I still haven't cleaned it, but we did tough it out and make the bed. I truly believe I have the best family ever!

Jonathan Ryan Williquette

The newest member of our ever-growing family, Jonathan Ryan Williquette. Born July 17, 2008. He was 7lbs 15oz and he's 20 1/2 inches long. He is such a beautiful baby boy. I had no idea anything had happened until I got home from work yesterday and saw Sarah, Miranda, and Hayden all at the house. I knew instantly! It's so exciting! I have been waiting for Baby Jonathan to come for such a long time now. Kristi went to her Dr's appt yesterday and they pretty much just kept her there. He was born at 3:30 am. We went to the hospital at 9:30 this morning with all the kids. I love him already! Sarah and Miranda both love him too. Hayden wasn't too happy about Kristi's attention being somewhere else, but he'll get over it I am sure. We tried to get him to have a little interaction with the baby. It worked for a little while until Hayden smacked Jonathan in the face. Jonathan didn't even cry. What a trooper! I am sure he's going to have to put up with a lot more than that over the next several years from all of his brothers and sisters. Hayden seemed to lighted up a little after that. We even got him to put his arm around Jonathan and lay down with him. It was so cute! Kristi is doing well too. I am sure she will probably kill me for putting this on here, but oh well. She's extremely excited that Jonathan is finally here! She's also ecstatic about her sudden loss of 10lbs. Yes Chris, I am sure the Wii Fitt will be very happy with Kristi's progress. She was blessed with such beautiful kids and I am very happy for the chance to be an aunt again. It's time like this that I wish our whole family lived close. Poor DK won't get to meet his new cousin for a while. Next up is Maycee and then who knows maybe a little Ashley or Wyatt. : )

Congratulations Donny!

Yesterday was a very exciting day! We all woke up bright and early to take Donny shopping for his new apt. It took us about an hour to find just the right pan set, but we did it. I think he was a little overwhelmed when he realized how much stuff he actually needed. It was very exciting for me though. I am so happy for Donny, but I am going to miss him so much. He left for EFY for like 4 days and before the first day was even over I already missed him. I don't know what I am going to do when I don't see him for months. I guess we'll be making a lot of trips out to UT now. After shopping we went to lunch and then we took Kristi home so she could get the kids ready for Donny's Court of Honor.

We brought a bunch of stuff from Donny's scouting days to decorate the table with. We couldn't put everything out that we wanted to, but it still looked really nice. Donny shared his ceremony with 2 other boys from our ward. The church was decorated very nicely and one of the dad's put together a great slide show. Of course I cried. My Mom and Terry presented Donny with his Eagle and my Mom also gave Donny my great- grandpa's scouting hat. She was told to give it to the first boy in the family who got his Eagle. Donny and my great-grandpa are the only ones who have gotten. It really is a great accomplishment and a lot of hard work went into all of his projects. He looked so handsome in his scouting uniform yesterday. Cody and Ashley even came. Thanks guys, it really meant a lot to him. He wished my dad and Jill could have been there, but he understands. Of course he also wished Wyatt could have come. We haven't seen him in forever!Sheryl, Terra, Josh, and DK were all missed too. I love things like this when I get to see my whole family together. I am getting older now and a lot mushier. I love my family so much and I wish I got to see all of you more often. Donny leaves in 18 days. We intend to start packing this week so we can make sure he has everything he will need. So far it's sad, but not real yet. I am sure it will hit home when the boxes start lining up in the hallway. I am so going to miss him, but I am so excited for all of the great college experiences I know he is going to have. Congratulations Donny, I am so proud of you!