Festival of Trees!!!

I love this event! Folks decorate trees beautifully and then donate them...other folks pay ton '0 money for them and it all benefits Primary Childrens. It's a bummer that it's only for two days because it is CROWDED- loads of people want to see the awesomeness! I took the Katie Claire along with me...I shall show a few of my favorites:

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a good time! I didn't take a single picture, but I think my mom might have...silly ones of playing pool or something. Dinner was delicious! Our table consisted of mom, dad, me, Pam, Chad, Cody :-) Oh, and some smoked turkey, green beans, 3 different kinds of potatoes, salad, rolls, cranberry sauce...mmm, it's making me hungry to think about it now. Black Friday was successful and easy for me this year...mom and I went to the mall at around 9 and the crowds really weren't bad at all. I mostly bought some new clothes for work from Express...25% off before noon. Anyhow, it's a week after the fact and I still need to document my last 3 things I'm thankful for...well, surely I'm thankful for so much more than the things/people I have included in this project, but I will choose:

Family- my own immediate family as well as the Huggins/Hawkins/Jordan clan who I consider an entire adopted extended family...more to love! I have some pretty awesome family members and I love spending time with all of them. I will highlight my fantastic sister-in-law, Lisa and my first born nephew, Mathew...both of whom exemplify pretty much the ultimate person! And...my Honey, who I honestly view as the greatest blessing and influence in my life right up there with my mom. I love her so so much.






Friends- I have focused on a couple specific pals in my past posts, but I have so many wonderful friends. I am incredibly blessed in that aspect! I love them all and have so much fun with them all the time! They all provide me with excellent examples of so many admirable traits, and endless support!







The Gospel of Jesus Christ- It is always difficult to adequately express the tender feelings I have for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We are here living because God created us and Christ atoned for our sins and afflictions and knows all the trials we face. My strength comes everyday because of my faith in and obedience to the principles and commandments I have been taught. My joy comes from the knowledge I have about our divine nature and where we came from. My life is motivated by the knowledge I have gained about our potential and what we can achieve and be blessed with after this life. My choices are guided by the Holy Ghost and chosen ultimately because of the love I have for God and our Savior.

West Point, ahoy!

Here I am at the parents, and it feels lovely. I had an excellent 1st day of freedom...

-Slept 'til 10.

-Went to In N Out with Tiff, Mike, and my little Dylan :-) Taught them how to order correctly and how to appreciate the party in their mouths. Dylan is so cute and funny and makes me so happy! The sun was shining bright and we even ate outside, in November!
-Went home and straightened things up a bit.
-Showered and got ready slowly.
-Enjoyed some new music by Carrie Underwood and John Mayer.
-Went on a great hike with Kip. Then we went to Kneaders, delicious.
-Headed up to West Point, where we're watching Planes, Trains, and Automobiles...the best Thanksgiving prep!

Well, I only have a couple days left of the "Thankful Fors" so I should get down to business. Today I pick:

Nature- I love being outside...it's best when the weather is cooperating, of course :-) I'm reminded of the beautiful nature today after my hike in the mountains of Utah Valley, which are quite awesome. I have seen so many unbelievably gorgeous places and there are so many more that I hope to experience! One of my favorite places is Muir Woods in No. Cal...

Jamie- She is my best friend and I'm grateful for her consistency in my life. She's the most fun, quite hilarious, knows me through and through, and we've had so many super fun adventures together! Our friendship has withstood some real tests, and I love her so unconditionally. There are countless thing I could say about her character and talents. I spend a lot of time missing her, so here's hopin' our lives get geographically closer again at some point. Home- I sure do love the coziness of home! Now this is actually Goldie Hawn and Kirt Russell's home, not mine, but a girl can dream right? ha ha!

Free For Five Days!

I'll be honest, I've been kind of hating work lately...it just gets exhausting and I can't ever let up because there are a lot of little people depending and expecting A LOT everyday...mainly I really stink at getting up at 6 a.m. and actually feeling rested. With that said, the number 1 thing I am thankful for today is......


-I'm done with work for the week!!! That means sleeping until at least 8:30, only wearing mascara for half the day, working out before I get ready for the day, seeing some friends, celebrating with family, learning my script, enjoying the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, watching the BYU-Utah game and hoping for a victory or at least a really close game!


I'm also thankful for:


-My awesomely comfortable mattress



-The fact that some people find my dorkiness "cute"...it helps the confidence a little...

Wow, doozy of a weekend...

It's been an interesting couple of days and my thoughts are cluttered, so I'm sure there's nothing like thanking to make things better!!!

Thankful for:

Sunshine-and there's even been a lot lately!
Sharpened Pencils- make all the things I'm jotting down constantly a lot more fun..also does wonders for my OCD
Hoodies- are cozy and hide my mid-section
The Gym- particularly when I actually go, which has been a problem lately...went and played racquetball tonight though!
Dancing- it is so fun and liberating!
Antibiotics- it's about time I get this funk out of my body

And mostly, this picture:

Haha haha ha haHA HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! This makes me happy every time! So, Leslie & the girls were down from Idaho and we went to Disney on Ice, which was way fun...mostly Aubrie was happy, but every once in a while in life she pulls a very dramatic screaming fit, and I shouldn't laugh, but it's kind of HILARIOUS! She was pretty done posing for pictures and we were trying to get one of her with Uncle Chad...lol...he's trying to be extra happy to make up for it...

In N Out Officially in Utah County!

Thank You For:


-Elastic Waisted Pants- such as p.j. pants, athletic pants, basketball shorts, etc...if life was my way, we would all live in them- everyday, all the time- you know, pretending they were fashionable.


-Cereal- I LOVE cereal! All kinds! Captain Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Golden Grahams, Honey Bunches of Oats, Cracklin' Oat Bran, Strawberry Frosted Mini-Wheats, S'Mores- just some of my favorites. Such fun, yummy, easy , comforting food! This might be one reason why I need elastic waisted pants...


-My Mom- There are thousands of things I could say, of course, but today I'm grateful for her willingness to help me with random things and go with me to do weird things. She came to my classroom and graded a bunch of stuff for me today and then we went to the insane opening of In-N-Out! It was awesome! Way crowded, but they were ready and super efficient! I'm also thankful for Leslie going there ahead of us and saving a spot in line!

Still Thanking...

Today I am thankful for:

-Disco Inferno, the Musical- Who knew? I had never heard of it, but I saw that the Scera theater was holding auditions for it and the thought of dancing in a show sounded pretty appealing for my life right now. SO, turns out that after callbacks I ended up with the female lead role, Jane. Don't know much about the show yet, but I know I get to sing some solos and duets and dance some disco! Sounds good to me! (Show runs Jan.8-16)
-Skylar's Note- In this job of mine, there are rarely times when I feel appreciated and a lot of the time my head is about to explode. But there are the few moments of cute kindness, like this note I got from one of my students a couple days ago (granted I asked them to write a Thank You note to anyone of their choice): "Miss Young, Thank you for showing us that you are here to teach us. Thank you for holding us in your excellence. You really have a kind heart & soul. You have changed our lives. That you for being the teacher we know you are." Yes, a 4th grader wrote that...or copied it from a poem, lol DEEP! But it made me happy.
-Kim- my friend Kim is such an amazing example to me in every way! I haven't seen her in quite some time, and I should really remedy that! I am so thankful for her friendship and the bright spot she has created in my life and memories. (Sure wish you were still with me here at Snow Springs Kimmy!)