Looking Back At 2009

What a year. It has honestly been the best, and yet hardest year I can remember. What were my favorite things? Oh there are so many. Let me just highlight a few.

Making new friends. Especially that gorgeous one in the dark gray right behind me. Her name is Jessica Shumway, and she is the best friend I have ever had, and I hope she knows how much she means to me. I love you forever Jess. Thanks for all your help when I have hard times. You're amazing.

Watching Ammon grow from a bump on the couch to a hard working young man again. It was an absolute miracle, and my testimony was strengthened greatly through this trial. God lives and loves us, that I know for sure.

Choir Tour- this was an absolute blast. I loved it!!

Our family trips to the cabins this summer. It was so nice to get away for a few weeks and just be together as a family. Thanks to the Welch family and the Moss family for letting us stay at your wonderful cabins!! We loved it. p.s take a look at Ben's face in the background, its pretty funny :)

Dating Hoyt. Best thing ever!! And now he has been on a mission for five months. He is working so hard, and loving every minute.

Senior Year! This is what I spend a lot of time doing... homework. But my senior year has been the best one so far out of all the high school years. As much as I like it, I wont lie..... I am very excited to be done. :)

So bring on 2010!! A lot is going to happen this year, and I am excited to see what adventures we have. Graduation, College, turning 18, and finding a solid job just to name a few. I love you all. Happy New Year!!

p.s. keep checking up, cause I might have some exciting news really soon!!

My First Night In the Emergency Room

How exciting right?? Last night was my first night that I can remember in the emergency room. I had just got done volunteering at the Hospital actually (how ironic), and was driving home when I started getting really bad abdominal pain. I tried to ignore it at first, but as I kept driving it got worse. By the time I was at Pioneer Park, I was praying frantically that Heavenly Father would help me drive the rest of the way home safely. I made it home, and stumbled into the house, barely able to walk. It was the weirdest, most painful thing I have ever experienced in my life. My low abdomen was absolutely killing me. My mom called my dad and they decided that first they would take me to the insta-care. But there was one problem now: I couldn't walk, in fact I could hardly stand. So my mom rushed to pick up my dad from work so that he could come help me into our car. Tanner was so cute, he came over and held my hand while I cried helplessly, doubled over. As soon as they got back, my dad helped me into the car, and we drove over to Alpine Pediatrics' after hours clinic. As soon as I walked in the doctor came over and told us that we should probably just go to the emergency room. So we climbed back into the car and headed over to the hospital. As soon as they got me admitted, they took me to a room and told me to pee in a cup. I HATE PEEING IN CUPS. I get stage fright so bad. I know that sounds stupid, but I really have issues going when someone tells me I have to go. I swear there must be an easier way that does not involve catheters. Maybe someday I will invent it. But I did it eventually, wahoo!! On to the next task. Taking my blood and having me hooked up to an IV. This I can handle. In fact, I would way rather have my blood taken than have to pee in a stupid cup. And while I am complaining about the hospital, can I just say that those hospital gowns are quite possibly the most revealing things ever??? They do not offer privacy at all. Honestly though, at that point I didn't even care. My pain was far greater than my embarrassment. Okay, I am done complaining now... My nurse came in and gave me warm blankets and morphine. I just want to say thank heaven for narcotics. It helped dull the pain quite a bit, to the point where I could rest. After a little while the radiologist came in and told me that it was time for my ultra-sound. He asked me if my bladder was full again from the IV fluid. I told him I thought it was, so off to the ultra-sound room we went. OUCH. The ultra-sound hurt. And do you want to hear something kind of funny? About half way through he looked at me and said, "Your bladder is actually too full, it is blocking my view, so I need you to go into that room and go about half way and then come back out." Of course, I thought to myself. Why wouldn't this doctor tell me to go pee too? So I did as I was told. (I am getting pretty good at peeing on demand, actually.) And the rest of the ultra-sound went just fine. I went back to my room and got to rest again. I was actually quite comfortable when another doctor came in and told me that they needed to run a cat scan. So I agreed and we went down to the cat scan room. Now, if any of you have had a cat scan on your lower abdomen, you know just what I had to do. And for those of you who have not, pray that you never have to :) It was not the funnest experience I have ever had. Thank heaven my mom was with me. I felt like a little girl again, holding her hand and telling her that I was a little bit scared. But she told me everything would be fine and I made it through! It all came to an end after that, and the final analysis was... I have a cyst on my ovary. And it looks like it did some internal bleeding. But that is just about all the ER doctors knew, so we are going to make a visit to the Gynecologist sometime this week (yay). I am so glad to be home, even though the morphine made me extremely sick, and I don't know how long it will last. My body does not react to anesthetic very well. I am a little sore, but all in all I am doing much better. Sorry this is such a long post, but I wanted to remember the experience, so I wrote it all down. And that is the end of my first ER experience.

It is actually a real thing....

Well, the swine flu exists. That I know for sure. On Saturday morning I awoke tired and feeling pretty funny. I had to ignore it though. You see, I had the ACT on Saturday morning, and this time it was a big deal. I am beginning to apply to colleges, and I need to up my ACT score ASAP so that I can get scholarships and acceptance letters when the time comes. So I ran on pure adrenaline. I went to the high school, and surprisingly felt quite a bit better. And then I tested like heck. Four strait hours of it!! Lets just say I was pretty tired when I got home. But sadly, tired is not all I felt. Having eaten a little breakfast that morning, I should have been quite hungry when I got home. But I was not. I had no appetite, and I knew that my body was decreasing. My mom told me to take a nap, so I did. I woke up two hours later.... (that is a really long nap for me). I had a fever and my body ached like it has never ached before, especially my head and neck. Yep, definitely swine flu symptoms.
So I have spent the last four days in my basement, living off of saltine crackers, juice, crushed ice, and some sprite. I have not watched this many movies in a long time. The school has banned me from attending until the beginning of next week because of the huge scare that swine flu has brought everyone. And frankly, I don't blame them. I don't want to give this to anyone, and would hope that others would stay home as well so that other students do not get infected.
I look forward to seeing you all next week when I am no longer infected :)
Happy Halloween!!

Autumn

This morning I was driving and I noticed the mountains. Have you seen them yet?? They are a gorgeous array of red, orange, and brown trees. I couldn't stop staring. They are beautiful!! I have been so busy with homework that I have not even noticed them. I am so glad that I finally did. Have you ever smelled Fall? I think it smells different to every person, but I am almost one hundred percent positive that it is one of the most heavenly smells on earth. To me it is sweet spicy candles, crisp morning air, home-baked goods, and the smell of the heater when it first comes on. I love it. Holiday buzz is just beginning to start, and there is a hint of Thanksgiving and Christmas in the air. But first comes Halloween. With pumpkins and costumes and lots of sugar to be sure. It is time to pull on a warm jacket or two every morning, and when you walk outside your breath turns into a cold fog. It is a time of celebration, laughter, and family parties. This poem describes my feelings perfectly...

The winds will blow their own freshness into you,
and the storms their energy,
while cares will drop away from you
like the leaves of Autumn.

Fall poem by John Muir

Oh yes, life does not get any sweeter than this. Autumn is my favorite time of the year, as you can plainly see. What's yours?

Free

Do you want some exciting news???
Okay I will tell you.


Ammon
is
Lyme FREE.

tests said zero.
none.
It has been a good day.

I am alive, believe it or not...

Ok, time to come back. I decided I have been the worst blogger EVER. But in my defense I really have been busy. And to answer my mom's lovely comment, no I did NOT die after Hoyt left. I am quite alive and doing well. School started a long time ago :) In fact, first term ends on October 23rd of this month. Wow, only 3 more terms of being in High School. It gets weirder and more exciting to me every day. Should I quickly sum up the last two months for all of you?? Not much has happened, but I will anyway... Firstly, I am seventeen!! And guess what I got for my birthday?? Beautiful dishes from Gardiner Village. I love that place. Is anyone up for a visit?


The picture doesn't show them as well as I would like, but they really are awesome. I love collecting things for my future home!!
Happy Birthday to my Mom!!!!! She wouldn't like me to tell you this, but you will see it in the pictures anyway. She has finally come to the big 4-0!! I love you mom!! Thanks for always being there for me. We threw her a small surprise birthday party, and it turned out quite nicely.


Happy Birthday to Quinci!!! This post is going to include a lot of birthday news, so sorry if you get bored. Here is a cute video with Quinci blowing out her candles. She is such a sweetheart, I really love her.

I also went to Homecoming with my friend Jeff. This pic is the night he asked me, and we had to put together a puzzle to find his name.


And this is the actual night of the dance:

It was really fun!! Thank you to my mother (for my dress), grandmother (for my dress), Ammon (for my jewelry), and Lindsey (for my hair)! It turned out great!
We also went mini golfing recently for Ammon's birthday. Oh it was so so fun. Even though I got second to last place :) Happy 20th Birthday Bro!! Sorry for the blurry pics by the way....



Tanner also had a birthday!! His fourteenth! I really almost cried when I realized it. My little sidekick is growing up. *Sniff*



Whew!! Made it through all of the big stuff.
I have also begun volunteering at the hospital, for those of you who don't know. It is kind of slow right now to tell the truth, but I am enjoying it. The point is to get to know how the ball rolls at the hospital, and this will definitely accomplish that goal. I can't even begin to describe how excited I am to start Nursing school. If all goes well I can have my Bachelor's in Nursing by the time I am 21!!! It is so exciting for me. And nervewracking at the same time. Every time I think about it I get little butterflies in my stomach.
What else? Is it completely stupid to give you guys an update on how Hoyt is doing? Probably, but I will do it anyway :) He is great!! He leaves for Japan on October 13th, just 9 days away!! He is loving the MTC, even though the language is extremely difficult. Missionaries are kind of funny. Not in a rude way at all, but his letters consist of spiritual thoughts and scriptures. It is cute. He is so into it, which is exactly how is should be. I look forward to writing and receiving letters every week. He is a freaking Hot missionary, that is all I have to say.
Well, that is all the news I have for now, but I hearby promise to post more often :)

Goodbyes

Let's just say that today was not the funnest day of my life.

I waited all day to say goodbye to him along with the rest of my family, at about 5:30 p.m. Then it would be over. The day seemed to drag. Then he came, and we talked and played and had a good time as a family. He mentioned a 'friend get together' at his house at 7:30. I had no desire to go, I had already prepared to say goodbye with my family. Then he looked at me and told me that he wanted me to come if I would please. He wanted his last hug from a girl to be from me. So I went for him. 8:30 came and it was time to say goodbye. He gave me a hug, two in fact, and told me he loved me. I love him too. And then I drove away.

Now my eyes are red and blotchy and mascara is smeared on my face. But my angel parents helped me. Emotion seems to be coming in waves. He is going to be an incredible missionary, and I am truly happy for him. But it is hard too. He is so many things to me, and to my family. Absolutely amazing. He has been a blessing in my life and I will forever be grateful for how much I have learned from his example.

We have two years to grow. He will grow in testimony, maturity, and love for the Lord. I am determined to grow too. Because when he gets back I want to be ready for him. It will be a great time of learning to both of us. And we will see how things play out.

So tomorrow begins the 730 day count down until I can see my missionary again. But for now, it is time for him to serve the Lord. And time for me to grow as well. I feel peace. And excitement. And maybe a little anxiety. But it will all be okay, of that I am sure.

Senior School Schedule

I have been so bad about posting lately. I never know what to write about, my life seems so ordinary. I don't want to bore you all!! But I got chastised by some of my blogging friends, so here I am posting about my school schedule! This is the agenda for this year.... so far. I never know what changes could possibly be made. Anyway, here it is. My senior year schedule! Woot Woot!!

Semester One
A1 Physiology
A2 A Cappella Choir
A3 AP English
A4 Gov. & Citizenship
B1 Seminary
B2 Psychology
B3 AP Biology
B4 Lifetime Activities

Semester Two
A1 Physiology
A2 A Cappella Choir
A3 AP English
A4 UVU Math 1050
B1 Seminary
B2 Digital Photography
B3 AP Biology
B4 UVU Math 1050

So there you have it!! I am excited for school to start in some ways, and dreading it in others. This summer has been wonderful. I have enjoyed it so much!! Oh and for those of you who have not heard and are interested........

I am not VL anymore! Hee Hee Hee

Manti Pageant

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to go to the Manti Pageant with Hoyt. It was honestly the funnest date I have ever been on. I loved every minute!! I took some fun pics that I thought you guys might like to see....







By the way all of the cheesy photo poses were HIS idea... but it was so fun. The pageant was awesome, I highly recommend it. But the best part of the whole thing was being with that missionary of mine who is leaving in no more than 28 days.

For Lindsey :)

Hey guys Lindsey really wants to see some pictures of my prom experience so we are going to go back a few months and look at them....



Thanks to Lindsey's friend Kim for the cute dress!! I loved it!!
Oh p.s. I got a hair cut if you didn't already know..... isn't it so freakin cute?! I really love it. But while we are back in the past a while we might as well go back and look at all the stuff that happened that none of my other family members blogged about right? I'll start with the most exciting one: Hoyt got his mission call!!!!!!! To a place very far away :( Nagoya, Japan. We are all so excited for him. This is the morning he got it. It was about 7:00 a.m. so that is why we are all in our pajamas..... except him of course.



We also very recently made grow boxes!! Ammon was doing very good that day, which is why you will see him in some of these pics. He helped build some of them, it was a really fun day!







Now we have a cute little garden that is coming along quite well!! We also finished the girl's room! It was such a fun project.

Sunscreen is NOT for whimps

Well it is finally summer time!! It feels so good to be out of school with free time to relax. I love the summer time, it is actually my favorite time of the year. School is out, it is warm outside, and my birthday is in the beginning of August. What's not to like? Anyways, today a big group of my friends got together to go swimming at the AF rec center. Now, I must admit that getting 'tan' in the summer is always one of those goals of mine that never gets done, but is always on the list. I was excited to go today because it was a beautiful 80 degree day, perfect for tanning, my goal was on to a good start!! Before I went into the pool my mom said "Kaitlyn, I hope you have sunscreen with you." I actually did pack it, but I hadn't decided if I would use it yet. You see, if I put sunscreen on, my tan would not happen as fast, and that would not do at all! I quickly replied that I had some with me... and then I was off to the pool to have some fun. As I walked in, I thought to myself "Oh it is not that hot out here, I don't think I will get burned very bad. It will be fine. And then it won't interfere with my plan to get tan! :)" FALSE. Well, we all had a great time and eventually I forgot about the sunscreen. I stayed for roughly four hours, and when I got home I had a special surprise on my face, my shoulders, and my back. Red Red Red Red Red. I had indeed gotten rid of my lame farmers tan, but I had replaced it with a lobster/white swimsuit line. Much better right? Needless to say, I learned my lesson. My skin is not invincible, and I will be wearing sunscreen from now on.

But only a little bit :)

Choir Tour

I have been so busy with make up homework and Nursing School that I have barely had time to think. My blog has been very neglected, and I finally have the chance to post about the amazing trip I took two weeks ago to California.
It all started with an extremely lllllooooonnnnngggg bus ride. Luckily we stopped in St. George for the first night, but it still seemed like an eternity. I don't have any pictures of the bus ride to St. George, so I will just skip until we were there at our hotel :)

These are my cute roommies Jessica, Jessica, and Jerrica. I was kind of left out because my name starts with a K....

We were all so tired but it was so much fun to stay up and talk till 12:30 in the morning. We had to get up at 6:15 to go eat breakfast and load the buses by 8:30 for the even longer drive to Los Angelos.

This is Matt, Calais, and Matt on the bus.

We arrived at a college at about 3:00 that afternoon to go and do a singing clinic with a professor of music who worked there. Blah. Who wants to sing on Choir Tour?

Hannah, Jerrica, and I at the college.

After about 2 hours of that we got back on the bus to go to the BEACH!!! I absolutely loved this part of the trip. It was wonderful, even though it was terribly windy, as you can probably tell from the photos.

Oh it was gorgeous. Anyway, we were all practically famished by now, so we loaded the buses at about 6:30 p.m. to go to dinner. It was a 1 and a half our drive to Anaheim where we got to eat a late dinner at a buffet. It was so much fun. I just feel bad for the people who work at the buffet. They were bombarded by 200 starving high school kids all at the same time. HAH!

Danielle and me eating ice cream at the buffet. YUM.

Well, we finally got to head to our hotel after a very long day. We stayed at the Hilton Suites which by the way is AWESOME. I really want to stay there again with my family, it was very nice. I tried to take a picture of the inside, but it turned out really bad so here is the outside of it:


and me outside the hotel.....The next morning we all got our choir uniforms on to go sing at a competition called Music in the Parks. We were there until about 10:00 in the morning, waiting impatiently to go to Disneyland.

We left and arrived at the Disneyland Resort at about 11:00 a.m. Hallelujah! Ok here we go.. Day 1 of Disneyland (Actually we were in California Adventure most of the day):

Jerrica and Jessica waiting for the tram to take us to the park.

The theme at Disneyland this year is "Celebrate Today," so I took a picture of a sign that showed it :)

Jerrica and I on the tram. We were so excited.

Jessica, Jessie, Hannah, and Me

Awwww...... I just had to take a picture. The flash kind of ruined it, but I still love it!

During the day we went and saw Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular in California Adventures. This is us waiting in line for it.

At about 5:00 that night, we were required to go to the awards ceremony for Music in the Parks. It is really hard to see because I was literally in the VERY back. But our choir (A Capella) got first place! YAY!

Then we headed over to Disneyland for the rest of the night.

This is Jerrica and I in line for Pirates. This picture has nothing to do with anything, but I love it so I had to put it on.

That concludes Saturday at the Happiest Place on Earth. We headed back to our hotel at midnight, and we all collapsed in the hotel. Sunday morning those who wanted to went to church at 8:30 in the morning ( just sacrament meeting) which was really good. We were scheduled to go to the beach for 2 and a half hours that day, but those who wanted to could stay at the hotel and relax. Me, Jerrica, and Jessica chose to do this. I have never been so tired in my entire life, I am not kidding. I was utterly exhausted, so we stayed and slept the whole time :) Then we went to Universal Studios to go to dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

This is my dish. Fried Shrimp. It was so so so good!

On Monday we went back to Disneyland for the entire day. This time we spent the whole day in the Disneyland Park.

This is just outside of space mountain.

Me and Jess on the Matterhorn

Hannah and Jerrica in the car behind us on the Matterhorn.

This one is pretty self explanatory.

Hannah and I on... yes we went on this ride by choice... its a small world.

Here is a video I took on Small world if you want to see it....

We ended the day with a wonderful Show of Fireworks.
It was seriously an incredible trip. I grew to appreciate the amazing friends that I have. It is so good to be home, but I will miss Cali until I go again.