Happy Birthday, Kim!!!

Mary and Kim in California, 1995

34 years ago tomorrow, my sister, Kimberly Knight, was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. She came into the world full of energy and enthusiasm and she left much the same way on March 16, 1995. She touched many lives in the 19 years that she was here with us and I am grateful for the impact that she had on my life. Although it has been almost 15 years since Kim and Mary passed away in that fatal car accident, I know that she is still a huge part of my life. I am so grateful for the knowledge that families can be together forever and that I can someday be reunited with Kim. That will be an awesome day! Each year on her birthday, my family in Utah enjoys dinner at The Training Table...that was one of Kim's favorite restaurants....she especially LOVED the cheese fries and the dipping sauce! I will do my best to find some cheese fries tomorrow in Washington. I have had luck with finding them at bowling alleys and if requested, Red Robin will do the job for me. I will also listen to some of the Cranberries tomorrow...that was Kim's favorite group. Whatever it is that I end up doing, one thing is for sure...I miss you and love you, Kim! You are the best!!! Happy Birthday!!!

Pay Day!!!

As a high school counselor, it is ALWAYS Pay Day when you have students that come back to see you after they have graduated. Recently, I have been particularly lucky to receive visits from quite a few of my past students. It is always fun to see them and to hear how great they are doing. One of my boys that barely graduated is now a fireman in Oregon and is being promoted to a higher rank. Another one of my students just started a dental assisting program and is completely enjoying her experience. The two girls above, Autumn and Lina, are both doing fantastic! Lina is studying at Bryn Mawr University in Pennsylvania. She loves the all-female university and is enjoying her opportunities there. In fact, she is on a rowing team and is just living the dream. Autumn is currently at Whitman in Walla Walla, Washington where she is involved with the student government. She is serving as one of the Freshmen Senators. I love these girls and am grateful that they took time out of their busy schedules to visit while they were home for their winter break! I tell you what...this is PAY DAY!!!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Richard!!!

The Man of the Hour...Uncle Richard

All of us enjoying a delicious treat at Dairy Queen

Tom and Debbie's boy, Austin...isn't he just the cutest???

On January 5, 2010, we celebrated with one of the best guys around. My amazing uncle had a birthday!! Richard Ludwig is one of the most incredible men that I have ever known. He is a completely dedicated and loving husband, father and grandfather....not to mention uncle. He is a hard worker and has provided well for his family over the years. He is also completely committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is currently serving as the patriarch for his stake. I love him and am so grateful for the fatherlike role that he plays in my life. Since moving to Washington in 2006, I have become very close to Uncle Richard and Aunt Dee Ann. Their family is the only family that I have here in Washington and they have included me and have helped me to feel like one of their own kids. I am so grateful! I think Uncle Richard would probably hate the fact that I am writing all of this because he is also very humble....too bad! :) For his birthday, we had a yummy dinner followed by a quick showing of the Lone Ranger and also a snippet of the Denver Broncos on their way to the Super Bowl in the late 90's. We topped it all off with a trip to the Dairy Queen. These are all some of his favorite things and since we were celebrating him, we wanted to do it with the things he most enjoys! We all love you, Uncle Richard!!! Happy Birthday!

What a Great Way to Start Off the Year!!!

On January 1, 2010, my cute cousin, Jeanette Ludwig, exchanged wedding vows with her sweet husband, Zack Hughes. The day was beautiful as family and friends gathered together to celebrate with the happy couple. The ceremony was performed by their bishop at the home of Jeanette's parents in Issaquah. After which, the day was topped off by an incredibly divine dinner for all. Zack's family traveled up from Colorado to celebrate the occasion. Jeanette's family was in town from Utah and New York City. It was fun for the families to mix and mingle and to enjoy one another's company. Jeanette has truly married into a fabulous family. Not to mention that Zack is an incredibly lucky man to get Jeanette for his wife and her family as his own now. We are all looking forward to February 13th when Zack and Jeanette will be sealed in the Seattle Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am so happy for Zack and Jeanette and glad that they have finally found one another!!!

Zack and Jeanette: January 1, 2010

Yummy Soup and Good Times

When I was home in the summer, I only got to see my cousin (who is more like a sister to me), Shauna, for only about twenty minutes total. This was a total bummer for me because I usually like to spend as much time as possible with her and her two awesome kids, Joaquin and Elena, when I go to Utah. The problem that we ran into this summer was that they were going out of town at the same time I was in town. Anyways, I vowed that this would not be the case at Christmas time. With how crazy everything got while I was in town, I got to see them only twice. The first time for only about 1/2 hour and the second time was the last night I was in Utah. Paul and Shauna invited my mom, Scott and I over for some yummy soup and some good bonding time. We also enjoyed playing the game "Moods" together. It was an enjoyable night for us all! :) I love you, guys!!!

A Hero

The last day I was in Utah, mom and I drove down to American Fork to see Hal and Andrea Johnson. We enjoyed a delicious lunch of homemade clam chowder and a fun heart-to-heart conversation with them. These are two of my most favorite people ever! Andrea is a hero in my eyes. She was diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease back in May of 2005. Since then, Andrea has undergone many medical procedures and exams. The most recent of which was a kidney transplant on October 6th...the very same day that I had my surgery. Her awesome son, Shae, was the donor. Andrea is a woman of great faith and attributes all that she has been given to her Heavenly Father. In her own words, she has been "nurtured by His love." Andrea has a positive attitude about life and has not let her situation get her down. Instead, she seeks out opportunities to serve those around her. She is a supportive mother, grandmother and friend. It's easy to feel comfortable in her presence because she makes you feel like you are the most important person in the world at that moment. She has been in the recovery process since October but is looking health and is as happy as ever. I am so grateful for Andrea...she is truly a hero in my eyes.

A REAL Family Home Evening

As a single adult, I don't get the opportunity to join in on a real family home evening as often as I would like to. However, when I was home for Christmas, my amazing cousin, Rebecca, invited our family to join them for a super fun Family Home Evening. Teresa and Dave and their girls were also invited to join in on the fun! We started with a delicious meal of chicken enchiladas, pork tacos, rice, beans and homemade ice cream. It was divine! We then went into the family room and enjoyed a great little lesson that Brigham had prepared. We also played a fun game together. We had a blast and enjoyed lots of laughs, too. It was also just really good to catch up with each other. It has been a really long time since I last saw Rebecca and Rusty and their awesome kids, Kyla, Brigham, April, Ammon and Riggs. They just moved to Utah from Arizona this past summer. So, it was so nice to be reunited with them. Their kids are great...they totally crack me up! Especially little Riggs who is now a year and a half. It was such a neat evening. The Spirit in their home was so special and the love that abides there was felt by all of us. My sister, Kim, who passed away almost 15 years ago was very close with Rebecca. So, it was neat to feel her presence a little closer this evening, too. Thanks, Rebecca, for a fabulous night and for giving me the opportunity to enjoy Family Home Evening the real way! :)

New Babies...

Me and Andrea with Alex

Tanner (above) is the cute big brother to Paris (below)

I had to fit the new babies into my crazy busy Utah schedule. Dre and Rus welcomed beautiful Paris Kelly Careme Waite into the world on October 10, 2009. Tanner is the proud big brother to this sweet little baby girl. Andrea and Dave welcomed handsome little Alexander Logan Scott into this world in early December. He is the youngest brother to Maggie, Abby, Ethan and Garrett. It was fun to see these sweet little spirits and to feel of the love that they just naturally bring with them. These two little ones are incredibly lucky to have such amazing parents!!! I loved meeting them! :)

Ghetto Gal Reunion

Every Christmas, the Ghetto Gals all come back together again for a time to catch up, laugh, and share the warmth of our friendship with one another. There have been lots of great things that have happened this year for the Ghetto Gal crew. Katie had her adorable twins at the beginning of 2009, Tara and Dave were married in June and Jamie and Chris were married in August. I love these girls and am so grateful for the friendships that we have shared over the years. It still amazes me that it all began from serving together in the Relief Society Presidency in the University of Utah 15th Ward back in 2003-2004 and then living together in the Ghetto Palace. Over the years, we have shared lots of great things together and have also helped to strengthen each other through the difficult times, too. This year we went to Cafe Rio. It was way fun to catch up and to just be together. Everyone lives in Utah except for Tara, who lives in Boise, and me....I have to say that I am a bit jealous! I miss my friends!!! (I am not going to mention here that I got food poisoning at Cafe Rio...shh...)

Fun Pictures of Christmas

A Christmas Celebration

Each year, my mom does a big Christmas dinner with all of Vance's family and those of our family that are around for the holidays. This year, she waited to do the dinner until Christmas Eve so that I could be in on all the fun. We had a delicious meal with all the yummy stuff... potatoes, green bean elegance, homemade rolls, prime rib, ham, homemade peppermint ice cream with chocolate sauce, etc. We then had a special Christmas program where we read from the scriptures and sang some songs that helped to remind us of the reason for the season, our Savior Jesus Christ. The grandkids then had a hey day opening up all of their fun presents. It was so fun to see the smiles and to hear the laughter of these special little children. I love Christmas...and I especially love it with children! Then on Christmas day, Vance, Mom, Scott and I drove up to Cache Valley where we got to see all of the grandkids on Christmas day. We made a stop at Jeff and Brittany's, Teresa and Dave's, and also at Gus and Cindy's in Idaho. The kids were having the time of their lives. Santa Claus was very good to all of them...I am sure glad that they all ended up on the "Nice" list this year! :) One of the things that made this holiday so special was just being able to spend it with my family. Mom and Vance have been married for six years now. It has been an amazing blessing to join our family with Vance's family. I absolutely love all of Vance's children and grandchildren. I am so grateful to have them as part of our family. Plus, I am so lucky to be an aunt to some of the most amazing kids around! This was a great Christmas for us all! I love you guys!!!

Go Aggies!!!

Mom and I cheering on the Aggies with our little cheerleader, McKenzie

Vance and Scott enjoying the Aggies!

A fun tradition that we have is to go up to Utah State and cheer on their basketball team during the holiday season. Mom, Scott, Vance and I went to the Utah State vs. Weber State basketball game. The Aggies were victorious as they won by 12 points! "Utah State, Aggies All the Way! Go Aggies! Go Aggies! Hey, hey hey! " I have to admit that with having Vance in our family, the Aggie spirit has rubbed off on me. Jeff, Vance's son, was also at the game with his cute little girl, McKenzie. She is a huge fan of the Aggies and is an awesome cheerleader...she even has a cute little cheer uniform. Kenzie got a cheerleader doll for Christmas. This doll is amazing! It does at least four different cheers. Watch out Aggies, you have got one awesome cheerleader that will blow you away! Go Kenzie...and Go AGGIES!!! :)

Friends Forever

During the Christmas break, I had the opportunity of visiting Utah. I left on Monday, December 21st and returned early on Wednesday, December 30th. It was a quick trip full of fun family and friends.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see all of my friends like I would have liked to. (Sorry about that...don't worry...I am coming back in the summer and we will reunite then). I did get to see Amy Easton-Flake and Erica Jones High and her cute kids. It has been forever since we were all together last...in fact, I think that the last time was for Amy's wedding and she has been married for three years now! Amy and her husband, Merrill, are living back in Boston, MA as Amy is working on her doctorate from Brandeis University. It was way fun to catch up with both Amy and Erica. The exciting news that we received is that Amy is going to be having a baby! Yahoo! These girls are both amazing and there is no doubt in my mind that Amy will be an awesome mom...just like Erica! I definitely am grateful for these two "Forever Friends!"