Top Ten Reasons I am Grateful This Year

10. My Grandma Betty - truth be told I am grateful for all my grandparents, but I am especially grateful for my Grandma Betty this year. We have had some really special moments recently and I will miss her so much when she is gone. I have learned kindness and a service-oriented approach to others through her example and love. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father sent me to earth to be her granddaughter and hope that I have made her proud.

9. Friends that have been loyal and true - earlier this year I had a few experiences that for the first time in my life led me to the understanding that not every friend is a true friend. It also helped me learn who I could trust through thick and thin. I cannot imagine going through my amazing, difficult, triumphant and educational times without you.







8. A New-found Sense of Adventure - When I turned 30 and realized that if I died suddenly from a freak bungee-jumping or sky diving accident I wouldn't be leaving behind any dependents and would be exiting at the top of my game. So naturally I decided to do everything dangerous I possibly could. So far that has included sky diving in Hawaii and Hang Gliding in Santa Barbara. Next on the list is Bungee Jumping. I think I would like to do that in Arrowtown, New Zealand. The best part of all of this is realizing that these things are WAY less scary than I once thought. Sky Diving was funny because I was more afraid of the rickety plane ride up than I was of jumping out of the rickety plane. Also, it went by so fast I didn't even realize what was happening until it was over. Overall it was just so much fun! Bungee jumping will happen before I turn 31.
7. Aunt Juli's Wedding - my beautiful Aunt Juli got married after 14 years of dating the handsome and patient Jan Johnson! I love them both so much and was so excited that they finally took the plunge:). The wedding was amazing with the backdrop of Dana Point at sunset. Carly, Alexa and I sang "A Love That Will Last" and hundreds of Juli and Jan's friends and family came to pay celebrate with the happy couple. It was a day I will never forget and they have been blissfully happy ever since.
6. The Mormon Bachelorette - this idea was born the day I broke up with a boy I was dating several months ago. There are so many reasons I am grateful for TMB but the first one is that I was able to help my lovely roommate and dear friend find true love which helped also relieve my own heartache. I am also grateful for TMB because of the dozens of new friends I made through the process, the realization that hard work really does pay off, and I can also thank or curse TMB for my recent addiction to Diet Coke so I could stay up until 3am editing videos every night. What a fun adventure and I have a feeling the love that will result from TMB is just beginning.
5. Letters To Juliet and other tear-jerking romantic movies - this may seem kind of specific among a lot of other general things I am grateful for, but I really am thankful for this movie and the gallons of tears that I cried watching it in a Denver hotel room. It renewed my faith in the fairytale and is one of my new favorite chick flicks:). If you ever feel like you are doomed to live a loveless or lack luster romance without the sparks of love, watch this. The fairytale IS possible.
4. All the Food that Makes My Mouth Water - Lately this has included but is not limited to, Coconut Water with pulp, Diet Coke with fresh lime, Australian Red Licorice, Vanilla on Vanilla cupcakes with turbinado sugar sprinkled on top, Gulf Thai Musaman Curry with Tofu and Broccoli, McDonald's vanilla ice cream cones, red mentholated cough drops, and french bread a little toasted with butter and a bit of fleur de sel sprinkled on top. Mmmmmmmm, the best.



As you can tell, I have liked eating from the tender age of 1 and a half until now...
3. Traveling!!! - I have traveled so much this year! From the Olympics on a Daughter's trip with dad and Rogan, to Duck Beach with all my friends from the East Coast, to Vegas for an all-nighter and interesting encounters with men (Megan, you know what I am talking about), to Lake Powell, to DC for a visit with Natalie, Topher, S and Otsy, to 3 trips to Utah for Conference, weddings, and SNOW, to Texas for the World Series, and finally to Hawaii with my blessed roommates, this year has been full of adventure. I am so grateful I have the means and health to travel. Next trip? I am thinking Ireland but we will see...









2. The Laker's - So I am really thankful for the Laker's. I could probably just end it right there because if you are my friend on Facebook you already know this. However, I want to get the most milege out of their 2010 Championship win so I will mention it again. I am grateful Dan took me to the Celtics vs. Cavs game in the semi-finals so I could scout out the competition. I am equally grateful for Select Staffing and their amazing invitation to take 2 clients to Game 6. Sitting on the 5th row. Right behind Kobe's wife. And we killed the little leprechauns that night. I will never forget it as long as I live. Also I touched Kareem Abdul Jabbar's hand when he walked by. Oh, and we had better seats than Leonardo diCaprio. That's all.

1. Eli, Isaac and the Unborns - I LOVE being an Aunt. One of the main reasons I moved back to CA was to be closer to my little love Eli. Then Isaac came along and brought even more love into my life. I didn't think it could hold anymore. I love being a part of their lives and I love the joy it gives me to look forward to having my own children someday. My life is full - I love my family - there is so much to be grateful for. Until the next time I feel grateful enough to blog about it...