Grandmas Funeral

As I said before, I moved home this past summer to take care of my Grandma. Sad to say, she passed away Nov 5th, just 2 days before my birthday. We had planned to go to California for PJ to bless his baby on the 7th, but my parents knew that they needed to stay. I got the call from my parents Friday evening, and immediately started looking for a way down to Mexico for the funeral on Monday. I called my boss, told him I would be out of town & left Saturday night at midnight. I drove down with my Great Uncle Lawrence, his son Harmon, and my cousin Harvey. Lets just say this. A car with a 90 yr old, (2) 51 yr olds, and me, a 22 yr old. That's how I spent my birthday, awesome, right?! ;) Hahaha it actually wasn't bad at all. I hadn't seen my U Lawrence or Harmon in a long, long, long time, so it was really nice to get to know them and especially wonderful to spend time with my cousin Harvey. We met my Uncle Ed in Columbus, NM at the Pancho Villa museum, and then crossed the border with U Ed. We got home around 7 PM, had dinner and visited with everyone. We went to the funeral on Monday, and I was AMAZED at how many flowers were sent. Everyone knew that Grandma loved flowers and I felt it was extremely appropriate for her funeral. I spent some time with my brothers and cousin Steve and then did a little shopping and took care of some business on Tuesday. My mom made her amazing pozole and we had a big dinner Tues night. We left Wed morning at 5 AM, and got back to Orem around 11 PM, having an extremely interesting drive on the way back. In the end, I was glad I was able to go home & pay my last respects to my Grandma, Ive lived with her my whole life & I was her baby :) I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Love Love Love my Job!

Ok, I'm officially the worst blogger ever. So, here goes the updates! I got back to Utah the very end of August and even thought it took me a few weeks to find a job, I found one that I love! I work at The Blindman in Lindon as a secretary/factory liaison for the shutter shop. Even though my job stresses me out sometime, I am SO incredibly grateful for the people that I work with. I have 2 of the most AMAZING, INCREDIBLE installers & a boss that I respect, and the other 3 secretaries I am PROUD to call friends!! Work keeps me pretty busy, and that I am incredibly grateful for. SO, if you ever need any window coverings.... :)

http://www.theblindman.com/

CHANGES

There have been lots of changes in the last few months!! I moved back to Mexico for 4 months to help my parents take care of my Grandma. Broke up with my boyfriend, quit my job & left all of my belongings at my sisters house. Ill be leaving 2 weeks from tomorrow to go back to Utah to work and hopefully go to school. Lots of things have happened, good & bad, in the last few months. Just a couple of days after I got home I got a call from a classmate from High School and he said he had bad news. One of our friends had been killed in a car accident. That Friday was the funeral, and even though it was good to see so many of my friends, the circumstances were horrible. He left a 3 year old boy and his wife & mother. He had been supporting the whole family for several years and was just about to finish school. We have all known each other for at least 10 years, most of us since we were 6 or 7 years old. That day, one of our friends was kidnapped and a week later killed along with several other men. Not being able to go to his funeral was hard on all of us, friends and family, and even though we werent able to pay our respects, his family knew we were there in spirit. We have lost several friends and acquaintances with the horrible things that have been going on in the cities & states surrounding us. Unfortunately for them, what you get is what you deserve, and when you put yourself in dangerous situations things are not likely going to turn out well. It is a shame that so many young people have died, but I know their deaths serve as a constant remider that what we do highly affects our lives and the lives of everyone around us. With Abel & Carlos's deaths so close together, it really made our generation take a step back & try to reconnect with everyone alot more. It helped us become a much stronger generation and group of friends. About 3 months into my stay, I took Bryce up to Utah with me for a week. I had a wedding to go to in Idaho and it was a very quick but fun trip. I was able to stay with a friend in SLC and go to a SL Bees game.. So much fun, Ive definitely missed baseball games! Barry had already been in Utah for a month, so I took him to ID to the wedding with me & then picked up Bryce and went on our way home! Barry & I left Kimberly ID at 8 30 PM on Friday the 30th of July, picked up Bryce in Orem UT at 2 AM and left town. We got home the next night. Barry & I had been in the car for 26 hrs & I had driven for 24 of them. It was a very long drive back but we made it! I was glad to be able to take a little break and see my friends, and reconnect with friends I hadnt seen in a very long time. My sister had her baby on July 28th, he is such a cute baby boy! They named him Kel Zane Taylor. I was sad that I missed out on being there when Aubrey brought him home but glad that I could be here in Mexico so that my Mom & Dad could be there. My Grandma Taylor just turned 95 on August 11th, she had so many visitors and it was fun being able to celebrate with Grandma. My little brothers are going to start school this next week. Bryce will be a Senior this year and Pierce will just be starting out High School! Exciting times!

MY Favorite Girls...

Well, this blog post has taken me about two weeks to finish. Ive been doubting as to whether put it out there or keep it all bottled up in my heart. But like bad things that need to be let out, so do the good things. This last month I moved back to Mexico to help my family. Alot of bad things have happened (that's another post for later), but despite everything, I always knew I could talk to my friends in Utah. I have grown so close to alot of them, but MOST of all, to two girls that have made my life SO much better and more important. These two girls are sisters, NODAK girls to the end, the sweetest girls around. Monica & Leah Miller are two of the most understanding and caring girls ever. Despite anything and everything I ever say, or do (or think!) they are always there to listen and comment and help with any situation. I spent about a year traveling from Provo to Lehi and back together 5 days a week, once, twice, (or more) times a day with Monica & Leah. Between Monica's car and mine, we had enough "dead car" days to last us years. Monica & I shared my car for forever, and I hitched MANY rides to work with her when mine was broken. Leah was usually there too since she doesn't have a car and we were glad to have her! Monica & I started working at Myler Disability the same day, and I have loved her EVERY DAY ever since! Leah started working a few months afterwards, and was at first in DLC, and then moved over to the Front Office Department where I was working. At first I wasn't sure what to expect, since so often sisters can be so different or so similar. What I found in Leah was a confidant, a brick, and a shoulder to lean on. Monica always knew she could call me for anything, or come over to hang out with Rob & I, but Leah did so often that she just became the "daughter". I was glad that I had someone else that I could take care of. Monica & Leah were the first ones I could go to if something was wrong, and they were always there for me if anything ever happened. I think about these two girls and can barely contain my tears. Ive met their parents, and heard ENDLESS funny stories, and I must say, I am SO grateful to Alan & Ana Miller for raising such wonderful & caring girls (and boys too from what I hear). So, THANK YOU! Your girls have saved my life, and my sanity on several occasions. When two of my friends committed suicide, the girls were the first ones to console me, and to let me just cry. When I received bad news about some friends at home, they were there with lunch and dinner so I didn't have to worry about anything else that day. All the times that Ive "stolen" Monica's freezer lunches, left notes all over Leah desk, and asked Monica or Leah to cover for me at work, they have been happy to do so. So needless to say, I owe so much to these girls, and even though I don't express it often enough, I'm pretty sure they know that I love them. So girls, we have shared happy, sad, exciting, depressing, and life-altering emotions and events together. I love and appreciate you two for the amazing friends that you have been from day ONE. Ive shared frustrating and happy moments, tears, shouts for joy, shouts of anger (usually at other cars) with theses two girls. Having you two putting up with all the screams at other retarded cars on the freeway, all the crying, and all the upset discussions, and all the support in new adventures has led me to this day, and this thought. I love and appreciate you two more than you'll ever know. Thank you for sacrificing entire days, weeks & months to help me with everything that I have been through the last 2 years. You two are beautiful, confident, loving, amazing *women* and I love you so much!

(P.S. All these pictures were stolen from Facebook... but I had to have some pictures to show!)

Easter 2010

For big holidays, (if we dont have plans with our families) Rob and I try to get together with other couples or friends and have a nice meal or do something special so that everyone can have a good time. For Easter this year, Donavon, his wife, and Ryan came over after they went snowboarding, we had a yummy Sunday dinner, and I decorated my first shaped cake! I think I did pretty well, and I have to give Kudos to my mom, she did teach me how! I made a bunny cake. I made a Easter basket for Rob, it had candy, cookies, & the movie Marley & Me in it. We had a good dinner and watched Life on the Discovery Channel. (Such a good show!) It was fun to be able to cook for people and have it appreciated. :) Yay to my mom for teaching me how to love cooking and baking! Later that evening our friend Brandon went came over and the cake was destroyed. He went at it with both his hands... It was funny to watch and I was glad to see it enjoyed!

Christmas in Kansas (2009)

For Christmas last year Rob & I went to Kansas. Rob drove out in my car with Kaela, but left a week before I could go. His WONDERFUL parents bought me a plane ticket so that I could fly out after I was finished working and drive back with Rob & Kaela. I actually ended up quitting my job at the law firm, so I was able to stay a week or so longer than we had planned. We had so much fun hanging out and spending time with everyone. We went to the Sedgwick County Zoo and saw some GREAT animals, it was so much fun to get out and do something outside even though it was a little chilly! We went to a Christmas party, and we all had a good time! I had a co-worker that went on his mission to Kansas City, MO and has RAVED about this gas station-place that has the best BBQ... We went to try it out and it was SOOO good! Oklahoma Joe's is DEFINITELY a MUST if you're in the area. We also went to the Visitors Center in Kansas City and toured it, it was so much fun! For Christmas Eve, Emily, Sarah (Robs sisters) & I got matching Aeropostale pajamas.. They are so comfy and we were all so cute! :) Rob & I got a boxful of bath necessities.. Toothpastes, Razors, Shampoos, Conditioners, Lotions, All kinds of good stuff!!! (You know you're getting old when... haha) and two AMAZING toothbrushes.. They are Oral B pulsating toothbrushes, and my teeth have NEVER felt cleaner! I absolutely LOOOVE it! Rob got me a pair of jeans and a shirt that I really wanted, I got(my favorite) perfume from Nathan (I had Aaron's name, and gave him a piano book). On our way back from Kansas we stayed in Denver for a night to see some friends and had a great time hanging out with them and taking Kaela to a dog park.. It was a nice little get away and even better that we didn't have a deadline to get back to Utah!

Trading...

Our trading story is ridiculous. I say "Our" because I help make the decisions and help clean out the vehicles, but Rob is the one that does most of the talking and trading. It all started with a '82 Mazda RX7 we got off of Craigslist. The guy lived just across the street from Rob. The guy said it wasn't running and was giving it away. He was getting married and moving that week so he just wanted it gone. Rob looked at it & it just needed a new battery and some starter fluid and it started right up! The guy looked a little upset but signed the title over and let it be. So we took it back to Robs & cleaned it up. A couple weeks later Rob put it up for trade to see if he could get something out of it. A serious strike of luck! Rob traded the RX 7 for a '03 Husqvarna 250 with a guy that wanted the RX 7 for his wife because she had one in high school and loved it. Thank you Memory Lane!! Rob had the Husky for a couple months, went on some good runs up the canyon with a Dirt Bike group and had fun! He found a 19 ft '74 Caravelle Boat and traded it! We had lots of good boating trips to the Lake but decided to trade it because Robs little truck couldn't haul it anymore. Rob traded the boat for a '96 CBR 600 for me! :) To this day it had been my favorite trade and I got to ride it around for a couple weeks. :) I thought I loved riding backseat.. but having a street bike of my own was the absolute BEST! I was pretty good at it for being a first time street bike rider. :) Robs friend Jeremy came and hung out with us and gave me a few pointers since he had one like mine that he stunted out. A couple of weeks of my hounding Rob to let me ride more and more often, he finally hit his breaking point, and was too nervous and scared about me riding... So we traded it. (SAD DAY!) but we had a good deal, and traded it for a VERY nice and well taken care of dirt bike. Yes a dirt bike AGAIN! (So much for staying on the safe side). Rob kept the '04 Honda CR 250 for a few months, went to some good rides, and even raced in Tooele County... After he was done with that little adventure... He traded the dirt bike for a '97 Honda Accord, kept it for a couple weeks, and after we found out we couldn't pass emissions, we traded it for a black '95 Jeep Cherokee. We have kept it for a couple months and LOVE playing in it. But, all good things must come to an end... and Rob is selling the jeep to his parents in Kansas and I'm sure he'll find something else to invest in or play around with. Here's hoping its to something fun!