I'm Grateful

Well this week has been...uh....one of a kind.

I guess you could say I've got a lot on my mind.

But its when things are hardest that you remember what's most important.

My family-no matter what happens, they are always there for me. Trying to help in whatever way they can.

My friends- sit and listen to me whine for hours on end...and they still want to hang out with me. These are the girls that I laugh with, I cry with and drool over boys with.

The scriptures- when you have no idea what you're doing- they're the road map that will lead you through your life.

Priesthood blessings- I'm BEYOND blessed to have a father whose a worthy priesthood holder who is willing to give me a blessing whenever I need it. Direct inspiration from the Lord is such a comfort when you don't know what the heck you're doing!

The power of fasting- Heavenly Father knew what he was doing when He gave us this precious gift. A small sacrifice on your part can lead to more blessings than you could ever imagine.

The power of prayer- even when you're at your worst, feeling alone, you're not. Your Father in Heaven is always right there, just waiting for you to come to Him. And prayer is the way you do that. I can't even count the number of times I've muttered a prayer and immediately felt a difference.

I'm grateful for trials.

We given them for a reason.

They are how we grow, progress, and realize what's really important.

Epic In Every Sense of the Word

Well this past weekend was epic for two reasons.

We'll start with this:

I saw Titanic for the first time.

Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!

Love. At. First. Sight.

There's something about watching an amazing chickflick in your pajamas with junk food and all your girlfriends!

(Plus Rusty.)

It just made it that much better!!!! Image from Here.

I will marry Jack Dawson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Image from Here.

Can we just feast upon him for a moment?

Image from Here.

Now I'm torn!

Who do I love more...

Peeta Mellark or Jack Dawson????

What say you?

Now for the main event:

The Cocopah Half and Full Marathon

Yuma, Arizona

Saturday, January 23rd

After my grandpa's death in September, some of the family decided to participate in his memory for his birthday which would have been this month.

My sisters Emily and Bekah, and my Aunt Johnelle sprinting in from the Half.

Bekah's biggest fans!

I told Emily to show me what champions look like, this is what she came up with.

Em with her #1 cheerleader! Her hubby Brett!

Barely awake but ready to cheer on the fam!

Sister Sarah and Aunt Pam finishing the Half!

Bekah went back and ran the last mile with them.

Aunt Kathy and Sam ran the last couple yards as well.

Victory!

Can I just say that my dad is a stud????

The man is 53 years old and ran a FULL MARATHON IN 4 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!

My Super Sisters!!!!!!!

All the girls!

I love my family!

This was such a great event to witness!

Between the two races, we had 11 runners and ALOT of cheerleaders all wearing our red Team Reg shirts.

If you click on any of the pictures you can see the shirts better.

Under the Team Reg it says:

"Still Hangin' in There"

One of many Regisms that my grandpa was known for is this:

"I'm still working on my S.H.I.T. program."

Man I miss that guy!

Image from Here.

In other news, I missed EverybodyNose's Birthday!!!!

As of January 15th, this here blog has been alive for one year!!!

It's been a great one!

Here's to many more!!!!!

If I Were Anymore Irritated, I'd Be Dead

Image from here.

It's true.
At this moment in time, I am from the land of the
EXTREMELY IRRITATED.
However I will set that aside.
I will set aside the fact that:

My ipod went through the wash yesterday.

That is the exact same way my last ipod saw death.

If my little brother talks me again, I'm going to rip out his voice box.
(Not really, but I'm annoyed.)

I think I left Cammie in Ed's car.

My New Moon poster is all messed up.

I have to go to school tomorrow.

I was woken up early this morning by being told that my house got TP'd last night and I had to wake up and clean it up before the sprinklers came on.

Yes I'm going to set all that aside!
And we shall play a game.
Yes I stole this idea from the one and only Lauren.

So here's how it goes:
In the comment section you leave an anonymous comment giving some hint as to who you are. As they come, I will try to guess!
I've always wanted to do this and see how well I know my readers!
Ready. Set. Go.

Grandpa Reg

As I mentioned before, my grandpa on my dad's side passed away on Monday.

He's been really sick for awhile now so we're happy that he's out of his pain.

Grandpa was truly an amazing man.

He's the perfect example of changing for the better and helping others change their lives. Some favorite grandpa memories:

*"Awful Waffles" every Sunday morning session of general conference.

Don't be fooled by the name, they're probably the best tasting waffles ever!

*Having him at every family event. From baby blessings, to mission calls to weddings he was always there!

*"Reg"isms

*Going to see the Nutcracker!

*Playing piano at his wedding!

I miss you Grandpa!

I can't wait to see you again and hear you say

"Hey darlin" or "Hey sugar"
Love you!

Thanks Bekah for the pictures!

Just Some Happy Memories

Didn't You Hear? 50's the New 30!!!!

Here at EverybodyNose, you have been introduced to some of the most amazing people on this planet. And today, you get to meet the best of the best. My mother, Janet. Seriously people, she is the most important woman in my world. I would be ABSOLOUTELY NOTHING without her and everything she does for me. Here she is with her twin, Julie (my other mom.)

Since birth, my mom has taught me everything I know.

And as I grow, it seems that life gets harder every year.

But as my life gets crazier and it seems that everything in life is changing...

She is the ONE thing that I can always count on.

Anyone whose had the privelage of meeting mom knows that she is the ultimate Pollyanna.

That woman doesn't even know the meaning of the word pessimistic.

(Btw, in the above picture, she's the sand man. Bahahah!)

One of the many things my mom has given me, is her love of music.

My dad first fell in love with her when he heard her singing Oh That I Were an Angel in church.

And seriously, her voice is angelic, and normally I can't stand sopranos, but my mom's voice is something else.

Another thing about my mom that I love watching is her relationship with her sister.

She and Julie are seriously BFFAEAE and I want my relationships with my sisters to be just like theirs.

My mom truly knows the meaning of the word Sacrifice.

She lives it, every single day of her life.

Whether it means sacrificing her sleep to wake up with a barfing child or to give up her entire life to raise seven kids, that's just the way she is.

For some people, Service, is just a seven letter word, but for mom, it's a lifestyle.

Cooking extra dinners, driving someone elses kids around or just a kind word to someone who needs it, she's always there and knows just what to do to satisfy the need.

Being a hormonally charged, emotional teenage girl, I tend to sometimes throw my mom for a loop. But it NEVER seems to phase her. She's always there with a hug, a smile and a word of encouragement.

And don't forget inspiration.

My mom could turn a conversation about a bologna sandwich into a spiritually enlightening moment.

To her, the Gospel is everything and everyday I try to live the way that she does.

I will forever be indebted to my mother for the great pains she went through to bring me into this world. You see, whe I was born, I weighed 10 lbs, 12 oz.
My body aches just thinking about it.

If mom got one cent for every kind thing she did for someone else, she would be the richest person alive.

Another thing I love about my mom are her stories.

Some of my favorites:

When she and Julie switched places in school

When Grandpa got protective about her "buns"

Basically any of the stories from the store her family used to own.

Mom has never missed an event in any of her children's lives.

She's our number one cheerleader!

Now it's so fun to watch her enter her newest phase of womanhood.

Being a grandma!

But we all knew she was too young to be called grandma so she is Tutu.

(Grandma in Hawaiian.)

Because of my mom, I know who I am, why I'm here and where I'm going.

I know that I'm a Child of God and that through obedience I can live with Him and my earth family forever.

Thank you mom for being you.

For everything you've ever done for me.

I don't tell you nearly enough just how much I appreciate and love you.

Part of it is that it just can't be expressed in words.

Happy 50th Birthday Mom!!!!

You don't look a day over 30!!!!!

Finding This, Made My Day!

An Experience That Every Teenage Girl Should Have

Yesterday, I was at my sister Bekah's house, cleaning and getting it ready for them to come home on Friday. I didn't have any music, and silence makes me nervous, so I turned on their wedding video just for some noise. For part of their video, they did a segment where the video guy would ask Andy a question about their love story and then he'd ask Bekah the same question and it was super funny to hear how different they each answered. But the thing that really caught my attention was how happy they both sounded. This was seven years ago, mind you. And now through the years they've found even more happiness through their four beautiful children. So I was thinking about this and how they were able to obtain such happiness. And I realized something. It's because they deserved it. Bekah and Andy have both lived their lives in such a manner that their happiness was inevitable. Their marriage was such a beautiful and joyful thing because they knew that through their dilligence and obedience, that it can last forever. So as I'm sitting in their house listening and having these thoughts, it was a huge boost for me. A way to refocus myself. I know that I want to have everything that Bekah has one day, and to do that I need to live the way she did. Doing the little things and the big things that'll bring true happiness. So like I said in the title of this post, every teenage girl should have the experience of witnessing the love their older siblings have for their spouses. Especially for me, I worship the ground my siblings walk on. Since I was little, I've always wanted to be just like them. And they've all set wonderful examples, worth following.

I'm so grateful for them and for the wonderful people they married. When I get married, I'm gonna have a hard time finding someone as wonderful as Andy, Miranda and Brett. But I know that if I continue to choose the right and do the little things, then I can become the kind of person worthy of Prince Charming.

And that is what I plan on doing.

Turn That Frown Upside Down

I have this friend.

Her name is Sabrina.

(You can visit her blog HERE.)

She is probably the most positive person I have ever met.

Her response to all things terrible in her life is:

"Well it'll make me stronger!"

She's been trying to get me to be more positive lately...

So here's what I'll do:

I'm going to tell you something that I'm unhappy about...

Then I'm gonna flip it and find the good in it!

1. I have a HUGE zit on my forehead........

but two inches under it are my pretty eyes and fabulous eye makeup!

2. I have ALOT of homework tonight.......

but part of it is coloring and I LOVE coloring!!!

3. Today is Monday

but it's the LAST Monday I'll be spending here at ASU!!!

4. Church yesterday went by WAY too fast......

but it was just what I needed!!!!

5. I miss my sisters and Mary...ALOT.....

but because of glorious technology I'm still able to keep in touch with them!!!!!

So there it is everyone,

turn that frown upside down!!!!!

The Little Things

So recently, there have been alot of posts in Blogland about

"the simple and little things."

Some of my favorites:

Lauren

Jami

A Cheery Disposition

So being the copycat I am....

The Little Things That Make RatalieNose Happy

1. Comments on my blog.

2. Reading blog posts written by my sisters!

(Hint hint Emily, Miranda, Bekah and Kim!)

3. Songs or actions that show that chivalry is not dead!

4. Zac Efron's face.

5. Having a scripture reading routine!

6. Having more than one text waiting for me on my phone.

7. The song Dream by Miley Cyrus.

8. !E!X!C!L!A!M!A!T!I!O!N! P!O!I!N!T!S!

9. ALL CAPS

10. The fact that I get to go home to go to church tomorrow!!

Wow! I don't think I've ever been this excited to go to church!! It will be a much needed break and rejuvenator!!

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!!!!

Ratalie's Dictionary: Part Three

Sorry I've been a slacker lately, I just haven't been up to posting this week.

But I shall redeem myself by finishing up the dictionary today!

Here we go.

First up, we have my beautiful sister Emily!!

Question: How is summer school?

Answer: Summer school is not as bad as I thought it would be. I mean, I don't LOVE it, but I don't hate it either. My teacher is pretty awesome so that helps. And I'm really enjoying learning about the history of this beautiful country I live in.

Emily's Word: Unstoppable

Example: Emily is like a force of nature. Once she gets started, you can't stop her. From little things like cleaning a house in twenty minutes to big things like planning a wedding in two and a half months, Emily will not stop till it gets done and done right.

Ann Marie!!!!!

Question One: What color is your bedroom?

Answer One: Pink and Yellow!!!! My old favorite color and my new favorite color!

Question Two: What are you looking forward to most this summer?

Answer Two: The STARTALK Program. In July I'll be staying at ASU for two weeks learning the Chinese language and about the culture! I went to the orientation on Friday and I think it's going to be fabulous!!!

Ann's Word: Thoughtful

Example: Ann is always quick with a kind word or a helpful thought. She looks for the good in life and is a joy to all who know her.

Holly Janeen

(Btw, I didn't know you went private. I want in!!)

Question: What is your favorite chick flick film?

Answer: Ah man!! That is SO hard!! There are SO many!! I may have to give you a list...(in no particular order)

1. Ever After

2. You've Got Mail

3. Just Like Heaven

4. The Prince and Me

5. One Fine Day

6. While You Were Sleeping

And many many more!!!

Holly's word: Talented!

Example: Her beautiful voice, her amazing piano skills and the fact that she can teach others these things! That is talent!

My amazing sister Bekah!!

Question: Would you keep a happy thought journal if I made you one?

Answer: YES!!!! I'd love that!!!!!!

Bekah's Word: Inspirational

Example: After a long or short talk with Bekah, I always have a renewed desire to do better. I look at where she is in her life and think "That's exactly where I want to be."

Lauren

Lauren's Word: Fabulous!

Example: Everything about her! Her clothes, her hair, her talents, her quirks! She embodies the word!! The other day I was thinking about her and I decided that she is what I'd call a "Blogging Celebrity," were there such thing.

Darling Addison!

Addison's word: Brave

Example: Her entire life but especially the post she posted on May Eighth that I can't get a link to.

And last but not least.

My dear sister Kimberly!

Kim's Word: Stalwart

Example: Through everything, Kim has stood by her friends, family and beliefs. Nothing will ever change that. I'm so blessed to have her in my life!!!