This post is brought to you by SAND, it's everywhere get used to it!

I found this beautiful sand art done by Ilana Yahav. It's amazing! She does it all with her fingers. When you get a second this is definitely something you should see.

A Magical Time to Remember

I love this time of year!!!! This picture is a little Christmas memory from last year when we went to the beach on Christmas Eve and dad sculpted a nativity scene out of sand. It was a unique way to spend the holiday especially for us, since we'd had a white Christmas for 6 years prior to last year. That sweet little moment on the beach with no one crying or teasing, watching the sun set on our little nativity, singing Silent Night, was touching.

Now when we came upon this Christmas and I found that I'd grown up faster than I remembered and this was the last December 25th I would spend living at home. Every once and a while mom will make matching "jammies" for us. This year was one of the years she surprised us with light blue pajama pants. Here Starr models them:

One other way that this year was different than usual is we decided to give gifts to everyone in the family this year instead of drawing names. Despite the pressure of coming up with eight memorable gifts I was excited because I wanted to give something memorable to everyone. Carried away, as I often get, with the fantasy that I could sew matching skirts for all the girls and matching ties for the boys I set about to get the material. Unfortunately my dream ended in tangled frustration as I jammed the sewing machine time after time, the material was all wrong, and time was running out. So plan "B" came to life. Many of my gifts became gifts of time. Jay J received an all you can eat pizza hut coupon which he promptly redeemed the day after Christmas. Together we ate enough pepperoni and cinnamon sticks to feed the entire Saipan young men. Reece, a guy with a sweet soft side, dressed up in his very best to escort his sister (me) attired in her prom dress, to Hyatt beach where we had a picnic dinner and danced in the beautiful garden there. Starr was the happy recipient of a "Princess Day" complete with breakfast in bed, manicure/pedicure, hair styling, shopping, ice cream, and bubble bath. Tori has new curtains and shoes, Skylar won't be doing any dishes for three months, mom's got a years worth of pedicures, Dad will enjoy a clean car for quite a while, Sterling's going to learn to fly a kite, and Tikla is going to need a really long nap. (wink wink)
I sure love my family. It's easy to get busy with "important stuff" and miss the most wonderful moments of all. Conner's invited us up to their house for Christmas Day and it felt like I'd gone to visit my cousins. The Saipan branch is just like family to us. We got to meet the rest of their family, (Levi, Alexa, and Mallory) and had a laughter filled evening. I could ride around the entire world and fill my boat with really good people, but for now I'll enjoy the ones swimming in my own little pond. Happy Holidays Everyone!

Smashing continued

I guess I'd better confess all my crashes...

Crash #1
Took place on an already grumpy morning coming home from Judo. I had a full car of whiny brothers and sisters. I wasn't paying attention and my front tire dipped off the road, I panicked and over compensated around a sharp corner and went right into a mound of coral and some bushes. My first thought was "Yikes!" my second was "okay I'll just back out slowly" the third was "maybe you'd better get out and look at it" I got out to check it out and realized we were on the edge of a 7 foot ditch. If I had been going just a little bit faster we would have gone right in. The car would have been totaled and I might not have been alive. The yellow truck that had been right behind us pulled over to see if we were alright, and called the police for me. Not to long after that Bro. Conner (coisitendally the Judo Sensei) drove up with a van full of Judo kids. He took one look at the situation, piled all my siblings into his car, took them home, and came back with a machete. By then the tow truck had arrived to tow us out and the missionaries stopped on their way down the hill! It's great to have a ward family. You always have help. One police report later I was on my way home. My parents were enjoying their anniversary at a hotel. I was supposed to pick them up that afternoon, but now I had no way to get them. When Bro. Conner had heard the situation he offered to take me to the hotel to get them and I thankfully accepted his offer. Then came the part I'd been dreading, telling mom and dad. They took the news really well and life went on.

Crash #2
See last post

Crash #3
Doesn't really count as a crash, it was more of a scrape. I was on my way home from Ladera International School where I work as a part time secretary. The exit is flanked with two yellow cement blocks. After waiting for a clear road I turned into the street. Unfortunantly I turned much too sharp and instead of turning smoothly into the street I smashed into the yellow barrier. The tire was slashed and the side of the car dented in. Oh, and I forgot to mention the rather important fact that I was driving the rental car at this point. We hadn't even had the Echo back from the shop yet. So, I learned to change a tire and lost some money, but other than that no one was hurt.

Crash #4

This one wasn't my fault! I was driving home from American Memorial Park in the dark in the rain. The car in front of me stopped rather suddenly and I stopped quickly to avoid hitting him. The car behind me stopped, but the car behind him had been either tailgating or speeding because they crashed into him causing him to hit me. The back of the newly repaired echo was dented and I was shaken up. So, that is the end of my "smashing time." (hopefully)

Bah Humbug!

This Christmas our family participated in Scrooge the musical. I was cast as the spirit of Christmas Past and the rest of the family was the Cratchit family. They say a picture says a thousand words, so here are 3 thousand.

Here is me and Scrooge when he first meets the ghost.

The whole family with Scrooge after closing night.

Me and Scrooge again.

Merry Christmas!

Gratitude

A few random things I'm thankful for:

· the gospel
· little yellow rubber duckies
· bubble baths
· rain
· twirly skirts
· life
· babies
· the ocean
· pencils
· music
· dancing
· Mom
· Dad
· singing
· laughter
· people
· poetry
· stickers
· personal progress
· Skylar
· Tori
· Reece
· Jay J.
· Sterling
· Starr
· the Saipan branch
· chocolate
· candles
· tecnology
· dreams
· fancy craft sissors
· little girls
· curtains with cute little tiebacks
· flowers
· sunsets
· sunrises
· patient people
· websites that don't have popups
· courteous drivers
· fruit
· duct tape
· Saipan
· Calvin and Hobbes
· the Book of Mormon
· colors

Having a Smashing Time!

Smashing in this case is not a happy thing. Last Saturday I totaled my family's only car. Our little blue echo. I'm still sporting a nasty looking bruise on my left knee, but my lip and forehead are back to their original size. The crash was my fault, and really caused by carelessness. It made me stop and think. What if I had died? What if I'd killed someone? How could I live with that knowledge? Am I ready to die? I had to be reminded who was really in charge of my life and the lives of people I know. The Lord will never let someone go until it is their time to go.

"I testify that my Christ is my hope. He is my hope on rainy Monday mornings, my hope on dark nights, and my hope in the face of death and despair."
-Chieko N. Okazaki

Blank page, blank mind

My first blog, I can say whatever I want however I want and yet I haven't the foggiest idea where to start. I'm a 17 year old girl living on a tiny tropical island living a wonderful life in the midst of a really scary world. I was thinking, a while back, about how I wanted to write a mission statement. Prompted by "Seven Habits for Highly Effective People" by Steven Covey I started to write mission statements. So far mine has changed about 10 times and probably will change again, but here is the most updated version.

I WILL

Achieve
Even if no one thinks I can

Love
Like the savior would even if it’s hard

Smile
Just because

Live
Worthy to stand blameless before my Father

Give
Of myself but understand that I can’t please everyone

Show
How “peculiar” a person I am, and be pleased with that idea

Pray
Always

Take time for bubble baths, walks on the beach, and making faces in the mirror; but don’t neglect your spiritual health. Keep an eternal perspective. Help when you’re needed, praise when you enjoy. Prioritize. Plan, sketch and dream but don’t forget to follow through and achieve. Sing Praise.

The reference to a peculiar person is from Deut. 14: 2, Deut. 26: 18, Titus 2: 14

Wearing "trashy" clothes

Walking down the runway we have Jocelyn modeling an adorable sundress made of juice bags sewn together with old leftover thread. Her hair accessories are straws taken from the bags that created her outfit. This recycled, waterproof, stylin' outfit was designed and created by the SPLASH club (Students Protecting and Learning About Sea Habitats) Lakell, only 11 years old, struts her stuff next modeling a beautiful rainbow colored dress made from recycled curtains. Her shawl is an old vinyl tablecloth decorated with magazine pictures of endangered turtles very like the turtles the come to Saipan to lay their eggs. The SPLASH club is a firm believer in keeping our beaches clean for our turtles. Last is Tikla modeling an outfit made primarily of paper. Old newspaper, books, and magazines were cut in pieces, folded, and linked in long paper chains to form this elegant evening gown. The skirt is made of an old tablecloth decorated with National Geographic pictures. Even her ear rings are made of paper boxes. From her paper heels, to her headband this outfit just screams "recycled!"

haha we had a blast putting these outfits together, not to mention winner first place with the paper outfit and receiving $500 to split between us. We threw a celebration party with root beer floats and a movie for the other homeschoolers to thank them for supporting us. The second picture is of us right after the fashion show. We teased Jocelyn for being a little blush happy, but Lakell didn't seem to mind. ;) True, I never want to make another paper chain in my life, but it was a "splash!"