Family

Growing up I always thought I had the coolest family. I would see my older siblings and want so badly to be like them.

We were good kids growing up. We never really rebelled against our parents. We never really had a curfew because my parents trusted us and we didn't violate that trust either, for the most part. We went to church and were involved in church activities.

We hung out together. We were friends, still are. We were close, still are. We celebrated birthdays as a family together, still do.

I look back at our family and wonder where the good days went. Not saying that things still aren't good, but I wish it could be stress free like it used to be. I wish we could go back and stop each other from making stupid choices. I look at other families/siblings and see how happy they are and how prefect things seem. I long for that, even though I know each family has their own unique challenges.

I feel like right now our family/sibling challenges are a little too much to handle. I wish I could slap a sibling or two and tell them how stupid they're being, and how the only people who really truly love them to the core is their family. I wish I could almost lock them up so they don't make these stupid choices. I want to protect them so much and their kids but I can't. I wish I could get rid of the "monster" they're attached to.

I really want to just yell at them and tell them everything I think about the choices they've made and how it has affected me and everyone else in the family, including their kids. I wish they could see how we have dropped everything in our lives to help them, to give their kids some stability, to watch them constantly, and love them unconditionally, and all we get in return is the "monster" coming back into our lives and we have to "accept" it. Yeah right! It tells me that we don't matter and that what we've done for them doesn't matter. They'd rather be with the "monster".

Crying gives me a headache and I'm tired of hurting. I'm stressed, I'm mad, I'm angry, I'm sad, I'm heartbroken, I feel resentful, and I'm not the only one. I don't like this feeling. I don't like feeling this way toward a sibling...or anyone for that matter.

It's too much and I can't handle it. I know it's a trial our family has to go through...I just don't know how to go through it without kicking and screaming, literally.

Can I take a looooooooong vacation please?!

TEACH ME HOW TO "JIMMER"

I am such a proud sister right now. If you haven't heard this song you're missing out. It's on several online pages, including USA TODAY. The goal is to get it on ESPN.

My brothers, Quinn and Sean and my nephews Kalin (16) and Kai (10), Young Sim, and a couple of Cameo's by Dave Pearson recording this song in my parents basement in their studio. I'm so proud of the attention it has gotten already and they just released it yesterday.

Once it was released someone heard it and put this video together for it, which is now playing everywhere. A second video was made that I like better. Here's both.

AWESOME!!!!

Birthday fun...

Here's what I did to Erin's office on her b-day. She walked in and saw it the next morning after having her birthday off. In her words it was a "big fat mess of love, and I loved it!"

Excuse the camera quality. Gotta love cell phone cameras. Blah!

The Birthday girl!

HAPPY 35th BIRTHDAY ERIN!!!!!! Love ya!

My Salon Doll

I did pictures for a friend, and the YW President of our ward, Amber Weller. She started this business of "MY SALON DOLL". I took pictures of her dolls for her website.

If you have little girls you need to get a MY SALON DOLL! They hair is 100% human hair. You can wash it, curl it, do anything you would to the hair as you would with your hair. It's awesome!!! Check out the website. Here she is on Studio 5 just before Christmas.

Christmas/babies/tea party, etc...

Hope you don't mind the plethora of collages in this post. I'm FINALLY getting around to posting the events over the last couple of months.

December 10th, the XANGO Christmas party. We were all quite overwhelmed by the gifts they gave to each employee....

-A Kindle
-$300

It was AWESOME!! Some people sold theirs on KSL, I kept my Kindle, downloaded some books and have even finished a book. I love my Kindle! Normally they only spend about $50/employee.

Plus I got to walk on the stage, along with many others, and get a certificate for my 5 year XANGO anniversary. They gave us $200 for that. Sweet!

We also decorated our Call Center with lights and snowflakes galore - it looks pretty!


Next baby Elizabeth Colleen Curran was born on the 21st. Such a little sweetie! It's so fun having a little baby neice. She's just beautiful!


Following that wonderful event The Summerhays family came into town. I got to meet sweet little Liam that was born in November for the first time. Oh how he melts my heart!

One evening before Christmas we headed to Temple Square with the siblings and then went out to dinner. I love my brothers and sisters!

Then we had all the Christmas festivities. Christmas Eve we went to my parents house. It was nice having everyone home (except Quinn's Darlene who was in NZ visiting family). We played the Oreo game (with Vanilla Oreo's)...man we laughed and laughed!

We had our traditional Potato soup, and French Onion soup that my mom makes, along with her homemade bread sticks..yumm!!

We caroled to the neighbors on our street. Fun! Then opened pixie gifts.

Ryan and I went home and opened our own small gifts. We did things really low key this year, which was perfect.


-January 1st the girls had our annual Tea Party, complete with hats and fun attire. Megan went all out with her crazy red dress. My Mom had gone antique shopping and had found all these hats, and then gave them to all us girls for Christmas. We loved it!

She invited our cousin, Connie and her mother. What a blast we had! The pictures say it all.




January 2nd Gavin was baptized and Liam was blessed. We did a little photo shoot at my house of those boys. It was a great event.




In January I did a little photo shoot with Elizabeth. I love how they turned out!


It was a great Holiday season. I loved having family in town and celebrating it with them.

This is just a random picture of me, my mom and Conn at one of Kalin's basketball games, I thought they were funny so I had to post them. Speaking of Kalin he's the top scorer for his team and I think I heard the he was the top scorer for the Utah Valley teams. He's amazing! And he's only a sophomore! I'm so proud of my nephew!

Just some thoughts...

I want a baby.

Really bad.