{ The Usual }

Lunch dates with Louise at Donny T.'s

circa 2008
I miss this usual dearly.

{ Miss Mg is 3 }

Happy happy birthday, Miss McKinlee!!!

{ Dinner Party }

Whole, natural food: whole, natural entertainment.

Being welcomed into Nicole and Matt's home this evening was being filled to the brim

with wholeness and goodness, in our bellies and in our hearts.

Love these people. To pieces.

{ Love our "CC" }

**Please go down to my purple music playlist on the right column  and click "PAUSE" before you listen to the video or you won't be able to hear it over the playlist music!!!**

Our dear Chelsea girl :)

I was thinking and thinking of the best way I can express how wonderful of a young woman you are and how much you mean to each of us in our family today for your 12th birthday...

This song came to my mind and we wanted to share it with you because you are such an amazing daughter of your Heavenly Father and you are a wonderful example of His love.

{If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do?
Would I think of His commandments and try harder to be true?
Would I follow His example? Would I live more righteously,
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?

If the Savior stood beside me, would I say the things I say?
Would my words be true and kind if He were never far away?
Would I try to share the gospel? Would I speak more reverently
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?

If the Savior stood beside me, would my thoughts be clean and pure?
Would His presence give me strength and hope, and courage to endure?
Would His counsel guide my actions? Would I choose more worthily
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?

He is always near me, though I do not see Him there
And because He loves me dearly, I am in His watchful care
So I'll be the kind of person that I know I'd like to be
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me. }

This is you, Chels. 

You are the kindest person I know.

You are so thoughtful and giving of your things, your time, and yourself.

You give your love so freely and abundantly,

especially to my little ones who include your family in every prayer they say.

You have made a difference in their tiny little lives,

an unmistakable and irreplaceable difference and they love you so much for it.

That is a special gift of yours, Chels, given to you by your Heavenly Father.

Always give your kindness and love to others as you always have,

for it is truly the only way you will always find happiness and peace in this life.

Even when people or "friends" and enemies are unkind and they will be,

especially at age 12,

always try to keep a soft heart and continue to keep that beautiful face of yours

up and toward the light. It will be hard but our greatest lessons usually are and they are worth the righteous character you will build for yourself by always trying to Choose The Right.

You are such an amazing example to all of us and to all around you;

your family, your friends, your neighbors, your teachers.

You make a difference in people's lives and those beautiful connections you make with those who you love and love you in return will help build in your life the strongest of confidence in yourself.
Self-confidence and self-worth are the basis of every decision you will make.

As you make and keep your promises and try your best in all you do, whether you win or lose is no big deal because you know the peace and good feelings that you feel when you give it your all.

During these upcoming teenage years and now that you are in middle school

you probably have had a lot of bigger decisions to make already this year! 

When you decide what you will stand up for *before* the hard situations present themselves, 

then when you are confronted with the choice in the moment to stand tall or to follow the crowd, 

you will already have made your decision to be true to yourself and know how to stand up

for what you know is good and right.

Your good mom and dad have taught you so much goodness and have raised you to be the 

confident, happy, bright, and compassionate young woman you are today. 

Always know that you can turn to your family for everything and anything going on in your life.

Stay close to your mom and always tell her your secrets. 

Moms are so special, Chels. 

Especially yours.

Always know that you can count on her to be on your side and that you always have

the truest friends in her and in your dad and Adam.

During these upcoming years in school you will make and lose and remake friends a zillion times 

over a million different reasons. School friends will come and go, parties will come and go, movie nights and mall trips will come and go, boyfriends and crushes will come and go.

Your family and your relationship with your Heavenly Father will not come and go.

They are your most important possessions and they are constant.

They will bring you the happiest and most comforting experiences.

When things are right with those two most important things,

things with the rest of your life will work out better and easier for you.

You have the great opportunity to be an outstanding leader and example to all your friends around you.

With all of your kindness and love for others and your acceptance of everyone,

you have the special opportunity to expand the circle of friends to include

those girls who may feel left out and lonely. 

You can turn around the train of gossip that runs through the school when it falls on your ears and you choose not to repeat the unkind rumor.

You can put your arm around the kids that may be getting made fun of in class or on the bus 

and let them know that they are not alone and that they have a friend in you.

This is who you are, Chelsea.

You are not afraid to stand up for what you know is right.

No one can change that about you.

There's a quote and it says:

{What is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right}

  You know this already, at age 12! 

Do you know that there are people my age that still don't get this!?

You don't let others define you, you define yourself by standing true to what you know is right

inside your heart. 

That is courageous and the older you get the more courageous an act it will become.

It takes guts to stand up to flat out enemies.

And it takes even more than that to stand up to friends who may be making wrong choices and choosing not to be a part of things that you know are wrong.

You have such a bright light inside of you and you let it shine for everyone to see.

I know that as you let your light shine and as you stand up for what you know is right all throughout these upcoming fun and difficult years, your light inside of you will shine brighter and brighter.

And, the neatest thing is that when your light shines brightly by making good choices in your life,

you help others find their way by the light you shine! 

And, again, that's exactly who you are! 

You love to help others and be a wonderful friend.

You are amazing, Chels! 

We love you and I can't wait to see how many more wonderful things you do in your life!

You inspire me to be more like you by your thoughtfulness and your generosity. 

You are just like the song above.

You naturally do the things that you would do if the Savior was standing right beside you.

Thank you for your bright shining example.

Happy 12th Birthday, Chelsea!

{ Happy Birthday Louise }

{come back!!!}

"Acquire inner peace and a multitude will find
their salvation near you." 
Happy happy birthday my nearest and dearest Louise <3
You are what I hope to be someday. You are such a gift.
Thank you for that guide and that light in my life.
You have been there every.single.time I've needed you, without fail.
We've been so blessed with the gift of true friendship.
{Thank you for always being wonderful you} 
xoxoxoxoxo
enjoy your day, wish i was there to celebrate you!

{ Golden }

"Make new friends, but keep the old.

One is silver, the other is gold.
A circle is round, it has no end.

That's how long, I will be your friend.

A fire burns bright, it warms the heart.
We've been friends, from the very start.

You have one hand, I have the other.
Put them together, We have each other."

Happy happy birthday bestie face. love you so much. 

 how blessed we are to enjoy an entire lifetime of friendship,
what a rare and precious gift we share.
xoxoxoxoxo

{ Happy Day }

{Friends are the family you have chosen}

love love love you vonnie lou

X O X O X O

{ Bren-di Can-i Get-i }

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.”

 

Happy Birthday B.

{ We Go Way Back }

... all the way to 5 years old...

KINDERGARTEN! 

Cheers to my Serdi-girl on her 31st bday.

"It takes a long time to grow an old friend." 

I'm so glad our gift to each other has been that time. 

We have shared so much; our hearts, our tears, our joys, and our sorrows.  

And, still today we are growing our friendship and it is one of my 

most precious possessions.

L.Y.L.A.S.

(remember that?!?!)

{ Egg }

I asked the boys what they were doing.

"playing egg."

Couldn't stop laughing.

{ Dear Summer }

You shall be missed!

{ Back Yard Buddies }

{ An Eternal Family }

Our awesome friends {Louise&Wil} are celebrating {7 years} of their journey toward {eternity}

Congratulations{LoveBirds}

We love and miss you always.

{ Date Night }

A glimpse into the future when they are {sweet sixteen}

{ Goodbye, Only For Now }

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die.

Anon

BROWN MICHAEL D.
Age 33, of Jefferson Hills, suddenly on Sunday, February 28, 2010. Loving son of
Dr. David F. and Carol (Hudak) Brown; cherished brother of Lori (Mike) Kohn of
Pleasant Grove, UT and Bethany (Sean) Canny of Lindon, UT; beloved uncle
of Caleb & Jacob Kohn; also survived by many loving aunts, uncles & cousins.
Michael was a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School and a member
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Michael loved photography,
nature and all God's creatures. He had a gentle spirit and tender heart.
Michael loved his family and friends. He will be greatly missed and will be
forever in our hearts. Friends will be received on Thursday from 4-9PM
at the JEFFERSON MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME, INC., 301 Curry Hollow Road,
Pleasant Hills. A funeral service will be held on Friday at NOON in the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Pleasant Hills.
Entombment Jefferson Memorial Park. Family requests memorial contributions
be made to Haiti Relief www.lds.org Humanitarian Aid. www.jeffersonmemorial.biz
Send condolences at post-gazette.com/gb

With heavy hearts we say goodbye to a childhood friend.
Not goodbye forever, just goodbye, for now, dear friend.
God be with you 'til we meet again.

{ Someone Special }

C is for Cheerful
H is for Helpful
E is for Extraordinary
L is for Loving
S is for Special
E is for Example
A is for Award-winning Smile

Happy Happy Birthday to the Most Special 11 year old I know!
We all love you to pieces, Miss Chelsea Girl, and for so many reasons!
You are so {cheerful} & help everyone around you to be happy and to smile.
You help me in so many ways with the little ones and know just how to replace
their little frowns & tears with smiles & laughter.
We are so fortunate to have you in our lives because you are so {helpful}.
After we miss the bus on round one, I look out and see
that you wait for J. to come down so he doesn't have to
wait for the bus on round 2 all by himself.
You are an amazing friend and are so willing to help
out of the goodness of your heart.
I want you to know that you have so many {extraordinary} talents and
I'd like to Thank You for sharing them with us every single day.
I've never seen such polished and natural qualities in someone so young.
You give of your whole heart and you do it because it makes others happy.
That is a power and wisdom you possess that is far beyond your young years.
You are so special.
And, yet, you make everyone else feel like they are the most special person alive.
You are so full of {love} and you shower us with it by writing us poems,
making picture collages of all our special memories, and especially by
being so kind-hearted and patient with all the kids.
It takes a very, very {special} person to give so much of their time to others
and to share the best of what they have with everyone.
You share everything you have and think more of everyone else
before you think of yourself.
I absolutely stand in awe of you.
You are such an {example} to me 100% of the time I am around you.
There is no one else I'd rather have help me so much with my children
because you try your very best to love them and are so gentle with their feelings.
You are teaching them to be kind and loving to each other just by being yourself.
You are a positive example to your friends and you always choose the right,
even if the right answer isn't always the popular one.
Always remember how good that feels, and how much more important it is
to be happy with yourself at the end of the day,
even if others aren't happy with you for doing what you know is right.
And, don't ever stop smiling because your {smile} is contagious!
You brighten up everybody's day with the happiness that you share in your smile.
It's really hard to have a bad day if you just keep on smiling.
And, you never know whose lives you are touching when you smile;
a restoration of hope, an affirmation of goodness in a darkening world.
And, you are just the girl to make a beautiful difference in the world, Chelsea.
Your Heavenly Father created you and loves you so much.
He has given you wonderful blessings, among them,
a wonderful mother and father who love you so very much.
And your little brother who thinks of you as often as he thinks of himself.
He always makes sure you have a turn and always wants you on his team.
That is so special, Chels.
Your family is so special and has taught you to be so kind and good.
Your mom has touched my life in so many ways.
She is so good.
Your family is among my greatest blessings.
We love you all so much.
Hope you eleventh birthday is one that you'll never forget, girlie!
You deserve it!

Now how about some purple pancakes?!?! ha ha

{ LuLuTiles GIVEAWAY }

My sweet friend, Heather, is a woman of many {talents}.

And, we are all sooo {Lucky} because she shares her
{crafty love} with all of us right here:

Click me!

And, here's some *FaBuLoUs* news:
She is hosting the cutest giveaway you've ever seen!
(no, not her *AdOrAbLe* little Aleksa, but that {Sweet Tee} she has on!
Head on over to her bloggity blog & give her your support.
Really. She is one of those {genuinely kind-hearted} gals
that radiates {happiness} when you're around her.
Our husbands coached together at SVU & it was so fun getting to know her.
Luck o' the Irish to ya!

{ Gift }

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives

mean the most to us,
we often find that it is those who,
instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures,
have chosen rather to share our pain
and touch our wounds
with a warm and tender hand.
The friend who can be silent with us in a moment
of despair or confusion,
who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement,
who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing
and face with us the reality of our powerlessness,
that is a friend who cares."
~Henri Nouwen

Happy, happy birthday my dear friend Louise.
I'd like to thank you on your birthday for the {{gift}} you are to me.
You are absolutely indispensable & irreplaceable in my life.
Love you to pieces.
xoxo

Happy 2nd Birthday {yesterday} Maxi-Doodle Bugs!!!

{ USPS }

My dear friend A. Louise just gave birth today to her
fourth little bundle of {{Joy}}

Sending
: : : hugs & love : : :
a million and Four precious times over

and one lovely lil' kiss for the newest Mr. Handsome

{ Third Time's the Charm }

My good friend RoCkEd Halloween this year with the
"Barefoot & Pregnant" theme.

Today, she will no longer be barefoot & pregnant but will have
Lovely Little Miss #3 in her arms!
Best wishes for a safe & speedy delivery and recovery for mom & baby!
XoXoXo