FEELING A LITTLE BLUE

Just feeling a little down lately. I can't tell if it is because of the job situation, or if it is because of this visitor that has been here ALL week. Perhaps it is both. At any rate, there is one thing, and one thing only that I like to do when I am feeling blue: Look at Lyla's beautiful face. And since she isn't awake at the moment, I am going to post some pictures of our favorite, and most fun daily activity:

BATHTIME!!!

A VERY DISCOURAGING DAY

Today I traveled an hour outside of town to look for work. I went to about a million places. Here is the run-down of what happened:

• Target: Not hiring.
• Barnes & Nobel: Not hiring.
• Macayo's, TGIFriday's, Carraba's: Not hiring busers.
• Paridise Bakery: Told me to apply online.
• Kohls: Filled out application, but the lady was really rude. Doesn't look promising.
• Michael's & Office Max: Told me to apply online.
• Sprouts: Not hiring.
• All 3 of the Starbucks': Not hiring, but I did leave my resume.
• Jack-in-the-Box: Not hiring
• IHOP: Not hiring busers
• Best Buy: Told me that they would review my online application.
• Lowes & Home Depot: Have to be 18 to work there.

My day was VERY discouraging. :( It was not good, but I am keeping my head held high. I did have a few nice things happen though. While at Target, I used Lyla's $50 gift card to buy her some cute wintery clothes. :) So adorable! I also got my GED study book while at B&N. I took the first practice test and did pretty good {with the exception of math.}

Tomorrow's agenda: sitting at home, filling out all the online applications I can. Then Wednesday, its off to the mall an hour away to search once more. Ugh! Please pray that I get a freaking job!!!

I ♥ FACES | SOMETHING BLUE

It's another lovely day over at I ♥ Faces! Today's Theme: Something Blue. "All photos entered this week have to have some shade of the color blue featured in them (the color should be featured strongly.) If you'd like to incorporate a "blue" expression on the face, that would awesome as well, but please make sure that the color blue is a strong feature of your photo as well."

I think the blue in this photo is pretty self-explanatory. I was so blessed to give birth to a daughter with such beautiful blue eyes. They truly are her best feature. When I heard that I ♥ Faces was doing a "blue" theme this week, I knew immediately that I wanted to feature Lyla's beautiful blue eyes. :) So, whad'ya think? Is she gonna be a heart breaker or what!?! :D

SPOTLIGHT POST | MISS LACEY

I just wanted to make all of my followers aware of an awesome blogger that I have been getting to know over these last couple of months. Her name is Lacey, and she is a riot! She is 19 {20 next week! Whoot!} Lacey is the perfect example of a what a fun and spunky young adult is like, and she reflects that in her blogging.

The sad thing is, Lacey only has one follower: Me. She is an awesome blogger, and always cracks me up with her random posts. I told her that because she was so awesome, I wanted to do a spotlight post on her. I have a few younger ladies who follow my blog, that I KNOW would love to read Lacey's. So head on over and say "hey" to my bloggy friend, Lacey!

Visit Lacey HERE!

FOR THE LOVE OF CHANGING MY MIND

You people honestly must think I am schizo or something. Haha! I have changed my mind YET again. I was thinking long and hard today about the decision to go back to school. I just can't do it. I do not see me doing school for another 4 months when I could be out working, getting my GED, and going to college. I want to be independent. I want to be able to live on my own come this summer. I DO NOT want to be at that crappy school that I hate any longer.

I know that a lot of you are huge school advocates, but for me, this just isn't an option anymore, and I don't want it to be. My family and I are sticking to our choices. I have accepted that my childhood is over, so there is no need to keep trying to get it back. I don't want it back to be honest. I want to start my life. I want to live on my own, make my own money, and eventually start college classes that will help me reach my goal one day.

I am ready for my life to start, and going back to school is only going to postpone it. I do not want that. I feel like I have been so wishy-washy, and I am sorry for that. It honestly makes my head hurt! Haha! I swear, this is my choice, and I am sticking to it!

So, come Monday, I am off in search of a job again. Hopefully by December/January, I will have that job in the medical office. By October I am going to have my GED, and I am still pushing Matthew for child support. I pray that by the Summer of 2010, Lyla and I will have an apartment in town. Just the two of us. That is my goal, and I am going to do everything in my power to accomplish it.

Thank you, my friends, for listening to this crazy blogger. I hope your head doesn't hurt as much as mine. :P But I will leave you with this good news: Tomorrow I have my first ever PHOTO SHOOT!!! OMGosh! And its not just any old photo shoot, I am actually getting paid! Haha! YES!! I have a few more shoots lined up in the coming weeks as well. These are the kinds of things I want to do, not be in boring old school. I really am "to cool for school." And don't you forget it!

Love you all! Thanks for listening to me once again!

AND THE SAGA CONTINUES...

My life has switched gears yet again. Today I officially turned in my withdrawl from school. While waiting for the paperwork to be filed, one of the counselors came up to me with some surprising news.

Long story short, I am back in school. Yay! I will be going to the Alternative School three hours a week {at which time I can bring Lyla with me}, and the rest of the work I will be doing on the computer at home. I will be graduating this December. It works out AMAZINGLY with the job I mentioned a few posts back. This is an answer to my prayers. God really does work things out.

So as of right now, I am going to be in school during the next few months. I think the job thing is going to be on hold, but we will see. I know for sure I will be starting the job I interviewed for in January, so the timing is PERFECT!

I pray this all works out. I really did not want to drop out, but I will do what I have to do to provide for my daughter. Now I can be home with her, which saves TONS of money. I get to walk with my class, and hold my diploma in my hand. God is good. Be praying this plan works out.

MY FAVORITE "LYLA" FACE

Anyone who have ever been around babies, knows that they make all sorts of crazy faces. Well, my daughter is no exception. She has been making crazy faces since the day she was born. She has so many amazing faces, that just crack me up to no end.

But there is one in particular that I cannot get over. We call it: The "Oh" Face. And you can see why. :P

Haha! This face is THE BEST! She makes it whenever she drops something, or when she hears a loud noise. Its kinda the "uh-oh" face, but we just call it the Oh Face. It completely cracks me up when she does it, and she does it about a hundred times a day! Haha!

I GOT ANOTHER BLOG AWARD!!!

Today an unexpected visitor showed up at my blog, and presented me with an award! I am sooooo flattered! Her name is Chantel and she was a teen mom as well. She is now 26 with two kiddos and one on the way. :) I want to thank you mucho for this award Chantel, and I can't wait to get to know you better. :) {You can visit Chantel HERE}

So, this award comes with some rules, plus a servey I have to fill out {which is fine with me. I have an addiction to surveys} So here we go!!!

RULES

1. You Can Only Use One Word!

2. Pass this along to 6 of your favorite bloggers!

3. Alert them that you have given them this award!!!

4. Have Fun!!

THE FUN PART

1. Where is your cell phone? Counter

2. Your hair? Messy

3. Your mother? Working

4. Your father? Chuck-tastic!

5. Your favorite food? Italian

6. Your dream last night? None

7. Your favorite drink? Soda

8. Your dream/goal? Photographer

9. What room are you in? Livingroom

10. Your hobby? Photography

11. Your fear? Alone

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Married

13. Where were you last night? Home

14. Something that you aren’t? Outdoorsy

15. Muffins? Poppyseed

16. Wish list item? DSLR

17. Where did you grow up? Arizona

18. Last thing you did? Potty

19. What are you wearing? PJ's

20. Your TV? Movies

21. Your pets? Billy

22. Friends? Supportive

23. Your life? Complicated

24. Your mood? Blah

25. Missing someone? Lexy

26. Vehicle? Honda

27. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes

28. Your favorite store? Target

29. Your favorite color? Orange

30. When was the last time you laughed? Afternoon

31. Last time you cried? Wednesday

32. Your best friend? Lexy

33. One place that I go to over and over? Store

34. One person who emails me regularly? Louise

35. Favorite place to eat? Babbo's

Whew! There ya have it! One word answers! Man, that was harder than I thought it would be! I just realized with that survey that I like to jabber a lot! I seriously had to erase so many things, because I was trying to use more than one word! LOL!

Okay, so now I have to pass this award onto 6 of my favorite bloggers. Who shall I pick...

Louise over at Adori Graphics

Lacey over at Laceyy Laughhs

Ave over at Made is Canarias

Katie over at My Story Is Not Over

Nicole over at The Young Mama Blog

The Crowder's over at The Crowder Family

SEE YOU AT THE POLE 2009

Today is national See You At The Pole day. Today is a very special day for Christian teens around the USA. For those who do not know what SYATP is, it is one day every year where teens and tweens show up early to school. They all make a HUGE circle around the flag pole, join hands, and pray.

I have been a part of SYATP since I was in 6th grade. This is my first year that I had to miss it. It is an amazing time of witnessing and fellowship. Last year, we started doing this EVERY day around the flag pole. You could feel the oppression. People would actually walk by and scream obscenities at us. But that only made us stronger. :)

I pray that today was an amazing time of prayer at Wick High. I miss being able to be there, but I was there in spirit. Did anyone else experience SYATP? Did any of you participate in it? Anyone have kiddos who participated? I would love to hear about it. :)

I WAS FEATURED!!!

Yesterday was the first ever Blogger Uncovered over at Adori Graphics! I was so honored to be the very first one to be featured! I have never been featured on another blog before, so this was so amazing!

What happens is, some of the readers of Adori Graphics asked some specific questions about me and my blog. I answered accordingly, and my answers were then featured on Adori Graphics. It is a great way to learn about other's and what their blogs are about. :)

Thank you Louise for allowing me to be the first ever blogger for the Blogger Uncovered slot. :) Check out Louise's blog for more Blogger Uncovered stuff, and so much more. She is an amazing woman with amazing talent. Pay her a little visit why don'tcha. :P

THOSE FIRST STEPS

Good morning lovies. :) I have a very special post for you today. I have been meaning to post this for a while, but what with the job issue and all, I haven't had time to upload it. But now, I am finally ready. Yay!

My Lyla is starting to walk. :) Yes, she has hit that one year mark, and already she is taking those first steps. She is still a little uneasy on her feet, but she is getting there. We practice walking almost every day, but she is still only taking about five or six steps. I know pretty soon, she will just stand up and start walking! Haha!

Thankfully, I have captured this amazing even on video, and I would of course love to share it with you all. {Please excuse my Dad's high pitched squealing. He gets kind of excited. LOL!}




So there you have it. By little Lyla is not so little anymore. I almost can't wait until she starts walking all the time................almost. :P I hope everyone is having a blessed hump day!

♥ always

I HAD AN INTERVIEW THIS MORNING

Last night I got a text message from one of the mom's who's daughter is on my sister's volleyball team. It simply said this: "Give me a call. I have a job op for you." Needless to say, I called her right then and there.

Once I got a hold of her, she explained to me that a new medical office just opened up right across the hall from her, and that they were looking for a potential Admin Assistant. She had gone over there yesterday and pretty much bragged about me. The woman (Michelle) told my her to tell me that she would be happy to interview me today! I almost jumped for joy when I heard this.

So this morning I dropped Lyla off at her baby sitter's, then headed on over to the new office. All I can say is "wow." God surely does answer prayers. Michelle was sooooo friendly, and super professional. She asked me all kinds of questions and was very impressed with me. I had {thankfully} typed up a resume last week, so that was good to go.

Basically she said that I was hired. She was very impressed at my professional outlook, and my youthfulness. She let me know that she had to, by courtesy, let a few of the other ladies in there main office apply for the job, but she isn't confident that they will want it. I hopefully be starting this job sometime around December or January depending on how fast they can get up and running. So in the mean time, I need to find another job. If this one doesn't pan out, then I will always have a backup.

I am so very happy to share this good news with you all today. I just have a feeling that this is all going to work out. I have faith that God is going to get me into that office, and that I am going to build a nice career out of it for a while. I am very very excited. I still ask for prayer, though, since there is a small chance that this will not work out, but I am going to trust that it will.

I ♥ FACES: COMPLETLEY CANDID

Hey peeps! I know I haven't really been keeping up with the I ♥ Faces posts, but I have an excuse! LOL! Anywho, I am here today, and that is all that matters. :) Right?

Okay, this week's topic is Completely Candid. I must confess, I picture I am going to post is not really candid. It is more like pseudo-candid. It looks candid, but I actually took it myself. :P

Beautimous! If I do say so myself. LOL! I am feeling a little conceited today: GET OVER IT! LOL! Just kidding my friends. :) But seriously, I just love the composition of this photo. I don't really remember what I was thinking about while taking this picture, but it must have been lovely. :)

So there you have it. I am back on the I ♥ Faces band wagon. Hopefully I can keep up!

JOB UPDATE

Hello everyone! Whoot! I have a few minutes here to post somewhat of an update. :) As you can probably tell from my writing, I am doing much better than the last time I "talked" to you all. I have had a few days to sort some things out, and truth be told, I am kind of excited about starting this new independant life. Yeah, I really wish I could walk down the aisle with my class, but you know what, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter all the much. I will still have a diploma, just not a HIGH SCHOOL diploma. Big whoop.



Anyways, I went off for a few hours job hunting today. Over the past two days I have been applying everywhere I could think of online. My main place being at Safeway {I worked there when I was 15 before I got preg} So I actually went into the store today to talk with one of the managers. He was very pleased that I was available anyday anytime. He took my number and said he would give me a call as soon as he passed my info onto the head boss. :) Sounds promising to me.



Just in case that falls through, I also applied at a few other places. I applied at Bashas', McDonalds, and Best Buy. I will be going out again looking for more places to apply once my car is fixed. I am actually feeling really good about this. :) I think everything is going to work out. Though, there is one thing...



Okay, so, long story short, Matt's {baby daddy} girlfriend, Ashley works at Safeway. Doh!!! Yeah, she and Matt have been together since I was about three months pregnant. He was all but stalking me when I broke up with him almost two years ago. Saying "we will get married" and "I love you so much" blah blah blah. I fell for it everytime, but once word got out I was pregnant, he ran the other way. Now its almost been two years, and him and his precious skank little beauty are supposidly getting married. {Good riddance I say} She can help pay for Lyla's child support.



Okay, I am just ranting now, but honestly, she is like class 10 white trash. It actually makes me feel better to know that he downgraded. And he, by the way, turned into a major tool. Gauged his ears, mohawked his hair, bleached it blonde; ya know, the whole nine yards. And this guy is 20!! Ugh! >.<



So anyways, that's my update for the day. Sorry if that made absolutely no sense, I just really needed to vent a little. Also, I hope I don't get in trouble for this buuuut...wanna see a picture of Ashley and Matt? Okay, I will show you. You decide if he downgraded or not. First I will show you a picture of Matthew {mind you, he really was cute when I dated him}. Then comes the picture of Ashley. Enjoy.

They are perfect for each other huh?? Oh they are going to make such beautiful babies!!! NOT!!! I am sooo glad Lyla looks like me. Seriously. Ugh, sorry for all the meaness. Most people don't see this side of me, but seeing her just provokes so many angry memories. Its okay, "vengence is mine" Thus sayeth the Lord. >:}

REALITY CHECK

Life. It comes at you fast. I think every normal human being can attest to that. For some reason, I have been living in this delusion that life doesn't effect me. I can beat it. I can just squeeze by without the slightest bit of responsibility. NEWS FLASH: I can't.

Yesterday was one of the biggest turning points in my life. This car accident has really shown me and my family some things. The main one being: I cannot be a teenager any longer. I am a mother. 21 months ago I became a mother. I became a mother the day I found out I was pregnant. Goodbye teenager hood, hello mommy hood.

My family and I have recently made some VERY tough decisions. Some that I almost don't want to talk about. Some that are leaving me feeling raw and helpless. On the flip side, I am excited. I know that through these tough decisions, I will start to feel more independent. I will truly be a mother to my daughter, 100%.

Lyla is my life. I take care of her every day. I am her rock. I am her mommy. But that's all I am. I am not her provider. As much as I want to be, I am not. You see, I am only raising Lyla half way. My parents pay for everything. I do not have a job. Every single thing that Lyla needs financially, comes from them. That is one thing that is going to change.

The first step to achieving Independence is in the form of me getting a job. I am dropping out of school. Yes, I thought I would be a different sort of teen mom. One that finishes school and walks with her class. Well, guess what, I AM A TEEN MOM!! I am going to do what I have too, to provide for Lyla. Yesterday was my official last day on a high school campus. I am grieving this tremendously, but I know in my heart it is the right thing.

Come Monday, when I get my car back, I am off job hunting. I will take the very first job that comes my way. Once I finally do find a good job, I am going to get my GED. I am going to study hard, and pass it. Once I get my GED, and turn 18, I will be able to get a much more rewarding job. Will I be making 30 bucks an hour? Probably not. But at least I will be providing for my daughter financially.

Lastly, I am pushing Lyla's father for child support. Matthew helped create our beautiful daughter, and he needs to help out too. It shouldn't have to be my parents footing the bill while I run around and play teenager. Nope, I am a mommy, 100%, and that's what I want to be. I hate high school anyways!! Matthew is going to help with our daughter. He needs to help with her. With his child support, and my new job, I will be able to provide for my daughter. Yeah, its gonna be really hard. Yeah, I am probably going to cry a lot. Yeah, I am going to miss out on so many thing. But what I will receive from this is so much greater than anything I can even fathom. I know God knows what He is doing, and I am going to trust Him with my whole heart.

With all that being said, I may not be posting in here as much as I usually do. One of my problems is that I have a major Internet addiction. I will admit it, I LOVE THE COMPUTER! I want to eventually go to college and have a career with computers, but that isn't my focus right now. This computer isn't mine, it is my parents'. I do not know if I will be allowed to use it much, or if at all. I hope that I will be able to continue my blogging, and recording of my life with Lyla, but right now, I am not making that my priority. If all of my dear followers feel the need to remove my blog from your list, then I very much understand, but I hope you will stick in this with me.

I love sharing my story, and documenting my life. I hope to continue to do that through these difficult and stressful times coming. Please please pray for me. I could use all the prayer I can get! Thank you all for listening, and I hope I will be back soon to update you all. God bless.

LYLA'S 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!

Lyla finally had her party yesterday! She had an amazing time! Thank you to all who came to wish her a happy birthday. :) You all got her sooo many wonderful things. She LOVES her new clothes, books, toys, and shoes. She is happy as a clam now that she has new stuff. :)

She also loved her second ever peice of cake. She got a smidge messier, but not much. LOL! Anyways, not much else to say. It was a wonderful wonderful time of celebration for my little girl. She wore her favorite dress, and looked beautiful.

So, here's the good part..THE PICS!! {Note: Sorry the pix are kind of bad, our house has horrible lighting. :)}

A PRETTY SUCKY DAY

I got in my very first traffic altercation today. AKA, I rear-ended someone. >.<

So here's what happened: I had just finished dropping off Lyla at her babysitters {Praise God!} and I was stopped behind two cars who were waiting to turn. The first car turned left. The second car is now getting ready to turn right. Instinctively I pull up behind him, and get ready to turn left once he makes his turn. Well, he SLAMS on his break for some reason, er ego, I have to slam on mine. Everything would have been fine and dandy if my foot hadn't slipped off the break petal and onto the gas. That's when I lost control. I could not stop what happened next.

CRUNCH!!! Yep, the sound of me smashing into a Jeep. Well, it was more like my tiny car went under his jeep. We both get out and I am screaming my apologies to him. We pull off into a parking lot to get out of the way. He calls the cops, and I call my mom. By that time I am bawling like a baby, and shaking like crazy. Once I end the call with mom, the guy assures me that everything is okay, and that it is really no big deal. He was nice.

Finally my mom and the cop get there, and we wait and wait. All the while I am crying like crazy. I felt so stupid, and embarrassed. It was a HORRIBLE start to my morning. The cop comes up to me and hands me the ticket along with the accident report. He assured me that all is okay, and that this is just a basic civil traffic ticket.

The rest of the day went by okay. Dad took in my car to be fixed, but while it is being repaired, I have no car. :( I also signed up for traffic school so that I don't have a mark on my licence. All in all, this day pretty much sucked. I can't wait to chill out now with Lyla. I need a smiling face.

Also, first birthday party pictures are coming tonight, so be watching for that! Thanks for listening to my horror story of a day. :P

MY VERY FIRST BLOG AWARD!!!!!!

The lovely Louise from Adori Graphics has given me this lovely blog award for my honest blogging :) I am sooooo freaking excited! This is my very first blog award ever! I feel so accomplished! LOL!

I now have to pass the award on to 7 bloggers who I think are honest in their blogging and to list 10 honest things about myself. So, here we gooooo...

10 Honest Things About Yours Truly

1.) One of my biggest fears is taking a shower when no one else is home. I absolutely CANNOT bring myself to do it. It just freaks me out to no end.

2.) I hate, hate, hate Taylor Swift songs. {I know I will most likely get shanked for that one.} I just cannot stand her "oh-I-am-so-in-love-and-I-have-to-find-1000-different-ways-to-sing-about-it" songs. Puh-lease!!

3.) I suffer with major anxiety and depression. I have struggled all my life with this. It is a very hard thing to recover from, but with God's help, I am getting there slowly but surley.

4.) I had mono in 7th grade. {No, I did not get it from kissing someone.} I was very very sick for months. I seriously slept ALL day EVERY day for a month!

5.) I have NEVER been in an airplane. I have no clue when will be my first time.

6.) I am very sensitive and take even the smallest things, and dissect them. Which in turn makes me sooo stressed and upset.

7.) I conceived Lyla after the first time I had sex. {Man! Am I fertile or what!?}

8.) I really, really, really want to be a professional graphic designer/photographer, but I have a fear that I am being selfish, since I may not be able to find a steady job in that field. I feel like I should be wanting to do something else that will bring in good income for me to take care of Lyla on my own. :(

9.) I am ranked number 31st in my whole senior class. This is out of 140 students. I think that is pretty good for someone who got pregnant at 15. :P

10.) You probably already know this, buuuuutttt....I LOVE GOD! I love Him with all of my heart, and I sometimes shy away from Him because I think I am not good enough. Praise God that He will never give up on me! He has showed me His love time and time again. Love you Lord!!

Whew! So there you have it, ten honest things about me. Hey, that was a pretty good release. LOL! Okay, now down to business. Who shall I pass this award onto? Hmm. How about....

Emma Jo over at Emma Jo(:

Lacey over at Laceyy Laughhs

Katie over at My Story is Not Over

Jen over at Our Journey with Micro-Preemie Twins

Aly over at The Life and Laughter

Scotti over at The Oxford Family

Jessica over at The Sweet Life

I hope you all enjoy this blog award as much as I did! Please pass this on, and don't forget to post then honest things about yourself. :) Love you all! ♥

REMEMBERING THAT DAY 8 YEARS AGO...

Spetember 11, 2001 will be another day that will live in infamy. Words cannot even begin to describe the tragedy that happened on that fateful day. So many were lost in both the four hijacked flights, and in the World Trade Center. Panic spewed across America, and everyone came together as one to watch the terror unfolding in New York City.

I was nine that year. I woke up to go to school like any other day. I padded into the living room and saw Dad sitting on the couch watching the news. I didn't really think anything of it at the time, since that what he did every morning. But once I finally glanced up at the screen, what I say shocked me! I was only nine. I didn't really know much about terrorists and hijacking, but I did know that whatever was unfolding before me was not a good thing.

Dad explained to me what was happening, and I just kinda froze. I was young. I didn't really share the panic that Dad felt, but seeing him so shaken up frightened me. I remember that I kept thinking a plane was going to crash into our house at any given moment. I was so frightened.

Alexa and I finally went to school. I was in 4th grade. The ominous silence around the school was erie. The teachers were just as shaken at my Daddy was. I remember that we didn't even do anything in class that day. We just sat in our desks watching the terror unfold, as news anchors tried to broadcast what was happening in New York.

That day will forever live on in my mind, as I am sure it will in yours as well. I do not think America will ever be the same. It showed us that we were vulnerable, and that they could hurt us. That frightens me greatly.

To those who lost someone on that tragic day 8 years ago, I want you to know that I am praying for you on this painful day. I cannot imagine having to relive that day over and over in your head. Go with God today. He will lead you. You will get through it. Bless you all.

So, where were you on that fateful day? What was going through your head? Please take a few minutes today to pray for those who were lost on September 11, 2001. God be with us!

I ♥ FACES: FIX-IT FRIDAY

Its that time of the week again at I ♥ Faces! Yay! My very favorite thing to do, EDIT OTHER PEOPLE'S PICTURES! LOL! Take a look at this super cutie that will be getting edited today.

ORIGINAL
KYLEE-EDITED AWESOMENESS VERSION

MY RANDOM BRAIN

I was sitting in Government today, trying to find something to work on, and I just kinda realized that while you guys know the most intimate parts of my story, you don't really know anything about me. Oh sure, you know I like photography, and all that jazz, but what about all the random things I like? The things that make me laugh? Those kinds of things. :) I would really like to share them with you if that is okay with ya'all. :)

I LOVE: Canon digital cameras. The smell of the Earth after a nice rain. Bright shoes. BIC pens. Costco. Free samples. Hot baths while reading a good book. Science. Understanding math. Romantic poems. Actually listening to the words in songs. Sour candy. Stylish outfits. Name's with Y's in them. Lyla ♥. Tall people. Asians. Curly hair. French manicures. Diamonds. Volleyball games. Photoshop. Forever 21. Chocolate sprinkles on chocolate ice cream. Binder clips. Hearing the words "I am proud of you." Chuck Taylors. Vintage things. Learning to play the flute. Very shiny objects. Orange Expo markers. Quoting Jim Carey movies. Taking pictures. FDR. Purity rings. Ultrasounds. A good debate. Drawing ♥'s. Laughing at nothing. Riding in the car while listening to my favorite song. YoungLives. Cursive fonts. Watching medical shows. Playing Wii tennis. When the clock says "11:11" or "12:34." When guys where ties. American Eagle Jeans. Target. Cappuccino punch. Tiramisu. My family. Getting 100% on a test. Spinning in office chairs. Watching people in airports. Dressing up. Hair clips. Hospitals. Scotch tape. Laptops. Getting hugs from Lyla. Cloudy days. White teeth. Singing a note perfectly. Writing the letter "W." Tie-dye. Getting hair cuts. Striped shirts. Maps. Facebook. Watching people eat fruit. Getting out of school early. Singing at church. San Diego. Black and white pictures. Books. Feeling like I am beautiful.

But most important...I love how much God cares for me. I love how much he loves me. I love how much he is my best friend when I am all alone.

TWO DOLLAR TEARS

Today Lyla received her very first birthday card in the mail. My lovely Aunt Cathy is not able to make it to Lyla's party this Sunday so she sent Lyla a wonderful little card. The card was wonderful, and what she wrote was sweet, but the really wonderful thing was what was inside the card.

Just a little flashback to my younger years. LOL! So every year when our birthdays rolled along, my grandma Marty would send us a wonderful card with $2 inside. No matter how old we got it was always two dollars. This is a tradition that I have been a part of since I can remember.

Last December {right before I found out I was pregnant} my grandma Marty passed away. She was pretty old and just sort of gave up. She was a wonderful lady, and I wish I would have been able to be with her more. She lived all the way in Phoenix and just couldn't come down to our neck of the woods much. Her funeral was lovely, and it was a wonderful time of remembering my wonderful grandma who always sent me two dollars every year. :)

So, can you guess what was tucked in with Lyla's card? Yep, you guessed it, two dollar bills. I honestly almost started bawling right there! It was such an amazing moment, seeing those two 1's peeking from inside the card. I am so happy that Aunt Cathy chose to carry on this tradition of the $2. It makes me remember my sweet hearted grandmother, who I just realized I miss greatly.

Thank you for listening to this wonderful moment I experienced today. I know you probably wont understand what is so great about two dollars, but I was so touched to see them. One day I will share this story with Lyla, and perhaps she will somehow be connected to the great-grandmother she never had a chance to meet.