2013 Reflections & 2014 Resolutions

Tonight for FHE, we discussed our past year. We focused on positive things, happy memories, and lessons we've learned.

For the new year, we decided to make a "Memory Jar." Throughout the year, we will write down a quick note of something we are proud of, an experience we've had, missionary opportunities we've embraced, or a lesson we've learned. They can be about anything, but we just have to make sure we stick to writing little notes all year. (This is am important thing for me to remember and encourage.)

This time next year, we will open up the jar and read ALL of the fun things that 2014 had in store for us. It should be a great year, especially with a new baby girl coming in the family to mix things up a bit.

We have had a great year, but we are looking towards our futures with high hopes and big goals.

Happy New Year everyone!

PS: We will be dropping off a bottle of Martinelli's Sparkling Cider with a cute little tag. We will also write our new church meeting time, just in case they want to come this year! 

We've been spoiled by the beach house.

For the last few years, we've been lucky enough to be invited to a spectacular beach house down in Oceanside, Ca. (Big shout out to John and Allison Barnes!) We have TRULY enjoyed the luxories that have gone hand in hand with our stay while there.

It wasn't until we went to Mission Beach this last summer, (after already having stayed at the beach house a few months earlier) that I realized how truly spoiled we are.

Mission Beach is supposed to be a great beach. Lots of fun sand. Great water. Fun activities to walk to. However, my opinion... Mission Beach was gross.

There was seaweed everywhere. Piles and piles of LONG, AND RIDICULOUS SEAWEED. Nasty rocks. Dirty rough sand. Too many freaking people. Nowhere to play volleyball without the fear of stepping on someone's hypodermic needle or broken 40 bottle. I had to pee, but I refused to go in the water, because it was nasty, and the bathrooms looked like a scene from a horror movie. The food we brought to snack on was covered in sand within 23 seconds of opening it thanks to one of the 8 million people walking by us kicking up sand. OR someone adjusting their towel meanwhile flinging sand ALL over us. OR the birds, freaking birds, kicking up sand as you try and shoosh them away so they don't get at your now ruined, covered in sand food. I won't even talk about the parking.

I know I'm a complete diva. I understand that. I recognize that. I'm okay with that. I'm just quite shocked at how truly spoiled I have become (not at ALL true in any other instance, by the way) by the ease of staying at a beautiful, breathtaking, and blissful beach house. I fear I can never return to the normal beach life, I used to truly enjoy.

We did have some fun friends with us though, so that was a bonus. My babies didn't mind the day at beach. Neither did my sugar. Turns out, I'm the ONLY one truly affected by the spoils of the beach house. (Shocking!)

Philadelphia "Phun"

I got to escape back east with my mom and brother back in early September to Philadelphia. (Let me point out, they didn't invite me. I invited myself after they both were bragging about getting a sweet deal on airfare, jerks. I showed them by tagging along, and getting an even better price. Ha ha. That just meant I had to share a room with them and deal with my brother's OUTRAGEOUS snoring. It's truly unbearable.)

We went to celebrate my Aunt Joanie's 80th birthday. It was a fun time, even though I was missing my sugar and my babies greatly. We did all of the traditional Philadelphia things: Phillies game, Philly cheesesteak, Independence Hall, playing "our numbers", crossing bridges, dancing, and most importantly, family. I haven't been back to Philly since my grandmother passed away almost 10 years ago. It was good to see everyone, and to surprise my Aunt Joanie on her special day.

I have such fond memories of my summers as a child visiting my sweet, but feisty grandma, loving aunts and uncles, and crazy cousins. They talked so differently, dressed to the nines on everyday occasions, had the most amazing skin, and shared countless memories of my daddy. I love each of them so much. 

My summers there made me feel so special to be my daddy's little girl. They ALL truly loved their Joey, and they could see him in me. I can't even think of how many times I heard from people back there, "You look just like your father. You have his eyes." And my Aunt Joanie said it the most. She missed and misses her baby brother, and that love was so special to me. I never wanted to see my Aunt Joanie cry, but she DID. There were tears everytime we arrived, we walked down the stairs in her house, we sat by her at kitchen table, and especially when we left. And this trip was no different!

Instant tears as she spotted us hiding at her surprise party, tears as we sat at chatted over dinner, tears as we talked about my daddy, and tears when we said our goodbyes for this trip.

Happy 80th birthday Aunt Joanie. I feel so blessed to have been able to add this trip to one of my many fabulous and "Phun" memories of Philadelphia.

"That's the time I threw up everywhere!"

My girl and I were snuggling on the couch the other day looking through old pictures on my phone, and we came across some from our trip to Utah back in August.

On daddy's break in between summer and fall semesters, we were quite the travelers, going from Utah, then to California. (And I never got around to posting anything about it. My bad.)

Well, I felt like I needed to document the fun we had during those two weeks as a family. And as Afton looked back through the pictures, she had one very specific memory of our Utah trip.

"That's the time I threw up everywhere. Then daddy did too. And everyone else in our WHOLE family, except you and Jack. Man, that was a lot of throw up."

Her memory and depiction of the trip were spot on. We had a fun day at the Midway Swiss Days fair watching Charity and Emily perform, eating yummy food, buying fun bow and arrows "to be like Brave," said Jack, and overall, just enjoying family.

That quickly ended when almost every single member of the Westra clan got violently ill. It takes less time to say who remained healthy, then to list the "lucky" ones who got sick. "Man, that was a lot of throw up."

All in all, it was still fun to be with family.  

"I'm not sure of what to do with my hands."

I received this text earlier tonight from my sugar.

"Miss you. Might sleep at school tonight..."
Thought to myself, "It's finals. That seems about right, and it's ONLY the first time he has done that this semester. Good luck sugar. Almost done with this semester."

A few hours later I received this text,

"I'm big time now."

 

It made me think back to the beginning of this semester.  In the start of his second year in dental school, there was a special event held for the class of 2016. I knew what I was going to blog about the evening of this special event. I knew how I would word it. (I just lacked the energy to write it because of the baby sucking everything out of me at the time!) It came to me while sitting in the audience surrounded by our family, and the families of close friends we've made during this wild dental school ride.

 

I would start with this, "I'm not sure of what to do with my hands." Then a picture of the one and ONLY, Ricky Bobby.

For some reason, in the middle of my sugar's UNLV White Coat ceremony, I could not get this line and this image out of my head.

No, my reasoning for thinking about this was not because I was so captivated from Dean West's wise words. Or, because half the girls in my sugar's class were wearing dresses THAT were so ridiculously short, it could possibly be something similar to what I'm sure Ricky Bobby's wife would wear had she been invited to ceremony. (Super glad they wear scrubs to school, because there are some "not ugly" ladies in his class.) 

 

Or because some dude in the audience behind me happened to look like, JEAN GIRARD.

 

 

None of those were the reasons why I thought of this quote. The reason was because I knew my sugar would never, ever say, "I'm not sure of what to do with my hands." My sugar was one step closer to achieving his dream of becoming a dentist. He would be able to work on real live patients and put into affect the use of his steady hands. He would impact the lives of so many people for the better by helping them to smile. He would be a freaking dentist!

I was so proud of my sugar on that day. I'm proud of him everyday. I'm proud of his dedication to his family, while ensuring that he still is also dedicated to his schooling. He is a great role model for our children. I'm proud of him today as he will be able to use those hands to pass out his fancy new business cards, because he DOES indeed know just what to do with his hands.

 

I love you sugar! Keep it up and come what may.

Joel Morris - My Sugar's Cal Naughton Jr. -  "Shake and Bake" 

 

All the Boys!

 

All the Wives!

 

I just had to post this picture.

 

 "If you ain't first, you're last!"

  

Afton's Winter Performance

My cute girl has been able to still participate in preschool thanks to the help of some very special people, (Heidi Spencer, aunt Allison Barnes, aunt Stephanie Jones, grandma Jones, and last but not least, Daddy.) I'm eternally grateful for their kindness and love for my sweet girl.

Today she was an elf with her "elf best friend," Payton. They got to decorate a cute little snowman and then dance a little. She did a great job, and I'm always proud of her.

So was Jack, as he whispered to me when she walked in the door, "THAT is my sister mommy. She's mine."

Afterwards there were some fun crafts, cookies, and hot cocoa. Glad I was able to get to see this special event.