Christmas with Inserts

Since the kids in our family are older we have started doing Christmas by picking names and then buying items for one person each year. We USED to keep this a secret, but by Christmas Eve my mom knew who everyone had and we were constantly guessing at who everyone else was shopping for. This year we decided to make the secret keeping a little easier by not making it a secret. :) I used to think I was good at secrets and surprises...I have learned in the year 2011 that I only like those things if I'm in on the secret or surprise. It drives me nuts not knowing things. (Coming soon, things I learned in 2011) So we drew names, I already had ideas for my mom so I put in a special request. The other names were chosen at random.

Insert: We have these pieces of paper with our names on them that we use to choose partners for games. We have dubbed them "The Fates". Even though I don't always agree with "The Fates", like putting Andrew and Mom together for Canasta three times in a row over the Christmas break, it is however the rules according to the law. We have also started using said "Fates" for things like picking our Not-So-Secret Santas.

And we're back. So they were chosen. I after being able to request my mother, "The Fates" decided to allow my mother to be my not-so-secret Santa as well. Yes, we had each other. What I found interesting about this Christmas though was that I was more excited to see my mom open her gifts than I was to open mine. I knew whatever my mom got me would be awesome but I hoped she liked mine because I really thought about each thing to get her. I think the best thing was, okay there were two things, first: the desk calendar I made for her. It had all of these quotes and life lessons that she's been saying to us our whole lives and then each child's birthday month was pictures of them. It was perfect. I even got pictures of Joey in there just in time to send it off. I made it on Shutterfly. I love making keep sakes like that!

The second one was a straw. Yes, a straw.

Insert 2: I think it was in high school when my mom started noticing the quality of straws. We'd go out to eat and we started rating the straw quality. Soon the whole family was on a quest to find the perfect disposable straw. (Camelbak straws do NOT count) She used to think McDonald's had a great straw and they were in the running for a while but then Costco straws came around. The family came to realize we had to rate the straw on more than the stamina, but width came in to play. So while McDonald's had the width Costco had the stamina. But both lacked the other. The search continued.

Christmas 2011 continued...While living in Lehi I did the unthinkable. I found the number 1 straw. I went out to eat with the sister missionaries at Emmet & Ethels (amazing burger joint) and there I found the straw. I quickly told the Sisters about our straw search and they agreed that it was pretty high quality. So I wrapped the straw up for my mom with a note.

She loved it! She wanted to frame it. I told her to use it and that we'd call the restaurant and ask where they got their straws from. I did call and ask a couple of days later. They thought I was crazy but obliged me and helped my find my answer. A company that sold only to restaurants. We will get the straws somehow but until them my mom loves it.

Then of course there is the traditional stories about what I received from my not so secret santa. Here's a couple pictures to describe the moments.

Dun-der Miff-lin...the People Person's Paper People!

GRITS: Girl Raised in the South...

HARRY POTTER 1-7 in paper back...ALL MY OWN!!!!

I was happy about everything I was given. I also got Sharpies...if anyone knows me they should know my love of Sharpies. Really a great Christmas.

I love Christmas on Sundays. I loved that while I was taking the Sacrament I could think: 'What I'm doing right now, this ordinance is the reason why Christ came to earth. We are partaking of the very reason for which Christ as born.' What a cool thing to realize and to be reminded of every week. 

Merry Christmas,

Arica

Redbox Chasin'

Life after college has been an education. I have been searching for a job all last week. It's been a good experience to see how the whole process works and how I can use my degree. The tough part is seeing how I can use my degree out east. I have known how to use my degree out west but didn't know it'd be so different in North Carolina. So the job search continues. I have an interview tomorrow for a part time job for an after school position, but I honestly don't feel right about it. I just think I'm meant to work with students with special needs, and that's what I really want to get into. There's a school here in Charlotte that does exactly what I want to do called the Cyzner Institute...and they are going to open a new classroom starting in January so I'm hoping things work out with that place.

In the mean time I've been the cook around the house. I recently made this really great recipe called Butternut Squash Soup. Check it out! I plan on making some New Years Chicken this week, which is basically sesame chicken but I'm going with the name my friend uses, and she gave me the recipe. I also did an overnight babysitting job this week. A couple with two boys (10 and 8), needed to go to a work Christmas party in Georgia! Yeah...Georgia. So I stayed the night and got them to school the next day. It was a lot of fun. The older boy really liked baseball so we got along great. He was playing a baseball video game and he decided to be the Redsox. It was awesome because I would tell him who was a really good hitter and stuff like that. He was a Redsox fan by the end of the night if he wasn't one before. :) It's sad because I know the team I love is changing in dramatic ways, but I won't get into that just now.

One more thing that keeps me occupied is our puppy: Joey Anne! :) We just call her Joey, but we want people to know that she's a girl. She looked like a little kangaroo at times...hince the name Joey. She is too cute. I just have to put a picture up.

I thought I'd just get annoyed with her because we have to worry about where she is all the time...but I just love her.

I've been attending the singles ward the last couple of weeks and I think I'm going to really enjoy going there. It's SO different than it was when I was there in the summers of 2007 and 2008. Everyone is pretty much married and new people have come in. But I've made a friend already and it's been fun to start fresh.

Coming home has actually been really amazing. Besides the fact that I have to job hunt, I've been having a great time. This weekend was a ton of fun because we were just sooo silly. Mom, Andrew, and I went around looking for the movie The Help at 5 different Redbox locations. We were determined to find it. Every where we went, it was gone. We were about to give up, but we remembered there was a blockbuster box at our local grocery store. My mom said, "Should we go?"
Andrew and I, "LET'S DO IT!"
We crossed the street and as we did, without rehearsal or word, we all rose our hands in the air and screamed in determination. And that's how the night started, we went from there and became more hilarious as the night went on. We did get to see The Help, on demand! It was more expensive but worth it, I knew that Mom and Andrew would love it.
The funny night carried over to the next day...I love when that happens.

Still Running,
Arica

The Last Leg of the Race

Friday: November 25

While many thousands of people were spending millions of dollars Ashleigh and I were on our way to the Manti temple. It's in the middle of the boonies but it's such a beautiful temple! We were able to enjoy the time in the temple and then we were going to go down to St. George for Cafe Rio and just to see the temple. But we decided we wanted to just get on the road. So we started on our trek home. We were on our way to Colorado when we stopped at a gas station (the only place to eat for miles and were starving) and Ashleigh saw an atlas by the cash register. 

Ashleigh: "Let's get that atlas..."

Arica: "They're always so expensive.."

*Arica picked it up and looked at it....$12. Hmm. 

This was probably the best idea Ashleigh could have had in that moment. We bought the atlas, turned off the gps,  and navigated out way across the country! It felt so COOL! I don't know why, I just felt like I could go anywhere because of that atlas! I will forever have an updated atlas in my car because of this trip. 

We made it to Texas in the first leg of the race. (That's my Amazing Race lingo coming out.) 

Saturday: November 26

We woke up early at 5am. It wasn't planned but we were both awake at that time and started talking so we decided to get and go. We drove through the rest of Texas and Louisiana, almost into Mississippi. We made good mileage that day but we were way tired.

Sunday: November 27

We woke up when we wanted to wake up whenever we wanted and started on the road. We didn't make it to where we wanted, which was Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I had a friend there that I thought we could stay with but it started raining and it was dark so we decided to stop in Mississippi. 

Monday: November 28

This is the DAY! We made it to North Carolina on this day...but it wasn't easy. It was raining the entire day, from Alabama to North Carolina. It was scary at times especially since we were just ready to be there already. This is what happened:

Yeah I was ready to be there. And we made it safe and sound! I tried to make it a secret that we made it home before my mom but I gave it away! She asked about ideas for dinner (pretending that we were still on the road) and I said, "oh we'll just talk about it when you get here." and she said, "Here? Where are you..YOU ARE HOME!" So it was no surprise but still a great night. We came home, went to dinner, came home and Ashleigh got engaged! She's officially getting married. 

It's a brand new chapter of my life and I'm ready to start it. I feel like I've had a lot of "new chapters" and I can't wait for more. :)

Always Running.

Arica

GO SHUM!

This post is dedicated to the Shumway Family. I am so thankful for them. I can never repay or every forget the Christlike service they provided for me. I love them like my family and will always consider them that way. We had some great times and a lot of laughs.

We had some friends come and stay with us while I stayed with the Shumways. Kyall is from Australia and Glenn is from England. They stayed for 2 and a 1/2 weeks on holiday.

They were fun to have around and invited me to come with them one night to an arcade called Nickel City. SO much fun but Kyall (who I had an alliance with) got most of the tickets for our team. I thought all of the prizes looked like junk so I let him pick for me. He chose a potato gun. I had never done a potato gun before and wasn't sure how to work it so this is what happened. (This is for YOU Diane!)

Tanner was kind enough to show me the way it's supposed to work:

BHAHAHAHAHA! Yeah...I learned a lot.

Speaking of Tanner. We had a lot of fun together. We HAD fun but we also MADE fun. It was a love/tease relationship. :) We'd...ehem...help entertain each other during church, watched Jim Gaffigan together (BACON!), and he'd school me on the Wii. He'd always beat me at things because he can't take losing which is good since he plays sports. Either way we had fun.

That pretty much sums us up! OH except this one other picture. Glenn's sister came from England as well, for thanksgiving. We went out to dinner and this just happened. :)

He was so embarrassed. Oh I love that kid. 

Loren and Diane were great listeners. I'm sure Loren got the idea of what it would be like to have a daughter. 

Loren or Diane: "How was school?" 

Me: "OH my gosh...blah blah blah! etc." 

But they'd smile and nod. :) They'd also give good advice. I love that while they considered me their daughter...they also treated me like a friend. I could talk to them about anything. 

I loved going to football games and other family outings with them. It was such a blast! 

My love and gratitude can not be more expressed. Thank you a million times over. :) 

Love,

Arica Page

(Sister Page)

Besties & Thanksgiving Plans

First WATCH this video...it's so funny. I was reminded of it I as wrote my post title!



I guess I need to let myself be heard after my long absence. :) Today I officially signed the last document to finish my student teaching! I received my summative evaluation from my cooperating teacher and my supervisor...on a scale from 1-4 I was given all 4s on my performance! WOOT! I feel like I worked really hard and that it paid off.

Thanksgiving is going to be nontraditional for me this year. I have been spending all of my thanksgivings (mission aside) at the Hegerhorst farm. Even when my friend Emily was on her mission I still went over. It has become home away from home! So I planned on going there the whole time I was living here. Alas, it cannot happen. I am driving back to North Carolina the day after the big Turkey Day! Ashleigh my older sister, is coming out to drive with me. She has a small window of opportunity to do this because of school. SO we looked at tickets and it looks like TG is the best day to fly out on. She'll come in around 2:30 and spend the rest of Thanksgiving with us, then we'll drive in the morning. No farm this year. :(...   It is sad because I really do love that family away from family. While I feel bad about that I still I can't begin to tell you how excited I am for thanksgiving because....three of my besties are coming down from Rexburg! Arin, Kristin, and Valerie! They will be here Wednesday! Plus, a Shumway thanksgiving has GOT to be fun in and of it's self.

Anyways, my besties and I just skyped tonight because we can hardly wait to hang out again. I truly love skype! I used to be against it because I figure why not just talk on the phone but my heart was softened. You can talk to more people on skype and feel like you're in the room with them. I love it. Still not the same as being there but 2nd best.

I feel so accomplished. I'm actually graduating and moving on with my life. It's an interesting feeling but I'm excited for it. Now all I need to do is pack. I want that to be done by itself. I hope I can fit everything in my car....I'll be sure to document the trip home. Ashleigh and I are going to have a blast! I'm making cds, collecting good books, and getting my camera ready! This trip should go down in HISSStory.

Name the Movie Quote of the Week:
"Not her and I "us"....YOU and ME "us"!"

Happiness Runs,
Arica

I'm Back!

So I went on a hiatus from blogging...as you can tell! I tried out a new website that I still love but it wasn't meeting my needs and I found so many cool new things to do on blogger so here I go again.

I'll skip the nitty gritty of everything and get onto more general things. I have "walked" for graduation but I officially graduate with my degree in the next couple of weeks. I've been doing my student teaching in Kearns, Utah while living with some mission friends in Lehi. I feel this was the perfect place for me to live! I became closer to a family I didn't get to see much on my mission but wished I could have, I was half way between Salt Lake and Provo and I have friends in both, AND I was able to see a lot of old investigators or recent converts while here. It's been an amazing ride.

It's interesting since I have been in practicums before where I'm in the school setting, something I've come to learn is that there are no two like experiences. No matter if you've done something before it's always going to be different. I learned you need a learning curve with anything you begin. I don't think I accounted for that and I got hit in the face with a big slap of humility. It was good for me to realize my weaknesses and move on and upward. I especially have enjoyed my time in these classrooms. I've fallen in love with my students and I am sad to leave them and not know how they're progressing and the funny/cute comments they make. They truly made my day and I know they are the reason I did this major.

I've had many adventures while I've been here but I'll sum them up with some pictures:

I learned how to shoe a horse and was taught the ropes on the basics of each part of shoeing. It was so nice of Loren to let me come with him and boys. It was before the first day of school and I didn't have a care in the world! (except maybe that the horse would poop on me...) It is hard work and I admire Loren for what he does all day.

I saw my companion Amber Mosley! It was a God send for her to be here the time I was here and that we got to hang out as friends not just companions. Although we called each other by our last names for a while. She is one of my best friends and we hung out for the last time last night. She asked, "When will I see you again?" I couldn't answer. I don't know. BUT it will happen. There are so many people I love and so many great memories to be had I will make an effort to visit people. Traveling is going to be a hobby of mine. :)

I went to Rexburg on two occasions to visit my sister one time and to visit the crazy nuts you see to the left. Kristin and Valerie are two my best friends! It's amazing how two people come into your life in two very different ways and yet we are all such good friends. :) I did miss being so close to them and knowing what was going on every day BUT it's made our friendship stronger and we have definitely grown closer in the absence.

I was able to go out with the sister missionaries while I was here. It was hard to schedule a time we could get together but we finally did it and I LOVE them. They are in a bilingual area and it furthers my future goal of learning spanish. :) It will come one day but I'm just not in a place to start studying it. Either way they are way fun girls and I wish them the best. They work hard but they definitely have fun too! :)

There were many more stories I can tell and if I think of them I'll be sure to update this. :) There are a lot of Shumway stories I could have told too but there aren't a lot of pictures to go with them, I'm not sure why but we didn't take many. I will during Thanksgiving and make a separate post all about them because they deserve it. Their generosity has been so Christ-like and I will forever be thankful for them. Until next time...hopefully I'll be better about updating this, we'll see.

Happiness Runs,

Arica Page

All I Know...I Learned from Everyone

We have been in school for a month! This winter semester has been going great!!! I brought my apartment together. :) We are really unified and are really like a family. I love having that support system here at school, and I will miss it when it's gone.

I have my best friend Emily, who just returned from her mission in Nashville, TN Spanish speaking. So there is a lot of Spanglish that goes on in my apartment. I try. :) We are so happy to have this one semester together before we won't have the opportunity to later on. She's really adjusting well and when it's hard we talk about the mission. I love that.

Kristin was my support last semester. We depended on each other for everything, with that foundation we go to each other for everything. I'm happy she took the risk to room with a sister from the mission that she didn't know that well. I knew in the mission that we'd be good friends if we ever got the chance to spend some time together, when we were both training and shared a room for one night. It was a meant to be friendship.

Valerie or Lala or ValerTheresa, or Greenbean! She is just so cute!!! I lived with her for a year before my mission and I'm sooo happy she chose to live with me again. She is really good at putting things into perspective for me so that I don't over analyze or freak out. :) I am really my wacky and weird self with her...but she accepts whatever I do!

Arin! MY HERMANA! I have to say not all sisters could live together...but it has definitely worked out for us! I could live with her again in a heart beat. (Don't forget our plans to get our own apartment together someday Arin!!) She said the other day "do you think of us as sisters or friends first?" I think our other sister Ashleigh, put it best, "you are closer friends BECAUSE you are sisters." Yes, we are friends...but you can definitely tell we're sisters...especially when I'm acting like a baby and she just accepts me and tries to help me. We also have been sharing food and cooking for each other...it's been a lot of fun and I'm actually eating better this semester! :) Te amo Arin!

One of our sayings this semester is "Poor Challis" because our poor roommate that we didn't know previously got mixed into our crazy circle of people. She is a returned missionary who served in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission (kind of like our rival...but we can't say that since technically it's all the Lord's work). She loves to read and oldies movies. She's a cute girl!

This semester has been a lot more social!!! (You know I like that!) I have four classes this semester...two of which are 4 credits. So no it's not an easy semester but it's waaaay better on the stress level compared to last. I'm so happy I am able to breathe a little more. I do have some added responsibility this semester though, I was called to be the Relief Society President. I have to say that calling just made me love the people around me more. My counselors are amazing (whom I didn't know very well when I chose them). They really want the same unity I do and are willing to step up to the calling. :)

On another note...that I'll have to probably touch on later...I'm thinking about graduate school. I'm either going to do Speech Pathology or get my masters in Early Childhood Education. I'm just praying about it...we'll see how it all goes. I'm tired of school, but I want to do what the Lord has in store for me. I just need ideas of where to go or what to go into!

As always....

You Can Be Happy if You Let Yourself Be,

Arica