It's the MOST WONDERFUL time of the year!!!

I think Christmas time is probably the best time of year! I LOVE putting up decorations and candy and presents and christmas lights. Of course you can't forget the real reason for Christmas and I don't. But I can't help but feel jolly at the thought of it. We celebrated this year with my family and my MANY crazy relatives! We kicked off the season with my mom's family Christmas party and her side of the family. The night didn't end in a brawl so i would say it was a success.

Still the same ole' same ole'...

Grandma Hall

Mom and Aunt Kim Hall

Cousin Johanna (who is due in March with Baby Jax)

Grandpa Hall and Matt (Johanna's husband)

Uncle Mike Hall and Garrett

Cousin Kyle (Mike and Kim Hall's son)

Easton LOVES olives! (Johanna's first boy) CUTIE!!!

Cousins Crystal, Will, and Chris

Uncle Mike, Mom, and Aunt Kim Marini

A week later we were in Thatcher celebrating MY GRADUATION FROM NURSING SCHOOL!!! I would say that it was the crowning moment in my life (being born, being married to Bradford, and possibly making it through my teenage years alive). The Gradparents Brown and Grandparents Hall drove down to watch as well as my mom, dad, and Garrett. The in-laws also made an appearance. I can't express how thouroughly excited I am to be done and be able to move on!!! I also appreciate how much support I have recieved from friends and family, especially Bradford for putting up with my EXTREME grumpiness for the past two years. NCLEX here I come!

The week after graduation we were back down in Surprise to spend christmas with my family. It was a little different since Derek (who is usually the life of the party) is still on a mission. We opened christmas presents that morning and it started with Mom crying over a plaque my grandpa made her with Derek's mission things on it. She was bawling and of course we couldn't let her live it down all morning. Derek was supposed to call around 10-12 that morning...well we waited and waited and around 4 he called and he sounds like a completely different person. I knew he was different when he said his mission president gave a "sweet prayer", a word not in Derek's vocabulary before the mish...DORK!!! I am so glad he is doing well and keeping the faith.

Until next year...MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Time well wasted...

Time well wasted...a ride through the town with friends, drinks (sparkling cider of course!), and a limo. Driving through the frosty streets of Safford watching the christmas lights go by. Ah........ A good time to go out and hit the town, not a care in the world. Finals are over and I can breath for a night until reality starts the next day. Time well wasted....

Stress, Snot, and School

So, you might be wondering what all these things have to do with each other. Well, about a week before school started, I woke up with a sore throat, which lead to fever, the most snot I have ever produced in my life, which then went to my chest making breathing nearly impossible. After being highly medicated for 4 days and calling into work once, I am on the rebound with just a cough that won't go away. Stress, school started, need I say more. School started Monday the 24th and I wish it would go away as fast as it came. Before school started, Bradford and I went with some friends to Catwalk which is a set of suspended bridges off of cliffs running through a canyon in Glenwood, NM. It's about 2 hours away but it is such a pretty place and an escape. I have also added Derek's missionary picture I took before he left. An update on him...he officially is in the mission field in Virginia. I am not sure where exactly he is in Virginia but I know he is there. He flew from Salt Lake City on Wednesday morning and arrived in Virginia that afternoon at 4pm. My mom got a letter from him with some pictures so as soon as I get those I will post them ASAP. I am a horrible sister because I have only written him like 4 times. I need to catch up and buy some stamps and write the poor kid. Until next time...FAREWELL MY FRIENDS!!!

My cute Elder Brown...sigh

He's gone...

Sigh...

My little baby brother left for his mission on the 5th and I just barely got around to talking about it. I think my mom is still wading around in a pool of tears. I have got one letter from him and my mom forwarded an email she got from him to a couple of people. What I have got from it is that he isn't a big fan of the MTC and is ready to get out in the field. He said the shock has worn off a bit and he is able to concentrate more and absorb the things they are teaching. If any of you want his address go ahead and slip me a comment or something. And Kam, you leave me comments and I have no way to get a hold of you. Email me valerina50@yahoo.com. I will type out his letters or emails and post them when I get the chance. For now I better get back to doing my Microbiology homework...BAH!!!

Friends....

I need help...I can't figure out how to add a friends list to my blog. I am starting to get some harrassing emails from people and avoid being suffocated in my sleep I think I should probably figure it out. Any help out there?

The beast...

Maggie. Oh my dear sweet Maggie. I can love her and hate her at the same time. I practically have to drag her out of bed to go outside when I leave for work in the morning at 5:45 but on my days off I want to sleep in but she wants to get up at 6:00!!! It's ridiculous! When she was a puppy Bradford and I got a laser light and she would chase that little red dot like there was no tomorrow. So now during the day she can have the same satisfaction of the red dot but without me even having to do anything. My dad made her a little gold name tag with her name...needless to say we didn't realize it would cause such an uproar. During the day the light comes in through the windows and reflects a little white flash onto the floor or the wall and she goes CRAZY!!! She chases that little reflection all over and barks and growls! It's the funniest thing! I don't have a video so you can get the full effect of it but I have play by play photos of her in action.

On the prowl for the light...

Still prowling...

Caught the scent...

POUNCE!!! Nose straight into the floor...

She can get HOURS of entertainment from this. It's almost like sitting a kid in front of the TV for hours just so you can get chores, homework, or blogging done. The only trouble I get from her when she is doing this is it's a little hard to mop around her when she is so focused...

PS-I just re-read this and I can't believe my life is so lame that I have to blog about my dog...oh the woe's of lameness...sigh...

4th of July

4th of July weekend is finally over and I am barely starting to recover. It all started Friday morning with my parents and brothers coming into town for a party/BBQ at Bradford's parents house in Virden. So the weekend starts...

I was trying to brag to my mom about my shooting skills (I hit more skeets than I missed, pretty dang good eh?)

Bradford and Derek

Friday after Bradford got home from work we got ready and headed out to Bradford's parents house in Virden for a "big bash". The night was filled with horseshoes, shooting skeets, food, and fireworks. We only had one injury all night and it was Annie's poor little boy Isaac suffered a sparkler to the eye and now has a burn around his eye making it look like he got punched. All in all it was a VERY fun night!

Garrett

Saturday was the 4th and like my father, he was up and ready to go at 5 while the rest of us were still trying to recover with some extra sleep. We started the morning off hitting up the local antique stores looking for a present for my Grandpa Brown's birthday. We went swimming and I suffered the first sunburn of the summer. We ended sitting in Aunt Sharon's front yard watching the fireworks while drinking Coke's. (ah the sweet nectar of life!)

Dad working the thrower

I am glad my parents got to come and visit for a weekend and I never turn down a chance for my mom to buy me a new dress! HAHA! Spoiled, I know!

Derek (trying and wishing he was as good as me! :)

Turning over a new leaf...

Well, since being married Bradford and I have lived in 4 different houses, two different states, and many different people. Most recently Bradford's sister Maygan and her husband Shane lived with us from January to May and when they left in May we decided it was time to move on and be on our own since we spent the first year of our marriage living with others. We found a small little duplex that became available. After discussing the pro's and con's of moving we decided that it was going to be a good move. YAY! Our own place that is only big enough for the both of us!!! Some of the things that helped us make our decision were the fact it was within walking distance of the college which makes me happy :), it has a yard for our "beast" (who can now jump four foot fences to run the neighborhood or straight into our landlords yard), and it was cheaper than the rent we were paying. We love our little place and took some pictures of the first couple of days in it! We so far have re-painted the bedroom, kitchen, cupboards, and bathroom and it's starting to shape up. Now I just need to quit being a bum and make some curtains!

Our living room (like I said, everything is in order now, this was like the second day of moving in)

The kitchen

The bedroom (and Bradford painting because I HATE painting!)

The home!!!

MISSION CALL!!!!!!!!

So, Derek (or should I say Elder Brown) got his mission call!!! He recieved it June 5th and is scheduled to report to the MTC on August 5th 2009. He has been called to the......Virgina, Richmond Mission!!!!!! YAY!!! His mission doesn't cover all of Virginia but it goes into a bit of Maryland and North Carolina. I am so excited for him and know that him going there has a higher purpose that none of us know of yet. He will touch many lives serving the Lord out there and spreading the Gospel. He is setting such a good example and I couldn't be a more proud sister!!! YAY FOR DEREK!!!

Memorial Day!!!

Memorial Day weekend I went down to spend Thursday through Monday with the fam. Garrett "promoted" (I guess that's what it's called now-a-days) from 8th grade and is now officially going into....

HIGH SCHOOL!!! It's a scary thought to think my "wittle baby bruver" is going to be a high schooler because he has an attitude at 14 that his sister had at 18 so it's going to be interesting. I am thinking of starting a pool of how many times he gets beat up within the first semester. Go ahead and email me with your bets! HAHA! I have posted a picture (the only picture he actually looked down at me) from the "promotion" ceremony. I also have another "big baby bruver" who just submitted his mission papers about a week and a half ago and is waiting for "the call". I took his missionary pictures a couple of weekends back but they are on my mom's dinosaur of a computer and the chance of me getting them off of there is slim so you will just have to deal with the picture of him at Garrett's graduation (long, messy hair, as Derek would call that fuzz ball on his chin a "south patch", hardly a look for a missionary :( ). Topped off the day of festivities with ice cream at Sonic with old friends Dan and Traci (Tiff is a ditcher!) The best part of the whole weekend was SHOPPING!!! Mom, Dad, Bradford, and I all went out Saturday for Goodwill's 50% off day. Some of you might be saying, "YUCK!!! Goodwill is dirty!!!". It's not so bad once you get past all of the people hacking up the swine flu in your face! BAHAHA!!! (there were really people there walking around in surgical masks!) Another reason I LOVE Goodwill 50% off day is because where on earth can I find 5 bags of clothes (good quality and unstained) for under $50?!?!?! It's amazing! Monday my mom and I headed out to yet another thrift store (Savers) for their 50% off day. Nicer stuff but way, WAY too many people for my liking. All in all it was a productive weekend and nice to just get away.

PS-I am still adjusting to this blog thing and am not sure how much information I should give. I am just writing it like any old journal entry about the "life of Val" as I would call it. TOOTLES!!!

Drum roll please...

Yes, yes, I know. Here I am blogging. I told Bradford that I was going to start one this summer and here it is. You might say, "Valerie must have so much going on in her life, how is she going to choose what to blog about and when is she going to find the time?" My answer to that is I have NOTHING going on in my life right now so this blog could be the most uneventful blog EVER! I will have time here and there and if anything exciting does happen I just might blog about it. So farewell for now my friends...until we meet again!