okay okay..

So I am really bad at this whole blogging thing. I always get on here intending to post, but I always end up looking at other peoples blogs then don't want to blog. So here it goes.

*Recent Happenings*

-My dad had a birthday!! I love him so much!

-Matt came home from Afghanistan!! We are so grateful for him and that he is home safely!! Thank you to him and all the other soldiers fighting for our freedom!

-Halloween!! Since it was on a Sunday this year, we had our ward trunk or treat on Saturday. Matt and Kristy were out of town so we had Cole and Ali! It was so fun! I didn't have any idea what to be, so I went to Walmart and found a Cookie Monster shirt. So that's what I was!!

-Veterans Day Parade. Dan and Page both had to drive wagons in the parade, so I went with them to watch Jade. It was a very good parade and kind of emotional for me because it hit so close to home. But it was so fun to go!!

-I have officially ordered my cap and gown for graduation. I can't believe I am old enough to be doing this. It is really a scary/happy/exciting/nervous/dreadful moment. This just means I am one step closer to graduation and moving on with my life. Sometimes I just want it to slow down but at the same time speed up. It is just a bittersweet moment. :/

That's all for now! But have a great Thanksgiving!!

{peace and blessings}

-melissa

realization!

So lately I have come to a realization. I miss having a sister at home. Kristen and I always shared a room. We told everything to each other. But since she got married, obviously she moved out. Now I am the only girl, well besides my mom. I get so lonely ALL the time. Especially late at night when I am alone in my room. I have no one

to talk to. I really miss her and love her so much!

Another realization i have come to. My mom loves to hear about my life. She is who I

talk to. The only bad thing is she usually falls asleep when i talk to her. And she also LOVES to tease me about everything!! Especially about boys! But I love my mom and I am so happy I am not the ONLY girl in this house. Who would tell me if my outfit didn't look good? oh wait, I do have 3 younger brothers!! I love them so much. They make me laugh! I just realized I love all of my family!! They are the BEST ever!!

{picture time}

yes, i am alive.

Okay. So I haven't blogged in forever. Why? 1.) I don't have time and 2.) every time I get on to blog, I get distracted by other people's blogs. So here is what I have been up to..

*SCHOOL- I am a senior. It is crazy and I can't believe it! For those of you who feel old because i said this, I am sorry!! It just happens.

This is a preview of my senior pictures. I will post more soon!

*Choir Concert! We just had our very first concert of the year! It went very well. I am in Chorale, which is the top choir at my school! it is so much fun! There are about 85-90 people in it. CRAZY!

*Homecoming. I got asked to homecoming by my good friend Holden! It was a blast and I had so much fun!! For our day activity we went to this canyon place up past pine and Strawberry. We hiked down and went swimming. let me tell you IT WAS FREEZING!! But we still did it! On the night of the dance, we took pictures, went to Charelstons for dinner, went to the dance,and had a blast.Then we went to Adam's house and

they made us crepes and we watched a movie! so fun!

This is my friend Jacob.

This is my best friend Hayley.

This is my date, Holden.

*HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my nephew Coleman! He turns 4 today. He is such a sweet boy and i love him to death!

{peace and blessings}

melissa

south dakota. finally.

Okay. So I decided that I am going to finally blog about my big trip to the SD with Sarah. OKay. so first of all, we got to the airport like an hour and a half early. well as we were checking in we found out that there was going to be a THREE hour delay. GAY! so we ended up being at the airport for a total of FIVE whole hours. talk about boring. not only were we stuck in an airport, but it was a small airport with 2 shops that were closed half the time!! But we made it fun. we played cards, colored, read, and took lots of pictures!!!

Some of the fun things we did:

1.) We went to this place called Chapel in the Hills. Pretty self explanatory. Beautiful place. We went on a trolley ride from there all around town.

2.) We went to the Dinosaur Park which was pretty cool.

3.) We then got off at Storybook Island. Can I just say me and Sarah are such little kids?! This place has characters from all different fairytales, nursery rhymes, and disney. We had a so much fun here we actually went there TWICE!!!

4.) At Storybook Island, there is a play everyday. There are teenagers that do these. The first time it was the Emperors New Clothes. The second time it was Alice in Wonderland. They were both really good. They try and interact with the audience (who is usually little kids) but I was crazy!! And at the end they have all the kids come up and Dance. Don't worry, I went up there.

5.) We went to Mount Rushmore!!

6.) We also went swimming quite a bit. At the outside pool and the inside pool where Brad works. So much fun!

7.) We went to the lake. This was the first time I had been on a boat and the lake since my accident. It was a little sketchy but it was so much fun and we all survived!!

8.) I just loved being with Brad and Heather and their kids!! It was so much fun!!

The pictures get their own post.. so I will post them later!

-peace and blessings-

melissa

summer recap!!

Okay. So I have been really bad at blogging this summer. Don't ask me why.. I sit around all day and do nothing! Anyway. Here is a recap of summer.

1. First off, Kristen's wedding!! I still can't believe she is MARRIED!! So I did really good at not being emotional the whole time.. Until the daddy&daughter dance. I started BAWLING. I don't know what happened. I think it was just the realization that she is really married. My only sister!! Isn't she so beautiful!?!

2. My surgery. Since you already know about that I won't go into details again. But I recovered from that just fine. I just have some scars. It was nice to just sit around though! yeah. no picture.

3. My brothers and my sister-in-law work up at Camp Gero

nimo all summer. I got to go up

there for a week to play with my nieces and nephew!! It was alot of fun. I didn't take pictures,

but we did go crawdad fishing. We actually caught 4 pretty big ones!!

4. South Dakota. I got to go visit my brother, Brad and his wife Heather and the kids!! It was so fun, especially because my friend got to come with me! This is a whole post by itself, so I will tell you about it later!! Just a preview of my trip...

5. GIRLS CAMP!! I love going to girl's camp. It is just an amazing experience.The theme this year was "We can do it, He can help". It was very eye-opening and such a great experience for me!! I was a ycl this year. I loved my girls! They were so fun and entertaining!! We got to hike the East Rim. It was a very difficult hike, but the view from the top is so so worth it!! Then we got to go rappelling!! So fun!!

birthday post!!

So there are 3 people that I love dearly who all had birthdays this week!!!

1.) Brad.

I love Brad so much! People say that we are really twins.. just a few years apart!! He is such a great brother and also a great dad!! He lets me come and visit him in South Dakota and let me stay with him and even bring a friend!!! I love you Brad!! Sorry, not a great picture but the only one I have on my laptop...

2.) Dallin.

Dallin is my favorite brother-in-law ever!! I can say this and truly mean it. Not only is he the only one I have, but he is so nice. I love him especially because he treats my sister like a princess. He also is like all my brothers, he teases me ALL the time! But it's okay, I'm used to it! He is also so so funny!! Happy Birthday Dallin!

3.) Sarah.

Sarah is one of my bestest friends ever!! She is so sweet and I can tell her anything. She also got to come with me to South Dakota. (We are going to be related someday!) She is so crazy but I love it because we are just crazy together! We have been friends since 7th grade. I love you Sarah and hope you had a great birthday!! Did I mention she also has crazy ninja skills?!!

happiness..

Today me and my best friend, Sarah, bought our tickets.. to go visit my brother, Brad, his wife Heather, and all 5 of their kids, Kiana, Jazmine, Kishawn, Jada, and Kenzie! They live in South Dakota. I am beyond excited!! I haven't seen the kids since October of last year. I get to say goodbye to this nasty heat and Hello to the nice cool air in the SD... This is what I get to go back to..

I can't wait to see all these wonderful people!!! I love them so so much!

{love}

melissa

Happy Father's Day!!

First, I want to wish all the Fathers out there Happy Father's day!! You guys are all amazing! And now let me share with you a little about my dad..

I absolutely adore him. He is so great and loving. I never take a moment with him for granted. You see, he has had diabetes since he was 30. In 2001, his kidneys were failing and he needed a kidney transplant ASAP or there was a possibility he wouldn't make it. So he was put on a transplant list at the hospital, but this would be a long wait. like 3 years. so we spread the word and family and friends were being tested to see if we could find a match. Well one of his good friends was tested and was a match and wanted to be the donor. The doctors did the transplant and all went well. I will always be grateful for him and his willingness to help out. If it weren't for him, my dad probably wouldn't be here. Since then he has had many hospital visits and infections and all that jazz. But he is very tough and is fighting for as long as he can!!

Because there are only 2 girls in my family, we were always the princesses. still are. And now that my sister is now married, I am the only girl at home. and I am always treated like a princess from my dad. This kind of explains our relationship. Dad is a softie and usually always says "yes" to me. I am not spoiled by any means, but I am just loved! And yes I am and always will be a DADDY'S GIRL! :)

Ever since I got my permit and my license and because he can't drive, I am always his driver. We spend a lot of time together and just talk. When my mom is gone, I give him his insulin shots and so I am his nurse. But no matter what I am always his little girl!!

I love my dad so so much and couldn't have asked for a better one!!

{love}

melissa

so here's the deal...

So if you remember back in December 2009 I had my appendix taken out. Well while I was in the ER, they did a CT of my abdomen. They found a cyst on my right side but didn't take it out during the appendectomy because they couldn't really tell if it was attached to my ovaries or not. So after many tests and ultra sounds they determined it was a cyst that wasn't going to go away on it's own. So yesterday June 14, 2010 I went and had outpatient surgery at the Banner Desert Surgery Center. The nurses were so great and the surgery went as planned. Sorry if this is too much information.. but the cyst was as big as a baseball. I didn't even have any pain and wouldn't have known about it if it weren't for the CT scan in December. Anyway because it was outpatient they woke me up right after and sent me home.. well the anesthesia obviously hadn't worn off yet so I was very nauseous. I was throwing up everything and nothing would stay down. I was so weak because all day on Sunday I could only eat liquids and nothing after midnight. So along with the soreness from the surgery I was throwing up which didn't feel very good.. So I had a miserable day yesterday. But this morning I woke up and was just fine. Everything I ate stayed down and it was fabulous!! I am still very sore from surgery but I also have pain medication to help with that!!! So I hope all of you have a fabulous week!!

{love}

melissa

Okay first let me tell you something.. Growing up with 8 brothers and only one sister has taught us girls to be tough. Okay first let me tell you something.. Growing up with 8 brothers and only one sister has taught us girls to be tough. so in order to be tough, we learned to fight back. and whenever the boys would pick on us, we would fight back. Well the youngest, Sam, he is a little punk and is always teasing me. So in order to get back, I fight him back.. This is what happens. I take him to the ground and show him who is BOSS!! That's right. and yet they still haven't learned that I can beat them up!!! haha.

Okay so on a serious note today is Memorial day. To start off the day, my grandma came and got us and we went and visited my Grandpa Porters grave. He is a veteran and has been gone for 18 years. I didn't know him here on this Earth, but we all believe that the 4 of us at the bottom knew him in the Pre Existence. Here is my grandma Porter and the 3 kids that were there. And Grandpa Porter's plaque. While we were there, they were still doing the little program they do every year. We got to hear the 21- gun salute and the taps they play. It was a really cool experience to hear that!!

So I want to thank all the service men and woman who are serving now and who have served in the past. Especially I want to thank my brother Matt. He is currently serving in Afghanistan.

I love you Matt!! Be safe and our prayers are with you!! I hope you are grateful for those fighting for out freedom as much as i am!

{until next time}

melissa

bittersweet..

So school is finally over.. I am officially a SENIOR!! class of 2011! Next year is going to be so so fun.. but being a senior means having to grow up, be mature and go into the BIG world. There are just too many choices! Where to go, what to major in, what i want to do, who my friends are, and last but not least who I marry.. Don't worry, I told my mom I wouldn't get married for like 3 years.. but we will just see what happens!! My last day as a junior!! AHHHH!!

Another thing that is bittersweet is this. My stake young womans president got released. She is moving. To TEXAS!

This is Sis. Amundsen. She is one of the sweetest, kindest, most caring person you will ever meet. She is like one of my mothers. She is always worried about what I am doing and anything that happens in my life. She was always worried about her young woman. So because she is moving, to try and pay her back for everything she has done for us, I had all of the young woman in my ward write her a little thank you note. then I put them all together and made a little scrapbook for her. She came to mutual one night and all of us Laurels sang "As Sisters In Zion". It was very sweet and tender. She will always be remembered by us. But don't worry. She knows how to email and she has a facebook so we can all keep in touch with her! I love you so much Sis. Amundsen!! :) <3 style="text-align: center;">

My sister.

So my sister has been dating Dallin Pear for about 4 months. Well last Monday he decided to make it official... Yes this means Kristen is ENGAGED!! Aren't they so so cute?!?! This is a bittersweet moment. I am so so happy for them, but my only sister is leaving me!! Yes i get my own room, but I would rather have my sister than my own room!! Kristen and I are really really close. We share everything with eachother. secrets, clothes, small talk, used to share a phone and everything. She is my best friend. We joke all the time. We are crazy all the time. We go shopping with each other spontaneously. We are just so so random and do the craziest things. I do certain things in front of her i would never do in front of anyone else! Like dance. we have crazy dance parties. Now she is getting married. June 10. I really am excited for her and Dallin!! He fits in with all the other brothers. He teases me all the time, which might bother other girls... but having 8 brothers I have gotten used to it! Anyway that is all i have to share right now. We are busy busy making wedding plans! 6 weeks to plan.. but no worries, we can do it!!! I love you Kristen!!

{much love}

ugh..

So this is me right now. We are moving back to our old house and it is just so so stressful and frustrating!! But we did have the priests in my ward come and help with all the heavy stuff. They were so great and didn't even complain. Way to go boys!! Me and Kristen went to get pizzas for them and we got 12 little ceasers. We went there and told them how many we needed and they were like " ummm.. you want 12 pizzas?!! can i ask what you are doing?" so we told them we needed to feed some boys. they got the point. Anyway I am going to get back to packing everything up.

{mucho amor!}

melissa

greatest weekend.

So last week i went on a choir trip to CALIFORNIA! It was so fun. Here are some highlights:

1) My roommate, Laynie, and I had the same toothbrushes. what are the odds?!

2) On Thursday we went to this place called Medieval Times. It was so fun! As you walk in you get a colored crown. That is the color of the knight you cheer for. We got yellow.I got to sit in the front row! Yellow knight was so great. I'm pretty sure he has never had so many girls cheering for him. So he definately played that one up by blowing kisses and throwing roses, etc. So afterwards i got a picture with him. I loved it. Such a fun place. The green knight was the villian and looked lonely so we took a picture with him as well!! We ate dinner there, but we had to eat with our hands and no utensils!! It was so fun and disgusting at the same time. The knights had jousting tournaments. So fun to watch!

3) DISNEYLAND! It was my first time ever going to disneyland! i had such a fun time. the rides were fun. i was brave and went on all the rides that my friends took me on. some even twice!! Of course i had a disneyland churro!! they were so so good! Our choirs got to go backstage Toontown, learn disney songs, legitimately recorded them, headphones and all. then our voices were put to the scene of the movie. It was so cool and such a great experience!!

And yes i did survive the Tower of Terror!!







Anyway, i had a blast and was so glad i went!! And now i can say i have been to Disneyland!!

{much love}

melissa

update.

okay so i know i haven't updated in a long time. but for those that actually read my blog, here is an update. excuse the ugly fonts, i haven't figured out how to get cute ones on here. oh and there will be no pictures in this one. sorry.

So to start it off i went to Sadies on March 6. The theme was Sadies goes on Safari. It was so so fun!! i went with Joey Eddington who is a good friend of mine. We have been friends since elementary school and are in the same stake. so that made it even better!!! For our day activity we went and hiked the wind caves. after that we had Krazy sub for lunch.then we had a fire and play ultimate frisbee and just sat around and talked. it was super fun!! On the day of the dance, i went and picked up [yes i did finally get my license] Joey and one other couple, Sarah and Chad and we went to the Olsen residence to have pictures done and eat dinner! It was decorated so cute thanks so my mom, sister Olsen, and others who helped out!! We also watched The Lion King. i just love that movie!! we went to the dance for a little bit then went down to the farm for our night activity. Dan did a hayride for us and then we were supposed to have a bonfire and make smores but it started to rain so we just went to Walkers house and watched a movie. It ended up being such a Great night! Thanks DeeDee also for doing my hair! I loved it!

We also had volleyball for mutual these past few weeks. this week me and Hayley got there early this week and so we decided to take pictures. they are really funny. i will upload them later.

Matt is home until Monday when he is being deployed to Afghanistan.

anway i hope your weeks have been fun and exciting!! oh yeah one more thing. IT'S SPRING BREAK!! woohoo!

{much love}

proud.

Well i feel like i need to dedicate this post to my brother, Matt. Last year he decided he wanted to go into the Marine Corps. So he left for boot camp in San Diego in November of 2008. He finished in January of 2009 and my family had the opportunity to go to his graduation from boot camp. It was an amazing experience for us. Then in November of 2009 he informed us that he was going to be deployed to Afghanistan. I have to admit i was very scared to hear that because you never know what could happen. But we just have to know he in in the Lord's hands and everything will be done according to His will. The gospel has helped me so much through this. He has been in California training for about 2 months and leaves at the end of March. Here are some pictures of him.

top left:the family right before he left! top right:He was just made a "gunner" which is the person who sits on top of the hummers and shoots bad guys. Bottom left: up on top again! Bottom right: out in the field with his big gun!

I am very proud of him. I am a Proud Marine Sister. Your prayers would be grately appreciated!

{love}

obsession!?!

Okay i will be the first to admit it. I am obsessed with: THE BACHELOR!

I have watched every single episode whether on the computer or on the tv. doesn't matter. i am still in love with Jake. he is so sweet. FUnny part about it is my dad loves it too!! he watches it with me every monday or tuesday. he even has his favorites. I will just say Jake needs to get his act together and kick stupid Vienna off. (sorry if any of you like her) She is a little brat!!! anyway i am so excited for this weeks. we are going to watch this on Monday instead of 24. one of the other shows we are obsessed with and is on at the same time. anyway. yes i am obssesed with him. so just get over it!!

{much love}

a day at the farm...

Well we got to watch my niece and nephew, Ali & Cole. They both love to be outside and love animals. So we figured, hey lets take them out to the farm. So thats what we got to do on Saturday. spend all day at the farm.

Top left: me Cole and Ali with the cow! Top right: Cole is a REAl cowboy. his dad and some of his uncles are also cowboys, so it runs in the family!! Bottom left: this is the only horse i rode. it is plastic. Bottom right: Cole looking at the horses. he loves them!!

Anyway it was a very fun day. and afterwards they both crashed. we wore them out!! well im going to do another post. so much love.

{oh happy day}

Well okay. so little kids say the cutest things!!! so on sunday there was a new couple that was speaking in church. we have known them for a while and they juist moved back. so my mom got there early and offered to watch their 2 little girls.Brynlee is 5. so we were sitting there during the meeting and she says to Kristen, " The muffin man isn't real." so kristen, trying to act baffled, says "What!?!" and apparently little kids don't understand how to determing which what is being said. so she took it that kristen didn't hear her. so she says it once again but 10 times louder. "THE MUFFIN MAN IS NOT REAL!" we all got a laugh. and apparently the muffin man is not real. :(

On another note, i want to put up some pictures.

i love my niece Ryleigh.

well much love until next time.

a new year.

Well first let me start by letting you see this photo.

This is me right after my surgery.. i know i don't even look good but the drugs still hadn't really wore off yet.. But i am doing very good. At my one week post-op appointment my doctor said i could do really anything i wanted to. i am still a little sore every once in a while, but i am doing really good!!

But Christmas was really really good!! On Christmas Eve we were all sitting down to eat, and there was a knock on a door and someone also rang our doorbell.. expecting to see some treat left on our porch, most of us were suprised to see a baby girl sitting in her baby carrier on our porch. NO it wasn't just any little baby girl that someone left as a Christmas present. it was my niece Makenzie! My sister-in-law stepped out from around the corner. She had flown in to town from South Dakota for her sister's wedding and didn't tell us.. well some of us. it was probably the greatest suprise for us!!

My whole family went bowling for our family christmas gift. it was very very fun but i think i still like wii bowling better!!

New Years was alright.. i didn't do anything super fun. but hey it's 2010. I graduate in 3 more semesters!!

Last but not least, my brother Matt left today. He is a marine and is being deployed to Afghanistan in March or April. I am really sad but i love him and am proud of him so serving our country!! Good luck Matt!!