Yeasty Dinner Rolls

I got tired of naming my blog entries just by the date so I decided to name this one "Yeasty Dinner Rolls". I bought some of these in the Walmart bakery and despite the disgusting name, they're pretty tasty. I just don't think yeasty should be an adjective applied to any kind of food. I just picture really disgusting yeast infections when I hear "yeasty". gross.

Okay- I didn't blog last night because Jeebs was on a campout and I was having an exhausting pain-filled day. I have days when I feel like I can get lots of stuff done and then I usually over do it and feel like poo the next couple of days. So, to all my adoring blog fans (all 5 of you) I apologize for skipping yet another day.

Today being the last day of January I figure I better think of something really good to blog about my sister. So- here goes...

1. My sister and I shared a room until she went off to college. The morning she left with my parents to drive out to Utah, I cried harder than I had ever cried for several hours. I was so dang sad!! and I was going to be a freshman in high school. We wrote back and forth while she was in Utah and she used to share my letters with her roommates. They all knew who I was when I went out to visit- I know that's how it's going to be when I pass away. Everybody will already know who I am :)

2. I used to have such a fear of dying. While I still don't look forward to the pain part- or the leaving my children part- I don't fear death anymore. I don't want to die early or anything, but I know my sister will be waiting for me on the other side and what's scary about that? I also don't want to leave Jeebs early because if he got remarried to some skank that messed up my children's lives- I'd be really upset.

3. I watched the movie Eagle Eye last night- mostly because I like Shia Lebouf or whatever his name is. He has a twin brother in the movie that dies towards the beginning. You come to find out that he was the "slower", less motivated twin. He describes his brother as being the kid with a rocket strapped to his back. He couldn't help doing everything at rocket speed and doing it well because that's just how he was. I thought of my sister when he said that. It was like she had a rocket strapped to her. She could just do everything and do it well.

I wish I could finish with some profound statement, but all I can say is that I loved my sister and I miss her every day. I knew her for 25 years of my life and it is really difficult to picture the next 25 years without her. You start to get used to people being gone and that's depressing too because you don't want to get used to it, you just have to- to survive. My one sister in the world and we're not together anymore. There is a letter my sister wrote me when she was on her mission. I was pregnant with Taylor and really wished to have my sister around. She wrote in her letter that she wished she were around too, but she thought the Lord was trying to teach us something by separating us at crucial and pivotal moments in eachother's lives. I guess we were just meant to grow up at this time in our lives - apart. I know there has to be a lesson in all this and I'm sure some day I'll know, but getting to that point is going to be tough.

My Sister

I thought of some more interesting things about my sister today.

1. She loved the movie Monty Python's Holy Grail. She would cackle the whole way through that thing. It is pretty dang funny. Some questionable parts- I think we fast forwarded over, but really funny. We would quote that movie endlessly.

2. We would often quote movies back and forth. It's a game in our family. You get points for figuring out what movie the quotes come from.

3. She also liked the movie Clue. She had quotes from both Monty Python and Clue on her computer at work.

4. My sister loved her projects. She always had some kind of decorating, crafting, or just rearranging project going on. I remember once she was doing this quilt. She wanted me to help her quilt around these certain patterns on the quilt. Being the submissive younger sister- resigned to my fate- I said I would and started "quilting" around the pattern. Let's just say she had to cut the thread and pull everything I did out. I don't know how I jacked that thing up so bad :) That's just how I do things- really I jack most things up. It's usually happy mistakes when they work out :)

5. I just have to say Yang was kind, never compromised her standards for anyone or anything and always tried to build others up. If you were sad she was trying to cheer you up- if you were having a good day- she was having a good day with you. I can't see her letting curse words slip around her impressionable children.

My favorite curse...

After I went grocery shopping yesterday I put Cagey in his seat. I reached over him with the seatbelt to buckle him in. He was trying to help me find the little clicker thing that always alludes me and makes me so #$&#$( mad. So he pushes all the grocery bags away from the clicker thing to make it easier for me and says "Where is the da** thing?" I immediately gasped and he knew he had let something bad slip. He sucked in his lips and looks at me like "oh dang". I choked back a chuckle (yeah I'm a good mom) and said "what did you say?" He looks at me and just says "I don' t know." Apparently this is my favorite curse because my little 3 and a half year old has picked up on it and loves to use it in casual conversation. Don't you love those moments when you realize what a stellar person you are?? He says "that da** dog" like it's the poor dogs actual name. Now, it's the "da** thing" for the seatbelt- who knows what is next? Oh yeah and Taylor told our Bishop that our dog was a douche bag :) yeah. good grief. I don't even know where I got douche bag- but if you met our dog it just fits so well. I know I need to do better. It's really difficult to punish them for just repeating your words. Hypocritical much?

In another unrelated matter- I love zappos.com! I bought Cagey some cowboy boots from zappos a few months ago and I love them. I ordered him some little velcro vans this morning - with 3 clicks! They remember all your information - you sign in and then it says Click to Order- that's it!! I know other websites have this same feature- but seriously it is not as fast as zappos checkout process. The best part is that they'll be here tomorrow. They have FREE overnight shipping. I learned about zappos when I was serving in the nursery with Julia Craze. She buys a lot of things from Hanna Anderson for her and her girls- which I also love, but had heard of before. Then one day she was telling me about zappos. I checked it out- I think I've only ordered 1 or 2 pairs of shoes from them, but I am hooked. Love it!! I'm a great parent- the cursing, online shopping, spending money scallywag from East Texas- that's me :)

Reminder

Scroll down and check out my cookie recipe- and let me know what you think. plEASe!

January 27th

I was going to blog about watching Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, but I thought - hey everybody can go watch it and learn something for themselves- it is really good. All you need to know- which is becoming more apparent with all the goings on in DC in the last seven days- is that if you're of the right political persuasion you can do anything you want. So with that said- I think I'll write some more about my sister.

We went to Outback for her birthday yesterday. There were at least 2 people that had birthdays in the restaurant. I wanted to cry, but I held it together- the awesome blossom was a good emotional numbing medicine :) (it didn't help much with the heartburn that night though).

I remember when we were younger I had a fear of just about everything- especially dying. My sister used to get so sick of hearing me go through my list of fears that she would say "Nessa, nothing is going to happen to you- we are both going to die as old ladies in our beds." I was also thinking about the welcome crowd my sister must of had on the other side. Both of our grandpa's would've been there, our grandma Wagley, at least 3 first cousins, our Uncle Page and who knows who else would want to come greet my sister as she started that new life. My sister wanted to live- she always had a bright outlook on things. I hope she is happy doing the things she is doing now. I am so jealous of the people that are getting to benefit from her being around. I feel cheated some days. I know the Lord has a plan for everybody and that all will work out in the end.

At least I have some really good brothers. I told Jeebs at dinner last night that I really missed my brothers. As much as we've liked being on our own and being in a new place- I wish I could see my family more. My brothers are so fun to be around- as long as Page is full and Glen's blood sugar isn't low :) I just hope we can live closer some day. And- I"m out BEATRICE!!

Happy Birthday to Yang

Happy birthday to you- happy birthday to you- happy BIRTHDAY dear YANG happy birthday to YOU!!!

If you've been privileged enough to hear my rendition of Happy Birthday- then you know just how it sounds:)

Yang would be 34 today. It still doesn't seem real that she is gone. The years keep going by though. I'll have to write more later- gotta do Tates' school.

Jan 24th

1. My sister sold Pampered Chef for a little while. She loved all of her gadgets. I remember her going on and on about all the stoneware. She also had an Apple Peeler Corer Slicer. Yeah- that thing was pretty cool.

2. She also never threw things away. She has notebooks, letters, and binders full of stuff from her mission and college years. My mom was saying that she was having a hard time throwing away things like her old cameras that don't even work anymore. Why my sister didn't throw them away when they stopped working- is just one of the mysteries of my sister.

Okay- that was 2 I came up with today while I was thinking about Yang.

Today was one of those days when I realize why I don't go anywhere very often. I had another one of these days on Thursday when I wanted to go look at some furniture. BOTH of my children immediately fell apart at the mention of going somewhere. People wonder why I don't get out of my house much. Well, on Thursday I decided to go look at furniture and get a few errands taken care of. I took a shower- got dressed, put on makeup and dried my hair. After that I was ready to sit down and rest, but I had to get my kids ready. As soon as I went to put Cagey's clothes on him he goes to whining that he doesn't want to go with me. I force his clothes on him, but I didn't have the strength to put on his shoes. Taylor was already whining and screaming that she didn't want to get dressed or go anywhere so I had to go in her room and wrestle with her to get her dressed. Meanwhile, Jeebs was struggling with a whining Cagey getting his shoes and socks on for me. I finally get Taylor dressed and I go to the bathroom to get a brush and rubberband to fix her hair. Well, that opens up a whole different can of worms. All heck was breaking loose. It was fun. I was sweating and tired- struggling just to walk because of my stupid pelvis. So, yeah that's how it goes when I try to go somewhere. Yes, James is here working, but I'm not going to leave the kids here while he is trying to get work done. Once I get them where we're going they're perfectly fine. Why the big battle?? I have no idea- but it makes me want to stay home- forever. Tomorrow is Sunday- Jeebs has his usual meetings in the morning- so I have another morning of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth to look forward to :) G0od night and good luck. OH ps Thanks to Eric who always picks up Jeebs- seriously that helps us so much- lots of jewels in your crown :)

Jan 23

Yang was big into Cabbage Patch kids when we were little. She had all kinds of dolls- even a preemie that we thought was so cute. When she did the little oath for the adoption papers- she really meant it- she took it really seriously :)

We also had a Cabbage Patch room- or at least we had a lamp. I'm pretty sure our whole room was done in Cabbage Patch kids at some point, but right now all I remember is the lamp. The lamp is still in our bedroom at home. It's been changed to match the room now, but it's a very old lamp.

I can't type anymore because my head is hurting and I just want to lay in my bed. Sorry my lists have gotten so short. I just wish I could paint a more accurate picture of my sister for everyone. She was worth knowing and I don't want her forgotten.

Jan 22

So I skipped yesterday- but my sister's definable qualities are getting harder to list. I thought I would add one something about my sister every post for the rest of the month. We'll see if I can come up with that much ;)

My sister always had my back. We were so different, but we agreed on the most important things. I remember hearing her say "the gospel is not like a buffet, you can't just pick and choose the parts you want to live." I just loved the way my sister expressed her views- I could always see her side - which probably falls under the category of how she could always get me to do stuff :)

Okay- I remembered another one- My sister taught me so many "little" things. Generally your parents teach you these things, but my sister taught me how to:
- tie my shoes
- drive a standard transmission car (after many failed attempts by my mom)
- crochet
- live a moral life (she answered most of my morality questions :)
- twirl
- be a drum major
- not be too disgusting
the list goes on and on-

Only 4 more days until my sister's birthday. I decided after she passed away that we would do something every year to celebrate it. I just can't let my kids grow up not knowing their Aunt Yang. That is really the true tragedy- my kids won't have their aunt yang.

Child #3 is popping me out!! I'm only 26 weeks and this is my belly- tates took this pic for me

And now for my nose picture. I tried not to flatten it out or skew it in anyway. Let me know, Glen.

Blagh- ya know when you think you're looking nice- ya got it going on- then you happen to see a pic of yourself and you're like WOW BLAGH!! yeah.

A little market research

I just wanted to post my super secret Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe on here and see if anybody would try it out and let me know what you think. I came up with this recipe on my own so it's completely mine. I think they're perfect, but everybody likes different things. So, if you want to participate - then just make the cookies (with no substitutions!!!!!) and let me know what you think of them in the comments. ok

Nessa's Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick butter
1/2 C butter flavored crisco
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C semisweet ghiradelli choc chips
1 C milk chocolate ghiradelli chips ( I really like the bittersweet 60% cacao ghiradelli chips, butI tried them with the semisweet and milk and they were DELICIOUS!)

Cream butter, shortening, and brown sugar in electric mixer until very light and fluffy. (About 4 min) Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla - beat until thoroughly combined. Add flour, baking soda and salt and beat in until just combined. *note: this is where it gets tricky because the amount of flour needed always varies- the secret is to put enough in where the dough is still moist, but when you pinch up a bit in your fingers it doesn't stick to your fingers. (I learned that from my brother, Glen, he USED to be the reigning chocolate chip cookie maker :) Add chocolate chips and mix just until incorporated evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 min depending on how big you like your cookies. I like to make my ultimates BIG so I use an ice cream scoop and bake them for about 14 min. Size doesn't really matter- you just have to watch them to make sure they don't get too done.

Okay- enjoy the cookies- and let me know how you like them - whether or not they're bakery worthy:) One day maybe I'll put them in my bakery- along with my grandma's brownies and my hot cocoa bar :)

Jan 20th

It snowed today- almost all day!!! We had so much fun. Poor jeebs- he had to sit inside most of the day and work.

1. After living in Utah through a few winters, my sister learned to hate driving in snow. It really isn't fun when the city doesn't shut down for snow. It makes snow much more exciting when things shut down:)

2. Yang was big into ER. We watched it for several seasons. They just need to stop now. It's getting so ridiculous.

3. My sister was an extremely loyal friend. Her friends usually took advantage of her selflessness. She stayed up almost all night listening to one of her friends whine and cry and call back and forth to her fiance the night before their wedding. I don't know what all the drama was about, but my sister listened to it all and then woke up early the next morning to tend to all the wedding details she was helping out with.

4. My sister was on the yearbook staff in high school. I actually have more than 1 picture in the yearbook she helped put together :)

5. My sister was an excellent speller. She won several spelling bees in elementary and even high school. We had the same english teacher my 11th grade year- she asked me if I had gotten the same "gift of spelling" that my sister had. HA!!

Jeebs is trying to make me fatter

I think Jeebs is tring to make me gain more weight than I am already. He got me a Nintendo DS for Christmas- which has been taken over by Tates and Cagey. He then got us a recliner for our anniversary. Then, as a belated Christmas present we got ourselves a new TV which Jeebs mounted over the fireplace. Granted the new TV is going to be a buyer's incentive for the house, but we still get to enjoy it while we're here- which will probably still be a while. Today he just got our dish upgraded to HD so we're nowing watching tv in HD. I'm watching Superstarts of Dance in HD and I have to say - me likey. Except for the freaky black chick in the white ballet tutu costume doing some freakshow rendition of Swan Lake- gag. Is this what we have to look forward to in ballet while Obama is president :) j/k

AND...I'm back

So- now that I know my old bag of a mom is not going to correct my grammar anymore- I can continue on with my sister list. (Yes, I call my mom bag) BTW the mistakes I make are usually me half paying attention when I type my entries so PPPPPPPPPSHHHHHHHHHHHHKkkkkkkkk! It's funny that ma thinks Yang got her need to correct people from DADDY!!! :)

1. My sister loved portabello di ravioli from Olive Garden. The one time Jeebs and I went to Houston with my mom and sister for her doctor appointments we ate at Olive Garden. Yang could not keep anything down. She ordered her ravioli and ate one whole ravioli- she was so proud of herself. That night in the hotel she kept saying how good her stomach felt and it was the first meal in a long time that she kept down. ARRRGH I hate thinking about those moments.

2. Yang always took time to talk to me when I called her. On Yang's last birthday I called her cell to sing Happy Birthday in one of my stupid weird voices. Somehow I dialed the wrong number- I thought the girl that answered sounded a little...not like my sister, but I had dialed her number a million times and didn't think I could get it wrong. I busted into my ridiculous rendition of Happy Birthday and only got out- "Happy Birthday to YOU- Happy Birthday to YOU" and the lady quickly said "You've got the wrong number," and hung up on me. My birthday spirit was totally deflated- until I redialed the right number, half-heartedly sang my song and then told Yang what I had done. She burst into laughter and we laughed nonstop for a while over that one.

3. My sister had a way of calling people on their BS without making people too upset with her.

4. My sister would never say BS. (well she might use the initials in hushed tones)

5. Yang wanted to live- She always lived life to the fullest. It seems like somehow she knew she had to make the most of her time on Earth. I'm sure she had regrets, but she never backed down from things she wanted to do just because it might be embarrassing or uncomfortable.

January 16th

I am not even 26 weeks today and I feel very hugely pregnant. This baby has no where else to go but out now- so this will be an interesting looking full grown pregnant belly- it already feels HUGE.
On to my list

1. My sister was really good at manipulating me into doing things when I was little. Hence, the whopper story- which I think I've already told. Pretty much I was sneaking whoppers- my sister put me up to it- and I got my hand stuck in the carton. I couldn't get it out if I wanted to have whoppers- and my mom was calling me to bring her a spoon- annoyed that I wasn't coming with it very fast. yada yada yada- I ran down the hall with it attached to my hand and quickly dumped the the whole carton with my sister.

2. Yang never backed down. She would tell me that she knew I would eventually back down so she knew she just had to be patient :) I should've been more persistent :)

3. My sister was very resourceful. I am told by my older bro that when we were little Yang had the bright idea to tie one end of a rope around me- throw it over a tall branch in a tree and then tie the other end of the rope around Glen. Sort of a human pulley system I guess. Glen was supposed to start running as fast as he could and I would be hoisted quickly and safely into the tree. He started to run- I started to scream, my mom came out and Glen will have to finish it. I must have blacked out or something because I don't remember this story at all.

4. After my sister's first few semesters at BYU- walking everywhere- she became the fastest dang walker. Her calf muscles bulged out of her legs and you couldn't keep up for nothing.

5. My sister used to give everybody these one-armed hugs. We aren't a huggie, kissie family, but Yang would give everybody her famous one- armed hugs. She used to try to kiss Glen- it drove him crazy hehehehehe

January 15th

I've enjoyed doing this list, but it's getting harder to define my sister in words. It's also making this month go by really slow- like when you sing 99 bottles of beer on a road trip for the mile markers.

1. Yang used to come home and say "Jackie" in this funny high pitched voice so Jackie knew she was glad to see her. Jackie was our little poodle.

2. Yang loved to read. She was big into "The Work and The Glory" books. She was into a lot of LDS drama whatever classification they are. She was always reading.

3. My sister loved to camp- she was the opposite of me. I was dubbed the "chief camp complainer" and my sister just loved it all. It was annoying :)

4. My sister and I had this tradition to watch the movie "Summer Magic" every summer. Our brother's got sick of that one quick.

5. We also had this tradition to play these little Christmas song duets every Christmas. We would rock back and forth on the piano bench to the songs we'd play- like idiots.

January 14th

1. My sister was a huge fan of Good Eats and Alton Brown. She thought he was hilarious. I have to say- even Jeebs enjoys Good Eats.

2. Yang was called as the Young Women's president when she was 25 (I think 25). She had a group of mostly spanish speaking girls that loved her.

3. My sister had a way of making sure everything was done by the book. She was always able to do it in a kind way. The bishop at the time was always appreciative of her "by the book" reminders.

4. My sister loved shoes. I was never a shoe person until recently- my sister had a very large box of shoes that I had to move 3 times when we were homeless in Provo- that's another story.

5. Yang hated anything to ruin her "wa". I don't really know how to spell that word, but she would say to me, "Nessa, you're ruining my wa". hehehehehe- I'm pretty good at ruining wa's.

January 13th

1. The last movie my sister saw was "Ella Enchanted"- at my apartment in Provo. BLAGH. that movie is not one of the greats.

2. Yang LOVED Harry Potter. She was the first of all of us to get into Harry Potter. She read the books and the first movie came out while she was on her mission. I remember sitting and watching it while my mom taped it for Yang off of pay per view.

3. For some reason my sister loved "Holes". She read the book and then saw the movie. She kept saying to me "you need to see Holes- yada yada" I just didn't think it seemed like a good movie. I finally watched it after she passed away. It is a pretty good story and a cute movie. I'm sure the book is way better.

4. My sister loved Shakespeare. She saw Much Ado About Nothing at the Varsity theater at BYU. The Varsity theater showed movies that they had edited. So, all the bad scenes were taken out. Well, when I moved to Provo my sister said we had to rent Much Ado About Nothing because it was soooo good. Much to our shock and surprise there were naked bums running all around at the beginning!! YUCK!! I can still hear my sister doing her little short screams as she scrambled for the remote to stop the movie- hehehehe- gross. No more naked bums!!!!!! I don't want to see yo' crack!!

5. My sister was a scifi chick. She loved scifi- in fact all of my sibs love scifi. I can't stand scifi!!! The only shows I can stand watching on there are Ghost Hunters and Scare Tactics.

Jan 12

1. Whenever my sister got angry she would jut out her chin. It was pretty funny. I never met anyone that could jut out their chin the way she could.

2. My sister used to practice certain twirling fundamentals in bed while I was trying to sleep. It would make me a little uneasy since my face was about 6 inches from the end of her baton. One night I voiced my concern and she assured me I was perfectly safe and she had control of her baton. Just as I was dozing off that night, SMACK right in the cheek- what a way to wake up.

3. My sister loved ballet. She took ballet when she was little and worked her way up until she got to dance on pointe. I took dance too when I was little, but not as long as my sister. I started taking ballet again when I started school at BYU. I remember one day we were going around getting my dance stuff for class when I asked my sister, "don't you miss it?" meaning ballet. She burst into tears and said "YES I MISS IT!" That was one of those several moments in my life when I felt like a dipsmack for opening my mouth.

4. I remember when my sister bought the single "More than Words". She listened to it endlessly and it was one of those songs that she would sing into her thumb at grocery stores. Glen would just walk away when she started.

5. My sister loved daisies- gerbera daisies. You know on You've Got Mail when Meg Ryan says "I love daisies, they're such a happy flower." I think that's why my sister loved them- they're such happy flowers.

Vote on your ARMS

I know there are more people than 4 that read this blog. I don't care who you are just vote just so I know if there are any more "gorillas" out there :) thanks guys!!! If you don't know what the poll is about read the post entitled "Funny Realizations".

January 11th

I thought it would be funny to write a few of my sister's pet peeves- she had such funny ones.

1. My older brother's driving. Really- it is a bit scary :) sorry Glen. Remember that time we were driving down 9th east fighting with each other and somebody pulled out in front of us and we almost got creamed?? Yang was in tears- I was shaking and you bought us subway for lunch. Good times- we stopped fighting. Were you driving, Glen?

2. When people say "I am nauseous." It is actually "I am nauseated." Look it up guys- sound more intelligent and say nauseated :) saying "I am nauseous," means you are making other people nauseated. It has become one of my pet peeves too :)

3. My mother's driving. She's not as bad as my brothers', but she could pay a little better attention to the road :)

4. Bucking her system. She had a certain way she wanted things to go and you better go with yang's flow. Glen liked to go against the flow- just to irritate- it would make him laugh...maniacally.

5. Ken Jennings little brother was one big walking pet peeve. I think I mentioned before that she was good friends with Ken Jennings- yeah the jeopardy guy. They worked together at BYU and then after he moved on he got his little brother a job working under my sister in the same office. He was annoying and total opposite of Ken. He didn't brush his hair and I swear he got dressed in the dark.

January 10th

1. My sister took an EMT class. She took the test to qualify as an actual EMT and somehow never got her qualification even though she passed the test. We always had to pick on her and say "Don't worry, I'm an EMT!!"

2. My sister was the first of all 4 of us to work at Taco Bell. She worked there for (I think) 2 years. We were all really good taco slingers.

3. No one could ever taste Yang's cooking or baking before it was done- unless she gave you an honorary pass to do so :)

4. My sister would always tell me about the weirdest nightmares. They weren't really nightmares unless you were Yang. She would dream about things like- being back in band and forgetting her routine- or blowing a wrong whistle and the band having a train wreck.

5. My sister had a cat named Squints. He was named after Squints from the Sandlot. I think the cat eventually ran away while my sister was living at my grandma's house. The funny thing is- we think we saw him prowling around the woods outside my parents' house a couple of years later- which is at least 5 miles away.

January 9

1. My sister was a very talented writer. She didn't even have to try. She had one of her english papers submitted by one of her professors to the New Era. They bought the story and paid her for it. I don't know if it has been published yet- I don't thin it has. I thought that was pretty cool.

2. Yang was always ready to laugh at herself. She never took herself too seriously. She was most always laughing.

3. My sister loved milk. I've never been a huge fan of the stuff, but yang would drink milk with anything. She used to love to drink a glass of milk and eat a piece of white bread before bed.

4. My sister had gorgeous thick hair. I was always jealous because mine was so thin- like my daddy's. Yang got my mom's hair.

5. Even though we were 4 years apart we got asked if we were twins. People would go on an on about how we looked alike. Which then made us sit in front of our vanity and examine all the differences in our looks. Different people see different things-funny.

January 8th

1. My sister loved the Training Table. She was all about their cheese fries with fry sauce of course and the chicken salad with artichoke hearts. When she was the only one living out there and we would go for a visit she would always want to take us to Training Table for cheese fries.

2. My sister was really good at "doing as the Romans do". It took her just a week at Academy for Girls at BYU when she was 14 or so to start talking like a Utahan. It was funny. The first thing she said to us when we picked her up was "Hiyee you Guyees".

3. My sister was drum major her senior year. She loved it. The band director loved her too.

4. To know my sister was to love her. There weren't many people that yang knew that didn't like her. If they didn't like her- they were usually psycho.

5. My sister had a major fear of diving that took her a while to get over. I remember when we first got our swimming pool she was 14- she was still trying to make herself go head first into the water. I never understood that one :)

Jan 7th

1. My sister was way into Bath and Body Works. She loved country apple- she had the body creams, body wash, body splash etc. After we got ready to go somewhere her whole room, apartment, house whatever was just inundated with country apple.

2. She was all about different kinds of paper. She had a billion little different pads of paper or stationery here and there. She loved pens too. She loved having cute paper and a cool pen to write on it with.

3. My sister loved sushi. YUCK!! I went with her once to a sushi bar. She had all kinds of tuna and other raw yuckiness. But, the nastiest thing was the octopus soup she ate. It had little tentacles in it with the suckers and everything. I couldn't believe she could eat that stuff.

4. Yang was always in style in high school. I remember she would come out with the big huge bangs that were so popular and I would call her 3 story high bang Yang. She would also do the big cobra sides. Remember when it was cool to puff out the sides of your hair to look like the head of a cobra? I wonder when that will come back into style. blagh.

5.She played the flute and piccolo in the band. She was always first chair- I think there was one time when she didn't make first chair for some reason beyond her control and she was really upset about it. That's how she was about everything- she had to be the best or not do it at all.

January 6th

1. My sister loved to fish. My dad would take us fishing all together and it was just mayhem trying to fish with 4 or more people in the boat all casting at the same time. We loved it just because we were together and there were always good snacks. My sister really loved to fish though- she could sit and be patient and then she would practically turn over the boat when she would set her hook and start reeling in.

2. Whenever she sang in the car she would hold her hand like she was holding a microphone and then stick up her thumb for the tip of the microphone. Actually this was when she sang anywhere- the car, the grocery store, the living room...she would always sing into her thumb. hehehehe

3. She had this same funky dance thing she would do in the car when she was driving- and if you were in the car with yang...she was driving!!! She would scrunch up her shoulders and bend her arms at the elbows and then kind of shake around- hard to explain in words, but she always did it- it was fun to make fun of.

4. She always had to drive!! Whenever she was the passenger she was miserable. She never felt safe with anybody else driving except for my dad.

5. My sister made the best blanket houses. We would make blanket houses on Sunday afternoons outside in a tree. They were awesome. We'd turn them into drive-thrus, grocery stores- anything we could think of.

Oh and I've been corrected- To correct one of my recent Yang lists- she got a full-tuition scholarship to BYU not a half. Yeah she was pretty good.

I love to think about how my sister was before she got sick. Thinking about the last 10 months of her life makes me really depressed. She passed away right before Taylor's second birthday and so Taylor learned really early whenever she sees me crying she knows I miss Aunt Yang Yang. She always has to ask though, "You just miss Aunt Yang Yang?" Every once in a while Taylor will say- I wish Aunt Yang Yang were here. I don't know how much she remembers of her, but she took right to her. They met for the first time when Taylor was 9 months. They were immediately best buds.

I just have to say - everybody should thank their lucky stars for their sisters. We were best friends and loved being together...I can't believe I have to wait so long to see her again.

Jan 5th

1. My sister loved peanut butter, banana and marshmallow sandwiches. Blagh.

2. My sister loved every kind of craft or art form there is. She took a basket weaving class at BYU and we teased her mercilessly. She made the coolest, nicest baskets. She also took a pottery class- those pieces aren't as nice as the baskets :) sorry gert :)

3. My sister was good at everything she did. She usually taught herself anything she wanted to learn how to do. She taught herself to crochet and then taught me. I have an afghan I still haven't finished because I don't have my sister to show me the stitch-- show me how to start and how to finish :)

4. My sister loved cheese on her whoppers. I always gave her a hard time about asking for cheese on her whoppers. We used to walk to the Burger King down from campus in the mid-mornings when she worked at BYU. They served burgers all day and we would go have an early lunch and sit and drink and drink and drink Dr. Pepper. MMMMmmmm dr. pepper.

5. She said about 5 curse words in her life. They were all directed at my older brother. Those two were always at it. They were so competitive with each other- I guess that comes from being only 18 months apart and both are annoyingly brilliant :)

Funny Realization

My little brother and I had a funny realization this last summer. I always knew something didn't seem right about the way I stood. Well, I figured it out- my freaking arms are turned wrong. When I stand with my arms by my side- my forearms face out in front of me. Normally- your arms would fall gracefully at your sides with forearms, wrists, and the tops of your hands facing to the opposite sides of the room. Well, not mine and oh- not my little brothers'. We look like freaking gorillas. On males it doesn't look as strange- I keep telling him. He played football and has the gorilla physique (not fat, Page, just built) to go with the freakishly turned arms- Me no matter how much weight I lose or how much I work out I'll always have gorilla turned arms. Thanks daddy- I know it has to be one of your genes. Check yourself out and let me know just how freaky we are in my poll- thanks

ps Glen do you have this?

January 4th, Sister list

1. My sister had gorgeous light green eyes. They were almost yellow. She got tons of compliments on them. My dad has brown eyes and my mom has green and she just knew all her children would have brown eyes. Nope, we all have green. I think Yang got the most compliments on her's though.

2. She served a spanish speaking mission in Louisville, Kentucky when she was 26. She loved the people and they loved her. She would get calls from several of her friends from her mission on her cell phone daily. She would start talking a mile a minute in spanish- she said she used to think about spanish so much it would make her head hurt, but she was determined to speak the language and speak it well.

3. My sister was extremely intelligent. She got a half tuition scholarship for her first semester. She really wanted the Benson Scholarship- but she was 1 point shy on her ACT's to qualify. I can remember her crying after getting her ACT results. She started out as pre-med- she wanted to be an OBGYN. After she decided that boy watching was much more fun (as most of us do) she tried several different majors, but ended up in Marriage, Family, Human Development.

4. I never really realized how boy crazy my sister was until I read some of her journal after she passed away. There was a different boy on every page :) There was a boy in high school who was one of the cutest, smartest, sweetest guys ever. My sister and he were very much alike and he really liked her. She liked him too, but I never knew how much until years later. She told me she really had liked him, but he wasn't LDS. She told me she had cried buckets of tears over that one.

5. She only kissed one boy her whole life. I know she really regreted it too because he turned out to be a SUPER dipsmack!!!

January 3rd

Happy Birthday Page! Seriously if anybody in Utah wants to go to a wonderful massage therapist call him- I'd give the number but I don't know how many creepos are out there. If you're embarrassed because you think you're gross or stinky- it doesn't bother him- he's worked on tons of disgusting people :) and he really doesn't care. Some people have the gift of not minding smells and disgustingness. I didn't receive that gift :)

Okay as for my sister list-
1. My sister wanted to be a wife and mother more than anything in the whole world. She was not blessed with that in this life. It always makes me really annoyed when people take their husband and children for granted. My sister wanted that life so much- and even when I jokingly make derogatory comments about my husband when she was so sick and had already been told her disease would kill her- she never jumped down my throat because at least I had a husband and she didn't. I would just immediately feel guilty for saying anything about small annoyances- because she sat alone in her room in her bed slowly deteriorating.

2. She had the most unique laugh. She was voted as the girl with the best laugh in her high school year book. We used to tease her and call her the hyena. Her aol name was Hyena23. It was great when she laughed.

3. Her favorite hymn was "I Believe in Christ". I still can't sing that hymn all the way through... I always think of my sister when we sing "I believe in Christ, so come what may."

4. She was an excellent cook. She loved to cook and she loved to cook for other people. After her mission we were introduced to a whole new world of Mexican recipes. They are easy, cheap tasty and we still make them now.

5. Whenever she would sit somewhere she would have to be doing something with her hands or feet. If she didn't have anything in her hands she would make an imaginary figure 8 with her finger or her foot in the air.

January 2nd-

As a side note to my brother's comment on yesterday's post- he sounds like he's violent and likes to hurt people. He's really one of the most laid back people I know except when his blood sugar is low but you can fix that with a good meal or a jolly rancher :)

Okay as for Yang

1. My sister really personified the scripture Matthew 5:48. "Be ye therefore perfect..." She really worked for perfection - which could be annoying sometimes :) But, she really did try to do everything right. Whatever she fell short of I know Christ will take care of because she was truly trying to follow Him all her life.

2. She loved to shop. I love to shop and my mom hates it. Yang and I could always go and have so much fun just shopping and hanging out together.

3. She really took every precaution to stay alive. I know she had to be taken the way she was because the Lord really needed her on the other side and she wasn't going to give in any other way. A girl from her mission was killed biking in Big Cottonwood canyon a couple of months after my sister passed away. That would never have been my sister.

4. My sister was not a complainer. She always looked for the good in any situation and if there was no good she just wouldn't say much. She never complained about being sick and miserable.

5. My sister was the epitome of positivity. When we lived together while going to BYU she would get up and be in a good mood and try to make me laugh and I would just get more negative and more negative until I drug her down to my bad mood and then I was pleased with myself. Yeah, that was the kind of stellar sister I was.

This is also my grandma's birthday month and my little brother's as well. My grandmother was a wonderful person that lived the gospel her whole life as well. My little brother is still around so I don't want to sing his praises too much :) j/k Page. He's a good little brother. He tries to make people think he's all mean and tough, but he's not. He used to go to my chiro appointments with me to sit with my children while I got adjusted. He was a lot of help when we lived in Utah. Happy Birthday tomorrow Page!!!

Happy Birthday month to Alexandria

January is my sister's birthday month... and I miss her terribly. People also need to know what a wonderful and amazing person she was and still is doing whatever she is doing now. So, for her birthday month, I thought I would post 5 things about her everyday. My brothers and parental units can help as well.

January 1st, 2008

1. My sister had really cute feet. She used to get onto me all the time about how I didn't keep my toenails cut. Her's were always trimmed and usually painted. She says they were messed up from going on pointe too young when she was in ballet, but I really never knew what the heck she was talking about. She got compliments from random people about her feet.

2. She would never be so selfish and self-centered to celebrate a whole birthday month- like me.

3. She was a people person. She was always kind to everyone and loved people. She made others feel good about themselves. She had a way of making everyone feel comfortable around her.

4. She was an awesome pianist and musician. She took piano for ?? years (ma can fill in the blank). I think it was around 6 and she could pretty much play anything. I used to sit down to play something and bang through it for a while and then Yang would finally get tired of my banging and ask "do you want me to play that for you, Nessa?" My mom is going to want to tell about the time she was going to accompany one of her friends for a band competition and she got the piece just a short time before she was to play it. It was a really difficult piece and my mom who also plays discouraged her and said it was a bit ambitious. Ma can tell the rest.

5. She was fiercely protective of her brothers and sister. One time on the bus someone started a fight with my brother (Glen can clear up the details) and the bus driver said she was sending them both to the office. My sister said "well, if Glen's going to the office, so am I!!" Everybody on the bus made the sarcastic "ooooOOOooo" - and yang yells back "SHUTUP!" I was really glad to get off the bus that day.