My Families' Pictures

My mom is always on the ball. Always. She gets her Christmas shopping done in August, and her Christmas cards sent and scheduled to arrive exactly on December 1st. I'm not sure how she does it. And I don't usually like making my Christmas List before school starts, but, at least she is a go-getter. This year...we were a little late on the family picture taking. It was my fault since I lived in Rexburg so we did them the only time I could, Thanksgiving break. I think they turned out nicely.

That same break I took my other "family pictures".

The joy. The laughter. The wood cabin background. The Christmas sweaters. The comradeship. It really couldn't have turned out better. I'm still waiting on the rest of the prints. But, I think I might hang this one above my fireplace. It's just too good.

Christmas break is a dream. No school. No -10 degree weather. No ruminating girls. No nasty bathrooms. No cleaning and throwing out my back. No smelly dishes. Instead, I have my sister holding my hand, my dad's arm around me and my ward leaders giving me kisses on the cheek every five minutes. It's great to feel loved :) I even had a welcome home surprise. I came down to my old room with it clean (a miracle in itself) and a CD playing. The CD's title was "For Shelby". I unpacked and listened to the CD and realized Jenessa filled it with songs that reminded her of me. Yellow. Say Hey (I Love You). Free Fallin'. Spotlight. Baby, Your a Firework. The Best I Ever Had. Today My Life Begins. Dream a Little Dream of Me. Kiss Me. Memories of You. Well, call me silly, but I was tearing up a bit as "BABY YOUR A FIREWORK" was blasting in my ear. It's good to come home to my family...

....(ies)

Yes, both of them. :)

Girls Night Out

Authur Nicholas Taylor, my great-great-grandfather, built a quiant little cabin over 100 years ago. It is slightly falling apart. The bathroom is a little nasty. And I think bees might live in the walls. The chain on the porch swing is rusty, the bunk beds are ancietly rigid, and we even have a pump organ. Basically, it's old. But, oh how I love our little cabin.

Yesterday, eighteen girls came with me to my one room cabin and had a sleepover. Well, a "sleepover". We were awake untill seven in the morning!

The three bears trail hiking.
Flavored tootsie roll sucking.
Person, place, thing playing.
Mafia.
In the manner of the adverb.
Pysciatrist.
Scum.
First kiss stories on the tennis courts.
Star gazing.
Laughing.
Hair brushing.
Night gown wearing.
Secret telling.
Junk-food eating.
Twenty hours to spare.
A whole lot of love.

What else do you need?

Best Friend Tryouts

Last Summer,

I decided to get rid of Hannah and get a new Best Friend.










JUST KIDDING!


We just wanted to do something a little different than the usual summer night activity. (Also, we were in dire need of friends. Who isn't?!)

So we held tryouts. Not just ANYONE can be our best friend. I mean, come on! They have to be practically perfect in every way. And since Mary Poppins is a fictional character, we had to find someone else.

It was a brilliant plan, really. We set up a table and chairs, had pens and paper for notes, a HUGE sign for advertisement, and a couple judges.

You know, I have to admit, I didn't think anyone would want to stop. Hannah and I just aren't that cool.

Fifteen kids! FIFTEEN people wanted to be OUR Best Friend! Incredible.

So we put them to the test.

Simple, really.

1) Sing The Star Spangled Banner. (We had to know if these guys were really patriotic. I mean, I know people who don't even know the WORDS to our National Anthem! Some of them didn't either...Plus, having a good voice does help your chances)

2) Dance for 30 seconds to a song of our choice. (Hannah and I, we dance. There's no way someone could be our very best friend if they weren't willing to get in the groove. The most frequent song choice: Never Gonna Give You Up, by Rick Astley. If you haven't heard it, look up the music video on youtube. It's a gem.)

3) Answer a few questions about true friendship. (This one is obviously most important.)

Turns out we made FIFTEEN friends that day! FIFTEEN! Amazing, huh?!

We even got a date. Believe it or not.

Two young men in suits got down on one knee, asked up to be their best friends, presented us with flowers, then took us on a date in an suite elevator for a picnic. They didn't kick us out surprisingly, so we called in and complained about ourselves. What an adventure. But that, is a different story.

Ahem.

We concluded that making friends is easy. Well, as long as you ask for it. We did. Fifteen friends in one day? That's an accomplishment.

Now you ask, "Why are you telling this story NOW, Shelby? That was ages ago!"

Right you are!

But, we are doing it again. And soon. Before the end of the Summer. Be on the lookout. Intersection by Kohlers, table with a huge sign. You just can't miss it.

I hope to see you there!