Graduating with my Masters

So I did it! I graduated with my Masters of Education. I started Fall semester of 2015. I was so nervous and excited all at once. I lucked out by doing the program with one of my good friends, Joanne. This was great because we were able to read each others papers, discuss topics, and work on assignments together. I do not think I would have made it this far without her.

Well my graduation trip was a quick one. Mom, Dad, and me woke up early Thursday morning, April 27th, and went and picked up Jill. We headed to Cedar City and I got my cap, gown, and hood. Then we went to St George and Mesquite, where we got to hang out with Aunt Kelley, Grandpa, and Grandma Susie. That night we went out for a nice dinner at the Gun Barrel in St. George. The food was sooooo good. Then we went back to Cedar City and went to bed. Friday, April 28th, was finally here. Dad dropped me off at the campus so I could line up and walk the campus with all of the other graduates. It was so cool. People were clapping and waving. Then I got into the arena and got to hear great speeches. Then that part was over and I gave hugs to people and then had to line right back up for the hooding. My favorite professor Bruce Barker was one of the people who hooded me. It was great.  I will include some pictures now from the graduation.

I am on my phone telling my mom instructions to tell my dad on how to work my camera.

Me with my graduation program.

Right after I got hooded.

Me walking in with my hood.

My main support system, my Moema and Dad

Me posing showing off my awesome Giants shoes that my coworkers got me. And yes I wore them for my graduation.

Aunt Kelley with me and what no diploma....just kidding, I knew it wasn't there.

Right after I got back to my sit from being hooded.

Me, hood, diploma case, and all.

Where to begin........

I have shirked my blogging duties. So much has been going on and I have not blogged about it at all.

Summer of 2015 I bought a new car and I applied for Grad School. I have been working on my Masters since August 2015. It has been a lot of work but luckily my friend Joanne has been doing it with me.

Last year around March, I decided to leave the Young Single Adult Ward and go to the Family Ward. It has been a great decision. I was almost too old to be in the YSA ward anyways. When I got to the Family Ward I got called to Young Womens as Assistant Camp Director and Personal Progress Leader. I loved going to camp when I was in Young Womens, so I was very excited about this calling. Well Girls Camp in Utah is a lot different than California. It was still fun, but it was very different.

This year at school I got put in charge of the drama club and the school musical. Major shoutout to DonorsChoose.org because they have helped fund microphones, the play and music, sound boards, and props. It was a lot of fun but a lot of work. Our musical was called "Jukebox Time Machine" and it turned out soooooo cute. The kids had a lot of fun.

I am currently the 2nd Counselor of the Young Womens Presidency in my Ward, which means I get to work with the Beehives. It is a lot of fun. They can be a handful but we have a good time together.

My class of 2nd graders are very fun and sweet. They like to talk a lot and it is sometimes hard to keep them on task but we have a great time together.

I just graduated with my Masters, but I will do a post with pictures later.

We threw my Grandma a surprise 80th birthday which I will also post about later also.

I can't think of what else to write about. If I remember anything important I will post about it later.

Life is busy and fun. I am still working on myself and finding my kefi. :)

Pictures from Court's Wedding Weekend

My flight was very early. As you can tell I was a little wired.

Court and I hanging out on the porch.

 Mama Bailey made us take off our sun glasses. We weren't very happy.

Shannon, Andrea, Me, Aunt Mel, and Ryan at the Venue.

 Uncle Jim was a great photographer.

Here are a couple of pictures from our porch. It was so beautiful with all the mist.

Our quick getaway to the beach.

We were applauding the people who were actually helping.

Uncle Jim at it again. 

 The Bridesmaids

 Practicing for the wedding.

All dolled up.

The back of my hair.

My daddy and me before the wedding.

Here is proof I cried, even before the ceremony started.

 Court and her girls

 We are so pretty.

 Court and me...Buddies for Life

 Lucas dragged me off the dance floor.

 He wanted to go for a walk.

 Court and her dad singing.

 This could be one of my most favorite pictures from the wedding. If you look down in the corner you can see Court the Bride and she is hooked arms with someone. That someone is me. It was at the end of the night and we were just sharing a moment.

 Me on the way back home leaving the crazy red rabbit in the Sacramento Airport.

Here is the aftermath of my hair once I got home to Utah.

My Darling Courtney's Wedding Weekend

Oh my goodness, I have had many friends get married and I witnessed them and was a part of them but none has ever touched my heart as much as Courtney's. Courtney and I have been friends for about 10 years now and we have gone through a lot together. We have shared so many secrets and dreams. We have bonded more than I could ever imagine. We have traveled together and have made great memories. I was so touched and honored that she asked me to be a bridesmaid. I would have gone to her wedding no matter what, but being a bridesmaid was a bonus. She got married on Saturday, October 10th, but we had the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner on October 9th. So I decided to fly home to Sacramento the morning of the 8th. Courtney picked me up from the airport and then we were off to Bodega Bay to start the wedding weekend. We stopped at Dutch Brothers in Davis to fuel us on our trip. We were so hyper and giddy that the server asked us what was up and I said that she was getting married. He asked me what was my part of the wedding, which Courtney quickly said "I'm marrying her!" and I replied back "You wish!". We then bursted into laughter, the server laughed and gave us our drinks. We sang and talked and just had fun on the drive. For some reason a song from Disney's "Robin Hood" kept popping into our minds and we would start to hum/sing it. We picked up groceries and then we finally made it to the rental house. Shortly after arriving we realized that Court's moms rental house was in the same little housing area, so we walked up to it but no one was home. But we did find a creepy cat solarium. It was soooooo creepy. There was cat statues, pictures, and calendars. We walked back to our rental and chilled until her mom showed up with Aunt Mel. We visited with them and then we ran some more errands. When we got back we went to her mom's rental and her cousins, who also were her bridesmaids, were there and were checking out the venue. It was so much fun meeting them. We then just hung out and ate food. We were sitting on the deck when all of a sudden a fox popped out of the brush and we all freaked out because we were sooooo excited! It was so funny. Then I got to meet some of her other family members too. Court, Andrea, Shannon, and I went back to our rental and we hopped into bathing suits and tried out the hot tub. It was fun to visit and just soak. We woke up the next morning and ate powdered donut holes and watch the tv show "The Muppets". It was fun. We then got ready for the day and went to a winery in Santa Rosa. It was a beautiful winery and it was fun to spend some one on one time with Courtney. We then grabbed a quick lunch and went to the beach. We climbed over rocks and found some crabs. We then headed back to the house to get ready for the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. We drove over to the venue because we were bringing stuff over. We got all lined up and started to practice. The bridesmaids were the life of the party. We sang the graduation song for the wedding march and were smiling and laughing the whole time. We also were able to be in the right order whereas the groomsmen had no idea what was going on. I walked with Courtney's brother Matt. He was a total flirt but that is just him. After the rehearsal we drove to Occidental for the rehearsal dinner. It was the Grand Union Hotel. They have great italian food. We had appetizers and drinks outside before dinner. They served the best mini pizzas ever! At the rehearsal dinner I got to bond with Courtney's coworker Hang. Hang has a little boy named Lucas and he became my buddy. I played with him and then sat by them at the dinner. It was fun getting to know her and becoming friends. There were some creepy moments with one of the groomsmen but all of us girls took it in stride.
Finally, the morning of the wedding had arrived. We woke up and ate a little bit. The hair and makeup ladies showed up and we started to get dolled up. We popped some bubbly, I had apple cider ;). It was fun getting my hair and makeup professionally done. I loved my hair! We then headed over to the venue and waited inside the house for the time to come. All of us girls were already teary eyed before we even walked out. The ceremony was beautiful. The weather was beautiful. Courtney was beautiful. I totally cried during the ceremony because she was so happy and I was so happy for her. Then it was time to party at the reception. It was SO fun. I don't think I have ever had so much fun at a reception. We just danced and danced and laughed and had such a great time. At the end of the night my parents drove me back to Sacramento so I could fly back to Utah the next morning.
I found a whole other family that I consider my own because of this wonderful weekend. I still talk to most of the bridesmaids. It really was such a great weekend. I will post pictures in the next post. I love you Courtney!

Loved Ones

"Loved Ones", that can be a very specific term or a general one. Many people when hearing "Loved Ones" will think of family past and present and that is true, but when I think of that term or hear it, I start to think of other people who feel like family but they aren't. I know I am not the only one who has "Extended" family that aren't really family by blood. But I know that my life has been extraordinary because of these people. They have helped raise me, they have given me strength, they have given me love, they have made me feel like I belong. One of those people passed away this week and it broke my heart. It made me think of all the people who are not family that has treated me like I am that are still alive and who have passed away. I would like to remember some and to recognize some as well. * And just as a side note: I love all of my real family members as well and they have always treated me wonderfully too. I just wanted to give a shout out to those who are not my blood family, but yet they are still family.

Mary & Tom Mcafee
Mary worked with my mom and volunteered to help in my Kindergarten class since she had no children. Since then she has gone on field trips, class activities, plays, and trips. Tom her husband is wonderful as well. He didn't go to all the things Mary did but they both were at my Graduations and parties. They are like my Aunt and Uncle. I love seeing them when I am home. They make me feel loved and important all the time.

Grandpa & Grandma Angel & Crazy Tia Sallie
Really I should do two separate things for this family but I will combine them.  Sallie has been a part of my life since I was born. We have spent birthdays, holidays, religious events, and all sorts of stuff together. She always has a listening ear and lots of love. I love her spunk and her brightness. Her parents were always welcoming and we only knew them as Grandpa and Grandma. We loved swimming there. I still love going over there to swim and do Christmas Eve with Grandma.

The Cayassos & Ga-Ga
Now this is a fun family. Seal was always called my Dad's Work Wife, even though they were just friends. But her husband Kai is great too. Seal is so much fun. She is outgoing and she loves parties. Her daughter Tralena has always felt like a kid sister to me. Now Ga-Ga is one of my favorites. She was my black Grandma. She would actually go to Grandparents day with me and that me so happy. Once I got older I didn't see her very much anymore and I regret that but she will always hold a special place in my heart.

Jill & Doug & their Children
They are my parents friends but they feel like mine. Their kids babysat me and my brother and then I babysat some of their kids. We spend a lot of time with them. Doug taught me the basics of swing and the waltz and Jill is my travel buddy. Their family has always felt like our family.

Jim & Carolyn Elliott
Sister Elliott was one of my favorite people when I was a little girl. I insisted on her playing the piano for my baptism. I just thought she was awesome. Her husband is just as amazing as she. I always liked him when I was little but didn't have much to do with him, but he came more important in my life right when I needed it. I had a hard time going away to school. I lost people who I thought were my best friends but it ended up they were talking behind my back, I lost the person who I thought was the love of my life. I was miserable visiting home and going to church but all of a sudden I had a group of older gentleman who I referred to as my boyfriends. All were married but still they were mine. I would always give them hugs because they were just so sweet. Well from then on every time Jim saw me he would say "Hi Beautiful" or "There's my girl" or  "You keep getting prettier and prettier". I don't think he ever realized how much that meant to me. He gave me something to look forward to when I went home.

Some other people who I won't go into detail but they also were people I consider my loved ones: Aunt Betty and Uncle Bob Courtney, The Loveless/Longstreth family, The Turners, The Gordons & their Grandparents, the Logans, so many others from church, teachers. I have been blessed to have so many people in my life that have helped shape the person I am today. I love them all with all my heart even if its been years since I have seen them. I hope I too can be a "Loved One" in someone else's life like so many people have done for me. If anyone reads this and thinks oh no Melissa forgot me, I'm sorry. There are just so many of you and sometimes I am forgetful. But I love you all!

On my way to 27 Dresses

So I have always had a lot of friends. I love people, I love making friends, and I love all of my friends. With that being said, I have been asked to be in many a wedding. Sometimes the dresses have been less than stellar and some have been actually kind of pretty. I won't list which ones I didn't love and on another post I will post a picture of each one, but we will save that for later.
I know that being a flower girl doesn't count but I am going to count them anyways because I looked so stinking adorable at both of those weddings. :)
1. So the first wedding I was ever in was my old babysitter Char's wedding. I wore a dark green dress.
2. The next wedding was my cousin Shannon's wedding. The dress was an off white lace dress and it was one of my favorites. It also had a red rose on it.
3. Now this is my first bridesmaid experience. My friend Renning got married and we wore white blouses and canary yellow skirts.
4. Then came my friend Sarah's wedding and she just requested us to wear pink dresses, so my mom made mine.
5. Then it was Jessica Dawn's wedding and we wore brown dresses with brown tulle underneath.
6. My cousin Ashley was the next one married and we wore mint green dresses with pink ribbon sashes.
7. My old roommate Pam was next on the chopping block and we wore mint green dresses and white sweaters.
8. My friend Christine asked me to be a bridesmaid and we wore red dresses.
9. My friend Andrea asked me to be a bridesmaid too and we wore pink dresses from patterns she picked out.
10. My buddy May Chee is getting married in May and we are wearing either gray or navy blue dresses.
11. My Court bourt is getting married in October and we are wearing plum/purple dresses.

So two of them of haven't happened yet but they are coming up soon so I decided to add them and plus I already have one of the dresses.

I was talking with a friend about wearing these dresses and how some of them I haven't loved but its not really about how I feel about the dresses, its how I feel about these girls that I have been a part of their special days. These girls are/were some of my closest friends. I have loved being there for them. I am not planning on having official bridesmaids, which May Chee isn't either, but I think I might ask a few people to wear my wedding colors, that is if I ever do get married. Hopefully I didn't forget any one that has asked me to be a part of their special day but I think I got everyone. I will work on getting copies of pictures of all of these dresses to post. But it's always good to remember that it's not about how pretty or ugly your bridesmaid dress is, its about the memories you make with your friends on their special day.

Christmas at Disneyland

So this has been the year of Disneyland.  We had such a good time in October we decided to start off Christmas break at Disneyland. It was just me and Moema this time though. Christmas at Disneyland is truly magical. I love all the decorations and the songs and the fake snow. We took the holiday tour and it was awesome! They pointed out all the different ways they incorporate different cultures into their park. Our tour guide was awesome. She was a lot of fun. At the end of the tour we got front row seats to the parade and hot cocoa and a gingerbread Mickey. I had a great time with my Moema. Here are some pictures.

 Me in front of my favorite ride!

 This cute old lady held onto my leg the whole ride. :)

 Posing in the tea cup.

 Waiting for the parade with our goodies.

 Moema and me

 Met the Marano sisters.

 The goodies up close.

 So sad to leave.

Splash Mountain