Christmas...

I still cannot believe that Christmas is less than a week away. I guess time flies when you are having fun! No, time flies when you are working and living your life to the fullest. For Christmas this year, I am going to Florida with my parents. We are specifically going to Orlando where we will go to places likes Disney World and the new Harry Potter wizarding world. I think my dad is most excited about that one. He loves Harry Potter more than life it self. Just kidding!!! It will be fun though I joke that I am going by default. What does that mean? Both my brother and sister are spending Christmas with their in-laws this year so I am the one who gets to go along with my parents on this trip. I do not mind at all. I am excited to be going to Florida. In all reality though, I will miss having my siblings their, but that is how life is. I want them to have great Christmases. Both of them will be celebrating Christmas with a brother-in-law who just returned from a mission. How cool is that?

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Some weeks are just better than others

This past week at work was hard. It just was. It just did not start off right. Last Sunday night when I returned from California, I arrived in the middle of a blizzard. Yes, I left sunshine for eighteen inches of snow up at my house. This is the kind of snowfall you get when you life up in the benches and you can tell that I am not the biggest fan of snow, but I will deal with it to the best of my ability. Though the snow stopped by Monday morning, we had to dig out our driveway and our cars. In doing this, I was just late to work. There was no way I was going to be on time, but my boss understood. So Monday was okay and Tuesday was too. But by the end of Wednesday, I was just mentally exhausted and it carried over to Thursday and Friday too. We are working on some big projects that just take a lot of you. I would come home and be like, "I just want to sleep." Wednesday I laid on my bed for a few hours, destressing. I was so excited for the weekend.

Yesterday, helped me get over my rough week. I took my sister out to get manicures for her birthday (Yes, I know her birthday was in October, but she did not care). That was so much fun and then we had lunch after. I love hanging out with my sister and I love the pizza at Cafe Trio. After lunch, we decided to go shopping. The highlight Costco because we went around and tried all the samples. I ended the day by going to watch a friend of my play the piano at Assembly Hall in Temple Square for the LDS Business College with my roommate. It was amazing. After, we walked around Temple Square and looked at the lights. I love Christmas!!!

This coming week will be better as I begin it in Northern California!

Turkey! Pie!

Two weekends ago, my roommates and I throw a "mock" Thanksgiving. It was tons of fun and was the first time I ever cooked a turkey by myself, which was an interesting experience. As my roommates had to go to church early, I was left with the task of getting the turkey in the oven. Mind you, this was a 20 pound turkey. So I prepared the turkey to be cooked by flouring the oven bag you cook the turkey in. After this, I diced celery and onions and spread them on the bag's bottom, which I placed in a roasting pan. Next, I gave the turkey its very own butter bath. Once I finished this, I then realized I had to get the turkey into the bag, all by myself. So I opened the bag as wide as I could and then just hefted the turkey into it. I am still amazed I got it in there, but I learned that next time I cook a turkey, a second pair of hands would be great. However, the turkey tasted so good. I was quite proud of myself. Again, I give all the credit to my mom, who is the best cook I know. It is just in the Litchfield/Hall genes. Along with the turkey, I made stuffing. My roommate made a chocolate pie she covered in meringue. That was delicious too! It was a fun night all around. And it tasted oh so good.

The following is pictures of my turkey:





The pie my roommate made:



So this past weekend, I decided to make a pecan pie. I love making pies for some reason. I promised Lewis I would make this one for him. It was quite easy to make as all you do is mix together corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, molasses, eggs, flour, and vanilla and dump it over the pecans you placed in a pie shell. The pie tastes really good, especially warmed up with ice cream. Here is the end result:





I am so excited for Thanksgiving. In my family, it is a total group effort these days. I am looking forward to going to California and spending time with my family, especially with all the snow that is rolling into Utah at the moment.

Cake, Stuffing and Gardner Village...

I was going to post this last Monday, but life got in the way. Last Sunday, I decided to make a Buttermilk pound cake. I borrowed a bundt cake pan from Renee and went to work. However, the most important lesson I learned when making a pound cake is to flour the pan because if you do not the cake comes out in pieces. And though it looks a little funny, it tasted oh so good!

The cake

After making the cake and attending church, I went over to Renee and Lewis' for dinner. Renee and I made my mom's stuffing. Her stuffing recipe is truly amazing and because it is so good, I basically will not eat anyone else's stuffing. This stuffing just is so delicious. I meant to take a picture before we dug in, but I forgot so I made Renee hold up the leftovers. I am planning on making this stuffing tomorrow for my apartment's mock Thanksgiving.

Renee and the stuffing

Today, my roommates and I along with a good friend of ours went to Gardner Village. I had never been here before, but it was so fun. The village is filled with shops that include quilting, knitting, sewing, candy, etc. I loved it. Their Christmas shop was amazing and I bought some ornaments for my family's upcoming ornament exchange. We also visited their candy shop!
Here are some photos:

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

If You Don't Believe in God after reading this story...

At my work, we have daily missionary devotionals every morning. During these devotionals, a spiritual thought or scripture is given. Yesterday, one of my co-workers gave the spiritual thought. Since we work for the Family History Department, her thought was motivated by her love of the story of LDS President Wilford Woodruff doing the temple work for our Founding Fathers in the St. George temple. Then she told the following story about George Washington during the French and Indian War in 1755.

The Lord protected this man because he knew that Washington was going to play a pivotal role in our country's founding. Without him who knows what direction our country would have taken. The Indian Chief realized that this man was truly protected by the power of God. Washington realized this too and always told how this story helped confirm that God has given him a great calling in this life. And what is sad is that this story was taught in our schools 1934 and then it was removed because heaven forbid we teach our children that God does exist and performs miracles. Washington believed in the Lord. The Lord protected him and others witnesses this protection. He never forgot what happened to him that day during the French and Indian War and we should not either. Maybe it is time for our country to remember the Lord's pivotal role in our country's founding. We should not be taking stories like this out of our textbooks. What would Washington think? It was one of the most pivotal moments of his life and now people just want to sweep it under the rug.

God exists. I have a strong testimony of his divine power and protection. He always provides me with guidance and protection. I love him!

Settling in...

It seems like I have lived in Salt Lake City for longer than three weeks. And that is a real good sign for me because I know without a doubt this is where I am suppose to be. Though moving up here was crazy and hectic, I am settling in quite nicely. I arrived up here on a Friday, moved into my new place on Saturday, and began work on Monday. How did I do this? Well... I had help. My sister, brother-in-law, and mom were great. They helped move my boxes and unpack. Renee was awesome and such a trooper. On the Saturday of my move-in, she went with me when I bought my bed. As I wanted to get my bed that day so I could sleep in on it that night, we told the sales guy we would pick it up from the warehouse. If you are wondering where my brother-in-law was, he woke up sick Saturday. We got my sister's truck and went to pick up the bed. It just barely fit into her the bed of her truck, but we made it back to my house with it and the moved it in. Also, when I purchased my bed, I got a free XBox 360 with it. Truthfully, I did not really want it because I am not a big video game player. So Renee happily took it off my hands and now it resides happily in her house. Lewis and she have given it a great home and lots of love.

In Salt Lake, I live with two other girls in the basement apartment of a nice house. My room looks out to the backyard and I have plenty of sunlight. I love it though we have deer that like to wander around the property. One night when I came home one scared me when it jumped out of the bushes. Also, I have woken up to one eating apples from the tree outside my window in the morning. Hopefully, I never hit one! My new roommates are fantastic and we get along well. One works at a bakery. She has a degree in culinary arts and she always brings back cookies that are so good. My other roommates goes to University of Utah and is working on two Masters'. We have a lot of fun together. My singles' ward out here is amazing. It is full of singles who are either in graduate school or working. My new Bishop is wonderful. He is so understanding and compassionate.

The view from my window

I love my new job. I am constantly learning everyday though some days can be a little overwhelming, but I work with a great team. The one part of my job that I love more than anything else is working with missionaries, especially, missionary couples. They have taught me so much about service and love. There is one particular sister I have really bonded with. Everyday, she checks in with me to make sure I am doing okay and gives me a hug. I am well cared for and happy. I am right where I am meant to be. Everything has gone so seamlessly. And though this should scare me, it does not. I am thankful for how everything has worked out. The spirit has confirmed that I am on the right path.

For so awhile there, I was worried about where my life was going. It stressed me out, but my mom was right all the time. She told me to be patient and that things would work out for me. She let me feel what I needed to feel and never told me it was wrong or how to feel. Instead, she focused on understanding why I felt that way and always listened when I needed somebody to talk too. Thanks mom!

I'm glad to be settling in so well. I love that I have health insurance and a good salary. I am thankful for a wonderful and supportive family and friends.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister Renee! I know you wish you were spending it hugging a giant yellow macaroni noodle again in Boston. Just kidding. Have a wonderful day with lots of cake. You are the best wife, sister, daughter, aunt, and friend. I am so glad you are my sister and my best friend (and I am very happy that we now know only live 10 minutes from each other). Thanks for always listening and always being there when you are needed. You are amazing. Happy Birthday!!! I love you. Plus, I decided to include some fun photos to show everyone how awesome you are!!! Happy Birthday!
















Happy Birthday!

The Next Chapter

After months of applying for jobs, I can officially say that I have a job. For the past month, I have gone through a few rounds of interviews for this position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' (LDS) Family History Department. My first interview was a month ago. I flew up there and stayed the night with Renee and her husband and had a good interview, which admittedly I was nervous for. But they saw something they liked and the next day, I was called and invited back for a second interview. This second round was kind of a little chaotic as I flew in the morning of and was back to California that afternoon. Again, I felt that I had done well, but I kept the attitude that anything could happen. This interview was on a Friday. That Monday, much to my surprise and delight, I was called and asked to come back for a third and final interview that Thursday. After these interviews, I was called the next day and officially offered the job. I signed my offer letter and will start my new job this coming Monday.

But things have worked out so well for me that it kind of scares me. I found a place to live quickly and just feel that this is so meant to be. But sometimes I feel when things work out like this for me that something bad is suppose to happen. However, pushing these fears aside, I am concentrating on the joy of having a new job with good pay and good benefits. Plus, one of the best benefits is that I will be living close to my sister, who is my best friend. She is awesome and I am so excited that we can be living in the same city again. So wish me luck.

Also, I want to thank everyone for their love, support, and prayers!

Picture update....

The following are some highlights from my summer since I returned home to California. One of my favorite things to do is to go swimming with my nephews, especially Eli. Nathan and Laurel are teaching him how to swim without wearing his life vest. He is learning quickly. Also, my dad and Nathan have been having Eli jump off the rocks by our pool and the diving board into the pool. For some reason, Eli refuses to go down the slide. But he likes to jump off the diving board or the side of the pool into my dad's arms. Also, we celebrated my mom's 55th birthday. Below, you will see her with her favorite gift courtesy of my sister, Renee. When she saw it in Target, she was like I have to give this to mom.

Nathan readying Eli to jump into my dad's arms.

Nathan and Eli. I think Nathan may have been trying to convince Eli to go off the slide and he is refusing.

Eli preparing to jump off the rocks.

And he does it!!!

West and I chilling. He is so cute! I love having him give me high-fives or doing "jumpy-jumpies" with him.

My mom before opening Renee's special gift.

Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is a huge bin of cheese balls. My mom loves them.

For Uncle Lewis...

Today, when I was babysitting my nephews, I asked Eli if he wanted to write a letter to his Aunt Renee and Uncle Lewis. He said he wanted too. However, we never got to the letter part because Eli decided he wanted to draw pictures of Renee and Lewis. So he decided to begin with Uncle Lewis and he ended with Uncle Lewis. I am sorry Aunt Renee, but your picture never got made. But I loved the portraits he made of Lewis. They are so awesome. Eli did a wonderful job and he signed all of his pictures.

Forgiveness

After meeting with a member of my Bishopric today, I have reflected a lot on forgiveness. This man, who is one of the most truly amazing people I know, and I started to discuss forgiveness after a question he asked me regarding family, specifically how my relationships were with my family members. I told him I was struggling, and this is a constant struggle and trial for me, I will freely admit that, as I know the Lord is trying to teach me something, with forgiving others. I have forgiven and forgotten, but I told him I was still struggling with forgiveness because I was tired of forgiving the same people over and over again. I hate that they feel like they can continue to hurt me because I will just automatically forgive them. The Lord commands that we forgive all. I think some of my struggle persists because I am tired of these people hurting me. Just stop!!!

However, I think I have found part of what I need to learn from this trial, I have learned that you can forgive and move on. The people you forgive no longer have to be part of your life because forgiveness does not automatically lead to a renewal of the relationship. Instead, forgiveness allows you to move forward and not backwards. You do not have to go back because I have been burned by going back and I hated the direction I was going. I am still struggling with some of the anger but I am at peace knowing that I am ridding of relationships that are not good for me. The sad part about this all, is that some of these people are family. But in reality, I really do not want them as my family. That is the other lesson I have learned on this journey of forgiveness. Just because you have biological ties, does not mean they are family. I have had some family just do awful things not only me, but to my mom and sister. We are so naturally inclined to forgive and just fall back into these old patterns, where it always ends the same way, we get hurt. And we just continue in this cycle, but I do not want to hurt anymore. I do not want to suffer at their hands. I have had enough. I am trying to break this cycle.

You see the wonderful thing about forgiveness, is that is allows us to move forward. To let go of the hurt and the pain. I am not one hundred percent at this stage yet, but I feel I have taken steps to get here. I have re prioritized how I want in my life as this is what two years living 3,000 miles away allows you to do. I pray every day that I can continue to move forward and just wash away these unhealthy relationships. I know I will have my down days, but I feel that if I just keep walking towards the light, towards God that I will be fine. That I can forgive, forget and move forward. I can move forward knowing exactly what I want in my life because I know exactly what I want. The counselor I spoke to agreed with me and urged me to continue moving forward.

Gotta love Noodles!

Before leaving Boston, my friend Betsy was telling me how this big yellow noodle just showed up by her work place on day. She thought it somehow might be related to Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. So when Renee came out here, Renee, Betsy, and I went to check out the noodle and found it out is part of this promotion Kraft is putting on this summer called "You Know You Love it." So doing what anybody does, we all took our pictures with it.

The noodle.

Renee and the noodle.

Me and the noodle.

Update!

I thought I would give an update on the happenings of my life. I have decided to leave Boston in favor of California. After spending much of June contemplating my future and where I would like to work, I decided I wanted to work in California and the only way to get employers to take a serious look at my resume was to actually live in the state. So in a a week and a half I will be on my way back to California. I am taking this huge leap of faith, but I know it is the right decision. Plus, I have really struggled lately with living so far from my family. I miss them! I want to be nearer to them. I hate the distance. I really do. In all honesty, I cannot wait to see my nephews. They are so adorable. If two certain individuals play their cards right (i.e. buy me pretty gifts, just kidding), I will babysit every week. I do not even see it as babysitting though because I have so much fun with Eli and West.

While I am excited for this next step and for returning to California, leaving Boston will be hard. Though I will not miss the winters or the humidity, I will miss the friends I have out here. I know we will always be in touch and visit each other, but I have no idea how to say good bye. I have the most amazing friends out here. I really do. I could write forever about how fantastic they are and what an impact they have had and will continue to have on me. They have all made me a better person. I will be a sobbing mess by next weekend. I think this is part of the reason why I wanted to have Renee come out here and drive back with me. She knows me better than I know myself. She will listen to the tears or see if I am fighting some emotion, will make it come out.

So Renee and I will drive back across the country. I am just excited that we get to go through Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Miracles really do occur...

This past week, I returned to California for a visit. It was so much fun! Renee and Lewis also came and we all stayed at Hotel La Lakey (or my parents house). As part of this vacation, Renee and Lewis said they would clean out my parents' garage. I do not know how many of you have ever seen or been in my their garage, but it is kind of gross. It was overcrowded with boxes. As three cats resided in there, there is cat hair and cat pee everywhere. Basically, you never wanted to go out there. So this past Friday, Renee, Lewis, and I and later my parents joined in, cleaned it up. We took three truckloads of stuff to DI and hosed everything down. I wish I would have taken a before picture, but here are some after pics! Yes, miracles do occur because who thought it would look this nice. Lewis and Renee and are awesome because it would not have been done without them. Also, we all got out tans from being out in the sun going through boxes and not from laying out by the pool.

This space was filled with boxes and now it is empty.

My sister and mom watching my dad rearrange boxes.

The final product.

Now, I know Nathan and Laurel are probably so sad this missed out on this fun! But do not fret because the next project is shifting through Christmas decorations and lights during Thanksgiving!

Being a Lakers' fan in Boston...

...has certainly been an experience. As the Lakers and Celtics battled each other for the championship, with the Lakers winning it all, I pretty much feared for my life. Celtic fans are crazy. They really hate the Lakers. During the whole series everyone either wore Celtic jerseys or "Beat LA" shirts. It was pretty surreal. They are so passionate about their team here that I really did not want to tell many people I was a Lakers fan. Here are some responses I got when I told people I am a Lakers fan:

1. Oh, I'm sorry.
2. You do know you're in Boston, right?
3. They suck! I hope Boston wins.
4. Are you crazy?
5. It is okay to like the Lakers, but you hate Kobe Bryant, right?
6. You guys are so going to lose!

And there were many others, but those were just some of the highlights. One girl was practically disgusted that I liked Kobe, but we both agreed that you either loved or hated him. Also, I learned that the Lakers have no redeeming value and that they basically suck. In support of my team, I tried to wear purple everyday. I had friends give me such a hard time when the Lakers went down 3 to 2. I was given so much crap.

So I cannot tell you how I felt when the Lakers won! While I was ecstatic, Boston is still in mourning. People are still in shock while I have a whole year of bragging rights. It was really funny to watch the news because it was all from the Celtics' perspective. They got all prepared for a celebration out here too, but people just walked home in a blaze.

I am just glad it is over because it was crazy.

Happy Father's Day!

Dear Dad,
Happy Father's Day! You are an awesome dad. I could not ask for better. Thanks for everything you do. For providing me with means to get not only a Bachelor's degree, but also a Master's. Thank you for always making sure I have a roof over my head and food on my table. Thank you for always listening to me and providing me with a shoulder to cry on, even when it is from 3,000 miles away. You are the best! I wish I could be there with you today.

Love
Janae

Family's boston Visit, part 2

Here is part 2 of my family's trip! After my parents left, my siblings, in-laws, and I went on a Duck tour. A duck is this old World War II vehicle that can go on both land and water. After crusing around downtown Boston, we ended up cruising down the Charles River. After Nathan and Laurel left, Renee, Lewis, and I hit Salem and Plymouth. It was so much fun! I miss them. Come back! Here are some hightlights!

Laurel, Nathan, Renee, and Lewis prior to our boarding of the Duck Boat! Nathan is in pain because prior to this, I made them hike around Harvard Square.

A view of Boston from the Charles River when we were on the Duck in the Charles River.

Downtown Boston from the Charles River.

Lewis, Renee, and I ventured to Salem. This is how Lewis and Renee decided they were going to solve their fights from now on. Lewis looks comfy!

Renee is sad!

Now, Renee is happy as a witch!

Renee hanging out with her new boyfriend.

Plymouth Rock. It's not that exciting.

MIT. I took Renee and Lewis where they bought some cool t shirts. This building resembles R2D2.

Renee and Lewis outside of the Cask N Flogan, which is located right outside of Fenway Park. According to ESPN, this is the number on baseball bar in America. Last year, it was number two! I made them stand in front of it. Afterwards, we knocked back a few drinks! Just kidding!