Graduated!

Well, I am taking a moment to share with you my most rescent accomplishment...I graduated Utah Valley University on Friday with a degree in Behavioral Science with an emphasis in Psychology! WooHoo!!! My mom sent out commencement announcements to our family which I would have posted, but forgot to bring it to work with me today so you just get boring text instead. Anyway, thats my big news for the week - I am so excited! Casey graduates next spring but he took the first summer semester off and we are going on a few excursions while it is still just the two of us. It should be fun!

I'll take one of those...

-This is my dream kitchen...I may not get for some time...but eventually it will be mine (:
We need some serious help! Casey and I have to be out of our townhome on June 2...I'm a little panicy because we cant find a decent priced house with a layout we love. So, if anyone knows of a cute house around here - send it my way will ya?

My sweet hubby!

I have the BEST husband in the world. He is always trying to brighten my day. Earlier this week I got home and these beautiful flowers where on our kitchen table..."just because". - Thanks Casey!

The Melting Pot

My dad is visiting from Afghanistan and goes back tommorow. It has been so nice to spend some time with him. Last night Dad, my brother Sterling and I went to the Melting Pot for dinner and we were all in absolute HEAVEN, the food was divine! We had an appetizer with cheese fondue, then a yummy salad, then some meet and seafood and then my favorite part --- the chocolate fondue...yum, yum, yum! we had marshmellows, bananas, strawberries, cheesecake and more - it was soooooo good. Thanks dad for the fun and yummy night out!

Race For the Cure!

Mom's friends at HCI have formed a team called "HCI's Pride for Pink" for the 5K race at the Gateway Mall on May 10th, 2008 at 8:30am. We will be running/walking in honor of her.The registration fee is $25. If you are interested in being a part of our team, register at http://www.active.com/donate/komenslc2008/hciprideforpink* We have also desinged a team t-shirt (which is pink). If you are interested in purchasing one, email Amy Erickson at amy@hcinsight.com - tell her what size you want and she will reply with payment options. She actually has a Mary Kay Business so she can take debit/credit cards too.Here is the information on the shirt - When you purchase a "PRIDE for PINK" Race for the Cure team T-shirt for $10, the net proceeds will be donated to theSusan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

Easter

I figured since it has been a week since Easter that I should put sme pictures up...so here are a few.... We had a good Easter weekend. Saturday morning we went over to my mother in laws home and ate lunch and then had an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids. She does this every year and all her grandkids just love it. In some of the hidden eggs there is "Bunny Money" they you can go buy stuff at her store with after the hunt - they love it!
Casey is a little old to participate in this eventful activity, So Sunday morning I made him breakfast and put this LITTLE Easter basket at his spot with some of his favorite things.

My mom and Alyssa were able to come this year too!
Pam and Kendall (my other mom and dad)

My honey and me.

My sister in law Alisha and her cute baby Matix

Here is another one of Matix I just had to put in bc he looks so handsome!

Me, Alyssa, Nat and Mom

Mom's new style

After the Rex Lee Run, I took my mom to go get a new haircut. Emily Mortimore cut it for her. She looks so pretty!

Family Pictures

We went and had some family pictures taken before mom started chemo, just thought I would share a few - there will be more on mom's blog.

I love this picture of the boys! The tops of the trees look awesome!

Rex Lee Run - March 15, 2008

My little sister Alyssa and I ran in the Rex Lee Run down at BYU on Saturday. We had a TON of fun doing it together. We ended up only running a 5K instead of a 10K because I was getting over phenomena.

Here we are before the race...

It was FREEZING!

The run is to raise money for cancer reasearch. You could honor a cancer victim or fighter.

Alyssa honored our Aunt Sonya who passed away in December from Pancreatic Cancer and I honored my mom who is fighting Breast Cancer.
There were TONS of runners!

We finished!

Vincent & Vivian Booker - March 11th, 2008

***Here are some pictures of my new neice and nephew! My sister Sonja's first little ones. Vincent was born at 9:08 p.m weighing 6 pounds and Vivian was born at 9:09 weighing 4 pounds 11 ounces! They are so cute!

Vivian and Vincent (he is crosseyed looking at me - so funny!)

This is Vincent

Here is Grandpa with Vivian

What's up???

So all I feel like the only thing I have been putting on my blog lately are "tags." I cant find my USB for my camera and have tons of pics I want to post...So...hopefully I will find that soon! For those of you who dont know (sorry I hadnt said anything to you Laur) my mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer about a month ago and began chemo last week. So most of my "blogging time" if you will, has gone to keeping everyone up to date on what is going on with her - her blog is under "Mom's Journey" if you want to take a look. However, hers needs to be updated too with my pics. Just thought I would let you know.
To come...
I am new Aunt to twins!
My little sister Alyssa and I ran in the Rex Lee Run on Saturday
and
My mom chopped her hair...she looks soooo freakin cute!

Because it was comical...

Thanks Laurie! - FYI, my answering machine now works!!!

1. My rock star name (first pet and current car):
Muffin Cougar (Hummm)
2. My gangsta name (fave ice cream flave and favorite cookie):
Jamoca Oreo
3. My “fly guy/girl” name (first initial of first name and first three letters of last name):
S Van (Great, I sound like a minivan!)
4. My detective name (favorite color and favorite animal):
Green Owl
5. My soap opera name (middle name and city where you were born):
Rachelle Irving
6. My Star Wars name (first three letters of your last name and first two letters of your first name): VanSh
7. My superhero name (2nd fave color and a drink with “The” in front):
The Blue Pepper
8. My Nascar name (first names of your grandfathers):
Hubert Rush (RAD!)
9. My stripper/p-nog star name (name of your fave perfume/cologne and your favorite candy):
Angel Twix
10. My witness-protection name (mother’s and father’s middle names):
Rae Don
I hereby declare that I shall heretofore be referred to as
Angel Twix , Thank you!

Tag You're it....

List seven random facts about yourself and then tag seven people.
Here are the rules.
#1 Link to the person that tagged you.http://vanwagstories.blogspot.com/
#2 Post the rules on your blog.
#3 Share five random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
#4 Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
#5 Leave a comment on their blogs so that they know they have been tagged.

Five Random or Weird Facts
#1 I am absolutly terrified of Alligator's and think there is one in every pond, lake or ocean I am in.
#2 When I was getting babysat when I was little I was playing airplane with my sitter - she was laying on her back on the floor with her legs up in the air, and I would lay on her feet and she would glide me around in the air and then take me for a crash landing by bending her knees and throwing me on the couch. Well one of my crash landings really became a crash and I broke my wrist...anyway, because of this incident my middle finger is totally not straight (I hate it).
#3 When I sleep I have to have a pillow in-between legs, if my knees are touching it will drive me crazy.
#4 I am totally money anal and wont buy something unless I can pay cash.
#5 Casey loves eating icecream in bed while we watch a movie...I cant eat or drink anything unless a light is on - If I cant see it, I dont think I can get it in my mouth.

I tag...
Jessica Lowell
Collette Haas
Angi Bradley
Natalie Tillmann
and I am only doing four this time!

MUSIC!!!

Hey everyone...I need some help. I got this really cute pink ipod in January and collectively added songs. I made two workout playlists and an "on the go" playlist and I am already sick of my workout songs. So...with that said, if you have any good running songs - especially the ones that make you want to go faster, I would love for you to share them with me. Thanks.

The "Little Things" in life.

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." ~Cynthia Ozick

<>I was leaving school one fall blissfully day last semester, completely burnt out - I had just finished my fifth class for the day. As I began making my long trek to BFE to get into my warm car I started thinking about all the things I needed to get done and new I couldn’t accomplish half of it that day. Nothing seemed to be going right and all I could focus on was the bad things that had happened to me throughout the year. It was depressing. I finally reached my car, put the key in the ignition and started my car…click click click...was all I heard. My car wouldn’t start. After trying to get it started for 15 minutes I began trekking myself back into the building to call Casey for help (I forgot my phone that day) . About halfway back to the building I felt an urge to go and try to start my car again. Not wanting to listen, but knew I should, I tuned around and started complaining to myself in my head. I didn’t think life could get any worse. Now imagine this…the furthest parking lot from school has two rows of parking spots then a line of trees separating the next two rows of parking spots and this pattern continues about a half a mile wide. As I approached this lot where my car war parked a huge gust of wind came that blew every last leaf off of each of these trees. There were yellow leaves, orange leaves, red leaves and some were even brown. It was like a perfect picture straight out of Winnie the Pooh on his “blissfully cold day” – it really was one of the prettiest things I had seen in a while. All I could do was just stand there and watch the leaves flutter down around me. There were hundreds and hundreds of them leaving the roads covered in an array of beauty. Why did I think that was such an amazing scene? The leaves fall off every tree every fall. But it was right then that I felt an awe-inspiring amount of love and I knew that I needed to pay attention to the little things in life that can bring me joy each day. I felt, it was Heavenly Fathers way of telling me “that everything is going to be all right.”


Since that day, I have made it a habit to always look for the “little things” that I get blessed with each day, that I way to often take for granted.

I want to list a couple of my “little things” that brightened my day last week.

<>1. My mom’s voice. I get to talk to her each and every day. I love the soothing tone her voice carries and the happiness I feel each day as I pick the phone up at work as she asks “how’s it going?”
2. Waking up each morning to a man I know would do anything in the world for me. – He will get out of bed just to go start the truck for me so it will be warm…even if he doesn’t have to be anywhere.
3. My “deer.” There is a pack of deer that cross my path at least three times a week. They are absolutely beautiful. Last week I was on my way home crying – after <>hearing some bad news that finally came as a reality to me and as I drove up a hill towards my house, there they were. The sun was almost completely set and it just left the silhouettes of about nine deer standing on the mountain side with the city lights brightly shining behind them. It was another one of those “thank you Heavenly Father” moments.
4. For my friends that are always there for me – even if I am complaining and especially those that challenge me to grow, learn and be a better person.
5. Back roads
6. The comforting flicker of the fireplace.
7. And Sunsets.

ALL ABOUT ME TAG

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning. B. Each player answers the questions about themselves. C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 years ago... I was fourteen and in the 8th grade. I was running for 9th grade student government and hoping I had enough friends that would vote for me. Turns out I did and was elected president.

5 things on my to do list today... 1. Go to the Dentist 2. Run 5 miles 3. Go to class 4. Program my new phone 5.Sunggle with my honey.

Snacks I enjoy...Hum...popcorn with milkduds, chips and salsa and the orange smoothies Casey makes me.

What I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire...Buy my 1.6 Million dollar dream house at the top of Wasatch. Go to Grad School - debt free. Have kids and spoil them and my husband rotten and spend the rest of our lives on "room service."

5 bad habits.... 1. I bite my nails when I am axious. 2. I steal all the hot water in the morning. 3. I eat more than I really need. 4. I hate being at home without Casey and #5. I procrastinate.

5 jobs that I have had...Soccer ref. Waitress at Johannas Kitchen. Waitress at Lonestar Ssteakhouse. Substitute teacher and quality assurance specialist.

5 things people don't know about me...1. I'm training for a 10k. 2. I look on KSL everyday to see if I can get a steal of a deal on my "dream" crib for my child I dont have. 3. I am inpatient - but am workin on it. 4. Am in a couples "biggest loser" contest with my family - shich I think Casey and I will win. 5. I knew I was going to marry Casey since I was a sophomore in high school.

I tag...
Anika
Alisha (cause she hasnt done it yet)
and the Sperry's

Jenn Towner's Baby Shower!

Hello Everyone! I am throwing a baby shower for Jenn on Feb 9th from 1:00 to 3:00 P.M. Her little miracle Drew arrived four months early and is doing so well! As you can imagine, there are quite a few of you that I do not have phone numbers, addresses or emails to send an inviation your way. If you would like to come please leave a comment so I can call you and get your information. Anyone can come so dont be shy!

Aly Brynne Jewelry

My sister started her own jewelry business so I thought I would do a little advertising for her. If your interested in seeing any of her stuff or throwing a party let me know!

President Hinckley

Below I have attached one of my favorite talks that President Hickley ever gave. It is his simple, yet remarkable testimony. I know that he has touched many of our lives in ways that many of us can not even describe – He was an amazing man who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by pure example and love. I feel it was appropriate to share this short video with those I love.

President Gordon B. Hinckley's Testimony