I'll miss you my kitty

On January 15, 2010, my precious Whisper went to (as Kaylie says) live with Jesus. She had been so sick for so long that I think I was prepared for the worst, weeks beforehand. It still didn't make it any easier, (parting from one of your best friends never is), and though I wish more than anything she was here, I know it was her time to go. Rest in peace Whisper Kitty. I love you :*

It's Back-to-School time!

It's back-to-school time again, and yes, I'm still in school. This semester, I decided to transfer from USU to Weber State University. I was really nervous about the transition to be honest, but it's turned out to be great! All of my professors are NUTS, I have Tuesdays and Thursdays off, and I get to see my Codylicious every day. It is the perfect set up for me! I do miss my roommates like crazy and I long for the party school atmosphere of Utah State, but Weber is pretty dang awesome, and I'm loving every minute of it!

This was our first day of school picture.

I'm a Wildcat!

Mom had me make her some back-to-school treats for her Young Women, so this is what we came up with. We had Smarties sticking up out of a wad of Dum Dum suckers, and the saying was, "Be a Smartie and rise above the Dum Dums this year at school!" Funny huh?

Cody and I got to watch Charlie and Jay two weeks ago

Jay was mezmorized by Kung Fu Panda. We ended up watching it 3 times that night.

The week after that, we got to babysit Kay and Con.

I think someone was having a little bit too much fun with the camera... :)

A bee was hiding in my laundry, and when I went to wash my dirty clothes, it jumped out and stung me! It was the second time in my life I'd been stung by a bee, and it was every bit as bad as I had remembered. I went running outside, looking for relief (mud), and decided I needed a mud mask too :)

My Whisper kitty is getting so old, but really, she's in the best shape of her life. She loves Farmington!

A few weeks ago, we cut down a bunch of dead trees in the backyard.

This was our lumberjack crew! (Ty, Whit, Cody, and Dad)

A Jam-Packed July

WARNING!

(Reading this post may cause eye fatigue)

It's been awhile since I've blogged, so I've just decided to make one HUGE blog, and then continue on as I always have......blogging every now and then. So

LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!

JULY 1-5

SCHOLFIELD

For the 4th of July, I went with the Keddingtons to their cabin in Scholfield, next to Strawberry Reservoir. It was my first time water-skiing and you could say I was having a hard time with it :)

I have about 5 other videos that are exactly like this. I never managed to get up, but there's always a next time

The Brysons are friends of the Keddingtons, so they joined in the fun too. This was one of their tents. It took FOREVER to figure out. I bet we honestly messed around with it for a good hour and a half before we got it right.

It turned out pretty dang cool though

Then we hit the water! Cody told me that expert water-skiiers don't even get their hair wet---and wouldn't you know it, after Cody finished skiing, there wasn't even a drop of water on his head.

Cody's little brother, Colton, is really good at water-skiing too. It must be a family thing I guess
Charlie Brock (who is married to Cody's older sister Angie) was pulling incredible stunts on the Sky Ski

JULY 9-12

THE SNAKE RIVER TRIP!

We went on our annual family vacation to run the Snake. It was a blast, as usual-and we had two new-comers along for the trip. (Cody and Matthias)

Our boat

The other boat

Ty was showing us some of his sweet action tricks off the boat

Cody and I were taking a picture, but after seeing how perfectly Greg was positioned in the background, we invited him to join us in the photo :) Oh that Gregory...

Dad and his sister fell out of the boat :)

Greg was working those big muscular arms of his in order to get us all safely back to shore :)

That Kaylie girl is a crack up!

Roasting marshmallows is fun Issac, I promise!

DAY #2 OF THE RIVER

Cody strapped down the boats

I just really like this picture of Ty :) It makes me so happy :)

The 2nd group I went with:

The other boat is so....photogenic!

Once again doing tricks off the boat

And after I jumped in, I made sure Ty came in with me ;)

This was definitely a moment of triumph for me :) I've never been able to pull Ty into the river before

This was taken shortly after Greg had tackled Matthias into the water

Lunchcounter

THE NEXT DAY...

Those of us who left on Sunday stopped to go on a small hike up to Periodic Springs. It was just as gorgeous as ever.

Is it just me, or are my legs looking EXTRA FINE!!! :D

One of Cody's many hidden talents is his incredible rock-climbing ability

Me and Cody in front of Periodic. Awww.....so cute!

Cody picked me wildflowers all throughout our hike

Tyson the Mountain Goat......

.......got a little scared on the way down.....

HELP PLEASE?

JULY 19

MY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!

This year marks my final year in the "teens"!! I'm 19!!! How wonderful :) We celebrated...ME!....by means of a Sunday dinner with the family.

Cody, the candle-blowing supervisor

This, a disaster of a DQ cake, ended up being my birthday cake. I decorated it myself and afterwards, I was fairly confident that I should never have touched it

JULY 20

MY BIRTHDAY!

All day I kinda just did what I wanted. Went out for a Pepsi and swimming with Mom, did some birthday shopping and relaxed out in the yard. It was wonderful. Then Cody surprised me with (my favorite) red roses and took me out to dinner to a super fancy restaurant in Salt Lake where they even had gelato for dessert!!! Yes, I said GELATO!!! AAAHHH!!! I was in heaven! I love that Codylicious-he is so good to me :) As you can tell, my birthday was absolutely flawless.

JULY 22

I tried out a new hairstyle

JULY 24

Cody and I celebrated the 24th together by going to the Bountiful parade and watching the Muler Park fireworks from his Uncle's house. It was a fabulous 24th of July!

JULY 27

I babysat Kay and Con while Tia went to Scout Camp. When I told Kaylie to make a funny face, this is the face she pulled :) I couldn't stop laughing!

Me and my niece and nephew

I made Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast

JULY 28

When Casey and I were cleaning out the pantry, we found this hidden away in a top shelf....Look closely!

Bottled By: U. R. Stiff :) That's probably my favorite part. When we questioned Mom about why she has embalming fluid in her pantry, we were not at all surprised to find out that it was a gag gift from Aunt Ray. OF COURSE! We should've guessed as much.

JULY 29

Seeing Ty and Will off to Pioneer Trek

Mom was trying to find a new haircut to try. Tia had told us about a make-over website, so we uploaded Mom's picture and......got a little bit carried away :) These are 3 of my favorites

Kaylie had asked me to help her look like a princess. This was the final outcome. Isn't she gorgeous?

We made her dress out of one of mine :) It's just pinned up in the back, but it looks great!

Kaylie and her grandma

This was Mom's attempt to model for the camera :) BWA HA HA HA! I love it!

JULY 31-AUGUST 2

THE REUNION!

On Saturday morning at the reunion, a bunch of us took the kids to the dairy farm down the street. We got to feed all the calves and see how they milk the cows. It was so much fun! All of the adults were loving it just as much as the kids were. This was a first at the reunion, and I'm willing to bet it won't be the last time we help out the farm.

Sleeping out under the stars is a whole lot more fun than sleeping in tents

Casey always looks like a model

This is my favorite picture of Kaylie :)

They even had some lambs at the farm! But it turns out that I trusted them a little too much. The white one bit my finger, thinking it was a carrot......I'm pretty dang sure I have Lamb Disease

We even got to see how they milk the cows-so neat!
This was the whole farm-going group. We're a good lookin' bunch!

AUGUST 3

The day after we got back from the Reunion, Mom treated Gracie and I to a pedicure! Aren't our toes lovely?

Alright-now you're all up to date.

Something Delicious for Codylicious

A couple days ago, I decided that just purely out of randomness, I wanted to make a surprise for Cody (AKA: Codylicious) :) This was the ending result. Cute huh? I loved it! Before he or any of his family woke up, I snuck these sugar cookie flowers over to his house and left them sitting in their garden. 

When Cody finally found them (his morning chore was to weed the garden) the first thing he said was, "I've never had a girl give me flowers before." :)

Later on that day, we went shooting with his little brother Colton and Colton's friend Joey. Funniest thing though----Colton and Joey were the first to shoot, and it wasn't until Cody threw the 5th clay pigeon that either of them got it. (This was odd cause Colton is a master when it comes to shooting.) After 10 or so more shots, they handed the guns over to me and Cody.  I got it on my first try! What do you know? The blind girl can shoot!! :) (Believe me I know. . . . . blind, 18 year-old girl+loaded weapon=disaster. Doesn't sound good does it?)

A Pool Party for Georgia

Georgia is turning one years old in a couple days! Today we celebrated her birthday at the North Canyon pool. Everyone had a blast! Gigi sure knows how to throw a great party :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIGERS!

Jason and Jay had fun playing in the pool...

...but mostly Jason

This picture was crackin' me up! Kaylie with her eyes wide open under water :)

Emptying the water out of her goggles and trying to maintain some balance in her flippers

Connor loved the squirt guns!

GEORGIA: "How do I get that sugary goodness in me?!"

 :) Big Birthday smile

Diving into her birthday cake

Opening presents with Dad

"We was like Peas and Carrots"

My best friend and cousin, Andrew Jon Simmonds, left for the MTC yesterday morning. Of course I bawled! I am so excited for him to be out on his mission, but still...... 

I miss my friend. 

The siblings

The fam all together before Andy's departure

 (hold up. Where's Whit and Hank? Or Travis and Tia? Um.....so I guess it's not the whole family, but close)

This video was taken on Tuesday night-the BBQ celebration farewell...

Charlie, Jay, and Georgia

I hadn't met my sweet, precious nephew till two days ago. He is so tiny! I love him :*

Jay is getting a little territorial.  When I was holding Charlie for the first time, he ran to where I sat, took hold of Charlie, and yelled, "Thats MY brother!!!"

I've finally gotten some time to hang out with my Georgie. She is such a doll-I honestly can't get enough of her 

(and look! She even has her auntie's nose) :)

Fare Thee Well

A whole new batch of missionaries is going out and one of them happens to be our own, Tony Dibb.  Awww.....Dibbons!!  :'(

We will miss you! 

Our numbers are starting to dwindle now that a bunch of us are leaving on missions.  We love our missionaries!

We all decided that yellow was the theme color for the day---seeing as how 3/4 of us wore yellow attire.  I guess I was out of the loop

Stairway to.....Heaven?

Dad has found himself a new project! (Surprise, surprise) :) He is now building a staircase that will lead from the lower back lawn, all the way up to the back deck.  How marvelous! Keep up the good work Dad!

That is the framework for all the stairs.  It will look so nice when it's done

Lookie What I Found! :)

This is a video I found of Cody and one of his companions singing along to a Christian CD during their mission in Washington :)  Enjoy!

Starting the Summer

I have been told several times that I am slacking in my blogging efforts, and it is completely true.  So now I'm bringing you all up to speed on the goings-on of my summer

One day.....

The Uzelacs' and the Trevinos' came for a visit and we managed to sneak in a couple 4-wheeler rides.  The kids LOVED it!

Cutest Hobo-Hatted Cousins :)

A little....overly excited, huh Mom? :)

The Prego Supermodel

When I told Jay to smile, this is what I got :)

Then.....

Mattie got his Eagle Scout award!!! Way to go Matt!!!

K....am I really the shortest in the whole family?

And.....

The Pettey Boys stayed with us for a couple of days, so of course we had to do some more 4-wheeling!

Precious Cargo :)

My favorite is Dad in the background

On Mother's Day.....

We had a Mother's day brunch and the kids danced for us :) 

Kaylie has a definate love of shoes
So glamorous Kay!
:) The boys discovered how much fun swords can be

Later on.....

We had a combined FHE in Sandy, where we all found out what Ands should expect for his mission in Johanesburg, South Africa. Holy crap!!! Ands is leaving June 24th!!! We're too little for that!

We even.....

got a brand new kitchen for the playroom :)

Of course.....

I had to do some shopping! Cody was a good sport about it :)

What a HUNK!!

And there was.....

More 4-Wheeling!!! Cody's cousin, Nate, and his wife Mandie invited Cody and I to come 4-wheeling with them on their property up past Logan.  It was a blast!!! 

Got some dirt on my face.....just a little bit though :) 4-wheeling isn't 4-wheeling unless you get a little bit dirty

We found a dead cow

And we even ran into a mountain of snow, so we had ourselves a snowball fight too.  Oh, and I managed to be the only one to slip and fall in a mud puddle.  Typical Ali, I guess :)

On a Whim.....

Ryanne, Jenny, Tia, the kids, and I got together for a swim day.  I had almost completely forgotten my camera is an underwater camera till this very day.  I was very happy with the results, however, I'm kind of upset cause I think my camera takes better pictures under water than above it. (sigh)

I really like how this photo turned out. I think the bubbles and the ripples look pretty dang sweet.

I can't even tell you how many times I told Kaylie not to drink that water... :) Silly girl

Surprise!.....

Trent came home from his mission in Carlsbad, California.  We were all so happy to see him!  Welcome Home Elder Williams!!!

"Capitalizing on the moment" as my mother put it :)

Our.....Poster Children :) 

How could anyone forget that face, Stella? :)

Plus.....

I've gotten to go to several of Cody's soccer games.

Not to Mention.....

I've also played laser tag (It was even my first time, and out of 13 of us, I came in 6th place! Not bad for a blind girl eh? And Cody, of course, took 1st), played a little bit of frisbee, gone to a couple BBQ's, attended several mission farewells, did a lot of gardening, seen a few movies, walked around the park, went to my very first car show, and am still in the process of looking for a job.  Exciting huh?

Beginning the Countdown!

On Sunday, as I was returning home from my voice recital, my roommates picked me up and we all went to the park to have some fun.  We ended up playing some cards, snacking on jellybeans and taking tons of jumping pictures. (Mostly for Brynne's benefit. She LOVES jumping pictures) This is our last week of our Freshman year of college and we still have no idea where the time has gone.  Good thing we're all living together next semester too huh?!

(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Brynne, Me, Emily, and Kylee)

I lost numerous times during the game....good thing I  don't gamble :)

As I was looking through my pictures, I realized that my Aerobics teacher was right.  I do have ballerina feet :) I'm always pointing my toes

What can I say? I'm a DIVA!!! :) HA HA HA!

This is one of my favorites :) Look at Ky! 

This is our most embarrassing, but funniest picture we took all day.  We figured out that Brynne can't keep her mouth closed when she's jumping, Kylee looks like she's about to pounce on someone, and I look completely ridiculous.  I was trying to fling myself out as far as possible...what a dork :)

I love Ky in this picture :) Reminds me of a starfish and a bear hug all at the same time.

Modeling-a second nature routine for me :)

One night, Emily and I arranged for the two of us to have a bit of fun. Of course this means PHOTO SHOOT! I love those nights :) Oh-and I just have to say that I ADORE the red lips :) So beautifully luscious!!

This is probably my favorite "Me" photo of the bunch.  As Casey said, "It's so Glamzon!"

Cool lookin' huh?

Look at those nails!!! Aren't they gorgeous?!

Nails!!

A few weeks ago, I went home and for the first time ever, I got a manicure! I have broken my horrible, nail-biting habit and have now been clean for nearly 3 months!

What happens in B-Town _____________ ;)

Spring Break was a fantastic affair ! I really loved it. I spent a few Spa nights with my friends Natasha and Sade, watched a few soccer games and a couple movies with Cody and had a blast with Tia and her kids. Even though I wasn't in Hawaii with my parents (I know-lame huh?), I had a fabulous Spring Break :)

Tia hired Natasha and I to be gymnastics instructors at Flips for a night! We had so much fun with the kids-however this one event helped me to determine that I will never have children. Ever.

:) My precious Kaylie went around to at least 8 different kids and stole their name tags :) I love that girl

Kaylie was so concerned Natasha wasn't warming up with the rest of them. "Come play Tashie!"

Superbowl Party

A couple of weeks ago, my roommates and I had a Superbowl party where, yes, we did make Superbowl cupcakes!


We had some fun with the left over icing :) MWAH!!! Notice the lips on the left side of the mirror....oh yeah-they are mine :*

The Day of Love :)

Valentines Day: February 14, observed in honor of St. Valentine as a day for the exchange of valentines and other tokens of affection. :) My tokens of affection were as follows:
1. A romantic dinner up on the balcony (It looked a lot like this except I used candles instead of the champaign bottle) :)

2. Two tickets to Desert Star to see their show "Home School Musical"

3. A Romeo Bear from Build-A-Bear


These were his three surprises (Yes, I said SURPRISES. He had no idea what we were going to do that night). People, I've found that it's all about the presentation. I set up a romantic dinner-a relatively easy thing to do....get a nice tablecloth, candles, nice china to eat on (no paper plates), and glass bowls for chip dip and stuff like that. (Mom cooked. I wasn't about to attempt to mess everything up with my pitiful cooking skills) Then I presented his second surprise by providing him with directions to our next destination, Desert Star. When he didn't recognize the address, I handed him our tickets. His face lit up :) The next part was something I had been wrestling with for a solid week. How to give him the bear. After much debate, I delivered the bear to the Desert Star Theatre that morning along with very specific instructions. During the intermission, one of the actors always announces birthdays, anniversaries, etc, so after the show, the actor finished announcing birthdays and then asked if there was a Cody Kettleburg in the theatre. Cody's face went from being relaxed and happy, to completely blank :D Oh gosh-it was FAN-TASTIC!!! He raised his hand (We were very easily spotted by everyone in the theatre cause we were seated on the front row) and the actor announced that Cody was a newly returned missionary and that he was here with his "Long lost love". (Inside joke to all who saw a previous blog post of mine). The actor then told Cody they had a gift for him, and right then, our waitress came up behind us and placed the bear in his arms. Of course you can imagine the rest of the audience :) Awww....! Anyways though, it turned out to be a great Valentines day-that's for sure :)

Bear Lake!

Let me tell you the story of my very first trip to Bear Lake......
One Saturday, two of my roommates and I left Logan for a little while to visit Bear Lake

It was my first time to ever see the lake and boy, was it beautiful!

We stopped at the monument overlooking the lake and decided to set aside some time for stunts....

and a photoshoot!

On our way to search for the shoreline, we stopped at a.....beach.....we quickly left.

We ended up having to pursue the shoreline on foot

and along the way, we found patches of cat tails!

After much trudging through the hardened snow, WE FOUND IT!!! and of course we.....

had another photoshoot :)

and made snow angels!

As we were leaving, we saw a flock of geese! (Any Brian Reagan fans?)

We plowed our way back through the snow and had stopped to rest, but Emily was getting a little too friendly.....so....yeah, that was short lived.

Before we left town, we stopped for a bite to eat at a local, old fashioned restaurant. Mmmm.....Delicious!

but we still weren't done messing around! I pushed Emily into the river.....almost.....

climbed a tree.....

got my feet wet and still found time for.....

ANOTHER PHOTOSHOOT! BRIDGE SHOTS! I love it!

But it started to get dark, so we headed for home.

What an eventful day this turned out to be! :)

To Be or Not to Be

So tonight I had my first voice lesson through the University. I got along with my instructor really well and after a couple warm ups, she asked me to sing for her, just so she could see exactly what she was working with. After I sang, she asked what my major was. I told her that I am undeclared, and then she told me I should consider being a Vocal Performance major. She told me that I was incredibly talented and that I had amazing potential, and even though I'm not fully trained, I already sounded just as good, if not better than half of the people already going through the program. Coming from a person with a Masters in Vocal Performance, I was quite flattered. She told me about a scholarship opportunity, where if I ended up getting it, all my schooling would be paid for. I explained to her that I already had a full-ride scholarship, and she told me that in that case, the program would pay me to go to school. How dang cool is that? But here's my dilemma-it's actually been a toss up since I got into college-do I become a musics major or not? So many decisions.....

Cupid Cookies

After our bowling class today, Emily and I went to Walmart only to discover that they have already startd setting up for Valentines Day! Who could resist getting Valentines day cookies?! We sure couldn't! :)