2011: What a great year!

So 2011 was an amazing year. Here is a quick overview of it.  Still so many things I missed and might add later!  Happy reading!  It makes me happy to look back and realize how many things I am privileged to do and how full my life is!  Happy New Year everyone, may 2012 be just as great, if not better! I don't know how to top this off...read on for more and you'll understand!

We knew it was going to be a blustery year when it started out with a huge snow storm on my way home from my sister's in New Mexico on New Year's Eve 2010!

I'm not really sure why people continue to go cross country skiing when it is so hard! The only good part is going down hill...so I say, why waist your time going up hill when you could just go "downhill skiing" or snowboarding!

Went to the Jazz game! It was really fun! I love going to live sporting events!

Erin and I over President's day weekend in Fairview!  Matt, remember how I got a free lunch for being quiet for an hour?  I can do hard things! Heck yeah!!!

Oh, the beloved Dirty Dash! This time it was really dirty!  Check out my pig! He can attest to the intensity of it!

Jenni's LAST CALL!  Joan Jett! Who else? Where else? Wendover!! Get ready for some fun!



You have to go visit the cowboy at least once in your life!  Welcome to the end of Wendover!

Jimmy, you're my hero!  Thanks for motivating me to do the ice breaker again! It was fun,but we both know I didn't train like I should have!

That's right, Athletes only!!!  Did you get your timing chip?

In April I met my grandpa who is 80 years old, whom I have never (well, I never recall) met.  It was really a sweet thing for him to hug me with tears in his eyes and say, “After all this time. After 30 years I finally meet my granddaughter.”  It was fun to spend some time there. He is a great cook.  I did a lot of genealogy while there.  They are not members of the church. His wife (she passed away just recently in September of this year) gave me a ton of dates and things to work on. I am currently transcribing his journal that he wrote for me by hand last year for Christmas. I recorded a ton of stories, dates and took a lot of pictures home to scan. Oh the beauty of modern technology.  I also met my Aunt Linda whom I had never met before either. She was kind enough to fly me out there (NH) and make all these meetings possible. I stayed with her for 2 days and my dad (who I met when I was 23 for the first time that I recall) for 3 days.  While in New York, that is where he lives, we went and saw Phantom of the Opera and Spiderman, went on a tour of New York City and ate a lot of really good food.

After meeting all of these people, I realized where I get my personality, my body type and my drive to be successful! It’s amazing how, even though you don’t know people your whole life, there are a lot of things that run deep in the blood.  It has been very cleansing for me personally to put some puzzle pieces together about who I am and why I am where I am.

Went and saw Spider man before it closed.

I brought Stanely all around New York with me!  He had a great time seeing Phantom of the Opera and Spider-Man

When I got to Boston, I met the nicest man on Earth.  He realized as we were talking that it was my first time in Boston, so he bought me a Red Sox hat and helped me find my bus. He was so nice! I wanted to thank him with a card, a note or something and he gave me his business card. I was devastated when I realized it had shimmied out of my back pocket. DO NOT put stuff in my back pockets I try to remind myself. 9/10 times they get lost.  I will never be able to thank him in person, but some day I will find him, some day!  I will never forget this man. I don't even know his name, but he sure took care of me that day!

My cousin Erin! Can you tell we are cousins? I had never met her before that day!

Aunt Linda and I got a little crazy and got nose rings! Not! But her husband didn't know that and we had him going for about an hour. He said that I was a bad influence on her! If he only knew me! I barely met her too! What good times!

My first time eating lobster! When on the east coast, do as the eastcoasters do!  Eat sea food!

I just love this!!! Aunt Linda and I went in a cute shop and found all these cute sayings. I of course busted out my camera to bring the memories home with me!

Back to New York for a day.  My roommate Brandi came out and we went o Canal street and bought some fun stuff!  My dogs were tired at the end of that day!

In June I went to Spain as a study abroad with BYU. It was a dream come true. We went to places (see previous blog entries…there’s a lot. It was a part of my grade. I had the best, most up to date, well kept blog one of my professors said!) I had only seen in pictures and dreamed about.  I loved every single city and really enjoyed the food (I gained 10 pounds!) architecture, people and the language.  It was truly a wonderful experience. I am very blessed to have been able to go and especially to have been with some of the best professors I know as well as meet some great new friends.

Don Quixote anyone!!! The famous windmills!

La Mezquita, Cordoba (one of my all time favorite things we saw!)

Can you see what that is? It's Harry Potter flying on his broom! This amazing man created all these stick figure things from matches. Look closely.  Such an amazing job! I bought a nativity for one of our friend's anniversaries while in Spain and she had to be away from her husband.  That and the chocolate eclare made her cry and feel better!

I missed my bed!!! I loved sleeping in it that first night.

Upon returning to the US of A, I had a beach trip planned to go to San Diego to Celebrate my 31^st birthday a few weeks early because I started school the day after my birthday so there wouldn’t be time then.  I went to California with my good friend Jenn and we had a blast staying on the beach front.

I went to New Mexico to visit my sister on July 31^st and her brand new little girl.  This being her 4^th child, things were a little crazy for her.  She is a real trooper and a wonderful mom that I have learned much from.  We did swimming lessons every day for 8 days while I was there and made some progress with the kids. It was fun, but it is always better to have people teach hard things when there isn’t a close connection previously I think.  The kids got scared much more easily.  I have taught a ton of kids to swim and I always have the greatest success with those who only know me as their swim teacher.

These are all the fun things I brought them back from Spain! I'm such a cool Aunt!!!

I taught all of my nephews and my niece swimming lessons for the week I was there! It was a blast!

Back to school in August!  At least it was a great opportunity to teach my students the “Feliz, Feliz en tu dia” song because we started school on August 18^th and my birthday was the previous day!  I wrote on a piece of paper, “This is my year of growth.” After I found out what my schedule was going to be and that I didn’t have a real classroom until October.  So, I set up shop in the school kitchen until the portables were done!

It was a long, yet quick 2 months and I must say I have grown a lot! I am now teaching the student government class, which puts me in charge of all of the activities at school, and we are going crazy with creative and fun things we are doing, but it is also a bit overwhelming at times.  I came down with the stomach flu the night after we did the Halloween carnival, which was a huge success, and couldn’t go back to school for 3 days.  It was crazy!

Camping for Tres Amigos tres y tambien tres Amigas Tres this year!

Rollin down the river!!! Gotta love our "River Run 1" tubes!  There's nothing like flowing on the slow Jordan River!

So we decided that it would be a good idea to hike Mt. Timpanogas on September 16th! Not such a good idea.  We almost go hypothermia and let's be honest, it just wasn't that fun wading through the river that the mountain turned into, but ironically, we weren't the only crazy people on the mountain that day!!! What is wrong with people? That is what I ask myself every time I attempt to hike Mt. Timp!

Check out how soaking wet we are!!!

The beginnings of saying good-bye in October.  Bradley figured out that if he stands on his tip toes, he is as tall or taller than me.  He said, "I wish I was taller than Aunt Becca."  Mike said, "If that's your wish, I'm pretty sure it will come true."  I just laughed, because I know it will come true and I'll still be as short as I ever was!!! But that's okay!  Like other people say, "Becca, You're funsized."

Ashbey's 8th birthday, October 30th,  followed by her baptism November 5th!  Some really great days!

November came and went with a trip to Hawaii for Thanksgiving after I found out my brother was moving to New Zealand for the next 5 years, and my sister’s family had already made it a sure thing that they would be spending Thanksgiving in Hawaii.   While there, my brother and his wife decided to help one of my dreams come true! They surprised me with a ride on a dolphin!  I have dreamt about swimming, owning, diving off of etc a killer whale’s nose and swimming with dolphins for as long as I can remember. (needless to say I currently own orcachick@hotmail and orcachick@gmail...addresses.)  I also was able to spend some much needed time with my niece and other nephews who I either don’t ever see, or who I won’t see for a very long time. It was truly my favorite part of the vacation.

Right where I wanted to be that morning! It was probably one of my favorite days!

The Proper kids!

The whole crew!  What a great day!

Ashbey and Aunt Becca we really bonded this trip!

Sisters in Hawaii!  Good times!

Joy! Pure joy as my dream comes true!

Oh, how I miss my Shauny!!! I love this lady!  She brings out the silly in me and I bring it out even more in her!!!

Getting ready for Christmas in Hawaii!  That was a wonderful day filled with memories and yummy Japanese food in a way I've never eaten it before! P.S. I learned how to use chop sticks (with the help of training wheels of course!)

Brody has this thing about licking people! What a nut!

My special Dylan! I love this kid!!! He's going to be an arcitecht one day!

December: It's off to New Mexico for Christmas!  Here are 4 more of my cute kids!  Austin 8, Ashley 5 months, Amberly 4 and the ever into something Tyler 2.5!

Austin is a good big brother, helping hold Ashley when she cries.  I love that he always wears the jersey I got him in Spain! He is so funny. Check out the next picture.

He always dresses up to play any game he plays! Can't keep him in real clothes for too long!

Merry Christmas!  My secret santa gave me these awesome antlers!  They even light up!

Ashley is such a good little girl! I loved holding her and watching her sleep and feeding her, her first bottle!

Ty-man, always into something!

Ashley's first bottle!!!

Amberly got a hold of my Book of Mormon and "read" it.  She helped me highlight stuff.  She is in a HUGE coloring phase!

Mom and Hal got their mission call December 29th to the Guayaquil, Ecuador temple.  They will go into the MTC on March 5th for 2 weeks and then serve as ordinance workers for a year and a half on the equator.  Spanish lesson: Ecuador=equator!

Back home for my cousin Nephi and his new Bride Stacy's wedding at the Logan temple December 30th.  What a great day!

This is the most cousins that have been together in a long time. I saw my cousin Malachi for the first time in about 17 years!  How fun! We had a great time with Aunt Carmen, Aunt Flo, Tiffany and her girls, Stephanie and her girls and our new friend Shawn. What a wonderful event. I love weddings. I didn't catch the bouquet, but I almost hurt a girl in the process!!