Happy Halloween

So, I'm not especially fond of Halloween- but not totally opposed to it either. I'm working on trying to like, mostly for the sake of my future children. I think it's fun that so many people get into it and like to dress up. But it's not really my favorite thing to dress up, not because of the actual process of dressing up- but that I never feel like I have good ideas of what to dress up as. My sorry excuse for looking like Mrs. White in the move "Clue" which Madeline Kahn plays and makes me laugh every time I see it. Yeah, I know- not even close. So you catch my drift I'm sure. And Ryan... Well, we're still not really sure what he was supposed to look like. One of the Beastie Boys from the Sabotage video? A Beatle maybe? Nah...
I don't really like the horror movies either. But I DO like some of the Halloween cartoons. You know, like Charlie Brown's "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" movie... or the Tim Burton films Nightmare Before Christmas and The Corpse Bride. I wanted to give a shout out for the Nightmare movie though because I watched it the other night and remembered how much I love that movie and how long I've loved it! I remember when it came out and a friend of mine went to Disneyworld or Universal Studios or somewhere cool like that and brought me pencils with each of the "trick or treaters" (Lock, Shock and Barrell) on them. I swear I kept those things around well after I moved out of the house because I loved them so much!
May I add that I also just REALLY love Tim Burton films a lot- and I think it's because they are so strange and far out. And that their humor is so great and creative. I know a lot of people really don't grasp or even like him that much- but I am a fan for sure. So here's my shout out to Tim... and yes, I'm pretending to know him on a first name basis.

So that's my take on Halloween. And that's all I have to say, mostly because it's time to leave work!

Acorn Hunt and Leaf Raking with the Colliers

So Ryan, Delinda and I went to Gilbert, S.C. to visit my Uncle Mark and Aunt Sally and cousins Laura, Jack, Elaine and their kids Grace, Christian and Aidan. We had a really good time there, our main purpose was to go and help clean up the yard but we also had a fun time laughing and being family and just having a good time!

Gracie (who now has a nice little crush on Ryan!) headed up a wild acorn hunt where she recruited all of us adults to walk around the yard and pick up acorns- which ended up being thrown at each other most of the time. I think most of us all got pelted in the head by SOMEONE... Not sure what she's going to do with all of those acorns, but more power to her!
Then Ryan and I raked up leaves and pine straw as they call it here in the South, I personally refer to them as pine needles... anyway- we did about half the yard and loaded them into Uncle Mark's trusty blue kiddy swimming pool and hauled them to the spot where we made a bonfire.

After a walk with my sis and cousin Laura and her kids, we all went in for dinner and then moved our way out to the yard again to make s'mores! It was a beautiful and warm fall day and it was even better to have been able to spend it with my family! It is a memory I will always keep and cherish!

My cousin Laura and her kids

Our trusty bonfire and Delinda actually working!

And I want you to know I feel lucky to know you

Cut open my heart And you'll see that it's true

I want you to know I feel lucky to know you

Yeah summer fades into fall And with it

Came the writing on the wall

So I sent a thousand letters on the Backs of silver angels through the sky

And I want you to know I feel lucky to know you

Cut open my heart And you'll see that it's true I want you to know I feel lucky to know you

Midnight train to Georgia...

The other night I spent some time with my sister and it was nice. We didn't do anything special, we just went and ate and then watched CSI together- but it was enjoyable to laugh at stupid things with her and be all into the show together and just talk. After she left, I went to bed and I got to thinking about the day and it's happenings and how I missed Ryan because I only got to see him for a total of 5 minutes for the WHOLE day! (I know, sad isn't it??!) I had the window open and I was all snuggled up in my comfy, warm blankets and as I was thinking I started to listen to the sounds coming from outside. I could hear the crickets and frogs... frogs.
I decided in that moment of listening and thinking that I really like the sound of the frogs, as long as they're not TOO loud. I feel that it can be a soothing sound. Now, I'm from the West where there aren't a whole lot of frogs to be seen or heard for that matter. The only thing that even resembles a frog that I remember seeing in Flagstaff, Arizona were Horny Toads. Yes they are similar in that they are both amphibious, but the two are NOT similar in looks at all!! And horny toads don't make a chirp like the frogs here do. Here's one in case you were wondering what they looked like. I used to love catching them when I was little.
Anyway- moving on with my story... My next train of thought after this momentous realization of me liking the sound of frogs was that I would have never pictured myself living in Georgia someday. I knew that Georgia was a state, and I'd flown through it one time on the way to Europe- but I didn't really think of it as a place where people lived and had a culture of their own!! I didn't know about grits, or that some people consider Mac & Cheese to be a "vegetable" or that people could drive so horribly!!! Probably just like people here have never really thought about Arizona, and if they do- they most likely think of it only as the desert with rattle snakes and cacti and all that stuff. Which is quite the contrary to where I grew up. Flagstaff is a small beautiful town in the Northern part of Arizona only about 70 or so miles away from the Grand Canyon. The elevation is 7000 feet and our landscape consisted of LOTS of Ponderosa Pine trees and the San Francisco Peaks. It snows a good amount just about every year and there are hardly ANY cactus there, unless someone decides to use it in their landscape! A good portion of the people I've talked to that have actually been to Flagstaff got caught in a snow storm there! You learn something new every day! Unless, of course, you already knew that...
The difference between the way life is in Flagstaff and in Atlanta is huge (except for the pine trees!) and it has taken a lot to get used to. Being in the midst of VERY tall highrise buildings was and still is at times overwhelming. I almost feel that I am used to it all now and although I do miss Flag a lot- I really like Georgia. Someday I'll get used to calling it "home"!
I think of my life and where I've been so far and how I've gotten to each place. I know that where I've been the last ten years I was supposed to have been for one reason or another. I have had many neat experiences and seen so many cool things and most of all learned TONS about myself. I also feel really grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost and it's small and sweet whisperings and promptings. I feel that had I not listened to those promptings that I wouldn't be here in Atlanta. I wouldn't have grown the way I feel I have, I wouldn't have become closer to my sister like I have in the last two years, I wouldn't have met the friends I have, and I know that I couldn't have found a better man than my Ry-ry.

I can't wait to see where I am going to go next in life! There is so much ahead of me that I am so excited and ready for and it's good to know I'm not doing it alone! I feel so blessed, I feel like I'm one of the luckiest girls in the world and completely undeserving of it.
All in all- I realized that life is a crazy unsure thing. That you NEVER know where you'll end up- even if you have a "plan" in mind, things can always change. And if you don't have a plan in mind- you may never expect what lies ahead of you! Who would've thought little Heather would've ended up all the way in Atlanta, GA? Not me!
"No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for."

It's Fall... And I'm lovin' it!

To me, there are two times of the year that are the best; first is in the Spring when life is being breathed back into the winter torn nature and it's starting to become warmer and bearable outside. You can start hearing the birds singing again, and the beautiful blossoms on the trees and the deep blue skies. I also love the Fall when it's starting to FINALLY cool down and the leaves change into beautiful colors and there's that great breeze and smell in the air. It's also like a precursor for the Holiday's for me too. It means that Halloween is right around the corner, then shortly after that it's Thanksgiving... Then shortly after that it's already Christmas! After New Year's though I'm done with the winter and am already looking forward to Spring again. But until then, I am super excited! I love wearing sweaters and warm clothes and cuddling up in nice comfy soft blankets, and now especially with my boy! I love the activities to look forward to in the Fall too- going to haunted houses, making pies and soup or any comfort food, raking the leaves at my uncle's and jumping in them or burning them is fun too, pigging out at Thanksgiving and chilling with the fam. And then it's already time to start thinking of Christmas presents to buy and getting a Christmas tree and decorating and getting out my Christmas music!!! I love it!
I also wanted to mention that I am so grateful for the people I am surrounded by. I think I've mentioned that before, but I really am so lucky. I get to do so many cool things with them, I get to learn new Gospel principles or about new music or just laugh a lot!!! I feel VERY loved and unworthy of it- but I hope it never ends!
HAPPY FALL!!!!

Here are a bunch of us with the missionaries that have been teaching Ryan. The one on the right has been here through the long haul and goes home this week sadly enough. He's a good man though and I'm so excited for him to get going on his new life back home!