Naomi Anne

For those of you who didn't hear the spectacular news - I have another niece!!

Naomi Anne was born on 12 July 2011 at 3:30am(ish). She weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long! From what I hear, everything went well!

Congrats to Dan, Ashley, Hannah, and Rachel! I can't wait to meet you, Naomi!!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:

1. All of my nieces. I can't stand being away from them.

2. Mary Martin's Peter Pan. Holy cow, I love this movie. I'm watching it now and can't stop laughing.

3. I'm surrounded by pictures of people I don't talk to anymore. Must remedy this.

4. Maureen O'Hara. She has to be the most beautiful, classy woman ever to grace Hollywood.

5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the book and the movies). Seen it twice and can't wait to go again!

Vacation - FINALLY!

I'm taking a real vacation and I can't believe it. I know, I know...I went to K-Town to visit my Stella in September, but that only involved ONE DAY of no work. (An AMAZING trip, but not really a "vacation".) A few amazing things about this vacation, though. Are you all ready?

1. I'm going with this wonderful woman:

MY MOM!!

2. We'll be gone from 08 April though 18 April.

3. We're going here:

LONDON!! (AKA: Home <3)

4. And quite possibly, here (for one day):

PARIS!! ('Cause Momma's never been and I wouldn't mind a delicious gyro from that one place that Andrew and I ate at every day we were there. And yes, I still remember it is and how to get there).

"I love Paris in the spring-time..."

la-di-da-di-di-da...

5. My work loves me, so they're giving me and my mom tickets to see ANY STAGE SHOW we want while we're there, which means:

WICKED!! (At long last!) - Not just Wicked - FREE Wicked! IN LONDON!!

6. Family. We're staying with my mom's cousin, who lives just outside of London, in Surrey. I have only met Frances once and am SO excited to see her again, and meet her husband and the kids of hers that I have not yet met. AND my mom's other cousin, Linda, is coming from Germany for a few days, as well!

I am SO STINKING excited it isn't even funny!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:

1. Uh, this ENTIRE post. Happy 25th birthday to me!

2. Shauna's home!!! Congrats on a mission well-served.

3. My 2 countdown widgets for my phone.

4. Replacing those 2 countdown widgets pretty much the day they expire with other exciting things!

5. SALISBURY, HERE I COME!!!

6. Portobello Road.

7. Oxford.

8. A glorious 9 days free of work.

I Have a New Sister-in-Law

Jereme got married on 20 November!!

It's been crazy having all of my family here and trying to juggle seeing everyone and working and trying to squeeze in time to see Nicole while she was here (didn't really work...).

The wedding was great! They were married in the San Diego temple and it was RAINING on Saturday!! Christy and Jereme were troopers through the rain and were all smiles. Right after they got out of the temple we all headed back up to LA for the reception, which was GORGEOUS!

You know I love my brother because I was DANCING. IN PUBLIC!!

I'm so glad that Jereme and Christy picked each other. She's amazing and I'm grateful that she is my newest sister.

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:

1. Having all of my family here (minus my brother-in-law, Dan). We missed you Dan!!

2. Bonuses from work.

3. Staring at my computer screen for around 7 minutes, trying to think of the third thing to put on this list since I decided I would always have at least 3 things.

The Nice Thing About Funerals

Sorry it's been so long - things around here have been slightly insane.

My mom's mom, "Grannie," moved in with us about a year ago. For a year before that, my mom lived with her in Utah after my grandfather died to take care of her. On Saturday, July 3, 2010 at 2:22 AM, Grannie died very suddenly. The doctors wouldn't even call her sick until around 6 pm on Friday.

The nice thing about funerals is: you get to see family. Josh and Karissa had a heck of a time getting there, but they did. Ashley, Hannah, and Rachel flew over from San Fran and then back up to Seattle when it was over, and Jereme came down from school.

I haven't seen Ashley, Hannah, and Rachel in a year - unbelievable! Hannah and Rachel have grown so much. It was great to see how much fun they have together and how much they love each other. I haven't seen Josh and Karissa since Grannie moved in, which is about a year also. Somehow that doesn't seem right! And it's been a few months since I've seen Jereme. I miss them all so much when I don't get to see them all of the time - especially those 2 little girls (sorry sibs, but its true.) There is something magical about smiles from those girls.

For those of you looking at the picture of me and siblings thinking, "Geez, you don't look good, Lauren," I would like to inform you that I had spent the previous day in a car, couldn't sleep because I was on a bed with a GINORMOUS dip in the middle, and had a massive head ache from the heat. For those of you looking at me in that picture thinking, "HOLY CRAP! SHE'S WEARING PINK!" Yes, I know. And it's not just pink. Its like...bubblegum pink! Be impressed. I got to teach Hannah how to work the buttons on my sweater during the viewing and she told me she liked my pink sweater, so I knew it was a wise choice.

We buried Grannie with her favorite sweeties in her hand and a few packets stuffed in her coffin to go. I was going to post a picture of it to prove it, but was informed that was rather morbid, so I decided against it. Before the coffin was sealed, my mom opened the package that was in her hand so she could get to the candies easier.

Isn't this girl cute??? (The baby is Rachel for those of you who don't know...)

I'm so fortunate to have such an amazing family. I wish we could have seen each other under happier circumstances, but hopefully we can do that soon. I miss you each so much!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:

1. My mom has moved me into Grannie's room (which used to be my room), so I get to put my books on the shelves again. I'm excited. And so are my books.

2. It was a bit of a rough Sunday at church today; luckily, Bryce was there.

3. Why do some people feel the need to tell you things that they should probably keep to themselves until they know you better or until you ABSOLUTELY HAVE to know?

4. I GET TO SEE ALLI SOON!!!

5. My cute new bedspread. A special post regarding this matter to follow soon.

6. I finally signed my contract at work, which means I have health insurance and a salary! I also got put into my office on Friday. YAY.

7. I'm coming down with a cold. How do I know? Well, aside from the runny nose and general crap feeling, I'm STARVING. It doesn't matter what I eat or how much of it I eat, I cannot stop my stomach from growling. AUGH.

Happy Birthday, Jereme!

It's Jereme's 26th birthday today!

What can I say about such a fantastic brother? I never really felt like an annoying little sister around him or his friends, although I know I was one. He cracks me up pretty much every night at dinner (and other times during the day), and I appreciate him every morning for letting the dog into his room so he stops whining. He's someone I go to when I need advice or someone to listen/calm me down. I love him lots. And lots.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEREME!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:

1. Jereme hates cats, but they LOVE him.

2. My mom got to go to Seattle to see Josh, Karissa, Dan, Ashley, Hannah, and Rachel. Thank you Cheryl for the ticket. I'm so glad she got to go see the kids she doesn't get to see everyday and to have some time for herself.

3. Apparently, KP thinks if I was a food, I'd be mashed potatoes.

4. The email I wrote on behalf of Nicole.

Happy Birthday, Hannah!

Today is Hannah's birthday!

SHE'S 3!!

That seems insane to me! I can't believe how quickly time has gone by.

She's such a sweet girl, and hilarious. I miss her oodles every day. I miss when she would come out of her room in the morning and see me on the couch and say, "UNCLE TIM!" or "Wake up Auntie Lauren!" She would read to me, and she is definitely the best dancer on the Conley side of the family. She's precious, and I love her.

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:

1. I have 2 gorgeous nieces. Do I need anything else? ...Maybe. hahaha.

2. My wonderful Momma helped me re-organize my closet and now everything fits in my room without having stuff in boxes in front of my bed. Plus, I plugged in my wall-flower, and now my room smells FABULOUS.

3. It's raining here today. I love it.

4. New music. Woo hoo.

5. I'm still plowing through the Percy Jackson books. Love them. Highly recommend them. All that jazz.

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

Today is Rachel's first birthday!!!

I honestly CANNOT believe that she's already ONE! It blows my mind. Of course, it's also crazy that Hannah is going to be 3 in exactly one week also, but that's a post for another day...

I don't care what you people say, I have the CUTEST nieces ever.

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. Mishi. That cat may be retarded and super skinny, but he's definitely entertaining. I seriously don't know how he gets so dirty!
2. Nicole on a sugar high. Wow. Usually Chelsea is the crazy one, but I literally have bruises on my leg in the shape of Nicole's fingers and a rather large bruise on my wrist that I'm also crediting to Nicole.
3. Going to the park with Chelsea again. Gotta love the swings.
4. Isn't it cool how much you can love someone else's baby? I mean, Hannah and Rachel aren't mine, and I love them SO much. I can't imagine loving something more.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRYCE!

It's Bryce's birthday today!

So, happy birthday!

Bryce, you're my favorite person EVER. Hands down. (...thus far. Hahaha.) You crack me up, and you keep me fat with your brownies. You were my very first real date ever, the only boy that ever made me even think about going to a high school dance, my first husband, my very first unsupervised road trip, threw me my first surprise party, and took me to my first club in Hollywood.

I was going to try to think of my favorite thing we ever did together, but couldn't pin it down to just one thing, so here' s a quick list (instead of a things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today list):

• We went to Ruby's one night and you spilled pumpkin shake all over your face.
• Car dancing. Every time.
• Setting the goldfish for Ashley's wedding free.
• And then meeting those really random guys who invited us to a party because they liked our car dancing as we were driving back to my house at like 1 am.
• My red lint hat. I loved it.
• Making halloween costumes together.
• Hiding in the girl's bathroom all those years ago from Tim the Chainsaw Murderer.
• You got ABBA stuck in my head for like a month.
• All of the cancer jokes. I tell them up here sometimes and no one appreciates them.
• I'm pretty sure you wrote every poem I had to turn in for Mrs. McCauley's class my senior year.
• The Car Wars.
• Being willing to help me out when my cleptomania flares up. :o)
• The intense games of spoons we used to play.
• Remember how we used to be able to have conversations without really using words? It came in handy at Disneyland at least once that I remember...

Basically you're a stud despite being terminally ill.

I miss you lots, friend. I hope your recovery is going well and that you're causing trouble.

Jake the Dog

We like to sit on the floor in my family... Mostly it's my dad and Jereme on the floor, but I picked it up in Seattle and for some reason it's pretty comfortable. The only problem is, the dog. He's a 70 pound lap dog.

He'll walk right up to you, and then sit on you.

He also loves to sleep on his back with all 4 legs in the air.

Really, this is the oddest dog I've ever been around. He's incredibly vocal. I don't mean he barks a lot - he doesn't, actually. He GROANS. And sings - which is SO fun. But really, he groans ALL the time.

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:

1. Rexburg smells like hay.

2. Sonic ran out of tator tots and darn near caused an uproar.

3. English classes start tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Karissa!

Today is Karissa's birthday, so...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARISSA!!

I hope you have a great birthday (and again...sorry your card is going to be late...) I miss you lots and can't wait to see you and the rest of the fam soon!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:

1. My favorite sister-in-law.

2. A new story plotted and waiting to be written.

3. Hannah's demand of: "WAKE UP AUNTIE LAUREN!" every morning.

4. LC with stars. That's all I'm saying.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEREME!!

It's Jereme's birthday today! He's 25 and as amazing as ever.

I hope you have an excellent day, Brother. I miss you lots!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:

1. Having a brother who once saved me from a monster with "porks all over it."

2. Having a brother who can always make me feel better.

3. Having a brother who is such a great example to me.

4. Having a brother who loves me enough to do 2 road trips with me in one week and 3 road trips in one month.

5. Basically, I have an amazing family all around. Let's face it, they're on a bunch of thankful lists on my blog. I LOVE MY FAMILY!

Costco

Ashley and I took Hannah and Rachel to Costco to buy supplies and to get Ashley a hot dog after 9 months of not being able to eat one.
Hannah enjoys the pizza. And she LOVES supreme pizza because it has mushrooms and olives and peppers. She's a weirdy, that one. But I love her.

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. Seeing Bishop Bishopp at the Costco food stand.
2. Singing.
3. Hannah's crazy laugh.
4. Decisions, decisions.

A Valentine's Day Treat

To celebrate Valentine's Day, Ashley and I made sugar cookies. She found the recipe on the food network (I think...) and let me tell ya...they're good cookies! And the icing? Delish. I'm not usually a fan of icing, but this was yummy.

The "H" and "2" were for Hannah because she just turned 2. Oh, and Hannah also picked out the airplane.

All of the cute cookies are ones that Ashley decorated.See? Ashley did this one!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:

1. A good night's sleep.

2. 2 new books and still having money on my Christmas gift card.

3. Colonel Brandon.

4. A new story, working itself out in my head. At an inconvenient time.

Happy Belated Birthday Hannah!

So my niece Hannah turned 2 on February 5. I didn't get a chance to post until tonight because, let's face it, it's been ridiculously hectic around here and I've been so darn sick I was having a hard time functioning.


Here is Hannah licking the beaters used to mix her birthday cake.


Grandma Cheryl put together this Elmo cake for Hannah because Hannah absolutely LOVES Elmo.


Here is Hannah blowing out her candles. We sang to her and she blew out her candles and then asked us to do it again. So we did.


Happy Birthday Hannah!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. Bellevue 8th Singles' Ward.
2. Peach Cobbler.
3. 2 of the most gorgeous nieces in the world!
4. Bishop Bishopp.
5. The Seattle Temple (it's beautiful!).

A New Niece!!

That's right, the newest Mason baby is here.


Everyone welcome Rachel Ruth Mason. She was born on 29 January 2009 at 5:04 pm and weighed 8 pounds 12 ounces (a whole POUND bigger than Hannah) and was 21 inches long. My sister was only in labor for 2 hours. There was 20 minutes of pushing. That's it. She's such a cutie and I swear the child doesn't cry. We'll see how long that lasts...



Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. RACHEL!
2. A letter from Favorite (finally).
3. A new singles' ward.
4. Super bowl party with Dan.