looking back on the year

Well this has by far been the best year I have had in a long time!!!  First of all let me start by saying when I was a little girl-probably 12 I dreamed of getting married someday just like most little girls do...well now I can honestly say I finally got my dream wedding with the man I thought I would never find.  Mark has become my best friend.  I guess after being told for years and years very mean and hurful things I had started to believe them but not anymore.  Mark makes me realize that anything is possible and that I am worth something.  He made me believe in love again.  This is a very hard time for alot of people I love so dearly and I won't get into what they are going through but I found myself feeling guilty for being so happy where there is so much pain around me.
This is what I have realized:  life doesnt always turn out the way you have planned or the way you want it or seem to want it to.  With every struggle there is a silver lining...sometimes you just have to really look for it.  With the end of one chapter a new chapter begins and even though at the time we may say "why me" there is always someone worse off than we are.  Life is a test and we must endure to the end.  I wish I could take away my loved ones pains but then I realized something....Jesus did just that.  He bore all our sorrows so we wouldnt have to...when you cant stand anymore maybe it's time to kneel.
2011 has been a great year and 2012 I am excited to say that we will be starting the year all as Barbers...and for this I am so happy.  Here is a look back at the top 10 of 2011 for us:

#10:  I went back to school

#9:  I made the dean's list

#8:  Shelby made student council
#7:  The Quad's got baptized

#6:  Shelby reading above grade level and Shaylee typing at a 6th grade level
#5:  Family reunion in Oregon

#4:  I took golf lessons
#3:  trip to disneyland

#2:  I get to go to Europe for our honeymoon

#1:  I got married to my best friend!!!!

all I can say is 2012 is going to be even better!!!

Wishing you and your family a Happy Holidays!!!!

Fall

Well I am a bit behind in my posting so I will do my best to update what has been going on.  Fall has been pretty low key just alot of studying, work and school.  I went to parent teacher conferences and got excellent reports on both girls which makes me such a proud momma. 
We went with a friends family to the pumpkin patch with the kids and it was so much fun!!!  We got to see the farm animals, play on the slides, ride the kiddy train- yes even the adults and then finished it off with the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch where we all got to pick our pumpkins.

Halloween

Ok Halloween this year I have really realized how having a Dad again means so much to the girls.  This was their idea and as they went from house to house they had so much fun telling everyone who they were.  Then when it was picture time they did: dad sweeping mom off her feet and mom and dad kisssing...ewww...according to them so funny!!!
We have also started our Christmas shopping and they have had so much fun buying presents for their Dad.  I asked them what they want for Christmas and they both had the same answer...we got what we really wanted...we got a Dad...WOW...that just warms my heart...I LOVE my sweet little family.

Vertigo

Ok so first of all lets start with how this all started....my parents, my cousin Connie, Uncle Bill and I went to California to see the quads get baptized it was a great weekend.  Well the day we are to head home I wake up and turn over in bed to look at my cute nephew and the whole room starts to spin...so much so that I fall out of the bed.  I stand up really fast and just about fall over so I lay down in the middle of the room.  The room is spinning so fast and my heart start pounding and I can't breathe and the next thing I know I am going into all out anxiety attack mode.  My Dad and brother come and give me a blessing while I am hanging my head in the toilet by finally I stop shaking and can breathe again.
Well we have to go home so with my head in a garbage bag we head out...me throwing up the whole way and as long as my head is down the room doesnt spin too much.  We get to Fillmore but have to stop for my mom who was having problems with an infection.  I get out of the car to breathe and it starts even worse so I get checked into the hospital where they treat me for VERTIGO...first of all I have heard of this but it is a million times worse then I could have ever imagined!!!  I end up having to have 2 shots and stay overnight and have to be given 4 bags of fluids due to dehydration.  The next day we finish the trek home and I have to wait until Tuesday to be seen by the doctor on base and was given meds to help with this vertigo crap.  Well here it is a month later and during the day I am better but every night it starts again so I am just taking a pill before bed and seem to be doing ok.

Organizing the Girls Room

Ok so we decided to do our fall cleaning and organizing.  The girls room was a MESS...after two bags of garbage and two bags of clothes to donate this was the finished project.  Next we will be going through all the rest of the crap and getting rid of the stuff we dont need anymore...time to dejunk!!!

sixth grade project

 For sixth grade this year all the students had to put together a haunted house.  This was Shelbys finished project and I think it turned out pretty darn good.  I think the dirt added just the touch she needed.

Frightmares

We had lagoon season passes this year and I am sad to say we are done with Lagoon after our last day there...it was alot of fun though.  Shelby brought a friend so everyone had someone to ride with.  The funny thing was there were scary people walking around dresses up.  Shaylee decided to run her mouth and then the chainsaw guy turned around and looked at her...as you can see in this picture he DID scare her a little...LOL!!!

The happiest day of my life

Every girl imagines in their head what their wedding day will be like.  I have dreamed of this day since I was 12....it was like a fairy tale...the perfect man the perfect dress, the perfect day.  Minus the family that was unable to make it due to very short notice I would not change a thing.  We got engaged on Friday and married on Monday....due to his upcoming deployment we figured why wait?  We have been together for 2 and 1/2 years now so that's what we did.  We will have a reception at a later date so all our family and friends can be there.  Mark, I love you so much.  You have come in and made our family whole again.  You are the man of my dreams and I look forward to spending the rest of my life as your wife.

Family Pictures

These are just a few of my favorites.  Thank you to the very talented Cat Palmer...amazing as usual.