Last Ride

After looking at the pictures, I don't know if there is much more I could say.

Thanksgiving

I am so Thankful for an amazing husband and fun family. We had a great time eating and hanging out with them all.

Dinner at the Alta club was super posh and amazing. We had a huge meal that was presented to us in courses. With each course, I couldn't help but get so excited and forget about the courses to come. Needless to say, we ate a lot. Dinner was followed by a stop by of Matt's parents where Matt and his sister had invited two guys they had met at the mall who had no family or anywhere to go for the holiday. Both "Tonka" and "Snoop" were so nice and sincerely grateful for the Strate's generosity. Just by looking at them you would never expect them to be so homesick.

The night was finished with a football game at the Boyer's house that resulted with "fireball" in the gym. For those poor unfortunate people who don't know what "fireball" is, I will explain. It starts with the nephews wanting you to throw balls at them while they run around the gym. If they are hit by a ball, they are then on "fire" and have to jump on the blue mat which is "water" and the fire is put out. One would think this is the end of the game... oh no. The game then evolves into four grown men each standing in a different corner of the gym and them throwing the exercise balls as hard as they can at each other. All the while, the two little boys are running around the middle of the floor, thinking this game is still about them. "Fireball" ends with the younger of the men (for some reason my dad didn't seem to want to participate in the finale) each taking turns standing by the wall, executioner style, while the other two take turns kicking the biggest ball as hard as they can at them. Matt gets along with my brothers a little too well.

I love Thanksgiving. I love my husband. I love my family. I love my in laws.

(The only pictures I have are of Fireball)

I love to read. I learned at young age the worlds that you can get lost in while reading a good book. A recent favorite have been the Bayern series by Shannon Hale. They are all so beautifully written, and fun stories to read. My friend Kayla introduced me to these wonderful books, and I have since bought them all. When I read them, I think of having a little girl and reading each one to her. Unlike Twilight (and again, this is totally just my opinion, and don't mean to offend anyone) the Shannon Hale's books are very smartly written.

One day at my cabin, while indulging myself in the amazing world of Shannon Hale, my cousin Ashley commented on how she knew Shannon Hale personally. I couldn't help but stare at her in awe at the very idea of knowing such an author. In my world, I put authors on the same platform some would put movie stars. I couldn't help but gush to Ashley about how star struck I was at the very idea of knowing such a person. She laughed and told me how she would pass on the message. Again, even that idea made me giddy.

Here we are, about three months later, I received a call from Ashley asking if she could drop by. Of course I told her I would love it. When she got her, she handed me I nicely wrapped package and told me that Phil and her wanted me to have this. Inside was a brand new hard cover copy of Rapunzel's Revenge. I was so excited, and what's more, it is signed by both authors. And I quote, "For Paige- One fine and sassy cowgirl. Yeeha!" Apparently, Ashley really had passed my message along, and more. I was so excited I could hardly talk.

Thank you so much Ashley and Phil for the extremely generous gift! This book is something I will treasure.

Beautiful Fall Weekend

This weekend was beautiful. I know this amazing fall weather is not going to last too much longer, but we sure have enjoyed it. Although the weekend consisted of a lot of studying, our crazy dog reminded me to get out and enjoy the sunshine. Due to Driggs' extreme pent up energy, we walked the dog park with him on Saturday, something we haven't done in a long time. The walk just reminded me of how much I love this floppy mess of a dog that we have. I call him my floppy mess because of how he will just flop onto your lap to get some attention, and he's not that small of a dog. Whenever we open the door lately to go somewhere, this is what he does. He runs to the top of the stairs and then just waits as though wherever we are going includes him. Driggs has also been getting into trouble as of late. He has always been a dog so eager to please, he does not cross certain borders in our house, knowing that things like the couch are off limits to him. However, the past couple of weeks we have come home to food being dragged off the counters, and toilet paper rolls being spread throughout the house (seriously, and about 5 different rolls). And when we started leaving him outside, he just jumps the fence and takes himself across the street to get attention from my family. Even coming on my runs throughout the week hardly puts a dent in his energy levels. Driggs is such a well behaved dog, I forget sometimes that he is only 3 and has a lot of puppy curiosity and energy still in him. Oh, but we love him. He is so obviously just part of the family.

Cheers to 30

Today is my big brother's 30th birthday! So, in honor of his big day, here is a song dedicated to him. It plays into the theme of him being obsessed with GLEE. We love you Sid! We're sad we can't be there on your big day, but we know that Liz is taking good care of you. Although, she probably won't embarrass you as much as we would.

Halloween Week

I love Halloween. It is my favorite holiday. Halloween kicks off all of the fun holidays, and you get to celebrate it the WHOLE month of October. After a sad week the week before Halloween, I decided that we would have a Halloween week, where we squeezed all the Halloween stuff I wanted to do all month into the last week. We were:

Haunted at the Pioneer Village

Scared while watching Fright Night

Enjoyed some Halloween Sugar Cookies & put together my Hermione Granger costume for work

Made a pumpkin cake and invited friends over to enjoy it with us and carve our own pumpkins

And topped the week off with a Black Out win for Utah

Happy Halloween!!!

Speechless

I don't know how to really explain how I am feeling after the death of a good friend. I will never claim to be one of her best friends, but non the less, she has touched my life. Lisa was such an amazing person. I will always remember her smile and how outgoing she always was. She was always so full of life and love. I've never been able to listen to Michael Jackson without thinking of Lisa. There are so many wonderful memories I have with this wonderful girl, and I will continue to cherish them. Lisa, you are beautiful. I love you.

Lisa Jane Layton Okland 1985 ~ 2009 Lisa Layton Okland passed away in Tempe, AZ on October 17, 2009. She was born to Clark and Renda Layton in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 14, 1985. An honors graduate of Highland High School in 2003, Lisa was a student leader and served as Dance Company President. She married her high school sweetheart John Christopher Okland on June 23, 2006 in the Salt Lake City Temple. Lisa graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Photography. An accomplished dancer, artist, photographer and triathlete, Lisa set a standard of excellence. Spending time with family was Lisa's greatest joy. She cherished her role as a wife; her greatest blessing was her loving and supportive husband, Chris. They shared many adventures in the great outdoors from the deserts of the Southwest to the Fjords of Norway, often joined by their dog Ralph and always by Lisa's camera. Children adored Lisa! She lovingly nurtured many children in her family as an aunt, in her community as a nanny, and abroad as a teacher in Ukraine and Mexico. Sweet, giving, creative, selfless, kind, energetic, fun, thoughtful, and helpful, Lisa rained light and love on our lives. She was a blessing from above. Her grace, beauty and good will touched and charmed us. Always expressing appreciation, Lisa was a supreme example of what it means to be grateful. Lisa choreographed her life with passion using every part of herself: a mind for learning, an eye for composition, an ear for listening, a heart of kindness, a hand outreached, a smile for everyone, and of course. . . a sense of humor. Indeed Lisa showed us all how to "take life by the hand and dance." Lisa is survived by her husband John Christopher Okland, her parents Clark Layton (Christine), Renda Layton (Robert Strong); her grandparents Arthur and Joy Wiscombe, Richard Layton; her brother Jacen; sisters Melissa, Katherine; half sister Elizabeth; and step siblings Brian, Randy, Darren, David, Amy. In honor of Lisa's passion for dance and photography and her dedication to the pursuit of higher education, a memorial scholarship fund has been established in her name. Contributions can be made online at www.slc.k12.ut.us/sites/slef/ or mailed to the Salt Lake Education Foundation, Lisa Layton Okland Scholarship 440 East 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111. Funeral services will be held Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 12:00 noon, at the Monument Park Stake Center, 1320 South Wasatch Blvd., Salt Lake City, UT. Friends and family may gather Thursday, October 22nd from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 West Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe, AZ, and Friday, October 23rd from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Larkin Sunset Lawn Mortuary, 2350 East 1300 South, Salt Lake City, UT and from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. prior to the services at the Monument Park Stake Center. Interment at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park. www.larkincares.com