The Fam...

OK... I admit it. I'm a baby. I miss my family so much that it pains me! Since I got to Georgia I've been debating on if this was the right move. When I put my pros and cons on paper my number one con is always the same. I miss my family like crazy! When I went home in March for the Lady GaGa concert I was super lucky to have some of my plans with my friends fall through so I got to spend time with my mom and my sisters. I also went through the temple while I was home so I got to have most of my family with me. I have the worlds best family. I know that no matter what all of them will be there for me and with me when I need them to be. Although my temple date was set, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to go due to scheduling conflicts I had with my branch president and my stake president here. I was extremely lucky because every member of my family in Utah was there with me. I honestly can't think of a better day. Yes that day trumps the Chris Farley foundation for sure. :) I was so overwhelmed by all of the love. I know my family loves me but that day they were all at the temple for me. I couldn't have asked for a better trip to the temple. I often wonder if while I was in Heaven if I begged and pleaded to be placed in this amazing family. If I looked at this family with two amazing parents and six amazing siblings and said, "Please, can I just be with them? I will have seven of the best examples in the world. They will teach me and be patient with me as I make my own mistakes. Please send me with them?" Although I still kind of complain about the time my Uncle Jim tried to compare me to my sister Christy. "You know, Anna, when Christy was your age, she was just coming home from her mission. She didn't have blue hair." Thank you Uncle Jim, I will keep that in mind. And even though while I was growing up, I never brought my guy friends home because they would all fall in love with my sister Andrea, and I'll admit, I hated her for it. She is one of my very best friends now. Although Josh knows exactly what to say to make me cry, I know it's not on purpose. Whether he's asking me about my car accident that I 100% should not have lived through and I walked away with a bump on my head, or if he's asking me how work is going after I got fired. He can also make me laugh. The man does know his way through Salt Lake so when I get lost, he is always there to guide me to where I need to be. Joe knows his way around Columbus so when I get lost while on a delivery, he's always there to help me as well. Even though he loves to make fun of me for the stupid things I do and say. Melissa is always there when I need a friend. Jaime is always there when I need a break from everything. Then there are my AMAZING parents. There are no two people who will ever measure up to the greatness of these two people. They have taught me so much. I love them immensely. I must admit, hands down, I have the best family of all time and I miss them terribly. What I wouldn't give to have the best of both worlds.

My mom

When I was living in Provo UT, I was about to move back to Mapleton with my family. If I remember right, I think I had a week left in my apartment and no money to pay for gas so I hadn't been home to see my family in about a mont or so. One day I was sitting at my desk at work when I was working at the clinic and I started thinking about my mom and I started crying. Upon further analysis I realized that I missed her. I was living 20 minutes away from her during rush hour, and I missed her. I quickly realized that I needed to call her. I'm not exactly the type of person who can call just to say "I miss you." I need to have a reason. As the phone was ringing I was quickly going through my brain thinking, "What is my reason for calling her?" I heard her say, "Hello?" and I replied with, "Hey mom. I was just wondering, where are we going to put my garbage can when I get home? It will be too big for my room, and you already have one in the kitchen." The garbage can? REALLY?!?!? She sweetly informed me that we would figure it out and our conversation ended.

Now living in Georgia, which according to Mapquest is 30-32 hours depending on the route you take, I cannot express to you how much I miss this woman. She is my hero. She has always been there when I needed someone to talk to. She also always knew when I needed someone to talk to. She is hilarious. I love spending time with her. I remember when I was sick and she would play with my hair. She was the best at that. She taught me that if I want to have a black woman down deep inside, I can have a black woman down deep inside. She taught me, if ever I'm in need of an answer to anything, I can always find it in the scriptures and she could tell me which ones to look through. She is the best person I know. If I turn out to be half the person that she is I'll be pretty amazing! I love her so much.

I think my niece or one of my nephews took this picture and caught her off guard, but none the less, she is my mom and I couldn't ask for a better person to raise me!