Cornucopia of Things

What makes up a family?

I used to think that a family could only consist of a mother, father, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles & grand parents that are blood related. My thoughts on this matter have changed as I have gotten older.

A family to me consists of people who may or may not be related that come together to provide unconditional love & support for each other.

A few years ago one of my step moms friends passed away at a very young age. This friend had a son who was 17 when his mom passed away. My step mom & dad became legal guardians for this young man. He came to live with them for awhile. This young man has since gotten married and had a daughter of his own. This young man, his wife and daughter are not related to me but they are very much my family. My dad & step mom act as grandparents to this young mans daughter.

It is nice to know that we are all able to adapt & create our own support systems whether we are related or not. As long as we care for each other, love each other & are there to help each other through everything we experience then become my family. The reason why I share all of this with you is to introduce you to others who make up my family but that I am not related to.

Wheeler Farm

Last Saturday my dad, step mom, Christina and I went to Wheeler Farm. Christina is the daughter of the young man they had legal guardianship of.

Christina is at the fun stage of learning about her animals & what kind of noises they make. We thought it would be fun for her to see the animals in person. As we pulled up to the cows, Christina "moo"ed without us telling her to. Everyone around us started laughing. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen. When we got really close to the cow Christina started crying, she was afraid of the cow. We tried to get a picture of her by the cows but she became so interested in the cows tha she wouldn't turn around for the picture.

Here are some more pictures of my family and me at Wheeler Farm:

Feeding the ducks & geese

Earlier Christina had a fear of cows well I can relate to how she felt. I have always had a fear of geese. I am afraid they are going to attach or chase after me. So while Christina was feeding the ducks a group of geese came up behind us. Here is a video clip of me being afraid of the geese:

It was a crazy Saturday at Wheeler Farm. Everywhere we turned there was a photographer taking someones family portraits, engagement pictures, and bridals. It was hilarious to say the least. Every where we turned a photographer was having someone pose. I do have to agree Wheeler Farm made a great back drop for pictures. It was out of control to say the least. I wish I would have grabbed my camera to take pictures of others taking pictures. It would have made a good blog post.

My Life Currently:

On to other things. Life is going pretty good I can't complain. I have been living at home with my dad and step mom since August and its going very well. When I moved home I decided to start attending the older singles ward for those who are ages 31 to 45. This has been a huge adjustment from attending a family ward but I have enjoyed it thoroughly. They have me playing the organ once a month and being on the mingle committee. I have enjoyed getting to know other people who can relate to what its like to be 34 and single. I don't think any of us thought we would be single this late in life, but we make the best of every situation and live our lives to the fullest. There is blessings in all things.

Weight Loss Update:

I have lost a total of 203 pounds. I wouldn't of never thought this was possible. I am enjoying every minute of this new life. I would like to lose another 70 pounds to get to my goal weight. Why is it that we allow ourselves to get derailed from things that matter most to us? I think for me the hardest thing wasn't loosing the weight its going to be maintaining the weight loss. That is why I want to get as close to my goal weight as I can. I know I have what it takes to do it, its just reminding myself daily of what my goal is.

More Changes:

Since I have made so many changes physically I thought why not try to grow my hair out as well. I was getting tired of my same hairdo. I haven't had long hair since I was in elementary school. I am thinking about growing it out to an A-line. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can grow my hair out faster? It will be fun to see what becomes of this process. I am hoping I have the patience I need to grown my hair out.

T H A N K S G I V I N G:

I am excited that Thanksgiving is fast approaching. I look forward to the time we get to spend with family & friends surrounded by good food. The last two years I got to prepare the bird and have everyone come over to my duplex. Now that I no longer live at the duplex we will be having Thanksgiving dinner at Dad & Peggys. It makes for an interesting day because of how small the house is. We seem to always find away to set the table so everyone can fit around it. We tend to have to move some furniture out in the garage to make it happen but its for a good cause. I can't wait to help my step mom with all the preperation & food making. It should be for a busy, eventful & fun filled day.

One of my friends has been posting on her blog one thing she is thanksful for everyday. I really liked this idea and might copy her. My plan is to blog about one thing that I am grateful for everyday until December 1st. I think it will be fun to share with all of my readers and it will help me come to realize how blessed my life is.

So today I am thankful for my family. I love them and appreciate all that they do for me.