. . . because its Thanksgiving. . .

I'm thankful for:

Family

Parents who support me in everything I aspire too

learning

love

friendship

faith

the gospel

brothers

leaders

sunshine

transportation

flowers

fresh fallen snow

cold to remember how good warm feels

set-backs

challenges

success

knowledge

vacations

just to name a few. . .

Hope your thanksgiving is full of love!!!

WEEKEND!!!

Weekends are so GREAT!!! This one was a particularly good one. First off I had little to no homework and second it was General Conference(which was great)!!

I went out to my roommates house to watch conference, they are great!! Anyways my roommate Amy has two younger sisters and we made some great duct-tape bags while we listened to conference!!! I realized this weekend that I don't have my camera up here with me at school, but I found this picture so you can get an idea of what my bag looks like.

Pretty cool huh!!

I've also had a deep desire this last month or so to make Caramel Apples. . .so Friday night when there was nothing to be done, I made some!!! They weren't anything fancy, because I think the first time you make anything you should keep it simple!! But lets be honest you don't have to be a rocket scientist to make these!
Next time I think I'm going to be bold and dip them in caramel and then drizzle some melted chocolate over them. And then maybe I'll even dip them in some nuts or candy or maybe even cookies. It should be fantastic!!

I can't wait to carve pumpkins!!!

FINISHED!!!

I, along with Preston & Katie finished our first marathon yesterday, Saturday September 17th. One of the hardest but most worthwhile things I have ever done!! It was nuts!!! It rained, hailed, rained again, at one point my shoes were full had at least doubled in weight from all the water. I finished in 4 hrs and 50 min, which met my goal to finish under 5 hrs. Someone asked me today what I thought about for that long. . .well for the first part i talked to those around me, then as we got further and more spread out i just thought about life, looked around the canyon, tried to enjoy the rain, but mainly listened to those around me who were talking. For one of the ladies yesterday marked the 126 marathon she had ran. . .SICK!!!! By then end the only thing going through my mind, One foot in front of the other.

Can I move today- sure, I at least made it up the hill to church, its coming down that was the hard part. . .hopefully in a week I'll be movin better!!!

Heres' the real question: Will I ever do one again???

Unfourtantly for me I'm competative and know that I can do better aka run it faster. So yes I will be running another one, maybe next year!!!

You wanna run it with me???

WHO KNEW. . .

Who knew you could have a foods class in college. . .i sure didn't!!!

Lets just say that today I went to the book store to pick up my chef's hat, apron and knife kit!!!!

I don't think I have ever been so excited for a class!!!

Food Literacy here I come. .. .first lab this Thursday to be covered: herbs/spices and garnishing!!!

SCHOOL!!!

Its that time a year! Every blog i read has mentioned it, school has started, no matter what age, its here. The end of summer and the beginning of learning(if that's what you call it). Its funny how time flies, just yesterday I was in 7th grade and now I'm a senior at Utah State!! I was talking to my roommate about this and realized that yesterday could have been my last first day of a new school year as a a student. . .WOW!!! Too bad I'm gonna go to graduate school, that takes all the fun out of what could have been a monumental day.

TUESDAY NIGHTS!!!

How could you not love them knowing this is what you get to go watch!!!!

Every Tuesday night we find ourselves at the Cottonwood Complex watching Parker play in a men's fast pitch softball league. Its great!!!

And when I say men. . .I mean MEN!!! The average age of the league being around 30, but there is Parker out there, easily the youngest at the age of 14!!!

He almost won his first game last Tuesday. . .maybe this Tuesday will be the day!

Under Attack

It all started with these guys:

Our neighbors have bird feeders in their backyard and we have ample trees in ours. Naturally the birds eat the food there then come over to our backyard and relieve themselves. My parents were not big fans of this whole bird equation, so in order to put an end to the bird poop frenzy that was taking place on our deck they took action and bought some hawks and an owl.

A few weeks later and we find ourselves here. . .with the eagle

Just imagine yourself driving and seeing some birds flying off to your right wondering what they are, when all of the sudden one of them comes right at you, your mom in the passenger seat ducks and squeals, you, driving, press on you breaks as this giant Bird is flying straight for your windshield!!! Well that's exactly what happened to us as we were driving to Montpelier, Idaho. I had visions of this eagle breaking the windshield of my car and its beak hitting me right in the chest, life ender!!! Luckily for us it pulled up at the last minute and came within a few feet of that blessed windshield.

That brings me to this:

Go ahead and wonder, take a closer look if needed, and you will see the largest bird poo to ever have been!!!! This beauty happened yesterday on my way home, going under an over pass to get on the freeway!!! It was literally a palm size splat on the same blessed windshield that the eagle almost hit!!!

Its because of events like these that I believe my family and I are under attack. . .or it just proves that birds are crazy and poop a lot!!!!
You choose!!

WELL. . .

I decided that I don't like titles. . .coming up with them takes me forever and often time keeps me from posting. Its funny how silly little things like titles can keep us from doing things like this. So tonight after being told by my mom to post something I'm going to and I don't even care what the title is!!!

In my moms office one of the walls is covered with pictures. . .old and new, some that I like and others I wish she would take down( the ones of me), but there they are, up on a wall.

Tonight while out at my grandparents house I was looking at a photo album that one of my cousins had put together, in it was old and new photos. Its amazing how things change as well as how fast they do. Pictures give us a time to reflect, to really sit and look and think back to that day, that moment, those feelings.

Time is a funny thing and it makes me happy and sad at the same time, and to be honest I think its the only thing that can really do that.

So here are some pictures that I found! Some old. Some new. But all great!!!!

FINALLY. . .

On this blessed day Parker finally got dressed at 11:45 am. . .yes it was a struggle. . .after him giving me puppy dog eyes for a half hour and me trying my hardest not to completly die of laughter, I finally gave in and picked him some clothes out to wear for the day. . .I'm just glad I didn't have to help him get dressed. . .eww!!!!! Yep this is how I am spending the days of my youth. . .picking out clothes for my fourteen year old brother to wear!!!!!

but looking at this picture I know what you are thinking. . . fourteen????

In other news. . .

It is finally shaved ice season. . .and for me that means afternoons and nights hanging out in a blessed trailor known as Shavy Jones!!! No this is no regular snow cone and upon first mention of snow cone i tremble and become slightly offended, this is SHAVED ICE PEOPLE!!!! But with much self control I am quick to correct those innocent people who call the place I work at a Snow Cone Shack.. . . .ITS NOT!!! If you don't believe me come try it!!! We are located on the patio of Mountain Mikes Pizza(delicous) and 10400 South. . . I work tomorrow night!!! Our hours are 4-9 M-F and 12-9 on Saturday, come for a visit!!!!

SUMMA' TIME!!!!

Its here. . .its finally here!!! Summer!!! Can I get a woot woot!!!! Its gonna be a busy but what fun would summer be it it wasn't busy?? Here's a little preview of what im gonna be doin this blessed summer. . . relax, hang with the fam, play tennis, eat shaved ice, shave ice, hang with friends, go to disneyland, sit by the pool, go for bike rides, run, sleep, BBQ, roast mallows, work. . .and so much more!!!!!!!! I'm also training for the top of utah marathon (sept 17th) as well as a relay race that goes from logan to jackson hole wyoming(aug 12-13)!!! It should be a blast!!!!!

What are you gonna do this summer?????

A little something to help you on your way. . .

April Fools. . .

Well my roommate and I were 'pranked'.. if you can call it that we didn't even get it all figured out until april 9th!! You see it all started out about a month ago my roomate (amy) was walking past a dumpster and noticed a large object in it. Come to find out it was a shopping cart. . .so what did we do about this shopping cart, just what any other responsible twenty year olds would do, we take it out and clame it as ours!!!!! We take it one rides, at night of course, and try to keep it as hidden as possible i think that we have told a total of 8 people. . .Well apparently our other roommate(whose name will remane untold for safety reasons haha) told our neighbors who then decided to pull a prank on us. .. how would one do that you might ask???? Well lets just say they took our wheels, literally took em'!!!! Our wheels to our beloved shopping cart, the gateway to our childhood!!!! Don't worry we got those wheels back!!! Now we just have to put them back on the cart!! Anybody got any tools????

JB FEVE

yeah I have it. . .oh what do I have you ask. . well I have the Justin Beiber Fever!!!!! Went with the roomies last night to see the movie. I highly reccmonnend it!!! I will go see it again with anyone willing to go. The funny thing, not one person ther was under the age of 19, granted there was only 11 people!!!

Opposites!!!!!!

I know this is a little late but. . .this is where I was Sunday Morning. . .

and this. . .well this is where I was Monday. . . Yep!!!! Complete and total opposites!!!!!! What a life- my skin is in the process of freaking out!!! From warm and tropical to cold and dry!!!!

It Happens. ..

Yep, it happens all the time, just usually to children under the age of 8. I, Meranda Kay Wood, at the blissful age of twenty lost another tooth. . .this is the second tooth in less than a year and to make it all more confusing and interesting it is the same tooth that I lost back in october(or maybe it was late september???). It all happened just last week I was eating something, like bread, and I noticed something rather crunchy in my food, no it wasn't my tooth, just the cement that kept my tooth from falling out!!! Who knows when I'll get it fixed this time. . .luckily spring break is next week, but even then I don't know if its gonna get done. Until then we can only hope that I don't lose it, can you imagine hillbilly meranda on the loose in Logan!!!! Don't worry though it stays in my mouth, I can just take it out whenever I want and when I'm chewing gum every once and a random chew I notice its missing and promptly put it back in it rightful place!

Don't you worry I'll put a awesome pic up here as soon as I can!!!!

In other news my roommate and I found a shopping cart in the dumpster next to our apartment, we frequently go for rides. She sits in the basket and I push her down the street! But now that the snow is here its been a little harder!!! I can't wait for the snow to melt enough to go for rides all the time!!!!

For one of my classes I had to buy baby food and then get people to try it!!! WOW baby food is weird I bought bananas that had a nasty texture, peaches that smelt like apricots and apple blueberry which tasted like applesauce there was no blueberry taste comin through at all!!!!

Last of all- I LOVE CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Longest shortest week of my life. . .

yep that was last week. . . really it was the longest shortest week of my entire life.. .why??? Well I went home with the family last sunday, went to school monday, tuesday and wednesday, drove back home wednesday for for my grandmas viewing, stayed the night, went to her funeral drove back up that evening. That night got locked out of my apartment. . .long story but I'll tell it. I just got back and needed to go for a run so I went to the field house missed a call from my roommate called her back and she asked if I happened to have my keys I said no( they were all home when I left and weren't going anywhere, it was late) well apparently they were messin around and somehow the door got locked and closed with no one in it. . .LOCKED OUT!!!!! Luckily I was in sweats and a hoodie not so lucky was the fact that I had just gotten back from running. Our manager didn't get there till 10:45 the next morning. . .I had a class at 8:30. I went with stinky breath and cloths. . .oh well, good thing it was friday!!!!! Saturday and sunday were a complete blur all I know is I woke up this morning and it was Monday!!

Good news is I have an intramural basketball game this Wednesday night. . .time to run around and look like a fool!!!!! I can't wait( okay lets be honest I can wait cause I'm not good at all but its full court this time and lets face it I need something to run around and get some energy out) Wish my poor team Luck!!!!!!

TO YOU. . .

One of the most influential people in my life, you are the reason I did a lot of things and will continue to do many other things.

To your laugh.

To your testimony.

To your love for your family as well as your neighbors.

To your endless commitment.

To your perseverance and endurance.

Thanks for all you have done and shown me these past twenty years of my life.

I'll miss sitting and holding your hand,

but mostly I'll miss you.

Till we meet again.

I LOVE YOU!!!

SO ITS COLD

So its cold (not that its not cold other places, i just haven't had to walk around in the cold all day) but despite the cold I have come up with a list of good things about the cold (only cause its gonna be here for a while):

I can sleep in all the layers and blankets I could possibly want- its great!!

The cool air in the morning really wakes you up

I can quote cool runnings(Jamaica we have a bobsled team) every day. . .and it makes me laugh- 'sanka what ya smokin?' . . .'I ain't smokin, I'm breathin!!'

You can wear cute hats and scarves and gloves

Your cheeks are always Rosy

Its completely normal to wear a jacket under your coat

Its the only season when it feels good to walk into warm building a after being out in the cold

You can drink all of the hot chocolate you want

Those thermal socks you got for Christmas a few years ago are in style and should be worn

It is also the only time that after a work out inside you can cool off when you go out side

You never have to worry about your water in your water bottle getting warm-the temp keeps it cool all day

If you forget to put on deodorant in the morning its okay cause its not like you're gonna be sweatin as you walk around

The thrill of spring is lurking every day- knowing that you are one day closer!!!

This is how I feel. . .

Ooops!!!

Well there comes a time in every womens life that something like this needs to happen, mine just happened to be Saturday night. . .pulling out of the parking lot after eating a wonderful meal at Panda, feeling full and cold(cause it freakin freezing, i wounder if the food inside of me will freeze. . .okay bad image in my head). Anyways drivin in the car, all of the sudden we( the two lovely friends who were with me and myself) see cop lights turn on and flip around to pull me over. . .ah crap. . .yes I got pulled over. . .it was in the process of being pulled over that i realize why. . .I forgot to turn on my lights. . .duh!!! Well I handled my self very well, gave him my license and registration, laughed and got on my way. . . to bigger and better things.

Yeah that was the first time I have ever been pulled over. . .and i didn't even get anything out of it. . .which in reality is probably a good thing. Next time I'll make it count. . .well maybe not. It was funny and reminded me of many moments in my life like that. . .

In other news, there is no other news. . .other than I'm pretty lame, i have no pictures from Christmas and just set some goals for the year yesterday. . .so I'm a little behind, no big deal, who said you need a new year to make new goals anyways!!!

I do have a minor motto for this year and I want to live it to the best that I can-"Do that which inspires you to be better, because it is those things that will make you happy."

Life is so great- and I am so ready to keep living it one day at a time!!!