Pictures from Fall

Since school started I've been crazy busy all the time. Between school, work, homework, and spending time with family and friends, blogging has fallen by the wayside. Every time I sit down to write a post something seems to come up. Sometimes that something is Grey's Anatomy lol. But I do have some pictures from fall that I've been meaning to share!

A beautiful fall day out at first dam.

The perfect setting to finish my personal statement!

After finishing my vet school applications!

Turner licking peanut butter from the jar.

Halloween! We were the avengers.

A singing bird outside my apartment.

Mrs. Pumpkin

Girl's night!

The saturday before last, nice and fall-like.

Last saturday, winter is here!

Sincerely,
          Me

Back To School!

Well, the third week of school starts tomorrow! Kindof crazy that it's already been two full weeks. First quiz of the semester is tomorrow in animal nutrition. Not too worried about it, but I should probably go over my study guides again. School is going good so far, got a few interesting ones, a reallly sucky one, and all hard ones. It'll be good though :) I'm looking into a few new opportunities, I'll let you know if anything comes up!

What better way to ring in the new school year than with computer problems?! The weekend before school starts I noticed my computer wasn't connecting to my apartment's wireless network. I didn't think too much of it because it can be a little sketchy. So I took it to school on monday planning to have all my notes and class resources on it. Turns out, it wouldn't connect anywhere. Ever. So it's being fixed right now. Kindof stinks because the first week's notes are on the computer, while the second's are all on paper (which I will have to type in because it would really bug me having inconsistent notes). But, my parents are bringing it up to me tomorrow! I'm really looking forward to it so I can have my computer back and because I get to go to dinner with my parents :) I already have a bunch to talk to them about, so it should be a good time.

I'm still working on my vet school apps. The personal statement is proving to be a major suckfest. Why is it so hard to talk about myself?! I wish I could just say "I'm freaking awesome and you should accept me." but I think that might come off as unproffesional... ugh. Hopefully I get some inspiration and motivation soon!

So, now that you're all caught up on the goings on of my life, I'd like to share some thoughts. Recently, I've been daydreaming a lot. Well, I do this quite a lot but it's been worse lately. I guess I'm not completely happy with where I am, so I dream. I think "I'd be happy if I had a dog" or "I wish I didn't have any roommates" or a billion of other things. "If only I had this, I'd be happy". Which of course isn't true. It's your attitude that determines whether you are happy, not what you have or don't have. This thinking usually leads to searching for apartments, jobs, or dogs online, which only makes me less  happy with the way things are. The grass always looks greener on the other side. Today, I was sitting in church thinking about all this and I realized that I just have to stop thiking like that. I'm new in this ward, but people still introduced themselves and I just felt like this was a good place for me to be, that I belonged there. If I moved into a new apartment, I would have to leave this ward. Why would I leave when I've just received a sense of belonging? "You just have to be happy with where you are" I thought to myself. And not just where I live or who I live with, but with my job, my social status, my life progression. I need to accept all of it and learn to be happy with it. Because this is where I have to be for at least the next 8 months, so I might as well be happy! Such a simple change in thinking, but I'm already feeling about a billion times better about everything :)

I'll leave you with some pictures from the last few weeks :)

Me and my family before going to see Wicked.





My silly girl dog. She likes to sniff the fresh air coming out of the vents when she rides in the car.

A dinosaur at the natural history museum.

A crazy cool double rainbow after a hail storm near my cousins house.

Home

There's no place like home. Really. I'm so glad to be back :) My birthday week has been amazing! Yes, I take a whole week lol mostly just because  parties and get-togethers end up being spaced out. Thursday night my parents took me out to a really fancy fondue restaurant. It's a tradition we started when I turned 18 and we've kept it up ever since. It's fun to enjoy such a nice and delicious meal with people you love! Saturday my parents took me to the zoo and then out to a super cute diner for dinner. The zoo is so much fun! They have a new exhibit with harbor seals, a sea lion, otters, brown bears, and a polar bear. We even got to see them do a training session with the seals and sea lion. They were adorable! I literally wanted to hop in and cuddle with one of the seals :D. And then of course there's the parade for the 24th. My family camps out over night and we start saving our spot at like 7 am on the 23rd. It's really such a fun tradition, we usually end up laughing and playing games all day and night.

Today was my first day back at my clinic for my abbreviated summer break! It was kindof strange to be back at first because I haven't worked there since christmas break, but everything comes back pretty quickly. I call it "my" clinic because it feels like home. I've worked there during school breaks for about two years and loved every minute of it! I love all of the staff there, they feel like another part of my family. The vet there always mentions something about me taking over the practice after I get out of vet school so he can retire. Although there are a few areas I want to explore and mess around with, I can honestly see myself working at and eventually owning the clinic someday. I would really love it :) being back today just cemented everything I've wanted and worked for for years. Got to watch a colonectopy, which was pretty cool. Basically, we took out the whole large intestine because the animal kept getting constipated. There is definitely nothing that would make me happier than working as a veterinarian. Except maybe digging up dinosaur bones and putting skeletons back together, but I still think vet med wins out ;)

Sincerely,
          Me

I Gotta Go My Own Way

It feels like my life is on the verge of some very big changes right now. I'm trying to follow my heart (and my head) and do what's best for me, but sometimes it's hard to figure that out. How am I supposed to know if I'm going to do well in a particular situation?! I can't tell the future!!! lol. Sometimes it can get pretty frustrating. But at the same time, it's all so exciting! There are so many things I could do with my life! I'm applying to vet school, how freaking cool is that?! Ha anyways, I just wanted to talk about a few of the things I'm thinking about. Maybe it'll help me figure a few things out :)

First off, figuring out where I want to apply has been a beast. There are 3 that I've known I wanted to apply to since the beginning, but other than that, I just keep changing my mind! Right now I've settled on a fourth, but still trying to figure out if I want to apply to one more... I still have a good amount of time to decide, applications aren't due until October! One scary/exciting alternative I've been considering has been applying to a caribbean school. They can be a bit "easier" to get into, since they tend to accept students with lower GPAs (which is me...) but their programs seem to be right on par with US schools. It seems like these schools have a very long list of pros with few cons that can be worked around. Every time I think about what other school I want to apply to, this caribbean school keeps popping up. It seems to have everything I want! I just hope I'm not being seduced by the prospect of going to school on a beach. I've mentioned it to my parents and they seem to be relatively ok with it. My dad, of course, would prefer that I lived at or near home for the rest of my life, but some things just can't be done lol. I'm probably going to think about it a lot more before I come to any sort of conclusion. One big factor is that I want to get accepted as soon as I can so I can start practicing and pay off my debt. This caribbean school may just be the perfect way to do that.

For the past four years of college, I've been a member of the USU Equestrian Team. I have loved it! It's helped my riding so much and I've made a lot of good friends through it. Now, you can only be a regular member for four years because of the IHSA (intercollegiate horse show association) rules. I could be an Alumni member, but I may not be able to compete because you need at least three alumni riders for a class. So, I don't think I'm going to be on the team this year :(. There are many reasons behind my decision, including time and money. The biggest reason is that I think my time on the team has ended. I think I have naturally progressed out of it, grown out of it in a way. I need to take my riding in a different direction. I need to slow down, do it just for the fun of it, not pressure myself, and build a relationship with the horses I ride. I don't know how I will accomplish this because I don't have a horse or money to pay for lessons, but I have faith that it will work itself out. It's sad to see something I've enjoyed so much for the past four years come to an end, but I know in my heart that this is what I need to do. I'm excited to see what comes next!

This Wednesday, I finally get to go home for my summer break! I can not tell you how much I am looking forward to this. I literally can not wait. I love being home with my family and friends and dogs. I love not battling with my roommates over the air conditioner. I love watching tv shows with my sister and hanging out with my cousins. I love working at my clinic. The list could go on and on, but I guess I will spare you everything I love about being home. I am taking a solid week off to spend time with family and celebrate my birthday on Sunday before picking up some hours at my clinic. I may even have the opportunity to shadow a vet at the zoo! It's gonna be a great five weeks before school starts again :)

     Sincerely,
          Me

Floating By On The Days Of Summer

It's the first day of July, my favorite month of the entire year! There are many, many reasons why I love July, a few of them being the 4th of July, the 24th (Utah's pioneer day), the usually beautiful weather, hanging with my family and friends at home, and, of course, my birthday! Unfortunately, I won't be home until the 18th when my summer classes end, but I'm trying to make the most of it. I am going home tuesday afternoon to spend the 4th at home, so that's a definite plus :) really looking forward to it!

This weekend has been one of the best (out of like 2 or 3) that I have spent in Logan this summer. Friday, I was invited by one of my coworkers (who happens to be my last boyfriend's roommate...) to go floating down a river in Idaho on Saturday with a bunch of other people. I had an absolute blast! It ended up being about a two and a half hour float down the river on inner tubes. There were even a few little waterfalls along the way! Made a few new friends out of it :)

Today hasn't been too exciting, one of those nice lazy summer days. I've just been lying around nursing the horrible sunburn I got on Monday. I think it borders upon being a second degree burn... ouch :( I guess that's what I get for not thinking to put sunscreen on! The highlight of my day has been cooking and baking. I've been craving some sweets lately... ok honestly I always crave sweets lol. Anyways, I decided to make some no bake chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal cookies. They are setting up right now, but I did lick the spoon and it tasted pretty darn delicious! For dinner I made tofu parmesan. It's the first time I've ever cooked tofu so I was kindof nervous about it, but it turned out great! The breading is maybe not as crispy as I would like, but other than that it's fabulous! The tofu is a little interesting, the texture is different than chicken (duh) but not in a bad way. It's a lot less chewy, more softish. Going vegetarian is something I have thought about a lot recently, but I've never really known how to make the transition. I'm not claiming to be a veggie just yet, but learning how to cook tofu is definitely a step in the right direction!

I also managed to brainstorm a bit for my personal statement for vet. school applications! I was reading a vet student's blog and I got really inspired remembering a few of my experiences and thinking about qualities that I wanted to talk about. I've still got a long way to go with it, but I'm glad I worked on it a bit today! It seems like the direction I want to go is going to be slightly different than the advice I got from one of my professors, but I think it will still achieve what he told me a personal statement needs to; that is, tell them why you want to be a veterinarian and tell them why they should accept you into their program. I have two great experiences I want to talk about that illustrate that and then maybe talk about my bad grades and how that has made me a better student, person, and therefore a better applicant. Although that last one is a bit iffy... but my grades are pretty dismal (from a vet school POV) and I would love the chance to explain to the admissions committees why that shouldn't be a reason not to admit me. Any admissions committee is going to be concerned about that anyways, so why not put it in my PS? Although there is an explanations section so I might put it in there, We will see!

Off to eat my cookies!!! :) Stay sweet!

     Sincerely,
           Me

This One's A Fighter

Warning: This post may be a bit of a rant, but I just feel like I need to get a few things off my chest...

First off, today has been one of those days. You know, one of those days where you just feel blah. Nothing bad even happened. It's actually been a fairly nice day; the sun is shining, I got to sleep in, work wasn't bad. I think a large part of my mood today was that I just kept thinking about him (coffee shop boy). I may not necessarily wish I was still in a relationship with him, but I definitely still miss him sometimes. I saw him at work today for a minute and did he even acknowledge my presence? nope. Didn't even bat an eyelid in my direction. That'll ruin a girl's day for sure. And then there's the fact that one of my other past bfs called me last night at 12:30 (while I was asleep drugged up on nyquil because of my cold, mind you) to tell me that he misses me. If it was the coffee shop boy who had called me, I would have probably been perfectly ok with it. But it wasn't. For some reason, the universe always likes to play that joke on me. The guys who like me I don't like, and the guys who I like don't like me. Real funny, universe.

On a different and more positive note, VMCAS (the vet school application) opened today! Pretty exciting! Ok, not gonna lie, I'm scared out of my mind lol. But in a good, can't wait to see where this takes me kindof scared. I know my application isn't the strongest, and I don't have the best GPA, but I'm determined to achieve my dreams. No one will tell me I can't do it. The only person who decides whether or not I go to vet school is me. Well, maybe the admissions committees too lol. Anyways, you should look up the songs "The Fighter" by Gym Class Heroes and "Don't Give Up" bu Kevin Rudolph. They are both great songs that pick me up when I'm down or think I can't do it. Wish me luck on my application!

     Sincerely,
          Me

Breathe

     Well, school is just crazy right now. Finals are next week and I am super stressed about my grades. I found out last week that I am probably not going to get the grades I  need in two of my classes, which means that I will have to take them again, which also means that I will be in school next spring instead of graduating in the fall like I wanted. That sucks. Mostly I am disappointed in myself because I was the one who slacked off in those classes all semester, so I really have no one to blame but myself. And that's a harsh reality to face. Granted, this semester has been pretty rough for me emotionally for various reasons, but I still don't feel like that justifies getting bad grades. All I can do now is study hard for my finals and pray for a miracle and a killer curve.

     Speaking of studying, it always seems like I get into a good studying groove right at the end of the semester. That's probably because I don't spend hours on end studying until the week before finals though... Anyways, I always have a hard time finding a good place to study. The school library is too big and cold and, and home is too distracting and messy. Plus the light in my room went out, so I either have to study in the dark, or in the front room where my roommates like to be noisy. Thankfully, I had a great idea and went over to the city library to check it out. Turns out I love it! It has a homey feel, but there's a lot of space. I don't have to walk there, which is embarrassingly a big turnoff of studying at the school library. And there's a perfect spot, nestled between a bookshelf and a window. If there is any place happier than a library, it's probably a horse barn! But they are pretty close in my book.

     I just wanted to share a quote with you that I found on pinterest...

   

     I just really loved this because it just reminded me to keep on breathing, keep on going. Just because we hit some road blocks along the way doesn't mean we should give up or second guess our goals. Everything will be ok. Don't get discouraged! Setbacks are not a sign that you are going in the wrong direction, more often they are a sign that you are doing exactly what you should be. By pushing through your challenges, you will know without a doubt that you are doing what you want. So take a moment and just breathe. And keep fighting for your dreams :)

     Sincerely,

          Me

My Friends, The Ducks

Look at them waddle!

     So I told you in the last post that I had a few pics of my lovely duckie friends, and my phone finally decided to cooperate so I have them now! And I really wanted to share them with you because I think they are just so freaking adorable. And they make me happy. Hopefully I will get to visit them tomorrow, if it's not raining!

   

They got so close! My camera was not zoomed at all.

     Also, for easter, my mom decided to get my dad his very own library card! So we took him in on saturday to get it and I just had to take a picture! Look how happy he is! lol they grow up so fast.

What a cutie!

New Found Passions

     Spring is here! And with spring comes a new found passion for life. The warmer weather seems to bring out the best in life. Recently, I've discovered a few new things that I absolutely LOVE, and I just wanted to share a few of them with you :)

-Feeding ducks! I love love love going to a lake or park and feeding the cute duckies all the bread I can spare! They are just so cute and funny, with their waggly butts and adorable quacks. I wish I could understand what they are saying, because I'm sure that would be just as adorable. New favorite hobby? I think yes.

-Stronger, by Kelly Clarkson. Definitely my new anthem for the foreseeable future. I love the rocking beats and the uplifting girl power lyrics. I totally got caught dancing to this song in my car in the middle of an intersection the other day... don't regret a thing!

-Working out. I never used to work out, but I started about 2 weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it! Except for the days when I feel like I've been in a really bad bar fight, but that was pretty much just the first week lol. I still get sore, but it's just that building muscle soreness that you know is good for you. It usually is only bad for maybe a day. Definitely worth the bikini body that I'll have for summer!

-Driving around, windows down, music up. Ok, this isn't exactly something I've just discovered, but I haven't been able to do it for so long that it sure feels like it! It's one of the simple joys in life.

-Sports bras. How did I live without theses things?!?!

-Reading Vet. student blogs. So interesting! I love reading a first hand perspective about students in vet school. I think it's really upped my motivation for school, which is definitely a good thing. It gives me hope that someday I will be in vet school too!

     Sincerely,
          Me

p.s. I was hoping to add some pics to this post, but my phone is just not cooperating with me. The last time I went to visit my duck friends I took a few really cute pictures! They got so close! Maybe I will add them in eventually...

Conference Weekend

     Last weekend was conference weekend, aka "wear pajamas and do nothing" weekend. Needless to say, I loved it :) It was so nice just to take a break from all the stress of everyday life and listen to the words of the prophets. On Saturday I even had a pretty cool opportunity to invite a friend over to watch the afternoon session with me. I don't know how much he really took in, but I hope he was able to feel the calm and peace that I always feel during conference. The only draw back was that I was in Logan instead of home with my family. This isn't the first time I haven't been home for conference, but for some reason it kindof hit me hard this time. Don't tell anyone, but sometimes I get a little homesick, even though I try to put on a brave face ;) I do think I pay attention better when I'm not at home though, so maybe it was for the best! I do want to share a few of my favorite talks and some of my thoughts with you and I hope you enjoy my insights :)

     The very first talk was President Thomas S. Monson. It was really short, but it made such an impact on me. Almost from the moment he opened his mouth I felt the spirit so strongly that I cried (a rare occurance for me). He was basically just opening up the conference, but I just really felt so close to the spirit and I felt encouraged to make changes in my life.

     Later in the session, Paul E Koelliker gave a talk about the "murmuring" that goes on in the Book Of Mormon. I had never equated this problem with me, but he brought up the point that "they murmured because they did not know the dealings of our heavenly father." This really brought it into perspective for me. It made me realize that this has been part of my problem of late. I have grumbled and been unhappy with some things in my life because they didn't go the way I wanted them to. My problem was that I wasn't thinking about what heavenly father has planned for me and I wasn't fully trusting him to get me to my goals. This talk really helped me change my way of thinking.

     David S. Baxter spoke Saturday afternoon. His talk was very reassuring to me. It was all about how the lord is with us during our trials. If we just do our best, we will find the help we need to get through the hard times. Plus, He had a really cool accent, so he was really fun to listen to ;)

     There are more talks that made an impact on me, but for the sake of not having a mile long post, I only wanted to share my absolute favs. I hope that you enjoyed conference as much as I did!

     Sincerely,
          Me

Letters to the boys

     So I saw this on a friend's blog and decided to steal it. The idea is that you write a letter/note to all the boys who have made an impact on your life, whether you went out with them or merely admired them from afar. Sounds like fun! I figured this would be a good way to get a few things off my chest :)

p.s. sorry for the language... but it was well deserved.

Dear Kindergarten Sweetheart,
     My first "boyfriend". We had great times playing at daycare and kissing in the big tires. I don't remember your name, but I remember how nice you were to me. I still have the pearl necklace you gave me! I hope you've had a great life since our times in kindergarten <3

Dear High School Crush,
     You were the first boy I thought I loved. We were best friends all through high school and we made some great memories. I'm sorry I messed things up there at the end, I guess I was just scared. Thanks for being one of my very best friends. I know we've both changed a lot since those days, but I hope that someday we will be able to share some good times again. I'll always care about you, even if you're gay now...

Dear Boy Next Door,
     I had the biggest crush on you my entire freshman year of college. I just thought you were the cutest, funniest, sweetest guy I'd ever met. Alas, you liked my roommate. I'm over it though, we never would have been good together anyways.

Dear My First,
     First kiss, first boyfriend, first love, first everything. I had no idea the impact you would have on my life. You taught me so much and I grew so much while we were dating, but you also took so much from me. I didn't know that someone I loved so much could hurt me like you did. But after everything, I must thank you for helping me learn what a good relationship should be. Thanks for teaching me to let go.

Dear Rebound,
     I'm sorry I used you, but I still don't believe you wanted a relationship with me. Thanks for the good times, you were there for me when I needed you. I hope you learn how to kiss.

Dear Muscles,
     You are a douche. I trusted you and you played with my feelings. I hope karma makes you her bitch someday. You need to learn that you can't just go around treating girls like crap. And you look like a fish when you kiss.

Dear Brace Face,
     I'm glad I never kissed you, my tongue would have been shredded to pieces. I'm glad I kicked you to the curb when I did. I can't believe you stuck your hand up my shirt. Grow up and learn some boundaries.

Dear Coffee Shop Boy,
     I still miss you. But I hate that I miss you. Sometimes I want to throw eggs at your car. I still don't really know why you broke up with me. I wish you would have said something before that night. Even though it didn't work out between us, I'm still glad I took the chance. Thanks for getting me to open my heart to love again. I hope you find everything you're looking for. Don't be afraid to fall in love babe, you deserve to be happy.

     Sincerely,
               Me

Hope

Hope does not always burn brightly or shine fiercely like the sun, but glows softly like the stars. Hope is the tiny spark in your heart that urges you to move forward, even in the blackest of nights. Hope is what keeps you going, even when it seems there is nothing left to live for. Especially when it seems there is nothing left to live for. Hope is found in a new tree bud after a winter storm. Hope is found in the quacks and waddles of ducks looking for food in a frosty pond. Hope is found in a heartbeat, in a laugh, in a smile. Hope gives your heart wings to fly you away from you troubles and to a place of green grass and butterfly wings. Hope is a tiny ray of sunshine that you carry in your soul. Finding hope is like finding a jewel in a mud pile. Once we find that tiny sparkle of hope, we must cherish it. For one grain of hope brings more, like moths to a flame. Soon, we will have gathered enough hope to pick us up off the floor and conquer our trials. Search for hope, for if you search you will find. It only takes one glimmer of hope to change the seasons and bring your heart to summer.

Longing

Would it be okay to tell you
that I miss you?
I know I probably shouldn't,
but my heart is screaming at me
to tell you how I feel.


Can you see how hard it is for me?
Maybe I'm a better liar than I thought.
It seems like you're doing just fine.
I shouldn't bother your peace
with the longings of a silly girl.


I know I should let you go,
that this is what you wanted.
But I keep thinking just maybe,
if I stopped pretending to be okay, just for a moment,
you would tell me you miss me too.


I can't describe how losing you has felt.
I never expected it to be this hard.
You're in my every thought
and when I hear my heart beating
I'm surprised it's working at all.


I miss you, my dear.
I dream about being in your arms again,
of kissing your lips even one last time.
I promise I'm trying to let you go,
to let you live your life without me holding you back.


But I miss you.


    That, my dear friends, is my attempt at poetry. I don't often write poetry, but sometimes when I'm having a hard time with something it really helps to get my feelings out and put them on paper. I've had that first line running through my head for weeks. Tonight I finally had enough inspiration to write it down and the whole thing just kindof fell together. It's a wonderful feeling, being able to pour out your thought onto the page and it's always rewarding for me when I read through it and realize I created something beautiful. Beauty from pain.

     If you hadn't guessed already, me and my boyfriend broke up about a month ago. Well, really he dumped me. The details are all muddled and only he knows the real reasons behind it. I can only guess and try to interpret what little he told me. Needless to say, I haven't been dealing with the whole situation as well as I would like to. I'm trying to be strong and get over it, but most days all I want to do is stay in bed and sleep and cry. Of course, I can't do that. So I put on my brave face and do the best I can. Hopefully it will get easier.

Echo, my newest friend :)

     There are some good things about my life though! I don't want you to think that my life lately has just been one big cry fest. Number one is that I got a fish!!! I went home last weekend and I mentioned to my dad that I've been wanting a fish for a while. He surprised me by offering to buy me a fish! So we took a trip to the pet store and picked out the prettiest betta there :) His name is echo, and he has settled into his new home quite nicely, Even though it's just a little fish, I've really enjoyed taking care of him. It's nice to be responsible for another living thing.

     I've also been making an effort to improve my eating habits. Nothing drastic, no goals of losing weight or anything. I've just been trying to eat healthier and pay attention to what I'm putting into my mouth. I'm also trying to reduce my meat intake. After a really horrible dream that I won't even describe, I decided to cut back on meat. I have no false ideas of being able to go vegetarian as I do not eat nearly enough fruits and veggies to get a balanced diet without meat, but I have cut back. My approach is fresh fruits and veggies, more whole grains, less boxed and processed foods, more water, more alternative proteins, and limit my sweets, soda, and meat to once a day. It's been going pretty well so far, and I've been pleased with how good my body feels when I'm eating healthy meals. A big part of it is just paying attention to what I put in my mouth and actually thinking about what I'm going to eat for the day. It's been fun to experiment with different foods. Last night I made some delicious green beans and today I made some lovely roasted red potatoes. Yum!

    Another positive thing in my life recently is exercise. If you know me, you know I don't exercise very much. Hardly at all. Usually, the most I can claim is my once a week horseback riding. I decided that was something that needed to be changed, mostly for the endorphins. Again, I don't really have goals of losing weight, that's never really been a focus of mine. Exercise relieves stress and calms you down, and that's definitely something I need in my life right now. I took a zumba class today and I had a blast! It felt so good to be sweaty and happy. I'll also be doing some yoga classes, which is something I've really enjoyed in the past. Hopefully this will help me have a more positive outlook on life.
   
      Also, spring is just around the corner! What great hope good weather can bring :) Stay sweet, my friends.

     Sincerely,
          Me