He has returned!

My little brother has returned from his mission to Honduras in all his triumphant glory. (you know like on Saturdays warrior). I cant believe he has really been gone for 2 whole years, and is back! It is wonderful to have him home, but wierd at the same time. It really didnt seem like he had been gone that long until he was back and then it felt like we hadnt seen him in forever! He came home with a bunch of fun gifts for everyone. Nauni is showing off her sweet belts and bag. i got some that were very similar as well. My dad got an amazing cane and really amazing scripture covers.

Sunday was his homecoming. He gave an amazing talk and really blew us all away at how grown up he was. He worked really hard on his mission and it shows in his testimony! It was a little funny though because he reminded alot of us of my Dad when he speaks. he had the same motions and pauses and even his tone of voice.....which although funny is a really good thing because my Dad is a great speaker!

We have a house!!!!!!

Can you believe it???? I cant! Well, technically we still don't have a house yet because we don't have keys, but we have an accepted offer, so ill take it and hope nothing screws it up! I didn't post that we had put an offer on this one because I didn't want to have to post that we didn't get it again....(this is number 6 for anyone counting). We are so excited. We are still negotiating the closing date, but most likely sometime towards the end of September. Its way out there (well not as bad as Queen Creek :P) But its at Signal Butte and Elliot. With the freeway connected now, its really not that far. Its 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, so room to grow :) with a nice backyard, a huge great room rather than separate family and living room and a really good size kitchen. It is in a really nice neighborhood with parks right down the street for future kids. Keep your fingers crossed that we actually make it to closing. But I was so excited, I didn't want to keep it a secret anymore!

master bathroom (It has the tall cabinets that i really like-just needs a color change.

The great room. This doesnt really even do it justice. It is really good size!

the kitchen from inside the great room. blah for the color, but that is totally fixable and it will be amazing!

The Best 2 Years

Ha....not a mission, but being married to Eldon! Tuesday was our 2 year anniversary! I cant believe its already been 2 years. it has absolutely flown by! We definitely had our ups and downs but being married has been the easiest, happiest and by far the best time of my life. Eldon is an amazing husband and is incredibly sweet, caring, thoughtful, helpful and loving. Im not sure how I got to be so lucky, but I am definitely glad I did. I just wanted to let Eldon know how much completely in love I am with him. And am forever grateful that he found me, changed my life and made me happy and complete. I love you Baby! Happy Anniversary! Here is to two amazing years and so many many more to come! XOXOXO

Things I missed posting

Normally, I just post and (pre date) back to the real date of the post, however since i know many of you have already seen our post from all the well wishes from my accident, i didnt want these posts to be missed. So they happened just before and just after the accident but have not been posted until now...sorry! Oh and update from the accident. I am doing really well. The soreness only lasted a couple of days and was actually less than I was anticipating from the looks of my car. The worst part was actually that I had an allergic reaction to the neosporin (sp??) that was put on my arm to help the cuts heal. Can you believe it? Who is allergic to that....only me! Ive never had a problem with it before, but go figure. so i had a lovely and incredibly itchy rash on top of all the cuts. But all is well....on the real posts.

Happy Birthday Dad! On August 7th, it was my Dad's birthday. We went out to Texas Roadhouse to celebrate. And it was very yummy and my Dad the ham enjoyed getting on the saddle (i actually think he was just excited that he was able to get on with his knee problems) and rode the birthday ride). What a nerd, but we love him anyways! For his birthday he got a new guitar. He used to play when I was little, but its been a while so he wants to freshen up his skills. Happy Birthday Dad! We love you!

sorry the video is sideways. i always forget! GRRRR! Still good though

Today....we had a miracle!

Seriously! I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father today, because today, he loved me enough to keep me alive....and even more than that....basically unharmed. As you can see from the wonderful pictures. My beautiful yellow car is no more. It was crashed today! I was driving on the 202 to work this morning and the passenger rear tire lost its tread (which basically makes it like driving on ice). well since it was the freeway, it wasnt like i was only going 5 miles an hour. i actually did pretty good keeping it in control for a second or two and then i lost complete control of the car, it crossed 2 lanes of traffic to hit almost head on the freeway median. It then bounced off the median did a complete 360 roll back to its tires and stopped. Thankfully, no other cars were involved and an amazingly nice truck driver (which i do not have his name, but am forever thankful for) pulled his giant truck diagonal to stop traffic from hitting me and then rushed to help me along with about 5 other guys. They were helping before i was finished processing what happened. Well amazingly enough, after a visit to the hospital with a very caring LDS doctor in the E.R. the damages (besides the death of my car) was bruising from the seatbelt, cuts from the glass of my broken window and most likely a very sore steffi tomorrow. The cop asked if he could enter me in the demolition derby and my brother joked that i was "unbreakable". I dont know about that, but the guardian angel that kept me safe is probably pretty beat up or something!

I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for his guiding hand in my life. Today could have been and probably should have been a very bad day, and it definitely wasnt fun, but I will take it over the alternative....and now....i guess i get a new car.... unfortunately because of timing, it probably wont be the car i wish i was getting, but my plans never quite go according to plan. So make sure

you remember Heavenly Father and his hand in your life as well, and Buckle Up! Cause it probably saved my life!

Bring Back the Memories

I thought this was really cute, so I thought I would put it on my blog as well.

As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember--it can be funny, weird, awkward, random, etc.!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to our blog and leave one about you.

Piece of Humble Pie

Heavenly Father is incredibly good at reminding me how blessed I am....especially when I whine the loudest, which has been a lot lately! It just seems like I cant catch a break with any aspect of my life these days....minus my wonderful husband. Then my friend Brittney sends me this email......

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, “If I could only see the world, I will marry you.”One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her ”Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?” The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him. Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: “Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.”

Life Is a Gift
Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to God for a companion.
Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven.
Before whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

Even though it was a forward....it got me thinking and its true. Things are not going the way I would like, but I am incredibly blessed and probably more than others....and definitely more than I deserve by my actions!

I also wanted to share with you some words of wisdom from the past for anyone feeling like me. I have these goals that I am trying to obtain. I dont feel like they are selfish goals, i believe they are what Heavenly Father has been directing me towards, but they just have not been working out. So I whined to my dad and he had lots of similar stories and some far worse to show i wasnt alone....but he told me to look up this talk.
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=fa8318e7c379b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1
See Dad, I do listen sometimes :P
It is an amazing talk by Brother Hugh B. Brown of the Quorum of the Twelve. It talks about how the Lord is the gardener and he knows how he wants to shape and trim and mold us and he sees the bigger picture. Its not a fun lesson to learn, but definitely an important one! Anyways...my deep thoughts for the day since I obviously am still being taught and drilled with this lesson.

Happy Pioneers Day

We cant really call it the 24th of July Celebration because it happened on the 19th of July....but its the point that matters. Each year, Snowflake has a big celebration in honor of Pioneer Day our Church history and heritage. We went up to spend time with family and friends and celebrate with all the festivities. It was a lot of fun as usual. We all went out to the parade. The kids always have a blast getting candy and seeing the fun floats.



The Larson Family name was proudly shown from the Larson waste garbage truck float. Some of the kids usually ride 4-wheelers with garbage cans tied to the back and kids ride in the garbage cans and throw candy to the crowd! We are so proud!!




Tricia as always has amazing food....and somehow manages to feed pretty much the whole town!

The family is great at entertaining ourselves as well. There is always cute little ones around to be the center of attention. Payten was especially cute telling stories about her Popsicle.


Brett and Mack showed off their mad skills on bikes. Mack showed off the new cape he bought at the craft fair. The new rule to ride Macks bike is you must wear the cape. (its two sided...mack is showing the superman side, and Payten is showing the batman side) ha ha...leave it to Mack!




The boys created their own swimming pool to beat the heat...or freeze rather in the back of Kyle's pick up truck. They had way too much fun driving around with a swimming pool in the back!


There was also a fashion show by this cute little boutique from Show Low, and they let the little girls in the audience come up after to strut their stuff, so Jade and Jessica took a turn walking the cat walk, but got a little shy at the end, and didnt give us too many poses. There was also a craft fair, but shortly after we arrived it started to pour rain, so we didnt get to spend as much time there as i would have liked. I was a good girl this year and didn't buy anything, but I did take notes so I can make some of the crafts myself.




I think the highlight for Eldon this trip (besides seeing his family) was riding Mack's motorcycle. He has been wanting to ride it for a very long time, but because of his wrist, he has abstained....well....much to my dismay, he resisted no longer, and went for a few spins. Thankfully, my husband does have some brains and took it easy (or so he says) but he didn't get hurt and still had fun.

We had a lot fun but it was much to quick of a weekend! it is always a blast to be around great family and friends. Thanks Brett and Angela for letting us crash at your house! We really appreciate it and had a lot fun hanging out!

Our Family keeps growing!!

Congratulations to Mack and Valerie. They got engaged last week!!! We hope its ok that we broadcast their news, but they have been excitedly telling everyone and showing off her beautiful ring, so we figured it would be ok to share our excitement about it as well. We had an idea it was coming, and we are very happy for them both! Its always nice to see your siblings happy and they definitely seem to be very happy! Congratulations!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

I dont have any pictures of the event because my camera is currently being repaired, but Happy Birthday Mom! We went out to dinner a bit early to celebrate my Mom's birthday since we were going to be heading out of town on the actual day. I hope it was great birthday mom! I hope you enjoy your missionary statues from Spain. We love you very much and appreciate everything you do for us. I am very grateful to live close to my family and to be able to have their help and love and support close at hand. Thanks for all you do! Happy Birthday Mom! We Love you!

Its coming back finally!

For those of you who have read my blog for a while, or if you have been around me last year, you would know that one of my favorite shows is Heroes!!! Because of the writer's strike at the end of the year last year, the show pretty much died. I have been waiting to see if it would ever come back and there hasn't been any sign of when....until now!!! I was watching TV the other day and saw a commercial for the show! YEAH!! prayers really do get answered! j/k, i wouldn't pray for that, but I am excited!!! Its still a ways off, but I am just glad to know it is coming back! The last episode that aired, was not supposed to be the end of the season, so things were really left hanging!!!

Happy Birthday little Brother!

I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my little brother. He Turned 21 on July 12th! I cant believe he is that old already!!! It also means that his mission is almost over.....He comes home in the evening on August 26th! Crazy how fast time flies!!! Happy Birthday little brother. Cant wait for you to come home! We love you!

Larson Family Reunion 2008

This year the Larson Family Reunion took place in Show Low at Brett and Angela's house. It was so much fun! After Wendi's wedding, we all went to their house for some "urban camping" in style. I like being outdoors, but this was definitely more my style....access to a bathroom :) The whole family (minus a few) spent all weekend staying in Brett and Angela's 4 bedroom house. There was people everywhere! Every bedroom was full, the living room, couches, the backyard, the trampoline....even the kitchen became a bedroom. It was beyond a blast! Friday morning went to the 4th of July Parade, following the parade was some water fun. The slip n slide and wading pool turned into an all out water war between the teenagers and the little ones....i actually think the little ones won! There was cotton candy and popcorn in addition to all the other amazing foods! That night we played Rock band, did our own fireworks and sparklers and of course watched the fireworks from our front row spot in their backyard! The next morning it was off the to lake for some more water fun! Grandpa brought his boat for boat rides and we had giant water toys, more water balloon fights and just a lot of fun. Saturday afternoon we played with Pinatas. Each age group had their own. Everyone had a blast, but I actually think the adults had the most fun! We were wrestling and tackling each other for the awesome prizes of gift certificates and body lotions and scrubs! In the evening we watched movies, had story time, rootbeer floats! It was so much that everyone was incredibly sad to go. Jade even asked if the reunion could last forever! Even with the craziness of it all....it wish it could have...or at least lasted a little longer. Angela, thank you so much for all your hard work! You are amazing and it really showed how much you cared! Thanks for a wonderful weekend!

The Happy Couple

CONGRATULATIONS to Wendi and Scot! They were married on July 3rd in the Snowflake Temple. Everything went really well, and Wendi looked beautiful, and incredibly happy. The reception was beautiful and everyone seemed to have a really good time. We are so excited for Scot and Wendi and their new little family. We think this union will bring a lot of happiness and joy into their lives and we wish them all the best! Congratulations!

No House for Us

Well as you can guess from the title....we didn't get this house either! House number 5 was lost in a similar fashion as one of the earlier ones....to the greedy banks not playing fair. We were the highest bid when all the offers were turned into the bank, and the bank came back and did a multiple counter offer to everyone saying there was more than one offer so everyone had the chance to increase their amount. This is a terrible situation because you have no idea where to even start from. You could raise a bunch and shoot yourself in the foot, or not raise at all or not enough and lose out! It makes me so mad, but apparently it was not the house for us, so we will continue our search. Keep your eyes and ears out for a good deal for us so we can find the right one!

Playing at the Lake

One of my best friends, Jenny and her family invited Eldon and I out to Saguaro Lake for a fun day on the boat. We had a blast out on the water. We got to meet Jenny's new (well, new to us) boyfriend Nate, and give our approval :)

We also got to play on the tubes, swim in the refreshing water, and learn how to wake board. I have tried before but most of my attempts looked like this....

but this time was different! I wasn't able to stay up very long, but I was finally able to stand up and stay up for a bit! Yeah!!

Unfortunately, Eldon wasnt able to participate in too many of the activities, he was trying to take it easy on his wrist so that it keeps healing. It was a beautiful day on the lake, and it was nice to be out of the house, out of the office, and out with friends. Thanks so much Jenny and the Jackson Family! We had a blast and really appreciate you inviting us along!