Pet Peeve . . . .

Ok . . . I was on the Weber State shuttle bus today (yeah! that's right the shuttle bus), minding my own business when I just happened to notice something a lady was doing across from me - she was eating some string cheese but was just taking honking big bites out of it instead of "stringing" it! Bahhhhh! I discovered a new Pet Peeve:) - I mean, when I've watched Samuel before he has eaten string cheese like that but the kid's only 3, this was a grown women. I mean the NAME of the cheese is String Cheese, which means to me that you string it to eat it:) !
(no offense intended to those who might chose to eat their string cheese without stringing it - just a pet peeve I noticed and thought I'd share) . . .

I've been TAGGED . . .

A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B: Each player answers the questions about themselves
C: At the end of the post, the player then tags some people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
10 years ago today... Well, I was a sophmore in High School and Soccer was my life - I had a group of fun friends and was excited and happy for what was to come and never dreamed that 10 years would ever go by as fast as they have:)
5 things on my to-do list today:
1 - Animal Biology Homework (Bah! I hate that class - thanks Gab for recommending it:) ) 2 - Exercise! Abby - I finally printed off the "couch to running" outline and am sooooo excited to get going with it, 3- check e-mails and get back to people on facebook, 4 - finish reading the Goosegirl - Wendy gave it to me for Christmas and it's great!, 5 - try to work up enough courage to meet new people in my new ward and maybe actually get a date:)
I enjoy: I guess all of the usual things that we all love - being with family and friends, movies and music - I missed a lot of great bands in 18 months - I love to read and I enjoy learning new things and challenging myself.
What would I do if I were suddenly made a billionaire?
Wow - I would pay off my families debts and start mission funds for neices and nephews and future kids. I would love, love, love to travel - especially to Ireland and go visit family in Argentina and buy them all homes and get them set for life. I would start a non-profit organization to help immigrants and their children with whatever they needed - especially in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas:) - wow - there is just too much that could be done. I would also spend frivolous amounts on books and movies and music and all the latest gadgets.
3 of my bad habits
1 - I'm impatient with myself and others, 2- I waited too long to finish school, 3 - will power is sometimes hard to come by:)
5 places I have lived: Morgan - UT, New Mexico, Tucson - Arizona, El Paso - Texas and in my dreams - Mar del Plata - Argentina
5 jobs that I have had: 1- Jubilee Checkout person, 2 - Library Page, 3 - custodian cleaning Jubilee with the Family, 4 - Wedding Decorator and Florist, 5 - Worked the Olympics in 2002!
5 things people don't know about me: I always hate this question because it seems that nothing ever comes to mind . . . 1 - I always secretly wanted to be a Limousine Driver, 2 - I really thought that at 14 I was going to be discovered and be the next Mia Hamn - soccer star (well, we've all seen how that's turned out:)), 3 - I enjoy car dancing and making a complete fool of myself with classic "Mia" moves(ask Marcos what those are), 4 - Two movies that always make me cry at the end are "Thirteen going on 30"(haha) and "Much Ado about Nothing" (there is something about Denzel Washington's character standing all by himself while everyone dances and sings that gets me EVERY time), 5 - Last one is probably not so secret but here goes - I wish to be a wife and a mother and make others happy - that's all that I really want out of life.

Ok . . . so there you have it!! I now Tag - Jamie and Megan and Andy! Get going!!

A homework detour . . .

Has there ever been someone in your life or your family that just makes everything fun? Whatever it is, you know that with them there, things will just be happy and life just seems better - that person for me (and I'd venture to say for the whole Chard clan) is . . . Marcos. This morning I got on the internet to dowload some homework for my Biology class and a gravitational pull took me towards the pictures and videos on our computer. Now, just so you all know this computer was Marcos's homebase - it was his life (haha- he'd kill me for that), but seriously, he would be on this thing for hours into the night, looking at music and editing pictures until dad would call out from behind him - "Marcos - come on - it's 2 in the morning" and dad would hear back, "Just a sec - almost done". So, this morning when I ventured into Marcos's pics and videos, I thought that I was prepared to laugh a little and smile and then move onto the things that I have to do today . . . it's now been an hour of looking at pictures and videos and smiling and crying and missing him more than I thought that I could. I think that us serving missions together was something that kept my missing him at bay because, to tell you the truth, I didn't need to miss him because he was always with me. Now, that mind sound foolish to some, but for those who know that we as humans are connected to each other in much deeper ways than just on the surface, will understand what I mean. There were some days on the mission that I know I could not have made it through, were it not for the knowledge that I did not walk alone in the service of Jesus Christ - Marcos and I always walked together. There is something comforting about knowing that while hundreds of people have gone through what you are going through as a missionary and can remember and understand, although they are not in the moment anymore, there is someone that is in the moment and that moves you forward. Marcos was that someone for me, and so I didn't really get the chance to miss him because we were linked together. Now that I have been home for a little while I am starting to feel and understand what it means to miss him and that was even clearer this morning as I glanced over his face in the pictures and listened to his laugh and voice on the videos. I am gratful for that ability to miss someone because it helps me realize what we sometimes take for granted. I have heard it been said before, that we never really know what we have, until it's gone - and more than ever I believe that. Marcos is gone for just a moment and will be back sooner than we think and I am so grateful for that and the moments that we will have as we grow up and move on and have families and children and lives, but as a family still stay connected. But, what about those who have departed from my life before I got to show them how I feel? I mean that in more ways than one - of course those who have passed on, who I miss and love and KNOW that through Jesus Christ if I live righteously, I can see again - but also those friends and family who because of distance or my excuse of lack of time, or waiting for them to take charge of the friendship or whatever it may be, have drifted out into the world of once a year Christmas cards or uncomfortable chance encounters. I don't want it to be like that anymore and so it comes down to me letting people know that I care and I'm grateful and I value who they are and what they mean to me - so, to those of your reading this, know that I love you and am grateful for the impact you have made on my life and that I will try to do better to be the friend that you deserve. Life is about finding those people who make it worth living and then becoming someone who they can't live without. We can all be that person, like Marcos, who makes things fun and happy just beacuse we are there! . . .

Movin' on UP!!!!

So . . . We moved Mario, Wendy and Ethan today - man they have a lot of stuff :) No, no, I'm just kidding. I do have to say, though, moving in the winter - not the best - slushy, cold, wet and generally not fun - - - - BUT, doing anything with my family makes me happy and we have fun. I'm grateful for laughter. I know that sounds cheesy but it's true. Throughout my childhood there has always been laughter and genuine love and care for one another and I'm grateful for that. I can honestly say that my family really are my best friends and I know that things change and time moves on but I know that we will always be close and together. I look up to my older brother - He is amazing. He is happy and he is fun even when things are hard and I have to say that his great example as a servent of the Lord is one of the reasons I decided to serve a mission. How do you tell someone what that means? I guess all that I can say is that I love him and for that very reason I know that God lives and loves us - He is there!! Just like you have always been there for me Gabby. And then there is Mario - haha - what can I say? There are no words but just to know that I feel better after I have talked and laughed with him is enough. I am grateful for the fights we had when we were little because I think that made us closer in a way and I will always be grateful he showed me his favorite "chair" - Thanks Mars!!! Last and definetly not least, is Marcos. I think that a cloud of darkness would follow me around forever if there was no Marcos - he is happiness and music and love and joy and someone I cherish. It also still makes me happy if I can make him laugh:). Now, I know that this post went into a funny direction seeing as I started talking about the wonders of moving in the snow and it ended up an ode to my brothers - oh well - I think they are the only ones that read this anyway - haha - thanks guys - you ROCK! I guess that the moral of this random story is - don't move in winter - it's too cold. . . .