Home away from Home

"Where we love is home, Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."
We have learned so much living away from home!!! Our family out here in Cali. are our friends and ward members... along with a few others as well! :) So... on Memorial Day we got together and had a BBQ, played in the pool, mingled and watched the men (and few women) face-off with "Guitar Hero"! We are certainly loving it out here! We have some pretty amazing friends and the best ward ever! It is truely an experience I wish everyone could have!

Beautiful lil' Paige Erickson at the pool :)

Brett Reeve and Josh playin' Guitar Hero. I got a kick
outta Brett, because he is so serious! Their excuse for
playing over and over is... "it helps with their dexterity
skills for dental school!"... gotta love that one! :)

Lindsay Moss and baby Josalyn Moss... Oh, she is a
beauty! They'll have trouble with the boys when she gets older! :)
Brittany Erickson and lil' Paige Erickson. She is such a petite little thing! Chad and Brittany are second year dental students along with us. They are so outgoing and fun to hang out with!!!

Thought of the day:
"Home is the one place in all this world where hearts are sure of each other. It is the place of confidence. It is the place where we tear off that mask of guarded and suspicious coldness which the world forces us to wear in self-defense, and where we pour out the unreserved communications of full and confiding hearts. It is the spot where expressions of tenderness gush out without any sensation of awkwardness and without any dread of ridicule." ~FWR

Sick Net.... Sick Nat!

It's pretty sad when internet is your life! But, really... what would we do without all of the high technology we have these days! Our jobs rely on it, our schooling relies on it and our lives rely on it (medically speaking). Our internet has been down for over a week and I have been going nuts!!!! It's finally up and running!... YEAY!!! I really don't have much to post since I've been a lil' under the weather and busy with work as well. But, it's nice to catch up and check my stinkin' e-mail too... WoW!!!! :)

Thought of the day: "My own prescription for health is less paperwork and more running barefoot through the grass." ~LG

BFF!

Can I just say... it's the best feeling to see your best friend again! Alisha and I have known each other since we were Libby's age!... or should I say since we were able to talk! Born and raised in the same neighborhood, hooked at the hips (Shauna, Alisha & myself) through school, and still hangin' on to this day! We are still BFF's! How blessed am I to have such amazing friends?!!! I enjoyed half the day at Disneyland with The "Kirby Gang" which was plenty of time on my stomach, since I couldn't take any more laughter! And believe me!... that wasn't laughter from the rides! They're quite the crew! :) Thanks for letting me enjoy some time with you guys and for filling up my "giggle tank!" Lots of LOVE to the Whole Family!!! Looking forward to seeing you soon!!! :)

Thought of the day:

"Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away." ~DC

The Sweetest Sound... Mother

God took the fragrance of a flower,
The majesty of a tree,
The gentleness of morning dew,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The beauty of a twilight hour,
The soul of a starry night
The laughter of the rippling brook,
The grace of a bird in flight,
Then God fashioned from these things
A creation like no other,
And when His Masterpiece was through,
He called it simply... MOTHER!

I have so many fond memories with my Mother and Mother-in-law! Some make me laugh, others make my cry! But all remain so close and dear in my heart! I am forever grateful for my Mom who taught me love, compassion, integrity, virtue and to be the best I can be in all things! Unfortunately I received her emotional genes!... which sucks!!! :) On the other hand... the one thing I will always cherish is the bond we share! My Mom is my Best Friend! She knows Everything there is to know about me!... both pleasing and horrible! And yet, she still loves me the same! Thank you Mom for your eternal Love!!!
I am forever thankful for a mother who raised a handsome, hardworking, loveable, diligent, determined, compassionate... simply AMAZING son! Josh has learned an immense amount from his mom! In fact, there are many days when I see her through and through in him! His manners, expressions, his charachter and the way he loves unconditionally! I am such a lucky woman to have him! But, not only am I lucky to have him... I am blessed to have 2 wonderful mothers! I love you both with all my heart! Thank you for your examples and filling my life with LOVE!
Happy Mothers Day to my grandmas, sisters, aunts, friends and to those whom one day will be Mothers!

Thought of the day:
"My mom is a neverending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune." ~GH

Hawaiian Chair?!!!

Oh, I just love lil' video clips that my loved ones send to me! Thanks for the laugh Mom!... you knew I needed it, huh?! I definitely need to invest into one of these for the great workout it would provide! :) Enjoy! And... thanks again Mom!... I love you!!! :)

Thought of the day:
"Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you're generally better off sticking with what you know. And the third is that sometimes your best investments are the ones you don't make." ~DT

~Sophmore Year~

I can't believe it!... Josh is now a Sophomore!!! WoW!... time is flying by so fast!

Yeah, I can remember thinking it was going to be the greatest thing to be a sophomore in High School. Well, I'll just say that SUU provided me with school, friends and fun!... which made it my momentous sophomore year in life!

Today is Josh's 1st day of periodontal class with his witch of a professor. It's gonna be a long day for him! I could tell this morning that he wasn't looking forward to what was in store for him. I'm sure he'll grab her attention and she'll love him just like the rest of them have. He just worries so much! He's not only told me, but I've heard from other dental wives that their second year is one of the hardest.... most time consuming! I worry about him, as far as taking care of himself and taking a break to eat or to relax his mind for a few minutes! I have no doubt that he can and will do a wonderful job with his knowledge and bookwork!

But, he tends to not feed his brain!

This first year was a tough lil' bugger for him!... Not only was he a "bachelor" for 3 months, he also endured taking care of our brat cat and had an appendectomy in his second month of school. After surgery he insisted on going to school!.... the NEXT DAY! He learned very quickly the standards and approaches he needed to take and accomplish for certain professors. After trial and error he learned how to present himself near to perfection! In fact, he did so well with his "finals" presentation that the 3 Doctors evaluating him insisted on keeping his format and data to help other students learn from his information. I am SO PROUD of him!!! He has worked so hard and is still persistant and determined to always do his Best!!! Love you babe! :)

Thought of the day:
"Success: To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!"~RWE

Come Follow Me...

I am officially a CTR 8 Primary Teacher! This was my first day teaching Primary, as well as my first time back in Primary since I was a kid! WoW!... What an experience!!! I have 6 kids in my class, of which only 2 attend church. There are a few inactive and the others are restricted because of parental views of the church. Hopefully with encouragement, friendship and sincere love I can bring those children back to learn of Christ and his teachings! Oh... but, my lil' class is so fun, very active and extremely intelligent! I actually feel like I belong there with these children, where I am able to learn from their knowledge and grow by the simple priniciples of the gospel and many stories that are taught! I think this experience will help and remind me to "be as a little child"... humble, meek and submissive to my Heavenly Father. Yeah, maybe this is just another test of my patience... who knows! :) Whatever the reason is, I am thrilled to be able to teach the lil' ones and more importantly learn from them!
Thought of the day:
"Children are an heritage of the Lord. They are the promise of the future, the assurance of greater things to come." ~GBH

Family, Fun & Sun!!!

WoW!!! What more do you need than Family, mixed with days of fun and lots of sun??? Our family came out to visit and getaway for a few days. I think we had more enjoyment than we could handle! I'll tell ya what!... I was worn right out from walking all day in the 90 degree heat! Plus... I think the Disneyland rides just kick your butt the older you get! :) Our first ride was "Pirates of Caribbean" which is a fun, classic ride! Then Braydon decided that we should hit "Splash Mountain" next! Well, he didn't know what lil' treat he was getting outta this ride! We kept joking on the ride that we were loaded down with all of the "Whiteley boys" on board. Unfortunately we really were!... we got SOAKED! It was hilarious!

Sea World was our next stop the following day. It is amazing to see the bond between trainers and whales/dolphins/seals! In my eyes, it is simply sweet! They're so intelligent and full of character! The shows were great! I get a kick out of the people sitting in the "wet zone", thinking that there is no possible way that those whales will get them wet! Yeah, right!!! :)

The perfect place to be if you're sick of the cold weather and snow... the BEACH!!!
Josh and I are getting very familiar with the many beaches around here! It's a great place to enjoy the sun, surfers, crazy boogie boarders :), and especially building sand castles!

Familiar faces... especially family is so comforting to the heart! Our time spent together will always be remembered and treasured! The things that I tend to capture and keep in my heart and mind are the feelings that come with being together! We miss you already and look forward to our next "Crazy Cali. Vacation!" Love you guys!!! :)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thought of the day:

"What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life - to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories." ~GE