In a Nutshell

So, I'm 30 years old today. I wanted to do something different for this entry, so I decided to list my 30 favorite memories. It was really hard to only pick 30! I have had an incredible life so far, and I am so, so blessed. If you hate scrolling through lots of pictures, stop reading now. :-) As for the music choice, my parents bought the Thriller album at the height of its popularity. I have so many memories of dancing in the living room with Amanda to his music. When I hear Micheal Jackson, it makes me think of being little, and it makes me happy.This was me around 5 years old. I had such a happy childhood. Lots of good memories in that yellow trailer (dance parties were born here)! We weren't rich, but I always felt safe and loved. I feel so sad that so many children don't have those two essential elements early in life. As long as a child feels safe and loved, they will be happy.

My dad taking Amanda and me for a ride on the tractor at the Queen Bee Ranch. My Grandma lived on a farm when I was little. It was so much fun to visit her because there were all kinds of things to discover. I laugh at this picture because even at 5 I was adamant about being dressed and having my hair done for the photo-op! Amanda just rolled out of bed...ha ha!

My Baptism day 1987. So glad my Dad was able to do that for me.

This is one of my favorite birthdays spent at the Queen Bee. My Mom made me a scrambled egg sandwich with fresh sliced tomatoes from my grandma's garden. She put a little candle on the sandwich and sang Happy Birthday to me. My mom has always made me feel like a celebrity on my birthday. I got this Judds tape, a bottle of my own Lady Stetson perfume, and a pink Barbie Corvette. I felt sooo cool! Plus my Nana was at this birthday too. I just had my family there, and that was all I needed!

Amanda and Amy, don't hate me! Some of my BEST memories have been with my sisters (and Grant-Man). I had to put this picture on because they were both being so silly this night! We were on vacation, and our rental car was a big boat Lincoln Town car. All six of us crammed in it. We laughed the entire trip. I still laugh when I look at this picture! Amanda: Our nightly texting dates, the voice, toe picking, "I have a bloody." May: "Dad's coming", Nicknames, Kanye Grant: My first introduction into motherhood, "Cookie Monster!" and watching you be an uncle to my girls.

First day of my senior year. I hated high school, but having my good friend, Lindsay, made our last year at that place bearable. We had lots and lots of fun together. AOL/Internet was in its infancy, and we had a blast discovering that world! We also loved the Nugget Coffee Shop, Wal-Mart, and Sarah M.

Love my sisters for humoring me with my early attempts at cosmetology. I've come a long way since the cap...I hope so anyway! Thanks, Amanda and Amy! You guys always had faith in me. You silly, silly girls...trusting me with scissors and color!

1998 graduation from high school. Oh, happy day!

College. During my 8 months at Weber State, I met some of my best friends. Lots of late night chats, being stranded in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, ghetto clicks, LOTS of laughing. Love Nikki!

More cosmetology experiments at school. Stupid dance "routines", stealing lobby chairs, free rotisserie chicken from Smith's at midnight. Love Jamie!

Eating snacks...did lots of eating! Stacy and Darcy ALWAYS had idea for something fun to do. Love Darcy and Stacy!

21st birthday. My mom made this birthday so special. She planned a surprise party for me, and even invited my life-long crush. I had so much fun that day!

Love my friend Leslie! We had lots of fun, "single" times together.

This was a fun vacation we went on together. My parents took us all to Oklahoma to visit our "roots". We each took a picture in front of the hospitals where we were born. I loved visiting my homeland!

You might be wondering why I put a picture of my wrecked Honda on my "best memories" list. This was the night of my first "date" with James. He called and invited me over to his place to watch a movie. I told him I couldn't because I had gotten in an accident that day, and I thought that would be the end of the conversation. However, he offered to come pick me up and take me home. And as they say...the rest is history.

I've shared this story before, but I want to share it again. This was the day of my wedding, and my dad was helping my put on this necklace. He was having a heck of a time latching it with his big ol' hands. We were all laughing, but then we all started crying because it was the last time I would be his Alison Brewer. Later when we got to the Temple, my mom was helping me put on my dress. Something got caught on my hair, and I said, "Don't mess my hair up!!" Then we looked at each other and started crying again. She said, "You still sound like my little girl!" We didn't want to mess up our makeup, so she distracted me by saying, "Here, have a drink of water." A drink of water makes everything better. You always need your Mom and Dad!

Of course the day I got married ranks as one of the BEST memories of my life!

Love the Turemans! We had lots of fun with them during our pre-kids days. This picture was taken during an impromptu trip to Vegas. We were all sitting around one night, and Brian was like, "We should go to Vegas tomorrow!" So we did! HaHa! So much fun being so spontaneous!

Graduation from Beauty School! Ya-Hoo!

Jade and Mollie. They filled that maternal void for me. Love my doggies!

The day I found out I was pregnant. After two years of waiting, my dreams of motherhood were going to come true!

I'm a little unconventional. You might think the day my Raychel was born would be on this list. The day Raychel was born, in all honesty, was not a happy day for me. I was so sick, I don't really remember it that well. Plus, we were unsure if she would even live. It was a tough road, but there were some incredible experiences along the way. For example, I was SOOO happy this day. This was the day Raychel was taken off the vent. She had been vented for 8 long weeks, and it was such a relief to see her maturing enough to not need the vent. Plus, this was the first time I was really able to see her sweet little face.

January 5, 2005. Raychel goes home! I was so excited to be a "real" mom.

The night I found out was pregnant with the twins...but didn't know they were twins. James and I could not stop laughing.

Raychel's first Christmas at home. I love her little face here. She was not happy getting a squeeze from Amanda.

27 Weeks and still pregnant! I was so happy to come to this milestone and have my babies still safe inside of me.

May 2006, Anna comes home! She was the first of the twins to come home. It wasn't quite as scary when Anna and Leah were born, but the day they were born, I was pretty unaware of what was going on. I remember I felt like I had been hit by a truck, then we got MRSA. The happy memory of this day was the fact that I was released from the hospital (from being treated for MRSA), and Anna got to come home the same day.

June 2006, sisters reunited! Leah joins us at home! We are FINALLY a complete family!

Anna and Leah turn one! I was so happy when the first year with twins came to an end. Mainly, I was happy that I had survived. I just remember thinking, "I really did live through it!"

Love "The Beast"! We went for a walk every single day. I would take my mp3 player and blast it so loud I couldn't hear the girls crying or fighting. A great time-out for everyone!

Of course, the great memories keep getting made. I love being a mother. This is without a doubt the best time of my life. I love watching the bond develop between my girls. This was one of our "dance parties". I love that tradition.

What would life be like without friends? I am so glad that my girls are making happy memories of their own. Wonder what they will remember in 30 years. I can't wait to hear about it! This is Brookie and Raychel. Bon-Bon is one of my dearest friends who has given me some great memories over the past couple years. I don't have a picture of the two of us, so a picture of our girls will fit the bill...they're cuter than us anyway. :-)

I love this picture of Nate and Raychel. Raychel is like, "You ain't gettin' a hug from me until you go on a mission, Mr.!" I'm so Thankful for my friends that I can share all of my "Mommy" feelings with. The memories just keep getting made!