So I don't live in the same state as my family anymore, but I have my sister as a friend on facebook and here are the crazy Lee's...with some Gile's mixed in!

Grandpa and Grace

Geoff who is going to Africa for 2 years!!!

Emma, Dad, Alex and Uncle Kent

Grace and Great Grandpa Valdez

Grandma and Aunt Wanda

My favorite little guy, Joshua and Emma

Emma some year with some snow

Grandma and Grandpa and Geoff

Aunt...ummm Joan? and Grace

Fred fred, aunt Mel and Uncle Rob

Grandpa and Kaylee

eating pizza with chopsticks????

Grandma and Geoff!

Lazy Sundays!

So last week was so hectic! But this weekend was fun. I spent the day, like usual, with Brooke and Meagan! Yesterday we just hung around, made dinner at my place (steak and potatoes and veggies...YUM) and then we went and saw the play my roommate Amanda was in! It was an awesome show and right before that we also had ice cream... I was supposed to share with Brooke but as she went to her apartment to get a spoon "Buzz and Woody" ate it all :) she just laughed at me. Then we watched a movie at my apartment but I fell asleep while we were still getting comfy haha. Today we made Cinnamon rolls and about 20+ guys came over and invaded. It was alot of fun with the flour war that I totally dominated in. Plus when Meagan and I were all snuggled in Brooke's bed and Brooke was a silly girl and left her phone on the counter. We did some facebook hacking :) I also was able to talk to my best friend who is at BYU. We talked for over and hour and it was just so good to hear her voice! Now I get to paint my nails and toenails, maybe do some chemistry and just be lazy today :) LOVE IT!

This is in the science building but these are my two best friends on campus!!!

IT'S TOO MUCH!!!!

Test OVERLOAD!!! I love it though lol, call me a nerd but I like getting tested. It must be the competitive side of me. I just need a breather though. This week I have an Evaluation paper due (eeek by tomorrow at midnight and I have barely started it) and then I have a Practical for Anatomy. That means we have 26 stations and you have a minute to identify whatever is at the station then you move on, if you don't get it luckily there is extra time at the end. We have to identify bones, muscles, every single divot and bump on the bones, the different types of cartilage and muscles (pictures) and body cavities! It's a lot to remember. Plus I have an analysis paper due on Friday and another Chemistry homework assignment. You'd think I would get a breather for the weekend. NOPE. I have to study for my Chemistry Exam for Wednesday (thankfully it's only over 2 chapters)! THEN it's break!!! FINALLY!!!! but then after that I have a speech and another test and another paper and it's a vicious cycle! To add to it all I have to find time to still be able to be a college kid and hang out with friends (although our  "study sessions" involve lots of wrestling and like last night making fudge!) Oh, plus the roommates, we are all on different schedules (kinda) I'm the morning person who is up at the butt crack of dawn but is probably one of the firsts to fall asleep (11 is early for me). Between the different schedules and being woken up at 1am (yes, people ring the doorbell at 1am and the doorbell is my room GRRR!!!) I am stinking tired! I sometimes forget how tired I am until, like today, I forgot to eat and about passed out in chem lab! Hopefully this weekend I can find a breather!!! And to add to it all the other stresses of life...I am overstressed and stretched too thin! I don't want to disappoint anyone so I guess I will have to pull those late nighters and early mornings to get things done. But...I don't think I would be disappointing anyone but me if I don't get things done. It's just the way I am! Time to go study now, or write a paper or something besides eat and sleep!

Kids??? on campus???

Saturday night we had some little house guests! One of the security guard's brought over his kids. They were stinkin' adorable. Tristen(9) Aiden(6) and Teryn(5). Some of the things that came out of their mouth was like they were college kids. It was pretty hilarious. We played in the "sandbox" which just means on the volleyball court in front of our building. We buried Lexi, head to toe and then we played tag with some cross country runners. What a mistake that was!!! They kicked our booties! We then went to Shaw for some food and I had the best time with Aiden. He sat next to me and my friend Garrett (who would smile at Teryn and she would blush because we told her he was cute). Garrett was talking (like usual) and he had some fries. Aiden thought it was pretty funny when I was sneakily grabbing some fries for him. His laugh was sooo cute, it made me laugh! We literally had a CROWD at our table asking me and Lexi if they were our kids and where did they come from and such. Afterwards we played Foosball and then went back to my apartment since I had made some fudge and said they could have a piece. We then played with the guitars and piano and balloons and then they went home! It was such a blast though, they are coming back over for Halloween and we are taking them trick-or-treating around the floor haha!

Teryn! She told me that she had 6 boyfriends!

She wanted to see all the Disney coloring books I had in my room lol

Kids playing piano!

Teryn and Lexi and the guitar, Jaimie! We played Sponge bob square pants on it :)

Water break after all that running around

The baby sitters. Technically it was Lexi and I but Dillon ran around with them too!

In Shaw!

Aiden, I caught him mid laugh :)

The beautiful Teryn

And after the kids left, Manda and I went across the hall to chat with some of the guys. Chris, the model, was complaining about something smelling up the fridge. They pulled out "poop" from the freezer (burnt chocolate that Jill put in there as a joke a couple of weeks ago when they failed at making puppy chow.) And then they found out what the rotten smell was. It was chicken-from August, Manda and I were standing in the doorway and T.J. (the birthday boy) ran the chicken to the trash. For a minute she and I couldn't smell anything. Then it hit us, we both puked. It was disgusting!!!

R.I.P Taylor Andrew Loch

Five years ago today my friend Taylor died. I remeber the day I met him, it was in 6th grade in our science class. He was coming from Billings, Montana and he was a pretty cute lookin' guy. Over the next two years he and I had formed a pretty strong friendship. He was always so sweet to me and always asked how I was even though we weren't in the same classes anymore.

8th grade year rolled around and Taylor was still Taylor! Oct 1st of that year everyone in my 8th grade class had changed (technically it was Oct. 2nd when we found out). We heard rumors that someone had died but no one had known who it was. None of the teachers were in their classroooms and class was about to begin. Then as I saw some of my friends crying and I didn't know why, word had gotten out that Taylor had drowned that Sunday afternoon.

He and about 4 others were paintballing in some random field and it was a hot October day. The guys that were paintballing decided that they would cool off by going through the canal which was still full of water. 4 boys came out and Taylor (being the nice person that he was let everyone go first so he can make sure they made it out). Taylor never came out. Search and Rescue was called in later. 10pm that night there was a blood curdling scream from a women, later found out it was his mom, who found his body coming out of the canal. He was held under water because his shoelaces got stuck on a nail.

The school was in turmoil. Student's crying in random places, counselors from surrounding cities coming to help consol us, and teachers putting their lessons plans off for the week. Those four other boys that were with Taylor when he died were also in my science class 8th grade year. They felt guilty and were gone from school until after the funeral in Billings, Montana. Gabe was Taylor's best friend. They were in a HUGE fight when Tayor died, and never said goodbye to each other. Taylor left this world mad at his best friend and Gabe is still in this world never forgiving his best friend. I once saw Gabe crying before class. He punched a metal locker and it left a huge dent. We all knew why he was so angry though.

 That week there was a memorial for Taylor. Because of the memorial the football team (which Taylor was a part of) had to forfit a game. Of any of the team players, Taylor would have been the one to say "Don't forfit it because of me-play instead of coming to my memorial" There were pictures of Taylor playing throughout the memorial, his little sister sobbing in the front and the football team all holding a yellow rose. Mr. Schulteiz, the counselor and the football coach, gave a moving speech that had even the toughest guys in tears. After the service we were invited to walk up to the alter to see some of his personal items. Out on the table were: the shoes that were too big for a 13 year old and the laces that had snagged on a nail in the canal (holding him down), his football jersey, pictures, baseball bat, ball and mit, some of his hats and other things that represented him. So many of us, myself included, broke down when we saw his personal things. Classmates we haven't talked to in awhile were all giving hugs, for once there was no separation between the jocks and nerds, bandgeeks and orca-dorks.

The school decided that his football #26 should be on every jersey. And so they were the next year. He has a page in the yearbook and a special place in out hearts. Getting food in the cafeteria was never the same afterwards since Taylor always served us with a smile :)

The school got together to send messages to Taylor up in Heaven on helium balloons. Everytime it rains I think of him. His mom said at the memorial as if she were speaking to him "Taylor, your aunt and I are sitting here knowing you aren't coming home again. Please, just give us a sign that you are okay up there" and then she said that it started to rain. The rain makes me think of him all the time. I am hoping that it'll rain today, if not here in Utah maybe in Washington. Taylor has a special place in so many of our hearts and will never be forgotten.

This is from the yearbook... In memory of Taylor Loch

Bookworm Girlies!!!

My first paying job was at a used bookstore called Bookworm. I didn't even have to apply, my aunt called me and asked if I was interested. At the time I was in Channel Cats (year-round swimming) and karate as well as in my high school symphony! It was a lot. The day I went in for an interview was the FIRST time I drove by myself!!! I accidentally popped the hood instead of releasing the E-brake and my friends saw!!! They got a laugh out of that :) I got the job a week later!!! and my wisdom teeth taken out at the time too so I was doped up on some pain killers my first day. My Aunt Wanda also worked with me along with Megan and Crystal (those are the only two I can remember working with me at the time besides the Owner). My aunt and I RARELY saw each other outside of family gatherings and now we worked together!!! Together she and I dominated at filing books and cleaning up the place, even on the busy Saturdays where everyone brought in their trashy books and we had to lug them to a different location since we didn't want them. What a pain that was! I enjoyed almost every minute of that job! Until the very end when things got hostile and not one, not two, not three but FOUR people quit!!! Aunt Wanda, Megan, Kelsey and I all quit around the same time! Haha the owner gave us such a headache everyday that we gave her one when all of Richland left!

I started doodling in one of my classes and drew this :) It hung on the wall until we all left. It's now in my apartment! (the "used children" sign was a real sign and it always made us giggle because of the connotation!)

Besides the ending,I enjoyed every breakfast I had at the "worm" with the girls. We also went to Ice Harbor alot too and sometimes P.F. Chang's! Afterwards we always would hit up DQ and almost get kicked out because we were laughing SO HARD!!! One time we were coming home from Ice Harbor and since I was the only one underage and that knew how to drive a minivan plus I would NEVER drink, I was the designated driver! Ummmm...well lets just say that there were people flying everywhere...even though they were buckled up. And I was not going though the round about that fast and it wasn't MY FAULT that Megan buckled her sweater into the buckle and was all tangled! :) The worse Ice Harbor trip is a tie between the one where I got sick that night with the Swine Flu but had to open the store (for the first time) by myself with someone I don't usually work with and the time where Megan accidentally slammed my almost healed broken finger in the door. Yea, it wasn't so much "almost healed" after that!

Halloween 2009! In jammies all day and yes, I do have feet but my pants are generally ALWAYS too big for me and you can't see them!

I worked with my aunt alot, for awhile they didn't allow the Asians to work together :) but since we dominated at it so much every other Saturday we worked together! When we balanced the till and it was perfect we put a star on the calendar and then it was "Asian Power" or "Irish girls are better" or something that the two working that night had in common! That calendar was a mess! We also played jokes on each other like when we weren't allowed to file the romantic section since that was my aunt's section so Kelsey and I and Megan put a ton of kids, general fiction, mystery, sci-fi, non-fiction and romance books from overstock on the cupboard so that night when my aunt came in she thought it was ALL her romance to be filed :) It wasn't haha! I was able to form a "more than niece and aunt" relationship with my aunt! Instead of just the aunt that she is to me she is also one of my best friends! It was a bittersweet moment when I had to say goodbye to her before I left for college. I constantly text her and call her and write to her-although those letters are piling up on my desk and becoming outdated lol. My aunt was there for me at graduation and remembered my birthday this year! She also (often) brought me my favorite treats to school! Tuxedo brownie cups AND my wraps which I could eat like four of!

Me in my Bookworm Shirt! Plus with my baby kitties-there are 3 of them!

At my graduation party!

My aunt, me and Megan at my graduation party!

Them terrorizing the baby!

At graduation after I got my gold chain!

Megan and I

I love you aunt Wanda...and I miss you too!

Funny Answers!

I took my first Chemistry test today... It seemed like it was easy. And I even attempted the E.C. problems. The first one was super easy, the second was more challenging but was doable. Then after talking to some classmates about it they all wrote the answer "OLD!" The question was asking how old the rock was. I got some long number and everyone wrote "OLD!" Why do I never do that??? lol. I once drew some flowers for an answer in Calculus because it was HS and no one cared! DARN, next time though I will write some funny answer!

This one is asking if the object will continue to move, and he wrote "No there is an elephant in the way!!!!"