Woohoo!

I got a letter from Jordan today! Hooray! Her first Pday letter! High fives all around the kitchen! I definitely worked hard for the first letter. I have written her just about every day since she left. I just remember how tough the first few days at the MTC can be, so I wanted to make sure she knew that I was thinking about her. This is my favorite part of the letter:

"The first night I was here, I kept thinking, "If I left now I could walk to Cali's house in like 40 minutes at the most."

Funny, huh? I totally remember how it was. SO hard the first few days, then it just gets better. It's so weird, but awesome. She is doing really well and loving it.

I am so proud of her.

I'm doing a mission blog for her. www.hermanascanlon.blogspot.com if you're interested. We'll see how good she is with getting me pictures to keep it updated. I've told her 100 times that it'll only be as good as she makes it.

Bah-lack Friday

I know that just the words Black Friday cause some people to go into immediate spasms, but I love it and it's all my mom's fault. She has a black belt in shopping and spending a week planning a shopping trip, waking up super, super early and fighting complete strangers for great deals is right up her alley. I definitely have inherited the B.F. excitement from her. (But, only if I have absolutely nothing else going on that day and can collapse back into my bed immediately after the shopping frenzy).

The best part of Black Friday, for me, is spending time with my mom and whoever else we can coerce into accompanying us. It really is a team sport. However, this year, due to a rather unfortunate cold that just won't go away, I stayed in Utah for Thanksgiving and I couldn't talk any of my friends to get up way before dawn to do some serious shopping. So, I went it alone. I spent much of Thursday night (after I got home from a gourmet Thanksgiving dinner at Janae's house) going through the B.F. ads mapping out the next day. I set my alarm for 3:15 a.m. I vaguely remember it going off and grabbing my phone to silence the noise, but it was not enough to get me up. Around 3:50, I knocked my phone off my bed and that woke me up. I got dressed super fast and rushed to Target...that was my first mistake. I wanted super cheap DVD's (mostly Vampire Diaries, Season 1). Apparently, if you want anything at 4 a.m. on Black Friday at Target, you have to spend the night in the parking lot waiting in line. I literally got there at 4:11 and fought my way into the store. There were no DVD's on the shelf (at least not the ones on sale) and there was already an enormous line down the side aisle half way to the back of the store. It was ridiculous. I get into Black Friday, but there is no way I'm waiting in line for all night for anything. I quickly left and headed for JC Penney. By that time, I had already talked to my mom like 4 times, so it felt like we were spending quality Black Friday time together.

I had a very successful shopping trip at JC Penney. Even though I felt like I spent a lot, look how much I saved! The savings make it all worth it! How can you not shop with savings like this?

(I saw this girl with the best bedhead I have probably ever seen in my life. I wanted take a picture so bad, but couldn't figure out a way to be incognito, so I'll just have to remember it in my head. It was so awesome. Hall of fame worthy for sure).

Another successful Black Friday for the books.

Why does this have to be so difficult?

We dumped Jordan off at the MTC today. Man, it's hard. Much harder than I ever imagined. I'm gonna miss that kid so much. When the rest of us went on missions, there was a farewell meeting at the MTC that was pretty much 20 minutes of torture, then families left through one door, missionaries through another. I don't know who thought that was a good idea, but it was that way for just about ever. Now, you just leave your missionary at the curb and drive away. I'm not sure which way is better, but at least the new way is faster. I call it the band-aid farewell. It may be painful, but at least it's fast. I heard the torture meeting was changed to the band-aid drop off around the time of the swine flu pandemic, to stop the spread of disease. I think the people who work at the MTC were just tired of escorting out crying families.

I had this whole little 'big sister pep talk' that I was going to give her as we hugged good-bye, but I was crying so hard, that I couldn't even talk. What a good example I am. It's such a strange thing. Missions are so awesome and I pushed really hard for her to go, but now I'm upset because I didn't really think about how I would suffer. But, deep down, I know it's such an incredible experience and exactly what she needs. I know that she'll struggle and have super awful days, but I also know that she'll grow and learn so much through those struggles that it will all be worth it. Missions really are the highest highs and the lowest lows.

Doesn't she look like an hermana already?

The fact that there are no pictures of me was very intentional. I was such a mess. Actually, we all were, except Cade and he doesn't have a heart. People kept asking me if I wanted a picture with her. "Uh, no thanks. I'm good." I don't really want to have a visual reminder of my nervous breakdown. As we said our final good-byes through sobs and tears, my dad called out after her, "Good Luck Hermana!" But he said hermana like HHHerm Anna! It was so funny and we all laughed (and cried) really hard. He said he was "Just trying to lighten the mood!" He's funny.

Oh, I almost forgot. We ate lunch at Olive Garden (a popular spot for the last supper) and when we were done, we got in the car to head to the MTC. Dad suggested that we have a quick family prayer, so we called Beth, Kyle and Janae on cell phones and bowed our heads. Right as Dad started the prayer, I tried to stifle a sob and made a really awful and somewhat loud noise. Jordan started laughing, then I did, then Dad did. Mom and Cade quickly followed suit. Pretty sure the sibs on the phones had no idea what the heck was going on. Let's just say that it was far from reverent and that it's going down in history - much to my dismay. I remember knowing that the sound was coming from me, but being powerless to stop it. We were all so emotional and were literally laughing and crying at the same time. Good times.

I hope she is doing well. I vividly remember that it's such a strange adjustment. I struggled the first few days, but then it got easier. It's a little weird that I drive right past the MTC twice a day but that I have to pay $.44 to mail her a letter. It's worth it. I've already written her. I remember that it took like a week for my family to send me a letter, so I wanted to start early.

I'm so proud of her and know that she will rock this.

Best. Night. Ever. (Post 4 of 4)

I'm not even going to apologize for the ridiculous amount of pictures I took at the Lifehouse concert (a restraining order has probably been issued). I only had my small camera and the lighting is so crazy at concerts, I didn't know if many would even turn out. Well, a lot did, so I will share the good ones. It seriously was one of the best shows I've ever seen, and I've been to a lot. I'm so in love with this band. The best part was that I was literally front and center. It wasn't so fun to stand in line for hours, but it was well worth it. I was super close to Jason, but not close to Bryce, so I didn't get too many pics of him, dang it. We did, however, have a few moments where we made eye contact and he smiled at me a couple of times. I felt pretty special. It was short-lived, however. After the show I got on Lifhouse's FB page and another girl totally commented on her own special looks with Bryce. What a player.

There was a fence separating us from the stage (like we were animals) and Jason came down to mingle with the crowd. I don't want to brag or anything, but he grabbed my hand first. Again, pretty obvious that he likes me best. Too bad he's married, huh?

Such a great show! I parked at The Gateway and as we were leaving, I couldn't turn left because of Trax, so ended up going back by In the Venue where the show was. My sister-in-law Krystal was with me and we noticed a group of people standing by tour buses. We pulled in and saw Jason meeting some fans. Hooray! So, we got out and got more pics with him. He's so adorable.

Cute Krystal with Jason. It was raining, so one of his 'roadies' was holding an umbrella for Jason - like he's royalty.

When I got home that night, I left Lifehouse a message on FB. I probably should be embarrassed, but I'm not.

Best night ever!

Best. Night. Ever. (Post 3 of 4)

I haven't watched American Idol since the first season when Kelly Clarkson kicked everyone's trash to win. However, I am somewhat familiar with Kris Allen's music. I first saw him on Ellen and think he is so adorable and super talented. I was excited when I heard he was opening for Lifehouse. I was not disappointed. He's really great.

Yes, I really was this close. Basically in his armpit. No zoom necessary.

He's also not so bad to look at.

Best. Night. Ever. (Post 2 of 4)

The first opening act was an adorable (little) girl named Alyssa Bernal. Seriously, she couldn't have been more than 17 or 18. She was awesome though. Incredible voice. However, the best part of her show was her bass guitarist, Austin. We met before the show and he's so great. Very colorful...literally.

He told us that he honestly didn't know how many tatoos and/or piercings he had. Good times.

My other favorite part about Alyssa is that she wrote a song called Cali, Cali, Cali. If you want to hear it, go here.