CHRISTMAS 2013 and the NEW YEAR!!!

I had a pretty fantastic Christmas break!

 The Holocoust Mueseum, Disneyland, Six Flags, and San Luis Obispo!!!

So fist off I just want to say I have some pretty crazy parents...  

Okay so I get home and what are my parents doing?? Service! My mom is setting up the young Woman's room like it is some kind of Winter wonderland for their Christmas lesson, I wake up to her saying "Erica, let's make bread to give out to our friends!", and then my dad is up all early putting in flooring for some people in the ward! 

Aren't I so lucky to have such amazing examples as parents?? I helped my mom out with the decorating and bread making. I should have helped my dad as well but it was flooring or decorating a room like winter wonderland!!! I went for the winter wonderland thing! haha

The lesson my mother gave was amazing! Yes, I am way too old to be going to young woman's but you know my mom is in there and I like to be with the youngings! Helps me feel mature! ;) Just kidding! 

It was the first Christmas lesson my mother gave when she came in as the President of the Young Women's and it was my favorite one! Well my mom has been president for so long that all the girls that had that lesson were gone so she could use it again! And boy, oh boy did I love it!! It was what I needed. Seriously. It made me think about my loving Savior and for the love I have for Him. He is the lover of my soul no matter how imperfect I am and how weak I am and even with how much I struggle and come up short! But the most amazing thing is His love for me. That He loves me so much that He not only was willing But He chose to feel all that I have felt!! And let me tell you those feelings that I have felt in my life are not always so pleasant. But He has felt them so He can be with me on this journey so that I will never be alone! Truly amazing!

So once we cleaned up the place after that beautiful  ;esson the next day we were off to go to the beach house!! Whoot! Whoot! I was glad for many reasons, but esp. to get out of the freezing town of Tehachapi and into some nice beach weather!! I have become a total wuss since I have moved to Arizona. 

So we went to the Holocoust Musuem!! It is in L.A. and it was amazing! In the movie "Freedom Writers" the teacher takes them to a Holocuast Musuem, well, a boy at the ranch told me I need to watch that movie and so I did and it touched my heart so deeply I cried! It reminded me of my wonderful boys and so I  just really really wanted to go to this museum. So  my parents and I went! And it touched my heart!! I learned so much, it is a sad thing to know that humans can be capable of such hate. But, I also know that we are capable of such immense and pure love as well. The way I see it is that something this horrible can only happen if people are willing to see others not as people but as objects. If we harm an object it does not matter and we can live with it so long as it remains an object to us. But as soon as we see that "object" as they truly are... a human being with thoughts, feelings, dreams, talents, hope, joys, and sorrows it becomes near impossible to treat them harshly despite what we believe they have done to us. So thats my shpeeel on that... here are some pics!

So I guess enough of the sad. It was a wonderful thing to go to and I recomend it for everyone!!

Anyways! We also went to disneyland! On Christmas dayyyyy!!!! I woke up like a little child at like oh I dont know... 5 am to open up presents, which was weird cause it was just my parents and me. And then we went off to the so-called land of happiness! And it was super happy and great the first like three hours or five. We walked right on to many a ride and that was pretty fantastic! But then things got a little more crowded and a little more crowded until it was so gosh dang jam packed that you could barely walk!!!! Seriously... there were times you'd be at a stand still. And you'd have people all around you all squished together like sardines. And I swear to you I am not exagerating! SCOUT'S HONOR! So finally we gave up and left and watched Frozen!! Super cute movie, so go watch it if you haven't!
Ok! Picture time! I took lots!

He is a goof!

iI got soaked while everyone got sprinkled on... no biggie!

"Don't mess!"

So uh yeah if I wasn't already freaked out by the bears it wouldn't be so bad that he started leaning all into me and what not. My father just really wanted to take a picture of us with a bear??? Don't ask me why they are way creepy and get creepier after you stand by them! I don't advise this, esp. to little children. 

 So yeah! That was pretty fun!

Well then I left to SAN LUIS OBISPO!!! I had not been there for awhile and I was craving me some good ol' FATTY'S pizza and some firestones!! That was my first request when I walked into Derek and Mary's cute little apartment! haha Well I only got me some fatty's so I guess I will just need to make another trip for some firestones! ha Luckily we did hike Bishop's peak to work off that pizza! And we also spent some time at the Avila beach! I gotta admit I me=issed this place, but you know I just love Arizona too much. Strange how I chose to live in the desert rather than by a beach, but alas I do.

Bishop's peak from a distance

On the way to hike away

I am sad to say that we did not come across any King Trantulas!!! Sad day! And I am being HONEST!! I wanted to see like a whole line of them kinda like Harry Potter or something, I don't know!

So while I was having my beach adventures that one day in San Luis Obispo I got this absolutly brilliant idea... Ok so it is not super original and I was at the beach with a glass bottle drinking away my juice when I couldn't help but think about that one song "Message in a Bottle". I was even humming the do-do-do-a-da-da-da part. Anyways! I thought, "Hey! You know what?! I got this glass bottle and I am by the ocean... hmmm... I can make my own message in a bottle!" Then I got even more clever and thought, " And you know what?! It is like almost New Year's so I could make it about the things I want to let go of from my past and toss it into the ocean off of the San Luis Obispo pier! And it will be like me physically letting go of it!!" ummm. can I just say I am a total genius! Am I right? Am I right? okay so maybe not completely, but it goes without saying that it is a pretty cool idea.

 So I wrote up a note. Saying to an extent that I am letting go of the pain and hurt from my past and moving on and moving forward with my life.

 I went to the pier after midnight....

 And I tossed that suckaaa into the ocean! And yout know what??? It felt really really great!!! I felt a load lift and I knew that I still have much to accomplish and work on, but in 2014 I am going to live in the present and only deal with the past if needs be. But really the past is the past. It has affected me and molded me into who I am. But it ain't gonna be no crutch to me. Instead it is gonna be my strength!

May we all forgive those who have wronged us in our past and let go of the pain and the hurt and the anger and chose to move on and move forward. May we all chose to not let those things be a crutch for us, but chose to work on it and make it become a strength so that we can help others by sharing what we have learned through the times of difficulty! Here is to a bright new year! 2014!!!

 P.S my mom looks way goofy in basketball shorts... just sayin'