Birthday dinners with my favorite people!

Isn't it the best to celebrate your birthday ALL WEEK LONG!  I was so blessed to have some fun meals with the people that I love.

MONDAY NIGHT-  Dinner with some of the family.

We at e at Archibalds at Gardner village and Teneil totally hooked us up...thanks :)
This is after I told my dad the BOA story from the party. Ha!  He loved it.  I love my dad...he's the best!

We had so much fun playing around with theWITCHES!  They were awesome.   

Inside joke between my dad and I "MISH MASH!"
TUESDAY NIGHT-  Dinner with the BFF!!!

We went to CHEESECAKE FACTORY!  I LOVE IT THERE!
Not everyone could make it but just on friday, Sarah came to town and we all went out then.  So fun to see everyone.  Love them all!
After we all went and got MASSAGES!  Of course we did.  So fun and relaxing.  I made Jill go in the couples room with me.  Smart.

WEDNESDAY- Fun day all around and tight dinner with best friends

Birthday lunch!

Big hugs from the Sprantling boys.  I love them.  Whenever I come over there, they start yelling my name and come running for me.  I'll take a squeeze from them any second!
Of course we went to Iggies!!  If you know me, you know I love Iggies :)

I'll take the free birthday icecream sunday ...and love it!

One of the sole reasons I love Iggies.  The sauses and fries to dip in to it.

Thank you family and friends for making my 'pre-birthday week' so special.  You all have contributed to my life so much as to who I am today.  I love and admire you all and thanks again!

And the birthday celebrations begin!

It all started on
SATURDAY NIGHT:  

Ace threw me a birthday party at his house!  It's so fun because it has an amazing view.  We had lots of food, a DJ and fun.  

Me, Alana and Ace with our new friend who just got drafted to the Jazz.  I forgot his name but watch for him next year.

Rock stars for life!!!

And a cute nurse!

I even got a BIRTHDAY CAKE that was made out of cup cakes.  It was great. Thank you!
As you can see some interesting costumes showed up to the party.  My favorite story was when this guy brought his GIANT BOA SNAKE!!!!  Good one!  What the?  It was just wrapped around his shoulders as part of his costume.  THEN, all the sudden it started smelling and the room cleared.  Come to find out, the giant Boa decided to take a BIG DUMP ON THE FLOOR!  GOOOOD OOONNEEE!!!  We were dying!  

So as I'm sitting there trying to decided who is going to clean it up, this little girl dressed as a FRENCH MAIDE waddles on over and starts cleaning up the crap.  It was so funny!  I told my dad this story and he laughed for like an hour, I swear.  

Then the party got broken up by the cops.  People were parking in front of driveways.  No bueno.
Thanks Ace and Mike and company!  I have known these guys since Hawaii days.  I'm so lucky to have such great friends in my life.  
Having my birthday right by Halloween has always been so fun!  I love the spirit of Halloween and all the fun costumes people come up with.

Creative person?

So Becca interviewed me this week for a paper she is writing for her college class (her last semester..good job Beccs!) Well, the assignment was to interview and write a paper on a CREATIVE PERSON.  Wow, I was really honored that she chose me!  

When she was asking me about how I am CREATIVE in my daily life, I started telling her about how I am creative with my patients and write songs for them and I try to create a place for them to relax and get away from their illness etc.  I also told her how I am creative with my students in helping them. 

PICTURE:  One of my favorite patients and I.  He was a soldier in HITLER'S ARMY.  He has so many neat stories that I love to listen to.  His face and hands froze off in Russia and he was a prisoner of war.  I'll have to do a separate blog about him another day.  Everytime I call him and tell him I'm coming over he says "Heidi!!  Let's make a music!" (face blurred for HIPPA reasons)

Anyways, Beccs kinda stopped me after I answered a few of her questions and said "Well, what other areas are you creative in?"

I didn't know what she ment?

She said "I was actually thinking about alot of other things than your jobs.  Those were the last on my list.  I was thinking of you decorating your condo, your BLOG, your photography, your aerobics class, cooking, etc

Me sewing my curtains for the condo.  I've done a full redecoration of the place.  (I'll do a separate blog to show the final touches)

Anyways, I didn't even consider myself as a WAY creative person, but isn't it interesting how when people think something about you, you yourself become more that way? 

Here's a quote I gathered on my mission that I love:

"If you treat an individual as he is, he will stay as he is.  But if you treat him as he were what he COULD BE, and OUGHT to be, he will become what he ought to be."

-Goethe

So this is basically my commitment to keep trying to be creative.  I do think that blogging is a creative outlet and a great journal. Angela, my sister-in-law, is quiet the example in this.  She blogs everyday and says she feels her writing has improved.  So, this is my new commitment to keep up better on my BLOG :)  

This is how we were somewhat creative tonight.  Beccs and I went to our ward FHE celebrity costume contest party as....

We had so much fun!  There were actually some pretty creative costumes!

                                     Miley, SNOOP DOG  and Hannah Montana!

This guy kept trying to make us guess who he was by making faces and strange noises over and over.  I finally guessed "Mr. Bean!"  He was like "what?  NO, I am Jim Carey"  I still think he is Mr. Bean. ha ha

                                                  Hannah, David Beckham, Miley
Ha ha

Thanks Beccs for such a fun night!  It was full of creativity!  I hope you get a big fat A+ on your paper :)  Becca is always someone who motivates me to be a better person and better friend.  

We just booked...

our tickets to DUBAI!!  

Tight!  Alana and I are so excited to go to Dubai!

So did any of you see The Amazing Race last night?  They went to DUBAI.  It was way fun to see lots of things there.  So I have had alot of questions from people as the WHERE Dubai is.  So here's a little map.

It's #5&#6 on the map (in green).  So as you can see it is in the Middle East!  (or you can call in Saudi Arabia like my sister-in-law).  I asked her to help me with booking some tickets and she texted me very early one morning saying "Hey let me know the dates for Saudi."  I was laughing so hard.  Apparently she is very nervous for us to go.  She says we are going to have to "veil up" to be safe there.  :)  Good times.  Don't worry everyone Dubai is supposed to be quite safe.  

Her dad gave us a little talking to saying that we cannot dress like this over there (no tight jeans) and to respect the culture. Hhhmmm...I will have to pull out some of my old mission dresses. Tight! Comfortable and stylish :)

So you may be asking WHY are we going to Dubai?  

Well, Alana's brother and family actually live there.  He works for Ford and they have lived there with 2 kids for the past 3 years.  

Alana's parents are giving the trip to her for Christmas...and she invited me!  Luckily we have a free place to stay so I don't have to totally break the bank.   

So YES!  We will definitely be doing a little INDOOR SKIING 

...and a little CAMEL RIDING!!

But the rest we will just have to wait and see!!

Is Miley Cyrus even cute?

This is what I asked myself when 2 different people at church came up to me and said,

"You look like Miley Cyrus" and "Wow, I was sitting there thinking that you really look like Miley Cyrus. Don't worry, it's a good thing.  " 

Is it?

Wait a minute, isn't she like 16?  Good one!  ha ha...I'll take it then I guess.  I'm obviously not too into celebrity gossip.  When I went to California with my girlfriends a year ago they were all singing that "She's just being Miley" song and I was all sorts of confused?  :)

When I was BLONDE, I used to get that I looked like Carrie Underwood  or Reese Witherspoon.   

On my mission, I got a brand new companion who is a best friend today..Breanne!   When you first get to Chile, sometimes it's hard to concentrate because it's all in Spanish and let's be honest, you are not understanding much.  While we were teaching a discussion to a lady, all of the sudden 

she blurts out "Reese"  and starts laughing repeating "Reese".  I just kept blabbing in Spanish trying not to laugh.  When we left the house I asked her what that was all about and she said:

"I can't wait to write home and tell my family that my new comp is REESE WITHERSPOON! "

We laughed and accounted it to the big purple scarf  that I was wearing that day and my  blonde hair!

Well, I had a similar experience today.  While I was visiting a patient this afternoon, we were talking of his life and travels etc.  I sang him a song that related to what we were talking about and right when I was done he blurts out:

"MONA LISA"  

"That's it!  You look like Mona Lisa!"  

Ha!  I was dying and just smiling at him.  I love my job.  Good one.  So now I went from Reese to Mona lisa?  :)  Let's see, she's a world wonder and a work of art...I'll take it!  

Anyways, it was just an amusing day and reminded me of fun mission memories and new ones being created from going BLONDE to BRUNETTE.  

Us girls in California 2008, when I didn't know the Miley song that everyone seemed to be so fond of! 

Now tell me, who have people thought that YOU look like?  Come on people fess up!  

My new favorite little boy!

Please bless I have a little boy like him someday! What a personality!!! You need to watch this, he is so good and so cute...and he knows the only Russian words that I know!