Top 5 Most Listened to
Albums of My Childhood

"Why are there so many...songs about rainbows?" Loved it. Loved the songs. Loved the movie. Loved the puppets. Was going to marry Kermit. My life was all planned out.



Lisa got this record for her birthday. I was so jealous!



I got this record for my birthday. Thank you, friend who gave this to me. You know just what I like...



Classic Christmas music. Listening to these songs today takes me right back to the old days of being young and gangly.


I bought this with my own hard earned, $2/hour, babysitting money. "There's no stoppin' us..."



"Got a dime in my pocket, I can feel when I walk it kinda rolls and bounces around..." A testimony can't help but be strengthened while listening to these tunes.

Now you know why I am the way that I am. TMI, I know. Sorry.

AYS Fiji 2009: 

Alliance for Youth Service

From: Audrey 

I NEED YOUR HELP!

Dear Family & Friends,

I am writing to you because I have discovered a wonderful opportunity for an experience that is bound to change my life. I am requesting your support for a humanitarian aid project organized by Alliance for Youth Service (AYS).

I want to help for a number of reasons. Foremost, the service project our group will be working on will be to tackle the health and hygiene issue in Fiji by installing flush sewer systems and allowing for the basic hygiene necessity of a simple toilet in villager’s homes. I will be working right along side the people of this village in helping them better their lives. Currently, most of the villagers possess pit toilets which create many hygiene-related health issues and provide a very unsanitary environment. The organization I have chosen to help, AYS, works to organize LDS oriented service expeditions for youth. This summer AYS is working with Peter Lee, a church volunteer who works for the Church Welfare department in Fiji and the surrounding islands. He is helping to organize a group of volunteers to build these additions in Fiji, and I hope to be one of them. The Fijian people are surrounded by poverty with over a quarter of the population living below the basic needs poverty line. 

You can visit the Alliance for Youth Service website at www.ays.org to find out more about the program, see pictures of past expeditions to other countries, and read what previous participants have said about the experience.

This is not a luxury trip, I will be working hard, but I am excited about the opportunity to share my time, talent and energy with others by helping the people there. I also expect to learn a lot about myself and Fijian culture and people as I work alongside them.

The cost of participating in the AYS 16-day program, which includes travel, food, lodging, transportation and building materials, is $2495.00. I am working hard to raise this money through a variety of projects. Since all volunteers are responsible for covering their own expenses, I would be grateful for any donation you can make. My average cost will be about $155 per day. Please consider sponsoring a half day, a day, or more. Checks should be payable to Alliance for Youth Service and sent to me at the address below.

It seems we’d all like to help those less fortunate than ourselves, but we often don’t know how. You can help sponsor me, while at the same time, help villagers receive the much needed medical attention they deserve. Any amount is appreciated and every donation makes a difference. If you choose to lend your support, you’ll be pleased to know that AYS is an all-volunteer organization so 100% of your contribution goes directly to aid this project. AYS is also an IRS 501(c)(3) organization so your gift is tax deductible. Checks should be made out to AYS and mailed to me. Should you have any questions about this volunteer humanitarian program, please call me at (425)844-9814. Your support, as well as that of your friends who might be interested in endorsing my endeavor, would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to sharing this extraordinary experience with you when I return.

Thank you in advance for your support,

Yours truly,

Audrey

P.S. So far I have earned about $30. I have to make an $800 down payment by Feb. 1st, so any donations you could make as soon as possible would go a long way! And if you have any jobs that I could help you out with please let me know! Thanks!

Welcome to the Buckley Restaurant!

Here is what's for dinner:

Day 1:
Little Cooked Chicken Pieces w/ Cesar Salad wrapped up in a Tortilla

It's the night after a trip to Costco, so the dinner is extra nutritious and delicious!





Day 2:
Toasted & Buttered Bagels with your choice of available Fruit

This dinner is amazing because everyone can pretty much make their own!




Day 3:
Baby Carrots w/ Ranch and then Cereal if you're still hungry
All sorts of food groups represented here.
Minimal prep time also. A brilliant idea for busy families.

As a courtesy, I removed the moldy carrots.
It doubled the prep time but the presentation was a lot better.






Day 4:
Pancakes, Eggs & Orange Juice

American classic.
Great family bonding opportunity!
We all helped out in the kitchen making this meal.
Preston said with a great smile that these pancakes were a "big hit".

There are a lot more ideas where these came from.

Top 15 Favorites of 2008

1. Baseball in the spring (P)
   
2. Finished reading the Old Testament (K & A)
3. Midnight movies (K, A & P)
4. Abstained from television watching for the entire year (all of the Bucks)
5. Haven't eaten candy since Halloween (K, A, P, N & J)
6. EFY, Provo! (A & P)
7. Birthday parties
8. No more middle school (P)
9. 16, finally. (A)
10. Youth Trek (A & P)
11. Deep sea fishing (C & N)
12. 4th of July
13. Gingerbread house making with BFF's & missionaries
14. Washington winter
    
15. There were other things that happened this year that were extraordinary, probably, but I've gotta go.

If you think I'm gross because I wear the same thing every day, you are wrong.

I have 10 of these shirts:

I am a white long sleeve tee snob and this shirt is awesome and it's on sale now at Target.

The fabric feels good. It's soft. The sleeves are super long. The cuffs are like 4 inches. The edge around the collar is crisp. The length is perfect for layering if needed. Great wardrobe staple!

I also have

about a dozen solid bright white oxfords like this:

Now you know. Isn't this fascinating?

Last Night:


This Morning:

The question is, do we still have church today?
Are we going to have school tomorrow?
Who is going to shovel?

Family Portrait Rejects

Lighting.


Added more light.


Shadows.


Focus.


Shelf on the heads.


What are we doing wrong?


Lighting.


Focus.


Not good.


Not good still.

My point: If you've got any money, ANY MONEY at all that you can spend on a professional portrait. Do it. Spend it. Don't be cheap and do it yourself. It will look exactly that, unless you have real photography talent, which we are apparently lacking.

Which one did we use for Christmas cards? None of these...but it's just as good as these.