little fish

I battled traffic to get to Trunk-or-Treat in Lynnwood tonight. It took me an hour and 20 minutes on that blasted freeway. But it was worth it, couldn't you just eat her up? Leah loved getting free candy. She kept saying "treat" and was constantly looking in her goody bag. She got a piece or two, even shared with me and her happy daddy gets the rest. She was the cutest fish in the sea. I even got to see some old and pregnant friends at the festivities. So fun. I like Halloween. No twix bars though, dang.

pumpkin push 2007

Dang we look good

So excited for the race

We nearly froze before the race, luckily the fog lifted and the sun came out

We are so awesome

Natalie and I did a 5k the other day. It was great. We were so proud of ourselves. A 5k really is not that big of deal, definitely do-able. However, to challenge ourselves we ran at the end and even sprinted to the finish. It was my fasted 5k ever. We felt like champions. Who wants to do the Pumpkin Push next year with us?

matchy matchy

My mom and I got matching quilted jackets from, of all places, WalMart and they are so cute! See Linds it is not scary. It is even almost hip, well on my mom at least. Don't even worry, we went to the mall in these outfits. Thanks Mom for going with the red so we wouldn't be identical twiners.

P.S. While my mom and I were gallivanting around town looking good I failed to remember that I volunteered to help decorate for my Ward's Halloween Party. Augh! I was also in charge of bringing the centerpieces for the tables. Oops, I was a total flake.

michelle my bell

In case you have been living in a cave or are new to our planet, let me introduce you to Miss Virtue. She is AMAZING!!! I have known Michelle for over 3 years now, but it seems as if we have always been together. We are kindred spirits (just like Anne and Diana). She is a craft diva, excellent cook, master scrapbooker, television star, party planner, creative photographer, skilled listener, all of that and so, so much more. Also Michelle has a blog (in case you just got on the WWW), her blog was the first one I remember reading and it is still one of the best. I try to be like her in all ways, if she does anything it always turns out great. Imagine my surprise when this extremely talented lady invited me to join her new blog. Oh my I am so excited, but feeling a little shy. What if I can't live up? I know I can't, but what if I totally bomb? The pressure...but another thing that Michelle is good at, if she believes I can do something I believe it too. Check out the new food blog and leave a message!

parenting class 101

I love to share what I know and everyone knows that I think I know a lot. So, I thought I would start a new segment on my Blog. Look for parenting tip updates. Feel free to share what you know too. This will be good.

parenting tip #1
If toddler (pick an age, any age) is being naughty and needs a time out, put child in bed and turn up a favorite CD to drown out crying and carrying on. If child gets louder adjust the volume on the music. The crucial part, set a timer so you don't forget said child.

Disclaimer: My parenting tips might not be very PC so use at your own risk. I for sure will not be winning any parenting awards, but who does anyway?

Also, I know that I am only a "parent" for 40 hours a week so it doesn't really count. I am truly in awe of full time parents especially stay-at-home moms! This is not intended to offend or poke fun. I might even have something helpful to say from time to time.

P.S. Shouldn't there be a rule that someone in her thirties should not get pimples?

leah kisses

We were just taking a picture and without any prompting Leah turned to kiss my cheek. Ahh.

We all love Leah kisses. How could you not? Sunday night we have family dinner at my parents, the food is always good (especially when my dad cooks), we are always loud and Leah always gets a lot of attention. Leah is pretty much the star of the show and she knows it. We are sure glad we have that little girl.

leah in overalls

there is hope for me yet

A couple of weeks ago I attended a bridal shower for my friend Lynda Campbell. I met Lynda when I got home from my mission and she was in my Relief Society Presidency. We became good friends; she is a very fun girl. I have no idea how old Lynda is, but it is older than me (that doesn't happen every day). The fact that she found the man of her dreams makes me 1. so happy for her, she is so excited and 2. so happy for me because maybe it means that I can still find my prince charming. Way to go Lynda!

the farm

It looks better in real life

We also look better in real life

The Farrars always look good (jk, jk)

After a lot of hard work I got a decent picture of Leah and me

The Party with all of our kids on the hayride

Only 4 Farrars were missing (my parents were in Florida visiting Jacob and Lisa)

The fog was lifting and the sun was starting to shine

Couldn't you just eat this little (plump) strawberry?

Sometimes Leah forgets what family she was born into and doesn't like her picture taken

But she loves pumpkins!

We all headed north last weekend for a perfect autumn activity on a perfect autumn day. Snohomish was still covered in fog by the time we got there Saturday morning (btw, the Wrights and Shaws arrived be for I did- that is a first), but before long it was sunny and just the right amount of chill in the air. We go for pumpkins, but most of us don't get any. Us, woman folk just use "pumpkin picking" as a disguise for "photo shoot" so the men will come along. I really use it all as excuse to get some of my favorite people together once a year. I love the fall!

thirty two is not my friend

Its official I don’t like the number thirty-two. Before today I was pretty indifferent towards it, but now I know that it is not my favorite. I might like thirty-two more in days, weeks and months to come, but for now we are not friends. I have a hunch that in 366 days (next year is a leap year) I will be loving thirty-two and hating the number thirty-three. In honor of the dreaded number I came up with a list of thirty-two things about me that you may or may not know. This is me at thirty- two:

(actually this was yesterday, a day before thirty-two)

1. It is near impossible for me to go to bed before midnight. I try, but my dad taught me the sleep is for wimps. I was thinking about maybe going to bed by 10pm and waking up at 5am to work out in the morning, but that is crazy. I don’t have that much faith in myself.
2. I love McDonald's Fiesta Chicken Salad, it is delicious. Try it.
3. I use cinnamon toothpaste. I also chew cinnamon gum. I made the switch from mint a couple years ago and I like much better.
4. I am starting to like working out. I still don’t love it, but I don’t hate it.
5. I like to sleep with an “eye patch” I think it is really called an eye mask. The problem is that I always lose them. I need to buy a year’s supply or something.
6. I love Halloween, but I hate dressing up. I do love dressing up little kids, just wait until you see what Leah is going to be for Halloween!
7. I want to go on a Cruise someday. I think right now that would be my dream vacation, maybe around the Caribbean or Hawaii.
8. I think I am pretty, not beautiful, gorgeous and definitely not hot, but pretty.
9. I struggle to do my visiting teaching each month; it is not hard so I don’t know why it is such a challenge for me.
10. I enjoy reading. I need to find some new books, I usually have a stack of books to read next, but I don’t now. Any suggestions?
11. I would love to be involved with Habitat for Humanity. I feel so passionately that everyone needs a place to call home.
12. I hate scary movies, or just being scared, I don’t understand people that like it.
13. I have a VHS player in my room and I watch videos.
14. I bought one of those exercise balls a month or so ago and have not used it once. It even comes with a DVD, haven’t used that either. It is green and kind of ugly in my living room. I will be moving it to my bedroom today.
15. I noticed my tan is fading. That breaks my heart; I know I might pay for it later, but I LOVE being tan.
16. I am really good friends with my parents.
17. I am a blog-addict. I read blogs every night. I am definitely a blog-stalker and not at all ashamed by it.
18. I wish I made bread and canned. That would be awesome.
19. I am going back to the Philippines (my mission) soon, maybe within the next two years. We are getting a Temple there and as soon as it is finished I am going to go see it. I plan on swinging by Hong Kong on the way back. Who wants to come with me? I am an excellent travel partner.
20. I love reality TV, not the smutty kind, but the kind that changes people’s lives and Survivor. Sometimes Survivor can be smutty. Right now I watch Survivor (of course) and Biggest Loser every week. I occasionally watch America’s Next Top Model, Top Chef, What Not to Wear and Dancing with the Stars. Disclaimer: Since I pretty much live by myself I watch TV at night, it is pretty pathetic.
21. Speaking of TV, I recently cut out MTV, Will and Grace, and other shows that are inappropriate/unnecessary for me to watch. I am really trying hard to be more selective about what I waste my time on.
22. I keep the main part of my house pretty clean, and the clothes in my closet are organized according to color, but my bedroom is a completely different story. I could not keep it clean and organized if my life depended on it. I have always had this problem and I am so afraid it will always be a struggle for me.
23. I am craving fish tacos from Cheesecake Factory. This summer I went through a fish taco phase. I want to bring it back, those were some good times.
24. My least favorite everyday chore is emptying the dishwasher, which is a problem since dishwashers need to be emptied everyday.
25. I still believe that I will find someone to marry me one day and I will have children. Mind you there is nothing in my current life that makes that seem possible. But I still believe that miracles happen and that is what it is going to take.
26. I love teaching. As long as I know something about the subject I like to teach it. I just got called to be in Young Women’s, I hope I get to teach. I am also teaching a craft at Enrichment in a couple weeks.
27. I babysit on the side of my regular job. I make good money doing it and that becomes my spending money. It is fun being just a babysitter and not the nanny.
28. I mostly listen to Country music in my car. Lately I started liking a station called The Mountain. They play music that people in their mid-thirties like, hence why I listen to it. If you live in Washington you should check it out. The music is kind of chill, but fun and familiar.
29. I need and want to scrapbook more. I am working on that goal. That will cut down my TV watching and Blog-stalking. That will be good.
30. I wish I was more thoughtful. I love nice, kind, thoughtful people. I need to be more like them. That is another thing I am working on.
31. I like what like and don’t like what I don't like, basically I am kind of opinionated and even stubborn. Oops, that is why I need to work on being nicer, etc.
32. I think of myself as simple. That may or may not be true, but it is what I think. I am not any extreme, just normal and ordinary, in a good way. I like who I am.

conference weekend

I spent most of the weekend with the Whites in Wenatchee. Back in our college days Jared and I watched many a General Conference sessions together and since we are almost neighbors I drove over the mountain so we could do it again. Conference was wonderful. I have a few favorite talks, which I'll blog about later, and really had a wonderful time with the Whites. Jared and I went to Leavenworth, WA to see his sister Monique selling her homemade jewelry at Oktoberfest (slash Beerfest). Mo took the above picture of us, I personally think it is the best photo of us we have ever taken. Too cute. I was sad to leave, the White family really knows how to make a girl feel at home. I took the day off from work and took my time driving back to my side of the mountain. This is what happened on my drive home:

I got to wear sunglasses, I love sunny autumn days (too bad I didn't shower)

I stopped at a roadside vegetable stand

I almost bought a squash before I remembered I only like to look at them, not eat them

I saw some trees and mountains and stuff

There was an elephant on I-90

one year...can you believe it?

Goodbye: Hello:
This weekend marks the anniversary of my big move. This time last year I packed up a moving truck, said lots of goodbyes and shed many tears before arriving back in Washington to start a new life as a grown-up. It was a hard for me to leave Provo. For the most part the transition has not been complicated. It is hard adjusting to a different social life, which has probably been the hardest part. I am blessed though to have my family and “the party” to hang out with. I have a great job that I have learned to love; I enjoy going to work every day (I also enjoy my days off!). I like my ward, my apartment, and the routine I have created. I love the area where I live and that friends occasionally come visit (everyone is invited). I am lucky that Utah is still close enough to visit often, I remain close with those friends I had to say goodbye to, I just pretend we are too busy to hang out all the time not living far apart. I think that I have grown spiritually these last 12 months. I have become more independent yet more dependent on the Lord. My life has been blessed and I have frequently seen the hand of God in it. Here is to the next however many years…

for cousin meredith

Dear Meredith- The Farrars hope you can come visit soon. We are growing some mushrooms for you in our front yard. We know how much you love them...

It was so great to talk to you today, I need to come out and see you. Good luck with all you have going on. You are heading towards amazing things! I can feel it.

Love ya- Alicia (your favorite cousin)

today

A couple of hours ago this is what I looked like and I felt like this inside too (in case it's not very clear it is a mad face). You see this is what happened....I went down to the airprot tonight to take sister-in-law Lisa to the airport and also drop Stephanie off with Rob. On the way there my cell phone went berserk and stopped working, I kind of felt nervous not having a cell phone, but no big deal I was just going back to my parent's house. I should have knocked on wood or something because not two minutes later as I was about to head back home (Stephanie drove down to SeaTac and after I dropped her I of course drove back) I noticed the gas gauge was on empty. I was a little annoyed, why didn't anyone else mention that the car was running out of gas? I was bothered that I needed to get gas and it was my Mom's car, I didn't want to take the time or spend my money, I was only driving it for a minute. I decided I could make it back to Lynnwood, no worries. But, much to my surprise just south of Seattle the gas light came on. Augh! I didn't know if I could make it, I don't have a whole lot of experience with this sort of thing and of course I didn't have my dang cell phone to call my Dad or Micah (he knows everything) or anyone. I was in the middle of the city, a part of town I am not at all familiar with, it was late, the traffic was all of a sudden stopped and I didn't know if I would be able to make it to a gas station. I made a quick decision, crossed 3 lanes of traffic and found an expensive gas station somewhere in scary South Seattle. And I was mad, very mad. I don't think I get mad very often, but I was feeling it tonight. Let me tell you, it is a good thing that I don't have a potty mouth or I would have been using it tonight. For goodness sake, if you drive a car 1. notice the gas level 2. if it is low tell someone who is going to drive it next or just put gas in and 3. don't let people take a car that is "in the red" to the airport late at night. Done. I am over it now (or getting closer). At the time I was mostly frustrated because I let it make me so upset when before the empty tank incident I was having a pretty good Friday...


I went walking with Natalie and Leah; watched Survivor, crafted, hung out with Emily and even saw her 4 kids long enought to get hugs and kisses; ran errands and had the first ever Farrar Women Dinner. I love having Fridays off.

I am a little exhausted now, too much emotions for one day. I better wake up tomorrow morning with my cell phone healed.

P.S. Happy General Conference weekend. I am way excited.

a one woman show

Church on Sunday was wonderful, yet on Saturday night I had my doubts. You see I had a lot of things I was in charge of at Church and in true Alicia style I wasn’t quite ready for everything. I went to bed Saturday night with nothing complete, but again per usual for me everything turned out great in the end. I spoke in church, did sharing time, taught my primary class and also brought a sample of the craft I am teaching at Enrichment later in the month. I kind of felt like it was “the Alicia show” and that kind of made me shy. However, I felt very involved in my ward which is a first for me in the Bellevue 7th Ward. In the end, Church was good and I was blessed yet again.

A picture of me after my crazy day and lack of sleep weekend (yikes-it shows!)