LaLa

I LOVE this baby. She makes me so happy.

I still love him.

Even if David Archuleta ( I like to call him Archie) lost last night, he is still a winner in my book! :) I think he has an amazing voice and is such a cute, sweet 17 year old boy. Props to him for getting that far in the competition at such a young age. I also think he deserved it more. Granted, David Cook has a great voice. Which is why he already has an album out. He doesn't need the fame as much as Archie does. Oh well. I need to stop watching American Idol. I am finding myself way too obcessed and caring WAYYY to much. This is my favorite song that Archie sang. It makes me happy. The truth is, getting this far in the competition was probably already a dream come true for him. He'll be fine. Everyone still loves him. I think I want to go to Murray high to pay him a visit. Brady and Jessica will be joining me. In fact, they said they would move back to Murray in his honor. Right guys? :)

This kid makes me feel dumb.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24612730?GT1=43001

Holy Cow!

As you can all see.. this is Levi's "Holy Cow!" face. He is definately making this expression due to the fact that he is down to a very few, six months left! No one can believe the time has flown by so quickly, including me. He is doing great on his mission, loving Texas, and working hard as usual. This experience has been great for me and he has been such a great example in my life. There is a teeny-tiny part of me that is kind of sad that it's almost over. Ok, that's a lie. I'm ready for him to come home! He really has served a productive honorable mission so far and I'm so proud of him and know he will finish strong. I know that most of you haven't had the chance to meet him yet, but I assure you that you will and you will think, "what's not to love about this guy?!" :) I'm grateful that I've been able to learn so much from him, get to know him better, and grow closer. I wouldn't have it any other way. And yes, after a year and a half of not seeing his face, I still love him!

Definately My Mother's Daughter

One of the best qualities I inherited from my mother is the power of persuasion. I have realized that (within reason) you can pretty much get whatever you want in this world if you work hard enough, make enough offers, and talk to the right people. Here's why. So I went to Macy's today to return a shirt for Mimi. As I was walking out I spotted a cute winter coat so I decided to try it on... I fell in love, until I looked at the price tag. $130 buckeroos. I wanted it bad enough that I asked if it had been marked down at all. The saleswoman informed me that it was not for sale. I asked why and she said it was a salvage item, and that it was a mistake that it was out on the floor. I then, very politely told her that I REALLY WANTED THIS COAT!!! I asked if she would ask a manager if I could purchase it. I figured at best they'd give it to me at half price.. $65. I figured I'd see what I could get. Well I spoke to the manager, very politely and maturely. Yeah, I would just like all of you to know, I walked out of Macy's with a brand new (very adorable) ELEMENT winter coat in my bag. Grand total? $9.99. I felt very proud of my purchase. :) And hey, I got what I wanted! Nothing feels better than a sense of assertiveness! :)

Because I needed it just that badly.

So I have been feeling a little yucky the last few days.. well just like always, I feel ok during the day and it has always gotten worse at night. It's the kind of sick with a sore throat, achy body, and head in a vice sick. The one thing (aside from medicine) that makes me feel better when I'm sick is a good popsicle. Bomb pops are preferred.. but in this case, tonight's situation, I didn't have any of those. So at 12:01 AM exactly (today to avoid breaking of the sabbath)I walked in to 7-Eleven on a mission to obtain a popsicle. And lemme tell you, that I did. These push-ups were all that they had. I haven't had one since I was little. They're pretty darn good! And I must say.. I feel much better. I most definitely recommend this course of action.

spon·ta·ne·i·ty

"Spontaneity is the quality of being able to do something just because you feel like it at the moment, of trusting your instincts, of taking yourself by surprise and snatching from the clutches of your well-organized routine, a bit of unscheduled pleasure."

11:00 Am Friday, April 25- Decide to go to Utah

11:30 Am Friday, April 25- Buy plane ticket

8:00 Pm Friday, April 25- Get on airplane!

Fun weekend to follow, Priceless. :)

I LOVE SPONTANEITY!

What else do we have to

make life fun and

interesting?

Levi's sister Sarah and I
Rachael and I
Oh, just me on Jakey's little 50 :) .. in Todd's slippers ha ha!

Yeah.. so this weekend was the best. I spent lots of quality time with Rachael, Sarah, and Levi's parents Jeanne and Bruce. They are all the best for picking me up at the airport and taking me back at odd hours :), feeding me, drving us around to do fun things, and making me feel SO at home. Thanks for the memories guys. I'm a lucky girl to have such great people in my life!

Marissa Ilinois

So I was at work last night, and a guy at this table goes, " Wait you said your name is Marissa?" I said yes, and he said, " I spent most of my life in Marissa Illinois." Cool right? I never knew that there was a U.S. city that shared my name. Well.. I guess it's small enough that they refer to it as a village. We proceeded to chat about the name Marissa, which I was under the impression was of Hispanic origin. I'm not sure if I just made that up in my head or if I was given false information. :) Well the origin of the name is English, but the Greek translation changed it to having two s's. So turns out, my name is Greek. Well this got me interested in doing a little more research on my name. I guess my mom knew my true disposition from birth, because I made the discovery that Marissa means sea of bitterness. Ha Ha.. ok well maybe that has applied at times in my life, but I like to think of myself as this kind of sea generally...

You know, calm and happy, but not boring. Enough sharks and crabs to defend myself if needs be. But most the time, with a "cheerful dispostion." What's in a name? I guess those who interact with me can decide! :) (Mom, you are not allowed to answer this question, anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law.) :) P.S. I don't even remotely care the amount of my tax return. You can keep it for all I care. Ha ha JUST KIDDING! (For those of you who don't know what I'm referring to.. my mother is withholding my somewhat sizeable tax return from me. This is illegal, yes? I would like to think so. She is quite enjoying the fact that I don't know how much it is and that she's not giving it to me until the fall. I talked to her yesterday, she laughed a menacing laugh and said, "Ha ha, i'm not going to tell you how much your tax return is!".. in that obnoxious sing, songy voice. Well mom, I have stopped caring. See.. there's that cheerful disposition again! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BOY!

Well, Levi is officially the good old 2-1 today! I know he can't even read this, but I want to wish him a happy one anyway. I miss him dang it! I know it's hard for missionaries to be away from home for holidays and birthdays, but he's a trooper.. he'll survive! :) This is a picture his mom sent to me today of him opening his call. It made me smile. I don't know how many of you know this, but he kept his call a secret from his family until the day it arrived, the little bugger! :) Just a few fun facts about my boy..

He hates : Tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, peppers, and fish(most of which I don't like either), hypocrites, liars, and wimps.
He Loves: His family, his wardrobe:), A good Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich at Subway, football, hard work, being a missionary.. and ME (Duh!)

There's a little scrape off the surface of Levi Glen Williams.. I hope he has a great birthday! I decided to have some balloons delivered to him today.. it better make him smile when he gets 12 happy birthday balloons!
HAPPY DAY OF YOUR BIRTH MY LOVE!

I was thinking today..

I don't usually post without any pictures.. but forewarning, I about to do one of those all word kind of posts. I was thinking this morning about my life and how great it is. Then I was thinking about a talk I had with a friend the other night about life in general. It got me to thinking.. I have realized many things in my life that are inevitable and I am finally starting to just get used to it all! I am not a perfect girl. I spill things a lot. My hair doesn't always stay in place. Sometimes I just DON'T care. I am very clumsy. Sometimes I say stupid things. I like to stay up late and sleep in even later. I leave dishes in the sink. I bite my nails. I really like to eat. I sell myself short a lot. Sometimes I am spacey. I waste a lot of time. I can’t keep my room clean to save my life. I have made mistakes when I knew better. I am easily distracted. I wish I worked out more. I wish I saved more money. Some days nothing goes right in my world, and most days it is all my fault. But when I think about it and take a step back, I realize just how amazing life truly is and maybe, just maybe, I like being imperfect. Honestly, I think it's all our imperfections that make us realize the things in life we CAN do perfectly. If we didn't have the bad there would be no such thing as the good. Right? Right. So on that note I found this next quote on a friend's facebook and it is SO true. I have realized all of this in the last while. "Life isn't about keeping score. It's not about how many people call you and it's not about who you've dated, are dating, or haven't dated at all. It isn't about who you've kissed, what sport you play, or which guy or girl likes you. It's not about your shoes or your hair or the color of your skin or where you live or go to school. In fact, it's not about grades, money, clothes, or colleges that accept you or not. Life isn't about if you have lots of friends, or if you are alone, and it's not about how accepted or unaccepted you are. Life just isn't about all that. But life is about who you love and who you hurt. It's about how you feel about yourself. It's about trust, happiness and compassion. It's about sticking up for your friends and replacing inner hate with love. Life is about avoiding jealousy, overcoming ignorance, building confidence, and forgiving those that have wronged you. It's about what you say and what you mean. It's about seeing people for who they are and not what they have. Most of all, it's about choosing to use your life to touch someone else's in a way that could never have been achieved otherwise. These choices are what life's all about." Yup, so true.

Saving the world, one bottle at a time..

When I first saw these on TV I thought they were rather ridiculous.. but I kind of like the idea now.. and I kind of like the water. Plus, they get really cold really a lot faster than other bottled water! Which is my favorite part!

*Is made with 30% less plastic than the average half-liter bottle
*Features a new label that's 30% smaller
*Is 100% recyclable
*Is flexible so it's easier to crush for recycling
*Easy to Carry

What's ya'lls opinion on these newfangled gadgets? :)

Oyster Shooters=So GROSS.

So last night I went to dinner with some friends at a place named Mario's. The food.. eh.. ok it was pretty authentic Mexican...not bad. However, afterward one guy at the table got this bright idea that we should all do oyster shooters, virgin of course! THEY WERE SO SICK! It was the one, and only time I will ever do it! They got to the table in the yucky tomato juice or whatever that is and the oyster looked like a tape worm. I am really just still trying to figure out what the point is! I found these ones on foodnetwork.com.. so I guess that real people do eat them on purpose. I guess if there's vodka in them it's a different story...

How wierd is this!?

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Family search - Hispanic genealogy

This is a good feeling.

So this has been a very eventful, miraculous week. It has all happened so fast and has been amazing. I introduced my friend Melissa to the gospel, and invited her to church. She came last Sunday, and was intrigued very quickly. After church that day, the missionaries came over to teach her the first lesson. Then that Wednesday we had a second lesson and she asked if she could be baptized. She said, "I'll just make it easy for you, I know it's true, when can I be baptized?" It was crazy! It makes me feel so good that I had a part in bringing something so priceless into someone's life. She will be baptized on April 6th after the afternoon session of conference. I am exicted for her to watch it. It has brought an amazing spirit into my life taking the lessons with her. I am learning so much and the missionaries are great. I am very excited to continue to see what happens. I am getting a glimpse of what true missionary work is and it is giving me such a desire to do more. It totally is a testimony builder of how aware Heavenly Father is of our lives and how everything falls into place so perfectly. It is giving me a new perspective on how the Lord can use me as an instrument in his hands, and has been such a blessing. I love how something so simple as becoming someone's friend can make all the difference. I hope that I can continue to have missionary experiences like this one. Cheesy possibly, but it has made me feel good that while Levi has been away serving his mission, that I am getting the opportunity to do it here. The Lord knows what I needed, I am now way more willing and able to listen to promptings of the spirit to share the gospel. I am going to lunch with another friend from work next week, and I'm sure it will come up because we've talked about the gospel before. Anyway, yay for missionary work! Try it I dare you, you will feel so GOOD! :)

To answer Korianne's question...

Yes, here is what I do on these beautiful shoes! :) Alicia came over and we had a fun little photo shoot! I am learning some pointe.. slowly but surely, and am also learning to hate the word sickling! Just ask Jessica! :) Hopefully one day I can be pretty good! ( and not sickle my feet) :0)

Aren't they pretty!?

Gosh I just love these guys. I have been doing a little practice for pointe in dance classes at BYUI so I decided it was high time to get me some of these! I am better at admiring them than at dancing on them, mind you, but I am practicing. My sister in law Jessica has given me a few "mini lessons" and one day soon we're going to go full on! I am no prima ballerina but I sure do love them!

Clean Sheets

Don't you just love clothes fresh out of the dryer? Well, I have never had a love affair such as the one I am having right now! For some reason my clean, right out of the dryer sheets are calling my name LOUDLY. I do love my bed. I have this amazing down comforter, except it's the fake kind of down so you don't get poked by any stupid feathers. Its like sleeping under a whole lot of marshmallows actually. :) I LOVE my bed! Doesn't it just look cozy and inviting!?

New Blonde Locks

Yes, I took a few pictures of myself.. but only to show a detailed example of my hair! :) I was really putting off getting my hair done because down here it's SOOO expensive! I called around to a few salons and they said it would start at 90$ just to get my roots touched up! So, I took a slight risk and went to a beauty school. Four hours and 25 bucks later, I ended up with perfectly highlighted hair! I was so glad with the results.. whaddaya think?

The US Postal Service gets a whole lot of my money..

Ok, so I was thinking today how much I use the USPS.. and how much money of mine they get.
Here's a few of my big things
1. I send a letter to Levi EVERY week.. That is 42 cents a week, which is soon going up to 43 cents p.s. so.. by the time the two years is up, we will both have spent 43.63.. that's not to mention the packages I send for holidays and just because.. adds up to about 10 holidays total.
2. Last week I mailed a package to Jenny and Katie for their birthday
3. Today I mailed Tanner a package for his birthday
4. I also mailed baby Kennedy a being born present today
It was pretty funny, the mail lady in the Westminster mall and I are good friends. Her name is Dorothy. She's nice. I went today for a job interview( I now work at Bath and Body works) and I mailed Tanner's gift. Then I was browsing in Gap and found something for Kennedy, so I decided to just mail it while I was there. Well Dorothy says, " you come in here often enough I figure I should ask your name." ha ha, thus started the friendship of Dorothy and Marissa.

One strange morning...

So... this morning I hear a knock on the door, David comes in and says quietly and quickly, " Marissa, did you leave the back door open?" I say "no" and he says, "ok, stay in your room." and he leaves.. I then hear him ask Mimi if she left the door open. At this point, I am really creeped out! I then hear him moving through the house, opening doors and looking in closets. Ok, at this point, I am just really glad that David was here! Somebody broke in last night. At about five, David was in a dead sleep and woke up and had this feeling that he should get up. He went downstairs and the back sliding door was flung all the way open. We rarely use it.. and it stays locked pretty much all the time. Luckily, no one was still in the house, and as far as we can tell, nothing is missing. If they had wanted a quicky grab, my brand new pointe shoes were sitting right there on the table, and so was Tanner's birthday present from AE.. but those were still there.. David is convinced they were after the TV, and when they noticed it was too big and fat for them, they left. :) Anyway.. the cops came it it was all fun and games after that. The cop asked David and I if we would have had any boyfriends or girlfriends sneaking in or out.. ha ha.. no. So, they took down some names... our names, unfortunately no one got hauled into the station. A little creepy indeed..Lucky we had a guy here!