THREE YEARS!!!

So its hard to believe but today Friday the 18^th of November flavors of Louisiana will have been open for four years!!!! like I said It is so hard to believe…I can remember when we knew every single customer on a first name basis and when two people could easily hold the fort down. Now we have so many customers that it would be nearly impossible to know every single one of them and it definitely takes more than two people to run the show now…however I am very thankful for this little restaurant and the amazing women (my Nanna) that runs it may God bless her and flavors with many many more years!!

This little video is a little something i made for my nanna...check it out....

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   Whittney Annie

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life

Wow!!!! Haven’t been on here in FOREVER! Not for any certain reason other than life has just been plain crazy… no crazy doesn’t even describe it, its been wonderfully busy and at times a little wild =) they told me once I stopped doing two schools at once life would slow down, but it didn’t. I have been lied to!!! Hahaha so here are a few things I haven’t mentioned in the past well…couple of months lol…. I GOT A CAR!! Old news, but I got my very own and I love it. It’s a black Kia sportage AKA “sport” cute little thing, gets me places and in the past little bit even provided a very good but expensive photograph. Ah what else?? I officially turned and adult this year…. Ya I know scary huh? Ive had a few breathless moments and completely not being able to think moments thanks to one of my favorite people =)(yes it’s a good thing) Oh yes I started my senior year in high school, just actually took group senior photos (will be on Ashley’s blog hopefully soon). Other than trying to keep up with friends and family, working, church and school activities lifes pretty well really good...whew say that in one breath…hope to keep yall more informed =)

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   Whittney Annie

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school school and more school

Well maybe not for me, Monday of the first week of school I came down with a serious cold and by Tuesday I was not wanted around others and so I was sent home. Well there goes my perfect attendance…MAN I was planning on not missing a single day this year (wink wink). Tuesday and Wednesday I “played hooky” according to my sister and  really did nothing . my very lovely (and appropriate) get well card made it all better !) and I was back in school on Thursday… well half of me was at least. Still felt a little out of it and meg and lee had no trouble telling me I still looked a bit on the bad side =) Friday was better I actually woke up early and hopped out of bed to get ready for school. Im sure this had everything to do with the fact my papa said I could drive his truck to school. Once At school my little prayer partner made me laugh so hard when she announced (while everyone is quietly praying) that she hit her head so she cant bend down because if she does it feels like her head is going to fall off…yes FALL OFF…she is too and absolutely adorable. The rest of Friday passed pretty quick….random thought of the day, how is it when every single person is talking in class the teacher singles out the two that are talking the quietest? Spanish finally got set up or should I say our prison cells are finally ready to be used…. This is what we jokingly call them because for our Spanish class we all do our work in cubicles instead of a normal classroom environment…got to see one of my favorite people twice in one day so it made it bearable to go to work. Finally ended the day with the funniest moment ever. I was driving home from work singing to the top of my lungs (as high as my hardly audible, crackly voice could manage)  and singing away to CeCe Winans “higher place of praise” and I look over and the people next to me were totally captivated my by wonderful singing abilities lol .the look on their faces when they noticed I had caught them staring  was even better…I laughed the rest of my ride home…

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   Whittney Annie

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first week of school

Its hard to think that it is already that time of year again…you know the butterflies in your tummy about the first day and the excitement of new stuff… yupp it’s a new school year already. The summer came and went so fast I couldn’t believe on Monday it was time to start getting up again with the roosters. I started this year off with a bang. I was late to school my very first day. IT WASN’T MY FAULT. I promise… I guess two different starting times had been announced and I only remembered hearing one being announced. However I was lucky and it was excused because I wasn’t the only one confused on when school started. My morning actually got better, I was surprised with Starbucks on my first day which made it all the more better =) After everything got situated out I went to prayer and then it was onto math. Well I headed to the class I was assigned and quickly discovered this was not what I wanted so I headed back to the office to get it switched. Monday was wrapped up with 2 hours of PE spent in the sweltering 115 degree weather and boy was I ever so glad to have an excuse to get out of that an be a TA for my favorite English teacher =) Tuesdays morning I realized I have to get up even earlier if I’m going to make it to school on time with this new schedule, but thankfully I wasn’t late. Wednesday and Thursday were interesting with everyone trying to get used to the new times and different schedule than last year but we did it. Thursday during chapel was the best part of my week…. On the first day all of the high school students  got to pick a prayer patner. On Thursday during chapel my little prayer partner got the holy ghost… and just think that was only the first chapel so im excited for the ones to come! Friday came around and I remembered why I like the weekends more than Mondays. Our wonderful principal made some adjustments to the schedule and glory be to God we get out 15 minutes earlier this year! Since its my senior year I now have to start thinking about senior pictures and all that fun stuff that comes along with graduating, but this year is going to be a piece of chocolate cake with chocolate icing and im looking forward to it. Time to let the good times roll!

school pictures

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   Whittney Annie

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GOOD NEWS

GOOD NEWS EVERYONE (It’s a little late and a little old but none the less still good news) I NO LONGER HAVE TO DO MY ONLINE SCHOOL!! For those of you who don’t know ill fill you in… My freshman year I enrolled late (around October 2008) in a computer only school that guaranteed I would be able to get my credits quickly. By the end of that year, that school had went through 4 principals. My credits were lost, and I never received any from that school. They said I started too late and they had no credits for my transcripts. I pushed on and started my sophomore year. Due to economic circumstance my family and I moved to Minnesota three months into my sophomore year. Not long after that I decided I wanted to move back to Arizona. when I moved back to AZ about two and a half years ago I didn’t have a single 9^th or 10^th grade credit to my name and I was supposed to be half way thru the 10^th grade. So with a lot of thinking and praying my Nanna and Pappa put me back into the 9^th grade. I wasn’t to happy about it but I knew there really wasn’t another option. The following school year Right before I started 10^th grade I had a brilliant idea of catching up with my class thru online schooling. (I say brilliant idea rather sarcastically because by the end I was sooo done with primavera) Thankfully everyone was behind this idea and as soon as my sophomore year started so did my junior year and I began taking 11^th grade online classes concurrently while doing 10^th grade at GCA. It was a long hard rough year and sometimes I wanted to give up or maybe just make my computer crash so I would have just a little of my own time. However I didn’t and about 4 or so weeks ago my educational coordinator informed me that I had successfully completed two grades in one school year…. It still doesn’t feel real but I no longer have to leave right after school to come home to more…God is so good to me and I am still excited so I just wanted to share the good news!!

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   Whittney Annie

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Family Time

God gives us all little magical moments that you can’t put a finger on to mark it and you cant put a price on it to sell. Sometimes you might not realize it at that moment but in the bad times the memory of that moment will be what sparkles and helps pull you through. I’ve been so blessed in the last month to have so many of those wonderful happy moments that are so full of joy that I can hardly contain my self. They’ve been gone for a week but those moment I am talking about are when my family came down to visit me….In the midst of my crazy work schedule and summer school, my two brothers and my little girl  (sister) came to see me. At first I didn’t think it was a good idea just for the fact I wouldn’t get to do everything with them I wanted to do, but I pushed that aside and bought their plane tickets. The Sunday that they were supposed to come down, North Dakota had a hurricane and there flight was delayed… I was so bummed and stayed up half the night trying to reroute their plane but it didn’t work out and I was forsure that my plans had just been smashed. They weren’t… my brothers and Abby ended up coming four days later, and waiting for them at the airport seemed like an eternity. when I finally saw them walking out of the security area I almost wanted to knock that little “do not pass this point” sign down but instead Abby leapt out of her brothers arms and did the running for me. I hadn’t seen her in a couple of months and When I picked her up and spun her around I felt like the world couldn’t get any better. I could have pause life right there with her in my arms and be content for forever.. but I couldn’t pause life lol… instead I just hugged her so tight and almost cried happy tears =) my brothers came thru and all I wanted to do was hug them but Isaac (my not sentimental one) broke the moment by telling me I was embarrassing him =). After waiting for forever for their luggage we got in the car and headed to the restaurant to grab a bite to eat. We sat there and talked about a lot of stuff and I couldn’t stop smiling at the way Isaac would interrupt Kalab to tell me something he thought was sooo important or vis versa. Abby topped off the meal by running around like a crazy person, talking to every one, and then exclaiming that the painted alligator on the wall was her “best fwend” which made us all laugh. We had church that night so we headed home and I was reacquainted with the frustrations and the cute moments of trying to get three hooligans dressed for church. Abby was a tad uncomfortable being the spotlight at church but you just cant help it she’s soo cute. Afterwards I sent her home (unwillingly) with my aunt Kristy and me and my brothers went to the OTC youth lock in. Im glad they got to go they seemed to have a lot of fun and two of their friends were even there. The next three days I spent with them just hanging out at my aunt Kristi’s loving every moment of being with them. Sunday night we headed back to my house but because I had school to do we didn’t bring Abby along she stayed with my aunt Kristi. Fourth of July Monday morning I didn’t let them sleep in, instead I woke them up at 8 (horrible sister I know lol) and they came with me to help me paint the restaurant. Like all little brothers do they soon got bored with that and wanted to do something else so me feeling they needed something more boyish went and found them some be-be guns and targets and we lit up the back yard with silver pellets. We went and got ice cream later and then watched fireworks from my roof. I had a slight sentimental moment as I watched them staring at the sky and thought what it would be like to have them with me all the time but then Isaac tried to beat up Kalab and that thought fled lol. Tuesday morning I dint bother them a bit and they slept in until it was time for me to leave the house. They groggily followed me around for the rest of the day and then to church for Tuesday evening service. I didn’t have to solely entertain them for long because Thursday we packed up the camper and stayed in the woods until Sunday evening, the Monday we got back I had school to do so they helped my papa clean out the trailer and wash it off. Tuesday was pretty much the same. Wednesday they thought they were going crazy so I ended up taking them to their friend Aundre’s house and they got all there feelings of going crazy In a couple hours of video games. Thursday morning I packed up all there things and grudgingly put it in my car (because of my schedule they would be spending the rest of their visit with their aunt). With much thanks to Glenn me and the boys had a blast at amazing jakes that day, and Isaac (my professional complainer) got in the car that evening and announced he had “a blast” =) on the way home however he almost gave me a heart attack when he accidentally put my gear shifter into neutral while I’m going down the highway!!! We finally figured out why my car was stalling and finished our journey to my aunt Kristi’s… I think he just did that because he didn’t want to leave his big sis HAHA…. I spent Sunday with them but after that I shipped my self off to the best conference ever and came home 4 hours before they got on their plane so I could give them all a hug and tell them to have a safe flight…. I am so thankful they got to come out and share a few weeks of my lovely crazy life with me =)

Abby got the 1st hug =)

then came my bro's

Isaac and chase playing the piano while we were camping

in the back of papa's pick up driving to the lake

SAY CHEESE NAE-NAE

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   Whittney Annie

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HERITAGE 2011

Heritage this year was so much better than I expected and not to say I expected anything less than great but it was… amazing! Every year I have gone and come home with a little bit more of a touch of God than before, but this year was sooo much better and with out trying to sound redundant it really did change my life. I went there struggling just a tad to be the happy go lucky person I like to be and I came home bursting with the happiness of God. I don’t know how make my human mind comprehend it and put it into words but what I can say is GOD IS SO GOOD. Sunday after we came back I got the  biggest surprise… I was asked to testify…I felt so honored when Bro Stanly asked me to testify (I was nervous to boot as well) but I was glad I could tell my congregation what God had done for me.  I didn’t say this in my testimony but when I went there I didn’t think God would answer my one specific prayer for specific change, but he did and then the last night when Bro. Frazier preached about letting your past go it just topped it off because I already knew what he was preaching about was so true. I just wish I had dragged Kalab with me so he could have gotten the Holy Ghost. Along with God being so very good I had a blast so here are a lot of pictures (NOT in order) I took on my trip…..