.god.is.good.

I know you have all seen bunches of posts on Facebook about a historical evening the Pinnock family witnessed last night but I just have to blog about it. Without knowing, cousins, Josh and Stephen put their mission papers in on the same day. We had planned on watching them open their calls on March 6th since that was the day we expected their calls to come....however....they didn't arrive. Josh and Stephen, being the amazing boys they are, didn't mind one bit. Stephen would tell me, "It's okay! I've been called and it will come eventually. That's all that matters. I'm not worried one bit!" What a guy! March 7th comes around and I receive a text from my mom: "It came!!" And as luck would have it, Josh's came too. Welp...saddle up! Time for lives to change in just a sentence or two! 

We all gathered at my Uncle Jon and Aunt Laura's house for this moment.  A few minutes before they opened their calls I told Jon that they had to go to the same country...they just had to. Not the same mission...but we were hoping at least the same country. In past conversations our family had talked about predictions as to where we thought Stephen would go. My mom was convinced he was going to the Philippines. I thought either New York or Italy. Jess thought Italy...only because she WANTED him to go there (she is our little Italian). We gathered around these two boys (okay men...) and anticipated to hear the assignment of where they were to serve the Lord for the next 2 years. Stephen, being the oldest of the 2, went first. 

"Dear Elder Pinnock,

You have been called to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the ITALY, MILAN mission!!"

I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. Is my little brother seriously going to his DREAM MISSION!? Is he going where I predicted?! Is he even old enough to do this?! 

After a lot of cheers, shouts and tears...it was Josh's turn. We again...anticipated.

"Dear Elder Pinnock,

You have been called to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the ITALY, MILAN mission!!"

Again...even louder cheers, shouts and tears! I thought he was joking, but Josh put his hand to his mouth and immediately started sobbing. This was no joke. This was real. This was happening. This was amazing.

The 2 elders embraced in a long, much needed, hug. They just held each other. Laughed. Cried. Hugged. These 2 brothers from 2 mothers have been called to 1 mission. The Italy, Milan mission. Departing on the SAME day, July 24, 2013.

God is good. He is real....and well...funny. 

I still can't believe this moment happened. I can't believe that my little brother and his side kick of 18 years are old enough to go on missions....let alone, the same mission! Good speed Elders Pinnock!

My Aunt Laura asked me to make a video of this moment and so here it is!

.olympus.titans.

For those of you who didn't know, Olympus High School is 60 years old and is being rebuilt this year. This is a little tender subject for me since I had so many amazing memories in that school. Basketball is huge deal at Olympus since the team is always amazing. This particular basketball game was a big deal because it was the last home game at the old high school and it was against our rival team...SKYLINE. I was so happy that Trent and I were able to make it to the game. Of course...Olympus won. I have a lot of pride in this school so I was stoked. I was also able to run into some old friends there so that was a bonus. GO TITANS!

Ran into this beautiful girl at half time! We were SBO's and Vicki Belnap survivors together. We were both a little overwhelmed after not seeing each other in 93 years!

My date to this epic game!

I love this little goober....too much.

GO TITANS.

.that.moment.

That moment when it hits you (really hard) that your little brother will be leaving for a mission this year and all of the sudden you think of how hard that will be. You realize how amazing he is and how much you are really going to miss him. You realize how close you really are with him and how much you really rely on his company and jokes. You realize that when he was born, a best friend was born. You realize that you may or may not be there for his farewell (India). You realize that he may or may not miss out on big things in your life that you want him there for so badly. You realize that he is your little buddy who will always have your back no matter what. I am proud to be his sister. I am proud to call him my best friend. I am proud of him.

It's 2013 Ya'll!

Soooo....for those of you how read my blog will come to find that I have been MIA and haven't blogged in a while. The end of 2012 was crazy busy with work, my grandpa's funeral, Christmas, family in town, etc. BUT, I am back and ready to blog and share my life experiences!

I want to start out by telling you about my New Year's Eve.
Wow.
What an incredible night?!
My parents were amazing enough to hire "Cruzin' Sushi" to come cater our dinner.
I knew that we had a sushi chef coming over but I didn't think it would be like this!
I pulled up to my parents house and there on our driveway was this huge truck.
Anna and Josh (the chefs) were walking in and out of it with containers
full of sushi ingredients and platters of who knows what.
My mom had the table as set up so beautifully...she always does.
My parents were nice enough to let us all (me, hugh and stephen) bring dates.
It was an all around fun packed dinner!
Anna made the sushi in front of us while Josh would be in the truck
frying our tempura and other yummy treats!
I cannot tell you how amazing this was.
Anna then invited us to come and make our own sushi.
That was an experience!
We have found a new tradition and I am so happy!
I love my family so much and it was so much fun to spend New Year's Eve with them.

After dinner, Trent and I headed over to say hello to my Aunt Annette.
They were in the middle of games but it was good to see them!
We then headed over to Trent's friend Jonathan's parent's house.
We played some games and had a good laugh.
The Deesing family has a tradition where they burn their Christmas tree at midnight
and shoot off fireworks.
Watching the tree light up was awesome!
We watched an amazing firework show.
If you know me...you will know that I LOVE fireworks!
It was a good way to end the night.

I loved the year 2012....
but bring it on 2013!

December 5, 2012...

This is a day that I will never forget.
I remember what I was wearing.
I remember what I ate.
I remember it all.

I woke up that morning in my bed at my parent's house.
I woke up knowing that it was going to be a long day.
I called my mom who had slept over at my grandpa's care center.
My grandpa was already on his way through the veil.
It was just a matter of time.
I went over there around 9 AM so my mom could come home and shower.
I got there and about 10 minutes after being there, Joan, the Hospice nurse
came in to tell us that he was so close to passing away that my mom might want to stay.
We stayed and watched.
Eventually the rest of my family came over.
We all sat around his bed, watching old John Wayne movies.
Trent was nice enough to bring us all lunch.
We sat and sat and sat.
My siblings would come and go.
I was fortunate to have the day off of work.
I didn't leave my grandpa's side.
1:30 AM came around and we were all exhausted.
I asked to have a few minutes with him alone.
I sat and prayed.
Prayed for him to just go.
I wasn't sure if he was in pain or not.
He was asleep the whole day.
His breathing got slower.
It looked difficult for him.
It was painful for us to just watch.
My mom told me just to go home.
But I knew that if I were to go home, that I would miss something.
She kept on insisting that I go home, but I was too stubborn to give in.
I slept right next to my mom that night while she slept next to her dad.
I surprisingly enough fell asleep.
Around 3:30, my mom fell asleep.
It surprised me due to the circumstance.
At 4:00 in the morning we both sat up at the same time.
Looked over at grandpa and listened for one of his painful sounding breaths.
Nothing.
Pure silence.
We were in shock.
He passed.
He was finally through the veil and reunited with his sweetheart and his Heavenly Father.
It was a long, emotional day.
I won't go into so much detail of what was said and what exactly happened.
But all I will say is that it was a peaceful night.
I have learned so many things through this experience.

•  Life is short. Live it.
• People are kind and have good hearts.
• This gospel is so true.
• Take advantage of the time you get to spend with family.
• Love one another.
• He never said it would be easy. He only said it would be worth it.

I love my grandpa so much. 

I loved holding his hand and walking around with him.

I loved sitting with him and watching old cowboy movies.

I loved it when he would pull me in for a kiss.

I loved his stories.

I loved his example of hard work.

I love him.

I will never forget the legacy he has left behind.

I can't wait to feel his presence at my wedding.

I can't wait to see him again.

Because I know I will.

Festivus!

This post in LONG over due...but the pictures were finally posted today!!
Ahem...

There are people in this world who LOVE the hit TV show Seinfeld.
There are people in this world who don't know much about this amazing show.
Ya...I feel bad for those people.
They don't know what they are missing out on.
One episode involves a holiday that George's dad made up.
FESTIVUS!
Festivus is a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 as a way to commemorate the holiday season without participating in its pressures and commercialism.
This holiday includes practices such as the "Airing of Grievances", which occurs during the Festivus meal and in which each person tells everyone else all the ways they have disappointed him or her over the past year. After the meal the "Feats of Strength" are performed, involving wrestling the head of the household to the floor, with the holiday ending only if the head of the household is actually pinned.

Now that I've given you a history of Festivus...
Don't you just want to go celebrate it?
Ya...we did.
You jealous?
Ya...I would be too.
Sarah and I thought it would be fun to get together with our little brothers to celebrate such a holiday.
We dressed up as our characters.
Sarah = Cosmo Kramer
Josh = George Costanza
Annie = Elaine Benes
Stephen = Jerry Seinfeld

Pictures were taken.
Laughs were shared.
We even went to Panda Express in our costumes and ordered take out. (A traditional Seinfeld meal)
Went back to my house and watched the Seinfeld episode that had Festivus in it.
Although we didn't have the "Airing of Grievances" or the "Feats of Strength",
I would say that our Festivus party was a success.
Thank you Sarah, Josh and Stephen for the fun celebration!

Home Sweet Home...

Being back at home and with my family,
I'm hardly on my computer which prevents me from updating my blog.
Well I moved back at home on Thursday!
With a car loaded with hampers, bags, clothes and shoes....we were off.
I had roomie Aubbie Jo and high school friend Sarah Howard joining me.
We had a grand ol' time with good ol' talks.
Dropped them off at their homes.
I got to see Brett Nilsson...Aub's dad.
I love Papa Nilsson!
He greeted all of us with a hug!..Even Sarah...when he didn't even know her.
Went over to Stephen's Clayton performance...unfortunately only seeing the last song.
He did a wonderful job though!
We headed back home.
Stephen had plans with his friends that actually fell through.
Lucky me!
We made our tradition dip....secret recipe that only our family knows about.
And watched The Incredibles.
Ya...I fell asleep for a bit...by the fire.
Best feeling ever.
I just love being home with my family.
I wouldn't have this break any other way.

P.S. One of my best friends...Trenton James...decided to surprise me with a  new stereo for my car!
Mine was pretty busted. He is the best. Seriously.

TGIF!!

Thank goodness it's Friday! This past week had a lot of ups and downs. More downs that I had anticipated. But I just focus on the ups of course! Day 4 of gratitude month!! I don't think I've been this excited for November...anyhoo. Today I am grateful for a really random thing that EVERYONE and their dog uses. K maybe not their dog...it's just a saying I've heard and used. But today I am grateful for the beautiful thing called texting. I am able to communicate with my best friend Elsa up in Idaho, my sister and brother in law in New York, my family in Salt Lake and here in Provo and even my own roomie Aubrey! Yes yes yes....phone calls are SO much better and more fun! But sometimes we are not in a convenient area to take a phone call. Today 106.5 started playing Christmas music! So I text my whole family saying, "106.5 is playing Christmas music!!!!" Here were the replies I received:

Mom: "What the heck!...Atleast they waited til after Halloween!"

Dad: "Boo hiss...Too early!...I hope you're not texting while driving.. (Told him I was on campus) he said..."I hope you're not texting while walking....actually probably a great way to meet guys running into them whole distracted by your phone!"

Hugh: "Curses"

Stevo: "Hecka yeah sis! We need to jam!"

I guess it's not just texting I'm grateful for today...It's my family too and how awesome they are...but then again...I'm alaway grateful for my family!

Here's to texting!

Oh...and it's National King Tut Day According to Aubrey's sweet calendar!

The Ending of a Good Week..

Thursday came around.

Work went well.

Nappy time with Aubs!

Then off on a double date!

Started out with dinner at Rumbi.

Ice cream at Coldstone.

Then off to iceskating...

Well...

Not really.

The rink was booked for hockey practice.

We ended up watched a hockey game at another rink.

It was quite enjoyable!

This is was fun date with Todd Sorensen and Aubrey and Carlos!

Friday started out a little rocky.

But got better thank goodness!

Work was good.

My dear friend Trent came down!

He surprised me with SANUKS!

We saw them at the mall a few months ago.

I fell in love.

He was so sweet and bought me a pair!

We both say it's like wearing sweats on your feet.

Me and Trent both LOVE sweats.

So why not wear them on your feet?

Trent is pretty darn amazing!

Later me and Aub's friend, Addison,

treated us to dinner at Legend's Grill.

Thank Add!

Friday was a wonderful day.

Saturday.

Woke up to:

"Hey Annie...I have a zit on my foot.

I'm going to pop it...do you have a band-aide?"

Gee....Thanks Kat...9:30 and I already lost my appetite..

No cereal for me.

Then me and Aubrey went on one of our favorite things!...

ROAD TRIP!!...To salt lake of course.

But every time Aubs and I go on a drive together..

whether it's just to class or home...it's always so much fun.

We blast our music and sing just like the artist....or atleast attempt to.

We have a playlist called, "Aub and Ann's Jam"

Long Live...

Stereo Hearts...

Dare to Dream... (favorite)

Forever...

Larger Than Life...

Single Ladies...

and of course...

Cheers (Drink to That)...

Ya...it's pretty fan-freakin-tastic!

After dropping off Aubrey,

I met up with my mom and bethany at Mary's Bridal.

Beth was getting her dress fitted!

Then I hear my mom say...

"Hey Ann...try on some dresses!"

ooookay mom...why not?!

It got me really excited for when it really is my turn!

Buuuut....I got nothing but time!

After lunch with mom and dad and beth,

I headed over to the Paulsen's home!

This is like my second family!

I had a good talk with Lori!

She is my second Mommy!

I painted Olivia, Ana AND Kambria's nails.

The 3 little sisters I never had...

Got to see James for a bit too!

Always good to see an old friend.

Picked up Trent and went to Zupas

to pick up a pay check!

I love getting $28 checks.

haha

Off to "Annie"!

My little brother, Stephen, is in it.

So we enjoyed watching him!

It was an amazing show!

I highly recommend it.

AND I got to see some old high school friends!

Lizzie Carter and Sarah Funk are some of my favorite people.

Sunday came around.

PRIMARY PROGRAM!!

Best day to choose to go to the home ward!

Came home.

Nap time for me, Stephen and Beth!

Best home cooked dinner made by mamacita.

Steak, mashed potatoes, corn bread, salad....and peach cobbler to finish it off.

Came back down to Orem.

Shortly after, Brian and Jamo came down.

We watched Lord of the Rings.

They are going to come down again and we are going to have a marathon this week.

I love those guys!

We have some fun Halloween and Christmas plans.

Couldn't have asked for better friends.