Cashews, Pecans, & Almonds

Here you go, your own business card from one of Utah's newest CPA's!

That's right my friends, after months of studying and taking exams, I have finally managed to become a licensed accountant. WOOHOO! So even though I still haven't managed to change my name, I now have three letters to add to it. ;)

I recently had my four year anniversary of working at Larson & Rosenberger and felt that I should have some kind of degree to go with it. :) Life here at Larson is great. I enjoy what I do and who I work with and for. I'm a pretty lucky girl.

In other news:

The first weekend in December, I went and tried the Texas trip again and was able to visit with Jeffrey, Sarah, Griffin, and Phoenix. It was a lot of fun to be with them and get to meet the very adorable Phoenix.

I heartily approve of the South Texas Marbles being raised there. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Check out what Griff found!

 

I thought it was cute how he was holding his hand. What a funny kid!

I'm telling you, a warm beach is the best place to be in December! :)

In December, my ward had an unofficial competition with the other wards in the stake for indexing the most names. Mid-way through the month, we were behind by about 8,000 names. In one week's time, we bridged that gap and ended up doing about 3,000 more names than anyone else in the Stake for a total of 17,000+ names indexed. That is some pretty awesome work getting done. The bishopric challenged the ward members to step in and help the committee out and there were some that went above and beyond. It was pure awesomeness! :) I was excited to get more members of my committee working on it. What a great opportunity to serve!

After two and half years of living on my own, I decided I would like to have a roommate again. Anita Frost is her name and I couldn't ask for a better roommate. We are in the same ward and discussed being roommates for the last 2 months of the year. On New Year's Eve we officially moved into her sister's basement, just finished for us. It is such a beautiful place to live! The neighbors are great! (and don't smoke I might add. My last place was a little rough with my upstairs neighbor who smoked. Another learning experience.) Anita and I have similar living habits/standards and so it makes sharing a place quite enjoyable. We've had alot of fun decorating and getting things arranged just how we like them.  

Finally, some news in progress. Along with those 4 years of working at a desk everyday, I managed to put on some extra weight. I was told that I was pre-diabetic. That isn't a good thing to be. Well, in November, the 10th to be exact, I started a weight loss program that focuses on fixing the pancreas to be able to handle food better and get further away from that diabetic line. So far I have been able to lose 30 pounds and just feel awesome. I've also learned a great lesson in nutrition and just how much I was lacking in vegetables. I have overcome those "sweet tooth" cravings and am proud to say that I haven't consumed any sugary things since Thanksgiving. I feel a great ability to control how I eat and am not even tempted anymore by food. I've been able to put food in it's proper place in my life as a necessity to nurture and fuel my body and not as a source of happiness or entertainment when I get bored. When I am done with my program, I will be able to eat anything I want, but with how great I've been feeling over the last while, I can't imagine giving up on this new habit of eating things that are good for me. Also, it helps with getting the extra weight off of my ankle and I am looking forward to starting an exercise program to start strengthening it again and eventually be able to run in a 5k, in the fall most likely.

2010 was a great year for me. Hard at times, but those hard times lead to some great insights into who I am and what I want my life to be. I love my family and how much they have supported me throughout the past year and how they continue to support me. I've gained some excellent friends that I enjoy socializing with pretty regularly. I am most especially grateful for a Heavenly Father that time after time shows me just how much he loves me and is looking out for me. What a great time to be alive and get to experience all these times. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

~ Emily