Sisters and Cousins

So...one of my recent life resolutions has been to get to know my cousins better. 

I have a total of 30 first cousins- 28 on my mom's side and 2 on my dads. 

2 of them I have never actually met. 

Most I haven't talked to in more than a cursory fashion in years 

It's always seemed so strange to me to have this group of people out there who I am so closely related to but don't know at all. 

So..over the last little while I have been trying to get to know them. 

And yesterday was awesome in that regard!

My cousin Maddy (my Aunt Sharon's daughter) and I (and her beautiful baby Elijah) went to see our favorite sister missionaries!

Maddy really got to know Sister Ricks (who baptized our cousin Lacey) while she was serving in Cape May. 

I got back into missionary work because of Sister Simmons, when she served here in Milford.

Now the two of them are companions in Broomall. 

Sister Ricks goes home to Arizona in two weeks and so Maddy wanted to say goodbye, I wanted to meet this incredible sister who has been so good to my family, and get a chance to meet up with my favorite Philly sister, Sister Simmons!

So, we drove up, had lunch, gave Sister Ricks weird going away gifts, and had a festive time. 

I loved getting to hear more about Maddy's life and her dreams for the future and her love of the Gospel. 

She is my only cousin who is also a strong member of the church.

And she totally inspires me to share my love of the Gospel with others- especially in our family. 

So, here is to the Year of the Cousin.

It's going to be the BEST. YEAR. EVER. 

 I now have jump shots of Sister Simmons with every one of her companions! 

 Poor Sister Simmons! She has always dreamed of serving in the city and all three of her areas have been fairly rural PA towns. :) 

 Which I love...I take like 100 pictures whenever I am driving home at sunset! 

 Maddy and Sister Ricks. These are two strong, beautiful Mormon girls! 

Sister Ricks is the first missionary ever to be photographed with two Wilson cousins! I told her there were 26 others and she should say "Don't make me mad, or I will replace you with one of the 26 others!" (Of course, the best part of this picture is the handsome younger man we are all standing with!)

I hope that this blog will contain many more posts like this. 

I'm sad for the years that I have missed but hopeful for an amazing future with these cool people I am lucky enough to call family. 

Lori Ann

(# 7 of the 28)

Todo sobre los Benjamins, baby!

So, Shauri and I went to Philadelphia yesterday. 

To get Amish donuts and rainbow ill shirts.

Without further ado...

The highlights of another epic Hinsdale/Mientus City Adventure! 

#1 When we were driving through China Town and Shauri looks over at me..."Are your doors locked?". 

I hear the clicking of all the car doors locking.

 I look over at her in shock... "You fear the Chinese?" 

She shakes her head sadly and says "I don't trust myself"

(She was locking the doors to prevent herself from diving out and trying all the different kinds of restaurants. I COULD NOT stop laughing) 

 # 2 We were literally half a mile from our destination when I accidentally directed Shauri to get onto the Ben Franklin bridge. 

Which I think took us into Jersey.

 And cost us 5 dollars.

 Shauri is always such  good sport.

 She called her dad to tell him "Dad...I'm crossing the Ben Franklin Bridge!" :) 

# 3 This is not the official Rocky statute.

 Just the weird one they've got in the Constitution Center. 

#4 Me, in front of Independence Hall.

This is where the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were written, people! 

More importantly...

 I wore my hair down for this trip, people.

 It was SO ODD.

 I can't think when my hair is down. 

#5 We obtained various Philadelphia themed t-shirts for the sister missionaries.

 I wish the church would give me the official calling of "Mission memorabilia collector"....and a 10,000 annual budget. 

#6 The Amish donuts.

The pictures I take can never do them justice.

 The only problem with Amish donuts is that you will never be happy with Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme again.

 NEVER. 

Lori Ann

p.s.- a Shauri- gracias por tu amistad y por siempre haciendome reir  :) 

We'll go together and just figure it out

So, my weird projects continue.....

 My sister Erin got me this NICE leather bound journal for Christmas.

 I decided to make it a hodge podge of information about my family

 (with a focus on cousins, as I am trying to get to know them all better)

 But let's not leave out the aunts and uncles!!

 And a page for each of mis companeras. 

 As well as all of my favorite song lyrics, quotes, dichos, etc. 

This thing is going to be strange when it is done. 

Strange but awesome! 

 Your daily Sugar 

 Your daily Sister Missionaries doing weird poses at my request. 

And Quakertown's temperature and it's rating on a scale of coolness are finally even. 0. 

All of this bitter cold and I don't even get ONE SNOW DAY. 

Well, I did get one. 

NOW I NEED ONE MORE SNOW DAY.

I am off to the city today, 

With a head cold. 

And impending snow. 

Wish me luck!

Lori Ann

p.s.- Kind of obsessed with "Don't" by Ed Sheeran...who knew a ginger could be a good singer and HOT??

We never go out of style

To my dear niece Elizabeth Mae on the occasion of your 9th birthday. 

(sorry for the delay!)

Elly, I never thought this day would come

You were 4 and I blinked and now you are 9

Some things have changed so much

So much is still the same

You are still sassy, busy, and determined

You are beautiful, happy and 

careening through your childhood at way too fast a pace

This has been a year of gymnastics, Taylor Swift, and tank tops

A year of "watch my back bend walkover" and

"Can we have a sleepover tonight?"

You are somewhere between little girl and preteen 

You are beautiful Elsa and brave Ana all wrapped in one

Elly, this year you made so many discoveries

The magic of Nancy Drew mysteries

That you can make the bad guys good for a weekend

That there is no such thing as too much sparkle
And that you just have to shake off the haters

There were so many crazy talks this year

We talked about your mission

(10 years to go! )

I gave you advice about relationships

("he has to have a job...being in a band is NOT a job...)

You joined my girl power Sunday School class and we started reading the New Testament together

(And you became the New Testament for a day!)

I wish I had a million more memories to share

This was our first year of pulling  more apart than together

But I am excited for you to find your own path

And to continue to become the strong, amazing woman that I knew you would be

The very first moment I saw you 

I love you more than you will ever know, Elly Bean.

Love, 

Aunt Lori 

I will hold you hostage with my scrapbooking

Barry got baptized this week!
 And Sister Roesch got transferred to Jersey and Sister Bischoff went home

People,

My life has been crazy lately. 

I've been on and off meds, running around with the missionaries, and eating Amish donuts. 

Also manic scrapbooking.

My mother says that I hold the whole family hostage with my scrapbooking.

I'm not even sure what that means. 

I keep saying "You should be grateful I don't have a heroin addiction or an out of wedlock baby...so what if I tend to get extremely hyper about crafting?"

ANYWAY...

 I feel like I've finally gotten to a good place. 

I like the unmedicated Lori. 

Yes, I feel anxious sometimes. 

Most of the time. 

But I've realized I need that anxiety to motivate me. To do just about everything. 

Go to work. 

Exercise. 

Not spiral off into completely craziness. 

So welcome back to the unmedicated Spinster Chronicles. 

Things are changing around here. 

All my very favorite sister missionaries have either gone home or been transferred. 

So, I'm looking to sink back into missionary dodging mode. 

I'm off the meds and more focused. 

 I am really hyped up about moving out and teaching the New Testament to my Sunday school class of all girls. 

So, there is that :) 

Anyway- I know this has been a little bit of a boring update. 

Don't worry. 

I'll be back with more exciting news soon! 

Like moving out!

And getting a kitten friend for Sugar! 

And trying to either figure this whole friendship thing out or give up on it all together. 

Stay tuned, devils!

Lori Ann

Take me to church

So....

I have been reading my scriptures daily and I am honestly getting so much out of it.

I love opening them randomly and feeling like God is talking directly to me.

I think this is a time in my life when I need God's direction more than ever.

If you haven't gotten a chance, read the entire 4 books of Phillipians.

(it's in the New Testament!)

It will make you feel like you can do ANYTHING and that God is ALWAYS with you.

Be ready for  long, rambling life update tomorrow!

Lori Ann

Cause I know I don't belong

Uncles Ray and Don (yes, the little one is a boy!) 

I doubt that overtly cheerful tone of this blog lately has given this away but lately I have been feeling restless. 

And then, like it always does, life offered me a chance for change!

My sister is moving (I would say more but it's not my job to put her business of the internet...or so my sisters claim! ) and so my brother, who has been renting her basement, is moving back in with my parents. 

Which means I HAVE TO get out. 

I can't live with siblings anymore. 

And I think I drive him crazy too, so it will be good for everyone.

But I am getting really excited at the thought of having my own place again. 

No TV.

Twinkle lights in every room.

The heat always turned down 

(because I like to be chilled. And low electric bills).

A crafting corner. 

If I get the apartment that I want, I will even be in  different ward. 

Which will be strange but good, I think.

I do thrive in a lot of ways when I am on my own. 

I focus on goal setting. 

I stay organized with money. 

I am more content at my job.

I enjoy my family more. 

So, I am excited. 

T- minus 63 days until move out. 

I feel like packing right now! 

Lori Ann 

p.s.- The picture at the top is my two oldest uncles. 

My Uncle Ray and my Uncle Don

. Both of my dad's older brothers.

 Uncle Ray is the one who died. 

Whose grave we found this summer.

 I had never seen his face before my uncle sent this picture.

 You know you are an adult when family history is the most fascinating thing in the world to you :)