My Sisters Wedding Poem

This tradition started with my Grandpa on my Dads side. He wrote a poem for all of the kids when they got  married. Then those kids wrote poems for their kids. My Dad wrote my oldest brother one when he was married.. But since he passed away it moved to me to finish it off for my siblings. My sister got married last Friday, two days ago to a wonderful man named Bryan. The love of her life. This was her poem I wrote for her.

Soulmates.
two halves of the same soul, 
joining together in life's journey.
today we went to the temple,
to seal them for eternity.


After having 2 boys,
mom was yearning for a little girl.
finally to her delight,
she got her precious pearl.


Looking through home videos,
she claims she was ignored.
but in reality,
she was greatly adored.


Not much of a sports person,
accident prone to say the least.
although, her game was soccer,
and in that she was a beast.


As she got older,
she taught herself to sing and play the guitar.
I wouldn't be surprised,
if one day she became a star.


In High School, she met her special one,
Bryan is his name.
the first time she saw him,
he was playing a basketball game.


Hanging out everyday,
he became her best friend.
laughing, joking and playing,
it seemed it would never end.


Their first kiss is quite a story,
ask their friends, it's pretty funny.
I'm sure they would rein act it,
for a little bit of money.


Bryan left for Puerto Rico on his mission,
and Colbie was very sad.
faithfully, she wrote him every month,
and of that, I'm sure, Bryan was glad.


His mission was extended,
and Colbie became stressed.
he came home on her Birthday,
that present, was surely the best.


Taking naps on our couch,
soon became a routine.
while watching 'Friends' all day,
on the big TV screen.


The engagement couldn't wait any longer,
they just had to get married.
Kylie and I taking pictures,
in the mud we were buried.


Blind folded she was,
as he got down on one knee.
he popped the big question,
"Will you marry me?"


Colbie, Dad is up in Heaven now,
but he is right by your side,
He would never miss out on the day,
that you became a bride.


Although he is not here with you to hold your hand-
and give your heart away.
to a man HE chose to take care of you,
forever from this day.
Today as you place your hand in Bryan's,
with blessings and with pride.
just remember,that Dad is by your side.


She could not have asked for a better man,
to stand beside her until the very end.
he is not only her husband,but her very, best friend.


I love you Colbie and Bryan.

College!!

Oh my goodness. So...... In less than 5 months, I will be in College. Crazy. People my age are all thinking, "in 12 months I will be in College".. But not me. 5 months!! Ahhh! I am soooo stoked for it. I am taking a bunch of online classes and I am graduating High School early. I will be graduating in December then going to Hawaii with my family for almost 2 weeks. When I return from that trip, I will pack up and head off to College. I am going to attend Dixie State down in St. George. I already have a place to stay and everything! I'm going to be rooming with my sisters old roommates. I am so stoked because I am going to be roomroommates with Alex... She is so freaking funny and I can not wait. I just want these next 5 months to go by super fast so I can get out of here, live on my own and start my life. I feel like I am growing up way too fast, but I love it. College life is going to be  a blast. Especially with the girls I will be with down there. Can't wait!

Poison Ivy...YOU SUCK!!

So about two weeks ago I started to get these enormous hives all over my arms and legs. They weren't going away so I went to my pediatrician who said I had poison ivy! Yayy me, right? So he put me on this medicine called 'prednisone'. Some dumb steroid that makes my blood sugar rocket straight up to the sky. So... naturally I am pretty grumpy about it. For the last 7 days, my blood sugar has been jumping from the 500's.. to the 600's.. back down to 100.. back up to 600. And oh is it a bundle of joy. I feel like I have been run over by a train and like there is an elephant standing on my poor head. So.. I am now up at 1:34am.. writing on my blog. Why? Because I can't sleep. At all. I've been trying, but it's not gunna happen. This medicine apparently has a bunch of caffine in it as well. So it keeps me up.. way past my bed time. I'm exhausted, but can't force my body to sleep. Oh man. Thank you so much Poison Ivy.. I love you. NOT!

Testimony Builder

Woww.. crazy what the spirit can do. So just last night, Saturday night. I got invited by a bunch of friends to go to a party. It was an 80's party and was supposed to be way fun. And clean too! It was a bunch of good people. Good LDS friends, with super high standards. But for some reason, when I was invited I had a really bad feeling that I shouldn't' go. Which really confused me right? Cuz they are all really good kids! But! None the less, I listened to the voice inside my head and heart and didn't go. Who knows? They could have gotten in an accident, something like that and I was being warned. Well.. recently my friend who invited me said.. " Hey Ali, you were right. a bunch of drunk kids crashed the party so we had to leave." Once I heard that, I was overcome with the spirit so strong. My testimony just grew about 100 times!! I love this gospel. I don't know what in the world I would do without it! 

Girls Camp!

Things I learned at Girls Camp:


*Be yourself.. because everyone else is taken.
*Think about who you are praying to.
*Without faith, it's hard to accept the gospel as it is.
*Keep your faith and you will be blessed.
*Accept the consequence as it is.
*It's not just telling the truth, but being true.
*Find out who you are and do it.
*Try to do the best you can.
*Rely on your Heavenly Father to get through it.
*We are all princess's waiting to be Queens to return to The Kingdom.
*Be more open about your feelings.
*Be a tool in the Lord's hands.
*Be like the wind.. touch everyone with the gospel.
*Se everyone as our Heavenly Father sees them.. Everyone including yourself.
*Service makes a difference.
*Knowledge is power
*The more you see sometime the less you know.
*Forgive and forget.
*Good friends are all you need.

Fathers Day In Heaven

Daddy you're in heaven now, 

That's not suppose to be.. 

On this special father's day 

You are usually here with me.  

This is the first time to celebrate 

Your day without you near. 

But I still want to celebrate 

The father you were 

When you were here.  

I can't imagine Father's day 

In heaven up above, 

All the daddies gone from earth 

Surrounded with HIS love.  

My love for you will never fade 

The memories in my mind like a whirl.

You will always be my daddy, 

And I your little girl.  

Your time on earth as my dad is over. 

But someday we will meet in heaven brand new.

With our Father you now celebrate 

The love he has given you.  

Daddy I'll always love you, Happy Father's Day. 

Birthdays In Heaven

Today is my Daddys Birthday. I miss him like crazy. I wrote this poem in memory of him. It's called 'Birthdays In Heaven'..

I heard you crying yesterday
And felt your heart-sent love
So I’m sending you this message
Now, from Heaven up above.

You’re wondering if I’ll celebrate
My birthday (way up here)
I know you’re missing me today
I feel your essence near.

God planned a special day for me
He told me with a wink
He’d ordered me a special cake
(It’s Angel food, I think)

I’m getting lots of hugs from God
He’s really good at that
And every time that I walk by
He gives my head a pat

Balloons will fill the streets for me
They float up through the clouds
And we have lots of clowns up here
That make us laugh out loud

There is a birthday carousel
Jeweled horses ride the wind
With music playing oh so sweet…
The magic never ends

I’ve made so many friends, you see
We laugh and play and sing
We ride our bikes and play jump rope
And sleep in Angel’s wings

We’ll have our cake and ice cream
And open gifts, surprise!
But we don’t blow out our candles here
Instead, they light the skies

Dear Diabetes:

Dear Diabetes-

I NEED A VACATION.

I need a vacation from you, and all you entail.

I need a vacation from the blood sugar testing; the carb counting, the bolusing, the temporary basal rates of it all.

I need a vacation from blood sugar testing- Oh wait, I already mentioned that. But since I test my sugars between 10 and 15 times a day- I’ll mention it again.

My fingers and I need a break from the continual blood sugar testing!

I need a vacation from my infusion set’s getting caught on doorknobs.

I need a vacation from the unexplained highs and the unexplained lows.

I need a vacation from the stares….and the glares from the Food Police.

I need a vacation from the anxiety you bring with you to my world every single day your in it.

I need a vacation from the planning you require of me- every single time I walk out the door.

I need a vacation from continually having to consider you, whenever I try and plan my day-to-day living.

I need a vacation from the quadruple checking to make sure I have all your Diabetes paraphernalia including but not limited to: spare batteries, testing supplies, backup testing supplies, backup infusion sets, insulin, glucose tabs, & extra food “just in case” you decide to head south.

I need a vacation from being “tethered” to my plastic pancreas.

I wonder what it would be like to spend even 1 day with a pancreas that was fully functional?

I need a vacation from you Diabetes.

And I can never take one, because you are with me - ALWAYS.

I accept that- because ignoring you won’t make you go away.

Ignoring you would mean you’d win- and that will never happen.

I own you- and I’m in charge of our day to day of it all- NOT YOU.

10. Hit a Home Run in Softball

Well, softball season is over.. and i didn't hit a home run. Not even close.. Kinda a bummer. I guess hitting isn't one of my strong parts in this game. BUT! I did do something that I am wayy way proud of! I scored the winning run in a play-off game. Which means I lettered! Wich is way cool for me because I have only been playing for 2 years now, and considering I am only on JV.  But yeah.. there ya go. Another resolution... kinda accomplished??

To my daddy..

Your battle is now over, no more tears flowing down your cheek.

No more pain, no more suffering, now you are no longer weak.

I still do not understand why this had to happen to you,

but I am proud to say you are my dad, the greatest man I knew.

Although you will not be here to walk me down the aisle,

when that day comes I know you will be by my side with a smile.

You were always there for me and never once made me cry,

until the day you closed your eyes and had to say goodbye.

No you are my Angel, so spread your wings out wide

please wrap them around me whenever you see me cry.

Our time together was memorable and God took you way too fast.

But the most precious thing to me was you being there for my first breath,

and me being there for your last..

I love you daddy. And I miss you like crazy. I think about you every second of everyday. Wish you were still here. Love you.... Ali Gali.

2. Get over my fear of singing in front of others.

So today I got over my fear of singing in front of others... Well let me correct myself. I didn't get over the fear, I'm pretty sure I never will.. BUT! I conquered my fear! (: Every month at school we have a 'lunchtime concert'. It's almost like a little Talent Show. My friend Kristen and I decided we would sing in it. We sang 'Someone's Watching Over Me'. We sang it for my Daddy. Both her and I were about ready to faint we were so scared. She felt like her bladder was about to explode, and I felt like I was about to puke everywhere. But, we got over the fear and stepped up into the middle of the room and sang our hearts out.. And actually, we did really good. I think we did at least. My voice shaked the first couple of lines, but after that I just had fun with it and it went good. Well. there you go. 2 down........ 10 more resolutions to go!!

Literature Magazine Contest??!

So today in English class we were writing poems. Our teacher showed us an example of a poem called 'Winter Days' and told us each to write a poem in the same format as the one she showed. So I decided to write a poem about my Daddy. The poem is called 'Best Day'. The poem is about this one night where to power went out and my Daddy and I were snuggling on the couch just talking about life. We had lit over 20 candles ALL around the room we were in. It's one of my favorite memories I have of us two. So this is the poem.

'Best Day'

Dark room, powers out

A father and daughter 

Snuggle together

On the couch

Candles lit

All around

Blocking out the reality

That this night could

end

Leaving a once happy daughter alone.

So there is my poem I wrote. When I finished, I went up to show my teacher, to ask for some advice to fix it or make it better and to see if I had written it in the right format. While she read it she cried.. Then she asked me to write it on the board to show everyone.  So I wrote it on the board and she read it to the entire class. As she read it, the class was completely silent. If you had dropped a needle on the carpet, you would have heard it. When she finished reading it she looked at me and said... "Ali, I think I'm going to enter it into the Literature Magazine Contest." I personally didn't even think it was that great because I whipped it out in about 30 seconds, but apparently she liked it! So there it is, my poem is being entered to be published in a magazine. If I by chance happened to win the contest, it would be really awesome because it would look really good on my college application. So, there's my story for the day!! (: Hopefully I win!

Rest In Peace Daddy

A Fathers touch, A Daddy's kiss,
A grieving Daughter, You're greatly missed.
An empty house, An empty chair,
A fathers love, No longer there.
A broken heart, Tear filled eye,
Another soul to fill the sky.
Many memories in my mind,
Some I laugh, Some I cry.
The times we shared, The laughs we had,
Things I miss when I think of you Dad.
Realizing that's all I have to hold on too,
Only memories, Of what once was you.
Missing your laugh, I will never again hear.
That is the reality that fills me with so much fear.
No more smile on your face,
No more warmth of your embrace.
The last hug, The last kiss,
The last "goodbye" leaves me with one last wish...
To have you Dad, here today,
Never to leave your Daughter this way.
A Father's touch, A Daddy's kiss,
A grieving Daughter, You're greatly missed.

 I love you Daddy... Now and Always. Rest In Peace. I miss you.

7. Do something I've always wanted to do.

Well! I have accomplished something that I've always wanted to do since I was a little kid! I am in the Guinness World Records book for 2011! My older brother works for Clearlink and they set it up. We went to a golf course and made 1,279 snowmen in one hour. It was so cold, but so fun and exciting. The snowmen had to be at least 4 feet tall, you had to see 3 distinct body parts, oreos for eyes, and a carrot nose. It was such a blast!! It was me, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my friend Kristen. All together we mad 19 snowmen. It was so much fun. So now I am going to be in The World Record book! My name wont exactly be in it, but I still know that I participated in it. So yeah! I've now got 1 out of my 12 resolutions completed! 11 more to go!!



 I'm somewhere in there! hahaha. 

My Sister and My Best Friend

I don't even know where to begin.. I love my sister more than anything in this world. I know that she is always there for me. She is beautiful, inside and out. We look so much alike. Same smile, same nose.. people say we could be twins. Although at times she drives me crazy.. Calling me Sally instead of Ali.. Saying 'Have a cow'
and oh so much more... But that's why I love her, I love her for who she is. I look up to her so much and she probably doesn't even know it. To me she is PERFECT. She has such a positive attitude about life, always smiling. A beautiful testimony, one I wish I had. She has perfect friends and is a perfect friend to all. I miss my sister so much. She is always always there for me. I know I can go to her whenever I'm down and I am having a hard, tough day. She gives the best advice because she has been there. I can trust her with anything.. I miss her and I can't wait to see her over Presidents Weekend, and can't wait for her to come home for summer.

I love you Colbie Marie.. Forever and Always
Love: Sally ;)

A Little Bit About Me..

Things you should know about me...
~I play softball for my High School team
~I love the outdoors, camping, hiking, rock climbing, running, biking
~I'm the youngest of 6 kids, and also a triplet, 2 boys and me :)
~I have type one diabetes, and I absolutely hate it!
~I play the guitar, and I am learning the piano
~I love music, but mostly country
~I write my own lyrics to songs
~My favorite color is lime green
~Favorite books are The Hunger Games, The Secret Journal of Bret Colton, and The 5 People You Meet In Heaven
~I'm a Junior
~My full name is Alison Kate Leatham
~My nicknames are.. Moose, Ali-Gali, AliKat
~I have some pretty AMAZING friends, who I could never live with out
~I'm obsessed with the tv show Pretty Little Liars and Friends
~I love my family
~I'm addicted to pringles and diet coke
~I'm a huge nerd, and I love to read  
~I am the biggest Daddy's Girl

New Years Resolutions

It's a New Year, 2011, and boy did it come quick! Every year I make New Year's resolutions and I tell myself I am going to do every single one of them, but then I end up never doing a single one. This year my idea to stay on track is to make one resolution for each month. I'll list all 12 of my resolutions and when I've done one, I'll write about it, (along with when I have other things to write about). So here it goes... My 12 Resolutions for 2011.

1. Do a big service towards someone, something, or a foundation of some sort.

2. Get over my fear of singing in front of others.

3. Read and finish the entire Book of Mormon.

4. Get in shape.

5. Go on an adventure.

6. Watch 'It' (most terrifying movie about clowns).

7. Do something I've always wanted to do.

8. Get better at the guitar.

9. Earn and save 1,000 dollars.

10. Hit a home run in softball.

11. Break my habit of biting my nails. 

12. Get in control of my diabetes.