I found this article in a Reader's Digest, and laughed my head off. It seemed to familiar to me-exaggerated, but oh-so-funny. What do you think?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/fashion/20Cultural.html?pagewanted=all
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
2011 in Review
How to sum up a very interesting 2011? Here's a few highlights-in no particular order!
Piper and I cut our hair, me: 1 inches, Piper .
Monte spent a lot of time riding his bike all around the neighborhood, happily!
I went rock climbing and learned to Zumba! (So much fun!)
The kids and I had a blast at Dream Night at the Zoo, meeting Star Wars Characters, our good friends from Krispy Kreme (they sponsored Monte's 5K), and a really friendly slimy black tongued giraffe.
We spent the night in a HAUNTED hotel in Eureka Springs. SPOOKY!
We hung out with tigers and lions and oh my! nearly got sprayed by one! (Look at how hard Monte's laughing!
We took a trip to Oregon and California, seeing Grandma Bev and Jerry, Piper did make-up on G'ma Cathy, and lots of fun with my family as well...too much fun to take pictures.
We got to see our dear friends, Craig and Molly, who put on their own 5k for Monte's bike.
We rode on a super demon fast speedboat!
Piper started Kindergarten. (Cue the cute curly hair and big smiles!)
We had fun at halloween decorating faces and pumpkins...then slaughtered them to turn into dozens of loaves of pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin waffles.
I had a wonderful experience with a group of amazing women performing The 10 Virgins.
We met Santa at least 13 times. (Pictured here with santa at a special Make a Wish event in St. Louis)
We got to celebrate Christmas with Santa at THE CHATEAU, thanks to our great friends Amanda and Chad.
And a dozen other things! But those are some fun highlights.
e
Piper and I cut our hair, me: 1 inches, Piper .
Monte spent a lot of time riding his bike all around the neighborhood, happily!
I went rock climbing and learned to Zumba! (So much fun!)
The kids and I had a blast at Dream Night at the Zoo, meeting Star Wars Characters, our good friends from Krispy Kreme (they sponsored Monte's 5K), and a really friendly slimy black tongued giraffe.
We spent the night in a HAUNTED hotel in Eureka Springs. SPOOKY!
We hung out with tigers and lions and oh my! nearly got sprayed by one! (Look at how hard Monte's laughing!
We took a trip to Oregon and California, seeing Grandma Bev and Jerry, Piper did make-up on G'ma Cathy, and lots of fun with my family as well...too much fun to take pictures.
We got to see our dear friends, Craig and Molly, who put on their own 5k for Monte's bike.
We rode on a super demon fast speedboat!
Piper started Kindergarten. (Cue the cute curly hair and big smiles!)
We had fun at halloween decorating faces and pumpkins...then slaughtered them to turn into dozens of loaves of pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin waffles.
I had a wonderful experience with a group of amazing women performing The 10 Virgins.
We met Santa at least 13 times. (Pictured here with santa at a special Make a Wish event in St. Louis)
We got to celebrate Christmas with Santa at THE CHATEAU, thanks to our great friends Amanda and Chad.
And a dozen other things! But those are some fun highlights.
Piper with her adoring friends...
Here's an adorable picture with Piper and a group of friends...all boys! Cute.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
2012 Goal: Increase Temple Attendance
Blessings of the Temple-Val R. Christensen Rexburg Idaho Temple President BYU-I Devotional October 7th, 2008
"Here's a summary of the blessings for those who attend the temple regularly:
1. They will feel God's power in their lives.
2. They will be taught words of wisdom.
3. They will grow up in Christ.
4. They will receive a fullness of the Holy Ghost, to be comforted and led into all truth.
5. They will be organized according to the laws of God.
6. They will be prepared to obtain every needful thing.
7. They will be armed with God's power.
8. They will have the name of Christ upon them.
9. They will have angels to guide and protect them.
10. No weapon will be formed against them.
11. No combination of wickedness shall have power over them.
12. Those who fight them will dig a pit and fall into it themselves.
"Here's a summary of the blessings for those who attend the temple regularly:
1. They will feel God's power in their lives.
2. They will be taught words of wisdom.
3. They will grow up in Christ.
4. They will receive a fullness of the Holy Ghost, to be comforted and led into all truth.
5. They will be organized according to the laws of God.
6. They will be prepared to obtain every needful thing.
7. They will be armed with God's power.
8. They will have the name of Christ upon them.
9. They will have angels to guide and protect them.
10. No weapon will be formed against them.
11. No combination of wickedness shall have power over them.
12. Those who fight them will dig a pit and fall into it themselves.
Quotes That I Want to Share: Why being healthy should be a goal in 2012!
"How can I sit in the sun? It's a question every woman asks. How can I sit in the sun when so many people need me? How can I take the time for a workout? How can I meet friends for lunch? But just as I'm about to jump up and leap back into the life stream...the sweetness catches my attention. In a moment, the tightness within my chest eases, and i open my eyes to scan the tall pines around the clearing in which my cottage sits. The call comes again, solitary, it's beauty capturing my turbulent spirit, filling my heart with light, and-how?-the understanding that sitting here, resting and listening is what connects me to what's important in life...because when the spirit is still, the mind quiet, the body at peace, the whispers of God are everywhere."
Ellen Michaud- How can I Sit in the Sun?
"Most religious traditions view the body as holy. "When we take care of {our bodies}, we're also taking care of {our spirits}. We need a rich prayer life in order to remain full of hope, and we need physical health to fulfill our calling. If you don't have one, it's at the expense of the other."
Barbara Crafton- Diane Magazine
Secrets of Thin People: How They Get There, How They Stay There-Real Simple 2006
http://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/weight-loss/secrets-thin-people-10000001170137/index.html
Ellen Michaud- How can I Sit in the Sun?
"Most religious traditions view the body as holy. "When we take care of {our bodies}, we're also taking care of {our spirits}. We need a rich prayer life in order to remain full of hope, and we need physical health to fulfill our calling. If you don't have one, it's at the expense of the other."
Barbara Crafton- Diane Magazine
Secrets of Thin People: How They Get There, How They Stay There-Real Simple 2006
http://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/weight-loss/secrets-thin-people-10000001170137/index.html
Hope Chest Treasures
Yes, it's been FOREVER since I've posted. I thought I'd try blogging again! This year I've set some fun new goals for myself, and I'm excited to see them through. Don't be skeptical, as we renewed the goals our family set last year, 50% were met completely, 25% were met 50%, and the last 25% about 25%. Not bad! I enjoy improving myself and seeing the positive changes.
Back to the point! I spent some time going through my hope chest and discarding some things that I had held on to for too long, adding a few new things, and enjoying the experience. Here's some treasures I found:
Since I can't seem to position the pictures where I want them, here's a summary in no particular order.
Monte spent a big part of his first few years in the hospital, but had amazing nursery and primary leaders and teachers in the BYU 172 Ward. In fact, they truly went far and beyond anything I could've imagined in their quest to help Monte feel their love, and the love of His Savior. Here's a card that they made with the kids to celebrate Monte's favorite song and let him know how much they missed him. So absolutely adorable.
When Monte was 18 months old he spent 3 months in the hosptial having 17 shunt revisions. (Brain surgeries with a million complications and...well, everything you could imagine). At the time I was in my absolutely last semester of a tumultuous college experience. I had everything arranged so I could finish and graduate in August, but only if I kept up a full load of summer classes. If I didn't finish them, I would be pushed out a few more semesters in able to get all the right classes and times...
So, in one of the hardest and heartwrenching summers of my life, I balanced the complications of having a child in the hospital, a husband working full time, driving back and forth from SLC and Provo, and keeping up with the homework and studying. Luckily I was in the right major: one of my classes was called "FAMILIES IN CRISIS." I've always loved irony. I was blessed with kind classmates who covered for me often when I couldn't be in class, and kept pushing forward, day by day. It was with a heart full of indescribable emotion when I finally finished. (And with good grades too!)
The day of graduation both of my families came down to support me. Heartbreakingly, Monte was still in the hospital. My beloved Aunt Allyson sat with him so that I wouldn't miss the ceremonies. I was trembling with emotion as I walked up the final hill into the Mariott Center and into the tunnel. I couldn't believe that I had finally done it. The entire time I was in college I had felt and enormous pressure and drive to get my Bachelor's degree. I couldn't rest until it was finished. As I came out of the tunnel surrounded by amazing friends that had helped me through the last seemingly impossible semester, big posters held by all of my family caught my eye. It took a minute for me, then my friends to process what we were seeing, then the entire Family Science graduates burst into tears. THANKS MOM. Here's what see were seeing: Big posters of pictures of Monte in his hospital scrubs, shaved holes in his hair, wrapped limbs with IV's, ect...smiling and "saying" how proud he was of me. Sob. I know that having my degree has blessed me as a mother and wife absolutely everyday. I'm so grateful to have had that experience, and the examples of my Mom and Grandma to support and push me. (My wonderful grandma sent a very welcome check and a box of See's Chocolates to celebrate. WOW!) My mom booked a room at the hospital for a surprise party, she knew that I wouldn't want to be away even a minute longer. Monte was in a wagon stuffed with pillows, the walls were covered with posters celebrating the occasion, and cake was enjoyed by all, including our favorite Dr.'s and Nurses. What a crazy day.
Lastly is a cute letter from my sister Allison, written not long after I was engaged. I laughed through the entire thing, even at 10 she was pretty clever.
Enjoy!
l
Back to the point! I spent some time going through my hope chest and discarding some things that I had held on to for too long, adding a few new things, and enjoying the experience. Here's some treasures I found:
Since I can't seem to position the pictures where I want them, here's a summary in no particular order.
Monte spent a big part of his first few years in the hospital, but had amazing nursery and primary leaders and teachers in the BYU 172 Ward. In fact, they truly went far and beyond anything I could've imagined in their quest to help Monte feel their love, and the love of His Savior. Here's a card that they made with the kids to celebrate Monte's favorite song and let him know how much they missed him. So absolutely adorable.
When Monte was 18 months old he spent 3 months in the hosptial having 17 shunt revisions. (Brain surgeries with a million complications and...well, everything you could imagine). At the time I was in my absolutely last semester of a tumultuous college experience. I had everything arranged so I could finish and graduate in August, but only if I kept up a full load of summer classes. If I didn't finish them, I would be pushed out a few more semesters in able to get all the right classes and times...
So, in one of the hardest and heartwrenching summers of my life, I balanced the complications of having a child in the hospital, a husband working full time, driving back and forth from SLC and Provo, and keeping up with the homework and studying. Luckily I was in the right major: one of my classes was called "FAMILIES IN CRISIS." I've always loved irony. I was blessed with kind classmates who covered for me often when I couldn't be in class, and kept pushing forward, day by day. It was with a heart full of indescribable emotion when I finally finished. (And with good grades too!)
The day of graduation both of my families came down to support me. Heartbreakingly, Monte was still in the hospital. My beloved Aunt Allyson sat with him so that I wouldn't miss the ceremonies. I was trembling with emotion as I walked up the final hill into the Mariott Center and into the tunnel. I couldn't believe that I had finally done it. The entire time I was in college I had felt and enormous pressure and drive to get my Bachelor's degree. I couldn't rest until it was finished. As I came out of the tunnel surrounded by amazing friends that had helped me through the last seemingly impossible semester, big posters held by all of my family caught my eye. It took a minute for me, then my friends to process what we were seeing, then the entire Family Science graduates burst into tears. THANKS MOM. Here's what see were seeing: Big posters of pictures of Monte in his hospital scrubs, shaved holes in his hair, wrapped limbs with IV's, ect...smiling and "saying" how proud he was of me. Sob. I know that having my degree has blessed me as a mother and wife absolutely everyday. I'm so grateful to have had that experience, and the examples of my Mom and Grandma to support and push me. (My wonderful grandma sent a very welcome check and a box of See's Chocolates to celebrate. WOW!) My mom booked a room at the hospital for a surprise party, she knew that I wouldn't want to be away even a minute longer. Monte was in a wagon stuffed with pillows, the walls were covered with posters celebrating the occasion, and cake was enjoyed by all, including our favorite Dr.'s and Nurses. What a crazy day.
Lastly is a cute letter from my sister Allison, written not long after I was engaged. I laughed through the entire thing, even at 10 she was pretty clever.
Enjoy!
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