Better Than I Deserve

February 10 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-02-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

for the warm sunshine to go out and play catch with the dogs in the backyard.

that we get to celebrate our baby girl with two baby showers this weekend, one tonight and one tomorrow.

that by having these baby showers, I get to see family and friends, a lot of which I don't get to see very often.

for a productive day. I actually got a few things accomplished today. Ha ha.

for (I know this may sound redundant, but I'm saying it anyway) feeling my baby moving in my belly. So amazing!

February 7 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-02-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

I'm playing catch up for missing the past few days. It's not that I haven't been thankful for anything, rather just didn't take the time to post. :)

Today, I am thankful...

that last Thursday was my last day of work in the outside world for a while. And thankful for a husband supportive of me staying at home to raise our baby and that he was the one who convinced me to quit earlier than I was thinking. :)

for a visit from my parents over the weekend. Always good to see them!

for another good doctor appointment yesterday.Everything is going wonderfully!

for Ryan who puts up with me when I'm having a "crazy" day. ;)

for time this morning to listen to some worship music and sing along. I love praising Jesus through singing!

February 1 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-02-01T16:24:00.001-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

for a fun date with my hubby last night. :) Went to dinner at Marions and to see "We Bought A Zoo." As we were eating dinner at Marions I thought about how this was the first place Ryan had taken me to eat on my first trip to Roosevelt. Just so happens that it was on January 31st, 2009 that we went there! What fun to be there exactly 3 years later without even planning it. :)

January 30 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

for the opportunity to love others and to be loved in return. I desire to be more intentional at living my life, which is mostly made up of loving my God and loving others.

for life itself...the life God has given me and most importantly the eternal life that I am looking forward to when my life on earth is over.

January 28 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-28T12:33:00.001-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

for my husband who currently is and has been working hard in the future baby's room to get it ready. And I'm not just talking paint, but actually ALL of the following: ripping up the carpet, removing all the upper and lower trim, pulling off the wallpaper border, removing the "popcorn" from the ceiling, fixing the walls behind where the border was, cutting out some bad drywall and replacing it, texturing the ceiling and retexturing the walls, replacing outlets and the light switch. Whew! And I'm sure I've forgotten some things. Then comes the fun part in the near future...installing new flooring, putting up new trim, and painting! Oh and then I get to decorate! :) Baby girl and I are so thankful, Ryan, for all your hard work and how blessed we are to have you!

January 25 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

for the roof over our heads. We don't have a big house. Actually, it's quite small, but it's more than enough for us. We have a place to keep us warm and out of the weather, both cold and hot. We have a place to call our own, to share with each other, to bring our little girl home to once she is born, to have friends and family over, and to fill with memories (starting with when we got married in our backyard). What a great little, red house!

January 23 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

that the "warm" winter weather is continuing.

that we're making progress on the baby room!

for technology to communicate, keep up with others, research and learn.

Beautiful Baby Belly!

2012-01-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

All these pictures were taken on January 13 at almost 30 weeks.

Bare Belly Pics!

I couldn't decide between the color and black/white pictures, so I posted them all. :)

Other Belly Pics

All these pictures were taken by my sister-in-law, Ashley. Thanks Ash!

January 18 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

for another good doctor appointment. Baby girl is doing great! The doctor did a quick ultrasound and we got to see her doing some practice breathing. Pretty cool! She's also in a great position for the birthing process (although not for at least another 6.5 weeks, but hopefully not for 9.5 weeks). Thank you, God, for this miracle!

that other than just being tired and a little bit of back pain, I am feeling great.

January 17 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

that even though he was supposed to drive to Colorado last night, Ryan stayed home with me when he saw I was struggling with him leaving again. He got up extra early this morning to make the 3 hour drive. I feel so blessed by him all the time, but this was an extra blessing and was such a sacrifice for him. Thank you my love!

that we have the "real" internet at last. Ha ha. We've been using an air card for the last 3 years, which just isn't quite the same. Since there has never been a phone line to this property, it took the phone company 3 days to get it all installed and hooked up. Yeah for speedy internet. :)

that I gave my notice at work. February 2nd is my last day! Can't wait to start my new adventure as a full time, stay at home mommy! And am loving the fact that I'll have 7 weeks before my due date to prepare for baby girl's arrival. So fun! Also, thankful that Ryan encouraged me to quit earlier than I was thinking so I would have this time to get ready and get lots of sleep in. :)

for such a supportive, understanding boss who made me feel good about the opportunity to quit my job and stay at home with my baby, especially since I'm leaving at a somewhat hectic time.

January 13 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-13T19:18:00.001-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

for a yummy dinner and great conversation with my hubby. :)

for the bags of baby clothes from Crystal. Baby girl will definitely have enough to wear for at least the first 3 months.

for the belly/maternity photo session with Ashley. I'm excited to see the photos!

January 12 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

for the bright blue sky, sunshine and "warm" temperatures. Not a typical winter around here and I am enjoying it!

for time to rest when I'm tired.

for God's Word and the truth it contains. Really changes my day when I spend time with God in His Word.

for fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. Yum. :)

for having all that I need and abundantly more!

January 10 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

that three years ago today Ryan and I had our first date! How time flies! It was a wonderful first date. Ryan drove out from Roosevelt on that Saturday afternoon, meeting me at the Cheesecake Factory (he already knew that is a favorite of mine) for a late lunch. Seeing as how it was a Saturday and there was a long wait to eat, we wandered around the mall for a little bit. Next on the agenda was a Jazz game (so thankful that sports is one of the things both of us really enjoy). Still had a bit of time before the game, so on our way to catch the train to downtown Ryan asked if we could stop at the Christian Bookstore for a minute as there was a new Bible he wanted. Then to the Trax to catch our ride downtown and to the Jazz game. After the game I dropped Ryan off at his car after we got off the train. We ended up sitting in my car for over an hour just talking and then as he was getting ready to go he gave me the sweetest first kiss ever! That was the first time I'd been asked before I was kissed. :) Sweet memory! So against all the advice you would read about making your first date a short one, we managed to not only get through, but to thoroughly enjoy our first date together at a total of 9 hours! After all, Ryan had driven 2.5 hours to Salt Lake just for our date. Had to make the most of it and we did! I love remembering our first date!

January 9 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

for a wonderful birthday and weekend with my hubby who makes me feel so loved and special! You are truly one amazing man Ryan Roberts!

that I am feeling baby Roberts move more and more and it makes me smile each and every time I feel it. Also,that Ryan has been able to feel the movements much more, too! So fun and incredible!

for the "warm" winter we are having so far. It's so nice not to need a heavy duty coat to go outside. Not to mention that I don't have any that fit me anyway. Ha ha ha. Not sure how long this will last, but I'm going to enjoy it as long as it does.

January 6 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-06T21:26:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

for another birthday, another year of life, and the excitement of the year to come!

for a wonderful husband who made me feel special today with flowers, dinner, and a new Kindle Fire!!! Thanks Ryan! I love you!

for the many birthday wishes today. Thank you family and friends!

January 5 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm thankful...

that 3 years ago today, Ryan called me for the first time and we talked for 3 HOURS! Knowing what I know now about Ryan that is quite amazing. Ha ha ha. I love him more than I thought possible and am so thankful for that first call (and the days since)!

that Ryan made it home from Colorado last night! Yeah!

January 4 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

that Ryan is coming home tonight!!! So happy to see him!

that Ryan works for a great company who will be giving him 4 days of comp time for working this weekend even though he is salaried!

for a wonderful, long conversation with one of my dearest friends. Was great talking with you today, Dana!

January 3 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

for a hard-working husband for supporting his growing family. :) Thanks Ryan! I appreciate all the long hours that you have been putting in (although I'm looking forward to when it slows down a bit) and am glad that you are enjoying your new responsibilities. And congrats on your promotion! I love you!

January 2 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful...

that I was able to have lunch with two of my friends here in Roosevelt, Randi and Leora. I don't see them very often since I quit my job at DWS, so it was fun to catch up.

for great in-laws. Ryan's mom stopped by to check on me today since Ryan is out of town. Thanks Kathy!

January 1 Edition of Being Thankful

2012-01-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful...

that today marks the beginning of my third trimester!! Wow, so crazy and exciting at the same time!

that my dad and mom came to visit this weekend to keep me company while Ryan is gone. Love you dadda and momma!

A Year of Thanks

2012-01-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

2011 was a wonderful year, full of many good memories. My one regret is that I didn't stop to take the time very often to be thankful. Or it seems lately that I am thankful for the same few things all the time. Don't get me wrong. They are wonderful things for which to be thankful. I just would like to be more thankful for more things. So, in 2012, I will attempt to post something for which I am thankful every day. Realistically, I know that it won't happen every day due to time or other things which may arise (such as the birth of a baby!), but hopefully I can do it often. Also, I can't say that over the course of the year, that there won't be any repeats, but I'll give it my best to be thankful for new and different things.

Back to 2011, though. Here is a short list of things I am thankful for:

Another year of marriage to my amazing Ryan (2 year anniversary)
Feeling this wonderful gift of a baby growing and moving in my tummy (It's indescribable!)
A patient, loving, saving God
Trips to Colorado and Texas
Random events - Scottish bagpipes, car show & burnout, demo derby, first rodeo, etc.
Visit from Tara, Aaron, and Autumn
Part time job (both that it's part time and I enjoy it)
U2 concert
Visits from mom and dad
Ryan going back to XTO
Time in the mountains - camping, hiking, hunting, river rafting
Kenny Chesney concert with the sisters
First rodeo
Sporting events - hockey game, Broncos game, Rockies game, Rangers game
Vegas with the sisters
Ryan's promotion - he's worked hard for it
Fun with nieces and nephews
And finally, time with those I love, both family and friends

Thankful for 2011 and excited for what is to come in 2012!

Totally Made My Day

2011-10-26T17:08:00.000-06:00

Last Friday morning, I was lying in bed with my phone in hand checking the usuals – email, Facebook, verse of the day, weather, the 4 pregnancy apps that are on there (yes, 4! Ha) when I received a fun, surprise text from my hubby. “Will you go out with me tonight? Check yes or no.” The feeling of being asked on a date by the love of my life totally made my day! It was fun because it’s not like we don’t go out on dates or hang out, but it’s usually not so formal, so intentional. I loved it! And of course I said yes. :)

Blogging for Myself

2011-10-25T18:59:00.000-06:00

So, I think about writing blog posts often, but more often than not (as you can see by the length between posts) I choose not to write at all. I question the importance of what I have to say or if anyone will even read it or be interested in what I have to say. The result is no posting of my thoughts even though I enjoy writing. From here on out I am blogging for myself. To capture my thoughts at different points in time or to remember something that made me smile or just document events in my life. Life is a journey and I'm hoping to use this whole blogging thing to capture it in words. Hopefully, more frequently than I have been.

Perspective

2011-10-23T21:43:00.000-06:00

Something I've been thinking about lately...

Life is about perspective. Ok, well, maybe that's not what it's about, but it is certainly affected by it. At least mine is. How I choose to look at things can greatly affect my attitude and even my emotions (to a certain degree anyway), as well as, my actions or response to any given situation.

For example: I really don't like it when Ryan goes out of town. Thankfully, he doesn't have to very often and when he does it is not for too long usually. But, I digress. This week he was supposed to travel to Dallas, leaving today and getting back late Friday. Ugh. Plans changed at the last minute and he has to be in Colorado for only 2 or 3 days! Way better than the 6 days he was going to be in Dallas. Here is where perspective comes in. Had he not had to go to Dallas for that many days and told me he was going to Colorado for 3 days, I would have sulked and been bummed. But, since I was planning on him being gone for 6 days, 3 days sounded wonderful to me. (I won't lie and make it sound like I was excited he was leaving, I'm just excited he's not going to be gone as long)

Another example: Since moving to small town Utah, I get excited to go to places like Grand Junction. Afterall, there are so many restaurants and stores there! I wouldn't have thought of Grand Junction as being a shopping and eating mecca while I was living in Salt Lake. :)

Now, I know those are not very serious examples of perspective. I'm just trying to translate that into the bigger things in life. Well, and the seemingly small things as well. Maybe I should say the important things. Or perhaps all things. I need to check my perspective and see if I'm looking at a situation, circumstance, or even another person from the right perspective, which in actuality is NOT my perspective. Rather, approaching any of the above from a neutral, non-biased perspective and better yet, from God's perspective would be far better. Honestly, the majority of the time I'm sad to admit, that is not the perspective I am using.

Looking at things from God's perspective would greatly change how each and every circumstance or encounter with another person affects me. It wouldn't change my mood and my attitude negatively or make me have a "bad" day. However, it may make me more compassionate, understanding, loving, caring, etc. In other words, it would change my view of the world and what happens in my life each day. Hopefully, out of a changed perspective will come a changed attitude, changed reactions, a changed life!

2 Years!

2011-10-17T19:48:00.000-06:00

I know I'm a little late, but on September 26, Ryan and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary! I love him so much and can't believe it's already been 2 years...2 wonderful years!

We celebrated our anniversary early by going to the Broncos game the weekend before and so far it's been the only game they've won this year. Yeah for being there for the win! I have been terrible at taking pictures lately, so unfortunately, there aren't any pictures. :(

On our actual anniversary, Ryan took me to dinner and then shopping. For the record, he is not a fan of shopping, so it meant a lot to me that he suggested shopping after dinner. :)

Ryan A Roberts, you mean the world to me! You are thoughtful, handsome, hard-working, funny, loving, patient, and so much more!

Memories from our second year: Trip to Trinidad, CO; Ry's first hockey game; Scottish bagpipe concert; leaving XTO and quickly realizing that was a mistake and returning to the best job and company ever; U2 concert; walk around White Rocks Canyon; river rafting; Bees, Rangers, and Rockies games; rodeo; demolition derby; trip to Fort Worth and Denver; Broncos game...And best of all - Finding out that we are HAVING A BABY in March!!!!

I can't wait for this next new adventure together!

Happy Fall!

2011-10-17T18:10:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that I'm a fan of summertime....so many reasons to like summer.... But, alas, summer has ended and fall is here. I've thought about it and I guess I like fall, too. Ha. The only reason I've never liked fall is because it means that winter is on the way (and summer is over). Sigh. I'm ok with summer being over but I wish that winter wasn't coming, EVER. Ha ha.

I've decided that I will embrace fall, as it really is a beautiful time of the year with the leaves changing colors, nice weather and colorful scenery, cuddling up in a blanket on the couch, the smell of autumn candles, etc.

The following pictures were taken the first weekend in October and look more like winter than fall, but how beautiful with the fall colors and the fresh white snow! Can't say that I've ever camped in the snow before, but it wan't all that bad as long as I just stayed in the camper curled up in blankets reading a book. Actually, it was quite relaxing and good to get away. Something I would never have experienced had I not married a hunter. The next step, I guess, would be actually going hunting with Ryan. He would love that! Maybe in a few years. :)

Happy Fall everyone!

Summertime!

2011-07-27T20:31:00.000-06:00

It’s no secret that I love summer and this summer is no different…it has been fantastic! I’ve always loved summer for the warm weather, but the other great thing about summer is there is always a ton of fun things to do. Unfortunately, it always goes by so quickly. I won’t dwell on that yet. There is still much summer fun to be had!

Our Summer Highlights:
U2 concert (technically spring, but a great kick-off to summer)
Camping
Time in the mountains for some fishing on a few occasions
Outdoor birthday parties
Backyard barbeques
The Kenny Chesney concert with the sisters-in-law (saw Dana, too!)
River rafting down the Green River from Flaming Gorge
Our first rodeo
First burnout competition at the local car show
Golfing (well, to tell the truth, I just walked along with those golfing)
5K
Celebrated my Aunt Sonya’s 50th birthday
Pedicures and lunch with April
Lots of family time
Bees baseball game with my family

Still to come:
Dadda’s 60th birthday!
Church camping trip
Demolition Derby in Duchesne
Colorado to see a Rockies game and go to Six Flags with Brandon and Ashley (and maybe, just maybe, a Broncos game, now that there WILL be football this season…yeah!)
A trip to Fort Worth with Ryan (a working trip for him)
Our second anniversary at Red Canyon Lodge! (I guess that’s technically fall, but it signals the end of summer for me)
More birthday parties, trips to the mountains, camping, fishing, barbeques, etc

Oh, summer, you are wonderful! Please don't ever end. :)

Me, Ash, Crystal, and April at the Kenny Chesney concert. Yeehaw!

River rafting group. Such fun and so pretty!

The end of the rafting run.

Our wonderful river guide, Ryan. ;)

Jensen with the Bee. He was so excited to see the Bee!

At our first rodeo. :) (Ryan won't take normal pictures...ha ha)

Camping up Uintah Canyon. Ryan playing baseball with Jayla and Ahlyvia.

A Few Of My Favorite Things

2011-04-05T18:29:00.004-06:00

A few of my new favorites:

1) Sweet Potato with Cottage Cheese - Perfect blend of slightly sweet and slightly salty. Delish!

2) Almond Milk - mmmm, a good substitute for milk.

3) Chicken Chilli

4) Reading with my hubby before bed - Ryan and I are reading "Purpose Driven Life" together. Drawing closer to God and closer to each other.

5) Crafting - So much fun creating things. Been a long time since I've used my creativity this way.

6) Mod Podge - Who knew glue could be so fun? Ha!

7) My Elliptical Machine - Have a date with my elliptical every day. Feels great to work out and it helps that it faces the TV. :)

8) Camelbak Water Bottle - New water bottle actually helps me drink more water :)

9) Plant from my Momma and Dadda

10) Anything Zebra Print - Sadly, it's becoming immensely popular. Oh well, I still like it.

11) "Living Beyond Yourself" by Beth Moore - This study on the fruit of the Spirit is really kicking my butt, so good and so challenging!

12) "Purpose Driven Life" By Rick Warren - Even the third time reading this book, it is still thought-provoking and moving me into action.

13) The TV show "Secret Millionaire"

14) Healing Scents Products - All natural, non-toxic skin care products plus much more. Check it out!

15) Cosmetics Database - This website lists all the ingredients in all care products, including skin care, make up, toothpaste, sunscreen, laundry detergent, deoderant, you name it and it's on there rating the toxicity of the product according to what's in it. Makes ya think twice and shows you which products are safer to use.

16) Mercola - All natural doctor with natural remedies, etc.

17) And last but not least, my Canon T1i camera that Ryan got me for my birthday. This post was partially just an excuse to use it and practice taking pictures. Love this camera, just need some photography lessons now.

56 Blue Stars!

2011-03-31T19:34:00.000-06:00

46 blue stars in a row....56 blue stars total....

I am proud of my blue stars! Each blue star represents a workout session and currently I am at 46 in a row, with 56 total since February 1st! Yes, that is why I am proud.

I can't say that I have ever been so committed to exercise, at least in my adult life. Working out is maybe an addiction now, but at least it's a good one. I actually look forward to working out - I know, weird, huh? Ha ha.

In all actuality, this is all in an attempt to lead a healthier life by being active, putting the right things in my body, etc. The eating healthy part gets to me still at times as it's way easier to cheat with what I put in my mouth. BUT I got a good thing started and I'm committed to continuing. I've lost 7 pounds so far and even if the weight isn't coming off as quickly as I would like, it IS coming off and I'm developing more muscles (and as they say, muscle weighs more than fat).

Each day looks a little different than the others, but in general, once I get going I either want to push myself harder or I want to go longer. I mix it up with the following:

Interval training on my elliptical machine (which is the best thing I've purchased for myself maybe ever!) is what I try to do the most by:

Increasing the resistance every 2 minutes or
Going as fast as I can for 30 seconds and then slowing it down for 90 seconds and repeating that cycle

Every now and again I throw in a day that's just basic cardio at a speed walking pace
And of course, there's some weight training happening a couple times a week

It's fun and I feel good! Yeah for stars!

Fun With the Nieces

2011-03-26T22:36:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, two of my nieces came over for part of the afternoon and we played. :)

First thing they wanted to do was play with the dogs.

Ambrie has Simon's full attention.

Ambrie wasn't going to back down. Ha ha.

"Oh, I love playing outside with the dogs!"

Jayla's turn to throw the frisbee for Opie.

She puts all her effort into throwing the frisbee.

Finished up with some coloring.

I had a ton hanging out with the two of them! So much fun hanging out with a two and three year old who are best friends and full of life.

Purpose of Church

2011-03-23T20:40:00.002-06:00

This is Part 2 of my church discussion....just my thoughts and questions spewed out on this page. :)

Both Ryan and I enjoy going to church, fellowshipping, worshipping, etc. It is something that we both want to do and consider important and crucial to our spiritual lives. We have had discussions recently about church and it’s something I’ve really been thinking about as I know he has. I know that I come with preconceived notions about church and why we go to church and who church services are for, etc. I’ve begun questioning those, however, and where they came from, if in fact they are true, Biblical viewpoints. I guess I would just like to start over from square one, removing everything I know about it (as much as humanly possible) and start over.

What was the original intent for early Christians? Why did they gather? Was it intended just for them or “to bring your friends to?” Should the modern church now be “visitor friendly” or geared more towards Christians who have been out in the world all week being beaten up by the non-believing world and who need to come rejuvenate and encourage one another to go out there for another week (as well as, corporately worship our Creator and Savior)? Or is it for both? And how would you gear it towards both pre-believers and believers?

I've heard it put “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty.” Or another way (basically as I remember it) “The gospel message never changes, but everything else can change.” So music and all other parts of the service can change and still worship God.

The last church that I attended was very much geared towards the visitor - “guest-friendly” as it was referred to. Keep in mind, the gospel message was very clear and was not watered down as some churches with that focus can be. But outside of that, all decisions were based on coming from a visitor’s point of view. The church grew and truly people were coming to Christ, mainly because people had developed relationships with those in their lives and felt comfortable in inviting them to this particular church. One of their statements was “helping people become fully devoted fully delighted followers of Christ.” So, then my thinking has been that this is how churches should operate. Isn’t that fulfilling The Great Commission?

When I moved out the sticks when Ryan and I got married, our church was very different from any church that I had ever gone to. It was a bit of a rough transition and many times I just wanted to switch churches and go to a more “normal” church. However, I knew that that wasn’t the solution or the answer or what God wanted me to do. So really, questions about church have been circling in my mind for almost 2 years. I kept wanting to make it what I knew from all my past experiences. After all, those have to be right because that’s what I liked. Yep, I said it, what I, Connie Roberts, liked. Wow. That’s when it started to hit me, is something right or wrong because I like or don’t like it? Of course I knew the answer to that was no. I do think, though, that some of the ideas can be used to change things up or incorporate new ideas. I know God wants to use me and my past experiences, skills, knowledge, etc. I just never wanted to do it for the wrong reasons. I wanted to do things because that was what God was calling me to do or how He wanted me to use what He had given me. Basically, I wanted to make sure my motivation was right and I wasn’t just going to go change things to how I liked or wanted them.

Recently, I was listening to a sermon online that made me think even more about church and it’s purpose and who the intended audience of church is….seekers or believers. I’m sure the answer is both. But it seems like there are two extremes. It helped me to see church as a place not only to worship God together, but encourage each other to keep on keeping on. I’m not getting that, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, I am not giving that. I am not sharing experiences from my week with others and I’m not asking about theirs. I’m not encouraging fellow believers to live for Christ during the next week. How do you meld that with also being pre-believer friendly? Or should it be more that The Great Commission is lived outside of the church and once God has opened a person’s heart that going to church fits into that? I guess a person wouldn’t even consider church if God hadn’t opened their heart. Right now, though, I’m not sure I would invite someone to my church. I guess I have invited a couple people, but no one has come yet. I would be nervous if they did actually come to church. Is that doubting God’s ability to work? Or should the church be more inviting to those who don’t yet know Him?

I definitely don’t want to get legalistic and say that a church must do A, B, and C or it’s doing it all wrong. I want to know what GOD’S intent for church is. Then help build the church that direction with freedom in the non-essentials while making sure that the purpose God has for the church is being fulfilled. I definitely need to dig into my Bible more to see what God has to say.

Church?

2011-03-22T21:18:00.000-06:00

What is the purpose of church?

I'm going to explore this topic more in depth by breaking it down into two separate posts. This first one is a response from Pastor Jim Murphy when I posed the following questions to him:

What is the purpose of church? As in, going to church, meeting together at a set time, etc.
What are some Biblical references where I can begin to study it for myself?
As well, what insights and thoughts do have on this topic?

Here is his response, which I agree whole-heartedly with:

I see these reasons for attending a church:

--to worship God in the fellowship of His people. There's no doubt you can worship God in your home or on a mountain, but something is different about corporate worship. It may be Jesus' promise that when two or more are gathered in His name, He is there. Certainly the subjective experience of worshiping alone, or even in a small group, is different from what we experience when we are with a larger group.

Psalms 122:1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." That verse speaks about what a good thing it is to join with God's people in worship together.

--to strengthen our faith. We live in a culture that is increasingly opposed to biblical truth and faith. It reinforces our convictions to fellowship with other believers who share our beliefs - and this is especially important when we work in a secular environment and may get some opposition during the week.

Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." --this isn't speaking specifically about "going to church to a worship service", but what it says certainly applies to that setting as well as to fellowship groups, etc. When we gather at church, we have the opportunity to encourage each other in the faith.

--the 4th commandment is to set aside one day in seven as a "sabbath" to the Lord. This day has two purposes: one is to refrain from work, which is an act of faith, expressing our confidence that God will provide for our needs even though we are not working. The other is to worship Him - it is a "Sabbath to the Lord". It's not intended to be just a day to play, but a day to focus on God, to establish a rhythm to our week that intentionally and deliberately includes the Lord, thereby anchoring our lives in Him, rather than in ourselves or our culture.

So that's some of what I see as the purposes for "going to church". But really, if it is seen that way, I think it misses the whole point. Somehow that phrase puts it in the realm of a duty, an obligation, something I am supposed to do, and if I don't do it, I'm a bad person. Rather, I see it as something I WANT to do. I LOVE worshiping with the Lord's people. I LOVE fellowshipping with His people. The question I have is, Why would someone NOT want to do that?

Inch By Inch

2011-03-21T21:02:00.000-06:00

Spring Cleaning!

Yep, going through the house INCH BY INCH and purging our lives of so much "stuff." You know, the stuff that sits in the closets and the corners for who knows how long, hasn't been used, that you forgot you even had. That stuff! And it feels good! Two rooms and two closets down... turns out it takes a while to go through EVERYTHING. But I enjoy looking into a cleaned out closet or a clean room thats been rid of clutter. The goal from here on out is to keep it that way - organized and clutter free. Isn't that always the goal with these deep cleanings, though? I mean it this time, seriously! Ha ha.

Now, I just need the stamina to finish the rest of the house. :)

More Goals

2011-03-20T21:14:00.000-06:00

Here are the rest of my goals continuing from my previous post, Highly Motivated?

Physical Goals

Lose one pound per week, reaching my goal weight on July 4th, 2011

Exercise - be active

Interval training 3x per week
Basic weights 3x per week
Find an activity I really enjoy and do it

Watch what I put in my mouth and body

Eat at least 5 servings of vegetables per day
Drink at least 60 ounces of water per day
Cut sugar down considerably and avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup
Cut out breads, pastas, etc. I am currently aiming to be gluten free for a while.
Take supplements daily
Eat out less often

Mental/Emotional Goals
These are things that I feel will help maintain my health mentally and emotionally.

Take a class - online or in person
Read for pleasure
Watch less TV. Currently, Ryan and I are only watching "scheduled" TV which means no just sitting around watching whatever is on. We watch recorded shows, movies or live sports.
Journal or blog once per week
Talk with friends once per week or have lunch with those friends who are nearby
Volunteer in the community and at church
Pray
Learn photography and web design

A Few Pictures

2011-03-17T22:01:00.000-06:00

Tall Family Picture - February 2011

And of course, pictures of the nephew, Jensen (15 1/2 months)

What's Dat?

Reading With Gampa

Mmmmm...EVERYTHING goes in my mouth. :)

Uncle Ryan is SO fun!

Corned Beef and Cabbage Day!

2011-03-17T20:57:00.000-06:00

This is the day I look forward to every year. Yep, Corned Beef and Cabbage Day, also known as St. Patrick's Day to most. Ha. I can't explain it and Ryan really can't understand it, but corned beef and cabbage is perhaps my favorite meal. I could literally eat myself sick and usually come close to that every year. Sad I know, but that is the truth. Mmmmmm......

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Highly Motivated?

2011-03-16T20:48:00.000-06:00

Goal-oriented is not a word that I would use to describe myself in general, which may translate into not being a highly motivated person either. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy making goals and writing them down in lists with ways to achieve those goals. However, there is a disconnect somewhere between the brainstorming of them, the writing them down and actually accomplishing them. One reason may be that I don’t review my goals often or even think about them. One way to put it may be that I am not intentional or purposeful with them.

I was watching a show yesterday and they had an expert on with a list of 5 Secrets of Motivated People. Put anything in list form and I am bound to like it. Ha ha. Honestly, though, I liked what she had to say in her list, so I thought I would share them here.

Secret #1: Anticipate speed bumps in your plan. Before even trying to achieve a goal, plan for potential pitfalls and either preempt them if you can, or come up with a strategy to deal with them if they arise.

Secret #2: Go public with your goal. It’s harder to abandon a dream when you know that people are tracking your progress.

Secret #3: Challenge yourself, and change things up. It’s hard to remain enthusiastic when everything stays the same.

Secret #4: Consider how what you’re doing benefits others.

Secret #5: Make it meaningful.

More details on each item are listed here as I have only included some of the details.

Well, in going along with Secret #2 above, I figured I should "go public" with my goals. When I sat down in January, my thought process was that I needed to be more intentional in everything that I do - that it should all have purpose. As a result, I came up with five categories of goals: spiritual, physical, mental/emotional, church, and marriage. For today, I will just share my spiritual goals and save the others for the next few days.

Spiritual Goals

Closer relationship with God

Daily Bible study
Start my day with prayer

Develop Christ-like character

Study and know Christ and His life
Consciously think about His character and choose to live that way
Pray to be changed into His likeness

Grow in my understanding of God
Pray - listen and talk to God regularly

Set aside at least 15 minutes a day
Write out prayers when possible (helps to maintain focus and also to go back and see how God is working)
Talk with God throughout my day

Miscellaneous Goals

Read through the Bible this year
Memorize a verse every 2 weeks

Just for the record, with these (and all the other goals for that matter), I have failed miserably at some and others I'm actually not doing too bad. It was great to re-read these as I was sharing them as a refresher for myself.

Aiming to be more intentional in my life and live a life of purpose is truly my ultimate goal, whether it be in how I love others, spend my time, or use my resources. These helpful steps and subsequent goals are hopefully just the beginning.

5 Things

2011-03-14T22:07:00.000-06:00

5 Things I Am Grateful for Today

The foot massage I am currently getting from my husband
Warmer weather and longer days
Getting some spring cleaning done
A wonderful time of Bible Study this afternoon
A chance to get to know some of my co-workers a little more today

5 Things I'm Looking Forward to This Week

Bible Study tomorrow night with some of my former co-workers
Corned beef and cabbage for dinner on St. Patty's Day. Yum!
The snow to keep melting and possibly be gone by the end of the week (hey, I can always hope)
More spring cleaning and organizing around the house
Learning more about God's love and His purposes

5 Things I'm Looking Forward to in the Next 30 Minutes

Washing my face
Brushing my teeth
Getting in to bed
Cuddling with my hubby
And going to sleep! I'm beat. G'night all. :)

Scrumptious Chicken Chili

2011-03-13T21:06:00.000-06:00

The first time I made this Ryan told me it was the one of the best things he'd ever eaten. Enjoy!

Chicken Chili

½ onion, chopped
1.5 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
½ Tbsp. ground cumin
½ Tbsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
Ground cayenne pepper to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
3 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

In a large pot over medium heat, combine the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add the chicken, green chiles, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and black pepper to taste and saute for 5 more minutes.

Add two cans of the beans and the chicken broth to the pot. Take the third can of beans and puree them in a blender or food processor. Add this to the pot along with the cheese. Stir well and simmer for at least 10 minutes, allowing the cheese to melt.

2 Days in the City

2011-03-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I only successfully managed to post 2 days in a row before I missed a day, but oh well. We went to Salt Lake Friday and Saturday, so I'm ok with it. :)

What took us to the city was Ryan's nerdy side (those are his words...ha ha). The Highlands Bagpipe Experience drew Ryan to downtown Salt Lake with me at his side. Oh, and my parents came along for the ride. Actually, it turned out to be really fun. The Utah Pipeband played some bagpipe music with some cute dancing Scottish girls. It was an interactive experience learning about a little bit of Scottish history, more about the bagpipe and Scottish dress. Plus, I just like the feel of being downtown.

Afterwards we hung out with my brother and nephew, which is always fun. My nephew is a VERY active 16 month old little boy with quite the personality. He's at a stage where he is learning lots and its fun to see his little brain work and all the words he is learning. And he is finally starting to remember his Aunt Nonnie and Uncle Wine. :)

Today, we spent the day at the Spring Home and Garden Show with my parents walking around and attending a few presentations about gardening. Sounds nerdy, but we all enjoyed it. We followed that up eating at one of my favorite restaurants, Iggy's. My wonderful husband then took me shopping at Payless and to get a frozen coffee drink from Beans N Brews, another one of my favorites. He is too sweet!

We had quite the eventful drive home encountering an unexpected snow storm in the canyon with low visibility, but we made it home safe and sound thankfully.

Reading through this, it doesn't sound that exciting, but it was actually such a fun weekend and just what I needed. But I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the weekend was the great conversations my hubby and I had on the drive out. I love how different we are and where our conversations go. :)

Lent

2011-03-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

“Yet even now, says the Lord, repent and return to me with all your heart” Joel 2:13 Today is Ash Wednesday—the beginning of the Church’s observance of the Lenten season. It is a space in time in which we are called to stop whatever we are doing, no matter how important it might be, and enter more intentionally into the disciplines of prayer, self-examination and repentance. But these disciplines—as significant as they are—are not ends in themselves. They are a means to an end and that end is that we would return to God with all our hearts." Ruth Haley Barton

Yes, I know I'm a day late as Lent started yesterday, but I liked this quote a friend posted on Facebook yesterday, so I thought I'd post it anyway.

I’ve never observed Lent before, at least that I can remember. I guess it wasn’t something I ever really stopped to consider doing, however, I think that it is important if thought about in the context above. So, this year I am going to take this time before Easter to observe Lent by giving up something and intentionally turning towards God with all my heart.

I challenge anyone reading this to also think about observing Lent this year.

An Experiment in Writing

2011-03-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

I like to write, yet I don't do it very often (which you will see if you follow my blog that I average a post every 3 or so months). Ha. But, writing helps me process what's going on in my head and what's happening in my life. Thus, the idea for this experiment.

Often times I don't feel like I have anything to write about or just can't think of anything to write about. However, when I first started thinking of doing this experiment, I started making a list of possible blog topics and I came up with somewhere over 60, so perhaps I do have something to say. Or is it just that I have LOTS swirling around in my little brain?! Hmmmm.... :)

As well, I love reading my friends' blogs and get a little disappointed if there isn't something new to read. So, I thought perhaps maybe they'd like to hear from me, too. :) If not, that's ok, cause I'm going to write anyway. Ha ha.

The Experiment
For the next 30 days (at least) I'm going to write a blog post each day. Some will be serious, some will not, others will be things I'd like to share, such as recipes, or products, or just thoughts I'm mulling over. This experiment will also be a little bit about discipline, as my laziness might try to creep up and try to stop me from writing. I think perhaps that is another reason why I don't write more often, so this will be good.

As well, I'd love to hear any feedback or comments on anything and everything that I have to say. So, please pipe in and share back with me!

Silent "G"

2010-10-24T20:38:00.000-06:00

Here in The Basin (the area of Utah where Roosevelt is located), many things are different than in the big city. I'm sure I could go on about the many things, but for now I'm talking about the silent "g."

What is the silent "g" you ask. I'm referring to the letter "g" that appears at the end of words following the letters "i" and "n." You see, in The Basin, that "g" is apparently silent. We don't go shopping, walking, camping, fishing, hunting, etc. We go shoppin', walkin', campin', fishin', huntin', etc. It cracks me up and it was one of the first things I noticed about the Basinites once I started spending some time out here. And truth be told, I've started talking like that, oops, I mean talkin' like that. Guess I'm startin' to become a local. :) But, it drives me crazy when I find myself talking like that. Ha!

The other day I was talking to a co-worker and was telling her about Ryan going hunting. She actually corrected me and said to me, "It's huntin', not hunting." I just had to laugh.

1 Year of Wedded Bliss!

2010-10-02T14:27:00.000-06:00

One year ago on September 26th, Ryan and I were married. It's hard to believe that it has already been a year! I love him more than I did on that day and look forward to all the days ahead! He is one amazing man and I am truly blessed to be his wife. Of course, not all days have been perfect, but it's been a fun road and one in which most days are absolutely wonderful. Even the hard times and challenges of learning to live with another person and consider their needs have been good. That's probably all part of the newlywed stage. :) But, I hope that never changes. I get to journey through this life with my best friend and love of my life. Life is good!

Below are some pics from year 1 (in no particular order).

The 2 of us in our matching shirts at Ryan's company's summer picnic

Our first time going to the races. At the Vernal race track. It was tons of fun!

Just smoochin' after Elyssa and Rob's wedding ceremony. :)

At the Rockies game. Ryan's first Major League Baseball game.

Lower Falls in Yellowstone National Park.

Birth of the first nephew on the Tall side of the family in November.

Jazz vs. Nuggets game and the Jazz won! Yeah!

Goofing off at the beach in So Cal.

Me and my man enjoying the beach at sunset.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2010-10-02T13:10:00.000-06:00

Here are the ingredients as listed in the recipe. What I actually used, if different, is listed in parenthesis.

1 cup whole grain flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger (I didn't have ginger, so I used cloves)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup light vanilla soy milk (We don't drink soy, so I used 1% milk with a bit of vanilla extract)
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1 5-ounce container Greek vanilla bean yogurt (used regular vanilla yogurt)
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 extra-large egg whites (used 1 whole large egg)
2 tablespoons butter, slightly melted

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients and set aside.

In a blender, combine the soy milk and protein powder and blend for 30 seconds. Then pour into a medium bowl. To the protein mixture, add the yogurt, pumpkin, egg whites, and butter and mix well.

Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until moist. Do not overmix the pancake batter.

Warm a griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with cooking spray. Ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Let each pancake cook for 2-3 minutes per side.

Yeilds 8 pancakes. Per serving (2 pancakes): 376 calories, 21 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams fat.

These were yummy! I asked Ryan to rate it 1 to 5 stars and he gave it 5. :)

I must give credit where credit is due. Got this recipe from "Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salads."

Crave

2010-06-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

One of my best friends got married on Saturday and not only was I fortunate enough to be there with her, but I was able to stand up with her as she made a commitment to her husband. It's always amazing to watch two people make a commitment to each other in front of God, family and friends, but I have a new appreciation for that commitment. This is the first wedding that I have been to since getting married and even though Ryan and I haven't been married that long, a wedding is a good reminder of that commitment. Pastor Murphy, who was the officiant of the wedding, challenged all married couples to recommit to each other during the ceremony. Hopefully, both Ryan and I will remember the advice that was given. It's good stuff! Pastor Murphy at all the wedding ceremonies he performs gives an acronym with advice and challenges for the new couple. This time around, he used the word "crave." Below is a synopsis of what he said with my own twist added.

C - Change yourself - Don't try to change your partner because that will never work. But, if each partner is actively working on changing themselves, then change will happen. Find out what your partner needs and work to fill those needs.

R - Recreate - Make sure that you make time to have fun and take time out to do things that you enjoy doing together.

A - Affection - Show affection to each other, hold hands, touch each other. This is especially important for those whose love language is physical touch. If this is your spouse's love language, then this is how they will most feel loved by you, so make sure that there is plenty of touching. :)

V - Vulnerability (intimacy) - Open up and let your spouse into your inner parts. Experience and enjoy the closeness of vulnerability and also the freedom that it brings. Peel off your layers like an onion and allow your spouse to see your inner layers.

E - Encourage - Build each other up, support each other's dreams and desires. Be each other's #1 fan and encourage them to be all they are meant to be and more. Celebrate each other's successes and pick each other up when need be. Believe in your spouse and express to them how much you believe in who God created them to be.

Challenge!

2010-05-27T08:16:00.000-06:00

Challenge: Write an entire post without using the word "I" (or "me" or "my" because I use them entirely too much). Go!

This will be quite a challenge. How do you write an entire post without using those words? Let's see. This will be random. Let's make this about everyone else and everything good in life.

God is good! He provides in ways that are unimaginable, it's hard to even comprehend. He has bestowed many blessings. The biggest blessing is Ryan, who is an amazingly wonderful husband. Who could ask for anyone better? Ryan is loving, thoughtful, helpful, hard-working, wise, intelligent, great conversationalist, handsome, encouraging, and on and on. God certainly went above and beyond when He created him! What a huge blessing!

Family - parents, brother, nephew, all the in-laws make life better, too. They all add joy and excitement to life. Mom and Dad have become great friends as time goes by and John has been since the high school years. They are all amazing people who bless those they come in contact with. John's wife, Stacey, and new baby boy, Jensen, have been wonderful additions to the family and add joy and fun. And, of course, all the new in-laws since getting married have been fun to get to know and hang out with.

Work is work. Work is just a job right now. Work is difficult and frustrating and it's hard to get up and go in the morning at times. But work is a blessing because without a doubt this job has been provided by God. The circumstances that led to this job could be nothing less than the work of God. Doesn't mean it's ideal, but it is stable and it provides income and more importantly has definitely been a growing, character-enhancing experience. The people at work make it bearable and somewhat enjoyable, which is a big blessing in the midst of the frustrations of everything else that is happening.

To sum it up - God is good and God provides more than any person deserves. All glory to Him!

Mmmmm....Banana Bread

2010-05-14T21:36:00.000-06:00

So, last night I realized that we had some bananas that were really ripe and needed to be eaten. Of course that means banana bread, right? :) Well, I really am trying to watch what I eat so I decided that I would try to find a "healthy" banana bread recipe and try it out. Here is the recipe I tried this afternoon and it was actually really good and moist, so I thought I'd share it.

Ingredients
· 1/3 c. natural applesauce
· 3/4 c. brown sugar
· 3 egg whites
· 2-3 bananas
· 1/3 c. water
· 1 2/3 c. wheat flour
· 1 tsp baking soda
· 1/4 tsp baking powder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix applesauce and sugar.
3. Stir in eggs then bananas then water.
4. Stir in dry ingredients.
5. Pour mixture into a loaf pan and bake 55-60 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

I did add some chocolate chips, because everything is better with chocolate. :) It would have still been delicious without them, though.

Rejuvenated

2010-05-12T21:02:00.001-06:00

This past weekend was just what I needed. I feel rejuvenated. I AM rejuvenated. We had an amazing weekend together and with family and friends! Saturday morning we headed out to Salt Lake to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom. It's always good to see my family. My dad made a yummy breakfast for all of us and the rest of the day we just relaxed and hung out at the house and of course played with my nephew. Then it was off to the Jazz game that night. Even though the outcome wasn't what I wanted, we had a BLAST! It was the most fun I've had at a sporting event. The playoffs bring it to a whole other level.

So, not the best picture of me, but we were having fun at the Jazz game!

My wonderful husband decided that we should stay in Salt Lake for the night rather than driving home afterwards like we usually do on our trips to the city. It was nice not to have to make the long drive back home so late. What was even more amazing is that he didn't even know how much I needed this. It allowed us to go to church out there and see some friends that I hadn't seen in a while.

We ended our weekend with a trip up to the mountains to celebrate Mother's Day with Ryan's family on Sunday afternoon. It was a little chilly, but it was good to get up into the mountains and relax and hang out with more family.

Prior to last weekend I guess without realizing it, I was kind of feeling blah. Last week I was sick ALL week and I've never been that sick for that long. Ugh. And the two weeks prior to that Ryan was out of town for the majority of the time. I missed him tremendously! At times, I also find that I miss my life in Salt Lake, miss my friends, my church, and of course my family. I had come upon one of those times at the same time as feeling sick and not spending much time with my husband. Not a good combination, but thankfully this weekend was perfectly timed and gave me just what I needed!

Thought-ful or Thought-less

2010-05-12T17:32:00.000-06:00

If a person is not thoughtful, does that mean they are thoughtless? And are there degrees of thoughfulness and thoughtlessness?

I have been pondering that first question for a few days now, which led to the second question (and subsequently the following questions).

I believe that there are some people who are thoughtless and don't even realize it. As well, there are definitely thoughtless people who know they are and don't care. Would you call them both thoughtless? Or is it that thoughtless and knowing it become selfishness? Are they one and the same?

I decided to look up the definitions in the dictionary:

Thoughtful - adjective - showing consideration for others; considerate
Thoughtless - adjective - lacking in consideration for others; inconsiderate; tactless; devoid of or lacking capacity for thought.

After reading those definitions, I decided to look up the word "thought:"
Thought - noun - the product of mental activity; that which one thinks; a single act or product of thinking

I don't have any answers or conclusions. I just seem to create more questions for myself. I think too much anyway...what does that mean? Doesn't mean I'm thoughtful or thoughtless. Ha! In fact, it has gotten me thinking. Am I a thoughtful or a thoughtless person? Can you be both? I can be thoughtful and not act on it, so does that count? Or is that worse than being thoughtless? I often have good intentions and think of many nice or good things I can do for others, but don't act upon them.

I don't want to be thoughtless. I think that requires actively pursuing being thoughtful. Although some people seem to be thoughtful without having to think about it. Is that something that comes naturally to them? Or does it become more natural the more you do it?

What causes thoughtfulness? Is it love, that deep down, I know how much love and grace has been shown to me through Jesus Christ, type love that inspires thoughtfulness? And is it that sinful, human nature that causes thoughtlessness? Is it complacency? Is it my natural tendency to think only of myself? I know at least for me it will take effort and not allowing complacency to invade and indeed to be constantly reminded of the grace shown to me to encourage me to be more thoughtful and not to let myself slip into thoughtlessness.

Hmmmm...so many questions and so much to ponder.

Not Fun!

2010-05-05T12:34:00.003-06:00

If you're looking for an effective weight loss program, I have stumbled upon it it. It's also a great way of getting out of work. First, get your wisdom teeth pulled. Then about 3 weeks later, get a crazy awful infection in one of the extraction sites. Three weeks later, have oral surgery again to remove whatever was left behind in one of the extraction sites. Then, as if that weren't enough, about a week after that get the stomach flu.

Going on 3 days with the stomach flu so far. Yuck! I'm sick of not feeling well. Sick of not being able to eat. The extra 5+ pounds I've lost, I'm not sure is worth it. And I'd rather be at work believe it or not than feel this way. Not to mention the 60 hours of time off (sick time and vacation time after that ran out) that I've had to take in the last 8 weeks and am now down to zero hours and am taking time off unpaid. Nice! Oh, and since I've used my vacation time it's going to put a damper on our summer vacation plans. (Don't worry Tara, we'll still be able to go to Yellowstone :)). Argh!

Oh, to feel better. And, I honestly don't ever remember having the stomach flu before and I have to say in my experience it is awful! The first two days were dreadful and I'm now just starting to feel well enough to even get on a computer. Guess that means I'm on the upswing and am once again looking forward to joining the world of the living here soon. I would much rather be at work. And I would much rather weigh those extra pounds. Like Ryan said, I've had a good run. Ha! Now, I can't wait for a good run of feeling well the rest of the spring and ALL summer!

It's Coming!

2010-04-27T09:35:00.001-06:00

Summer 2010!

So, summer is my favorite time of the year and I am excited that it is just around the corner! We don't have a lot of set plans, yet (my wonderful husband considers “plan” a bad 4 letter word. Ha!). But, we have set plans to meet up with one my best friends, Tara, and her family in Yellowstone in August. I'm so looking forward to that! I think we're going to make a week of it and stay up in that area for a week and do some hiking and camping and just relaxing.

Then there's the standard summer fun like barbeques, hiking, fishing, etc. Ryan got a new grill and now that we have a patio and nicely finished yard it will be fun to have people over for get togethers just hanging out in the fun summer weather. I would love to do more hiking too. And of course, there will be fishing, lots of fishing I'm sure. I'm looking forward to going to the park on Sunday afternoons and tossing around a frisbee or softball. I'm looking forward to eating dinner outside on our new patio dining set. I'm looking forward to picking fresh vegetables out of our garden. I'm looking forward to planting pretty flowers. I'm looking forward to sitting outside in the sun reading a book on my Fridays off. It's almost like the options in summer are endless. I could take the dogs for a walk. Go for a bike ride. Go for a motorcycle ride. Anything!

This will be the best summer yet!

Thoughts on 6 Months

2010-04-01T17:39:00.002-06:00

So, last Friday was our six month anniversary. I know in the grand scheme of things and the lifetime that we live and for the many of you who have been together for years, this isn’t a significant amount of time, but for me it was huge. For a person who thinks that perhaps there isn’t someone out there who will love her unconditionally and intimately and commit to doing that for life, it is big. I am still amazed at it all! I wake up everyday feeling blessed. And I hope that as we gradually move out of the “newlywed” phase that this won’t go away. In fact, I hope that that phase never goes away. Although, I’m sure it will, but there will be many amazing phases to come. I love Ryan more and more each day! I have enjoyed being married to him and getting to know him more closely and intimately. And he loves me, too! He really does. And for all of this I am beyond thankful! I look forward to the day when we mark one year as husband and wife and for every year after that.

The Best Parents In The World

2010-01-13T17:45:00.004-07:00

My dad posted on my facebook a couple of weeks back what a pleasure the last 32 years had been being my dad. Well, in turn, I thought I would let my parents (and the rest of the world) know how amazing I think they are. Something I've been meaning to do for a long time anyway.

I'm sure a lot of people think that they have the best parents in the world, while others feel like maybe they got jipped (not sure how to spell that). Fortunately, I have been blessed to be on the good end thinking (or actually knowing) that I DO have the best parents in the world. While they weren't perfect, they did an amazing job raising my brother and I.

They were (and still are) great examples to us of living godly lives, making God a priority, sharing the Good News, and much more. We were always taken care of and loved beyond belief.

This is my thanks to them. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for providing for me. Thank you for taking me to church. Thank you for sending me to a Christian school despite the sacrifice. Thank you for teaching me God's Word and His plan of salvation. Thank you for taking us to Disneyland. Thank you for always being there. Thank you for listening and giving advice. Thank you for your support in everything I've done. Thank you for being great parents and thank you for becoming my friends as I've grown older.

I love you!

Not A New Years Resolution

2010-01-12T08:37:00.002-07:00

but...
It's just time. Time for a lot of things.

Time to make my relationship with God a priority. Time to spend more time with my God. Time to get into His Word. Time to know Him more, not just know more about Him.

Time to quit eating poorly. Time to get my butt in gear and do something. Time to kick the Diet Coke habit (again). Time to fill up on water. Time to be healthy. Time to use the Wii Fit that Ryan got me for Christmas. Time to be active.

It's time.

2009....

2009-12-23T09:20:00.007-07:00

Meeting Ryan...Getting laid off...Looking for work...Playing in Hawaii...Getting a new job...Moving to Roosevelt...Getting married... A new nephew....Wow, what a year!

2009 was a year of a lot of changes! Little did I know what God had in store for me!

January started off well with meeting a new man, a man that would eventually become my husband. :) At the time, it was just an exciting new relationship and I had no idea where it would lead. All I knew was I liked him and I was pretty sure he liked me, too. :)

Then midway through January I was laid off from my job at the church and I was devastated. I really liked my job and thought I would be there for a long time. I had built strong, close relationships with my co-workers who were also my friends. It was difficult to say the least. But, there was a bigger plan taking shape that I had no idea was happening.

Thus began the search for a new job. As most people who haven't lost their jobs, I had no idea before the search began just how difficult it would be. Yes, I knew that the economy was down, but thought I'd find a job within a couple months. That didn't happen. I looked and I sent my resume to place after place, most of which I never heard from. Reality hit a little harder in March when I finally had an interview and they mentioned that they had received 260 resumes in 2 days for that one position. I didn't get that job, but felt pretty good that I even got an interview out of all those who applied. In April I thought I had landed a job through a connection at a good company. It seemed certain. Yet again, a bigger plan was forming and that didn't come to pass either.

About this time, after talking with Ryan I started looking for jobs in both Salt Lake and Roosevelt, which is where Ryan lived. Still a few more months went by with putting in resume after resume. My search eventually morphed into searching in Roosevelt alone (unknown to anyone else). I was having a bit more luck in Roosevelt with at least getting interviews. Still none came to pass.

All the while I was spending more and more of my time in Roosevelt, actually about 75% of the time I was there. Only going “home” if there was a reason such as Mother's Day or other events.

In July, I got a few more hits on jobs with 4 interviews in just a couple short days, all in Roosevelt and all good options. On July 9th I accepted a job at the Utah Department of Workforce Services in Roosevelt and started on July 20th. Yeah, I finally had a job and the plan was beginning to appear.

I moved to Roosevelt not really knowing what was going to happen next, but I knew that I had been lead there, it wasn't my doing. So, no matter what happened, I was where I was supposed to be. So, here I was living in Ryan's spare room, not sure what he was thinking about our future for sure, but also knowing that we couldn't really live together on a long term basis. I tried to get a feel for things, but Ryan was pretty good at not letting on to what he was thinking. I decided that if we weren't going to get married in the near future that I needed to find somewhere else to live. It was hard being “roommates” and behaving. :)

Then on August 26th, Ryan asked me to marry him!!! I was in total shock because he had not ever once specifically mentioned getting married (I was sure that's where it was going, but not anywhere in the near future). I said “Yes” followed by “Really?” cause it was so unexpected. Given our circumstances we decided to get married soon, in fact, exactly one month later on September 26th we were married in what is now our backyard. It was beautiful and amazing and I can't believe that I am married....married to the man that I waited a long time for and whom I am glad that I waited for. He is amazing!

But more than that, God is amazing in how His plan played out...the good coming out of the bad. Losing my job and not finding a new one for 6 months gave me the opportunity to spend a lot of time in Roosevelt with Ryan getting to know him better than had I not had all that free time.

And there is still more good news from 2009...my first nephew (aside from the 7 I inherited upon being married) was born! Jensen Keith Tall was born on November 1st to my brother, John, and his wife, Stacey. Congrats big bro!

Another highlight of 2009 was the 10 days that I spent in Hawaii in March with two of my best friends. We had so much fun playing in the sun and catching up with each other. The trip included snorkeling, rented convertible, camping, sunset atop Haleakala, kayaking, close encounters with whales, and of course relaxing on the beach. A fun, warm getaway with good company was just what I needed at that time.

2009 was a full and fun year with ups and downs. I could never have imagined where I would be and what I would be doing at the end of this year, but it's better than I could have ever dreamed!

All glory goes to God for what He has done in my life!

Just Married

2009-11-19T13:42:00.003-07:00

"Life is good, actually great! I love being married to Ryan...he is amazing! It has been a fun journey so far learning how to live with another person. After so many years of it only being me, it's exciting and challenging at times to have another person to consider. But, I'm so thankful that I'm on that journey with Ryan. :) I would never have imagined at the beginning of the year where I would be now. Although, if I look back at my blog, I blogged about this being a fantastic year...that was just a few days before I was laid off. It's amazing to see how each piece fell into place in God's perfect timing. I love it!"

This is what I wrote to a friend of mine yesterday when she asked how life is and being married. I've been trying to put my thoughts into words to post on my blog and they just weren't coming, but this is a very good summary that expresses it simply.

With A Smile On My Face

2009-08-13T17:18:00.002-06:00

Ryan and I were driving in the mountains on Sunday, just enjoying the beauty and somehow my mind had wandered (ok, it does that a lot and I don't know how to shut it off most of the time.). Apparently, I had this look on my face like I was really thinking about something. I think I had a smile on my face. I noticed that he looked over a few times and then he finally asked what I was thinking. My smile got bigger and I chuckled a bit and just said, “Life is funny. Sometimes it hits me that I live in Roosevelt, Utah.”

It's funny how God works. A year ago, I would never in a million years have imagined that I would be where I am today. I was happy working at the church, hanging out with friends, and spending time with my family...just living life. Little did I know that in January I would be laid off from my job and wondering what was next. Little did I know, that in God's perfect timing, He had put Ryan into my life only 2 short weeks before that lay off. And so, now, here I am 7 months later, living in Roosevelt, Utah (don't worry, I had to look it up on a map, too :) ), dating the amazing Ryan, and working for the state of Utah helping others who have been laid off or who are in financial need.

Life is funny, life is good, and life is definitely unpredictable. I love my God and I love how He works!

Ten Days in Paradise

2009-04-15T08:53:00.017-06:00

I spent 10 glorious days on Maui in March! The weather was perfect and the company was wonderful! It has been 9 months since I saw Tara and 3 years since I’d hung out with Elyssa, so we made the most of it. The three of us had a ton of fun playing on the beach, watching whales, snorkeling, kayaking, cruising around in our convertible, camping, hiking, watching sunsets, etc.

We had to stop and take a picture next to the beautiful Hibiscus flowers!

The beautiful red sand beach

The end of the hike...Wailua Falls

Our ride for the trip to Hana...hot, hot, hot! :)

Cold in Hawaii?? Yep, here we are at the top of Haleakala at 10,000 feet.

Haleakala Crater

Sunset from atop Haleakala

Enjoying our Lava Flows! Yum!

Sunset at Kaanapali Beach

Rainbow at Kaanapali Beach

The kayak trip to watch the whales close up

Kamaole Beach. We spent a lot of time here...just a five minute walk from Aaron and Tara's.

Would I Have Believed?

2009-04-14T19:34:00.002-06:00

This past weekend I watched the “Jesus of Nazareth” movie, which is about Jesus’ life from birth to death. It is an excellent movie that makes all the things that I’ve read in the Bible come to life in a more real way. It is an excellent movie and I highly recommend it. Just make sure you have the time to sit down and watch it…it’s over 6 hours.

Anyway, with last Sunday being Easter and having watched this movie, I’ve been thinking and the question that keeps coming to my mind is, “Would I have believed Jesus?” I wonder, if I was alive during that time and I saw Jesus up close and personal, would I have believed what He said about who He was/is? Or would I have been like most people and rejected Him? I’ve always thought that I would believe. After all, how could you not if you saw it firsthand. Now, I’m not so sure. How would it have been to know Jesus from His birth and to watch Him grow up? Would I believe that He was the Son of God? Would I believe Him when I saw Him born as a human? Would I have been blinded to all the prophecies that He fulfilled? Would I have seen Him as the Messiah? Or would I have been looking for what the others were looking for?

I believe now that He is who He says He is and that He is the Messiah and Redeemer. I know that it’s true. But, would I have believed it then? I’ve just been thinking about it in a different way after watching His life portrayed on screen. Would I have believed?

The important thing is that I believe now! I’m just curious.

A List

2009-03-19T21:27:00.007-06:00

So, I realized that I haven't blogged in almost two months. Apparently, I am not a very good blogger. I go through phases where I like to write and others where I don't. Anyway, I'm a list person. I like lists - to do lists, packing lists, project lists, any kind of list. So, I thought I would make this post a list of the last couple months. I think I'll go against my nature and go from the most recent and move backwards. I guess that isn't as much against my nature as it would be to list them all in a totally random order. Maybe next time.

Tomorrow, I leave for Hawaii for 10 days! Not only will I be in Hawaii for 1o days, but I will be hanging out with two of my best friends.
Last weekend, Ryan and I went to Moab, which was a blast! We visited Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands. I'd never been to Canyonlands and had only been to Dead Horse Point when I was really young. We had a great time hiking around in the sun.

Allison was in town last week and we hung out a few times. I've literally know Allison my entire life, so it's always good to catch up. Oh, and she has the cutest baby ever! (I think I say that about all my friends' babies :))
At the end of February, I spent 6 days in Roosevelt with Ryan and his family. Hung out with his sisters while he was at work and then he and I had a fun random weekend driving up to Flaming Gorge and to Fantasy Canyon. I don't think he got too sick of me while I was there. :)

The rest of February and end of January was mostly hanging out with Ryan either here or in Roosevelt. (For those of you who don't know where Roosevelt is, it's about 2.5 hours from Salt Lake, near Vernal. For those of you don't know where Vernal is, look at a map. Ha ha.) I took Ryan to Ikea for the first time, so that was an adventure. Although, I have to say, I think he enjoyed the trip to Cabela's much more...we looked at a lot of fishing stuff. Who knew there was that much stuff just for fishing?
Of course, encompassing the past few months has been the search for a job. It has been frustrating at times, but there are some benefits to being unemployed. Have to enjoy it while it lasts. :) I just didn't think that it would last this long. I know there are a lot of people looking for jobs, but it was put into perspective for me last week when I went to an interview and they said they had received 270 resumes for that one position. Yikes! Good news is that a job opportunity has come along in the past couple of days that could be promising. I know that no matter what, I'm good and I'm taken care of.

So, there it is...my life in a list.

Life

2009-01-29T19:31:00.004-07:00

Where to begin. It's been a while and I know that my last post was all about 31 being the best year yet and I really believe that it could be. However, there have been some difficult circumstances in life so far this year.

Stressed out parents who are preoccupied and that I have felt disconnected from, which if you know me at all is a big deal especially when I get to point 3
My grandma is at the place in life where it is time to move to an assisted living center. That has been hard for my dad along with the other stressors in his life.
One week after my last post I was laid off from my job.

Despite these things, I am still convinced that life is good and it will be an amazing year. I don't know what's going to happen, but I know that God is bigger than all of this and anything else that may come my way. His plans are far better than I can imagine. That is why I have hope.

Already, in each of the three situations above, I have seen God working.

I have my parents back. :)
Grandma is open to and has agreed that this is the best choice - something that she hasn't been willing to do in the past.
No new job yet, but there are some possibilities. And the silver lining is that I have enjoyed the last two weeks off, spending time with friends and just chillin'. :) Plus, I know that there is a job out there just for me (I'm just not in a big rush to find it :)).

Life is good, because God is good.

31!

2009-01-08T16:09:00.002-07:00

I’ve decided that 31 is a good age. I don’t really have an explanation, I just decided to make it a good age. Afterall, the alternative is that it will be a bad age and I really don’t want that.

This birthday, from beginning to end, was perhaps the best one that I have had in a long time. It was a great day with LOTS of birthday wishes from so many people. I feel VERY loved! Thank you to all you wonderful people in my life.

Over this past year I have come to realize how blessed I am. I can’t even explain how grateful I am for the family that God has given me. They are amazing! My parents are two of the most amazing people I know. I am thankful that they are still married and actually love each other. I can’t go into the details, but this past month, they have done one of the most unselfish things that anyone could do and did it with good attitudes. They are an excellent example to me. It’s hard to even put into words how I feel about them and just how amazing they are. Why does it take being an adult to appreciate your parents? :) And I’m very thankful to have a big brother that I actually like spending time with. He’s amazing, too!

Not only am I blessed by my family, but my incredible friends, both near and far, as well. You guys are my lifeline at times and remind me what life is all about, what’s important, and encourage me when I need it. I just hope I’m as good of a friend to all of you as you all are to me.

My 31st birthday was a great way to start this new year of my life, celebrating with some friends who live here and talking to others on the phone. I had a great time at The Cheesecake Factory (yes, the tradition continues) eating yummy food and hanging out with the girls. We even saw David Archuletta. :)

I’m really looking forward to this coming year to see what it will bring! God is good and I know that His blessings never cease in both the good and bad times.

So, here’s to being 31! Cheers!

Overcome

2008-11-19T22:13:00.002-07:00

Overcome
I can see that my hands are trembling
I can see that my legs are weak
I can see that my head is spinning
but I will overcome
and I know that my heart is hurting
and I know that my soul it aches
and I know that it seems I'm falling
but I will overcome

Oh Lord I'm strong in you
oh Lord I'm wise in you
oh Lord I can see in you
so I will overcome
oh lord I'm loved by you
oh Lord I'm free in you
oh Lord I'm complete in you
so I will overcome, I will overcome

This is one of my current favorite "worship" songs. We sang it at the Women's One Day event at my church a couple of Saturdays ago and the lines that I bolded above were especially meaningful to me that day and in the days since. I was (and still am) struggling with identity and those lines and the overall theme of the song to overcome are powerful. If I can just live like those lines are true (which they are!), then my "identity" as I see it and even as others see it, doesn't really matter. Oh, how I long to truly live in that! You see, my whole life, I have picked one thing or a couple of somethings and based my identity on them. These things are faulty things. For the last what seems like forever, without necessarily realizing it, I have based my entire identity on being single. I've seen that as who I am and not just a part of me. And in my mind, I equate single to being a loser (for lack of a better word). Now wonder, I'm all messed up! :) I have some amazing people in my life who I've shared this with in person and it's amazing how wrong I am and have been in how I think people see me. It's hard to wrap my mind around it all, but I have learned (or am in the process of learning or letting it sink in), that my identity doesn't come from this aspect or really any aspect of my life. It comes from God! Of course, I have been taught this for my entire life, but I've never really embraced it. Or, if I ever have embraced it, it hasn't lasted. I've known it to be true, but have I ever really BELIEVED it? That's the key. I need to believe it. I need to trust that what GOD says is true. And that is simply filling my mind with the truth of God's Word and getting rid of the lies that I have believed for so long. I need to take hold of those thoughts that lead me to think and believe things that are untrue. So, here's to being single and being ok with it! :)

I read somewhere yesterday, the following, "stop feeling that there is something wrong with being single." Thought that was a good way to put it after the past few weeks of my life journey. That doesn't mean that the desire to not be single isn't still there, it's just in proper perspective.

Well, I could sit here forever and write, trying to get all my thoughts out, but I've got to go to bed. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to try and get more of them out and let others in on this part of my journey.

More Than Grateful

2008-11-04T19:57:00.003-07:00

What I am most thankful for is my God and Savior, Jesus Christ! The more I stop and think about it, the more it overwhelms me with how high, long, deep, and wide the love of Jesus is! Without Him, I have no hope and am unable to love others. I am so amazed that He is my Savior and that at the same time I can have a relationship with Him. He is not some far away God who is looking down from a distance. He is a personal, loving God who wants to have a personal relationship with anyone who calls on Him. He offers grace, of which I am in need and for which I am more than grateful. I don't have to try and live a life of being good enough, but through God's grace I have the freedom to live a life of love in response to what He has already done! I love my God and I am most grateful for who He is and what He has done!

Grateful

2008-11-04T10:31:00.004-07:00

I think that I should be thankful all of the time, but how often do I stop and take the time to truly be thankful, to thank God for the MANY blessings in my life? Not as often as I should. Although, it has been a bit more of a pattern lately. As Thanksgiving approaches, I want to dwell on God's goodness. Not just when things are going well, but ALL of the time. So, I will start by sharing a list that I started back in probably April. This list is "100+ Reasons to Be Grateful." I haven't gotten to 100 yet, but I'm working on it. I pull up this list every now and again, read what I've written, and add to the list. Some of them are light-hearted or even maybe a little silly, some are serious, some are vague, and some are specific.

100+ Reasons to be Grateful:
1) Family
2) Friends
3) A place to live
4) A job
5) Clothes to wear
6) A car to drive
7) A church family
8) The ability to support myself
9) Hope
10) Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross
11) The love of God
12) Opportunities to get away from the normal everyday life
13) The sunshine
14) My past experiences
15) Opportunity to change
16) God's mercy
17) Pain
18) The internet
19) Email
20) My travel experiences
21) Good health
22) Forgiveness
23) Health Insurance
24) More than enough food to eat
25) Laughter
26) iPod
27) Glasses so I can see
28) Communication (instant with friends far away)
29) Fabulous co workers
30) Memories
31) God’s provision
32) Side jobs
33) Feelings
34) Logic (to counteract the feelings)
35) Choices
36) An accountability partner
37) Women’s Retreat
38) Books & the ability to read
39) My Bible
40) FPU
41) Tears (how crying really hard actually feels good afterward)
42) Empathy
43) Lotion
44) Medical advances
45) Friends who know things I don’t and can pass that knowledge on to me
46) Growth
47) Humorous situations
48) The little joys in life
49) Exercise
50) Water
51) $.99 Diet Coke at McDonald’s in the summer
52) Weekly hikes
53) A “new” free bike
54) Dogsitting
55) Chances to give
56) Long term friendships that span time and miles
57) New paint
58) Being challenged to become a better person/more Christ-like
59) Time
60) Fun memories
61) Regular pay back
62) Mountains
63) The beach
64) Frequent Flyer miles
65) Random trips
66) Solid foundation
67) The good and the bad
68) Discipline
69) Warm clothes
70) The chance to vote

So, I guess I'm not really close to 100 after all. I hope to get to 100 by the end of the year and then to keep going from there.

Here's to being grateful and dwelling on God's goodness, not my own circumstances.

Christmas???

2008-11-03T21:11:00.003-07:00

I was at Wal-mart today and they already had Christmas music playing! Really? Already? How about we wait until Thanksgiving is over before the Christmas tunes begin? It's November 3rd, people! Sorry, that's just a pet peave of mine. I feel better now. :)

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE Christmas and all it represents! But for me, logically, one holiday should end before the next begins. Thanksgiving is also a wonderful holiday that should not be overlooked. And can be a great lead in to the Christmas season...thanking God for sending Jesus to earth humbly as a man to save us all. Yeah for Christmas (just not until after Thanksgiving :))!

Read This

2008-10-29T16:43:00.001-06:00

I wouldn't normally put a link to what someone else wrote on their blog, but this is a friend's blog and it's a great article worth sharing.

http://michaelsgray.blogspot.com/2008/10/this-is-what-i-know.html

And It Begins

2008-10-24T13:09:00.002-06:00

Angel Tree. Yes, I know it's crazy. Yes, I know last year I said I would not do it again. Yes, I know that I told pretty much everyone that if I said I was going to do it again to just shoot me. Well, now I am asking that none of you shoot me. :) I have to admit that it's not really because I want to do it (although a portion of me for some crazy reason will always want to do it), but more that it will be helpful to have a little extra cash at the moment. The good news is that I have a more limited role than I did last year. In fact, the application process actually started a couple of weeks ago and I have not been a part of that. That was part of the deal...that I didn't have to work the crazy application process that drains a person of all Christmas spirit. Last night, I went to sign the paperwork to get hired back. For now, I will just be doing data entry when it fits into my schedule. Then, starting after Thanksgiving, the real fun starts in the warehouse and the collecting of toys and clothes. I'm not saying that sarcastically. That is actually the fun part, although, incredibly exhausting and most of my waking moments will be working my regular job and then Angel Tree. More good news, though, is that I had already planned a 4 day trip at the beginning of December so I'll have a break this year. Yeah! So, there you have it. It's more of a confession for those of you who I have hidden the fact that I decided to participate in the insanity once again. Oh, and a plea for your prayers to make it through yet another Christmas season without losing all the joy it's supposed to have.

Not a Fan...

2008-10-13T16:42:00.004-06:00

...of mice in my workspace!!!! That's all I have to say.

Boston!

2008-10-09T20:59:00.010-06:00

So, I realized that I never posted anything about my trip to Boston at the end of September. Well, I had a chance to go to Boston to see a Red Sox game, which was amazing! I've wanted to go to Fenway for a few years now and finally got the chance. I had two vacation days left, which made this one heck of a whirlwind trip. I flew out on a red-eye flight to Boston arriving at 5:00am.

Experienced a day of just hanging out in Boston before heading over to the ballpark at about 5:00 to purchase some tickets. Now, that was a crazy experience! But, we got our tickets for some amazing seats! We hung out outside the ballpark for a while as part of the festivities, then headed inside.

So, there is nothing like your first time at Fenway! Loved it! Our seats were Club Level, so we got about as close to the Green Monster as one can get without having tickets to actually sit atop it.

Another perk of these club level seats was the server that comes and takes your order, so you never have to get up or miss any of the game to get concessions. Oh, yeah, and if you order beer, they bring it in a cup with a lid. I guess so they don't spill it on the way to your seats.

It was such a fun trip! Yes, despite being so quick with little sleep and the chaos of getting back home, but that is another story for another day. :)

Thank God It's a Process

2008-10-09T20:52:00.003-06:00

I just have to say that I'm thankful that I don't have to be perfect and that life is a process. Have you ever had a day where nothing in particular was wrong, but something got under your skin and you just weren't yourself? That's how my day was. I was in a good mood, but I was snappy and made some snide remarks. And I couldn't stop myself! Now, part of me is sarcastic anyway, but today was an extreme. I'm glad that there is grace with the people in my life and they will all still love me, and they'll be really glad when the real Connie is in place tomorrow.

Along these same lines...have you ever said something and a couple minutes later, thought of a much better way to say it - a more respectful way, or a kinder way, or even just a clearer way? I find myself doing that all the time! I gues that's just part of the process. Someday, I'll say things the way I want to say them. Until then, thanks for being a part of the process.

I Don't Want To Be The Same

2008-09-18T16:09:00.002-06:00

Have you ever thought about where you were a year ago and where you are today? I have. And I've decided that I don't want to be the same a year from now as I am today. By that I mean I don't want to be in the same place spiritually, physically, financially, etc. I want to have grown, changed, improved. I've also decided that it's hard. Is it worth it? Yep, I'm sure it is. Now, it's just convincing myself of that when I'd rather watch tv than spend time with God or just vegging rather than doing something active or when I spend money that I should be saving. But so far, I've made a few, good, small changes towards that end. We'll see where it takes me.

It's Been A While...

2008-09-16T16:35:00.003-06:00

Sometimes I have so many things running around in my head that I don't even know where to begin and at other times, there really isn't much going on in my mind. Those are the times that I seem to have time to blog...when there isn't anything worthy of writing. Then there are times when I have a good story and don't have access to the internet to write about it. Oh well. So, thus it has been a while since I last posted anything. But here are a few random things.

Road Trippin' With Allison and Little Baby Mitchell
So, here's to old friends. Allison and I have been friends since the day she was born 3 months after I was born. Well, her life has been in a huge transition for the past few months. A synopsis of her life: her little boy Mitchell Jack was born on June 26th and 6 days later Allison and her mom drove from Michigan to Colorado. You see her husband is in the Air Force and they were being stationed in Tucson, Arizona. However, Justin had training in Texas for 6 weeks and she didn't want to go there by herself during that time, so she stayed with family in various places during that time. Well, she has been in Salt Lake for the past 3 weeks waiting for the day that she could finally get to her final destination and see her husband. This is where I come in. She needed someone to go with her to Tucson, I mean, who wants to travel alone with a 2.5 month old???

We took off on Saturday headed south. We weren't quite sure where we were going to stay, but the plan was just to stop where we felt like stopping. We made it to the halfway point of Page, Arizona (near Lake Powell), thinking this would be a great place to stop. Well after stopping at a few hotels and making some calls, we realized that every hotel room in Page was SOLD OUT! Which meant more driving to Flagstaff, Arizona about 2 hours further south. So, after grabbing some grub, we got back in the car and kept on drivin'. Allison's husband in the meantime had booked us a room at a hotel online so we knew we had a place to stay, which was comforting. We stayed the night in Flagstaff, going to bed about 9:30 I think. I didn't sleep so well, but at least we weren't in the car!

Day Two of the trip became a lot shorter and easier after the extra miles we drove on day one, so it wasn't all that bad. Took us about another 4.5 hours to finally get to Tucson.

It wasn't an ideal weekend, but it was fun to spend the time with Allison and help her out by driving so she could just take care of little Mitchell who really hates being in the car. Plus, it was awesome to see Allison and Justin re-united after being separated for so long and during such a rough time. And, it was fun to see daddy see baby who he hadn't seen for so long.

Sunday afternoon, we celebrated by going out for all you can eat sushi! Yum! Monday was a pretty uneventful day. Allison and I walked over to the BX on base and got some Starbucks for breakfast, then it was time to head to the airport, which we almost didn't find. I checked in at about 11:10 for a 11:45 flight...good thing Tucson is a small airport and there were no lines!

So, there's the wrap up of my weekend. Two days of driving and one day of flying. That's what friends are for and I was happy to do it!

The Bike Ride That Wasn't
I got a new bike a while back that needed a little fixing. So, a friend fixed it for me and I have been waiting to ride it ever since, but with all my dogsitting I haven't been home to ride it and when I was I didn't have my helmet which I had left at my parent's house. Well, last Thursday was THE DAY. I had my helmet, had my bike, and was actually at my own house with time to ride. I got ready, grabbed my keys and my phone and headed out. About halfway from my door (which is in the back of the house), I realized I had forgotten to bring something with me...MY BIKE! So, I walked back and grabbed it from the storage room and was off again. I stopped to get my helmet out of my car and put it on...or tried anyway. The strap was broken. I thought, "Oh well, I'm going to give it a go anyway for just a short ride." With, helmet balanced on top of my head, I was off...for about oh maybe ONE block and it stopped pedaling. It would not pedal past a certain point. I was bummed! And I also didn't want to have to walk my bike back home. So, I basically back pedaled about halfway and would then pedal forward till the point it stopped, then back pedaled, forward pedaled, and so on till I made it home, which, by the way, took a lot longer to go the one block back home riding like that than it did to get there. Oh well. I guess I'll just start saving for another bike. :)

Hangin' With Hudson

2008-08-27T21:39:00.000-06:00

So, this is my buddy Hudson who is almost 3 years old. :) He is the funniest 2+ year old that I know. The things he says make me laugh. Here are just a few of them from the past couple of days.

"Miss Connie, do you have a baby in your belly, too?" Ok, his mom is pregnant. At first, I was taken aback, but then Kelly told me that he asked the same question to his cousin who is 12 years old and a size 0. I didn't feel so bad after that. :)

"Hudson: "Are you married?"

Me: "No, I"m not married."

Hudson: "Why not?"

Ha! I was watching him while his mom and dad were at a wedding and so we were talking about people being married. Talk about asking about two sensitive subjects (marriage and children) in the same day. Only from a 2 year old.

We were playing a game that he called volleyball. Basically, we had a beach ball and the object was to throw it in the goal and hit the target in the middle. One time he missed the target and he said, "Oops, I missed the target. Minor detail." Minor detail? Where did he get that? I told his mom and she said she has never said it. So she asked Matt, her husband, and he has never said it either. So Matt asked Hudson where he learned it and who said it. His reply was, "Hudson says it." Ha!

Yesterday, he had a ton of energy and I asked him where he got all his energy and he answered, "I got it from Costco."

Anyway, there were more I sure. I just can't remember them. I'll keep you updated the next time I watch him. Sure does make life fun and entertaining!

The pictures above are of Hudson when I was babysitting on Saturday. (I have to write about and post pictures of someone's child, afterall, I don't have my own.) :)

As Promised

2008-08-22T19:27:00.000-06:00

Here is the link to the website that I had while I was in Thailand. For those of you who didn't know me at that time, it will give you a glimpse into part of my history and some of the most memorable times of my life. The front page has the monthly updates with stories, etc. If you want to see pictures, click "Gallery" on the left sidebar and there are several photo albums. Enjoy!

http://www.webspawner.com/users/imaducky2/index.html

Who Was Scary In Your Neighborhood?

2008-08-21T16:41:00.000-06:00

Growing up, a family lived down the street from us that we didn't really play with a whole lot. Well, one time, I found out exactly why. I'll call the boy Joey to protect his identity. I don't really remember what I was doing, but I think that I was just playing outside with my friend Crystal (name not changed). When Joey appears out of nowhere with a KNIFE! I think he was probably about 5 and I was a few years older. Joey decided that it would be fun to chase us around the neighborhood with the knife. So, of course we ran from him for a bit until I got it together enough and decided it might be a good idea to run to the safety of my home. Now, you may be thinking that a 5 year old with a knife shouldn't be that scary, but it was, because he was a very mean 5 year old! I really think that he may have done some harm to us had we not run.

So, there's my first attempt at journaling on a random topic. Probably not my best work, but hey folks, it's been a while since I've written anything and besides, now you know a little bit more about me. :)

Blogging

2008-08-20T20:52:00.000-06:00

So, I figured I would try this blogging thing. Aferall, everyone else is doing it. :) I resisted for a long time because it seemed like I didn't have anything to right about, no children which seems to be what most people right about. In any case, I decided that doesn't make me less blog-worthy. I still have stuff happening in my life and thoughts running through my head. Yep, for real I do. Ha. Anyway, so, here it is, my blog. I decided that I might start with doing journal writings like I used to have to do in English class that at the time I despised. I got online and googled journal topics and found this awesome website that has hundreds of journal topics. Of course, those won't be the only blogs that I write, but I thought it would be fun! So, hope you enjoy them as much as I hope I enjoy writing them. :)