Challenge!

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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....

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!