5 for today

Well, the memory that makes me smile the most in the last 12 months is Tanner's baptism. If you want to know what's made me smile the most in the past 3 months it's probably realizing that I'm growing.

Hands down, my Dad...and the outdoor fashion shows in the backyard (and other backyard shenanigans), picking raspberries for FHE, family reunions, the farm, and riding our bikes in the alley.

A hug




What I believe and know

That I'm a snob, hard hearted, unfriendly and/or mean.

Now onto a different subject. I know the Hunger Games are coming out and, honestly, I do not see or understand the infatuation with these books/movie. Why on earth do people want to read about kids killing other kids/people for sport? I just don't get how that in any way can be interesting or worth reading. Obviously this is just my opinion but I don't get it. I don't have any intention of seeing the movie or ever reading the books. That's just me, though.

Last week, I took Jill out for her birthday and she chose Osho's for dinner which I was super happy about because I've wanted to go there for so long but Matt's a picky eater and didn't want to brave it with me. It was so yummy! I hope to go many more times. Ever since East Side Marios closed we haven't found a new favorite restaurant. I think I might be able to convince him that Osho's is a great new place!

What's your favorite place to eat?

I have been really bad at taking pictures of anything lately! I am so mad at myself. We've tried a bunch of new recipes and I forgot to take pictures. I guess I will have to find the pictures online. I love pinterest for that reason. I try to keep my boards realistic so I don't get overwhelmed be wishing I had what I don't need.

Tanner...such a funny boy! On Sunday night he was running a fever and breathing funny (he was quite congested) and when we asked him what was wrong he said "I don't want to die. I think I have cancer". The only thing I can think of where he got that is because at dinner Matt asked what I wanted to drink and I said water...but not tap water because I didn't want to get cancer from drinking the tap water (as a joke!). I don't really like the taste or our water so I always boil water and add some lemon to it and keep it in the fridge so that's what I normally drink. Anyways, Tanner picked up on it, I guess...oops!

This is a HUGE shocker...mostly because I am pretty strict with myself in being organized and on time for everything! Unless it's a RS activity that is on a night when I work. Then that is totally out of my control...I will be late. Anyways, the huge shocker is that for the last month I have NOT been able to get myself out of the door to get to work to get there early. I'm not late but I usually am there right on time. This is kinda huge for me because I like to get to every place in my life early. I can not get myself organized in the morning. I think that part of the problem is because I have started taking my time when getting ready. More so in the bathroom putting on my make up and doing my hair and showering. It annoys me if I can't get my outfit picked out the night before so I can just get up and get dressed. If I take more than 5 minutes to decide what to wear I get super annoyed and think "Uhhhh, I have nothing to wear" and I literally have to walk out of my closet and do something else. I usually just throw on my clothes and slap on some make up and go but now for some odd reason I take my time. Do I look better when I take my time???? Heck no! I do my make up the same. I have 3-4 hair styles I wear all the time. So my goal is to get my act together and stop staring at myself in the mirror and get going out the door to work.

So there you go. 10 random things on Thursday.

10 for Wednesday

I ADORE random posts. They are to my eyes what stand up comedy is to my ears. J'adore them! So I will follow suit and post a random post for right now.

1. I really dislike when people have double standards. Like if you don't want your kids to drink pop or won't let them drink it (this is JUST an example so I don't need any comments about on weather or not I give Tanner pop...I do) then don't drink pop yourself.

2. Time Out for me was like a vacation away from my real life.

3. What is up with Quinn Fabray??? She is like so mean and Rachel has actually turned into a nice person. I totally loved the big yellow dress, though.

4. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do on Monday's from 2-3. That's when my dance class was and now that it's over...well, I'm kinda sad about it.

5. Friday nights at Susanne's resumes this week!!!! YAY YAY and YAY!! I got a new cookbook at the TOFW and we are going to try some of the recipes.

6. We are garden sharing this year as we won't be able to have a garden in the new house until next year. I have already started appreciating more deeply the blessings of having a garden in your own backyard.

7. The toughest question I've had to answer in the past week is "How did Aunty Caryolyn's spirit get to heaven? and Does she sleep up there?" Tanner has an unspoken understanding of what has happened and he has been really good.

8. Tanner is doing great in his coach pitch! He hit the ball 5 times in a row (albeit they were foul balls, but the other kids struggled with hitting the ball). His catching needs some work (the other kids were pretty good at catching) but he's having fun and seems to be enjoying himself.

9. Would you rather be famous or a Royal??? I'd rather be famous because if you're a Royal, you are famous until you die. When you're famous, you can stop being famous if you stop working. And I've never heard of a famous person dying (or murdered) from the paparazzi chasing them.

10. I am hunting and on the look out for a free standing porch swing. I want a good quality one but don't want to pay more than $300 for it. Maybe that's unrealistic, but I'm hoping.

11. I need some good dance type music. Music that makes a person want to dance. Any suggestions??? I just downloaded Britney's till the world ends but I can't listen to that all day otherwise I might get bored of it real quick.

12. What are your favorite dates? I'm always interested in knowing what other people do for their dates. We've been trying to do some different things this year. Normally we love the movies but we've been bowling and going to dinner and other things where you actually have to communicate. A lot of our "dates" recently have been going into Lethbridge and getting stuff for out house or picking stuff out etc. But now that we are moving into our house soon, what will we do instead????

Fashion week #1

The next 3 5 for Friday's will be fashion type posts.

Normally I am not really into fashion. I don't really care if I have the latest styles or clothes that are "in" (because inevitably, they eventually go "out"). But for a couple years now I have been looking at coats. I would love to have a really nice, styled coat that I could wear. I have 2 regular winter coats, but a dress coat would be extra special for me. What do you think about the following???


As you know, if you read my blog, I am in love with red. I have been for a while. I LOVE this red coat. I'm not totally in love with the big bow thing, but I could love this coat just for the fact that it's red. Plus I really like the length.



This one isn't so much a dress coat as it is just a nicer coat that I could dress up. Grey is not really my thing. I love color in winter...after all, isn't winter already kind of grey???



I also LOVE this coat. I love everything about it. The color is fantastic and it's just a really beautiful coat.



This is such a sweet, feminine coat. I love the little collar on it.

5 for Friday

This is kind of a random 5 for Friday today (okay YESTERDAY)

1. My one rule when I go to Costco is NO CART! I can not afford to get a cart and fill it up with random things that I think I need and then I get home and am filled with guilt thinking of better things I could have done with that money. I grocery shop mainly at Superstore..why? because I have a family of 3 and there is NO WAY that my family can eat the large quantity of food that comes from Costco. We go into Costco when we have done our grocery shopping usually to get a few things (like cheese because it's cheaper there) and I find if I have to carry what I want, then I don't get more than I can handle.

2. Do you ever write questions in your comments when you comment on someones post? I do. I never expect to actually get answers but imagine my surprise when I got a personal e-mail from Busy Bee Lauren when I asked her a question in 2 separate posts! She is awesomespice!

3. Obeying the laws of the land. We just had this lesson in Primary a few weeks ago and I was thinking this week...we have been asked to boil our water. Is this the same thing as obeying the laws of the land? I boiled water up until 1 week ago (for those of you who don't know, we have been on a boil water order since end of June). I now just boil a pot of water to make ice cubes (we like our "special" drink...how's that for you Megan?) and I just add a capful of bleach to the dish water. So I'm still safe with my water I just don't use boiled water for dishes and mopping and washing the counter etc. Is it breaking the "laws" of the land by not using boiled water for everything (like we were originally asked to do)

4. I broke down to Harry Potter. What I mean by this is that I have given in to watching them. Amy lent them to Matt when we were up there last weekend and we have been watching them all this week. I have even allowed Tanner to watch them. I think I'm becoming a softie in my old age...lol. If you don't know my feelings on these Movies, then read this and this. I'm not sure how I feel about them yet. I don't hate them, but I do think they are much more darker than Chronicles. I wouldn't own them but at least I can say that I have seen them.

5. I got an iPod touch! I am really excited to be able to keep my schedule with me at all times. I can't use a pocket calendar because I can't fit all the things that I need to put on it in the tiny spaces. I didn't get it just for the calendar, I also think it's going to be convenient when I need to find something online quickly, like let's say a movie.

I just didn't want the commitment of a cell phone because let's face it, if there's an emergency, I'm sure that at least 90% of the population have cell phones. I hate cell phones. I think it's so rude when you're out with someone and they pay more attention to their phone or are more concerned about updating their facebook status...basically taking away from the time I gave up to go out for a good time. Some people are very good and know their cell phone manners but some do not. I was in a movie recently and the individual in front of me kept texting on their phone throughout the entire movie. REALLY!? Seriously? You paid money to see a movie and you're more interested in texting? That's one expensive conversation. Plus, it's distracting to those around you to have the light from your phone light up every 5 minutes. If having a cell phone interferes with other people's enjoyment of eating out or socializing etc, then you don't have good cell phone manners. I understand emergencies, but if you are constantly checking your facebook or blog or tweeting...that is NOT an emergency.

So enough of the cell phone rant...lol. Having the iPod touch will be great for many reasons (Tanner already wants me to download a ton of apps for him...lol)

Are you ready for school? We are almost there. We have been getting back into the bedtime routine already and Matt is going back to his regular hours of 3-11 next week so he can get his body used to the change. That means, FHE on Sunday's and me and Tanner for supper alone. We get to have breakfast and/or lunch together and that's good because then we get to have at least one meal together as a family. I'm going to walk the route with Tanner a couple times this week so he knows it. His school supplies are bought and ready in his backpack.

I got Tanner a Thermos brand thermos for school (even though it wasn't on the school supply list, Matt said all the kids have one on their desks, and me, not wanting Tanner to be left out, decided to get one for him) and it is seriously the best thermos I have ever come across. He choose a Backugan one and it was so good I went back and got one myself (mine is Hannah Montana). Then when I was in Wal-Mart this week, I got him a second one (Cars) so that when one of them comes home, he can take a clean one to school.

Just how awesome are they? Well, when we went to the pool a couple weekends ago when it was at least +28 or more, I put a piece of ice in his thermos, filled it with water and took it to the pool. When we were done, 3 hours later, after sitting in the sun the whole time, it was STILL ice cold! I tested it with mine and it's the same. It is so good. So Tanner can have nice cold water all morning at school, because let's face it, room temperature water is just plain gross. I'm going to test it with Hot Chocolate and then he can have a warm drink on a cold day. I better stock up on Hot Chocolate because we go through it a lot in the cold months. It's like our daily drink. Usually in the evening.

Did you get your new Sears Christmas Wish Book? We just got our this week and it's getting pretty worn already. Tanner (and, let's be honest, I) looks forward to it every year.

Well, sorry that this is so long. I had a lot to share today. Have a great day!

5 cakes for Friday

Have you seen or heard of the show "Cake Boss"? It's such a fun show. Here are my 5 favorite cakes from the show (it's been on for 3 seasons)











This one was made for FAO shartz (or however you spell it)



Rachel Ray (see, she's on the top of the cake)

My life in photo's

I'm such a slacker! I apologize for not doing my 5 for Friday. It was a crazy weekend...fun but crazy. This weekend was my triathlon and my sister Megan and my nephew, Emerson, came down. So my time was much more wisely spent having fun with them.

This week I'm just going to give you a few of my life in photos.

My current job:




I love my job and hope to be there for a long time. I work as a receptionist at the Chiropractic office here in town. It's a huge learning experience and it's a great office to work at.

Favorite Meal:



We have this every Sunday. It's easy and cheap and we all love it. Matt won't eat it if it doesn't have meat in it but I like it without meat sometimes. It's a huge comfort food.

Instrument I play(ed):



In Jr.High I played the Trumpet. I HATED my teacher. She was what her name was.Even though I didn't like my teacher, I am glad that I learned to play. It's not an easy thing to play, though.





In High School I played Clarinet. I LOVED playing the Clarinet and I had an amazing teacher. Most everyone loved him.

I also play the piano. I am not very good but I can play. It makes me super nervous to play in front of people and I very rarely will. I played for years as a kid but I rarely practiced so it took me much longer. Plus when my Dad died, I took a year off. As an adult I would like to take lessons again. We'll see.

So there's a little bit more of me.

Did you Know???

That we're going to Salt Lake in less than 48 hours! That's right my friends...Sun, great company, first family vacation, no boiled water, no work, stress free. Ahhhh...I'm am about as giddy as a kid on Christmas Eve! I can't wait. We have waited and planned for this trip for about 3 years now. Every time we plan on going, Matt is in a seasonal job, or we don't have money. But now, we can go.

I'm also really excited to see my sister and brother in law for dinner tomorrow night. Those crazy kids are doing the Swam the Dam triathlon and they've been training for months. Not like me who's been training for only a month for my swimming event. They are amazing! I love when my family comes and I especially enjoy when Megan comes because we're pretty close.

Tanner is doing a bit better. He's eaten a bit more today. I'm going to try some bananas to replenish his potassium loss from the runs he's had. Also Pedialite as well. He doesn't really enjoy that very much, but he might drink it thinking it's juice. Cross my fingers.

Also, in case some of you haven't heard, Matt got the job at the school permanently full time and is on contract! He had it temporarily until the end of summer but they just hired him permanently. So that's also really great news. We are so happy and excited to be able to realistically look forward to saving for a house in the near future. Although the place we rent is perfect for us right now, our goal has always been to work towards home ownership. So that's kind of exciting for us.

Things are good right now. I won't have access to Internet in Salt Lake so you'll all have to wait until the 26 at the earliest for pictures and details of our most amazing, FIRST family vacation. Since I'll be kind of busy with last minute packing and mowing and cleaning, I will do my 5 for Friday today.

5 Blogs I LOVE right now:

Busy Bee Lauren: I adore this blog and I am so lucky that Kristi introduced me to this blog. She is totally *awesomespice*

Nine Peas in a Pod: I love that she is so open and honest and she is so funny.

Kinsey Holt Photography: Her pictures are so cute and fun and I just think she's an amazing photographer.

Rebecca Cooper: What's not to love about this blog. This girl is phenomenal. She is truly an amazing person and I love to read her blog

Tiffany: She is super witty and just says it like it is. Love that!

and as a bouns

Jody: she is my new "blogger" friend and she has a really witty sense of humor as well and her JAW are the best!



Have a great day!

Photo overload

5 colors I'm in love with right now

1. PINK. I am all over pink right now. I just bought a pink skirt at Value Village for $5.99 and I can't wait to wear it as often as I think I can get away with. I also have this pink top that I LOVE. Pink also looks good on pretty much every skin tone. And it really brings out your tan when you have one. Perfect!


2. AQUA. I don't know what it is about Aqua, but I love it. Maybe because it reminds me of water and the beautiful colored water in parts of the Kananaskis. So beautiful.



3. RED. Red is like the new neutral color for me. I think it should be worn with everything. I have a passion for red shoes. I have a few but I don't LOVE them. Partially because they give me blisters.


But don't you think these are cute?

















4. WHITE. White is so fresh and crisp for the summer and never under-estimate the power of wearing a plain white shirt with jeans. So cute! So fresh!

5. BROWN I'm not sure why I love brown so much right now, but I think it is a great color. Very neutral and looks good with anything.

My life in photographs:

Favorite piece of Jewellery: I have a few actually.




Obviously, my engagement and wedding bands are the most favorite and un-replaceable.




This is a favorite ring of mine because it belonged to my Mom's mom (my Nana). I remember her wearing it on occasion and it brings back lots of memories when I look at it.




I LOVE this necklace. Jamie gave it to me as a gift and it reminds me of her every time I wear it. It's just dainty enough that I can wear it casually or dress it up a bit.




I adore this necklace. My Mom gave it to me for my birthday this year and I wish I could wear it all the time but the clasp gives me a rash on the back of my neck. It is just such a beautiful necklace and I just love it.


Your Vehicle:



2003 Honda Civic. We love our little car. I know lots of people name their cars but we have never come up with a name for it. We actually bought a car from my cousin and we had to put a lot more money than it was worth into it. So we decided that we would bite the bullet and get a brand new car. We originally were going to look at some Hyundai's but we decided to look at Honda first. We loved what they had to offer and it was in our budget so we got the Honda.

My oldest pair of shoes:



I got these shoes even before I was married (so, more than 10 years). They were the first pair of shoes that I bought outside of Payless. They're ALDO sandals and I've never regretted buying them. I have had to glue the base down a few time but it usually last pretty long.


What do I own too much of:



C-L-O-T-H-E-S!!!! This is my closet. Matt's stuff is the stuff hanging on the left there in that little section. I also have my huge dresser and part of another closet with clothes. I am really super fortunate to get a lot of new clothes often because the lady my sister works for constantly goes through her stuff and gets rid of quite a bit. I would say I bought less than 25% of the stuff in my closet. It's a little much, but I like the variety.


What time do I get up:




I have to leave for work at 7:45 so I get up at 7. I try to get up at 7 every day to try and keep my body regulated. Saturday's is the one, sacred day that I sleep in. Matt is so good to me and lets me sleep in on Saturday's. He's the greatest!

5 for Friday

I can't believe how fast this week has gone by. Canada Day was great!

Every year I kind of dread it because I wasn't raised here and it seems like everyone has their huge family reunions coinciding with Canada Day and I always wish that was us too. It makes me feel a bit like an outsider. This year especially so because my own family did not come down like they have in the past. We went to the parade and then we took Tanner up to Vulcan (to meet up with my Mom) for his 2nd week (4 days really) of adventures (in Calgary) with my Mom. So it didn't make it as lonely as I thought it might be.

On the way back home, Matt and I went to the movie "The Last Airbender". It was REALLY good.

This week has been a bit of a reflective week. I'm kind of exposing myself emotionally in this weeks 5.


5 things I have learned about myself this week:

1. I'm more of a people watcher/listener when I'm around new people, than a conversationalist. I like to observe more than be involved in talking.

I know my personality can come off as strong or obnoxious (as I'm sure many of my friends who knew me growing up can attest to), so I have to really feel people out and get a sense of what their personalities are before I feel "safe" or comfortable letting my true self come out. I've grown up being loud all my life and so sometimes that's hard for me to wrangle in and control. It can really turn people off and I realize that. I'm working on it. It's a life's work in progress.



2. I'm pretty immature. I've known that I'm a little immature at times but this week, I think I've acted totally immature. This is NO surprise to most of you, but I'm really seeing it in myself this week.



3. I'm not a good conversationalist. Again, this kind of goes back to #1 but I don't really know what to talk to people about.

In certain situations it's really hard because being an "outsider", people here know each other and talk about people they know and how do you get "in" on a conversation like that.

I guess any new potential relationship is like dating. You have to ask questions to get to know others.

Plus, I'm actually not very intellectual. I don't really pay attention to what's going on politically or financially so it can sometimes limit what I can converse about. To me, smart people can talk about EVERYTHING. Some days I feel like a character off of "Clueless", or that I'm just the "nice" girl who doesn't really know much. I don't think that I'm stupid or anything, I just wish I was smarter in a different way. Does that make any sense?



4. I'm going through a period of unsteadiness in my life. I go through these phases (as I imagine some people do) where I'm not sure of myself or who I am or what I want. I mean, deep down, my heart knows that I'm a daughter of God, but my head isn't telling me the same thing. I'm content. I'm not sad or angry or feeling negative, just feeling a change. I know change is good. Perhaps I'm being humbled by the Lord.



5. I'd like to trade my body in. It is NOT doing anything I want it to do this week.

I was tearing up while running on Tuesday because my shins hurt so bad they were burning. And on Sunday (yes, I know, I broke the Sabbath by running on Sunday) when I was running, my calf muscles tightened up so much that it hurt to run.

I hate having to keep asking my chiropractor to put on kinesiology tape or adjust me, but if I don't have the tape on, my legs konk out on me.

Plus, all month I haven't been able to sleep. My brain just does not ever shut up! I mean, why do I need to think about stuff for 24 hours a day? My brain seems to have a problem with continual running thoughts.

OH and here's something I learned...did you know that you have a nerve called the Ulnar nerve? I didn't until I was at the hospital because my whole left arm went numb and so I went to the hospital and they said it was my ulnar nerve, and a million things could have set it off to cause numbness. Weird!

I know this kind of sounds like I'm complaining, but really I'm not. I just want a good nights sleep, and my body to cooperate so I can run and function like a normal person. I really enjoyed running while I was on my treadmill, but my body hates me or something because it does NOT like me running outside.


So that is my week "exposed".

5 for Friday

5...just a number

When I was 5 I would have been in pre-school and Kindergarten (my birthday is in April so I would have tuned 5 in April and finished being 5 in Kindergarten). pre-school and Kindergarten...I don't remember so much about pre-school but I remember this one time in Kindergarten. We did a Whinnie the Pooh play and I was a tree and I was so upset because I LOVED whinnie the Pooh and I thought I deserved to be him. But, I was not. Also, at the Christmas Concert, we did a song called Suzy Snowflake and I remember my Mom playing the piano for it and I thought I was the coolest kid around because MY mom got to play at MY concert. Clearly, I was not cool and am still not...lol

15! The good old teenage years. I had my first boyfriend (WHAT! A b/f @ 15! It is true...I was a rebel child). I had this huge crush on a boy named Clark but he was one of the popular kids and I was not so he didn't think anything other than I was a "loser". But then came Steve. Yes, we were in Drama class together and I don't really know why I was "in love" with him, but my heart twitterpated when I was around him. First loves....ahhhh....good times.

25. What was I doing at 25? I was preparing for Tanner's 3rd surgery. His Cleft Palate surgery. He also had another surgery that year, 6 months later. That was a very busy year for us but the end to his many surgeries was coming to a temporary end...for a season.

35. I'm not quite there yet, but I hope to have a house by then.

50! I am looking forward to 50. If we don't have any more kids (I want one more but it's up to the Lord), Tanner should be married by then and it will just be Matt and I. I am looking forward to traveling and going on a mission with Matt and just being the best I can be.

5 for Friday

5 general rules I have in my life:

1. Always try your best

2. Life is all about choices

3. Drink lots of water

4. Be punctual

5. Be honest

This week has been a not so great one. Probably one of the most stressful, overwhelming weeks I've had. Even more so than when Tanner was born. I am looking forward with hope that next week will be better.

Matt and I were not able to go to the temple yesterday because we were waiting around for the paper delivery guy to bring the papers. I guess his car broke down (poor him, but not poor us because we got called by some of our customers asking where their paper was) and they didn't show up until 5 o'clock. By then, Matt was at work and I didn't get home until 10pm. So they got delivered with today's papers. But we did get to go out for lunch together. We were going to go to the golf course but the road looked like it was rained out so we chose the Chinese food place. We ended up running into someone we hadn't seen in years and chatted with her so although it was nice to catch up, we didn't really get a "date". So I guess that means we'll get to go out again...right? lol

We will go to the temple next weekend. I planned a temporary alternate day this month. I'm not sure why I did, but I felt I should. It's a good thing I did.

I watched the movie "When in Rome" with Susanne last night. It was a good movie, but I probably wouldn't recommend it for the fact that it has sketch nudity in it. Think Titanic...when he sketches her naked. Although that may not phase other people, it does me. The story was cute and there was no swearing otherwise. It might make me a prude, but I just would rather not watch that stuff if I can help it. It's hard to know sometimes with movies. You live and you learn.

Glee...have you seen this show? I haven't and I would like to see one episode to see what the hype is about. Is it really any good? I imagine it's a bit like High School Musical crossed with Grease. Maybe I'm totally off base, but that's what it seems like.

I have been taking pictures for my "My life in Photographs" project...if that's what you can call it. It's kind of fun actually. It makes you really think about your life. I've always tried to keep a journal and although I'm not super faithful at it, I do try. Not too long ago, life seemed simpler and it was easy for me to keep up in my journal writing, but now it's not so easy.

Cleaning for other people has really taught me a lot. About myself and about what I want. I really enjoy cleaning for other people because I love seeing the end result and I love helping other people out.

Parenthood is HARD! I knew it was going to be hard but lately I feel like "what do I have to offer". Why did Tanner and/or the Lord choose me to be the parent of Tanner? Because I feel like I'm doing the worst job EVER! I'm glad that he's in Calgary right now because I really needed the break. Why don't parents ever get to have a "grandma" break? lol

The weather...although it has rained and rained, the prediction is that it's suppose to be a hot, dry summer and if that's true, we are all going to be wishing and praying for the rain. I know it may ruin farmers fields and even our own gardens, but this is the time to prepare. We need to stop being so complacent in our thoughts that we'll always have what we need and prepare now for the things that lie ahead of us. Storms are just the beginning. If we have poor fields, food is going to start to be scarce and then what? If we don't have what we have been told we need, then we have only ourselves to blame. So take this time and make sure you are at least prepared with 72 hour kits as a start. I know we have some work to do with our own 72 hour kits. We don't all have all the things we need. We have a large amount, but we are working toward having all of it.




Well, I'm off to clean my own house now. I hope everyone has a terrific weekend and I'll be back on Monday with "My life in Photographs".

Look how they've grown

I took these pictures, coincidentally 1 year apart. They both have grown soooo much...Megan, this is the first time you've seen the second one. If you want a copy, let me know. I'll send it with Mom next week ; )

My 5 for Friday:

5 things I'm looking forward to this weekend/next week

1. No pictures until next week of this one, but 2 of my very dear best friends are dancing tonight and tomorrow and I am so stinkin' pumped to see them. I am slightly envious because I really hoped I could do this with them. Maybe next year.




2. Having Tanner's ear checked. He has a lot of drainage and crustiness and I'm looking forward to getting it resolved. Little things....




3. Going on my monthly Temple date with Matt then...





4. On a real date with Matt.





5. Tanner going on his yearly visit to see Grandma/Aunties/Uncle/Cousin. We all look forward to this time of the year and it's especially special this year because my Mom is having Knee replacement surgery at the end of July (hopefully earlier...she's in A LOT of pain, constantly) so she only has this month and part of next to spend time with Tanner. They always do really fun things and we all appreciate each other much more after this time away from each other. He'll be back in time for Father's day with Matt so that will be perfect.

Have a terrific weekend!

5 for Friday

I can't believe how quickly this week passed by. This one today is a little more personal.

5 things I'm trying to improve on or be better at

1. Being more patient with my life

2. Going to bed at a decent hour. I've had a few headaches this week and I recently discovered that lack of sleep is the main factor in my headaches.

3. Manage my house (ie cleaning and laundry etc). This has become a little more difficult lately since I work and work and then work some more. It's not like we have a huge house that takes a lot of time to clean. I just need to be better at tidying up so that it doesn't get so out of control.

4. Figure out how to maximize my time with Tanner and be the best possible Mom to him so he can be spiritually strong and feel the peace of the comforter.

5. Manage our money better this month. I think we went a tad bit crazy last month because it was the first month we both got good wages and we ate out way more than we needed to...plus our income tax return came. We did get a fridge with part of that money. Ours keeps freezing our fruits and veggies and that's a money waster too. We came up with a budget and we are hoping to stick to it a little better than just spending money on dumb things like slurpees and candy.

I'm trying to focus on improving my life and myself lately and I'm feeling positive and optimistic. I think we can all get down on ourselves and we beat ourselves up way to easily. There are lots of serious things in life but we don't need to always be so serious about everything. At least that's what I'm trying to remember.

I think we're finally going to plant our garden tomorrow. I really hope so. I'm getting kind of anxious about it.

Well, enjoy the weekend!

5 for what...Friday already!

Where in the world did this week go?? I cannot believe that this week has flown by.

5 successes this week.

1. Biting my tongue when I was livid (look it up in the dictionary) at a certain someone for being treated blatantly unfair. It took me a lot of biting but in the end, it just doesn't matter. All I have to say is whatever (insert eye roll).

2. I purchased my first iTunes gift card and used it. I downloaded fru fru songs (more HSM...lol) but I love them and they make me smile and want to dance around and better yet, Tanner can listen to them and I don't worry about words or messages that could be inappropriate.

3. I ran without getting shin splints. My Chiropractor put this kinesiology tape on my legs that is supposed to help with that. My legs felt amazing! The only down side to it is that I have to keep it on for 5 days, (Dr.Bridge didn't tell me this until it was already on my legs) so that means I have to wear a long skirt on Sunday because it would be a little awkward to have blue tape showing on my legs at Stake Conference this week. So for those of you local friends/stalkers, if you see blue on my legs, no, I do not have some weird disease.

4. Matt and I were totally calm with Tanner when he had his temper tantrums this week (it was 99% of the time over the Wii). Sometimes it's hard as a parent to bridle that strong negative emotion when your child is being not so cooperative/kind, but we have managed to remove the source of the frustration.

5. Finding my charge cord to my iPod. You may not think this is a success or even important, but it is to me. I have a hard time running without music and if I need to zone out for a little while, my music is what I plug in. So in order for me to feel successful in running or be able to have the ability to be a calm person, I need music. That is why it was a successful thing for me to find my cord.

I had lots of failures this week, but those aren't important because tomorrow is another day and I can always try again tomorrow to improve and be better. I feel like I am better able to manage my time and that I can do what I need to.

For now, I'll leave you with a picture of Tanner's "best smile"



P.S. Those shorts are a size 4-5 (he's 6 and a half) and they are H-U-G-E. My Mom, thankfully, fixed them. Mom's are great! I don't know too many people who don't think that their Mom is the best Mom in the world. I know my Mom is for me.

Happy weekend!

5 for Friday

The 5 things that made me most happy this week...in no particular order



1. Matt and Tanner. They are so fun and love me for me and are both so good to me.





2. Going to Relief Society last Sunday and this Sunday. I miss it soooo much and love being able to go when I can.





3. Reading the messages in the Ensign. I love the General Conference issue and love re-reading the talks. I just finished reading President Uchtdorf's talk on patience. SO GOOD!!!!






4. Friends like Susanne, Sharon and Jamie (no picture). I know these are old pictures and you're both probably going to complain that you look terrible in them but I don't have recent pictures of either one of you so you'll both have to suck it up...lol. These friends are some of the greatest friends I have . Sharon watches Tanner and always has nice things to say no matter what. She's always so positive. And Susanne is there night or day whenever I need to talk or just to tell her good news or bad news...whatever it may be. Jamie is supportive and loyal and understanding and always puts equal amounts of effort into our friendship.




5. My sister's, Amy and Megan. These are pictures from last year's birthday because we are celebrating their birthday's tomorrow so you'll get pictures next week. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my sisters and they really are my biggest fans and greatest friends. Although we did not get along as kids (no one really liked me...I was a little mean) we have really become true friends as we've gotten older and married/moved away/went on missions. Each of my sisters (I have 3) are special and unique in their own way and I love them all.

There are other things that made me really happy this week. 5 is not even close to the number of things that made me happy this week. It is just a small fraction of all the blessings in my life.

Tanner lost his second bottom tooth. It was actually kind of funny because it was the night that I run and when I got home he said: I lost my tooth while you were running. He had been eating corn on the cob and it came out. He didn't tell the babysitter and so he said it fell on the floor and wanted me to help him find it. Right! because finding a tooth on a beige colored carpet is easy. I told him I would look for it while he went to bed but then he found it. I don't know how, but he has really good eyes.

I also planned our trip to Salt Lake. I thought I should think about booking a motel because it probably isn't smart to drive all the way there in one day. right? Tanner is an excellent traveller and we spoil him on trips...as in, we have a portable DVD machine that he can watch movies on. He really likes that so we have put some movies away until our trip so they'll be "new" for when we drive down there. I might see if I can borrow a couple from some friends, but if not, I think we'll be fine. We bought him this travel bingo game that he loves and also travel size Trouble. If you know of any other games/activities that you find your kids like, I would love to hear about them. Movies are the easy way out if he's getting bored but I would like him to do other things too. Books and music only go so far for him.

We are trying a few new things while we're there. Normally when I've gone, we do Temple square and shopping but this time we're going to do some tours and the Children's museum and the zoo. Now that a lot of the stores that use to be only in the states and not in Canada, are now in Canada, shopping won't be so "special". I remember Old Navy and Bath and Body Works were special stores but now that they are in Canada, the novelty isn't there as much. We always go to See's Candy store and this time we are actually going to do a tour of the Candy Factory that makes the world famous Salt Water Taffy. It should be fun. I'm sure Tanner will love it, if nothing else.

So I guess that's all for now. Have a great long weekend and don't get burnt!

5 for Friday

5 scents I love right now:

1. Anything Apple. I just got apple scented candles from Partylite and I can't get enough of them.

2. Peach. I can't wait to can again.

3. Fresh air. I love walking to work and smelling the fresh air in the morning.

4. Fresh cut grass. Matt mowed the lawn yesterday and it smells so nice.

5. My new perfume. It's Estee Lauder pleasures. It's light and fruity.

Have a great weekend!

5 people

5 People I'm really grateful for right now

1. Dawna
2. Sharon
3. Susanne
4. My Mom
5. The Savior

5 for Friday

5 things I'm really working hard on right now

1. Patience. This is especially hard right now since Matt is out of a job

2. Feeling like I'm a good person and worth something

3. Praying more sincerely

4. Not worrying about life and knowing it all right now

5. Knowing when to keep my mouth shut and keeping it that way.

I'm having a hard time with just going with the flow of things right now. I feel maybe it's because my normal flow of things includes Matt working. As much as I love him, sometimes it's hard to have him home and not doing much other than focusing on getting work. I wish that I could see the bigger picture a little more clearly but I'm stuck in this moment in time. How can you move forward when you don't even know what tomorrow will bring? Anyways, I sometimes wish that someone could just tell us what to do. We are having a hard time discerning that right now. You know when you have a friend over and you say "what do you want to do? and they say "I don't know. Whatever. What do you want to do?" It's so frustrating when that happens. Just tell me what you want. That's how I feel with the Lord. I just feel like "just tell me what you want us to do". Anyways....moving on....

I think about all the stories in the scriptures and how when the people were righteous and doing what they were supposed to, they lived in peace for many years, but then when they started to rebel, they got in wars etc. I feel in a way that we are being...I can't think of the word....ummmm....put through a test, rebuked, called to repentance...I think you know what I'm talking about. We haven't really had a lot of really really difficult, faith promoting trials in our life. We had one when we were first married, then again when Tanner was born and then now. I know in my heart, without a doubt, the Lord is strengthening us in our faith and our trust. And I know that He doesn't make it easy. But I KNOW that it will be worth it. It just, we're in the eye of the storm, so to speak. Like we've been walking in the desert or over the plains and our journey has come to a hardship and we can't move forward until we overcome the hardship. Like the Pioneers. I know this all may sound crazy or weird but it makes sense to me. I'm not just complaining about going through a difficult time, I'm trying to make sense of it all and compare it to what I know other people have gone through. Some people are blessed with having a better sense of their life mapped out for them, but for us, we have to take it one trial at a time. And luckily, we haven't had to face too many really trying difficult, nearly impossible ones. I know this is just another thread in our tapestry of our life. It will add depth and color to our life in a way that we don't fully comprehend or appreciate yet. But we will come to that understanding and be better for it in the end.

I know we all go through "wo is me" moments in life and I'm going through one right now. Though I know we won't be in this rut forever, I'm trying hard to stay positive and focused on keeping things running somewhat smoothly in our home and in my life and the life of my family. We will never give up and we will endure to the end, always. Because when all is said and done, I want to know that I gave it my best effort and all my heart. To know that it really was worth all the frustrations and worry and tears etc etc. So, that's my peace on that.

5 5 5 5 5

Hmmmm....so I don't really know what to write for my Friday five today. While I think about it, I'll just write. Last week Tanner told me I was his friend and I said of course I was. Then today he told me that he wanted a new mother and that he wanted me to leave forever and not come back. So, I hope that life tips more towards the first and not the second part of that. I almost cried when he said that to me. Whatever...he was just mad that I wouldn't let him dump his dipping sauce all over the table. He'll get over it.

Okay, here's my 5 major accomplishments in life

1. Getting over grieving for my Dad

2. Playing the Piano in Sunridge Mall when I was about 8 years old (I might have been younger, but I was young)

3. Becoming more physically fit.

4. Understanding more about the gospel every time I read my scriptures or prepare my lesson.

5. Being married. It takes a lot of work to become the kind of person that can be married. You don't just get married and things finally are good. It takes a lot of everyday work to be married and stay married and have a marriage. That is what is important is marriage. It's the difference between someone wanting a baby and wanting to be a mother. There is a HUGE difference between the two. Just like there is a difference between wanting or getting married and having and maintaining a marriage. The first is just a physical act and the second is about the principles and development on the act. It's not just enough to do the act to make it meaningful, you have to nurture that act. Like growing a garden.
Okay, I'm sure my point is clear but it takes work to be married. And even though I'm not done at all, I'm proud of the accomplishments I have made in marriage.

5 ifs...

If I were a trillionaire I would:
-build an exact replica of my Dad's family Farm and the house my Grandma lived in in Raymond
-pay off our debts
-buy a modest house with a really great landscaped yard and a HUGE garden
-buy everyone in my immediate family a year and a half of food storage
-put money into Tanners RESP's
-donate money to some really good causes like Operation Smile (for kids born with face deformities like Cleft's etc), Cancer reasearch, Diabetes Research, 3rd world countries
-buy all the rubber stamps and paper and ribbon I could dream of to make cards and sell them or make them for other people to give away
-go back to school

If I were a 100% sahm, I would NEVER get out of my P.J's unless I had to go out. This would be mostly when Tanner is in school. And I would go out when it was the last possible minute so I could stay in my p.j's longer

If I could have any kind of vehicle I wanted, I would have a Honda Oddessy with all the extra's except GPS. But I would have leather insides and heated seats etc.

If I could only ever read one book over and over again and only have 1 book in my house it would be, hands down, no questions asked, The Book of Mormon.

If this list isn't silly, then I don't know what is...lol