I saw this on someone's blog aqnd thought it would be fun!! You should do it too!
Just copy and paste the 200 statements then bold the ones you have done.
Have fun!
The idea is to highlight the things you have done out of the 200 items on the list.
The things I have done are in bold print!
1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone - verbal not physical
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe.
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
It's Not Fall Yet!
OK, here in Georgia it's supposed to be hot through September and, usually, well into October. I can only think of one Halloween since we moved here that it's been cold enough for the girls to need jackets for Trick-or-Treating. Well, apparently Mother Nature has her seasons mixed up! Yesterday morning I took B to soccer...had to be there at 8:15 and it was COLD! The wind was blowing and it was cloudy...brr! I had goosebumps and ended up running home after the first game to get a jacket. Of course, by then the wind died down and it was hot and I ended up with a touch of sunburn.
It seemed like football weather, really. But then the afternoon was hot again. This morning, once again, it was cool and breezy and even a bit drizzly. This is September! It's still supposed to be in the 80s and 90s! I guess it really is time to start thinking about fall. This coming weekend we'll be out of town for soccer on Saturday so we'll probably stop at the outlets on the way home and do some fall shopping for the girls.
I am thrilled to report that our friend who was struck by lightning is doing very well -- miraculously well, in fact. There have been so many prayers on his behalf. Prayer works!
A's softball season is almost over...two more games. She hasn't gotten to play the position she likes best as much as she would like, but this season she's gotten to play a new position and found that she's really good at it and actually likes it.
Sometimes it takes someone putting us in a new situation and forcing us to try it before we realize that we actually like it. Stepping out of our comfort zone is not always easy. That's how my calling as Young Women's President has turned out to be. I thought that being released from Primary after years and years and years would be the end of my life...my heart was broken and I cried for weeks (seriously -- weeks -- actually, more like almost 2 months). I never thought I would love another calling as much as Primary. And now I have come to love these girls and this calling. Granted, I had most of these girls in Primary so I already had relationships with them. But I have realized over the last two weeks just how much I love them and love working with them.
We had our Young Women in Excellence program this last week. We tweaked things a bit and put the girls on "trial" to see if they could be convicted of living the gospel standards and the Young Women values. It was SO much fun! We had a great time - the girls were all surprised and the parents (the "witnesses" against the girls) were wonderful and really got into the spirit of it. I wanted the girls to realize that we, their leaders and parents, really do notice the good, wonderful things they do and the sweet, amazing young ladies they are. It was so much fun. And it was then, during that program, that I was struck by just how much they all mean to me and how much I love them. I am grateful that Heavenly Father knew that I needed to get out of my comfort zone and try something new -- something I never would have tried on my own. Just like a coach, He knows what we need and where we need to serve in order to continue to grow.
Last week was full of rain...this week I have found rainbows.
It seemed like football weather, really. But then the afternoon was hot again. This morning, once again, it was cool and breezy and even a bit drizzly. This is September! It's still supposed to be in the 80s and 90s! I guess it really is time to start thinking about fall. This coming weekend we'll be out of town for soccer on Saturday so we'll probably stop at the outlets on the way home and do some fall shopping for the girls.
I am thrilled to report that our friend who was struck by lightning is doing very well -- miraculously well, in fact. There have been so many prayers on his behalf. Prayer works!
A's softball season is almost over...two more games. She hasn't gotten to play the position she likes best as much as she would like, but this season she's gotten to play a new position and found that she's really good at it and actually likes it.
Sometimes it takes someone putting us in a new situation and forcing us to try it before we realize that we actually like it. Stepping out of our comfort zone is not always easy. That's how my calling as Young Women's President has turned out to be. I thought that being released from Primary after years and years and years would be the end of my life...my heart was broken and I cried for weeks (seriously -- weeks -- actually, more like almost 2 months). I never thought I would love another calling as much as Primary. And now I have come to love these girls and this calling. Granted, I had most of these girls in Primary so I already had relationships with them. But I have realized over the last two weeks just how much I love them and love working with them.
We had our Young Women in Excellence program this last week. We tweaked things a bit and put the girls on "trial" to see if they could be convicted of living the gospel standards and the Young Women values. It was SO much fun! We had a great time - the girls were all surprised and the parents (the "witnesses" against the girls) were wonderful and really got into the spirit of it. I wanted the girls to realize that we, their leaders and parents, really do notice the good, wonderful things they do and the sweet, amazing young ladies they are. It was so much fun. And it was then, during that program, that I was struck by just how much they all mean to me and how much I love them. I am grateful that Heavenly Father knew that I needed to get out of my comfort zone and try something new -- something I never would have tried on my own. Just like a coach, He knows what we need and where we need to serve in order to continue to grow.
Last week was full of rain...this week I have found rainbows.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Not sure how to title this....
This has been a sad week. Not really an easy week. A week in which I have been reminded on three separate days of how incredibly precious and tenuous life really is. A week in which I have cried a few times...
The funeral was Monday for my friend (he is also the father of two of my friends). He passed away a week ago today after a long battle with breast cancer. He was brave and strong and faithful to the end. So very faithful. I was honored to be asked to lead the music at his funeral. It was beautiful -- a very beautiful funeral and one that was so fitting for him...music and love and laughter. Tears of sadness for my friend's family who miss him so...but also joy because he is reunited with his daughter who died so long ago, and because he is finally free of the cancer that ravaged his body.
Yesterday, of course, was 9/11. I was surprised to find only one replaying of the horrible images of that day on TV...and that was late last night on the History Channel. Have we forgotten? I hope not. I have not. We cannot. We cannot afford to forget.
And then last night, a friend of DH's was struck by lightning and is in critical condition. He is a kind man -- he greeted me with a smile everytime he saw me...kept a distant eye on our daughter while she was in middle school...coaches basketball with my DH and so they spend a lot of time together. Please keep Coach Martin in your prayers. The entire thing is so random and so tragic. A total of 13 people were injured in the lightning strike. More tears.
Sometimes there is more rain in a week than there is sunshine. That is how this week has felt for me. But the wonderful thing is that rain brings with it the promise of rainbows.
I love rainbows.
The funeral was Monday for my friend (he is also the father of two of my friends). He passed away a week ago today after a long battle with breast cancer. He was brave and strong and faithful to the end. So very faithful. I was honored to be asked to lead the music at his funeral. It was beautiful -- a very beautiful funeral and one that was so fitting for him...music and love and laughter. Tears of sadness for my friend's family who miss him so...but also joy because he is reunited with his daughter who died so long ago, and because he is finally free of the cancer that ravaged his body.
Yesterday, of course, was 9/11. I was surprised to find only one replaying of the horrible images of that day on TV...and that was late last night on the History Channel. Have we forgotten? I hope not. I have not. We cannot. We cannot afford to forget.
And then last night, a friend of DH's was struck by lightning and is in critical condition. He is a kind man -- he greeted me with a smile everytime he saw me...kept a distant eye on our daughter while she was in middle school...coaches basketball with my DH and so they spend a lot of time together. Please keep Coach Martin in your prayers. The entire thing is so random and so tragic. A total of 13 people were injured in the lightning strike. More tears.
Sometimes there is more rain in a week than there is sunshine. That is how this week has felt for me. But the wonderful thing is that rain brings with it the promise of rainbows.
I love rainbows.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
I Love Technology!
A couple of weeks ago I started a Facebook account. I really didn't think much of it at the time -- I did it because my Dad and two of my sisters had Facebook accounts.
Imagine my surprise when I logged into my account on Sunday and saw messages from several of my high school friends -- friends I had lost touch with a long time ago (and no, I won't tell you exactly how long ago, LOL)! SO exciting! So now I'm able to be back in touch with some of my close friends. It's so much fun to read their blogs and see what they're up to...one of them has SIX boys -- yes, six! Another has four boys and just found out she's having a baby girl. Isn't that exciting?
When you stop and think about it, our lives seem to be ruled by technology these days. I have to have my cell phone with me when I'm away from home, particularly if the girls are at home and need to get in touch with me. I'm permanently connected, non-stop, to my e-mail at work. My work phone seems to ring off the hook. We have ready, instant access to so much information on the internet. Cook dinner without my microwave? Craziness. Digital cameras that instantly show us the picture we just took. Thank goodness I have a washer and dryer (that reminds me, I'm behind on laundry again)...a TV to keep track of the weather (looks like tropical storm Hanna might miss us after all) and watch all of our favorite shows...DVD players to watch movies when the hundreds of channels on our Dish Network don't have anything really good to watch (how sad is it that that happens more often than it should?)...
And yet, with all of this technology that is supposed to make our lives easier and free up time for us, we still have trouble squeezing the truly important things into our busy lives....
Yes, I do love technology...I love that it's put me back in touch with friends I had almost lost hope of ever talking to again because I didn't know how to find them. I love that I can contact my husband or kids almost anytime, anywhere...I love that I can find information online...but maybe it wouldn't be so bad for me to learn to better use all of the "free time" this technology has supposedly created for me!
Imagine my surprise when I logged into my account on Sunday and saw messages from several of my high school friends -- friends I had lost touch with a long time ago (and no, I won't tell you exactly how long ago, LOL)! SO exciting! So now I'm able to be back in touch with some of my close friends. It's so much fun to read their blogs and see what they're up to...one of them has SIX boys -- yes, six! Another has four boys and just found out she's having a baby girl. Isn't that exciting?
When you stop and think about it, our lives seem to be ruled by technology these days. I have to have my cell phone with me when I'm away from home, particularly if the girls are at home and need to get in touch with me. I'm permanently connected, non-stop, to my e-mail at work. My work phone seems to ring off the hook. We have ready, instant access to so much information on the internet. Cook dinner without my microwave? Craziness. Digital cameras that instantly show us the picture we just took. Thank goodness I have a washer and dryer (that reminds me, I'm behind on laundry again)...a TV to keep track of the weather (looks like tropical storm Hanna might miss us after all) and watch all of our favorite shows...DVD players to watch movies when the hundreds of channels on our Dish Network don't have anything really good to watch (how sad is it that that happens more often than it should?)...
And yet, with all of this technology that is supposed to make our lives easier and free up time for us, we still have trouble squeezing the truly important things into our busy lives....
Yes, I do love technology...I love that it's put me back in touch with friends I had almost lost hope of ever talking to again because I didn't know how to find them. I love that I can contact my husband or kids almost anytime, anywhere...I love that I can find information online...but maybe it wouldn't be so bad for me to learn to better use all of the "free time" this technology has supposedly created for me!
Friday, August 29, 2008
It's so quiet in here.....
Since DH and the girls got back from their trip to Utah this summer, I have made it a point to NOT be in the house alone. That month was just too long and too quiet. But here I sit, in an empty, quiet house. DH and A are at a softball game, B is playing at a friend's house, and the dogs are outside. The only noise is the washing machine in the background (yikes, I have a lot of laundry that needs to be done!).
Laundry...with A and DH both doing softball, plus A having PE every day this semester, there is LOTS of laundry to do! Fortunately they both do their own laundry. I do mine and B's, and with her in soccer again there is lots of laundry to do for her. I don't mind washing and folding -- it's the putting away that drives me crazy!
Both girls continue to do well in school. As has been the pattern since A left elementary school, the only teacher we have an issue with is her social studies/civics teachers. Every year since 6th grade...why???? The sad part is, that's my favorite subject and it could be so much fun if the teacher would put something into it besides lecturing. She showed me all the pages of notes she's taken since the school year started about 3 weeks ago -- it's crazy!
I love our new computer, except for one thing -- some of the keys on the keyboard are in different places so I keep hitting the wrong keys (the end key, delete key, page up, page down). It's driving me crazy.
Work is going fairly well...typical crazy end-of-fiscal-year stuff, and trying to get a huge new contract up and running, and starting a new project that is getting a lot of attention...so there is no shortage of work, stress, or insanity. Seems to be about par for the course. In the last two weeks I have been offered/asked to apply for three different jobs...all of which would take us away from here. Sometimes I wonder if that's a sign...but none of them feel right at this time. I wonder why it is that people at other locations are interested in promoting me, but no one is here? The mysteries of life...
I read The Host by Stephenie Meyer last weekend/early this week. Wow! It's unlike any book I've ever read. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Twilight series, but I definitely enjoyed it and have been going back through, rereading sections and analyzing it with a friend of mine. There are some interesting themes in the book -- agency vs. choice, inner beauty and attraction to what's on the inside vs. outer beauty and attraction to the physical, the importance of kindness, the need to have opposites (and opposition)...very interesting things to think about and discuss. Because Stephenie Meyer is an LDS author, I think she can't help but weave her personal beliefs and values into her stories. She isn't preachy at all, and there are no LDS characters in her books (although I wonder if Angela in the Twilight series might be...)...but I love that she includes moral themes, even if it is not intentional. Things like chastity before marriage, agency, the concept of eternal love...
Reading these books has reminded me how much I love reading -- how relaxing it is to me and how much I do enjoy analyzing a good story. My friend has even convinced me to read some Jane Austen -- can you believe I've never read anything by Jane Austen before? (No, I haven't seen the movies, either)
B is supposed to be on TV during the muscular dystrophy telethon this weekend. She'll be interviewed Monday morning. No idea what time they'll show her "snippet," though. She was involved in a muscular dystrophy fundraiser at her school last year so they're interviewing her for that. We went shopping tonight and bought her a cute new outfit. I am SO glad school is going better for her so far this year!
Tomorrow A and I will be going to a youth activity about 2 hours away. They're calling it a youth conference, although when I was a youth, youth conference was 2 days long at least. It will be interesting and I hope we have a good time. I didn't know how I would feel about my calling as YW President, especially because I love Primary so much and spent so many years there, but I have found that I really love the girls that I work with. It's amazing to spend time with them and see the potential they each have...and it's painful to watch when they do things that bring them short of that potential. I think this must be how Heavenly Father feels about us...He knows our potential, he knows our talents and gifts and abilities...and it must pain Him when we fall short, either because we just don't try or because we intentionally choose another path. And yet He still loves us, unconditionally. I almost feel like these girls I work with are an extension of my family -- about 18 more daughters! I felt that way about my Primary children, too, and thought that surely I could never feel that way again after I left Primary. I was surprised at how quickly -- almost instantly -- I have grown to love these girls.
A sweet man at church is dying from cancer. Two of his daughters are my friends -- one of them is a very dear friend and I haven't spent as much time with her as I want to over the last few years...I need to change that. This sweet man sang in our ward choir as long as I can remember, until the cancer took that ability away from him. He has not been able to be at church regularly for a while now, but he brings a smile to my face each time I see him. It has saddened me deeply, his suffering...and his family's sadness and suffering. As I have thought about him and his family, including my dear friend, over the last few days, I have been reminded of how grateful I am for the sure knowledge I have that families can be together forever, that this does not have to be the end of those relationships. It does not make things less painful, at least I don't think so, but it does make them more bearable.
I didn't mean to leave this blog entry on a sad note...maybe it's being alone in this house, with it so quiet, that gives me a rare moment to reflect and really think about things. I don't know.
So I suppose I'll leave off on this note -- think of me tomorrow as I drive 5 giggling, shrieking, squealing teenage girls about two hours in a minivan -- I'll probably need a serious dose of Excedrin before the day is out!
Laundry...with A and DH both doing softball, plus A having PE every day this semester, there is LOTS of laundry to do! Fortunately they both do their own laundry. I do mine and B's, and with her in soccer again there is lots of laundry to do for her. I don't mind washing and folding -- it's the putting away that drives me crazy!
Both girls continue to do well in school. As has been the pattern since A left elementary school, the only teacher we have an issue with is her social studies/civics teachers. Every year since 6th grade...why???? The sad part is, that's my favorite subject and it could be so much fun if the teacher would put something into it besides lecturing. She showed me all the pages of notes she's taken since the school year started about 3 weeks ago -- it's crazy!
I love our new computer, except for one thing -- some of the keys on the keyboard are in different places so I keep hitting the wrong keys (the end key, delete key, page up, page down). It's driving me crazy.
Work is going fairly well...typical crazy end-of-fiscal-year stuff, and trying to get a huge new contract up and running, and starting a new project that is getting a lot of attention...so there is no shortage of work, stress, or insanity. Seems to be about par for the course. In the last two weeks I have been offered/asked to apply for three different jobs...all of which would take us away from here. Sometimes I wonder if that's a sign...but none of them feel right at this time. I wonder why it is that people at other locations are interested in promoting me, but no one is here? The mysteries of life...
I read The Host by Stephenie Meyer last weekend/early this week. Wow! It's unlike any book I've ever read. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Twilight series, but I definitely enjoyed it and have been going back through, rereading sections and analyzing it with a friend of mine. There are some interesting themes in the book -- agency vs. choice, inner beauty and attraction to what's on the inside vs. outer beauty and attraction to the physical, the importance of kindness, the need to have opposites (and opposition)...very interesting things to think about and discuss. Because Stephenie Meyer is an LDS author, I think she can't help but weave her personal beliefs and values into her stories. She isn't preachy at all, and there are no LDS characters in her books (although I wonder if Angela in the Twilight series might be...)...but I love that she includes moral themes, even if it is not intentional. Things like chastity before marriage, agency, the concept of eternal love...
Reading these books has reminded me how much I love reading -- how relaxing it is to me and how much I do enjoy analyzing a good story. My friend has even convinced me to read some Jane Austen -- can you believe I've never read anything by Jane Austen before? (No, I haven't seen the movies, either)
B is supposed to be on TV during the muscular dystrophy telethon this weekend. She'll be interviewed Monday morning. No idea what time they'll show her "snippet," though. She was involved in a muscular dystrophy fundraiser at her school last year so they're interviewing her for that. We went shopping tonight and bought her a cute new outfit. I am SO glad school is going better for her so far this year!
Tomorrow A and I will be going to a youth activity about 2 hours away. They're calling it a youth conference, although when I was a youth, youth conference was 2 days long at least. It will be interesting and I hope we have a good time. I didn't know how I would feel about my calling as YW President, especially because I love Primary so much and spent so many years there, but I have found that I really love the girls that I work with. It's amazing to spend time with them and see the potential they each have...and it's painful to watch when they do things that bring them short of that potential. I think this must be how Heavenly Father feels about us...He knows our potential, he knows our talents and gifts and abilities...and it must pain Him when we fall short, either because we just don't try or because we intentionally choose another path. And yet He still loves us, unconditionally. I almost feel like these girls I work with are an extension of my family -- about 18 more daughters! I felt that way about my Primary children, too, and thought that surely I could never feel that way again after I left Primary. I was surprised at how quickly -- almost instantly -- I have grown to love these girls.
A sweet man at church is dying from cancer. Two of his daughters are my friends -- one of them is a very dear friend and I haven't spent as much time with her as I want to over the last few years...I need to change that. This sweet man sang in our ward choir as long as I can remember, until the cancer took that ability away from him. He has not been able to be at church regularly for a while now, but he brings a smile to my face each time I see him. It has saddened me deeply, his suffering...and his family's sadness and suffering. As I have thought about him and his family, including my dear friend, over the last few days, I have been reminded of how grateful I am for the sure knowledge I have that families can be together forever, that this does not have to be the end of those relationships. It does not make things less painful, at least I don't think so, but it does make them more bearable.
I didn't mean to leave this blog entry on a sad note...maybe it's being alone in this house, with it so quiet, that gives me a rare moment to reflect and really think about things. I don't know.
So I suppose I'll leave off on this note -- think of me tomorrow as I drive 5 giggling, shrieking, squealing teenage girls about two hours in a minivan -- I'll probably need a serious dose of Excedrin before the day is out!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Update...
Yes, I know -- that's a terribly exciting, descriptive title for a blog entry! LOL
A's team won their first softball game...A was the starting pitcher as well as lead-off batter...she also scored a run. Yea! B had a fundraiser "fun run" at school and ran 2 1/4 miles. Wow! She was sore for a few days after that. DH's team also won a game this week...so that's two wins, one loss for them.
I decided not to do the job interview. It just wasn't the right timing, nor was it the right job. I'm happy with the decision. Interestingly enough, I was approached this week with two other job opportunities...both would involve leaving here so I'm not pursuing them right now. Of course, the one that I really want the most is the one I'm not qualified (I would have to be promoted to the next grade and be at that grade for a year before I would be eligible). But it's nice to know that people "at the top" know who I am and are interested in my abilities and what I have to offer.
And in other news...I have a secret to share. While DH and the girls were gone this summer, I got hooked on the Twilight books. Seriously hooked. As in really, entirely, completely, and totally hooked. Yeah. Bigtime hooked. LOL I have spent a lot of time analyzing, dissecting, and discussing the books and characters with one of my friends and it reminded me how much I love literature and doing that kind of analysis. Darn, maybe I should have been a literature teacher! Seriously, I have really enjoyed our discussions. I have to admit that I am 200% on "Team Edward" and was so glad when Bella finally got that entire thing straightened out (for those of you who have read the books, you know what I'm talking about -- and for those of you who haven't, you'll just have to read them). I'm looking forward to seeing the movie on opening night...going with a friend and taking a bunch of the YW with us because they want to see it to. We can't wait!
But these books have reminded me, again, how much I love to read. Not just anything...but I do love to read. I love the Harry Potter books and have enjoyed reading, analyzing, and discussion them with my sisters and friends. And now I have another series to read, analyze and discuss. I can't wait to start reading "The Host," Stephenie Meyer's latest novel. I find it incredibly refreshing to find books that are not filled with profanity, sex, drugs, drinking, etc. I must admit to loving the Shopaholic series, but there are things that leave much to be desired. And there really isn't any analyzing that can be done with those books, LOL! But with Harry Potter and the Twilight books, there is so much to think about. I love books like that. I love that the Twilight books convey romantic intensity without immorality...What can I say -- I'm a sucker for a beautiful love story, and Edward and Bella's love story is about as good as it gets (at least in the reading I've done in the last several years).
And so we prepare to begin another week here...with me reading bits and pieces of my favorite scenes from the books late at night...dreading this weekend because A has a birthday that not only reminds me that my first baby is growing up, but that I am also getting older (don't you just hate how that happens?), and wondering if there is any way I can get DH to read the Twilight books and pick up a few romantic hints.
OK, quit laughing. I know that last one is just a dream! LOL
A's team won their first softball game...A was the starting pitcher as well as lead-off batter...she also scored a run. Yea! B had a fundraiser "fun run" at school and ran 2 1/4 miles. Wow! She was sore for a few days after that. DH's team also won a game this week...so that's two wins, one loss for them.
I decided not to do the job interview. It just wasn't the right timing, nor was it the right job. I'm happy with the decision. Interestingly enough, I was approached this week with two other job opportunities...both would involve leaving here so I'm not pursuing them right now. Of course, the one that I really want the most is the one I'm not qualified (I would have to be promoted to the next grade and be at that grade for a year before I would be eligible). But it's nice to know that people "at the top" know who I am and are interested in my abilities and what I have to offer.
And in other news...I have a secret to share. While DH and the girls were gone this summer, I got hooked on the Twilight books. Seriously hooked. As in really, entirely, completely, and totally hooked. Yeah. Bigtime hooked. LOL I have spent a lot of time analyzing, dissecting, and discussing the books and characters with one of my friends and it reminded me how much I love literature and doing that kind of analysis. Darn, maybe I should have been a literature teacher! Seriously, I have really enjoyed our discussions. I have to admit that I am 200% on "Team Edward" and was so glad when Bella finally got that entire thing straightened out (for those of you who have read the books, you know what I'm talking about -- and for those of you who haven't, you'll just have to read them). I'm looking forward to seeing the movie on opening night...going with a friend and taking a bunch of the YW with us because they want to see it to. We can't wait!
But these books have reminded me, again, how much I love to read. Not just anything...but I do love to read. I love the Harry Potter books and have enjoyed reading, analyzing, and discussion them with my sisters and friends. And now I have another series to read, analyze and discuss. I can't wait to start reading "The Host," Stephenie Meyer's latest novel. I find it incredibly refreshing to find books that are not filled with profanity, sex, drugs, drinking, etc. I must admit to loving the Shopaholic series, but there are things that leave much to be desired. And there really isn't any analyzing that can be done with those books, LOL! But with Harry Potter and the Twilight books, there is so much to think about. I love books like that. I love that the Twilight books convey romantic intensity without immorality...What can I say -- I'm a sucker for a beautiful love story, and Edward and Bella's love story is about as good as it gets (at least in the reading I've done in the last several years).
And so we prepare to begin another week here...with me reading bits and pieces of my favorite scenes from the books late at night...dreading this weekend because A has a birthday that not only reminds me that my first baby is growing up, but that I am also getting older (don't you just hate how that happens?), and wondering if there is any way I can get DH to read the Twilight books and pick up a few romantic hints.
OK, quit laughing. I know that last one is just a dream! LOL
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Two Weeks Down...How Many Left?
The first two weeks of school are over. I am thrilled to report that they have been great! A has taken to high school like a fish to water -- truth be told, DH and I have been pleasantly surprised at how much she absolutely loves it and how much she has blossomed in the last two weeks. She is doing well in her classes and has lots of friends. Seminary is going well -- other than the fact that she's exhausted all the time! Seminary plus softball practice makes for a very long, exhausting day. And on the softball front, she made the JV team and will most likely be the starting pitcher. She is also one of the fastest runners on JV or Varsity and may get to be a base runner in some varsity games. She's very excited!
B is also off to a great start. We worked with her teachers and the school to put some things in place this year to help keep her interested and challenged and we're looking forward to seeing how those work out. She also had her first soccer tournament yesterday (in Alabama of all places). The first game didn't go so well -- they played against an older, more experienced team. But they tied the second game and she was happy with it all. She got a sunburn, which isn't fun, and her legs are sore today, but she enjoyed it.
We had the opportunity to go to a water park as a family with some of A's friends last weekend. It was so much fun! We really enjoyed it. Due to a mixup with the tickets, A and I went back again yesterday with most of the same friends. I was able to work up my courage to go on 3 water slides I hadn't tried before. That may not be a big deal to anyone else, but I'm a wimp when it comes to rides! We had a great time.
I'll be teaching both the Mia Maids (14-15 year old girls) and Laurels (16-17 year old girls) at church today. Guess I need to get started on the lesson...
I also have an interview tomorrow for a job that I really don't want, but I decided to do the interview to get some interview experience. There are a couple of jobs coming up relatively soon that I really do want, so I need to warm up my interviewing skills. We'll see how it goes....
B is also off to a great start. We worked with her teachers and the school to put some things in place this year to help keep her interested and challenged and we're looking forward to seeing how those work out. She also had her first soccer tournament yesterday (in Alabama of all places). The first game didn't go so well -- they played against an older, more experienced team. But they tied the second game and she was happy with it all. She got a sunburn, which isn't fun, and her legs are sore today, but she enjoyed it.
We had the opportunity to go to a water park as a family with some of A's friends last weekend. It was so much fun! We really enjoyed it. Due to a mixup with the tickets, A and I went back again yesterday with most of the same friends. I was able to work up my courage to go on 3 water slides I hadn't tried before. That may not be a big deal to anyone else, but I'm a wimp when it comes to rides! We had a great time.
I'll be teaching both the Mia Maids (14-15 year old girls) and Laurels (16-17 year old girls) at church today. Guess I need to get started on the lesson...
I also have an interview tomorrow for a job that I really don't want, but I decided to do the interview to get some interview experience. There are a couple of jobs coming up relatively soon that I really do want, so I need to warm up my interviewing skills. We'll see how it goes....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)