Ellie Dawn

I love Sundays. I especially love that I get to spend time with my family. Most of my family live in the same house right now, so that makes it easy. Today Ellie and I got to hang out for a minute while her parents were gone. I got my computer. She had to get hers too. She typed on her computer that I am the best aunt ever. :) I asked her what I should type about her. This is what Ellie says about herself. "I love to see the temple and I love to go to church. I love to have my birthday. I love my mommy and I love my dad and I love my whole family. " Well, there you have it. I love this girl. She is usually happy and so sweet. I am so glad I am an aunt!

Bad News and Change

When will the bad news and big change stop? Seriously people! It is just one thing after another. I thought February was bad, but I think March is getting worse by the minute...

On a happier note, it is Thursday night. The temple and a workout. Now a shower and bed. That sounds nice. And tomorrow is Friday. I love Fridays! And then there's the weekend. Maybe I will be able to sleep in and clean my house. It's shaping up to be a pleasant weekend.

Despite it all, I am trying to keep a smile on my face.

This weekend brought to ME by the letter S!

St. George. Stamping. Sunshine. Swimming. Shopping.

What a nice weekend! A HUGE shout out to Dawn for planning it. Thanks Dawn and Alyssa for a great weekend adventure.

February...

We've almost made it through February, and not a moment too soon. Here are some of my thoughts about things that have happened this month.

What happens to 6th graders once February hits?! Last year and this year have been pretty similar. They are finally figuring out that they want to have attitude. I have spent A LOT of time putting out fires. Maybe once March comes it will all magically get better! We can hope.

In the month of February we celebrate 4 birthdays in my family, all within a week of each other. So happy birthday once again to Allie, Kim, Keegan and Brock. I am so grateful for ALL of you!

A few extended family members have dealt with difficult things. I think my next blog post will be about how much CANCER SUCKS! Many people say it is a blessing, but I have a hard time seeing it that way, even still.

I taught my young women today. For some reason I really wanted this to be a fabulous lesson. I think all too often we get caught up in our lives and don't think about the purpose and meaning each of us have to life and to our Heavenly Father. This lesson was about our purpose in this life. I loved all the quotes. If you are ever having a "why am I here?" day or feeling like "I'm not important" that is not true. Our lives have purpose. My purpose isn't the same as it was though. I have had to spend the past 2 1/2 years reevaluating and defining my purpose. One of the young women responded with "that's so sad." It is sad, but that's life. We are constantly changing and growing. That is the purpose of this life.

“I believe that God has … chosen each of you for something of consequence in his grand design. … He loves you and he has a work for each of you to do." -President Hinckley

So there is my sermon for the week!

I thought I was going CRAZY!

Happy Valentine's Day. Don't you love this photo?! Hopefully you actually see the heart in the hands. Shadows are fun. Anyway, that is not what this post is about.

I really thought I was going crazy the other night. It was Friday, and I had just sat down to eat a little dinner. I was watching Who's the Boss? and muchin' away when all of the sudden, it seemed like a gust of wind swept through my house. It felt strange on my feet and the pantry door rattled. I thought I had a ghost in my house or some hidden stranger or something. See, thing is, I have never been afraid to be in my house alone, but all of the sudden I was terrified! I did the first thing I could think of...I called my mom. Moms make everyone feel better. Anyway, she listened to my crazy story and we decided there was nothing to be afraid of. Thanks mom!

Fast forward to Sunday. My good home teachers (seriously, they really are great!) stopped by for a visit. Somehow we were chatting and during the conversation Brother C said something about an earthquake in our area. Actually 3 over the weekend. I said that something strange had happened, and wondered if an earthquake had occurred on Friday, at 7:38 pm. Guess what? It did! I am not crazy after all and there are definitely no ghosts! (Silly me. Of course there aren't ghosts!) So, I felt a 2.5 magnitude earthquake. No big deal, right?! I don't think so. I am sort of scared of earthquakes. One tiny earthquake was enough for me!

Sweet Tooth

I inherited my mother's sweet tooth. She got hers from her mother and it goes back and back and back I'm sure! Well this week I have not been able to get enough sugar. It is driving me crazy, especially since I have been trying so hard to eat right and exercise. I usually have pretty good self control, but not right now! I have been making too many sweets, and that is my downfall. I can say no to a candy bar or a store bought treat, but give me some homemade cookies and I will for sure say yes! I guess I should stop making a cookie sheet full of cookies or peanut butter bars. (Mouth is watering as I type.) But they are just so darn good!
So, each day is fresh, with no "sweets" in it, right? I am going to try to limit myself to one sweet thing a day. This is going to be hard, but I can do it! Baby steps, right?

Are you noticing a trend in posts? 2 goals in 2 posts. Jump back!

Random-ness

I decided, just now, that I have a new goal for the new year. A little late, but a goal. A blog post once a week. Am I asking too much of myself? Probably.

So here are random happenings from my life this week.
-Cleaned out the spare bedroom and rearranged the basement.
-Delicious dinner at Cheesecake Factory. I forgot how much I loved that place.
-Dodged (and didn't dodge) a few pot holes this week.
-Enjoying the 15 classroom computers that I got because of eMINTS.
-Washed the car and the next day it was dirty again.
-Thought of possibly fixing my windshield, but it has been fine for 6 months. What's 6 more?
-Fun at Soldier Hollow with the young women. SO MUCH FUN! Maybe snow isn't as bad as I thought. Wait, yes it is!