Moment of Truth

Tomorrow is the big day.... my HALF MARATHON. I'm a little (okay, a lot!) scared. But at this point I have done everything I can do and just have to hope it's enough. Kind of like taking a final exam in school. Wish me luck. (And pray it doesn't rain!)

What was I thinking?!

I do laundry on Mondays and Thurdays-- religiously. Except last Thursday I decided I didn't want to do laundry. So now I have a pile of dirty clothes taller than some of my children. (And we're tall people!) If you need me, you know where I'll be. :)

As good as it gets

I went to the doctor this week, and while I was there they weighed me....and I weighed the same as I did when I was NINE months pregnant with McKenna. (Exactly the same.) My initial reaction was, "I've got to lose weight!!!!" But then I remembered the last time I decided to lose weight and did not want to repeat that experience. The funny thing is, when I walked into the doctor's office I felt good about the way I looked. I decided a while ago to try to treat my body well and then trust that it would go to it's naturally healthy state. And I have tried my best to follow that plan. I haven't been perfect-- I still don't weight train and sometimes eat too much junk. But I have honestly given my best effort, and now it's time to accept my body and whatever number it rings up on the scale. It still isn't perfect. I am not the size or weight I used to be. My belly isn't flat and my tush isn't toned. But this is as good as it gets. And I have to admit... it's not bad.

Work of Art

Last night the girls and I occupied ourselves with drawing pictures while we waited for David to come home from work. I have never claimed to be artistic, but I worked really hard on my picture. (Probably a little too hard.) And I was quite proud of the result. :)

Lazy Friday

It's Friday, which means that we are spending the day in our pajamas, reading books, and watching movies.

What are you doing today?

Trust your gut

A couple days ago I noticed a white utility truck parked by the side of my neighbor's house. A man was laying on the grass next to it. My first thought was, "Hmmmm, suspicious. Maybe I should call the police to come check it out." But then I figured that he was waiting for something and was enjoying the beautiful fall sunshine. So I did not call the police.

The next day I got an e-mail from our neighborhood watch coordinator that made me wish I had followed my instincts. When my neighbor noticed the men in her yard (turns out there were two of them), she asked them what they were doing. They told her they worked for the gas company and that there was a gas leak. But the gas company they named is not the one my neighbor uses, and they could not provide any form of identification. When my neighbor told them that she would have been informed if there was a gas leak, they left. My neighbor called the police, but by the time the police responded the men were gone.

I'm kicking myself because I JUST went through the neighborhood watch classes and one of the things they stressed was that it's the citizen's responsibility to report suspicious behavior. The police WANT you to call them if you see something out of the ordinary. Looking back, I should have immediately called the police. They could have come out, questioned the men, and determined whether or not they were up to no good. Now, they are still out there and we're not sure what their intention was. Scary.

Iconic beauties

Sometimes it takes something silly and superficial to get me thinking happy again. Like Jane Austen movies or the Twilight books. Or lists of the world's top twelve (because I couldn't narrow it down to ten) 'Iconic Beauties.' :)

(In no particular order.)

Ziyi Zhang

Nicole Kidman

Marilyn Monroe

Jaclyn Smith

Halle Berry

Grace Kelly

Elizabeth Taylor

Charlize Theron

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Beyonce Knowles

Audrey Hepburn

Aishwaria Rai

Is there anyone I missed?

Tantrums & Teaching

You would think that after a vacation like our cruise I would be so high on good memories that I could sail through life for a while.

Wrong.

Since we got home I've had a really hard time. My faith is being tested and I'm very frustrated that my will is not the Lord's will. My prayers are not being answered the way I want them to and it's making me mad. I'm trying to do what is right, but in many ways I see that my attitudes and emotions resemble a spiritual tantrum. I am so tired and feel like I just can't take any more. So I turn to God and beg and whine and cry and complain. I figuratively kick and scream because I want to get my way. Moments like this make me realize how spiritually immature I really am.

But I am trying to do better. And the Lord is gently teaching me. Today I came across THIS BLOG POST from the Deseret Book blog that was exactly what I needed in the moment.

The Cruise-- Part Four

Cruising around the Caribbean for a week is a pretty sweet vacation. But the icing on the cake is that the ship takes you to some pretty awesome destinations.

Cozumel, Mexico

Belize

Costa Maya, Mexico

Nassau, Bahamas

The Cruise--Part Three

For me, the perfect vacation includes just the right balance of activity and relaxation. Onboard there were always a million things to do, but there was also always the option of just laying around and doing nothing.

David's favorite thing onboard was to enter the various competitions and contests they had organized. He rocked at the "corn hole" game and came away with the free-throw shooting contest trophey. He also entered the ping pong tournament, and putt-putt competition. Some of the competitions I participated with him. The other times I just followed him around and relaxed on the deck chairs while I watched him compete.

It was also really fun to be there with Audra & Mike. I'm so glad they let us crash their party. (They booked the cruise for their 10 year anniversary and when we found out they were going we kind of tagged along.) They were awesome company!!!

The Cruise-- Part Two

The past couple years have been some of the hardest David and I have faced together. We have talked on several occasions about constantly feeling weighed down with stress and anxiety. But this cruise was a complete vacation from all of our worries and responsibilities. We left them all behind and were able to RELAX. And we were able to just have FUN together. I realized once again that I am completely smitten with my husband and am so grateful that I get to be married to him.

And for the record, we were not drunk in any of these pictures. Just a little giddy. :)

The Cruise-- Part One

Whenever I talk to anyone about going on a cruise, the first thing they mention is the FOOD. Oh, the food. The wonderful, glorious food. It is reason enough to pack your bags and leave your children. And because I believe in making the most of the experiences life offers us, I took full advantage of the opportunity to eat my heart out.

And I don't regret it.

All aboard!

In 2007 we got to go on a cruise for our 10 year anniversary. I thought it might be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. But now thanks to some credit card rewards and Audra & Mike's 10 year anniversary we get to go again!!! (On the same boat and to the same destinatiosn.) I can hardly believe it. But it's for real, so I better get packing!