Its doe Fud Being the Bob and being Sick!

Did you understand that? Me neither. Probably being my nose is so stuffy that I can't pronounce anything. Everyone I have talked to on the phone has said, "you sound like your sick."
Well, that's probably being I am.
I started getting a sore throat on Thursday night, and it progressed into a full blown (pun intended) sinus infection. Blehckqg! Sorry, I had to huck up some junk. Oh, what, does that offend you? You don't like to hear about my snot? Well, FYI, I complain A LOT on this blog, so get used to it!
Yes, I'm in a very, VERY foul mood.
For the last week, I've been lying awake at night, tossing, turning, waiting, searching for the elusive sleep that never comes. It's been very hard to find these days. It could have something to do with the fact that I CAN'T FREAKIN' BREATH!
I was so exhausted all day yesterday, that, last night, in desperation, I took matters into my own hands. What, you don't think I'd something so drastic as to take some hardcore drug like Ambien, do you? NO WAY! I'm not some pill popping addict. What did you think I am? NO! But, I was desperate enough to take some Nyquil. I HATE that stuff. What was I thinking?!!
Have you ever seen that cold medicine commercial where they show the people with their heads blown up like balloons, attached to a string and floating above their bodies? Yeah, that's what Nyquil does to me. It is also a trigger for RLS. You know, Restless Leg Syndrome. So, my head is floating away, my legs are walking away on their own, and I'm left with this nub of a body.
I woke up this morning in a complete daze.
Sadly though, I'm not sure if that's an effect of the Nyquil, or from my whole face being clogged up like an over-filled helium balloon, that's ready to explode!
Needless to say, I feel like crap. My kids are officially up for adoption to the highest bidder, or for sale to gypsies, or whoever wants them.
I'm taking the rest of the day off.
Crap. I can't. We drove back and forth to Karate twice today, and I'm making dinner for my sister-in-law because she had surgery yesterday, and apparently surgery is a bigger deal that a cold.
Who knew?
And, I'm tending my baby brother all weekend, while my parents go on Trek!
My life is so full.

Ok, I'm out.

Timpanogos

Saturday morning we got up early and headed South to Lehi where we met up with my sister and brothers and their families, then went up to Mount Timpanogos.
The plan was to hike up and go through the cave, but when we got there the sign said that there was a 4 hour wait for cave tours, and you can't go in the cave without a tour.
Well, we weren't going to sit around and wait for 4 hours with 8 kids, so we decided just to hike up to the top, take a peak in, and then go back down.
The kids did really great. Except TJ decided halfway up that he was done, and kept saying, "This is boring. I'm tired. I wanna go home" At one point, I think he was actually bear crawling up the trail, because of course, I refused to carry him.
Peter actually did a lot better than I thought she would. She walked the whole way up....but we had to carry her the whole way down.
When we got to the top, there was a ranger who agreed to let us in the cave in the first room, since we weren't on a tour. So, we got to see it a little bit. I haven't been up there since I was really little. I don't remember how old, maybe 7 or 8, since my family hiked up there.
I had a great time. I really enjoy hiking, the mountains. My husband, and kids, on the other hand...well, they went along, without much complaining, but I think they would've been happier with a comfy couch and a good movie. How did my family get to be such city folk?
I have decided there is a huge difference in running down hill, and walking down hill, because yesterday my shin and my butt were sooo sore.






A view from the top!


Our whole group. That's our little family on the far left, then my baby bro, then my sis and her fam, and my oldest bro and his fam on the far right.

KJ's Super Cousin Sleep Over Extravaganza!

Last week two of KJ's cousins came over to sleep over. They played non-stop from Sunday to Wednesday! Sunday night they slept over at KJ's cousin's house, then Monday night came to our house and slept over until Wednesday, then went back to her cousin's for her 9th birthday swim party.
They had fun swimming, playing dress-up, doing perler beads, watching movies, and even had a little spa day. I got to paint all of their fingernails and toes.
They also had a blast getting teased relentlessly by little brother, TJ the whole week!

The things I've learned after this experience:
1. Girls really do know how to have fun!
2. Little brothers don't mix with girls' sleepovers.
3. Three's a crowd.
4. 6-yr-olds can be really, really ornery after 4 nights of sleep-overs.
5. I'm not going to have any more sleepovers

for awhile.

Some of the Things I've Done...

I found this on a friends blog and it was interesting to see what I've done. There a few things on here that I'd really like to do...Some I can pass on. Anyone that wants to do this list feel free, it will be fun to see what everyone else has or hasn't done
Copy this list and bold what you have done, put in italics things you would like to do, but haven't done yet.


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 (Jazz playoffs!)
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 (do my kids count?)
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 climbing
40. 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’t
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (I'm planning on start with KJ in fall)
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 (does breaking up fights between my kids count?)
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
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 (I wish I could say I'd done this)
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school (This is on my to do list)
89. Changed you 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
03. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
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 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 (Hey remember our 70's clothes from high school?)
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 (SLC is historic, really, it IS)
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (mini golf )
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 (It wasn't really a suite, but it was a 5-star hotel)
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 lunchbox
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 an autograph 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 campfire
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

Random Crap and Stuff...

I'm kind of going through a blogging funk the last few days. I've lost my artistic/creative mojo. It probably doesn't help that my hubby left for the weekend (which I don't begrudge him because he needed a break, too), then worked so long yesterday, I questioned whether he was actually going to come home at all. I realize that my husband's work-a-holism is hard on him, too, but boy, is it hard on me.
Hey, people, it aint no picnic being a single mom. I can't imagine having to do this by myself day in and day out, AND have to worry about bills and money in addition to raising the kids single-handedly. We also have 2 extra monkeys today and tomorrow. KJ's two cousins are sleeping over and they're having fun.
Only problem is KJ is so durn ornery. She's just not getting enough sleep. I guess, 4 straight days of sleepover and party can really do a girl in. (And we're only half way through----Yikes!)
It seems I'm a little addicted to having my own little R & R time. That's probably why I spent so much time blogging/emailing/facebooking. It's my little "escape"
Although, right now, little did you know, that while I type this little post, I am simultaneously making chocolate chip cookies with my 3 year old, watching The Wizards of Waverly Place with the big girls, and ironing a Perler bead with my boy----ALL at the same time.
Oh yeah, I'm super Mom. Yeah right.
Right now, I'm feeling like the biggest loser of a mom, because first of all...I can't wait til school starts. I'm a little nervous to say exactly what I'm thinking, because I'm sure none of you know who truly crazy I really am.
Somedays, I just think, if I hear one more tantrum, break up one more fight, get asked to buy one more toy or one more piece of candy, I'm going to S-C-R-E-A-M!!!!

I think the biggest problem, is that I'm feeling guilty for sitting at the computer instead of spending deeply meaningful hours bonding with my children, and teaching them straight from the scriptures about how to be perfect little angels at all times, instead of the mass chaos this is our life.
I guess, not guilty enough to stop sitting at the computer, though.
Go figure.

Belt Ceremonies & Grandma Love

TJ & KJ had their belt ceremonies today. TJ skipped a belt and got his blue belt, and KJ got her brown belt.
We are so proud!



I forgot my camera for TJ's belt ceremony so I had to take pictures with my phone. Not exactly the best quality, but some cute pictures anyway.
TJ's sensei is so cute! He has so much fun with the kids. I think he is the reason TJ likes karate so much!



KJ with her sensei. She is probably the most strict of all the sensei's down there at the dojo, but she is also very good. Doesn't put up with any CRAP, but look at how far KJ has come, and how much she's learned! I really think it's good for her to have to something that's hard for her. Builds character...she might hate me for it now, but she'll thank me later. You know, when she's a tough Kick-A** kind of girl! (Like I always fantasize about being, but think it's too late to anything about it).



Afterwards we had a birthday party for my Grandma Love. This is a 4 generation picture with KJ, me, my Mom, and Grandma Love. I wanted to have Peter & TJ in the pic, too, but Peter was diving into a piece of chocolate cake at the moment and couldn't be persuaded away, and TJ was MIA (probably out riding the 4-wheeler with all the other boy cousins--and I have to take advantage of every chance he gets to play with boys).

Happy Birthday Grandma

Random 10 Fri..er, um...Saturday

With all my crazy yesterday, I FORGOT to do Random 10 Friday. I know, how could I?
By the way, thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway last week! I really just like to get the comments.
I LOVE COMMENTS!
It makes me feel so loved, when I know somebody is reading my entries, and loves me enough to comment on them!
So, if you haven't been commenting, please start! I Love hearing from you!

By the way, I got some great ideas for some new music from your comments last week, so this morning I've been playing on iTunes, getting some new music!

This is so fun to do! You should all come out and play! Put your music player on Random Play, and just list for first 10 songs that come on, then post them on your blog, or if you want, in my comments.
Come on and play. It's fun!

Here's this week's Random 10 list!

1. Why Can't This Be Love - Van Halen
2. 10 lb. Heart - Chely Wright
3. A Horse With No Name - America
4. Mary - Sarah Mclachlan
5. Love's Recovery - Indigo Girls
6. Paralyzer - Finger Eleven
7. Thank Goodness - Wicked
8. Fuego De Pasion - Monica Naranjo
9. Love Walked In - Ella Fitzgerald
10. Dancing Queen - ABBA

Bonus: Daydreaming - Corrinne Bailey Rae

Busy, Busy....

I know I've only missed one day of blogging, but it feels like I haven't posted in like for-EVER, because we've been running around like crazy so much.
I missed Throwback Thursday. I know you're all sooo dissappointed. Yeah, I like to do it, but not this week. Sorry. It'll be back again. Maybe life will slow down after school starts. Wait. Didn't I say that exact same thing 2 months ago? Do you find yourself saying things like this? Maybe life will slow down I stop working and start having babies..., when the baby starts sleeping through the night...,when the baby starts walking..., when the baby gets some siblings to play with...,when the kids start going to school, when school gets out...,when Summer starts,...when......
I admitted to my Mom yesterday, that I've decided life was soooo much easier when the kids were babies. Yet, I just can't quite bring myself to go back into baby mode and have another one. Ok, there are pros and cons....that's another topic for another day....

Yesterday, after our last day of swimming lessons (sorry, no pics, forgot the camera), we picked up Uncle Charlie (my 11-yr-old baby brother) and went to the neighborhood pool. No surprise there.
Then my super awesome Mom came to pick him up and took all the kids home with her. So, in anticipation of my over-worked, and well-deserving husband going away on a little golfing boys weekend, I went and got a pedicure, got my little tootsies painted really cute, and then went shopping.
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH, MOM!!!
That little time out was just what I needed to make it through the weekend, husband/fatherless.

This morning, in lieu of running, the kids and I got up to go to our little stake Yoga class, only to get there and find out they didn't have it today. Bummer. (At least that got me out of bed before 9:00)
My sister's husband went on the boys' trip with Clint, so she came up today, and we all went to Lagoon. I love Lagoon! It is seriously my most favoritest place on earth! I mean, everything about it is so absolutely fabulous. You know, like how the tickets to get in are so reasonably priced, and the grounds are so impeccably clean, and the people around you are so clean cut, and friendly, and don't stink like cigarette smoke AT ALL, and it's never hot or muggy, and the lines are never too long, and every ride is soooo fun, and always working perfectly! And my kids NEVER whine or complain while we're there!
Plus, I always feel great when I get home, you know, like running a marathon!








So, after a fun-filled day at Lagoon, we left and went straight to karate for KJ's belt-test.
She tested for her brown belt. Because this is such a high belt, we were there for a LOOOOOONG time. I could tell she was soo tired, but was trying her very hardest.
We're so proud of her, and how hard she works. It is seriously so impressive that she can remember all that stuff, and she's so good at it!
I LOVE watching her with her Bo Staff. It's sooo Bruce Lee!







This is one of the many mischevious thing TJ & Peter were doing during the belt test. Sitting under the table (pay no heed to the ladie's rear end in the corner of the picture)
They were sooo naughty. Little stinkers!

TJ's Belt Test

TJ had a belt test for Karate this morning. He did so Awesome! I'm so proud of him! Karate has been sooo good for him, to help him focus, and for the discipline, and for his confidence! He has his yellow belt now, and today he tested for his Blue belt (that means he skipped the orange belt) I'm so proud! His Sensei (teacher) is so great with the kids. He's so much fun, has a ton of energy, but really tough on them too, which I think is great! Here are some cute pics!




And a video of him breaking a board! So cool!

Big Read

The Big Read says that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Reprint this list so we can try and track down these people who've read only 6 or less and make them read.

THE BIG READ TOP 100

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. The Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh .
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen .
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan .
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry .
87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Wow! I only have 26 out of 100 read. I guess I better start reading more classics!
Thank goodness for AP English. That's where I read most of these books.
(I didn't count the ones that I've seen the movie, but haven't read the book)

Look, Mom....

This is what I discovered Peter, my three-year-old doing last night. She was trying on my bra. And when I was walked in she said,
"Look, Mama. I got Bobo's."
Bobos? That's a new one. Actually this isn't the first time. She does this all the time.
It seems there is some fascination in 3 year olds, and that particular part of the female anatomy.

When KJ was three she often said to me, "Mama, I want to have big Apples like you."
Apples! Ha! I guess there is some sort of resemblence to apples.

When TJ was three he asked me, "Mama, what are those bumps on your belly?"

So, there you have it.
Apples, Bumps, and/or Bobos.

Who knew kids were so observant and creative?
Maybe I need to start wearing baggier shirts?

Memories!

So here we go! This is another kind of tag. I thought it was fun! I'd like to see what everyone has to say about their memories about me.

Directions
1. As a comment on my blog leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, even a first impression. Just anything that you remember!

2. Next re-post these instructions on your own blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me I will assume you want to play the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't have a blog I will leave a memory of you in my comments or if you don't want to play on your blog I will leave one in my comments

Sunday School

I really struggled with the lesson in Gospel Doctrine yesterday. I don't exactly consider myself a scriptorian or anything, and the guy who teaches the class teaches institute at the U, so he probably knows the scripture a little better than I do. I just really disagreed with his interpretation of the message in the section we were discussing.
We were talking about Ammon, and his mission. A story I know and love. The teacher asked the class to list characteristics of Ammon, and listed them on the board. People said things like courageous, obedient, humble, strong, loyal...to name a few.
Then we opened up to Alma, to a few scriptures where Ammon is describing how he feels about himself. The teacher listed these things on the other side of the board. Among those on the list were words like nothing, weak, depressed...

Then he went on to his main theme of the entire lesson that in order to achieve the good things on the left side of the board, then we need to view ourselves as those things on the right side of the board. Basically he said that Heavenly Father wants us to view ourselves in that way, that we are just empty vessels to be used as instruments for God's work.
Don't get me wrong...I totally get where he was going with it. But I just don't agree. Maybe I'm the one who's wrong, because no one else in the room seemed to be as deeply disturbed by it as I was.
At one point in the lesson, I raised my hand and said what I was thinking. That the Lord doesn't want us to think we are nothing, that it is Satan who tells us that we are worthless, and that we just need to acknowledge God's hand in all the good the we have in us.
The teacher then, actually rebuked me, using King Benjamin as an example, who called his congregation "worthless."
After that I kept my mouth shut, but kept stewing anyway through the whole lesson.

As someone who has struggled with depression my whole life, and who is somewhat overcoming it (yeah, it's a work in progess), I just can't see how a loving Father in Heaven would desire his children to feel that low about themselves. There is a huge, HUGE difference between being depressed and having NO self esteem, and being HUMBLE. HUGE!

Am I just so way off base here? Is the Spirit so gone from me that I can't grasp this concept?
Does anyone else see it my way?
Thoughts?

Time's Up!

And the winner is...

Forney Four!

Congratulations! Forney Four and I went to high school together, and recently found each other through blogging! Don't you love it? That is exactly why I love to blog!

The prize:

You get a $15 gift certificate to I-tunes, and some yummy munchies to nibble while you jam out to your new music!

Enjoy!

Email me at shershep316@gmail.com to give me your info so I can send you your winnings!

Random 10 Friday

I am 3 for 3 on sleeping monkeys right now! HALLELUJAH!!!!! The house is so quiet. It's nice. I'm thinking of taking a little nap myself! Forget that I have mountains of laundry, the floor hasn't been swept today, and I can't vaccum anyway, because the stupid thing broke on Monday.
By the way, NEVER buy a Kirby. I am advertising this any chance I get. For the amount of $$ I paid for the darn thing, you'd think it'd last a little longer that your average Hoover. I've had the cord replace 4 times, had it "serviced" annually since we got it, and it's still not working. I AM DONE!!!!
p.s. anybody wanna buy a used Kirby? HA HA Just kidding.

Ok, that was a little tangent I wasn't expecting to take. My real reason for this post is Random 10 Friday! I love this, because I LOVE music!

But, today, I'm going to do it a little differently. I'm in need of some new music, and I've been curious the last few weeks about how many lurkers I have reading my blog, and NOT COMMENTING! AHEM!

So, I'm going to hold a little contest! YEAH!!! At the end, I will randomly pick someone out of the comments (if I get any), and I will send you a little surprise!

Here how it works:
Post a comment on this post with 10 songs w/ artists, or do a Random 10 post on your blog, and then leave me a comment. You can write your favorite songs, or do it randomly like I do from your mp3 player, or your radio, or your CD collection.
I will leave comments open until Monday morning, and then I will pick a winner!
So, if you want my little surprise, then please, please COMMENT! (I promise it will be good, and worth your while!)

Blog Bling Award

My good friend, Motherboard, gave me this awesome award. She is always so good about making me feel good about myself. I'm soooo lucky to have such a great friend as her. She is one of the most beautiful, insightful, smart, talented, kind, and spiritual people I've ever met!
So, it really makes me feel special that she gave me this award!

I seriously LOVE this blogging thing! I've been able to connect with old friends that I haven't seen in years, met some new friends, and gotten to know so much more about some of you, that I never would've known otherwise.
Plus, I love that I can log on and vent about all my issues, and I feel like somebody is listening and somebody cares! I love reading all your blogs!

So, I'm passing it along to you!
Here are the rules:
1. Post the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate 7 other people for this award and add links to their blog.
4. Leave a message for the people that you nominated!

Here's who I'm nominating:
1. Motherboard (I'm sending it back to you because you inspire me!)
2. Shannon
3. Jodi
4. Jen, and Jen
5. Kris
6. Jess
7. Peggy
8. Kat (because you need an excuse to put something on your blog)

Thanks Motherboard!

Throwback Thursday

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Last weekend, while I was gone in OK, my family took a little trip to Jackson Hole to run the Snake River. I was a little bummed that we couldn't go, but it's Ok, because I got to spend to quality time with my sister.
Going to Jackson to run the river has been a tradition in my family for many years. It's one of my absolute favoritest things in the whole wide world to do. (Yeah, go ahead and spell check me..see if I care!!!)
My Dad said that the rapids were HUGE! Man, I'm sorry I missed that.
My sister, Kat told me that she heard that the last time the river was this high was reported on July 4, 1998.

So, let me tell you a little story about that date.
Ten years ago, Clint and I decided to go on a little camping trip with some friends from our student ward, for the 4th of July. I offered to bring our raft (because then we don't have to pay out our rear to go on those guided tours, and we can go as many times as we want!). Clint and I hadn't been dating for very long, so this was our first "trip" together. My brother Josh, and sister, Kat came with her boyfriend Austin (who is now her husband). The river was really high that year, and we had a lot of first timers on the river (read: people who refused to paddle in the rapids). Ok, I might not be the most patient person in the world, and neither is my brother, who was guiding the raft.
We were floating the river for probably the 5 or 6th time that day. It was late afternoon, and the rapids were HUGE! We might've gotten a little cocky, and were being reckless, I don't know. What I DO know, is that there were so many people on the river that day, that there was actually a line, YES, a line of rafts backed up waiting to go through Lunch Counter (the "big" rapid on the that stretch of the Snake). And it's not exactly like you can stop on the river, so there was a lot of bottle-necking. When we finally approached the rapid, you could see where the water dips down into an enormous hole, and then spits out the raft on the other side. Talk about FUN! There was another private party raft right in front of us. With all the crowding going on, and the lack of cooperation on the part of our fellow paddlers, we couldn't quite get straightened out, so we hit the hole dead on--facing sideways. We may have had a few passengers that were "horizontally challenged" if you know what I mean, and as soon we hit the rapid, the boat cap-sized, as did the boat ahead of us.
I felt myself go under the water. Just so you know, if you fall out of the raft in a roaring river, the protocol is to remain calm, don't struggle. Fighting it will only push you under more. Also, don't let go of your paddle, because they're damn expensive and the cost to replace it is coming out of your funeral budget. I'm sorry, but to heck with protocol. When you get shoved under the water, with the massive force of all that wild water, your instincts kick in, and all you can think to do it FIGHT! I remember kicking and swimming as hard as I could, and thinking, "Where in the world is the surface?"
I felt like I was getting no where, fast! It felt like 10 minutes had past, and for the first time in my life, I thought, "I'm actually going to die. I am drowning."
At that moment, a sudden peace came over me, and I felt OK with dying. I just thought to myself, "Just let it happen, relax, at least I can drown with dignity." The moment I relaxed my body, I popped up to the surface at the bottom of the rapid, in the calm water below and was able to swim/float to the side.
The sweet part about this story is that after the fiasco, Clint told me that not only did he "rescue" my paddle (ahem, yes, I dropped it), but he told me his first thought when he went under was "Where's Sherrie?"
Aaaww. Isn't that sweet? At that point in our relationship, I didn't know if he really even liked me much more than a friend, and I was completely over the moon about him, so it was nice to know that he was so concerned about me.
So, Throwback Thursday is dedicated to this event. Sorry, I didn't mean for the story to be so long, but you know me. I get going and I get carried away.




My brother, Josh, and me and Clint


My sister Kathryn and I wrestling. Obviously, she won. She is one tough girl!


Clint looks totally super hot in the picture. No wonder I was so ga-ga over him.

p.s. Don't let this deter you, if you haven't ever been river rafting. There is something exhilerating about facing death in ice cold water. I LOVE IT!!!

Oklahoma Highlights

Speaking of being long-winded, I hope you have a few minutes because this will be a long one. I wanted to report about our trip to OK last week, and thought I would just break it down day by day. I took a million pictures, so I'll try to keep it down to just the highlights.
Ok, you already heard about day 1. That was quite the adventure!

Day 2 (Sunday)

We went to church with Kris and Ty and their family. I finally got to meet my friend, Shannon, face to face. Shannon grew up in Edmond, OK, with my sister in law, Erin, and now she lives in Enid in my sister, Kris’s ward. We got to know each other through blogging, and finally met face to face this week. It’s weird to think that this was the first time we’d met, since I feel like we’ve become good friends through blogging! I was going to get a picture of her, but never did.
But, here are some fun pictures of me and Kris, and the kids.






Day 3 (Monday)

Monday morning, we got up and decided to go see the “train park” in Enid. They were supposed to have this little train the kids could ride. We got there, and it was closed. So, we went to Leonardo’s, the local Children’s museum. Kris even went to the Enid city Chamber of Commerce to get me some free passes. We got there…and it was closed. I guess they’re not open on Mondays. So, we went home and let the kids swim in the little wading pool in the yard. After lunch, Kris took me on the Vance Air Force Base, and we went swimming at the Base pool. TJ, my little fish, had such red eyes from the chlorine when we got home, that Uncle Tyler had to give him to eye drops.









Day 4 (Tuesday)

Tuesday, we tried Leonardo’s again. This time it was open! It was fun for the kids! There was little booth that simulated the wind strength of a tornado. It scared the kids, but Kristen and I had fun with it. Outside at the museum, there was a little play area with an area the kids could play in the water. It was fun for the kids, and there was a photographer there from the local newspaper taking pictures of us. Kris and her baby, got on the FRONT PAGE of the Enid paper! I guess there’s not much news going on in Enid.


Kris--she's Special






Day 5 (Wednesday)

Okay, maybe it was Wednesday that we went to the Children’s museum. I’m getting my days mixed up.
Anyway, Wednesday night we went to see Dr. Barney. Kris’s husband is an optometrist with the Air Force. It was fun to have him check all of our eyes.




Day 6 (Thursday)

Thursday afternoon Clint flew into Oklahoma city, so the kids and I drove back to OKC to pick him up to the airport. Then we went to Bricktown and ate “Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar” restaurant. Then we drove into Edmond, and stayed at my sister in law, Erin’s parents house. It was really nice of them to offer their house for us. Kris and Ty met us later that night and stayed with us.



Day 7 (Friday)
4th of July

4th of July morning we got up and went to the Edmond city parade. Shannon’s hubby, Ryan, got up really early in the morning to save us all a spot. Thanks, Ryan, that was so nice! Plus it was an awesome spot with a great view, and in the shade! After the parade, we took the kids to a little swimming/water park called Pelican Bay.
Afterward, we ate at a little Mexican restaurant, and went to UCO to find a spot to sit for the fireworks. We got there around 8:30, thinking we’ve have about an hour before the fireworks started. They didn’t start until after 10, so the kids were so ready to go home before they even started.


SM and KJ in their matching dresses



My sister, Kris, is so beautiful. She should be a model.


All the kids at the parade: TJ, KJ, SM, JR, LC (Krist's kids), RB (Shannon's daughter, not pictured is her son, AB), and Peter



Hey! Who spiked the coke?







Day 8 (Saturday)

Saturday, we decided to take it easy, and took the kids to the park to play. Kristen and Tyler head for home, and Clint and I took the kids to see “Wall-E.” It was so cute!

See? I told your there were a lot of pictures!

It was great to catch up with my sister, and spend time with her family. There is something about getting with my sisters that brings out my silly side. It was fun to goof off with Kris, and let loose a little.
Thanks, Kris for letting us come stay with you!