Protect marriage!! Protect children!!

5K for Nie Nie

My sisters and I went to Provo last weekend to participate in the 5K benefit being held for Stephanie Nielsen and her husband, Christian. (I think their story is well known to pretty much everybody by now, but if you are not familiar with it, you can go here or here to find out more.)

I left the girls at home for some daddy-daughter time with Jeremiah and took Isaiah with me. My older sister, Jenny, took her little boy, Peter, who is a few months younger than Isaiah. My sister, Rebecca, was home from college for the weekend and also came along.

The start time (9:00 am) was perfect - not too early, but definitely a great way to start the day! And the weather was just right - chilly enough for a hoodie before we got started, but very comfortable once we got going and shed our outer layers. A beautiful day!

We had the boys in my sister's double stroller, but several times Isaiah wanted to get out and walk. He was a little trooper! He even got cheered on by some of the volunteers manning a station as we passed.

It was great to be there and take part in this event.

My Birthday

My 29th birthday was two weeks ago. We woke up that morning to snow! I wish I had taken a picture, but I didn't think of it until we had already left the house, and by the time we got home the snow had all melted.

We started out the day by attending a baby blessing for some dear friends of ours. After the blessing they had a brunch at their house. Between the special occasion, good food, and wonderful company, it was a very enjoyable way to spend the morning.

I had planned all along to go on a family bike ride for my birthday, but it was such a cold day that I didn't think that would be a very enjoyable experience after all. Bummer.

But we did have a really nice family day relaxing at home. I do remember curling up with my book for a little while, and I think I even took a nap.

I chatted on the phone for a while with my mom, who called me from Hawaii where she and my dad are spending five weeks. Last year she called to wish me a happy birthday from San Diego. I think I am noticing a trend...

My brother Joey's birthday is three days after mine, so we invited him and his little family over to celebrate with us.

Jeremiah made a fabulous lasagna dinner with excellent cheese bread and corn on the side. My sister-in-law, Krista, brought a salad with her homemade Creamy Pesto dressing (a la Spaghetti Factory). It was a delicious meal! I am salivating just thinking about it!

Then there was the dessert(s). When Jeremiah asked for my cake request, I gave him my top three choices. He went with a German chocolate cake and even made homemade coconut pecan frosting to go on it - yum! In addition, my brother and sister-in-law brought a giant pizza-sized chocolate chip cookie for me, which Krista made and Joey decorated.

We bought a brand new dining set right before my birthday, which I considered my gift (and then some). However, Jeremiah and the kids still spoiled me with lots of my favorite treats.

Overall, turning 29 was great!

Have you ever...

I got this from a friend's blog. Copy and paste, then bold the things that apply to you.

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hit a home run . 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language (Pig Latin's a language, right? LOL.) 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (didn't last long) 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (But I have eaten my fair share of Samoas!) 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt. 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee

Thanks, Jenn, that was fun!

Tumbling

The girls really enjoy the community education classes available through our school district. Last fall they took a soccer skills class, then ballet in the spring, and now they are taking tumbling.

Carolyn and Kylie (front row) practicing their right splits

Kylie doing a forward roll

The kids really look forward to the various classes they get to take. I love that they are so affordable and are so close to home. It is a fun way for us to spend one evening each week.

And the girls are so dang cute doing their new moves!

Heaven and Hell, as described by Richard Paul Evans

For some reason, the following exchange struck a chord with me. It closely resembles my own thoughts and beliefs on Heaven and Hell, and I liked the concise explanation. This excerpt comes from a Richard Paul Evans book called A Perfect Day:

"You want to know what Hell is? What brimstone and burning really is?"

"Yes."

"Hell is the perfect recollection of every evil thing you've done in your life, every thoughtless word, every cruel, evil thought or action. It's knowing that you could have helped your brother and didn't. Hell is clarity, Bob. It's nothing more than clarity." He leaned forward as if to confide in me, his gaze intense. "Do you want to know what heaven is?"

I was locked into his gaze. "Yes."

His voice was barely above a whisper. "It's the same thing."

******

Here's another, this time from his book The Gift:

I believe that the difference between Heaven and Hell is not so much the climate as the company. Living in a world populated by people like themselves would, for many, be Heaven. And for others, it would, indeed, be Hell.

*****

Heaven and Hell aside, I really do enjoy his books.

Isaiah's First Haircut

Isaiah had his first haircut a few weeks ago. He was so excited to sit on one of the fun chairs at Cookie Cutters. He picked a Barney movie to watch and was really enjoying himself...
...until the haircut started. He did not like the buzzing and vibration of the clippers. (Isn't that the sweetest little sad face?!)

Thankfully, that part was quick, and with a sucker and a little encouragement, he was alright with the the scissors. Still, I think he was glad when it was all over and he got to leave with a sucker in one hand and a balloon in the other.

Tagged again!

I was tagged by my sister, Jenny. Unfortunately, I am so amazingly normal in every way that I am finding it difficult to participate in this particular tag. ;-)

Do people really find themselves to be quirky? It's always seemed to me that we use ourselves as the baseline of normal, and therefore have no quirks in our own mind's eye.

Okay, fine! While I find none of the following to be odd, I will take a moment to reflect upon some areas where others of you may be under- or overzealous, which may have the effect of somehow making me come across as a bit "weird".

1. I am obsessive about proper spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc. It is difficult for me to read anything with such errors. When I was in middle school, I would have to proofread and correct the notes my friends gave me. Then, and only then, could I enjoy them.


2. It is very important for my eyebrows to be combed. One of the first things I do upon waking (right after brushing teeth and inserting contacts) is to comb my eyebrows. I comb them several times a day, usually. I am not overly concerned with the tweezing and waxing forms of eyebrow grooming (it gets done only on occasion), but the combing must never be left undone! Jeremiah loves to torture me by rubbing my eyebrows in the wrong direction, then restraining my arms as I desperately try to push them back the right way!

3. When I eat colored candies such as Skittles or M&Ms... Lifesavers, Starbursts... Gummy Bears or Worms - okay, anything with varied colors -I need to eat equal amounts of each color, in order of the rainbow. I count and sort them into piles before I can begin eating. Eating candy in the dark is not a comfortable thought for me.


4. When I got married at 18 I did not know anyone younger than me who was married. I felt very young compared to any married person. I guess it gave me some sort of complex, because I still feel this way - though I just turned 29 last week. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am as old as or older than (often by a large margin) other wives and mothers I know.

5. I can't function in a messy kitchen. I could be starving but would be unable to make myself anything to eat without first cleaning the kitchen. When I cook, I always clean as I go.

6. I do not have a very active sweet tooth. I can take sweets only in small doses (well, except for when I eat an entire row of Oreos in one sitting....). I would generally MUCH prefer a good, hearty meal over a dessert. When I do have something sugary, I need to follow up with something non-sugary to "neutralize" it (or just because I am a pig - one or the other).

7. I can't sleep in an unmade bed. All my life I have been very diligent about making my bed, but it usually just before I get in it to go to sleep. The sheets have to be tucked in at the bottom and hang over the side at precisely the right length. It is not uncommon for me to wake and get out of bed in the middle of the night to adjust the sheets or blankets, which often become disheveled due to my husband's less civilized manner of sleeping.


I tag: Christa, Julie, Lisa, Danielle, Heather, KelliAnn, Callie

Tagged

My friend Lisa tagged me. I am supposed to look in my picture files and post the fourth picture in the fourth folder, tell a little about it, then tag three people to do the same.

Here is my picture. This was taken in May and is the back and side view of the home we are currently building. This house will be ready for us to move into next month. We are still trying to sell our two other houses and need that to happen asap. Wish us luck cause we really love this house and want everything to work out! The market is just not cooperating! :-(


I tag Amanda E., Jenny S., and Krista N.