A season for giving thanks!

I really love this time of year. I appreciate being able to take the time to think about the things that I am most grateful for. There are definitely many things on my list which keeps growing as times become more uncertain. I keep adding to this list as each day goes by. I love what Henry B. Eyring said about the more you look for the blessing in your life the more you realize that you have and that you should write them down so that you can be reminded of them when you are struggling to find them. Anyway, now that I have talked in circles, I will share some of my blessing so that they are written down if I ever forget them and need to be reminded.

#1: A husband who works hard to provide for his family, teaches karate so that his daughters can take it, shares his passion for biking with his children, takes his wife shooting, plays with his family and uses his priesthood for the benefit of his family while showing his sons and daughters how to honor it!

#2: A healthy active pre-teen who loves to do karate, tries hard to do what is right, asks many, many, many questions to make sure she understands the principles that we are trying to teach her and still thinks that most boys are gross and dumb!

#3: A daughter who finally believes she is smart, loves school, did awesome on her Johnny Appleseed wax museum report, would rather play in the dirt with the boys at school, loves to give me hugs and keeps me on my toes!

#4: A son who loves the chicken he caught on the 4th of July, loves his friends, loves soccer, scares me because of the things that he loves to try on his bike (thanks to his Dad!), tries to be obedient, wants to be just like his Dad when he grows up, plays well with his little brother and loves to take care of Max!

#5: My little sidekick that sticks to me like glue, helps me cook, wakes me up at 4 am to snuggle, laughs all the time, teases everyone, tries to scare me and is fiercely independent until he thinks that I am walking out the door without him, watches football with his dadand says that he wants to play football for Boise State when he grows up!

#6: Extended family who provide lots of laughter, teasing, good times and love (this includes both sides of the family, I just don't have photos of my side! (happy now Bubba?) )

#7: Friends who will always be there through thick and thin, love my kids like their own, listen to our fears, laugh when we are happy, cry when we are sad, are always honest with us, never mention our faults and are always in our corner cheering us on!

#7: continued from above, come into our lives when we most need them, and stay regardless of the distance between our homes, are only a phone call or text away, never make fun of your dreams and share theirs with you, their doors are always open!

#7: friends continued still, share their abilities and accomplishments no matter that the whole world knows who they are and never act like they are better than you. Provide another positive roll model for your children and not only invite you into their world, but make sure that you feel welcome!

#8: the things that remind me of who is ultimately in control and is always mindful of me and what is going on in my life. The beauty that these possess and the joy they give me by just being!

There are so many other things that I am grateful for but this post would be impossibly long.
Let it suffice to say that everyday I am appreciative of one more thing than the previous day. Today as my friend returns to Iraq, I am particularly grateful for his and his family's sacrifice along with the countless others who give all that they have to ensure our many freedoms, even to the sacrificing of their lives. May they ever know that I am eternally in their debt for allowing me to keep the right to speak my mind and ever grateful for all the freedoms that come from their service!

I was pleasantly surprised by....

Yesterday was rot with surprises for me. First was that the alarm to the school started going off when I unlocked the door for the cheerleaders. Thank heaven that the office manager was there shortly after to drop her daughter off and she turned the alarm off for me. That could have turned out a lot different and not pleasant at all. Then our family went to the Gun Show in Sandy to find a few things for our 72 hour kits. We found everything on our list and a couple of extras too. Merry Christmas to us! The kids even got a pocket knife each. I have never been to a show where we got everything on are list. There were 2 times that I felt like we should get something. We heeded the feeling the first time and I couldn't think why I should get the second item which was a duffle bag, because we had so many. When we got home and talked about it, I discovered why the feeling had been there. One more reminder to me to always listen to that little voice and ignore my own ideas. Good thing it wasn't a big deal this time. We quickly made it through all of the vendors so that I could meet some friends to see the movie "Twilight".

I went to the movie knowing that a movie-made-from-a-book is never as good as the book. I wasn't too convinced that the casting was right either, but there were some scenes from the book that I wanted to see them in color, not just in my imagination. I patiently waited in line for about 40 minutes with my friends. The theater was packed and there were actually about 10 men brave enough to enter this world of vampires with all these women. I now like who they cast for the characters with one exception and that person was not the lead so I can live with it. The scenes that I wanted to see were done beautifully.

The above scene was one of my favorites that was a surprise for me. I laughed when a lot of the women "oohed" when Dr. Cullen came on screen, giggled when a couple of things were corny instead of scary like I had imagined them and really wished that some of my close friends had been there with me for it so that the things that we had discussed could be rediscussed. I thought that the movie was well done especially considering that it was from a book. I have learned that no movie will ever match up to my imagination. This is another case where you can see the movie and then read the book to add extra details. I will go see it again with my friends and love it again. I thought that the movie did a good job at showing the feelings in the relationship between Edward and Bella. Anyone want to go with me while all kids are in school so that the teenagers aren't making funny noises and a cell phone isn't going off behind me? I give the movie an A.

Saying goodbye!

We learned last week that Steve has high cholesterol. The doctor has given him 3 months to get it down or he will have to go on meds. He is only 37. I can't imagine another 40 + years on meds. I have been reading up on what he should and shouldn't eat. Since it is a genetic thing for him, I figure the whole family may as well eat healthier so the kids can learn now to eat like they should for this genetic mutation. So we are saying good-bye to some of our favorites or eating them a lot less. It is up to me to keep the menu on track, because they all eat pretty much whatever I feed them.

Good-bye Mr. Red Meat!

Come saute with me vegetable family!

Good-bye cream family!

Hello, Miss Sexy Dark Chocolate!

Au revoir Monsieur Gateau du fromage!


Steve is doing good eating things that he doesn't like such as spinach when I don't disguise it. Luckily we do eat pretty healthy, it is just a matter of remembering "plant are our friends, animals are our enemies!" If you have any good recipes that are healthy, please share with me!