We love our few little fall decorations!
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
just watched this with audrey.
she loved it and no matter how old i get i still love it too! i loved watching it with my family during Christmastime. i love the holiday season!!
she loved it and no matter how old i get i still love it too! i loved watching it with my family during Christmastime. i love the holiday season!!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
okay, i'm going to nerd myself out a little bit here and talk about harry potter. i've read all the books multiple times and i love the series. i'd say my favorite character is ron in both the books and the movies. but i came across this article and i have a newfound appreciation for none other than neville longbottom. i think i've always loved him right from that first train ride to hogwarts in the beginning all the way to the head chopping of the snake at the end. but this article put his role into a great perspective in my opinion. here are some of my favorite excerpts :
"See, Rowling largely operates
Harry’s generation in a clear system of parallels to the previous generation,
Marauders and all. Harry is his father—Quidditch star, a little pig-headed
sometimes, an excellent leader. Ron is Sirius Black—snarky and fun, loyal to a
fault, mired in self-doubts. Hermione is Remus Lupin—book smart and meticulous,
always level-headed, unfailingly perceptive. Ginny is Lily Evans—a firecracker,
clever and kind, unwilling to take excuses. Draco Malfoy is Severus Snape—a
natural foil to Harry, pretentious, possessed of the frailest ego and also
deeper sense of right and wrong when it counts. And guess what?
Neville Longbottom is Peter Pettigrew.
Or, at least, he could have been.
Neville is a perfect example of how one single ingredient in the recipe can
either ruin your casserole (or stew, or treacle tart, whatever you like), or
utterly perfect your whole dish. Neville is the tide-turner, the shiny hinge.
And all because he happens to be in the same position as Wormtail… but makes
all the hard choices that Pettigrew refused the first time around. Other
characters are in similar positions, but none of them go so far as Neville.
None of them prove that the shaping of destiny is all on the individual the way
he does.
But that lack of confidence from
his peers doesn’t lead him to throw in the towel; his self-deprecation
eventually turns into a dogged insistence on growing his skill set, on offering
his help whether or not it’s been called for, on figuring out how he can best
be of use in the coming fight.
More important than Neville’s
defense of what’s right is his role as a keeper of hope. Neville comes to
Harry’s aid when no one believes what he says, fights alongside him when most
flee at the prospect of real danger, then keeps his platoon going from inside
Hogwarts during Harry’s absence. He has the hardest job of anyone, and it’s a
responsibility he takes on without being asked or expected to do so. He houses
refuges in the Room of Requirement, lets everyone know that Dumbledore’s Army
is alive and well. Epic tales always demand that someone never give up the
cause no matter how bleak things seem, and that’s Neville through and through.
His friends are kidnapped, tortured and gone, but he stays at Hogwarts while
two Death Eaters are teaching classes and keeps the candle burning for Harry,
Ron, and Hermione’s return. If he hadn’t, who knows if the Battle of Hogwarts
could have even taken place. Still, Harry didn’t come up with Neville’s role in
a brilliant moment of strategic awareness—they simply got lucky that Neville
decided he wanted the job.
That distinction makes Neville
Longbottom the truest of Gryffindors and a surprising balancing point of the
entire Harry Potter narrative. Who Peter Pettigrew might have been had he
understood that courage wasn’t about blind action, but about doing what was
needed even if no one ever asked. In a world of leaders and followers, there
are some who don’t attempt to fit either mold, and it is those distinct few who
really determine the future of us all. That is what Neville Longbottom can
teach us."
so basically, neville is the kind of friend i want to have and the kind of friend i want to be. gosh i love books and movies. this article is a good read for all my fellow harry potter nerds.
now im going to go have a marathon.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Three months young! The thirteenth marked Audrey's three month birthday! I can't believe the time has flown by so quickly. Pregnancy took forever, but parenthood is flying by. We love our little girl so much! She has up and down days...but most days are somewhere in the middle. there are so many things about her personality that i want to record, but i don't think i could possibly write down all the things i love about her. she is my best little friend. i love being with her all day everyday. i feel so lucky to be her mom.
Monday, November 18, 2013
I’ve been needing to get some feelings down
for awhile now. They might be jumbled
and a bit unorganized. It’s a hard thing
to think about sometimes, but there are some important things that I need to
remember from it so I want to write it down here. Earlier this year one of my good friends and
college roommates passed away in a car accident. Her name was Shaylene Reaves and she was
wonderful. That one word doesn’t do her
justice, but I don’t think any words could.
We
haven’t stayed in touch very well over the last few years, because of distance
and life just moving on. Even so, I hope
she knew that she was one of the friends in college I always felt closest
too. It wasn’t a closeness that had to
do with confiding secrets or having deep personal discussions about the details
of our lives. It was a quiet
sit-next-to-each-other-on-the-couch-and-watch-the-snow-fall kind of
closeness. I always felt I could be
completely myself with Shay. We could
talk about things. Or we could just sit. There are not many people I can do that with.
The news of her passing was a complete
shock. I never thought I would get this
news ever. It’s caused a lot of tears
and a lot of reflection…on her and
the friendship we had, as well as a lot of reflection on the life I’m living
now. I’ve always admired Shay for many
things. Her quietness…her being
herself…her love of the gospel. But
hearing of her passing made it all much more than just admiring her. She is suddenly this life inspiration for me
that I wish I had noticed before. And I
think one reason it is a stronger admiration now is because of how well she
lived her life and in what good standing I believe she left this earth. I don’t know if that makes sense. I think that everyone she knew on earth could
only ever say good things about her, and Heavenly Father is probably nothing
but proud of her. For some reason Shay’s
reunion with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ…I just think it’s sweeter to
picture than even my own someday.
Because she was so guileless, so sweet, so innocent, so happy, and so
determined in good things. In the
gospel. In choosing the right. In reading her scriptures. She was always such a calming influence, and
yet still so fun. Through worldly eyes
maybe she didn’t accomplish much in this life.
But looking through heaven’s eyes she’s been more successful than many
people we deem successful here on earth.
Because of the way she lived, the way she acted, the way she talked, the
good friend and sister she was. Being
always happy with herself and her life.
I heard the news when I was still pregnant
with Audrey and I had recently expressed some of the insecurities I had about
becoming a mother. I was feeling
insecure about how my children will view me and my life when they are older. I keep thinking that they will be unimpressed
that I didn’t go further in school before having kids and view me as less
successful. Sometimes I still worry
about these things. But in thinking
about Shay after I heard the news, I realized one of the truths about
success….that it’s in the life you lead, the person you are, not the
accomplishments under your belt. I’ve
heard that plenty of times before but for some reason because of Shay it rings
truer right now than ever before.
So.
What I need to take from this is a determination to be better. To live a better life. A more optimistic one, like Shay. As I was thinking about her and trying to
find some comfort about it I came across her Twitter account and I just started reading. And I realized that all the internet posts
she put up in the days leading up to her death were all about something to do
with church and/or how she was having a great day. Everyday she posted something about
that.
3/19/13- It’s a beautiful day!
3/3/13- “watching the CES devotional with
Elder Bednar”
2/28/13- “I’m having a great day!”
2/15- “God doesn’t care nearly as much about
where you have been, as he does about where you are and where you are willing
to go. Elder Holland”
2/15- Having a great day so far!”
2/14-
“Often we assume others must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let
them know. Pres. Monson.”
1/7- “don’t try to be perfect, just be you. Perfectly imperfect. And most importantly have fun being you!”
12/4/12-
“got on the wrong bus today!”
11/23- “behind every gray cloud is a blue
sky!!”
10/15-
“once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start
having positive results- willie nelson.”
8/23-
“today is looking good.”
8/8-
“To live greatly, we must develop the capacity to face trouble with
courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and triumph with humility. Pres Monson.”
8/6-
“Smile, it makes the world a better place!”
8/6-
“Life is a bout learning how to deal with the ups and downs.”
7/24-
“I just saw for the first time raccoons!”
7/23-
“I have been blessed in so many ways through out my life!”
7/16-
“today is going slow J”
7/16-
“raining this morning!!”
7/12- “Be yourself, no one can compete with that.”
4/14-
“It’s always great when people don’t want you to go.”
4/12-
“Having a great hair day!!”
2/9/12--- The Giants Won!!
12/11/11- “Losing our way is easy if our daily
decisions don’t connect to our eternal destination.”
11/28/11-
“It’s always wonderful to get a compliment from others, but not knowing
what to say afterwards is awkward.”
Hot chocolate with cinnamon is perfect for a
cold day.
You
can know for yourself that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true.
Made a tie dye shirt…it turned out really
cool.
I can count on my family to be there for me
“truth is, it’s better to be a good nobody
than an evil somebody!” – igor
So, here is the point…I went almost three
years back through her twitter account and could only find about 4 things that
were not positive or optimistic or funny.
And there were far more of
those good ones than what I copied down on here. I want to be like that. Shay has been one of the reasons behind this
newfound desire I have to post things about faith and happiness on here. She was a truly wonderful person and I love
and admire her still. I’m so very, very grateful
to have had her in my life for the short time we were together.
this is our temporary home, it's not where we belong
windows and rooms that we're passing through
this is just a stop on the way to where we're going
I'm not afraid because I know
this is our temporary home
"...the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ."
Mosiah 16:8
Okay I just need to be excited about something real quick on here.
A few years ago the BYU Museum of Art had an exhibit of the famous Carl Bloch Christ paintings that we just barely missed. I was SO bummed out about it. I was hearing that some of these paintings had never been to the US before and after this exhibit might not ever come again. I have developed such a love for paintings and art history, especially the work of Bloch. I think religious paintings are amazing and they always touch my heart, sometimes bringing me to tears (sometimes embarrassed-ly in a room full of people). So, yes, I was pretty sad to have missed it.
BUT THEN
a friend announced at church yesterday that some of them would be coming back to the museum in another exhibit called Sacred Gifts accompanied by more Jesus Christ paintings by Bloch as well as other famous artists!!! Today I got online and registered for our FREE tickets for us and Andrew's family to go the day before Christmas Eve. It's going to make Christmas so special! It's a Christmas miracle I tell you!!
This video tells a little bit about what to expect and why this exhibit is unique:
If anyone is going to be in the Provo area between now and May (that's how long it will be here! Maybe we'll go again!) here is the link to register for free tickets to see this exhibit: http://sacredgifts.byu.edu/tickets. Apparently 30,000 of them are already spoken for and that's only between now and December!! So get on it! It's once in a lifetime!
A few years ago the BYU Museum of Art had an exhibit of the famous Carl Bloch Christ paintings that we just barely missed. I was SO bummed out about it. I was hearing that some of these paintings had never been to the US before and after this exhibit might not ever come again. I have developed such a love for paintings and art history, especially the work of Bloch. I think religious paintings are amazing and they always touch my heart, sometimes bringing me to tears (sometimes embarrassed-ly in a room full of people). So, yes, I was pretty sad to have missed it.
BUT THEN
a friend announced at church yesterday that some of them would be coming back to the museum in another exhibit called Sacred Gifts accompanied by more Jesus Christ paintings by Bloch as well as other famous artists!!! Today I got online and registered for our FREE tickets for us and Andrew's family to go the day before Christmas Eve. It's going to make Christmas so special! It's a Christmas miracle I tell you!!
This video tells a little bit about what to expect and why this exhibit is unique:
If anyone is going to be in the Provo area between now and May (that's how long it will be here! Maybe we'll go again!) here is the link to register for free tickets to see this exhibit: http://sacredgifts.byu.edu/tickets. Apparently 30,000 of them are already spoken for and that's only between now and December!! So get on it! It's once in a lifetime!
I will be welcoming those embarrassing tears.
Needless to say...
I'm so excited!!!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
I’ve seen Heavenly Father’s hand in my life so much
recently. So many small things have
lifted my spirits and brought happiness to me- a talk at church, making a new
friend, renewing friendships on facebook, a certain song touching my heart,
being out in nature for a long period of time, Andrew coming home a bit early, having
peaceful experiences with the scriptures, little moments with Audrey,
discovering her hilarious and sweet personality. Being able to get things done around the
house, and on the days I’m not able to, being able to cope with it and not feel
discouraged. I’ve found that I can have
a good day every day. This is something
I’ve been telling myself almost every morning, or any time something about the
day looks hard. My own little
mantra. I’m reminded of mind over
matter, and that the moment I choose to look at something positively or
negatively is the moment I choose the experience I will have with it.
Yesterday I had pretty much decided to accept a bad day. I had woken up feeling sick and very tired, unenthusiastic
about everything ahead for the day. I
concluded that Audrey and I would stay in our pajamas all day and just
wallow. But the wallowing didn’t happen
for very long. (The pajamas did, though,
I admit.) We started the day reading scriptures
(something we don’t always make time for) and it already started changing the
day by changing my mood. Then Audrey and
I happened to go see a friend and her baby for what was supposed to be a short
visit, which turned into an all afternoon hang out session! Then when we were home about to recommence
our wallowing, Andrew came home and we had a productive dish-doing evening
together with Conference talks and basketball games as our entertainment. We had also gone to the park near our house earlier in the day
for almost an hour! I was amazed. Audrey just sat in my lap and had the time of
her life watching the kids playing. She
cooed and squealed as if she was talking to them, trying to get them to come play
with her. When two little girls finally
did she actually got a little flustered and avoided eye contact at all
costs. It was very funny and very cute
of those little girls who kept trying to talk to her.
So, basically I had decided to have a bad day and Heavenly
Father didn’t let me. I know there will
still be days that are not the best, but I know for sure now that I truly CAN
have a good day everyday if I begin it cheerfully and with something
uplifting. Hopefully, it can keep being
scripture reading, but even if it’s just a country song or some chocolate milk I
think it will make all the difference. I’m
so grateful for God’s love and all the great little things about life.
So have a good day everyone.
Every day!
Friday, November 8, 2013
In 2012 I posted 60 times! I hope I can beat that. It would mean posting almost 30 more times in the next month and a half. So if you get sick of me feel free to stop reading. Who knows if I can even do it?
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Recently my friend posted about things that are making her
happy at the moment and I want to take this opportunity to do the same. So here are ten things that are making life
good right now!
Windows. We have kind of a basement apartment and so
windows have become quite important to me.
Opening the curtains in the morning and letting the sun shine into our
house chases away any bummed out-ness I feel when I get up.
Muddy buddies, smores
pop tarts, and baked goods. I’ve
always been more of a candy person. For
some reason I am loving these things lately.
Especially all the pumpkin flavored ones. Pinterest is heaven and torture at the same
time because of this.
Making our bed in the
morning. When I do I feel like the
whole apartment is cleaner! If I cant
get to anything else the rest of the day at least there will be a nice clean
made bed to sleep in at night.
Conference talks. These have made such a difference for
me. I try to listen to at least one or
two every day as I do things around the house instead of turning on the TV. Lately I’ve been going back to previous
Conferences and choosing talks from them as well as the current ones. I often find exactly what I need to hear in a
Conference from years gone by. They are
so uplifting. They make me feel good and
they keep me moving forward.
Book time with Audrey.
It’s the most beautiful time of day,
outside and in. We sit on our made bed
with the sun shining through the window on us and we read book after book after
book. Audrey’s attention span is getting
longer and longer so we are able to read more and more every day. It’s like a break from life, even though it’s
really not. I love it and I love being
surprised by her when after 5 or 6 books she’s still sitting patiently in my
lap waiting for more.
Avonlea. My favorite show of all time. It’s a spin off show from Anne of Green
Gables. The characters in it are like my
friends. Seriously. When I was a kid I loved all things
Sara. As a young adult I adored the
unfolding of Felicity’s story. Now as a
new mother I identify with Janet more than anyone. If I’m feeling down and nothing else has
solved it, Avonlea usually does.
The cool weather, being
outside. I’ve mentioned before on
this blog that I greatly dislike hot weather.
I was SO glad to get away from it during the summer. We were able to come back right during the
nicest time of year- fall. Not too hot
and not too cold. All you need is a
light jacket! Andrew and I have talked
about things we want when we buy a house someday. One of my number ones is a good-sized
porch. A place where we can be outside
without having to go anywhere. With a
rocking chair on it for when I’m a grandma!
Probably would use it before though….
Mom’s Hillary journal. My mom has kept a journal about each of
her kids individually, writing down important memories from our
childhoods. She gave mine to me to keep
a little while ago and it has become an important self-esteem booster for me in
a few ways. First of all it makes me
feel loved by her. And second, it makes
me happier about and more determined in my chance to be a mother myself. Reading about myself growing up and seeing
myself through my mom’s eyes makes me so excited to watch Audrey grow and learn
and find what she loves. It makes me
feel better about life amid the hard times.
My mom encouraging me from so far away.
I’ve already started one for Audrey and I hope one day it will be
something she cherishes as I do my mom’s.
This blog/my journals-
I’ve realized again how good it feels to write.
I’ve kept journals since I was 12, pretty faithfully, and they are my
most prized material possessions. This
blog has become an extension of my journal with one difference- writing in
public, so to speak. It helps me write
without completely gushing and rambling because I know that others will be
reading it. While it will probably not
replace my actual personal journal, it is a source of happiness for me. To post pictures of my girl and talk
rationally about her where people will see how adorable she is, to bear my
testimony and explain my feelings about the things that are important to me, or
to write about the things that just plain make me happy. I like my blog.
My little family and
our warm cozy home. Here we are
together in this small apartment, not doing anything too important for the
world. But we three are each other’s
world. I love loving them and I love
feeling their love for me. I love the
alone time I get with each of them and I love seeing them have their own daddy
daughter time together. I love when
we’re all sitting here at night and the heater comes on a warms up our
house. I love trying to make our
apartment a home for us. I love my
little family and I’m excited for it to grow.
Think about those little things that make your life happy :)
Think about those little things that make your life happy :)
