I did it!

I've never written a cover letter in my life. My resume hasn't been updated in a decade. I can't even remember the last time I actually applied for a job. I think it was The Disney Store back in 1996. I haven't held what could be considered a "real" job since Rachel was born. That was 9 years ago. Well today I got the ball rolling to change all of that.

I wrote a cover letter, updated my resume, and filled out an application that doesn't so much as ask questions about your experience as give you very large blanks with vaguely worded instructions to talk about your life or civic experiences as they apply to the job you're applying for. Not to mention the affirmative action form, the background check form, the reference forms, and several other forms, plus an extra application for the specific position I was applying for. It took me all morning, but I got the darn things filled out. And I turned them in!

So hopefully by the time we're back from Utah at Christmas I'll have a job!

Technically it's a substitute job at the school. Recess Duty. 1 hour and 45 minutes a day. That's it. And it's exactly what I want. Just enough to pay the tuition for Becca to stay in full day kindergarten. I was recommended by a well trusted school employee (who also happens to be my neighbor) and it's so few hours almost no one wants that kind of shift, so my chances of getting it are actually very high. Oh, and did I mention applications go through the office of my Bishop? He works for the school district!

This doesn't change our plans to move to Texas. We'll still get that ball rolling just as soon as Scott finds a job down there. He applies for jobs every day. (So what am I complaining about, right?) In fact, he usually applies for multiple jobs every day. But we do feel like our time here isn't quite finished. As much as we would love to pack up and move tomorrow, the timing isn't right. So we do this instead, still working towards our goal of Dallas, so that when the time is right we will be ready.

Twilight

Have you seen it yet? I have. I was one of the many who went out opening night! That's so weird for me. I don't go to movie theaters hardly at all. I can go a year or more without going to a theater, and I don't ever go opening weekend. And yet, last night I found myself at 10:00 at night standing in a line going well out the door to get into a 10:40 showing. Crazy!

I went with Amanda, one of the laurels I teach in my ward. She's a big fan of the books and really wanted to see the movie, so we went together. If it weren't for Amanda, I would not have been there. But I decided seeing it opening night was the best way to see it! Being in a full theater with a bunch of overly excited teenage girls, I found their excitement to be contagious. The funny lines were funnier. The scary parts were scarier. Even the appeal of the actors playing the parts was enhanced by a room full of over-reacting teenagers. I found myself getting caught up in their excitement, and it improved the movie for me.

When I first saw the actors picked, I was disappointed. None of them looked the part the way I saw them. When I first saw them on screen, I felt the same way. But by the end of the movie, every one of them convinced me. I was sold. Alice was Alice. Jacob was Jacob. Even Peter Facinelli managed to convince me he was Carlisle. I even LIKED him in the role. My only issue came with Bella. She may have looked the part, but the girl can't act. She was stiff, showed no emotion, and seemed to be reading all her lines off a teleprompter. She was a disappointment, but no one else was.

Obviously this isn't going to go down as one of the best movies ever made. But it was fun, entertaining, and thoroughly watchable. Not only am I glad I saw it, but I'm glad I braved the throngs of teenage girls to see it opening weekend.

Date Night

Scott and I don't get to go on date nights very often. Last night was one of our best!

We were supposed to start the night with dinner with some friends. Unfortunately they came down with a bug and weren't able to make it. :( I missed you Mel! So we had to come up with alternate plans for dinner. In case you've missed it, I should tell you I'm becoming a bit of a football junkie. So when Scott suggested we eat at Fox Sports Grill, I was excited. It's a sports bar and grill run by Fox Sports. Most sports bars I've been to have been rushed, trying to get as many people in and out as they can. This was a completely different atmosphere. We had a great corner booth, big enough to seat 6 if necessary, with great views of multiple large screen tvs showing Monday Night Football. It was awesome. And we never once felt rushed. In fact, it seemed that they expected we'd be there occupying that booth until the end of the game. Scott and I ordered different things, then split them. He ordered a buffalo chicken burger that smelled like it was so hot it would burn your mouth, but ended up to be just the right amount of spicy. I ordered what they called a backyard burger. It was a mushroom swiss burger with the addition of caramelized onion and bacon! Yum. So great food and a fun atmosphere. It was a fantastic way to start our evening. But by half time we were off. On to the main event!

(I'm working on my self portraits, Jenn. I don't have your monkey arms!)

I haven't been to an adult concert in more than 10 years. So when I heard Jason Mraz, one of my all time favorites, was going to be in Seattle, I immediately begged Scott to go. Unfortunately, his Seattle show was on a Sunday. But just a week later he added a second acoustic only show on Monday! Scott's not the Mr. A-Z fan that I am, but he likes his music, so he agreed to not only let me go, but to come with me. :) (Thanks Babe. I'm glad I got to share the experience with you.)

The show started with an Irish woman named Lisa Hannigan. Scott liked her so much he came home and googled her to find more information. She had a really interesting voice, and she and her band used all kinds of interesting instruments, some I've never seen before. I could definitely see why she was chosen as an opening act. Rather mellow, but still really great.

Then came Jason. I've been a fan of his music for a few years now. But live, he's just so much fun to watch. He plays barefoot and really gets into the music. He and his band have a great chemistry, and you can tell they have fun and love what they're doing. The music is never more fun than when played live by people who love it as much as you do. I was surprised at what songs were played. He didn't do Wordplay or The Remedy, or any of his most well known songs. The one exception was I'm Yours, which is the one playing on the radio right now, but that didn't come until the encore. Being a fan, I knew all but one or two songs he played and I enjoyed hearing the variety. For a casual fan like Scott, it wasn't quite as fun. But Scott knew enough to keep it interesting. Another thing I loved about his live show was how he changed the songs. He sings it close enough to the original that you can sing along, but it's never exactly the way it is on the cd. He changes things up, and I would bet a lot of it is improvised. He makes it feel very free form and organic. One of the things I like best about his music is the way it flows. Live it was even better. It was so fun to hear music I love being performed by someone who obviously loves what they're doing. It was a fantastic show, one I'd happily attend again.

Hi, I'm Mom. AKA your faithful puppy.

Tyler is home sick today. He had diarrhea yesterday and threw up during the night. Of course he was still up at 7:00 this morning. It was a school day! Even though he wasn't going to school, he was still going to be up on time. He spent a couple hours hanging out on the couch watching cartoons and snuggling under his blanket. Then about 9:00 he perked up. He decided it was time for a "healthy breakfast" as he called it. The best part was the way he asked. The exact quote: "Mom, could you fetch me some toast. Two pieces. With peanut butter." Yep, fetch. Gotta love that kid.

It's here....

For Rachel's birthday last month, one of her friends told her she would be getting her birthday present a little late. She wanted to take her to High School Musical 3. Since both girls love the franchise, I thought it sounded like a great idea. What I didn't find out until recently was that I was the lucky mom who got to take them. They've actually been talking about this for months, long before Rachel's actual birthday. Well the day finally arrived. High School Musical 3 is officially in the theaters.

So Friday afternoon we braved a theater of hyper, overexcited tween girls and what looked to be a bevy of exhausted parents. I will admit to being one of the apparently many adults who actually like this particular Disney juggernaut, but even I didn't actually want to be there. Lines were long, theaters full, and kids impatient. Fortunately we all ended up having a pretty good time. The movie was predictable and cheesy, as expected, but it was also well made and fun. The songs were catchy, the dances fun, and my 9 year old was on the edge of her seat laughing and cheering. Turns out it was worth the headache the outing caused to see Rachel and her friend so happy.

The O Word

I took my kids to the dentist today. My kids LOVE their dentist. He's a pediatric dentist, so he's great at making kids feel comfortable. It also helps that he has free video games and a mini carousel in the waiting room and gives them tokens for prizes when they're done. My kids are pretty good about brushing their teeth, so we've only ever had to deal with one cavity between the 3 kids. For that I am grateful.

But this trip we got the dreaded O word... Orthodontist.

When Tyler's adult teeth grow in, he tends to knock out an extra tooth because of the way they're coming in. His new teeth aren't centered in his mouth the way they should be. So as soon as his current crop of teeth come in, we will be making an appointment for a consultation with an orthodontist. I figured braces would be in the cards for my kids. I just didn't realize it would be so soon.

LOST

A couple months ago Scott very kindly cleaned my van for me. Unfortunately, somehow a library book I'd checked out for book club was lost. I've spent many hours over many days searching for this book. I've hit my limits on renewals and am now looking at fees accruing unless I can find this darn book.

To make it worse, I can't even find my library card! It's attached to my key ring I lost a few weeks ago! I went to Safeway to get a couple things one night. I made it home, so obviously I had them that far, but no one has seen them since. Again, many hours have been spent searching for them, with no luck. I am completely stumped. My habit is to drop them in my purse before I even leave the car. So of course I started my search in the car, then moved through the garage and then through entire house. They're just GONE.

And now the latest in a string of missing items; a dry cleaning ticket. I put it above my visor in my van along with a pay stub. The pay stub is still there, but not the dry cleaning ticket. So where did it go? I have no idea. Let's just hope they'll let me pick up my stuff without it, or Kathryn is out of a blessing dress!

I tend to lose a lot of things these days. Most are small and can be found again with a little dedicated searching. But these three items have me completely baffled. I feel like I'm losing my mind along with everything else...

Late Night Poetry

Yes, I know. It's been far, far too long
I disappeared from blogging, and that is just wrong


Be patient and wait and soon you will see
All the things in my life that keep me busy


Texas was great! Best vacation I've had
We had a great time, not a single thing bad


Except maybe that I had to come back
But I had great memories I got to unpack


Then on to jury duty and parks galore
Library, friends, picnics and more


We kept busy the whole summer through
Sorry we were too busy to share it with you


But now if you have just a little more time
I'll share highlights now with a corny li'l rhyme


There is no real form or meter to this
I hope you'll ignore when the rhyme is a miss


Rachel got glasses! They're just for reading
They gave her the help she'd badly been needing


Tyler went to camp at the local high school
To learn some football. Man, he feels cool


Becca just started Kindergarten this fall
She goes all day long, and loves it all


A brand new family moved in down the street
With 2 boys to play with, Tyler finds it a treat


I finished my canning, all 200 pounds
Peaches, pears, apples, nectarines in mounds


We had our anniversary back in July
It seems 13 years have simply flown by


Scott turned 37 and we had some fun
A bocce ball tournament Scott actually won!


We're still doing signs, we even added more
It's just too bad the kids find it a chore


But now days are short and summer is done
Normal, not summer, life has really begun


Gymnastics, homework, full days at school
Our lives are a tight, but happy schedule


I know that I said I'd go back to work
The money involved would be a nice perk


But sometimes life just gets in the way
I can't say more now, it's too early to say


We hope to have news for you very soon
And no, I won't have a baby in June


But we do hope to have a nice change coming up
I'll tell you all later, when things are sewn up


For now know I love you and I'm glad to be back
If I go this long without blogging again, give a smack


Hard, right against the side of my head
And now, good night all, I'm going to bed

Jury Duty

I know a lot of people who complain about jury duty. In fact, I'd say the general expectation when one gets a jury summons is to complain about it and to attempt to get out of it. When I got my jury summons, I was actually a little bit excited. In my entire adult life, during which I've had a valid drivers license the entire time and always been registered to vote, I've never received a jury summons. This was my first. Would it really be as bad as everyone said? Would I hate it as much as the general population seemed to? Would it be one giant waste of my time? In a word, no.

Maybe I got lucky. Maybe the newness of it all has influenced my judgement. But so far I have found the experience to be interesting, educational, informative, and a fairly good use of my time. Almost as soon as I was scanned in at the jury room, they took those who were there early for the first orientation. The man running it was funny and informed. Everything was well explained. I did spend a couple hours sitting around, but just after 11:00 I was assigned to a jury pool and a courtroom. I got a long lunch break, then went up to a court room for the beginning of jury selection. We spent the rest of the afternoon in jury selection. I found some of the questions being asked to be unusual. I still don't know what they were looking for in some of the questions. I found I had very little cause to answer anything, which may have worked in my favor. The ones who spoke the most were mostly eliminated from the jury pool. We spent part of the next morning finishing the jury selection process and by lunch I was named juror #7.

Right after lunch we started in with the actual case. The defendant was charged with 4 counts; Assault in the 3rd degree, which is assault on a police officer; possession of a controlled substance; illegal use of drug paraphernalia; and intimidation of a public servant. Oddly, the last count was dropped at some point but we weren't told until the very end when we were only given 3 counts to consider. We listened to testimony Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday, and Thursday. Some of it was laborious. Some of it was laughable. Some of it was confusing. We were sent out of the courtroom often, and sometimes for long periods of time. I can't deny there was a lot of waiting around doing nothing. But in general the process was very interesting and moved forward as quickly as it could. By Thursday afternoon testimony was completed and we were given the instructions from the judge and heard closing arguments. Then they dismissed us for the day with a reminder we were still not to discuss it, even with other jurors. We were all in agreement that we couldn't wait to get back the next morning to start!

Friday we were together and ready to start deliberations at 9:00. Even though the assault charge was the first, we left that for last. Most of the jury thought both drug charges were locked up. The prosecutor was sure he had it locked up. But a few of us had some problems. Our presiding juror was wise and had us take each count separately. We wouldn't even discuss the other charges while deciding a verdict on the charge on the table. After some heated discussion, we arrived at verdicts on both drug charges by about 10:30. Ultimately we found him not guilty. We all believed the drugs were his and that he was high at the time, but there was not enough evidence to prove it. There were too many questions and not enough answers. We found it to be a major oversight that the prosecutor had the baggie of drugs tested, but not the residue in the pipe. The testimony on how and where the drugs were found was conflicting, and the officer who was credited with finding the drugs on the suspect didn't testify. We just didn't have enough evidence to convict him, even though we all knew he was guilty. That was a difficult decision to make. There is a much greater difference between innocent and not guilty than I imagined there would be.

Last we dealt with the assault charge. As heated as the discussion was in the drug charges, it was even more emotional in the assault charge. There was a juror who was appalled at the idea of someone going after a cop and wanted an immediate verdict of guilty. There was a juror who was looking and searching for a way to let the defendant off, no matter the evidence. There was a juror who was rubbed the wrong way by the officer to such a degree that she refused to believe anything he said and even told the lawyers after that he needed some serious "retraining" and should even be considered for dismissal. We all found holes and issues and problems in the evidence we were given. We did have a wise judge who not only gave us the requirements of conviction, but also the definition of assault, which turned out to be vital. Ultimately the case was decided not by the testimony of the officer who was assaulted, but by the testimony of what we considered to be a very brave 14 year old girl who witnessed the altercation. The defense tried very hard to make a case for resisting arrest, even telling us outright in closing arguments that the prosecution brought the wrong charge. If we could have added in that charge, we would have. But that came later. The 14 year old girl who testified was very clear that the defendant made the first move, that he swung at the officer first. The defendant was the aggressor. The officer had not yet made a move to arrest him, just the threat if he didn't comply with his demand to put down the beer can and drug pipe he had in his hands. One doesn't resist arrest by charging an officer or trying to beat him down. It was an emotional and difficult decision for the jury, one nobody liked very much, but ultimately we found him guilty of assault. The testimony of the girl was very close to the testimony of the police officer and seemed to verify his version of events. There were no other witnesses to the beginning of the fight. The others that saw more only saw the end of the fight during which I have no doubt the defendant was resisting arrest. But that had no bearing on how it started. It started with the defendant throwing a punch at a police officer. I think the worst part for most of the jury was seeing the look on the face of the defendant as the verdict was read. This man was devastated. Oddly, I was not one of those bothered by it. I may have been the only one. I feel sympathy for him. He has a lot of bad stuff coming his way because of this. But he made the choice to throw the first (and second, and tenth) punch at a police officer. I can't feel bad for upholding the law and convicting him of that crime.

I went into the jury room with the idea that I wanted to vote guilty on the assault and not guilty on the drug charges. I was grateful there were other jurors who saw the same problems I saw and saw the same evidence I saw. The man sitting next to me at the table came in with exactly the opposite idea, that he wanted to vote not guilty on the assault and guilty on the drug charges. Afterwards, he had not a doubt that we made the right decision. I think when someone can come into the jury room ready to vote one way and has no doubts about going the other way when we're finished, we know we did the right thing.

I know I'm only half way through my jury duty. I still have another week and could be assigned to another jury. But I don't hate jury duty. I won't dread my next summons. I've learned that this is a process that works, and that this is a process that needs people who are willing to serve. Yes it can be aggravatingly slow, but I think it is that way to be careful. It's better to be slow and sure than fast and filled with mistakes. Even though child care is getting more difficult and I've already served and completed my service on a jury, I'm still looking forward to next week. And next time a jury summons comes, I won't be one of those complaining about it.

Already?!

Today is a very special day at my house. Today is the day my only son turns 7 years old. I can't believe he's already 7! He's had a very busy year this year and has accomplished so much. I think in honor of his 7th birthday, I'll list 7 accomplishments he's made over the past year.

1. He was at the top of his 1st grade class, reading well above his grade level and testing for entry into the challenge program. His vocabulary is impressive. He is one smart boy.

2. He improved his soccer skills playing for a second season. He still loves being goalie best, but he's no longer afraid to go after the ball when he's playing other positions.

3. He tried his hand at t-ball and picked it up pretty quickly. His coach was impressed at how much he improved over the season.

4. He taught himself to ride a bike.

5. He adapted quickly and well to wearing glasses and patching his weak eye.

6. He learned how to be a "boy" even with the constant female influences around him.

7. He has a highly developed sense of humor and loves to make people laugh.

Now for my favorite thing about this boy that I love:

Tyler is by far the most considerate and caring child I know. He worries about how others are feeling, makes sure everyone is included, and is willing to sacrifice what he wants to make sure everyone else is happy.

Happy Birthday buddy. I love you!

He did it too!!

Inspired by Becca's success at riding her bike without training wheels, we finally convinced Tyler it would be ok for him to take his off as well. We were going to do it on Monday, then we thought we might be able to squeeze it in tomorrow, then Becca asked why not do it right now? So we did.

And that was the end of that.

Seriously. His wheels came off and he was off. No hesitation, no need for instruction, not even any real wobbling. I don't know why we didn't take these off long ago. He sure didn't need them. So now Tyler can say he taught himself how to ride a bike without training wheels. And the look on his face was priceless. He was so proud of himself.

What a fantastic way to start summer break!

As he put his bike away, he said to himself, "I had a great night." Me too, Tyler. Me too.

For far too long I've been jealous of all the book clubs everyone else seems to be involved in. I've wanted to be a part of a book club for years. There was talk of organizing one as part of a Relief Society Enrichment group, but the Stake President shot down that idea. We were told in no uncertain terms a book club would not be allowed in any form as a church affiliated program. There have been a few times I've known women to try to set one up with women from church, but not within the organization of the church, but they never got off the ground. So when I got a call from my friend Kelly last week saying she was starting a book club and would I be interested in coming to the first planning meeting, I jumped at the chance! And it looks like we're actually going to be able to make this one work!

We started slowly, discussing books we like, the types of books we want to read (it's going to be hard to come to any kind of consensus on books in this group), and when we want to meet. There were 8 of us, with 4 others who wanted to come but couldn't make the first meeting. We determined when we were going to meet, assigned months for meetings, and picked our first book. It was decided that the person who is hosting will provide a list of 3-4 books before their month and there will be a vote on which of those books to read next. Not a bad system for the short term, but I was hoping for a list that we could have a few months ahead of time, or even more.

Our library has a list of 50 books that they have book club kits for. It includes 15 copies of the book plus other material to facilitate a book club meeting about the book. Our first book happened to be a book on this list! Hopefully we can actually get the kit. In looking at the list, the book I'd planned on doing for my month wasn't on it, but there are books on it I'd love to do for my month. I'm seriously considering Life of Pi.

But back to the now. Our first book is Pope Joan. Two women came with that book on their list of possible books, and it got votes from 6 of the women there. I was the only one who'd actually read it, but it seemed to interest everyone. The only problem is our first real meeting to discuss the book is the day I come home from Texas! I'm going to miss our first book discussion! I've read the book before so it's not a really big deal, but I was looking forward to discussing the book with others who have read it. I'll just have to try really hard to not miss any other meetings.

I am so excited to finally be a part of a book club that looks like it'll actually get off the ground. The women involved are diverse and interesting and intelligent. We probably won't agree on much, but it won't ever be boring.

She did it!

Becca came home last night from the neighbor's house totally excited. She'd been riding Austin's bike with no training wheels! She was insistent her training wheels had to be taken off immediately so she could ride her very own two wheeler. So this afternoon I gave in.

In the cold and the rain she got on that bike and showed me her stuff. She can actually do it. She has a little trouble getting started, and she doesn't yet have the balance to turn, but once she's going, she can ride a straight line as long as her road lasts. She even knows how to slow and stop without tipping over.

She did have a couple minor falls while we were out, but it was because she got scared, not because she didn't know what she was doing. Do kids just pick this up naturally? I sure didn't teach her!

Now if only we can get Tyler to give up his training wheels. :P

(Picture to come when I remember to take a picture...)

Settlers of...

You may not believe this, but I've never actually played Settlers of Catan. Yep, I managed to make it through the entire Sauter family cruise without playing one game. I don't know where this game got introduced to the family, but I wasn't around when it was. I have never played. It's sad for me, I know.

I went to a game night with some women from my ward tonight. No, we didn't play Settlers of Catan. We played Settlers of Zarahemla. :P It's the LDS version of the game. If Catan is as much fun as Zarahemla was, I've seriously been missing out!! Why didn't anyone tell me?! It was a little slow to start and I felt a little out of my element at first, but about half way through it kind of clicked for me. Not only did I have a great time, but I won!! Beginner's luck, I'm sure. I had no strategy. No game plan at all. But somehow I pulled it off.

I don't know which version I'll end up buying, but I think I have to have this game.

Field Trips

My school age kids both had the opportunity to go on field trips this week. They both went to the Graham Fire Station. What a great time they had. They got to spray hoses, go up in the buckets, and tour the fire station. They got to sit in both the fire engine and an ambulance, Rachel's teacher got strapped onto a board for demonstration, and a class mate of Tyler's got that particular experience. The fire fighters even showed off a little by having a race to see who could get their gear on the fastest. They both came home with hats and toys and stories that made their eyes light up. They went different days, but both had great experiences.

Fridays are the days I don't have my neighbor to watch, so Becca and I decided to take a little field trip of our own. We trekked up to the $2 theater to see Horton Hears A Who. That tiny little girl ate almost an entire LARGE bucket of popcorn! She just kept eating and eating and eating. She even wanted a refill when we were done! They refill large buckets for free, so we took a second bucket home that she shared with Rachel and Tyler. She also scarfed down the free packet of fruit snacks the girl at the concession counter gave her before we even made it out to the car! The theater itself was freezing cold. I ended up making Becca sit on my lap for the second half because I was shivering. Becca loved the movie. She actually sat and watched the entire time, laughing her head off in some parts. Her laugh (not the movie) made me laugh too. I wasn't quite as impressed, but it wasn't the worst hour and a half I've ever spent either. Mostly it was just fun to get out and do something with Becca. We spend so much time running errands or sitting at home. It was so nice to take the afternoon to just play with her.

So those are our field trips for the week. I can't believe we only have 2 weeks of school left!

The curse continues

Scott and I have a curse. Every time we get a little money, something happens and instead of using that money to do something fun or pay down debt or do something that is simply our choice, we end up needing it for some little (or not so little) emergency. We just got our economic stimulus money. So guess what?...

I was just getting ready to take Rachel and a friend to their cheerleading class yesterday when my neighbor pointed out my tire was flat. There was a nail in the tire. Fortunately my neighbor was kind enough to not only drive all of us to cheerleading, but she also took us to Tyler's baseball game. Scott got the donut on the tire when he got home from work and I took it in to Les Schwab this morning. Sadly, and in staying consistent with our curse, it wasn't as simple as fixing a flat. It wasn't fixable. AND the front tires were old enough and worn enough that they were no longer legal. So instead of a few bucks to fix a flat, I ended up paying $332 for 4 new tires.

I'm actually not complaining. Scott likes to whine about our curse a little, but I'm grateful that these things tend to wait until we have a way to pay for them. And in the history of our curse, $332 isn't really all that bad. It's sure better than the time Scott got laid off. :)

Recap

Here's a brief recap of what's been going on with us in the couple months since I've blogged. I'm sure I'll forget a lot, so this is really just the basics.

I'm still teaching the Laurels at church. I LOVE it. I have the best girls. I've had the opportunity to head up a couple week day activities as well and while I hope they don't make a habit of giving me that responsibility, I did enjoy the activities I've done. I'll be teaching them to make German chocolate cheesecake this week (thanks Deb!). Dance Festival rehearsals have gone to stake wide instead of building wide, so I'm not really needed for that anymore. I'm both sad and relieved by that. I mentioned in my last post I was doing daycare for my neighbor. That's 4 days a week most weeks with occasional Fridays as well. I've started going to water aerobics at a local pool a couple nights a week which has been a nice change from yoga and the gym. Last month, for the first time, I played piano in public. Our ward had a talent show and I promised my laurels I'd do something, so I signed up to play the piano. I did not play well. In fact, I screwed it up big time. But I played. That was a really big step for me.
I had kind of a hard time turning 32 this year, but I had a really fantastic birthday party at Chopstix, a dueling piano bar, with some really great friends and that helped.

Scott was released from the Elders quorum presidency a couple months ago and called into Primary. After a few months of subbing and shuffling, he finally has a regular class. He's teaching Valiant 10. It's a good class for him. Since Rachel's teacher isn't always able to make it, he also has her class pretty frequently as well. He's now carpooling on a regular basis which has been nice for our budget, especially considering the ridiculous gas prices, and his job is going well. I wish there was more to report for him, but his job really takes up most of his time.

Rachel is doing cheerleading at The Little Gym and loving it. In fact, she loves it so much she wants to do "real" cheerleading with our neighbor this fall. We're looking into it, but no decisions have been made for sure. She has her first real crush on a boy at school and even had her seat changed because she was talking to him instead of doing her work. This is so not my little girl. She's only 8 for heaven's sake! She's still doing well at school, but I think she's a little bored. Her teacher doesn't work to keep the kids challenged like her teacher last year did, instead teaching to the lowest common denominator in the class. She's very nice and very capable, she just doesn't know how to keep the couple really smart kids in the class challenged. So Rachel is bored.

Tyler finished his second year of soccer and is already into his first season of t-ball. He loves it. He always seemed a little lost in soccer, although he loved being goalie. He gets baseball. At least mostly. He likes batting best, but is happy no matter what position he plays. His eye is responding well to the patching. He's now able to see the 5th line down on the vision chart instead of just the big E, and it gets better all the time. As his vision improves, so do his social skills. He's becoming a leader in all kinds of activities instead of being content just to follow. He also got to hold an 8 foot snake on his shoulders during the "Reptile Man" assembly at school. He loved every second of it. He is easily the smartest boy in his class and tested for the Challenge program at school.

Becca is doing a combination dance/gymnastics class for the second semester. She's actually tired of the dance portion of it and will go back to just gymnastics in the fall. We're also looking into all day kindergarten for her. She's trying to read and learning how to write her letters. Mostly she spends her days trying to figure out how to get into trouble, but she is also still my snuggler and the first in line for hugs and kisses. She lost her first tooth on my birthday and her second last night, and got her ears pierced last week, so she feels very grown up.


We're still doing the sign route on Fridays and Sundays. We try to go to the Build and Grow program at Lowe's as often as we can. If any of you are looking for something free for your kids to do, see if your local Lowe's is doing it. My kids love it. We're looking into swimming lessons for the kids. Hopefully that'll actually pan out this year. The first leaves are sprouting on my quaking aspen in the front yard, and we had record high temps this weekend! Driving home from gymnastics last week I got the triple pleasure of bright sun, Mt. Rainier out in full glory, and the wonderful smell of lawns being mowed. The days are getting longer, the sun is coming out more, and there are flowers everywhere. It's finally spring!

Why I'm going gray...

I know it's been a long time since I've blogged. I'll do a catch up post soon, but this isn't it.

My neighbor recently went back to work for the school district. I'm her child care while she's at work. Nathan and Becca are 9 days apart and have been friends since they were born. They have a love/hate relationship. They want to spend every minute together, but are either conspiring to get into trouble or screaming and fighting at each other. They really know how to push each other's buttons, and neither one is at all afraid to get physical. Kicking and pushing are just how they deal with each other. Unless they're getting along. Then they get into things together neither one of them would ever come up with on their own. They are T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

On Friday they asked if they could read books in Becca's room. I thought that sounded too good to be true. I figured it wouldn't last long and soon I'd hear the sounds of books being thrown against the wall or bodies being pushed off the bed. It was a pleasant surprise to hear nothing but quiet. Too quiet...

They were in fact reading books, but not in her room. They cut a hole in the screen to her bedroom window and climbed out on the ROOF!! Blankets, stuffed animals, the works. They'd made a nice cozy little reading spot on the sloped roof to my garage. I could not believe it. Not once did they think that they could roll off the roof like the crayons they were having fun dropping. It didn't occur to them that it would be unsafe or not allowed. They thought it would be fun, so they did it. I still can't believe it. Being on that roof scares me. What in the world would make two 5 year olds think it would be fun to sit on a roof to read?

Becca is trouble herself. But Becca and Nathan together are turning me prematurely gray.

There was one funny part of all of this. I was on my cell phone talking to Scott about it as I was trying to reach through the mangled screen to get the stuff off the roof when I dropped my phone. I saw it slide down the roof and was sure it was going to fall to the drive way and be destroyed. Nope, it just fell about 2/3 the way down. So I'm trying to make a hole in the screen big enough to get through to go get it when it rings again. It was Scott calling back. All he'd heard was muffled sounds and a couple big bangs. I couldn't get through the dang screen, and it wouldn't just pop out of the window frame, so I ended up completely tearing it apart to get through it. In the mean time I hear the house phone ring, but by that time I'm stepping out onto the roof myself so I let it go. It's Scott again. I can hear him on the answering machine telling Becca to pick up the phone, and she's yelling back at him "I can't Daddy! I'm in time out! Mommy will get mad at me!" I think she thought he could hear her. He kept saying over and over to pick up the phone, and she said over and over that she couldn't! He thought I had fallen through the window and off the roof and was laying dead or dying on the driveway and was trying to get her to check on me while he frantically rushed out of work. It was so funny to hear her yelling at the answering machine that I couldn't help but laugh.

Of course, Becca didn't learn her lesson the first time. Not 10 minutes after Nathan went home for the day, she was back out on the roof to better talk to her friends who were playing outside.

Do you trust your doctor?

I'm going to tell you the story of Jayme, in the hopes that this never happens to anyone else.

Coming home from her honeymoon in January, Jayme started experiencing shortness of breath. It was nothing major, and it passed, but it was the start of quite an ordeal for her.

Not long later she started having pain in her abdomen. It got so bad she went to the emergency room. Even though the pain was high and to the side, about mid ribs, they decided she needed her appendix removed. The pain didn't go away because it wasn't her appendix. They decided that it was kidney stones, so they sent her back to work with the advice that she should drink a lot of fluids. Again, they were wrong.

She's fortunate that she works in a medical center. She started feeling some pain in her leg and started limping. A doctor there told her she needed to go back to the emergency room. Her foot swelled up and turned purple while she waited. And the pain never let up.

After several weeks of pain, two wrong guesses by doctors, and an unnecessary surgery, they finally figured out what was wrong. She had TWO pulmonary embolisms (blood clots) in her lung, which is what was causing the pain, and a 21 inch blood clot in her leg.

So she had to have a tube surgically implanted to administer anti-coagulants in her leg and has been in the hospital for another week. She'll be on medication for at least 6 months to try to rid her body of the clots. This is a very serious medical condition, one that can easily kill a person. 15% of all sudden death cases are attributed to pulmonary embolism. This is something that they think started on her honeymoon in December, but it took until late February to get her correctly diagnosed. It's been a terrible ordeal for her and her new husband, one that could have been significantly easier if she'd been diagnosed correctly in the beginning.

Interestingly, one of the major causes of this kind of clot is forced immobility, like a long plane ride. Also, obesity and estrogen containing contraceptives can contribute, along with genetic factors. But most people get this kind of condition from riding in air planes.

So the moral of the story is this: if you have ANY doubt, get a second opinion. When it comes to your health and your body, don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. If she'd insisted it was not her appendix, pain being in the wrong place and all, they might have found this earlier. But she deferred to her doctor, thinking he knew best. Not that I blame her at all. Almost of us would do the same. But we all need to be more proactive in taking care of ourselves, not automatically assuming our doctor knows best. I'd have been saved 3 months of a terrible emotional roller coaster if I'd insisted my doctor give me Ambien instead of all the other weird meds she put me on when I went in for insomnia. I'm coming to realize that, though there is a great deal of science in the practice of medicine, a lot of it is also educated guess work. So don't be afraid to take a stand, or get a second opinion, if you're at all unsure about what your doctor is telling you.
And if you experience any pain, especially in your leg, or unexplained shortness of breath after a long plane ride, go see your doctor immediately.

Are you serious?!

I can't believe it. Becca did it again. I'm just speechless. I don't know how in the world I am going to get through to this girl. I just don't want to go through the entire story, so I'm just going to go ahead and give you the picture of her resulting hair cut. And no, I didn't cut it myself. This is the best they could come up with. It hides the area she just cut and blends the areas still growing out. At least that's the idea...

Time to purge: SPT

The challenge for the week was this:

the other day, i was in my _____________, and i noticed this _______________. my only thought was, "why do i still have this hanging around my house?!?"

The ther day, I ws in my family room, and I noticed this crappy old stool. My only thought was, "Why do I still have this hanging around my house?!?"

This stool was cheap. It's bent and doesn't even sit flat. The seat is hard and uncomfortable. Originally it was meant for the kids to use at their computer desk, but they have other, much better options now. Why do I still have it? I have no idea. I'd sit on the floor before I sat on this thing. It's definitely time I get rid of it.

Party time!

Hooray for birthday parties!

At least that's what Becca would say. Today was her very "fantastic" birthday party. Fantastic, by the way, is Becca's new favorite word. She decided she wanted a party where people could dress up in whatever they wanted. She'd talked once about a princess party, but didn't want to exclude the boys, and didn't want to force anyone to be a princess who didn't want to be a princess. Her genious solution? A Halloween party.

We pulled out some of our favorite Halloween decorations and let everyone know they could dress up if they wanted. Then we went to work on games. She wanted creepy games, but not gross games. The list for the day included making spider cookies, pin the nose on the jack o' lantern, mummy wrap, count the candy, eye ball hunt, and hide-and-go-scare. Confused yet? I'll explain.

Spider cookies are made out of chocolate cookies, chocolate frosting, peel apart twizlers, and red hots for eyes. Pin the nose on the jack o' lantern is like pin the tail on the donkey. Mummy wrap is a take on the bridal shower game where you make a wedding dress out of toilet paper, but in this case you wrapped your partner up as a mummy. Count the candy was just a jar full of candy and the person who guessed the closest to the actual number got to keep it. Eye ball hunt was the most fun. There were golf balls with eyes drawn on them hidden in big bowls of slimy spaghetti noodles that they had to find. And hide-and-go-scare is like hide-and-go-seek, but you get to scare people as you find them. She had a wonderful time and loved every single game. All the kids seemed to really enjoy themselves.

But the best part may have been the cake. She decided she needed a creepy cake too. So we did a worm cake! Crushed up oreos for dirt, chocolate pudding for mud, coconut flakes dyed green for grass, and lots and lots of gummi worms. She was SO excited for her cake. It was a huge hit.

Becca, my Becca

A year ago I celebrated Becca's birthday with a list of 25 things I love about her. We're all ready to her birthday again! Where did the last year go? I thought about just re-posting that list, but a little girl at age 5 changes quite a lot from year to year. Her list from last year is absolutely still valid, but I thought I'd add to it a little with ways she's developed over the last year.

1. She is vehement in her opinions.



2. Before she'll admit to anything, she always has to ask,"Are you going to be mad?"



3. She doesn't back down from anything, and can't be talked out of what she wants.



4. She has the loudest scream I've ever heard.



5. She says the funniest, most creative things.



6. She loves with her entire being.



7. She lights up when she learns something new.



8. Her favorite thing in the world is a "bed date" with Mommy where we snuggle under blankets and read books all morning.



9. She can't WAIT to be a kindergartner.



10. She charms every single person she meets.



11. She doesn't need to know everything about you, or even your name, before she'll call you her friend.



12. She is physically incapable of cleaning without someone pointing out exactly what to pick up and exactly what to do with it.



13. She is the biggest, and worst, food sneak I've ever seen.



14. She loves the hand held vacuum, and is first to volunteer to use it.



15. She doesn't feel the need to conform. She does things HER way.



16. She loves to sing and dance.



17. Her hugs can cure anything.



18. She loves candles and fire as much as I do.



19. She's an adventurer at heart.



20. She wants to be helpful.



21. She comes up with some of the best random acts of kindness I've ever seen.



22. She loves glitter and pink and all things girly, but also loves dirt and goo and all things gross.



23. She's not afraid to admit when she's scared.



24. She will never go to bed on time.



25. She has more love in her little body than any two other people I know.

I am so lucky to have this little girl in my life. The Lord sure knew what he was doing when he sent her to me. He knew I needed her. I needed her love, her joy, her exuberance, her stubbornness. My wonderful baby girl turns 5 years old today, and I can't wait to see what the next year will bring.

My first SPT!

I've decided I might like to join the ranks of the SPT posters. So here it is, my first SPT!

25th Hour:

I was really torn about this one. There are a lot of things I'd like to do with an extra hour to myself. My first inclination was read. My second was nap. I also thought about how much I'd love to take a class, go back to school, improve my cooking skills, or practice piano (which ALMOST made the cut). But I thought about what would actually make me happier if I were to do it on a regular basis, and my answer became very clear.

(Warrior Pose)

If I could do anything I wanted, just for me, with no distractions, it would be to exercise. I've done the whole gym thing, and I still go from time to time, but I've found another form I think I like better. Yoga. I've been surprised at how hard it is, how much it works my body, and how good it makes me feel. Weight lifting and elliptical machines definitely have their place in my routine, but lately it's seemed too aggressive. Yoga gives me a difficult workout, but in a way that seems much more peaceful. When I'm done I feel energized and relaxed. Most of the time, when I find the time, I'm fighting kids or worrying about making dinner, or one of a hundred other things. So if I had an hour just to myself with absolutely no distractions, I would spend it doing yoga.

It doesn't happen often

It's snowing! Well, it's stopped for now, but it snowed last night. And it's supposed to snow off and on for most of the week. So today kids are out of school and excited to be out playing in it. We've already had a snowball fight (all three of them ganged up on me!), tried to build a snowman (the snow is too powdery to stick together very well) and been back and forth between neighbor's houses several times. Last year it took more time to get my kids bundled up than they spent outside. Today was better. They were out for almost two hours before asking to come back in. That has to be a record for them. So now they're sitting around the table with their hot chocolate while everything goes in the dryer in preparation for their next outing. They've done the front yard. Next they want the still untouched back yard. Rachel at first said she didn't want to go outside at all, but to have this much snow all at once is fairly rare around here. In the end I was able to convince her. I even pulled out my old Doc Martens so I could go out too. I'm so glad I did. Being out there with my kids was so fun! I even learned from Jenn's example and turned the camera around to get myself in a picture. Otherwise there would have been no proof that I too braved the elements and played in the snow.

The blessings just keep coming

Every experience I've had in the temple has been unique and wonderful. Today was no different. I went this morning with a couple women from my ward. That in and of itself is pretty unique. I've never gone with a couple friends just because we wanted to. When we walked into the chapel, I was surprised to see my mother in law sitting at the front of the room. I'd forgotten she was called to be a temple worker a couple months ago. Not only was today her day to work, but she worked in my session. I didn't really see much of her during the session itself, but when it came time for the veil, I was directed over to her. I am so glad I was. To have that experience there at the veil with her at my side was so very poignant for me. I am at a loss for words to describe what a special experience it was. I felt today like I got a glimpse of what it might be like in the world to come. I can't express how grateful I am to have had that experience. Every time I go to the temple I am grateful I went, and I always come away feeling like I've been blessed for my service. When I was there last month, I felt a special blessing on behalf of my family, and like good things happened directly because of the sacrifice it was to be there that day. Today I feel that blessing especially strongly. But this time it was deeply personal, specifically for me. Gratitude doesn't begin to describe my feelings. I will forever be grateful to have had this experience, and for the slight parting of the veil I felt while I was there.

Mahana, you ugly, get out of that tree!

For our Young Women's activity last night, we watched Johnny Lingo. It was the newer version from a few years ago, not the short version put out by the church in the 60's. We've always talked about that movie in terms of Mahana's experience, how she was treated badly by her father and the village, and made to believe she was nothing. Then Tama comes along and offers 8 cows for her, revealing to her and the village that she is much greater than anyone thought. I like the message that we shouldn't base our self worth on the opinions of others. I think it's an important message for the young women in this day when so much of what others think of us is based on superfluous things rather than the salient. Too much consideration is given to labels and clothes and cars and where you live or other meaningless details while not enough is given to the truly important things like honesty, character, and integrity. But in watching the movie last night, I realized another point of view.

Now it's been several years since I've seen the original version of Johnny Lingo, so I don't remember it much. But in this newer version, a lot of time is given to Tama and his life. He is likewise treated badly by the people of the island. He is passed from house to house, each one worse than the last. He's picked on by the boys of the island and made to feel, by all, that he is a curse brought to that island. He eventually leaves the island to escape what is sure to be a difficult and meaningless life and ends up in the home of Johnny Lingo. He eventually learns that he is in fact the son of a chief of another island, and he was always loved and missed and important to them. He also proves himself to Johnny Lingo, eventually being rewarded with all that he has, as well as the illustrious name. He is not a nothing, or a curse, as he was told all his life. We think of this as a movie showing the true worth of Mahana, but I think it also shows the true worth of Tama, a perspective I'd never thought of before.

When he goes back to the island to get Mahana, he goes back not as Tama, but as Johnny Lingo. He is rich and handsome and all the women of the island swoon over him. All, that is, except Mahana. She calls him a peacock and wants nothing to do with him. To her, riches meant nothing. She was more concerned with the worth of the person rather than the outside trappings. Character, not clothes; integrity, not riches were of value to her. She understood that the inside was truly what mattered. It wasn't just that she was revealed to be beautiful in the end, it was that she recognized where a person's true value lay, and she possessed the same values herself. Tama recognized that she was different and that she put more value on the truly important things rather than what was generally thought of as important. I think that is what made her worthy to be an 8 cow woman, not the beauty that was hidden by years of neglect and abuse. It was the beauty on the inside that was finally allowed to surface that made her a truly beautiful woman in the end. So the lesson of this movie was not just that we should never allow our self worth to be determined by others, as both Mahana and Tama learned, but also that we should never judge others on the outside trappings of life, but rather on the character and integrity they show.

Dance Festival

Back when I was a kid, the youth of our stake got to participate in a multi-stake dance festival. It was an elaborate production, with hundreds of kids, many dances, and pretty fantastic costumes. At least, that's how I saw it. From the outside. Alas, I was too young to participate. I was heartbroken as I watched Jenn and Ben practice and rehearse. To me, the Axel F song was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I'm not jealous by nature, but I was jealous then. I so badly wanted to be there dancing too. It was such a unique opportunity, and one that did not come up again during my time as a youth.

A couple months ago I was called to be Laurel Advisor in my ward. I actually have it pretty easy. I teach the lessons on Sunday, and am asked to come to weekday activities, but not asked to be in charge of them or even involved in the planning. Not long after being called, I learned that the youth of our ward and stake were about to start practices for... an 11 stake dance festival.

Now I don't get to dance in this one either, but it's ok. Last month I went to a practice session for leaders where they taught us the amazing waltz these kids get to do. Even with a little waltz experience myself, it was tough for me! There are some pretty tricky formations these kids have to master. But it's a beautiful dance, choreographed by a local dancer in Gig Harbor. Then last night 3 wards of youth met together to start the first official practice for the dances.

There will be one group dance that all 11 stakes will do. They showed us the moves before we heard any music, and after the second combination they showed, I thought to myself, "This looks a lot like a High School Musical dance number..." It is. :) We're learning the dance to We're All In This Together! As I looked around the room, I noticed a vast majority of the leaders were standing along walls or hiding in the back of the room. Not me. I was side by side with Melanie Lopez, the secretary in YW for my ward, in the front row learning the dance! I had such a great time. We didn't learn a lot of it, but enough that I could come home and impress my kids that I knew this dance they'd seen on tv so often. :) I was pretty sure before I went that I was going to enjoy myself, but even I was surprised at how much FUN I was having!

Then we got started on the waltz. They started by teaching, not the box step as I'd assumed, but a straight line waltz. It actually makes some sense since there is quite a bit of straight waltzing, but they're going to have to teach these kids how to TURN while waltzing! The first couple attempts by these kids made me laugh! You could tell they really wanted to do it right, but really had no idea how. But they picked it up faster than anyone thought they would. It was expected we'd do nothing but practice waltzing solo around the room for the night, but they were so good, they taught them one of the first segments of the song! I was really impressed with those kids. They were focused and serious while still having fun and enjoying the dance. You really couldn't have asked for a better first practice from them.

I think this will be a really great experience for these kids, one they'll remember for a long time. How often do teenagers get to dress up in beautiful clothes and waltz around a packed arena? For some kids, never. I didn't get to participate in the one done years ago, but being able to be a part of this, even just as a leader there to help them learn, has been pretty great for me. It's almost even erased my jealousy at not being able to participate in the one 20 years ago. :)

Oh, and the highlight of my evening! Everyone was lined up, boys on one side, girls on the other, before learning the first section of the dance. I was at the very back of the line. Brother Belliston made a comment that he knew Viennese Waltz, but it was different from what he was seeing the kids do. Then he grabbed me and started waltzing me down the center aisle between where everyone was lined up! It was fantastic! He was pretty good too. It was a great cap to what was a great night, and a great beginning to what should be a great 6 months preparing for this dance festival.

I'm thankful for...

As part of my desire to be more thankful in my life, I decided I'd randomly throw out posts of things I'm thankful for right at this moment. I used to post fizzy joys in my blogs, and I may get back to that, but for now I want a way to record some of the goodness in my life. Since I never get around to actually writing in a journal, the rest of you get to read it all. :)

Right now I am thankful for:

• a husband who does dishes
• Jeri and I are talking again after months of misunderstandings and assumptions
• I got to spend half an hour reading books in bed with Becca
• cough medicine
• my kids have excellent teachers
• warm socks

That's it for now. It all may seem a bit silly, but it's important to me, and that's all that matters. I'm looking forward to posting more in the future!

I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.

-Woody Allen

A New Chapter

Tyler has joined the ranks of glasses wearing folks! He was so excited to go pick up his glasses today. When he heard they were done, his response (as is pretty typical for him) was, "SWEET!" I'm not sure he's quite as in love with them now that he realizes they can be a bit uncomfortable, but he does notice a difference in how well he sees. He says everything is bigger with his glasses. I'm actually really glad to hear that. I was worried he wouldn't notice a difference and would wonder why he had to wear the things. On the way home, he spent the entire time reading off signs to me. He's always been a kid who would read things like speed limit signs, but he was doing it WAY more tonight than he ever has. If you look at the picture, you can see one eye is magnified while the other looks normal. Since one eye doesn't actually need correction, there's a pretty noticeable difference. Hopefully with time and dedicated use of the patch they'll even up a bit. But for now, he's in love with his blue Power Rangers glasses. I'm excited for him. I'm excited he gets to see better. I'm so thankful we were able to catch this problem and that it's fixable to a certain extent. I'm thankful that he's excited and eager to wear his glasses (and he says his patch, but we'll see how that goes). So far this has been nothing but positive. Of course I wish his eyes were perfect, but since they're not, this is a situation that has to be dealt with, and except for our first experience with the seemingly inept doctor at Costco, it's all gone extremely well. I really couldn't ask for any more.

Go Hawks!

Today is Wild Card Weekend in the NFL. That means the start of the playoffs. For the 4th year in a row Seahawks enter the playoffs as the Champions of the NFC West. And, surprisingly, we go in as the underdog in this game. We're a higher seed in the tournament, but not favored by any of the experts. Why is that, you ask? Because we're playing the red hot Washington Redskins. In case you haven't been paying attention, I'll fill you in on what's been going on. The Redskins lost one of their best players earlier this season when he was shot and killed during a botched robbery attempt. He wasn't expected to be home because of an away game the day before, but he was. And someone foolishly brought along a gun to try to rob what they thought was an empty house. It's been a very emotional loss for the entire team, and they really feel like they're playing for him. Since his funeral, they haven't lost a game. Plus they're coached by a Hall of Fame coach, Joe Gibbs, who is generally considered to be a genius coach. So even though we're third seed to Washington's 6th seed, nobody expects us to win. We'll see. I think the experts have over-estimated just how far emotion can carry you. I have to think their 4 must win games in a row, as well as a short practice week, have to take a serious toll on a team. I'm not sure they have any reserves left to pull out another win against what the Seahawks bring to the table. And they've under-estimated the 4 pro bowl starters on our defense. Our running game is a bit sketchy. Shaun Alexander has pretty much been a non-factor all year. But our defense is pretty darn remarkable. You can't stop these guys. There are so many play makers, you don't know who to block or even who to watch out for. And you should never under-estimate the 12th man. Quest Field is the loudest stadium in football. Our fans are enthusiastic and loud. We cause more false start penalties because of noise than any other team in football. It'll be tough, but I think we can pull out a win. Mostly I'm excited that we're playing on a Saturday afternoon instead of a Sunday so I can just sit and enjoy the game, the whole game, without feeling guilty that I'm watching football on a Sunday. It should be an excellent game. I'll be watching, dressed in my 12th Man jersey, cheering on my home town team. Even if you don't join me, that's ok. I'm going to enjoy my afternoon. Win or lose, I love these guys. GO HAWKS!!

UPDATE: It was a most excellent game. Our defense dominated the first half, but seemed to fall apart a bit in the 3rd quarter. In a matter of 2 minutes and 15 seconds, we went from up 13-0 to down 14-13. Then we lost the ball to an interception in the next drive. It looked like Washington might blow us out in the 4th quarter. Then our defense woke up again. Assisted by 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns, we pulled out a pretty convincing win. Final score: 35-14! Gotta love these guys. Next up, the Green Bay Packers. I'll say it again; GO HAWKS!!

Don't call it a resolution

This is the time of year everyone is making resolutions. Unfortunately, most resolutions don't last as long as the leftovers. I don't want to call this a resolution. It just so happens that I got some good information at this time of year I want to implement, but it's not a "resolution."

A few days before Christmas one of the girls who teaches gymnastics to my kids posted a blog on her MySpace page. It was about a report she saw on the news about natural ways to decrease stress. She assumed it would include things like teas, massages, and the like. She was surprised when she watched the report because it was nothing of the kind.

What they said was that it is physically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same time.

I thought about that for a few minutes and decided I didn't believe it. I could be thankful and stressed at the same time. I didn't see any reason their claim was true. But I decided to put it to the test anyway. Boy was I surprised.

The last 10 days of the year were pretty crazy for me. With Christmas and wedding stuff filling up my days, in addition to Tyler's eye issues and all the normal business of life, I was anticipating a pretty stressful time. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a very stressful time. But every time I started to feel the pressure of the stress, I would pause and try to think of something I was thankful for. I was amazed at how quickly I calmed down and relaxed. It really works!

The report stated you needed to be truly thankful for this to work, and I believe that to be true. But I took it one step further. Not only did I try to be thankful, but I tried to think of something about the situation that was stressing me out that I could be thankful for. Instead of stressing at my super tight time line the day of the wedding, I was thankful I was asked to be a part of such a special day. Instead of stressing over Tyler and his eyes, (something I still want to stress over!) I'm thankful we have medical insurance to help pay for treatment, and that I live in a time when medicine is able to help him. Instead of stressing out when I came down with the flu 2 days before Christmas, I was grateful I had a husband who was able and willing to step in and take care of the kids while I was sick in bed. What could have been a very stressful time for me was anything but. I was able to enjoy every day, every experience, every moment. Well, maybe not the flu so much, but I didn't get stressed over being sick so close to Christmas.

This has been so successful for me, it's a behavior pattern I want to continue. Who doesn't want less stress in their lives? I really didn't believe it could be so simple, but I put it to the test, and it really does work. I'm less stressed, and much happier. All for something as simple as being thankful. Right now I am especially thankful for Kenna and the blog she posted that taught me such a valuable lesson!

This isn't a resolution. This isn't a way to improve myself for the new year, or something that will be gone before the cookies and candies. This is a way of living that I've tried and loved and want to continue. It just happens to coincide with the start of a new year.