It's that time of year...fall is falling down the mountain, the leaves are turning amazing colors, there's a bite in the morning air. I kept looking at the mini daffodils on my previous blog and thinking it just didn't fit my fall mood. So, to keep up with Mother Nature, my blog got a facelift. I feel much cozier and fall-ish just looking at it! Let me know what you think!
I really cannot explain how much I love the General Relief Society broadcast. I love the gathering of so many women, all there together to learn how to improve our lives and draw from the strength of those around us. Last year, I was in the Conference Center for this meeting. That was a wonderful experience being surrounded by sisters from many different areas of the world. This year, I got to attend at the Stake Center, surrounded by the sisters in my own area.
It all began at 4 p.m., when we went to the Stake Center to tie quilts for the Church's Humanitarian Aid department. We then had dinner, which followed the Utah Relief Society dinner menu to a T--you know, pasta salad (containing chicken and fruit) on a bed of lettuce, dinner roll, small slice of melon, brownie, water. The food was good, although predictable, and I really did appreciate all the work that went into the project.
After dinner, we all sat down together to watch the General Relief Society broadcast. This was the highlight of my evening. I absolutely love Sister Julie B. Beck. During her talk, it occurred to me that I often provide my own "roadblocks" to service. Instead of deciding to serve and then moving forward, I think of why it just won't work today, or this week, or this month. Sis. Beck inspired me to have more faith and move forward in service even though I'm not sure how to work it all out in the beginning.
But, I have to say my favorite talk of the evening was Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf's. The subject of his message, creativity, is something that has been on my mind and in my prayers a lot over the past few weeks. It amazed me that this topic, which I thought so insignificant, was important enough to discuss with the largest women's organization in the world. I gained a new perspective on the importance of this quality and that "I'm just not a creative person" is no longer a valid argument. I look forward to following Elder Uchtdorf's counsel and seeing how it will work out for me! (Again--get rid of the roadblocks!)
After the meeting concluded, I didn't feel quite ready to "come back to earth." So, a few sisters from my ward decided to walk down to the BYU Creamery and enjoy some ice cream. We snagged a corner booth, sat down, and chatted for almost three hours! When I got home, my amazing husband had not only done the dishes, but mopped the kitchen floor, and vacuumed the family room. Seriously, ladies, how could my evening have been any better than that!? What a way to end one week and begin another one!
I realize that Halloween is still a little over a month away. That's perfect timing, however, to get your order in for this DARLING trick or treat bag from Blueberry Moon! Not only do you get to personalize the bag with your child's name, but they also have different Halloween-themed fabrics to choose from. If you order before October 20, you will have it in time for Halloween. And, it's always free shipping there, too. Can't lose with a deal like that, huh? (Click on the pic to go to the website! And, while you're there, check out their other cool stuff...)
Today was the BYU tech career fair and Ryan took full advantage of the 100 possible future employers in one location. He ended up handing out 20 resumes! As a result, he has 5 interviews tomorrow alone. Not only did he have great success there, but he had an interview last Friday and has a previously scheduled interview with yet another company this Friday. In addition to all of that, last Friday's interview has already invited him for a second interview! On top of everything else he's got going on, Ryan is now adding "prepare for interviews" to his daily list of things to do. Good thing the marathon was last weekend, right?
The thing about all of this is that I hope these interviewers can see what a great employee Ryan is. I'm pretty biased because I'm completely in love with him. BUT--because I'm his wife, I know both his strengths AND his weaknesses. And, I can honestly say he has very few weaknesses. He prioritizes amazingly well, pays attention to details, acts with complete integrity, has a great sense of organization--whether it be a physical space or a mental project, communicates very effectively, and can see a situation from all angles--which is a huge benefit when it comes to dealing with tough issues. Overall, he inspires me to be a better person; to develop the qualities he exhibits on a daily basis. I hope the potential employers he interacts with over the next few weeks will be as thoroughly impressed as I have been from the start!
I have been going to a "Step Kardio Fusion" class from 6-7 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. (There's also a class on Saturday, but it's later in the day, so I haven't made it yet because we've been so busy each weekend during the past month. And, just for the record, I'm loving it!) It's always completely dark when I leave in the morning, but the past few weeks, it has been pretty light when class ends. It was just enough that Utah Valley wasn't in full sunlight, but the sky was certainly lit. Compare that to today. When I came out of class, it was still dark enough that I had to use my headlights to drive home. I was surprised that the sunrise seemed to change so dramatically over the course of a week.
It strikes me that things in our lives sometimes happen this way, too. We make a little change, (for better or worse), and suddenly, before we know it, we look back and see how far that change has taken us in a relatively short amount of time. I hope next time you see the changes in daylight, you will think about what changes you're making in your life. It's a great chance to take inventory and figure out if you are headed where you want to go. Who knew all of that could come from a simple sunrise?
Ryan ran the Top of Utah marathon in Logan, UT today! It was his third marathon and such a great experience for both of us.
To begin with, he registered for the marathon MONTHS ago, but we put off reserving a hotel room until it got a little closer. Mid-July, we remembered that we needed a room. After searching various on-line sites, we snatched up what appeared to be the only vacant room in all of Logan.
Fast-forward to yesterday...Ryan left school early and we left the girls at home with my sister, (their Aunt Moo-Moo, whom they ADORE!). When we arrived at the Logan Econolodge, we realized we had reserved the honeymoon suite for the night--complete with 2-person jacuzzi tub! Now, let's be honest, the Econolodge isn't exactly luxury lodging, so even the honeymoon suite wasn't much to speak of. And, check out was at 11 a.m., which meant that Ryan wouldn't have a chance to shower after the marathon. But, it was 2 blocks from the finish line and a place to crash for the night so we weren't complaining!
We ate at Olive Garden, (so Ryan could carb-load), and then strolled along Main Street to pick up his registration packet. At Ryan's previous marathons, I was first-trimester pregnant or we had the girls with us, so we weren't able to spend as much time as we would have liked at the marathon expos. This year, we had neither of those issues--and there was no expo! There was a cool feature at this marathon, however, where the timing system will send you a text message at the 13 and 20 mile marks, as well as at the finish. We signed up for that, so I'd know when to head over to the park to meet Ryan.
This morning, Ryan got up at 4:30 a.m., got ready, and headed to the park. It was a good thing he got up early because just before he got on the shuttle bus to the starting line, he realized he had forgotten his timing chip! He ran back to the motel, picked up his chip, then ran back to the park so he wouldn't miss the last bus at 5:45. He made it in plenty of time, and we were even more grateful our motel was so close to the park.
Because I've paid attention to Ryan's training times this season, I expected his 13-mile text around 9:30 a.m. It didn't come and it didn't come...and I started to wonder if he'd started late, if the device hadn't worked properly, or if they somehow had the wrong phone number. Finally, I received a text at 10:22--Ryan was already at the 20-mile marker! He was making GREAT time!
A few minutes later, I headed over to the office to check out. When I got there, they had posted a sign saying they were offering a few of their rooms until 3 p.m. for runners to use for showers, free of charge. At this point, I was incredibly impressed with the Econolodge (and extremely grateful I wasn't going to have to ride home with a sweaty, stinky husband)! :)
I walked up to the street the park was on. Instead of heading straight over there, I stood by the marathon route waiting to see Ryan and cheer him on. I got a lump in my throat just watching all the runners. Every time I've been to a marathon, I get choked up watching these people run. I don't know why, but even though I don't know most of them, I am just so proud of them for accomplishing such a major feat!
As I stood there trying to look encouraging to all the runners I didn't know, it started POURING rain. (It had been raining off and on all morning.) It was short-lived, but I was quite wet by the time it was over. A few minutes later, I saw Ryan running up, cheered for him, then walked over to the park when he'd passed. The runners had to run up and around a few streets back to the park, but it was just a straight-shot for me from where I was waiting. Once I got near the finish line, I found a great vantage point and cheered runners on while I waited for Ryan. When I finally saw him coming, I stepped under the rope, went down to meet him, then jogged in (purse, street clothes, and all!) with him across the finish line for a final time of 4:25! This is almost a full 35 min. better than St. George. And, St. George was about 30 min. better than Salt Lake! I was SO proud of him for getting such a great time!
I was actually really surprised that no one told me not to stay with Ryan after we crossed the finish line. I got to be there as they handed him his finishers medal and then I waited with him in the "recovery corral" where they had post-run food and drinks for the runners, (along with medical attention--thank goodness Ryan has never needed that after a run!). While we were waiting, Ryan mentioned that next time, we should plan ahead so I can run at least the last mile with him. After a while, we headed over to the massage tent to wait in line. When Ryan's turn came, I headed over to a picnic table and read until he was done.
Ryan is doing better than I've ever seen him after a marathon. He has learned a lot during his previous marathons and, I feel, was better prepared for this one than for any of the others. He's figured out how to fuel his body well during the race and knows what works best for him when it's over. He's sore now, of course, but is just doing awesome. In fact, Ryan said toward the end of the race, when he's normally wondering why in the world he decided to do another marathon, he was instead thinking that he was looking forward to the next one. Good thing, because he's planning on a triathalon next summer!
If I'm honest, I must say that I feel a tiny bit of ownership in his accomplishment as well, because I know my support has enabled him to take advantage of this opportunity. In the end, I'm really proud of Ryan. He works so hard to train for these marathons and I am thrilled to see him reach his goal. His hard work and dedication inspire me to work harder and be better, too!
The other day, Whitney pulled one of the pink fairy skirts from the dress up bin, lifted it toward my face, and said, "PIH-pess!" After I put the skirt on her, she found the shiny, pink crown and sought me out with the same request. Then, she twirled and twirled in the middle of the family room floor until she was dizzy. (Twirling is the only way she dances now.) She begs for the PIH-pess book and squeals PIH-pess any time she sees one. This is all new daughter territory for me. Kallie was NEVER into princesses (or dress up) and has only gotten into them as Whitney has displayed more and more interest.
As far as the Pea part of the equation, my darling little princesses decided to have a pea-tossing contest the other day during lunch. The aftermath of their game made me very grateful that peas are bright green. The horrible, purple/gray, commercial-grade carpet found in every Wymount apartment is great at hiding traffic patterns, juice spills, and any other mishap you expect in a home with kids. And, while it's low pile allows peas to roll a great distance once they land, it just doesn't hide their final resting spot very well. Good thing, too, or I might STILL be looking for errant peas!
Long(ish)-time readers of my blog, (yes, all 3 of you!), may remember the last time I posted about our adventures in stake conference. Here's our latest edition:
There are many smart couples in our ward. They leave their children at home with one parent while the other parent attends conference, takes notes, and reports back on what the speakers discussed. We, however, are not one of these couples. We choose, instead, to take our already-tired children to this boring-for-children meeting that lasts from 7-8:30 p.m. on a Saturday night. Because it's so late, we dress the children in their PJ's and load the diaper bag with all sorts of interesting activities to keep them busy for the longer-than-they're-used-to church meeting.
This time, things were going pretty smoothly...until we got about 30 minutes in, when I look down and see Whitney trying to do something. Upon closer examination, I realize she looks like she's trying to step out of shorts. Only problem is she was only wearing a nightgown that night. Turns out she had somehow undone one of her diaper tabs and had it down around her ankles. Now, there really isn't much room in between the pews--and because of several factors, it seemed that trying to shimmy the diaper back up and resecure it wasn't going to cause a LOT more commotion than necessary. So, I simply removed the diaper, handed Ryan a clean one, and off she toddled to the bathroom, holding Ryan's hand, completely naked under her nightgown. At least the trip to the bathroom was as uneventful as possible.
A few of you have asked about the Home Management Binder I mentioned in a recent post. I thought I'd toss out a little more information about it for you. A couple of months ago, I was feeling the need to make things a little easier in my home. I'm fairly organized to begin with, but wanted to improve on what I've been doing. As I started looking around the internet, I found this blog post. I thought it sounded like a great idea, so I've been formulating my own binder ever since.
In reading through the information in that post, I realized my binder wouldn't need to be as involved as that mother's binder...yet. For now, mine will include the following sections, (click on the links to see the documents/webpages):
Calendar:
Monthly activities
Yearly birthday calendar
Cleaning:
Schedule (what happens on what day)
Emergency Quick Clean
50 Uses for White Vinegar
Household Cleaning Solutions
Food:
6 Week Cycle Menu
Weekly Recipes
New recipes to try
Restaurants we'd like to try
Coupons for eating out
Important Information:
Phone numbers (Dr., Ryan's lab, etc.)
Kid's current clothes sizes
Stages of responsibility
Ward directory
I'm still working on putting it all together. Once September is over, my life should be a little more calm, *crossing fingers*, and I'll have a little more time to devote to this binder. I can't wait to scrapbook some cute cover pages and dividers for it! Anyway--let me know if you have any other questions!
Out of the many games played during college football season, I'd have to rank the most boring games among the best sometimes. Today, BYU played UCLA in what I would consider a boring game. There was no nail biting at the end of the game while we held our breath waiting to see if BYU would block the point after kick. (Although, I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of games that are exciting to that extreme, either.) In fact, we weren't even close to nail biting. At all.
Ryan and I don't get the channel on which today's game played. Since the game started during nap time, we opted to listen to the live internet stream until half time. We thought our ears might be deceiving us as it seemed that BYU was scoring a touchdown literally every few minutes, for a total of SEVEN in the first half, alone! What about UCLA? Absolutely nothing--other than a few turnovers.
At half time, we drove past the stadium full of screaming fans, (no traffic during the game!), to my brother's place, where we watched, (i.e. chatted through), the rest of this boring game. Just as we arrived, BYU scored yet another touchdown and put in their second string players. They managed to kick a field goal at some point--bringing the final score to BYU 59 UCLA 0. I'm really not complaining about the boring factor. Actually, that's one boring game that I'd like to see played out again this season!
While I was doing laundry a few weeks ago, I saw an ad for participants to join a research study at BYU. This particular study will examine the effects of the female hormone cycle on color perception and requires participants to have 3 EEGs over the course of one month. I've never participated in any kind of study, (other than setting one up in theory for my Family Science technical writing class), and thought it would something fun to take part in before we move past this college phase of life.
Tonight was my first EEG. I was taken into a small room with a computer screen and a bit of technical equipment. I sat in a lone chair facing the screen and had my head measured and marked, (for placement), by the research team while my EEG "bonnet" soaked in a solution of water, baby shampoo, and potassium chloride. As soon as 6 minutes were up, one student slid the bonnet over my head, making sure the key electrodes were properly aligned. Then, a window appeared on the computer screen showing which electrodes were "connected" (in green)and which still needed to be placed closer to my scalp (in red). Once all fifty-something electrodes showed green on the computer, we were good to go.
I was given a key pad and told that a 3x3 grid of symbols was going to flash on the screen. When I saw the empty diamond shape, I was to press a key on the key pad. Before that was to start, I needed to close my eyes and sit in the dark room for a few minutes to calm my brain down. As soon as that happened, I began the test. At first, my response after seeing the diamond was near .5 seconds. After a few times, I decided to try to improve my time--my fastest response was .343 seconds. Then, because of the almost rhythmic flashing of the symbols, I felt like I was being lulled to sleep--and I had to start really concentrating to keep my eyes open. And, then it was over. Afterward, my hair was wet from the bonnet and little round circles were visible on my forehead, nose, and cheeks from where the bonnet had been pressing. Having never had an EEG before, I wasn't really sure what to expect. But, it really was a fun experience for me! I'm glad it was good--because otherwise, I'd be dreading the two remaining EEGs.
I remember when my younger siblings were little, they always came up with the funniest and cutest ways to say things wrong. For example, my little sister, Mirinda, thought that the 5 appendages at the end of her hands were "thingers" (pronounced like fingers). It really fit! These days, I'm thrilled because Kallie has recently reached this phase of life.
Yesterday, she was "reading" Whitney's Winnie-the-Pooh counting book, naming the item pictured and the amount. She came to one page of dandylions gone to seed and said, "Nine dandyfluffs!" What a great name for those little blowable flowers! It's now in my personal dictionary for words to use in the future.
No, my friends, I am not doing a giveaway--but my blogging friend Leslie, at You Just Gotta Laugh, happens to be doing one in honor of her 100th post! Not only is she giving away Tupperware, but for those of you with kids, you can choose character-themed Tupperware if you win! It's a great chance to check out a new blog and participate in a fun giveaway. Head on over there (by clicking on the name of her blog above) and comment away!
Last Sunday, a new 2nd Counselor was called into our Primary presidency. My previous 2nd Counselor had moved about a month before. We had our first meeting on Wednesday night--and I felt the biggest sense of relief! I didn't realize how much stress was on my shoulders from carrying those 2nd Counselor responsibilities along with my own until they were removed on Wednesday.
I have to be honest, being the Primary President in our ward is not the most difficult calling. We have about 15 kids in 3 classes...and they are all Junior Primary age. We don't have to worry about scouts, transition to YM/YW, etc. And, while we do have to worry about many of the normal Primary problems, the biggest issues I see are related to the approximate 1 year time limit each calling in this ward has.
BYU married student wards/stakes are often referred to as "training wards/stakes". The time limit on callings allows as many people as possible to experience many different callings, while also providing some stability with a ward structure. That way, when we leave BYU, we will have an understanding of how things are supposed to be run on both a ward and stake level.
Unfortunately, this also means that the entire Primary changes about once a year, bringing new teachers, new music people, new Nursery leaders, etc. This also means that as you learn things for "next time," you will most likely live in another ward before "next time" in that calling rolls around. Take the Primary Program, for example. Many wards begin writing their Primary Program early in the year. In our ward, we don't have that luxury. First of all, the Primary Presidency completely changes sometime during the summer. And, even after the Presidency is put in place, we still have NO idea how many children we will have by the time Fall semester starts. We are still working on putting together our program for this year, which is supposed to happen Oct. 26. The good news is that the kids, whether they've been in this ward or not, have been learning the songs throughout the year--so at least we know there will be music!
I'm really not complaining about this at all. I really appreciate what I'm learning...like the kids don't really know when things aren't going as planned. And, that sometimes the biggest part of your calling is teaching adults how to take on responsibility. And, that constant change isn't such a big deal after all.
