All In A Days Work

Yesterday was the first time in my life that I planted flowers all by myself. I have never had a yard before that I could plant in. We had a small back yard in Vegas but it was landscaped when we moved it. And I say don't fix it if it ain't broken. Yesterday I mowed the front lawn, trimmed the edges, and then I bought some flowers to go in the flower beds. I was so excited. Now I am paying for it today because I worked out there from 8:30 am to 7:00 pm, but it was worth it. Everytime I look out the front window I smiled. It is amazing what a little color does for a yard. I have watched my mom do yard work for years. She is so good at it. I thought of her a lot yesterday and was grateful that she made us work outside with her when we were little in the garden and flower beds. Poor Ashlee, in the next few weeks she is going to have that same experience when we plant the garden. She is not looking forward to it but I think she will appreciate it when she get's older like I do now.

Paybacks

Ever since my boss, Cody Schiller, put the red carpet down on the office floor making fun of my shoes I have been waiting for the opportunity to get him back. Well Friday the opportunity came. Cody is a Miami Dolphins fan. On Thursday when he left for lunch he wrote "Dolphins" on the back of my car window right underneath my Denver Broncos sticker. So on Friday I decided that I would give him a little office make over Broncos style. We even changed his computer's background to Broncos. I took down all his hunting pictures and replaced them with a Broncos poster. I can't wait for Monday.

Seminary Prayer

Last night I had a little bit of frustration with one of the other seminary teachers in our area. Her daughter is in my class and so she gets a daily review of what our class was on, where we are at in the Old Testament, and so on. For a lot of the year I have been behind the other teachers schedule of lessons but recently I have caught up. She seems to think that I have been skipping certain lessons or something. In addition I tend to have more of a relaxed attitude with the kids than some of the other teachers.

My view on seminary is this. I want to make my class a place that the kids look forward to come to. I am lax on the tardy's. (None of my kids can drive yet and they have to rely on others to get them there) I have worked very hard to develop a relationship with my class so that they would want to be there and they would be open to the spirit. Finding out that this teacher is annoyed at me just ticks me off. So last night I struggled to prepare my lesson thinking that I needed to do it to someone elses standards. But then I decided that I would continue to do things my way. I am moving quickly through some of the books becuase I really want to put an emphasis on the scripture mastery scriptures in the last week so that when the kids leave for the summer the last thing they will remember is those scriptures and how they apply not only to the stories that we talked about all year but to their lives. Nonetheless I was troubled about this as stupid as it was.

This morning the opening prayer was given by one of the boys in my class, Andrew White. In his prayer he said all the standard "teen age" things, and then he paused and thanked Heavenly Father for "such a great seminary teacher". All of my frustrations from the night before went away and I remembered the reason why I was there. I remembered that I was there to serve the Lord and those awesome kids and try to make a difference for them. Andrew's prayer told me that the Lord must be proud of my efforts and that my love for my class has been rewarded in their love back for me.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to teach seminary this year. I have learned so much about the Old Testament and it has strengthened my testimony. Most of all I have learned that you truly love who you serve. Although I am looking forward to summer and a few extra hours of sleep and nights to myself, I am going to miss the choice spirits that Heavenly Father allowed me to teach and learn from.

Sitting For Something

Yesterday on the way to church Ashlee told me about something that is going on in show choir. She said that the choir is working on a new medley that is a collection of Broadway hits. She said that last week they started on one of the songs that she felt was sacrilegious because it takes the Lord's name in vain. She said that it made her very uncomfortable so she spoke with some of the other LDS kids in the choir and they decided that they were not going to sing the song. They all went to the teacher to let her know that the song made them uncomfortable and that they would not sing it. So the teacher is letting all of them sit out during that song. With all of the LDS kids sitting out it takes out half of the choir.

I am grateful for Ashlee's courage to stand (or should I say sit) up for what she knows is right. She said that she was thankful for the other LDS kids that have the same standard and were there to support the decision.

Grandpa's Wallet

This is going to be long...but worth the time to read.

Yesterday was my Grandpa Bradley's birthday. He would have been 93.

Last night I was cleaning out the closet in my spare bedroom (which gets messy a lot because that is the "catch all" room). I ran across the plastic zipper bag that holds a few of the personal items that belonged to my Grandpa Bradley who passed away a few years ago. I was reminded of an experience I had last summer and I wanted to make sure I write it down.

I was very close with my Grandpa and I had a very hard time when he passed away. I have so many wonderful memories of him. He taught me to drive (which is why I am so good at it :) ) he taught me to hit a baseball, to ride a bike, to swim. I spent much of my past 10 years driving to his house to visit him and I loved to be able to just sit and talk to him more than anything. He had such a sweet spirit and I knew that he loved me. Many times when I was a single mom with Ashlee he would call me to see if I was doing okay and I would always tell him yes. Then he would say "You aren't telling me stories are you?" He would then tell me about how his dollar bills on his money tree outside were just about ripe and that he would be happy to go out and get me a few. Grandpa helped me out many times when funds where short. He would send it in an envelope with a note that said "Now you can go get you a Happy Meal!" I loved his sense of humor but more than that I appreciated his kindness. The weekend that my Grandpa passed away I was headed up to Utah to see him. When I was less than an hour away from his house he had a stroke and when I got there he was in a lot of pain and was not able to speak. Thinking about his condition always brings tears to my eyes and that evening was one of the hardest ones I have ever been through. He was vomiting and moaning and Ashlee and I were the only ones there to help him. Ashlee was so great but very emotional. After I cleaned him up and changed his clothes he struggled to get out two words to me "Thank You". My Grandpa was always the perfect example of selflessness. I was grateful that I could do something to help him. He passed away the next day.

After the funeral each of us were allowed to take something of his to keep. I chose two things, his sweater that he used to wear all the time because it smelled like him, and one of his old wallets. Over the next year I would often take the sweater and the wallet out of the bag that I stored them in. I would smell the sweater and then look through the wallet at all of his old cards and pictures. Each card would hold a different memory for me. His drivers license because he was so stubborn about giving that thing up in his old age and because I would remember all the times when he would take me out driving when I was 14 &15, his insurance card because we would discuss his insurance often due to my profession. He had a business card in there for the medicine shoppe where we would always run errands to when I was little. I loved to look through these things and think about all my happy memories.

Last year when we moved to Montrose it was an especially hard year for us. We struggled financially with Bill being in the mortgage industry and the housing market being what it was and is his paychecks were few and far between. There were several months when we would get down to our last few dollars trying to make it through. We continued to pay our tithing each month and I am convinced that is why we did make it. We witnessed several times when we "proved the Lord" and the blessings did follow.

Last summer I was cleaning out the closet in the guest room. I ran across the bag that had Grandpa's stuff in it and I stopped for a minute and sat on the floor to look at it. I opened his wallet and began to thumb through his cards and pictures like I had a million times before. As I did the plastic picture holder slipped out of the wallet along with three pieces of paper that were hidden in a pocket that I had not search before. I pulled them out. The first was an old business card from somewhere I don't remember but on the back of it was my name, written in Grandpa's handwriting with my old phone number that I had in Vegas while I was a single mom. The other two pieces were 2 one hundred dollar bills. I could not believe it. I had looked through that wallet so many times before and had not ever run across the money or that card. I immediately called my Mom and told her that I needed to send that money to my Grandma since it did not belong to me. My Mom told me absolutely not. She said that I found that money from Grandpa at a time when I really needed it and that was his way of taking care of me even when he was not here. I had just the day before payed our tithing and we were down to the last $40 in our account for two weeks. Finding this money helped us to buy gas and groceries. Grandpa's "money tree" was at it again.

This experience was such a blessing to me. I was so grateful that day for my Grandpa who was always there for me. I am so grateful for tithing and for the blessings that come from obeying that law. We had several other experiences last year with tithing that helped to strengthen my testimony, but this one is the most special to me.

My Idol Overview

This is going to be short. Your welcome.

So in a nut shell here is what I think. First of all Jason Castro was the best of the night. I loved the Jamaican version of "I Don't Wanna Cry". It actually made it so that I could listen to it. (I am not a huge Mariah Carey fan. I can't get past her dress code. Her get up last night on the results show was horrible. I am also really distressed that Brooke didn't go home. She is just on my last nerve. I don't mind her singing all that much but I can't stand how she talks the entire time anyone else is speaking. She is a really nice girl but I just want her to be quiet.

TTA- Something I Want To Have Professional Lessons For!

I really want to go to cosmetology school. I have even looked into it. I am fascinated by hair. I really want to know how it all works and I would love to be professionally trained to cut hair. I used to cut Bill's hair when we were first married. I love the sound that the scissors make when they cut, and I would take at least an hour to cut his hair. He would always get impatient so I finally told him to start paying someone to do it.

I would also love to take violin lessons. I love the violin. I have often thought of just buying one and teaching myself to play it like I did the guitar but I think it is one of those instruments that you need to have some instruction on.

And finally I would love to be a pyrotechnic and learn how all of it works. I LOVE FIREWORKS. I want to know how to make them. I am fascinated by the things that they can do with them, the colors, the different shapes, the timing. I wish I could design them myself.

I'm It. I've Been Tagged!

What was I doing a decade ago?

Well I am getting old and the memory fades but I believe in 1998 I was living in Las Vegas, working at American National Insurance. That was the year that I qualified for the company conference which was a 10 day cruise to Alaska. I took my sister, Heidi. Ashlee was 3 years old in 1998 and she was a handful. She was so dang smart that we argued a lot over her independence. (Independence in a 3 year old just means difficulty) I was a single mom and it was a lot of hard work. I remember trying to always keep a smile even though sometimes that sacrifice was more than I could handle. But I am grateful for that experience that I had with Ashlee. She is 13 now and she is my very best friend!!

5 Things on my to do list- (seriously you want me to narrow it down to just 5?)

1. Complete my seminary roll for March ( I know it is April but cut me some slack. I prepare a lesson every night of the week. I am terrible with keeping up with attendance.)
2. Mow the lawn (This I will happily do since this is the first month I have been able to see it!!)
3. Mail Ashlee's thank you letters from her birthday. (Yet another thing I am behind on)
4. Paint the trim in my bathroom
5. Clean the garage. (This was supposed to be on Bill's list but he has gotten it so out of hand that he is overwhelmed and cannot clean it himself)

5 Places I have lived-
1. Montrose, Colorado (several times back and forth)
2. Henderson, Nevada (also back and forth)
3. Leesburg, Virginia (I loved Leesburg. It was so beautiful especially out at the ranch.)
4. Aurora, Colorado (Not a Denver fan)
5. Ogden, Utah (while I went to school)

Jobs I've Had
City of Henderson Parks and Rec Dept. Summer Program
Wendy's (White, Red, and Green)
Bank Teller
Proof Operator
Office Manager
Oral Surgery Assistant
Insurance Agent

5 Things People Don't Know About Me
- I am really picky with my food. Meat especially. I won't eat any meat on the bone. I only like white meat chicken and turkey. Any beef that I eat has to be with ketchup. I don't like anything that is undercooked. No red in my meat, and I like my chicken and turkey dry as can be so I know it is well done. I really only like a few kinds of meat. Chicken Breast, Turkey Breast, Ground Beef, Skirt Steak (well done) Um I think that's it. Oh and Bacon... also well done
- One of my biggest fears is having to be in a social situation where I don't know anyone and having to mingle with them. I would rather give a speech or sing in front of a lot of people than have to go to a party with them.
- I don't really like kids but I love teaching singing time in Primary. And I love with a capital "L" my nieces. :)
- I am horribly pragmatic when I clean. Well I am a clean freak anyways. Clean house, clean clothes, clean hands. But when I clean the house I always do it in the same order and the same way and I freak out if it is done out of order.
- I am often mistaken by people who don't know me as being aloof or stuck up, when in reality I am shy. Once people get to know me and I open up they will find that I am extremely loyal, almost to a fault. I do have a point however when my loyalty ends. That is a spot that no one wants to get to with me. I am not mean when that happens I am just done.

Red Carpet

My boss, Cody Schiller, is a prankster. He is a really great guy, a member of our bishopric, and a long time family friend. He teases me about my shoes daily. It seems like all of my dress shoes have loud heels on them. They have never been a problem before because I have always worked in an office that had carpet, but this office has all hardwood floors. Each day when I walk up and down the halls my shoes click on the floor and he makes fun of me. One day I told him that he could put a red carpet down the hall for me and that would quiet the noise.

Today he is out of the office. When I came in this morning this is what I found down the hall leading to my office. I laughed!! :)

I'm Dreaming of a GREEN Summer

I woke up this morning to THIS! I agree it is pretty but people it is April for crying out loud. I had big plans to do some yard work this weekend, take the dogs swimming in the river, plant some flowers. Nope. Instead I will be inside, wrapped up in a blanket, drinking hot cocoa. I need a tropical vacation NOW!!

All About Idol (American that Is)

So I was thinking that I would start to post my opinions about American Idol each week on Wednesday. I know we all watch it and then we all talk about it so I thought I would just save the phone call (and the cell phone minutes...your welcome Bill) First of all I was wondering what one will say when they read these posts in my journal in years to come. "The Idol section" Since I have been teaching the Old Testament in seminary this year I have a little guilt writing about "idols." ;)

After last week with Ramiele leaving the show (finally) I made the comment that from here on out I think it's any ones game. I think the results are going to depend solely on what each person does that week. Here are my thoughts for this weeks performances.

Michael Johns- okay seriously why the screeching at the end of the song. Was it really necessary? I think he could be in the bottom 3 this week.

Sayesha- I actually liked her this week. I am not to fond of the song and I really didn't like it when Fantasia sang it either. I thought Sayesha did great.

Jason Castro- Loved the song, love the dreads, loved the false setto. I think he is just cool. I like this song.

Carly- Please send a memo to Carly to stop the Queen songs. I hated this performance. Also please wear sleeves. Never have I agreed more with the churches modest dress standards than after watching her come out all tattooed on one arm. At least do both arms to make it even. Seriously I can't even get past the arm to listen to the song. I think they should have a special Idol money- a- thon to help buy that girl some shirts with long sleeves. Say hello to the bottom three.

David Cook- I can some it up with one question. What in the heck was that? I have no idea what song that was or anything. Seriously it was so painful that I had to fast forward through it and watch the commercials to get over the hurt. That could earn him a bottom three spot but he should get some points for finally cutting his weird bangs, know what I'm saying.

Kristie Lee Cook- This was the first night that I actually could even sit through one of Kristie's songs. I thought her performance was okay last night. I did enjoy the fact that she chose that song with the lyrics "sing it anyway"

David Archuleta- Really who cares what song he sings. He has a great voice. I would like to hear him do something faster however. He will definitely be parking it on the couch. (you should check out his You Tube videos.

Brooke White- I like Brooke. I think her voice is cool. I am so sick of Carly Simon though. Please choose another artist to sing. Since you like the 70's let me help you with a list. Captain and Tennile, Barry Manilow, Barbara Streisand, anything please just let Carly Simon rest. She will be here another week.

Maile- This is for you!!

Heidi says that you tagged me, but I can't read your blog. She will give you my email.

Living on the Edge

This weeks TTA is about living dangerously. What would you do if you could just once if there was no risk.

Okay so again I had to rack my brain trying to think of something that I would do that would be dangerous. (People I sell insurance for a living, obviously I tend to cling to a boring lifestyle) But here goes...

From my last post you can tell that I am an animal lover. So two of my dangerous wishes are geared around them. First of all I would love be able to work with big cats. Lions, Tigers and Bears oh my? I would love to be able to get in the cage with them and play with them and get to cuddle and pet them. The other thing that I would love to do is be able to work with dolphins. When Bill and I went on a cruise to the Caribbean in 2005 we stopped on an island near Aruba called Curacao. They have a place called Dolphin Academy that we visited where we were able to swim with two dolphins. It was hands down the most exciting experience of my life. So where does the danger fit in? Well I want to be able to do the Sea World flip thing with a dolphin. You know where the trainer swims under the water and the dolphin comes up underneath and pushes the trainer up in the air. That is what I want to do.

So the other thing I would love to do might not sound that risky but it is to me because it would be so different. I would love to live in New York City. In an old brownstone, and have a great career where I walked to work and stopped by on the way to buy the paper and a croissant for breakfast. Where I would stop at the market and buy my food for that nights dinner that I would cook on the top of my building where my roof top patio was. I think it would be so crazy to live in such a big city where it is busy all the time. And of course I wouldn't have to worry about money to pay my rent for my building, or for my many market trips, or for the restaurant meals because remember we said this would be "no risk".

Don't Mess With Sadie's Schedule

I love my dogs. I cannot believe the life they bring to our home. I love them both, but I am especially attached to Sadie because we got her first at 6 weeks old. She is my baby. We got Polly our other dog, her sister, when she was 9 months old. The family that had originally adopted her decided that she was too big for their kids and they were neglecting her because of it. When they had decided that they were going to take Polly to the pound we told them that we would gladly take her. I laugh at that family who really missed out on a gentle loving dog. Polly is the friendliest loving animal I have ever known. She has also made a great buddy for Sadie. It is funny how these two dogs, both born in the same litter, have such different personalities. Polly is our couch potato. If she had a voice we think she would talk like Eyore from Winnie the Pooh. She is slow and all she wants is to eat and cuddle. Sadie on the other hand is complete opposite. She is very smart and very active and very loyal. And she has a schedule and she is not going to be swayed away from the schedule. Each morning at 5:45 when my alarm clock goes off Sadie comes to the side of my bed. She rests her head on the bed and waits for me to pull the covers back. As soon as I sit up Sadie walks to the doorway of my room and waits for me to walk to the back door so she can go out. (Polly comes to but not until I call her to come.) When she is finished outside she will go to the door and wait for me to let her back in. If I take too long she will bark to let me know she is waiting. When they come back in Polly goes back into the room or wherever and goes back to sleep. Sadie follows me to the bathroom and sits on the bath mat while I shower. After my shower she follows me to the bedroom to get dressed and asks permission to get on the bed by sitting next to it and placing her paw on the bed. There she waits while I get dressed. Once I am dressed I go into Ashlee's bathroom to do my hair and makeup. (We share everything so it is just easier) Sadie follows me in there and says good morning to Ashlee the same way everyday, by squeezing through her legs. When I am ready Sadie follows me to the door where I have to apologize for leaving her for seminary and tell her I will be home soon for ball. As I walk out she runs to the window where she watches me leave and waits for my return. We have very low windows in our house and Sadie can lay on the floor next to them and rest her head on the window sill. This is where she waits each day for our return. We have a friend in our ward who works for a medical delivery company and each day he delivers in our neighborhood. He says that Sadie is there with her head resting on the window sill everyday. When I return home I pull half way into the driveway. Sadie will look up at me and then when I wave she runs to the back of the house and waits for me to pull into the garage and come in. When I walk in she sits down and wants to hold hands. Then she will ask permission to play ball by staring at me until I pay attention to her. I will ask her what she wants and she will circle a few times. Then I ask her to show me and she will run to the hall closet where her ball is. SHE LOVES BALL!! and will play until she is so tired that she can't run anymore. At night she sits next to my chair when I prepare my seminary lesson. She is such a great dog. I read an article the other day that claimed that dogs don't understand words, they only understand voice tone. Well I am here to tell you that is false. Sadie understands so many words that we have to spell in our house. So that she doesn't get excited. We are not allowed to say Go, Letter, Ball, Swimming, Park, Car, or Outside unless we are planning to include her. She also knows exactly who "The Girl" (Ashlee) is and when we don't want to have to get up to get her something or take her to play ball we tell her to go ask "The Girl" and she will run into Ashlee's room and ask. I love Sadie so much that I tease Ashlee and have told her that if our house burns down she better find a way out cuz I'm saving the Dog. :)

Something Hand Made

This week's Tuesday Tell All idea was to talk about things in your house that are special because they are hand made. They suggested maybe a quilt or something like that. Okay so this blog will now unveil the reasons why I do not fit in with the "RS Crowd". First of all I thought all weekend about what I have in my house that is hand made. I even enlisted the help of my Sister and Mom for ideas. They suggested my scrapbooks, which yes, are hand made, but I have since gone to digital scrapbooking (Mom don't have a heart attack) because it is easier than getting all the mess out. So that idea was out. Then I went through the house to try to find something that was hand made and this is all I could come up with.

One of the things that I like to do is make something out of something else. So my problem was Ashlee's collections of things being out in the open. (We discussed that I think) The solution was a set of school lockers repainted with shelves put in them to house it all while keeping it out of sight. The project... these new lockers. I did these while Ashlee was out of town this last weekend. When she came home her room was re-organized and the lockers were in there. ( I also painted her bathroom). She loves the new lockers but I think her favorite part is slamming them like the kids do at school. I have heard nothing but slamming metal for the past 3 days. (At least I know they are getting used huh?)

Okay so I found something else :) I didn't want to have to share this one but I think it is hilarious. You can see the pics on the scrapbook page but here is the journaling in case you can't read it.

"I got a sewing machine for Christmas of 2006 from Mom and Dad. I had wanted to learn to sew for a long time. This was my first project... except it wasn't supposed to be a bonnet and it wasn't supposed to be for the dogs. I wanted it to be a cute apron but things didn't quite work out that way. Ashlee and Bill died laughing when I was finished. Too bad Sadie and Polly didn't think it was funny. Unfortunately they became the victims of the the sewing project. They were good sports though. "Is that a hint of a smile I see Polly?" Guess Not."

Now you see why I don't do Hand Made!

General Young Womens Conference

Ashlee had a wonderful opportunity to attend the General YW Conference this past weekend at the Conference Center in Salt Lake. She didn't want to go at first because she didn't want to have to drive in the car for 6 hours with a whole bunch of people (she is an only child remember). Then I told her that President Monson would be at the conference and she quickly changed her mind. Our wards YW went on left here last Friday 3/28/08 and spent the day touring the BYU campus. On Saturday they did baptisms for the dead at the Jordan River Temple in the morning and then ended the day with the conference session.

Ashlee had an amazing time but I think the thing that hit her the most was went President Monson entered the conference center. She said that before the conference started all the YM were just talking and that the room was kinda loud. Then she said the entire room got dead silent and President Monson walked in. She said there was an amazing spirit there. She also said that the music really touched her. The closing song was "How Firm a Foundation" and the choir and the congregation sang the last verse together. She said that it was so powerful and that she was really touched. The next day the girls attended a ward in Utah somewhere and Ashlee said that she bore her testimony in sacrament meeting. I am sad that I was not there to hear it but at the same time I am grateful that she has that desire to do so on her own.

I am grateful for Ashlee's desire to choose the right. I am grateful for the opportunity that she had to be in the same room with the Prophet of the Lord and to feel of his spirit. I know that she will remember this for year to come and it will help to strengthen her testimony.