Todays list: Places I Want to Visit Before I Die

1. New England in the Fall
2. Rural England
3. The Greek Isles
4. Rome
5. Scotland
6. Morrocco
7. Egypt
8. Mayan Ruins
9. The Caribbean
10. The Oregon Coast
11. Paris
12. Vienna
13. Florence
14. Portugal
15. Fiji
16. Capri


These are only places I haven't yet visited. There are many places I'd like to go back to...some of them many times over. Among those are Germany and Hawaii.

My back hurts.

Hmm....I haven't blogged in awhile. I've really resisted, because everyone blogs...and I'm just rebellious enough to want to be different. I do, however, want to leave a record of myself for my posterity, so I'm going to try again. I took a class at Creative Escape about journaling with lists. It's amazing what you can learn about someone from the lists they make. So, in that vein, I will attempt to list some things about me. They will be random, and probably not mean much to anybody...but it's the best I can do.

First list: Things that are almost always in my fridge

1. Milk
2. Mayo
3. Eggs
4. Leftovers
5. Parmesan Cheese
6. Raspberry Jam
7. An open box of baking soda (for the smell)
8. Butter (not margarine...but butter)
9. Sour cream
10. Kosher Dill Pickles
11. Mustard
12. Worcestershire Sauce
13. Lunch meat (turkey or ham)
14. Ginger in a jar
15. Cream cheese
16. Hot dogs

Boring, I know. Maybe some of the lists I come up with won't be, or maybe they'll all be. Who knows?

Random thought for the day: I hope this surgery doesn't affect my singing. ( I had surgery to remove some discs in my cervical spine. The surgeon went through the front, and messed around with my esophagus.)

New Year's Resolutions

I hate them. Okay, not HATE - but I don't like to make them because I'm afraid to let myself down. I've decided to make them this year, however, because I'm on a quest of self-improvement. I want to be a better...me (whatever that means.) So, in an effort to hold myself accountable, I will post them here. Feel free to never mention what you read here to me, so that I don't hurt your feelings with a snide and insensitive comeback.

1. Hold regular Family Home Evenings.

(We always refer to it as FHE, which some of the kids have mistaken for "FAG". Justin asked once why its called "fag". That was funny.)

2. Have more home-cooked dinners.

3. Blog more.

(Since I don't write in my journal, this will have to suffice.)

4. Be a better time-manager.

(The Franklin Covey class I took in November is helping already)

5. Continue to be happy with the physical me.

(It relieves such a burden to see myself through the eyes of those who love me most.)

I'm hoping that these resolutions will translate into habits for the rest of my life. I'm determined not to let myself down.

I love this time of year! If they could bottle Autumn and sell it, I wouldn't need any other meds. Seriously. Every morning when I get home from my rounds (taking the boys to school), I feel so happy to be at this particular moment in my life. I love that we live in Draper, I love that my kids are all in school (and happy), I love that Rich's business is successful (and that he loves what he does), I love that Ashli is at BYU, and I love that I no longer work full-time. I love that we have a house with plenty of room, I love that my family is slowly (but surely) making their way out here, I love that Rich's business partner is his best friend, and I love being almost 40. I love that I get to nuzzle my face in Gavin's neck whenever I want, I love that my sisters' kids are still young enough for me to enjoy spoiling, but that's all I have to do. I love that my kids want to choose the right. I love that I have all the time in the world to be a mom. I love that the Lord is gently helping me to be a better me. I know that life won't always be this happy or fulfilling, but I love that it is right now.

I hate bad drivers.

This blog is for me. I need to get better at journaling my life, and I hate writing on paper. I intend to write about my family, my opinions, and anything else that comes to mind.

Justin, Tyler, and I at the Thanksgiving Point corn maze last week. They were about to go back on track, so we spent the week doing some pretty fun stuff.