Where it really matters

I've been thinking about how the gospel in my life is truly intertwined in all that I do. If I think for a moment, or any aspect of it, is not, I'm wrong. My knowledge, my beliefs, and my understanding that come from my church, all play a role in my day to day life. I've heard that some people think because I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, that I'm forced to live a certain way, forced to do certain things. This isn't further from the truth. Everything I do is because I want to. I have always had a choice and I always will. It's one of the many great things I love about my religion.

So as I've been thinking about all of this, I've been more recently focused on how the gospel and my education are related. If you've kept up with my blog, this has been my internal battle since early this year. I've known all along that God has a plan for me, I just didn't know what it was. I've gone back and forth and back and forth for months. Should I keep going to school? Should I stay home and finish raising my children? Should I be supporting and focusing more on my husband? Am I being selfish?

Looking back on it now, I can clearly see that it was me who made this question, should I finish my schooling or not, into a battle. I was the one making it more complicated than it had to be. You see, I had more than one person get on my case over what I should do. There were people who were appalled by me being in school in the first place, along with my husband. Other people telling me a few semesters were enough to get the "school bug" out of my system. Then others practically saying they couldn't believe I wasn't continuing my education where I am so close to being done. These same people couldn't understand the fact that having children was making it a harder decision. Then my not so favorite people telling me I was being selfish for doing any of this and not fully supporting my husband as a wife should do.

So you can see why this was getting to me and it really was. I let it get to me, for months. I let everyone else say what they wanted and I mulled it all over. But you know what, the only people who I should have involved in my decision was my Heavenly Father, myself, and my husband. It's still a bit irritating listening to certain people tell me they know what's best for me. No one knows that except Heavenly Father. If I had taken this up with Him from the beginning, it wouldn't have taken me nine months to make a decision.

I have made a decision and have received the knowledge that what I have chosen is right, not only for me, but for my family. I will be finishing my degree. I will graduate from my physical therapy assistant program. It's not going to be easy with my husband still in school and our children growing as fast as they are. But I know this is right and Heavenly Father will help me. He would never set me on a path to fail and through my faith and trust in Him, together, we will make this work.

I'm so thankful to have Him and His son, Jesus Christ, walking along side of me every step of the way. Knowing that everything I have and everything I do is because of them, makes me a truly blessed and grateful daughter of God. :)

So much to do today!

This week we decided to go with some good friends to Lagoon. We wanted to take one little vacation before school starts and this worked out perfectly. At first we wanted to take all of the kids along too but that got a bit pricey. So now it's just the adults and considering it's been years since I've gone, I'm excited! The girls will be staying with some cousins and they are looking forward to that.

It's all kind of last minute, so I'm feeling a bit rushed to clean up my house and pack for our little vacation. Even though we're only going for just over a day, it's amazing how much there is to do. Well, I better get started! Have a good weekend everyone. :)

If the shoe fits...

You Are Cinderella!

Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Well, I have been curious to know if glass slippers are really that comfortable. :D

The latest

Jen asked me awhile back for some updates on this post. Sorry it's taken so long to let everyone know, we have been crazy busy. :)

My mom - She is out of the hospital and doing better. We went up to visit her the day after she arrived home and that's when it all hit me pretty hard. My mom doesn't look anywhere near her age and she's a hoot around my girls. So to see her in this way, just broke my heart. We stayed most of the day and helped out where we could. Since then, her oxygen levels are improving and she's been more mobile. I continue to pray everyday that she will overcome all of this and soon. Thanks to those who have been so supportive, I've appreciated it.

School - I'm about 75% sure that I want to continue my schooling and go into my program. So I've been taking all the steps required to do just that. One requirement was to get fingerprinted and have a background check done. $50 later, those are taken care of. I still need to get a physical, something I'm not particularly thrilled with because we don't have insurance, and the physician office I spoke with told me it could cost as much as $200. Then lastly, I need my Hep B shots. This has been frustrating because I think I've already had it done but I don't have any records to prove it. So I've been on the phone for days trying to find my records but no one has anything because the place I believe I had them done, was closed down years ago. I'll probably end up getting a titer, which is a blood test that determines if I have the antibodies or not. Add another $80 to my tab. Oh, and lastly, my favorite part, is paying for school. Yeah, $6,000 for my husband and I to go this semester. Six grand for tuition, that doesn't include the books! Oh, and I just found out that our Commerce and Labor department won't be able to help me pay for anything due to their budget. When Spouse was laid off a year ago, they said if I found a 2 year program, they would help me pay for some, maybe all, of my costs. I'm pretty disappointed but I'm praying we'll still be able to figure something out.

Camping - We're planning on taking a two day camping trip with some friends of ours. They have been so great and we really enjoy spending time with them. What's funny, is that I don't think we would have ever been as close as we are now, if I hadn't been her visiting teacher. From the first day we met, I knew there was something special about her and her family. I'm so grateful for Heavenly Father's part in having us meet. I count my blessings everyday for her and my friendship because she's just the friend I have needed. We're going to have a great weekend. :)

Summer - It's almost over and I'm feeling a little panicky. There's still so much left to do and only a month to do it all in. Thankfully Spouse is done with summer school this week and between the two of us, we'll get a lot done. The girls have been great lately and they continue to make me smile and laugh. We just had some family pictures taken and they turned out fabulous! (IM me to see!) Overall, it's been a great summer and we still have a lot to look forward to!

My exercise for the day

This morning I went running with friends. One was my neighbor and the other two I’ve met before. I love running with other people because it gives you that extra motivation to improve yourself. All the ladies were great and I hope we can do it again soon. What was funny, was that a very well fit lady on bike passed us and she called out “are you running for the marathon?” We told her no, we were just running and she rode on. We couldn’t help but laugh at her comment because we are far from looking like marathon runners. I especially need some extra fat burners or something to get rid of my jiggle and then “maybe” I could pass as a 10k runner instead of a 5k, lol! Made my day none the less. :)

Little projects

Before school starts again, I have had a summer “to do” list that I want to accomplish. The funny part is that some of my “to do’s” are repeats of what I wanted to do last year. I think my list gets longer every year. :P So far I’ve been able to cross off looking through old baby items, so that’s good. That was a hard one because not only did it bring back memories but also the fact that I have no idea when I will get pregnant again. It’s hard to determine what to keep when you’re not sure of the future. Do you keep the baby bedding? Do you keep the baby toys? How much should you keep? What if it’s a boy next time, should I get rid of it all and free up storage? Anyway, at least it’s done and that feels good. My next projects include better organizing my closet, the office, and the girl’s room. Wish me luck!

My week, my life

I have a few minutes and wanted to give an update on what's been going on in my life. Here's a few things that have happened in the past week:

Camping trip - Spouse had a few days off, in a row, from work, so we decided to take the girls camping. They have been asking to go for months and kept watching for the snow to melt off the mountains. So we packed up and headed out. It seemed to be buggier (that's a word right? lol) this year and that didn't go over well with Miss J and A. They freaked out for the first couple of hours anytime a bug came near them. It took awhile, but we finally convinced them to yell at the bugs to leave them alone, lol. Hey, it worked for the most part! They loved cooking dinner over the campfire and making s'mores. They even slept well when we finally got to bed. We left the following morning and while the girls were sad to go, I was excited to take a shower! It was a fun little trip and we plan on going a few more times before school starts again.

T-ball - I have been going back and forth on what kind of activities to sign Miss J up for this fall. At one point she wanted to play t-ball and then she changed her mind to ballet. After going back on forth, I finally decided on t-ball. It's only 8 weeks long, practices once a week and games once a week. Whereas ballet classes are more frequent and that would make our already complicated school/work schedules more crazy. J is getting excited and I know she'll enjoy it.

New calling - Sunday was my last day as a teacher in the ward. I was then put in as the first counselor in the Relief Society presidency. I've actually had this same calling before and I'm looking forward to it. The president, other counselor, and the secretary are all fabulous women and I know we have a great group. The funniest thing happened when we were all getting set apart. During it, Miss A ended up with a bloody nose. I hear Miss J say "there's blood!" I popped my eyes open during the prayer and found A's face and dress covered in blood. So I tried to clean her up while keeping her calm. It was exciting to say the least, lol! But really, I am glad to have the new calling. I hope I can help.

School - Guess who was just today accepted into her PTA program? Yours truly. :) While I should be jumping up and down for joy, I'm not. How ironic is that? I know I've been working towards this for the past two years and I was hoping to get in this fall. But the past month I haven't been sure if I wanted to finish my schooling at this point in my life or at a later time. If I didn't have children, the decision would be easy. But I do have children and I have to take their needs into account. This program is not cake and it will demand a lot of my time. I guess I'm worried about maintaining a healthy balancing between being a wife, mother, and student. Ah, the ultimate battle! I meet with someone tomorrow to rework my schedule and along with some prayer, I hope to know what I want soon.

My mom - (This may actually be the big reason why I'm not jumping for joy about my program, too worried.) A few weeks ago, my mom went to a concert with a friend and ending up falling about three feet off a riser. She ended up fracturing her pelvic bone and while she could move around, it caused her pain so she stayed mostly in bed. Late Saturday she began having terrible pain on her left side. Early Sunday morning she was taken to the hospital by my SIL and they found a blood clot in her left lung, around her heart. She was also having trouble breathing yesterday, but her oxygen levels are improving. Right now she's on blood thinners to help the current clot and prevent any more from forming. I haven't taken the news well but I'm trying to be optimistic. She'll be in the hospital at least a few days and I'm praying she comes out alive.

Friday's Feast #196

Appetizer

When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?

*Sometime within the last three months.

Soup

Name one thing you miss about being a child.

*Honestly, I don't miss anything. I have both good and bad memories of my childhood, but there's no one thing that makes me miss it. I like how far I've come and what I've learned. I prefer the knowledge and responsibilities I have today then those I had as a child.

Salad

Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.

*Butter.

Main Course

If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?

*I've always been interested in the Native American languages (Cherokee, Shoshoni, Navajo etc.)

Dessert

Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be…

*In 5 years I expect to be living in a different city/state.

"Stirring" thoughts

While making dinner today, I was thinking about my skin, mainly my face. I know that may seem like an odd time to be thinking about such a thing, but none the less, I was. So there I was stirring and thinking about whether or not I would eventually have rolls of wrinkles all over my face. I know you can buy anti wrinkle cream but I wonder about their effectiveness. My mom is in her 60’s and she looks more like she was in her 40’s. I’m just hoping I end up like her, looking so young. If not, well that’s ok too. Just means I had an eventful life right? ;)

Ahh, the memories

Do you remember this post? It's the one about me falling out of my tub. Yes, sadly, it's true. I don't have a walk in tub, just a regular one, but either way, falling out of any tub is painful. Every shower and bath since, that incident is in my head and I tell myself to be extra cautiousl. One foot washed at a time, make sure you're feet are dry as you step out so you don't slip, wipe up any water left on the floor so you don't fall back into the tub. Things like that. lol Take my advice, just be careful!

A quick quack

*I know my blog isn't "Ducky" anymore, but I can't think of another catch phrase for these at the moment.*

Here's my question to you.

You know you've lost your mind when you:

A. Reach for the Lysol can instead of your hair spray can.

B. After ten minutes of your husband playing with your hair, you realize he took your ponytail out and you don't remember it.

C. When you reach into the cupboard for a tampon and you pull out a cotton swab, but don't realize it until your husband says "well, I hope that works for you."

D. All of the above.

See comments for the answer.

Stiff as a board

And this board doesn't feel like doing anything, even blogging. If you read my other blog, then you'll know that I've been going to the gym. Recently I've started using weights in addition to my cardio workout and my muscles are feeling very loved. Yesterday I worked on my quadriceps and hamstrings and today I worked on my abdominals and obliques. At first they didn't feel too bad, but now I'm feeling it. It's hard to see any muscle in those areas with all the fat around them but they're there somewhere. lol It's nice to finally work them though, so I can't complain too much. It's amazing how quickly they appear but how hard it is to get rid of them. :P

There goes my break

Would you like to know something quite humorous? Sure you do! After your day, you're in need of excitement! Let me tell you all about it. :)

This week is finals and we all know how much studying is involved. So, hubby and I have been studying and studying, thinking that after finals, we'd get a break. You know, swinging in hammocks and drinking strawberry lemonade out of glasses with umbrellas in them. But noooo, that would be too easy.

See, I was picturing that after school let out (and having my umbrella drink), I would have plenty of time to finish my lesson for church this upcoming Sunday. Hubby wanted to enjoy some PS games and maybe frolic across the lawn (hmm, frolic isn't very manly, I should say "enjoy some outdoor leisure activities"). It would be a nice, relaxing week.

While we may be able to do some frolicking, most of our time will be spent preparing talks. That's right, we were caught on our way out of church and asked to speak this Mother's Day. Apparently, they checked the records from the past year and saw we haven't spoken. (We didn't feel it appropriate to correct them and say we actually haven't in the three years we've been in the ward. lol)

When we were told, hubby and I started laughing. At first, the gentleman asking us to speak was worried. We just laughed and said we were trying to stay under the radar. Not really lol, but we had gone so long without speaking, we assumed we'd not be asked. It's really not a big deal, we have plenty of time. It's just that now, I have both a lesson AND a talk to prepare. :P Naturally my husband thinks this is hilarious, silly man. I'm already worried about the lesson and now the extra pressure from a talk....well, I may need to make more cookies to get by. Or maybe Beth will eat some ice cream for me, she said she would, on my behalf of course. :)

There you have it. My relatively, not so humorous tale. I'm just rolling in laughter as I'm sure you are too. Whee. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to bed. I went to bed around 1:30am and then Miss A was up every hour until 6am and I had to get up at 6:30 because my final was at 7:30. :P Whee.

School is almost over

And then I will have more time to blog. Next week we have finals, mine is on Tuesday, then I'm done, yay! I did have some extra time this week, but then I got sick. My body has been trying to catch something for a week, but nothing showed up until Wednesday evening. Nothing major, just a fever and aches. I took a long bath last night (we're talking a crazy 4+ hours) and hubby let me sleep in until 11:30 this morning. I don't think I moved a muscle. lol

But the bath and rest did help give me enough strength to go to one appointment today and then to Wal-Mart. The girls are asleep now and my strength just escaped me again. So, I think I will go put in a movie and hang out on the couch for awhile. Wish us luck on finals!

Friday's Feast #188

Appetizer

Name something you would categorize as weird.

*My automatic windows worked while my car was completely shut off. That was really weird, never had that happen before.

Soup

What color was the last piece of food you ate?

*Yellow and white - my eggs for breakfast.

Salad

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone?

*8, I like time to myself and realize I need time to myself. But I don't always want to be alone. :)

Main Course

Fill in the blank: I will _________ vote for ___________ in _______.

*I will most definitely vote for my husband in any hunky man contest. :D

Dessert

Describe your sleeping habits.

*Once in awhile I'll get a nap during the day, but other than that, I usually get up between 7-8am and go to bed between 10pm-midnight. Now that school is about done, my goal is to be in bed by 10:30.

Oh no she didn't!

Oh yes I did! I'm so totally making a post. Shocking, I know! I come and go and go and come. You see, in my own world I have a little elf who writes funny, witty, blog posts for me. She's very clever and has quit the wit about her. Lovely thing really.

If she were here, she'd tell you about a few things I've been doing lately. She'd say I had sold my elliptical in hopes of buying a treadmill. Then she'd throw in something funny like elephants and ellipticals make for amusing pictures. And then she would talk about how the idea of buying said treadmill, flew out the window when I realized that a good one for me to run on was in the $1500-$3000 range. She would add her thoughts on how possibly to convince the treadmill people that eating a few Elfian Oh Henry Bars would make them drop their prices.

Then she would say that I decided to try a local gym and get a membership because I agreed to run in a 5k with my family come June. Naturally she would say how incredulous this was where I can barely run a mile after taking the winter season off and how she blames my hip and thigh expansion on ice cream and cookie manufactures design to see me flail like an otter on the beach, on race day.

She would probably say something along these lines or something similar. She actually on Elfian Spring Break and hopefully soon she'll be back to posting on a more regular basis. I've missed having her around. My poor blog. ;)

Where's my sign?

Yesterday was a rough day and today hasn't been any better. I don't feel like talking about it all, other than this one thing. On Saturday I bought five cartons of strawberries to make jam. I left them on the table until I cleared a space on the counter. I was planning on making my jam before today, but didn't get the chance. But I figured they would be fine, right?. Uh, no. *Throw on DUH sign.* I completely spaced that the heater is right by the table and was turned on. So today all my strawberries were moldy and I had to throw them away. I think I'm losing my mind, let me tell you. Duh, duh, duh!!

We're back!

As nice as it was to be on vacation, it's always nice to come home. Miss J was throwing up all last night and had a fever and I'm still not feeling myself, so we're trying to take it easy today. I did mop the floors and do dishes when I had a moment of relief, but now I'm feeling cruddy again and I want to go lay down. I promise to get a post up about our vacation soon and maybe include some pictures. :)

It's been a long week

And it's only Monday! We're on Spring break and should be relaxing, but instead, I'm stressing.

First, I have an awful stomach ache, which could probably be remedied with some Pepto-Bismol and a nap, I hope.

Second, my husband's job messed up his schedule this week and if he can't fix it, we can't go on our vacation. We need a vacation badly and I pray they work this out.

Third, I sort of got accepted in my major for this Fall. They accepted me but I'm on their alternate list. I won't know for sure if I got in until a week prior to Fall classes, in August. Not knowing messes up somethings.

Lastly, Miss J starts soccer this week. We were planning our vacation to start after her first practice and returning home before her first game. But, we just found out we have a family baby blessing/bbq this weekend which conflicts.

So here I sit, trying to figure it out. Happy Monday to me. lol

I'm in love!

I just got home from getting my hair done and I LOVE IT! Thank you so much Jill! If anyone is in Idaho and needs their hair done, you have to go to her because she is incredible. Even though we're swapping babysitting for hair, I still feel like she's getting jipped because of how great my hair always turns out. I love, love, love it and so does my husband. You're awesome Jill!

*You all know how I don't post pictures of me or my family on my blog, so if you want to see my new do, you can IM me. :)*