Fallin' for You

I have enjoyed listening to this song on the radio.

I fell in love with it even more when I saw the video.

I'm betting you will too.

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Dad,
It's been a year since we said goodbye.
A whole year.
Halloween without you there to exclaim over my kids' costumes.
Thanksgiving dinner with you missing from your chair at the table.
Christmas without you on the couch enjoying your family and grandkids all around you.
A Winter where it wasn't you laying the fire in the wood burning stove and keeping the living room toasty warm.
No trips down to "the shed" for visits while you rolled copper and listened to Johnny Cash.
Summer wasn't the same since you were missing from the rows of beans in the garden.
I missed you on the Fourth of July.

Oh how I miss you.

Yet at the same time you have been there. I have felt your presence and your love strongly.

And I think...

It's been a year where you have felt no pain.
Where you have been able to stand straight and tall and walk with your head held high.
It's been time you've been able to spend with your mom and dad and grandparents that are there with you. Give them my love.
I'm sure you've played with those great-grandchildren who have passed on as well as those who have joined our family this year.
As I am sure you are playing those who are getting ready to join our family.

Last night we enjoyed some chocolate cake and seven minute frosting as we gathered in your memory. That was always one of your favorite things. I miss you. I love you. And I'll see you again some day.

Until then keep watching over us. Okay?

Love,
Your Daughter

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

Yes this is mine. It's a hot pad that we received as a wedding gift 16 years ago. I pulled it out of my cedar chest about a month back and had to take a picture of this tag.

Oh No She Di'int!

I haven't done a post like this for a bit so....

Things I did did not do in the last little while.

• I did did not make a seriously bad joke about Bat guano that made me look like a complete and utter nerd/geek at a recent lunch that I attended with some very cool and funny ladies.

• I did did not drop my glasses in the toilet. And my flat iron. While it was turned on and hot. It did not sizzle as it hit the water.

• I did did not pass a small amount of gas in yoga class. It did not make a teeny tiny amount of noise.

• I was was not highly embarrassed by that.
  

• I did did not laugh heartily when I read about how he took this challenge.

• I did did not make two chocolate cakes on Sunday just because I needed something sweet to eat.

• I also did did not make them just so I could eat the cake batter and I absolutely did not spoon out some of said batter into a cup so that I could eat it separately.

• I did did not get choked up upon seeing someone had surfed to my blog by typing in "Levi's 501's Reams' as search words.

• I did did not take an inordinate amount of silly pictures of myself so that I could have some new Facebook profile pictures.

• I did did not decide that I don't really care for the new Bejeweled game on facebook just because I can't get a decent score. Those flaming jewels do not distract me and the new voice in the game does not creep me out just a little bit.

• I did did not die a little bit inside when I found out my laptop is getting ready to kick the bucket.

• I did did not Google Lady Gaga to see if there was any credence to the rumor that she is a hermaphrodite.
  

Is there something that you did did not do in the last little while that you'd care to share.

Tighty-whities

Amen.

From start to finish

Tiburon threw down a challenge on her blog the other day. A total double dog dare.

So of course I jumped on that wagon because, hey I need something to blog about.

Me after coming home from a morning walk.

Just out of the shower

And this is the finished product.
I am sporadic with my make up wearing. I go in fits and spurts. I usually wear some makeup to church but have been know to go days with out it. Do I think I look better with it? Absolutely. I'm not a natural beauty by any stretch of the imagination. I love how makeup can enhance my eyes, smooth out my skin tone and give me some color in my cheeks.

However there have been some thoughts that have been niggling at my mind this last little while. I've been thinking. If I can't come to accept and love who I am and how I look without makeup will I have problems with this in the next life? Hmmm...

Strange I know but it has crossed my mind. So I've been trying to come to terms being myself. Inside and out. It's been fairly interesting.

Thanks for the dare Tib.

More than the World

Another song. From Mindy Gledhill. I think that the girl who put the video together did a tremedous job.

It's beautiful.

Happy Sunday

Is there a better bet than Love?

I know that I haven't put a whole lot of "meat" in this blog lately. I haven't had much time. And quite honestly it seems that what runs through my head I really don't want flowing out over the vastness of the internet. I don't even know that I could do justice to those thoughts with words. So I've been quiet.

But yet I have again found a new song that I love. Music speaks to me. I love the little phrases that reach out and grab me through a well placed lyric. Don't you?

The title of this post is my favorite line from this song. Really, is there a better bet than love?

I think not.

The song is Chances by Five for Fighting. (whose song "Superman (It's not Easy)" I also love.)

A couple of my other favorite lines? It's actually the line that made me sit up and take notice of this song. (My husband, I'm sure, will understand why it did.)

"Still chances are more than expectations, but possibilities."

And the last two lines of the song.

"Chances are only what we make them.
And all I need"

Great song. Enjoy.

Five For Fighting |MTV Music

FALL

Flying.

All Leaves Lightly Fly Around.

Listing.

Lovely.

Fire Above

Laughing Loudly.

Falling And Leaving

Longingly For Another Lifetime.

Love.

Free At Long Last.

Progresso Soup Commercial

This comes on and I stop and watch. Every time. Makes me laugh/giggle/snort. Every time.

I love the voice of the husband. Just thinking it about it makes me giggle.

I'm not turning gray, I'm going Platinum!

Actual conversation at my house.

Jilli: "Mom you have silver in your hair!"

Me: "I know."

Jilli: "How did it get there?"

Me: "Go talk to Grandma Norma about that."

More about Love

Yesterday I posted the impressions I got from President Uchtdorf's talk about how a true disciple of Christ is full of Love.

In today's post I'm focusing on President Henry B. Eyring's talk about Love as well.

Love was a bit theme for me this conference. Huge.

Without further ado my thoughts on President Eyring's talk. I'll have more of my own voice in this post.

"We share a desire to become better than we are. Now there may be a few who mistakenly believe they are good enough. And a few who have given up trying to be better. But for all the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is that we can and must expect to become better as long as we live."

Gosh I have fallen into both of those categories at one time or another. I am sad to say that you will usually find me either place instead of actually striving to become better. *sigh*

"Love is the motivating principle by which the Lord leads us along the way towards becoming like Him."

"It is love of God that will lead us to keep His commandments. And love of others is at the heart of our capacity to obey Him."

I really understand the first part of this statement. The second part? Not so much. Anyone want to share your thoughts on this?

"He has offered us the family as an example of an ideal setting in which we can learn how to love as He loves. That is because the greatest joys and the greatest sorrows we experience are in family relationships. The joys come from putting the welfare of others above our own. That is what love is. And the sorrow comes primarily from selfishness which is the absence of love."

That right there is truth. So true.

"First I give counsel to husbands and wives:

• Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion
• Pray for the love which makes the weaknesses and mistakes seems small.
• Pray for the love to make your companions joy your own.
• Pray for the love to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion."

What would the divorce rate be if spouses were to pray for these things? I know that I can do so much better in this area. I love my husband. I need to let him know that more and if I follow this advice how much more will my love for him grow?

"To the parents of a wandering child.

'Pray for your careless and disobedient children.
Hold on to them with your faith.
Hope on.
Trust on.
Until you see the salvation of God'
(Orson F. Whitney)"

"You can pray for your children. Love them. Reach out to them with confidence that Jesus reaches for them with you."

I don't have any wayward children and I hope and pray not to have to deal with that. But I do and have had wayward siblings. The Orson F. Whitney quote that was used resounded in my soul and has re-awakened hope that has been dormant for too long. My mother still holds on to them with her faith. She is amazing.

"For all of us it may be hard to see in our lives an increasing power to love and becoming more like our Savior our perfect example. I wish to encourage you. You have had evidences that you are moving along the road to becoming more like Jesus. It will help to remember how you have felt, at times, like a little child even in the midst of cares and trials."

Oh to have the faith of a little child again.

"Because of His atonement for you, your childlike obedience will bring a feeling of love of the Savior for you and your love for Him. That is on of the gifts that is promised to His faithful disciples. And this gift can come not only to you alone but also to the loving members of your family. A promise was given in third Nephi 'And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord. And great shall be the peace of they children.' "

I need to work on being more childlike. Especially in my obedience.

"None of us is perfect yet. But we can have frequent assurance that we are following along the way."

My favorite word in that quote? Yet.

Yet.

Yet.

The Internet Rocks

And this is why. I can go to lds.org and listen to my favorite talks from General Conference and take better notes because I can stop it and start it so I can get everything down that I want to.

I can also go back and watch the Saturday afternoon session which I missed entirely.

I truly believe that I heard messages that were meant just for me.

I hope you don't mind if I share two of that I felt spoke directly to me here. I'll share one today and one tomorrow.

BTW my laptop totally died on me as I was typing up this post. But I will not let it deter me. There is a message here that I believe is amazingly wonderful. There are truths to be found in these words. Words that have come from God through his servants on the earth today. So I'm not going to let a little thing like a bum laptop stop me from sharing them.

(Although prayers for the recovery of said laptop would be appreciated. )

The first talk is from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf who was the last speaker of the first session on Saturday. He spoke on how we become a true disciple of Christ. If you want to hear the whole talk you can go here.

Here is what stood out to me (emphasis added by me) and yes this is a long, long post but I believe every word in it is precious and will help and guide those who take the time to read it. They are not my words, but I love them and wish to share them.

"Because love is the great commandment it ought to be at the center of all and everything we do in our own family, in our church family and in our livelihood. Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families communities and countries."

"Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility and respect. It is the source that over comes divisiveness and hate."

"Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope."

"Love should be our walk and our talk."

With love "Obedience becomes a joy rather than a burden."

"Now why should we love God? God, The Eternal Father, did not give that first great commandment because He needs us to love Him. his power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny or even defile His name. His influence and dominion extend through time and space, independent of our acceptance approval or admiration. No God does not need us to love Him, but oh how we need to love God."

"What we love determines what we seek.
What we seek determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are
and who we become."

"We are Gods spirit children, therefore we have a vast capacity of love."

"What and how we love not only defines us as individuals, it also defines us as a church. Love is truly the defining characteristic of a disciple of Christ."

"At the heart of misery from the days of Adam until today you will find the love of wrong things. And at the heart of JOY you will find the love good things. And the greatest of all good things is God."

"We love Him because He first loved us."

"God does not look on the outward appearance. I believe that He doesn't care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage. If we are handsome or homely. If we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass. Gods love encompasses us completely. He loves us because he is filled with an infinite measure of holy and indescribable love."

"We are important to God not because of our resume but because we are His children. He loves everyone of us. Even those who are flawed rejected, awkward, sorrowful or broken. God's love is so great that he loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant and the wicked."

"Our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father
desires that we draw near to Him
so that He can draw near to us."

"Since God is love the closer we approach Him the more profoundly we experience love."

"Heaven may seem distant at times but the scriptures offer hope..."Ye shall seek me and find me. When ye shall search for me with all your heart."

"Don't ever get discouraged if you stumble at times."

"The first step to walking in righteousness is simply to try. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you."

"The divine love of God turns ordinary acts into extra ordinary service. Divine love is the motive that transports simple words into sacred scripture. Divine love is the factor that transforms reluctant compliance with Gods commandments into blessed dedication and consecration."

"Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience and the true altitude of our discipleship. Love is the way of the disciple."

"Let us all be known as a people who love God with all our heart, soul and mind and who love our neighbor as ourselves."

Listening

Is what I will be doing this weekend.

If you would like you can go here and listen as well.

Care to join me?

You are Wonderful

I caught the end of this song on the radio today as I was out and about. More songs need to be like this. I love the line "We are a miracles wrapped in chemicals. We are incredible. Don't take it for granted" And the fact that it tells you to tell yourself "I am wonderful." Enjoy Gary Go and Wonderful.

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Lobstah Killah

Have you seen Julie & Julia yet?

No? Why not? If you haven't seen this you simply MUST. If just to see the "lobsta killa" scene.

Oh and to watch Meryl Streep actually become Julia Child.

I loved this show! It will be mine when it comes out on video.

I could have watched a whole movie that was only about Julia and her husband (played by Stanley Tucci who was also fabulous in this. But then I really *heart* Stanley Tucci so there could be some bias there.)

And seriously? If Meryl Streep doesn't win an Oscar for this role there is something inherently wrong in Hollywood.

Without further ado...."Lobsta killa"



Now....RUN don't walk to the nearest showing of this movie and be thoroughly entertained.

Words

Meandering about the blogisphere you come across all different types of blogs. Photography Blogs (of which I have one that I've been seriously neglecting). Crafting blogs. Family Blogs. Music Blogs. Funny Blogs. Blogs about cool things on the internet.

Honestly if you have something that you love or are interested in I am sure that there are blogs out there for you.

This is what I love about blogging. That you can find people half way across the world that have the same interests and connect with them. Isn't it cool to know that you are not alone in your love for the Snuggie? Or that you too like pictures of animals dressed in human clothes? (BTW can someone remind me the address of this blog? I remember meeting the person at the Brittany's shower but can't remember the blog name!)

Do you know what blogs that I am really drawn to lately? The writers blogs. Which probably makes sense. I mean who doesn't love a well written post? The last little while I've found myself longing to belong to this group of blogs. Which is surprising. Really it is.

I never was big on writing. I didn't enjoy it in school. I was more on the "sporty" end of things. Now? Now I would love nothing more than to be able to find words that would touch others through their magic. To be able to put my thoughts into words like....

See there? That is the problem. I get to a point where the words don't/won't come. Or if they do come they sound cheesy or forced. I really wanted my Ode to a Yellow Couch to actually be an Ode but didn't have a clue how to go about that.

Words are not my talent. So for now I'll be content with being on the receiving end. (And maybe get to work adding to my photography blog.)

Thank you to all the amazing writers out there who share their joys and pains and everyday life through amazing words. Really my days are so much the more (more what I can't say because I'm at a loss for words) when I read you.