a WHAT'S YOUR SIGN? day in the life of me...

Hi Folks. So this information was given to me by my friend Meg (thank you!). I thought it was kind of funny to go through and read what "I supposedly am." I read the others as well and decided that I just want to write my own .... maybe I will someday. (mine is in bold)

CAPRICORN - The Go-Getter (Dec 22 - Jan 19) Pat ient and wise. Practical and rigid.. Ambitious. Tends to be Good-looking. Humorous and funny. Can be a bit shy and reserved. Often pessimistic. Capricorns tend to act before they think and can be Unfriendly at times.. Hold grudges. Like competition. Get what they want. 20 years of good luck if you forward.

AQUARIUS - The Sweetheart ( Jan 20 - Feb 18) Optimistic and honest. Sweet personality..... Very independent. Inventive and intelligent. Friendly and loyal.. Can seem unemotional... Can be a bit rebellious.. Very stubborn, but original and unique. Attractive on the inside and out... Eccentric personality. 11 years of luck if you forward.

PISCES - The Dreamer (Feb 19 - Mar 20) Generous, kind, and thoughtful. Very creative and imaginative. May become secretive and vague. Sensitive. Don 't like details. Dreamy and unrealistic. Sympathetic and loving. Kind Unselfish. Good kisser. Beautiful. 8 years of good luck if you forward.

ARIES - The Daredevil (Mar 21 - April 19) Energetic. Adventurous and spontaneous.. Confident and enthusiastic. Fun. Loves a challenge. EXTREMELY impatient. Sometimes selfish. Short fuse. (Easily angered..) Lively, passionate, and sharp wit. Outgoing. Lose interest quickly - easily bored. Egotistical.. Courageous and assertive. Tends to be physical and athletic. 16 years of good luck if you forward.

TAURUS - The Enduring One (April 20 - May 20) Charming but aggressive.. Can come off as boring, but they are not. Hard workers. Warm-hearted. Strong, has endurance. Solid beings that are stable and secure in their ways. Not looking for shortcuts. Take pride in their beauty. Pat ient and reliable. Make great friends and give good advice. Loving and kind. Loves hard - passionate. Express themselves emotionally.. Prone to ferocious temper-tantrums. Determined. Indulge themselves often. Very generous.. 12 years of good Luck if you forward

GEMINI - The Chatterbox (May 21 - June 20) Smart and witty. Outgoing, very chatty.. Lively, energetic. Adaptable but needs to express them s elves. Argumentative and outspoken. Like change. Versatile. Busy, sometimes nervous and tense. Gossips. May seem superficial or inconsistent. Beautiful physically and mentally. 5 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

CANCER - The Protector (June 21 - July 22) Moody, emotional. May be shy. Very loving and caring. Pretty/handsome. Excellent partners for life. Protective.. Inventive and imaginative. Cautious. Touchy-feely kind of person. Needs love from others. Easily hurt, but sympathetic. 16 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

LEO - The Boss (July 23 - Aug 22) Very organized. Need order in their lives - like being in control. Like boundaries.. Tend to take over everything. Bossy. Like to help Others. Social and outgoing. Extroverted.. Generous, warm-hearted. Sensitive. Creative energy... Full of themselves. Loving. Doing the right thing is important to Leos.. Attractive. 13 years of bad luck if you do not forward.....

VIRGO - The Perfectionist (Aug 23 - Sept 22) Dominant In relationships. Conservative. Always wants the last word.. Argumentative. Worries. Very smart. Dislikes noise and chaos. Eager. Hardworking. Loyal. Beautiful. Easy to talk to. Hard to please. Harsh. Practical and very fussy.. Often shy. Pessimistic... 7 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

LIBRA - The Harmonizer (Sept 23 - O ct 22) Nice to everyone they meet. Can't make up their mind . Have own unique appeal. Creative, energetic, and very social. Hates to be alone. Peaceful, generous. Very loving and beautiful.. Flirtatious Give in too easily. Procrastinators.. Very gullible. 9 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

SCORPIO - The Intense One (Oct 23 - Nov 21) Very energetic. Intelligent. Can be jealous and/or possessive. Hardworking. Great kisser.. Can become obsessive or secretive. Holds grudges. Attractive. Determined. Loves being in long Relationships. Talkative... Romantic. Can be self-centered at times. Passionate and Emotional. 4 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

SAGITTARIUS - The Happy-Go-Lucky One (Nov 22 - Dec 21) Good-natured optimist.... Doesn't want to grow up (Peter Pan Syndrome). Indulges self . Boastful. Likes luxuries and gambling. Social and outgoing.. Doesn't like responsibilities. Often fantasizes. Impatient.... Fun to be around. Having lots of friends.. Flirtatious. Doesn't like rules... Sometimes hypocritical.. Dislikes being confined - tight spaces or even tight clothes. Doesn't like being doubted.. Beautiful inside and out

a BABYSITTING day in the life of me...

So, I'm currently at a friend's house in SLC babysitting her 14 month old for a few hours while she is at work this morning. So far no catastrophe has happened :-) I managed to feed her breakfast, clean her off, do the dishes, clean her high chair, watch her play with toys while doing that, change a MESSY diaper, read her about 2o books and sing EVERY single song I could remember from my childhood within the last hour and 40 minutes. Wow! Mom's are amazing people. Unfortunately this little one has a runny nose and was falling asleep with the last verse of "Old MacDonald's Farm." I'm going with the thought that it was the fact she was tired, not my singing that was yielding her unconscious. Off to bed she went and very happy she was to lay down.

As I'm sitting on her parent's couch, procrastinating studying for an upcoming exam on Saturday, I'm pondering the blessing and opportunity of motherhood. I have heard so many stories recently about mother's losing their babies months into the pregnancy, mother's having to go in for 3-4 surgeries after delivering because everything wasn't going just right, and stories of mother's who love their children so much and want what's best for them that they are overhauling their own life to guarantee a better one for their children. It continues to amaze me when I think of the strength, dedication and faith a woman has in deciding to become a mother.

My mother is one of the BEST women I have ever had the pleasure of associating with. I am so grateful that she is mine and will be right beside me when I venture into the world of being a mother and will guide me with her years of experience and the wisdom that brings.

Mom's - here's to you!

Now, as we know mother's are wonderful blessings in our life. However, we can't forget our FATHER'S. I don't think that they get nearly the credit that they deserve. My friend and I were talking about this very thing right before she went to work this morning. Dad's: provider, loving, leader of the family, priesthood, able to have his little pinky wrapped (perhaps by all his children), feelings, love, dreams, etc. Let's not forget that husband's and dad's feel the pain, happiness, sorrow, joy and love as well.

Dad's - here's to you too!

a CATCH UP day in the life of me...

Okay, hi friends. I'm back from a 10 day sabbatical. Not of the religious sort, of the fun in the sun sort. I have just spent the last ten days of my life playing HARD and loving every minute of it.

Last Thursday is when the adventure began. Around 1pm Emily, Jenny and I headed up to Salmon, ID to go white water rafting. The three of us, plus Emily's sister went last year and we just loved it so much that we begged Emily to take us back. She just couldn't say NO! :-) We drove and drove and drove on Thursday and spent a relaxing night at her family's home and then Friday morning we were up bright and somewhat early (8am) to go to our destination. I love the Salmon river, p.s. We did a 13 mile stretch of class 2 and 3+ rapids. It was a blast. My darling roommate blogged about this adventure, so if you want to read her account as well, look here .... otherwise keep reading!

We launched and right away we knew we were going to have fun, because our guide didn't jump on the boat. Never fear, he joined us quickly. We went through a class 3+ rapid pretty quickly into the ride. Last year when we navigated it, we got stuck on a rock. This time we went through without a hitch - literally. However the class 2 that was waiting for us about 2 minutes away was a different story. I was on the right hand side of the raft behind my sister. Jenny and Emily were leading the raft. We hit cork screw rapids and the next things I knew Emily was being bounced off the raft, into the Pastor behind her and both fell into the middle of the rapid. Thankfully they were both rescued within a minute; unfortunately her sunglasses are lost to the never ending rapids of the Salmon river. It was hilarious. Since he is a pastor he just announced to the whole boat that he was only trying to baptize her. Emily kindly declined. :-)
The rest of the trip was wet and fun. We had no catastrophe's but we did have 3 of the 8 knocked off the boat. It was awesome. We are so doing it again next year; however, this time we are thinking of doing a longer stretch of river. BRING IT!

me, Emily and Jenny at lunch time (avoiding the bees), but also getting a picture with the wonderful water in the background.

Emily, me and Jenny just enjoying ourselves (maybe a little TOO much)

The next day we went on a 2 1/2 hour ATV ride into the Bitterroot Mountains. It was beautiful. The cows in the middle of the road were hilarious and the hill that nearly took my life was something I will never forget. Okay, okay, it didn't really almost take my life, but I was praying hard the whole way down it. I kept thinking "I can't die, I'm not married!" Probably one of my favorite parts was driving the ATV's down the interstate and it was NO BIG DEAL. Love small towns.

The pictures are in an awesome order, but oh well....

The hill that I had to go down on the other side. I had no idea what was awaiting me as I was blissfully unaware and taking this picture.

One of our first stops. Wanted to just get a pic of the three of them, but Emily's dad was on the movie quickly! Can't blame him. We had a lot of ground to cover.

The four of us, finally ready to go!!!

oh yeah - we are cool.

Unfortunately all that playing led to my back having the worst muscle spasm I have experienced in probably 12 years. I was able to get myself from Idaho to Utah without too much complaining and then it all came out. Huge crocodile tears. My mother (my sweet mother) called my chiropractor on Sunday night (8:30pm) and asked if we could come out. He worked me over - turns out my pelvis was completely out of whack. Go figure. I told him I was going to Lake Powell in less than 12 hours. He wasn't so sure that was a great idea, but gave me permission to go.
My sweet parents came with me to that appointment and as I laid there on the table bawling, my dad stuck his foot out so that I could hold onto it. I LOVE MY FATHER! He is the best.

I woke up the next morning absolutely determined to go to Powell and after some intense help from my brother Jared and sister Jenny, I was able to get myself into my car and we were on our way. We went down with a group of people from my ward and it was AWESOME! Brother Frazier was a SAINT to take us crazy, 13 kids, to the Lake for four days.

Unfortunately I have no pics of my own, so as soon as I get others I will post them, because my camera died about 15 minutes into the journey. This was my first time so everything was cool. The small canyons, a house boat, anchoring, slide off house boat, two wave runners, wake boarding, tubing with 3 or 4 on a tube, cliff jumping, making real meals with WAY too much food, playing Ipod Idol, laughing, watching fun movies, getting back rubs, having my back finally stop hurting from some AWESOME yoga, embracing the 81 degree water at 7:15am and again and again and again, finding out random things about each person who went on that trip - most of which I did not know before, realizing that people can work together and make things go smoothly, watched a sunset that took my breath away on the red rock, gazed at the stars and was wishing that the moon wasn't quite so bright, tan.
Oh it was just amazing. So so so grateful that I have this summer off and was able to have that experience. THANKS A MILLION Brother Frazier!

a SEVEN PEAKS day in the life of me...

Today my family and my cousins went to 7-Peaks for a day in the sun. We had a blast.
Highlights:

1. Racing Kelly, on the blue and green body slides, and winning
2. Having a dance party in the wave pool
3. Witnessing people losing their shorts (too much information - I know)
4. Having the life guard yell at us multiple times for having a tube tipping war in the wave pool
5. Being with family

Oh yeah, great day!

a DOUBLE DOSE day in the life of me...

Hi folks, I know I already posted today, but I didn't yesterday and something very important happened and I really need to post about it.
12 years ago, YESTERDAY, my sister and I were in a serious car accident. (It nearly took a life) Thankfully, we are both whole, healthy and loving our lives.
I am so grateful for the knowledge of the Plan of Happiness and how much I know my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me and how mindful they are of my needs, wants and desires. I know that prayers are answered and want to thank all those who have offered prayers on behalf of me and my sister over the past 12 years.
I'm grateful for life, health, fun, adventures, family, the ability to use my body and all the gifts that God has given me. Never take a day for granted. You really don't know when it could be your last.

a PROFOUND THOUGHT day in the life of me...

Okay, so you know how when you're tired, everything sounds so smart and so funny. Well I had one of those experiences last night. I went to a movie, Robin Hood, with a group of people last night. The movie started at 10:30pm, which was recipe enough for disaster.
We're watching and I've seen it before, so I was looking at other things, besides the action that was going on right in front of my face, when all of the sudden this thought came to me ... I just had to share it so I turned to the guy, Blake, next to me and said the following:

ME: So you know how movies make kissing look SO good.
B: Yes.
ME: Well, I've decided that it really is that good.

Yes, that is the kind of profound statement that you will get from me late at night....

a GOD SEND day in the life of me...

Emily, Julie and I decided to dust off our cowboy boots and head out for some rodeo fun last night. Draper Days Rodeo was our destination, fun, sun, horses and cowboys were what we were expecting - we weren't let down. . . thankfully :-)

Julie, Me and Emily at the rodeo

As we sat there patiently waiting, and by patiently, I mean for a half an hour, we realized that perhaps the Draper City planning committee didn't quite know what they were doing when the planned the arena facing due west. Ugh. The sun was SO incredibly bright sunglasses weren't doing anything for us. Then, all of the sudden, okay really it was about 20 minutes after arriving, but it really was all of the sudden, this beautiful cloud came and settled right over the sun. At the same time Emily and I looked at each other and said "Well this is a welcome God send." (Hence the title)

The beautiful cloud that was so nice to just stay put so we didn't go blind.

What is it with a man in a cowboy hat that knows how to ride a horse and work a rope? I still have no idea....

We saw some incredible riding. One of the bull rides we witnessed earned 93 points. I don't know about the rest of you, but I've never seen a 93 point ride before. It was amazingly perfect.
Textbook, if you will.

Yee-haw!