Makes you stop and think...doesn't it?!

I was walking on the treadmill this morning and was scrolling down over the DVR list of shows that I had taped. I needed something to keep me motivated and interested for an entire hour. I came across, and decided to watch "The Biggest Loser"...It was the first episode for this season, so they introduced all of the contestants and told their stories. As I listened to them tell about their struggles with weight, I cried. I reflected back on my life and my constant struggle with my weight. NO..I have never been obese, BUT I have been over weight for most of my life, to some degree. I have been teased at school, teased at home as a teenager, and I have always felt very inferior about the way I looked. I remember having to get on the scales in the 7th grade in front of the entire class (boys and girls) and having my weight announced to everyone. When I got off...one girl came up to me and said "YOU WEIGHED "WHAT"? Isn't that ALOT!?"...from that day on I vowed to NEVER let anyone know how much I weighed again. It was mortifying...then as I sat there and watched these contestants stand on the scales in front of their peers, towns people and family, I felt their pain in a very small way. It had to hurt, it had to be humiliating and yes, probably a little motivating...BUT painful none the less. No one knows of the struggles these people have had, the struggles anyone that is over weight has had. No one has the right to judge. Being an over weight person before, I know that I judged myself badly enough that I didn't need others talking behind my back, in front of my face or to anyone else, about the way I looked, what might or might not have gotten me into that position and how I could diet and be so much happier. WHY not love ME for who I am, except Me as ME and leave the criticizing to Me....because heaven knows that I was and AM my own worse critic and I don't need someone else to make me feel like dirt...I can do that all by myself. Weight doesn't make a person likable or un-likable...the way someone looks doesn't make them who they are. My heart broke as these "Biggest Loser (girl) Contestants" talked about how they had never had a boyfriend, or loved anyone before....no one took the time to really get to know who they were. Maybe they are an amazing person on the inside....its sad that we sometimes look at someones size and THEN determine what kind of person they are....doesn't that show what a shallow society we really have? Its no wonder that so many young girls/women think that anorexia is the way to go. A person is a person no matter what size, shape or color of skin that they have. I think that what it all boils down to is the old saying that we have heard our entire lives..."Don't ever judge a book by it's cover, open it up and see what's inside"..... you might just be surprised!!!!

Happiness...what is it?

When Deron I were in Salt Lake last week we went and browsed around Barnes and Noble for a couple of hours. Its one of Deron's favorite places to shop, window shop or browse. I like to go too, but I would rather shop for other things if I were given a choice...you know, purses, shoes, clothes...etc...BUT... as we were wandering around I was picking up a few books and reading a little bit about them. I ran across one that was about the "Power of Happiness" and its effect on a person. I don't remember the title of the book, but what it said inside stuck with me, and will hopefully make me a better person. I suffer from seasonal depression and have really wanted to be able to be free from this awful plague for a long, long time. I know that its NOT "all in my head" like some people tend to think...its a very real thing, but I also know that my own happiness is up to me. One of my new years resolutions is to "TRY to be more Happy". In this book that I was reading, it suggested to do this by starting a "Happiness Journal", purchase a notebook, journal or binder of any kind and each day write things in it that make you happy. The author also said that on days that you aren't so happy, to read through the things you have written in the past. This may or may not lift your spirits, but acknowledge that its okay to have good days AND bad days....and to ALLOW that to happen. The problem becomes when we are having too many bad days or having them more often than our happy days.

So, I asked myself..."What makes me Happy?" I am hoping to find out. I am going to try to live more in the moment and try to concentrate on the good things, the happy things. I am going to write down each and everything that I can that brings me happiness. Some will be the little things, some might be the big things...but they will be MY happy things. People are different and everyone can easily have a different definition for the word "happiness", and each day the definition may or may not be different from the day before. It all depends on the circumstances of ones life at that moment. The dictionary defines "Happiness" as: "attainment of what one considers good, good fortune, pleasure, contentment and Joy." I love the feeling of being happy. When I reflect on some of the things that have brought me happiness, I recall the feeling that I had at that moment and why that particular thing made me feel happy then.

I am excited about this "Happiness Journal". I am excited about the changes that I am hoping to make in my life this upcoming year and excited about being a better "ME". I am going to try and "Be happy right now, and not worry about tomorrow, until tomorrow!"...and we've all heard the old cliche' that....."tomorrow never comes!"

Wish me luck...I will let you know how its going from time to time~

Holiday Hoopla Day #5 and #6...going out with a SpLAsH!

"Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity."

After a long night of New Year's Eve celebration, "Holiday Hoopla Day #5" consisted of a little "sleeping in". I am not a "Sleep in" kind of person, my body doesn't allow such luxuries, so I was up by 6:30...but the rest of the family slept in until 9:00 am when I finally woke them up, made breakfast and had everyone clean up their rooms before our day got going. Deron and Cameron were going prairie dog hunting with some friends and me and girls opted to take the day completely off from chores (other than what HAD to be done) and lay around and watch movies all day long....stay in our PJ's the entire day and eat popcorn and New Year's Eve leftovers. By 11:00 am I had the boys out the door and on their way, popcorn popped and we were off for

a day of R&R. It was really nice to just "do nothing". Its not a life I could lead on a regular basis, but it was really fun for a day. We watched Disney's "UP", "Poseidon", and "Ever After". It was great to just lay around on the couch and veg, not one of us complained. When the boys got home, we had a dinner of "leftovers" and then Halle and I went and "tempted" to watch the new "Ice Age" movie...but we fell asleep...you know, from all of our hard work that we had done all day *wink*....after waking up, we headed off to bed for some much needed rest (ha ha ha).

Day #6...which was meant to be the biggest and best of the week, and we were hoping it would go out with a big bang!

After all, the Christmas break was going to be officially over and everyone would go back to "real life" come Monday morning. Todd and Dana joined us for our last day of celebrations as we we went to the Rec Center over in Vernal for a little "warm weather fun" of swimming, rock climbing and splashing around.

After the Rec Center we went out for Chinese,

one of our families favorites. Everyone ate to their hearts content at the Canton City Buffet, feeling overstuffed and tired as the day drew to a close. Looking back on our big "Hoopla" week, I think everyone had a great time. We all made many wonderful memories and did things that we can talk about and reminisce about for years to come. We spent time together as a family, strengthened our relationships and friendships

with each other and grew closer together as a family, those things are irreplaceable to me. Nothing in this world could be more important than the bonds and ties that we have with our families...at least in my book. A strong family can help you get through alot. You always know that you have someone there to lean on, as well as someone to count on. Those kinds of bonds don't happen "just because". Those are the kinds of bonds and ties that have to be strengthened, as well as mended from time to time....and the "little things" that we do are the things that keep our family tight and together. I want my kids to always have "good memories" that tie them together, things they can talk about, laugh about and draw upon long after I am gone as they sit and visit and remember "the good ol' days".

"Life is precious and time is a key element. Let's make every moment count !"

Holiday Hoopla Day #3 and #4...Bring it ON!

Wednesday we had decided to stay home and enjoy some R&R while watching "Harry Potter and the half blood prince". We had seen it in the theater but we enjoy watching movies again on DVD as well. Santa, as well as family, gave us many movies to enjoy and we have loved watching them during the Christmas Break. I like to just snuggle up on the couch with a warm blanket and some popcorn (popcorn ANYTIME) and watch a good movie. For some reason its very relaxing to me and often it puts me right to sleep. I know, then I miss the movie, but that's okay...its usually one that I've seen anyway and if not, I can always watch it again.

Thursday was the BiG New Years Eve Party. Living in a rural area does have a few draw backs at times, especially when it comes to the "entertainment category". There has never been much to do around here, let alone on New Years Eve, so years ago we started our own New Year's Eve tradition. We have a big New Years Eve family shabang, with LOTS of food (junk food of course)to snack on all night, and then we play games until the new year arrives at midnight. This year, as I am still fighting with this bronchitis thing, we scaled our party down quite a bit. Deron didn't want me to be working hard and cleaning and cooking all day, plus have the big clean up to do afterwards

(don't think that I could have done all the I usually do even if I wanted to). So we just invited our kids and Kim invited her best friend over. Usually we have all of Deron's family here as well (which we missed)...but there is always next year. We ate and ate and ate... We played cards until all we were seeing were numbers...we also discovered the Audrey (Kim's friend) and Dana are excellent card players. We already knew that Dana was great at games because she has been fierce competition for awhile now. It was a fabulous night. There was alot of laughing, alot of groaning (because of a bad hand of cards) and cheering as the new year rolled around. Cameron wanted to go to the New Years

Eve dance at the church, so he wasn't at our party, but he had a great time meeting new girls and dancing the night away. Erik had made his own plans and Dayna and Jack had made plans as well. Even though we didn't have our entire family under one roof to bring in the New Year, we enjoyed the wonderful company that we had...Good food and Good people always make for a great time.

I can't say that I am sad to see 2009 leave...it had many ups and and just as many downs. It doesn't bother me at all to have to say

"Good Riddens" to it.

I am grateful that I have such an amazing family, Dear friends and for the many blessings that are mine.

I am looking forward to 2010...although, I am going in feet first,

with my eyes wide open

and

just hoping for the best!

The BiG dAy finally arrivied....

.....Christmas!!!!! You could almost taste the excitement in the air as the kids came down the stairs to see what "Santa" had brought!....NOT that a few of them hadn't already done some research of their own PRIOR to this big day, but none the less...the excitement was thick and everyone was spoiled as their dreams of sugarplums came true. Everyone took their time opening their gifts and we enjoyed the fun of seeing what everyone got and relished in the feeling that comes from "giving" gifts to the ones that we love. My husband and children are some of the greatest people that I know. They are so special to me and they always put alot of thought into the gifts that they give to me each year. But this year I got more than just what was wrapped in bright colored paper and resting under the Christmas tree. I got gifts that I can carry with me forever. Besides the sweet packaged gifts that I got from my sweet family, I learned something from each of them that I can treasure long after I am gone. From Dayna and Jack, I got the gift of "Time". They live a couple of hours away and sometimes we don't get to see them very often. BUT they were able to come out for our Christmas Party and I got to spend time with them, which I love and cherish. They drove up to Salt Lake the day after Christmas to spend the day with Deron and I, going to the movie and out to dinner, giving up their own time to share it with us. I learned that "quality" is sometimes more important than "quantity". From Todd and Dana I got the gift of "Thoughtfulness". They live just down the street from us and they are always so sweet to stop by for a quick visit, drop off goodies or just come and say HI! They both are very genuine and kind, to not only me, but others they are in contact with as well. They are always so sweet to let me know that they love and care for me. I learned from them that it doesn't hurt to go out of your way to be nice. From Erik I got the gift of "Service". He is always so willing to help. Whenever he comes over for dinner, parties or a visit...one of the first things that he asks me is "Mom, what do you need help with?". It doesn't matter if its something as trivial as setting the table, he is there and willing to help. I learned from him that a willing heart and busy hands go a long way to truly serve. From Kim I got the gift of "Peace". She has always been a peacemaker and able to calm tension. It doesn't matter whether is between her younger siblings or her friends, she is able to calm some of the most troubled water just by saying "Hey, guys...does it really matter?" or saying something funny and witty to lighten the mood. I learned from her not to take life so serious and that having a good sense of humor is a blessing, something the world could use more of. From Cameron I got the gift of "Patience". He is one of the most patient people that I know. He has the patience of Job and shows, as well as demonstrates, compassion for his family as well as those in need. I learned from him that its okay to walk away from trouble, smile and sometimes the problem will go away. I learned from him that responsibility isn't to be taken lightly and to whistle while you work. He makes me smile. From Halle I got the gift of "Gratitude". She is always so grateful for what she gets, for things that others do for her and for the little blessings in life. She never misses a beat when it comes time to say "Thank you" for whatever, it could be the littlest thing ever, but she is grateful for it and she makes a point to let you know that she is. I learned from her that saying "Thank You" makes those around you feel appreciated and the sincerity behind the words can be felt for days later. They are words that should be used and meant more often, by us all. From my sweet hubby I got the gift of "Love and Happiness". He gets up every single morning with a smile and a happy tune in his heart (lots of time he is whistling or singing a phrase). He makes me happy and I know that he loves me and is out to take care of me. He is a protector and my soul mate. I learned from him that its fun to be happy and that happiness rubs off on those you are around. Christmas was full of so many wonderful gifts for me both temporal and emotional. I am grateful for the blessings of Christmas and the love of a very wonderful family.

PS...I was told that under NO circumstances was I to upload any pictures of the family from Christmas morning...I guess no one wanted their "morning" look to be broadcast all over the Internet....don't blame them, I don't either!...so you'll all just have to use your imagination when it comes time for visuals for this post...sorry.

Twas the Night before.......

Our family has many, many Christmas traditions. I love traditions, they give me things to look forward to as the holidays approach. On Christmas Eve we make a very large, scrumptious dinner and then invite someone over to share in our wonderful feast. This year we invited our dear friends and neighbors over. They have 4 adorable boys (ages 1-11) whom we love so much. Their sweet family have become "FAMILY" to us. We love them like they were blood related! They are amazing people who have found a permintant place in our lives as well as our hearts. We had a good time just hanging out and eating, visiting and laughing as the kids all played. My kids love having "little" kids to spoil and love on. Its fun to watch them all interact and goof off and have a great time. After we said goodnight to our company, we began the traditional opening of the "Christmas PJ's"...the kids always know that I make them PJ pants to wear to bed on Christmas eve, even though I wrap them all up and make them guess what they are getting. They seem to love their PJ's, so I keep making them (Deron even said he wanted a pair...after he saw how comfy the kids's were). After everyone was nestled all snug in their jammies we sat down and read the Christmas Story from the scriptures. When our kids were little, they would act it out with costumes and the whole 9 yards...but since they are teenagers now, they listen quietly from the couch. I don't know if its normal for teenagers to get excited and anticipate the arrival of Christmas morning, but my kids do! They love it. They get up early, around 4:30am and lay around and play games with each other until they can come down to open presents (which is usually around 6:30-7:00). The one morning that I would allow them to sleep in and they are chomping at the bit to get up and get going! Deron had been sick for a few days, so I had been sleeping out in the family room on the couch, hoping not to catch what he had (all the good that did!!)...so I was out with the christmas tree, the lights and all the gifts as I slept on Christmas Eve...sort of like in my own "Christmas Land". It was kind of fun to wake up to the Christmas lights and feel like a kid again, even if it was just for a minute or two.

Holiday Hoopla Day #2..."Going to the movies"~

Our family has always enjoyed movies...I don't know what our fascination is with entertainment on a big screen or from a DVD...but movies have always been a favorite activity of ours. Last nights activity for Holiday Hoopla week was "Go to the Movies". I caught an awful case of bronchitis and have been feeling awful so I opted to stay home and rest. So the kids got to go on a "Dad Date", which is always fun for them when they get to spend time alone with their awesome dad! They drove over to Vernal and splurged on some ohhy, gooey pizza from "Little Ceasers" before going to the movies. Everyone loves pizza and if you ask some of our family, we don't eat it often enough...for me (who really doesn't like pizza much) we eat it too often, so it was great that they ate it WITHOUT ME...I didn't mind at all! Deron and I went and saw the movie "The Blind Side" a couple of weeks ago and LOVED IT. We decided then that we wanted to take the kids to it. Its one of those "feel good" kind of movies, which are few and far between. Not very often do you see a movie that's makes you want to be a better person and rise above the smut of the world....but this movie did just that to me and it defiantly was one that I could see over and over. Finding out that "The Blind Side" was still playing at the theater, we decided that this was the movie that we were going to take the kids to for "Go to the movies" night AND I'm happy to say that...it got a "2 thumbs up" from everyone, they all loved it!!!! Deron even said that it was just as good the 2nd time!....so off we go to another day and another fun Holiday Hoopla activity!