I do not consider myself a fan of Christian rock or Mormon pop music either, except for a few exceptions. I do however love when I hear a musician who usually sings regular pop, alternative or country, singing songs with meaningful lyrics. For example, Switchfoot is one of my favorite groups. All of their songs are thoughtful and have great messages, without being "Christian".
I was a huge Peter Cetera fan in the 80's, back when I loved cheesy romantic pop music, when he sang for Chicago and in his solo career. This is my favorite song by him now that I am older however. It sounds just like all the love songs he used to sing but isn't about cheesy stuff. This is probably considered Christian (worship.net in the address is a big hint I imagine) but it isn't preachy. They play it on regular music mix channels all the time. If they didn't, I would have never heard it because I don't listen to Christian music radio stations. Anyway, I just wanted to share it with you. It is nice to hear a song about something so special to me on the radio amidst all the other stuff. http://www.wccworship.net/Music/Digit/One_Clear_Voice.mp3
One Clear Voice Sung by Peter Cetera
Whole world is talking Drowning out my voice How can I hear myself With all this noise But all this confusion Just disappears When I find a quiet place Where I can hear
(chorus) One clear voice Calling out for me to listen One clear voice Whispers words of wisdom I close my eyes 'Till I find what I've been missing If I'm very still, I will hear One clear voice
I'm always searching For which path to take Sometimes I'm so afraid To make mistakes Somewhere inside me Stronger than my fears Just like the sound of music To my ears, I hear
I was tagged by CarrieAnne and actually by Rebekah a while back but I used another blog to cover it. This one is a little more detailed and lengthy so this time I can't just say to "refer to blog #. . " Dangit.
What was I doing 10 years ago today? I was 4 months pregnant with Joseph. I am sure highly hormonal. I was also working as a market research telophone interviewer for Wirthlin Worldwide. I had only been working there for less than a month. Just graduated from BYU two months ago but didn't want to try and get a real job because I would only be working until Joe was born. One of my least favorite jobs ever. I did make some great friends with some of the other interviewers so I can't complain too much about that. I gained a lot of confidence from that job.
5 things on my to do list 1. Call someone to fix our countertop that we accidently caused to crack by putting a hot pan on it. I have called one place twice and they keep saying their boss will call me back. Well tough. He has lost my interest.
2. I am going to have to find 3 young women to babysit for the next enrichment. Yeah...that calling I thought had to do with making a cook book. I guess I heard some untrue gossip. My job? Enrichment babysitting arranging. SHOOT ME NOW! 2 good things about that I guess. 1st. Enrichment meetings are only 4 times a year. 2nd, I get to know the young women and find out which ones really like to babysit. That could simplify my life a little. I plan on bribing them with home made brownies.
3. Vaccum...with red carpets in the living room and the master bedroom...vaccuming is pretty important.
4. Researching what to do in Seattle so we know we are doing it for sure this May. I am totally sure there is more than enough to do just off of the top of my head but Tim is concerned so I need to put his mind at ease.
5. Catch up on folding laundry. There are piles of (clean) laundry in our bedroom and the laundry room. I have been way too distracted by the great weather to be able to sit down and do it this week.
What would I do with a billion dollars? 1.I would travel the world. 2 Pay off debts 3 Donate enough money to a private school of my choice to make the process of my admission to their MSW program a lot smoother. 4 Buy myself a cute little car 5. Watch this clip to see what I probably wouldn't do.
5 Places I have lived 1. San Jose, California (0-7 1/2 years old) 2. Wiesbaden, Germany , in a little outskirts town called Breckenheim. What a great little town to grow up in. 3. Chicago Illinoise, on my mission. Such suberbs as Crystal Lake, Chicago Heights, Round Lake, DeKalb, and Aurora 4. Provo, Utah- in Deseret Towers and Wymount Terrace. 5. Springville 132 S. 200 E. Cute house. The greatest joys about it were I finally had a dish washer and washing machine and dryer of my own. What a huge step of convenience those were and still are. and Orem now
5 Jobs I have had 1, Some summer hire program job in Frankfurt Germany. Some contracting thing I didn't know a whole lost about. Great co-workers though When I was 15 years old 2. Summer hire job again. This time more meaninful to me. I worked in the Social Work office at the Frankfurt American Military Hospital. Worked with counselors. I believe that has had some influence on what I want to do with my future although at the time I don't think it interested me. I was 17 at the time. 3. Cleaned the visitors center (old BYU President's house) It was a small beautiful house that had been converted into offices and a visitors center. I cleaned it all by myself and it stayed quite clean so it was a pretty cush job. Got a lot of sleep and homework done! 4. Temporary position interviewer for Research information division of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints. Our job was to interview LDS couples as to how they met. Sound like a sweet job? It was. I absolutely loved it. They were looking to see how helpful singles wards and singles functions were in helping LDS young single adults meet and marry other YSA. 5. Coder for Wirthlin World wide. A few years after I worked there as an interviewer, acutally when I was pregnant with Elisabeth, I worked at the same place as an coder. I got the job through a friend I made when I worked as an interviewer. She moved on the corporate ladder while I was home with Joe. When I wanted a job she told me about an open position and gave me a good recomendation. Much more interesting and pleasent job. I made a lot of stupid little mistakes I think because of my pregnant brain but they never fired me.
6.5 Things people don't know about me. 1. When I was akid and saw POltergeist in the theater, it blew my mind. I set up the furniture in my dollhouse to look like their house and played out the story with my dolls. I was a strange child..Or perhaps it was just how I dealt with it. 2. I have always had crushes with the unatainable actors from a very young age (around 7). Crushes I had and in this order include Larry Wilcox who played John, Poncherello's partner on Chips, Mark Hamill- Luke Skywalker, Christopher Reeve- Superman, Jameson Parker - AJ Simon from the 80's show "Simon and Simon", Sam Jones-Flash Gordon on "Flash Gordon",Micheal J. Fox- Alex on "Family Ties", Kyle Mclaughlin- Paul Atreides on"Dune", Ralph Macchio- "Karate Kid"Matthew Brodderick- "Lady Hawke" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", Robert Hays- Striker on"Airplane" and "Starman", Brian Boitano the figure skater, (yeah I know..but I didn't then), Christopher Walken-John Smith on "The Dead Zone" I kind of grew up when I went to BYU, but not as much as I would like to say I did. Everyone who knows me knows that list hasn't necessarily stopped but now they are just eye candy. Tim is my hugest crush and and yes I had crushes on guys I knew personally through those years too. 3. I used to like to design fashions. Especially wedding dresses. I was very entranced with the whole British Royalty, Princess Diana and Fergie thing when I was a kid and it inspired my fashion designing and writing. Very scary! 4. I was a "Tomb Raider" and "Never Winter Nights" junkie back before I had 4 kids. I played them for days on end. I loved them both. Perhaps again some day. 5. We spent most of our summers growing up in Germany in Italy. We loved sitting on the grass in the plasa where the leaning tower of Pisa sat and watching the tourists run from building to building looking exsausted and rushed. We also loved playing in the Mediteranean Sea. Another hightlight of Pisa was "Pisa Alight" when they lined the whole city with candles one night, had food and music everywhere. They had the most incredible fireworks show I will ever see. An incredible atmospher of family and festivities. Other favorite places I visited were Florence, Venice, Pompeii, and the countries of Switzerland, and Holland.
If you are tagged you have to answer these questions for yourself and tag 5 more people. I tag: Rebekah (I know you already were tagged but this one asks more info..you can leave off the last one since you did that question before) Andrea Tim Joe Lis (if she hasn't been already..I don't remember if you are CarrieAnne's list or no)
I saw an interesting poll on the news yesterday. It talked about the state of religiosity in America. 81% of Americans claim to be a member of some religion. 44% change their religion in their life time. They pointed out a lady who left the Catholic church to join an Evangelical church. The news reporter said it was because it had less rules. This report really made me think about religions and parenting styles. They really apply. Religions teach that we have a God that has rules. The way these religions enforce these rules, and how they depict God are in a way a parenting style of their own. I realize I am leaving out Eastern religions, Hindu, Buddhist, Islam etc. I don't know enough about them to include them in this comparison. I am only referring to Christian religions in this blog.
There are Authoritarian parents and religions that have high control, low affection. They are demanding and controling. They are likely to say "Do it because I am the parent and I say so!" The Catholic religion is the best example of that style of religion, that I can think of. They have a lot asked of them but their doctrine doesn't stress so much a loving and approachable God. You could say this style emphasises justice.
Then there are the Permissive parents and religions. There are two styles of Permissive Parenting: Permissive- indulgent (low demand, high affection) and Permissive-indifferent (low demand, low effection). I think there is no religion that reflects the indifferent style. That is having no religion at all perhaps. Permisive-indulgent parenting style is low control and high affection. These parents and religions don't make a lot of demands on their kids or members but teach how much Jesus loves them. Evangelical churches tend to have this style of "parenting" This style emphasises mercy.
The most effective style of parenting according to social sciences is Authoritative. This style has both high levels of affection and high demands. The LDS church is a good example of this style. A lot is expected from it's members but they are taught that their Heavenly Father loves them very much. They are invited to be close to Him and their Savior Jesus Christ. Their religion also does not have a "Do it because I say so" attitude They are allowed to ask questions and find out for themselves that something is good and true. They are commanded even to do so. This style is an equal balance of justice and mercy. ----- Original Message -----
My son Sam is suddenly a Marshmellow junkie. He has discovered that he can push a chair up to the cabinet and climb up to get the marshmellows all by himself. He does it countless times a day. We keep hiding it and he keeps finding it. What he hasn't discovered is that we can hear the chair being dragged across the wood floor from anywhere in the house. We woke up to the sound this morning. As you can tell by his tattoos his dependence is effecting him in more ways than one. Shirtless and everything. Before you know it he is going to be on an episode of "Cops". Unfortunatly I think he discovered today that the chair by the desk is much lighter and quieter than the dining table chairs. I think we might just have to hold an intervention. It's so sad when they are so young.
I recently posted one of my favorite Weird Al music videos, "White and Nerdy" but I have another more recent favorite song I want to share. It is the official video but not made by Weird Al. The song captures so well for me the tedium of the "drive-thru" experience. Although he doesn't address the shame and self loathing and disgust that comes with such a choice, somehow it comes through. It is a little long but I laugh the whole way through. Enjoy!
Why do I love being a scout leader? Well for one thing, days like today. Today for Webelos we will be making brownies with the boys (Mathematics Belt loop requirement 3: Measure 5 items using both metric and nonmetric measures.) and helping them make their own catapults (Engineer requirement 9: Build a catapult and show how it works) Brownies, catapults, what more could a 10 year old boy ask for?
Last weekend my husband and I attended BYU's "Life, the Universe and Everything" their Science Fiction/ Fantasy writing symposium. ( If you havn't started the video clip on the above blog entry, you can do so now!)
My favorite speaker there was their Guest of Honor, Orson Scott Card. He is the author of such books as "Ender's Game", "Wyrms", "Worthing Saga" etc.
In the address I attended, he spoke on the topic of "Why are LDS writers so heavily represented in the Science Fiction/Fantasy writing genre?" What he had to say on the subject really made me think.
Among other things, he said that as a religion we believe in the scientific method. We are not told to just believe what others say. We are challenged to find out things for ourselves. We are told in the "Book of Mormon" by Moroni to pray about it for ourselves to know that it is true. We are constantly told we cannot live on borrowed light and we must get our own testimonies. Another reason we are interested in Science Fiction and Fantasy is that we believe in miracles. We believe in practical heroes. They will do all they can and then some other "force" will come in and help him/her to conquer whatever it is they are fighting. In a fictional book it would be called some sort of "magic" but in reality it is our Heavenly Father who is helping us through miracles and Priesthood power.
I am grateful for a gospel that not only tells me we have a Heavenly Father who loves us, that we have Prophets, and a Savior. We are told and expected to find this out for ourselves that it is aall true. Card's address also made me grateful for how the gospel helps me to have a more positive view of our world and our future. It is a gospel of joy and hope and because of it, I know that despite hard trials in life there are happy endings. In fact if you live a righteous life there are no unhappy endings. Everything will work out for our good.
One of my favorite quotes by C.S. Lewis explains this ability to dream and believe in happy endings.
"You and I who still enjoy fairy tales have less reason to wish actual childhood back. We have kept it's pleasures and added some grown-up ones as well"
If you like the sweet pork at "Cafe Rio" here is a recipe you can't miss. It is so easy and so yummy. Andrea Brown (Tim's co-worker at UVSC) can be thanked for this recipe, at least for sharing it with us. Thanks Andrea we love it!
Sweet Pork 1 Cup Salsa (Pace is good, not a fresh salsa) 1 Cup packed brown sugar 1 3-5 lb Pork Tenderloin
Place ingredients in a greased crock pot for 8-10 hours on low (to shred I find it best on medium low) Shred pork and leave lid off for about 15 min to let juice thicken. Use meat to make burritos (and freeze for future use)
(Thank you again David for another great picture to illustrate my Blog!)
Valentines Day was great! I have a lot of people to thank for it too. I spent some time with Tim at Brigham Young University's Science Fiction/Fantasy Symposium "Life the Universe and Everything." Other than the pains you can expect would come with attending such an event with a 2 and a 5 year old, it was great. Orson Scott Card, the author of two of my favorite books ("Ender's Game" and "Wyrms"), is a guest speaker this year.
We ate lunch at the "Indian Palace" lunch buffet on Center Street in Provo. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. It is one of our favorites. I will give more info on that in another blog.
When we got home I remembered how frustrating it is when kids get home from school on Valentine's Day because they come home with all their candy. I get to hear Lincoln and Sam complain that Elisabeth and Joe wont share their candy, which means in their language, "Joe and Elisabeth wont give me all of their candy!" because they do share within reason. This isn't enough for them though.
Imagine how thankful I was when within moments of my kids getting home from school, we got a knock at the door and it was Lincoln's primary teaacher with a goodsized bag of assorted Valentine candy's for him. She must have kids of both school age and preschool age is all I can say. Even perfect timing. If she had come earlier the candy would be gone by the time Joe and Elisabeth got home and it wouldn't have had the same effect. Thank you primary teachers ! I hope I remember that if I ever teach that age group in primary. What about Sam you might ask? Well, Lincoln in his thrill of being included in the candy showers was more than generous with his candy. What a stud. He even put the candy down to do the cleaning we had asked him to do right before there was a knock at the door. He didn't even have to be reminded!
Tim's co-worker babysat for us (Her husband was out of town for Valentine's Day so she was kind enough to serve us instead) so we could go to a Dinner and Dance at the Center Street Musical Theater. Thank you Abby! Good food and fun atmosphere. Fun dancing and great Company! (Tim) We finished the evening with a cup of cocoa from Borders Bookstore. Thank you Tim for a great Valentine's Date!
Weednesday, I heard another pretty song by Linkin Park(like "Shadow of the Day"), though depressing(also like "Shadow of the Day") . Since it is titled "Valentines Day" I will include it on this blog entry. Enjoy!
Last night, as I waited in the car for my kids to finish piano class, I read an article in Readers Digest (yes I read it, and I love it) about "Chinese" food ("The Fortune Cookie Chronicles", by Jennifer 8. Lee. Nope that isn't a typo. It really is supposed to be an 8 according to RD) Amonng other things I got from it was a craving for Chinese food.
I suggested (demanded) that we eat at the chinese buffet for dinner. At first Tim was all for it..then as we got closer he started acting less enthused which put the weight of the decision on me completely. He remembered that eating out on a weeknight, (the same week as Valentines so we will prbably eat out again) and eating buffet style are both behaviors that aren't getting us closer to our goals (of staying in our budget and eating healthier.) I didn't fold though, I chose to ignore our goals.
The article brings up the fact that American Chinese food is very unlike real Chinese food. I think I knew that. It also said that Fortune Cookies are an American invention. I knew that too. The most interesting thing I learned from the article was what the "P.F." in "P.F.Changs" stood for: "Paul Fleming, the creator of Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and founding visionary of Chang's restaurant chain." I had to chuckle. Here I thought they were abreviating it becaue it was too hard for us Americans to pronounce. Takes some of the culture away from it doesn't it?
Anyways, there is a good Chinese buffet in North Orem on State street if anyone is interested. It has a Mongolian Barbeque to boot. It was worth the money and the guilt buffet.
I say this for one reason. Bears sleep through the winter. I know this is instinct on their part and not intelligence. I would ask at this point, why couldn't God have created humans to have this instinct too but I think he has. I know that I don't want to get out of bed in the morning when it is cold outside . Do I act on these instincts? NO! For some stupid reason I think I would be better off getting up and out of my cozy bed to clean my house and feed my family. Maybe it is part of that huge portion of our brains that we don't use.
I think that if we as humans could admit to ourselves that we aren't so different from the bears we would all better off. Maybe if we could make an agreement to at least not expect others to get out of bed all winter (I think we could just limit hibernation time from January 1 to March 21 because Christmas is really worth being awake for) this human hibernation thing could work. Think of all the car accidents and illnesses and discomfort we would avoid. Are these 3 cold tedious months really worth being awake for? Let's be honest with ourselves.
Today is looking like the beginnning of the end of a long cold winter. I imagine we have more snow ahead but there is a HUGE patch of brownish green grass on my lawn. Good enough for me for now. Hooray!
I also realized the other day that it was 6:00pm and it was still light. Another sign that there is warmth and light ahead. Today is a sunny day and a bit warmer than it has been too. Sam has been sick all weekend but appears to be back to his smiley fun self today so I think I will take my kids out and get us all some much needed vitamin D, fresh air and exercise. I don't think I have ever been so excited to see the the coming of spring.
Later same day.
Ok...so it isn't spring yet. I took my kids out to walk and ride their bikes around the path at the park behind our house. They wanted to go back within 10 minutes. Actually I will be honest...I wanted to go back in 10 minutes. My kids were crawling along on the bikes they insisted on bringing and everyone was freezing. When Lincoln refused to ride his big wheel anymore I knew that was the end of it. But all in all I think I got more sunshine and fresh air in that 20 minutes than I have in the last 3 months total so it is a good thing we went. Next time no bikes though.
Don't try to catch up on 40 pages of textbook reading while watching "Casino Royale"! Oh...don't worry I studied. I just don't think there will be any questions like the following in my quiz tomorrow:
Which is better?
A. Daniel Craig in a black shirt
B. Daniel Craig in a white shirt
C. Daniel Craig in a suit
D. Daniel Craig in no shirt
Hmmm. . . I'm not sure I know the correct answer to that question either.
Last night we had a yummy dinner. It was quite simple to make and VERY tasty. Of course I love all the ingredients so when I saw the recipe combining them all I craved it and wanted to make it. It did not disapoint!
Maple-Glazed Sweet Potato and Sausage
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ to 3/4 –inch cubes 3 tbsp butter or margarine 1 lb smoked sausage, cut into ½ inch pieces 1 medium onion, halved crosswise and cut into thin wedges 1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced ¼ Maple Syrup 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp nutmeg (optional) 1/8 to ¼ tsp ground red pepper or cayenne
1. Bring 1 inch water and ½ tsp salt to boiling in Dutch oven or large saucepan. Add potatoes; return to boiling. Cover and cook over medium heat 3-5 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender, Drain well. 2. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage, onion, and apple. Cook and stir 5 minutes. Stir in maple syrup, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, if desired, and red pepper, mixing well. 3. Stir in sweet potatoes, stirring to coat. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly glazed.
1. You have a greeter welcome you when you get there....You have parents when you enter the world. Neither is always as friendly as you think they should be.
2. When you go to Walmart there is nothing at the store that will actually make you happy. There is plenty to entertain you for a short time but nothing that will bring you lasting joy. The world is the same way. Sure we will find some fun stuff here but the only things that will bring true joy, the world can't offer. You have to find those elswhere. Only the things you come in with or have left at home give you that.
3. You need to go the store to survive. You need food, clothes, shelter and TP, so you need to do it even though it is a miserable expereince and it is frustrating to spend money on stuff that just gets consumed. There is pain and sorrow and the world is a dangerous place . If you make the wrong choices you can get messed up but we had to come to progress.
4. It is easy to get distracted by the funner less important and healthy things. Good idea to go with a list. In life, we are here to grow, be tested and bless one another. It isn't always as fun as some of the stuff the world suggests but you'll regret it if you get sidetracked and forget why you are here. The list is the gospel or the scriptures. They remind us what we came for. In both cases, of course a little fun is ok...in moderation...as long as you aren't sacrificing the more important stuff.
5. Our abiltiy to have good relationships is tested....A lot. The point is NOT to kill your kids. You are tired, your husband is tired, your hungry, you all want to kill eachother, not to mention some of the other wonderful customers that can be so rude at times and the unavailable or worse grumpy workers. We need to learn in this life to be kind to one another even when we are stressed.
6. We learn from experience lots of things, like what product is good and what is not, and" Sure that ice cream looks really good but it isn't good for me and I will regret it." "I think that buying something will fill a void for me cause I am feeling depressed, but later I will regret it and it wont really bring me satisfaction." We keep buying the stuff in our weak moments though....hmmm maybe when I am perfect I will be able to resist the Ben and Jerrys.
7. You learn these lessons and you teach them to your kids when they are begging for things that aren't good for them. It is our responsibility to teach our kids from our experience what things will bring happiness in this life and how to make good choices.
8. When I go to Walmart now, I always bring my cell phone. If Tim came with me it is easier to find him later. If he didn't I can ask questions about things we might have at home already . In life it is a good idea to stay in close touch with those you love so they can help you make good choices and guide you. They can help give you support when you are having a tough time too.
9. Your kids can get lost...Keep an eye on them! Don't send them out with out them knowing the way to get back. Teach them to be safe. We have to teach them the gospel so when they can't be watched constantly they know how to get home to our Heavenly Father on their own.
10. You die a little every time you go to Walmart....just like in life.
I am SO excited about the new First Presidency! I loved Hinkley, but I love Monson, Eyring and Uchtdorf. When I found out Uchtdorf was the new 2nd Counselor I cried. I spoke in my last blog about how Hinkley's absence made me feel a little shaken since he has been the President when both of my Parents died and most of my adult years. A constant comforting presence. Uchtdorf has an even closer connection with my parents and my past. What a comfort it gives me. And what a joy to be a name dropper. :^)
I lived in Wiesbaden Germany for 10 years (1980-1990). We were in the Frankfurt Servicemans stake. President Uchtdorf was the President of the Frankfurt Stake during some of these years. Although he wasn't our Stake President, we knew of him and my parents met him. Not to mention that just hearing the German accent makes me feel at home. I was excited when he was called as an apostle and am surprised and delighted by his call to the first Presidency. This morning I thought it would be wonderful if he was the new counselor but he was so new, I didn't even think to hope.
All three of them are my favorite speakers. Uchtdorf in particular always gives such great analogies of the gospel and how it helps us in life. Eyring's talk "Oh Remember, Remember" was my favorite talk this last conference. Monson has always been my favorite story telling speaker. He is another constant presence in my life. I will love learning from our new prophet President Monson and his counselors and apostles as I did President Hinkley. I am so thankful to have a prophet and apostles who lead us with love and help keep us safe in this world.
I know this is a week late, but I like to think about things a while before I try to express my feelings or thoughts. A week ago today Gordon B. Hinkley, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and more importantly, Prophet of God, ended his mission on this earth. I was surprised by feeling choked up when this happened. I have never felt this way when a prophet died before. President Howard W. Hunter was one of my favorite prophets, but I didn't feel quite this way when he passed on.
Gordon B. Hinkley became the president of the church when I had been home from my mission for 1 month and it was another two months when I met Tim. He has been the president of the church as long as I have been a wife and mother. It is kind of unnerving to have him gone.
He was the president of the church when both of my parents died and I think I have drawn comfort from his presence through these losses. I think he has been an honorary grandpa to all those who loved him. I will miss him, but I am grateful for the Gospel and the knowledge that the work of the Lord goes on without him as well.
My favorite story about Hinkley was the letter he recieved from his Dad when he wrote home complaining what a waste his mission was. "Forget about yourself and go to work" was his father's answer. He did this the rest of his life, even after his wife died, even after he was diagnosed with cancer. What a great example he was of work and selflessness. How happy he always seemed to be. I think he knew the secret to a happy life. Work hard and forget about yourself. I hope I can always keep that in mind in my life.
Here is a tribute I found on Youtube that I liked a lot because it has a lot of his own words and testimony. (I apologize for the pretty but slightly annoying song in the background.)
(This is a really long, detailed version of my profile...more for me than you.. so don't feel obligated to read it...just look at the pictures and the main points and you should get the point)
I am going to steal an idea from my sister-in-law's blog. It looked like fun and with it being depressing winter and all, it is nice to remind yourself about your " favorite things". You know...like silver white winters that melt into spring.....those kinds of things. These are the things that make like more enjoyable. These are in no order other than what I think of.
1. Watching and looking forward to my favorite TV shows: Heroes and Battlestar Galactica-
Tim and I don't watch a lot of TV but we have our two favorite shows. With the writers strike we don't even have those. I count down the days 'til BSG this spring.
2. My favorite people-
Being with my favorite people whether it be family or friends is the source of greatest enjoyment for me. They make life worth living and add so much laughter and exitement to the mix. I only have a picture of my family becaue I don't have pictures of all my friends. I don't want to leave anyone out.
3. Camping and Hiking (or just lying on the beach)
I love being out in nature whether it be hiking in the mountains, lying on the beach, exploring caves, or sitting at a campfire. As my kids are getting older this is getting easier and I am loving it. Whenever I am able to get out in the wide open, I remember that my problems are so small and there is so much more to the world than what I see every day. Favorites: Lassen in California, Little Wild Horse Canyon in Utah, Sunset Beach and Point Lobos in Carmel California,
4. Travel
I had the great blessing of living many of my childhood years in Germany. I was also blessed to have parents whohad the love and ability to travel A LOT. We saw a lot when we lived there. Now I have in-laws that live in the most interesting places (Germany and now Hawaii) so I keep getting these great opportunities. My favorites: Italy, Hawaii, Holland, Seattle, San Franscisco. Switzerland.
5. Reading
Nothing is better than being in the middle of a good book. There is something very reaassuring and exciting to know that when I get a free moment, I know exactly how I want to spend it. I especially like when I have a stack of books that I want to read...so I know the supply wont be over soon. I like a lot of fiction like, "The Lord of the Rings", Stephani Meyers' "Twilight" series, Harry Potter, Ender's Game, and I also like a lot of historical era stuff ("My Antonia" by Willa Cather, Roots, Pride and Prejudice, etc.) and true story inspirationals biographies. (Having or Say, Three Cups of Tea) I also like to read nonfictional relationship books. Whether the results are fictional or nonfictional remains to be seen.
6. Music
I don't know many people who don't like music. I love a lot of stuff especially since I have known Tim he has introduced me to a lot of stuff I never would have heard otherwise. Right now some of my favorites are "Starlight" by Muse, "Shadow of the Day" by Linkin Park, "Swing Life Away" by Rise Against, "I don't Want to be in Love" by Good Charlotte, "Far Away" by Nickleback, Mika in genral, and lots of soundtracks like "Lord of the Rings", "Dune" etc., lots of 80's stuff like Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Peter Cetera, Go Gos etc) What I don't like is rap, most heavy metal, most country (except for the classics like Patsy Kline and Johnny Cash), and much of the alternative stuff (Maroon 5 I hate) although I like lots of alternative too.
6. Classes at UVSC (soon to be UVU)
I love taking classes at UVSC. Now that I am not a kid anymore school is so much more interesting and meaningful. I am taking some really interesting classes about my favorite subject...counseling...and related topics. The plan is to apply for BYU's Social Work masters program when Sam starts school full time. I am bringing up my GPA, getting a few classes I need before I apply and getting back into the studying groove, Favorites have been: Parenting, Sexuality, Child Abuse and Neglect, Introduction to Counseling and Psychotherapy, Psychology of Interpersonal Communication and right now Clinical Interviewing skills is totally fun. I have had great teachers for all of these classes too.
7. Meyers Briggs Type Indicator
This is the best personality typology I have ever seen. It helps me understand people who are different from me and appreciate them for their differences instead of finding their differences annoying. I LOVE IT. It helps me be more patient with my husband and kids and with myself. It also helps me not to think men are so different from women. A book that really helps explain the whole thing well is "Please Understand Me" by Kinsey and Bates
8. Movies
I love way too many movies to list them all. Here is a quick list of favorites of each genre
Horror:The Dead Zone, The Changeling, 6th Sense, The Others, Poltergeist
Chick Flick: When Harry Met Sally
Comedy: Napolean Dynamite, Bananas, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation,
Fantasy/ Sci-Fi - Lord of the Rings, Dark City
Action: Casino Royale (2006)
Drama: , Shawshank Redemption, Beautiful Mind
9. My Calling
I love working with cub scouts. I get to do the teaching I used to want to do full time as an Elementary School teacher. I love the organization, the kids like to do the fun stuff, lots of rescources and it is fun to see the boys learn and grow too. One more important thing: I get my Sundays to go to church and not feel like I have to because it is my job.
10. Eye Candy
I am ashamed to say I havn't really grown up when it comes to my hormones. Beautiful men make the world a nicer place to be. I will end the list with some of my favorites.
Tim
Daniel Craig
Daniel Radcliff Wow, you made it this far? I am impressed.
I do not consider myself a fan of Christian rock or Mormon pop music either, except for a few exceptions. I do however love when I hear a musician who usually sings regular pop, alternative or country, singing songs with meaningful lyrics. For example, Switchfoot is one of my favorite groups. All of their songs are thoughtful and have great messages, without being "Christian".
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Being with my favorite people whether it be family or friends is the source of greatest enjoyment for me. They make life worth living and add so much laughter and exitement to the mix. I only have a picture of my family becaue I don't have pictures of all my friends. I don't want to leave anyone out. 
I love taking classes at UVSC. Now that I am not a kid anymore school is so much more interesting and meaningful. I am taking some really interesting classes about my favorite subject...counseling...and related topics. The plan is to apply for BYU's Social Work masters program when Sam starts school full time. I am bringing up my GPA, getting a few classes I need before I apply and getting back into the studying groove, Favorites have been: Parenting, Sexuality, Child Abuse and Neglect, Introduction to Counseling and Psychotherapy, Psychology of Interpersonal Communication and right now Clinical Interviewing skills is totally fun. I have had great teachers for all of these classes too. 
Tim
Daniel Craig
Daniel Radcliff