Sunshine On My Shoulders

Apparently that is what I need. I found out two days ago that my Vitamin D levels are extremely low. The prescription 50,000 IU of Vitamin D every other day and lots of sunshine. It is a sign that I spend too much time indoors. My cortisol levels are also extremely high. The prescription for this is less stress and more relaxation time. Hmm, I think I need to book a trip to a nice sunny beach somewhere. Anyone want to join me!

Too Many Changes

May as well change everything in my life all at once. I moved to a new apartment, a new office building and I received a promotion to Manager for my department all within a month. Although all of these changes were good I think it was a little too much for my system. I am starting to break down more and more when I get home at night. I come home and just crash. I am still trying to unpack at my apartment as well as at my new office. I hope things calm down soon.

Moving Day Again?

I just moved to my new apartment and now I am packing again. This time I am packing my office. We are moving to a new building. Another fast move. We found out two weeks ago. I am excited about this move. I will be 12 minutes from my apartment. No more freeway commuting. It is going to be a lot of work but it will be a good move for my company.

Whistle While You Work

Moving Day is here! I took the afternoon off and went home to finish packing before my brothers came to help me move. I remembered how much I hate packing and moving. We rented a small U-Haul and everyone came to help me move. It took three trips but I am finally in my apartment. Now I need to start unpacking.

On My Own

In fourteen days I will have the keys to my very own place. Okay, so it is just an apartment but it will be all my own for at least the next year. I am both excited and nervous about this move. I have lived away from home before but never completely on my own. I am looking forward to being independant again. I am a little nervous about being alone at night but I know I will be fine. I am not looking forward to being back on a strict budget but it will be good for me. The part I am most excited to pull out all of my kitchen stuff that has been in storage for the past 4 1/2 years. I pulled out the boxes to sort through my kitchen items and found a few surprises. My can opener is absolutely disgusting. I have never seen so much rust. What was I thinking when I packed that gross thing? I forgot about my Pampered Chef shopping spree. That was a fun box to open. It was Christmas Day all over again. It is time to be back on my own.

I love America!

In spite of the fact that all of our 4th of July plans got changed I must say the day turned out rather fun. I had my hopes set on going up to Park City for the 4th but was told two days prior to the holiday that those were no longer our plans. Instead we went Miniature golfing at Mulligans and swimming at our neighborhood pool. I think Ethan summed it up quite nicely when he told my mom the following: "Grandma, we are having a fun day at your house today."

"I'm pretty". Ella's first pony tail hairdo.

All day she kept saying:"My cute pony tail."

"Hey!"

My mom's golf ball got stuck right on the edge of the moat.

Ethan's version of Miniature golf. Hit the ball once and then go pick it up and drop it in the hole or in the tube if there was one. He got two Holes in One this way!
"I'm going to be the winner." he would exclaim. "Can you guess who won the game?

A fun day indeed!

Dinner and a Movie

Memorial Day was a relaxing day for our family. For the first time I didn't put up a huge fight that we didn't have incredible holiday plans. I love holidays and I think they need to be celebrated. We never seem to make big holiday plans and it has always bothered me. I want to have holiday traditions for each and every holiday and believe me when I have a family of my own we will have traditions. However, for this Memorial Day I just wanted to relax. I have been so busy the past couple of weeks. My new job has turned out to be a little more than I can handle at the moment. I love it but I am just overwhelmed. We are short two people in our department and at the time we can't replace them so we are all having to do extra work. It is tough. I was so exhausted last Friday when I got home from work that I just wanted to sit and do nothing for three days and that is pretty much all I did. It was wonderful. Monday night we did go to dinner and then we went to see Night at the Museum-Battle of the Smithsonian. It is a funny movie. It made me want to go to Washington DC and see the Smithsonian museums.

Time for a Celebration

I have had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Draper Temple Celebration. One of the benefits of being a Young Women leader. For the last couple months the Young Women and Young Men have been preparing for the Draper Temple Celebration. It is going to be an amazing event. I have been helping the Young Women in our ward who are in the choir. I had to learn all the songs along with them so I could help teach them in our ward. The songs are amazing. I can't wait to hear them being sung in the Conference Center by 1000s of Young Women and Young Men. I have not seen any of the production pieces yet but I have heard they are also amazing. The night of the event I will get to sit with the choir which is exciting. I will get to see the entire event and I can't wait. I know tears will be streaming down my cheeks the entire time because it has been such a spiritual experience for me. Tomorrow night is the dress rehearsal where we will finally see how the youth from 52 Stakes pull the production together. I know it is going to be incredible.

What a day!

I had a wonderful day at work today. It was my Friday because I am leaving on vacation tomorrow. Before I went home I had a meeting that just made my day. I was told that I was getting a promotion. I am now the Team Lead for the EDI and Credentialing Department at my company. I am so excited for this position. It is going to mean more responsibility and more work but I look forward to the challenge. I was then told that I was also voted to be Employee of the Month. What an honor! I have worked really hard the past couple of months and it is so nice to be recognized for my work. I love my job and I love the people I work with.

Galinda

Today I went to lunch with my wonderful friend Shauna. I have known Shauna since Kindergarten. It was so fun to meet her and two of her boys for lunch. She had a little surprise for me. It was a thank you gift for getting tickets to Wicked for her and her sisters. I wasn't expecting a gift but when I saw it I was excited. A darling Build-A-Bear dressed like Galinda the good witch from Wicked. What a fun way to remember this wonderful show. Thanks Barney sisters. I love my new bear!

Defying Gravity

I have a new favorite Broadway show. Last night I finally had the opportunity to see WICKED. It was so much more than I expected. After listening to the soundtrack for the past two years and reading the book I had this picture of the show in my head. It far exceeded that picture. It was WONDERFUL! I want to go back and see it again and again. It's just to bad it is sold out. I will just have to make a trip to New York or San Francisco to see it I guess.

One of the songs really hit me last night probably because I am trying to make some big decisions about what to do with my future. The first time I listened to the soundtrack it was a song that struck me. Last night as I listened to the words one line really stood out.

"It's time to trust my instincts close my eyes and leap."

Easter Weekend

I spent the entire weekend sick. I sure would like to know who gave me the cold germs. I haven't had a cold this bad in a long time and I hope I don't get one for quite a while.

As much as I hated being sick this weekend one good thing came from being sick. I didn't have to help my brother and sister-in-law move out of my parents basement. I just got to lay on the couch and watch my niece and nephew while the rest of the group moved. Of course I was a safe distance from my niece and nephew. I didn't want to get them sick.

Retreat Week Day 2: Dream Time

Today's topic: Use my imagination and think big thoughts and dream big dreams.

This one was easy for me. I am always dreaming. This time I am going to put my dreams on paper. I also have permission to dream big and think big thoughts. No limits, anything goes.

After the dreaming it is facial time!

I blew it again. I think I will have to remove my television from the room tomorrow. I watched TV again. I also spent a little too much time on my computer.

Ideas and Inspiration

I am so proud of my cute binder. I decorated the outside with some of my overflowing scrapbook supplies. Inside I have ideas for scrapbook pages and inspiration articles. I have been stuck in the "I don't feel like scrapbooking because I can't think of any cute ideas" zone for too long. I saw this in one of my books and decided to create my own. It is starting the creative juices flowing again. I just may accomplish one of my goals this year.
Goal #4: Get my scrapbooks up to date!

Retreat Week Day 1: Reflection

Today was Day 1 of my retreat week. I have a question(s) or topic(s) that I will be focusing on each day. Today I have two topics.

1. Spend time reflecting on the goodness in my life. Look at scriptures that have been important in my life. Create a scripture/gratitude journal or mini-scrapbook for later reflection.
2. Reflect on my current situation (good or not so good). Write about things I might like to do, place I would like to go, etc.

The second half of the evening was manicure and pedicure time. My favorite part of the day of course.

I am working this week so most of the retreat happens in the evening hours. This is not really how I would like to be doing this retreat. I would rather be on a mini-vacation somewhere warm for the weekend. I wasn't able to take time off of work so I am making the best of things. Once I get home I am in retreat mode. Okay, so tonight I actually watched TV while doing my manicure and pedicure but tomorrow no TV. I will post pictures next week because I am trying not to use my computer a lot during this week. Other than blogging each day and checking my most important emails. After all I am still working and I do have a church calling that requires me to stay in touch and send out email reminders.

Retreat Week

Three years ago I discovered the joy of retreats. I am talking about taking time out for yourself to reflect and mediate. The first year I only did a couple retreats and most of them were one day retreats on a Saturday. The second year I went on a work retreat. The first day we covered work items and reflected on our jobs and how we could make them better. I had the opportunity to stay over night at a condo in Heber City. I made the second day a personal retreat. The third year I tried to do a retreat every month. That only lasted about four months. One Saturday a friend and I went to the spa and had a spa retreat. That was by far one of my favorite retreat. For one of my goals this year I decided I wanted to revive the monthly retreats. Goal #3: Take time for myself. Plan retreats! I have created a schedule for the year and my retreats are marked on the calendar in ink. My retreats will vary in the activities and things I will be reflecting on. In January my retreat day was all about setting my goals for the year. I made my list and reflected on what I wanted to do in 2009. I always choose a scripture as my theme of the year so I spent some time reading through scriptures to find my theme scripture. I chose my word of the year. (See my blog post "One Little Word" January 5th). In the afternoon was my spa day at home. A facial, manicure, pedicure and a nap. It was great. In February I decided to do a Retreat Week. I will be starting tomorrow. I am so excited for this week. I have had the itinerary for this retreat planned for years and I have never completed it. I found it on a website two years ago and it is meant for a weekend. I decided to break it down over a week because I am unable to take a weekend off and go to a cottage or hotel somewhere and just spend time alone. We will see how if it works.

A New Favorite Quote

"Life is to be enjoyed.
Not just endured."

More Christmas Photos

Here are few more photos from Christmas Day.

Christmas morning. It's not quite the same as it was when we were young. It's actually about 9:30am instead of 6:00am. No pajamas. It's still the same excitement though.

Me and my calendar of my favorite place.

After the great opening of the presents. The three single adults living at home.

Ethan with some of his new toys from grandma and grandpa.

Ella and her new doll set.

Putting together the doll stroller. "I think it goes like this."

Ella feeding her new baby while she waits patiently for the stroller to be finished.

Ethan and the Batmobile.

One Little Word

One of my favorite scrapbookers and artists is Ali Edwards. Each year she selects one word as a point of focus for the year ahead. As I began thinking of what word I wanted to choose for 2009 the word Simplify came to mind. I have been trying hard to cut back on things in my life that are not important. I am currently cleaning out my scrapbook supplies and keeping only those supplies that I really enjoy using. I have finally discovered the way I want to scrapbook and it is very basic. I am able to complete pages faster which means it is working so now I am going to simplify my scrapbook supplies. The changes we have experienced in the world the past year have everyone living on a tight budget. As I focus on saving all I can I am trying to live a more simplified life. There are so many areas in my life that can be simplified. I am finding that life is less stressful when I live in this way. I don't have to search through a pile of "something" and my routine is a lot faster. It just makes sense. My word for 2009 is Simplify!

Long Ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away

Christmas Day is my favorite day of the entire year. I love Christmas. This year was the first year I didn't wear pajamas while opening my presents. I am 35 and I guess I decided it was finally time to be an adult. I really just wanted to look good in our pictures. It was a great Christmas morning. Trisha, Brandon, my parents and I opened our gifts and then Jared and his family came over and we spent the entire day playing with the kids toys. It was so much fun. Trent and Anne went to England to be with Anne's family for Christmas so we were minus two people this year. Instead of boring you with a bunch of words I am going to let the photos tell the story of Christmas day.













Ethan's Christmas was all about Star Wars and Ella's was about dolls. It took her a little while to open her gift. Ethan was done before she even had two strips of paper off her package. It was worth it when it was opened. She was so excited to have her own baby with a stroller. She didn't want to be apart from her doll, she even had to eat dinner in the high chair with Ella. It was so fun to celebrate Christmas with my family this year. I will have to get my mom's memory card for more photos. I was behind the camera for all of these. She snapped a few good ones of me and my siblings. That will be for another post.