Slip 'n Slide

March 2009 - I took my nieces ages 5 and 6 to the olympic oval for their first time ice skating.  It was a blast, but I spent most of my time hunched over either holding them up from behind, or pulling them along as I skated backwards.  That lead to a very sore back.

- flash forward 5 years -

March 2014 - I took my nieces, now ages 10 and 11, skating at the Cottonwood Heights ice rink.  This time they've had lessons, and were more independent about skating on their own.  They did fall... a lot. I told them it was because they were trying.  If they weren't trying they wouldn't be falling.  They seemed to accept that answer.  I think they had fun, though I have been living with a lovely chorus of "ow! ow! ow!"'s ever since.  We only had one major fall that led to tears.  Kelsea hit her funny bone really hard, and we commiserated over the fact that the funny bone is a really bad name for that bone, because it is anything but funny when you hurt it.  All's well that end well though and we sure had fun.

Documenting a few of the less epic falls

This is one of the best shots I got of Chloe.  Usually she was off on the other side of the rink skating around as many times as possible.  

Kelsea as she was latching on for stability.  She did great, but was less than stable most of the time.

This was my "I was here too" picture.

 

I have to apologize because this video is SUPER blurry, but it's such a cute video of Kelsea, I had to include it.  I'm not sure why it did that for this one video, but oh well.

And checking in with Chloe on half way through her rounds.  She went around the rink more than 30 times.

The girls discuss a few of their falls.  Ignore my fingers sneaking into the frame partway through.  I was trying to stabilize the camera and skate backwards and avoid running into people.  

Valentines and the Single Gal

I love Valentines Day!  I know it sounds silly, but I do.  I love the reds and pinks.  I love the flowers and hearts.  I love the silliness, and joy.  I think it is a wonderful holiday.  And yes, I am single.

In 25 years I have never been on a date, and never had a significant other to share the holiday with.  Does that make me sad?  Not at all.  In fact, I absolutely hate the notion that Valentines Day is S.A.D. (Single Awareness Day.)  It's a ridiculous notion.  I'm sorry for those who truly have felt this, but I am of the opinion that if anything, Valentines Day is the exact opposite.

I have heard every argument in the book against Valentines Day.  It's celebrating a massacre.  It's a greeting card holiday meant to make you spend money.  It's cheesy and dorky.  It makes singles feel bad.  It has no significance.  The pendulum can swing both ways.  On one side are the lovey dovey's and on the other are the cranky singletons who complain that it is a worthless holiday and try to turn it into some sort of singles empowerment march.  That's also a boatload of crap.

Valentines Day is a day to celebrate love.  It will have different significance for every individual at various stages in their life.  Hopefully we all have someone(s) in our life that make us feel loved no matter what.  For some the holiday has a decidedly romantic feeling.  I do hope to someday have a husband to spend it with, but the holiday will never lose it's savor if I don't.  For me the holiday is one to celebrate with those I love.  And who can complain when my Valentines Day dates are as cute as these little nieces of mine.

Definitely the cutest Valentines dates.

We had a blast.  I took these cuties out to Zupas for dinner, and then we went to Grandma and Grandpas to watch the Olympics and bake sugar cookies.  They dumped massive loads of sprinkles on the cookies, and we laughed a ton.  My favorite was when they brought up the dinosaur hand puppets and started to "eat" grandpa.  He has the best reactions.

Yep.  Valentines Day is definitely a favorite of mine.

Teaching by the Spirit

I had the most beautiful experience at church this week, and had to record it for my own memory.

The teacher doing sharing time during senior primary (kids ages 7-11) gave a beautiful lesson.  I missed much of it because of another calling I was fulfilling, but was lucky to hear the end.  It was all about living life the way God intended.  As he created life, he also provided the 'recipe' for how to live it to achieve our ultimate goal to be like him, and live with him again.  The kids understood so much more than we often give them credit for.  They made beautiful comments, and asked great questions.  The spirit in the room was very strong when he closed.  

I just love when teachers recognize the spirit and teach by it's guiding light.  Instead of going into the fun and silly singing time that she had prepared, the chorister asked me to start playing the song we've been working on "He Sent His Son*."  She gave no introduction before I played.  After the kids had finished singing the song, the chorister helped the kids to recognize that what they were feeling was the Holy Ghost, and to take a moment and reflect on the spirit that was in the room.  After a moment she asked if we could sing some of their favorite songs, rather than what she had prepared.  The children were thrilled, and picked the most beautiful songs to add to the spirit in that room.  The first song they picked was "I am a Child of God," followed by "A Child's Prayer" and "I want to live the Gospel."  She could have easily gone straight into the good and fun songs of "Once there was a Snowman" and "Give Said the Little Stream" as planned, but she followed the spirit.  The result was a very powerful, and beautiful third hour of church that I don't think these kids will forget.  I know I won't.

*He Sent His Son

How could the Father tell the world of love and tenderness?

He sent his Son, a newborn babe, with peace and holiness.

How could the Father show the world the pathway we should go?

He sent his Son to walk with men on earth, that we may know.

How could the Father tell the world of sacrifice, of death?

He sent his Son to die for us and rise with living breath.

What does the Father ask of us? What do the scriptures say?

Have faith, have hope, live like his Son, help others on their way.

What does he ask? Live like his Son.

Primary Children's Songbook Pg. 34

Text by: Michael Finlinson Moody.

"We believe in God the Eternal Father,

and in His son Jesus Christ,

and in the Holy Ghost."

Article of Faith #1

Resolve to do

There are only a few hours left in 2013.  It's been a busy year.  I've learned a great deal about myself, and who I am.  I've gotten to expand some of my strengths, and be reminded of my many weaknesses.  I know a lot of people who have strong feelings against new years resolutions, and others who go a little overboard in their expectations for the new year.  I tend to ride the middle road.  I don't like to make grand resolutions doomed to fail, but I love the idea of setting a few goals to guide the progress of the new year.  My main goal last year was to get into my home and settled.  Check!  This year I have a few smaller goals that I think will help me to better the person I want to be.  Since sharing goals helps to make one responsible for them I am sharing them for all to see.  So without further ado, here are my 2014 New Years Resolutions:

Resolution 1 - Save some money

I have gotten everything set up around my house.  I have what I need for daily living.  Of course there will always be things I want to do, but right now I need to increase my savings for rainy days.  My goal is to have at least one full months expenses (mortgage, car payment, utilities, food, etc.) in my savings by the end of the year.  That will require some careful budgeting on my part, but is completely doable with my current income, and will allow me a great deal of breathing room as time goes on.  If I can save more than that, I hope to do so, but that is my minimum goal.

Resolution 2 - Go to the Temple

I am really good about attending the temple at least once a month, which is a major part of my life.  I think once a month is a good speed for me right now.  Sometimes I make it more than that, but once a month keeps me going and doing well without overwhelming me.  My goal to improve my temple going this year is to make sure I do more sessions.  Since initiatory is so much faster, it tends to be my go to when I attend the temple, but I know I get so much out of doing a session.  This year I will continue to go to the temple monthly, but I will do a session at least every other month.

Resolution 3 - Get my hair cut

This may sound like a silly one, but I think I need to make it a goal.  I got my hair cut for the first time in 3 1/2 years just a few weeks ago.  My hair was so scraggly, and awful looking.  I know I will never be one of those girls that gets her hair cut every 6 weeks.  I don't have a style that requires that kind of maintenance right now, and I am bad at fitting it into my schedule.  That being said, I know it needs to happen more often, so I will get my hair cut at least once within the 2014 calendar year.

Resolution 4 - BLOG

I haven't blogged most of this year.  I still think in blogging terms.  I take photos, think of funny stories, or things I want to remember and include, but I haven't been good at sitting down and getting it all out.  I always seem to want to write big long stories, and posts.  I know it isn't necessary, but it's how I usually have blogged, and sometimes the idea of taking the time to write it all down seems more time consuming and overwhelming than I want to deal with at night.  I love my blog though.  I love the design, I love sharing pictures, and I love having this journal to look back on.  I will blog at least once a month this next year.  It doesn't have to include every activity, and it doesn't have to be long full stories, but I will write something every month.

So there you have it.  My resolutions for 2014.  New Year, New Me.  Well, not really a new me.  I actually like me.  Sure I wish I had a flatter stomach and a clearer complexion, but those won't make me any happier, or a better person.  Getting my hair cut won't either, but it makes combing my hair in the morning easier and less time consuming, which in turn helps me be on time to work, and a little less cranky, so it's worth it.  My goals will require some planning, and thought, but they are all easily doable, and will help to make 2014 a great and memorable year.  Happy New Year!  Love to you all!

In case I never get around to catching up on the big events from 2013, here is a picture of me and my adorable niece Aubree.  She hits her 2 week mark in the MTC in Provo tomorrow.  I love her so much and am excited to hear all of her amazing adventures as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Puebla, Mexico.  Love you Aubree!

Merry Christmas Card 2013

I've been meaning to post for along time, and have several posts partially written, but haven't finished much of anything this year.  I did write the family Christmas card this year though and wanted to post it.  I hope to still get some individual posts from some of the fun events of this year up, but this will at least cover some of the big points.

The Lindsays 2013

Christmas time already?  Has it really been a year?  Everyone says that time goes faster the older you get, but that seems to be especially true these days.  It has been a wonderful year full of many adventures and misadventures, and we are truly grateful for each of you that have helped to make it special.

Ken -

Ken celebrated his 90th birthday in September, and we pulled out all the stops for the celebration.  Thank you to each of you who came, sent cards, or in any way helped to make it special.  The crazy rainstorm that dumped on Salt Lake and Utah Counties made for an interesting twist to the day, but people came out of the woodwork to help us celebrate.  When asked how the day had been Ken's answer was "Marvelous. Marvelous. Marvelous!"  

Ken considers days with his family to be a little slice of heaven.  A few special events have stood out this year.  February he was able to witness the baby blessing for his first great grandchild Lottie(Bob & Carrie). In June he had the opportunity to attend the Oquirrh Mountain temple with his granddaughter Chelsea(Bob & Carrie) as she went through for the first time.  August brought the wedding of his granddaughter Calli(Kelly & Teri) to Kayden Dastrup.  In November he traveled with Bonnie and Melissa down to St. George to attend the St. George temple with his granddaughter Aubree(Kelly & Teri) as she went through for the first time in preparation for her mission to Mexico.  

Ken is still a mischief-maker.  He loves to tease the little grandkids, and give them chocolate and cheerios when their parents aren't looking.  He takes good care of his health by making sure to have his "heart medicine" (a square of dark chocolate), and eats his cholesterol medicine (cheerios) every day.  He continues to read the Book of Mormon out loud in Tongan daily, and is pleased with how much it has helped him both in his study of the gospel, and his fluency in the Tongan language.

Bonnie -

Bonnie is a busy bee if ever there was one.  She always manages to accomplish more in a day than anyone should be allowed to.  She is involved in a book club within her neighborhood, and has enjoyed expanding her literature horizons through the books they have read.  She particularly enjoyed one on the early saints that settled St. George.  It included some history on the building of the St. George temple which she was able to reflect on, and helped to make the already special experience of going through that temple with her granddaughter Aubree that much more meaningful.  Bonnie is also actively involved in her camp of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers (DUP).  

In late June Bonnie's sister Cathy came out to visit, with their former sister-in-law.  They had a wonderful week here, before the two of them drove out to California for a little over a week.  Bonnie loved visiting and spending time with her family.  She does not get to see them nearly often enough.  She particularly enjoyed spending some one on one time with her brother and sister-in-law who had recently lost their oldest son.  It had been hard on her to miss his funeral, so she was glad to have that time with them.  She enjoyed meeting some of her great nieces and nephews for the first time, and reconnecting with some of her cousins and her uncle.  

Bonnie has enjoyed making the condo more of a home, and conducive to family life.  One of the biggest changes was an upgrade to a beautiful laminate wood floor in the dining room and family room.  With kids and adults alike playing and eating in these rooms the hard floor is so much easier than the carpet that was previously there.  

Melissa -

Melissa closed on her first house in January.  A small townhome in a more urban area in the south end of the valley.  She was able to get in early on the building process and select all of the finishes including the flooring, cabinetry, countertops, and appliances.  She absolutely loves her new home, and having everything exactly as she had hoped.  The only problem she has found with any of her choices is that they were so perfect that she doesn't have any projects to work on, or dream about changing.  She has focused that energy into decorating, and is completely in love with it.  Her favorite piece of furniture she bought for her house is a turquoise couch from IKEA for her living room.  It is bright and cheerful, and with yellow, pink, and green pillows it fits her personality perfectly.  While her favorite furniture piece shows her whimsy, her favorite features of the house show her practical nature.  Those features include a garage, a washer and dryer, and a dishwasher.  

Melissa is an aunt always and forever.  Most of her highlights for the year have centered around that relationship.  She has attended several school plays, choir concerts, an opera competition, football games, a mission farewell, temple experiences, graduations, and primary programs.  She has loved having her own house to host sleepovers with her younger nieces.  She keeps toothbrushes and kids toothpaste on hand for the four that come regularly, and they all have their preferred couches/fold-out cots and blankets that they pull out when they visit.  She has also enjoyed having some of the older nieces and nephews over for dinner, or girls nights, and loves getting to know each of them a little better all the time.  

Melissa continues to work for SirsiDynix, a library software company in Lehi.  She has been in their Customer Support department for a little over a year, and recently was promoted to a newly created position responsible for the thousands of Knowledge Base articles that have been created regarding the configuring and fixing of problems within their various software programs.  

Melissa has made a larger number of smaller trips this year, rather than one large vacation as in years past.  Her trips this year have included a weekend at Bear Lake when her nephew Jake(Bob & Carrie) graduated from USU with his Master’s degree, 3 weekend trips to St. George for Aubree’s high school graduation, first time through the temple, and mission farewell, a weekend trip to California for her cousin Steve's funeral, and a 5 day trip to Kentucky to visit her cousin Brian's wife and kids while Brian was in Afghanistan.  Melissa also participated in her first 5k this past October with her niece Chloe(Lisa & Tim).

The other children are all doing well, but are responsible for their own family newsletters this year.  

We love all of you, and are grateful for the wonderful influence you are in our lives.  At this time of year, as we celebrate the birth of our Savior we are truly grateful for our testimony of him, and his love for each of us.  

Here are two versions of the family Christmas Card. I actually had a little too much fun, and made 5 of these, but these were the top 2 favorites. Take your pick.

Settling In

Slowly but surely I'm starting to settle in to my new house.  I absolutely love it.  I walk around all the time staring at various rooms and alternating between thoughts of "Where am I going to put ...?" and "HOLY FLIPPIN' CRAP I BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!"

I've been very fortunate with this move.  First I bought a new couch and entertainment center from Ikea, and I made the best decision ever.  For $99 I had them pick the very heavy boxes, and deliver them into the room of my choice (an important consideration as my living room is on the second floor). My mother and one of my best friends Alesha were both so helpful in getting the furniture put together and up, and starting to get organized.

The second fortunate experience of my move was the help I had with the furniture, and big boxes I needed to bring.  I sent out a plea to friends and family for help the Saturday after I moved in.  My amazing brother Bob, my brother-in-law Jon, my nephew Sam, and the elders quorum president from my old ward Josh all showed up to help, and we got the whole thing accomplished in an hour.  They were so helpful, and I was grateful for each of them.  It was really good that we got it done so quickly too because by 1:15 that afternoon I was sprawled out on the couch taking my first dose of cough syrup.  I barely moved from that spot for 4 days.  Not fun.

I am really loving my new neighborhood.  I love having people under the age of 60 living near by.  I also LOVE being minutes away from the District, and the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.  I love seeing kids getting home from school, people actually staying up past the 10:00 news, and not being the only one getting up and going to work early each morning.  I've attended the home ward, and the singles ward of the area I live in now.  I loved the home ward.  The people were wonderful, and atmosphere was great, and I loved getting to know some of my new neighbors.  Turns out the girl I sat by in Sunday School and Relief Society is actually the cousin of my sister-in-law Carrie, which was a fun connection to make.  The singles ward is probably where I am going to end up for now, but I am fighting it tooth and nail.  They have a dating committee.  That in and of itself if offensive enough to make me want to run for the hills screaming.  The people seem really nice overall, and given that I'm only 24 I feel like I should probably be in the singles ward for now, but I haven't officially transferred my records yet because every fiber of my being is screaming against it (except that little voice that says its where I should be), but I don't want to and I'm stubborn, and I'm a redhead, which is just another way of expressing just how stubborn I am.  I really love it here though.  I think I'm going to be very happy living here.

My lovely washer and dryer.  I am totally in love with these two appliances.  

Eventually I want to update this red and cream and black color scheme I have in my bathroom.  I've had it since I was a freshman in college and it's not quite what I want anymore, but it looks good, and it's in good condition, so it stays and goes to the bottom of the priority list for now.  

I LOVE my new living room.  The couch is the perfect color of turquoise, and the entertainment center is perfect. 

It's not a big space, but it is so awesome.  Especially when I want watch a show while I'm cooking.  

My bedroom is pretty sparse right now.  I have big plans for it down the road though.

Is it weird that the stairs make me feel more like a homeowner and give me the illusion of having so much space?

My office.  It's kind of become my catchall, but it's starting to come along, and I've got a deadline to get it looking like a good room.  One of my best friends Lindsey is flying up from New Mexico for our friend's wedding and will be staying here.  I promise it will be a great office/guest room when you get here Lindsey!

My new doormat.  I just loved the colors.

This view is still my favorite thing about the place.

Signing, Signing all the day

Well it's official.  I bought a house!  A small one yes, but a house none the less.  It was a very exciting day.  I put a few of my things in my car and headed out to the title company.  I met with a woman named Darla who was absolutely awesome.  We joked and laughed and talked Utah State the whole time.  It was a very pleasant experience.

Loading up the car with a few things.

Signing my life away

My closing documents.  All signed and ready to go!

Picking up my keys from Catrina!  I've spent so much time walking around this community over the last year and a half that it's like we're old friends.  I've worked with her throughout the whole building process.  It's been so much fun.

Using my keys to go in for the first time as a homeowner!

Driving into my garage for the first time.  I'm so excited to get to park in a garage from now on!

Loading my dishwasher with my dishes that have been gathering dust for the last several months.  

I'm staying at my parent's house one more night, and then I'm going to try and get enough things over to stay at my new house.  I won't be getting my couch and entertainment center until next week, and I'm getting help to move my big furniture like my dresser and my video cabinet next Saturday, but I am so excited to be moving in.