Life

I just wanted to write some thoughts down today. Life is just full of so many emotions and moments. I don't even know if I can express what I am feeling. Teeny Bopper and I were talking a few days ago about the question, "If you could know the exact moment you were going to die, would you want to know?". We discussed the pros of knowing, like not worrying about dying in an accident before your time, you could be less careful and let your hair down a bit more maybe. You know, do some of those crazy things like sky diving because you know you wouldn't die yet. Now some cons to knowing would be being too daring and getting seriously injured while doing one of those crazy things, and then there is the dread and sadness that would come as your "time" approached. I concluded that I would rather NOT know exactly when I was going to die, because the sadness would overwhelm me.
We just found out on Friday that my Uncle B, my mom's only sibling, has pancreatic cancer that is very advanced and the doctors gave him about a month to live. We are all in shock. I just can hardly believe this news. I am finally able to cry about it. For some reason, things usually take a little while to sink into my head. I feel like I come across as insensitive because I can't really react right away when I receive news like this. So when my mom was telling me this sad news and crying her eyes out, I was just in shock I guess. But now that I am alone sitting here with mascara dripping all over my white t-shirt (previously stained, so it's alright) I feel like it is finally starting to sink in.
It would be nice if they could do something for him, or if maybe they gave him the wrong diagnosis. I react pretty immediately to happy news, so I would be doing the happy dance if that were the case. But I'm pretty sure they don't tell people they have a month left to live unless they have good reason for doing so.
I'll write more about Uncle B later, but wanted to post about it now. It's so unreal.

So, would YOU want to know when your time on this earth was going to end? Or would you rather not know? Tell me, because I want to know what you want to know, ya know? :)

Tagged by KaraLyn

I got another tag! Woohoo!
How to play this game. Post these rules on your blog; List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names.

JOYS -

1) My rockin' DH. He is my match made in heaven and I am so glad he's mine!

2) My kids. They are super fun, helpful, beautiful, smart, etc.

3) My other family and friends. Life is all about who you love and who loves you back.

FEARS -

1) All kinds of things related to my kids. From injuries to kidnapping. I definitely worry about them more than anything else.

2) My house burning down and losing all sentimental items.(heirlooms, pictures, especially wedding pictures, etc.)

3) Being broke forever.

GOALS -

1) To raise kids with strong testimonies.

2) Become a good photographer.

3) Have a nice home. Not too much junk, decorated nicely. Not perfect, just nice.

CURRENT OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS

1) Scrapbooking

2) Blogging... (aren't we all!)

3) I've been playing my flute a lot more lately and I am remembering how much I love it.

RANDOM FACTS

1) My favorite color is green.

2) I like all things domestic--cooking, decorating, sewing, crafting, etc. (even cleaning! I know, it's weird but I do like it. It can just be overwhelming sometimes.)

3) I like jewelry but have a hard time wearing it on a regular basis. I mostly stick to my wedding ring and a small pair of earrings.

OK, I tag Karli, Amy, DH, Christine, and Rhonda.

I LOVE this!!

"Many people have asked why the magazine is named Eliza. The main reason was a tribute to Eliza Doolittle of My Fair Lady. No matter where you come from, even the gutter, you can grow and cultivate yourself into an intelligent, beautiful woman. Here is a movie clip with the timeless Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle. Sometimes there are bumps on the road to being mistaken for a princess, but as long as you keep your distinct personality and spirit you will have fans."




Check out the Eliza Magazine. I LOVE finding style with high modesty standards!! Show your daughters! Show women everywhere that modesty = beauty in so many ways.

More beach pics

I love the beach!

We were able to jot down to San Carlos and play at the beach for a couple of days last week, thanks to my wonderful in-laws who graciously paid our way. It was FANTABULOUS! The first hotel we stayed in had access to the best beach I've ever been to. The sand was super soft, there were little shade huts to sit under, the water was just the right temperature, and it was waist/chest high for a long ways out so we felt safe playing around and letting the kids play. The kids had so much fun. Dr. Destructo was scared of the water for a while, but he warmed up to it eventually. I have enjoyed playing at the beach so much more as an adult than I did as a child. I think it's because I didn't have my SIL "C" with me back then. For some reason, she is my beach security blanket. If she is out there I feel like I can go out there. If she's not there I feel very insecure in the water for some reason. It's just the beach mind you, I do fine in pools. There is just something about untreated, creature-filled water that gives me the willies. Thanks for being there, C! :)

The second hotel we stayed at was fun too, but the beach was all shell and rock. It made for good shell collecting, but was very hard on the feet so we didn't swim there. But it was a fun place to just hang out with the fam, relax and chat.

After the trip DH's brother D that lives in Utah and his family stayed at our house on Sunday and we were able to hang out. There never seems like enough time to be together! So, despite sunburns and asthma attacks, it was a great weekend and I can't wait to do it again.

My quirks tag

Supercoolmom tagged me with this one. She thinks I have quirks? That I'm a quirky person? Well, she is SO right. I have tons of them, but which ones can I fess up to?

The Rules:
~Link the person(s) who tagged you
~Mention the rules on your blog
~Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
~Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them
~Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged

OK, let's see...
1) I'm a pretty good speller and I can't stand to see things that people send out spelled badly. I mean, if you are nursing and typing with one hand type of thing, then it's perfectly ok. Or just a casual email or something, that's fine. But especially if it is a business letter or something-for goodness sake, at least spell check if you can't spell! (now watch, I'll have some typo-s in this post...)

2) I have lately realized that I'm a perfectionist in some areas. Like cleaning house. This is not a good thing because it makes me feel like if I don't have the time to do it perfect, then I'd rather not do it at all until I have the time for perfection. Let's face it, who has the time for perfection? NOT me. I need to just learn to be ok with "clean enough". I'm working on it. :)

3) I don't like mayo or Miracle Whip. Especially not Miracle Whip. I do use mayo in a few things, but I don't like to touch it or smell it. Really--I try not to gross out if it touches me, I just think it's so nasty for some reason.

4) Clutter in my house clutters my brain. I have too much stuff and am always wanting to purge but feel like I need someone to hold my hand through the process. Why I don't just chuck it all, I don't know. It's that feeling that I don't want to toss something really important that I would miss forever and ever...

5) I always like to use one of our nicest forks when I eat. We have a mismatch of different forks, some cheap-o ones and a couple nice ones. We call the prettiest one the "Queen" fork or the "Princess" fork. I hate using the cheap ones! Call me a fork snob, but I like using the nice ones.

6) When I am playing the piano, I hate having to stop in the middle of a song. It drives me nuts! I just want to finish the song even if I have to rush to the end. My older kids know that if they need something and I'm in the middle of a song, they wait until I'm done unless it's really important.

That's all I need to post for now, so I will tag Lorie, C, Christine, Katie, Stacy, and Amy in VA and UK. :)

I cleaned my desk today...

And it was of benefit to more than just me. I found a few things we have been missing. How did they get buried on MY desk? I found the calculator we have been needing, DH's book he has been looking for, and the Conference edition of the Ensign that I have been wanting. So I now have a clean desk (well, clean enough) and feel like creating again. Hurray for clean!

Games, games, games

I love to play games. I have always been a game-y person. I am so happy to have married someone who also loves games. (of course, I knew that before I married him) We like to sit around and play games at night sometimes. We used to always play a game called "Pass the Pigs" in the evenings. That game was a wedding present and we still have it to this day. The little piggies in it are so cute! Anyway, now one of our family favorites is "Clue". We also love card games, especially Uno because it's so easy for little kids to play. In fact, our 4 year old Little Miss usually wins!!
Last night I came across a card game that a friend gave to me in high school, called "Set". I love that game so we played it for a while. Memories from high school came back as I pictured a group of us playing this game. Usually you think of party games as loud and sometimes rowdy. Well, when you play this game this is what it looks like; a bunch of people standing around in a circle, staring at the table in total silence until someone says, "Set!". It is kind of funny to think about. Set cards consist of squiggles, ovals, and diamonds; the colors red, purple and green; and the fill of empty, solid, or stripe. You set out 12 cards and a "set" is a set of three cards that either have all the attributes all the same or all different. I don't explain it very well, but it's a cool game. I have been wanting to buy "Life" for a while now. That was one of my favorites as a child.
I think I feel a game night coming on...

Fun in a Box

I was doing some shopping at Walmart the other day and took a walk down the Crayola aisle. The box of new, perfectly sharpened crayons caught my eye, and I thought of our box at home. The plastic box full of old, broken, half-used crayons that we have had forever. And I have to admit I am a SUCKER for new crayons. I have always loved opening a box of new crayons (especially when they are my own) and reading all the cool names of the colors and then taking that first stroke. Aaaaah. So I bought the 96 box and took it home to the kids hoping they would be as enamoured as I was. Well...it worked! They felt the joy as I unveiled the new 96 box of crayons and we read the color of each and every crayon before anyone was allowed to take a stroke with any of them. I told them which colors I had when I was little and which colors were new and which colors were my favorites. Colors like "sky blue", and "salmon", and "sea green", "periwinkle", and "mahogany" were always among my favorites. So we now have another fun thing to do this summer-create with a new box of crayons. Crayola magic has struck our house again!