I know I've been kinda bad about getting pictures up here. So here are some.
Lilly getting ready for bed....She's not always that good. :~)
We made homemade cookies and decorated them this year. I made one of Patrick from Spongebob. Sam is now about to take a bit out of him.
This is me smiling.
Somebody loves her daddy.
Sam and me waiting outside of Red Lobster.
Last night I went over to Kim's house (Sam's sister) with Annie (Sam's other sister) and we watched "The Help." When I got home, I walked into the living area and this is what I saw:
Can you guess who was sleeping soundly in her little daddy-made fort? Yup!
Apparently, Sam was trying to get her to go to sleep in her crib but she wouldn't have it. So he built her a little sleeping fort and she fell asleep. Don't worry she didn't sleep there the rest of the night. I put her back in her crib.
There are more to come, it's just a matter of organizing them at this time.
I have gone back to my classics list. I read "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck over the holidays. Actually, since it was such a short read it was more of like one day. This book is particularly interesting as it was a book I had read in high school. Since I am LDS, this book had a lot of cursing in it and at that time I had a problem with it. I also look back at how I never did understand this book as well as I do now. I find it fascinating at how much you can get from a book depending on your age and maturity. It was such a short read I finished it pretty quickly. I was still astounded at the cursing in it but it's not like it had the F word in it. I've definitely seen worse on TV and in the movies. I can also read it with a more mature mindset.
I really rather enjoyed that it was so short. Even though the length was short (especially as I had only read one other John Steinbeck book and that was "Grapes of Wrath") it had a lot in it. The journey of 2 men working hard in the fields for someone else yet still dreaming of owning their own farms someday, and to make sure there are plenty of rabbits for Lenny. I find George's character particularly intriguing. He was a good friend to Lenny and his intentions were good. He is such a loyal friend for staying with Lenny and helping him out. Yet, in the end, he is the one that seals Lenny's inevitable fate. At least it was by the hand of his friend and not by an angry mob.
My heart goes out to Lenny. He was born in a time where his uniqueness was not understood and people were afraid of that. His physical strength gets ahead of him in his childlike manner, which causes him trouble. I can hardly imagine what it must've been like for people similar to Lenny to live in that era.
Steinbeck does such a great job with symbolism and foreshadow. He also brings to life the way life was back during the Great Depression. I'm always impressed with the dialogue and how you can put an accent with words. I understand a lot more now than when I read it in high school.
Christmas and Thanksgiving were wonderful this year. We truly have been blessed by Heavenly Father. We stayed in town for both holidays. On Thanksgiving, my in-laws went to Missouri so we had the house to ourselves. We had Sam's sister, Annie, and his brother, Josh, over for Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner, we played the longest game of Mario Party ever. It took us almost 3 1/2 hours to finish. But we had fun doing so. There was so much to be thankful for this year! I am so blessed with such wonderful in-laws for putting up with us. I am also so blessed that both Sam and I are employed. I am grateful for my family, even though they are far away. I'm grateful for our wonderful daughter and our health not to mention both our cars work (for now).
We were able to enjoy Christmas early as Sam's sister, Kim and her family came over, as well as Josh and Annie. We opened presents. At first I wanted to wait until Christmas morning because I love that anticipation and waiting but I bent to the pressure and joined in. Plus we all were there as a family. I think I watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (Jim Carrey version) a hundred times and still didn't get sick of watching it.
I turned 26 in December and had a great birthday. I have gotten accepted to Boise State University for the fall of 2012. I am currently still in process in applying for financial aid and other college necessities but I'm getting closer to going back to school and finishing. I'm looking at getting a Bachelor's in English with an emphasis in writing.
Lilly turned 2 in October. She is such a good kid! Her words constantly expand everyday. I know she learns when she's with Anna and Joseph (The kids I babysit). She is a toddler and I can hard believe it. When I'm upset, frustrated, or angry, she'll say, "Hello?" and keep saying it until I say hello back. Then she'll smile at me and say, "I'm happy!" That gets me to smile every time. Sometimes it gets annoying only because it's like I can't stay mad at her. When she tries hard at something and succeeds, she'll come up to me and say, "I did it! I did it!" In the morning when she wakes up and Sam and I are still in bed, she'll yell out, "Mommy! Mommy!" or "Daddy! Daddy!"
She loves to come shopping with me, especially to Costco. Her favorite place to go is in the dairy section where it's a room and it's cold. You walk into the room and there's a blast of cold air. She loves that. She'll shiver and say, "It's cold!" When it's time to check out, she'll sit patiently in the cart as I pay for the goods. When I'm done with that and we reunite, she smiles, holds out her arms and says, "Mommy!" Then we hug! She's so cute and I love her.
Sam is still working at Stevens-Henegar as a teacher. They've given him 2-3 classes every term. He's also been working on some freelance projects. His expertise with computers are so impressive and he's a natural at it. He and Wade Towne had done a pilot for a series called "The Helpdesk" and it's been picked up by a TV channel on cable. They've also got an invitation to be a part of a film festival. That's pretty exciting! Here is the short:
This new year is already starting great! We might have found an apartment that fits our needs and financial budget. We are super excited! Especially me. It's been over 1 1/2 years since we have been on our own. I am so excited! I've been working on being more positive. It has a big affect on me. I feel the days go by faster and my attitude is better. Granted, I still have my bad days. My patience with the kids is longer and I'm not so uptight.
I've also been challenging myself with writing more. I've started doing some volunteer work at Horizon Hospice with a man named John Viehwieg. He records interviews with patients and then he gives them to me to transcribe them. I love doing it! I love hearing the stories and being able to be a part of that project. I'm also trying to get more immersed in the writing community in Boise.
Well that's the update of our little family here in Boise. We are suppose to hear more about our apartment this week so I will keep that updated.
It's a new year, time for new resolutions blah blah blah. I'm to a point where I'm not calling my goals "new year's resolutions" as if I know by calling them that I know they are bound to fail. I've thought about relaunching OBSD but by doing so I would be saying that I didn't accomplish anything and that would be a lie. During the time I started OBSD or even through the whole year, I have been successful at not gaining any significant weight. And I am taking that as a victory! I still fluctuate between two and three pounds. I am particularly proud of the control I've been able to exert throughout the holidays. I was proud that I didn't overindulge. Granted I did have chocolate, that was a given but I did exert control...and my stomach was acting funky but still.
I've decided to keep with OBSD but do some fine tuning. When I started OBSD, my intentions were genuine and wanted. I was ready to take on this mission with my "Bond" pen that had all sorts of gadgets and agent-like abilities that would help me soar to my goal. However, after a while I realized that I was going into this with just a regular pen whose only gadget was a clicking mechanism to retract the tip and my agent-like abilities left somewhat to be desired. But I came across a quote:
(the small print says "Carl Bard")
The goals that I have chosen are small and I'm only choosing 10. I plan on choosing the same number of goals each month. Some will be different, some will be the same. Some of these goals are habits I want to get back into. So my hope is that I make some of these goals habits then once they become a habit, I can move on to the next goal. Instead of looking/making my goals as this great Leviathan, I've decided to take baby steps and slowly filling the voids in my life. This is how I'm breaking down my goals:
What are my goals for the month of January? Well, I've created a calendar to help me keep track as well as a list of my goals for the month. Each month I will create a new one, forcing me to make a change every month. These are the goals I have chosen:
Spiritual: 1. Being Positive 2. Saying Prayers 3. Reading Scriptures
Mental: 1. Blog 2. Expand Vocabulary (Word of the Day) 3. Yoga
Physical: 1. Walk for 30 minutes 2. Yoga 3. Sit-ups, 2 sets of 20
Lilly getting ready for bed....She's not always that good. :~)
We made homemade cookies and decorated them this year. I made one of Patrick from Spongebob. Sam is now about to take a bit out of him.
This is me smiling.
Somebody loves her daddy.
Sam and me waiting outside of Red Lobster.
Can you guess who was sleeping soundly in her little daddy-made fort? Yup!
Apparently, Sam was trying to get her to go to sleep in her crib but she wouldn't have it. So he built her a little sleeping fort and she fell asleep. Don't worry she didn't sleep there the rest of the night. I put her back in her crib.
