Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

- Mother Teresa

200 Things All-A Jayne newsletter

I swiped this off a blog I read

"Today in her newsletter Jane Payne had this list of 200 things in honor of her 200th newsletter. 

She invited anyone who wanted to to put them on their blog

 as a way of journaling some things they have done or not done in their life."

All you have to do is copy the list and bold what you have done.

200 Have and Have nots!

1. Touched an iceberg

2. Slept under the stars

3. Been a part of a hockey fight

4. Changed a baby's diaper

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Swam with wild dolphins

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a tarantula (good heavens NO!)

10. Said "I love you" and meant it

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris 

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise

15. Seen the Northern Lights

16. Gone to a huge sports game

17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Bet on a winning horse

23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Taken an ice cold bath

28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Ridden a roller coaster

31. Hit a home run

32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

(more often than not, I think I embarrass Noah)

33. Adopted an accent for fun

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment

36. Loved your job 90% of the time
(right now I do)

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Watched wild whales

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach

41. Gone sky diving

42. Visited Ireland

43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited India

45. Bench-pressed your own weight

46. Milked a cow

47. Alphabetized your personal files

48. Ever worn a superhero costume

49. Sung karaoke

50. Lounged around in bed all day

51. Gone scuba diving

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Done something you should regret, but don't

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

(a dance group when I was 11, I charged people in the neighborhood to come to our show, does that count)

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Been in a movie

60. Gone without food for 3 days

61. Made cookies from scratch

62. Won first prize in a costume contest

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Been in a combat zone

65. Spoken more than one language fluently

66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone

67. Bounced a check

68. Read - and understood - your credit report(vaguely)

69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy

70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did

71. Called or written your Congress person

72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

74. Helped an animal give birth

75. Been fired or laid off from a job

76. Won money

77. Broken a bone

78. Ridden a motorcycle

79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph

80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing

82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

83. Eaten sushi

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read The Bible cover to cover

86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about

87. Gotten someone fired for their actions

88. Gone back to school

89. Changed your name

90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands

91. Eaten fried green tomatoes

92. Read The Iliad

93. Taught yourself an art from scratch

94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt

96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

(most of Kersten's relatives)

97. Been elected to public office

98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream(everyday)

99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you

101. Had a booth at a street fair

102. Dyed your hair

103. Been a DJ

104. Rocked a baby to sleep

105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four

106. Raked your carpet

107. Brought out the best in people(I hope so)

108. Brought out the worst in people

109. Worn a mood ring

110. Ridden a horse

111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap

112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe

113. Buried a child
(I lost one, but I did not have to bury her)

114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play

115. Been inside the pyramids

116. Shot a basketball into a basket

117. Danced at a disco

118. Played in a band(do the "English Muffins" count

119. Shot a bird

120. Gone to an arboretum

121. Tutored someone

122. Ridden a train

123. Brought an old fad back into style

124. Eaten caviar

125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need

126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant

127. Published a book

128. Pieced a quilt

129. Lived in an historic place

130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage

131. Asked for a raise

132. Made a hole-in-one

133. Gone deep sea fishing

134. Gone roller skating

135. Run a marathon

136. Learned to surf

137. Invented something

138. Flown first class

139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite

140. Flown in a helicopter

141. Visited Africa

142. Sang a solo

143. Gone spelunking

144. Learned how to take a compliment

145. Written a love-story

146. Seen Michelangelo’s David

147. Had your portrait painted

148. Written a fan letter

149. Spent the night in something haunted

150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane

151. Ran away

152. Learned to juggle

153. Been a boss

154. Sat on a jury

155. Lied about your weight

156. Gone on a diet

157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget

158. Written a poem

159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox

160. Gotten food poisoning

161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission

162. Hiked the Grand Canyon

163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks

164. Gone to the opera

165. Gotten a letter from someone famous

166. Worn knickers

167. Ridden in a limousine

168. Attended the Olympics

169. Can hula or waltz

170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books

171. Been stuck in an elevator

172. Had a revelatory dream

173. Thought you might crash in an airplane

174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert

175. Saved someone’s life

176. Eaten raw whale

177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint

178. Laughed till your side hurt

179. Straddled the equator

180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing

181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival

182. Sent a message in a bottle

183. Spent the night in a hostel

184. Been a cashier

185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

186. Joined a union

187. Donated blood or plasma (don't want mine)

188. Built a campfire

189. Kept a blog

190. Had hives

191. Worn custom made shoes or boots

192. Made a PowerPoint presentation

193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course

194. Served at a soup kitchen

195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube

196. Know CPR

197. Ridden in or owned a convertible

198. Found a long lost friend

199. Helped solve a crime

200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Now, What have you done?

This surprised me a little bit

Grateful Sunday 6-8-08

Today I am grateful for:

My Grandma-who had a birthday today. She turned 89. Can you believe that? She is a true great lady in every sense of the word and I want to emulate her in so many ways in my own life. I love sitting next to her and holding her hand. We had a party at her house this evening. It was lovely to see so many of the cousins and gather as an extended family. We have not done that for awhile, it felt really good.

Camping-Noah was lucky enough to go camping up at the Land with Kersten's Parents. He came home, happy and worn out. He went on hikes, had a campfire and throughly enjoyed himself. And you will never guess what he found in the trees. It was Ewoks and pieces of C-3P0, yes, Noah has discovered how to get to The Endor Moon from the Land. It is one of the great discoveries of our day.

Kersten-He was out of town again this week. It was delightful to have him come home. We had some time to be together and talk. It was silly for we felt free with Noah gone camping. It was good for us. He lifts me and makes me a better woman.

New Carpet Pad- I can now officially start getting my house back to order. I have a shelf put away. Slowly but surely it will happen. The sad thing is that my beautiful cabinet for my craft stuff, cracked and that is the next stage Hopefully, my ultra talented Al can fix it for me. I only need it to last until we move from this house. It does feel good to reorganize and reevaluate.

Rain-We need it and since we are getting it. I am going to be grateful for it.

And yet again, Another Flood

My crazy life just got a bit crazier. On thursday as the kids and I headed out to go play with Kieran and Heber. I stopped to get gas in the car when the light drizzle of rain became a torrent rainstorms. I watched as flash floods flowed down Evergreen Ave. My heart stopped and I felt a need to go check our house. I explained to Noah that we needed to go home to make sure there were no floods. I called Kieran to let her know what was going on. As we talked I checked the storage room and "relief", all was well in that room. Things looked promising. I went by the back door and felt the floor and it was sopping wet. I had to get off the phone. Sweet Noah, started helping me get things up off the floor and carrying them upstairs. My Sofia of course, instantly starts screaming like someone was murdering her. I called Kersten's parents house and kindly asked if there was anyone home who could come and hold my baby for me while I cleaned up the flood. Bless them, Virginia came to take care of the kids, Heinz and Monika brought their wet dry vac and helped move stuff and Christel came and help clear it out. All of them helped so much getting everything out of harms way. I am so very grateful to them. Kersten came home from work to help and our landlord came after I called to check out the situation. He is docking $ from our rent because of all the work. This will help put the deposit down for Noah's teeth (cavities). The floods (3 in summer 2006) two summers ago were much worse than this one. It is still a hassle and when we had cleaned to the point we could not anymore. We went to Target as a family. Noah kept saying in sign, all done now with the water, now we go to Heber's. Poor kid, he loves his friend so much and they really don't get to play as much as they would like or we would like either. So yesterday and this morning I have been cleaning and moving things around our house to make it more habitable. It will be this way I bet for about a week. One of my goals this spring was to go through all the stuff in the computer, scrapbook area and clean it out. This way it makes it more accessible since it is now in my front room. This forces me to start it. So it is a good thing. Nothing was completely ruined. So this is a blessing in many ways.

Sofia-5 months old

I can't believe that Sofia is 5 months old today. The last month she seems to have grown by leaps and bounds. She is a baby now instead of just an infant. A lot has happened in her growth and development.
*On May 1st, she belly laughed for her daddy. She has a sweet ticklish spot on her back. She makes you work for her laughs. She does not just laugh because you are talking or being silly. You have to do some serious crazy silliness to get her laughing. *She is so smiley. Smiles instantly at everyone and everything. My favorite is in the morning after she has eaten she will sit and talk, coo and smile for a good 15 minutes. So happy and rested telling me her secrets.
*She grabs onto everything. Noah thinks it is funny when she pulls his hair. She loves hanging out in her walker, playing with toys. Especially her stuffed honey bee and her green rattle. Everything instantly goes into her mouth. When she wakes up she sucks on her blanket for awhile before she starts talking for us to come get her out of her bed. She loves chewing on fingers. And she is slobbery a lot. Teething is here to stay.
* She rocks back and forth. Tries to launch herself into the fray of events.
* She loves it when we read to her. Favorite books are Goodnight Moon, Someday and Clifford's Family
* She is a very social creature. And happiest when we are moving about and out with lots of new things to see.
* She rolled over for the first time on May 14th. And today she seems to have mastered it this morning rolling over and over about 5 times in a row.
* She wants to be sitting up so badly. So that she can see everything all the time.
*Her personality is shining through right now. She is a joyful, mellow, mischief, beautiful, fighting and just the most perfect girl ever.

Anniversary-Memorial Adventure

*Anniversary Adventure was fantastic.

We stayed overnight at the Anniversary Inn

and went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.

Have you had there Avocado Rolls.

I crave them now.

The next morning we slept in

and did not check out until the last minute

and then saw Prince Caspian. Totally loved it.

So nice to have uninterupted time to talk

and just be together.

Thanks Dad and Kayleen for the fun room.

Thanks Mom and Al for watching our kids.

*We had a babysitter on Friday Night also

We saw Indiana Jones

Loved it also.

I liked how they stayed true to the time period,

It was suppose to be filmed in.

Makes Archeology seem exciting.

Fun, upbeat and cheesy just like the originals.

*Loved Prince Caspian so much

that Noah and I went on a date on Saturday.

His favorite character was the mouse, Reepicheep.

*On Sunday in Primary,

they talked about Priesthood Power

saw the evidence that Noah has learned

something or been listening to what we have tried to teach him

*Memorial day, was wet and rainy

Saw old friends for lunch

Quinn and Barbara and their boys.

Noah and his Dallin

are the same age as when Quinn and I were best friends.

I am so glad we are still friends

*Swimming Party got rained out.

Moved it to my house.

Saw all my sisters , brother and their families

Yummy food.

Fun to be together

Massive wrestling match in my front room.

Noah won the belt.

It was a good day.

*Fun to have Kersten off work for so much time.

Loved having fun things to do but not to much.

Saw so many movies, I feel like I didn't have kids.

Happy 10 Yr Anniversary-Marriage Meme

Where did you meet your husband?
Kersten and I met just before my Junior year and his Senior Year of High School at a football game. We flirted outrageously in the halls at school and dated each others best friends. My mom would always say to me "Why don't you date Kersten, he is the cute one. And he is German."

What was the first thing you said to your husband?
I don't really remember at all. I do remember thinking that Matt's best friend was really cute.

Where was the first date? First kiss?
For our first date, Kersten called and asked me to go with him to the Opera. It was January and I was suppose to go to the Utah Symphony with my friend Megan and my mom. I ended up going with Kersten and my mom and Megan went to the Symphony. Looking back that is totally rude. He had student tickets from one of his classes. We doubled with his friend Matt and his girlfriend. We went to ice cream afterwards

For our first kiss, It was after priesthood meeting n Oct 1,1994. He picked me up afterwards and we went and got ice cream at Baskin Robbins. We then went to Tanner Park and walked around and sat and talked on what we now call the "Rock of Love". Afterwards we went to his parents house and laid on the grass and talked on the lawn. I was wearing his blue hooded sweatshirt to keep me warm We then climbed on the roof to his bedroom and snuggled and looked at the stars. after our long conversation about our relationship (he was leaving on his mission soon). He kissed me around 11:36 pm. It was pure bliss. One of the reason I married him in the first place is that he is an amazing kisser.

Did you have a long or short courtship/engagement?
We were engaged for 5 months which was to long and just the right amount of time.

Where did you get engaged?
We got engaged on December 18, 1997 while looking at the lights at Christmastime at Temple Square. I blogged about the entire story in my Dec 18 2006 if you click on the title you can link to this post and read the whole story

Where did you get married?In the Salt Lake LDS Temple on a beautiful dewy morning at 8:20 am. It was so beautiful. I remember seeing him before we went into the sealing room, with so much anticipation and love I felt as if I would burst. It rained that day any event that we were inside but when we were outside taking picture it was beautiful with the sun peaking behind the clouds and the wind blowing my veil around my face. We rode a carriage from the temple to our wedding breakfast. There was a group of school kids walking on a field trip. When they saw us they started cheering and a little boy yelled "You finally did it". He does not know how true that really was.

How did the reception go?
My reception was a dream. It was perfect. My colors were yellow and white with daisies and yellow roses everywhere. It was so fresh and happy. It took place at Carmelle, my Grandma Shep's reception center. We ate lace cookie cups with vanilla ice cream and strawberries on top. My centerpieces were tall cylinder vases with lemons inside and floating candles. My cake was so beautiful but did not taste good. The frosting was delectable but the cake was yuck. Only one thing was not perfect and I am slowly getting past it. The bridesmaid were in yellow with daisy flower crowns. I really would not change anything about my wedding except I would have the dresses be more formal to the floor for my bridesmaids. Oh, it is making me so happy to think about this. I am pulling out the scrapbooks now.

How was the honeymoon?
I will spare you the details but it was fabulous.