First Hot Chocolate of the Season

Most of the things that I enjoy about Autumn and the cold, I don't really get to enjoy anymore because I live in the desert. Some of my favorite childhood memories that marked winter was coming was the smell of roasting green chili wafting in the air from the local farmer's market, the opportunity to rake leaves into piles and then jump in them and scatter them all over the yard again...(I doubt that I was doing much raking at that age, but the jumping and scattering part I was all over!) And of course the annual balloon fiesta. Every year we would have a gymnastics meet and the morning before the meet we would go down and FREEZE only to be warmed by the fire from the balloons, the smell of funnel cake, and the taste of hot chocolate. At least I still get to enjoy my hot chocolate on occasion and with the "cold front" this week I took the opportunity to take advantage and grabbed a cup of my favorite brew...QT hot chocolate with 4 shots of cinnamon hazelnut creamer...absolutely delightful!

Another Testament

So we all know how much I am in love with Reflections of Christ by Mark Mabry. Well, he has produced another masterful piece of artwork and once again am in complete Ah of his gift and talent as well as the incredible feelings that stirred within my heart and soul as I watched.

Christmas in July

Remember the conversation that Dave and I had about doing things in our lives that made us happy that we don't do any more? Well Dave's "thing" is playing sports. Sadly he realizes that he is getting older and unfortunately the joints just don't work quite like they used to and so as much as he would love to start playing softball again he has traded his cleats in for a different kind of cleat...golf! He also loves to play golf. Some of the guys from work go out on a regular basis and they invited him to join them. He has had so much fun. It is nice to see him getting out as well as seeing him get some "boy" time which he is always complaining that he doesn't get. This is where I make a confession of my own. As I look back on my life and not very often do I wish I had given my biological father more of a chance, but he was very much into bowling and golf and tried to teach my sister and I and we wouldn't have anything to do with it. I know hind sight is always 20/20 but I wish I had been more open to learning the game of golf as learning this sport and a desire to learn to play has popped up more than once in my life. Looking back I can appreciate the fact that he was trying to broaden our horizons outside of gymnastics and as I have grown up I wish that I had been more involved in other sports most especially in high school. Thank goodness we don't have to live in the past all the time and the Lord continually provides opportunities for us to keep on learning! Dave not only wants golf to be something that he does to make him happy but would like it to be something that we do together and I agree! So this is where Christmas in July comes in...we went and bought me some golf clubs so that I can start on my golfing journey finally! And what better time to learn to play than when it is 110 degrees outside and all the courses have cheaper rates! They call this golfing from hell...I'm hoping to just keep the reference to the heat and not my lack of abilities at the moment!

Love Hate Relationships

Everyone has them and for anyone that knows me and my music they understand this all too well. I am a perfectionist. I know I know, you would NEVER had guessed! :-) But it's true. So much so that I can seem very much like I don't follow through with things, that I quit a lot, or change my mind like the wind changes direction. Many of these things are realizations that I am just now making and am excited at the possibility of what I may be able to accomplish when I'm not allowing my perfectionism or what I used to think of as failures keep me from moving forward and enjoying the ride of life. So what does this have to do with the price of eggs? Dave and I have recently been talking about what we aren't doing in our lives that we used to that brought us joy. For me, this is my music and playing my bass. My Patriarchal Blessing out right tells me what a blessing improving my talent for music will be in my life and it is the one thing that I haven't touched in YEARS!!! So why should I deny myself joy any longer! It's silly really. I had an epiphany in church last Sunday. I asked myself why I cut myself off from Heavenly Father and the Savior. The answer was because I feel like a failure, so if I don't include them in my life, through daily prayer and scripture study, then I'm not really failing them. So false! During sacrament I found a bookmark that I had bought on my mission and the last part of it says, with the Lord speaking, "I will not forget thee, I will not fail thee." And it hit me like a ton of bricks! As long as I am striving (key word) to live the gospel and keep the commandments, then Christ can't fail me nor I Him, because the Plan of Salvation is perfect! It is perfect. I don't have to be, because it is. I just have to try and strive! Isn't it great! Since this little epiphany which has made such a huge difference in my life, I have found a string shop in Chandler that specializes in basses, I have a friend in Idaho that is arranging some hymns for me for bass, and I was able to get back into contact with my bass teacher that helped start me on this musical journey way back in 1988! It has been uplifting and an absolute delight to start bringing music back into my life.

The picture is sentimental as well, although not representative of the same bass. I used to go to the symphony all the time when we lived in Albuquerque. One because music was my life and two because my teacher played in it. Anyway, one of the members, Mark, had and still does from what I can tell, a five string bass and the scroll was carved as a lions head. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever laid eyes on. Remember that string shop I was telling you about in Chandler...yep, they have one. It is a standard 4 string, but beautiful all the same! I am truly seeing how important it is to stay close to the spirit because the Lord communicates with us in so many different and sometimes very little ways...we just may miss something and miss out on pure joy!

What We've Been Up To

I am rediculously tired of cleaning and thought I would play catch up since...well it gives me a good reason to stop cleaning! About a month ago, Dave and I decided that we would try to refinance the house just to get a lower monthly payment. In the process we decided that some upgrades were necessary. We busted tail for three weeks putting off the appraiser. After a ton of hard work and late nights we are enjoying the fruits of our labor. The refi didn't happen thanks to the housing market and the amount of foreclosers in our area, but the house needed some TLC anyway! By the way, Dave refused to cut his hair until the job was done!

Other than that little dogs has been helping me lift weights...

And Kattin has been enjoying Daddy's clean desk.

I Bought a New Car!!!

I mean does it get any better than seeing SS labeling...ok...so I only wish this was my new car, but it isn't. Today was customer appreciation day and we caught wind that there would be a 2010 Chevy Camaro...and low and behold there was. It was delectable!

So maybe someday when I give up on having children and decide that the Lord just did not intent for me to be a mother in this life, I will splurge and soothe myself with one of these, but until then...I didn't completely lie. I did buy a new "ride". Dave and I don't know what to call it, but it is better to tote our four legged child around in and even though it isn't a Camaro...I love it! Welcome to the family "NOX". That is what they call it on the forums...Dave has named it Sally the Silver Sexy Surfer??? I don't ask and he doesn't tell!

5 Years and We Haven't Killed Each Other...Yet

I know...bets were made(we had them ourselves), but yes, Dave and I have made it and plan on continuing to make it. I think the only proper way to commemorate this day is by quoting a beloved man...President Hinkley...

Anyone who imagines that bliss in normal is going to waste a lot of time running
around and shouting that he has been robbed. Life is like an old-time rail
journey; delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, intersperced only
occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to
thank the Lord for letting us have the ride.

Thanks for the ride babe! I look forward to continuing to laugh, cry, scream, and rejoice at the railway that is our life!

Always and Forever

Service Project/ Giveaway

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For YOU! My friend Amy had this posted on her blog and she is always setting the bar and I am trying to finish my personal progress and thought...what a great project! Here are the rules: 1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make! 2. What I create will be just for you. 3. It'll be done this year. Hopefully sooner than later. 4. You have no clue what it's going to be. 5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. I love the movie Pay it Forward...so let's do it. Don't forget to post what creative little thing you got!

The Momma Dogs...aka Yessie

Today we had to put our oldest Shepherd to sleep. We are better and more loving people for having her in our lives and for knowing her. Momma came to us in December of 2004. We had been working with a local German Shepherd Rescue to be able to adopt a dog. The one that we had originally thought of adopting ended up being adopted by her foster parents. A week later we received an urgent call from the lady that runs the rescue, Steph, saying that she had a dog in Kingman that needed a foster or she would be euthanized and asked if we wouldn't mind taking her in as a foster. After hearing her story, we couldn't say no.

Momma had been in a puppy mill and had been kicked out on the streets when she was no longer producing a high quantity of pups...they kicked her out while she was pregnant. The local shelter picked her up and she was adopted by a lady who had no idea she was pregnant. Two days later, Momma whelped two pups, both of them died, and the lady took her back to the shelter. When Steph brought us to her she was still producing milk and was severely under nourished. She had a home for Christmas and we were happy that we could provide that for her. It didn't take but a week for us to fall in love with this tender hearted girl and decide that we couldn't live without her.

Momma gained her nickname because she not only was truly a mom, but each animal that we brought into our family she mothered.

She loved to be petted, was great with children, and had the patience of a saint! She loved rides in the truck and to lay on her blankies...she was our little diva, but we couldn't have asked to take care of a better dog!

Till the end she was always sharing...

She has provided us with much joy, much laughter, and much love. She will be greatly missed and always loved!

Nature as God Intended

Somedays the mountain is there to conquer me and somedays I it, but not today. Today we were united in purpose. It to show off it's beauty and I to take it in and reflect upon nature, the laws of nature and God's purposes for each of us here upon the earth. It didn't make today any easier, but it was nice to turn off the world and reflect on my testimony of a loving Heavenly Father who not only put people in our lives for certain purposes, but animals. I am grateful to know that Heaven does exist and that even though their are trials in this life accompanied by sadness and frustrations, the ultimate purpose is happiness and we control that happiness by how we choose to react to the situations placed before us each and every day and whether we desire to be refined by the fire or not. Life is beautiful. It has a purpose, and it goes on forever and I am indescribably grateful for that knowledge...for that truth that exists in my life!

Reflections of Christ...

About a year ago a friend sent me a link to this absolutely fabulous slide show called Reflections of Christ by Mark Mabry. Every year the Mesa Temple has an Easter Pageant and they recreate the Savior's life and resurrection. He obtained permission to photograph the performers in full costume depicting these events. I fell in love with it immediately...the pictures, the music, the feelings it stirred inside of me. What I loved most was that these were actual pictures and not drawings. There are a ton of wonderful drawing renditions of the Savior, but never had I seen photos, and I loved how they reflected a living Christ...because He is living and I love knowing that and being able to feel that love in my life day in and day out! I am so grateful for his sacrifice and death, but even more appreciative of His life and that He was resurrected and continues to live. Life is such a precious and beautiful thing! I don't often show my "spiritual" side except at church when I am teaching, but I couldn't help but share this. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have and do...

http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/2008/03/reflections-sli.html

Decades Dance

Last night was the ward family dance. Dave works with the Young Men and I work with the Young Women and each group was in charge of a decade. The boys got the 70's and the girls got the 80's. It was so much fun! We found a fabulous outfit at Goodwill for Dave...many people asked why I let him out of the house in "those pants" and I was complimented on my authentic pants that were actually Dave's that he wore...I armed myself with purple eyeshadow and pink lipstick and we both had shades that were pretty much the icing on the cake...but I'll let you be the judge!

Our Neurotic Dog...

Anyone that has ever met Nohhi, would think that we beat her as a pup and that she doesn't do anything but be scared. Well, I just wanted to post some proof that she does play, she is daddy's little girl, and as long as you aren't watching...she is our little love bug! Oh, and no we didn't beat her as a pup...or now for that matter! I'll try and get some video of her and Dave playing hide and seek in the house...

Things that go squeek in the night

Dave did our taxes and we actually get a return this year! Yippee! We are finally doing something right. So we decided that it should probably go towards my lovely credit card debt. Unfortunately our 1970's washer had a conflict of interest with us. It has been making a nice squeeking noise, and Saturday it got louder...so we reconsidered our options and decided that it is always better to be safe than sorry! Luckily Fry's electonics had a great President's Day sale and we were able to upgrade a little bit. I call it my Valentine's Day present and discovered that laundry could be fun again...at least for another month!

Horrible Horrible Me...

I know! November 1st! All my friends that I was irritated at because they hadn't blogged through Christmas, have blogged and then some. My only excuse is that they have kids and lives and well, Dave and I don't! :-)

So we took a Friday drive up to NAU a couple of weeks ago to turn back in student loan money and meet with Dave's advisor that has been so wonderful and helpful with getting him going in this online degree. She informs us that two weeks after she was able to get Dave enrolled and set up, that they got a department email saying that due to the lack of interest and people progressing through the program that they will no longer be offering it after this semester!

We are counting our lucky stars and thanking the good Lord above because without this program we wouldn't know what to do!