Rock on

We went to an Elders Quorum Rock Band party tonight. We were supposed to dress up as our favorite rock star. So, I suggested Garry go as Adam Ant, just because he is fun to dress up as! I didn't have tight leather pants and skimpy tank tops so Joan Jett, Pat Benetar and Patty Smyth weren't possible. So I decided maybe Ann Wilson, but didn't have the hair and a long black dress. Stevie Nix was to blonde and wore white flowey dresses, so no go there. So I just dressed like a generic 80's rocker.

Garry made a pretty good Adam Ant...
I ended up looking more like Robert Smith from the Cure...at least from the neck up!!

Of course out of 12 or so couples there, only us and two other's dressed up. Oh well!

Rock on dudes:/

Reunion

10 years ago my good friend Donna moved to California. It was very sad for me. We've kept in touch and I've been to see her and she's been back a few times since. Our good friend Kim moved out of state and then moved back here to Vegas a few years ago. She's in a different stake and we've run into each other a few times, but haven't seen a lot of one another. Well, Donna and Eric came into town this week and we all got together for dinner. Kim treated us to a wonderful dinner at California Pizza Kitchen (her husband is the executive chef and creates most of the food there). She ordered us 4 appetizers, 2 salads, 3 pizza's, a jumbalya, a pasta mushroom stuffed ravioli and 4 desserts! They were all wonderful and we stayed there for almost three hours talking and catching up on life. It was a wonderful evening and made me greatful for good friends!

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

Back in November, I was feeling pretty good. I'd lost some weight, I was busy and happy, life was going along well. One day I got ready for the day and was wearing this: Talon promptly told me that I looked old and I looked like a grandma. I was not too happy about that. That was the beginning of my rethinking letting my hair go grey!!

I woke up yesterday feeling slightly grumpy. I took a shower and got ready to go visiting teaching and looked in the mirror and saw THIS. I have been going grey for quite awhile now. I was seriously o.k. with it. But then I had piano students telling me I should get brown highlights in my hair because it was so grey and I looked old. Even my kids told me as I was letting it go grey that I looked old. And of course, my sweet husband who supports anything I choose to do, but even he told me I look old with it. That didn't detere me. But for some reason, yesterday was a day I had just had it. I wanted to color my hair when I lost enough weight to get down to my wedding day weight, but that is just not happening fast enough, so I went Visiting teaching and promptly to the salon and had them color and cut my hair. I must admit that I like it and I do feel younger!! Everyone (meaning my family) was shocked that I did it, but they all like it! After looking at several pictures of myself, I wanted to look good for our cruise photos and I just needed a pick me up and this was my solution!!

I am happy and content now. If only it didn't require work and money to keep it this way!!

How sweet it is

I wanted to add a little to my Valentine decorations this year. This morning, I finished putting the finishing touches on my "love bug". I love it, so cute and fun! I also did "sweet". Love the glitter on the love bugs wings and the cookie in the sweet kit.

I made a topiary at our December "Souper Wednesday". Andrea taught the class and it was free. A lot of people that signed up didn't come, so she let us do more than one topiary. She even had a craft night at her house so those of us that wanted could finish up our topiaries. They go so well with the decorations I did last year.

Happy Valentines season!

Chaperones, gorgeous days and TheEvent!

It's been a busy last couple of weeks. I got to chaperone Cynjyn's class field trip. We went to UNLV and watched the LV philharmonic orchestra perform. They were so good. The conductor talked a lot to the kids and had different hats for each song they performed and he picked really fun interesting songs to listen to. I didn't want it to end! Here is Cynjyn with Shiny and Celio (I'm in the back of them). The family that exercises together, stays together? We have been on a get healthy kick and the other night the four of us did P90X plyo DVD together. Taz opted out, but came to take a picture. I must be getting in better shape, I wasn't nearly as sore as the last time I did it!!

Cynjyn's friend from school Ashlee spends every other weekend with her dad. Her dad called us and wanted Cynjyn to have a playdate with Ashlee and wanted us to meet at the bowling alley. We had some free bowling coupons and so we brought Taz and he and Cynjyn bowled with Ashlee, her dad and stepmom. It was a fun way to spend Saturday morning.

The weather was so nice this past weekend...approaching 70, so after bowling the four of us went on a bike ride and ended up at the park and played two games of Bocce Ball! It was really fun.

Monday, we wanted to do something outdoors to. I heard on the news last week that the third Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year. It is after the holidays, everyone is back to work or school, there are now long periods of days with no vacations in sight, the weather is typically not good. They also said that the third Friday in June is the happiest day of the year, heading into nice weather, vactions and summer. Well, we all had a great 3rd Monday. We all had it off. In the morning, we went to Mt. Edge park and hiked up to the top of a little hill they have there. Cynjyn wasn't feeling well, but wanted to go anyway and was a trooper.

We got to the top and Garry discovered there was a geocache up there. We spent about 15 min. looking for that darn thing. Tanner and Cynjyn went to the very edge of the mountain,

Taz had the phone with the coordinates and was supposedly standing right on it. We never found it!!

The view was nice and the weather and company even nicer!

When we got back down to the park, we were on the hunt for another geocache. Taz and Tanner had a race to see who could get there the quickest.

Taz and I found a tree with humongous thorns on it! OUCH

Taz then went to the park with his friends for Lawson's bday and they went on a 4 mile bike ride and then to Lawson's house to watch a movie. When he got home, we all went to the church to help Tanner with his volleyball. Talon worked on jump serving with him and Garry worked with Taz. Cynjyn and I jogged around the building (Inside) and did almost a mile. I had a pedometer app on my phone. After that, we played a 5 inning game of kick ball, me Talon and Taz vs. Garry, Tanner and Cynjyn. They came back at the end from behind 6-9 and ended up winning. Then it was home to a delicious dinner of homemade zuppa and breadsticks! Not a depressing day for the Goon family!

And finally on the blog news front: Our ward/stake is participating in a multi-stake priest/laurel activity called "TheEvent". They had a speed date night a few weekends ago that Tanner went to and they are having some more activities all leading up to a 2011 Prom. It will be in March. The purpose of it is to show LDS teens how to go to a prom for minimal cost and have a great time. They are having a "dress" day where the laurels can go to a donation dress shop and find a free modest dress (we are asked to donate old prom or bridesmaid dresses, where's Ky and Krissy's when you need them!). And then they are having a "suit" shop where the priest can go get "gently used" suits to wear. They are going to pair up the priest and laurels if you're not brave enough to ask someone and they are going to have the kids go to members homes as a group for a nice elegant dinner that night before the dance. All this is supposed to be free (our stake is picking up the cost of corsages and other extras). So, Tanner is excited to go. He has been waiting for his good friend Rachel Mainor to turn 16. She did, on the 16th of January!! So he has been plotting to ask her to go with him. Last week he was having lunch at school with "the group" and some of the girls were suggesting that Tanner ask Rachel to TheEvent. Tanner replied "When pigs fly". He swears he didn't preplan it, but that gave him an idea how to ask her. So Tuesday after school, he went and got a helium tank and some pink balloons and decorated them as pigs. He put them on a pink ribbon and weighted them down. Then he made a sign that said: " I said that I would only ask you to the Dance if pigs flew. Well look pigs are flying! Will you go to the dance with me?"

He then took them to her door and dingdong ditched. Well, she called me Wednesday afternoon and said she wanted to reply to Tanner, but needed my help. Could I unlock his car door that night about 10 and she was going to come fill it with helium balloons and write on the windows. Her idea was to answer by having him open his car door and all the helium balloons would fly out and the balloon not filled with helium would remain with her answer which was "yes!". So, in this picture, you can see the red balloon on the seat that isn't filled with helium.

This is what the car looked like!

The front window said: ?=Y Pigs Fly

The back window said: Answer=the ones that don't fly

So, Garry unlocked the door as I was at book club and when I got home, I locked the doors and took pictures. When Tanner got up today as we heard him leave, Garry ran out and took a few pictures of him in front of the car. So, Tanner officially has a date for the prom!!

Right now:

Right now: I am not motivated to exercise and eat right.

Right now: I feel no inspiration to write my talk for this Sunday.

Right now: I don't want to get out of bed in the mornings.

Right now: My pain medicine isn't cutting it and I can barely function at night and in the mornings.

Right now: My house is surpisingly clean.

Right now: I am so glad I am done teaching piano for the week.

Right now: I am loving the cold weather (even though I am always freezing, I can still remember summer's deadly heat!)

Right now: I am not liking the book I'm reading.

Right now: My kids are at such a fun stage, they are maturing so nicely and we are having such fun conversations.

Right now: My tooth hurts.

Right now: I miss my extended family!

Right now: I am loving volunteering at the Middle School library every week.

Right now: I don't want to do laundry.

Right now: Garry got a bonus check just when we NEEDED it.

Right now: I'm so glad there is chicken in the freezer for dinner.

Right now: I miss playing volleyball.

Right now: I want a house with more room.

Right now: The day is just beginning...am I ready??

Project Life

Last year, I took on the task of documenting our life by taking a picture every day and then a little journal about it. When I first started it, I wasn't sure I would keep it up, it seemed daunting. But once I got started and into it, it became easy and just a part of life. You can read about the whole process here. So, I finished my year of documenting on January 1st. I ordered the new version out for this year and here they are!! The new one in it's box and the old one completed. New...old

The layouts are simple and easy to do. One picture, one little journal about it and what we did that day.

You can take a picture of anything about your life. The tabbed journaling on the far right is a folded card for more journaling than a little card could hold.

Here is 2010 on the shelf now complete and finished.

Here is 2011 on my desk ready to be added to daily. I keep the journal cards right by my bed and just before going to bed, I do my journal card. I have a folder on my computer called project life where I copy the pictures to about once a week or so and then about every month, I print out the pictures and add them to the book. It isn't as daunting as it sounds and it's fun to do. Even friends and people other than family know about it and when I pull out my camera, they say "Oh, is that for your picture of the day?" You should try it!

One little word

Ali Edwards writes a blog that I follow. A few years ago, she started something where you chose one little word to be your word for that year. You focus on that instead of making resolutions. I have thought about this for a few years and finally this year, I decided to choose a word for the year. My word is "IMPROVE". I feel that this word can encompass so many things throughout the year and mean so much or so little. There is always something in our lives to focus on and improve. Whether it is healthiness, sprituality, knowledge, education, relationships and I could go on and on. I figure if I focus on this word, it will remind me of so many areas in my life where I can focus my attention for a short time and start to improve my life. I still believe in resolutions too and so I have come up with some of those.

So this was my list for 2010: Here

I did read the Book of Mormon. I took a three month challenge and finished it December 4th!!

I lost 22 pounds. Not quite 30, but I'm series now and I'm only going to IMPROVE!

I did some scrapbooking. I finished a Halloween album and did some digi stuff!

I mostly stopped playing Farmville, that helped on the computer thing. I only started playing it again around Halloween to get the fall and winter fun stuff, but now I'm back on a break. It is a big time sucker!

I do read at least one book a month for book club and I've even managed to read several books for my own pleasure. I still need to read more though.

Still watch a lot of TV.

I did become more physically active, thus the 22 lb. weight loss.

I did some sewing with Cynjyn this year. She seems to enjoy it and so I need to find some more things for her to do. It also helps me with sewing.

I didn't really pick up quilting again, but I did make Talon a quilt for Christmas, made me realize how hard and time consuming it is. I may have to pick that one up again when I have a bigger house and a room all to myself.

I did really good on the Ensign reading until June. When the kids got out of school and summer began, my reading came to a screeching halt!

My house isnt' much cleaner, too many people, too little room!

I did bank up some food storage, it helps when dad comes into town:) but I also used a lot of it this fall because we were spending more money on other things. So I need replenish it now again.

I did get my garage turned, but Taz has taken it over and it is basically his XBOX play room. So I hope more kids use it this coming year.



So overall, I'd say I did pretty good in 2010. So I need to IMPROVE and make some new goals for 2011:

• be more thoughtful. I want to think of other people more. I'm going to try to write more thank you and thinking of you cards and find other ways to serve others. I'm pretty self absorbed and tend to be a hermit, so I need to get out more and be more involved in others lives to be more thoughtful.


• get healthier, which means move more, eat less!


• be nicer to my husband. He does a lot to help out and I don't always say thank you!


• study the scriptures. I'm going to work on my YW medallion which I can get as a leader and their is a lot of scripture reading involved with that and also read the SS lesson's ahead of time because it's focused on the New Testament which I really want to study this year.


• be more creative. I want to do more projects and crafty things because I really enjoy it!
• Don't procrastinate
• Be less fearful...of...change, growth, expansion, letting go.

I can do it. I can IMPROVE in all these areas, nothing too specific, just stuff to work on in all aspects of my life:)

New Years Eve 2010

All sorts of happenings going on around the house. The "nerds" were out and about. The Sunami science project was completed.

Chocolate Chip cookies were baking.

Everyone was eating lettuce wraps for dinner.

Chaperones were ready for the youth NYE dance.

People were partying at the dance.

Families were watching the NYE fireworks from their warm house.

Friends were toasting to 2011.

Confettie was flying.

Out with the old, in with the new. Here's to a happy and healthy 2011!