President Hinckley

I noticed that many of my friends wrote on their blog about President Hinckley passing away. I hadn't actually thought about it until I saw the other blogs, but I thought it would be a good idea so I can have this recorded in my history. I should really just go write in my journal, but this will have to do for now.
One friend mentioned that we would all remember where we were when we heard he passed away. It's true, it's one of those moments in our lives that we won't soon forget. Sure, I may not remember the exact date, but I'll remember where I was and how I felt.
For me, I was at a friends house (the Bairs) having dinner. We were playing the game "Catch Phrase" when the phone rang and Jen came out saying "President Hinckley just passed away". No one believed her so we tried to look online and, of course, ksl.com was too busy to get anywhere. Then the phone rang again and a second person confirmed it. It's crazy how no one believed it at first. It's almost like we should have known a few days prior to him passing away that he wasn't doing well. He was like a family member to so many of us. We all knew it was coming, but never wanted it to actually happen.
I'm glad that he was able to have his family around him as he left this life to meet his family on the other side of the veil. I'm sure it was a glorious reunion with Marjorie and everyone else. I even pictured my friend, Chuck, who passed away several years ago as one of the many people there to meet him and hug him.
President Hinckley influenced my life by his example. I never met him personally, but he was at a regional conference at the Tabernacle that I attended when I was a teenager. When he walked in, everyone stood and sang "We thank thee, Oh God, for a Prophet" and I'll I could do was cry. He carried such a power and spirit about him. Of course, I wouldn't expect anything else, but it was a privilege to be in his presence. Just looking at his picture right now brings a smile to my face and fills me with the spirit.
I'm grateful for all he has done for our world and all he can do now that he is reunited with our Father in Heaven. He will be missed, but now he has other work to do! I'm sure he is so happy!

Eating out

Marty, Brooklyn and I all went out to eat last night at Olive Garden. Marty and I were a little worried about going out with Brooklyn because it can turn into a very frustrating evening of cold food and whining (from all of us). However, we had a gift card to use and decided it would be something fun to do.
First off, we had to wait a hour to eat so we really expected the worst. We walked around Fashion Place Mall to kill the time and Brooklyn really enjoyed this. We stopped at Build-A-Bear to look around and Brooklyn was so excited! We didn't even buy anything, but she just enjoyed the store.
We finally sat down and Brooklyn sat right in the booster seat and just started to color. She sat there the whole time and ate her food really well (with a big fork even). She was an absolute angel! I couldn't even believe it. It was almost like a date with Marty except for a few requests here and there for more food from Brooklyn. We were so proud of her. Looks like she's turning into a big girl! Or it could have just been a fluke! Either way, we had a fun evening out!

Yoga

This morning I went to exercise with some ladies in our ward/neighborhood and we did Yoga. I have done Yoga before, but it's been a long time! I found myself in some interesting positions, but when I got home I felt really good! It's hard to believe stretching can really make you sweat, but I'm telling you that it does. If you haven't tried Yoga before, I would highly recommend it!

Tagged again....4 Things!

Jess tagged me again....Gee, you must get tagged a lot!! And for some reason, I love reading these types of emails , but I rarely answer them and send them back. However, there's something about a blog that makes me feel like I need to respond and tag someone so it's not on my shoulders anymore. So here it goes!

*Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Food Service at LDS Hospital Snack Bar
2. Registrar at LDS Hospital
3. File Clerk at Salt Lake City Attorney's office
4. Workforce Services Specialist with the Department of Workforce Services
**And I'm currently a mom and I've never had a better job!!

*Four places I have lived:
1. Grew up in North Salt Lake, Utah
2. Downtown Salt Lake City, UT (college days)
3. Feng Yuan, Taichung, Taiwan, R.O.C.
4. Currently in Salt Lake County (zip code lists us as Kearns, but I don't agree), UT

*Four TV Shows that I watch:
1. Amazing Race
2. Survivor
3. Super Nanny
4. LOST

*Four places I have been (other than where I lived):
1. Hong Kong
2. Thailand
3. Mexico
4. Jamaica, Crand Cayman, Haiti (all in one trip so I counted those together)

*Four of my favorite foods:
1. Cafe Rio's Pork Burrito....yum!
2. Pizza
3. Panada Express' Orange chicken (and recently found their pineapple chicken to be equally delicious)
4. Chicken Marsala at Cheesecake Factory
(Common theme: basically anything I don't have to cook!)

*Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Asleep
2. Back on a cruise ship in the Caribbean
3. Anywhere warm...period!! This snow needs to go!!
4. Watching a good movie with Marty

*Four favorite books:
1. Twilight
2. New Moon
3. Eclipse
4. Now & Forever

*Four things I look forward to in 2008:
1. Going to visit Jess and Scott in South Carolina
2. Brooklyn being completely potty trained
3. Hopefully being released from Nursery! :) hehehe...at least by December, please?! I do love my calling, but it's horrible right now!
4. And if I'm being completely honest, to have a new baby! If not, at least be pregnant before 2009. Is that too much to ask for!?

**Now I tag Erin, Trista, Brittany, Ashley, and Bonnie----if anyone of you actually got to the end of this!!

Funerals

Can I just say that there is nothing quite like a funeral to put life in the proper perspective! Marty and I attended a funeral today for a lady in our ward, April Dalton (look up her obituary in the newspaper, if interested...she was a neat lady!). We weren't super close with her or anything, but as she was part of our ward, it was like losing a family member. She was always around us and involved with everything. I attend a recipe exchange group in our ward and she was always there sharing some great recipes. She was just a familiar face that I enjoyed seeing places. Plus, she was always so friendly and generous. I don't know how else to describe it, but she touched my life!
She was only 52 years old and had three sons. Two of her sons talked today as well as her husband. They said some wonderful things about her (of course), but one son reminded us of what he learned from his mom. He learned to put family first, to enjoy life, to serve others, and to have a testimony of the gospel. These are very simple things, but are easy to forget. I'm grateful to April for the life she lived and for her funeral today to remind me what life is all about!

Church time change

I used to love when the time changed at church. I never loved 9 am or 1 pm. I always thought 11 am was the best time! We've lived in this ward for almost 5 years and never had 11 am, until this year. I was so excited until I experienced yesterday. Having a kid changed my mind. I love 9 am! I'm tempted to change wards each year so I can stay with 9 am. :) It was nice to just get up and get to church and have it done. Plus, it doesn't mess with someone's nap time.
I need some help figuring out how to do this 11 am time schedule. Brooklyn was up at about 8, which is normal for her. So we ate breakfast and played around. She kept saying "Nursery", but we just had to wait. I tried to get her to eat again before we left, but she had no interest. So then we get to church and she ate during the entire Sacrament meeting! I kid you not, she ate and ate! It seemed like everyone was looking at me like "why do you let your child eat during Sacrament meeting?" I know everyone has their own opinions on this, but I was worried she would be hungry and horrible in Nursery so I let her eat.
So here's where I need the help! What do you do for a kid's lunch when your church is at 11 am?
We also had issues with falling asleep when we finally got home, but that's a different issue entirely!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! We hope everyone had a great New Years! We spent New Years Eve and part of New Years Day with our friends at a cabin in Heber. It was nice to get away!
Thanks Kelly and Jeremy and their grandparents for letting us stay there. We played games and had lots of fun as just adults. We left Brooklyn with her grandparents in Kamas. She loved spending time with her Grandma and Grandpa. She was always so hyper there and loved seeing all the animals.
We had a great 2007 full of fun experiences and new adventures. We hope 2008 will be just as great!