Where did you go to elementary school? I went to Liberty Elementary in Murray, Utah. We were bussed to school, but it wasn't too far away (about a mile). We were bussed because we had to cross 6400 south and there wasn't a route with sidewalks. Occasionally we would walk home and we would walk on the railroad tracks all the way home. Not a safe route, but it sure was fun!
Liberty Elementary started out as a three (maybe four?) story building. They added on to the school and eventually tore down the old tower when I was in the 6th grade. I remember having preschool in the old tower. The tower didn't have an elevator, and I remember that when my friend Jennifer Davenport broke her leg in 4th grade, she had to switch classes because she couldn't get up the stairs with the wheelchair. Her class was in the tower and the other 4th grade class was in the newer section.
Did your siblings attend the same school? Because my parents stayed in the same house for 40 years, all of my siblings went to the same elementary school. My older brothers and sister went to a different Jr. High school than the rest of us did because of a boundary change. My brother, Randy, was in elementary with me until I was in 3rd grade. Debbie and Denise started Kindergarten when I was in 3rd grade (I think). Once I was out of elementary school I didn't have siblings in the same school as me again. I often wondered how it would be to have a brother or sister in high school with me.
Randy, Denise and I had the same 6th grade teacher, but we all knew her by a different name. Randy had her as Ms. Gilbert (single), I had her as Mrs. Blanton (1st marriage), and Denise had her as Mrs. Mahawsky (2nd marriage).
Do you remember your teacher's names?
Preschool: Mrs. Swim and Mrs. Chapman
Kindergarten: Mrs. Davis
1st: Mrs. Albertson
2nd: Mrs. Hayse
3rd: Mrs. Kisselburg
4th: Mrs. Johnson
5th: Mrs. Monson
6th: Mrs. Blanton
Who was your favorite teacher? I really liked my 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Kisselburg. She had long hair and I always thought it was beautiful. I always felt secure with her. She called me her little Sherroooneee. Every once in a while I would stop over to the school and say hi. I remember that she came to my wedding reception and Daniel was rather amazed that my 3rd grade teacher was there!
What kid of student were you? Did you ever get into trouble? I was a good student. I wasn't the smartest kid in the class, as math and science have always perplexed me, but I enjoyed learning. I can think of two times where I got into trouble and got reprimanded with more than a verbal warning.
I was in the 3rd grade and the teacher said something about doing an assignment and I said "I don't want to do it" out loud and several students agreed with me. I was sent out into the hallway to sit down for punishment. Our coats and backpacks were stored in the hallway of the school and I was horrified that I was being sent to the hallway. (That doesn't happen anymore, you are usually sent to 'think time' in a different class, but not sent unsupervised into the hallway). I knew plenty of kids who had been sent to the hallway for being naughty and I was embarrassed that I was joining the rank. I hid behind the coats. Doris Chow was being checked out of school and she took her coat off of the coat rack and nearly exposed me. When it was time for me to come back in, the kids couldn't find me, so they got their coats on to go look for me outside, and I revealed myself. When I got back in to the classroom, I had to do the assignment without any explanation. I failed the assignment and I was mad.
In the 6th grade, my teacher was lecturing us that we needed to think about what we said before we said it. As I was listening to her I thought that she probably wasn't thinking about everything she said before she said it, or it would take her longer to put together her sentences. I said that to my friend, and the teacher overheard. I thought about what I had said, but I didn't think about he consequences. We were going to gym and the teacher grabbed a dictionary, paper and pencil and told me that I had to sit out of gym and write out the first page of the dictionary (the "A" page). It took me most of gym, and I wasn't trying to finish. My teacher said that she was sorry and that I could go and join the last few minutes of the game. (Guess she didn't think through her punishment before saying it out loud, huh?!)
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Pictures From the Past
Here are a few pictures of my family from the fall of 2005. It blows me away that my boys use to be so little. They have all grown up so much.
I have been going through our old videos and I came across this one. This was taken when Seth was about 1 year old and Paul was about 4. I absolutely LOVE listening to Paul giggle. It is seriously one of the cutest sounds ever.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Many Faces of Jane
Jane's face is very expressive. She seems to have a different expression all of the time. The face that she gives people a lot is her furrowed brow look. I'm not sure what she is thinking or what to call it other than the furrowed brow. Here are some expressions that I have caught on camera recently:
 |
| Happy |
 |
| Sad |
 |
| Confused |
 |
| The Furrowed Brow |
 |
| Exhausted |
 |
| Surprised |
 |
| Content |
 |
| Curious |
The other morning Paul and Jane were looking out of the laundry room window together. Paul decided to go outside and surprise her. I love to see how tender he is with his little sister! Jane's face lit up when she saw Paul outside. She looked up at me with the biggest grin. It was such a fun little moment to share!
Jane has made a lot of advancements in the past few months. She started to sit up unassisted the first part of December. This is also when she started eating solids. By mid-December, she was rolling over. The first part of January is when she figured out how to crawl and pull herself up to the furniture. She is now a pro at crawling and scooting around the furniture. She has been letting go of the furniture and balancing for a few seconds here and there, so it is just a matter of time before she is walking. In January two of her bottom teeth came in and in February she had her 'fangs' come in. She was rather clingy when her teeth hurt, but she didn't seem too miserable. It was actually nice to have her wanting to be held and cuddled (except for when I needed to make dinner!)
Jane is 9 months old today. I seriously cannot believe how quickly time has gone. This morning I watched some of the videos that we took of her when she was first born. That seems so long ago. That baby seems almost like a stranger to me because Jane has changed so much in the past 9 months. She has been a lot of fun to be around. I am so happy to have her in my family.
Today was the day I was hoping to be at my pre-pregnancy weight. You know the saying "It took 9 months to put it on, it takes 9 months to take it off". That was my mantra until a few weeks ago when I realized that 9 months was just around the corner and I wasn't willing to put in the work to loose the weight really fast. I have 8 pounds to work off (to get to my pre-pregnancy weight and another 5 to get to where I was 2 years ago). I have a stack of jeans that I would love to wear, I just need to drop another 5 or so pounds to wear them. I think that with the weather getting nicer I will be more active (or at the very least the sun will be shining more and I won't feel so depressed). I really need to just kick into gear and make my workouts more effective. I went to a kick-boxing class and loved it, but I couldn't move for two days! I just need to go and quit making excuses.
My new mantra is "Be patient- work hard- work with purpose"
Monday, February 21, 2011
Chore Chart
I have a chore chart system that works really well for my family! We have been using it for over a year now. Figuring that most other systems we have used only lasted a month or two before I stopped using it (usually because it required too much work on my part, or my boys figured out how to manipulate the system), this one is a keeper for us. This system just kind of fell into place without having to put much together. It is simple, inexpensive and flexible. It works best for kids who can read (Seth needs help with some of the cards, but he knows what most of them say). Using pictures for the younger folk would work well, too.
First off, I don't think that any chore chart will work without explaining to the kids why we do chores and what you expect of them. When I was sick with the migraines and then with pregnancy, I was overwhelmed with chores that needed to be done and I lacked the energy to argue with the boys and pester them to get their chores done. We had a few talks with the boys about responsibility. We explained that we need to work together as a family to keep the house ordered and clean. We told them that as a member of our family they have a responsibility to help out. When we work together to get things done three things will happen- we will have a clean house (which is a calming influence), we have a better relationship with each other (because we can trust each other to help out) and we have pride in our work (helps self-esteem to have responsibilities and to carry them through).
We explained that everyone has two types of responsibilities; personal and family.They have personal responsibilities (like brushing teeth, combing hair, making bed, putting clothes away, etc.) and family responsibilities (cleaning bathrooms, dishes, sweeping, etc.) We expect the boys to do their personal responsibilities and at least two family responsibilities each day. Every morning the boys are in charge of doing one chore (family responsibility) and another in the evening (we rotate kitchen chores in the evening).
We have weekly family meetings where we will bring up the talk about responsibilities now and again. We often will discuss what is working and what needs to get more attention with the chores.
Computer time is what talks in this family. If a chore has not been done when it is supposed to be done, computer privileges are revoked. It is understood that they need to get their responsibilities done before they can play with their toys, friends or computers. We have had very few problems with getting the boys to do their part.
I needed a system that didn't require me to hover over them to get it done, or that required me to get special stickers or cards down to indicate that the chore was done. I used what we had on hand and I have tweaked it here and there as we go along. (I love how flexible it is).
I have a magnetic white board on the wall in the upstairs hallway directly in front of the stairway. I wrote out all of the chores that we need to get done on index cards. I keep the cards in a box in the hall closet. Each night I put up at least three cards for what needs to be done the next morning. The boys pick which chore they will do, do it, and then put their initial magnet on the card to indicate that it is done. I can tell who hasn't done a chore by looking at the letter that is not on a chore card. This system isn't super technical or fancy, but that is what I love about it. If I think of something to add to the list, I just write out a new card, or write it down on the white board.
Here is what we use:
The index card box is split into four sections: Days of the week, as needed, rotate, and weekend.
Days of the Week I have tabs labeled with each day of the week. We assign two days a week for each boy to empty the dishwasher so I put a card with their names on the day they are in charge that week. I do laundry on Monday, so I put the 'laundry day' card up to remind the boys to sort their laundry and put it in the laundry room. Thursdays are garbage days, so I keep the 'take garbage cans to the street' card in there.
As Needed This is where I put things like folding towels, emptying garbage cans, wiping down bathroom counters and collecting library books.
Rotate This is where I put chore cards for things that need to be done around the house but not on a specific day. I will pull cards from the 'day of the week' pile, then any from 'as needed', then I will pull from this pile. After the chore is done, I put the card in the back of the pile and pull new ones from the front.
Weekend I keep the cards that have our weekend chores outlined here.
I am including a list of the chore cards we use. I have worked to make sure that each chore takes less than five minutes to accomplish if the kids stay on task.
Days of the Week:
Dishes (the boys are assigned this one and each boy gets two days a week, I do them on Saturday)
Monday: laundry
Wednesday: replace towels in all three bathrooms
Thursday: Garbage cans to street
As Needed:
Empty recycle box
Empty kitchen garbage (or other garbage can)
Fold towels
Sweep floor
Wipe off table
Gather library books
Straighten living room
Straighten and wipe down bathroom counters
Rotate
Wash cabinets in bathroom (one card for each bathroom)
Sanitize light switches upstairs
Sanitize light switches downstairs
Wipe down walls in downstairs hallway
Wipe down stairway walls
Wipe down upstairs hall walls
Wipe baseboards (split into 6 different zones)
Wash door frames upstairs
Wash door frames downstairs
Wash doors upstairs
Wash doors downstairs
Wash stairway handrail
Clean laundry room window
Wash stairway banister
Sanitize doorknobs upstairs
Sanitize doorknobs downstairs
Sanitize remote controls and computer mice
Sanitize kitchen cupboard and drawer handles
Dust blinds (split into 4 zones)
Clean out shoe cubby
Wipe down kitchen chairs and stools
Wipe front of kitchen cabinets
Wipe front of fridge, ovens and dishwasher
Weekend
The boys clean their rooms, change their bedsheets and rotate between the following chores:
Family room (put away toys and books, vacuum all downstairs carpet, dust) and clean downstairs bathroom
Living room (put away toys and books, vacuum all upstairs carpet, dust) and clean upstairs bathroom
Vacuum stairs, sweep and mop bathroom floors and clean master bathroom
I know that the boys don't do the chores the way that I do them. In fact, sometimes I cringe when I see how the chore was done (like with the towels). I have had to let go of a lot of things to allow the boys to have a responsibility that is theirs. When I saw the towels so lovingly arranged in my closet, I was really bothered and wanted to make Seth come back and do it MY way. But then I realized that I didn't have to pester him to do his chore, he did an okay job for a 6 year old, and it won't be too long before I will be able to do the towels the way I want them done because the kids will be out of the house. We will work on getting things done in a more ordered way as their abilities increase.
We do hold them accountable for getting them done appropriately. I expect a neater job from a 10 year old than I do from a 6 year old. I don't expect that they get every speck of dirt off of the doors when they wash them or every towel folded in a perfect square, but I do expect that they try their best. Sometimes I will have to have them repeat a job because they didn't get the obvious dirt spots off. I only expect the doors, walls and windows to be washed as high as they can reach (which is where all of the dirt is!) The work that they do keeps the house clean and makes it easier on me when I do a major cleaning session. They get rid of the surface dirt which makes it easier to get to the nooks and crannies.
This system is very simple for us to use. Daniel has mentioned several times how much he likes it. The boys know what we expect from them and they do really well with this. They do have a sense of accomplishment when they complete a chore. I have a sense of peace because we are able to work in harmony. It takes only a minute or two a day for me to switch out the cards. I am rather pleased with how well this works because it really is quite simple. I'd love to say that we never have issues with getting things done. We definitely have days when I need to give some motivating reminders. This isn't a perfect system, but it is one that works really well for my family right now.
First off, I don't think that any chore chart will work without explaining to the kids why we do chores and what you expect of them. When I was sick with the migraines and then with pregnancy, I was overwhelmed with chores that needed to be done and I lacked the energy to argue with the boys and pester them to get their chores done. We had a few talks with the boys about responsibility. We explained that we need to work together as a family to keep the house ordered and clean. We told them that as a member of our family they have a responsibility to help out. When we work together to get things done three things will happen- we will have a clean house (which is a calming influence), we have a better relationship with each other (because we can trust each other to help out) and we have pride in our work (helps self-esteem to have responsibilities and to carry them through).
We explained that everyone has two types of responsibilities; personal and family.They have personal responsibilities (like brushing teeth, combing hair, making bed, putting clothes away, etc.) and family responsibilities (cleaning bathrooms, dishes, sweeping, etc.) We expect the boys to do their personal responsibilities and at least two family responsibilities each day. Every morning the boys are in charge of doing one chore (family responsibility) and another in the evening (we rotate kitchen chores in the evening).
We have weekly family meetings where we will bring up the talk about responsibilities now and again. We often will discuss what is working and what needs to get more attention with the chores.
Computer time is what talks in this family. If a chore has not been done when it is supposed to be done, computer privileges are revoked. It is understood that they need to get their responsibilities done before they can play with their toys, friends or computers. We have had very few problems with getting the boys to do their part.
I needed a system that didn't require me to hover over them to get it done, or that required me to get special stickers or cards down to indicate that the chore was done. I used what we had on hand and I have tweaked it here and there as we go along. (I love how flexible it is).
I have a magnetic white board on the wall in the upstairs hallway directly in front of the stairway. I wrote out all of the chores that we need to get done on index cards. I keep the cards in a box in the hall closet. Each night I put up at least three cards for what needs to be done the next morning. The boys pick which chore they will do, do it, and then put their initial magnet on the card to indicate that it is done. I can tell who hasn't done a chore by looking at the letter that is not on a chore card. This system isn't super technical or fancy, but that is what I love about it. If I think of something to add to the list, I just write out a new card, or write it down on the white board.
Here is what we use:
 |
| See, I told you it was nothing fancy. The Family section I put reminders, like scouts, or laundry day, or family meeting. The dinner section I put who is in charge of making dinner that night (the boys each have one night a week). The kids are welcome to draw on the board and leave messages. |
 |
| Everyone has done their chores! |
 |
| Sometimes the magnets get put back in this order and it makes me smile! |
Days of the Week I have tabs labeled with each day of the week. We assign two days a week for each boy to empty the dishwasher so I put a card with their names on the day they are in charge that week. I do laundry on Monday, so I put the 'laundry day' card up to remind the boys to sort their laundry and put it in the laundry room. Thursdays are garbage days, so I keep the 'take garbage cans to the street' card in there.
As Needed This is where I put things like folding towels, emptying garbage cans, wiping down bathroom counters and collecting library books.
Rotate This is where I put chore cards for things that need to be done around the house but not on a specific day. I will pull cards from the 'day of the week' pile, then any from 'as needed', then I will pull from this pile. After the chore is done, I put the card in the back of the pile and pull new ones from the front.
Weekend I keep the cards that have our weekend chores outlined here.
I am including a list of the chore cards we use. I have worked to make sure that each chore takes less than five minutes to accomplish if the kids stay on task.
Days of the Week:
Dishes (the boys are assigned this one and each boy gets two days a week, I do them on Saturday)
Monday: laundry
Wednesday: replace towels in all three bathrooms
Thursday: Garbage cans to street
As Needed:
Empty recycle box
Empty kitchen garbage (or other garbage can)
Fold towels
Sweep floor
Wipe off table
Gather library books
Straighten living room
Straighten and wipe down bathroom counters
Rotate
Wash cabinets in bathroom (one card for each bathroom)
Sanitize light switches upstairs
Sanitize light switches downstairs
Wipe down walls in downstairs hallway
Wipe down stairway walls
Wipe down upstairs hall walls
Wipe baseboards (split into 6 different zones)
Wash door frames upstairs
Wash door frames downstairs
Wash doors upstairs
Wash doors downstairs
Wash stairway handrail
Clean laundry room window
Wash stairway banister
Sanitize doorknobs upstairs
Sanitize doorknobs downstairs
Sanitize remote controls and computer mice
Sanitize kitchen cupboard and drawer handles
Dust blinds (split into 4 zones)
Clean out shoe cubby
Wipe down kitchen chairs and stools
Wipe front of kitchen cabinets
Wipe front of fridge, ovens and dishwasher
Weekend
The boys clean their rooms, change their bedsheets and rotate between the following chores:
Family room (put away toys and books, vacuum all downstairs carpet, dust) and clean downstairs bathroom
Living room (put away toys and books, vacuum all upstairs carpet, dust) and clean upstairs bathroom
Vacuum stairs, sweep and mop bathroom floors and clean master bathroom
I know that the boys don't do the chores the way that I do them. In fact, sometimes I cringe when I see how the chore was done (like with the towels). I have had to let go of a lot of things to allow the boys to have a responsibility that is theirs. When I saw the towels so lovingly arranged in my closet, I was really bothered and wanted to make Seth come back and do it MY way. But then I realized that I didn't have to pester him to do his chore, he did an okay job for a 6 year old, and it won't be too long before I will be able to do the towels the way I want them done because the kids will be out of the house. We will work on getting things done in a more ordered way as their abilities increase.
We do hold them accountable for getting them done appropriately. I expect a neater job from a 10 year old than I do from a 6 year old. I don't expect that they get every speck of dirt off of the doors when they wash them or every towel folded in a perfect square, but I do expect that they try their best. Sometimes I will have to have them repeat a job because they didn't get the obvious dirt spots off. I only expect the doors, walls and windows to be washed as high as they can reach (which is where all of the dirt is!) The work that they do keeps the house clean and makes it easier on me when I do a major cleaning session. They get rid of the surface dirt which makes it easier to get to the nooks and crannies.
This system is very simple for us to use. Daniel has mentioned several times how much he likes it. The boys know what we expect from them and they do really well with this. They do have a sense of accomplishment when they complete a chore. I have a sense of peace because we are able to work in harmony. It takes only a minute or two a day for me to switch out the cards. I am rather pleased with how well this works because it really is quite simple. I'd love to say that we never have issues with getting things done. We definitely have days when I need to give some motivating reminders. This isn't a perfect system, but it is one that works really well for my family right now.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Disoriented
I have had a migraine since Friday afternoon. It has eased, but I still feel woozy and out of it. It is the migraine hangover. It sucks. I haven't had a headache this bad for a long time. I cannot believe that this was my status quo a few years ago. I felt like this ALL of the time for the most part of two years.
Anyhow, I am taking today easy and not spending much time on the computer. My PhD post will not be done today. If tomorrow is better I might do it then, or I will just wait until next week.
A little funny thing that I want to share. Seth wakes up around midnight nearly every night to use the bathroom. He has a tough time getting his body to the bathroom, so he stands in his room and cries sometimes until someone helps direct him to the bathroom. He is awake, but he is completely disoriented. He knows that he needs to go to the bathroom, but he can't figure out how to get there. I have found him standing next to the window in his room, 'stuck' in front of the wall in his room trying to get out to go to the bathroom. Some nights he is so out of it that he needs help taking his pants down. Sometimes the things he does is quite comical. Last night was one of them.
He was sleeping downstairs in the hut that he and Paul made. He woke up and stood next to his hut. I directed him to the bathroom and fixed the blankets for him to make getting back to be easier. Seth started to holler (I can never understand what he says when he is out of it like this) so I went to the bathroom to help him. The bathroom door wasn't closed all of the way because the cabinet door under the sink was open all of the way. Seth was standing right in front of the sink acting like he was trying to find a handle to flush. I was really confused until I realized that he had urinated into the bathroom cabinet. The towels were freshly wet and the floor had a little puddle. Seriously? I took the towels out of the cabinet and went into the hallway to get a Clorox rag to clean up. While I was in the hallway, I told Seth to go get back into bed. He said okay and turned toward the shower, moved the curtain back and started to get into the tub! I redirected him and he went back into his little hut and fell asleep immediately.
I asked him about this incident this morning. He said that he remembered getting up to use the bathroom. I asked if he remembered peeing on the towels and walking into the bathtub. He got really upset and told me to stop making up lies about him. The story really does sound unbelievable, but it really did happen.
I will work on a post about the chore chart later. Let's hope that this migraine will go away soon. Blah.
Anyhow, I am taking today easy and not spending much time on the computer. My PhD post will not be done today. If tomorrow is better I might do it then, or I will just wait until next week.
A little funny thing that I want to share. Seth wakes up around midnight nearly every night to use the bathroom. He has a tough time getting his body to the bathroom, so he stands in his room and cries sometimes until someone helps direct him to the bathroom. He is awake, but he is completely disoriented. He knows that he needs to go to the bathroom, but he can't figure out how to get there. I have found him standing next to the window in his room, 'stuck' in front of the wall in his room trying to get out to go to the bathroom. Some nights he is so out of it that he needs help taking his pants down. Sometimes the things he does is quite comical. Last night was one of them.
He was sleeping downstairs in the hut that he and Paul made. He woke up and stood next to his hut. I directed him to the bathroom and fixed the blankets for him to make getting back to be easier. Seth started to holler (I can never understand what he says when he is out of it like this) so I went to the bathroom to help him. The bathroom door wasn't closed all of the way because the cabinet door under the sink was open all of the way. Seth was standing right in front of the sink acting like he was trying to find a handle to flush. I was really confused until I realized that he had urinated into the bathroom cabinet. The towels were freshly wet and the floor had a little puddle. Seriously? I took the towels out of the cabinet and went into the hallway to get a Clorox rag to clean up. While I was in the hallway, I told Seth to go get back into bed. He said okay and turned toward the shower, moved the curtain back and started to get into the tub! I redirected him and he went back into his little hut and fell asleep immediately.
I asked him about this incident this morning. He said that he remembered getting up to use the bathroom. I asked if he remembered peeing on the towels and walking into the bathtub. He got really upset and told me to stop making up lies about him. The story really does sound unbelievable, but it really did happen.
I will work on a post about the chore chart later. Let's hope that this migraine will go away soon. Blah.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Before and After
This is what my bathroom towels looked like before we instituted a chore system that works:
 |
| BEFORE |
This is what it looks like now:
 |
| AFTER |
And guess what? I love it!
No, the before and after pictures weren't swapped. My towels really look like that right now. I love this, not because my towels are in chaos, but because I didn't have to fold them and I didn't have to nag after anyone to do them. The chore system we use is working beautifully. I don't feel stressed out with chores as often as I use to and I love seeing the boys take responsibilities and complete them. I don't kid myself that they do a thorough job every time. In fact, I know that they don't do the chores exactly how I would do them. But the boys are doing their chores and they are contributing to the family. That is what I love about this before and after shot!
Monday, February 14, 2011
PhD 5 Favorite things
What is your favorite color? I like earth-toned colors like brown, green, orange, and red. If I had to pick just one color, it would be green. I really like the different shades of green on tree leaves. I like the green of bushes and the stems of flowers. Nature provided me with green eyes and I like them. I use to wish that I had blue or brown eyes like nearly everyone I knew, but now I enjoy having green eyes. I was wishing that one of my children would have green eyes, but they don't. They all have beautiful eyes, though, so I don't feel too bad. My eyes are green, but they are not green with envy anymore!
What is your favorite season? I love fall weather because it is still warm enough to play outside but it is cold enough to snuggle in a sweater. I really like spring weather, as the plants emerge from the ground and the branches, but because I really like earth-toned colors, I call autumn as my favorite season. It may be a bit narcissistic, too. My birthday is in the fall, so I might really like it because of that!
What is your favorite time of day? I am going to answer this in two parts. My favorite time of day is generally the evening after dinner when we are getting ready for bed, kids taking baths and doing homework. I enjoy doing story time with Seth and getting hugs and snuggles from my kids. For the most part it is a relaxing time that we spend together as a family.
The second part of this answer is more of a literal answer, it doesn't have anything to do with what is going on in my day, but rather the literal time on the clock. I love numbers and patterns, so with the time of day, my favorite time is 12:34 because it has 1,2,3,4 right in a row. I enjoy seeing 12:34 p.m. on the clock when I am making or eating lunch, but I kind of cringe when I see 12:34 a.m. on the clock because I really should be asleep. I also like 1:23, 1:11, 2:22, 3:33 4:44, 5:55, (is it a good thing that there isn't a 6:66?!) 2:46, 10:11, 11:12 and 12:13. When I see 9:23 on the clock, I always wish myself a happy birthday!
What is your favorite song? My all time favorite is She Believes in Me by Kenny Rogers. I remember hoping that I could find a husband who felt this way about me. When Daniel and I were first married, his parents gave us their old records and a record player. We sat down on the floor in the dining room of our apartment and listened to the records. The Kenny Rogers album was near the top, so we listened to it. I put the needle on the record and we listened to She Believes in Me . I started to cry because I was so happy that I had found someone who loved me. I was married to a man who I trusted and who I loved and he knew that I loved him. Whenever I hear this song, I have many happy memories and I feel secure in Daniels love. I still get a bit teary-eyed when I listen to it.
A few other songs are up at the top of my favorites list:
September Morn by Neil Diamond. Again, could be narcissistic, because it deals with my birthday month. I'm not exactly sure what it is about this song that makes me feel nostalgic. I love the idea of "dancing until the night becomes a brand new day" and "two lovers playing scenes from some romantic play". I love the piano solo in the middle of the song because it is so simple, yet beautiful. I also love the guitar line at the very end of the song. This song is a story of a person who is remembering a time he spent with someone. I have never spent time with someone as the song states, but I like to think that when I look back at things that I have done with Daniel, I will have feelings that are as calm, happy and beautiful to me as this song makes me feel.
Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prelude This song completely relaxes and calms my mind and soul. I love to listen to this when I feel hurried or stressed out. The version I listen to is by Yo-Yo Ma. I really enjoy listening to cello solos. When Jane was just a few days old I was trying to breastfeed her but I was too engorged for her to latch on, so I put on a cello solo cd and listened to it while trying to pump. It helped my body relax. That was the night that I called it quits on breastfeeding. I look back at that moment with sadness, but it was still a beautiful moment and it had the perfect background music.
The last song is Beautiful in My Eyes by Joshua Kadison. I have the piano book the album that this song comes from. I really enjoy playing through this song and listening to it on cd. When I read or listen to the words, it makes me think of Daniel. He really does make me feel beautiful, no matter what state my body is in. When I was at my heaviest, he didn't see it. When my body was bloated and large from pregnancy, he saw beauty. Sometimes I wish that I could see myself through his eyes. I am so grateful that I have his eyes to watch me grow more beautiful as we grow old together.
Beautiful in My Eyes by Joshua Kadison
You're my peace of mind in this crazy world.
You're everything I've tried to find, your love is a pearl.
You're my Mona Lisa, you're my rainbow skies,
and my only prayer is that you realize
you'll always be beautiful in my eyes.
The world will turn and the seasons will change,
and all the lessons we will learn will be beautiful and strange.
We'll have our fill of tears, our share of sighs.
And my only prayer is that you realize
you'll always be beautiful in my eyes.
You will always be beautiful in my eyes.
And the passing years will show
that you will always grow ever more beautiful in my eyes.
When there are lines upon my face from a lifetime of smiles,
and when the time comes to embrace for one long last while,
we can laugh about how time really flies.
We won't say goodbye 'cause true love never dies.
You'll always be beautiful in my eyes.
You will always be beautiful in my eyes.
And the passing years will show
that you will always grow ever more beautiful in my eyes.
The passing years will show that you will always grow
ever more beautiful in my eyes.
What is your favorite season? I love fall weather because it is still warm enough to play outside but it is cold enough to snuggle in a sweater. I really like spring weather, as the plants emerge from the ground and the branches, but because I really like earth-toned colors, I call autumn as my favorite season. It may be a bit narcissistic, too. My birthday is in the fall, so I might really like it because of that!
What is your favorite time of day? I am going to answer this in two parts. My favorite time of day is generally the evening after dinner when we are getting ready for bed, kids taking baths and doing homework. I enjoy doing story time with Seth and getting hugs and snuggles from my kids. For the most part it is a relaxing time that we spend together as a family.
The second part of this answer is more of a literal answer, it doesn't have anything to do with what is going on in my day, but rather the literal time on the clock. I love numbers and patterns, so with the time of day, my favorite time is 12:34 because it has 1,2,3,4 right in a row. I enjoy seeing 12:34 p.m. on the clock when I am making or eating lunch, but I kind of cringe when I see 12:34 a.m. on the clock because I really should be asleep. I also like 1:23, 1:11, 2:22, 3:33 4:44, 5:55, (is it a good thing that there isn't a 6:66?!) 2:46, 10:11, 11:12 and 12:13. When I see 9:23 on the clock, I always wish myself a happy birthday!
What is your favorite song? My all time favorite is She Believes in Me by Kenny Rogers. I remember hoping that I could find a husband who felt this way about me. When Daniel and I were first married, his parents gave us their old records and a record player. We sat down on the floor in the dining room of our apartment and listened to the records. The Kenny Rogers album was near the top, so we listened to it. I put the needle on the record and we listened to She Believes in Me . I started to cry because I was so happy that I had found someone who loved me. I was married to a man who I trusted and who I loved and he knew that I loved him. Whenever I hear this song, I have many happy memories and I feel secure in Daniels love. I still get a bit teary-eyed when I listen to it.
A few other songs are up at the top of my favorites list:
September Morn by Neil Diamond. Again, could be narcissistic, because it deals with my birthday month. I'm not exactly sure what it is about this song that makes me feel nostalgic. I love the idea of "dancing until the night becomes a brand new day" and "two lovers playing scenes from some romantic play". I love the piano solo in the middle of the song because it is so simple, yet beautiful. I also love the guitar line at the very end of the song. This song is a story of a person who is remembering a time he spent with someone. I have never spent time with someone as the song states, but I like to think that when I look back at things that I have done with Daniel, I will have feelings that are as calm, happy and beautiful to me as this song makes me feel.
Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prelude This song completely relaxes and calms my mind and soul. I love to listen to this when I feel hurried or stressed out. The version I listen to is by Yo-Yo Ma. I really enjoy listening to cello solos. When Jane was just a few days old I was trying to breastfeed her but I was too engorged for her to latch on, so I put on a cello solo cd and listened to it while trying to pump. It helped my body relax. That was the night that I called it quits on breastfeeding. I look back at that moment with sadness, but it was still a beautiful moment and it had the perfect background music.
The last song is Beautiful in My Eyes by Joshua Kadison. I have the piano book the album that this song comes from. I really enjoy playing through this song and listening to it on cd. When I read or listen to the words, it makes me think of Daniel. He really does make me feel beautiful, no matter what state my body is in. When I was at my heaviest, he didn't see it. When my body was bloated and large from pregnancy, he saw beauty. Sometimes I wish that I could see myself through his eyes. I am so grateful that I have his eyes to watch me grow more beautiful as we grow old together.
Beautiful in My Eyes by Joshua Kadison
You're my peace of mind in this crazy world.
You're everything I've tried to find, your love is a pearl.
You're my Mona Lisa, you're my rainbow skies,
and my only prayer is that you realize
you'll always be beautiful in my eyes.
The world will turn and the seasons will change,
and all the lessons we will learn will be beautiful and strange.
We'll have our fill of tears, our share of sighs.
And my only prayer is that you realize
you'll always be beautiful in my eyes.
You will always be beautiful in my eyes.
And the passing years will show
that you will always grow ever more beautiful in my eyes.
When there are lines upon my face from a lifetime of smiles,
and when the time comes to embrace for one long last while,
we can laugh about how time really flies.
We won't say goodbye 'cause true love never dies.
You'll always be beautiful in my eyes.
You will always be beautiful in my eyes.
And the passing years will show
that you will always grow ever more beautiful in my eyes.
The passing years will show that you will always grow
ever more beautiful in my eyes.
Monday, February 7, 2011
PhD 4
Since Daniel and I just celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary, I thought that I'd write a few things down about how we met.
How did you meet your husband? Daniel was my manager when I was a waitress at Hooters. Ha! Just kidding! We were both living in Pleasant Grove, Utah. He was living with his brother Ben and I was living with my Aunt Elaine and Uncle Alan Bezzant. We were in the same church ward, but I was working in the nursery (kids ages 18 months to 3 years old) so I wasn't part of the Young Single Adult class. I decided to go to a single's ward, so I was released from the nursery calling. After I was released, I decided to move back to Murray to live with my parents at the end of the semester, so I stayed in the family ward and went to the single adult classes for a month or two before moving back home.
Daniel remembers seeing me when I was singing with a group of girls during the Sacrament meeting program. He told Jessica (his sister-in-law) that he wanted to go out with me. After the song I sat down with Elaine's family. I sat next to my cousin, Russell. Russell and are the same age and we were good friends. We teased with each other and Daniel saw us and thought that we were dating (since Russell's last name is Bezzant and mine was Willes and he didn't know that we were cousins).
A few weeks later Russell and Daniel were together and Russell said told Daniel that he should ask me out. Once the relation situation was resolved, Daniel was excited.
Daniel taught the lesson in Sunday School that next week and we walked home together afterwords. I told him that my computer had just died and he offered to come over and take a look at it. He came over and worked on my computer while I sat on my bed and wrote a letter to my friend Larissa (she was on a church mission in Bulgaria). I remember writing something to the effect that if Daniel and I were to marry, our children would have 20 sets of aunts and uncles (7 kids in my family and 15 in Daniels). I really liked Daniel, but I wasn't anxious to date again at the moment.
The church group had a river rafting trip scheduled and we had a meeting to plan the particulars of the trip. Wendy Robbins (the group leader) assigned the girls to the food and put the guys in charge of activities and other things. Daniel was the only one to volunteer for an activity, so I opted out of the food group and joined him.
We went on the trip together and enjoyed being together, but we still had a wall up. I wasn't sure if I was ready to date again so I kept my distance a bit. I liked Daniel, but I wasn't ready to show it- especially not on a trip with my cousins and uncle there to tease me about it.
The day after the trip (Sunday), Daniel called me and asked me to go on a date for the following Wednesday.
Do you remember where you went on your first date? Daniel and I doubled with his friend Paul and Paul's fiance, Alyson. We went to Paul's parents house for dinner and then went to the Hale Center Theatre in Orem to see a play called Kiss and Tell. After the play, we went back to my aunt's house. We sat on the doorstep and talked for several hours. We felt so secure with one another. We told each other things that we wouldn't normally talk about on a first date. I called him the next day to invite him to see the fireworks in Salt Lake City on Friday for the 24th of July celebration.
How long did you know him before you got married? We met in late May/early June. We went on our first date July 22. We were engaged in mid September and married six months to the day of our first date on January 22, 1999. I didn't want to get married in December because I was finishing my final semester of college (BYU) and I was working full-time. I also didn't want to get married during the 'semester break rush'.
How did you meet your husband? Daniel was my manager when I was a waitress at Hooters. Ha! Just kidding! We were both living in Pleasant Grove, Utah. He was living with his brother Ben and I was living with my Aunt Elaine and Uncle Alan Bezzant. We were in the same church ward, but I was working in the nursery (kids ages 18 months to 3 years old) so I wasn't part of the Young Single Adult class. I decided to go to a single's ward, so I was released from the nursery calling. After I was released, I decided to move back to Murray to live with my parents at the end of the semester, so I stayed in the family ward and went to the single adult classes for a month or two before moving back home.
Daniel remembers seeing me when I was singing with a group of girls during the Sacrament meeting program. He told Jessica (his sister-in-law) that he wanted to go out with me. After the song I sat down with Elaine's family. I sat next to my cousin, Russell. Russell and are the same age and we were good friends. We teased with each other and Daniel saw us and thought that we were dating (since Russell's last name is Bezzant and mine was Willes and he didn't know that we were cousins).
A few weeks later Russell and Daniel were together and Russell said told Daniel that he should ask me out. Once the relation situation was resolved, Daniel was excited.
Daniel taught the lesson in Sunday School that next week and we walked home together afterwords. I told him that my computer had just died and he offered to come over and take a look at it. He came over and worked on my computer while I sat on my bed and wrote a letter to my friend Larissa (she was on a church mission in Bulgaria). I remember writing something to the effect that if Daniel and I were to marry, our children would have 20 sets of aunts and uncles (7 kids in my family and 15 in Daniels). I really liked Daniel, but I wasn't anxious to date again at the moment.
The church group had a river rafting trip scheduled and we had a meeting to plan the particulars of the trip. Wendy Robbins (the group leader) assigned the girls to the food and put the guys in charge of activities and other things. Daniel was the only one to volunteer for an activity, so I opted out of the food group and joined him.
We went on the trip together and enjoyed being together, but we still had a wall up. I wasn't sure if I was ready to date again so I kept my distance a bit. I liked Daniel, but I wasn't ready to show it- especially not on a trip with my cousins and uncle there to tease me about it.
The day after the trip (Sunday), Daniel called me and asked me to go on a date for the following Wednesday.
Do you remember where you went on your first date? Daniel and I doubled with his friend Paul and Paul's fiance, Alyson. We went to Paul's parents house for dinner and then went to the Hale Center Theatre in Orem to see a play called Kiss and Tell. After the play, we went back to my aunt's house. We sat on the doorstep and talked for several hours. We felt so secure with one another. We told each other things that we wouldn't normally talk about on a first date. I called him the next day to invite him to see the fireworks in Salt Lake City on Friday for the 24th of July celebration.
How long did you know him before you got married? We met in late May/early June. We went on our first date July 22. We were engaged in mid September and married six months to the day of our first date on January 22, 1999. I didn't want to get married in December because I was finishing my final semester of college (BYU) and I was working full-time. I also didn't want to get married during the 'semester break rush'.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)