Being an Aunt, Part 2 (the real deal)

First - a word about technology glitches - they stink! I was having one last night and so a couple of other posts with this same title popped up on Google Reader. They are not the real deal anymore (which you will quickly notice as you read them) and I say darn those stupid gremlins! THIS is the real deal! So read away, and enjoy!

Did I mention before that I wish all my precious my nieces and nephews all lived closer to me? Oh, I did? Well, let me mention it again: I wish all my precious nieces and nephews lived closer to FW!

When Miss E was little bitty she lived closer to me and I really wish I would have taken better advantage of seeing her regularly, but you know, I figured that they would be here for awhile. After all, my brother had started up his own company and was moonlighting for a local company as one of their tech guys, but then he went and moved his family out to the East Coast so he could go back to school for his MBA. The nerve of that kid, I tell ya!

So, when they leave, my brother (love ya, Chrissie-poo!!!! Ha, ha! Take your family away from me, will ya!), my sis-in-law that I love, and cute little bitty Miss E load up and head out of town for two stinkin' years. They get settled in at Rochester University, where despite some amazing experiences and opportunities because of my brother's hard work and dedication, they face some pretty big trials.

Of course, after the storm comes the sun, and in this instance, after the painful and scary trials they faced came the little charmer - WCS - and WHAT A BLESSING! He is so cute, so happy, so easy to be around (well, he was the last time I was around him, that is), and he has one of the best smiles around!

I wish I could jump on my private jet and whisk away to visit these cutie-patooties, but our private jet is currently on loan to the Travolta's 'cuz we're nice like that! Even though my time with Little Miss E and WCS has been limited (which is why I had to lift pics from my SIL's Facebook account for the video at the bottom!), I love knowing what is going in their lives and I am grateful for modern technology that makes the distance seem smaller.

But, you can bet that as soon as the Travolta's are finished using our private jet, B&K will be on their way to the East side of the USA!

And now, for those cuties....

Note: The video won't open in Goggle Reader - don't know why, it just doesn't. If it doesn't open from the blog directly, try refreshing your computer. Or if all else fails, visit this link:

http://www.onetruemedia.com/my_shared?z=307ed26d6607fe53056e65&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Being an Aunt, Part 1

I love being an aunt and I simply adore my nieces and nephews - all 13 of them! Over the next few days, I am going to do different posts focusing on each family branch from which all of these precious children and youth who range in age from 1 years old to 19 yours old spring.

I am going to start with my niece and nephew that live the closest to me.

Just a sidenote: I wish all of my nieces and nephews lived closer (hint to my siblings and sibling-in-laws that live away: you should move back to FW!).

Some of the qualities I love about each of them include:

• M - extremely polite, loving, kind, creative, and fun
• H - happy, snuggly, fun, and I got to be there when he was born!

I have been blessed the last couple of months to see M & H several times and have had the chance to take them different places and even had a sleepover with my little niece (fun, but exhausting!).

Both M & H make me so happy! I love how excited they both get (or seem to get) when I come around and there are always lots of hugs, kisses, and I love you's!

Check out some of the fun I have had with M & H....

Note: if the video player doesn't load up right away, hit the refresh button on your computer, or visit this link: http://www.onetruemedia.com/my_shared?z=307ed26d6607fe53056e65&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Love of My Life

The love of my life is...

• kind



• patient



• concerned about others



• hard-working



• dependable



• strong



• handy



• dedicated



• funny



• loving



• righteous



• encouraging



• well-liked



• talented



• smart



• a good example



• accepting



• incredible



• fun



• amazing



• HOT!!!!

The love of my life...

• cooks (so much better than I!)



• cleans



• keeps the yard looking good



• works



• rubs my back



• rubs my feet



• listens



• understands me (even when I don't understand myself)



• pays bills and tracks our finances



• hangs out with my family



• loves his mom



• calls me during the day just to say hi



• watches chic flicks with me



• has beaten me at Scrabble more times than I want to admit



• loves Baker City as much as I do (and that is HUGE in my life)



• knows that I love spending time with my seester



• goes to the bookstore with me as part of date night



• laughs at the irony of my library fines



• enjoys good Tex-Mex as much as I do



• loves children, is an AWESOME uncle, and I know that someday, when we are finally blessed to have children, he will be an AWESOME dad!

The love of my life is...

• my rock



• my confidante



• my best friend



• my partner in grime (and crime!)



• my eternal companion



• my happiness

The love of my life is B and he is EVERYTHING to me!

I Am...

I am a girl who likes to stay up late, sleep in late, and unfortunately sometimes arrives late (but I'm working on it!).

I am a girl who likes to have my toes painted but hates to actually do it!

I am a girl who carries tension in her shoulders and appreciates a good neck massage to help loosen up those muscles.

I am a girl who works hard, plays hard, and loves hard.

I am a girl who recognizes that I need some self-improvement - losing weight, having healthier habits, and not procrastinating so much top that long list!

I am a girl who over-analyzes, is known to be a little anal-retentive, and has perfectionistic tendencies which completely contradict the creative side of my brain!

I am a girl who can be silly, serious, grouchy (once in awhile!), and a tad bit dramatic (really... just a "tad" bit!).

I am a girl who loves to decorate her house, host fun get-togethers, and dress up now and then!

I am a girl who has lived through trying times, medical scares, and unexpected loss.

I am a girl who likes the snow from a distance (a very far distance!), appreciates warm weather, and enjoys the beauty of nature (but I sure don't camp!).

I am a girl who loves to read, watches reruns of "Bewitched" and "The Munsters", and loves Friday night movies at home with B (we live a WILD life, eh!)

I am a girl who really has a soft-heart (despite a hard-shell), can't stand to see others in pain, and believes in equality and fairness.

I am a girl who is tolerated by many, appreciated by some, and deeply loved by a few.

I am a girl lucky enough to find Prince Charming at a young age, luckier to still have Prince Charming by my side now, and luckiest to know that Prince Charming and I have eternity together!

I am a girl who comes from a big family where love is loud, hugs are plentiful, and singing on the back porch in Baker is part of who we are (even if you can't carry a tune!).

I am a girl who is a wife, a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a niece, and an aunt (a job I love!).

I am a girl who is a teacher, a librarian, and an educator for life.

I am a girl who tries to be a good friend and who is blessed to have good friends.

I am a girl who faces new challenges (even when they are unwanted and unsolicited) and does my best to rise to the top of those challenges.

I am a girl who knows that I am a Child of God, that Heavenly Father loves me, and that Jesus Christ is my Savior.

Actually, I am a girl who knows that each and every person on this earth is a Child of God, who is loved by Heavenly Father, and that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all mankind.

I am a girl who knows that the hand of the Lord is in all things, that He hears our prayers (no matter how small we may feel), and that no matter what, He is there for me, I just have to seek Him.

I am a girl who knows that when the road seems uncertain, the Lord really does lead the way.

I am a girl who was sent to live at this time, in this part of the history of the world, to do good in whatever ways I can (and there are many ways I can).

I am a girl who has been given talents and gifts to use and develop in my lifetime.

I am a girl who is trying to live in the moment, and for the moment, so that I make each moment count.

I am a girl who has a divine nature, individual worth, and who seeks to live with integrity.

I am a girl who has been given many opportunities.

I am a girl who is blessed - tremendously!

And for all of these blessings that I receive each day, I am a girl who humbly gives thanks to my Heavenly Father.

I am K and I am living my best life everyday!

Living Thanksgiving Daily

It's Thanksgiving and I am blessed! Not just because I had a yummy lunch of turkey, potatoes, dressing, and pumpkin pie but because blessings come into my life every day from my Heavenly Father. He loves each of us enough to bless us daily in big and small ways regardless of how well we behaved (or didn't behave!) on that day.

Although I realize how blessed I am, I also realize that I am not always good about taking time to be thankful or to show gratitude for my blessings.

So, I have been trying to be more purposeful in being aware and being grateful for my blessings- not just today on our nationally deemed holiday of Thanksgiving - but on each and every day.

Therefore, in trying to be more grateful each day I have been keeping a gratitude journal in which I write at least 3 specific things at the end of each day for which I am grateful. The funny thing is that once I start writing, I usually surpass my self-imposed requirement of "just 3 things." I am pretty sure that the reason this happens is because once I sit down to specifically think of a few things I have been blessed with that day, my heart and my mind are opened to seeing so many more of the blessings I have been given, and so I usually have a longer list than what I started out to create.

It's also interesting how close I feel to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ when I take time to express my thanks and gratitude daily. I think that I draw closer to Them as I recognize all that I have been given. I have also noticed how much happier I am and how much more love I feel for my family, friends, and fellow man when I am purposefully focused on being grateful.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin once gave a talk titled, "Living in Thanksgiving Daily", where he said that "Those who live in thanksgiving daily are usually among the world's happiest people." I want to be one of those people!

There are a million reasons not to be happy in this life - hey, the world is tough! But, Elder Wirthlin said that "living in thanksgiving daily is a habit that will enrich our lives and the lives of those we love" and that sounds so much better than being miserable!

So, how can we live in thanksgiving daily even after the turkey and the rolls and the pie are put away this year? Elder Wirthlin suggests three things that we can implement into our lives to be the happiest people who live in thanksgiving daily:

1. Open our eyes. See the wonders and the beauties of the world around us each day.
2. Open our hearts. Let go of negative emotions and fill our hearts with love.
3. Open our arms. Bless the lives of those around us.

Today I had the chance to open my eyes and see the beauty of the small town of Nauvoo, Illinois which has incredible significance to those of my faith. And although it was incredibly cold (I mean, there was ice on the Mississippi already!), as B and I explored and learned about this incredible place, the beauty of this area that was once a swampland, was impressed upon me.

I also had the chance while in Nauvoo to open my heart and feel incredible love for people I have never met. It is amazing to me that the early members of The Church of Latter-Day Saints who lived in the 19th century set out in great faith not only to be servants of God but to build an incredible community founded on faith, kindness, compassion, and great sacrifice.

Finally, I had the chance to open my arms and found a small, but very worthwhile way to try and bless the lives of others. One of the great things about exploring Historical Nauvoo is that at each of the sites you visit there are awesome Senior Missionaries who have given time from their lives to serve and teach visitors about these incredible sites. We were so blessed to have great tours and information shared with us by these incredible missionaries and so I put together candy treats to give to them today as they served on this Thanksgiving day. As I extended my arms to drop off this bag of treats, I was overwhelmed by their gratitude and thanks for my small gesture of appreciation and my heart was full!

What an incredible Thanksgiving! I was with B, who I love more than anything, in a beautiful place where the Spirit of the Lord is incredibly strong, and I was given the chance to show my appreciation to others. The blessings in my life are amazing!

Family and friends make life better

Life gets hectic for all us, right?!?

Fortunately the chaos seems to rolls in waves so that when your life is hectic (aka: me... right now), you have friends who rush in to help you with your madness because their life is "less hectic" (face it, "less" is probably the best we get 'cuz nobody I know ever feels completely hectic-free!).

Then, your crazy, hectic sprint in life slows down a bit (P.S. I'm looking forward to that!) so that you can step up and help your friends who are now experiencing their own crazy world.

Tonight I realize how blessed I am to have good family and good friends and I feel fortunate to KNOW I am cared about by so many different people!

The list of amazing people that I have cheering for me and supporting me right now in a crazy transition time could go on and on, but tonight before I go to bed (I know, Mary, I should already be there!), I would like to say a special thanks to these people specifically:

• My sister for being my project manager!
  
  
• My mom for saving the day when printer issues threatened to sink me!
  
  
• My dad for bringing me the paper delivery I needed so desperately.
  
  
• My friend Laura for checking on me.
  
  
• My friend (and blog stalker!), Mary for being my "go-to-sleep-earlier" phone call as well as my "'time-to-wake-up-earlier" phone call (GOTTA start that routine!).
  
  
• My friend Rachel for patroling my Facebook status to make sure I'm not on there instead of sleeping so that I can actually get up when Mary calls!
  
  
• My awesome hubby whose love and support for me has no limit!

I'm serious when I say that this list could go on and on - I know I am blessed that so many people care about me and are watching my back so that I can be successful.

I LOVE YOU ALL and thank you all for caring about me and for helping me to KNOW that whatever I am called to do, I can succeed. After all, I am blessed with good friends, a great family, and a Savior who truly gave His life for me so that I could live mine.

Life may be crazy - but it is good!

(and now I'm going to bed.... really, Mary... I promise! Well, after I update Facebook... but I won't be on there for long, Rachel... cross my heart!)

Confessions

Okay, so Confession #1 is that there are really no juicy or exciting confessions in this post. I just thought that the title sounded intriguing and that it might draw you in! Don't be sad. Maybe you'll just get a good chuckle out of what I do confess and then you can forgive me for false advertisement!

Confession #2: I am thinking of legally changing my name. That's right, no more "K." Instead I am thinking that my name should be Ima, as in "Ima Procrastinator!" Of course, then I would have to rename this blog and "B & Ima" just doesn't have the same ring to it as "B&K."

Confession #3: I hate summertime in Texas. That's right, I used the words "hate" and "Texas" in the same sentence - the shame of it for a Texas girl. But, there is only one reason I would go there - summer in Texas is HOT! Blazin' hot...Burn-the-skin-off-your-thighs-when-you-sit-on-the-leather-interior-of-your-car kind of hot. What makes it worse is that it doesn't even cool down at night....not at midnight and not at 3 am (I know 'cuz I stay up that late). Don't get me wrong, I love Texas, just not in the summer.

Confession #4: I stay up too late. If you didn't know that, then let me officially introduce myself to you so that we can be friends... My name is Ima Procrastinator and I stay up way too late!

Confession #5: I'm an addict. Let me explain, maybe you know where I can get help for my addiction to... DIY Network, HGTV, and the home decor/home improvement blogs I stalk. That's right people, I live in the "I could do it if I had time, talent, and money" fantasy world of knocking down walls, adding on rooms, and "designing on a dime" with such relish that I could be the next "Design Star." Don't Judge Me.

Confesssion #6: I am HORRIBLE at staying in touch with people I love. I think about friends and family in other places ALL THE TIME. I have good intentions to show that I am thinking of them (gifts that need to be mailed, cards that just need to be addressed, etc.). I know what they say about the road paved with good intentions, I just forget to complete the communication pass. It really is a problem that leaves me feeling like a loser because I don't want my friends and family to think I don't love them or think about them... because I do.

Confession #7: I think that it would be fun to be a party planner. I love the planning, the decorating, and the execution of an event... but I HATE the cleaning, the cleaning, the cleaning. Oh yeah, it would be fun but I don't want to work with drama divas - you know, the ones who want you to help them but then do things their way.

Confession #8: I might be a drama diva - but only a tiny bit.

Confession #9: I want to be a better steward of all the blessings in my life but I struggle to do this on a regular basis. Some of the things I really want to do better are: use my time wisely, be more financially wise, balance my responsibilities, follow the counsel to be prepared, work on my family history. I have really felt the push to do a better job in these areas of my life but I don't really know how to get going and stay going.

Confession #10: Sometimes I wonder if I have ADHD. Well, minus the H, cause I'm too tired to be hyper. So I guess that would just be ADD and I'm pretty sure that I show symptoms.


Confession #11: That's it. Nothing more... tonight. This post is already enough to be too much information for anyone who might have stuck it out this long reading!

But hey, thanks for letting me confess! What do I do now?

The Gift of Today

For the last couple of weeks I have really been reflecting on the gift of each day. Two Monday's ago a family I know lost their 17-year-old son suddenly and tragically as a victim in a violent crime and since that day I have found myself much more pensive and thoughtful about each day that we are given and how we use that gift.

This young man, Eric, made an obvious impact on so many lives. As news that he was in critical condition after being shot by burglers in his home reached the community, friends and family began to flock together seeking ways to comfort and be there for one another.

When it became obvious that Eric would not recover from this incident, and as his family made the decision to give life to others by donating his organs, the circle of supporters grew even larger and a memorial was organized for and attended by hundreds of youth from church and school who felt the impact of this tragedy.

Then, when Eric's life on this earth was no more, visitation and funeral services brought hundreds and hundreds of people who in some way had felt the impact of this one life.

The funeral was a powerful experience. Despite the intensely overwhelming sadness of losing such an amazing young man, the Lord's Spirit was even more intense and love and hope wound their way into the hearts of everyone there.

The eulogy delivered by his older brother was beautiful, the scriptures shared by his sister who was also at the house during the shooting were powerful, the excerpts of letters written by family members about Eric and read by his oldest sister were joyful, and the message of Christ's love and the power of His Atonement for each of us that was shared by his bishop (and my dad) brought hope to all.

Eric's swim coach also took part in the funeral service and shared the quote, "you can count the seeds in an apple, but you can't count the apples that will come from one seed in that apple."

And so, I have been reflecting. There is no way to tell the impact that each of us can have on any given day. We all interact with countless numbers of individuals, in a variety of experiences and situations. Some people we know, some we don't. Some situations are positive and happy experiences, while others are trials from which we must grow.

The question I ask myself as I think about the obvious impact that this one young man had at the age of 17 on such a diverse range of people from varying age groups, ethnicities, races, and religions is this:

What am I doing today to make a difference?

And with this question in my mind and in my heart, I hope that I will continue to be more aware of "the gift of today."