OUR TRIP TO ITALY 2012

WE WENT ON A SKIING TRIP TO ITALY IN MARCH AND IT HAS TAKEN ME FOREVER TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THIS SLIDESHOW ON MY BLOG. I HOPE THAT YOU ENJOY ALL MY BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS AND LATE NIGHTS.

CHANGING IT UP

THE WEATHER IS BEAUTIFUL OUT, THE BACK DOOR IS OPEN AND ALL THAT GREAT WARM WEATHER IS COMING IN. ALONG WITH THE REFRESHING SPRING WEATHER I DECIDED THAT I WANTED TO REFRESH THE TOP OF MY ENTERTAINMENT CENTER... TO CHANGE IT UP USING THINGS THINGS I ALREADY HAD. THE TEMPLE PICTURE I MADE A YEAR AGO AT AN ENRICHMENT MEETING AND IT HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY BEDROOM ON THE FLOOR, NEVER HUNG IT UP...THE FAMILY SIGN WAS ON MY BEDROOM WALL WITH SOME FAMILY PICTURES AND I TOOK IT DOWN LAST FALL AND IT ALSO HAS BEEN SITTING ON MY BEDROOM FLOOR. THE REST OF THE ITEMS WERE ALREADY ON THE TOP, THE SMALL CLOCK WAS IN ONE OF THE CUBBIES BELOW AND I ADDED THE GREEN MOSS BALLS FROM OTHER PLACES IN THE HOUSE. I DECLUTTERED THE CUBBIES AND I THINK IT TURNED OUT REALLY NICE AND I AM SO HAPPY TO FINALLY HAVE A PLACE TO ENJOY MY TEMPLE PICTURE. I ALSO FEEL A LITTLE REFRESHED AS WELL.

REASSURANCE...

AMAZING HOW WHEN YOU ARE AT A VERY LOW POINT DURING YOUR DAY, A QUOTE HAPPENS YOUR WAY AND HITS YOU IN THE HEAD.

"It isn’t as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don’t worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. … If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers." - Gordon B. Hinckley. It's great to be reminded of this.

THANK YOU

MY WEDDING UN-HAPPINESS

SO THIS IS PART OF A MOTHERS LIFE IN WHICH SHE SHOULD FIND JOY AND HAPPINESS AND YET THAT IS NOT THE CASE WITH ME. JESSICA IS GETTING MARRIED IN AUGUST AND I AM AFRAID THAT IF I BLOG ABOUT IT THIS IS JUST GOING TO BECOME A PLACE FOR ME TO COMPLAIN AND BE DISCOURAGED. SHE WANTS EVERYTHING HER WAY BECAUSE SHE "DESERVES IT" AND DOESNT WANT TO HEAR WHAT I HAVE TO SAY OR OFFER. I DON'T WANT EVERYONE TO THINK THAT I WANT THE WEDDING MY WAY, BUT THERE HAS TO BE BOUNDRIES, ONES WHICH SHE CANT ACCEPT RIGHT NOW , LIKE A $1200 WEDDING DRESS? AND I DONT WANT TO BE SHARING OUR CONFLICTS WITH THE WORLD. THEREFORE, I HAVE ASKED JEFF TO BE OUR WEDDING MEDIATOR AND I WILL NOT BE POSTING ANYTHING ABOUT THE WEDDING PLANS. WISH ME LUCK IT IS GOING TO BE A LONG RIDE TO AUGUST. BUT LIKE ALL GOOD MOTHERS DO, IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD I HAVE ALL THE PLANS READY TO BE PUT INTO PLACE WHEN THE DAY COMES AND JESSICA NEED MY HELP I WILL BE THERE.

YOGA... HAVE MISSED YOU!

IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I HAVE BEEN TO YOGA CLASS DUE TO A LONG SEQUENCE OF EVENTS... STARTING WITH MY INSTRUCTOR LEAVING FOR INDIA IN NOVEMBER AND HAVING ONE OF HER STUDENTS SUBSTITUTE HER CLASS WHICH WAS GREAT, BUT SHE COULDN'T BE THERE ALL THE TIME.... THEN, BECAUSE MY CLASS IS AT THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE, THEY CLOSED DECEMBER THROUGH JANUARY FOR SEMESTER BREAK, AND AT THAT POINT I WAS FINDING IT HARD TO GET BACK TO MY CLASS WHEN IT STARTED BACK UP.... AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST THINGS STARTED GETTING BUSIER AS WE STARTED GETTING READY FOR OUR TRIP TO ITALY. SO FINALLY BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE ONE THING TO GET IN MY WAY OF GOING TO CLASS ON TUESDAY NIGHT I FINALLY GOT BACK AND IT FELT SO GREAT. EVEN THOUGH I WAS SORE THE NEXT DAY, IT WAS A GOOD SORE AND I COULD TELL THAT I HAD LOST SO MUCH IN SUCH A LITTLE AMOUNT OF TIME. AFTER THIS TIME AWAY I REALIZED HOW MUCH I REALLY LOVED MY CLASS AND HOW GOOD IT WAS/IS FOR ME. SO YOGA CLASS...I AM BACK!!! YEAH!!!

DID WE HAVE WINTER YET?

THE GIRLS AT TARGHEE

PRESIDENTS WEEKEND WE HAD ALL THE KIDS IN IDAHO TO CELEBRATE JEFFS BIRTHDAY AND WE SPENT A DAY AT TARGHEE SKIING... IT WAS HAILEYS FIRST TIME ON SKIS (I'M SURE HER GRANDPA AND DADDY WERE VERY PROUD, EVEN THOUGH HAILEY WAS NOT HAVING SUCH A GREAT TIME.)

HOWEVER, THIS YEAR HAS BEEN THE CRAZIEST WINTER I THINK WE HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. WE HAVE NOT HAD A LOT OF SNOW. IT SNOWS AND THEN IT IS GONE. WE FINALLY USED OUR SNOW BLOWER LAST WEEK FOR THE FIRST TIME ALL YEAR. WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SKI A LITTLE BUT NOT NEAR AS MUCH THIS YEAR AS LAST. WE WENT THIS WEEKEND AND 1/2 THE LIFTS WERE CLOSED, AND IT WAS ALMOST 50 DEGREES IN THE PARKING LOT, NEEDLESS TO SAY WE DIDNT STAY. I AM REALLY HOPING FOR ONE MORE SKI DAY BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR BECAUSE WE HAVE TWO PASSES LEFT AND THEY REALLY NEED TO BE USED.

THANK GOODNESS FOR OUR TRIP TO ITALY. IT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR SKI SEASON THIS YEAR. AND IT MIGHT BECOME SOMETHING WE COULD GET USED TO. MORE TO COME ABOUT THE TRIP.

TREEHOUSE MUSEUM

A FEW WEEKS AGO JEFF AND I MADE A QUICK TRIP TO UTAH TO SEE THE KIDS FOR THE WEEKEND. WE DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE FUN TO TAKE HAILEY SOME PLACE THAT WE COULD INTERACT WITH HER, SO WE DECIDED TO GO TO THE TREEHOUSE MUSEUM. WE HAD NEVER BEEN THERE BEFORE AND I WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH THIS KIDS MUSEUM, IT HAS SO MUCH FOR THE KIDS TO SEE AND DO.

THEATER TIME. LITTLE BO PEEP LOST HER SHEEP AND HAILEY HAPPILY

FOUND HER.

PLAYING WITH THE PRINCESSES AND PONIES WITH GRANDPA.

ROCKING AND READING

THIS GIRL LOVES PUTTING PUZZELS TOGETHER.

LOOK AT THE FOCUS IN THAT CUTE FACE.

I THINK THIS PICTURES SAYS IT ALL....PLAYTIME IS OVER.

IT WAS SUCH A FUN PLACE AND WE HOPE TO GO BACK ANOTHER DAY.

THE CHALLENGE IS ON

SISTER

A WEEK OR SO AGO AFTER POSTING MY LOWLEY PERSONAL RUNNING BEST, MY SISTER, AND YOU KNOW WHICH ONE YOU ARE, SENT ME A TEXT THAT SHE HAD RUN HER PERSONAL BEST OF TWO MILES. EVEN THOUGH SHE BEAT ME TO THE 2 MILE MARK I AM THRILLED THAT SHE IS WORKING TOWARDS OUR PLAN TO RUN A 5K THIS SUMMER. LATELY I HAVE HAD A HARD TIME GETTING ON THE TREADMILL, BUT I HAVE STILL BE GOING TO MY TOTAL BODY CONDITIONING TWICE A WEEK AND TONIGHT AFTER WORK I GOT ON THE TREADMILL AND REALIZED HOW MUCH MY CLASS IS HELPING ME. I RAN A NON-STOP, NON-PAUSE 2 MILES AND IT FELT GOOD AND I ACTUALLY RAN 2.1 MILES TONIGHT. YEAH FOR ME. SISTER....THE CHALLENGE IS ON LETS KEEP GOING SO WE CAN RUN THAT 5K THIS SUMMER TOGETHER.

AND AS I SIT HERE WRITING THIS BLOG AND EATING MY BELOVED DOVE DARK CHOCOLATE ALL BY MYSELF ON VALENTINES DAY BECAUSE JEFF IS OUT OF TOWN, THIS IS THE PICTURE I FOUND ON PINTEREST TO GO ON MY POST...HA HA HA!

SKI REPORT

THIS WINTER HAS BEEN SO DIFFERENT FROM LAST WINTER. THIS YEAR WE HAVE HAD VERY LITTLE SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS AND NEXT TO NOTHING IN THE VALLEYS. EVERY SNOWFALL THAT WE HAVE HAD THIS YEAR HAS NOT STAYED ON THE GROUND FOR VERY LONG, MAYBE JUST A FEW DAYS AND THEN ITS MELTED AWAY. LAST YEAR WE DECIDED THAT WE WERE NOT GOING TO BUY A SEASONS PASS TO TARGHEE THINKING THAT WE WOULD TRY TO GO OTHER PLACES TO SKI AND NOT BE TIED TO ONE RESORT, HOWEVER WITH THE LACK OF SNOW EVERYWHERE WE HAVEN'T BEEN ANY WHERE EXCEPT TARGHEE AND ONLY A HANDFUL OF TIMES. WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR OUR TRIP TO ITALY THAT WE HAVE WANTED TO GET OUT ON THE SLOPES TO SKI SO THAT OUR SKI LEGS WOULD BE READY FOR THE OVER 400 LIFTS AND HUNDREDS OF MILES OF SKIING AWAITING US.

( i am pretty sure we wont make a dent in those numbers).

YESTERDAY WE WER ABLE TO GO SKIING AND WE WENT ON A RUN CALLED PAINTED PONY OR SOMETHING, I DON'T RECALL THAT I HAVE EVER BEEN ON THAT RUN BEFORE AND I AM SURE THAT IT WAS NOT THE FAVORITE RUN OF THE DAY BUT THE ONE THING THAT I LOVED ABOUT THAT RUN WAS THE SPECTACULAR VIEW OF THE TETONS. I ASKED JEFF TO GET A PICTURE FOR ME, BUT WHEN WE GOT HOME IT WASN'T ON HIS CAMERA, SO I FOUND A PICTURE ON THE INTERNET. AND EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A NICE PICTURE I THINK THAT THE VEIW YESTERDAY WAS EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL. THE SKY WAS BLUE, THE SUN SHINING AND IT WAS JUST A SPECTACULAR VIEW. MAYBE ANOTHER WEEK WE CAN GET A PICTURE TO SHARE. PRAYING FOR A LITTLE MORE SNOW FOR NEXT WEEKEND.

PERSONAL BEST TO DATE

I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO INCREASE MY CARDIO AND IMPLEMENT RUNNING INTO MY REGULAR EXERCISE. TO ALL YOU OUT THERE READING THIS, PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT I HAVE NEVER BEEN A RUNNER, NEVER, NOT EVEN AS A KID. SO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE RUNNERS WHO ARE READING THIS MIGHT LAUGH A LITTLE WHEN I SAY THAT I FINALLY RAN A MILE IN 14 MINUTES AND RAN 1.75 MILES. YEAH FOR ME. I AM SLOWLY BUT SURELY GETTING READY TO RUN A 5K THIS SUMMER. AND BELIEVE ME IT WILL TAKE THAT LONG TO GET THERE.