Gabby debuted her superpowers as Super Girl for Halloween 2008 and my talented husband showed he's got skillz with his rockin' Barack-O-Lantern. Props to my brother-in-law for upping the ante with his entry into the "Yes We Carve" contest!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
MIA
For those of you wondering when I will be updating my blog...never fear. 10 days to go until my "So Called Normal Life" returns. In the meantime:
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Walden Pond
(Walden Pond Photo courtesy of Brian Riccio)
When Justin and I graduated from the BYU, we decided to make a move to the East Coast. Being a bit of a homebody, it was the furthest I had ever lived from my family and friends, but we knew it would be an adventure. We lived in the Washington, D.C. area for about 5 years. Justin was attending law school and I was working for Senator Reid on Capitol Hill. We didn't have much money but we somehow we managed to take full advantage of the living history around us.
We had a wonderfully spontaneous group of friends who were all in similar situations--no family living close by, no money, no kids, etc. Many weekends, we would pick a spot on the map and just go. We took countless road trips to West Virginia, New York City, Amish Country, and the North Carolina beaches.
I was reminded this weekend of one of those trips as L. Tom Perry, an apostle in the LDS Church, gave a thoughtful sermon this weekend about living simply. He talked about a place that I have a wistful fondness for--Walden Pond. It was about 7 years ago that we were on our way to Cape Cod for Thanksgiving and we stopped in Concord, Massachusetts. We stood on the bridge where the "shot heard 'round the world" was fired, took in some other revolutionary war sites and then went to a place where time stood still. When you see Walden Pond, you understand immediately why Thoreau retreated to such a place. As Elder Perry explained, Thoreau came to the conclusion that you really only need 4 things to survive--food, shelter, clothing, and fuel.
We all can do better at stripping away the things we don't need, of focusing more on the things that matter. My goal is to re-evaluate my 'to do' list and make a 'to be' list that focuses more on the stuff that makes life matter. We certainly were not without its stresses and bad days in DC, but we lived simply. We lived life in the moment. We forged friendships that will last always.
The next 29 days will probably be far from simple for me but I am re-focused as Thoreau states, to "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler."
When Justin and I graduated from the BYU, we decided to make a move to the East Coast. Being a bit of a homebody, it was the furthest I had ever lived from my family and friends, but we knew it would be an adventure. We lived in the Washington, D.C. area for about 5 years. Justin was attending law school and I was working for Senator Reid on Capitol Hill. We didn't have much money but we somehow we managed to take full advantage of the living history around us.
We had a wonderfully spontaneous group of friends who were all in similar situations--no family living close by, no money, no kids, etc. Many weekends, we would pick a spot on the map and just go. We took countless road trips to West Virginia, New York City, Amish Country, and the North Carolina beaches.
I was reminded this weekend of one of those trips as L. Tom Perry, an apostle in the LDS Church, gave a thoughtful sermon this weekend about living simply. He talked about a place that I have a wistful fondness for--Walden Pond. It was about 7 years ago that we were on our way to Cape Cod for Thanksgiving and we stopped in Concord, Massachusetts. We stood on the bridge where the "shot heard 'round the world" was fired, took in some other revolutionary war sites and then went to a place where time stood still. When you see Walden Pond, you understand immediately why Thoreau retreated to such a place. As Elder Perry explained, Thoreau came to the conclusion that you really only need 4 things to survive--food, shelter, clothing, and fuel.
We all can do better at stripping away the things we don't need, of focusing more on the things that matter. My goal is to re-evaluate my 'to do' list and make a 'to be' list that focuses more on the stuff that makes life matter. We certainly were not without its stresses and bad days in DC, but we lived simply. We lived life in the moment. We forged friendships that will last always.
The next 29 days will probably be far from simple for me but I am re-focused as Thoreau states, to "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler."
Monday, October 6, 2008
My First Tag
So my former YW advisor (I am sure that announcement makes both of us feel old!) and great family friend, Jan, tagged me. It happens to be my first tag and I will not disappoint. Here goes:
8 TV Shows I Like to watch:
Anything on Bravo TV--Top Chef, Top Design, Project Runway, Rachel Zoe Project, etc.
Desperate Housewives
Amazing Race (Bryce and I want to apply)
Rachel Maddow on MSNBC
The Office
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
The Colbert Report
Those addictive HGTV makeover shows!
8 Restaurants I like to eat at:
Sushi Fever
Archi's Thai
Origin India
Cafe Rio
Sensi
Nora's
Verandah Cafe
The Egg and I (I am a sucker for Breakfast anytime)
8 Things I Did Today:
Unpack from a lovely weekend trip to Newport Beach
Wish my wonderful, smart, talented Mom Happy Birthday!
Work,work, work--only 30 days until the 08 election is over with!
Attend a fundraiser for Dina Titus
Read Fancy Nancy's Fancy Words to Gabby
Blog read, blog talk, blog stalk
Put out some Halloween decorations, including a fun new tablecloth
Write some thank you notes
8 Things I am looking forward to:
Sleep
Justin coming home from L.A. tomorrow
Yoga class Tuesday night at my house (8pm for those of you who want to join us)
Our Young Women's Mother/Daughter activity on Wednesday
November 5th, 2008
Girl's trip to Chicago in November
Our trip to Cancun in December
January 20th, 2009
8 Things on my wish list:
Lose some of the junk in my trunk
Become certified to teach yoga
Join the Peace Corp and live in Africa
Buy this for my bedroom
Buy a beach house
A little baby brother or sister for Gabby
A little daughter or son for Justin
A little son or daughter for me
8 People to tag:
I don't know 8 people that read my blog :), so...
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