Weekend Fun

Last weekend I had a blast hanging out with some friends for Megans Birthday. We went to Magelbey's in Provo. I had never been there for dinner. It was so yummy! It is nice to spend time with the girls. I look forward to it every chance I can get. Megs, I hope you had a great 22nd birthday. Love ya girl! I wanted to post this blog and wish everyone a great weekend!

A shout out to Lean Cuisine!

OK..So I have an addiction. It is kinda a weird addiction but I would like to pay tribute to the company that makes Lean Cuisines. I eat these on a daily basis and I know my day would not be complete without the mouth watering taste of chicken in peanut sauce (my personal fav), salmon and basil, sesame chicken and the amazing mini pizza's. Many more options I can't name them all in one blog! Not only are they simply incredible but they save your butt! I need to be the Lean Cuisine spokes person. I could never get sick of how good these taste. If you are looking for a fantastic meal that wont cost ya the elephant thighs and junk in the trunk or whatever ;) Go by a freezer full of these and enjoy the good tasting meals of Lean Cuisines! Thats all for now folks..until next time! Stay Lean with Cuisines! :)

Called to Write

My New Nephew Born 1/17/08 NICU

Savannah catching her first Fish

Ethan enjoying his fishing day


I wanted to just sit down and write tonight. I am in the mood. I like to write, in fact it is what helps me to relax. I actually decided that I am going to start using my blog as a time to write. I hope that I can touch at least one person. Tonight I feel like relaxing because it has been a very long week. I want to elaborate for a moment on everything that has been stirring inside my active mind lately. Do you ever feel like your life is the same every single day and it never changes? Do you feel like you repeat day after day the same motions, errands and tasks? Do you may feel as though you are completely stale or that your life is just meaningless? Some of us feel as though you are stuck in a deep dark tunnel with a never ending escape. The weather is not making us feel any better, especially if you live in Utah. We all wish that we could have the sun to bask in tomorrow. We all wish for that sandy white beach and the sun beating down on our cheeks and shoulders. In my life lately I have been feeling the exact opposite..as weird as that may sound. I decided to try something differen't this winter. Usually the winter time for me is gloomy and I feel as though I get a bit of seasonal depression. I am usually searching for that sunny day and it never comes. I feel lethargic and my day seems to drag on until I climb into bed at night. I don't look forward to the next day.



Something changed in my life recently. Every single day I have found the sun. I have not had to search for it. The rays have just landed in my lap. The sun that I am talking about is not the sun that you feel from laying on a beach in Hawaii. The sun I am talking about feels almost the exact same but it does not come with the beach towell and sun tan. The sun I feel has the effects of a changed countenance, a content joy and a realization of the great mystery of life. The sun not only hits your skin but it feels up your entire being from within. The sun I feel is just as addicting as the UV rays we get from the beach. This sun is not only healthy for your demeaner but also for your heart. The sun I have been receiving does not give you cancer. This sun from what I feel protects you from allowing cancer to invade your life.



Now I don't want to come off too philosophical..I just want to tell you of what I have experienced recently. I decided to listen. Listening every single day to what I need to know. We all are in too much of a hurry to listen. If you listen closely... your day will turn into a sunny day. The rays are endless. We all give so much of ourselves to others around us and sometimes we neglect what we need. Running dinner to our neighbors, making sure our kids are happy. Loving our friends and feeling up all our eggs into their baskets. Pleasing our spouses and making sure that we don't let them down. Competing with the Jones. Worrying about what will happen tomorrow as if it has already happened. Regreting what we did the day prior after it has already occurred. If you are reading my blog today, I hope that maybe you can smile. If you listen to your day something will be given to you. The simple daily amazing occurances is our daily lives. It has become a gift in my life. We all need something given back. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be given something back. When you wake up in the morning notice the small and simple things that make you feel bright. Notice that you have a bed to wake up in the morning and embrace the silence before you begin your day. Give yourself a chance to have a good day before you already decide that it will not be a good one. Smile at your neighbor in the store. A simple smile alone will change how you feel. You just need to listen. Notice when something makes you laugh. In my day I get to see people struggle to get stronger through living an active healthy lifestyle. It is the best sun I receive. Watching someone conquer an hour long brutal spin class I teach. Watching someone run their first 3 miles on a treadmill. Recently experiencing the new movie Juno..holy cow that was hillarious. I have never laughed so hard! Getting asked out on a date by someone I am really digging right now in my life. Also, when my nieces tell me they love me. Before I didn't listen, well I heard what they said and thought it was cute but I didn't truly listen. I listen now when they tell me they love me...I allow in that simple moment for the sun to come out. Their words seriously warm my soul. My neices and nephews are my little rays of sunshine. Another ray of sun, when my nephew was born a few days ago. A huge ray of sun in my life! Another ray of sun, when Stephen walks into the club and tells me about the many fish he caught when he went Ice fishing. He LOVES to fish! He is a simple stranger with his own story which makes me smile. Those are some of my own simple daily life rays of sunlight. Take a moment and take two steps back from your busy day and listen to someone elses story. Your own story will then become more evident and exciting!
You may feel that there are not many rays to embrace in your life. Allow Something about tomorrow to be differen't. In a normal day the sun will always rise, sometimes the clouds will cover and you can't see the sun. Let your sun rise and allow for no clouds. I promise you will attract at least one ray. I try to embrace my life every day like I were to attract and embrace the sun with baby oil and sunglasses on a hot summer day. Attract your own sun by putting on a positive outlook. If you think about it, it is simple. Now, I'm not always "Positive Polly" I do have the shits of a day, everyone does..but if you listen, even on a shit of a day you will still have at least one reason to smile. Step back and watch others, usually that alone will inspire you or make you laugh.

Sun can come in many differen't ways. You just need to listen for it and be ready to inherit it in your life. I promise your day will be better. I am so excited to see what happens to me tomorrow. Its the beginning of a new page in a chapter. I take each day now as another oppertunity to listen. It is so exciting for me to know that tomorrow is a mystery. I have no idea what is going to happen in my life. I have the same routine planned....but this Monday, something will be differn't than last Monday. Maybe tomorrow I will meet the person I am supposed to have as my permanent buddy for the rest of my life because last Monday It did not happen. That is the beauty of a new day. Tommorrow at least one ray will hit your shoulder. Just take a moment to listen to your day. Stop expecting good things to happen and attract them, you will notice your day will be alot brighter and full of endless sunlight.

Now that is my two sense for the week. Smile!!! Even if you don't want to, I promise it will make you feel better. Lay on your own self made beach and start enjoying the sun! :)

Grandma Daw loves her Layers!!

Ok so I had to blog on my experience of visiting my Grandma Daw at her new condo in the Altziemers home. I was kinda feeling nervous and un easy about going over there for the first time to pay her a visit. I was not sure what to expect. I was not sure how I would feel about seeing my Grandma in this living situation. Amelia called me up and told me to meet her over there after work tonight. I decided I would go because after all I did make a new years resolution to never take my Grandma for granted. I am going to pay as many visits as I can to her this year. When I walked into this home I was expecting to be bathed in that old folks smell that I remember when I was little visiting the Draper rest home. Elderly with slobber all over their faces accompanied by the dark atmosphere and old stinky furniture. I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet smell of lit candles and pumpkin spice. The dining room was beautiful and the place was very clean. I was immediatly impressed and felt more at ease. I was welcomed by a elderly old man who I assumed was a patient. I knew just by the look he had on his face. Confusion! He was sitting on a couch half asleep as his eyes dropped in exhaustion. I decided that I was going to make a difference in this old mans life even if he wouldn't remember me after five minutes. I could tell he needed some kind of boost. I smiled and he smiled back at me immediatly. I swear there was a twinkle in his eye and he was grateful. I than walked into the other wing and was welcomed by another patient. Her name was Bonnie. Amelia told me that she was really funny, I asked this cute old crazy woman her name. First of all she was holding some kinda baby and I was immediatly worried. Her first words to me, "YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE NICE, I AM SICK OF THESE PEOPLE TAKING MY JAW AND HOLDING IT. THEY THREW IT AND I LANDED BY THE WALL. I AM GETTING REALLY ANGRY!" I was like.."Uh, well Hi Bonnie..we haven't had a chance to meet.. but Hi" I started laughing because it was very funny and I knew that immediatly she was not taking this in a positive way. I was kinda scared so I told Amelia to hurry and find our Grandmas room. I had to get outta there, I swear Bonnie was about to chase me downt the hall. The doll she was toting around looked like a doll you would see in a horror movie. The hair pulled out of the head with only a few strands remaining. Also freaky eyes with those ugly long fake doll lashes. Bonnie was rocking it and singing to it and I was not about to be chased by her and especially with that doll in her arms. It was literally worse than a Chucky doll. My Grandma's suite was number 150. I knocked and walked in and immediatly smiled. My sweet Grandma was wearing the funniest outfit I have ever seen. A red straw hat that she stole from another patient. Pink pajama bottoms with a black and white church skirt layered over the top. My Grandma is totally into the layering look. Everytime I see her she has added like 5 extra layers from the time before. She was wearing like six shirts, two of them sweaters and to top it all off a dress coat she stole from probably Bonnie. I asked her if she was hot..but she wasn't. I have no idea how she was not sweating! Her room is definetly the party room. All of her new friends mingle in her room. Cliff (her new boyfriend), Bonnie, Cleo..ect.

Our family has made sure that her condo is almost exactly like the home she left in Murray. Pictures hung neatly on the wall, furniture and other gadgets that will remind her of the life she used to remember before now. Also, pictures of my Grandpa. The best man in the world. He passed away a month ago today.

Every once in a while throughout my time spent there tonight another surprise patient would drop by and visit. The trend of carrying freaky dolls continued, my Grandma having one as well. Although, it was not as scary as Bonnies. I also noticed most of them wore Crocs. They all had there names written in magic marker so they could tell them all apart. I think there must be a stealing problem. The nurses need to mark them so they can be returned if another patient is found wearing someone elses Crocs. I think I am going to go purchase my Grandma some tomorrow so she is not left out of this trend. I can't wait to write Bev Daw on her new Crocs. She will have the best ones.

When I was helping my Grandma get ready for bed before I left, she wanted to show me a purse she had in her closet. I asked her what was in the purse. She said, "Alot of things!" I told her to open it and show me what was inside. Well to my surprise stuffed in a wad was a blue sweater from her closet. I guess you never know when you may need a blue sweater from your purse. Atleast that is what my Grandma must think. :)

I realized as I spent time with her tonight that these are the moments I know that my Grandma will be thankful for after she passes away. She will realize how much our family loved her and took care of her while she had to struggle with this disease. My Grandma wont know me as her Grand daughter for the rest of her life here on earth but I want her to at least see a familiar face every single day. One day she will look down on me and remember the time I spent hanging out with her and her crazy friends. I want my Grandpa to be proud of me as he looks down and watches over his wife. I am gaining so much humility from her experience.

I do have to add that I did get her nose. I reminded her again tonight that I had her nose...which is why I am getting a nose job in April. :)

I will continue to blog about the many wonderful experiences I share with her as I visit her on a weekly basis. I am so lucky to have her in my life. In the meantime....don't take for granted the health that you do have, you never know when you wont have it anymore. You never know when one day you will carry a doll around that looks like your worst nightmare and call it your child.

I am Green

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Green

You're green, the color of growth and vigor. Good-hearted and giving, you have a knack for finding and bringing out the best in people. Green is the most down-to-earth color in the spectrum — reliable and trustworthy. People know they can count on you to be around in times of need, since your concern for people is genuine and sincere. You take pride in being a good friend. For you, success is measured in terms of personal achievement and growth, not by status or position. Rare as emeralds, greens are wonderful, natural people. It truly is your color!

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Best Friends

I decided that I was going to honor a few of my best friends. Lately I haven't really had anything good to blog about and its time for a new one. I decided that I have been blessed with absolutly the best friends in the world. I have had to rely on them so much the last year and I literally don't know what I would do without each one of these special people in my life. I have this friend, in fact I would call her not only my friend but my best friend, sister, child, companion in life! HA! Its literally true. This friend is there for me no matter the circumstances. Her name is Megan Burger. She is the most amazing person and I am so grateful for the fact that I get to call her friend. Megan is the only one that can make me in a better mood if I am in a rotton mood. THE ONLY PERSON. She has a talent for recognizing when I am in the shitters and I need to be uplifted. She also makes me laugh like nobody else can. My favorite things about Megs: she is literally terrified of the dark, I hope she doesn't mind that I am writing about it. I think it is what makes Megan so cool. She literally looks under her bed and in her closet at night before she goes to bed, to make sure their is no boogity man around. The long talks we have before we fall asleep when I do sleep over because she is all alone and could not, would not sleep alone if you asked her to in a empty house. The way Megs pops her back standing up, I have no idea what she does but the way she looks when she does this makes me laugh so hard. Her cheerful attitude about life. Her personality is contagious. I love it that Megan and I are exactly the same in dating..very picky! We both want what we can't have..literally! How she supports me by coming to my fitness classes and showing me that she is my friend. The best memory when she came to support me when I did Lotoja for the first time in 2006. Another friend backed out at the last minute and she was there to support me with food and water for 12 hours out on the road. She had the flu and still was there for me. Now that is what I call a friend. I love you Megs. Friends forever. I am so blessed to have her in my life daily. This picture is of me and Megs after I had just gotton off of my bike. I was crying with tears of happiness because the people I love the most in life where waiting for me at the finish line after a 206 mile bike race in one day from Logan to Jackson Hole Teton Village.