30 day challenge

I have a few friends that want to do this challenge too so I decided to post a list of the challenges so they can go ahead and don't have to wait for me to get around to doing my posts. Like I said previously, I had a couple of friends do this, and each of their challenges was a little different so I've combined them here. One challenge was mainly pictures the other was more of a get to know you type thing, so here is the list that I will be following. Can't wait to see what everyone has to say.


Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.

Day 02- A picture of something you cannot live without and a picture of who you've been the closest to longest

Day 03- A habit that you wish you did not have and a picture of the cast from your favorite TV show

Day 04- List 15 songs that represent your life’s soundtrack and a picture of something you'd like to do again

Day 05- A picture of somewhere you have been to and A picture of something you love

Day 06- A hobby you have and A picture that makes you laugh

Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you.

Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why and a picture of your knight

Day 09- Something/someone you’re proud of and a picture of the person who's gotten you through the most.

Day 10- A story about a past relationship and a picture of your most treasured item

Day 11- A picture of something you dislike and A picture of your room & don’t cheat by cleaning it.

Day 12 - Share a secret and a picture of your favorite memory

Day 13- Write a letter telling someone something you could never tell them and a picture of your favorite band/artist

Day 14- A picture of something you hate and 10 confessions.

Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle & share the first 10 songs that play and a picture of someone that inspires you

Day 16- Something you could live without and a picture of something that has had a HUGE impact on your life lately

Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why and a picture of your biggest insecurity

Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have and a picture of yourself when you were little

Day 19- Nicknames you have & how or why you have them and a picture of somewhere you'd like to travel

Day 20- If you had 3 wishes, what would they be and a picture of something you wish you could forget

Day 21- Share a picture from your day and a picture of something you wish you were better at

Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else and a picture of your favorite book

Day 23- What is something you crave and a picture of something you wish you could change

Day 24- Share a story about your past that you are ashamed of.

Day 25- What I would find in your bag and a picture of your favorite day

Day 26- Places you want to visit before you die and a picture of something that means a lot to you.

Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge? and a picture of yourself and a family member

Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then? and a picture of something you're afraid of

Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned and a picture that can always make you smile

Day 30- A picture of you today and 20 goals you want to accomplish and a picture of someone you miss

30 post Challenge Post 2

This post has 2 parts.

Part 1 - A picture of something you cannot live without.

While my friends put pictures of their families here, I'm going to take this literally and show you a picture of a THING that I can't live without. It took me a while to really think about it. So, I know that I would survive if I didn't have this item, but right my "cannot live without" item would have to be my phone.


I have this phone. It's a blackberry flip phone (I have the purple one). It's my phone, calendar, grocery list, email, etc. I probably check email/facebook/blogs on it way too much but I'm working on cutting that down. The reason I can't live without it is that it's my only line of communication to my hubby and in his line of work I need to be able to have that instant line of communication. It's also nice to be able to put my grocery list on here and all of our appointments on the calendar.

Part 2 - A picture of who you've been the closest to longest

This is my friend Katrina (and her handsome hubby), we've been friends since preschool. We stayed friends all through out school, I was a bridesmaid at her wedding, and she came to mine. We played volleyball together, worked as lifeguards/swim instructors together, and went on group dates to school dances. I try to see her every time I go to Utah and we're able to talk like we saw each other just yesterday. I remember running to her house after school in Elem. when Desert Storm first started and watching the lists of all the units being called up scroll across the TV so we could see if her Dad had to go. We've been through thick and thin together. I probably should be better at keeping in touch with her while, but she understands as do I.

30 Post Challege Post 1

A few of my friends have done a 30 day challenge on their blog, posting something different each day for a month. These posts are meant to help your readers get to know you better. I'm not going to lie, I'm not going to post everyday, so I'm just going to do the 30 posts as I can. So here goes with the first one. . .


Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.

1. I love to cook/bake but don't do it very often because it's usually only me and the kiddos at home to eat it.

2. When I was younger I was so shy that I would get nervous talking to my own grandparents (who were my neighbors, so it's not like I hardly saw them).

3. I got my B.S. in Biology from BYU-Hawaii

4. I got a M. S. in Human Genetics and a M.S. in Neuroscience from Tulane University

5. I LOVE to read, but don't do it very often because once I start a good book I have a hard time putting it down and EVERYTHING else tends to get neglected.

6. I enjoy designing furniture and have designed 2 pieces that I currently have in my house (a console table that my FIL built for me and the built-ins Erik built for our playroom) and am in the process of coming up with a design for a new coffee table.

7. I find sharks fascinating and would love to be able to go in a shark cage (where I'm in the cage and the sharks are outside)

8. Summer is my favorite season (even here in Houston) I love the heat, and all the fun summer brings (the sand, sun, and surf).

9. I hate driving and let others drive whenever I can.

10. Emptying the dishwasher and mopping the kitchen floor are my least favorite chores.

11. I actually enjoy doing laundry.

12. I enjoy throwing dinner parties and wish that I could do it more often - I think I enjoy it so much because not only does it give me the opportunity to cook, but it gives me a chance to interact with people in an environment that I'm comfortable in.

13. It was very hard for me to leave the workforce and become a SAHM and once the kiddos are all in school full time I plan on going back to school to get my Ph.D

14. I lived in Hawaii for 3.5 yrs but have never surfed (just wasn't interested)

15. I love peant butter and can (and frequently do) eat it straight out of the jar.

Random Thoughts

It amazes me how often we (myself included) say something without thinking of how it may affect those around us. I'm sure that I've said things on this blog or in person that may have hurt or offended someone and for that I am sorry. Unfortunately (for me) this was all brought to my attention due to multiple comments that were made that deeply hurt. Most of the comments were not made to criticize or hurt, but yet they did. I know that I'm not the only one this has happened to. I've had a couple of dear friends express their hurt in posts on facebook, and all I can say is I feel your pain. We never know what someone else is going through so we should not judge, nor should we talk bad about people in front of others.

When I first found out I was pregnant with twins I went through a whole spectrum of emotions and eventually got a priesthood blessing from Erik. In this blessing I was told that this would be one of the hardest things I would ever do. At that time I thought it meant the pregnancy, but now I realize it meant the pregnancy, birth and taking care of my boys. The past year has been filled with tears and prayers as I have gone through what seems like trial after trial. It has brought me to a point where I haven't wanted to go on anymore, it has caused stress and tension in our little family. It has also brought joy, love and a need to lean on each other like never before. It's true past month has been pure joy as the boys are finally out of the colicky stage (thanks to figuring out their tummy issues) and are starting to sleep a little longer at night, but to be told "This is easy" hurt my very soul, it made me question myself as a mother as I remember all the sleepless nights with screaming babies because I didn't know what else to do. It made me want to give my boys regular formula to make them colicky again and then have this person watch them out of vengeance (but I wouldn't do that to my babies). It hurt that the past year of my life was compared to this short interaction and that all the "behind the scenes" stuff was brushed aside as it if were nothing. Granted, I wear my heart on my sleeve and my feelings are hurt very easily. But, to be honest, the only thing that keeps me going most the time is my LOVE for my little family and my knowledge that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me and are always there for me. It took me a long time to gain this knowledge, but ever since I got that confirmation, I can't deny it. Sadly, there have been times that this knowledge is the only thing that has kept me active in the church. I can't count the number of times, I've had my feelings hurt, or felt left out at church or by people from church, it's never intentional, but it hurts just the same (and these days I sometimes wonder why I even go because I spend 1/2 of church in the mother's lounge). Don't get me wrong, I don't have bad feelings towards these people or hold any grudges, I don't even remember the specifics about most of the incidences, just that they happened, and I don't want to forget that this happened, not so I can have a pity party, but so I can remember the hurt and strive harder to do better so that I'm not the cause of that hurt for someone else. If I have been the cause of hurt or heartache to you in the past I'm sorry, I never meant it and I would hate to think that I've made someone feel like I'm feeling right now. This life is tough enough we don't need to put each other down, so lets all try a little harder to speak positively about each other and try to lift each other up.

Random April

Here are a few random pictures from April.

The boys holding their own bottles (C is the one on the left, W on the right). The boys taking a Sunday afternoon nap (W is on the left, C on the right)

J enjoying her pool.

The boys enjoying their first "swim" (C in the blue and W in the green)