When the music hits ya...

I was cleaning out a catch-all closet and found some old pics of me in my single days. When I first moved to Utah one of the things I did was throw myself into as many YSA (young single adult) activities as I could fit into my schedule. It was so fun.

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Well, one of my many adventures was being a part of our YSA stake musical, "Fiddler on the Roof". Oh my goodness was it a blast!!

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It made me miss the "old" days. I have since done "Fiddler on the Roof" again back in 2004. right before we got Aiden. It was so fun. That production was done at the Cultural Celebration Center, in their outdoor amphitheater. I tell you I would do it again in a heart beat.

What 's your favorite musical? Leave me a comment.

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I hope you like some of my favorite musical songs.

May God bless & protect President Obama, his family, and the beautiful United States of America

It's a new day. A dream realized and many more dreams to come. I have always been proud to be an American, but something about today really, really strikes a deep cord in my soul.

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So many backs beaten and bloody. Doors have been slammed. Educational rights locked away all for one reason and one reason only... Ignorance.

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Now we stand up head high, backs straighten. Doors taken off the hinges. Educational right a little more balance all for for one reason and one reason only... Light.

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We move from ignorance to light. Day by day we will be better. We will do better. We have a responsibility to do right.

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This is my America. My country. My home. I am proud.

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I support Barack Obama and I vow to be a better American in humanity and helping this great man accomplish the awesome task that is set before him in any way that I can.

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It touched my heart when my little son watched the ceremony with me. I stepped away to get my camera. I wanted to capture the moment, but what I got was so much more then just a moment. My little son had sat down on the floor in front of the TV and didn't notice that I was not back and I saw him touch the screen and heard him say, "Barack Obama, he's a nice man."

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Aiden just waved his flag in fierce celebration and I would like to think PRIDE.

...it's moments like these.

Today, I spent the early afternoon running around taking pictures of the boys. I must say they turned out awesome and I really had a great time seeing them in a different way. Here are the shots. I hope you like them. Leave me a comment and let me know. Click on the photo to get a better look.

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Dear Jane...what was i think?!?!?!

Thursday I spent the day with my best friend out in Stockton, UT. We had a great time just chattin' away. I hardly ever get to see her now. So while we jabbered away she told me she was attending a quilt class, group, bee or something like that...anyway they are taking on the overwhelming task of making a Dear Jane Quilt.

I had never heard of such a quilt and I quilt... a lot! Back to the story... I thought that would be fun if we both did our own and when were done take a look at how the both came out. OOOHHHH MMMMYYYY GOOOODDDDNESSSSSS!!!!!!!

This dang quilt is over 250 blocks!!!!! Not single blocks, but different blocks like the ones here. What was I thinking!?!? These are two I did today which took me at least 2 hours to complete EACH!!

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I'm not sure if I will make it. I am already behind as this quilt is going to take me THE WHOLE YEAR to do. What was I thinking?!?

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This just proves that I really love my friends and going through something like this is just crazy...but I'm going to do it because I love her.

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Maybe I'm suppose to learn patience and to see things through especially when I say I am going to do it.

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I don't know. I guess all I can say is 2 down, 250 something to go.

The Journey

I was reading dear friends blog and came across this statement:

"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not.

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I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do.

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Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

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"Brothers and sisters, my sincere prayer is that we may adapt to the changes in our lives, that we may realize what is most important, that we may express our gratitude always and thus find joy in the journey"

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President Thomas S. Monson

If we have not figured it out yet we are so blessed for the time we do have. The journey is not easy. I honestly do not believe that it was ever meant to be easy, but the joy has always been there and we have to see with different eyes to be able to obtain it.

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I look at what our son is going through. I feel the anxiety every day with different activities he participates in and worry...what if he blanks out and I am not there? Or, how will others treat him if he does and they do not understand what is going on? Will he have the stigma of not being seen as normal? Will people exclude him? Worst yet, will we exclude him from what he wants to do?

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This journey is not easy. But when all of those questions flood me, our beautiful son comes to me and says, "I know Ma, I'll be alright." He smiles and off he goes. He is our joy. He will keep us grounded. My, what an amazing young man.

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So, on this journey we will see the joy in it now, and lavish in it.

Armstrong-Shelley Dinner Party

Dave and I have decided to get to know the rest of the family a bit better. We are going to have one of Dave's siblings over for dinner once a month.

This month we asked Michelle and Josh to come and what a great time it was. Dinner, games & of course dancing in the kitchen, talk and dessert. After all it was our house shouldn't expect anything less :-).

You can see the slides on the left.

It was so nice to get to know them a bit better and to share our home with them. And we hope to do it again.

This whole experience has taught me that family is so important and that closeness is very much the thing to have. By knowing our family...we learn how we can love them, take care of them and just be friends.

Michelle, Josh, Abby, Mikayl & baby, thank you so much for a great time. We hope you know that we love you and are so glad that you are a part of our lives.

Happy New Year

This is going to be an adventurous year. I for one am excited about the unknown. Changes good or bad. I look forward to it. I view it all as a learning experience. After all, we can't turn back time. We just have to keeping moving forward with the hand we have been dealt. It can be scary.

A new year has given me the chance to reflect on the past year. I have been blessed. Last year was so very colorful for me and our little family. The most important thing I learned from last year was that life is fragile.

Death is a hard thing...but after last year, I see that having a young loved one deal with an illness that is not very well understood, is harder to some degree. I have learned that I am only as strong as I want to be, both physically, mentally and spiritually. My role as mother and wife is far more significant than anything I can do in someone's office. I truly love my family. I have one of the best.

I am hoping that this new year will allow me and mine to use the time we have been given to uplift one another. I see our contributions to the family as gold nuggets and value them as such.

Again, I am looking forward to what this year is to bring. I am not naive to think that there will not be challenges along the way, but I welcome them. What choice do I have? I just hope I have done the things to help our family to get through them.

How about you? What are your hopes for the new year?