Thursday Thought

The other night Andy started singing Hanson's MMMBop and I started dancing-- this wasn't normal dancing, this was stupid dancing and it was A LOT of FUN! Before too long we pulled out the video camera and recorded his singing and my dancing. When we watched the video we both just busted up laughing. It was one of the most ridiculous videos we have ever seen, let alone made.

After watching the video several times and laughing to the point that it hurt I started thinking, "I wonder what other people would think if they saw this video." Then the following thought came to my mind, "Be yourself, nobody is as good at it as you are."

It seems as though we are constantly told who we should be and what we should be doing in order to fit in and be accepted. For women, "You have to be a size 2, tan, have long blonde hair, wear lots of makeup, be in shape, drive a nice car, be super fit, like a particular genre of music" and the list goes on. When did it become society's job to tell us whether or not we measure up? Whether or not we fit in? Or whether or not we are worth something?



Everyone is different and everyone is special. In fact, it is our differences that make us unique. The world would be a pretty boring and dull place if we were all the same. You weren't meant to fit in, you were meant to stand out. Let your true colors shine and be happy and content with who you are! You don't need someone else to tell you, you're good enough. You are more than enough!

4th of July

I really love the fourth of July! Seeing the colors red, white, and blue make me feel all patriotic inside and cause me to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy here in America. I feel truly blessed to live in this beautiful land!

This year for the 4th of July we did something different, we went and picked raspberries. Who picks raspberries on the 4th of July right? We do. The berries have been coming on super early this year and we didn't want to miss out, so we went and picked berries first thing in the morning.

Then we headed over to our friends house to eat yummy food (jalapeno poppers, deviled eggs, watermelon, smoked salmon, ribs, and salad), play games, and light off fireworks. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable day.

Happy Birthday America!

The Five Love Languages

You may have figured out by now that I love setting and achieving goals. I don't usually share what my goals are on the blog until I have accomplished them, but I want to share this one with you.

I love to read! Like I really really love to read! I spend all of my breaks at work reading, I guess you could say I'm addicted to reading. I learn so much when I read that I can't help but want to read more. This past fall as I was looking though my bookcase, I realized I had read almost every book on the shelves-- kind of ridiculous I know. And no, I  don't keep every book I have ever read if that were the case I would need my own personal library.

Anyways, as I was looking though my book case I noticed that the majority of the books I hadn't read were the books on relationships that people gave us when we first got married. Andy and I have a great relationship and neither of us have really felt the need to read any of said relationship books.

After staring at these relationship books for several minutes I thought to myself, "Why not read them? Why not read all of them? That would be a great goal!" As you may have guessed "Read all of the relationship books we own" made its way onto my list of goals.

I recently finished reading my first relationship book, The Five Love Languages  by Gary Chapman. I know reading a book on relationships may sound like drudgery, but this book was AMAZING! I learned sooo much!

Even if you have a great relationship with your spouse, there are little things you can do to make your relationship even better. I learned a lot about myself as I read this book. This book is a must read!

Thursday Thought

Andy has a quote hanging on the wall by his desk that we both love. It reads:

 "...work very hard. If you want anything in life, you have to work hard to get it. That's really it. It's hard to find people who want it so badly that it's all they think about. There's a price you have to pay, and it's putting in a lot of hours. That's the number one thing that I tell people: work, work, work, work, work."
-Michael Cina

The average person doesn't wake up and go run a marathon on a whim, they train to get there. The same is true with anything else in life that is worthwhile. A degree, a relationship, a century bike ride, making lots of money, mountain climbing, etc. What do you want in life? Are you willing to put in the effort to get it?

Carpe Diem!

The End Of A Journey: Harry Potter

When I was in middle school Harry Potter was thing and everyone was obsessed with all things Harry Potter. Like most children my age, I too liked Harry Potter and began reading books. I made it to about page 75 of book four, set the book down and never picked it back up. Same on me, I know.

Towards the end of 2014, I started thinking about Harry Potter and decided that I wanted to read all of the books. I received the books for Christmas and added "Read Harry Potter" to my list of goals for the year.

Today I accomplished my goal, I read all seven of the Harry Potter books. I can't believe the journey has come to an end. I have seen all the movies and I thought they were good, but the books are so much better! If you have never read the books, you should. They are so good, they add so much clarity to the movies and give a lot of background information.

Thursday Thought

I have been reading the book Stand A Little Taller  by Gordon B. Hinckley. One of the things he said in his book really stood out to me and it hasn't left my mind for quite some time.

He said, "Criticism is the forerunner of divorce, the cultivator of rebellion, a catalyst that leads to failure. I am asking that we turn from the negative that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom we associate, that we speak of one another's virtures more than we speak of one another's faults, that optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears. When I was a young man and was prone to speak critically, my father would say: 'Cynics do no contribute, skeptics do not create, doubter do not achieve.'"

There is a lot of negativity in the world and sadly you don't have to look very far to find it. All you have to do it turn on the news, look at the tabloids in the grocery store, or sometimes simply listen to the people around you. It seems to me that criticism is becoming more and more acceptable these days especially on the internet. People have become bullies, they feel they can say whatever they want online because they are faceless.

The words you speak matter. Whether or not you know it,  your words affect other people. What kind of words do you speak? Are they kind? Positive? Do they lift others? What kind of attitude do you have? Do you need to change it?

I'd like to leave you with this adage, "Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?"

Thursday Thought

I ran track for six years. Something my coaches frequently stressed to our team was the importance of running hard through the finish line before decelerating. They told us a lot of races were lost because runners would start to slow down before crossing the finish line.

Runner Steve Prefontaine said, "To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift."

I love this quote and I think about this it all the time! We have the opportunity in life to do anything we set our minds to. Maybe that means going to the gym and working out. Or cleaning the house. Or running a marathon. When you workout don't just go and workout, push yourself, you will get more out of your workout and leave with a sense of accomplishment. If your cleaning your house, really clean it. If your running a marathon push though the physical and mental roadblocks and cross that finish line. What ever you do, give it your best! Your best may not be enough for everyone, but knowing you gave something your all is something to be proud of!


Don't sell yourself short. You can do it! Cross that finish line!