Our Blog

What Makes You Happy?

2008-10-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

Another tag--- I really like this one. My good friend, Tera, tagged me awhile ago (sheesh, has it been almost two months? How did that happen?). I've been intending to do it for a time, but I really wanted to think about it first. That and the aforementioned lack of quality computer time. I figure it's about time to make it a priority to add my current contribution to blogland. :) Anyways--- on to the good stuff! Happiness tag!

If you get tagged, you have to list 10 things that make you happy. What are the things that tickle your fancy, make you smile or still give you that butterfly sensation? What things do you seek out and truly enjoy? The only rule is that you can't say your kids or your spouse...it's too easy.

1. My testimony of Jesus Christ and His Church bring me my greatest happiness, that abiding peace. Knowing who I am, a daughter of Heavenly Parents, the divinity of motherhood, and my Savior's love for me and each person carries me through the storms and trials of life.

2. A well-written children's picture storybook. I love children's books. The simple pictures and story bring me back to the innocence and joy of childhood. Phoebe and Chub is my absolute favorite. We bought it at the grand canyon when we went there 3 years ago. The pictures are gorgeous and engaging and the story is charming and pure . It tickles the fanciest of my fancies.

3. Fresh flowers-- especially daffodils. I would love a colorful, thriving flower garden someday. I think flowers make almost everybody happy.

4. Empty garbage can (and diaper pail). Obviously it's nice to throw away something and not have to worry about it toppling to the floor or getting a mess on the wall. But, at our house, my wonderful husband pretty much exclusively shoulders the responsibility of taking out the garbage (one nasty chore). An empty garbage can also signifies his diligence, respect, and love for me. Dropping a diaper into a freshly changed garbage bag seriously makes me fall in love all over again.

5. People with disabilities. Working and playing with people with disabilities, particularly mild/moderate developmental disabilities, truly gives me that joyful butterfly sensation. I long ago dubbed being with such special people a passion, just based on that feeling. I loved being a counselor at Camp K and treasured my time as a special needs seminary teacher. Since having kids, the boys have become my priority, but someday, when once again my time of life allows, I want so much to jump back into that volunteer field, at least a little bit. I just love it.

6. A comment on my blog. Okay, I know this is a shameless hint-- but isn't it true? Seeing that teeny number climb up a little gives a small bit of satisfying validation. And, as a shout-out to faithful commenters, comments are always a sweet bit of upliftment as people share thoughtful tidbits of support or optimism . Knowing how much I love a comment, I've recently made a commitment to de-lurk. Most bloggers know I stopped-by anyways, with all these stat counter things. I've found no one is freaked out that I read about their life, but usually rather pleased. Besides, commenting has become a small, but easy opportunity to "create a smile." Who doesn't appreciate a quick word of encouragement?

7. Ben & Jerry's Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream. Mmmmm... I thought it sounded rather disconcerting, too, but was intrigued so I bought it anyways. It's delicious. It tastes just like fall. Autumn+Ice Cream. Does it get better than that?

8. Crossing off something on my To-Do list. If you know me well enough, you know I'm a list-maker. I've been attempting to refine the art of To-Do-Listing to make it a tool of enhancement rather than discouragement-- visually prioritizing the bazillion things I want to accomplish in my day, week, life. Oh-so gradually, I'm getting better at trumping my idealism with healthy realism and there's nothing like crossing off something I've accomplished, especially if it's been on my list for a long time.

9. Benjamin's Drawings. Okay, so I know I'm not technically suppose to count my kids since they're a given source of happiness, but this is being more specific right? I just get such a kick out of my son's imagination as exemplified in his art. You cannot look at his drawings of happy faces and not grin ear-to-ear. Try it. It can't be done. They're just too cute.

10. I'm at ten already? But there's so much more.... a desert storm with lots of thunder and lightening, a foot massage after a long day, Jonathan's belly laugh, riding my bike or a good swim, tweaking a recipe to "perfection", when something goes unexpectedly smoothly, a casual forest mountain hike, a picnic at a duck pond, finally getting over morning sickness (or any sickness, for that matter), laying on the roof of the car on a starry night, kittens, feeling loved and appreciated, creating something beautiful or cute or creative, our 4-in-one copier/printer, EFY music, an unexpected kindness from a stranger. filling a need--- the list goes on and on...when you think about it, amongst the daily travail, life is truly full of so many joyful things. I needed this reminder. Y'know, it really is a wonderful life.

So, it was actually a great uplift to stop and "count my blessings". Since I'm especially interested in what others have to say (it's so fun to see what makes others happy, too!), I'm going to be more specific in my tagging this time. :)

I tag: Mari, Mollie, Amber, Shanna, Jo, Jenni, Kim H, Sam, Kim N., Amber, Grandma Doris, Erica, Julie, Kayla, Heidi, Amy H., Linda, Jenny, Kjera, Susan, Emily, Kierst, Sarah, Calli, , Amy S., Flo, Shannon, Jodi, Liora, Angie, LeAnne... and you-- everyone is welcomed to join in... I'm curious what tickles your fancy. ;) Take your time (it took me long enough...), and please let me know when/if you make the post--I'm excited to read it! Just imagine how HAPPY it would make one feel to read all these happy blogs! I'm grinning just thinking about it. :)

Happy happy tagging!

Tag-- I'm it once again. :)

2008-10-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

My friend and former BYU roommie (go cougars!) tagged me with this tag some time ago. You can depend on me to fulfill a tag... eventually. Blocked computer time is rare luxary here. Anyways, this one's kind of interesting--- seems to be trying to get me to reveal my dirty housekeeping secrets-- or just help prove none of us if perfect, but rather, especially with little kids, it's just all about survival. ;)

THE RULES: You have to take 10 pictures of the following things and you have to do it right away. No straitening, cleaning or wiping you kids nose (I mean it!). then you tag 6 others.

1. KIDS: It's "quiet time"-- since foregoing his daily nap, Benjamin watches a show of his choice for an hour or so. Here he's watching Thomas the Train. Yes, he just may be picking his nose. Sigh. We're working on that.Quiet time is simultaneous with Jonathan's nap time. I'm afraid I will not take a picture of him sleeping because it will wake him up and thus shatter my much needed (if brief) afternoon break. But, here's a picture of what he would be doing if he were awake.

2. BATHROOM: This is the boys' bathroom, which I suppose is fairly obvious with the duckies. We are actually lucky enough to have a master bath, too, but that's a dirty housekeeping secret I'm not willing to reveal. ;)

3. CLOSET: Oh, happy storage space.

4. FAVORITE SHOES: This is random, but here ya go! These are my "hot momma" shoes (as dubbed by my sweet sister). It's true, my calves look fantastic with them on--- good enough reason for them to be my favorite, eh? Dustin loves them, naturally, but won't let me wear them to church because he thinks they're too sexy. ;)
5. SELF PORTRAIT: Here I am, just previous to posting all this, outside attempting to kill the ants in the backyard for the 13880898001th time today. We've tried a bunch of other strategies (short of forking out moula for the pest guy), but those nasty buggers are resilient. We gotta get rid of them ASAP so our boys can enjoy this amazing weather. Wish us luck.
6. LAUNDRY ROOM: A little insert in the kitchen. We are SO lucky (blessed!) to have a good washer and dryer set right in our home. What would I do without it? It truly makes life so much easier.
7. THE KITCHEN SINK: Complete with breakfast dishes.
8. THE FRIDGE: Did you want to see the inside? Sorry, resident eyes only. ;)
9. FAVORITE ROOM: Our bedroom is my nightly respite from the daily storms of motherhood. :)
10. DREAM VACATION: Another random. :) Ummmmmmmmm.... golly, y'know, if I had more mental energy to be imaginative, I could probaly describe a European tour or African safari adventure or Hawaiian beach trip, but honestly, a week at a super luxurious resort or cushy cruise where everything is taken care of all the time sounds about right for now. I am truly grateful for the wonderful life I lead, but a break is most rejuvinating now and again. :)

I'm done. You're turn! I tag the first 6 bloggers who read this. ;) Leave a comment and let me know that you joined in on the fun. :)

PS: This post will make much more sense with this clarification--- it's actually Monday, October 13 at about 2pm, rather than Sunday night. ;)

Prop 102 (Calif. Prop 8) and other great articles on the subject

2008-10-09T20:26:00.001-07:00

I support the state proposals to define marriage as one man and one woman.

Here is a great article expressing the position of our Church, of which we support whole-heartedly.

These propositions are about preserving God's divine establishment of marriage and the family. It's about preserving the rights of children to be raised by both a mother and a father. It's about preserving the religious right to voice one's own beliefs, which may be in jeopardy. And, perhaps most importantly, it is about preserving the acceptance of traditional family values in our already demoralized society.
For a great article see protectmarriage.com,also www.preservingmarriage.org for more good info.
-Dustin

Who's Gonna Win???

2008-05-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

Update: Well, congrats Mr. David C. This was a great AI season. :)

David Cook vs David Archuleta

So, gotta love American Idol. Man, this is the closest match I think I've ever seen.

How exciting! I'm honestly torn pretty much 50-50. I think DC has the more mature talent (especially with origniality, arranging, unique sound, etc.), but then that DA, what are we going to do with him? That sweet kid can sing somethin' amazing. He seems to be able to attract a more universal crowd, whereas DC's rock appeal may not be quite so pandemic. So, my guess is that it will be a crazy close vote, but DA will win it in the end (and will be totally sweet and absurdly humble about it-- gotta love 'im! ;) ).

Who do you think will win it all?

Progress-- Slowly but Surely

2008-04-24T19:03:00.001-07:00

I've finished a few more digital pagespreads. Slowly, but surely... It's a fun little hobby, though, when I can get some blocked time on the computer! :)

Some Great Stuff

2008-03-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

Random stuff I've recently fallen in love with:

Haagen-Dazs White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Ice Cream... mmmmm... yes, it's as good as it looks. Better, actually. ;)

So, yes, I'm an American Idol fan. And, yes, I'm with the millions that just love David Archuleta. Both Dustin & I got goosebumps from this performance. And he's just a sweetie--- it's great that a nice Mormon kid is the star of American Idol. ;)

Can't talk about love without mentioning my favorite person in the world. :) This week was Dustin's break and he was so helpful and worked so hard to get some major projects done... just makes me fall in love with him all over again. (Ahhhhhhh.. I know, I know... cheesy cheesy... but so true. ;) ).

Projects

2008-02-15T19:02:00.000-08:00

So, it's high-time for a new post on this little blog.... :)

I'm a fan of projects. I have quite the list, but my progress is, well let's just say, very gradual. Currently, I'm working on a digital family picture book (using pics from a couple of photo shoots my sister-in-law did for us-- she's awesome). My friend, LeAnne, posted her progress on one of her current projects (cutest idea! she's so dang talented...). I told her I'd keep her updated on my project progress, too. So, to you my friend (and fellow readers), here's what I've accomplished so far: 3 pagespreads (ha, not much... but something ;) ). I'm still looking for the perfect quotes/journaling to go with the pictures (any ideas?), but I do like how they've turned out so far......

Timeless to Me

2007-12-08T21:21:00.001-08:00

Last night, for our Friday night "in" date, Dustin and I rented Hairspray. (Fun movie... we enjoyed it.) My favorite scene was Wilber and Edna's scene, Timeless to Me.

My favorite love songs are those that portray the depth of friendship and pure love we can experience in the sweet bonds of marriage. In a fun, guileless sort of way this song describes what Dustin and I hope for and work for every day in our relationship... that when we're "fat and old" and a couple of "run down chevies" we'll love and enjoy each other, not despite the fact we've lost our youthful pulchritude, but, rather, because we don't care enough place any weight on it-- because all we see is the wonderful person we married who becomes wiser, kinder, more exciting, more beautiful everyday... that we will always be timeless to each other.

So, here's a little tribute to my amazing husband, who finds ways every day to tell me he's grateful we're together forever---

Baby, you're timeless to me!

Just Because...

2007-12-08T20:43:00.001-08:00

I am crazy about my husband. And he's crazy about me. What a beautiful life!

Life has it's ups and downs--- I had been in a "downs" part for awhile and out of the blue, just because he loves me, Dustin brought home this beautiful bouquet of flowers for me. Siiiiiiiiiigh...

Needless to say, I've been a whole lot more in the "ups" as, when I start to feel frustrated, impatient, or stressed, I see these flowers on the table and my troubles are swallowed up in the joy and gratitude I feel to be loved by such an exceptional man.

Shameless!

2007-12-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

The other night, Dustin and I were debating whether or not we were addicted to ice cream. Dustin claimed we are, since we have some for a nightly dessert (he's worried about future habits that will lead to middle-age health issues). Now, I'm all for being healthy, but I believe a well-deserved scoop of ice cream (especially chosen over a much more fattening dessert fetish) is 100% validated. I claimed we we're not ice cream addicts (we really don't eat it every day--- just often...), but rather ice cream connoisseurs (when we eat ice cream, we only go for the "really good stuff"-- never generic, usually even beyond Blue Bunny, Bryer's, and Dryer's--- we're talkin' Haagan Daz and Ben&Jerry's here).

Well, later I reorganized the freezer to put away groceries, and... okay, so I have to admit, we do have a pretty shameless ice cream supply. But, dang, it's good!

I just found this site and I am in Childhood Heaven!!!

2007-11-19T21:22:00.000-08:00

Can you believe this site? http://www.nintendo8.com/toplist/more/ I would have died and gone to heaven if this was around when I was a kid! It has brought back a flood of childhood memories. We would play this stuff for hours on end! Enjoy your childhood memories...
-Dustin

The Scrapper in Me

2007-10-18T23:48:00.000-07:00

Scrapbooking is a hobby I want very much to indulge in, but so far my involvement has been thought only-- a lot of planning, hoping, day-dreaming... BUT, I finally made it a priority to take time and make a whole layout. Yipee!!

I actually made these pages for my mom and dad (I gave them a "Grandkids" album last year and have committed to send them a layout or two each Grandparents' day of their time with my kids the past year. I'm determined to get my siblings involved once, someday, they have kids too, so my parents have an on-going, up-to-date visual record and keepsake of their grandkids and them.). So, this is my, hmm... fifth... maybe sixth? layout I've ever created. I'm pleased with it and had a great time creating it! I love doing this crafty stuff with my hands-- it's so sweet to have accomplished something that doesn't get undone... like the dishes... laundry... diaper changing... cooking... etc. :) Anyways, I'm a bit more pumped and determined to keep this scrapping thing up, especially for my boys (and to make pages I actually keep!). Any suggestions how to maintain a hobby while mothering little kids? Inquiring minds want to know! :)

One Tag

2007-09-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

1. Who is your man? Dustin Carl Higgins! Love him!

2. How long have you been together? Married about 4 years

3. How long dated? Dated about 7 weeks, engaged about 6 weeks... yeah, we were pretty quick, but, man, when it's right, it's right!

4. How old is your man? 27

5. Who eats more? Generally... Dustin (but who can tell? He's nice and slim and trim!)

6. Who said "I love you" first? Dustin, with an immediate, fervent reciprocation :)

7. Who is taller? Dustin

8. Who sings better? We're about even-- not solo voices, but nice enough.

9. Who is smarter? Dustin's the book smarts, I'm the practical smarts

10. Who's temper is worse? We're both pretty good about keeping our heads, but I'm prolly more easily stressed.

11. Who does the laundry? I'm happy to take care of all this home stuff since Dustin is working so hard in med school, but can I brag a minute about my amazing husband? He's always so thoughtful of me and, even amidst the constant stresses of intense study, he still makes time to do little things to "lighten my burden"... often cleaning up after dinner, throwing in a load of laundry, reading stories to Benjamin, coo-ing with Jonathan, etc. etc. etc. (Enamored Sigh...). Golly, I'm the luckiest...

12..Who does the dishes? Ditto to #11

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do because his side is against the wall and I have the pleasure to awake in the middle of each night to feed our baby son ;)

14. Who pays the bills? whoever thinks about it first... usually me...

15. Who is better with the computer? Dustin, for sure. Although I give him competition with the media software

17. Who cooks dinner? Usually me, but Dustin cooks when he can. It's more fun when he cooks, because he likes to experiment... fun, yes. yummy? depends on the experiment.

18. Who drives when you are together? Dustin. I avoid driving when I can

19. Who pays when you go out? Whoever remembered to bring their wallet

20. Who is most stubborn? me... therefore, Dustin is more patient... working on that....

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Dustin... again, working on that....

22. Whose parents do you see the most? Dustin's in AZ. Mine are on the other side of the country. Miss them (Sad sigh)

23. Who kissed who first? Dustin kissed me... and I was thrilled. :)

24. Who asked who out? Dustin, although he claims it wasn't a date...

25. Who proposed? Dustin. Our story is similar to Susan's in that we had already decided we wanted to get married awhile before we bought rings. But, being the chivalrous man he is, Dustin wanted to do a formal thing, which turned out to be kind of a mess... (a story for another day) but, naturally, I still said yes because his attempt for a romantic proposal was quite endearing.

27. Who has more friends? I'm not sure. We both love friends.

28. Who has more siblings? Dustin with 8 (7 of them brothers). I have 4.

29. Who wears the pants in the family? We both contribute our strengths to our family. Equally yolked. :)

Two Tags

2007-09-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

JOBS I'VE HAD:

1. Waitress
2. Camp K Counselor
3. EFY Counselor
4. Special Needs Seminary Teacher

MOVIES I CAN ALWAYS WATCH:
1. It's a Wonderful Life
2. Monsters, Inc.
3. Pride and Prejudice (any Jane Austin flick, really)
4. You've Got Mail

PLACES I'VE LIVED:
1. Minnesota
2. Illinois
3. Idaho
4. Mississippi

TV SHOWS I ENJOY:
1. American Idol
2. I Love Lucy
3. Curious George (watching with Benjamin... that little monkey reminds me of my little monkey)
4. Price is Right

FAVORITE FOOD:
1. Ice Cream
2. Ice Cream
3. Ice Cream
4. Frozen Yogurt

WEBSITES I VISIT:
1. Yahoo Mail
2. Gmail
3. Blogs
4. Google Searches

PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
1. Out with my sweetie
2. Sea World again, with my boys (that was so fun...)
3. In the middle of a deep 8 hour uninterrupted sleep on a deluxe Sleep Number bed
4. Greenville, Mississippi

These two info sheets are tags bundled together-- I tag Kimmy Higham and Mrs. Marielle Kjar :) I'm particularly interested in your responses. Happy blogging!

Happy 4th Anniversary to Us!

2007-08-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

This year, on August 15th, it was our fourth wedding anniversary. We decided to celebrate by going on a much needed private overnight get-away... withOUT the kids (yes, even the baby-- thanks to our awesome friends!). We searched for a time for an affordable cabin to rent and found this cute little place in Christopher Creek. The first day, we spent the afternoon relaxing in the cool pine forest, later dressed up and went out to a yummy dinner, and then bought ice cream and enjoyed it while soaking in the private jacuzzi. Sweet, sweet times. We enjoyed the jacuzzi again the next morning and checked out of our cabin and relaxed a bit at a nearby lake shore before heading home. We love our children and are grateful to be their parents, but this little time away was very special. It was so refreshing and rejuvenating to have uninterrupted time together to be reminded of the depth of our friendship and the fun of our
romance

I Am Grateful For...

2007-07-16T16:52:00.001-07:00

Sometimes some random things are so great, you want to share them! So here's some "Melinda's picks" or random things I think are just super. :)

On Friday, we went on a family outing out to dinner at Buca Di Beppo's, a restaurant we've gone to several times before and have enjoyed the food and experience each time. Friday, however, takes the cake as one of our top restaurant experiences yet! Here's why:

Last time we went to Buca's, we signed up for their little e-club, which I rarely do because I detest spam, but, a free appetizer? free dessert? What the heck. So, of course we received our free appetizer coupon via email later and, on Friday, spontaneously decided to use it. Now, usually with free stuff, there's unpleasant strings attached. Of course, the appetizer was only free with purchase of a meal (that much is to be expected), but we noticed there were no other specifics, so we thought we'd see just how much of an appetizer we could get free. So we asked if we could use the coupon for their top appetizer, the Buca Trio Platter (a huge $20 plate of fried shrimp, fried mozzarella, and fried calamari), expecting a no-go. However, our super-cute waitress asked and, surely yes!, we could get it! She even arranged it so we could get extra shrimp and cheese in place of the calamari, since we're not fans of calamari. Wow, it was YUMMY stuff! (Especially the special pesto sauce!). For our meal, we ordered their $15 lasagna plate to share(which we both love). Add in the complimentary bread, and the three of us, Dustin, Benjamin, and I (yes, all three!) had a fantastic dinner AND lunch the next day (love the doggie bag!) for just over twenty bucks (we tipped our deserving waitress 20%). Buca di Beppo is officially one of our favorites! Give it a try and you won't regret it. :)

Also, another item of worthy of note, we love this refrigerator child-proof gadget! Benjamin loves to unload the fridge, which we, of course, do not appreciate. This nifty little thing (I bought it at Target, "Parents" brand) inconspicuously keeps the fridge locked to Benjamin, but still is easily accessible to us (a quick press of the button). It's worked wonderfully... less mess, less stress!

Tag, I'm it...

2007-07-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

Melinda had tagged me to get me to tell eight little-known facts about myself, well....

1. I'm number seven of nine kids--eight boys and one girl (my sister is the oldest and moved out when I was only eight yrs old). This made for an interesting first few years of being married to a, um .... girl (previously unknown territory for me!) Also, as one of the masses, so to speak, in my family, I learned to fend for myself--I can cook, clean, sew, iron, pick up after myself, and cage fight. By the way, I'm kidding about the cage fighting (well, mostly...)

2. As far as fears go, I am like Susan in that I am also deathly afraid of the ocean. Especially, of um, well, Sharks. I have a hard time seeing why anyone is willing to swim in the same water with swift, giant, ancient monsters that not only are able to snatch a grown man away into the depths of unknown oblivion to his utter horror, but have been KNOWN to do so!!!! That's just not a risk I'm willing to take--no thanks. I've had people tell me, then, "hey, but you're taking a risk of death every time you step into a car." Well, if the risk of driving were to have even the SLIGHTEST chance of being dragged miles down into the cold dark ocean, only to be torn to little shreds by a senseless monster, then I'd never touch a steering wheel again! 'Nuff said.
By the way, I was going to post a picture of a shark, but in the process of trying to find a not-so-threatening one I was being scared out of my wits!!

3. For some odd reason, unbeknownst to me, people tend to think of me as a very serious, don't-like-to-have-too-much-fun type of person. I admit, I can be serious--when I think I need to be, but man, if you think I'm up-tight and don't like to have fun, you don't know me at all!!! People who know me best know that I can be one of the silliest guys ever! Case-and-point, I'm a pretty good country swing dancer due to my faithful (every week!) attendance to a youth dance somewhere in the valley as a teenager, and my religious attendance to country swing dances and east-coast swing dances as a young adult. Melinda and I can really rip up the dance floor!!! (and we're dying to do it again sometime!) Here's us having a little fun at a ward Halloween party when we were first married. It's us in about 60 years....

4. I double as a mobile DJ! My last "gig" was actually this last February, on my birthday (of all days!) I scored a cool $275 in 2 1/2 hours--cha ching!!! I DJed a Valentine's dance for the Chandler-Gilbert Community College Institute of Religion. By the way, I sort of "inherited" the DJ equipment from my older brother (who was also a mobile DJ)--lucky me!!! (Thanks, Derrel!)

(Pic: Me in my younger years.... :)

5. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I'd ever become a doctor...ever. It's not like I was opposed to it or anything, it just never even entered my mind that I ever could become a doctor. My dad is an engineer, and there was not a single doctor in my family in any direction on the family tree (that I know of.) The only reason that it ever entered my train of consciousness that I would or could ever become a doctor is that one of my brothers suddenly decided to go to medical school. Then another one did (both at Midwestern). It was only while I was a Junior at BYU that I started making plans on my final destination in school that I overheard another older brother (a neuropsychologist, PhD) say that he'd wished he'd gone "the medical route" to get to where he was. Since I was, at the time, planning on a PhD in Molecular Biology, to do research on proteins and DNA (so cool!!!--by the way, I am not joking this time!...) this caught my attention. He had good reasons for his regret (particularly, same amount of school--with all the post-doctorates involved now-a-days--but higher pay for doctors), and it got me to consider the medical route. The more I thought about it, the better I felt about it--and the Spirit kept me going in that direction. Since then, I have found out for myself that this is exactly what I would have chosen. It combines the two things I love most--science, and people!

6. Speaking of science, I am a fanatic! I LOVE watching Nova (a science show on PBS) and learning everything I possibly can about our world and universe! I'm not big into TV, but I do make an exception for Nova (and Nature, when I can catch it!) I also spend time reading through articles on science web sites like livescience.com, when I can. I guess that's why I kick butt at games like Malarky--mostly because I already know the answer to a lot of the questions!

7. I love learning, but I hate reading (lengthy texts, at least.) This is why I prefer watching shows on science rather than reading long books about it, although I don't mind articles, as mentioned above. This drives my wife crazy because she loves to read. I think I have an aversion to reading long texts because you could say the same thing with so many less words. Maybe it's an efficiency thing. This is why I never read the textbook for school classes--I learn solely from class and the notes. By the way, I never got around to reading those novels assigned in high school english, whoops!

8. Maybe my aversion to books has something to do with the fact that I am a very right-brained person. I LOVE to draw and sculpt--although I have only a little training in both. I play the guitar, but I am dying to learn how to play the piano too! I am also dying to learn how to paint--and to get into photography (along with Melinda). I love Photoshop and video-editing on the computer, I just don't have a lot of time for them!!

Finally, (in essay format) I have also always been very good at English and writing--as evidenced by this blog--of course!! :)

(Pic: a clay box I sculpted in High School)

I've Been Tagged!

2007-07-11T16:19:00.001-07:00

Susan blog-tagged me (Happy Birthday to you today, by the way!), so I will:

Post eight random facts about myself.
Tag eight other bloggers (hopefully those who haven’t been tagged before).
Post these rules.

1. I had really long hair up until my senior year of high school

2. I am enamoured by my kids! Just now I put baby Jonathan in his chair near Benjamin playing with his matchbox cars and car garage and told Benjamin that Jonathan wanted to watch him play and Benjamin got this big bright smile on his face and tried to put one of his cars in Jonathan's hand and said, "here you go... play!" He is so sweet with his little brother! I can't wait until they can really play together.

3. I taught a special-needs seminary class while I was a student at BYU. It was a very special and significant experience in my life.

4. I love daffodils!!

5. I was an active Thespian in high school

6. My family was homeless for a summer (My dad lost his job, my parents stored our stuff and sold our house on faith, and we packed up a tent trailor and traveled coast-to-coast camping so my dad could go to job interviews. My parents were probably a bit stressed, but, as a 9 year old, I thought it was the coolest family trip ever!)

7. I do not like to shop... Dustin, however, enjoys it, so he's the one who nags me to buy new clothes ("Sweethart, you really need to get rid of that shirt..." "Why? It's comfortable" "Sure, but it's got a hole in it..." "It's not noticable... I'll mend it." "Um, no, let's get you some new clothes.")

8. My wedding dress was also my mom's. When my mom first suggested me wearing her dress, I didn't like the idea (I wanted my own), and then I put it on and, wow, it was beautiful (and felt so sentimental). It was the perfect dress for me! (and it saved me the shopping... :) ).

Now it's my turn to tag...

Dustin

Teralee

Mollie

Linda

Melissa

Britani

Leah (so it looks like you need to create a blog! hehe!)

Mari (same for you! Make sure to post all those gorgeous wedding pics!!)

Can't wait to learn something new about you! Happy tagging!

True Spirit of Blogging

2007-07-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

So, my little family already has a blog (http://www.ourhigginsfam.blogspot.com/) and we love it. However, it's become more of a place for updating our friends and family (specifically Grammy and Grampa) of the milestones and goings-on of our little family (specifically the grandkids).
Dustin and I thought it'd be fun to have a separate place to post our own personal random thoughts, ramblings, ideas, ponderings, etc. etc... or, in other words, join in on the "true spirit of blogging". So, yippee... here we go. :)