Lost and Found

I have been a slacker and not updated my blog for awhile. I must say that my last post was not very uplifting but it was reality. I have since come out of my funk and I think my family has breathed a sigh of relief(as have I). I started BYU last Monday and figured I was in trouble when the professor handed out a 30 question paper on the things we should already know about research methods and statistics. Is it a problem that I only know 2? hmmmm Hence the reason for taking the course!!! I still go to UVU to work out in the mornings(maybe because it has been my home for 3 1/2 years and someone needs to kick me out!), and then I'm at BYU Monday through Thursday from 1 to 4. Fridays are help days, so I will probably be there on Fridays too! My new journey begins! :) Thanks for your support and prayers. I really appreciate it. Love to ya'll and Happy Day!''
Thought for the Day: When we change the input into our minds, we change the output into our lives!

Has Anybody Seen---well, ME?

I know that sounds kind of corny but it's true. If you were to ask anyone who has been around me the last 2-3 weeks, they would say that I have been sort of --off. I had a fabulous time in Florida, but since I've been home, I've struggled quite a bit. As any good therapist would, I have looked back on what has been going on and I have come up with several factors:
1. Memorial Day (need I say more?)
2.My Anniversary (would have been 33 years)
3.Dealing with my mom's "stuff". Lawyers, police, craziness, untruths, dates, times, mom's emotions, frustrations, moving her in with me for several weeks until we moved her to an apartment, etc. She is finally in her own place as of last Saturday and doing very well. I love you mom!
4.The sudden screech to a halt of being crazy busy at school for 3 1/2 years and then graduating and not having a schedule.
5. There is a #5, but I won't blog about it.
So, now what? I realize that life is full of ups and downs and my personality is definitely lived in the "up" side, so to be knocked down and struggling to get up is tough. But I do know where to turn for help and I know that the Lord is blessing me to hang on until I can find my balance again. It's interesting because I have experienced the tender mercies of the Lord that is talked about in Mosiah 24:15(B of M). The Lord strengthened Alma and his brethren to be able to bear their burdens, he did NOT take their burdens away. Although it would be nice to have the Lord take away my struggles, I realize that the lessons I am to learn from my struggles can only be learned by experiencing them and dealing with them. So I will hang on and know that I will be ok. To those of you who have to deal with me(bummer for you), I hope you can hang in there as well and know that the positive and happy me is hopefully just around the corner! I do know that life is good and I am very blessed! I love you all and am grateful for the love and support that you are to me! Happy Day!

Expand Your Sandbox

What do yachts, sandboxes, Heather Locklear, therapy, and lookin good in blue jeans all have in common? My flight home from Florida! I really wanted to make sure that I finished up my fabulous trip commentary so I don't forget.(Blogging is my way of keeping a journal) On my flight from Florida to Georgia, I was engaged in a conversation with a man who was retired Military and goes to the Florida Keys to run around in his yacht.(Do I smell money? ha ha!) Anyway, I think after finding out I'm just a simple Mormon girl from Utah who hasn't traveled around the world like he has, he told me I needed to expand my sandbox! (And I think he wanted to join me in the expansion! whoa!(I started humming a hymn while I experienced what I will politely call a "hot Flash") :) All of this happened before I even got on the plane! Then I ended up sitting by the window and the isle seat was already occupied so I apologized as I told the older gentleman thatI needed to get into the window seat. He had quite the sense of humor and told me no. I teased him that I would crawl over him if he didn't let me in and lets just say he really liked that idea! ha ha He made a comment that he wouldn't tell his wife! :) The man that ended up sitting in the middle seat between us was a 24 year old Delta Pilot and we all three had a nice conversation and teased the whole way. When we landed, the man in the isle seat(can't remember his name-surprise) snapped his fingers and said, "Hey, I know who you remind me of! Heather Locklear! Wow, I think the old guy needs glasses but Jeff would have loved that since he LOVED Heather Locklear!
When we landed in Salt Lake, a very nice looking guy followed me to the baggage claim and started a conversation with me. He knew that I was a grandma since he overheard me talking to Hunter on the phone. He said he noticed me when I was walking out of the plane and that I looked good in my jeans! What exactly do you say to that? Ummm! We talked about my work with Pornography addictions and Social Networking problems and he told me he had been divorced for 4 years because his wife had found someone over the Internet. How sad! We visited for quite awhile and talked about LDS beliefs when he asked if I was a Mormon. He was from Florida and here on business with Hill Air Force Base. Super nice guy! So my last day was quite interesting. So grateful to have been able to go and ready to go back! Happy day!

Lazy Daze of Summer-in Florida

Sunday was a great day. Tom gave both Gayle and I cards for Mother's Day to go along with our roses! After church we went to Dee's house for a delicious Mother's Day dinner and they sure know how to put on a fabulous dinner!
Monday we went to Daytona Beach and had a lazy day in the sun. It was great! The wind was blowing pretty good but it kept it from getting too hot. Gayle rented us two beach chairs complete with umbrella and table. We took munchies and got some refreshing lemonade from the stand on the beach. We also took a walk along the beach just like in the movies. I must add that there is some apparel that certain beach bodies should NOT be allowed to wear! Whoa!!! Ok, so it's kind of entertaining! :) Later that night we went to the Wilderness area of Disney World where they had a Family Home Evening BBQ for the kids in the ward. It was a beautiful night and the food was great! We drove over with Dee and John(1st counselor) and on the way home we stopped at this cute place that is shaped like an ice cream cone for well---ice cream. Oh my gosh it was soooooo good! Yes, I took my sweet tooth to Florida and it was well taken care of! :) What a fabulous trip! It was a blast! Happy Day!! :)

Spoiled Rotten---and Loving It!!!!!

Yesterday Gayle had a stake meeting and Tom was at work so I took it easy and read for awhile. In the afternoon after Gayle got home, Tom came in with 2 DOZEN beautiful roses, one dozen for each of us! How sweet is that? He took us out to dinner at the Macaroni Grill where we had fabulous food and then to the Stake Center to watch the baptism of a new convert. It was a really neat experience. THEN when we got back to the house, Gayle lent me her leather jacket and boots and Tom took me on a HARLEY RIDE!!! Oh my gosh how fun! That bike has awesome power and sounds as good as it rides! Can you imagine riding the roads of Florida, at my favorite time of the day(early evening), on the back of a HARLEY?! It was incredible!! I can't even begin to describe it. I've been accused of being an adrenaline junkie before and I think it might be true! :) It was dark when Gayle met us in front of a little french pastry shop where we ate dessert at a table on the sidewalk. I sure could get used to this! So I am being totally spoiled and absolutely LOVIN IT! Thanks Tom and Gayle!!

Love to you all back home! Time is flying and I'll see y'all soon! Happy Day! :)

Hey Hey with the Monkeys----

Yesterday morning was a late and relaxing morning. Gayle and I visited over our cocoa and toast until after noon. We took a drive to Cocoa Beach and walked around on the beach for a few minutes. It was beautiful and the breeze was blowing just enough to make the heat very bearable. We are planning on going to Daytona Beach on Monday and I'm excited! We headed back so that we could pick up Dee and Renae and go back to the Epcot center and watch--ta--da--Davy Jones of the Monkeys! This totally dates me but I use to watch that show all the time. There were fireworks afterward and we planned on staying for those too! It was sooo fun. Of course Davy has aged quite a bit but it was fun to sing along and hoot and holler just like the good ole days--ok, so I never really stopped acting like that but that's COMPLETELY beside the point!!:) Afterwards we got into the best position for the fireworks. Like I said before, I have wonderful memories of fireworks, so to get to see them 2 nights in a row was fabulous! And they were incredible! WOW! I am so grateful to be here and I hope everyone back home is doing well and being safe and happy! Love to y'all! Happy Day!

BTW: J's and Jenna, just so there won't be any problem or confusion about whose room I'm staying in, I'll help you out, do the Christian thing and make it MY room K? :) ha ha

Fun and Fireworks!

Yesterday we went to the Epcot Center all day with Dee and Renae, who are the wives of the bishopric Tom works with and great friends of Gayle's. It was soooo much fun. We laughed, went from Country to Country and went on several rides. I learned more about the history of different countries in one day than I learned in my entire school career! We stuffed ourselves in a phone booth, were serenaded by the liberty singers in the USA (Gayle got her hand kissed and sang to by a very good looking man who she was not going to let go of--to his surprise!) ate delicious pastries and chocolate mousse in France, checked out the statues in Rome :), hugged Tigger and Winnie the Pooh, got rained on, sweat in the humidity and had a blast! Dee and Ranae's husbands and Tom joined us at the Wilderness Lodge where we ate dinner. I think we were the loudest table (shock!) We were definitely having the most fun! It was a replica of the lodge in Yellowstone and very beautiful. The restaurant was fun. They would throw your straws at you and if you wanted ketchup, you had to stand at the front of the restaurant and yell, "I NEED KETCHUP!" as loud as you could and then the people who had ketchup at their tables would bring them ALL to you. Guess what? I needed ketchup and I think I surprised the waitress (and the entire restaurant) when I yelled that I needed ketchup! We ended up with 9 bottles! :) After that, we went behind the lodge to the boat dock and got on a boat stocked with chips and soft drinks and boated around the park to where Cinderella's castle was and sat there and watched the firework display while listening to the narration on the boat radio. It was amazing! I have a soft spot for fireworks and I loved it! What a great way to end the day! A good time was had by all! Hope all is well with y'all back home-love ya! Happy Day!