I Got Tagged

How To Play This Game of Tag:
Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

3 Joys:
1. Writing
2. Dancing
3. Snuggling with my honey and our babies.

3 Fears:
1. That I will never be enough.
2. That my husband will get bored with me.
3. That I'll die in a car crash...it's not being dead that scares me, it's the pain of dying and of leaving my family without a wife and mother and sister.

3 Goals:
1. To write a hymn that the Church publishes and bless other people with my feeble talents.
2. To become a real runner again.
3. To write books---I've got several in my head.

3 Obsessions:
1. Reading--I totally read 'The Host' by Stephenie Meyer yesterday. All of it. My poor, poor family. And I get 'Breaking Dawn' tomorrow... Yaay, Shawna!
2. My husband. Does that count? I just love him so much. I'm always trying to think of ways to be better to him. He is so good to me. (See #1 above. He was happy for my day break and not even mad at all yesterday.)
3. Homeschooling. Unfortunately for my son, this obsession is sporadic. But it's in full swing right now and we're excited for our best year, yet.
Bonus: Clearing Clutter. I just read a book my sister recommended called 'Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui' by Karen Kingston and I feel so liberated every time another bag goes to GoodWill!

3 Facts about myself:
1. It totally bugs me when the edge of the toilet paper is jagged instead of straight along the perforated line.
2. I thought Labor Day was what it was called the day someone was born until I was like 9.
You know, your mom goes into labor and there you are! I was born on Labor Day. It made sense to me.
3. I've got all the mission letters between my husband and I in clear sheets in binders in chronological order, as well as the letters from just before and just after his mission before we got married. =) It's the only organized part of my house right now.

I tag: Shawna, Lori, Paisley Teardrops, Sarah, and Urban Tangerine.

1st Song: Battle Scars

This isn't the first song I've ever written, but it's the first one I'm posting. I read once that the first 100 songs don't count, so I figure you can expect these first 100 to be stupid and I won't feel a need to explain, that I, too, think each song is largely lame, but in the interest of furthering my personal creativity, am putting it out there anyway. (Phew! Take a breath.) So, here it is, a little ditty I wrote in 2006 when I was pregnant yet again. Pretend it's a drinking song and you're all clanging rootbeer mugs together during the chorus. That's totally how I picture it.

BATTLE SCARS


When I came home from the maternity ward,
I thought I'd get a prize--some kind of award.
Instead, I got stretch marks and thighs that are jiggley,
A belly that's squishy and boobs much to big for me.
The body I see is not one that I recognize,
It's stretched out of shape and no part is its normal size.

Chorus:
Everyone says it and now I can see it's true,
"Motherhood's special--you'll see how it changes you."
It might've been helpful to know what the changes are
No hazing is like it, Check out my battle scars!
Battle scars, tummy scars, gray hairs and stretch marks...
If I were a soldier, they'd give me a Purple Heart!
Battle Scars!

Soldiers may go to war and get wounded in battle.
Their service, it matters, so we give them a medal.
I honor those brave souls who selflessly do their part,
But sometimes I think we forget how our heroes start.
There are so many women I know who are just like me,
Quietly giving their lives for their families.


Chorus: Repeats


Okay, so the second verse totally bugs me. It should be a funny one about how your house falls apart when you have kids and how I once asked my husband if he had to go "potty." I haven't written that verse, yet, though and I wanted to get this up. So, there you have it.

FYI: Code Names

So, it took forever, but the chitlins codenames are listed below their pictures here. My cute honey's nickname is Hubba Hubba. =)



Junior Mint: He picked it himself. He also took this picture of himself. Curly Fry: Blissfully enjoying the last home game after it rained. Puddles galore! Squeaky Bean: She's just so happy here. You can almost see her dimples.
(She's squeaking right now.)

Girlfriends

I have been upset for months that I couldn't attend my dear friend's wedding in Colorado. I figured, we're still paying for the last two kids--adoption isn't insured, you know--and I couldn't see how we could do it. But I checked airline prices in a meager hope that there would be something reasonable...and I found a really good deal. And even better, my husband was insistent that I go to show my love to my precious friend. He couldn't have been more supportive.

So, I called my friend to tell her and started trying to work out the logistics. Everything seemed to be falling into place nicely. But yesterday, I couldn't quite bring myself to actually put in my credit card number and do it. I am the biggest chicken sometimes. I just got all anxious. I don't know if it's because in college, I was reading the paper during Phsyics of Acoustics and saw that a good friend of mine had been killed in a car wreck over the weekend or what. (That was horrible). But whenever I go further than 3 hours from home, I think I'm going to die. A little weird, huh?

Today, I decided not to be chicken and just do it. The flights weren't quite as cheap, but pretty close. On my mom's advice, I decided to call my friend and ask if she'd rather have me at her wedding or some later time when we could spend more time together and I could bring the baby. She's been there for every big event in my life--and so many little ones. I wanted to be there for her wedding, but if she'd rather have me another time when things weren't so crazy and I could stay a little longer, I'd be happy to do that. So, I called her, and would you believe it? She picked later so we could be together more and she could meet my new baby.

This friend is 30, but in the last year, was diagnosed with two different kinds of breast cancer and will be having a very major surgery in the fall. I'm going out then. I just keep thinking, "I LOVE my girlfriends." Besides my sister, who are my girlfriends too since they're all so awesome, this particular friend has known me the longest--since I was 15. I moved around a bit as a kid, so I don't have friends from elementary school like some people do, but I have met such outstanding women in the last several years. In all likelihood, you are one of those women.

You've helped me through miscarriages and bad haircuts, (Melissa--remember the bandana stage?); through the death of our baby girl and my preceding hospitalization, through moves, parenting dilemmas, deep-seated insecurities, the unpredictable journey of adoption--twice!--, through fits of self-righteousness, and plain old stupidity. I just want to say to you all, I LOVE YOU. I don't mean that generally, either, like "I just love everyone here today..." I love you specifically and chances are pretty good that I pray for you personally all the time, even if I haven't seen you for years. I don't know how people can get by without girlfriends. I know I can't. Thank you for all your kindness and patience and forgiveness and rad senses of humor. I feel so humbled and thankful when I think of you and your place in my life.

Dragon Lady

Have you ever turned into Dragon Lady out of nowhere? Here's me a couple months ago:

Sitting happily next to Hubba Hubba on the couch watching some goofy football game. (Happily was for sitting next to my honey, not watching football). Suddenly, the camera goes straight to cheerleader cleavage and focuses in. Then the whole line of them.

Me: Those girls are prostitutes and they're kidding themselves if they think any differently!!!
HH: Huh?
Me: Yeah! They're exploiting their sexuality and getting paid for it. They're hookers whether they know it or not!!
HH: What?
Me: Here we are minding our own business, watching some football game--good clean fun--when out of nowhere come the hoochies in mini-skirts and bras! Honestly, they know married men watch these shows! They are prostitutes!!
HH: (still stunned) Where did that come from?

Okay. If you're a cheerleader or know any very lovely and moral cheerleaders, I don't need a letter. I know I over-reacted. But like I told Hubba Hubba, I just get so angry sometimes about how satan attacks my family. It feels like there's a sniper taking shots in my window whenever we're trying to do something that is totally okay and he fires these temptation missiles right at us--mostly directed towards the men. Elder Groberg gave a talk one time and told about how satan knows he can't do anything to lessen the power of God, so he works to weaken the bearers of the Priesthood, so they are unworthy to use that power. It's a war, folks. Battle gear on.

2 Main Reasons

There were two main motivating factors for me starting this blog and doing it the way I will.



1) The commencement address Elder Ballard gave at BYU Hawaii earlier this year. Read your Ensign this month for a recap. Here's the link. http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=72443645a2cba110VgnVCM100000176f620a____



2) I read Karalenn's blog and thought it was so great how she was painting and putting her pictures up. Karalenn, you've been my secret hero ever since you made a giant paper mache tree in your living room to "spruce" up the drab Wymount apartments. (Okay. I don't remember you using the pun, but the tree was awesome!) I don't paint, but I write a lot more than most people know. So, I'll be putting some songs and stories and essays on my blog. You inspired me! Plus, you fringed your daughter's football uniform and you made her baptismal dress. "And the Coolest Mom Award goes to..."