Behind on Posts!

There's a lot I could write about, and I feel like writing tonight. I thought I would at least say that I'm still alive. How was your Christmas? :) Oh, Shboogoo turned 13 months old on Christmas Eve and she can walk FAST! Her first two teeth came in on December 15th. D and I still need to search through our camera cards to see if we can find pictures of her birthday party. Although we did watch the videos of that day, we haven't posted any pictures on our flickr site.

This has been kind of a crazy December for our family. We haven't written a Christmas letter yet but have appreciated receiving some letters and cards. D took his last final on Dec. 14; he had tough classes and we're glad he gets a break [only 5 and half years of schooling left!]. Since then he has been closing most nights at the pizza place (he's a driver), getting home around 2 am instead of 9 or 10 pm. Other crazy or busy things:

• D's mom got hurt at work; she has to lie down most of the time and didn't receive a Christmas bonus.
  
• My little sister is getting married January 11 and I still need to help with one of her bridal showers and find a mauve dress for myself. Don't get me wrong, this is a very good and exciting thing! She found the perfect guy for her.
  
• Two of our close friends (two families) are moving really far away. We're going to miss you!
  
• For Christmas we drove around to see our 4 households of parents and then had to backtrack a bit. We managed to leave my phone at Mom's, D's jeans in the dryer at other Mom's, and ham in the fridge at Dad's!
• I used a confusing recipe tonight and got a little sick from eating a few bites of it because the beef wasn't fully cooked. I was supposed to brown it before baking the whole thing. Fortunately I was the only one who tried it. I am not the best cook, but I'm learning.
  

I've really enjoyed reading and pondering, during the last few days, some of the prophecies in the Book of Mormon about Christ's birth -- some from the index under Jesus Christ, First Coming of. I love 1 Nephi 11, Mosiah 3, and Helaman 14. The gospel is true, and that's why Christmas is special to me. "Jesus is the reason for the season." These are lyrics to one of my favorite songs about Him:

One Star
(Cherie Call)

One star, one manger,
One child, one tiny little life
So meek in the arms of His mother,
Could this be our Savior from evil and strife
One soul in a stable,
With the beasts He created with His hands
Now sleeps in the hay and dreams of one plan

Five loaves, two fishes,
Five thousand hungry people fed
Two hands, one voice,
To make the blind to see and to raise the dead
One life selflessly given,
Bruised and torn in the hands of angry men
Every nation redeemed by one man

We like sheep have all gone astray
We’ve turned every one to his own way
And He like a lamb was the sacrifice
So we can return to our Father someday

Every land, every nation
Every rock, every leaf on every tree
Trembles to know the name of their creator
Spirits numbered as the sands of the sea
One voice, when you lift it,
Reaches onward, travels far
Let it ring on the wind as it speaks of one star

Temple Square Lights and Music

On the Prophet Joseph Smith's 202nd birthday, we took Shboogoo to Temple Square for the first time! We also were with our friends Julie and Alex and their 2-year-old girl. It was definitely worth braving the cold! Our pictures with people in them (unposed only) didn't turn out well at all, but I like these two a lot; D was the photographer.



The back of the Christmas on Temple Square booklet says this:

More than any other season of the year, Christmas inspires glorious music. Something inside each of us resonates to the promise of joy and peace embodied in the babe of Bethlehem, the infant Savior born to be our King. Words alone cannot adequately express our wonder, awe, and gratitude. Hearts too full for speech find their truest expression in the carols, hymns, and joyous songs of Christmas. Whether you have come to Temple Square this Christmas to perform or to listen--or both--may the music you hear and the sights you see in this historic setting bring you closer to our Savior Jesus Christ, "Him whose birth the angels sing."

I agree with all of that. We didn't get to see any of the Christmas on Temple Square performances, but later I read through the printed schedule anyway. There were school and institute choirs listed that I used to belong to, as well as directors I met for other reasons. I remembered gratefully the musical (particularly choir) experiences I have had. Music is very important and powerful.

Tagged

Sarah and Camille both tagged me. For now I will do Camille's, because it's shorter! Here are six things about me that you might not know.

1. I (honestly) like to do the dishes. It's probably my favorite chore, which is good because it needs to be done pretty much every day. I think it became my favorite during the 2001-2002 year at college when I had a part-time job as a dishwasher.

2. I love to run. Love it. I jogged outside today for a little bit. Running is one of those things that can be hard to start doing, and the first 2 or 3 minutes of the run are the hardest. In junior high and high school I really didn't like having to run in gym and once had redo it to make the time limit. But after high school, beginning with my friend Laura F's motivation, I have exercised more. For me, running gets more fun the more I do it. The furthest I have gone is 4 miles. I want to train for a half-marathon in the near future.

3. I don't mind going the dentist. I have been going to the same one my whole life. The clean-teeth feeling is wonderful. Fortunately my teeth have good enamel and I have not had a cavity since I was 8. (Maybe this one's kind of boring, but I have to come up with 6 things.)

4. I always thought 21 or 22 would be a good age for me to get married. And I guess I was right. I ended up marrying at 22 and a half. I love being married to D.

5. I like the fact that I have not always lived in this state. Actually, I was born in Costa Rica and then lived in Brazil before ever coming here. Sadly, I don't remember much of those places and I am not bilingual.

6. D and I quote Home Alone all year round. Sometimes it's just sparked by something said in a similar tone of voice. "The cars are still here; they didn't go to the airport." "You're not at all worried about Kevin?" My other favorite Christmas movies are Mr. Kreuger's Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas ("That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown"), and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Okay, I am tagging Sarah, Jackie and "Precious".

9 Years ago today . . .

. . . D asked me, after we saw A Bug's Life, "Do you wanna be my girl?" I said yes, so I was his girlfriend for almost two years until his mission (with 3 breakups in between because we didn't want to steady date). Actually, I went away to college before he went to the MTC. If you're reading this you probably know our story, but I'm writing a little bit anyway. That date on November 27, 1998 was pretty perfect. It was our fifth date. Of course we've grown much more deeply in love since then, as we've really gotten to know each other and been through so much together. But we consider that day to be one of our anniversaries. Usually each month one of us will say, "Happy 27th!" Last November 27th, like today, it snowed. That was the day we brought our daughter home from the hospital. I am very grateful to be a wife and mother.

One Year Old!

Saturday we had a great party with our families to celebrate "Shboogoo's" first birthday. The three of us have had colds, so we haven't taken the time yet to look at the photos and videos we made. But later I'll post some. She got some cute new clothes: doesn't seem to have an opinion about them. She also got some new toys and books: plays with them all the time. And her new record for walking is more than 25 steps. She sure brings us joy. (Grandpa D loves her even more than he loves BYU football!)

Update:

Hot Chocolate

(Happy half-birthday to my little sister!)
So, I need to go to bed . . . I should've cleaned once the baby was asleep, but instead just finished drinking some of this


and I loved it enough to write a post about it! It was our last packet from last winter. I am thankful, among many other things, for delicious flavors and for the simple pleasure of eating. Buying a variety of food is so convenient in our country. But it makes me sad to know that even in the U.S. there is poverty and hunger and malnutrition (also the opposite, with too much obesity). Anyway, the Thanksgiving meal my mom made yesterday was so good. For a Young Women activity (I'm in the presidency) we made "Thankful calenders." You write down 30 things you are grateful for -- a different one for each day in November. D and I are doing this together. It's helping me to have good thoughts; I feel so blessed. Because I am. I'm "better than I deserve."

Halloween Pics, finally

Shboogoo wore her ladybug costume to a housewarming party (her 4-year-old aunt came as a cowgirl in black-and-magenta), and then on other days for her many grandparents and for our party for Mutual. She also wore it the Friday before Halloween to a trunk-or-treat. But she'd been a little sick and by the time she woke up from her 2-hour nap, only one family was still there (with their baby giraffe). The pictures kind of show the ladybug wings and "flutter" feet; we had left the red hat at my dad's. We need to see Grandma Nene's pictures that show the hat. D worked the night of Halloween. She and I walked in the neighborhood a little; but, as we learned last year, trick or treaters don't come here. She enjoyed watching me carve the pumpkin, which I bought the 30th, carved the 31st, and kept out for a week or so. It was the first time I had carved one all by myself! Like Precious, my only costume was black and orange clothing. We don't usually care about decorating or doing much for this particular holiday. I think we'll get more into it next year because Shboogoo will be older.

11 Months Old

Our girl turned 11 months old in October (3 weeks ago. . . so her birthday is next week!) Since about that time -- and she's especially progressed in the last week -- she can:

• "Give me five"
• Hit her own mouth a few times while saying "ahh," -- usually someone else has to do it first
• Stand on her own for up to about 20 seconds before falling down
• "Walk" to someone or something by taking 1-4 steps and then falling or grabbing.
• Walk much faster than she used to, holding onto furniture.

The other day (between Oct. 13 and 31) I saw her in front of our open closet. That's normal. Then I noticed she was on top of the chest:

At D's dad's house she crawled (with me behind her) all the way up a flight of stairs and seemed pretty proud of herself.

Wonderful Husband

I just edited these pictures (makes me appreciate the fact that D usually does it, but it's kind of fun). Can't decide which version I like better. This was the night of my birthday last month, when we had a really fun date. My wonderful husband got work off, planned it all, and it definitely impressed me! He works hard for us every day. The picture is of the two of us at the theatre where we saw some old silent films. So I did the black and white version to look old-timey. I hope my blurring of the background looks okay. Oh, and for dinner that night we had Himalayan food, which I highly recommend; we tried Lamb Curry and Chicken Saag.

Remembering Summer

I know it's only October, but it was way too cold this morning! I love these two pictures from this summer -- we never had put them on our photo site for some reason.

 

 

Shboogoo got to "swim" in our neighborhood pools three times, and at a water park once. I would have taken her to our pool more if it weren't for the 5-and-under rule all the public places established because children were getting sick. But it was fun while it lasted. Her young aunt and cousins enjoyed it too. Goodbye, warm weather!

Funerals, Meth, and more

Not a very fun title, is it? I was thinking about the events of the last few days. I wore church clothes part of the day on Friday (funeral), Saturday (9-year-old's baptism), Sunday (church meetings), and today (funeral). They were all good opportunities to feel the Spirit.

The funeral on Friday was for the husband of my middle-aged friend. She and I have known each other since we were in The Sound of Music together when I was 8. His short life was an amazing Alma the Younger type of story. It was cool to learn more about him, although I already knew he was a great example to me of sharing his incredible singing talent and testifying of everyone's need for Christ's Atonement. Most people don't leave the straight and narrow quite as far or as long as he did (and then came back), but we all sin and therefore all need the Savior. Scott touched so many people.

While I fed Shboogoo tonight there was an interesting show on TV about meth. I think it was called The Aftermath of Meth. This is a real epidemic. Drugs are bad! I have a family member who used the drug in the past. Anyway, I hope people saw it and will benefit from it.

General Conference

The Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was last weekend. Yay! Which talks did you like the best?? I wrote down a few important points on index cards as I watched (although during 3 out of 4 sessions there were noisy kids around us, in addition to ours). Here are the best of them:

Bishop Richard C. Edgley:

• "What happens to a few happens to all" - he meant particularly in your own neighborhood. Be visiting teachers and home teachers!
• Adversity can increase our gratitude for Christ's Atonement and for prayer, and "can bring us closer to God."
  
• We can each be more compassionate.
  

Mary N. Cook:

• The Young Women theme applies to ALL youth.
• "The Lord is depending on you to bring the blessings of the gospel into your family. . . Who in my family can benefit from my personal prayers?"
• Jesus Christ will bless our family.

Elder Enrique R. Falabella:

• Why am I a member of the only true church?
  

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

• Do we live with joy?
• The message of the gospel made all the difference for his family -- they looked around "with an elevated viewpoint."

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

• Said that the contemporary Christian "trinitarian notion [was] never set forth in the scriptures because it is not true."
  

President Henry B. Eyring:

• Excellent talk on keeping a journal -- we must write down our spiritual experiences because in the future they will help someone who needs it! Write about general conference feelings.

Elder Quentin L. Cook:

• Live by faith, not by fear.
• "We can raise righteous children anywhere in the world."
• Preach My Gospel

Claudio R. M. Costa:

• Have "time for families" -- family prayer and Family Home Evening
• Express your love now

Sister Julie B. Beck:

• "Mothers who know desire to bear children."
• "Attributes you gain here will rise with you."
• During sacrament meeting covenants are renewed.
• Keep your home clean.
• "Plan for the future of your organization. . . . Maximize your influence where it matters most."
• For your kids, the "MTC [should] be a review, not a revelation."
• Do less. "Don't try to choose it all."

Christoffel Golden, Jr.:

• He and his wife read 1 chapter from The Book of Mormon together each day.
• Sacrament meeting is holy.
• The power of daily prayer.

Elder David A. Bednar:

• "Repentance is the sweet fruit that comes from faith in the Savior."
• Sacred covenants / recognizing the Holy Ghost
  
• "Clean hands alone will not be enough when" we stand before Christ.
• Deny ungodliness.

President Gordon B. Hinckley:

• We're a worldwide church.
• Our unique and true understanding of the nature of deity comes from Joseph Smith's First Vision.

Elder Robert D. Hales:

• We can receive personal revelation.

Claudio Zivic:

• Talked about his conversion . . . and how happy he was because of temple sealings.

Douglas L. Callister:

• Bear testimony!
• Early church leaders paid a great price to establish this dispensation. (Which reminds me that I still need to write in my journal about the Pioneer Trek we went on this past July.)
  

Steven E. Snow:

• As his mom was dying, he asked her what she regretted. She said, "I wish I had served more." He reminded her of service she had done throughout her life. Still she said, "I could've done more."
  

Morning

It's 6 am, and I got up before 5:30. I didn't really want to today, but I needed to because I knew my 8-year-old neighbor Kyle would be coming over at 5:30. I watch him 3 days a week before school. Part of me needs to go back to sleep and wanted to as soon as Kyle laid down on the couch. But another part of me loves being the only one awake right now. I believe it's not just that, but also the time of day, that makes it peaceful for me. In the morning my brain feels better and fresher than it does at the end of the day. You know what I mean? Before "Shboogoo" is awake I usually think of my highest priorities and have a desire to read the Ensign magazine or visit familysearchindexing.org, lds.org, or mormon.org. I have come to value the principle of "early to bed, early to rise" rather than staying up and sleeping in. I don't feel as good when I stay up late, even if the things I'm staying up to do are productive. A regular sleep pattern is important (well, once the baby is sleeping through the night).

So how do you feel about being up early? Are you "a morning person"? Has this changed throughout your life? I would love some comments!

Whatever I Want It To Be

Welcome to my first post, which I have put off writing for over a week. But it's okay because at this moment while I am writing it, nobody knows I even have a blog! Only my cute husband and I know it. He helped me come up with the name. See, I'm not sure what this blog will turn out to be. I decided that I'll be "random" if I want to be (my college roommate Emily said I was very random).

My blog won't be:

• full of photos of our child, because we have a separate photo site.
• a personal journal, because I have a separate journal.
• limited to religious topics, although I do like to read mormanity sometimes.

Recently while blog rolling I found a really great explanation from a woman I don't know about reasons she blogs. If I can find it again I will add a link for it. One last thing for now: My husband returned home from his LDS mission five years ago yesterday. Time flies.