Tagged Again...

My friend Melissa has tagged me in a new game of blog tag. I love blog tag because I love to learn more about those that I tag. So here I go...

10 years ago...
I was 17 years old and a junior at Martin High School. Wow! That time brings back some great memories!! I can't remember who I was into at the time...Taylor, Tim, Sean, or Cory. I don't think I was into Cory yet... I think he was still too cool for me. I went on a trip to New York City with choir, went to prom with Zack (I forgot his last name), went on some fun dates, had many sleepovers with Amber, Lindsey, Carrie, and Jennifer, and had lots of swim parties and group dates with our incredible Arlington 4th ward youth group. I am still wondering how I got so lucky as to have had such amazing friends.
(Here is a picture of Zack..?..., anyone remember his last name?)

5 things on my to-do list today...
1. visiting teaching appointment
2. Finish making the invitations for New Beginnings (pic below) and prepare for the Young Women activity tonight.





3. lift some weights (got to get ready for the cruise ya know)
4. do some laundry
5. read to the girls and have "school time" with Katelund

5 snacks I enjoy...

1. Moose Munch (from Harry and Davids)
2. licorice (especially the family pack Red Vines)
3. baked cheetos (the baked ones are so much better)
4. dark chocolate m&ms
5. fruit pizza

5 places I've lived...
1. Texas (Garland, Arlington, and Houston)--the longest amount of time
2. Rexburg, Idaho (YEAH BYU-I)--the coldest and most fun place
3. San Jose, California and Asheville, NC --the most beautiful
4. Apple Valley, Minnesota and Fayetteville, NC--where my girls were born
5. Highland Ranch, Colorado--shortest amount of time

5 jobs I've had...
1. hostess at Tippins (first real job)
2. orthodontic assistant
3. a nurse (I don't know what else you'd call it) at an assisted living center
4. water aerobics instructor
5. tutor

5 things people don't know about me...
1. I love to wear headbands.
2. I can always tell when it's going to rain because my knees start aching (pretty sad, I know).
3. I dream of being on So You Think You Can Dance (not that I am a good dancer, I just wish I was).
4. I am training a group of girls/women from church (ranging in age from 12-60) , for a 5k in June.
5. I am not the best person to tell jokes to because it takes me a little bit longer than the average person before I get it.

I'm supposed to tag 3 people, but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me since I have just listed 5 of everything...so I'm going to tag the following 5 people...Amber, Beth, Leslie, Andrea, and Mandy (and anyone else who wants to be "it").

One of my favorite meals...

YUMMY!!! This is one of my all-time favorites!! Orange roughy fish seasoned with lemon pepper, peas, rice with "sazon" seasoning, and sliced salted tomatoes. So colorful and d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!

Our Beloved Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley

SALT LAKE CITY 27 January 2008 President Gordon B. Hinckley, who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through twelve years of global expansion, has died at the age of 97.

President Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the Church and had served as its president since 12 March 1995.

This morning, I sat Katelund and Cloey down and told them that President Hickley died last night. I asked Katelund where she thought he was now, and she said without any hesitation, "He's with Jesus." Although he will be missed greatly, it brings such peace and comfort in knowing without any doubt that he has been reunited with his beautiful wife and with Him who he spent his life testifying of. I know that President Hinckley was a prophet of God. How blessed I feel to have lived during his presidency and to have been witness to his deep devotion to the Gospel and to the Savior.

Omniscience and Faith

I got this book the other day and I seriously LOVE it! It is so good! Besides the fact that Neal A. Maxwell is one of the most eloquent writers ever, the take-home-value and insights that can be gained from reading it is endless. The first chapter is all about God's omniscience and omnipotence. I have always thought that I have understood that doctrine, but as I was reading the chapter I realized that I guess I haven't really understood the significance of it. Joseph Smith taught us in his Lectures on Faith, that if we are to increase our faith, we must first understand the attributes of God. I truly believe that now. As I was reading, and for the first time truly understanding, what omniscience really means and why it is so important to understand, I found myself having a paradigm shift, a shift from seeing the trials of my life as sometimes overwhelming to seeing them through eternal eyes, ones that understand that all things are known by God and that if I but turn to Him who knows me and whose Son has felt all my pain and sufferings already, then why should I be found with anything except faith, love, and patience in knowing that all things will be for my good. As I was reading the Gospel Doctrine lesson this last week, I had such an incredible spiritual experience as I realized that the Book of Mormon is proof itself of the omniscience of a loving Heavenly Father. How grateful I am for the plain and precious truths that are found within its pages and that have been restored in these latter days by a prophet. As it testifies and stands along with the Bible as another witness to the world that Jesus is the Christ, it is also evidence that prophecies are fulfilled, God knows and loves all of his children, and that the work of the Lord cannot and will not be stopped.

Modesty Song

As a Young Women (ages 12-18) activity for church, we had the girls teach the Activity Day girls (ages 8-11) how to take care of their bodies (i.e. personal hygiene, modesty, etc.) . I had the girls break up into stations and 3 of the YW were assigned to teach specific things. One of the stations was about modesty. The week prior to the activity, I went over some ideas of what they could do while teaching this. I taught them my version of the modesty song. (You sing it to the tune of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"). Here it goes...

Reach, Rear view, Bend, and Sit, Bend and Sit, Bend and Sit,
Reach, Rear view, Bend, and Sit, Modest are the HOTTEST!!"

You reach your arms up to make sure your tummy is not showing.
You check your rear view to make sure that your pants or skirt is not too tight.
You bend over to make sure that your back is not exposed.
You sit to make sure that your skirt or shorts are not too short while sitting down.

The girls (of all ages) loved this song and so did I until...it hasn't left my mind for the last week!!! I cannot get it out!! Maybe it will be stuck in your head now too. :)

Blogging

In one of my friend's blogs, she wrote about one of her favorite magazines, Wondertime. In this month's issue there is an article about Blogging Mothers. As I was reading it, I fell in love with the following line;

"Being a parent is so frustratingly difficult and blindingly beautiful at the same time. Blogs remind me to celebrate the beautiful and that I'm not alone in the difficult."

Truth or DARE anyone??

For whatever reason, I have really been wanting to play Truth or Dare lately. Since basically everything is canceled and closed today because it's snowing, we decided to play a little Mann family Truth or Dare....actually it was really only a game of DARE!! :) I started off by daring Cory to run across the street and up the snowy hill in his shorts, t-shirt, and bare feet. Then he dared me to run down the stairs of the condo, pour 1/2 a jug of ice water on my bare feet, then run in the snow to the mailbox center, pour the rest of the ice water jug on my already frozen feet, and then run home. By the time I got home, I seriously could not even feel my feet. Cory and the girls got a pretty big kick out of all of my drama, but it was SOOOOO COLD and fun. :) So then the girls decided they wanted a turn. So we dared them to run to our neighbors in their bare feet, knock on their door and sing the ABC song. They thought it was the greatest dare ever. It was so cute!!

Snow Day!!!

Just like all of the other states along the east coast, we got some snow on Wednesday night. We got about 2 inches, but unfortunately it was pretty warm yesterday so by about 3 (when Cory and I took the girls out to play in it) it was already melting away. They didn't care though, they had so much fun throwing snowballs, making snow angels, and sliding down a hill.



While our neighbors watched our girls and put them to bed, Cory and I took a trip to a nearby ski resort called Wolf Laurel (it's about an hour away) to do some night skiing/snowboarding. The last time I went skiing was back at BYU-Idaho, so it has been awhile. I was a little nervous about how I'd do but it was just like riding a bike, it came back very quickly.
This picture was taken on the ski lift. I had my coat pockets stuffed with beef jerky, granola bars, camera, i pod, neck warmer, and goggles. Can you tell? :) While we were getting this picture taken, I dropped one of my gloves and I ended up having to hike up a mountain to get it. It wasn't too bad of a hike, but hopefully I'll never make that mistake again! (it is so something I would do) :)
This ski resort is more geared towards snowboarders, so Cory was in heaven doing all the jumps and grabs. I just wanted speed, but there really weren't a whole lot of steep hills that were open so I finally gave in and started doing the jumps. We both got some pretty sweet air, but of course I never got a picture of it.

Just For Fun...

As I was doing some jobs around the house, I noticed that the girls were being really quiet (never a good sign). With fear and apprehension, I rounded the corner to their room and this is what I saw. I grabbed my camera before they saw me because I had to capture such a sweet moment. When they are quiet it usually always means TROUBLE, but not this time. :)
We ran some errands today and Katelund decided that she needed to wear 3 necklaces, 2 jackets, and her gloves. Cloey was fine with just her sweater and gloves, as long as she got to wear my lipstick (seriously!! It is a major obsession of hers!)
I told them to do a crazy pose. This is what I got....definitely crazy...and a little odd. :)
I got these cute Valentine headbands for them at AC Moores and they wore them to every other store we went to. They got a lot of smiles and compliments....and they loved every minute of it.
Me and my girls!

I'm a little concerned....

Katelund drew this today. I asked her what is going on in the picture. I said, "Who is this and what is wrong with her?" She said that it is a picture of her in time-out and she is not happy because she is in trouble for pushing Cloey.

What Do My Eyes Reveal?

What Do Your Eyes Reveal?

My Result: Sincerely Sweet

Kind and genuine, you're the sort of gal who's always looking out for others and being a great friend. You have a big heart and can't help but open it up to those you're close with. When you're that pretty on the inside, you can't help but be beautiful on the outside, too.


When it comes to makeup, you like to keep things light and low-key. But that doesn't mean you don't enjoy getting dolled up on special occasions. And when you do, we'd guess you only add to your already sparkling and sweet self. You glow girl!

Take this test >

An Epidemic

I don't know what happened to me but the longer I'm a stay-at-home mom, the more my life is becoming consumed with crafts. As a youth or newlywed, I could have cared less about sewing, ribbons, stickers, or 2 huge cases full of patterned and plain 12x12 paper. But these days, I find such fulfillment with those very things. It really is an odd thing. In fact, this consuming epidemic has not only hit me but also my friends and sisters. Apparently, it is contagious, even to the most unlikey cases, such as my sister, Andrea. If you would've told me 10 years ago that someday my oldest sister would have more ribbon, stickers, stamps, and paper than I could ever imagine AND have her own business selling what she makes, I seriously would've fallen over laughing. Something just happens. So for all of you who have not yet been hit with the craft bug......WATCH OUT!!

Yesterday as I was doing "school time" with Katelund, preparing her for Kindergarten in the fall, I came up with an idea. I had saved this tin can from Christmas because I had wanted to do something crafty with it. Anyways, I decided to have Katelund write all of her letters on circles I'd cut out, then I glued them to the vase filler pebbles and put them in the tin. Of course we had to decorate the "ABC Jar" with ribbon, stickers, paper, and silk flowers. Katelund is so excited about it. I thought it turned out pretty good; it looks cute and it's an educational tool. :)

I had the Young Women bring 20 7X7 squares of fabric that depicted them the best. Now I am sewing it all together to make a big blanket that we're giving to the YW president as a gift and also we're using it in our New Beginnings to demonstrate how our hearts can be "knit together in unity and love" (scripture quote) as we share and live the values. Just as the white thread turns the individual squares into a blanket, the values can unify them and bring them together in love.
This is what my kitchen table looks like today. I guess we won't be eating at the table. I am really just trying to hint at Cory that he needs to buy me a craft table like Amber and Andrea have. :)

My True Color

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Yellow

You're yellow, the color of joy and energy — two things you definitely bring to everyone around you. It's hard for anyone to be sad or lonely in your presence; your sunny disposition and cheery outlook just won't allow it. The warmth of your personality shines through in the kindness you show friends and family (and strangers, too). Always ready with a lighthearted joke or heartfelt compliment, you know how to make people feel good about themselves, so they can't get enough of you. Yellow is a warm and inviting color for a warm and inviting person — you!

Take this test >

ATTENTION ALL BOOK LOVERS!

So this last year I read a lot of great books. Reading is one of my favorite things to do, but for a book-lover I am actually pretty picky. So maybe I'm not a true book worm, but there is just nothing better to me than cuddling up under a blanket and reading a book that you just CAN'T put down until your eyes can no longer stay open because it is 2 in the morning!! I have many favorite books, it just depends on what kind of mood I'm in. This year I think my all time favorite books were the Twilight series, but coming in at second place is the book Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans. I just finished it this morning and I loved it. It's very easy reading and you can get through it in a couple of hours. I seriously love to read, although my family knows that when I start a book it means that the house will be a wreck, dinner will rarely be fixed, and everything else in life is put on hold until I finish. It's sad, but true. So now I am officially out of good books to read. Any suggestions? It has to be really good, because like I said before, I'm kinda picky.

New Years' Resolutions

So in following my own blogging tradition, I decided that I really need to write a post about the resolutions that I have made for '08.

A couple of weeks ago I was released from the Primary Presidency and I was given a new calling as 1st counselor in YW. I am really excited about this new calling for many reasons. Obviously I am excited about working with the girls, but another reason is because now I get to go to Gospel Doctrine. Not only do we have an incredible Gospel Doctrine teacher....but we are also studying the Book of Mormon this year. Yesterday as we were discussing the need for the 8 witnesses and their testimonies, we were talking about how as we read the book we are able to add our own testimony and witness that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, and that it is not to replace or contradict the Bible, but to be a companion to it, another witness of Jesus Christ and the way that a life and heart can change when they follow Him. Then the teacher asked us how the Book of Mormon has effected us individually. Gladys Knight (she has a house in our ward and she usually visits during the holidays) raised her hand and talked about how ever since she became a member, about 10 years ago, she has become more boisterous because she is just so excited about the gospel and the Book of Mormon and she wants to tell everyone about it. As I sat there listening, I was thinking about how the Book of Mormon has effected my life and my family's life. I came home feeling many emotions, which led me to one of my New Years' Resolutions which is to not only read the Book of Mormon as a family and individually each day, but to also TEACH it to my children and show them how excited I am about it and about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As I look back over the last year, I realize that as a family we read the scriptures together almost everyday of the year, but I'm not sure how much we got out of it. I get so much out of it when I read individually, but it has become something we do out of routine as a family rather than something that we love to do together. So, anyways, sorry that took me so long to say, but that is my New Years' Resolution....along with losing weight for the cruise in June and being a better mother, wife, and sister.

So here's to a great 2008!!!

New Year, New Memories

Katelund's crimped hair-do.

This is what Aunt Stefani was doing at 12:00 am New Year's Day! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Grandma crimping Katelund's hair. 80's here we come!! :) It looked SO CUTE!!
Stefani curled Cloey's hair in ringlets. It was beautiful! Cloey LOVES her "Stepi"!
Eating popcorn and watching Cinderella with Grandma.
Feeding ducks with Grandpa.

Like everyone else, we had a great holiday season full of love, fun, good food, family, and friends. We felt so blessed to have Cory's parents and his brother and sister, Logan and Stefani, and Stefani's boyfriend, Nathan, with us for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. All of the days in between they were in Texas visiting the rest of the fam. We were so sad that we could not make the trip with them to see Kade get baptized, but Cory's job is the craziest at the end of the year, so we were not able to get away.

As they were leaving on New Year's Day to go back to Fayetteville, the girls started begging me to let them go back with Grandma and Grandpa.....I just couldn't resist. So, me and the girls spent the last week in Fayetteville while Cory had some bonding time with his brother Logan, who stayed at our house. It was a great trip and we had a lot of fun. The girls got to do all of their favorite things at Grandma and Grandpa's house (i.e. staying up late, getting up early and running down to Grandma and Grandpa's room to wake them up, watching movies, eating popcorn, having Stefani and Grandma crimp and curl their hair, paint their fingernails and toenails, put make-up on, feed the ducks, have a picnic, dance, sing, scrapbook, and get chased and tickled by Grandpa). It was sad to leave, but also wonderful to come home to "our Asheville" and "Dadda".