TTA: Photo Op

Disneyland celebrated its 40th anniversary by burying a time capsule. They say it will be dug up in 50 years - or when the last person in line at Space Mountain gets to the front, whichever comes first. -- Jay Leno


January has been a whirlwind of activity trying to throw together a last-minute trip to Disneyland. It was worth every bit of chaos. We had nightmares before we went of tantrums and cranky kids but every moment was fun and the kids held up very well being the perfect age to enjoy all the magic Disneyland has to offer. And being off-season we didn't have to endure any of the lines that Jay Leno jokes about. Here Maya sneaks in a quick cat nap. When she woke up she was in front of Mickey Mouse's house and couldn't have been happier!

Mark on the World

“When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced.

Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice."

I don't know anyone in the world who doesn't absolutely love President Hinckley. He is pure joy to listen to when he speaks. I had the opportunity to meet him on my mission and was so excited I swear I squoze his hand too hard because I was the last hand he shook before he exited the meeting. (We were warned before that day that he might not mingle with any of the missionaries because his arthritis was painful that day.) He taught us, even teased us, and uplifted us that day. I will always remember that day as a special one. With everyone out there I will miss him.

I still don't know why but ever since I was a little girl I have always thought it would be an extraordinary time when Monson would be the prophet. On the way to our wedding almost 8 years ago Nate and I ran into President Monson in the hallway. He introduced us to the lady he was visiting that day whom he had taught as a young missionary and she was volunteering in the Salt Lake Temple that day. He was very kind. Last night as I watched the news those feelings from my childhood came flooding over me once again. I look forward with eager anticipation and curiosity for what we all have in store for us.

Tuesday Tell All: One Week One Person

This post is about where I would go if I had one week to go anywhere and do anything I wanted and with whom I would take this vacation. If I really had the opportunity to go anywhere in the world I wanted for one week I would honestly have a hard time picking. I love to travel and see new places, I dream of being able to see the entire world before I die. Well, I might skip out on the poles, I hate to be cold, but maybe I'd take a close boat tour. Man, I can't even say I'd really skip the antartic because I'd hate to miss anything. But today I choose a tour of the Greek Islands. So beautiful and so much fascinating history to boot. I'd spend the week like a sponge soaking in everything, not running and cramming it all in, but memorizing the smells and the tastes in the air and the feel of the sun.

The person is easy, that one person would be Nate. I love my hubbie very much and would post about him non-stop except for the fact that he doesn't like his personal life to be posted on the Web. Oops. Anyway he's my dream vacation partner and the picture of him up skiing is in honor of what would probably be his dream vacation. Powder, powder, powder!

TTA- Assignment Organize

This week's Tell All assignment was to share ideas about how we organize our lives. Definitely not my thing since I became a stay-at-home mom. In fact being unorganized and cluttered is probably my number one complaint. I recently read Clutter’s Last Stand after my friend told me about it. It’s a fabulous book that gives you ideas on how to de-clutter your home and feel good about what you throw out. I loved it! However, when my sister asked to borrow it I couldn’t remember in which pile it was buried. She and her husband love to laugh about that!

One of my New Year’s resolutions actually is to stop complaining about being unorganized and just do it! Reading the other TTA http://tuesdaytellall.blogspot.com/ blogs has been so fun getting great ideas as I work on this. Last week I started getting on top of things by resurrecting my personal planner I made for myself last year. It’s been fabulous. I tried using a palm pilot and other expensive planners before but the only thing I got out of them was a great daily quote. So I printed out a calendar style on Word that worked for me and put it in a 3-ring notebook so I can insert papers I need to keep track of that don't need to be filed long term. I have other sections for my home projects, my kids, work, etc. I also have a small notebook that I now drag everywhere with me (an idea I got from Wendi a few months ago) so between my binder and notebook I don’t wonder where I put Andy’s notes from school anymore and I always have a place to jot down things I need to remember or lists I want to accomplish each day. It's a small step, but I'm on my way.