What I Love Today...

No more whining for me. A positive outlook is much more attractive. So...I will start off the week by listing a few things I'm grateful for.

1. My family
Brian is the greatest husband & friend in the world. He's always there for me when I need a little extra push in the right direction. Lily always makes me smile when I get home. She has such an enthusiastic tail!

2. The rain
Yes, I love the sunshine more & will not complain when summer gets here. But let's face it, rain is better than SNOW!

3. Nieces/nephews
We have the greatest ones ever! They are so fun & cute. I get plenty of loves & playtime. Good thing they like me because I'd squeeze them anyway.

4. Ward callings
Primary was really uplifting yesterday. We have a great presidency. I also had my first YW camp meeting. I'm getting psyched!

5. Music/dancing time
I sing & dance when I clean the house/drive in the car. I'm not ashamed to admit that. And really, with the right music & beat, your spirits are instantly uplifted. Feels great!

My Everest...

Life is like Mt. Everest; some days the climb seems excruciating. There are blowing winds & not a lot of breathable air. The terrain can be extra rocky with few solid footholds. But as we become experienced hikers, the climb & top of the summit are very rewarding. Besides, where else in the world can you get this amazing view?

I've found myself struggling to stay motivated this week. My two current goals are to get my class done & lose a little more weight (I swear, the last few are a killer!). School is not cooperating. These chapters are SO LONG! I've found that my brain can only focus for a set amount of time. And I'm not a good dieter. I like to eat what I want & tend to indulge in the "bad" foods. But I know if I can accomplish these things, I will have great satisfaction.

Check out track #1 on the new playlist. I'm not a big fan of Miley personally, but I really like "The Climb." And for those in the dancing mood, "Forever" & "Say Hey" are a must.

Finished Product...

My ward Relief Society had an activity on Thursday night to put together these temple pictures. We didn't have a Salt Lake Temple picture in our house yet & hadn't found one we really loved. So I signed up and now we have a beautiful temple on our wall.

The long story:
The church activity was only supposed to take 2 hours tops. I didn't get home till around 11pm. There was a lot of sitting around & waiting for things to dry or staple guns to become available, etc. As I was retouching the paint, I saw that the top edge showed part of the particle board margin. That would not do at all. I ended up taking all the staples out of the backing yesterday & had Brian help me restaple & hang the picture.

Luckily, it was worth all the effort. It is so nice to have this symbol in our home. This will help remind us of the eternal perspective & what this life is really all about.

What Happened to Spring?

I think it's officially time to break down, pack the car, and head to the beach! I'm done with this stuff. I have 2 new pairs of capris that have not been thoroughly broken into yet, but I have nowhere to go! Sad. I guess this weather does make my pathophysiology & pharmacology class easier to focus on. If the weather were nice, I'd be outta here with Lily in tow. (Last Friday we escaped on an afternoon excursion. The fresh air was exhilarating!)

Until the Easter Bunny brings us some good weather, this is the general feeling around our house.