Our Day at the Zoo

We decided to weather the heat and head out to the zoo today. It was crazy packed because kids are on spring break, but we still had a good time.

The very inviting cool water...


Go Jaguars!!!


This little stinker was just out roaming the zoo grounds


OOH! Look at the birds!


These suckers are native to Florida! ACK!


Feeding the Giraffs

Please keep Hayden in your prayers...

We've discovered Hayden has a hernia. He will have to have surgery in the next couple of weeks...and I am just not doing well with this information. I know it's a far cry from what a lot of you have to deal with, but it is still quite scary for me...

A banana, an orange and a bottle of water...

On my way into work I stopped into Publix to pick up something to eat at work. I grabbed a banana, an orange, a bottle of water, and some chapstick. I get through the checkout, pay with exact change and dash out the door since I’m cutting it close getting to work on time. I get out to my car and am in desperate need of my chap stick so I dig through my bag. I dig and dig and dig…and it’s NOT THERE! And of course I’ve parked all the way in the very last row in the parking lot, so I sprint as fast as I can back into the store, go up to the register I was rung up at and let them know that my chapstick wasn’t in my bag. The bag boy insisted he put it in my bag, in fact he remembers that he put it in the same bag as the candy. Uh…I didn’t BUY candy! Fine…I’m in a hurry, so I make a B-line to the beauty isle to grab another chapstick, pay for it and get to work. This time I didn’t have exact change, so I hand the checker a $20 bill. She hands me my change as the bagger admits that he must have put it in another person’s bag, because he remembers putting it in with candy…oops. Whatever, I’m late, out $3 and already in a huff, so I just leave. I get out to my car, which is still on the last row, and put my change in my wallet…there is only $7 there! I handed her a twenty…I should have $17!!! So, back into the store I go. I head up to the register, which by now I’m sure they are sick to death of me…and I stand there until she is finished with her current customer. I point out that I gave her a twenty and that she gave me incorrect change. She looks at me and says matter-of-factly “You gave me a ten.” I push back… “I gave you a Twenty!” So I go grab my favorite cashier and explain the situation. She tells me they’ll have to count down the drawer…at this point I have now paid $16 for one tube of chapstick, and I am running late, but for $10 you better believe I’ll wait! She opens the register and there it is. My crisp, clean twenty dollar bill on top of the rest of the ten dollar bills. I get my change back and then they also refund my money for the first tube I purchased. PHEW! I walk out of the store and hurry to my car since I am now 15 minutes late and I pick up my first bag with the fruit and water in it and what do you know falls out? That’s right…my original tube of chapstick.

I have some apologies to make tomorrow…

I finally have my camera back!!

Here are some cute pictures of Hayden from today:

Squeaky Clean!


What the heck am I supposed to do with this?


Yeah...that's right

My Savior, My Friend

As I sit here this Easter evening I am filled with gratitude and love for Christ. There isn’t anything awe inspiring that I could possibly add to the words in John that describe the agony and suffering my Savior went through for me…so I will just add my testimony that I know that Jesus is the Christ and Savior of this world, and that He lives. He is our perfect example. He is our brother and can be our closest friend if we allow Him to be. I only hope I can live worthy enough to be able to feel the nail prints in His hands and kiss His feet one day. I ache to be able to fall into His arms and have Him welcome me and whisper the words “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Three Words That Will Change Your Life

While at Time Out for Women in Tallahassee a couple of weeks ago, Wendy Watson Nelson (wife of Russell M. Nelson) shared the following story…She had attended a high school class reunion in Canada and on her way home to Utah she was passing through Wyoming. On the side of the road she came upon a barn with a steep slanted roof with three words on top that impacted her in such a way that she will never forget it, and has shared this story with thousands of people around the world.

Had I lived my life according to these three words up until now I know my life would be much different, and I could have avoided a lot of grief and heartache through the years and a lot of the mistakes I made would never have had the option of coming to pass. But I cannot change the past, I only have in my power to change the future. If I can commit to live by these three words I imagine my life will be somewhat simpler, and perhaps more stress free. I will probably have more time on my hands, less clutter in my home, and an all around peace.

I’m sure you have in your mind what you think these three words might be. I sat there listening to her wondering what magnificent revelation was going to rest upon my ears that evening. But alas, they were simple. Just a simple phrase that makes more sense to me than just about anything else I have ever heard. The three words are: Not Even Once.

Had I committed to “not even once” wear something immodest in high school…or to “not even once” charge something unnecessary on a credit card…or “not even once” laugh at something inappropriate…or “not even once” participate in gossip…how different would my life be? I am now paying for my carelessness, but I can change how I go throughout my life from here on out. I can “not even once” charge something else on another credit card, or “not even once” tolerate ill speaking of any of God’s children and I can commit to “not even once” watch or listen to inappropriate entertainment.

I spend so much wasted time on the computer and watching TV. Maybe I can start this week (again) by posting a sign on the TV that reads “Not Even ONCE”.

I just have to brag on my amazing husband.

Two nights ago I was deathly ill with the flu. (Thank you, Hayden). I was up all night thanks to my bodily functions and I ended up passing out a total of three times. During all of this, Mike was not feeling well either, but he was so patient with me, always making sure I got back into bed and nice and comfy. He was constantly running back and forth from the bedroom to the bathroom and up and down the stairs catering to my every need. He got me fluids when I needed fluids, he got me a banana when it finally dawned on us to get some potassium in my system and most importantly he called upon the Lord for assistance and gave me such a wonderful blessing. I slept like a baby after that and am now feeling much more like myself. And no, I’m not sharing my husband.

I am now a card-carrying member

Of motherhood. Yes, ladies…it’s official – I’ve finally been puked on. Twice. I’m wondering who this is harder on…the kid who is sick, or the mom who cleans it up. Oh well…such is life.

A Week Without TV

I bought a book this weekend called 21 Days Closer to Christ. Each day it gives you a “Journey”, or I guess something like a challenge. I plan to start that with Michael this week, but something I would like to change about myself is how much time I spend in front of the TV and computer screens. I cannot cut out the computer entirely since I do a lot for Relief Society on the internet, as well as my couponing…but I can cut out the unnecessary time I spend chatting with friends or visiting meaningless websites. As far as the TV goes – I should be able to cut that completely during the day, and perhaps allow myself an hour each night. Each day I want to try to do something productive during the time I would normally be a couch potato. I still don’t know if I’ll have the TV on for Hayden or not, but maybe he wont ‘need’ it as much since I won’t be on the computer as much and we can do more things together. Hopefully I will be able to ‘report’ what we have done differently and the next few posts will be filled with acts of service, precious moments shared with my sun, and experiences that have drawn me closer to Christ.

Time Out for Women

This weekend was interesting to say the least. It seems as though every element was against us getting to Time Out for Women. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes blew through the pan-handle as we were trying to make it to Tallahassee on time. Then our driving directions were so wrong that it took nearly 45 minutes to find the civic center – a trip that should have taken 3-5 minutes. After we finally found it we decided to venture out to find some food. We went up and down the main road of a college town (a place where it seems logical to place dozens of restaurants) only to find ourselves at Circle-K for gas station hot dogs and chips full of MSG. The ATM was broken so that made it even more interesting as we needed to find cash to pay for parking…who uses cash anymore anyway??? But once we got inside (nearly 15 minutes late) Kenneth Cope was busy filling the room with such uplifting music and the spirit was so strong.

My hope is to take the words I heard this weekend to heart and become a “Latter-day Woman of God”. Little by little I hope to better myself. One of my favorite quotes is, “Am I closer to Christ today than I was yesterday?” If I can answer “yes” to that question each day then I’ll know I’m doing what has been asked of me. It doesn’t by any means mean I have to be perfect, because that just doesn’t happen in this lifetime. It only means I need to try.