Auld Lang Syne - 2011 in review

2011 in review meme

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before? Hill Cumorah Pageant, Surgery

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Kept a few, goal to be more organized in all areas of life.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Sister Aubrey – 1^st baby of New Year! - Shelby.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Karren Johnson, Orlin Wathen

5. Where did you visit? New York!

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? a date?

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?7/1/11 - day I got to New York/pageant

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?Promotion at work

9. What was your biggest failure this year? Didn't lose weight - stayed same.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?Gall Bladder

11. What was the best thing you bought?

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?Cortland (nephew)graduated from High School and Marine Basic Training

13. Where did most of your money go? House, car

14. What did you get really, really, really excited about?New York, girls camp

15. What song will always remind you of 2011? Spirit of God

16. What do you wish you'd done more of? Exercise

17. What do you wish you'd done less of?Sitting on the coach, vegging

18. How did you spend Christmas?With the Davis'

19. Did you fall in love in 2011?Romantically, no. Fell in love with the babies :)

20. What was your favorite TV program?NCIS

21. What was the best book you read this year? The Book of Mormon.

22. What was your greatest musical discovery? Scotty McCreery,

23. What did you want and get for Christmas? a new vacuum?

24. What was your favorite film of this year?.Breaking Dawn or Harry Potter. It's a tie.

25. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?45, shopped

26. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?If I'd been able to go to Mexico.

27. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? Started dressing better at work because of promotion. Still prefer jammie bottoms and a hoodie at home.

28. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? hmmm ... Ian Somerhalder - Damon on Vampire Diaries

29. What political issue stirred you the most?Can we just have the elections now and not have to go through all this stuff?

Who did you miss? Mom

31. Who was the best new person (people) you met? Twins - Jace & Trey, Shelby, friends from pageant

32.Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011 - be prepared

33. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Book of Mormon stories ...

Pictures from Hill Cumorah Pageant

An Angel from on High

"Moroni was a prophet well prepared for the responsibility of bridging two worlds: from the beginning it seems that he was sensitized to the spiritual anguish and disintegration of modern society. He was born into a righteous home, but was surrounded by a world which, like much of contemporary society, was pervaded by violence and degradation. All the external influences of society were at war with his parents’ desire to raise a righteous son. His father, Mormon, described the tide of evil that was sweeping the land as a “complete revolution”—both social and spiritual—against the values which just two centuries earlier had created a civilization rivaling the City of Enoch in the perfection of its peace."

I think when I was younger I had a crush on Moroni! After being to the Hill Cumorah and walking on that sacred ground where he walked I know I still do! Pageant was so much more than I ever imagined. I was mesmerized everytime we presented the stories from the Book of Mormon - starting Monday night with the first run-through. We didn't have costumes or special effects or an audience and at times the only thing going was the soundtrack because parts hadn't been staged yet, but even then you could feel the power behind the depictions of events that took place.

Happily Ever After ...?

I remember the wedding of Charles and Diana, watched it on t.v. I was 14 at the time and the thought of marrying a Prince was like a real life fairy tale. This wedding I didn't watch all that much of the coverage. I did like the dress, nice and simple, not a lot of fluff and best of all, it was modest. But, is it happily ever after? They were married in Westminster Abbey, which is a beautiful place but they were married with the phrase "until death do us part". On the other had when you are married in the equally beautiful Salt Lake Temple it is for time and all eternity.

Archbishop of Canterbury, stated:
“Here is the stuff of which fairy tales are made; the prince and the princess on their wedding day. But fairy tales usually end at this point with the simple phrase ‘they lived happily ever after.’ This may be because fairy stories regard marriage as an anticlimax after the romance of courtship. This is not the Christian view. Our faith sees the wedding day not as the place of arrival but the place where the adventure really begins"

Love this talk by President Uchtdorf ... "In most languages there exists a phrase as magical and full of promise as perhaps any in the world. That phrase is “Once upon a time.”
Aren’t those wonderful words to begin a story? “Once upon a time” promises something: a story of adventure and romance, a story of princesses and princes. It may include tales of courage, hope, and everlasting love. In many of these stories, nice overcomes mean and good overcomes evil. But perhaps most of all, I love it when we turn to the last page and our eyes reach the final lines and we see the enchanting words “And they lived happily ever after.”

http://lds.org/general-conference/print/2010/04/your-happily-ever-after?lang=eng&clang=eng

Feliz Cumpleaños

Yes, I just realized that my blog had it's 1st birthday! My first post was on March 30, 2010. In the last year I have had 17 posts ... I guess that is more than one a month although I think there was a whole bunch of posts right after our Disneyland/Temple trip because I definitely didn't post every month. I am going to try a little harder to post more often. I will try for once a week but if life gets busy who knows? My title this time comes from one of my favorite Primary songs ... “Feliz Cumpleaños,” Children’s Songbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 282 Merrily 1. “Feliz Cumpleaños,” (fay-lees coom-play-ahn-yos) That’s how they say it in Spain.“Fröhlicher Geburtstag,” (frer-li-sher guh-burts-tahk) In German it means the same.“Gratulerer med dagen,” (grah-too-lay-rare med dog-en) Norwegians say it too. But any way you say it,It means “Happy Birthday to you!” 2. They say in Samoa,“Manuia lou aso fanau.” (mah-noo-ee-yah low ah-so fah-now) “Tanjobi omedeto,” (tahn-joe-bee oh-meh-deh-toe) The Japanese say, and bow.“Saengilul ch’ukhahamnida,” (sang-ill-ool chewk-ha-hahm-nee-dah) Koreans say it too. Words and music: Maurine Benson Ozment, b. 1932. © 1969, 1989 IRI

Take Me Out To The Ball Game ...

Basketball is winding down now that March and it's madness is over ... time to move onto baseball/softball (Go Dodgers!) Spent 19 out of 26 hours at the softball park on Friday/Saturday this last weekend. It's just nice to be outside. Of course, with our wacky Utah weather there was no softball on Monday night because of the SNOW! I told Teresa with concessions they need to get some peanuts and cracker jacks (as per my usual Title of a song/Title of Post). I'm sure by October we will be so over softball but for now it's a nice change. I guess I'll have to be looking out for some of those single guys that I can steer my friend Kayla's way ... on her blog http://thinklovedream.blogspot.com/2011/04/i-love-me-some-baseball-boys.html?spref=fb"Why do all the nice, attractive, friendly guys have to be married already?! and why do i have to meet them?? can't i meet a nice, attractive, friendly SINGLE guy?" Don't worry Kayla, I meet lots of young, nice, attractive, friendly?, single guys down there (emphasis on young - too young for me!) I really need to make it to a Dodger game sometime ... could this be the year? I hope so.

Monster Mash

I don't care what the date says it is I need to catch up on the rest of 2010 ... we went to the State Fair where dad won 2nd place for his wall hanging (1st place hardly had any quilting?!) Kylie of course had to get measured and see the butter cow. Then we got to go to Frightmares at Lagoon - It's What Fun Is! Had a pretty good day, rode the rides we wanted to ride, went to the Haunted Houses and then we tried to dodge the rain drops but we had to leave before closing because it got too cold (I know ... we never leave a park early!) Then we trick-or-treated on both Springville and Spanish Fork's main streets.