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Book Review: The Roadshow by Braden Bell

I am a Reader...
I will read just about anything--
if you could peek at my bookcase
you would see that I have books about
nearly every topic.
Parenting Books --which I wish so much I could memorize.
Gospel Books--that have highlighted and folded-down pages.
Poetry from Shakespeare to Shel Silverstein.
Gardening, Home Staging, Doula and Midwifery manuals
to
Dog training books--which, I must say, are nearly useless with
every dog I've ever had.
And then there's the few novels I've read--
most are actually memoirs,
my favorite kind of books:
"The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio",
"Change Me into Zeus' Daughter"
are good ones,
but so is
"I Love You, Ronnie: the Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan".


I'm not crazy about fictional novels...
I read the Twilight series in a weekend
and then
forgot 99% of it...
totally forgettable to me.
I prefer fact over fiction most days.
But I'd heard alot of  great buzz about this:

So, when author Braden Bell asked me if I'd be interested in reading and reviewing his creative baby,
"The Roadshow",
I jumped at the chance!
This isn't just a novel...which is today enjoyed and tomorrow shelved or donated in a stack of
paperbacks to Goodwill.
This is so much more than that.
It was more than I expected.
Better than I expected...
each page was important to the story,
there was no
skimming over sentences,
jumping pages,
contrived phrases or out-of-ordinary characters.
I read each page as though it was out of a
personal journal that
each of the five main characters
had written themselves.
The words were as authentic
as the emotions.
I saw myself
and people I love
in black letters
between lines and pages.
I found myself echoing what I read:
"I know that. I've been there."
It's not about flamboyant, ridiculous characters
in a fantasy setting.
It's about real people in real life
and you will see your own reflection through
Braden Bell's eyes.
"The Roadshow" helps to inspire me
to look beyond the outward appearance
of my neighbor,
and serve them with a more purposeful attitude;
to see them with loving eyes
as I hope my Savior looks upon me.

Braden Bell was inspired to write this,
and it will be a favorite on my bookshelf
for years to come!
It is available on thru Amazon  Books.

Thanks to Braden Bell for asking me to participate in his blog book tour.
A total privilege and blessing for me.

Good Things To Come...

Time Out for this ladybug's picnic

I woke up today and thought,
"Self, you've said it all. 
Laid it out like a ladybugs' picnic...
Ladled, spooned and sprinkled,
dumped and vented...
typed and typed
until I cain't type no mo'--
is there anything left to say
on this lil blog of mine
that is worth taking up space on the 
big W W W ??


Then my Self answered:
"If there is, I can't think of it.
Why don't you take a break for awhile
and see if the Universe slaps you upside the noggin
with some spark of brilliance
that would be worth anyone else's time"


So I decided to listen to my
Self
because my 
Self
is rarely wrong about these things.


So carry on 
with your comings and goings--
I'll be pokin' around
and sharin' my two cents when I get the urge.


Truthfully,
I  want a Time-Out-
time to circle the wagons
as I like to say--
take inventory of la familia
and steal more sunshine this 
fine ladybug season.

WooHoo! Winner of the Nathan Sharp Gallery Print!!!!

The Winner is 

da

da

dummmm...

Connie!!

Congratulations!

Email me, so we can get that

to you

ASAP!

Love and Acceptance of Self

                                 


                            Love For Self:

what it means to me.

Being honest about the woman in the mirror is the best gift I can give myself...

It serves noone to be anyone else or anything else.

Plus, I'm so forgetful that if I were ambitious enough to try to be someone else,

I'd soon have a hard time remembering just who that gal was?

It's better this way.

I actually like myself and the direction I'm headed.

And I accept that I am an Evolving human being

that is entitled to make course corrections when needed.

Knowing my Limits is a gift of love to myself.

I am never going to climb Mt. Kilamajaro.
Or be in a Rock Band.

Or win at Dance Dance Revolution.
I cannot do ALL things well.

I can do somethings quite well though.

I am not terribly witty or unusually smart. Or a Scriptorian.

But I'm clever enough for my husband and my kids,

I have sought out careers that express my passions,

and I know that once I open the scriptures

my day is going to be better.

I am patient with myself. My expectations are reasonable.

My footprints may not stand the test of time

But then again, I'm not trying to be larger than life.

The idea of being someone like "Pioneer Woman"

makes me pee my pants.

My expectations of myself are:

to raise my kids in a home of logic and love;

in a way that will show them that giving your best

is worth what it costs; 
is in no way

glamourous, but can be joyful. 

I am gentle with myself.

I need mercy.
 I'm not perfect,
but I'm not happy

making excuses

for my weaknesses either.

I believe that to be "Great and Noble"

One must do what the "Great and Noble"

Do.

So That's my goal.

I don't want to be famous.

I want to be Great. And Noble.

Even if noone else notices.

I want to be Great for the sake of being Great.
In my own shoes.

Self-love is more than the food we eat
,the clothes we wear,
the color of our hair

though those things do
reflect how we feel about ourselves.

I like to wear: *red when I am feeling unsure.

*Black when I want to blend into the scenery.

*My 11-year-old Breckenridge sweatshirt

with holey sleeves, frazzled neckline,

and alien spots in various places

when I feel loved for who I am.

I don't color my hair, "cept those two times
 when I dyed it MEDIUM Brown

and it came out Elvis Presley blue-black.

I have little grey hairs coming in at the sideburns
and along the hairline.

I used to pull them...

sometimes I still do.

I really wish my whole head would just go grey all at once!

I've earned a headfull of amazing white hair,
like a red badge of courage.

Only white.

Loving my body. 
I have stretchmarks that could

serve as a map of the London Underground
Mind The Gap!

Each one, again, earned as I carried 7 babies

to full-term pregnancy.
 I used to wish them away.

Or rub cocoa butter on them
like a buddah belly.

Now I don't even notice them.

I just notice that my belly isn't
smooth and firm like it was when I was a kid.

But even that, I don't dwell on.
What a waste of time.

Maybe when I can't find my size at Kohl's anymore,

I might seriously fall apart in the dressing room.

Maybe someday there'll be "drive-thru liposuction":

"Um, yeah, I"ll have a happy meal with a Sprite,

and some fat off my thighs today, thanks."

I laugh at Myself. My foibles.My lunacy.

I laugh more than I cry.

My kids can laugh at themselves
and laugh with me too.

Those are my favorite mom-moments.

Somedays, I just crack myself up for no apparent reason.

Even when I am alone.

Laughing at myself gives me permission

to not be perfect. It feels good.

Self-love means acknowledging both 
my Strengths and my weaknesses...

with equality.

Sometimes I need a kick in the butt

to remind me of my strengths

because my weaknesses

demand more attention.

Yeah, they bite.

But my strengths give my heart peace

so I try to remember that.

"Men are that they might have joy"--right?

That's Self-Love to me.

...Appreciating where I've been,

what the Journey has been like so far,

and not grimacing when I look into the mirror.

The older I get, the better the reflection,

another good thing about poor eyesight.

My Self is a good Self.

What about you? How do you love the You that is YOU?

Words for the Journey...

I picked up my Celestial Child

on Friday.

It's a 4 1/2 hour round trip

To/from his host-home to mine.

Nana rode with me to keep me company

and to help out if need be with Dean.

We'd been in the car about an hour

on the way back with Dean

When he says to me,

"I can drive if you want me to."

I respond,

"Thanks! But I got it, Buddy."

Then Dean goes down Memory Lane...

"Memba I drive brown car?"

Then he starts signing what it was like

to drive our family car thru the garage

in 1997.

"Oh yeah, I do!" I reply. "Right thru the garage door!
Did that scare you?"

He laughs and shakes his head "no".

" 'Memba when I drive camper?"

"Hillary's Winnebago? Yes, I remember that!"

Again, he is laughing his head off!

I ask,

"That was a long time ago, how do you remember all that?"

He shrugs his shoulders and flashes his wide smile.

So I ask him,

"Do you remember being in the Pre-existance with Heavenly Father?"

He nods and says,

"Yup."

"Well what was the last thing Heavenly Father said to you

before you left Him and came to earth?"

"Be Safe."



Of course Heavenly Father

would say that!

What else would He say?

Be True.

Be Smart.

Be Humble.

Be Faithful.

Be Prayerful.

Be Clean.

Be Safe.

You all be Safe today.

*reposted from 8/31/09

When is it a Good Time to Fight in Public?

Last night as the two younger kiddos and I
were picking up some things for dinner at a grocery store,
we were treated to a scream-fest in the line next to ours.
It was quite impressive, actually.
A dad and his two kids --
a girl about 11 years old and a boy around 8--
were having meltdowns.

"He Spit on ME!
GROSS!
He SPIT on ME!
 I hate you!
You're Gross! Daaadd!"
came the girls' angry protest.
Then somebody smacked somebody else
 and more yelling ensued.
This time, the Daaaad jumped in
and suddenly you could see a pattern.
The kids learned it honest, they sure did.

Okay, so as we finished up and were walking away,
I said to my kids,
"Did you see those kids?"
To which the Caboose answered,
"They were brats."
 "Is it a good idea to fight in public?", I ask.
The Boofus said flatly,
 "Not unless I'm getting paid for it."

WWF has yet to contact me,
but I'm thinking of making a Wrestling Cape
out of old collared shirts.

*reposted from 4/30/09

Balancing our Roles and Passions

First, I'm a Woman.

Then, I'm a Wife.

And intertwined with that~

I'm a Mother.

It is a delicate dance

that I attempt to do

sometimes I step on toes

often I trip over my own

feet...

I observe more experienced women

who seem to move

with grace and precision

as if they've been dancing this dance

for a million years...

I take heart that someday

my moves will be as graceful.

As a Woman

I have to take care of

my physical needs

My emotional stability (which is easier on somedays than others!)

Develop my talents

Pursue my passions

Follow God's plan

for me...among other things.

As a Wife

I am a Companion

and Helpmeet~

Find and stick to a Path

for my

Goal of Eternal Marriage

and making the journey

worthwhile and fulfilling...

among other things.

As a Mother

I am caregiver

nurturer

shoe-finder

nose-wiper

education-encourager

touchy-feely- hugger-smiler

funny-bone- finder

porridge-making

Mama Bear...

among other things.

I was reading one day

this Article by

a girl named Rebecca--

the daughter of a famous

Feminist,

Alice Walker.

The question was asked of

Rebecca:

What was it like being the Daughter of Alice Walker?

"lonely."

She replied.

Perspective is worth Gold.

Listening to Neil A. Maxwell

he said,

"When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men of the peacemaking of women in home and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time."

Read more: http://www.gaia.com/quotes/Neal_Maxwell?page=7#ixzz0RNoqaISL

Balance.

Rebecca's Mother spoke to the Masses

about finding your SELF

being true to your SELF

and Rebecca's Mother lived no lie.

She found herself and stopped.

She was true to herself.

I wonder if it was worth the cost?

For more of Rebecca's story:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1021293/How-mothers-fanatical-feminist-views-tore-apart-daughter-The-Color-Purple-author.html

Balance = Peace

How do you balance your interests/ passions and your goals? What's the best advice you've received or given to other women about balance?

*if this looks familiar, it's an oldie but a goodie. 

Book Review: The Continuous Atonement by Brad Wilcox~ Part One~

I first heard "The Continuous Atonement"
at Brigham Young University's Women's Conference.
His message was uplifting, inspiring and spoke to my heart
in such a way,
that when I saw this book at Walmart,
there was no question I had to have it.

Sometimes, we get conflicting messages
about Repentance and Forgiveness...
just recently in Sunday School,
we were discussing Samuel and Saul and David--
Old Testament stuff.
Sister Lovable was talking about Saul's falling away--
that he took it upon himself to do the offerring at the Temple,
because Samuel wasn't there,
and when Samuel returned,
he let Saul know he shouldn't have done that ordinance
because he didn't have the authority to do it.
And then,
Saul did it again.
Sr. Lovable said,
The Lord had had enough--two strikes and Saul was OUT."

I sat there for a moment,
processing what she'd said,
and it struck my heart so
that I raised my hand and said,
"Can we back up just a second? I want to make sure we understand
that the Lord did not turn his back on Saul, but that Saul turned away from Him.
The scriptures say "As many times as my people will repent, I will forgive them."

We talked about that for a few seconds,
I saw heads nodding in agreement with my two cents.

I made my comment outloud in the classroom
because one of the greatest tools of the Adversary
is that of discouragement.
He wants us to think that God is limited in His love for us.
That as we learn and evolve,
we are on a time-limit--
or that He is not a Patient God...
that if we mess up once
we can recieve forgiveness
BUT
if we mess up again
and again--
that HE is just as disappointed in US
as we are
and He'll give up on us just as we are tempted to give up
on ourselves.
That
is
a
Lie.
As Brad Wilcox shows again
and again
using scriptures and testimonies of Prophets,
we have been redeemed from all sins
that's plural--
through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
We can go to the Savior
as many times as we need to
even
seventy times seven
as we seek to make our weaknesses
our strengths.
Repentance is a process
not a one time thing
for many of the worldly tests we face.

Look for Part 2 next Wednesday.

To Trust in Him

I received a special blessing
shortly after I became a member of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
It's called a
Patriarchal Blessing.

I was seventeen years old when I received mine.
I love my blessing--
it has been a constant guide in my life
year after year
at every turn of my life
I have been able to go to the
written copy in my nightstand
and find answers to questions
or trials I have at any given moment.
I feel my Heavenly Father's love for me
every time I read it.

One part of it reveals
that as a Mother,
I will be in tune with my children
and their needs--
that I will be able to receive revelation
(answers to prayers and needs)
for my children.

This has been the case
many times in our home:

*One Sunday afternoon,in February,  I was sitting at the piano,
piddling around when I heard a still small voice that said,
"Call the Smiths and tell them that Danielle is to go with them to 
Germany."
The Smiths were an Air Force family that she had babysat for many times,
during their stay in the Springs. I did not know them very well, only that they were
a sweet family and that morning at Church, it was announced that their family was
being reassigned to Landstuhl, Germany.
At the time of the announcement, my thoughts
were simple,
"Oh so soon? We'll miss them."
And that's all there was.
I ignored the voice and kept playing the piano.
Again, it came:

Call the Smiths and tell them that Danielle is to go with them to 

Germany."

I wondered to myself,

"What? Why? Do they even like her? It's the military--is it even possible? Would she want to go?"

I kept playing.

The Lord heard my questions, but did not answer them. Instead, the voice came a third time:

Call the Smiths and tell them that Danielle is to go with them to 

Germany." -- and with such strength that I found myself standing in the kitchen, dialing the Smith's phone number.

Mr Wonderful walked in at that time and asked,

"What're you doing? Who ya calling?"--mainly because I didn't make calls on Sundays.

"I'm calling the Smiths to tell them that they're supposed to take Dani with them to Germany."

His eyebrows raised, his mouth dropped, "Okay. Does she know about this?"

"Un-unh. She's at Church still."

Sister Smith answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Anne. This is Dawn A********."

"Oh hi Dawn! How are you?"

"I'm fine. I know this is gonna sound weird, but I just got an impression,

a strong impression, that I'm supposed to call you and tell you that Dani's to go with your

family to Germany.  Now, I don't know if that's even possible, or if you even like her that much, and believe me when I say that I will not be offended if you don't, but I just needed to tell you this."

"Well, I am so glad you called. I will talk to Dan (husband) tonight; as you know, he's in Afghanistan, but he calls every night, and I'll talk to him about this and get back to you, ok?"

"Sure, sure. No problem. Talk to you soon." 

"Okay, take care."

I got off the phone surprised at what just happened.

Am I looney? Have I lost it totally?

Danielle walked in the door from her meetings

a bit later,

and Dad told her to talk to me.

"Well, I got an impression that you're supposed to go with the Smiths to Germany when they move there in July."

Her response was much like Mr. W's...a surprised, "REALLY?"  and then, 'whatever'.

Months passed by.

Dan came home, they sold their house,

and were all packed to leave.

Dani's ticket had been bought and she was leaving a week after the Smiths.

The night before they left,

we met with them.

Just as they were leaving, 

Anne said, 

"Did I ever tell you what was going on that day you called and told us to take Danielle with us?"

I shook my head 'No'.

She smiled,

"Dan and I had already been talking and praying about whether or not to ask Danielle to go with us. When you called, I knew we had an answer."

***************

There have been a number of times

that the promises in my blessing

have been kept.

I've learned that I can trust in that gift

to guide me as I raise my family

and that they can trust in that gift too.

Many times, I've overheard my yahoos

almost 'warning' each other:

"Mom will find out, eventually. She always knows."

This is true, I think, for most mothers.

We are given this gift of revelation--

some call it 

"woman's intuition";

and every woman knows 

it's Real.

The longer I live,

the more real it is,

and the more often I rely on it

to help me raise my family.

Recently, however,

I doubted it.

A situation developed

with a particular older child,

and while I knew in my heart

this child was not being honest--

out of fear of embarrassment

and consequences--

I outwardly accepted their answer of innocence.
tho' inwardly I knew better.

I questioned them over and over again.

Each time,

their behavior reflected that of a guilty conscience,

but the words were proclaiming innocence.

Well, because Heavenly Father loves me

and 

my child--

the truth came out.

Another source shared it with me,

because they knew I was 

worried and they felt I 

deserved to be informed.

When the truth was revealed,

I felt complete relief.

Yes, I was hurt at the lie.

But, knowing I could trust my feelings
gave me peace.

Then what?

I went to Heavenly Father in prayer and asked

"what do I do with this knowledge?"

His answer was clear:

"Love her."
I can't trust her right now
in specific areas,
and that stinks on ice.
But
I can be patient
while she figures things out
and my hope is that
she will want to earn my trust back
eventually.
So I can't trust her,
but one thing I am very good at already is
loving her.
Because I do.

When your older child is struggling--

the last thing you want to do is give them a reason

to pull away...because they're embarrassed or prideful.

Did you hear that?

If I share nothing else worthwhile on this little blog of mine,

it is this:

Don't give your teenagers a reason to pull away.
Don't BE the reason they reject 

your family, your values, your faith.
 Do not make your love so specifically conditional

that your children feel they have to
earn your affection.
Rules are essential--
standards are created to give purpose and joy;
respect is earned
so is trust.
But acknowledge that we all evolve into
better people
one day
one choice
at a time.
Be prayerful
and be patient.

So what did I do?
I prayed.

I wrote my feelings in my personal journal.

Not just for me,

but for the day when this child comes to me

and discloses the truth on their terms.

I can open my journal,

show them the dated page

and say,

"I knew. I've known. And I love you still."

Your Day Just Got Better

http://www.stylelist.com/2010/02/10/man-divorces-bearded-cross-eyed-wife-who-was-hidden-by-veil?icid=sphere_tmzcom_inline

Great Father's Day Gift

Are you like me?--
looking for the perfect Father's Day Gift
to give to the man in your life that
has everything??
or perhaps you're looking for a gift
that you will
never
never
never
have to pick up or take care of??
Hit a nerve there, did I??

C'mon over to
Nathan Sharp Studios--
you can Enter My Giveaway
or you can just order one of his
very masculine art prints that will
add depth & non-cheesy decor
to your special guys' Study or Office.
Much better than the talking trout on the wall,
yes?

So go over there, and then come back
to the Nathan Sharp Giveaway
and tell me which 8x10 you'd like to own.
Or
Just Order One from Nathan directly.
You can even tell him "Momza sent me"
and he'll appreciate that!
Nathan's a father of a bunch of yahoos
and a truly talented artist.
Now GO!

President Monson--notice it's a current image? love that.

*Special Thanks to Nathan Sharp

Nathan Sharp said...

Hey everyone, just to let you know, I am in the process of updating my website so the info that you are seeing is not entirely accurate. I have 8 x 10 prints of everything except for "The Veteran" (the moose). Everything else is fair game. Enjoy!

Let's Zumba People!

So the whole familia went to the YMCA tonight--
the youngest yahoos hit the pool
Mr Wonderful did his 5000+ steps on the eliptical,
while Dani, Nana, Daisie and I
went to the Zumba class.

Thankfully,
the Instructor was Wendy--
she's the instructor that's usually there.
I like her.
She's normal.

When we pulled up to the YMCA,
we parked a few spots over from her--
I meant to say "hi" or wave or something,
but by the time we all got out of the car,
she was gone.
So as the class assembles
and she is ready to start
she asks if there are any
"first timers"??
Daisie and Nana raised their hands.

Wendy smiled
at us all,
and said into her headset microphone--
"Did you guys drive here in a big Suburban?"
We answer "yes"--
then she addresses the rest of the class:
"Ya ever see a clown car?--where there's a never ending
number of people pouring out of it?? THAT'S what their Suburban 
looked like!" And she laughed.
 I hollered back,
"I have seven kids --they're not even all here--and one grandchild!"
She replied,
"It was overwhelming to watch them!"
To which I responded,
"I feel like that everyday!"

Great way to start a class,
if you ask me!

Wendy is a good instructor--
she takes a minute and demonstrates the steps
and always makes sure to give us dance cues
as we go along.
The best part for me,
was having my girls in the class too!
We laughed at each other
at ourselves
and just had a great time!

Daisie got a cramp in her foot,
so she did at least half of the class in her socks,
and she rocked out with Mick Jagger lips!

Diana pulled a rib head out midway thru--
she's had a problem with that since her car accident,
but she finished anyway--
and said it was so fun she's looking forward to the next class.
Dani is finding her pre-pregnancy mojo again
and it love love lovin' it.
And me?
I was movin' my bahooey and rollin' my hips
and shakin' what my mama gave me...
and occassionally laughing outloud at my girlies.

When I got home,
I checked my Body Bugg:
Calories Burned Today: 2938
Steps taken in Zumba class: 6,194  not even kidding.

Do I like the Body Bugg?
Nope.
I love it.

Zumba Makes Me Laugh-Out-Loud

I talked Dani into going to Zumba with me on Saturday.

I've been telling her how awesome it is,

how the music makes you want to move,

the time flies by

and the instructors are great.

She believed me.

That was BEFORE the class started.

I'd never been on Saturday mornings

I know I said I was going before but for whatever reason,

Saturdays are crazy during the school year.)

Any-stinkin'-who,

We went on Saturday--

and there was a new Instructor,

Elody.

Who I am pretty sure is 

on crack.

Think Zumba

on crack.

She wasn't really on crack--

she had about 8 to 10 other Zumba instructors

in the class--

(they all had Zumba! shirts on too!)

she was showing them her stuff.

I saw this,

and yet 

I stayed.

The music cued up,

the instructor started "instructing"

and I use that term lightly--

she was a big honkin' show-off

is what she was--

and then I had a spiritual experience...

I started praying--

"Oh help me keep up,

Oh help me not die."--

and other assorted, varied pleas to 

my Maker.

Fifteen minutes in it,

my face is blotchy red,

I am sweating like a stuck pig in Mississippi,

and guess what, chicken butt?

So is everyone else.

I look over at Dani--

who is fiercely trying to keep up with

this maniac instructor--

and she looked worse than when she was in labor
6 months ago.

I motioned for her to get a drink of water 

with me...

she followed.

"You don't have to do everything she says,

just keep moving. We've already done 30, I mean 15 minutes."

I say to her.

Dani asks,

"I thought you said this was fun?"

Takes a drink and asks,

"You coming back?"

Of course I went back.

How could I not?

I went back to my "spot"--

and noticed two young teenage girls

behind me,

I turned to a little blonde gal 

and said,
"I'm nearly 49 years old, 

and I may pass out, 

but don't worry--

my daughter is right there (pointing to Dani)

and she knows CPR."

The blondey smiled at me.

I went back to searching

for the salsa beat

for my feet to get in rhythm with--

and try as I might,

I couldn't make my body

move

like it was
on crack.

That's when it happened--

it was loud,

unrestrained

bordering hysterical--

laughter.

I couldn't hold it in--

this was insane!

How on earth did this instructor think

ANYONE 

without professional training

could keep up with her??

Yet, there I was--

twisting

turning

rhumba-ing

cha-cha-ing

spinning

twirling

touching my nose with my tongue

speaking Zumba-ese

with the best of 'em

and it was ridiculous!

I laughed so hard,

I couldn't breathe.

Well, I couldn't breathe anyway,

but oh-my-hex

a funny bone was hit with a sledge hammer

and I couldn't help myself.

Of the 50 or so women in the room,

maybe 20 knew what they were doing--

the rest of us

were making up our own steps

modifying the crazed instructor's steps

in the name of

Survival!

No longer was I praying for relief--

I was looking around me for a soft place to land!

I was moving my bahooey

to a latin beat

wearin BROWN sweats

and I started thinking I might make it

despite the evil instructor's effort to slay us all

with her bahooey-shakin' moves.

I was gonna live to tell the tale!
And you know you're a TRUE BLOGGER

when you're in this kind of situation

and start taking mental notes of just how

you're going to tell this story!

And then you curse yourself for not

bringing a camera--

cuz the pictures woulda told the story so much better!

Anyway

Anywayyyyy

A Shakira ("hips don't lie" gal) ballad

came on

and I knew the cool down was there.

There was a light at the end of the tunnel.

I had survived.

The paramedics were not called in--

there were no casualties Saturday at the YMCA.

We would all live another day to 

Zumba.

Which for me,

is tonight at 7:30pm.

Bring It.

Me and my brown sweats will be there!
And hopefully, Dani too.

Oh oh Oh!!

Gotta add this: When I checked my Body Bugg stats that night, it said I'd burned 1400 calories and did over 4000 steps in that one hour!!!!  Can you say, Worth the Pain??!

The Fifteen-Year-Old Speaks

 Freshman Year Tip List

By Daisie

1.      Do your homework, you don’t want to, but do it.

2.      Get up on time. Really. Do it. It saves a lot of trouble.

3.      Go to seminary. It’s good for you. Really.

4.      Eat breakfast. Really. Do it.

5.      Listen to Mom. She knows what she doing. You don’t. Listen. Really.

6.      Listen to your teachers. They don’t hate you. Really. Listen.

7.      Don’t pay attention to stupid boys. They don’t know what they want. You do.

8.      Focus on school not friends. They are important, but not THAT important.

 9.      These grades are important. They count. Make sure they do.

10.  What everyone else thinks doesn’t matter. Only what YOU think does.

11.  Sleep is amazing, but getting an education is better.

12.  Get your crap together then do whatever you have to top your best.

13.  Have a best friend. They do wonders.

14.  Exercise will help with stress. Do it whenever you have time.

15.  Change is good yes. But don’t change yourself so no one will recognize you.

16.  How you act influences your choices.

17.  DON’T PROCRASTINATE. DON’T DO IT. YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE.

18.      Siblings hold the answers to everything high school. LISTEN.

19.      LISTEN TO THOSE THAT HAVE GONE BEFORE YOU. THEY WILL HELP!

20.      Make sure you are prepped for next year. Don’t go into something that you are not prepared for.

21.      High school is a big place. Don’t get lost.

22.       PROBLEMS DO NOT GO AWAY BY THEM SELVES!

23.      THINK BEFORE YOU ACT.

24.      KEEP YOUR PROMISES.  They are IMPORTANT.

25.      Make sure you have everything you need for a great year. Friends. Check. Family. Check. Brain. Check. Listening. CHECK. CHECK. CHECK.

*she actually wrote this for a school assignment.

Other things she learned this year:

http://momza.blogspot.com/2010/03/when-you-mess-with-bull-you-get-horns.html

http://momza.blogspot.com/2010/03/aftermath-of-messing-with-your-teenager.html

http://momza.blogspot.com/2010/05/direct-benefit-of-having-whole-heapin.html

http://momza.blogspot.com/2010/05/nine-days-till-summer-breakeight-more.html

http://momza.blogspot.com/2010/03/dear-mr-easter-bunny.html

and my favorite:

http://momza.blogspot.com/2010/02/how-bad-do-you-wanna-know.html

I love this blue-eyed babe. 

She has potential.

Definitely.