Lead Me, Guide Me, Walk Beside Me

This semester I am taking a Leadership class. It has actually been a pretty good class. I really like the professor. She is very entertaining and enthusiastic, while not overly crazy. By that I mean, she doesn't require a 20 billion page paper and no group projects.

Oh, how I loathe group projects.

What? Sorry. Back to my story.

So I really respect and like my teacher and pretty much agree with most of what she says. Until yesterday. Yesterday, our topic was women in leadership and she discussed why women do not usually hold high power positions. Then she spoke about how things use to be. How women use to be required to stay at home and nurture. They were stay at home mothers whose jobs were to merely make the home nice. She spoke of how women are viewed as being different. How they have been held back and haven't had the chance to be out in the world so they can be successful. Then she said that she feels that things are changing and she hopes that we will get rid of those ideals forever.

"WHAT?!" I thought. She doesn't understand. When I attended a church institute class, I remember my teacher (good old President Lehman) telling me to always keep in mind that my professors do not know everything. I had forgotten.

Everything she described seemed like the most wonderful job in the world. What could be more wonderful than staying at home with children teaching them and guiding them? What could be better than making your home warm and full of joy? I think that is leadership. I mean really, who would you remember more: Your boss who you worked under for several years, or your mother? Who would you feel had a more powerful impact upon your life? I know my mother has.

It is sad that the world is changing in this way. That they view one of the most important jobs as something so insignificant. That a strong well educated woman like my professor has such backward priorities. Unlike my teacher, I hope that those ideals do not dissapear. I hope that mothers realize how important their job as a parent is. I hope that one day, I will have the privilige of being a stay-at-home mom. If not, then definately a mother who puts my children first.


Not only do mothers love, teach, and guide their children, but doing this effects generations. In the face of adversity, mothers hold true to what they believe and sacrifice for their children. I think that is true leadership.

When I Graduate...

Every year I have a "Summer" to- do list.. On the list are things that I just don't have time for during the rest of the year because of school. The list always gets longer and longer, but I always think that I will have enough time to get it all done. Usually I end up with only a few items on the list actually done, and before I know it summer is over.

In December, I finally graduate. So now I have a "When I Graduate" to-do list. (I know you probably don't care but) Here it is:

1. Clean my house. Give it a really good scrubin' and get rid of accumulated stuff we don't need.
2. House repairs: paint outside doorways, paint the porch, replace that one outside light that is 20 feet in the air, fix the hole in the family room ceiling from the water leak. I am sure there is more (ok my house sounds really icky but it's nice. I promise!)
3. Paint our bedroom a new color. I am tired of blue.
4. Walk the dog. Every day (mostly).
5. Do craft projects.
6. Visit family more.
7. Spend more time with friends.
8. Go camping.
9. Go on weekend trips that are cheap.
10. Join the book clubs at work and church.
11. Go to yard sales.
12. Have babies (Ok this one is more of a long term goal.)

So, we'll see how many of these things actually get done. I mean, surely most of them. I do have the rest of my life. No more school. You know, I have been in school for the last 21 years. I am not sure I'll know what to do with myself with out school. Oh wait.... I have my list.

Worth the Wait

Kase's older brother Tommy and his wife Angela have two kids (they are the super cute ones that I have previously mentioned) who are currently my only nephew and niece. Back in January or February (I can't remember) Tommy and Angela informed the family that they were expecting their third baby. We were all so excited.

Then came spring... and we waited...

Then Summer.... and we waited....

Then Fall..... and we waited.....

The baby was due November 1st, but she wasn't ready yet, so we waited....

On Monday, being 17 days over due, the baby reluctantly decided it might be time to join the rest of the world. So excitingly, we waited. I waited at work for the phone call announcing that she had finally arrived.....

Then came Lunch time.... and I waited.....

Then dinner.... and I waited.....

Then bedtime... and I went to bed and waited.....

No one waited longer and worked harder than her mommy and daddy, and FINALLY at 1am-ish this morning my newest littlest niece decided to end the waiting....

Please allow me to introduce Baby Lotus:

(Kase)

(me)

She was well worth the wait.

Let's Play Tag

So, this is my first blog tag! I was really excited to be tagged. The only problem is that, well, I don't have very many people to tag. But I will try anyways. So that means Lori, Andrea, Beth, and Tiffany: TAG YOUR IT. Sorry.

Now on to the questions:
1. Do you like blue cheese? No, icky and moldy.

2. Do you own a gun? Um, no.

3. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? I don't get those kinds of things at Sonic. It's all about icecream. Oh yeahhhh...

4. Do you get nervous before doctor Appointments? Yes. Every time.

5. What do you think of hot dogs? Best if grilled.

6. Favorite Christmas movie? It's a Wonderful Life.

7. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Chocolate Milk

8. Can you do push-ups? Doubt it. I have noodle arms.

9. Age? 26

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My Wedding Ring.

11. Favorite hobby? Scrapbooking/watching movies.

12. Favorite Actor? Don't really have one, but if i have to pick then Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Morgan Freeman.

13. Do you have A.D.D.? no

14. What's one trait you hate about yourself? It's hard for me to make decisions.

15. Middle name? Martyne

16. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: 1-I need to get to work. 2-I need to write my research paper tonight. 3- I hope my sister-in-law has the baby today.

17. Name 3 things you bought yesterday/today? I haven't bought anything today, yesterday, or Saturday!!! Friday I bought: tickets for my bro-in-law's football game, taco bell, and a can of coke.

18. 3 drinks you regularly drink: Milk, Water, Coke.

19. 3 Current worries? Getting all my papers done for the semester, Getting Christmas presents in time, and worrying too much.

20. Favorite place to be? At Home.

21. How did you bring in the New Year? Eating and watching tv w/ Kase.

22.Where would you like to go? On vacation anywhere.

23. Tag three to six people... Lori, Andrea, Beth, and Tiffany.

24. Do you own slippers? Yes. And lots of fuzzy warm socks.

25. What shirt are you wearing? cream sweater.

26. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Never have tried it. I am afraid I would slide off.

27. Can you whistle? Not very well.

28. favorite color? Blue.

29. Would you be a pirate? Probably not. I'd get sea sick.

30. What songs do you sing in the shower? I like church songs, but anything really.

31. Favorite girl's name? boy's name? Boys: Oliver Girls: Emma

32. What is in your pocket? a kleenex

33. Last thing that made you laugh? Kase

34. Best bed sheets as a child? Cabbage Patch Sheets.

35. Worst injury you've ever had? When I fell and hurt my elbow and it was swollen, black, purple, and wouldn't bend, straighten, or rotate. I had to take an accounting exam and I couldn't bend my arm to write so I looked really funny sitting really far back from my desk with my arm all stretched out writing away.

36. How many TVs do you own? 3 but we only use 2.

37. Who is your loudest friend? Julie R. It's a good loud though.

38. How many dogs do you have? One. The Chloe Monster.

39. Does someone have a crush on you? K-Dawg.

40. What is your favorite book(S)? I don't read anymore because of school.

41. Where were you born? Hendersonville, TN

42. What is your favorite candy? Snickers

43. Favorite Sports Teams? The Chicago Cubs, because of Kase. Oh and I married into a Miami Dolphins family so I must say them too. ;)

44. What songs do you want played at your funeral? i have no idea. i think the songs are really for those people at the funeral. so whatever they want.

45.What are you doing at 12 A.M.? getting ready for bed.

46. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? NOOOOO, i dont wanna go to work.

47. Do you live away from your home town? Where are you currently? Not too far. Gallatin, TN is my home town.

48. Do you like to celebrate the holidays? Oh YES.

49. Do you own/use exercise equipment, if so what kind? No. I use the sidewalk everyday to walk to work from my free parking spot. Does that count?

50. What do you think of this long list of questions? It was really long.

iBrain

Who needs an ipod when you have a weird ibrain like me?

Everyday I wake up with a random song in my head. Sometimes it's songs I like, other times it's ones that I can't stand, and even other times it is songs that I haven't heard in years.

Sometimes in the mornings when I am drifting out of sleep, I realize a song is in my head and so I sing it. (quietly or in my head) Today I didn't realize the song was in my head until I was singing it in the shower. Yesterday I was singing in the bathroom while I was getting ready and Kase said: "So I'm going to ask you a question. I really don't mind but why are you singing the star spangled banner?". I had no idea.

Here is my playlist so far for this week:

Sunday- "MMM MMM MMM MMM" by the Crash Test Dummies (haven't heard it in years)

Monday- I was too tired/grumpy for a song I guess.

Tuesday- "If the Savior stood beside me" (I have a reason for this one. It is my new favorite primary song and I guess I was making up for the un-churchy song on Sunday and the grumpiness on Monday)

Wednesday- "I'll Walk" by Bucky Covington. (I really don't like this song and I have no idea how I knew all the words.)

Thursday- The Star Spangled Banner

Friday- "Bittersweet Syphony" by The Verve (It's a total 90's song, I haven't heard it in years, and I don't like it very much.)

So that's it so far. Weird huh? The most common song that I have in my head is "Part of Your World" from the Little Mermaid, but really what girl doesn't have that in their head most of the time?

I am grateful for one thing though, even though I can't sing in the slightest, Kase is a good sport. He never complains and he can usually make out what song I am trying to sing. (Well... most of the time)

My brain really needs a new playlist.

My Peeps

This weekend was good. I didn't really do anything. Nothing. Nada. (Well, Kase did take me to a really delicious restaraunt, Amerigo, it was soooooooo good!!!) Friday, however, I did visit with a long-lost friend from high school. She called to say she was in town and so I dropped by where she was staying to say hello.

It was good to see her. We laughed about funny stories from long ago and discussed what has happened in our lives in the last few years. I had a few thoughts after our visit:

1. I have changed a lot. And as much as I hate change, I think it is good.

2. I am so grateful for the gospel in my life. It helps me know who I am and why I am here. It gives my life purpose and helps me know where I am going.

3. I don't think I have washed my car since I last saw my friend.... and that has been a while.

4. I love my husband soooo much. I am blessed to have someone who treats me so well.

5. I miss my friend. I need to keep in better touch with those friends I have lost track of over the years.

6. I need to make more friends. Life is so busy with work and school and it's hard to find time for friends, but I really should.

7. I appreciate people who are different from me. My friend was always, and still is, my complete opposite. It helps me see how others view the world, and I hope that it helps me to be more understanding of others.

8. I really love Taco Bell. (what? I was hungry when I left)

I had a good time visiting with my friend. Thanks for chatting and helping me think. Till we meet again...

Addiction

I have an addiction: Scrapbooking. It's kind of a love-hate relationship. I love it but it costs me lots of money and time, and I hate that. I am pretty sure my love of scrapbooking stems from my love of school supplies. Even as a kid, I loved those little erasers that looked like little animals or stars. You know the ones that were really cute and you didn't want to actually use them to erase because then the puppy's head would start to rub off. I also loved sticker books. You'd go to the store and buy these little cardboard books with colorful pages and then you'd collect stickers to put inside. They had all kinds of stickers: fuzzy ones, glow-in-the-dark ones, scratch and sniff ones. I even had a favorite ruler (and I still have it. don't tell anyone). Sad I know. But the ruler was purple and advertised for a paint factory (or was it a juice factory) and.... it smelled like grapes. In fact, it STILL smells like grapes after all this time. (it's probably made with lead paint). sighh.... i love it.

So back to scrapbooking. Recently, after spending a weekend at a scrapbook retreat with my sister-in-law (who rocks) I thought about scrapbooking and what it has become. I don't really remember begining to scrapbook. What is it really? I spend all this time making pretty pages to put pictures on. It's basically just an expensive and colorful photo album. Right? Why don't I just buy a photo album and stick the pictures in it? It would be cheaper and faster.

My grandmother had a scrapbook. Although, you might not recognize it as that. It was a REAL scrapbook, vintage style. As a kid, I always loved looking at it more than the regular photo albums. It wasn't fancy. No fancy stickers or colorful pages. No rub-on letters, fancy titles, or ribbons. It was a basic carbboard book with pictures, cards, newspaper clippings, scraps of cloth, and other items glued on each page. Next to each item there was the name of the people in the photo or what the news article was about. This was handwritten by my very own grandmother in her delicate cursive handwriting. When I looked at the book, it was like a story that my grandmother was telling me. I loved it.

My grandmother passed away last spring. I miss her. One of my favorite things that she left behind was her scrapbook. Eventually, I plan on going through it and restoring some of the falling out pictures, and covering it in a photo safe acid-free cover. Once again I will look through it and feel like my grandmother is there, telling me a story, and showing me pictures of her wonderful life. I will imagine her cutting out the news articles and writing on each page. It shows me what she thought was important and what she enjoyed. I love that.

That is why I scrapbook (besides enjoying the fancy stickers and such). I try to remember that each page doesn't have to be perfect. It doesnt' matter if I have a good theme for the page or if the colors on the page go well together. I try to write about each page and tell a story. One day, I hope that my children and grandchildren will enjoy reading my story. They will get to know me and what I enjoy. They will have something to look at to remember me, just as I remember my grandmother.

Election Day

Today is the day. Finally, we'll have a new president, for good or for bad... We will see. I can not wait for it all to be done with. I know the media will move on from yapping about this to yapping about something else, but I am excited to not have to see anymore election commercials. Honestly, there is not a candidate that I like much. One thing that I have observed from this election is that many people tend to dislike others simply because they don't believe the same. I say to each their own. If you support a politician that I don't that is totally fine with me. I dislike people who think that all republicans are stupid or visa versa. That is what is stupid and ignorant.

What is beautiful about this country is that you can have your own opinion and vote for the party that you like. That is good.

The election will be over tonight. That is better.

And if the president that is elected is horrible, we can vote for someone else in four years. That is best.

(hopefully the country won't be shambles by then)