You know you are NOT from the South when...

You want to call 911 or at least the push the alarm, when you see a tiny flash outside. Nope, no burglar in our backyard turning his flashlight on and off.

Just a LIGHTNING BUG

Courage

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying "I will try again tomorrow". 

Mary Anne Radmacher

Ferndale

The world does not seem that big when you have Google Earth
But it does when you have to buy a plane ticket to visit home

Ferndale High
In all it's glory....

Stressed?

Take a look here

Happy Popping

How's your bracket?

I can't say I LOVE Basketball but Andy really does. For the past few years I've been filling out a bracket. I know nothing about the teams so I just guess who will win. It definitely makes March Madness alot more fun... for me and Andy. For the sake of our marriage I've picked UCLA to wih the championship ;-)

My Picks

HAPPY 100 POSTS

99

That's my final grade for my math class :-) That may not be a big deal to most but I barely passed Standard Grade Math in Matric, so I'm pretty happy... oh and this is my 99th post!!!

Enjoy Your Hot Chocolate

Anything with the word Chocolate grabs my attention!!!!!!!!! So of course I read this forward when it appeared in my inbox.

Thanks, Charli :-)

Enjoy Your Hot Chocolate

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortmentof cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: 'Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

And enjoy your hot chocolate.

Worth of a Soul

Here is the video footage which inspired the picture.

The Worth of a Soul

If you've read my blog over a period of time, you'll know by now that my brother and and sister-in-law have adopted a little black girl. I saw this picture on a blog and I just love it. Perhaps even more so because of Jessica.

When I first posted this picture I did not know the story behind it. Take a look here if you are interested in reading more about the picture.

New Neighbor

One of my neighbors just sent me these pictures. This otter lives in the pond in our development - I've said before that we live in the middle of nowhere :-) These kinds of neighbors remind me of that :-)

UTAH

Andy attended a conference at the U of Utah this past weekend. It was a working/skiing/snowboarding conference :-) So while he worked and played I shopped, visited with friends and got my hair done :-) It was a great weekend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEK TO ME......

I turn 30 this week and I can't say I am happy about this number. This the first year I have actually cared how old I am turning... Hopefully I'll start to feel a little better about being 30.

I'm IT

ALL ABOUT ANDY......

What's his name? Andrew Crafton
How long have you been married? 3 Years on 03/19
How long did you date? We got engaged on our 1 year anniversary
How old is he? 6 months older than me - 30
Who eats more? He does
Who said, "I love you," first? He did :-)
Who is taller? He is.
Who sings better? Andy - well he can definitely keep a tune better than I can.
Who is smarter? Definitely Andy - although he does remind me that he was in college for 10 years so he should be a little more book smart :-)
Who's temper is worse? His.
Who does the laundry? Me, but he is more than happy to do it if he needs something specific and I'm not planning in doing laundry that day.
Who does the dishes? Me, unless I make a real meal (not often) then he cleans up.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Andy - but sometimes I switch sides.
Who pays the bills? He pays the mortgage and credit cards, I pay the rest.....
Who mows the lawn? Taylor-Made Lawncare - Thank you, Taylor Jenkins... :-)
Who cooks dinner? Me - but I don't cook too often. We eat out a lot!!
Who drives when you are together? He does
Who is more stubborn? I think he is :-) He thinks I am :-)
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Neither :-(
Whose parents do you see the most? His of course.
Who has more friends? I keep in touch with friends way better, so it seems like me. But his friends are loyal and they always seem to find each other again to catch up - I'll ditto Courtney on that one!!!!!!!
Who has more siblings? I do.
Who wears the pants in the family? I think I do :-) But it's pretty even.

BEAUTIFUL BALLERINA

Jessica just started ballet. Here some pictures of her looking darling. I just love these pictures - I had to post them

If you don't know - Jessica is my adopted neice in S.A

5 THINGS

I have not blogged in a while so thought I'd do this tag from Tran -

Happy reading way too much information about me :-)

TEN YEARS AGO!
1. Had been in the US almost a year
2. Au Pair for the Mele's
3. Deciding what to do next - UT
4. Having a blast with Emma & Kelly
5. Can't remember

FIVE PLACES I HAVE LIVED!
1. Cape Town, SA
2. Jo'burg, SA
3. Bellevue, WA
4. Orem, UT
5. Watkinsville, GA

FIVE THINGS ON MY TO-DO LIST!
1. Study for a math test
2. Complete a theater lesson (online)
3. Find some place that will finish our deck - it needs t be stained
4. I can't think of any more which is a good thing as it is late on a Saturday night :-)
5.

I ENJOY!
1. Surfing the internet
2. Taking pictures
3. Digital Scrapbooking
4. Shopping
5. Anything crafty

TWO BAD HABITS!
1. For how organized and neat I am I am terrible at keeping the fridge organized. I open it and put something anywhere as long as it does not fall....
2. I can't think of another and neither can Andy - that's a good sign :-)

FIVE THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME!
1. I cry during any movie, or even some commercials if it's even a little sad or someone else is crying.
2. I eat so much chocolate it's embarrassing. I just can't get enough and not just any chocolate it has to be Cadbury's Dairy Milk or Toblerone
3. I have 6 sisters and 3 brothers - it's complicated
4. I HAVE to get the gas whenever I have to get work done at the dentist - no matter how much it costs (and it's not cheap) or else I am a disaster during the visit.
5. I am so afraid of shots or getting blood drawn that I usually cry while or before I am about to get it done.

FIVE JOBS THAT I HAVE HAD!
1. Worked at an ice cream store
2. Accounts Receivables
3. Receptionist
4. Asssistanct Director at Kindercare
5. Preschool Teacher

So now is the time to tag others..

WHOEVER WANTS TO :-)

Curious

It is not uncommon for some people to go to the polls undecided on who they are going to vote for. I am curious ... what MORE information do they think they are going to get AT the poles that will make one candidate seem better than the other. Surely a person would figure it our BEFORE they get there.

Credit

I have to give credit where credit is due. My header picture is a quickpage download from digitalfreebies.com. You can pick up the freebie here

The Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley

Christmas 2007

We spent the holidays in CA with Andy's family. All 4 siblings (with their families) were there which made it an extra special Christmas

HAPPY HOLIDAYS