Life's Lessons

1. Always cut yourself a brownie out of the pan, put it on a plate, and eat it away from the pan. Never just grab a fork and dig in. It won't end well...

2. Always look in the mirror with a smile. Never look down on yourself. It won't help things.



3. Always read your scriptures in the morning. Never decide that you are too stressed and you'll read them before bed. It might not happen, and if it does, you won't be as focused.

4. Always cuddle with your husband. Never leave a foot wide gap between you on the couch. It's so much more fun to hold him.




5. Always enjoy the simple moments in life. Never get caught up in seemingly big events, ideas, or happenings. You'll surely miss out on life's greatest pleasures.

6. Always smile. Never frown. You don't know who's keeping track.



7. Always have a decent looking pedicure. Never leave toenail polish on about half of your toes. Picking an outfit will become much harder.

8. Always go to the grocery store with a list. Never go when you are hungry and pregnant. Things will end up in your cart that you had no intention of buying. (Though I thoroughly enjoyed my star crunch today...)




9. Always dwell on the positive things in life. Never think about the negative. You'll be happier and so will those around you.

10. Always thank Heavenly Father for your blessings. Never take Him for granted. For it is from Him that you are given all that you have, even if that may now seem like very little. He has His reasons, and you will be blessed.

Be the Best You Can Be Week #2

Recap of last week's goals:

1) Don't get on the internet until after 6:00 (minus homework and one e-mail check). I think that I really good at this. I think I only failed once, but quickly (as in like 2 minutes later) stopped. So I would say that I passed. However I need to make some revision to this goal: Fridays and Saturdays are exempt from this goal. On those days, I can get on at whatever time of day I want, I just can't use it as an excuse to get out of doing things I need to do. But if I want to write a blog at 10 AM on Saturday...I'mma do it.

2) Pray on my KNEES (both personal and couple prayer). I did much better at this; however, I can do better. This is such an important thing to do and I want to make sure this goal is solidified in my mind. It will probably stay on my list for a few weeks, just to ensure that it becomes a habit.

And now for this weeks goals:

1) Straighten the house every morning. I've learned that if I do this every day, it only take a half hour to do the dishes, pick up anything Nash has destroyed, and straighten up all rooms. But if I wait a few days, it ends up taking two hours or more. Then I get discouraged and want to put it off even longer. I've become a slacker at this. I was really good about a month ago. Since then....not so much.......But I am doing this again!!

2) Get ahead in school every week. I have a lot of BIG assignments coming up, and I don't want them to pile up on me. So I am starting on them now and getting ahead in my normal, everyday classwork.

3) Pray on my knees.

Let's see how week two goes!

Be the Best You Can Be Week #1

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and I came to a simple conclusion:

I'm doing fairly good at life, but I could be doing MUCH better.

So I'm going to do just that.

I am going to try to become the best that I can be.

And you are going to watch me on my journey.

Every week (on Sunday or Monday) I will post 2 or so goals on here (I will also post them in my "Life" section).

Then, the next week, I will share how I did. Some goals I may feel good about and replace them with a new one. Others, I will keep around for longer to solidify. And, sadly, I know that I will undoubtedly fail at some. Those will stay on until I can put a pretty little star next to them on my imaginary Kindergarten-esque chart. Or maybe I will actually make one of those. I like star stickers. What can I say? I'm a kid sometimes.

Here are this weeks goals:

1) Don't get on the internet until after 6:00 at night (I can check my e-mail once in the morning and get online for my online courses, obviously. But no blogger, facebook, youtube, surfing, etc.). This will be a hard one for me. I just feel that I'm wasting too much time during the day on the web. I'll be working on a homework assignment, get bored, and allow myself to read 2 blogs or spend 5 minutes on facebook. These may be short breaks, but they add up. And I've gotten to the point where I use the "break" excuse a lot. Too much. So no more of that. It's over. If I absolutely need a break, I can stretch or do some small exercise to get myself rejuvenated. Much better use of my time.

2) Pray ON MY KNEES in both personal and couple prayer. I've gotten way too lax about this. This is something I've never been the greatest at, but I have had times where I've been good about it. But now...not so much. And I wanna change that.

Well, those are this week's goals. Wish me luck!

P.S. -- My camera broke. Yes...you heard, er, read that right. My brand new camera from Christmas broke. And it wasn't my fault. I don't even know HOW it happened. I had it out and it was fine. I put it in its case and set it down on the desk. When I took it out, it had a crack in it. Now when I turn it on, the whole screen is weird and doesn't show anything it's pointed at. What the? Pray that they will fix it for me! I need my camera. Poor little baby...

Britney's Project of the Week #1

I'm starting something new...surprise surprise.

Every week, probably on Saturday, I will post a project that I did that week. It may be something that I came up with on my own, or I may include a link to another blog that inspired me. Either way, I will leave you with an awesome (or not so awesome) idea. And I will (hopefully) accomplish one project a week.

This week I made some bookmarks. Bookmarks? Yes. Seriously. I made bookmarks. Why? Because:

1. I am a true nerd.
2. I love books.
3. I have a lot of books I'm reading right now.
4. It drives me nuts when I lose my place in a book, especially when I have to stop reading it for a couple weeks due to an overload of school work.
5. I am a true nerd.


Thus, I made bookmarks. Wanna see?

Well...I'm going to show you anyway. :)













Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Vacay

I needed a break from blogging, then we went to Cali. Now I'm back and ready to be back to the blogging world. I feel refreshed.

Wanna hear about our trip? I knew you did!

Last Friday, we headed out around 5:30 when Jess got home from work. I got some new tunes on the i-pod, we loaded up the car, and headed off to Oceanside. We had fun jamming to music, talking, playing the question game, laughing, and of course eating unhealthy snacks. We decided trips are fun because you stop at gas stations, pick up junk food, and don't feel guilty about eating it. It's about the one and only time I buy and eat candy. And I enjoy every minute of it. No shame. We were staying at his grandpa's condo right on the beach. It's beautiful. We got in late and went right to bed.





The next morning we decided to venture on over to Sea World. I hadn't been there in YEARS. I was so excited to see all the cute sea animals. We stopped at the dolphins first. Duh. I got right up close to the tank, stuck my hand in the water, and waited patiently for a dolphin to swim up so I could pet it. It never happened. Dolphins think they are so funny and they are very smart. So this dolphin came up close, all smiley, swam past me, gave me a mischievous look. and SPLASHED me with his tail. Ten minutes into being at the park and I was soaking. Then he swam away, with this look on his face like, "Aha. I got you." *snicker* But I couldn't be mad because he was so cute!! Plus, he did...he got me. We enjoyed lots of shows, lots of animals, lots of food, and lots of fun.









P.S. -- I almost stole the baby otter. Jess told me I could get a souvenir if I wanted, so I asked for the baby otter in the Sea Lions Live show. He said that probably wouldn't go over so well. So, naturally, I came up with a plan to steal him. It didn't work. So I settled for a polar bear stuffed animal that I won in the arcade. Yes, you got that right. I won it. I beat Jess. I rock. Woooooo.

Sunday we slept in, went to church, cooked a yummy late lunch, and relaxed all day. It was beautiful.

Then, on Monday we went to the one and only DISNEYLAND!! I love this place. It really is the happiest place on earth. It's so magical. I can't wait until our baby is born and old enough to go and enjoy the magic of this place. I couldn't ride any of the "big" rides due to my pregnancy, but it was still worth it. We rode ALL the fantasyland/kiddie rides. We ate churros, dole whips, and broccoli cheese soup in sourdough bread bowls. We soared over Cali. We got scared by ghosts. We met some pirates. And we competed on Toy Story and Buzz. Plus, we got attacked by bugs in the 3D show. Awesome. I love Disneyland. I seriously didn't want to leave.



Tuesday morning, we slept in and packed up for home. Sadly. It was hard to leave. I love California so much. I can't wait until I get to go back again!! On the way home, we stopped at the Palm Springs outlets. Jess is the most AMAZING hubby and let me buy one baby boy thing and one baby girl thing. I can't wait to find out which our baby will be wearing!!! 20 days til we find out! :)






And that, my friends, sums up our trip.

P.S. -- It's a miracle! My pics uploaded. Here's why:

So...I'm really clumsy. I blame it on the pregnancy. I never was before. Anyway, I was walking with my lap top from my bedroom to the craft room, and I dropped the lap top. Poor little guy. He cracked and I know it hurt him. Later, I noticed that the drop caused a DENT that looked like it ruined the spot where I put my picture memory card. I just tried it...and it still works. YAY!!!

The I-Pod Game

I stole this from Rasha's blog, mostly because I haven't had any blog inspiration lately. So this makes up for that.

1) Put your ipod on shuffle.
2) Write down the FIRST song that
DONT switch the song if you don't like it.. That's the fun of the game.

*How am I feeling today? No Sleep Tonight by Faders
*How do my friends see me? Smile Like You Mean it by The Killers
*What is my best friend's theme song? Sunshine Medley - BYU Vocal Point
*What is the story of my life? Kill by Jimmy Eat World (uhh....what exactly does this mean...?)
*What is the best thing about me? Silent Sea - KT Tunstall
*What is today going to be like? Busted by Matchbox Twenty (This game isn't going so well yet...)
*What is in store for this week? Don't Push Love Away by the Juliana Theory
*What song describes my mom? Latest Mistake by Mandy Moore (sorry Mom...)
*What song describes my dad? Yellow by Coldplay
*To describe my grandparents? Someday by Nickleback
*How is my life going? Sweetest Goodbye by Maroon 5
*What song will they play at my funeral? Lucky for You Tonight I'm Just Me by SheDaisy
*How does the world see me? Tomorrow from Annie (does this mean the world sees me as a positive person...?)
* Will I have a happy life? Just a Girl by No Doubt
*What do my friends really think of me? You're Making it Come Alive by My Favorite Highway (I think this one is a good thing. Maybe?)
*How can I make myself happy? You Don't Define Me by Mindy Gledhill
*What should I do with my life? The Feel Good Drag by Anberlin (huh?)
*What is some good advice for me? Let Love In by Goo Goo Dolls (isn't that what I did when I got married? Pretty sure it is...)
*How will I be remembered? Home by Daughtry
*What is my signature dancing song? I Love Rock n' Roll by Britney Spears (True. I can't hear this song without dancing. Even right now. :) )
*What is my current theme song? My Happy Ending by Avril Lavigne (so the title looks good! but if you really know the song, it's not so good.)
*What does everyone else think my current theme song is? Everytime by Britney Spears

LIFE STORY:
*Opening Credits: The Authority Song by Jimmy Eat World
*Waking Up: Someone to Die For from Spider Man 2 (cute!)
*First Day At School: Because You Love Me by Celine Dion
*Falling In Love: Nobody's Home by Avril Lavigne (can i switch the last two?)
*Fight Song: Pride by U2 (PERFECT! hahaha)
*Breaking Up: Asteroids at Noah by Foreign Holiday
*Prom: The World by The Starting Line
*Life's OK: I Am For You (Don't Give Up) by Waking Ashland (good one!)
*Mental Breakdown: Love Who You Love by the Rascal Flatts
*Driving: I Love Rock and Roll by Joan Jett (i guess this song means a lot to me...)
*Flashback: Every Season by Nichole Nordeman
*Getting Back Together: We're All in This Together from High School Musical (Yes, i have HSM on my i-pod. Don't judge.)
*Wedding: Every moment- No One by Cold (depressing...)
*Birth of Child: Miss Independent by Kelly Clarkson (this is a good sign!)
*Final Battle: Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand (am i asking to die?)
*Death Scene: Maybe by Kelly Clarkson
*Funeral Song: Like A Boy by Ciara (No...pretty sure i'm all girl...)
*End Credits: You, My Love by Tyler Hilton

*What describes my mood right now? Extraordinary by Mandy Moore
*What song do I listen to when I'm depressed? Bored by The Summer Obsession
*Happy? Rush Together by QuietDrive
*Sad? Pain by Jimmy Eat World
*Bored? Me and My Gang by the Rascal Flatts

So...this didn't turn out as good as I'd hoped. Oh well. It was still pretty fun!

Today's Thoughts

Why is nail polish so hard to get off? Seriously. I HATE taking my nail polish off because it never works! I sit there with my polish remover drenched cotton swab and press down and swipe over and over and OVER again. And....NOTHING! It stays on. Really? I mean, c'mon. How is it that the polish chips off so easily with day to day activities but then won't come off when you use the stuff that is supposed to make it come off? Does that polish remover even work? By the time I get it all off, my nails are SORE from all the pushing and rubbing. It's annoying. End of story.

Water is the best. There is nothing better than drinking ice cold water and feeling it drizzle down a liquid deprived throat. So amazing.

There are WAYYYYY too many cute and fun craft ideas and simply no time to do them.

Fresh cut pineapple is the most amazing thing ever. I LOVE IT. It's been way too long since I've had it. For real.

I love to read. And there are about a thousand books out there that I want to read. But I don't have the time. Basically, I read textbooks. How sad is that?

Organization

Tonight for FHE, Jess and I got organized -- or at least started the process.

I got a notebook and printed out some planner sheets and have it all together.

First, we planned our week. We wrote out our appointments and obligations, tasks and projects. Then we looked at our budget and we have a sheet that we will fill out weekly that separates out how much we spend each week on what. Then we planned all our meals for the week (hopefully this will help us eat healthier.) Next, we wrote out a shopping list with all the stuff we need to get soon (groceries, office/school, hygiene, household, pet, etc.) After that, we planned out our workouts for the week. Once again, hopefully this will keep us to it! The next part was really fun. We each set six goals complete with steps to get there and a deadline. Every week we will review our goals and see how we are coming.

I think I am going to add my own personal to-do lists to this notebook. It's a good way to keep everything organized and together in one spot.

Every Sunday after church, we are going to do this! I'm really excited about it!