Wahoo! I made it!

...to 36!

Happy Birthday to Me!  :)


So, as many of you know..I LOVE numbers.  It is such a simple pleasure in life for me.  I love it when the clock reads 12:34 or 11:55, etc.  I love dates, odometers, and so forth.  So, 36 is a much cooler number to me than 35 since it is a square number.  So cool.

I have been pondering how I want to post today.  I have WAY more than 36 blessings, so that will not work well.  I have decided to focus on that 6 X 6 thing and post 6 things in each of 6 categories.

First:

SIX PEOPLE THAT BRING ME GREAT HAPPINESS
..Okay...Impossible to narrow down. I mean I.M.P.O.S.S.I.B.L.E... but there are six particularly important people in my life:

1) CK.  He is the best husband imaginable.  He loves me so unconditionally.  I love the way he makes me laugh.  I love the way he would do anything for me.  I love the way he supports me in my goals.  He is amazing.

2) K.  She is my first-born and I love her to pieces.  I cannot believe all the joy she has brought me in her 13.5 years of life.  She is so fun to laugh with, play games with and cook with.  I am proud to call her my daughter.

3) C.  He is my oldest son and such a great joy to me.  He has so many talents.  He can literally do anything he puts his mind to.  He has a lot of faith and a strong sensitivity to the Spirit.  He works hard and plays hard and I want to be like him.

4) A.  She has only been my daughter for a couple of years, but I am so blessed to be one of her Mamas.  She accepted me as Mom right away and I love her just as much as I do the children I have birthed.  What a great kid!

5) J.  He is my Kindergartener.  He makes me feel like a celebrity through and through.  I am never as loved as when I show up each week to eat lunch with him at school.  They should have a red carpet...that is the way he makes me feel.  I am so blessed.

6) V.  My baby girl.  How grateful I am that I get to be her Mom.  I love her smiles.  I love the way she looks for me whenever she hears my voice.  It is fun (and a tad annoying) that she screams when others hold her, but calms down when she is in the safety of my arms (or CK's).

SIX SIMPLE PLEASURES THAT MAKE ME SMILE

1)  Taking a walk with my family when it is perfect weather.
2)  A tidy house
3)  Tulips coming up from the bulbs I planted last fall
4)  Laughing
5)  Cuddles
6)  Quiet moments to nurse my baby

SIX HOBBIES I HAVE (OR WILL HAVE SOMEDAY)

1)  Quilting
2)  Photography
3)  Gardening
4)  Building/ Creating with wood
5)  Food Storage/Preparedness
6)  Reading...but I do find it difficult to find books that are clean and interesting.

SIX DREAMS I HAVE
1)  Serve a mission with my hubby
2)  Visit all the temples in the United States with CK
3)  Be an amazing Mom and Grandma.
4)  Have food storage to last us a year
5)  Print and display all these pictures that are just digital
6)  Smile every day.  Be true to who I am and love the life I have...not stress over the "things" that need to be done.

SIX GIFTS I AM STRIVING TO MAGNIFY:
1)  Loving all people.  Showing them that love by the way I treat them
2)  Being trustworthy
3)  Connecting with family and friends
4)  Making my home a place where the Spirit can dwell
5)  Choosing happiness
6)  Using my education and furthering it.

And-
SIX THINGS THAT HAVE SHAPED ME AND MADE ME WHO I AM:
1)  My parents.  They love me.  They taught me.  They support me.
2)  The gospel of Jesus Christ.  Every day, I am trying to be His disciple in word and in deed.
3)  My divorce.  It wasn't in my plans, but I am stronger for it.  I am definitely a different person than I was.
4)  Being a mom.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  I have five wonderful children, for whom I would give my life.
5)  My own agency and choices.  Some good.  Some bad.  All mine.
6)  The people that surround me.  My siblings.  My friends.  When I went to school.  In every ward I have been in.  When I taught school. 

There you have it 6 X 6 things about me.  It was fun to think about.  The hardest part was the people.  I love people.  I love my sister.  I love my parents and brothers.  I love my in-laws (both sets)  I love my friends.  I love people.  After filling up the six people with my family members, I considered another people category, but I really love people and it would absolutely break my heart if I left anyone out.  I have been blessed with amazing friends.  I love you all, each of you has a unique roll that you fill in my life that no one else can.  You are important to me.

I have many sisters-in-law and I love them all dearly and I sure wish they each lived closer, but I only have one blood sister.  I am so blessed to have her as one of my very best friends.  We went on a spur-of-the-moment outing and she treated me to pedicures this afternoon.  So cool.  It was a great birthday present and time almost alone with her (V came too).  We have 9 kids between us so alone time is rare.  I loved it.  I am so glad that Heavenly Father sent us to the same family and, more recently, sent her and her family here to Texas.  I am so blessed.

Overall...what a great life I have.  36 years and counting!  I can't wait to see what this next year has in store for me.  The past 36 have been full of ups and downs and I assume the next 36 will also, but I will face it all with faith.  I have the love of CK, my children, my parents, other family members, and friends.  I am so blessed.