Too much, but too little information

Alright, I have made it a goal this year to eat healthier. I had read a nutrition book (for dummies), about 6 or so months ago, it helped but I wanted more detailed information. I have also been wondering about herbs, and what would be good for my migraines. So I got on the Internet to see what I could find.
I ended up finding so much information, that it felt like an over load. So one day when I was out and about, I stopped at Barnes at Noble, thinking maybe I could find a book that would have what I was looking for. Well, as it turned out I walked out of Barnes and Noble empty handed. They have all sorts of books on the subject, but none of the books go into what I am looking for. So we left, I didn't even go into my favorite sections, because I knew I would find a book there, but it wasn't what I wanted.
So now I still don't have the information that I was looking for. Sometimes I wish that all these people that wrote all these complex books about diet and health, would talk about all the basic stuff in detail, and not just skim over the top of it. So if any one as any suggestions, I am all ears.

Just a thought

Alright I made it a goal to read the Book of Mormon, I haven't been doing a very good job. I have read a little, but just enough to say I have read. Well over the weekend, I got on to www.facebook.com, and Kellie Oaks had sent me a invitation to take the Hinckley Challenge--read the Book of Mormon in 97 days.
I realized, that chances are I will not be able to finish it in 97 day, but I am going to at least try. I figure that if I can at least read everyday for the next 97 days, then I am less likley to quit reading it.

So I challenge anyone who isn't already trying to do this.

I am a slacker

Alright, I am once again having one of those months were I think of a ton of stuff to blog about but never do. So I have once again gone almost a whole month with out blogging.
I have spent the last few days sick. I am still feeling it, and I don't know how long it is going to stick around. The good news for everyone else, I am pretty sure that it isn't contagious. I think the problem is very simple.
I get depressed very easy, I try to do simple things to keep it at bay. Unfortunatly it doesn't always work. Sometimes, it gets so bad I get sick. Which is where I am now.
Since it is the beginning of the year I tend to look at things through a mircoscope trying to figure out what I need to do to better myself. I tend to be critical of myself, very critical. I am my worst critic.
It is hard for me to talk to Kraig about some of my issues, because a lot of the time, I don't even know what is bothering me.
I have learned that things that make me laugh help alot, as well as being outside in the sun. Unfortunately being out in the sun at the moment isn't really an option. I go to work as the sun comes up, and drive home as it goes down missing all the sunlight. I do take Vitamin D to try and counter act the lack of sunlight I get, since I fry when I am in the sun longer the 2 minutes anyway.
So now to try and make things a little better, I am trying to look for all the beautiful things in my life. I am trying to look at the brightside, and I am very grateful for what we have.
Am I the only one that gets into these funks this bad? I am never going to take medication for it, I am one of the odd ones out there that thing medication doesn't solve the problem.

P.S. The picture I got off of photobucket.

What I have learned from last year

I would have to say the biggest thing I have learned from last year, is something that I have heard from many of the teachers in my church for years. I learned that when everything goes smoothly, and there is nothing to test you; you don't grow. You are not stretched.
I feel that this year I have not learned anything, I have not been stretched. I have not been to the edge feeling like I am not going to make it through. I am not saying that is how you have to learn, that is just what I am use to.
Growing up, I always felt as if I were on the edge, and I would never make it through. I was in a living Hell. There were so many times that I thought that I would die. I did not think I would make it through high school. However I did with the gentle guidance of my Heavenly Father, he put people in my path that helped me. These people are the people that helped me to learn, and helped me through.
This is the reason I became who I am. I am grateful for what I have learned, and what I have been through.
I feel as if my year this year as been very easy for me. It has not been perfect, far from. However I do not feel that I have been stretched or tested.

Here is a poem that I love

My Life is But a Weaving

My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me
I let Him choose the colors
He worketh steadily.

Ofttimes He worketh sorrow
and I, within my heart,
Forget He sees the pattern
While I see only part.

The dark threads were as needful
In the Weaver's skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He had planned.

Not till the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.
-Anonymous

Our Anniversary!

Alright, so our anniversary isn't until tomorrow, but I know that I probably won't have time to do a post tomorrow, so instead you are stuck with two for today.
Kraig and I got married eight years ago. Unlike most people, at least in Utah, we went to Vegas and pulled our witnesses off the street. There is a very long story that goes behind this, that is no longer important.
Originally I did buy a dress though, even though I never wore it, I still have it. I keep thinking that I need to sell it, it only takes up space in Kraig's closet (it won't fit in mine). It is really simple, and I loved that about it. There was another one that I loved even more, but for some reason I got this one instead.

Here are some pictures of it though. This is the front of the dress.


This is a picture of the waist band.


This is the detail on the back.


This is the detachable train, it is also very simple, the biggest thing on it is the bow, which I still don't know if I like.


Here it is taking up room in Kraig's closet.


The biggest thing I regret from eloping, no reception. As a girl I did not dream about my wedding or my wedding colors. I was the odd one out and I knew it. In many ways I still am, but that is who I am.
Kraig and I have now been married for eight years. I am wondering who lost the bet. I know there had to be people that didn't think it would last this long. What those people didn't know is that Kraig is my best friend and has been for the last 11 years. We didn't date, but we did know each other.
Every day I am grateful to Kraig for his patience. He may not always believe that but I am. He puts up with all my mood swings, and my many frustrations. We are not perfect, we do not see eye to eye on everything, in fact there are a few things we go head to head on, but we work together and figure things out. My biggest complaint is I just wish he would actually get mad sometimes.
Here are a few pictures of us through out the last 10 or so years. I just wish we had more pictures of the two of us together.

Kraig and me in St. George


Kraig and me in San Diego


The two of us in St. George


The two of us, this was taken while we were still in high school


Kraig while we were on a hike


Me on the same hike


At my grandparents house after our hike, I think we got a little sun.


Kraig after putting my bike in the blazer so we could go for a bike ride


Kraig while we were on a bike ride in St. George


Kraig in our apartment in St. George


Us in St. George


Kraig getting home in St. George (he wasn't happy I took this picture)


Kraig while we were bowling in St. George


Me while we were bowling, this picture turned out weird, it really was not photoshopped.


The two of us stand out side the St. George temple, when we took out our endowments


Me and Kraig with my brother and sister one Christmas


Kraig, Jeremy, and me, goofy around this summer in St. George


Kraig and me getting our pictures done for the Oaks family pictures


Kraig and I out side the Jordan River Temple after being sealed.


Anyway that should be enough pictures for now. We really do need more pictures of the two of us though.

This years resolutions

Since the New Year, is just a few days a way, I decided that this year I was going to put most of my resolutions on my blog, so that I would be more likely to do them. The ones that I don't put on here, are really out of my hands anyway, so there is only so much I can do. I will also say that in some ways, most of my goals for the year, are a little self serving and almost shallow.

The first one should sound familiar to just about anyone.
I am going to go my best to get into better shape. In July I joined Gold's Gym, for a little while I went the days I had decided to go. That last about three weeks. Things started coming up, I started making excuses, and I feel into the cycle of everyone else. This year I am making it my goal to go at least three times a week, for half an hour a day, or a total of an hour and a half a week. I am going to do my best to keep track of it because accountability is important for reaching goals. So I am going to put this up on my blog, so that it is always showing.


Hopefully this will help.

The second is I want to dejunk my house. This is going to be hard, because we are never home. We are always at work. I am also going to need Kraig's help on this, and that is not going to be easy. Especially since he learned a few things from his dad, he likes to keep everything. I just can't take not having enough room to store things. I really need to get rid of somethings, and figure out what I really need, and what I don't. So many of us get into that mentality that we need stuff. It doesn't matter if we don't use it, we keep it. I am going to do my best at getting rid of things that we don't need. Who knows maybe some of it I can give away...

The thrid is I want to start spending more time doing fun things. When we are not at work, we are at home, usually either working on cleaning the house, or playing games. When I was in high school I use to do so much fun things. I would go on bike rides, play softball, basketball, go hiking, go camping, make cookies with my friends. It always seemed like I was doing something. However over the last few years I lost a lot of motivation, and we don't do as much as we use to. It is so hard for me to just be stuck inside for hours cleaning or doing nothing. It get on my nerves. I want to be out doing things.

Fourth, I have been terrible at reading my scriptures. I know that this next year we are suppose to be studing the Doctrine and Covenants, and I do love the Doctrine and Covenants. However I am going to do my best to read the Book of Mormon everyday. I the Book of Mormon has such a wonderful power, that it is what I need right now.

There are a couple others, but as I said those are really out of my hands. I can make a goal all I want, but if it isn't what Heavenly Father wants for me, then it won't do me any good.
I am not going to be perfect at these, but as I said, I will do my best. It is all I can promise.

Our Christmas

Well it has been a while since I have last posted, it has been a crazy couple of weeks. However most of that is boring, so I will tell you about some of our Christmas.

Here is a picture of our tree, that I decided to put up to try and put me in the Christmas spirit, which kind of worked.


The Saturday before Christmas my family had it's annual Christmas party. All my mom's family gets together for a Christmas party, as we have gotten older there are a few that have moved and it is now hard for them to make it. It use to be to try and help the little kids calm down a little, now there are fewer little kids, and it doesn't seem to work to calm them down as much as wind them up. Basically we get together for dinner, and games. This year we did chili and soup for dinner, and my Grandpa Curly read "Twas the Night Before Christmas", afterwards we did a white elephant gift exchange. Since there are so many of us, we tend to get a little competitive with the stealing of presents, we do set a few rules one the stealing just so it won't take all night, but it is often the best part (too bad I didn't get any pictures of that).
Here are a few pictures

A few of my relatives having dinner






This is me and my sister in law Aubrey after dinner was done, right before presents, not a great picture.


Here is one of my Grandpa Curly with a bow on his head from one of the many presents that were opened.


Christmas Eve Kraig, Kurt, Stacy, and I went to Linda's and Lonnie's were we hung out playing Phase 10. It is kind of a fun card game, however I am very bad at it.

Christmas Day, Kraig slept in. Only until 7:30, but for him that is really good. We just kind of hung out at home together until we went to his parents house. We got to his parents house at about noon, shortly after we got there Kent, and Kurt and their families got there. We let the little kids open there presents from Grandpa & Grandma, and the aunts and uncles. Which they all had a blast doing. Then once Keith and his family got there we opened the rest of the presents. My in-laws are so generous, and I am so grateful to them for everything that they do.
Here a few pictures of Christmas day

Jillyn and Lucy with Lucy's monkey, that she loves


Here is one of Amy


Here is one of Kaden, he is starting to look closer to a teenager then a little kid


Here is one of Lucy playing with her new phone


We left Linda & Lonnie's at about 7:30 or 8:00, just before a big snow storm hit that closed the airport, that isn't far from our house (which left us with about 6 inches of snow last night). So First thing this morning Kraig went out and shoveled our drive way. The dogs were a little upset because Kraig was outside and they were inside.

Rusty watching Kraig


Gabby watching Kraig