to the "dark side"....dark blue that is.....

yesterday, mark and i went down to byu to the football game....
i know, i know....we are really ute fans, but....
we had extra tickets that addison couldn't use and didn't want to waste them....
besides, we are more of a fan of ashley than byu football!

it wasn't looking like it was going to be a good day to sit in the stands.....
it was pouring rain!
we were soaking wet by the time we got to our seats!
but, luckily mother nature decided to stop the rain for the game......
so that we could spend the afternoon with ashley and our nephew, nick walter.....

so here's to the coug's for an exciting game......
and here's to ashley for being an awesome daughter.....
i say "ashley", you say "you're a winner".....
ashley, you're a winner!

yahoo!

i have to write this or brag about this.....can't help it.....
today in master's swimming, we were swimming sets of 100 yards....easy, medium, strong...
up to 9 of them.....
the last one was a time trial and i had to beat my time of 1 minute 23 seconds.....
i haven't swum that fast in two years.....
i honestly didn't think that i could do it.....
then i got all nervous for the timed one.......dumb, huh!
sooooo....we get to the last one.....i rely on cathy dover to pace me because she is faster....
all i can say is that I DID IT!!
i beat my time! my new personal best for this old lady is 1 minute 16.6 seconds!
i was so excited that i had to write it down!

i looked back in my scrapbook from the old swimming times in high school.....
i am only 8 seconds slower than my best time when i was 18!
not bad for a 44 year old lady who is just swimming for exercise!

i never thought that i would say this, but thanks dave ryland for pushing me when i don't want to be pushed.....
i love swimming!

recapturing beauty....

ashley put on her blog the focus of byu's women's center campaign for this month....

the focus is "recapturing beauty"....http://recapturingbeauty.byu.edu/challenge/

check out the link and come along with us and do this challenge....

this will be a challenge, but i think it will be a good one.....

all is well on the home front!

keep smiling! ;0)

what is your goal?

my friend amy just sent this pic to me that someone else took....it is quite profound!

so......what is your goal?

everyday is a new day!

ok, so i just read ashley's recent blog post http://smashley-livelaughlove.blogspot.com and she talked about changing our attitudes (oct. 6, 2010 entry).
well, that will be me, too...
i posted an "ugh" last week because i was super frustrated with myself and the way i react to things.....
i hate to admit that sometimes i get jealous and then it sometimes consumes me.....
so....i am trying really hard to change that weakness and with it comes a change of attitude.
i just read this in jeff galloway's blog post: (he is a former olympian runner)
"you can take control of your attitude or let yourself be swayed by outside factors that will leave you on a motivational roller coaster: fired up one day, and down the next. Getting motivated on a given day can be sometimes as simple as saying a few key words and taking a walk.
1. Consistency is the most important part of conditioning and fitness.
2. Motivation is the most important factor in being consistent.
3. You gain control over your motivation - every day."

i am grateful for my amazing family who teach me things i need to learn every day.
i am also grateful for the things that i learned during conference and the book of mormon.
i am grateful for Heavenly Father's trust and i am trying not to abuse that trust.
i am grateful for good friends.
i am grateful for the joy that exercise and sports participation brings me....mtn. biking and swimming to be exact.
i am grateful for life.

life is good!

Ugh!

simple pleasures for simple minds....

what can you do with one yard of fabric?
i have been racking my brain all summer trying to come up with something....
you see, our quilt group was challenged to make something out of one yard of fabric...
we were even given the one yard.....
make something and bring it back to our october meeting....
well......i finally came up with something.....
i found this cute pattern to make slippers.....
i don't normally want to make things like that, but they were so cute i couldn't resist....
i gathered up all the supplies and dove right in.....
an hour and a half later, i emerge from the basement with....slippers!

they turned out so cute i had to show them to everyone that would listen....amy, eliza, ashley (via picture mail), mark, addison, york - to name a few....
they are so cute! oh, did i already say that? let me say again - they are so cute!

a simple little sewing project can bring my simple little mind such great pleasure!