Day 95: Happy Women's Day

Aha:
Mother's Day. Two words, when put together, that typically make me cringe.
However, today I have found myself smiling thinking of all the children I've had the chance to mother: my nieces and nephews, my friends' kids, some of the young women I taught, and the random kids I've sat with at church when their mom's just looked desperate for help.
Sometimes I think this holiday should just be called "Women's Day". It would make it a lot easier to enjoy for those like me who have yet to be, but desperately want to be, mothers. But being a woman--I've got that covered! It is part of my nature to nurture and love; to teach and to play; to comfort and to soothe. I'm inherently a mom.
I wanted to give a shout-out to my mom for raising me to be who I am. I know you don't feel like you "measure up" but you do. You are the perfect mom for me!
I also want to thank my sisters (SIL's included) for letting me help "raise" your kids. You have no idea how special your kids are to me and how much being their aunt has blessed my life.
To my friends, thanks for calling me the "Baby Whisperer". I love snuggling your little ones and lulling them to sleep. Doing this makes me feel special and needed.
To the women who have handed me their kids without saying a word, thank you letting me help.
For those with kids I know this day can be hard as well and I hope you can find joy in it. We have a sacred work to do and we cannot do it alone. Thankfully we are surrounded by other women (moms, sisters, friends, aunts, and even the occasional stranger) who can lend us help when we need it.
May we all find a reason to celebrate who we are, cause being a woman is pretty amazing.
To all women I wish you a Happy Women's/Mother's Day.

Haha:
If you'll excuse the swear word in the title, here are two videos that make me laugh cause they're totally true! To all women, enjoy "'Crap' Girls Say: Episodes 1 and 2".

Day 72: That's What Family's For

Aha:

My in-laws braved the snowy weather and drove from Grande Prairie to be with us for Easter! So glad they were able to arrive safely and so happy to be with family!!

Haha:

Since our landlord is unresponsive, Clinton and my FIL moved the inoperable washer and dryer from downstairs to the back patio, as well as moved the replacement washer and dryer downstairs. It was a really big task, not to mention dangerous.

Well, when the washers had been moved around and only the dryers were left, my FIL said, "Since they're lighter to move and Clinton and I moved the heavier pieces, I imagine that Rennie and Dani could move the dryers."

To which I replied, "You're right; you can imagine."

Ha!

Day 9: Valentine's Day Proposal Dream Come True

Aha:
Eleven years ago today I said "yes".
Sometimes I stop and think about how crazy-fast the time has flown. I have been married to my absolute favorite person for the last 10.5 best years of my life. Though his proposal was questionable at first (see below), he ultimately won my heart and I can't be more happy.
Happy Valentine's Day, Clinton. You really are my favorite.

(Doodles from back when we were dating)

Haha:
You may or may not know this story, but since it's its 11th anniversary and it's too good not to share, I hope you'll indulge me a little trip down memory lane.
Before we were engaged I had a dream.

---I dreamt that Clinton and I went to a really fancy restaurant. We sat at a very fancy table and were having a fancy time. During our conversation Clinton said, "I have something for you..." he pulled out a really beautiful red ring-box, opened it and said, "it's a box, and inside is a ring for you." I gasped in wonder and then in shock as I noticed the ring was just a rusty old key ring. Begrudgingly I put it on my finger and said a curt, "Wow, thanks."---end of dream

Well, I thought the dream somewhat funny and decided to tell Clinton all about it. He thought it was funny too...and apparently ingenious for his upcoming trip to see me during Valentine's Day in Portland.
On Valentine's Day 2003, I decorated the crap out of the hallway outside his room with candies, a big "I love you" banner and cut-out hearts. The message was in noway subtle. :)
And neither was his to me:

(This is how he decorated my bedroom)

(Glow and the dark stickers moved around strategically on my ceiling)

So, anyway, I had made some reservations at Multnomah Falls Restaurant for their special V-Day dinner. As time was approaching for us to leave I noticed Clinton was taking forever in the bathroom. I asked if he was alright and he assured me he was. Still, he took another 10 minutes or so.

We finally make it to the restaurant. Unfortunately for us, we were both full of nerves and hardly ate our rather expensive meal. I was nervous cause I was pretty sure he was going to propose and he was nervous cause he knew he was going to propose. Well, dinner and dessert came and went and no proposal. However the whole time Clinton kept touching his collar rather obsessively.

We left the restaurant and headed back toward home. Clinton asked me if there was anywhere else I wanted to go and when I couldn't come up with anything he suggested we go to Mt. Tabor (it's a mountain located within the city, pretty cool). It was a typical winter day in Portland, cold and rainy. I figured he'd only make me go out in the cold if he was going to make it worth my while. :)

We got out of the car and he lingered for quite a while getting things out of the trunk. When we finally set off I noticed he was carrying an extra coat and had his other hand full, but I couldn't tell with what.

So, we sit and he turns to me and says, "I have something for you."
Me: Oh?

He: It's a box and inside is a ring for you. (pulls out this beautiful red ring-box)

Me: Oh, my gosh!

He: (opens the box and smiles)

Me: (gasps, then gets a confused look on my face when I realize the size of the ring is way too big. It's dark outside and I can see the ring is sparkling, so I reach for it and upon closer inspection realize it's a key ring. Remembers my dream.) Oh.

He: (laughs)

Me: (feeling foolish for thinking I was going to be getting engaged)

He: Ok, I have something else for you. Do you want to know what it is?

Me: (relieved) Yes. :)

He: (hands me a pair of scissors) These are your mom's. I borrowed them, can you give them back to her?

Me: (starting to feel really disappointed and somewhat upset) Ok...

He: (laughs)

Me: (tries not to cry)

He: Do you want to know what I borrowed the scissors for?

Me: I think so.

He: Well, you see (starts pulling at his collar), I have this thing wrapped around my neck, and in order for you to get it you'll need the scissors to cut the string. (out pops my ring on the dental floss necklace he'd been spending all that time in the bathroom concocting before dinner and double-checking all throughout dinner.)

Me: (smiles and cuts the string)

He: (says a lot of sweet stuff) Will you marry me?

Me: Yes, of course!

He: And you see, the ring is still shaped like a keyring.

Me: (swoon)

Well, that was 11 years ago today and even though his proposal kinda set me for a loop in the moment, it just goes to show how clever and romantic he is. I am so thankful for my forever, funny valentine. 

(see how it looks like a split keyring?) :)

Day 23: One of These Things Is Not Like the Other

Aha:
If one is in need of recognizing a blessing in their life, one need only turn to their family for inspiration. (I just made that up!  But if I was to be grammatically correct, I'd've replaced all the "their"s with "one's", but that's one too many one's for me.)
It took a couple attempts, but here is a picture from the other day that made me smile...

Ain't he cute?

Ha ha:

You know how I said the above photo took a couple tries?  Well, this is how the first turned out...

A little too "Halloween"y for me

Also, yesterday I was running my fingers through my hair to pull out some tangles, and pulled out a little surprise while I was at it...

One black, one blond.  Spooky.

Day 8: If the Savior Stood Beside Me, Would I Eat the Things I Do?

Aha:
I don't know about you, but I really enjoyed the music from General Conference (although that youth choir was a bit pitchy--sorry readers if you know someone from that choir!).  I especially liked the pieces derived from Primary songs.  Here are a couple of my favorites.  Pay close attention to the words, they are lovely!

I Will Follow God's Plan for Me

 If the Savior Stood Beside Me

Ha ha:
I decided last week that it's time for me to eat a little better and exercise more cause my clothes are starting to not fit quite right.  So, I started it off by enjoying some Conference Crepes (with butter syrup) for breakfast, Canadian Thanksgiving for dinner and a couple bowls of life cereal for dessert (in addition to a slice of pumpkin pie).
Now you know why I'm going "on a diet".

Day 375: Happy Fourth of Jul-Eye

Aha:
Wednesday--Had a day off from work, got to eat my favorite pancakes from IHOP for lunch and vegged the rest of the day in my air-conditioned home (over 100 degrees and way humid).
Now if THAT'S not a great way to celebrate the Fourth, I don't know what is!

Ha ha:
We and our friends all got together to watch the fireworks from atop the parking structure at the college.  It's a pretty sweet spot, you can see the fireworks from all of the neighboring towns and you don't have to deal with crowds or traffic.  Anyway, at the end of the festivities all of the girls got together for a picture.  As Chelsey's husband was taking the picture he said, "Sorry, but I think you're all going to have red eyes."
"Not me,"  I said, "I'll only have the one!"
He looked down at the picture and laughed, "You're right!"
We all had a good laugh.  

Day 324: Cookie Monster Appetite

Aha:
I thought I was going to die, but I made it: 1 hour on the recumbent bike.  Why would a person spend an hour in such torture?  Keep reading.  It was totally necessary, but only kinda-sorta worth it.

Ha ha:
There's a reason we don't often have treats in our house...Clinton and I have little-to-no self control.  Clinton made a half batch of chocolate chip cookies for me for Mother's Day yesterday (although I'm sure they were just as much for himself as they were for me) and they are now gone.  GONE!  I wouldn't feel as bad about finishing them today if I hadn't also had 2 ice cream cones from McDonalds.  Why did I have 2 cones?  Because I wasn't going to have any cookies, so it was okay to have the extra calories from my cones, duh!  Two cones and four cookies later, I started to feel a bit glutenous.
Bad idea, bad girl, long time burning calories.
I think tomorrow I'll have a doughnut instead. :)

Day 293: Thriller

Aha:
I came home from a rather BUSY week at work and had to get ready for my voice student.  I was feeling rather rushed and in my haste to get ready I noticed a box on the ground.  A package!!
I received my Christmas gifts and birthday gifts from my mom and dad today--a little late, yes, but that's ok (now I get an extra celebration)!  I got a really cute gray a-line skirt and a navy/purple sweater!  I LOVE THEM!  We also got some moolah and my mom sent a couple packs of face cleansing cloths, a couple of my grandma's old necklaces and a pair of her slippers. What a lovely surprise and a great way to end my week!!
Thanks Mom and Dad!  Love you too!

Ha ha:
I saw on FB that my sister said her almost-three-year-old son keeps asking to go to "the spinning top store".  She had no idea where he meant and asked what the store looked like and he said, "like the spinning top store".
I thought for sure he meant Target, but I guess that's "the circle store".  Anyway, I thought I'd try to help out and googled "store logo looks like spinning top" and this is the picture that came up.

I don't know what store THIS would be the logo for, but I DO know that I'm now going to have nightmares tonight.  Eesh!

Day 183: Christmas Sayings

Aha:

Here are two signs their five-year-old made for us: "From Kailey, Love you!" 

"Kailey, Mom and Dad Welcome You Sister Logan and Brother Logan"

A family in our ward invited us over for Christmas dinner.  We ate and had a really nice time getting to know them better.  The wife asked if we would like to watch "Joy to the World" with them and I'm so glad we did.  It felt so great to watch a movie about the birth of Jesus Christ on the day it's celebrated.
Sitting there in their living room, I felt such a wonderful feeling of gratitude and peace as I heard the scripture passages read and saw them reenacted.  Snippets of some of my favorite Christmas songs (sung by the Mo-Tabs) were interjected throughout the film too.
I am so thankful to have had this Christmas to think more about Jesus.  I feel like I have come to know Him a little better and I especially feel like I want to get to know Him more.

Ha ha:
WARNING:  There is a swear coming up.
It was my turn to make breakfast for the two of us and Eggs Benedict was the meal of choice.  I had my eggs poaching, my english muffins a'toastin' and my hollandaise sauce a-cookin'.  Feeling like I had everything running rather smoothly, that is until I got a little distracted by some mold on my newly purchased muffins.  I worked to tear it out and completely forgot all about my sauce.  I ran to the pan in a hurry and saw brown bubbles coming out of the top--it was burning.  "Dammit!" I shouted.  (Really, Dani??)  Clinton let out a laugh in the living room while I stirred and stirred as fast as I could, realizing it was OK after all.
Nothing says "Merry Christmas" on a Sunday like an unnecessary swear!  Sheesh!

Day 182: Christmas Eve Miracles

Aha:
Woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking!!  Sweet Clinton made me pancakes and hash browns--a real Christmas miracle treat!!  Thanks, H.B.!

Ha ha:
Clinton and I went to the mall.  He parked the car and said he needed to run in quickly.  I had another errand that I wanted to take care of so I told him I'd come back and pick him up.  Right before he left he said, "Now be careful.  There are a lot of crazy drivers on the road today."  I reassured him and he went inside.
The parking lot was FULL of cars and I was waiting for a lady to move from behind my space.  I noticed that she was a ways away from me and I thought I had plenty of room to back out and slide in beside her.  I looked behind me and there was plenty of space.  I put the car in reverse and slowly backed out of my space...CRUNCH!  Well, crap!  I wasn't paying attention when we parked (and apparently when I was backing out) and our space was a straight space on the very far end of a diagonally-angled row.  When I pulled out at a sharp angle to slide in beside the lady behind me I ran right into the parked car beside me.  Stupid, I know.
I called Clinton in a panic and he came out, looked the other car over and reassured me that I had caused no damage, thank goodness (I was going about 1/2 mile/hour after all).
I share this because of the irony.  He had mentioned the crazy drivers on the road...I had no idea I was one of them!

Day 181: Chri-stmas Memories

Aha:
We had some special visitors this evening.  Clinton answered the door and asked me to come there.  As I approached the door I saw two little faces and heard two little voices singing, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".  They handed us a bag of homemade toffee (delicious and gone by the way) and a poinsettia plant!  What a wonderful Christmas surprise!!  Thanks Browns for thinking of us!

Ha ha:
Clinton reminded me of one of my favorite stories from our past this afternoon.  I'll share...
A couple Christmas seasons ago, we were out and about driving around on some errands.  As is typical year round but especially at Christmastime, I had the song, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" (the Bing Crosby version) stuck in my head.  It seemed to be playing on and on inside my brain but I was managing to keep it to myself while carrying a conversation with Clinton.  Well suddenly, unbeknownst to me, I sang the backup singers' "Chri-stmas" part of the song (see the link above and start at :33 to hear what I'm referring to).  Clinton turned to me and said, "Where the heck did that come from?  What was that?"  I was confused, because to me, it made perfect sense--I had been singing the whole thing in my head after all!  Anyway, once we realized he was missing the majority of the song and how I must have sounded like a total crazy person, we both had a great laugh!  Now, whenever we hear that song we emphasize the "Chri-stmas" part and start laughing. :)

Day 177: From Sad to Glad

Aha:
While I was visiting teaching one of my sisters, she told me that she was trying to find scriptures that made her want to celebrate Christmas.  She's not been a fan of celebrating Christmas since her mom died nearly 40 years ago.  I told her I'd share some of my favorites, but I'm wondering if anyone has any they would recommend.  I don't know that they need to specifically be about Christmas (I would think any scripture about Christ would do since He is the reason we celebrate Christmas), but if you feel like sharing something that may spark her desires to celebrate the season, I'd love for you to share.
As I've said before, Christmas is my favorite time of the year and knowing there is someone out there, of my own faith, that doesn't want to celebrate it is rather saddening.  Meeting with her though has made me think of some of my favorite things about celebrating:
Decorating, Singing Christmas Songs, Listening to Christmas Songs, Food, Goodies, Stronger Love for Mankind, Increased Charity, Kinder Words Spoken to Strangers, Christmas Lights, Reminders of Christ All Around, Giving Gifts, Getting Gifts, Time Off From Work, Time with Family, Nativities, Closeness to Christ and an All Around Increase of the Spirit of Christ in My Heart and My Home.

Ha ha:
There was one of those crazy tacky and ultra sexual BOD commercials on during a commercial break.  Clinton and I were making fun of it the whole time.  A few moments later I hear Clinton say (like they do in the commercial), "Hot BOD" to himself.  I laughed out loud and told him I was going to blog about him singing the "Hot BOD" song.  He turned to me and asked, "What hot dog song?".  Once I clarified, we had a pretty good laugh over that one.

Day 175: Singing and Seniors

Aha:
I had the chance to go caroling at a retirement center nearby with some other ward members.  There were only 5 of us to start and only 5 people to sing for, but it felt great nonetheless.  I loved watching the residents' eyes light up and their lips starting to move along with the words when one of their favorites came up.  I don't know, there's just something special about singing that can really bring people together.  By the end of our half hour, 2 other families showed up to sing and another resident came by to listen.  We had a really nice thing going on!
When all the singing was done, we visited with them for another half hour or so.  I even learned that one of the ladies I visited used to be a member of our church!  Small world!
Anyway, I just was grateful that I got out of my bed, postponed my bathroom cleaning till later, and got out the door to go sing.  It made me forget my troubles for a while and helped me to focus on others.  I love this time of year!!

Ha ha:
One of the ladies I spoke with said she really enjoyed hearing us sing.  I thanked her and asked if she was a singer herself.  She said, "Oh no.  I don't sing, but I listen and appreciate very well!  Every performer needs an audience or they'd have no one to perform for!"  I told her that was very true.  She started to reply about something, but right as she did, a little drop of spit flew from her mouth and landed softly on my lip...needless to say I got a little distracted and don't remember anything else from the rest of that conversation.

Day 174: Crack Me Up

Aha/Ha ha:
Clinton and I went to the Nutcracker for the first time on Friday.  We were both afraid that ballet was going to be so boring, but we actually really enjoyed it.
This could come across wrong, so I will clarify that I share this story not to make fun, but to show that it is possible to find humor in all things and that doing so can make a rough situation less rough.
There was a group of special needs adults sitting behind us.  There was one point during the show when some dancers were doing some rather amazing moves.  Everyone in the audience was totally in awe, but this one lady behind us kept chuckling at all the wrong moments.  Some people turned around, obviously annoyed, but we felt that if she thought something was funny we could too!  We had paid good money for our seats and probably had a right to be annoyed, but we chose to chuckle along with her instead, albeit a bit quieter than she.
Thanks for the extra laughs, we had no idea the Nutcracker would be so entertaining!

Day 173: Quotes and Quips

Aha:

I hope I'm one of the stable few.

Ha ha:
1.  Many of you may know that my favorite restaurant is IHOP (classy, I know).  Well, lately I've noticed a lot of coupons for IHOP in the mail.  As I found another, I shouted up to Clinton, "I have IHOP coupons coming out the wazoo!"  His response?  "Well, you're not going to be able to hop too high with a problem like that!"  Ha ha!

2.  I was making, ahem, pancakes for dinner (and eggs and hash browns...I'm not a total pancake junky).  Clinton came down just as I was flipping my last pancake and I don't remember exactly what I was saying, but I think I was complimenting myself on how well my dinner was turning out and said something like, "I'm really good at making..." right as I was saying this, I flipped my pancake and it landed on the edge of the pan.  "Fudge!!" I cried.  Clinton, always-on-his-toes-with-a-quick-quip-Clinton, responds, "Oh, fudge?  I'd love if you made some fudge.  You should make some tonight!"
He, of course, laughed at himself, and I laughed right along with him. :)

Day 172: Innkeepers and Landlords

Aha:

Ha ha:
The other day I was getting ready for bed in the bathroom and heard the tub faucet running.  This has been happening a lot lately so I shouted out to Clinton to please email our landlord so he'd know he was paying for wasted water.  Thinking I was rather smart, I suggested, "It's probably just a washer that needs to be replaced."  I noticed the pun right as I said it out loud and started laughing.  "A washer in the tub!  Get it?!"  He didn't think it was as funny as I did, but probably only because he didn't think of it first. :)

168: Wise Men and Not so Wise Men

Aha:
As Clinton and I were driving home after getting McDonald's ice cream cones, we passed by a neighborhood church.  Outside, walking along the sidewalk, were three wise men holding a map of some sort and pointing up at the sky.  At first, I thought to sort of make fun that they were acting while no one was looking, but then I thought...I'm looking.
It really was a neat moment for me to see these men portraying the wise men on the corner of a busy street. They were out acting in the cold but appeared to truly be searching for the way to the Son of God.  I have no idea if they were rehearsing or if that was their performance, but it affected me nonetheless.  I needed that reminder to be earnestly seeking Jesus Christ.
There are signs all around that point to Him (especially at Christmas) but there are times when wisdom is required to find Him.  Times of doubt, times of trial, times of loneliness, times of pain, times of pondering, and times of hopelessness.  There is no physical map that leads to Jesus Christ but He is possible to find through prayer, scripture study, service and love.
I did not realize how desperately I needed to find Him until this brief glimpse into history on the corner of a busy road, but how grateful I am to have witnessed it for myself--three wise men actively seeking the new born babe.

Ha ha:
We went to dinner with some friends at the local Applebees.  Now, I don't know about you, but I've never really thought they were known for superb service--and tonight was no exception.  Anytime any of us asked a question our server had to check with someone else, or just didn't know the answer altogether.  Sure, he may have been new, so we'll give him that, and he did refill our drinks regularly, but when our food was brought out to the table it wasn't our server that brought it.  It must have been bussers or another server, but either way, they had no idea what was going on.  This is literally what happened.
We see our food coming
The servers approach our table
They look at each other dumbfoundedly
We look at each other skeptically
One of the servers grabs a plate and looks at it with a confused look on their face
We start to say what we ordered, to help with delivery
The plate-distributing server mumbles in a bored, yet exasperated way, "I don't know where any of this goes!"
We exchange glances and desperately try to hold back the laughter

Another great date at Applebees. :)

Day 166: Christmastime is Here

Aha:
I have been SO BUSY that I've hardly had time to enjoy this Christmas season.  Yes, I know there is still a bit of time before the big man comes down the chimney, but when you long for Christmas like I do you want to soak in as much as possible while it's still in style.  So tonight, while I made breakfast for dinner, I blasted Christmas songs from Pandora and my pancakes have never tasted better!
It felt so good to actually make some time to celebrate and sing along with Anne Murray, Elvis and The Bing.  I even got to do some Christmas shopping online (not that I got anything, but the gift juices are flowing...that didn't sound right)!  To top it all off, as I was coming back from the kitchen I happened to glance at my nativity scene and spotted the little baby Jesus.  This quick sighting actually made me pause for a moment to think about Him.  Amongst all the chaos of my busy week I stopped to think about the Son of God.  What a wonderful little gift that was to me.

Ha ha:
I found this quote and thought it was hilarious!
I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.
Shirley Temple

Day 164: Eye'm Starting to Get It

Aha:
There's a tradition here in the Midwest called "St. Nick".  It is on the eve of December 5th that St. Nicholas visits the children and fills their stockings with treats.  Well, my coworker brought that spirit into our office today and it was...a real treat!  We were each given a stocking filled with candy and the counters had been festified!
Anyway, this got me thinking about this quote:
When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time.  Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?  ~G.K. Chesterton
I am so thankful to God for not only filling my stockings with legs, but for filling my life with so many wonderful people, a well-functioning body, my prosthetic lens (see Ha ha below), my job, my sense of humor, my testimony, my Savior and all the other many blessings He's made possible in my life.  What a wonderful time of year this is, a time when I can more frequently be reminded of my blessings and a time when I can speak more frequently and hear others speak so reverently of Jesus Christ!

Ha ha:
Ran into a friend of ours tonight.  We waved at him and my first thought was, we're on his blind side (he has a prosthetic lens too!) so he can't see us.  Clinton shouted out to him and he turned towards us, and with a totally surprised look on his face said, "Oh hey!  I didn't even see you, you were on my blind side."  "I knew it!", I said.  I guess it takes one to know one.  Thanks for making me feel more "normal" Matt!

Day 163: Two Birds

Aha:
I traveled back to Wisconsin today from my brief trip in Oregon.  What a blessing it was to be able to go back home and fill up on hopefully enough hugs, kisses and laughter to last me till January!  Each time I landed at an airport one of the stewardesses would welcome us to that particular city and then end with "Happy Holidays".  This statement, usually so generic and overused, felt so right and good to me; I had just had a wonderful visit with my family, I was on my way back home to my husband and pup, and it made me think of The Reason for the Season as well.  What a wonderful time of year--when people are so willing to wish others happiness!  I think I'm going figure out a way to do this beyond the holidays without it sounding weird.  Perhaps instead of "Have a good day", I can say "Hope your day finds you happy" or "Smile you later" or "Grin evening"...or perhaps sticking with "good day" is best and then I'll just finish with a big smile. :)

Ha ha:
I asked Clinton if there was anything funny from today that I could write on my blog and he jokingly threw his hand down, shook his head and said, "Uh-uh.  This day was a bore."
I got my laugh.  Killed two birds with one stone with one quick comment--Thank you, Honey!