If you want to be happy, be.

Back in my blogging days (where I blogged DAILY!!) I had a gratitude blog where I wrote about things I was thankful for.  This helped me when we were neck-deep in court crap with exes or something equally as lame. Sometimes it just helped on a day when I was feeling a little down. It was a good exercise to help me concentrate on my blessings and realize how truly wonderful life is!

As I was riding my bike the other day, just cruisin' around I started listing things off in my head that make me happy... Now of course my family, my kids, etc... make me happy. I was trying to come up with new, less obvious things.

Here are a few of the things I thought of:

- My new high school graduate!!!! So proud of you Tristan!!!!

- My bike!!!! I love just going out for a ride, riding to the library, the grocery store, or to the park to read.

- Texas Wildflowers!!! I didn't realize how much I love them until I moved back to Texas from Utah. I had missed my Indian Paintbrushes!!

- The beach!!! Um, yeah... We're working on that. We are going on vacation to Destin, Florida again this year, but I'd love to live near a beach. I LOVE it.

- My library card!!! I've been a bookworm this year. I've read 47 books this year so far. My goal is 50. I should probably change it. I like to read self-help, inspirational books and I also love the Christian historical fiction romances. Ranchers with calloused hands or sheriffs wearing their long leather dusters... Hot. ;)

- The SUNSHINE!!!! I love the sun! I love the warmth!! I love being in the sun!!!

- The new duck family at our neighborhood pond!!!! We've been watching the eggs for weeks and now the 8 babies are here!  Of course, the mama duck !!!QUACKS!!! for her babies to run like the wind blows any time we get near them, but they are here, healthy and happy, so YAY!!!

and last, but not least:

- My "Happy" Playlist on my iPod. I seriously have a playlist named "Happy." It has songs that just, well, make me feel HAPPY! And what makes me even happier?? Seiuli stole my playlist and has it on his iPod too!!! :) :) :)

What's on this amazing "Happy" playlist, you ask?? There's 16 or 17 songs, but just to name a few:

* New Soul by Yael Naim

* Clouds by A Firm Handshake (feat. Zach Sobiech)

* A Little Less Conversation by Elvis

* Wouldn't It Be Nice? by The Beach Boys

* Turn! Turn! Turn! by The Byrds

* Daydream Believer by The Monkees

* You & Your Heart by Jack Johnson

* Better Together by Jack Johnson

* I Luv the Way You by MY HUSBAND written FOR ME!!!!!

What makes you happy???

What song would be on YOUR "Happy" playlist?!?!

My life is great...amazing

I haven't posted in for.ev.er and people have just been hounding me asking where I am...not. Any who... A lots been happening around here and I figure since I don't really keep a diary I should probably write it down somewhere...

1) My baby boy has decided to enlist in the Army. In fact, he DID enlist. He has to graduate high school first, so I am doing my best to sabotage that... ;)  Actually I think he will be amazing and really excel in the military. He'll learn discipline and responsibility and I think his self-confidence will grow. And he'll learn how to do his own laundry and stuff. But I don't like the idea of people yelling at him and bossing him around... and possibly shooting at him. I'm already freakin' married to a cop. I must be a glutton for punishment... I did have to go tell some guys in camo at the recruiting center "w'sup" because I felt like they were rushing things for no reason. I think I scared them. Shoo- I'll show you "Army Strong." Psh.

I love you Tristan and I know you'll be even cooler than Captain America- if that's possible...

2) I graduated!! What what!

I now have a BS in Family Studies. And once I send in my paperwork I will be a provisional Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE). It was just such a great feeling to finally FINISH WHAT I STARTED back in '82... or '95.... But who's counting? Isabel actually told me, "Mom, you're like 30-something. You should have already graduated..." -__-  Gee, I wonder what I've been doing all.these.years...???

I also got to graduate the same weekend as my sister-in-law! She finished the Dental Hygiene program at TWU. Now we're both TWU Alumni.

3) I had probably the best weekend- not in Hawaii- ever.

- We had a graduation party on Friday evening after Lissette's graduation and the night before mine. My brother, Walker, and Sei planned it all including the great BBQ food. Lissette's parents bought the cake and my sister, Tara, supplied the grad bobblehead cake topper.

 (Notice anything weird about the cake? I just realized it now!)

Seiuli also surprised me with a bike! I've been wanting one since riding in Hawaii thru Turtle Bay. He outdid himself- it's perfect.

I graduated on my birthday!!

And my sister surprised me by coming from Kansas!! And I got to hang with her all weekend!

And then to top it all off... My husband wrote me a song... I listen to it over and over and over again. Oh my word- I love this man. I wish everyone could be as blessed as I am.

Sorta Crunchy...

Lately I've been reading different simplicity/minimalism blogs. Lots of the writers have grasped minimalism because they are trying to "go green" and be more eco-friendly. I love the earth and I recycle. I do weird things like move other people's plastic bottles from public trash cans into recycle bins-- and totally embarrass my kids in the process. But I wouldn't say I'm a tree-hugger by any means. However, on these blogs I found some things I wanted to try. I'm not sure why exactly... But I wanted to, so I did. It may have something with living in the wilderness for a summer... ;)

1st- I "made" my own shampoo and conditioner. I washed with baking soda and water. Then I rinsed with apple cider vinegar and water. And you know what? My hair felt and looked clean. It didn't smell. It "styled" fine (if that's what you wanna call what I do with my mop of mess...). It wasn't tangle-y. It's been great.  I was pleasantly surprised. I remember when I was at Anasazi I only washed my hair with shampoo twice the entire summer- in a river. The rest of the time I rinsed it in the river or used Yucca plant roots as soap. Yeah, I'm handy to have around in the wilderness. Just call me Bear. ;)

Then- I made my own laundry detergent. I did that today and used it today. It worked fine even in my HE washer. I used Ivory soap instead of whatever is listed in the ingredients. It made a ton and with how little you use at a time, even with all the laundry I do, it will last forever. I am going to make dishwasher soap next! :)

Lastly- I've started using coconut oil for everything.  It's a great moisturizer. It tames wild hair. It makes great lip balm.  I cook with it (I was already doing that...) The more I read about it, the more excited I am to try things like... making toothpaste or using it like Neosporin. :)

And next week... I am starting a Green Smoothie routine. I like eating healthy, but with my internship and other stress crap that has gone on my eating and exercise routine have just gone completely off course. I NEED to lose about 15 pounds because I am NOT buying a new swimsuit for Florida in June. So I'm going to try to eat raw for the most part, and incorporating some smoothies in my diet will help with that. I eat raw for most of the day anyway- like until 3pm- then I get all crazy. :( So I am trying to get back on track and do better. :)

Do you have some all natural things you have tried or do regularly? I'd love to hear about it!

A Morbid Post

So, my husband and I were talking about something- Idk what- that somehow led to me saying, "When I die they're gonna have to have my funeral in the church gym, not the chapel, because of the list of songs I want played." Seiuli, for some reason, thought that was hilarious even though I was completely serious. My dad has always said he wants "House of the Rising Sun" played on the organ at his funeral. Of course, if he goes before my mom she isn't going to allow that and I don't think the church will allow it to be played in the chapel. So... I'm having it played at mine. (I got your back Dad.) Why not? It'll sound rad.

I get that funerals are serious business, but if you know me you know my specialty is using humor to lighten the mood. I want it to be like that down til they bury me 6 feet deep. So, I came up with a list of songs I would like, at the very least, played at my "wake" or whatever it's called at the funeral home.

Please make a note of them:

- Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees
- Take My Breath Away by Berlin
- Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult
- Ding Dong the Witch is Dead by The Munchkins
- Another One Bites the Dust by Queen
- I'm Still Standing by Elton John
- Bodies (Let the Bodies Hit the Floor) by Drowning Pool
- Stairway to Heaven by Led Zepplin
OR
- Highway to Hell by ACDC
- Disco Inferno by The Trammps (My personal fave...)
and last but not least...
- Dust in the Wind by Kansas

"Dust. Wind. DUDE."

Unplugged

So I've been bombarded by emails from people asking where I went on Facebook... Just kidding- I got one email. lol But anyway, I deactivated my Facebook account for the time being. Our family has been talking about how social media, technology, etc... has really interfered with what is important. It has also introduced things into our home that I am not proud of and I don't want things like that here. So, Seiuli and I deactivated. Sei never get on FB anyway and probably out of everyone in the family I get on FB the most. I don't surf pages or anything, I just scroll my newsfeed getting police stories and inspirational quotes- but still, I was on it a lot just out of boredom. I am challenging myself to stay off it for 2 weeks. I thought deactivating it was better than just trying to avoid it. I'm that weak. haha You know it's bad when you find yourself thinking in status updates: "Holy dark sky this morning!" "Is it weird that Taj wants to grow his hair out so he can be Gavroche from Les Mis for Halloween?" "My teenagers have brain damage."

I've also cut back on tv a lot. I wasn't a big tv watcher anyway, but sometimes I'd get on these kicks where I'd watch Investigation Discovery for like a week straight. Eventually my brain was overloaded with serial killers and weirdos (like it wasn't already overloaded with that!) so I stopped watching it. I stopped recording anything for me. And eventually I just realized I was never watching tv. Occasionally I watch an episode of something with the kids on Netflix or Liv is in love with "The Brady Bunch" so we will watch an episode together at night. Last night Greg wiped out surfing in Hawaii because of the unlucky Tiki idol!! ;)

I'm at my internship 3 days a week, but in my "spare" time I have been reading a lot. I've read tons of self-help books, organizational books, simplifying life books and I've started The Book of Mormon again. It's been great. I've read 9 books this year so far. That's a lot for me! And it really has made a difference in how I feel. Even when I'm not reading I don't find myself being idle. I'm busy in a good way, but now I have the time to just hang out and build with playdoh with Liv like we did yesterday. Decluttering the house had a big effect on that. I don't feel overwhelmed when I'm picking up the house. It doesn't take long at all and it feels good to live in a home that's not cluttered. I've gotten to the point where I don't want to buy anything because of the "clutter." Sei bought me a beautiful folding picture frame screen thing... it was huge. I felt bad telling him although I loved it and have wanted one for years- I didn't want it anymore. He was cool about it and said, "I thought that when I bought it that you probably wouldn't want something so big in the house, taking up room..." He knows me so well.

And on an entirely different note... I get to have a girls weekend with my mom and sisters in OKC to see BON JOVI in less than a month!! Woo hoo!!!! And at the end of June I'm seeing NKOTB, 98*, and Boys II Men in Dallas!! What what!!

That is all.

1st graders, and Spiders, and Tori on her Soapbox...

I've been working my internship for about 3 weeks now. I really enjoy it, although I think I would love it more if I was able to do my own thing instead of waiting to be told what to do. But obviously I have to learn how to do things before I can just do them!! haha At the elementary school I am mentoring a first grade boy and a 4th grade girl. It's been interesting because they really just talk and want attention. The first grader is so smart. He seems to know something about everything, although he likes to make things up at the same time. For example, he was telling me about the Wandering Spider in Brazil which really exists and is freaky, but then he added that he'd been bit by this highly venomous spider as well... lol We looked up lots of spiders and other things on the computer to learn more. This "Wandering Spider" is also called the "Banana Spider." I saw a nasty pic of one caught in a bag of bananas. GROSS!!!! I.would.die.

 We also talked about the USS Missouri and Pearl Harbor. He was impressed I'd been to Pearl Harbor, and that I've swam and fed sting rays before. But that's about all that impressed him. lol

What is craziest is how OPEN my eyes have become. I'm listening to the 11 year old girls talk about "dating" and so-and-so kissed this guy and this guy touched so-and-so's butt. WHAAAAATTT!??!?!?!? Not only that, but I've heard 3rd graders rapping 2 Chainz. Obviously these kids have been exposed to more than my 3rd grader has been exposed to, but WOW.

I want to help these "at risk" kids, but it has also made me feel even more diligent about protecting the innocence of my own children. Satan is working extra hard to bombard us with filth every direction we turn. There's "sex advice" on magazines at the grocery store, movies on regular television networks that aren't edited hardly at all. The words used on tv now days is ridiculous. There's porn crap popping up all over the place. And my new fave- the Snapchat app. Have you heard of this? It's an app that lets you send picture messages that "self-destruct" in however many seconds you set it. The pics literally disappear. It will also "warn you" if the person you sent it to took a screenshot of it. The developer swears it's not a "sexting" app. Um, ok?! If your kid has this pic on his or her phone, itouch, whatever... you need to delete it.

Which leads me to my next point at the end of this rambling post... Why do I feel like sometimes I'm the only parent up in my kid's business?! I have my kids passwords for every account. I have accounts so I can "stalk" them and they aren't allowed to unfriend or block me. They can't download apps without coming to me to get the password. It's not an invasion of privacy- it's called "parenting." There are girls posting pics of themselves on Instagram that I would be mortified if Isabel posted. Kids liking pics of bongs and Playboy bunnies. It's ridiculous that I know more about what your kid is doing than you do. So all the slacking parents- for the sake of MY kids, STEP IT UP! (While I step down off my soapbox...)

Exciting stuff... to me anyway

So far this year has had lots going on! Here's just a few things from the last couple weeks...

-- Isabel scored 15 points in her last basketball game. She played an AMAZING game!!!!!  I give myself credit for giving her the "pull the pencil out" speech I gave her. She saw me type this and said "Mommmmm!!!!"

-- Tristan has mono. This is not exciting in a good way since we already went through mono with Alec a few years ago. But I thought I'd include it anyway. Boo.

-- I started my internship with Communities in Schools. I work at an elementary school 2 days a week and at a high school 1 day a week. I really, REALLY enjoy the high school and I hope once I am doing more at the elementary I will enjoy the same. I was stressing about finding an internship because no one was contacting me back. I thought I would be at a place serving victims of domestic violence or something. But now that I am here it really seems like it was meant to be. Once again, God knew what He was doing. ;)

-- Livie turned 7... going on 17. She had a few friends come to Chuck E. Cheese and had so much fun! The morning of her birthday I took her to McDonalds for their hotcakes- which she loves.  I was also the Mystery Guest Reader for her 1st grade class. The teacher gave 3 clues about me and the kids had to guess who it was. I think my clues were a little to obvious:

1) Loves flip flops

2) Loves Diet Dr. Pepper

3) Is a student at TWU

Livie said she knew it was me because I have a sign that says "Life is better in flip flops." :)

-- My mom danced in the United Way "Dancing with the Stars." She was paired with a dance major from TWU. They did great and had a lot of fun!! They danced the waltz and the swing. The winner was probably the worst dancer there... with the most friends in the audience. People with the loudest cheers won. Still-- they did really amazing.

-- I commented in class today at church. This may seem like nothing- but considering I NEVER do that, it was HUGE. haha

I don't do "resolutions..."

I try not to make New Year "Resolutions" because then a few months later when I realize I don't even remember what I said I would do, I feel like a loser. haha But I have made a list of things I want to improve with myself, not really by a certain point, but just in general.

1) I need to lose weight. I let last semester get the better of me and now I would like to lose around 15 pounds. I have to get my snacking back under control because I feel so much better when I am eating right. This semester is going to be super busy too because I am doing an internship 3 days a week from 9 to 2. Then the afternoon craziness starts right around 3pm... I have to figure out a balance and have a plan so I don't snack another 15 pounds onto my booty!! And I refuse to buy new summer clothes or a swimsuit and threw out all my "fat" clothes from last year, so I'm either gonna look like total white trash or I'm gonna lose weight. End of story.

2) I have bee keeping an "Inspiration Journal." Everyday I try to find at least one quote, talk, song lyric, WHATEVER- that speaks to ME. That is uplifting and makes me go, "Hmm... I want to do that better!" or "That is SO true!" I have been either writing them down in my journal or if I happen to see it  on Facebook or Pinterest I print the little cute pic out and tape it in my journal. I want to have this so when things seem cray-cray I have a place to go and remind myself that I am blessed, things will get better, I don't have to be perfect, etc... Here's a few of the ones I have found over the last couple of weeks:

I have several I have handwritten as well, but pictures always make it nice. :) Of course my favorite is this:

Concentrating on finding these has really changed my outlook and perspective. I feel calm and in a better place. Do I still get grumpy sometimes or feel frustrated?! Heck yes. But I've found myself leaning towards the positive and cleaning out the junk. This has been something I've been working on for the last couple months anyway by eliminating music off my iPod that doesn't make me feel good and not watching certain shows on TV. I honestly haven't watched a full television show in 2 months. And I don't dvr anything for me anymore. I've already posted about minimizing the stuff in my house. It has helped me keep things picked up which helps me not feel clutter and cramped. It's been great! I've been reading more, playing with my kiddos more, having dinners actually fixed almost every night of the week and feeling a lot more focused. It's been wonderful. The journal just adds to all that because it's usually the last thing I do before I fall asleep. :)

Bless her heart...

So today I had to take Liv to the dentist for some dental work (obvi.) Her pediatric dentist is about 25 minutes from our house. It snowed today- random, I know- so the traffic was all slow on the highway, especially over a bridge of the lake. I was going slow, well under the speed limit, and I wasn't close to the car in front of me. I've mentioned before that Isabel and I signed "I've Got a Feelin'" by the Black Eyed Peas at our family reunion. So every time it comes on the radio I can't help but sign it. Well... it came on the way to the dentist. I started doing my one-handed ASL, off in my own world, when I noticed the lady driving in front of me throwing her hands in the air, seemingly upset. I slowed down a little more and assumed she was mad at the driver in front of her. She started to exit so I ended up passing her as the lane split off. I happen to glance her direction and I saw this woman, clearly older than me and probably several years older than my mother, looking right at me, mouthing (probably yelling in her car) "F*** YOU!!!!" while she flipped me off. I was like, "What the?!?!" which is probably what my face looked like. She kept staring at me, with her finger up, as she exited. She's lucky she didn't run into the concrete barrier. Anyway... at first I was like, "Ok, really? Did my grandma just flip me off?" and then I was like, "REALLY!? You're a friggin' adult and that's how you decide to handle your frustration, Lady?!" and then I was like, "Bless her heart..." And I mean that sincerely- not in the "you poor idiot" way. She is either having a really crappy day or has a really ugly heart. I wouldn't want either. I can only guess she thought my amazing ASL was me making gestures towards her. I feel bad that she thinks I would act like that towards anyone. (Although if you mess with my kid I'll act worse than that.)

On another note- road rage is really stupid and dangerous. You never know who you're flippin' off and how they might react. What if I was in a really psycho-pissy state of mind and decided to follow her with the gun I carry? It happens. People need to wake up and chill out. Yelling "F U!" and giving the bird to a mom in a minivan with her 6 year old isn't cool-- or safe. I'm embarrassed for people who act like that. But I worry for you too. There was a girl the other day trying to give Seiuli the evil-eye for whatever reason. She was a teenage girl, alone in a car, giving dirty looks to a guy who looked pretty menacing at the time with his beanie and scraggly narcotics detective facial hair. What was she thinking?!

Instead of REACTING to something you may THINK someone is doing TO you, THINK first. I apply the "Maybe her sister died today" method. I remember how I felt when my sister died. I was in a fog and felt like "How is everyone going on with life!? Don't they know what's happened?!" It was horrible. I was probably rude to people for no reason. I really have no clue. It really gave me a new perspective. 

So those are my deep thoughts (haha) all triggered by a grumpy lady and her middle finger. And this was after a man honked and waved his hands at me because he wanted me to go faster. But what he couldn't see is that I was slowing down for the little car in front of me to turn into a business. Dude, CHILL.

Top 12 in 2012

So, usually for the new year I go back through my old blog posts and pick the biggest news for each month and recap it in a post. But I was so lame at blogging this year that I barely have anything to post. So lame. :( So I won't do a month by month. I'll just do 12 things that made 2012 great!!

12. I made the Chancellor's list at school not once, but TWICE. That means I had a 4.0 for the Spring and Fall semester. I'm a nerd! Yay!

11. I finished my last fulltime semester in December. Only 3 hours left til graduation in May!

10.  I lost over 30 pounds over a 5 month period. We won't talk about what I've gained back... I'm still smaller than I was this time last year, so that's good. haha

9. Alec made the JV basketball team and Isabel made the 8th grade "A" team. They are having a great season so far!!

8. Seiuli became a detective which moved him off the weekend night shift he's worked for almost 5 years. He is now home every night and weekend.  I love it!

7. I read more in 2012 than I have in YEARS!! I found a great series I loved by Janette Oke. The "Love Comes Softly" series... it's a Christian-based series and so good! So while everyone else was reading "50 Shades of a Horny Housewife" I was reading a series based in pioneer days. :)

6. I got to research and present my most favorite project I've worked on since returning to school. It was all about the Stressed Endured by Law Enforcement Families. You can see it here.



5. Tristan played football for the Division I 4A STATE CHAMPIONS of Texas!! They played in Cowboys Stadium and showed the Cowboys HOW to win! It was an amazing game!!



4. In February Seiuli and fellow officers were commended at a City Council meeting. "Your response to the call demonstrated teamwork and tactical skill that prevented further violence or escape by the suspect. Your performance in this incident is in keeping with the highest standards of police service...Your courage and skill in the face of danger reflects positively on your professionalism and are highly valued by the L. Police Department..."

 

3. I surprised Tristan by dancing in the Senior Mom dance at a school pep rally. It was a ton of fun and I didn't suck too bad! You can watch it here. I'm in the back row right by the football players in the bright, neon greenish-yellowish shirt and black leggings.

2. I got to see friends in Utah on the way to drop kids off in Idaho so Sei and I could go on vacation!  It was so fun to see them!

1. I WENT TO HAWAII!! I WENT TO HAWAII!! I WENT TO HAWAII!! I WENT TO HAWAII!! I WENT TO HAWAII!! I WENT TO HAWAII!! I WENT TO HAWAII!! I WENT TO HAWAII!! I WENT TO HAWAII!! I WENT TO HAWAII!! I WENT TO HAWAII!! I WENT TO HAWAII!! It was so so so amazing and a dream come true!! I surfed! I hiked! I ate pineapple! I want to live there!! You can read about most of our trip here.

Overall, 2012 was a great year, but I'm choosing to make 2013 even better!!!