Wednesday Wanderings

• Last night I wore a swimsuit to water aerobics that I bought last year and didn't fit into. It doesn't look PERFECT yet, but I got it on, there were no horrific "spill overs," so I wore it. I love deep water aerobics. You work at your own pace and you really give your muscles a run for their money, yet there is something really mentally relaxing about the whole thing. And you burn a ton of calories.
• School is starting SOON. This summer has flown by and we haven't don't half the fun things I said we were going to do. The ballet schedule for my girls has been posted, so I have been able to plan my piano schedule. It really doesn't look that bad this year. I have been nervous because Jillise goes to ballet 2x a week now, PLUS has Activity Days at church. Ack!
• Because of all of this, I have had to drop out of my bunco group. Sadness. But I feel good about it. I will hopefully get calls to be a sub and the months when I don't have Young Women meetings out the wazoo and Brian isn't out doing Ward Mission stuff or working late, I can go and enjoy myself.
• I am way excited that Top Chef and Project Runway are starting again. YAY!! I love having shows to watch while I eat my lunch or cool down after exercising. SYTYCD is another one we will add to our queue. I am hopeful for Glee, but I just fear it is going to become another oversexed dramedy that Fox and all of the other networks are so good at pumping out. They take a decent story line with good, interesting characters and after a couple of episodes, the only interactions they are creative enough to come up with involve affairs, or teen pregnancies, or drunken sex. I am optimistic because they seem to be targeting the show towards a younger demographic (teens), but I guess that doesn't mean much anymore.
• Jaren still isn't potty trained. We have been working on it a bit. I learned from the girls to take a "child led" approach. This helps you avoid mental standoffs (which I had many of with the girls). But he doesn't seem to really want to lead. He WILL be out of diapers by the time he goes into Sunbeams. I think.
• I have run a half mile WITHOUT STOPPING for two days in a row. Outside. With little hills. I am not a runner. I don't know if I ever will be a runner. I was a good sprinter when I was little, but the long distance things have never been for me. I don't know how much of that is mental and how much is physical. I am trying to build up my strength and stamina so I can join a little running club in the fall.
• I have been thinking a lot about happiness lately. This may become a blog post of its own. I think I started it a while back and never finished it. Through watching different people in my life it has just become SO obvious that happiness is not a SOMETHING. It is a way of being. I am learning more and more that true joy comes from knowing and living the plan of happiness. By keeping the course and having faith that we are in the care of a loving God who wants us to reach our full potential and is waiting to help us. And that we can do all of the worldly study, we can give all we have to the poor, we can have beautiful healthy bodies, we can be surrounded by beautiful things... and still not have JOY. We may have periods of satisfaction and happiness, but not full joy. I know that this is a basic concept that we are taught in the Gospel (Man's Search for Happiness, anyone?). But in the past few months I have seen both sides played out in people I love and it has just been a fascinating process to watch. I am not claiming that everyone who has the gospel is happier than those who don't. But I believe that those who embrace it, who do the things they are supposed to be doing, who exercise faith in all things, who have seen the hand of the Lord in everything around them have a kind of eternal joy and perspective that those who don't have a knowledge of the gospel or who don't ACT on that knowledge can never possess. I need to make it my goal to become one of those knowers. I'm working on it. ☺
• Yesterday I made these in honor of National Cupcake Day. They were really fun to to make!! When Jaren didn't finish his I must admit to taking ONE bite. I can say they were yummy, too. And it's an idea I'll have to play around with in the future. Red white and blue for 4th of July. Turkey Feather colors for Thanksgiving. Very fun. :)
• I am wearing capris today and need to shave my legs.
• I learned the sign language last week to Families Can Be Together Forever. What is it about little kids doing sign language that just makes my heart leap for joy??? The look so beautiful doing it. And I think so many of the signs reinforce the meaning of the words and make the kids (and the listener) THINK about what they are singing instead of just thinking "this song AGAIN?????"
• I'm getting tired of eggs for breakfast. Sometimes I just want a HUGE bowl of cereal. But I can't. Throws off my carbs for the whole day. Darn you, sugar and flour.
• I made one of these for a friend yesterday using a scrap of fabric instead of paper. I was thrilled that it worked so well (especially since I am not a scrapbooker (gasp!) and have way more fabric lying around than I do paper.

So that's what's I'm thinking about. Aren't you glad I came out of blog seclusion to post it all?