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| Before... |
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| After |
Yep, she's beautiful!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
My Mom
You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be –
I had a Mother who read to me.
Strickland Gillian
I love you, Mom!
Happy Birthday
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Yay for Tay!
This last Wednesday Taysom received her Young Womanhood medallion. It was a sweet evening. Henry started it off talking about how Taysom has not only developed her own faith, but encourages him to develop his. He specifically talked about Taysom's nightly reminder to him and Ilah to read their scriptures and say their personal prayers. Following Henry, Ilah talked about one of the things Taysom did for Good Works. A couple of years ago Taysom started recording on Post-Its different things she appreciated about each of us. She would stick them on our bedroom doors. Ilah talked about how much that meant to her and continues to mean to her as Taysom has continued that habit ever since. We then watched the video/slide show I created showing Taysom through the years.
Our wonderful Young Women's president then presented Taysom with her medallion after expressing her love for Tay.
The stake Young Women's president said a few words, and then Mike wrapped it up. He had a hard time keeping it together. (I know I wouldn't have been able to... I barely made it through the closing prayer.) After joking about learning a few things from the video: #1 the fact that he used to be skinny and young, #2 that our family has a thing about sticking their tongues out for pictures, he talked about defining moments in our lives. Then he shared Taysom's baptism story. She has known for herself that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church since the time she was 8. He said that it isn't as important what you do in the Young Women's program (or church in general), but instead what you become. We are trying to become more like our Savior.
I know that Taysom has come closer to her Father in Heaven and her Savior, Jesus Christ through this program. It is definitely an inspired program.
We shared some cookies and ham and cheese braid, took some pictures, and called it an evening.
I am so glad Tucker was able to make it about half way through. He couldn't make it until after football practice. It is getting harder and harder to have the whole family together. Everyone is growing up TOO fast!
In other news...
- Henry got the part of Rupunzel's prince for the school play "Into the Woods".
- Ilah finished up her first volleyball season and immediately began basketball where Mike is her coach.
- Tucker got to play at Arrowhead Stadium last Friday. (Kansas City Chief's stadium) Pretty cool watching your kid on the jumbo screen!
- Extreme Home Makeover is in Joplin building 7 houses for 7 families in 7 days. They were filming at the football game. Taysom is going to help with one of the houses :)
- Taysom is LOVING Chick Fil A. She is saving all of her money for BYU-I. That will be here before we know it...
- Snoop is on his last leg. He doesn't seem very comfortable most of the time. It is hard to see him like this.
- The rear wheel cylinder (part of the brake system) quit/broke while Tucker was driving. We got it repaired. It is amazing how long this van has lasted...
- The Cruiser is having issues as well. It is intermittent which always teases me into thinking that maybe the problem is gone, but unfortunately, it always comes back. It is going into the shop Wednesday. Sure hope they can figure it out, and it isn't anything major.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
I LOVE these people!!!!!!
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| At the Oklahoma City temple to do baptisms for Taysom's last value project |
Sunday, September 11, 2011
How Can We Live Without Our Lives? How Will We Know It's Us Without Our Past?
The women sat among the doomed things, turning them over and looking past them and back. This book. My father had it. He liked a book. Pilgrim's Progress. Used to read it. Got his name in it. And his pipe - still smells rank. And this picture- an angel. I looked at that before the fust three come - didn't seem to do much good. Think we could get this china dog in? Aunt Sadie brought it from the St. Louis Fair. See? Wrote right on it. No, I guess not. Here's a letter my brother wrote the day before he died. Here's an old-time hat. These feathers - never got to use them. No there isn't room.
How can we live without our lives? How will we know it's us without our past?
No. Leave it. Burn it.
They sat and looked at it and burned it into their memories. How'll it be not to know what land's outside the door? How if you wake up in the night and know - and know the willow tree's not there? Can you live without the willow tree? Well, no, you can't. The willow tree is you. The pain on that mattress there - that dreadful pain - that's you.
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
I think I can understand better now how the Joad family must have felt, knowing they were leaving everything behind for a new life.
Several days after the May 22, 2011 tornado, Mike and I found ourselves at Karen's home. She is an inactive member of our ward. She and her roommate and their two dogs took shelter in their little hallway. As the tornado blew through their neighborhood a bedroom door ripped off its hinges and hovered over the four of them protecting them from all of the debris flying around. When they were able to get up, they discovered that the back side of their house was completely gone. The roof had collapsed in their living room area. The front office room and hallway were the only two areas still somewhat in tact. Besides a few bumps and bruises, they were uninjured.
Mike and I joined several others at their home to help them salvage and transport what they could. I was overwhelmed - where do you even start? I think Karen felt the same way. Luckily, Melanie was there and took charge. She put on her gloves and started hauling stuff out. Karen had to decide what was worth saving. She had several sentimental quilts that I brought home to wash. They were sopping wet and covered in debris. They took several washings to remove the insulation, etc. Most stuff wasn't that simple to fix. Most stuff was put in a trash mound.
Another day our family went to Cindy's house. She is a young mother in our ward - expecting baby #2 at the time of the tornado. Her husband isn't a member. They bought this house about a year ago and have been fixing it up ever since. Recently they added beautiful wood floors and new furniture. Cindy was home alone with her daughter when the tornado hit. They took shelter in the guest bathroom. Across the hall was her daughter's room. And a few steps down the hall was the master bedroom. Both rooms were open to the elements - roof gone. Cindy only wanted to salvage the bare necessities and start over. Her husband wanted to take more. They ended up loading up a small trailer and a truck bed and calling it good.
At another house the owner wanted to save EVERYTHING - She was in her 80's and had accumulated quite a bit in her life time. Taysom and Mike's job was to place things into the moving truck. Taysom couldn't understand why many items were to be saved. She secretly dumped some things into the trash heap. Thank goodness she did because when we went to unload everything into horse stalls (storage was hard to come by) we barely fit everything. At one point the woman's daughter saw that a certain set of dishes had made it through the tornado unharmed. She sat down and cried.
How can we live without our lives? How will we know it's us without our past?
A couple of weeks ago the Clarks spoke in our ward. They just recently moved into our ward. (They used to be in Joplin 2nd ward, but their home was demolished.) Brother Clark told of staying at his house that first night after the tornado. He sent his wife and son across the street to stay with the the elderly widow. They were without power, and it was raining. They didn't have any way to contact help. Cell service was spotty and many towers were down. Streets were full of downed power lines and all kinds of debris. Even if they could drive on the roads, their cars were inoperable. I can't imagine it. The next day they walked to a bus and were taken to MSSU where they stayed until a man from their ward came and took them to his home. They stayed there for 3 months until they could find a new home. The man loaned them a car until they could buy a new one.
It has been amazing to see and hear about people's kindness and generosity. It does my heart good. And although there were 159 deaths due to the tornado, there were countless miracles.
Our lives continue on... the past isn't left behind... it's just part of what makes us who we are.
How can we live without our lives? How will we know it's us without our past?
No. Leave it. Burn it.
They sat and looked at it and burned it into their memories. How'll it be not to know what land's outside the door? How if you wake up in the night and know - and know the willow tree's not there? Can you live without the willow tree? Well, no, you can't. The willow tree is you. The pain on that mattress there - that dreadful pain - that's you.
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
I think I can understand better now how the Joad family must have felt, knowing they were leaving everything behind for a new life.
Several days after the May 22, 2011 tornado, Mike and I found ourselves at Karen's home. She is an inactive member of our ward. She and her roommate and their two dogs took shelter in their little hallway. As the tornado blew through their neighborhood a bedroom door ripped off its hinges and hovered over the four of them protecting them from all of the debris flying around. When they were able to get up, they discovered that the back side of their house was completely gone. The roof had collapsed in their living room area. The front office room and hallway were the only two areas still somewhat in tact. Besides a few bumps and bruises, they were uninjured.
Mike and I joined several others at their home to help them salvage and transport what they could. I was overwhelmed - where do you even start? I think Karen felt the same way. Luckily, Melanie was there and took charge. She put on her gloves and started hauling stuff out. Karen had to decide what was worth saving. She had several sentimental quilts that I brought home to wash. They were sopping wet and covered in debris. They took several washings to remove the insulation, etc. Most stuff wasn't that simple to fix. Most stuff was put in a trash mound.
Another day our family went to Cindy's house. She is a young mother in our ward - expecting baby #2 at the time of the tornado. Her husband isn't a member. They bought this house about a year ago and have been fixing it up ever since. Recently they added beautiful wood floors and new furniture. Cindy was home alone with her daughter when the tornado hit. They took shelter in the guest bathroom. Across the hall was her daughter's room. And a few steps down the hall was the master bedroom. Both rooms were open to the elements - roof gone. Cindy only wanted to salvage the bare necessities and start over. Her husband wanted to take more. They ended up loading up a small trailer and a truck bed and calling it good.
At another house the owner wanted to save EVERYTHING - She was in her 80's and had accumulated quite a bit in her life time. Taysom and Mike's job was to place things into the moving truck. Taysom couldn't understand why many items were to be saved. She secretly dumped some things into the trash heap. Thank goodness she did because when we went to unload everything into horse stalls (storage was hard to come by) we barely fit everything. At one point the woman's daughter saw that a certain set of dishes had made it through the tornado unharmed. She sat down and cried.
How can we live without our lives? How will we know it's us without our past?
A couple of weeks ago the Clarks spoke in our ward. They just recently moved into our ward. (They used to be in Joplin 2nd ward, but their home was demolished.) Brother Clark told of staying at his house that first night after the tornado. He sent his wife and son across the street to stay with the the elderly widow. They were without power, and it was raining. They didn't have any way to contact help. Cell service was spotty and many towers were down. Streets were full of downed power lines and all kinds of debris. Even if they could drive on the roads, their cars were inoperable. I can't imagine it. The next day they walked to a bus and were taken to MSSU where they stayed until a man from their ward came and took them to his home. They stayed there for 3 months until they could find a new home. The man loaned them a car until they could buy a new one.
It has been amazing to see and hear about people's kindness and generosity. It does my heart good. And although there were 159 deaths due to the tornado, there were countless miracles.
Our lives continue on... the past isn't left behind... it's just part of what makes us who we are.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Integrity #4
As most of you know I'm almost 18 and while I'm kind of excited to officially be an adult, there are a few things that I need to get done first. The biggest priority is to finish my personal progress. I have 4 experiences and three projects to complete before September 25 : / Yikes! Anyway, I figured that since I'm on the computer so much that I could use the blog to help me complete those last few items, so if you could help me out with your responses I would greatly appreciate it : )
Integrity is defined as:
-The state of being unimpaired; soundness or wholeness.
Integrity is defined as:
-The state of being unimpaired; soundness or wholeness.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
-adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
-the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished.
-a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition.
dictionary.com
-honesty, incorruptability
-wholeness, entirety
-soundness
Oxford American Dictionary 1980
What is your definition of integrity?
What action do you think of when you hear the word integrity?
Who would you consider the greatest example of integrity?
Name an experience when you or another person exemplified integrity?
What blessings do you believe come when one applies integrity in his/her life?
Why is integrity important?/or is it?
Do you have integrity? (this is just food for thought)
If you can please respond. You do not need to answer all or any of these questions, it may just be a good thing to think about today, but if you are willing please post the answers or send them to me on facebook or on my e-mail (taysomew@yahoo.com). Thank you for your help :)
Taysom
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Summer - What Summer??
I guess it is about time to "catch up"... but honestly, I don't know where to start. These last 3 months have been jam packed. It hasn't felt like summer with the exception of the crazy high temperatures and a wonderful but too short family reunion. Here is our 'summer checklist':
It doesn't feel like we had a summer per se. But here we are starting the new 2011/2012 school year tomorrow. Crazy. Just plain crazy!
- 5th grade field trip all day in Springfield, MO- children's discovery museum, Incredible Pizza, and the zoo with 50 fifth graders, a few parents and two awesome teachers
- Henry's 5th grade celebration (that night after returning from Springfield) at Carousel Park here in Joplin
- Taysom's high school graduation (future blog post)
- Joplin, MO F-5 tornado (future blog post)
- worry and prayers
- clean up debris
- chainsaw trees
- move displaced families
- do laundry for tornado victims
- make phone calls to students and staff to account for everyone
- have house guests
- school cancelled for last couple of weeks
- organize all of my students' stuff that was left in classroom
- create 5th grade video to give to students
- finalize grades
- Joplin students go to various places to pick up belongings etc.
- Mike salvages what he can from his classroom
- 5th grade end of year pool party
- more clean up and helping tornado victims salvage what they can
- pack and move people's belongings
- Helping Hands (yellow shirts) service projects
- church is moved to Carthage, MO building (2 weeks of sacrament only while Church tries to figure out what to do with 2 displaced wards)
- Taysom and Tucker head to Nauvoo for Youth Conference
- prepare for family reunion in Nauvoo, IL (dog stuff, car stuff, packing, little shopping)
- Taysom and Tucker return from Youth Conference and quickly get ready to return to Nauvoo two days later
- WONDERFUL CROSBY REUNION***** (future blog post)
- Ilah stays with G&G Crosby to head out West for a little vacation with family
- WONDERFUL quick visit from Lamb family
- get Tucker ready and send to EFY in TX
- WONDERFUL quick visit from Keyes family
- start subbing for June session of summer school
- drive to Denton, TX to pick Tucker up from EFY
- help Tara move
- pick Ilah up in Kansas City, MO from her summer trip (Thanks Mom, Dad, Zadi, Russ, Nat, Chris, A, Mom and Dad!)
- get email (on July 3rd) about teaching summer school for July session (SURPRISE! Didn't really want to, but college tuition changed my mind)
- host 4th of July party at our home with four famililes
- start teaching summer school on 5th of July
- Mike gets a taste of summer school as he had to cover my subbing commitments (I'll have him write a blog about it... FUNNY!)
- finally celebrate Taysom's graduation with a trip to Bentonville, Arkansas for dinner at PF Changs (Taysom's new favorite chinese restaurant)
- get van ready for Tay and Tuck to take on road trip
- take Henry to Sirloin Stockade for early birthday dinner
- sneak in an orthodontist appointment for broken retainer and a doctor visit for possible UTI before they leave (morning of)
- send Taysom and Tucker off to Iowa for their 1st official job! (Thanks B&B for your wonderful hospitality!)
- Henry turns 11
- miss Lincoln's blessing
- get Ilah ready for her 1st year of girl's camp and send her off to 110 degree camping - Oh, how we miss the mountains!
- have my summer school students perform three reader's theaters for entire school that we worked on for past two weeks
- Mike finishes his masters program - Woo Hoo :)
- field trip with summer school kids in 108 degree temperature... outdoors all day at boy scout camp. I survived!
- summer school DONE (on July 29th, Friday)
- on Monday, August 1st, meet with fellow 5th grade teachers to start brainstorming for 2011/2012 school year
- on Tuesday, August 2nd begin working in classroom - which continues to this day.
- take Ilah to get physical so she can participate in school sports
- Henry starts Camp Invention (lasts all week- awesome program right up Henry's alley)
- find out that Snoop has diabetes
- host going away party at our house for our friends the Cramers who are moving to Kansas City, MO area. 6+ families over - home made slip and slide, water tramp fun, karaoke singing, guitar playing, eating and visiting
- Taysom and Tucker return from Iowa after a tiring yet fun 3 1/2 weeks
- start 'encouraging' Taysom to get a job (see Taysom's post below)
- prepare for and present mini workshop on prayer for stake Activity Days activity
- register Ilah for EMS (Mike's school)
- help Mike move school "stuff" to the 'Far East' warehouse that will be EMS for a couple of years
- help Mike clean and organize classroom
- try out Zumba with Taysom and Ilah (pretty fun!)
- Henry goes to 3 day Webelos camp which culminates with a pack meeting where he received his Arrow of Light and advanced to a real scout
- Attend all day mentor meeting - UGH
- attend Royal Heights "retreat" (fancy way of saying all day meeting)
- girls and I get our hair cut (and mine colored - bye bye gray)
It doesn't feel like we had a summer per se. But here we are starting the new 2011/2012 school year tomorrow. Crazy. Just plain crazy!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Job Hunting
Recently, Tucker and I returned from our expedition to the corn fields in Iowa. We both learned to enjoy the job (when it wasn't 98* or higher outside) and ended up having fantastic experiences, which I will tell about in a future post. We came home tired, tanner, a little richer, and completely fed up with taxes! (which up till this point we did not have to deal with.) It was wonderful to walk in and see our family after our 3 1/2 week absence, and we were eager to relax from our busy trip. We sat down to a delicious dinner, talked about our work, and prepared ourselves to lounge in front of the TV for a few hours. My mom had other ideas, though. After having to do mine and Tucker's dish days for the past month, she was eager for a break as well. I could see glee appear on her face when she asked whose dish day it was and I reluctantly raised my hand. From that moment on any pity Tucker and I had warranted vanished. It was back to business as usual.
Dishes weren't so bad, Mom had done a load previously so the sink wasn't completely full, and I had stayed in practice while in Iowa, so it took very little time. It was the perpetual pestering to find another job that exhausted me. My mom and dad made a great tag team. For the next couple of days, they would make sure to mention how expensive college is and ask where I had applied. I have to give them credit, it's not like they were attempting to persuade me just to gain work experience. I really did need to save up some money, never the less, after working in a corn field for a month, I really wanted a day or two to relax. My day or two expired quickly, and on Tuesday I started my job hunt.
It was a weird experience. I had never looked for a job before. Ben and Becca were nice enough to tell Tucker and I about the corn field job, and after we sent in our applications we were immediately hired. I assumed that that was how every job worked. So, after I sent my online application to Culver's (fast food place where many of my member friends had previously worked) I thought I was set. I basically sat back and waited for my confirmation e-mail. When I saw the looks on my parents faces after I relayed my efforts, I surmised that I was probably incorrect. They then told me that whenever I applied online or in person I should always make sure to talk to the manager. Now that was awkward! I had already applied online, so I couldn't go in and ask for another application, but my parents still insisted that I meet the person in charge anyways. I felt ridiculous walking in to the restaurant. I could just imagine my future conversation with the person who might be hiring me.
"Hi, my name is Taysom. I already applied online, but my parents said I should come in and ask if there is anything else I should do, when I already know that the answer is no, just so you could get a good look at how adorable I am, so you could hire me right off the bat! (insert cheesy grin here)." The worst part would be that this would be going on in front of customers. Dinner and a show! How wonderful for them.
Needless to say, it went much better than that. My parents were right, if you ask the employer if there is anything else I should do, its like a code for "would you like to hire me?" Giving the employer two choices to say either, well the only thing that is left is to wait (aka rejection) or no that's all you needed to do, but how about you come talk with me for a few minutes about your application (success!). I received the latter response, but I still was not hired immediately or at all for that manner. I guess 4 months of work (because I can only work till the end of December) was not worth paying for me to take the safety classes and training. She did say that if my schooling situation changed that I should let her know and she would hire me immediately, but it was still a humbling blow. Thus, my job hunt continued. I was hit with the rejection blow from Hobby Lobby, but Chik-Fil-A, the Red Onion, and Bob Evans all asked and received an interview with me. Plus, Chik-Fil-A already scheduled a third (and final) interview for me next Wednesday, so hopefully that goes well. I am also waiting to here from the school district about a possible office assistant position, but I'll have to see how that goes.
Wish me luck!
Taysom
Dishes weren't so bad, Mom had done a load previously so the sink wasn't completely full, and I had stayed in practice while in Iowa, so it took very little time. It was the perpetual pestering to find another job that exhausted me. My mom and dad made a great tag team. For the next couple of days, they would make sure to mention how expensive college is and ask where I had applied. I have to give them credit, it's not like they were attempting to persuade me just to gain work experience. I really did need to save up some money, never the less, after working in a corn field for a month, I really wanted a day or two to relax. My day or two expired quickly, and on Tuesday I started my job hunt.
It was a weird experience. I had never looked for a job before. Ben and Becca were nice enough to tell Tucker and I about the corn field job, and after we sent in our applications we were immediately hired. I assumed that that was how every job worked. So, after I sent my online application to Culver's (fast food place where many of my member friends had previously worked) I thought I was set. I basically sat back and waited for my confirmation e-mail. When I saw the looks on my parents faces after I relayed my efforts, I surmised that I was probably incorrect. They then told me that whenever I applied online or in person I should always make sure to talk to the manager. Now that was awkward! I had already applied online, so I couldn't go in and ask for another application, but my parents still insisted that I meet the person in charge anyways. I felt ridiculous walking in to the restaurant. I could just imagine my future conversation with the person who might be hiring me.
"Hi, my name is Taysom. I already applied online, but my parents said I should come in and ask if there is anything else I should do, when I already know that the answer is no, just so you could get a good look at how adorable I am, so you could hire me right off the bat! (insert cheesy grin here)." The worst part would be that this would be going on in front of customers. Dinner and a show! How wonderful for them.
Needless to say, it went much better than that. My parents were right, if you ask the employer if there is anything else I should do, its like a code for "would you like to hire me?" Giving the employer two choices to say either, well the only thing that is left is to wait (aka rejection) or no that's all you needed to do, but how about you come talk with me for a few minutes about your application (success!). I received the latter response, but I still was not hired immediately or at all for that manner. I guess 4 months of work (because I can only work till the end of December) was not worth paying for me to take the safety classes and training. She did say that if my schooling situation changed that I should let her know and she would hire me immediately, but it was still a humbling blow. Thus, my job hunt continued. I was hit with the rejection blow from Hobby Lobby, but Chik-Fil-A, the Red Onion, and Bob Evans all asked and received an interview with me. Plus, Chik-Fil-A already scheduled a third (and final) interview for me next Wednesday, so hopefully that goes well. I am also waiting to here from the school district about a possible office assistant position, but I'll have to see how that goes.
Wish me luck!
Taysom
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Wallace Art Gallery
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| Henry Wallace - age 10 |
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| Henry Wallace - age 10 |
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| Tucker Wallace - age 15 |
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| Tucker Wallace - age 15 |
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| Ilah Wallace - age 11 |
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| Ilah Wallace - age 11 |
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| Tucker Wallace - age 15 |
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| Tucker Wallace - age 15 "It's been a hard day's night, and I'll be sleeping like a log" |
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| Ilah Wallace - age 11 |
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| Ilah Wallace - age 11 |
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| Ilah Wallace - age 10 |
Sunday, May 8, 2011
My Mommy
My Mom is the person I want to be. She's not perfect, but I have no doubt that one day she will be.
My Mom is constantly trying to improve herself. She doesn't settle with anything, She keeps working on something until its complete and up to standard, or else it does not leave the to do list.
My Mom is supportive. She is always the one cheering at sport games or applauding at performances. Often she persuades others to do the same.
My Mom fills our home with music. I love listening to her play piano, although it doesn't happen much anymore. Instead a lot of her time is spent helping us kids develop our talents.
My Mom exudes life. Our garden is now blossoming due to her love for nature. And she loves seeing the bunnies hop around our yard.
My Mom is my hero. She is the glue that holds my family together and the glue that holds me together. I don't know how many times she's helped me through friendless, stressful, and exhausting experiences. She drove me and Tucker and my friends to EFY in Idaho, just so we could have that experience. She encourages me and my Siblings to try out for new things and when I was given a part in the musical she came to multiple showings of it. I love seeing her smile and knowing that she's proud of me, and that's probably one of biggest reasons why I try to become better too.
(These pictures are pretty random, so I apologize, but I really love them)
I love you Mommy! :)
My Mom is constantly trying to improve herself. She doesn't settle with anything, She keeps working on something until its complete and up to standard, or else it does not leave the to do list.
My Mom is supportive. She is always the one cheering at sport games or applauding at performances. Often she persuades others to do the same.
My Mom fills our home with music. I love listening to her play piano, although it doesn't happen much anymore. Instead a lot of her time is spent helping us kids develop our talents.
My Mom exudes life. Our garden is now blossoming due to her love for nature. And she loves seeing the bunnies hop around our yard.
My Mom is my hero. She is the glue that holds my family together and the glue that holds me together. I don't know how many times she's helped me through friendless, stressful, and exhausting experiences. She drove me and Tucker and my friends to EFY in Idaho, just so we could have that experience. She encourages me and my Siblings to try out for new things and when I was given a part in the musical she came to multiple showings of it. I love seeing her smile and knowing that she's proud of me, and that's probably one of biggest reasons why I try to become better too.
I love you Mommy! :)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Happy Birthday Dad!
Some of the Things My Dad Taught Me:
(in no particular order)
Money doesn’t grow on trees
The harder you work for something the more you appreciate it
Never waste money
Early to bed, early to rise
Live simply
An old out dated cell phone is good enough
Learn to do things yourself, but don’t be afraid to call in the experts
Appreciate music
You don’t have to be the best singer to sing out loud
Eat right and exercise
Love your family
Not everything in life can always be fun
Wipe out the bathroom sink every morning
Attend the temple regularly
Take care of your car/ Maintenance
Fill up the car with gas way before the needle is close to empty
Enjoy each day- life really does fly by
A little Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy is a good way to unwind
Study your scriptures daily and have FHE
Set goals
Work hard
Marry wisely
Love your spouse
Money doesn’t grow on trees
The harder you work for something the more you appreciate it
Never waste money
Early to bed, early to rise
Live simply
An old out dated cell phone is good enough
Learn to do things yourself, but don’t be afraid to call in the experts
Appreciate music
You don’t have to be the best singer to sing out loud
Eat right and exercise
Love your family
Not everything in life can always be fun
Wipe out the bathroom sink every morning
Attend the temple regularly
Take care of your car/ Maintenance
Fill up the car with gas way before the needle is close to empty
Enjoy each day- life really does fly by
A little Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy is a good way to unwind
Study your scriptures daily and have FHE
Set goals
Work hard
Marry wisely
Love your spouse
Keep a nice yard
Fulfill your callings and responsibilities
Love your family
Thank you for your amazing example, Dad! There is no way to adequately put into words the love and respect I have for you. I am lucky to be one of your daughters. ~Happy Birthday~
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Joplin Snowpocalypse 2011
Back in February we were treated to another "winter break" after mother nature decided to dump 18+ inches of snow followed by sub zero temperatures then dump another 7 or 8 a few days later followed by more freezing temperatures. We were out of school for 9 school days...
How did we spend our time???
Bundling up to play in the snow, preparing mentally for the frigid temperatures, and formulating the perfect plan to dominate the snow ball fight...
Play time...
10 minutes later...
Besides playing in the snow, we also roasted marshmallows in our fireplace and made smores,
How did we spend our time???
Bundling up to play in the snow, preparing mentally for the frigid temperatures, and formulating the perfect plan to dominate the snow ball fight...
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| (This smile was short lived... Tears will be freezing on his face in a matter of time.) |
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| Just waking up, but ready for some fun! |
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| Who needs a coat anyway? |
Play time...
10 minutes after that...
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| Baby, it's cold outside! |
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| Out Wit, Out Play, Out Last |
watched A LOT of Netflix
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| Henry and best buddy Ian playing computer games |
spent A LOT of time on the computer (Henry playing games; Taysom, Tucker and Mom on Facebook; Daddy doing homework; Ilah, Mom, and Taysom checking email;
Mom working on her website~
made delicious goodies
read
read some more
painted
painted some more
And ventured outside now and then...
(Roads were awful! Our road never did get plowed. Thankfully we didn't lose power. I think our biggest mishap was the bumper getting ripped off of the Cruiser.)
Sunday, March 27, 2011
December Performances 2010
For the past two years Ilah has participated in the Joplin All City Singers. The All City Singers' Concert has been the place where I first start feeling the Christmas spirit. Thankfully, Henry made the cut this year so we were able to kick off the 2010 Christmas season correctly! The concert was beautiful and included two of my favorites from previous years, "Bethlehem Boy" and "Winter Fantasy" Henry is always very entertaining to watch plus there were about five of my 5th graders participating as well.
We also got to attend Ilah's beginning band Christmas concert at North Middle School before rushing off to Taysom's "Touch of Class" concert over at the highschool. Ilah is really enjoying the flute thus far!
At Taysom's "Touch of Class" concert it was Senior night - meaning that any senior who participates in choir walks across the stage with their parents while their names are read. Then the senior receives a rose and has a photo taken. Luckily both Mike and I had a lot of former students out in the audience or in other choirs, and they cheered loudly as we walked across the stage with Taysom. This is Taysom's first year doing choir. Previously, she always participated in orchestra, but at the end of her junior year she decided to try out for show choir. She made the all girls group called "Touch of Class". When they first got their dresses Taysom was very concerned with how low cut they were. We were going to get her a flesh colored body suit to wear with it, but ran out of time so Taysom decided to wear a black cami instead. Slowly all of the girls stated wearing black camis undear their dresses. I just wish more of them had done so when they came to our elementary school to perform before Christmas break. Yikes! Before their last two competitions the director made it a costume requirement. Way to go Taysom for setting the modesty trend:)
I was able to go to her final competition about a month ago, and they were phenomenal! Even though I couldn't stay all day, I was able to watch several schools perform. Some of them went all out with several costume changes and a fog machine and extensive props. I felt like I was watching a performance from Glee. Touch of Class definitely had the best blending vocals and harmonies. Their mixed choir group called "Sound Dimension" also did a great job. At their final competition Touch of Class got second in their division and received "best vocals" out of ALL divisions (over 24 schools).
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| Henry is the second row from the top third from the right |
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| Mike, Taysom and Henry |
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| Henry and his buddy Michael |
We also got to attend Ilah's beginning band Christmas concert at North Middle School before rushing off to Taysom's "Touch of Class" concert over at the highschool. Ilah is really enjoying the flute thus far!
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| Ilah is the gorgeous one front and center! |
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| Ole' (Tucker was too lazy to come with us!) |
I was able to go to her final competition about a month ago, and they were phenomenal! Even though I couldn't stay all day, I was able to watch several schools perform. Some of them went all out with several costume changes and a fog machine and extensive props. I felt like I was watching a performance from Glee. Touch of Class definitely had the best blending vocals and harmonies. Their mixed choir group called "Sound Dimension" also did a great job. At their final competition Touch of Class got second in their division and received "best vocals" out of ALL divisions (over 24 schools).
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