tagged by Lindsay

My cousin sent me this it is pretty fun. It is a multi tag and at the end of my post I will put a few people's names and then you can pass it on. Have fun.

1. What was I doing ten years ago?
I feel so old. I was in my second year of university doing med/surg rotation in my nursing program.

2. 5 things on my to do list today.
1. Clean my floors
2. Go to enrichment
3. Read my book "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" I just started it but it's so good.
4. Take Abby cross country skiing with Daddy in our new sled.
5. Actually make a real meal for supper.

3. What snacks do I enjoy?
-Where do you start definitely ice cream, mini eggs, and popcorn.

4. What would I do if I suddenly were a billionaire?
- Pay off student debt.
- Buy a nice new house
- Travel
-Save for the future

5. Three bad habits
- Can I opt out. No one really wants to know.

6. Five places I've lived
-Woolford, Alberta
-Cardston, Alberta (with my Grandma in the summers)
-Edmonton, Alberta (lot's of different apartments)
-Winnipeg, Manitoba
*I only have four places and really Woolford is just a hamlet outside of Carsdston but you know.

7. Five jobs I have had
1. Chambermaid
2. Piano teacher
3. Yogen Fruz girl
4. Nursing Aide/Assistant
5. Registered Nurse

8. Five things people don't know about me
1. My favorite thinking place in the world is at my parent's farm on rock hill looking at the mountains.
2. Everytime a patient at work dies I cry in the washroom. (I know I"m a sap)
3. I love being away from civilization whether it's camping, hiking etc.
4. I used to sing in public a lot when I was younger but not anymore.
5. I can't stand clutter or animals in the house.

Tag #3
8 Fears
1. Drowning in the ocean.
2. Dying of Alzheimer's.
3. Mice in the house
4. I am totally drawing a blank for the rest but any sort of home invasion or attack on myself or my family is also a big fear.

Good luck guys
I am going to tag Kristi, Yvonne, Angela, Tricia, Theresa and Ryan.

Blessings

So seriously yesterday I felt totally at the end of my rope and I did something I vowed I would never do I let Abby cry herself to sleep. It was hard but she cried herself to sleep both naps yesterday and then miracle of miracles last night I put her to bed hardly a peep and she slept straight for nine and a half hours!!!!! Ok so I have hope and I have a testimony that we are never given more than we can handle because seriously yesterday I felt I was at that point and I prayed really hard and it worked. Isn't the gospel great?

Gratitude

I decided today that I need to be more grateful and actually write some things down. You may ask why well my daughter has completely given up sleeping and I feel like I am drowning in the parenting world and there is no lifejacket in sight.
However I am super grateful to be a Mom to a cute healthy girl I mean if she wasn't cute I'd be pretty worried but she is pretty darn cute.
I am so grateful to have a husband who works so hard and who supports my fifty methods of trying to get her asleep even if he has to sleep with a pillow over his head.
I am grateful for my good friends who give me advice but also notice that look in my eye where I have had enough advice for the century and just want to do my own thing.
I am grateful to live in a place where the sun is always shining and occasionally it is above -20. YEAH!!!
I am super grateful that on Saturday when I didn't have the energy to move I found an old pair of scrubs that I haven't fit in since I lived in Edmonton and oh yeah they fit. Yeah for my exercising which is finally paying off.
I am also grateful to be me and to be having the experiences I am because I know that we are never given anything we can't handle so deep down I know those super mom powers will come in effect and eventually Abby will sleep.
Ok so maybe I just needed to vent and lucky for all of you who read this blog you get to see it. I hope you are all having a marvelous day enjoying the sunshine!!!

Reading Week/Temple Trip

To celebrate Ryan's last reading week as a university student we decided to head out to the Regina Temple. Thankfully Ryan's Mom was willing to come and help out with Abby so we were able to go. It was definitely an adventure but well worth it. We drove out on Tuesday and Abby did amazingly well. She is turning into a pretty good traveller. When we got to the hotel we ordered some supper then headed down to the pool. Abby wasn't too sure about it because there were lot's of other kids and lot's of noise but we got a few cute pics and Ryan and I even braved the waterslide. It was pretty fun.
Now the funniest part of our trip comes the next morning. The first temple session was at 6am so Ryan's Mom and I were planning to get up at 0500 to be at the temple for 0530. So we set the alarm on the clock and attempt to go to sleep. Well poor Abby was using the hotel's play pen that had no mattress so it was really hard and she did not sleep well. Finally the alarm went off and we got ready and headed down the car. It was SO COLD!!!! When we got in the car I noticed it said 0425. I am like that's odd because there's no time change in the winter with Manitoba and Saskatchewan. We ran into the hotel and asked at the front desk and sure enough it was only 0430. AH!!!! Oh well back up to the room with my baby and then we headed off to the temple an hour later. Tired and all it was definitely worth it to make the trip. The temple is an amazing place to be.
The trip home was unadventurous and we got home safely. Now I am working on getting Abby to sleep again at night. Since she has been sick she has been waking up all the time again. Hopefully we can fix that before too long. Otherwise the bags under my eyes will permanently remain.
Lesson learned always check the clock you are setting an alarm by.

My Story

I hinted at this in a comment on my friend Yvonne's blog and so I thought it would be kind of fun to tell my story of what brought me to lovely Winterpeg!!!
Seems like so long ago that I graduated high school moved to Edmonton and got my nursing degree at the University of Alberta. I worked for a few years and really loved my job but felt stagnant in my growth as a person and felt there was no one for me there. My loving matchmaker sister kept luring me to Winnipeg to go on dates with eligible young men. So about five years ago now I came out went out with a guy and we ended up hooking up for a while which got me to the point of thinking maybe I could move here. Of course my story is not a fairytale so when I came in the fall of 2003I found a great job and felt like I needed to break up with the guy. HMMM Dilemma!!
Well the Wellington ward found me at my sister's and for some reason needed a piano player for a baptism. How crazy I know a visiting girl from Edmonton playing at a baptism. While I was at the baptism the bishop of the ward Bishop Robison spoke about how the people in this room were meant to be here in Winnipeg at this time for a reason and that we needed to have faith and just do it. YIKES!!! One of those experiences where the spirit hits you like a ton of bricks. I came home with the firm decision to move to Winnipeg where my ex boyfriend lived but I knew that it was where the Lord wanted me to be.
Amazingly four years later I bought a house, found an amazing husband, and have an adorable daughter.
So thanks to my special Bishop Robison for being in tune and showing me the way and thanks to everyone who has made Winnipeg into my home. I wouldn't complain however if every once in a while we had a hint of an Alberta chinook????

Valentine's Day

Well last night as I was going to bed I realized in the last few days of feeling awful I had forgotten to do much for my hubby for Valentine's Day so when Abby woke up at 0500 I decided we could heart attack him. We (I say we but really me) wrote a bunch of things we are thankful for and taped hearts all over the bedroom door so when he wakes up he will see all the hearts it was pretty fun.
Anyway to steal from my friend Yvonne I am going to write my top ten favorite things about my hubby!
10. If I really ask sweetly he will give me a back rub after a long day!!
9. He often grabs his own lunch because I am never on the ball enough to make him one!
8. He always reminds me to say family prayer and have family scriptures.
7. When I am not feeling well he gets up with Abby in the middle of the night even though he has to go to school and work in the morning.
6. He makes me laugh and smile daily!!
5. He works hard everyday and still has the energy to come home and tickle us.
4.He inspires me to stay active and fit.
3.He gave Abby a priesthood blessing and I love knowing that he is worthy to do so.
2.He plays with Abby and always makes her laugh.
1. He is my best friend who tells me that he loves me everyday!


Of course there are so many other reasons I love this guy but he is an amazing husband and we love you honey!!!

Happy Valentine's Day

Can you tell Abby is sick in this pic. Poor thing! She is on the mend now so things are looking up.

Sick!

Well we have been pretty lucky in all of Abby's nine months she has never gotten sick and has been a really healthy baby but last night and today she developed some serious congestion, runny nose, and fever. Nothing prepares you for having a child sick and feeling completely helpless in being able to help. I think being an ICU nurse all I can picture in my head is the worst case scenario and kind of freak out when she is sick. My patient and loving husband just smiles at me as I vocalize these scenarios. Anyway since we had to miss church I was reading a talk by Elder Russell M. Nelson about families and it perfectly fit into my frame of mind as he talked about protecting our family from the sicknesses of the world.
I am so grateful to have the gospel and to be a Mom and wife to these amazing people. Anyway we will keep our fingers crossed, the humidifier running, and hopefully the runny nose, congestion, and fever will vanish!!!

Super Mom

Well my friend Kristi and I were talking and we always check to see if we are having a super Mom day and I was just thinking that all of us Moms out there are pretty much super Moms just for being a Mom. I just wanted to tell everyone who is a Mom you are doing a great job and keep up the good work. What brought this on well I was watching a talk show this am while on my exercise bike and it was about a lady who was talking about the pros of day care and why parents aren't that important to a child's development and I was like WHAT????
Anyway to all of you SUPERMOMS out there have a great day!!!! Here is a pic of Abby in our make believe boat from one of my supermom moments!!!

Bike Mechanic

No matter what I put around it or in front of it Abby is drawn to my bike. It looks like she is following her Daddy's footsteps in becoming a bike mechanic. It is very cute until the fourth or fifth time of trying to get grease off her little hands.
Oh well I love her curiosity.

Random Acts of Kindness

I had a neat experience grocery shopping today. So you know how it is Monday afternoon you get the baby out in the car and head off to the store and after you are almost done shopping and Abby is done being in a shopping cart you head off to the line. I have my precut coupon ready to go and as I take it out to use it I rip it. YIKES. The clerk is like oh I will go get you another one and runs off to customer service to get me a new coupon. Then I head outside where it had turned blustery and cold. I start packing my groceries and then head off to return my cart when I come back this lady had totally cleared off my windows off all the snow. What a nice gesture and I totally appreciated the random acts of kindness towards me. Doesn't it just make you want to go do something nice for someone else. It sure did for me.

Pres. Hinckley

Well today was Pres. Hinckley's funeral. Abby and I set out to go and arrived where soon Abby decided that she wasn't interested and wanted to crawl the hallways of the church. Patience I am slowly developing. I just wanted to add my tribute along with his daughter who spoke first. She gave a succinct beautiful testimony about her Dad and I loved her words. Pres. Hinckley has been such an example and an amazing man to me. I was telling Ryan he feels like my prophet because when I really started developing my testimony it was him who was leading the way. I am so happy that He and Marjorie are back together what an amazing man. I will not soon forget him.

The Abster

OK so my daughter is sleeping for an extended period and I am caught up on housework and calling stuff so here I am . I am going to add some of her cute pics so you can all see what an adorable girl she is. ENJOY!

Parenting Joys

Our little Abby started crawling up stairs and she is totally adorable. She keeps turning around to see if we are still watching her which really causes the fall. As soon as I figure out how to get a video on here I will post her climbing up the stairs so cute. Yesterday I thought we would end up in emergency room as she keeps trying to stand holding on to everything and anything and fell multiple times on the hardwood floor. It only makes her grow stronger I guess but all the bumps and bruises sure make me feel like a not so nice mom. My other parenting joy is I have mastered the art of putting her to sleep. Yeah it has only taken oh nine months to figure it out now my next plan is to figure out how to get her to sleep the entire night. Any ideas out there.

I give in!

My friend Kristi has been bugging me to start a blog and I have resisted feeling a lack of energy and interest in the whole idea but my daughter has started sleeping better so now I have a bit of creative energy in me.
This week has been pretty traumatic in that my daughter gave up sleeping a couple of nights, it has been -30 to -40, and yes I turned 30. My husband totally took me out to a wonderful dinner and bless my little daughter Abby she almost slept through the night. Small blessings. I can't really complain because she is totally cute and usually a happy girl. Well for now this is it but hopefully I will find time to keep up with my blogging efforts. Thanks Kristi