I Love...the Temple!

One of my favorite places on earth is a Mormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) temple. I love it because it's so peaceful. I love it because, when I'm inside the edifice or even sitting on its grounds, I feel transported to a heavenly place--one where the cares of my world melt away. I love it because I feel like me when I'm there.

Whenever I travel, I make it a practice to visit any temple in the area. I don't have pictures from all of the temples I've visited; here are a few of the ones I do have.

At the Frankfurt LDS temple

With Judy at the Twin Falls, Idaho LDS temple open house

With Judy at the Laie, Hawai'i temple

With my awesome sister at the Draper, Utah LDS temple open house

With the fam at the Mount Timpanogos (Utah) LDS temple

The site of the Rome, Italy LDS temple

At the Boston, Massachusetts LDS temple

I Love...Flip Flops

Flip flops, sandals, slippers (if you are in Hawai'i). Call 'em what you want, baby, I'll still call it love. (Name that song!) If given the choice, I would wear flip flops, or some version thereof, 365 days a year. Even in the winter. Judy's mom regularly tells me to put on some "appropriate foot attire," which I sometimes do just for her. But my feet...they get claustrophobic and need fresh air; that's why I can only stand to wear other footwear sparingly--and usually only when absolutely necessary (e.g. at my office, to church, etc).

Someday when I rule the world, flip flops will be acceptable footwear for all occasions.

And that is my report.

Me fitting my flip flopped foot into Will Smith's shoe imprint. Not quite a match, haha.

Finding a Husband: Is it REALLY this easy?

There I was, doing some genealogy....when I saw the answer to my marriage dilemma. (Who'd have thought that it would've there all along!?) I've been going about this all wrong. I don't need to be going to clubs or looking for love online. No! All I need to do is click on one little hyperlink and ALL of my problems are solved!

If I just click on ADD OR FIND HUSBAND, apparently FamilySearch does the work for me (!). Not sure if my husband, wherever and whoever he is, has some sort of GPS tracking device attached to him that is activated when I click on ADD OR FIND HUSBAND...? I guess I don't need to know exactly how it works as long as I know it does work, right?

Man! If I would've known this existed, I would've clicked on the links years ago! LOL.

I guess it apparently works for having children also (ADD OR FIND CHILD). But maybe I'll wait to click on that link until my husband shows up. ;-)

I'd Order A Taye Diggs...

And I would also! :)

I Am...wait for it...Awesome!

On my commute this morning, I was thinking about how great I am.

Now, I know that sounds pretty arrogant, so let me explain the context: friends of mine recently told me that I was too reluctant to acknowledge the wonderful things that I am able to accomplish with God's help, and that by doing this I wasn't honoring God to the fullest. I took those words to heart; I've since made a concerted effort to look for the hand of the Lord in my life and see ways in which He helps me to be the best me I can be.

Recording what I see will also help me, so you'll notice the next series of blog posts will be about this theme. My hope is that I can honor God by honoring the good from Him in me. It's a new concept for me (I'm usually the first one to point out my weaknesses)--but I hope it is one I can embrace and incorporate into my life.

So, my first post on this subject is simply this: I am awesome!

Show Your Hearts: Donate to help the Berry Family!

I can't imagine what it would be like to be driving along with my parents one minute...and find myself in a horrific car accident the next. But that's exactly the situation the Berry children found themselves in. The parents were tragically killed, leaving behind three orphaned children--Peter (age 9), Aaron (age 8), and Willa (age 6)--to fend for themselves. And even though the children survived, the situation the Berry children are in is still perilous: Peter and Aaron sustained serious spinal cord injuries and are paralyzed below the waist; and the costs are high to meet all of the children's ongoing needs--not just medical and physical but psychological assistance as well.

We can help. I'm a firm believer that "by small and simple things, great things are brought to pass." Any donation you and I can make, however small we may think it is, will greatly benefit these children. Please donate whatever amount you can to the Show Your Hearts organization; they will ensure that all donations will be deposited directly in the Joshua and Robin Berry Children's Trust.

Joshua and Robin Berry Children's Trust
Bank of Texas
510 Bering, 5th Floor
Houston, Texas 77057

You can also text BERRY to 85944 to make a $10 donation remember to reply yes to confirm your gift. **Donations are NOT tax deductible. 

Someone asked me why I care so much about three children I've never met. Why would I (in his words) "waste" my time trying to garner funds for strangers. "Don't you have more important things to do?"

As a logically-minded business woman, I understand the genesis of his question. We use opportunity costs and ROI (return on investment) in situations to measure value; metrics help us create a baseline, gauge our efforts, and make improvements where necessary. According to his calculations, the opportunity cost of investing my limited time in helping strangers seemed ludicrous.

I think differently.

In measuring the ROI on helping others, I use a different, personal set of metrics. I measure the qualitative--not quantitative--value of my investment. What is the ROI if I don't help others? Selfishness. Pride. Shrinking of self. Lost opportunities for feeling joy. Money, possessions, time, etc getting a greater hold upon my heart.

"Because I have been given much, I too must give." That is the standard I embrace--one that cannot be adequately measured by numbers and formulas. And perhaps it appears foolish to some who cannot see how "wasting time" on someone else's children is a valid use of one's time--especially when business is to be done. But shouldn't we really be about a Higher Business, that of helping each other?

Smart Dog, Dumb Human -- Episode 2

I thought I was helping Olivia stay warm by not having her hair cut for several months. It was cold, I reasoned, and she's a yittle dog. So when she'd get groomed (whether by me or by a professional), she'd just get the bath and brush.

Admittedly, she started looking like a sheep dog--or, better yet, I guess she was looking more like her "Best in Show" cousins with the long, flowing mane.

The long, flowing hair was difficult to keep clean in some areas (sanitary reasons), but it was also difficult to keep from matting, especially around her collar and behind her ears. I spent a great deal of time attempting to brush out the matted hair behind her ears--but even using special product to untangle the mess did not help. Plus, O definitely did not want to sit still whilst I used a prickly brush to pull on her hair.

After MUCH stress (and competing against every other dog owner in the area who had the same idea), I got Olivia into the groomer for what I thought would be a small trim.

When I arrived, however, I learned that the only solution to the matted parts was to CUT IT OFF. (Apparently, I should've been brushing O before washing her not after. Who knew?!)

I reluctantly agreed to the severe cut (poor O!, I thought) and left O in the capable hands of the grooming staff.

When I returned to collect O from the spa and they brought her out to me, I thought they'd brought me a Chihuahua. 

Oh, but it wasn't a Chihuahua: it was Olivia. 

I just looked at her and felt so bad. The groomer had to shave off more than we'd discussed when I dropped Olivia off (more matted hair from O's owner--i.e., me--not brushing her hair correctly or enough). I kept apologizing to O, not that she understood what I said. 

Lesson learned, though: I need to brush O before I bathe her. (I got it. Message received--unfortunately at the expense of little Olivia.)