In honor of this, my 500th post, I decided to make a list of 500 things I love. There is just so much to love!
Also, I will be moving my blog to a new location: Officially-Oklahoman.blogspot.com
This will again be a private blog and I plan to have it up and running this week, so look for your "invite" to read the new blog before next Sunday. If you don't hear from me in a week and would like an invite, e-mail at jsmndickeron@yahoo.com and I will be sure to send one.
I don't know what else to say besides, Ta-da!
1. Those listed in the first Article of Faith
2. Taylor
3. Brayden
4. Kylee
5. Mikayla
6. The family I grew up with and still play, vacation, and bond with.
7. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yes, I am a Mormon.
8. Friends
9. Blogs!
10. Rollos
11. My teaching job
12. Nap time. Applies to me and/or my children. Or students.
13. Clean sheets
14. Parks and Recreation (specifically, Ron)
15. Good music and dancing with my kids to a tune with a beat.
16. I have the best chocolate cake recipe ever.
17. The pumpkin patch.
18. Having kids old enough to enjoy the pumpkin patch.
19. Great deals on airline tickets
20. Date Night
21. Birthday parties. (with people I know, not parties for some random kid from one of my kids' classes)
22. nuts in my ice cream
23. The Internet
24. Reading a good book
25. Bunco
26. A freshly organized room
27. mixed CDs given to me by my little sisters
28. The primary program
29. Taylor in a suit (grrr)
30. Halloween
31. Looking forward to a vacation
32. Really, really having to struggle to reach a goal and then reaching it.
33. The goals I reach with out too much struggling
34. Reading a deal blog and seeing my sister's comments and realizing "Hey, I know her!"
35. Getting good mail! (This is the surprise mail that doesn't cost me money, doesn't try to sell me something, or that I haven't already paid for).
36. My mom and dad. Yes it is true--you don't understand until you have kids. I still doubt I really "get it."
37. General conference
38. Teaching a really great sharing time
39. Caroling
40. Making Gingerbread houses with the kids
41. Christmas
42. Leather purses
43. Good news
44. My husband (I know, it's a repeat)
45. Looking forward to something fun.
46. Date night!
47. Gift cards
48. Thinking the last chocolate truffle is gone and then realizing, there's one more.
49. Gluten-free gifts from really thoughtful friends
50. Carolers coming to our house. With a trumpet!
51. sleep masks
52. Taylor driving to church with us. Merry Christmas to me :)
53. The true Christmas story
54. Babysitters
55. On-line shopping with free shipping
56. Laughing, deep and loud
57. Vacation
58. Silence at the end of a long day
59. blankets
60. A good hair day
61. Game night
62. Inspiration
63. Giving a well-prepared talk in Church
64. Being done giving a well-prepared talk in Church
65. Antibiotics
66. Seeing my husband and son dressed up in their suits headed to the Church building
67. See's Candy (Particularly the Scotchmallow!)
68. Reading, reading, reading
69. Eating out. Oh, I love eating out.
70. Dreaming. The day kind when I realize there are still things I hope to do with my life.
71. Pretty things
72. A picture that captures a priceless moment
73. Seeing someone else achieve a goal and experiencing that joy!
74. Going out for recess with my class and one of my pre-schoolers saying "Wow, I love this World" as she steps out the door.
75. A co-worker asking me, very seriously, how I can possibly raise 3 children without coffee.
76. Coming home and the kitchen has been cleaned.
77. A day off
78. Meaningful fast Sundays
79. Basketball
80. A thoughtful gift from Taylor
81. The bright blue color that some people call turquoise or Robin's egg
82. A fresh coat of paint
83. A good dream
84. Snuggling in the covers for an extra few minutes while Taylor gets the kids out of bed.
85. A cleaned out e-mail box.
86. The preschool buying supplies for me to do crafts with the kids (so far, they have purchased everything I've asked for :)
87. Text messages
88. Text messages with funny type-o's!
89. Mild winters
90. Sunshine
91. The Deseret book catalog
92. Getting free Magazines (Good Housekeeping, Martha Stewart, Parents)
93. Saving money
94. Family photos
95. My treadmill
96. The pinewood derby
97. Brayden scoring his first basket in a game. I almost cried.
98. Chips and Salsa
99. Mikayla answering "I love you too, mommy"
100. Surprise roses
101. Fasting journals
102. Girls night out
103. When someone listens with interest
104. The Amish dinner. So fun!
105. The one time I must have put my make up on right--I actually got compliments on my make up. Crazy unusual.
106. Kylee giving me her change so I would have enough money to "buy what I want." Kids are really observant.
107. Brayden answering: "I don't want to swallow my pride. It might hurt my stomach."
108. The days Kylee lets me do her hair. (She is always so beautiful.)
109. Kylee helping Mikayla with her Sunday shoes.
A list I made starting in Jerusalem:
110. Jerusalem Sunsets
111. Magnum Bars (They now sell these in the states. I was given a box for my birthday this year --450 calories in one bar!)
112. Cold water at the bottom of Masada
113. Sunday dinners at the Jerusalem Center
114. Sharuts
115. flowers in the lawn
116. The Sea of Galilee
117. My roommates at Ein Gev
118. Cleaning Checks
119. The Vendor outside the Garden Tomb
120. Shabbat bread Mornings
121. Making Shabbat bread in a Jewish bakery
122. Katy and Cathy
123. The Gospels
124. Hiking Mount Siani
125. The stars and sunrise at Mount Siani
126. Pictures, pictures, pictures!
127. Candy Shops in the old city.
128. Banana Bread
129. Fasting
130. priesthood blessings
131. The parents tour (and that my parents were on the tour!)
132. Music (especially Taylor's tape)
133. Damacus Gate
134. e-mail
135. View from the upper auditorium
136. Sunshine
137. Spending the afternoon singing primary songs
138. packages
139. fleece blankets
140. heaters
141. Scrubs
142. Garden Tomb
143. Attenind Easter morning service (not LDS service) in the Garden Tomb
144. Carrying palms to the Old City on Palm Sunday
145. Singing in St. Anne's
146. Honey Roasted Peanuts
147. Easter
148. Mail
149. prayer
150. Dominus Flevit
151. Mt. of Olives
152. Color!
153. Granola and Yogurt
154. The pyramids
155. My hymnbook from Jerusalem
156. Orange Juice on airplanes
A list I made after I got home from Jerusalem
157. Getting new roommates that are nice.
158. Chocolate Chip cookies
159. heart to heart talks with friends
160. guy friends
161. Babies (in this case, it would be Nikenzie) with two right foot shoes on
162. Wendy's "take-out"
163. Rain
164. Keys
165. My bed
166. Pay checks!
167. Dancing with Katie
168. Family Home Evening
169. having a car
170. instruction manuals
171. Israel
172. Mary and Joseph
173. looking forward to institute class
174. sunny afternoons
175. planned dates
176. being asked on an actual date
177. driving
178. pinochle
179. Sujatha's baptism
180.retainers
181. phones
182. peace
183. blessings
184. blender-made flour
185. phone messages
186. Family
187. tithing
188. Linner
189. gourmet cooking
190. stretches
191. My dad's car
192. boys of BYU 6th ward wearing lipstick
193. Home teachers
194.1800- bank number (That was when it was cool to call an automated system for your bank info--no internet banking yet.)
195. Big Bootie (this is a game)
196. Ward Breakfasts (I was called to the ward activity committee, but no one told the chairperson. So, after the ward breakfast the chairperson was really impressed with how involved I was and that I volunteered to help with the planning/ clean up, etc. I almost didn't tell him it was my calling :)
197. Ward Prayer mascot
198. Waffles (ironically, I now don't care for maple syrup at all)
199. Breakfast with Taylor
200. Taylor driving his Ford Mustang with his sunglasses on
A list I made shortly after marrying Taylor
201. My Husband!
202. Sunshine in the morning
203. playing games with good friends
204. Rain
205. swings
206. President Hinckley
207. Easter 2000 at the Barretts
208. clothes warm out of the dryer
209. playing games! (it really was twice on this list)
210. The sound of cards shuffling
211. enjoying small pleasures (having the wisdom to do so)
212. hunting Easter Eggs
213. Birthdays
214. Dancing in the living room
215. Reading fiction out loud with Taylor
216. Scripture Study
217. Having breakfast with great grandma
218. Working hard
219. The dollar movies
220. See Emperor's new grove at the dollar movies and laughing out loud
221. scrapbooking
222. interesting stories
223. Going away for the weekend with Taylor
224. peperoni
225. The acceleration in Taylor's car
226. Camping (Note: this list was pre-children)
227. The sound of a crackling fire
228. surprise flowers
229. gardening
230. feeling good after hard work
231. Camping trips with my husband and his dutch ovens (he does the cooking, of course!)
232. sound of water on rocks
233. new flower buds
234. Chap stick
235.ice cream
236. talking with family (without discussing the family business)
237. restaurants
238. A balanced check book
A list I made while in Graduate school
239. Baby Kicks
240. Really good coupons (this is about the time the deal hunting really began)
241. Intestine pens
242. Good friends who help me clean my run-down apartment when I move (robin and Jennifer)
243. Memories of that exceptionally run-down apartment
244. My hubby
245. Hand squeezes
246. KC and Jessica--awesome neighbors! (And they new a bakery with the best croissants for a breakfast sandwich!)
247. Having Jessica and Matt as next building over neighbors
248. Bachelorette parties on Wednesday nights with my friends (Although, now the bachelorette in on Mondays. . .)
249. magazines at checkout stands while my husband puts the groceries on the counter
250. My Family
251. E-mails from friends
252. Taylor in his professional clothes
253. The popcorn smell at movie theaters
254. Baby clothes!
255. Hair cuts
256.Getting Settled after a move
257. Mother's Day surprises!
258. Cute baby shower announcements
259. A good night's sleep (four straight hours totally counts at this point in a pregnancy!)
260. Baby showers
261. Game show network
262. clean cars
263. Nice Nurses
263. Brayden
264. Fourth of July!
265. Baby Naps
266. Bath time
267. Daddy-son time
268. First tooth
269.Brayden learning to crawl
270. Heart-felt thank yous
271. Sound of rain on the window
272. Success at a new recipe
273. Out to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa
274. Good friends and family that help us move
275. Balconies
276. First step
A list I made shortly after Kylee was born
277. Friendly ward members
278. Back yards
279. Mommy War-U (where are you?)- Brayden
280. Neighborhood gatherings at the park
281. My stair stepper
282. Sunshine and a cool breeze
283. Smell of roast in the crock pot
284. The aquarium
285. Baby kicks
286. EBay
287. "Mommy I love you" from my almost three year old son
288. Watching a movie with my honey
289. Jenks Ward
290. Epidurals
291. Kylee in a baby swing
292. "I love you, too, mommy"
293. Brayden giving Kylee toys in her crib
294. Friends who trade babysitting
295. 8:30 pm when the kids are in bed!
296. Kylee's smiles at two month.
297. That feeling when you drop your older child at preschool and the younger one is taking a nap. Ahh, so quiet!
298. Family that is willing to babysit
299. Game nights
300. It would appear I need to add: Making lists of things that make me happy! I take the whole "Count Your Blessings" seriously.
301. Easter
302. Taking my older two to a carnival and they are really well behaved.
303. Watching Kylee's confidence at soccer
304. Cub scouts
305. The leaders of Cub scouts. I am particularly grateful that right now all the cub scout leaders are men. They do such a good job.
306. Coach Call
307. Brayden being so excited to get his yearbook
308. Sunscreen. I don't like the way it feels, but I am so grateful for what it does!
309. Going out to eat with friends
310. Getting to church early enough to sit on one of the side pews
311. Big-ish earrings
312. Watching Kylee make a new friend. This is one of her talents.
313. Getting to be the primary presidency representative for the mommy/daughter activity day activity. Kylee and I had so much fun.
314. Brayden responding to a request to help with out complaining.
315. Kylee and Mikayla playing well together.
316. The parents of my students at school. I admit, I did not realize how much teachers appreciate being appreciated.
317. Discover card's fraud department. We have had our Discover card compromised three times now, and every time they have had stellar service.
318. Mikayla's happy demeanor
319. Potluck day at work
320. Chick-fil-a day or pizza day or any other day I don't have to pack a lunch for any reason.
321. Friends, new and not so new
322. Shopping alone
323. Chick-flicks (PG, preferably. Confessions of a Shop-a-holic, How to loose a guy in 10 days, Penelope, etc.)
324. Holding hands (first with my hubby, but also with my kids)
325. Mother's day breakfast
326. Surprise flowers
327. Good french fries
328. Shrimp. Cocktail or grilled. Love them marinated in cilantro-lime
329. Avocados
330. Cheese cake. Say what you want about their food, but The Cheesecake factory has good Cheesecake. I like the one with a brownie layer, then a Cheesecake layer, and then hot fudge. My second favorite is plain.
331. My friend sharing her MiMi's muffin with me
332. Memories of Great Grandma Faber's dinners with Prime Rib, horseradish sauce, company potatos, corn on the cob, salad with her poppy seed dressing and Mandarin oranges, rolls, jello, and Martinelli's. Seriously. This is the meal I measure all other meals by.
333. The travels I've had in life. I've been to Africa! And Jerusalem! And Paris, and Madrid, and Hawaii, and Alaska, and Cancun, and Grand Turk, and Jamaica, and Grand Cayman. and Oklahoma. He. he. that's a joke. I know there are others with longer travel lists than that, but I am so, so grateful for my list. I hope it grows later in life.
334. Disney World and Disneyland. I love the Disney parks.
335. Really funny jokes that appeal to my sense of humor. Q. What is the definition of an Arbitrator? A. A Tree that turns against it's own kind! bahahaha!
336. Planing a party and having it turn out
337. When the camera actually catches me at a flattering angle.
338. Watching Darren get Married in the temple.
339. My sisters
340. My parents
341. My Grandparents
342. Someone missing you when you are gone. Or someone noticing you are gone that doesn't have to notice.
342. Play dates
343. Our porch swing
344. Writing
345. Feeling the Spirit
346. Having my family home safe each night
347. Mikayla wanting to say the prayer
348. Those around me that are good examples
349. Hearing from old friends
350. The understanding that obeying rules brings freedom. Break rules eventually, will always lead to captivity.
351. Chanting with my sisters
352. Learning new "hip" words from my sisters. Like Classy
353. Hot pink skirts. I had mine first. . .
354. Awesome (and safe) Thunderstorms
355. Adults who entertain kids without being awkward or embarrassed
356. Being prepared the night before
357. Taylor making dinner
358. A really cold glass of ice water
359. Chinese Lanterns
360. Words I like: vehicle, spooky, beverage, pumpkin (as a side note, words I don't like: scrape, panty, moist, head)
361. When I keep my cool despite the situation. Always working on this one.
362. Decorating my home in my head. Some day I will have the money. . .
363. Preparing to speak or teach in church (the actual delivery always brings anxiety, but I like that part, too. And I wouldn't prepare as hard if I knew I didn't have to present.)
364. sunsets (and sunrises when I'm actually around to see them)
365. pintrest
366. Making my own greeting cards online
367. Making a spectacular Hello Kitty and Wii fondant cake
368. Fireworks
369. Painted toe nails
370. Texting when a phone call isn't necessary
371. A cleaned car, inside and out
372. Girls night that turns out better than expected
373. Having a neighborhood swimming pool
374. Cutting Taylor's tie for Father's day
375. Air conditioning
376. Service
377. Being "in the know"
378. Taylor's job
379. Dance music
380. My back patio
381. Great Divide bars
382. Having the kid's birthday party at Bounce U
383. Realizing, tomorrow is Monday and I don't have to go to work, even though school is in session. So happy I took July off!
384. Crafting, sometimes.
385. The freshly mowed lawn or freshly vacuumed carpet
386. My smart phone
387. Brayden saving his money for something big.
388. Free chocolate milk at the doughnut store. It's not even their policy to give free chocolate milk!
389. Hitting Sam's club at a dead moment on a Saturday
390. Coupons from the library.
391. We don't have any serious allergies in our family
392. My country
393. My freedom
394. Service men and women
395. "In God We Trust"
396. Grandmas and Grandpas remembering my kids on holidays and birthdays
397. Having an answer when my kids ask "Mom, when do we get to go on an airplane?"
398. My mom does swagbucks. Yippee!
399. Juice Plus
400. Kylee: Dad, will you pray in Avocado?
Taylor: Do you mean Philipino?
401. "I am a Child of God" at bed time
402. Clear skin
403. My electric toothbrush
404. Looking back
405. DVR
406. Taking a roll of pennies to the aquarium and letting the kids put all 50 down one of those cyclone-type change gathering things.
407. Raspberries on Vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup
408. Reading the scriptures on my phone
409. General Conference talks on my phone
410. The supply room at work
411. A kiss good-bye when I leave to run errands
412. "The Middle"
413. real perfume
414. Good smelling lotion (especially after I shave).
415. feeling successful
426. feeling the spirit
427. Flight attendants that say great stuff. Especially when their loudspeakers aren't too loud. (Thank you to all those that paid attention to the safety information. For those that didn't pay attention. . .good luck.)
428. Alaska!
429. The logging show in Ketchican
430. My sisters (and sister-in-law) and mom eating dinner together
431. Lobster Tail. Hot Chocolate. Neptune's Salad. Soft ice cream. Prime Rib. Filet Mignon. Fresh croissants and pastries. Eggs Benedict. Not cleaning up the dishes! Everything that has to do with eating on a cruise.
432. Stu. And fake Stu(s)
433. Clean Comedians
434. Wining a trivia trophy (with help from my cousin, Sam)
435. Listening to the Tony Faber boys banter
436. Seeing a glacier with my hubby
437. Tracy Arm Fjord. It's like magic.
438. Playing cards with Grandma and Grandpa Faber
439. Panning for gold
440. Isn't Texas cute? And other hilarious souvenirs.
441. Good communication
442. Meeting friends at the pool
443. Being in just the right place at just the right time
444. Feeling blessed
445. Funny stories that help me realize other people are human, just like me.
446. Online banking/electronic bill pay. I actually started paying bills in the era when not having enough stamps meant your payment might be late.
447. The commercials during the Olympics. I love the one that pays tribute to the Olympians' mothers. It mad me cry the first time I watched it!
448. Being happy
449. When people say "Thank you" (including when I remember to say it, too!)
450. Remembering that my mom and dad used to sing "Sipping Cider through a Straw" with gusto.
451. When I was a kid we would play mini golf. The winner got two scoops of ice cream and everyone else only got one. Mom or dad always won. We would go to a regular store (like a Safeway, or something) that had an ice cream counter. The ice cream scoop was a cylinder, so the ice cream wasn't round on top of the cone, it was actually a cylinder. The best flavor was called spider egg ice cream. At least, that's what we called it.
452. My neighborhood pool
453. Watching the Olympics (swimming and gymnastics, mostly)
454. Having my sister come to visit (All sisters and brother welcome)
455. Christmas cards. I hope this tradition never dies
456. Rocking my children. I have had Grandpa Faber's old brown recliner since before I had Brayden and I have rocked all three of my children in it.
457. Aforementioned recliner. It holds so many memories of Grandma and Grandpa's Yuba City house-- especially racing to beat grandpa to the chair and him threatening to bite of our fingers if we didn't get out. When I think about that recliner, I can see Christmas with the wood burning stove and real tree, games at the table under the hanging lamp, eating waffles on the tall black bar stools, ice cream that grandma used to put in a Tupperware because grandpa doesn't like freezer burn, pepper on macaroni and cheese to keep the elephants away and so much more.
458. A well-fitting pair of jeans
459. When the kids do their chore charts and we get to do something fun as a reward
460. Dishwashers. I don't really like loading or unloading them, but I am sure happy to have one
461. Neighbors that I actually know and friendly neighborhood kids
462. Really great surprise news!
463. Nice cameras that have a good zoom
464. The smell of fresh popcorn in the movie theater. I don't usually buy popcorn, but I do like the smell
465. Our wood floors
466. A Saturday without plans. This doesn't happen often--I don't think I would like it so much if it did happen too often.
467. My calling at church: Second counselor in the primary presidency. Pretty much the perfect place to be
468. My extended family
469. Having Haylee and Josh so close
470. My in-law extended family. Especially since Donna.
471. Papa John's pizza
472. The lights around my back porch
473. e-mail
474. Broadway productions
475. Bold colors
476. Being part of a big family
477. Good quotes
478. Hitting the Jackpot when randomly picking a book from the library shelf
479. Making the wrong choice and then understanding the "gift of an unsettled feeling" before it is too late to change that choice.
480. School bus drivers that are nice.
481. Mild temperatures and dry air
482. 9:00am at Chuck E. Cheese. Hey if I have to go, that is the time! Most people don't realize it is open that early and the mechanic has just checked the machines so there are tickets hanging out of all of them. My kids love the free tickets. (Maybe I do too. . .Maybe I have a problem. . .)
483. Humorous laugh-at-your-self-without-shame moments. My friend dropped my flip flops off at my house because I left them at her house and drove home without them. And didn't even realize they were missing until she sent a text several hours later. It was the day before school started and my kids were causing some serious preoccupation of the mind. Love you kids!
484. Mikayla's "I love life" smile, it always brightens my day. She just has happiness as a talent.
485. Listening to Kylee talk happily about her day and then say "Don't tell dad! I want to tell him at dinner!" This is the sweet Kylee that is so fun to be around.
486. Brayden making new friends without me interfering. I am learning to have faith in him, even though it is hard to let go. He is an outstanding kid.
487. Back to School Priesthood blessings
488. Crock pot meals, especially when I remember to start the crock pot early enough
489. Carmel Apples
490. Babysitters. Did I already mention this?
491. Taylor's hard work in our vegetable and fruit garden that lets us enjoy home grown produce
492. Carpools
493. Smiling--it's fun to realize that most people can't not smile back especially if you just keep smiling. Unless, of course, they think you are being creepy.
494. Adjectives (clever, smart, wonderful, fantastic, helpful, odd, mysterious, and on and on)
495. Pillows
496. After-school snack with the kids
497. See's Candy--in MY mall!
498. When the air gets crisp and the holiday season is around the corner--starting with Halloween.
499. Online tutorials
500. The people I love
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Out for a walk
Kylee likes all types of flowers, even the small ones.
Jenks vs. Union
We live in the heart of Football land. Kids play from Kindergarten on up. At some ridiculous age, I think first grade, the city leagues have all the kids tryout for the volunteer coaches and then players are drafted onto a team.
That being said, we have pretty much kept our distance from football until now. Taylor and Brayden were invited to go with some ward friends to the Jenks High School vs. Union High School football game.
Getting ready for the action to start.
The game takes place at the Tulsa University Stadium. You can see from the pictures, they have no problem filling the seats.
Look what we have. . .
Opening soon! Yipee! Great for chocolate and Nostalgia. Such a fun Christmas tradition.
One last ride
We took one last summer-time trip to Bartlesville to enjoy the Kiddie Park and see Lacie. We also happened to eat at the Golden Coral. I think it made me sick.
Getting ready for the coaster.
Mikayla on a jet plane
Holdindg on for dear life! (Me, Mikayla, and random girl)
Sunday, August 19, 2012
End of Summer Fun
We played as much as possible the last few weeks before school started. We took a few more dips in the pool and even made it to the Sapulpa pool with Taylor. That pool has a couple of water slides which makes it all that more fun.
Chuck E. Cheese rewards. What was I thinking?
A fun night out with the girls. Happy birthday to Mary.
Elizabeth, me, Tiffany, Jenni, Jacque, Mary
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