Germ-a-phobe? Maybe.

This is going to be one of those random blogs that only happened because of random thoughts I was having. It is about a few of my pet peeves.

Things that get left out on the counter to collect germs...only to end up in our mouths. I do not understand how people can leave their kitchen utensils out on the counter and then use them to eat with. If you have ever watched The Big Bang Theory you can see what I'm talking about. Sheldon (main character) is afraid of germs and getting sick and yet he eats off of the forks that sit in a container on the kitchen counter. Doesn't he realize that people could cough or sneeze or something all over them and he wouldn't even know it?! Drives me nuts. Same goes for things like spoons and spatulas, even though I grew up with them being out on a counter. Guess I was just so used to it I didn't realize. But now that I have a house of my own, I prefer my eating utensils in the drawer.

Toothbrushes in toothbrush holders or cups on the counter. Really? I mean the kitchen is bad enough but then lets put something we use to clean our mouths out on the counter for people to cough, sneeze, accidentally touch, splash water on, get hair on, etc. Not to mention all the other unmentionables that happen in the bathroom. So where can you find my toothbrush? In the mirror cabinet, on it's own special shelf, with a plastic travel case to cover the top. Germ-a-phobe? Maybe.

Speaking of the bathroom....I am not a fan of extra toilet paper holders, toilet brush holders, or plunger holders, that sit on the floor behind the toilet. Convenient? Yeah. But then they collect all the stuff that happens to land behind the toilet - (need I explain what that might be?) It really just gives you one more nasty surface to wash off when cleaning the bathroom and I like my toilet paper to be somewhat clean before I use it, not all dusty on the side. Not to mention the most important fact: children touch everything and want to play with everything. Whether it is your own or someone that comes to visit, they will find it.

So those are my top 3. Sorry any of these apply to you. I don't mean to offend and have no one in mind while writing this. Just getting out a few of my thoughts. I guess they came about because Jake and I went shopping this week and he joked about getting a thing for utensils, just because he knows how much it bothers me. Then, later, we were looking for a toilet brush and I saw the kind you leave out and we had a discussion about how I refuse to have them.

Kyler's Birthday - Post 2

And here it is...Kyler's second celebration. Party at Grandma and Papa Cohoon's after Sunday dinner!!


"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Kyler!!! Happy Birthday to you!!"

Make a wish and blow out the candles!

Mommy, Daddy, and Jaysen got him a Fire Truck!

"WOOOAAAAHHHHH"

"Sa-weet!" A work bench!

Blahhh!

He also got a blanket and some giant Lego's from Mindy and her kids but I guess we didn't get pictures of those. He had so much fun opening everything. I really think this is the first birthday he has really been able to understand and enjoy.

ARRGGHHHH

No, it isn't pirate talk. I am just frustrated. I don't even know how much this blog will make sense. I just want to vent a little. I don't want to get into too many details because I really don't want an argument or discussion. I just want to voice my opinions.

I WISH PEOPLE WOULD STOP JUDGING OTHERS FOR THINGS THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT!!!

I know that we all judge. It is in our nature. It is impossible to not judge. We have to judge people in order to protect ourselves. But I just wish people would keep their harsh comments and thoughts to themselves when it comes to things they don't know much about. More than likely, when mean things are said, and later you discover what really happened you find out you were wrong. And then it is too late, you can't take it back. And it is really sad that some people don't regret saying things. I try very hard to be careful of what I say of others because that has happened and I do feel bad. And knowing I can't take it back is hard for me. Not only because what I said may have been wrong but also because I know that I will be judged later on for the hurtful things I may have said.

UGHHHHH!!!!

This is why I can't get into politics and have trouble voting. I don't know what to believe most of the time.
And a lot of issues are so gray scale for me. I can see both sides of things and even though I know why I believe something should be a certain way I can also see why other's might want it differently. You can't please everyone, ya know.

Makes me want to quote the line from Rex in Toy Story, "I don't like confrontation!" I really don't.

I have a hard time sharing my beliefs with other's sometimes because I worry I won't be able to say what I want or I won't be knowledgeable enough to prove my point. But that is just me and my opinion is honestly, let other's believe what they want and leave them alone. Be open to suggestion but don't hurt other's when their beliefs aren't yours.

I truly love my religion and believe it. I believe in missionaries sharing and us teaching other's about what we believe. I love my religion because when we go to church we learn about the scriptures. We learn about Christ and his teachings. We learn how to be better people and how to strive spiritually. What we don't do is bash other churches or "damn people to hell" for not believing what we do.

Can't we all just be nice and get along???!!! I mean why is it so hard??!?! It really just frustrates me to the max lately and I just had to let some of it out.

And The Verdict Is....

Recently, I posted on Facebook that after 6 years of being married to an extreme football fan it was time for me to pick my own team. Naturally I like the team he likes, The Cowboys, but I had to have a team of my own. So with a lot of thinking, contemplating, and color coordinating, I have decided on a team.

And the winner is......

The Seattle Seahawks!!!!!

I first got the idea because a couple summers ago my parents went to Washington and brought back a mini football with the Seattle Seahawks on it for Kyler. Then, after watching a couple preseason games I decided they seemed like a pretty good team. And best of all, they have great colors. (Second to The Cowboys.)
Other teams that were considered were:

Denver Broncos. They have Peyton Manning who I think is a pretty good quarterback. And they are closet to me geographically so finding their memorabilia is pretty easy. BUT I am not a fan of blue and orange AND they are pretty popular already here. I like to be different.

San Francisco 49'ers. Only because I like Austin Collie who played for BYU. (Let's just say 3 years ago this would have been an easy choice because Peyton and Austin both played for the Colts which is when I started liking them - even with Austin Collie getting concussions every other game.)

San Diego Chargers. Because San Diego is one of my ultimate favorite vacation spots. But then I watched them play against the Seahawks and suddenly Seahawks were favored over them. (And the lightning bolt thing didn't really do it for me.)

And that was pretty much it for the serious considerations. Of course, Jennifer and I went over all of our options and she helped me weigh the pros and cons. And if it were up to her I would have picked Patriots. However, they were the first team Jake vetoed me to pick. He hates them. Also vetoed were The Jets, but I wasn't interested in them anyway.

I did, however, have a pretty good argument for picking The Cowboys, even if Jake didn't already like them. It starts with their quarterback, Tony Romo. He dated Jessica Simpson, who is Ashley Simpson's sister, who married Pete Wentz (now divorced), who I have pretty much been in love with since I was 17. So basically Tony and Pete were close to brother-in-laws, kinda. I mean I bet they had a few family dinners together and Tony probably went to the wedding. AND the Cowboys have the best colors (navy blue and silver) and the best logo (a *Star*).

So there you go. I am officially a football fan. I could either dread football season or embrace it and after the last 6 years with Jake I've come to realize embracing it is the best option.

GO SEAHAWKS!!!!!

Indecisive

I want to blog.
I just can't decide what to blog about.
Here are some topic's that have been on my mind recently:

*Missing my Teenage Years
*Family History
*Loving People No Matter What
*Honesty

And then of course there are all the things I would like to blog about on my family blog. I just don't seem to have the energy lately. A few times this week I have had the time to blog and I start but then just get tired of thinking and I don't finish. I guess we will see how far I get today. I think I will go backwards of that list.

Honesty.

This is the conversation Jake and I were having in the car on the way home from dinner today. I really think that the world wouldn't have half as many problems if people could just be honest. So much dishonesty in our Government. And it doesn't even have to go that far to cause problems. For example, all of us at work (doctor's office) are annoyed with Medicaid and forms of Medicaid insurance. That's nice that there is an option for those without insurance or means of paying for insurance. I just wish that people would be honest about it. Don't think I am judging people, I know we all have our trials. However, I have seen some of the houses that some people who have Medicaid are living in. Triple the size of mine, pool in the backyard, beautiful neighborhood and vehicles to go with it. Please explain to me how they can't afford insurance yet can afford all of those beautiful things. I see this a lot working in a doctor's office and it is just hard to not be angry that these people are getting free insurance and I am forking over hundreds of dollars a month for my family to be insured. Not to mention the co-pays and parts of bills that my insurance won't cover. I just don't see how they could possibly be being honest about their income when they have all of those luxuries. I just wish that people would be honest when it comes to needing help. Same goes for people on the street corners. I wish I could give money to the people holding signs but I just don't know if they really are in need. Who's to say they aren't better off than I am? And maybe I should just be a giving person and leave it up to the Lord as to whether or not they are being honest but it is so hard.

Next topic:

Loving People No Matter What

Why do we have to hate those that aren't exactly like us and have our same opinions? When it comes to the controversy of Homosexuality I have my own opinions. I can't honestly say I am for or against it. Personally, I am attracted to the opposite sex and believe that is how it is supposed to be. However, it is not my place to judge. We are all here to learn and be tested. In the next life we will find out what the real answer is. But for now my personal rule is to let people think what they want and be what they want. If there are consequences to anyone's actions, of any kind, then those are their consequences, not mine. I honestly think that unless you are hurting someone else then you are entitled to do whatever you want, legally. Morally is different but that is more between you and God and I cannot judge that. I mean think about it. Things that should be illegal are things that affect others. Killing. Stealing. Assaulting. Speeding. Things like that. And going along with the Honesty subject, if people honestly think they love someone of the same sex who am I to say they can't? I understand it goes deeper than that when it comes to marriage such as healthcare and other benefits that come with marriage but if they get married for love and not just to benefit from those things then I don't see why it is a problem. As long as they aren't abusing the system. Another thing is I think a lot of people like to rebel. Doing things just because they know someone else won't like it. But we are all different. There will always be someone that doesn't like or agree with something you do.

Along with this I want to add religion. Being Mormon I hear a lot of negativity about my beliefs. I have been watching that show, Breaking Amish, and there is a lot of negativity there as well. I just don't understand how there is so much hate that goes with religion. Let people decide for themselves what they believe. Consequences come in the next life for that. Be honest about what you believe and who you are and let others be. Share what you know and if they disagree don't hate them or try to force it upon them. The only religions I have a problem with are the ones that hurt others. Sacrifices and such. I realize that has to do with ancient rituals or what not but I really don't think that any religion should say to kill another person not willing to die for that religion.
Another thing I want to add...I have my beliefs and you may not have the same ones, but don't assume that I dislike you for that reason. If I honestly have a problem with you it is because you have hurt me or I know you are being dishonest with me and yourself. I'm not one to judge unless I know you are doing something for the wrong reasons. I don't smoke, drink alcohol, or coffee, and a number of other things that some people find acceptable. However, if you do those things I won't judge you because of it. But if I know your beliefs and have heard your opinions and then you try and tell me otherwise I am not going to believe you. And be disappointed that you are fooling yourself. But I will still love you.

Moving on.

Family History

This is a more lighthearted subject. I have always loved hearing about my own family history and helping my mom with genealogy. I wish I knew more about it and could pursue it more. I love that new show "Who Do You Think You Are". About celebrities that get to find out the history in their families. Seeing old documents, visiting historical sites, seeing old pictures. That kind of stuff has always interested me. Maybe because of my family history and all the stories and information we have from the Kimball line. Fascinating. While watching that show I saw someone had the title of "Genealogist" and I thought that would be an awesome job. I was telling Jake that I don't really like History but I like getting to know the people in history. Their personal stories and pictures and artifacts are what interest me. I would love to have a butt-load of money and go to Ireland and other places to see where my family lived and imagine what life might have been like for them. I hope that after we die we will be able to see the past. Sit down with some popcorn and watch your ancestors lives. See the sacrifices they went through in their life that lead to you being where and who you are.

And last but not least (wow, I've almost finished everything I wanted to blog about...)

Missing My Teenage Years

I may not miss all of the experiences but I will say years 17 and 18 were some of the best for me. I had recently discovered my love of music and I'd like to say that was mostly what I thought about. Which music to listen to and which time, what concerts to go to, what my favorite band members were doing, what new music was coming out, etc. I guess after I got married and had kids the music part of my life died down. Yes, a lot of that is because I wouldn't approve of my children listening to some of it *holds head in shame* and also because Jake and I have different taste in music. AND the fact that I don't get to see my friends who listen to the same music as I do as much. Music played such a big part in my teenage life and now when I hear certain songs I have memories of things that happened during those years and I miss it. I remember the feelings I had at the time. Mostly freedom and newness. Doing adult things for the first time. Moving out, dating, driving, working, etc. Music controls so many of my emotions. A certain song can cause me to be happy, sad, anxious, excited, or angry. Mostly because of what happened in my life when that music was part of it. Which is why I miss my teenage years so much right now. As many of you know, my all time favorite band is Fall Out Boy and close second is Panic! At the Disco. Well, I just missed FOB's concert and Panic! is coming next month and I will miss that one as well. I used to be such an avid concert goer. It makes growing up feel so hard and depressing. Don't have the money and free time to spend on things like concerts.
Besides music I miss my friends. A lot of them I haven't seen in years and probably won't see for a very long time, if ever again. We all grow up and move on and even when we do see each other later in life it isn't the same. It feels awkward because we have changed over time. Maybe, along with seeing our ancestor's lives, we will be able to relive moments of ours. Not to change things, but just to have those feelings again. Be able to feel the excitement of firsts and the feeling of achievement when we accomplished something. One can only hope. And wait and see.

The Eternal Fish

Angelfish? Maybe. We aren't sure yet what exactly this fish's deal is. First, a little background... We bought a fish tank about a year ago. Got a few fish and had fun watching them until they died every few months. We can't keep plants alive. Whatever made us think we could keep fish alive I'm still not sure. Anyway, the fish came and went until finally we decided to stop buying more fish. We agreed that when they all died we would take the fish tank down and try again in ten years or so. One by one they died off until finally there was only one fish left. A bright yellow fish that I don't remember the name of. A few weeks after all the other fish had died it started swimming funny, just like the other fish did days before they were belly up. It was swimming in circles, hovering at the bottom, and struggling to make it to the top of the tank to eat. A couple weeks of this went by. Every night, when we fed it, we would talk about how it wasn't going to make it another day. And then every morning there it would be, swimming around like it was just fine. It blew our minds. And then it got worse. Not moving much at all and seeming like it was just holding on by a thread. I think it was like that for a week or two...and then out of nowhere it snapped out of it. Completely normal again. We decided it must have just been sick. (Do fish get sick?) And now for the past (going on) two months things have just been weird. It will be lying on it's side, on the bottom, not moving at all. We tap on the glass, nothing. We prepare ourselves for cleaning out the tank later that day and then we turn around and there it is, swimming around. Was it asleep? Because I thought fish didn't sleep. THIS FISH HAS NINE FREAKING LIVES! I don't know if it is a "catfish" (haha) or what but it seems to have 9 lives. I don't know how many times we are 99.9% sure it is dead and then suddenly it's not. The thing won't die. I'm not sure what it's holding on for but it is starting to freak us out. Part of me wants to get a teeny tiny bee-bee gun and put it out of it's misery. Jake has threatened to flush it numerous times but I just know that not "all drains lead to the ocean." A friend of mine owns a turtle...turtles eat fish. She has offered to take it off our hands but I just can't do that either. And so we wait. We watch and we wait and maybe someday it will die. Maybe. And when that day comes I think we will be forced to have a small funeral out of respect for it's many lives. (And maybe we should get an autopsy done, either to figure out what it's deal is or just to make sure it is actually dead.)

JSH

Today, in Sunday School we talked about Joseph Smith, reading Joseph Smith History 1:1-26. I love Joseph Smith History and Doctrine and Covenants. I love learning about the history of the church. It is such a testimony builder for me. And it just makes me shake my head when I think about the people who say Joseph Smith was a phony or something. When I read the Book of Mormon and think about how Joseph Smith translated it and that some people can say he made it up it just blows my mind. I don't think anyone who has really read the Book of Mormon can honestly say that it isn't true and that Joseph Smith even made up one word.
When we talked about the first vision today and how people didn't believe him when he told about his experience it just made me think. How could someone believe in Noah, Moses, and other prophets of old and then say that it wasn't possible for Joseph Smith to receive a vision. Where, in the Bible or any other place, does it say that God will no longer permit for people to have visions? Sure, Noah saw him and was told what he must do but Joseph Smith? Why wouldn't he have been able to be visited by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
We talked about "coincidence's" and how they weren't really coincidence at all. Joseph Smith's family moving to New York for one. I didn't know that they lived in Vermont and then there was a volcano causing ash to spread and crops to die making it so that Joseph Smith Sen. had to move to New York and his family later followed. They moved to New York not knowing they were only 3 miles from where the plates were buried. God knows what he is doing. There is a plan for everything.
It is amazing. Heavenly Father knows what is going on, knows what will happen, knows what we need and where we need to be and when. We just need to remember to trust him. Sure, that means not knowing a lot of the time and having to have faith that things will work out. That can sometimes be the hardest thing we can do; trust in the Lord. And maybe that is the biggest lesson we are here to learn. We are tested all the time but that is the biggest test, I think. He tests us in order to see how we react. Do we ask him for help? Do we put all our faith and trust in him? That's the real test. It's simple, just trust the Lord and ask for help, but that does not mean it is easy. It is never easy. But whoever said it would be?
When Joseph Smith was in the sacred grove and Satan came upon him that must have been the most horrible thing Joseph could have experienced. He could have just given up, surrendered to Satan and let the evil take over. But instead he prayed. And knowing how I am when I am in the middle of something scary, he probably prayed harder than he ever had before. I think that not only shows that yes, Satan knew what he was doing and was trying to stop him, but also that Heavenly Father was testing him. Would he cry out for help in that situation? And that's what we need to do. Maybe instead of saying, "why? Why would the Lord test me like this?" we need to say, "I trust you, Lord, I trust you to help me through this." It isn't fun and it won't be easy but with his help we can make it through anything.
"I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it."

Sweet California

If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

I thought this was a good blog to do today because lately all I do is complain about the weather. I am so sick of the snow and even more sick of the cold. I'm tired of waiting for my car to defrost in the morning. I'm tired of having to bundle up just to get the mail. I love Utah, I really do but this is a very bad winter. Sadly, I like the winter's where it snows once or twice and then it turns to spring. I know, that isn't good because then we have a drought in the summer but I am so sick of snow.
My birthday wish is for all the snow in my yard to be melted before my birthday. I need warmth. Which brings me to where I would live if I could live anywhere.
When asked this question in the past I have had the same answer, and still do.

Carmel, California

I swear it is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. Grated, the houses I admire there are priced in the millions, but they are gorgeous. Right on the rocky coast, surrounded by tall tree's and flowering foliage. Breath taking. And no snow.
Also, it is only about 30 min from my favorite vacation destination, Santa Cruz, California. When I was younger my family took a few vacation's there. Some of the best memories and most fun times I had. Santa Cruz beach boardwalk is all you need in a vacation. Shopping, food, arcades, rides and rollercoasters, the beach, the pier, ice cream, our hotel - right across the street from all of that, the pool. Heaven.
So, I figure living just half an hour away from the touristy city would be nice. More secluded. And the drive is amazing. The road takes you right along the shore line which is covered in rocks and trees. We have driven it at sunset and it is gorgeous.
And the best part of living in California, besides the ocean and beach....NO SNOW!! No freezing temperatures. No scraping ice off your windows. No wearing 10 layers of clothing. No sitting on the couch, next to the heater all day because you are too cold to move. No shoveling sidewalks. No slipping on ice.
It has been a very long time since I've been to California, over 2 years! That is just crazy for me, I used to go at least once a year. I guess that's what happens when you grow up and stop going on family vacations with your parents. Finding time and finding money is a lot harder now. I wish we could go this year but I am due to have a baby in June so I don't know how much vacationing we will be able to do.
Cheers to California and warm weather, may it soon be upon us here in Utah.