24.

love is spoken here - in ASL!!

goal #10 (double digits, baby! an update on how i'm doing on all these many goals is in the works!) as some of you may know, we are a bilingual family - well ... most of us. our babies learned to sign to alleviate some frustration as well as communicate with their aunt Ann, who is deaf. it's great to be able to 'silently' communicate during sacrament meeting, across a crowded room, and through a window without shouting. andy is an interpeter and working to get certified and start interpreting for a living (along with his real estate appraising work). in an effort to be more fluent we are going to sign more at home. hopefully it will help the decibel level around our home as well.

twenty and five

goal #9 - become more like Elder Wirthlin's mother ... and "Come what may, and love it."
if you haven't read it - do, if you have - read it again! it's a good one!

two.six.

goal #8 - i have a terrible habit of taking pictures, (i even have a bunch of them taken by a professional - thanks mon!) and then they just sit on my computer ... never.get.printed. or hung until they are out of date!! i'm going to break that bad habit and start hanging more ... it will help me with yesterday's goal - i'll definitely smile more with stuff like this around!

no joke ... only 27 days to go.

happy april fool's day!!

with that in mind ... i think my 7th goal needs to be something fun/funny - i will smile and laugh more. instead of hollering at my kids, i will laugh with them - instead of spanking, i will tickle them into submission.

Laughter is an instant vacation. ~Milton Berle
Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on. ~Bob Newhart
Seven days without laughter makes one weak. ~Mort Walker
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ~e.e. cumming

wish me luck ... or laugh at me ... we'll see if it works!!

twenty-eight

goal #6 - daily meaningful prayers.

this is one that i should already be doing ... i know ... it may come as a shock to some of you, but i have been a little lax in my daily prayers. i am starting right now ... not missing a day.

29.

goal #5 - in the wise words of Benjamin Franklin, "early to bed and early to ri-ise, makes a man (and woman) healthy and wealthy and wise." (it's also a primary song!)

for the next 29 days (at least) i'm going to go to bed at (if not before) 11pm and get up at (if not before) 7am. i think i'd like to get back to mission standard {in bed 10:30pm, out of bed 6:30am ... }. those were the days i was closest to the Spirit, spent at least an hour learning and listening. in those early morning hours it's almost like the world is kept at bay a little longer.

three times ten

goal #4 - the next thing my mind goes to when i think 'goal' is scripture reading... appropriate that this falls on sunday - the day when i should be thinking about my Savior.

i will read my scriptures daily ... even if it's just one verse - 30 minutes would be pie in the sky fantabulous but baby steps.

and now for breaking news:

auntie em finally got pictures!! ... my little big sister has delivered her 4th girl (5th child).

Josie Jean Rowe - born 3/26/09 10:15am, weighing in at 6lbs 3oz and measuring 20in.

this newest big sister isn't sure if she'll be able to let anyone else hold her baby.

thirty-one ...

goal #3 - i am tired of weighty matters ... but (see how big it is??) i have one more goal that will help (i hope).

drink.more.water. any would be more ...

a friend in my ward has this GREAT recipe for flavoring water with cranberry juice and lemon. it's refreshing and yummy and i could drink a gallon of it. here's to more water - clink me!

32 days ...

goal #2 {still on the weighty matters} i'm going to eat better.

do NOT interpret that to mean that i am cutting out all sweets or that i am going to only eat salads. i am, however, going to write down everything i'm putting in my mouth for the next 32 days and see if i can't embarrass myself into eating more health consciously.