Mantra

I decided that I am going to have a mantra that I will live by starting at the beginning of each new year. It will be something I focus on and strive to be better at.

My mantra for 2009 is...drumroll please...."Kindness matters."

There are too many mean people in the world. I am not going to be one of them.

2009 Contract

After serious & cautious consideration . . . I've decided our contract of friendship has been renewed for the New Year 2009!

It was a very hard decision to make. So try not to screw it up!!

Love you all!

Birthday Month!!!

This post and blog background is especially for you Kelli! (you know why, right?) I just want THE WHOLE WORLD to know this is my birthday month. I fully expect and require A LOT of butt kissing and telling me how wonderful I am. We will get into the details of presents at a later date.
Love ya Kell!

Tragedy

One of my best friends lost her father unexpectedly today. I have been so heart broken for her since I found out.
Life is so precious. It can all change in an instant. Take the time to tell everyone they are loved. Forgive hurts. Make every moment count.

Highlights of 2008

Corbin was baptized
Kelly ran the Ogden Half Marathon and didn't die
Tyson and Jaden had their 1st ever soccer camp
Trips to St. George
Raising sheep for 4-H
Kelly ran the Wasatch Back and didn't die
Ross took 3rd in his first ever bike race
Our 13th anniversary
Trip to Florida
Dan and Shelley got pregnant!
Emily and Ryan got pregnant?!
Alison got engaged
Thomas S. Monson became prophet
The first woman Biggest Loser
The launch of Kelly/Kelli Club
Ross became a road biking maniac

What an awesome year it was!

Resolutions

I totally believe in resolutions. Not the kind that you break immediately but the setting and writing down of important goals. New Year's Eve just happens to be a good time to do it. I accomplished a lot of my goals that I set this last year. That always makes me feel good!
My biggest goal this year was to set a daily schedule for myself so I can fit in everything that is important to me. My life just keeps getting busier so my biggest goal is to stick to the new schedule. I am really excited to pull this off. I might actually be getting my crap together people! (a sure sign that hell is freezing over.)
My second biggest goal is to love myself and realize that I am good enough. As long as I am putting forth my best effort and being true to myself, I am good enough. (In reality, this will be harder to pull off than #1 but it is definitely more important.)
Here's to 2009 being even better than 2008!

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name WALKER or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

Tropical St. George

We decided to come and hang out in St. George this week for a little vacation before school starts. It has been between 45 and 50 degrees the whole time we have been here which is downright tropical for Utah in December, right?
We have been swimming, to the park, bike riding and hiking. We love it down here. Don't ask the boys about our hike though. The way they tell it, we tried to kill them. It was barely 5 miles and mostly flat but I guess after a week of doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING over Christmas really makes those muscles atrophy. We are such bad parents. Ross and I had a good time though.
On New Year's Eve we played games and ate too much food and took Bill to the ER. He had an infection in his eye. Our insurance changed drastically on the 1st so we took him in. Bill fell asleep 20 minutes before midnight so we woke him up just in time to see the ball drop. It was a fun night with the boys.
We are anxiously awaiting a phone call to let us know that Shelley (my sister) is in labor. So whether that or Saturday comes first will determine when we are heading home!