go ahead and JUMP

to the boy who wouldn't hold my hand the other day

I still love you more than you'll ever know

Electronic Mail... Home movie version

In honor of valentine's day I present a short glimpse of Kyle and I where we met... Longwood College. Its now Longwood University. A small AWESOME school right smack dab in the middle of Virginia. We reminisce about it all the time. There are HOURS of embarrassing footage from longwood now on my computer. We did SNL type skits and they are so horrible they make your teeth hurt and your sides ache from laughter. One day when I am senile enough to not be embarrassed maybe I'll put them up.

Anyway, check out that stellar computer lab in the video. Remember when you printed out emails to save them? or was that just me??

I remember when I was about to leave longwood the talk was they were going to require each incoming student to own a computer. No way we said that is an undue financial hardship - I mean not everyone can afford a computer!!!

funny to imagine now..I wonder what they did with the old computer lab...

ps. feel free to tease Kyle about the posters on his walls - I am sure he'll say they were Jonny's

Picture pages...

There is a giveaway going on over at PREPARE & PROSPER, check it out

Ella placed 5th out of 30 something kids in the UIL Storytelling Competition - I am so proud of my animated storyteller !!!

I take a lot of pictures with ipod, they are not always the best but its fun to have a "camera" on had most of the time. I tend to annoy Benjamin - who is hard to get a picture of with the real camera because is actively evasive.

We were iced in most of last week. I loved almost every minute. But its was nice to finally get out of the house on Saturday.

We had a fire going almost the whole time. - Thanks to me bringing in about 45 logs before the storm and then chipping more wood out of the ice later.

I caught up on all my reading.

I HIGHLY recommend this book:

Getting More

and will probably post more about it later

When boredom sunk in I texted pictures of my zit to my sister:

PJ cozy by the fire - I swear this baby is so cute he gives me chest pains.

One box of clothes outgrown

This is going too fast.

still saving...

my science fair project

and blogging about it over here. or over yonder as my Me-maw would say.

and speaking of science fairs - I should tell you about the time I didn't do mine in 8th grade and I instead took flowers from a funeral that had been held at church (they said anyone was welcome to take some) and I staged my project.

Yep a staged science project with funeral flowers. all lies, the shame

and I got an A.

a few years later my sister did a kick butt project on hair conditioner - does it really make your hair stronger - she rigged up weights, washed her hair with different conditioners and shampoos for weeks and made her hair lift weights - literally!! to test the claims. I thought it WAS AWESOME

she got a B

life is not fair and I carry the guilt.....

love you Meg

Family Scripture

wildflowers at Erwin Park

I am not into resolutions in the traditional sense, but I do try to challenge myself spiritually. Lately I have felt the strong desire to be more open to hearing the Spirit in my life. Most importantly to be aware that some feelings and motivations are in fact personal revelation for ME.

I think I am fairly good about following promptings. But I am not good at acknowledging those as such, in the moment they happen. So this goal of mine has also evolved into having more teachable moments with my children about the Holy Ghost and how he literally helps us and not just figuratively. He is not only a cheerleader rooting for our good but is actually guiding us.

I got this book at the Temple Bookstore when we went this past Saturday, because I liked Bro. Wilcox so much when I listened to him at Time Out for Women. There have been quite a few things that have stood out to me since reading it. One is that there are sections in the scriptures that are really private family stories that we are blessed to be privy to since they decided to record them.

Bro. Wilcox says every family has these stories. Stories of God's hand in our lives that get told over and over until they are like "family scriptures" - faith building stories central to your family.

I remember my mom telling often of a special Priesthood blessing I received when I was suffering from Reye's Syndrome (I still remember the hallucinations from that episode). Before my blessing they weren't sure if I would make it and if I did what hospital I would be transferred to when the sun came up. But... I went home the next day. A miracle. Its so tender to my mom that she has not told me all the details - she holds them in her heart.

For my kids they still talk about the "tire incident" with Cora, We were getting tires put on the van and I was playing with her to pass the time. I went to set her on the counter in front of me so I could tickle her little belly. Just before I let go of her I distinctly heard a voice tell me "STOP". I did, and instantly realized it was not a shelf but just the tire rack which was empty behind the thin bar. I would have dropped her from my eye level to a hard concrete floor. And I am sure the thin bar would have made her flip probably landing on her head.

No one was around me. No person there to warn me. It was the Holy Ghost. And stronger than the audible voice I heard moments earlier was the profound feeling in my soul to tell my children what just happened.

They still bring up this story (a year and half later) and I now realize its making its way into our "family scripture"

I am going to make a concentrated effort to recognize the Lord's hand in my life, the guidance of the Holy Ghost and share more personal experiences of faith with my children. It may be as simple as adding a "God is Awesome" when we talk about the gorgeous flowers.

A Blessing indeed...

PJ was blessed and given a name by his father on Sunday January 2, 2011

a sweet sister from the ward wrote some of the words from his blessing for me.

For that entire day I kept thinking that PJ is blessed indeed, but more than that he is such a blessing to us.

Parker James Oyakawa

...a blessing upon him to grow strong- strong body, strong spirit, strong in the Church. Through his example and faith he can become a leader to those around him, so that he may help bring others unto thee Dear Lord. Through his example they may be able to feel His Spirit. The Lord will bless him to be strong in his knowledge of the scriptures, that they may serve him well throughout his life and that he may recall them readily when needed....

no more pictures please mom.

what a difference a year makes

My favorites...

Here are my favorite shots from my friend Anne-Marie and her new husband Mike's wedding day...

Picture pages...

time to catch up

Ella in the school play

Cora tuckered out

Cora's primary mission these days is to make sure absolutely no baby dolls in this house have clothes on

Maiya tuckered out one day - almost a repeat of this

Mr. PJ the celebrity at Ella's school party

Maiya's first school party - pajama day of course

Benjamin went on a date with me to see Harry Potter - although he corrected a friend from church who ran into and asked if it was a mother/son date and he said "nnnoooooooo its a mother/son activity"

Benjamin at Sky camp

and on the zip line - the highlight of the overnight trip - you read that right overnight field trip in 5th grade!!!

(usually that's PJ in Maiya's spot)

Because I did this I got it in my head I could do other things I never thought I could do before - so I started the first day to 5K podrunner series. I am still on week one many weeks later - but I have been fairly consistent with it and very proud of myself. (Do not enter in to fat talk with me now though - I don't give a rats behind if I lose weight) This is a goal that makes me happy to be achieving

Ella went with me the other day - with her american girl double stroller (hand me down from the neighbors :) - how cute huh??

So more on the podrunners. - I LOVE THEM - its music with varying beats per minute to pace yourself - a buzzer rings when you are to switch from walking to running

I don't look at a watch anymore or count laps - I just stick to the music. Its techno electronica music which I didn't think I'd like but its perfect tune out the world kind of music and the BPM are really good to pace to.

Now for the totally random - there is a blood stain on the sidewalk and every time I circle past it I make up a different story of how the blood got there. I told Ella this and when she went with me she made up her own stories too. Yes we are weird.

and cute.

peace out