My Life Monday: My Life in Six Words

This week My Life Monday is BACK!! (And I'm SO thrilled about it! Even though Rachelle picked a TOUGH topic!)

Overactive imagination used here daily.

My Life Monday: Embarrassing Moments

Okay a few things before I do MLM.

• Had to take Cameron to a surgical center today for some pretty heavy duty dental work. They have to put him to sleep, because he just couldn't handle staying awake...easier....blah... So he had 3 teeth pulled (one of the teeth had the permanent one coming up underneath it...you can totally see it!) The one tooth had a root break off, and since you aren't supposed to bother new permanent teeth (according to the dentist) the root piece will have to work it's way out...kinda like a normal baby tooth would. Then he ended up getting another sterling silver crown (he grinds his teeth, and ground through a previous one!) Then he had 3 fillings. It wasn't as bad as I had expected, but it wasn't fun either!! We were there for the majority of the morning, and had to stay extra time because Cam was feeling nauseous (and DID throw up) and just wouldn't stay awake. Note to self: anesthesia makes Cameron nauseous...REMEMBER THIS!!
• Steve is doing marvelously! (Well, if you consider coughing his lungs out marvelous!) He was awake for most of the night last night, but he did get 3 consecutive hours of sleep!! It's not a huge step, but it's a good one! (And I've noticed he's been coughing less....thank heaven for blessings!)
• And Cameron is going to be getting his second sedated MRI next Tuesday. Mom and I are just now starting to get hotel accommodations ready...we're such the procrastinators!
• Oh, and ONE more thing...Dancing with the Stars is back!! YAY!! Mondays now have meaning again...since Heroes is on hiatus! (Poopy on those people who schedule big gaps between cliff hangers!! POO!) And I have a small connection to the show this time: the partner for Apollo Anton Ono is the niece of a man in my mom's ward. (Yeah, not a CLOSE connection, but I can say, "Hey!! I know that gal's uncle!")

Now that the pertinent information is done with...on with the show!

This week's topic is an embarrassing moment. GOSH!! Do I have to pick just ONE!? (hee hee)

Actually, I've had MANY moments in my life...if you ever want to get some dirt on me, just ask my friend Carrie, she's got a TON of stories!! And since she knows most of my embarrassing moments, I'll try to share two that she may not know!

The first one happened the summer I was engaged. My mom and I were getting ready to go to a women's fireside with Janice Kapp Perry. I was going to ask my mom some question, and I knew she was in her bathroom. Now my dad is a carpenter...therefore, he built (and is currently building) his house. Since he's been building the house, there is no door handles on my parents' master bathroom. I didn't think a thing about it, so I wandered into my mom's bathroom, thinking I could ask her the question, and leave. I got MORE than I bargained for! My dad was standing in the middle of the room STARK naked!! I got a view of EVERYTHING!! I immediately turned around, covered my peripheral vision, and went to the living room where I sat down and started silently singing Hymns.

A few minutes later my dad came out of his bathroom to find me on the couch. He was giggling and said, "Huh, you got an eyeful, did ya!?" (I can STILL hear his throat chuckle as he said this to me!!) The whole time he tried to talk to me I REFUSED to look him in the eye!! I mumbled something agreeable, and tried to think HAPPY thoughts!! (And when we went to the fireside, the stake president was on the stand, and I just knew that he could just look at me and know that I had just seen my dad naked...I just knew it!)

The second one just happened THIS week. I was talking with my neighbor. She and I are pretty good friends, and I had substituted in Primary for her and her husband. Her father-in-law is my landlord. So whenever I want to know what's going on with our building, I can talk to her. We started talking about how crappy my apartment is compared to most of the other apartments. I joked that we'd gladly move for a few weeks to get it upgraded. Usually what Gary (our landlord) will do is he'll wait for a family to move out of an apartment and he'll totally remodel the place...new flooring, new paint, new carpeting....

Anyway, she told me that they were currently putting a new floor into apartment #23, and she told me that the place was vacant, and I should just go down and see what they were doing. I got really excited, grabbed my shoes, grabbed Cameron and we were off.

We opened the door, and I noticed the basement door was open, and there was banging coming from the basement. I didn't want to be in there if someone else was too, so I started to grab Cameron's hand when he suddenly yelled out, "ANYBODY HERE!?"

Then an angry man's voice yelled back, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" It sounded like Gary, so I grabbed Cam's hand and we hurried to our van where we promptly left, and I counted to three in my head over and over and over!! I was just mortified!!

The next day I talked to Christy about it, and she was shocked. Gary hadn't been there, and even her HUSBAND told me that no one should have been there. They couldn't imagine someone doing that! Right now it's not so embarrassing, but at the time....ugh!

My Life Monday: The Me Not So Many People Know

This week's topic is REALLY hard for me, mostly because I tell my WHOLE life story on my blog. I thought, well, most people I know (in REAL life) don't know I have phonophobia, but you do....

Most people I know (irl) don't know I have a slipper obsession, but you do....

Most people I know (irl) don't know a lot, they don't know I love Rubba Undies, that I speak my own language (well, some of them do...), or that I'm just weird, but you, my dears, YOU KNOW!!

So I was thinking, early into the morning hours today, what can I share? And I came up with a FEW things!

• I have odd sleeping habits. This may or may not be something you want to know, but it's not what you think! I HAVE to sleep with a little pillow that I can fold, fluff, or whatever. It gets REALLY nasty looking after a while, so I have SEVERAL little throw pillows that I use. I also, sometimes, fall asleep with one of my legs tossed over my husband's sleeping body. It all started when I was pregnant with Cameron. I HAD to have more room between my legs for my growing belly so I got into the habit of tossing my top leg over my husband's hip. It's worked marvelously, unless he's working graveyards, then I have to pile up my blankets and throw my leg over them! Speaking of throwing my leg over my blankets....when I get over-heated at night, I have to throw ONE leg over the blanket onto the outside of the covers...just one. On those rare nights when I'm REALLY warm, I just sleep with NO blankets, whatsoever, but those nights are very RARE!! And just for an odd fact, I MUST MUST MUST sleep with some sort of clothing on! MUST!! (Usually it's just my under clothes, but I have NEVER been able to sleep completely nude...no matter how hot I was, or how long ago it was...must wear clothes!! MUST!!) My final odd sleeping behavior...I snore. Loud and proud, honey!
• I've come to a new point in my life. Most of you know about my struggle with infertility...how we've been trying for a second child now for 5 years, my diagnosis of PCOS, my constant depression over it....for the last week or so I've come to a NEW turn (which may or may NOT last...) I don't really care whether I have more kids or not. I've FINALLY come to that peace I've been looking for. I don't know HOW I got it, but I am at peace! Right now, in my life I just want to enjoy my time with my son (who takes up a LOT of time with his doctor's appointments, his special needs...) and mostly just enjoying quiet times with Steve. In a lot of ways, I just want to enjoy MY family, the three of us. I'm not saying that if I do get pregnant again that I won't love it, but right now, I'm at peace!! (THANK GOODNESS!!)
• I have fairly prophetic dreams. Okay, I'm not saying EVERY dream I have comes true, but more and more, I'm finding that dreams I had, MANY MANY years ago, are coming true. When I was little I dreamed about a house. Not a monster, but a pretty big house. It had brick and green shutters. There was one corner where there was a bush and a window with NO window there. In my dream, I lived in that house. This dream was a LONG time ago...like when I was 10 or 11. LONG time ago. Anyway, that dream came true when my parents built their new house. I may have to find a camera to show you the corner I'm talking about, but when we were moving things into the house I had the WEIRDEST sense of dejá vu. Then I remembered my dream! I've also dreamed about Steve WAY before I met him, Cameron and the problems he has WAY before he was born....And lately I've been having dreams about a little girl who is just a beauty, who is the apple of everyone's eye. Maybe it's one of these prophetic dreams?? Who knows!
• I am a MAJOR worrier. I don't know of anyone in my family who worries like me. (My sister is also a worrier, but she worries about DIFFERENT things...) My worries are really odd, but drive my sweet husband crazy! If he's ever late coming home from work, I will seriously let my mind wander and come up with the craziest scenario! In my mind I'll think, "He's dead, he's been in a huge car accident, and is dying on the side of the road." "He's finally seen what a crazy he's married and he's finally decided to leave me for someone else." "He's been kidnapped! I'll never see him again, because I can't come up with the ransom!" YES, I'm crazy!! None of these have EVER come true, but whenever he's late, and doesn't call...my mind goes insane with worry and uncontrollable fears. (Thankfully, since he's gotten used to my odd behavior he calls!! And it's gotten EVEN better since he takes the cell phone with him!!)
• I have my own form of OCD. It's not diagnosed, but it's still there. I HAVE to count things in threes. When I get upset over something I've said that was stupid, I'll count to three over and over in my head until I feel peace. I MUST have things in place. I can't stand having my socks in my pajama drawer....they must be in the top drawer of my dresser!! My clothes MUST be folded the same way, every time. If they aren't, I'll just do it myself, again!! (This is the reason I don't let Steve fold my laundry...I'm sure it just BREAKS his heart that I have to fold my own laundry...) Yes, I have OCD, what are you going to do about it!?

Okay, a few things that no one really knew about me. I hope it satisfies, because I can't think of anything else I can share without getting to the secrets that I've only ever shared with Steve!! (And will ONLY ever share with him!)

For more My Life Monday stories visit Rachelle's blog!

My Life Monday: Love/Hate Foods

I had a beautiful post written, but do you think Blogger could leave it be for me?? NOPE!! GRRRRRRR.....

There are just a few foods that I hate, just a few: mushrooms (aka "slime-doggers") and seafood. Try to give me either, and I just may puke on you!

If there is miniscule mushrooms, I'll find it, and probably gag. Last Sunday I tried making one of those frozen crock pot meals of stroganoff, but didn't notice, until SUNDAY MORNING, that there were mushrooms in it. Let's just say that Steve, who LOVES mushrooms, didn't like it either! But I did pick out the mushrooms, but anytime I bit into something remotely soggy, I thought it was a mushroom and just couldn't handle it! ICK!

Seafood just tastes and smells fishy! EW!! I like the taste of shrimp, or I did when I was little, but one time I got sick on some shrimp, and I haven't been the same since.
When we go out to restaurants I encourage Steve to get the foods he loves, so I don't have to cook them. It works out pretty well, he gets what he wants, and I don't have to deal with them!

The foods I LOVE are many....but I will only name a few: chocolate and Texas Roadhouse's Chicken Critters.

If you know ANYTHING about me, you already know my cure for PMS....chocolate. When I get even slightly cranky, Steve will ask if he can buy me some Bryer's Brownie Mud Pie Ice Cream. (I've got him trained!) It's so LOADED with chocolate that it's almost a sin...almost! ;)

And Chicken critters!? Oh, I can't get enough of those! Anytime we got to Texas Roadhouse I get the SAME thing: Chicken Critters with extra honey mustard dipping sauce, a loaded baked sweet potato, and a house salad with ranch dressing. Oh, I'm drooling just thinking about it!

If you want to read more MLM's, visit Rachelle's blog!

My Life Monday: The One I Love

Years ago, I was an angry teen-aged monster. I would mope and just be a boar to be around. (This was usually when I was around my family....treat those you love the most the worst...)

Once I was sulking at a family reunion we were having many moons ago, and one of my many aunts noticed. My mom is one of 12 kids...so I have MANY aunts!

Anyway, she walked by me and just said: "Do you know how much I love you?" I stopped right then with my sulking and just stared at her. She didn't say or do anything else, just left me with that thought.

Since this aunt showed me some love, when I'm sure I was pretty hard to love, I've always felt a close relationship with her. She's such a strong lady, and I am constantly amazed by the way she shows her love. It doesn't matter how we act, she loves us.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is that it's easy to love those who are kind and friendly, but it's amazing to love those (of us) who are ornery and grouchy. I've ALWAYS admired and loved this aunt, and I just want to thank her (if she ever reads this) and let her know that her small token of love has profoundly affected me.

Since that comment I've tried to randomly show others that I, too, love them. Sometimes it catches them off guard, but other times...I get THE perfect reaction! Thanks to this aunt for showing me the example of true, pure love!

(Yes, I realize the assignment was to write about somebody you love, but I felt that I needed to remind myself that at one time, I was the somebody that someone loved!)

My Life Monday: Pet Peeves

BLOGGER: I've had such issues with Blogger today...I'm just gonna curse for a minute...bear with me.....(#*%*#&% BLOGGER!!)

I have many pet peeves, but when I can't make the Internet work, UGH! Pet peeve!

EARS: Another thing that just gets my panties in a bunch (to use a favorite saying...) is when anyone...Steve INCLUDED....touches my ears. My ears are OFF limits. I don't know what it is about my ears, but I just cannot stand to have anyone else touch them. I can touch them, heck, I clean them daily! But to get anyone or anything else near them without my expressed permission?? NO WAY!

OCD BEHAVIORS: Not making my tacos in order is another thing that bothers me. YES, I know...I'm in serious need of some therapy....

Tacos must be put together in THIS order:

Refried beans,

Taco Meat, (juiceless is preferable)

Shredded cheese,

Tomatoes,

Lettuce,

then olives and/or sour cream.

I cannot put my tacos together in ANY other order!! Like I said, I know it's weird, but if someone hands me an ingredient OUT of order, I can't do it...it just bugs me!

CARDS: When I'm playing cards I must have them stacked in a straight pile. No cards upside-down, angled or off the pile. When we play M'ou...I get in SO much trouble over that rule!! SO MUCH! My brothers love to mess with me ON PURPOSE when it comes to this obsession I have.

MY NAME: When someone says my name wrong, after being corrected, I have issue with this. Now I understand that "Dawnyel" is not your run of the mill, average name. I GET IT!! But once I correct you, please say it right...my friend's dad, who's known me for 23 years, STILL says it wrong! UGH!! The worst though, is my mother-in-law. Yes, I love her, but she refuses...absolutely, flat-out, REFUSES to call me "Dawnyel," she calls me "Dawn." No matter HOW many times we tell her, "Dawnyel," she still calls me "Dawn!"

NOT ACCEPTING COMPLIMENTS: When you give someone a compliment, and they don't accept it...that's just wrong! I realize that you may NOT feel the way I just mentioned, but geez, take the compliment...say, "Thank you," and be done with it. No need to elaborate, or belittle yourself. BE GRATEFUL!
Okay, there you have it, things that just bother me! If you read Rachelle's list, you will find that I completely agree with her...so there's some MORE! I try not to get easily annoyed, but there are JUST somethings....

My Life Monday: Who I Am

It's baaaaaaaaaaaaaack! And I've missed it!

This week's topic is to define ourselves. Thanks, Rachelle....for giving me something I can really ramble on about!

So, in no particular order:

A Mama: Yes, I prefer this term over "mom," "mother," "mommy," or any other term out there for people like us. Cam is the person I do EVERYTHING for. Without him I honestly don't know what I'd be doing or where I'd be in my life. (Probably going crazy somewhere!)

A Wife/Best Friend: Steve is the FIRST person that I do everything for. We've definitely had our ups and downs, but right now, I can't imagine my life with him any happier.

A Loyal Friend: Throughout my life I've had many friends. Yes, we've fought (some of the fights were even too stupid to remember, really), but we're still as good as we were then. If someone bad mouths my friend I'm there backing them up.

A WEIRD Person: Okay, so if you haven't realized by now, I'm extremely weird. I admit it! I feel that if you're too serious about something, you'll get too bogged down. My philosophy is to live it up, if people call you strange, poo on them!

A Goody-goody: If I do something bad, I will not like who I am. I've ALWAYS been known to be in with the really good kids. (My high school group of friends was SO good, that there were times hanging out that we would end up having a major testimony meeting or deep philosophical discussion!) We were even known to leave a movie if we didn't feel comfortable with what was being shown. Honestly, I haven't really changed that much!

An Infertile Woman: It's not my WHOLE life, but lately it sure seems to take up a major portion of my alone thinking time. When I finally got the diagnosis for PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) I felt relief. I thought for sure that within a few months of taking the medication I would be pregnant, now I know that infertility is a process, a hard one, but something that is with you forever!

A Bubble: This can be many different ways: I've got a bubbly personality...drawing others to me, and I'm shaped a lot like a bubble! There was a General Conference not too long ago where a General Authority talked about accepting the shape you are, whether you're skinny, tall, short, or round. Once he said "round" I stuck my hand up in the air and claimed that shape! I am round! (You could call it fat, but I like "round!")

A Fighter: When I was younger this would have had a totally different meaning. I was the bully in my family. My younger brother and I would CONSTANTLY get into fist fights. Eventually, he got stronger than me...so I stopped! But now I feel that I'm a fighter when it comes to Cam. He's got a lot going on in his life, and I'm the only person who is truly looking out for his needs. I won't accept ANYTHING the school says he needs without letting them know what I think!

Bossy: Okay, so I'm extremely bossy!! It must come from being an oldest child. Sadly, my husband and son are also oldest children....imagine the fun we have in OUR house!

A Chatter-box: Sometimes this label is not such a good thing. I know that there are times when I'll say something without REALLY thinking about what I'm saying. But I've slowly learned over the years to slow down a bit and think before I speak. This is something that I'm working on!

A Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: This is the thing that I hold most precious in my life. All that I have I owe to being a member of my church. It defines what I do with my life on a daily basis. I am who I am because of the morals and beliefs that I've grown up with.

A Sarcastic Person: I wish you could use tones of voice when you type...I am SO sarcastic that sometimes when I type something, people will take me seriously...please NEVER do that...I'm mostly being highly sarcastic! I used to be TOO sarcastic, but as I get older I'm learning when to be serious and when to be sarcastic.

There really is SO much more to me, but if you know these few things, you have a general idea of who I am, what I stand for and why I say what I do.

If you want to play along, go ahead...but I'm warning you....it's very hard!

My Life Monday

Yes, I'm back...and do I ever have some stories to share with you! But first...it's Monday, and MLM is back! YAY!

This week's topic is jobs we've labored at. (Being Labor Day and all...) So, without anymore distractions:

1. Babysitting at a daycare. I know some of you are wondering if this is a real job....well, when you're 16 and not doing much else, it is. I was actually a permanent babysitter for this couple and they just happened to own a daycare center as well. So whenever they got shorthanded they'd call me up and have me fill in. There were so many fun memories of babysitting there: finger-dancing, getting beans stuck in kid's ears, telling kids wild tales that have probably sent them into YEARS of therapy....yeah, I was THE best babysitter!

Finger-dancing came about because some of the girls who were at the daycare knew I was in drill team and they constantly begged me to dance with them. Usually I was wiped out with watching multiple kids at once, so I made up this thing where I bend and pointed my fingers in a "fancy" way. They loved it and anytime I saw them after that, they'd call out my name, and begin to finger-dance.

The bean in ears thing was actually not something that happened while I was there, but it happened because I was there. Let me explain. I learned a cheesy magic trick where I can make a penny "magically" come out of an ear. When the kids were restless and wanted something to entertain themselves with it was a lifesaver. I did the trick and as you'd expect the kids ooh-ed and aah-ed. Their eyes bulged and they were IMPRESSED. One night a little boy decided he wanted to show his parents the trick, but he didn't have a penny, so he substituted a bean. As you can imagine, the bean got stuck in the kid's ear, and they had to take him to the emergency room to get it taken out. After that I always managed to slip in a disclaimer, that they COULDN'T do this trick at home!

It wasn't a big job, but it was something that got me some extra cash every once in a while.

2. Short-order cook at Kmart. I was almost done with high school and my parents were not thrilled with my non-job status, so I went down the street to the local Kmart and applied there. I didn't hear back from them, so I hounded the lady who was in charge of hiring. Eventually she gave in and hired me to work in the eatery. It wasn't much, but it was a job. I learned a lot of quick cooking tricks, and had a fun time there. (I even met my friend's husband while working there...although, I was the one who had a crush on the guy first.) Eventually I worked my way out of that corner of the store to work on the floor in clothing. (NOT fun!) But even with being out on the floor, I still was sucked BACK to that eatery. When I went to ISU I wanted to keep working one day a month there so I could come back during the summer, but they just decided to stop scheduling me all together. I can't say that I'm sad about it, but dang it, I wanted those snazzy buttons that I had collected! Oh, well...

3. Secretary for a carpet cleaning company. When my husband and I were engaged I had applied at multiple places for a job, but had no luck. Finally one day after we had been married for a while my mom was talking with the secretary for my dad's shop. She and her husband had bought out another man's contract with ServiceMaster Carpet Cleaning, and they needed a secretary. I was asked to bring in my resume, and was pretty much hired on the spot. It was a fun job...when there was stuff to do. They had me go through all of the old contracts and call the people to see if they wanted to continue to get their cleaning through us, I cleaned out the files and re-filed everything in their office, and answered phone calls. It was super boring after that. There were the few times when they needed extra help cleaning a smoke damaged home, and I was called out to help. (Have I mentioned my non-cleaning genes?) Those times I actually got to talk with other people and make new friends. It was really a good job. But when they found out I was pregnant with Cam they told me that they were really just looking for a bookkeeper, and they would keep me on the cleaning team, but they were worried about the chemicals and me being pregnant.

4. Stay-at-home-mom. This is my DREAM job! The glamorous days of lounging around my house in my pj's and slippers, sipping cocoa, and eating bon bons...who could ask for more!? HA! Okay, so it's DANG hard work, but I really love doing it. Taking care of my family gives me great pride! I love not having to send my son off to someone else's care...he's MINE for the time he's not at school or therapy. It's what I've always wanted to do, and I'm grateful that I can!

5. Doormat...uh, I mean...Babysitter. As most of you know, I'm the babysitter for 3 families...but that equals 4 extra kids. So far it's not been too bad, but once the kids get mobile, watch for the updates! :)

That's it, I haven't done much, but I've done something!

My Life Monday...or is it EVERYDAY??

Our topic for this week was to tell about the family we grew up in. (Rachelle, HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THESE??) So, here goes nothing.
I am the oldest of 6 quite obnoxious and sometimes hilarious kids. My mom and dad got married when they were just out of high school (after my dad had proposed like 6 different times!) I was born 10 months after their wedding. My dad was always working hard while we were growing up, and so I really didn't know much about him. Our favorite times with dad were after he got home from work. Usually two of us would straddle his legs and untie his boots and pull them off. We were always rewarded with a grunt of satisfaction and maybe a tickle fight where we'd cry out in pain from laughing so hard. I really had a great childhood. I don't think I was denied in anyway!
I have 4 brothers, which was cause for NO survivors when it came to Barbies. I think every Barbie I EVER had became decapitated within minutes of being out of the box. But, thanks to these brothers, I have lots of funny memories.
My oldest, younger brother is Shad. He was always a sweetheart, if not a bit gullible. He really couldn't help himself though. He has Asperger Syndrome which is a VERY mild form of autism. The sad thing, is that we didn't get his diagnosis of this until he was in high school. For years they thought the boy had ADD. He is brilliant in any sciences and an AMAZING artist. He was always tender-hearted and had difficulties making GOOD friends, but he's now the "black sheep" of my family. After coming home from his mission, he joined the Marines, attempted suicide to get out of boot camp, and now has some drug, alcohol, and smoking issues. I love the boy, he's my brother, how could I not? I just hope that he goes back to being the sweet boy I remember growing up.
My second oldest, younger brother is Daren. Daren and I were so close in personality growing up that we COULD NOT stand to be around one another. For years and years I would beat on him (I'm the oldest, it's my perogative!) And my mom always told me that he would grow up to be bigger than me and would turn around and beat ME up. Eventually, it happened like she said. After a rough couple of teen-age years, he left home for the summer and we learned that we really do love one another and we have been good friends since. Daren was hit by a car when he was 2 years old, and we always teased him that it flipped a switch in his head. He went from being all BOY to loving My Little Ponies and playing with girls. Despite his love of "girlie" toys, he's a funny and amazing young man. He was always the more responsible sibling in our family, and it's carried through to adulthood. People would ALWAYS think that Daren was older than Shad, they still do! He was my childhood nemesis!
My only sister is Michelle. Whatever I'm not, woman-wise, she is. She's the complete perfectionist. (I'm only aspiring!) She's picky, I'm relaxed...she's got a GORGEOUS complexion, I'm always breaking out....She's girlie, I'm kinda boyish....The list goes on and on. Living in a smaller home, the girls had to share a bedroom. So, Michelle was my constant roomie. We shared a bed for a while, and eventually we ended up with similar bedroom habits. We were both fairly cluttered bedroom keepers. Her bedroom NOW is spotless (I'm thinking it's more her husband than her, but who knows!) And my bedroom has piles of stuff all over the place. See, we're still polar opposites!! About nine years ago, my beautiful sister was burned very severely and had to have skin grafts. She still has bumpy arms from where she had the surgeries, but she's become a better person thanks to this experience. There are many times we don't see eye to eye, but we will ALWAYS be close!

My next brother is Doug. Doug has always been a LARGE child. He was 11 pounds 7 ounces when he was born...(my mom DID NOT have a C-section...he was all natural!) I remember the day he was born too. My mom's water had broken and she was standing over a towel in our bathroom. I was confused (I was only 7 years old!) And I told her that the toilet was right there. She laughed at me and told me that it wasn't what I thought it was. When my aunt came to tell us the news that we had a brother she said, holding her arms out as far as they'd go, "You have a brother, and he's this big!" My thought was "Whoa!!" Fortunately, he wasn't THAT big, but he's a large guy! Doug was always the diffuser/peacemaker in our home. When there were disagreements, or whenever I got punished, he'd be right there, arms out wide ready to give a hug! He STILL comes to us when we seem upset, arms open and ready to give comfort! He's like a giant teddy bear!

My youngest brother is Braiden (aka BJ). Braiden is 2 weeks shy of being exactly 10 years younger than me. He was often the butt of our jokes. We'd do things to him that I'm not really proud of. There was the time we convinced him we were all vampires, pointing out our very sharp eye teeth! Then there was the time we fed him a baby worm out of the sand box. The poor kid was always doing things that he really didn't want to do. And since he was the baby of the family he was spoiled...rotten! He wasn't just spoiled by my parents though, I was guilty as well! If he had a choice of who he got to sit with, he'd pick me. We had a special bond, that some days can be fun, and can also be annoying! He is notorious for licking people! Yes, he licks us! (He just licked my mom a few weeks ago!) He's a very good looking kid and he knows it!

Growing up in this brood was fun at times, and down-right hard at others. We'd stick up for each other, and we'd also be the cause of one another's pain. Some of my favorite memories come from times when it was late at night and we'd pile on my mom's bed and listen to her tell stories about when she was younger. We'd laugh or have some sweet heart-to-heart talks there. We were at times each other's best friends, at others, our worst enemies. I think it was a very typical large family life. I learned so much from this family (I still learn from them now!) And I wouldn't change anything.

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I didn't post what I was going to do today for Primary, and now I'm thinking I should have planned things out a bit more! It's a new month, meaning we learn a new song today! I don't know what it was about Junior Primary, but they were all wound higher than a kite. ACK! I attempted to teach the song, "Tell Me, Dear Lord," but it did not sink in. We're going to be reviewing this one again in a few weeks...whether they like it or not!

My Life Monday/Dweeb Awards

For My Life Monday, Rachelle gave us the option of choosing our own topic. I’m SO excited for this...I’m going to tell you ALL my favorite things.
My favorite food is choco...
Announcer: We interrupt this post for our FIRST ever Dweeb Awards. Presenting tonight will be none other than Dawnyel.
Thank you, Bob! I'm so excited to be presenting here tonight!

In our first ever "Dweeb" awards we’ll be presenting some pretty impressive awards. So get ready, because here we go!
First up, in the category of best belly flop, the Dweeb goes to ME!! *wiping away my tears* Thank you all for your votes! *sniff* I couldn’t have done it without my mom. She IS the one who bought and mostly inflated the slip-n-slide. I also couldn’t have done it without Cameron, well, I guess I could have, but it just wouldn’t have been the same.
And now for the clip:
My mom had just bought a brand new slip-n-slide. It was a hot afternoon and I was anxious to see the exact size of the thing. So being very motivated, I pulled it out of the box and got to work setting it up. Slip-n-Slides have come a LONG way since I was younger, now they have inflatable sides and room at the end for a semi-wading pool. They’re still really fun and most are still bright yellow, but that’s where the similarities end. I attempted to blow the dang thing up by mouth. My lung capacity has diminished over the years...I guess you could call me a wimp. I tried and tried to get it to work and my mom suggested that I use an inflator from the trailer. I hurried in and quickly came back with the electric pump that was supposed to work on anything that needed inflating. I pulled it out of the box and the universal attachment was NOT there. But I was NOT going to give up. I hurried back and found a manual inflator and tried to get that working, it didn’t. By this time, my mom who was watching the whole thing from her perch on the porch was laughing at my feeble attempts. I gave up with the inflators and tried to use my mouth. OUCH! My cheeks hurt so bad after just a few minutes of huffing and puffing. Finally, my mom had enough of watching me fail, and came to rescued me. She blew most of the slide up, and I finished setting it up for the test run. Cameron was WAY excited to get wet. Once the water was on, he was running across the mat. He didn’t slide on his belly the way that I remember doing it as a child, so I told him, "Cam...this is how you do it. Watch me!" After getting his attention, I geared up for the "run." (Okay, so I don’t run...it was more like a quick walk!) I got my "running" start and took off for the slide, threw my arms above my head, and dove (belly-first) onto the slide. Now, usually when you do something like that on a WET slip-n-slide you move...at least a little, but that wasn’t the case for me. I completely flopped and halted. There was no slipping OR sliding involved...just flopping. And I found that I couldn’t move. I just stayed in that position for a few seconds, but it seemed a LOT longer. The first sensation was instant pain. My gut felt like I had left part of it IN the ground. The next sensation I experienced was loud laughter coming from behind me. My mom and youngest brother had witnessed the WHOLE thing and could NOT stop laughing. Not only was I in pain, but I was a bit embarrassed by the whole thing. My belly and my pride were hurt that night.
Thanks for that clip...now, our next Dweeb in the category of completely missing the directions for something goes to...*gushing* would you look at that...it’s me again!
*Sobbing* You LOVE ME!! You REALLY love me!!
Show that clip!!
As I was rolling up the slip-n-slide with my sister I noticed that there was a warning on the top part of the slip-n-slide. Not just on the box, but ON the slide itself. It read: "Not for use by adults...Not for use by persons taller than 5 feet or weighing more than 110 pounds..." If I had read that BEFORE my belly flop, I would have saved myself some pretty serious pain...both physically and emotionally! So much for reading the directions completely!
For our final Dweeb of the night, we award the wittiest come-back by someone...would you look at that! It’s a clean sweep everyone!! The winner is ME!!
*clutching the "Dweeb"* Thank you! Thank you!! This time, I’d have to thank the tobacco companies and those people who do cancer studies. They are the WHOLE reason I came up with my quick response! I feel so honored! These "Dweebs" will sit on a special shelf for years! And each time I pull them out I’ll think of your votes!
And now, for the winning clip!!
My younger brother was walking around my parent’s house looking for something to drink. He had just come back into the house from smoking his usual cigarette. He was talking to Cameron and he found some orange juice in the fridge. He poured himself a LARGE glass, and feeling like he was educating Cam he said, "Drinking orange juice prevents cancer! You should drink it!" I had to stifle my laughter, but I managed. Then I came back with, "Yeah, but cigarettes CAUSE cancer!" He looked at me, said nothing and walked away. I couldn’t help but be proud of that one! What does he think? That drinking orange juice will cancel out the cigarettes he’s smoked? If that’s the case, it would be one gallon of orange juice to one cigarette...the guy BETTER get drinking!
That’s all for our Dweebs! We hope you have a great night! And remember to drink that orange juice! It prevents cancer, ya know!

My Life Monday....according to Dawnyel

This week's installment will be a bit different for me! Instead of doing the normal assignment, I'm going to revamp it according to my own needs. So today, will be a tribute to my husband AND all of the other fathers in my life, along with a fun update of my weekend. For those of you who aren't my frequent readers, please excuse my rambling.
This is my husband and my son. Okay, so my picture turned out VERY washed out, but it's SO cute! I couldn't resist posting it! Steve is a wonderful daddy to Cameron. He's always helping him learn new things and the proper way to behave. There are days when the two of them will be on the same wave length and they'll torture me with tickles and that sort of thing, but I try to let it go as their male bonding time.
Steve LOVES the theater and has just recently tried out for our area's fall musical, Oliver. He's anxiously awaiting the assigning of the parts. I don't really enjoy it when he does these plays. I NEVER see the guy, but it makes him happy. And as long as he limits himself to one play a year, I'm okay with him pursuing his passion!
Steve and Cameron are A LOT alike. They have the same facial features and general look to them. They pull the same faces when they're being mischievous. My first reaction to seeing Cameron for the first time was, "He looks like Steve!" So now we call Cam, Mini-me! I love both of my guys SO MUCH! And I'm glad I managed to find a good daddy for Cam!
This is my dad! He is only 20 years older than me, so people have a hard time believing that he's my dad. When I was younger we didn't get along so well. We both have a stubborn streak that is HUGE! My favorite thing to do was to see how far I could push my dad without getting into trouble...hence, I got in trouble a lot!
He's such a funny guy! His sense of humor is one that if you don't pay attention, you may miss it! A few weeks ago my younger brother asked my dad where the best place to shoot a gun was. (He and a friend were going to shoot targets.) And my dad, without missing a beat, replied, "Outside!" See, it's there, but you have to wait for it. Most people who know him, don't know he's that funny...he usually saves it for people he knows really well!
He is an avid hunter and fisherman, but he can't do those things as often as he'd like, because he owns his own carpentry shop. He works really hard to keep it going so he can support his family.
He's always teaching me things. Yesterday he was teaching me the finer points of NASCAR! He's a great teacher!
He is also THE AWESOMEST grandpa EVER! Cameron will do ANYTHING for him. If we go to an event where quiet is required, if Cam sits with grandpa, he's as quiet as anything. If grandpa tells him to do something, even if he's been told repeatedly by someone else, he'll do it. I don't know what it is about grandpa, but he is the MAN!! I love my dad, even if I'm a brat sometimes!
This is my dad's dad...MY grandpa H! He has gone through SO much in his life. He, too, is young. For as long as I've known him, he's had a full beard. I've been told that when I was younger, he shaved it off. I was so used to it, that I didn't recognize him, and ever since he's had the beard.
He's a father of 8 children, and he worries over their happiness CONSTANTLY! He cares and he shows it any time we talk to him.
My grandpa has instilled in his kids the same loves that he has. He loved to hunt and fish. He still does those things, but not like he used to!
He's showed me the power that the gospel can have in someone's life. He was an alcoholic for years and years. Then, before my grandma died, he stopped drinking and has been faithful for years. He has a form of macular degeneration called star garts, so basically, he's blind. He just celebrated his 3rd anniversary with his wife, and is a very happy man, for the most part. He's got this laugh that just makes me smile. It's huge, bubbly, and warm! He's a great man and I love him a lot!

This is my mom's dad...my grandpa F. He's starting to show his age a bit. He's the stereo-typical grandpa: round, bald/gray, and constantly forgetting what he's talking about. He'll start telling us a story, that he just finished telling. When he does this it makes us giggle! He's the father of 12 kids. He loves to tell people stories about his family, or when he was growing up. He's FULL of really interesting tidbits and stories! My grandpa F is an avid journal keeper. He's got years and years of journals piled up. I love to just sit and listen to his stories, they are so fun (and often entertaining!)

I love my grandpa F...he's a real family man. For years and years he worked TWO jobs to support all of those kids he had! Now he's retired and keeps a perfect lawn. Recently he's started to have health problems, so he's cut back his yard work. Fortunately he has grandchildren who look out for him now!

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Now for the update of MY weekend! We had so much fun with my tie-cutting idea! The kids LOVED it! The whole thing just got them more wild than usual, but they sang! YES!! One teacher commented to me that we should do that ALL the time. It's the best her class has sung ALL year long! The tie now lies at the bottom of the trash barrel in the primary room, although some kids wanted me to give it back to the teacher to save, since it was his favorite tie! I loved it! We sang Daddy's Homecoming and the Dearest Names for sacrament meeting and they sounded good, but they didn't do all of the actions...oh, well! At least they sang!
My poor hubby had to work a LOT this weekend. They've given him graveyard shifts on the weekends, so he hasn't been to church for a month! He really misses it and I wish he could get it fixed so that he could come more often.
One of my friends had a REALLY good weekend this week. She's been having a lot of problems, but FINALLY this weekend they were resolved! I'm so happy for her! Things are finally turning around to where she can handle them! I'm so happy for her. She was so happy, that she called me last night before she went to bed and told me all of the details! YAY!! I love it when my friends are happy!

My Life Monday

This week's topic is a favorite childhood toy.

This topic is hard for me. I played more with nothing than I did with something, so I'd have to say my favorite childhood toy was my imagination.

As you may know by now, I have a strange title for my personal blog. The inspiration for my title comes from using my "toy" when a friend and I would pretend we were wearing giant invisible rubber underwear. But we did more than just wear invisible underwear...

For many many years my family lived in an apartment in the very bar-ridden section of my down town hometown. Our only "neighbors" were those bars or restaurants. I only knew other kids through family activities or through church. So when my parents told me that we would be moving into a house I was excited for the adventure of playing with other kids who lived nearby. The first week we were in our new home, the neighbor lady came by to welcome us and to introduce her two daughters to me. I couldn't have been more happy or excited! The one that was closer to my own age had hidden herself behind her mother and peeked around her mother's legs. Her brown hair was cut short and she had HUGE brown eyes. That was my first memory of Carrie. Soon enough we became the best of friends.

I learned early on that Carrie had an amazing imagination. She'd come up with things that would boggle my small, untested mind. One of our favorite activities would be marking out our front lawns to make mansions for ourselves. And since we could have things any way we wanted, our mansions were AWESOME! Many times we'd change things up a bit so that we could have any room we wanted, or do anything that we wanted: our mansions had elevators and hundreds of floors. Along with these mansions we had imaginary families. I remember vividly wandering around our yards with our hands tightly fisted...we were pushing our babies in their strollers. We'd often give one another tours of our "homes," just because they would change so much during the weeks! We had SO much fun just imagining our perfect environments and lives. Those are times that will ALWAYS stay with me! I may not remember the exact details of what we did, but the feelings of happiness and contentment will be with me forever.

Now, don't think of me as a crazy lady, I did play with "real" toys as well: my Cabbage Patch doll, My Little Ponies, Strawberry Shortcake, my bean bag doll...but my imagination would have to be my FAVORITE "toy!" It's what has brought me the most fun remembering my childhood.

To see or read other MLM participants visit Rachelle's blog.

My Life Monday

The topic for this week was to take a picture of something (not someone) that has meaning to you and describe why it does. I feel like I'm a complicated person, so I thought and thought about something that could EASILY describe me! (See, I'm not really so complicated!) And the ONLY thing I could think of was these:And these:
And these:
And these:
I couldn't pick just ONE of these to describe me...I had to use them all! I am a very relaxed and laid back person. If I go somewhere I expect to be able to kick up my heels and relax. I try to make my home that way. I like living in a place that feels lived in and comfortable. My home should be my retreat against the world and so I try to make it that way. So for me to totally relax, I wear my slippers. I've heard that most women have shoe fetishes, I have slipper fetishes. If I could wear slippers everywhere I would! (And I often do anyway!) Some people have even come to think of me as being a slipper lady. Comfort and relaxation are my goals, so I try to make my life reflect that!

To read other My Life Mondays you could go to Rachelle's blog (I hope!)

My Life Monday

Since I was gone for most of Monday, I'm posting this a little late!
The topic is: In memory of....

This is my father's parents. This post is in memory of my beautiful grandmother H. She died August 25, 1999. She wasn't very old when she died, only 58, but she led a very filling life. She had colon cancer and she lived for over a year past her initial diagnosis. Her last year was an eye opener for me.
My grandma LOVED life. She was an outdoors woman that taught me to love the outdoors. She loved fishing, hunting, camping and just being outside. Thanks to her I have MANY memories of camp outs with my family and names for things that probably shouldn't be called what she called them. One of my favorite memories involves the place we went camping this weekend. She had to go to the bathroom, and the only facilities around was a small outhouse down the road. She HATED spiders and if there was a chance that one would be around, she'd take preventative measures (many times, me!) She grabbed my hand and told me that we needed to take a walk to the "pinky-stinky!" So, for many many MANY years I called outhouses "pinky-stinkies!"
I was her oldest grandchild and I have memories of her for as long as I can remember. I can remember coming to her aid time and time again when she'd find a spider (I was her spider killer) and I remember her outside of her home without shoes. The woman hated shoes of any kind and had the funniest flip-flops I'd ever seen. There was no top to them, just the soles! It was one of her prized finds! She only wore the things a few times, but it was funny to see her coming toward us, barefooted...except she wasn't really!
Going to her house, I would be assaulted with smells. Smells of yummy food and cigarette smoke. She was a smoker until about 3 or 4 years before she died. So for a long time the smell of cigarette smoke was a comfort to me, now it just makes me gag!
One of the funniest things about my grandma was her love of the color orange. EVERYTHING in her house was orange, from the carpet in her living room, to the laminate in her kitchen. When I think of her house '70's orange is the color that comes to mind! She loved collecting things too. She had a small bookcase filled with Garfield toys, her fridge was covered in magnets, and she had spoons and knick knacks on her walls. She was a mother to 8 kids. Many of them have inherited her sense of humor. My dad told me that one of her famous sayings was one that my own mother adopted when we got too obnoxious. "I'm going to change my name to a bad word, so when you say it I can slap you!" Of course, since it was from my grandmother, she'd actually put in the swear word, but I'm not a swearing person, so I've omitted it! But she was very funny and passed that quality onto her family.
One of the best memories I have of her happened a few months before we found out she had cancer. She was a bus driver for the local school district and she even taught driver's ed for CDLs! She was an amazing driver! Every year she'd have to go to Boise for the state bus driver meetings and that year she asked me to go. We had so much fun. She told me stories of her growing up years and we giggled like little girls. That trip will ALWAYS be a highlight in my life!
Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to have my grandmother come to my wedding. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I knew I wanted to be married in the temple and I also knew that she wasn't able to go because she had several faults that prevented it. So on that trip to Boise I let her know that I wanted her there. Shortly after that she and my grandpa became active once again in the church and a year before I got married they were able to go themselves! After I met Steve, she drilled him with questions about what our lives would be like and how many kids we'd have. I was happy to know that she approved of him and that she'd be able to go to my wedding. We set our wedding date for early August, but unfortunately, things weren't working out, so we had to move the date back to October. She died the end of August and I was heartbroken. I wanted her there badly! We had been praying for her to be released from the pain of her small, broken body, so it was a relief, but all the same I was upset she wouldn't be there. On my wedding day, I was blessed to know that she was there in spirit. There was an empty seat beside my grandpa and I knew that she was there!
I love and miss my grandmother. There are days when I think about her ornery attitude and I see it in Cam or feel it in myself. She was a wonderful woman and I dearly, dearly miss her!

To Read OTHER MLMs go to Rachelle's blog.

What's in a Name?

My life Monday this week is: My parents named me __________ because . . .

*Sounding very much like a junior high English paper...* My parents named me Dawnyel because my mom liked the name Danielle, but it was too popular in her opinion, so she revamped the spelling and pronunciation and came up with Dawnyel (pronounced ‘don-yell.’) She tells me that she came up with my name when she was 16 years old and she was able to use it a few short years later when I was born. (She was only 18 when she had me.)
Growing up with that name was a difficult thing. I was called all kinds of things that weren’t even CLOSE to what my name really is. I was called: Donell, Donkeyell, Dogsmell, Darnell, D’nell, Dougyell and many other variations of those names. My rubbaundiesluva partner in crime, Carrie, was notorious for coming up with new nicknames for me almost weekly. I can’t even remember all of the things she called me while we were growing up. Most of her nicknames had NOTHING whatsoever to do with variations on my name, but her own creations. While I was in school I really HATED my name. It was too hard for substitute teachers to pronounce correctly and WAY too easy for other kids to make fun of.

Growing out of school I have slowly come to LOVE my name. I appreciate now that I had a UNIQUE name and not just a regular name that would force me to use my last initial for differentiating between me and others. As the years go by I have actually run into other people who’s name is pronounced the same way as mine (there’s even a professional basketball player who’s name is the same as mine...but he’s MALE!) But no one, yet, has the same spelling and pronunciation as my mother’s creative attempts!

As a funny side note...I was reading someone else's MLM and she put up a link to find out what your name means about you...I did my own name and it TOTALLY describes me! I'm shocked!!

To read other MLMs go to Rachelle's blog!

My Life Monday

Week 2 is here. Topic? How I met my spouse....this ought to be fun!!

I was attending ISU in Pocatello. I lived in the dorms at the top of the hill and I attended the LDS Institute at the bottom of the hill. It really wasn't that long of a walk, but there were nights it seemed long. I had no money for living there, but I knew in my heart that the Lord wanted me there...so I could meet my future husband. I knew it would only happen if I lived in Pocatello, and not somewhere else commuting!
I have always loved singing. Since I was little music has been one of my FAVORITE things! I was in the Institute's choir and loved it. The Institute presidency decided to put on a musical of sorts that spring, and desperately needed a choir for back up. So our teacher, Brother Homer, volunteered all of his choirs for the job. We practiced and practiced the music. One night at practice I was talking with my friend, and a guy sitting behind us put his two cents in. I turned around to see who it was and I laid my eyes on the cutest guy I had ever seen. He was tall, blonde, and handsome. I immediately knew that this was the man I would marry. I know it sounds corny, but I just knew! (Thanks to Rachelle for putting it into words for me!) My spirit recognized his. I had actually dreamed about the boy growing up and knew that he was the man for me. As soon as I glimpsed his face I turned back around and whispered to my friend that I thought he was cute!! We giggled, naturally, and tried to focus on practicing our songs. Another night when practice was over, I went with another one of my friends and stood by as this man that I knew I wanted to spend time with asked HER out on a date. She had just sent her missionary off and was a bit gun shy, but she agreed to go. As soon as he left she begged me to go along with her on this date. I happily agreed. I then told her that I really liked this guy and wanted to go out with him and she was all for helping us get to that point.

Our musical came and we performed really well...we were the heavenly choir! After the musical we got together and went on the "date." Now, Steve wasn't expecting to take 10 girls out with him on this date, but that is what he got. When we got to the theater, the girl he liked was on one side and I was on the other. By this time he and I had gotten to know one another better, and I became his confidant. If he wondered what he should do to help get Tricia to like him...he'd ask me. After the movie, his entourage followed him to the Institute building for a weekly Friday night dance. We got there with about an hour left. As we were chatting in our group, one of my ALL time favorite songs came on...Tim McGraw's Don't Take the Girl. When the song started I began to literally JUMP up and down screaming that it was my favorite song. Steve didn't know what had hit him...but we were dancing together. (All of my friends had pushed the two of us together!) As we danced he sang the words to me and we discussed what the song means. I was on cloud nine!! After dancing with him we went back to the group and I got the look from most of my friends as if they were saying, "You go, girl!!" The last song came on for the dance and without prodding this time he asked me to dance. We danced and discussed his mission. I jokingly told him that if he missed Minnesota that much he should go back. He looked hurt and asked me if I really wanted him to go back. I looked into those gorgeous blue eyes and said, "no."

That week my friends couldn't get me to shut up about the guy! I had never been so twitterpated before and I think I was annoying them. On Sunday afternoon I was helping out in the kitchen for a dinner that our ward was having and I was telling one friend what Steve looked like and how much I liked the guy when she casually asked, "You mean that guy?" And she pointed to the window in the door and I saw his smile. I could have melted into a puddle of goo if he hadn't been around watching me! I let him in and we talked for a while and then he left. Shortly after that he came to my dorm room to ask me if he should give Trish flowers or if he was moving too fast. I was completely biased, but I said he was moving too fast and that she really was in love with her missionary and he should find someone else to pursue.

Not long after that I asked the boy if he wanted to go to the SUB with me to see a movie. He agreed and we had decided to meet at the SUB. After making the plans I found out that the movie I wanted to see wasn't there yet, so I hurried down the hill to get him and bring him to my room so that a group of us could watch a movie and then go to the dance. I remember seeing him and my heart skipping a beat. Then when I got to him he gave me a huge bear hug and I just breathed him in! (He smelled yummy!!) I told him the situation and we hurried to my friend's room to get her and her date. While we were there Steve wanted to confirm some plans with another friend about going to General Conference, so he used her phone. While he was talking with his friend Dan, his tongue slipped and he called him "Dawn!" (My college friends called me that...so much shorter than Dawnyel!) I was ecstatic!

That night was a WONDERFUL night. We learned that we had a LOT in common. We talked and talked and had such fun! As we were chatting on the stairs he told me that he wished I was going with him to Salt Lake. I told him I had plans to see my family for Easter and I was driving home as soon as the dance was over. He told me to be careful and I sarcastically said, "No, I'm going to get into an accident!" A serious look came over him and he told me that if that happened there was no way he could get to see me. He told me that he'd have to beg his friend to take him to the hospital where a girl he liked was in the hospital. (Awwww.....) I was goo from then on!

There were many, many more experiences with him, but these are a few of the fun ones. From then on we were inseparable and after dating for a month and a half we were engaged and after knowing one another for 8 months we married. I know, I know....we moved fast, but when things are right, they're right! I love this man and I'm so glad that the Lord led me to him at that time in my life! I don't know what I'd be without him!

My Life Monday

Rachelle from Ramblings of a tired teacher (and mom) going mad has started this new idea for my life Mondays. The first topic is my most memorable experience and I have a doozy!!

When I was 12, I went with my family to one of my brother's scout activities. Every month the scouts have an activity where the whole family is invited to go and this was usually held at the church. We ended up in the Primary room (on the teeny tiny chairs) and we had to stand up to do the watermelon cheer. For the watermelon cheer, everyone holds an imaginary piece of watermelon and takes bites all across the top, then you proceed to "spit" out the seeds. It was really fun. Anyway, after we had done the cheer they asked us to sit back down. My younger brothers and one of their friends were sitting behind me and they just started laughing...I thought it was because they enjoyed the cheer...boy, was I wrong!

As I started to sit I noticed that my chair seemed shorter than the other chairs around me. I kept going and going until finally my butt hit the floor with such force that there was an enormous CRACK! Someone had pulled the chair out from underneath me. I was in instant pain, with those tears that just seem to come when the pain hits. I was crying pretty hard and my brother and his friend were just laughing at me. Since they were laughing so hard at me I figured that they had been the culprits who had pulled the chair out from underneath me. I was VERY embarrassed, so I quickly left the room. I went to get into our suburban, but my butt hurt too badly to even climb into or on anything. So instead of riding home with my family...I walked. (Before you get to feeling sorry for me walking home in pain, I only lived a block away from the church!) That night I was complaining to my mom that I couldn't sit down. As I went to bed I couldn't even lay down on my back...the pain was that bad. I had to sleep on my belly all night.

The next day I went to see the doctor. He checked me out (how embarrassing...literally bare bottomed) and he concluded that I had broken my tailbone. There really isn't a cast for that kind of break, so I was told to sit on pillows and take some painkillers and it would eventually heal itself. It was quite a miserable time until that did heal.

For YEARS I thought that my one brother and his friend were the ones behind my broken behind, but just recently (about 3 years ago...11 years after initially breaking the thing) I found out that it was my OTHER brother. He was about 5 when it happened. He felt so bad that he hurt me (and probably worried that I would murder him if I knew it was him) that he kept it a secret for 11 years! When I found out I didn't get upset...like he thought I would....I laughed and laughed. He's such a tenderhearted guy that I could just imagine him feeling bad for all of those years about hurting his big sister. He still feels bad about it to this day...the poor kid will be 20 next month!

This is just one of the many klutzy moments I had growing up, but it was definitely one of the most memorable!