I just watched a video of Jasmine Star, an incredible wedding photographer, and her husband JD, who shoots with her. They were at Disneyland with two friends, Amy and David Wenzel, and afterwards Amy made them a video documenting JD and Jasmine specifically throughout their day at Disneyland. For some reason this video touched me a lot and I actually strongly considered commenting on the video, even though Jasmine gets hundreds of comments on each post she makes and surely does not have time to read them all.
But this video really made me reflect on attitude and what a big difference it makes in a person. I have a hard time having a great attitude all the time, probably for a lot of reasons. One reason is that I strive for the best and if the circumstances aren't the best, rather than making the best of them, I get bummed because they aren't the best. Or when I do bust my butt trying to make the best of what I've been given it still falls short. Also, I don't like smiling unless I'm laughing a lot because I have really big cheeks and smiling makes my face look even fatter. But this video made me think about which is worse- smiling and looking fat (neither Jasmine nor JD do, btw) or not allowing yourself to smile and missing out on happiness- and therefore on life? Plus, if I were happier, it would probably be much easier to be skinnier because I would be more inclined to be more active and not waste calories eating junk because I would feel better and have more self-confidence and drive to actively push myself away from that stuff.
Jasmine is always inspirational, and I am constantly amazed by her infinite LOVE of life and her jaw-droppingly attractive personality and attitude. But it took seeing Jasmine, as well as her and JD's relationship, through Amy's eyes to make me realize the absolute need for change in my life.
Okay, Goals...
- Smile more!
- Don't eat sweets. I'm stronger than them!
- Build myself up more.
- Be more patient and more loving with Kevin. He's so incredible and works SO HARD.
- Compliment Kevin to other people more. To avoid mushiness I try not to accolade him in front of other people, especially those who are single, but too often I tend to go to an extreme and publish what I'm annoyed with that he's done in the moment, NOT trying to be mean about it, but just- feeling the need to let the frustration out in a way other than letting it out on him. But now I know I can be grown-up enough to move beyond the complaining-to-others-as-to-not-criticize-the-person-who-did-it stage to the give-him-compliments-to-his-face-as-well-as-to-others stage. Not that I don't compliment him to his face, because I certainly do, but I can always improve upon that and I can definitely improve by keeping my mouth shut about what I'm bothered about and one-upping that by praising him to others. He so deserves it.
- Try not to be personally and permanently wounded when someone would rather do such and such than hang out with me. Variety is the spice of life!
I really, really, love my job at the Foreign Language Activity Center. And I double love my job as a private Pilates instructor. But sometimes I wish I could get out from behind a desk and teach Pilates more often, as well as be a professional...
- Pilates Instructor
- Williams-Sonoma employee
- Sea World as a dolphin or orca trainer
- Photographer, particularly of weddings
- Wolf sanctuary employee
- Translator
- Interior Designer
- Costco spokeswoman
- Personal Shopper
- Massage Therapist
- Spa hostess
- Celebrity Assistant
- Food Critic
- Scent critic
- Stablehand
- Casting agent
- Nanny abroad
- Stager (someone who stages homes so that they sell faster)
Now, what about Kevin? I could see him as a...
- Spy
- Cosmo
- Librarian
- Cheese critic
- Butler
- Mythbusters team member
- Gardening store employee
- Summer camp counselor
- Post production film team member
Autumn has made me very pensive this year. Every other autumn I've had at BYU I've greeted with nose wrinkled and brows cejijuntos, or knit. This is because Fall means the start of school AND cold weather, which are two of my least favorite things. But this year... I like it!! Maybe it's because I'm married and autumn as Mrs. Stagg is just a lot cozier than autumn as Miss Woolley. Or maybe it's because I don't have roommates anymore, and that just makes everything sixty jillion times better. Or maybe it's because I've made pumpkin pie and smelled the dizzingly gorgeous scent of molasses cookies and pumpkin streusel muffins, new this fall from Costco. Maybe it's because this autumn I'm 40 pounds lighter than I've been in autumns past. Maybe it's because we've been going to Allreds every week for orchard fresh fruit, and Allreds is open for most of , yup, autumn. I dunno! But I've decided... me and autumn... somos amigos.
Mmmm. I really need to bring my camera and cord to work so that I can blog with my own pictures, which is always better!
Recently Kevin and I have both been sick, he with a cold and I with vomiting and a very delicate stomach. Tuesday was the worst of it for me; I threw up twice, first at five am and then at seven am. Kevin got up with me both times, and the second time he even tried to come hold me to comfort me while I threw up, even though the first time I told him not to. But since I was, um, rather violently expectorating, I couldn't handle Kevin's loving arms around me, as they restricted my movement and put pressure on my back, which translated to pressure on my stomach, which wasn't good. But Kevin stayed with me, hovering at the bathroom doorway, even though listening to me he felt like he was going to be sick himself. After the first time, he asked me if he could go to the store to get me anything, but I was still feeling so nasty I all I wanted was to crawl in bed and go back to sleep. After the second time though, he kindly offered again, and so went to the store for Squirt, Saltines, and fruit popsicles, which he suggested because they always made him feel better when he was sick.
As we are strapped for cash, I felt I would still go to work, but Kevin, in his laid-back manner, ordered me to stay home. He had work that day too, but since I was sick and he was sick, he called in to work sick and stayed home to take care of me. He brought me saltines and fresh garlic herb bread I had made in the breadmaker the night before, plating them prettily and putting the plate and a glass of Squirt on a bed tray we had gotten for our wedding. Kevin had wanted it so that he could bring me breakfast in bed... who would have thought the first time we used it would be for this breakfast! It was very handy and Kevin was so cute carrying it in.
We had a wonderful day just cuddling and waking up and smiling at each other and then drifting off to sleep again. Actually, I slept a lot while Kevin read Animorphs.
See, I read the Animorphs books as a kid, all of them, and Kevin read the first four. This summer I've been wanting to reread them, so Kevin went to the library and got a bunch. Therefore he had plenty of reading material for that day.
I'm glad he had something to entertain him while he was the best nurse ever!
I love you Kevin!
I'm starting a blog for several reasons. . .
- Because I love to learn about the daily happenings in other people's lives on their blogs, and hopefully others might like to see what Kevin and I are up to as well.
- I'm journalistically inclined.
- I've been bored at work and I figured a blog would be a good remedy for that.
Here is a list- extensive, but not all-inclusive- of what we deem to be such:
- Whole grains
- Fresh Fruit
- Time with family
- Time with friends
- Time with pets (family pets or otherwise)
- Enya
- Carrie Underwood
- A clean house
- Time to cook a good dinner
- Meal shared with friends
- Shopping and finding great bargains
- Babysitting
- Our Blendtec blender
- International cuisine
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- Spongebob
- Pedicures
- Smoothies (no milk)
- Lord of the Rings
- Harry Potter
- The Book of Mormon
- Fish tacos
- Choir
- Duvets
- Toss pillows
- Tanning in the sunshine
- LDS missionaries
- Cape Verde
- Bryan Jacobson
- Pilates
- Cuddling
- Costco
- Good hair days
- Horses
- Hot bread
- Sleeping in
- Bare feet
- Red Lobster
- Olive Garden
- When a cat weaves around your bare legs
- Road trips
- Vocal jazz
- Our bed
- Swimming
- Traditions
- Christmas
- Summer
- Reading
- Watching our orchids bloom
- The feeling of a job well-done
- Bunhead
- Photography
- Transformers
- Cookbooks
- HGTV
- What not to Wear (on TLC)
- Travel
- Burt's Bees Lip Balm
- Walking into a warm room on a cold day
- Digging fingers into warm, moist earth
- Planning our dream house
- Gift registries
- Progress
- Hot water
- The theater
- Each other