How to learn a new language in 7 days....

The new semester has started for me and the only class I'm taking is Anatomy and Physiology. I knew from the start that this class would be difficult and that many hours would be spent memorizing and remembering (that's the tricky part) all of the information. I had my first lab class today in conjuction with the lecture and discovered (much to my horror) that I have to memorize all the surface parts of the body (using correct anatomical terms, like nasal instead of nose), all of the different regions and planes, as well as being able to correctly identify various structures within a fetal pig and the organ systems associated with it. Oh, and that's not all! I also get to remember what all the organelles of a cell look like, what they do; and all the stages of mitosis, and recognize each stage. Fun times! Looks like my A&P book will be my only reading book for the next nine months. So, how am I going to acquire my new language? Fortunately, I DO have seven days, and you can bet I'm going to utilize every single one of them as best as I can (with the exception of Sunday, of course!) and know that my best will be good enough, as long as I include the Lord in my efforts. Luck to me!

All because two people fell in love.....

My dad and mom

I just got back from my family's bi-annual reunion.  This is the third such reunion for my family, and it just gets bigger (population wise) and better every year.  This is also the first year that EVERYONE was present for the big picture and family dinner.  

The Original Family

I am the oldest of 12 children.  I can't tell you what it was like to be part of such a large family, because I know no other experience.  I have five sisters and six brothers.  I love them all in different ways because they are each so different!  It's great to get together with everyone now because we laugh and create new memories to laugh at in future reunions.  The funniest one from this reunion???  My sister Alicia brought a fart machine and used it at every opportunity.  I know, it's crass, but it was hilarious to watch people's reactions (including mine!) as she set it off.   The thing that makes me sad is that the next reunion will be missing one brother and the reunion after that will be missing another brother, due to missions.  The next time we will get a picture with everyone present will be in SIX years!

All the grandbabies!

Right now, there are 26 (going on 27) grandchildren.  Who knows how many more grandchildren there will be in six years time?  I'm grateful to have such a fun big family and I'm glad that my children have so many cousins to play with when we all get together.  Hurrah for family!

The Entire Family - August 2010

In the beginning.....

Our cute family!

Apparently, I don't have enough to do with my time.  Either that, or my sense of time is truly warped.  Be that as it may, I'm starting this blog most likely for my own benefit.  I don't know who will really have a desire to read it, much less comment on it.  But this is my attempt at keeping a journal for me and my family.  I'll post things as life moves along (sometimes it moves at the speed of light!), and I guarantee that there will be times when I post often, and times when I don't.  For future reference, I will not tell you the actual names of my family, but their nicknames are Sweetie (my adoring husband), Anner (my oldest daughter), Mundo (my oldest son, but our middle child), and Noodle (our youngest son).
So, for a quick family rundown for you, Kind Reader, Sweetie and I have been married for 17 years.  We are active LDS members (Mormons for those who don't know what LDS is), and are both busy with responsibilities in our church.  Sweetie is the secretary for the High Priest Group (a men's group), and I am the Relief Society president (the women's organization).  Sweetie is a middle school teacher for a private school, and I am a part-time student majoring in Nursing.  Anner is in high school, Mundo is in middle school, and Noodle is in elementary school.  Both Anner and Mundo play musical instruments and we do not give our children the choice of whether or not they want to play in the band at school.  We ask them what instrument they want to play, and pray that it's not drums!  Watching our children grow is an amazing experience.  Time seems to fly by faster as they've gotten older.  Therein lies the challenge:  teaching them all they need to know before they leave for college/missions as times slips away.

Noodle will pick his instrument in just a few years....

As for me personally, I enjoy reading (not textbooks!) watching movies at home with my family, going on dates with Sweetie, sleeping (which I never get enough of!), ice cream, chocolate, and Double Stuf Oreos.  I exercise six days a week and try to eat healthy, however, Saturdays are my 'free' days, so I live for Saturdays.  My favorite color is green and right now I have a love affair with brown.  I love rearranging my house and decorating, but I'm no pro.  Sweetie hates when I 'futz' (my term of rearranging).  He can't ever figure out where things go and it's a source of frustration to him.
Enough blathering for now.  As time goes on, you'll get to know me much better and I hope to avoid the TMI syndrome.
So, until next time, Kind Reader.....have a daisy day!