Even Though I Lost

Well, I lost Nablopomo already this year because I was out too late with the boy last night - I think that is an okay reason to lose, though, so I can't be too upset about it. My emotions have been rollercoaster-ing lately, and I was afraid something awful was going to happen last night, but instead I had a nice evening full of T-bone steak and freshly made limeade, dancing - including to So She Dances (a few of you might know how I feel about that) - and games with fun people. I'm SO very glad the day ended the way it did.

Self Discipline

This morning I talked to my mom about my lack of self-discipline. I believe that we are all on this earth to make decisions and to learn how to make the right decisions. I am so complacent so often, though; I don't exercise that freedom I have to do the things that I know will bring me the greatest happiness and peace. How annoying! How can I possibly live with myself when I know what I should be doing, and I'm not doing it? I wrote down a schedule for myself - I think it was last week - to try to get the things done that I needed to, but I didn't even follow it. I ought to be able to get myself to do the things I need to, but for some reason it seems easier to try to get other people to get things done, rather than myself.

Election Results

To my fellow Americans, I have to say that although I am mostly glad with the results of elections, I am still disappointed in how many of you haven't come to my side of the line. I'm glad that the conservatives took the House, but how could the liberals still hold the Senate? Huh? I don't understand. Not to say that I am glad about all of the Republicans in office, either. I had a hard time voting for my Republican incumbent senator. Why he was voted for in the primaries is beyond me. Why several incumbents were reelected is beyond me.
Still, I think this election is a step in the right direction, and I feel hope for America. I believe that my confidence in its people is higher than it was before. I just hope we can keep our momentum because there's still a lot that needs to be done, and its going to take longer than the next couple of years.

Voting Day

Guess what? I just voted! Did you vote? If you didn't, I hope you feel guilty enough that you make it happen next time. However, that being said, I'm not much better. I did vote, but I didn't do my homework, so I was woefully uninformed, and I didn't vote in every category. So - I myself feel guilty because I voted pretty much down party lines - which, as my dad pointed out, might not be so bad this time around, but one ought to know who one is voting for. As far as the props went, I called my brother-in-law and got his opinion, and then I called my folks. My little brother helped me on one of the local propositions; the other ones I didn't vote on. For shame! May I be informed and more active next time. It's such a wonderful freedom we have - we should all be active participants in our government.

The Five Senses

Tonight it has occurred to me how much I love the five senses, and I find myself wondering which ones you appreciate the most. Which is/are your favorite(s)? Is there one that doesn't seem to matter as much to you? - Although, if it was taken away, I bet you'd miss it. When the boy left tonight, I told him that I learned that if he holds me long enough, I get some of his cologne on me, which I love continuing to smell after he's gone - I love that smell! And then I thought about how I love smelling flowers - roses, in particular, but blooming flowers/trees are so amazing to smell! So, I really love the sense of smell.
My love language is touch, I think, so then I thought about that and how I love touch. I feel the most loved/validated/cared for when I am touched. It means that somebody actually cares about me enough to be close. I also love how different things feel - like rose petals.
Sight is another great sense. There's nothing like a beautiful sunset or lightning storm or tree-filled valley/mountainside or changing fall colors or a peaceful ocean. I love being able to see those things.
Sound it totally important to me. Just this weekend I played a song that is really beautiful to me on the piano. Music can be totally inspiring, and when I hear something full of beauty, it's not uncommon for me to cry.
Taste is the one that I maybe appreciate the least - and yet, there's nothing like biting into a rare, juicy steak, is there? Or a truffle? Cheesecake? Okay, so I like this one, too.
I'm so glad that God has blessed us with these senses that make life so much richer.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Do you know what else today is? One of my Facebook friends had something up about it. I was glad for the reminder.

More Weekend

I think I've just been talking about weekends lately - and that's what I'm going to do again tonight. Don't be too bored. Things should become more varied soon because in one week (fanfare, please) NaBloPoMo starts, and I will try to do it again. And I guess I've just had some pretty awesome weekends lately, so I just keep writing about them. This weekend was no different.

It started with me taking Friday off of work, so I could drive to another city and spend way too much money at a Brazilian steakhouse in celebration of the birthday of a former roommate. The food was good, and it was nice to be able to celebrate with a friend. (P.S. It was also my brother's and cousin's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) From there, a roommate took me to the temple, where I met up with the Boy. After our time there, we went to his brother's house, where we were going to connect with the family and go to a trunk-or-treat together. We beat them to their own house, but they soon showed up. Boy's brother has a big family - 7 KIDS!! Can you believe it? And there's another one on the way. So chaos commenced as the kids and parents got dressed up. Eventually, everyone was mostly ready and we left. After a yummy meal of chili and corn bread/rolls, sister-in-law suggested we divide up the kids amongst us and conquer, which is what we did. That night, with most of the kids in bed, the adults played Settlers of Catan - not my fave, but it was pretty laid back and nice. Boy and I read the next chapter in The Horse and His Boy, and I went to bed - they made one of the nephews give up his room for me ("If you smell anything in there, it will probably be Axe and deodorant. He's in that phase right now.") - how nice of him, yes?

What with there being so many children, I figured I wasn't going to get many hours of sleep before the noise recommenced in the all-too-soon-to-come morning. However, I managed to stay in bed until 8:00-ish. Not bad. When I went downstairs, I found breakfast and children, and Boy making bread (he's domestic like that). After the kids did their chores, we went to a festival thing at some gardens, which was fun. Part of the festivities involved a hay (or no hay, depending on the vehicle) ride to a pumpkin patch (which was really a field they put a bunch of pumpkins in and then pretended like it was a patch). It was a lot of fun. I really like the family. They were nice, and it was easy to feel comfortable with them.

After that, we went to my sister's place and visited with her and her husband for a little bit. Then we all went to my other sister's place, where I got to see that sister and her husband briefly (they had a date that night). And I got to see my niece! Besides the two that left, the rest of us went and picked up pizza and fruit and went to the park. My niece was mostly interested in the strawberries. After dinner, we let her slide and swing, and then we went back to her place, and Boy and I drove home and read another couple of chapters of the book. What a terrific weekend! Now I have to deal with AIMS this week - uggh!