Nature Hike(s)

Bill and I have been enjoying the nicer weather by going on a couple hikes this past weekend.  And I was able to take some pretty great photos, even if I do say so myself.  These are just a few of my most favorite shot's.  The rest of the photos (and there are many), I am posting on my photo blog.  So make sure you check them out.  There are 1 or 2 I will be using as wallpaper on my computer and that I believe are print worthy that I will hang in my home.  I REALLY enjoy taking photographs, especially of beautiful scenery and wildlife.  I hope you enjoy the beauty that I have captured. 

I Am Worthy Giveaway!

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about my feelings of self worth that you can read here. I received so many comments not only publicly but also privately regarding this subject, from women who, like me, have the same issues and feelings. I have also read many blog posts recently covering this subject matter in one form or another. I have come to realize that there are way too many of us who struggle with these negative feelings about ourselves, and its time we do something about it! 

My bloggy friend, Mindy, who blogs at Ladybug Family, is doing just that!  She decided to find something to help remind herself that she is worthy.  So she had an "I Am Worthy" ring designed that she can wear everyday.  And the best part is, she is giving one of those rings away.  I want one!  And for any of you that struggle with this same issue, you will want one too.  All you have to do is go to her blog here and leave a comment and either post on your blog, facebook, or twitter.  I also feel this is an important message to get out there.  So go check it out!

Thanks, Mindy, for doing something proactive towards this! 

Not Me! Monday

Folks it's that time again! A time to be honest and share with all everything we did "not" do this past week. This blog carnival was created by MckMama. So head on over to her blog to read about everyone else's "Not Me" moments or to create your own. I dare you! :)

It's been awhile since I've joined in for a Not Me! Monday, mostly because I haven't had much to Not Me! about or because I failed to post before Monday was over, which happened last week.  Without my kids running around my house anymore, there just isn't a whole lot of excitement going on. 


But I did have a couple Not Me! moments last week and unfortunately they involve doors and my own accidental self.  Did I just say that?  Whoa.... that is totally Not Me! I swear.  I am never prone to accidents.  Nope!  Just Not Me!  Well... okay... maybe just a little?


So early last week it was Not Me! who while opening the door to the bathroom ran smack dab into the door because someone's foot was in the way abruptly stopping the door at the same time my body hit it.  But I swear it was Not My foot that got in the way.  I would never do something so silly that would cause such scene!  And it was Not Me! who did not end up with a small goose bump on my forehead, nor was it me that had bruising around my boobs/sternum because I hit the door so hard.  I tell you, It was Not Me!  I would never do something so stupid, or that comical! And I definately don't have blonde hair!    Ha!


It was also Not Me! who later in the week was getting in the car when my face and the car door collided with each other.  And it was Not Me! who ended up having a nice ole' shiner right under my eye, the night before a job interview.  I would never ever do such a thing!  Nope that just isn't me! 


It was Not Me! that woke up the next morning before the interview with a puffy, black and blue face, and it was Not Me! who would apply so much makeup to my face to conceal the bruise and wear my glasses in hopes that no one would notice.  Absolutely Not Me! I say!  I would always want people to think I was abused by someone other than myself!  Ha again!


Oh boy...ummm.... and....it was definately Not Me! who just had a deja-vu moment realizing this same thing happened to me not so long ago in December,  in another Not Me! Monday post you can read here.  It is definately Not Me! that is even sharing this with you.  I would never ever want to share these things about me, ever!


Oh My!  Am I really that accident prone?  It just can't be me! It's Not Me!, Not Me!, Not Me that is in denial.  I would never be that way would I?  I think I need to most definately stay away from doors in the future.


So... what do you think?  Are you up for joining in on this blog carnival in order to share your Not Me moments?  You should!  It's like therapy!  So head on over to MckMama's blog and join in.  You will feel so much better after getting it all out in the open, I swear! 

Picture This!

I have been a little uninspired as of late as to what to write about.  So I stole borrowed this meme from my bloggy friend, Karen, who writes at A Peek at Karen's World.  I really think this kind of meme is a great idea because you actually get to do something besides answer a bunch of questions.  Plus when I found out what I get to write about, I was all for it! 

Here are the instructions.

1. Go to My Pictures.
2. Open the first folder
3. Post the 10th photo and tell the story about it.
4. Tag 4 People.

So without further ado.... Here is my photo that inspires this post...

This photo was taken on June 20, 2003.  It is a picture of my kids, Shellise & Jessie, taken at the Dinosaur Park in Ogden, Utah.   Oh my Gosh, Shellise would have been 9 yrs old and Jessie would have been 7 yrs.  They look so small!

This was a good day.  At the time of this picture, their dad (my then husband) was in Italy and Poland with his Air National Guard Unit in preparation for his upcoming deployment to Iraq. 

I remember wanting to spend some much needed one on one time with my kids and also provide a distraction to them.  This was perfect.  The Dinosaur Park & Museum is a pretty neat place for kids to hang out and learn about the dinosaurs.  At that time, both of the kids were really interested in dinosaurs and this was a place they had wanted to go to for awhile. 

The park features more than a hundred different types of dinosaurs which are realistic full-size sculptures that are brought to life by robotics and an awesome sound system.  Seriously, it is awesome! 

The park also has a museum that features more exhibits, as well as a place where the kids can dig for fossils and a modern working laboratory where you can watch the paleontologists do their work. 

We brought sack lunches from home and sat in the park afterwards to eat.   What a fun and educational day!  These pictures brought back so many wonderful memories for me that I cherish.

If you are ever near Ogden, Utah, make sure you make this one of your stops. 

And now I am tagging these 4 bloggers.....

1.  Valerie @ The Nankervis Family

2.  Kathy @ We're Glad! Are You?

3.  Mindy @ Ladybug Family

4.  Tauna @ Welcome to the Garden of Egan

Splendid Sunrise!

I have posted new photos on my photography blog.  Check them out!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY!!

A Fun Giveaway!

My friend Hannah who blogs at Aspire is having a fun giveaway.  Wouldn't it be fun to have your own blog button?  It's easy to join in the contest, so check it out! 

To Brighten My Day!

I posted new pictures on my photography blog.  Check them out! 

Self Image, Self Esteem, Self Confidence.... Am I adequate?

I am mostly an upbeat, happy and positive person.  I have experienced many times in life where I have had such a good positive outlook on my life and how I felt about myself that I felt wonderful and that I could conquer anything.   

However, the majority of my life I have dealt with a poor self image and feelings of inadequacy, which affects my self esteem and self confidence.  Haven't we all felt these feelings at one time or another?

I have dealt with many harsh and difficult times in my life that have affected the way I see and feel about myself.  These are some examples of times when I have felt the lowest of lows.

• Years of Mental and Verbal Abuse and manipulation from my husband of 20+ years.
• Finding out my husband had a lengthy affair with my best friend and many other indiscretions.
• Depression - Wanting to die.
• Getting divorced.
• Starting Over
• Losing close life-long friendships.
• Having my kids choose to live with their dad.  Where there is no structure, no rules and too many freedoms. 
• Having the people closest to me who are supposed to be there and support me during these difficult situations, choose to listen to the lies of a manipulative teenager who is trying to get their way, rather than the truth from me (the Mom of that teenager), to interfere and ambush me in such a way that relationships within a family have been destroyed. 
• Seeing my kids make really bad choices and suffering the consequences. 
• Moving to another State, leaving all thats familiar behind. 
• Making new friends.
• Trying to find a job.

All of these trials and situations have played a huge impact on who I am and how I see myself.  I am in a constant battle with myself every single day.  This is my personal Goliath.  I know this is Satan's way of getting to me.  He is using my weakness and trying his hardest to wear me down so that he can destroy me. 

Deep inside I know this and I know all the things I need to do to help myself have a better self image and just plain feel better.  But sometimes its much easier said than actually doing, especially when you already don't feel great.  It's an awful vicious cycle.  And Satan is very wise and knows just what to do to prevent me from doing these things.

But I do have a couple secret weapons that continue to help me fight this battle.  I have been blessed with a wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally.  Who compliments me and tells me how great I am and how much he loves me many times every day.  He treats me like I have never been treated before.  He inspires me and he motivates me.  He has been my little gift from God.  He helps put the positive affirmations about myself into my mind so that gradually I am feeling more positive things than negative. 

I also have my faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ.  It's through his love and sacrifice for me, that I know I will conquer my Goliath.  All I have to do is ask, and he is there guiding me, loving me and helping me conquer this battle within myself.

What are your personal Goliath's?  How have you conquered your battles?  I would love to hear your perspectives and experiences if you care to share with me?

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY!

Blog Parade!!!!

 

I am excited to join this Blog Parade today.  This parade was initiated by Ms. Abigail Kraft who blogs at 32nd Street.  This beautiful young lady is a talented violinist as well as an artist, blog designer and photographer.  If you have not visited her blog, I recommend you do and while there make sure you check out her blog designs, artwork and photos.  Some of you may know her mother, Lynette Kraft.  If you would like to join the parade or if you just want to see what everyone else is writing about then head on over to Abigail's blog now. 

I was itching for some fun and this seemed like a really fun way to spend the week. I can't wait to make some new bloggy friends!

1. What's your favorite time of day and why?

I am usually a morning person, except when I don’t sleep well the night before. I love waking up early as the sun is coming up, especially in the spring/summer, when the birds are singing and everything is fresh. I also like that time of day the best because that is when my hubs arrives home from work.  

2. If you could choose one food to have absolutely no effect on your body, what would it be?

Anything CHOCOLATE!  Especially, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.  They are a little taste of heaven!

3. If you could have one wish granted (besides wishing for more wishes), what would it be?

World Peace!  :)  HA!  Just watched Miss Gongeniality and thats the first thing that popped into my mind .   Seriously though, I really wish that my kids lived closer to me.  I miss them very much!

4. What's one thing that you get teased about a lot?

Many years ago I was giving the “loser” sign to my brother for doing something dorky. You know the one with your thumb and index finger in front of your forehead? Well, I poked myself in the eye. And most of my family were present and saw me do this so now anytime we get together, there is usually at least one person reminding me of this incident either by gesture and laughter or a joke of some kind.. I was really the one that was the “loser” that day. And I don’t think I will ever live that one down.  Definately not now!

5. If you could choose one movie, book, or TV show to spend your life in, which would you pick? What type of character would you be? 

This one was difficult for me to answer until I remembered myself telling my husband just yesterday that I would love to be Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt) in the Ghost Whisperer, for the wardrobe she gets to wear.  She really wears some fantastic clothes.  If you have ever seen this show you might agree.  I love just about everything she wears and would love to have her wardrobe, but I would first have to have her body.  They probably wouldn't look good on mine right now! 

6. If you could have one talent that you don't already have, what would it be?

I would love to be artistic either in drawing, painting, or just being able to creatively design something. My youngest sister and brother got that talent. For some reason it passed me right by.

7.If money were no object, where would you go on vacation?

I would love to go to Scotland and Ireland. My husband has Scottish heritage and Scotland has always called to him. I have a lot of extended family in Ireland that I would love to visit. They are both very beautiful countries with so much history. Oh! And while there, we would definitely have to go to a Celtic Women concert. Love them!

8. If you were an awesome singer, which genre would you sing?

Most likely Country! It's what I like to listen too the most.  I am a country girl through and through.



9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, what would it be?

This is a tough one for me because I hate to shop. But if I had that kind of money I would probably want to spend it on new furniture for my whole house. So, some kind of furniture store.

10. If you could live in any point in time, when would it be?

I would have to say in the 1800’s. I love that era. I love the country, horses and I would love to live a much simpler life. However, I would not want to be a pioneer crossing the country with a wagon train. I would only want that lifestyle if I could live on thousands of acres of land, and raise horses, and stay there all my life.

11. If every outfit in your wardrobe had to be one color, what would it be?

I like black for the slimming effects it has.  But I couldn't have a wardrobe all black, that would get dreary.  So I would say Navy blue.  It's the next best thing to black in the slimming department.  . 


12. If you were one of the seven dwarves, which one would you be? (Doc, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, or Dopey)

Can I only pick one? Because depending on the day I could be any one of these. If I can only pick one then I guess I would say Bashful. I tend to be a little on the shy side. Some of you may not believe that. The shy/bashful side of me usually makes an appearance around a crowd of people. Maybe it’s lack of self confidence or something. I don’t like to voice my opinion or answer questions in front of a crowd. And I definitely hate public speaking of any kind. I tend to withdraw into myself. However, if I am in a much smaller setting then Lookout! I may surprise you!

13. What's the last album you listened to?

Well, I believe it would be the CD I created for our wedding. It is a mix of many artists and genre’s. And we usually listen to it when we want to create a romantic atmosphere. 

14. What's something we'd be surprised to know about you?

The one thing that comes to mind that most people don’t know about is, that both of my kids are adopted because I have never been able to conceive my own children. So if you are one of those that didn’t know Shellise and Jessie are adopted, then Surprise! They are! And their adoptions have been the greatest miracle and blessing in my life

That was really fun! I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little better by reading this fun questionnaire.  I can't wait to read yours! 

I forgot to tell you that Abigail is having some awesome giveaways for the blog parade, all you need to do is link up!  See you on the parade!