New Years...

Does it seem like 2007 has just flown by in a manner of days to anyone else, or is it just me? Earlier this week I came back to work after having Christmas off and was fumbling in one of my desk drawers when I looked up at my calendar and thought to myself "Dang, I never got a new calendar and now it is 2008, and I need to throw away this one." It was then I realized that I must really group Christmas and New Years together, and some how managed to think that just because I had four days off for Christmas it must now be 2008. The really sad part was that I had to really think about whether or not I could remember trying to stay awake on New Years Eve this year or not. It must be my advancing age! Have no fear though, I eventually came to my senses and remembered that I had a whole week before it was 2008.
So, with New Years in mind, how many of you out there in cyber space make New Year's Resolutions? I have to be honest, I generally start thinking of all the things that I need to change or improve on in my life around this time of year, and even make some goals for the coming year, but I don't seem to have the stick-to-it-ivness (or however you would spell that) to accomplish a lot of them. Does anyone else have those problems? It always seems like I set 10 goals for the coming year that all seem very important, and worth while, and even doable, but my February they have all moved to the back burner of my mind, and I get distracted by other things. Well, as usual my thought have again been turned to those types of things, and I am trying to evaluate those thoughts and create a game plan for how to accomplish the worth while and necessary ones. I can remember from my mission a wise man Leland Anderson, who later became part of the mission presidency, reminding us that we need to "chunk down" our goals into smaller, more manageable and therefore achievable goals. For instance I can't say that I want to swim the English channel if I can't even swim 100 m in the pool, so I need to start small and work my way up until I can accomplish the bigger goals. So, with that advice in mind I think that is how I am going to mount my attack for 2008. I will determine the most important things on my list and make a plan of attack so that I can stay motivated and on track to accomplish my goals. After all, if I am being inspired or impressed to do something there must be a good reason for it. If I am really smart I will post something in the coming week with what some of goals for 2008 are so that I have help from all of you to keep me accountable for my progress! I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year's holiday this year!!!

Why blog...

So, I am sure you are all (the two or three souls out there with nothing else to do while online) wondering why on earth I would start up a blog. Well, as I am sure you have all noticed, I am horrible about keeping in touch with the people I care about. I seem to want to wait until something exciting or enjoyable has happened in my life, and then all of sudden I look back and three months have gone by without so much as a single word from me! Then on the off chance I have sent you an e-mail or talked to you on the phone, I am not sure who I have told what to, so a lot of people get left out. Hopefully by having a blog I can post things to I will be able to keep people informed a little bit better about what is going on with and my family! So sit back and enjoy the ride, there maybe a few bumps in road in the beginning, but I have plenty blogging friends that will help me make this a great learning experience!

"Cows, I win!!!" What's that all about?

Now, I am sure that anyone that happens upon this blog will wonder where on Earth I came up with the title. It is a long story, but here is a shorter version... On my mission in Washington one of the other sisternaries (aka sister missionaries) shared a story from a road trip she had taken with her family. They were driving down the highway in who knows where when all of a sudden her nephew woke up from his nap and exclaimed "Cows, I win!!!" after seeing a cow on the side of the road. Now for some unknown reason I have decided to make cows my animal of choice, I don't know why, and I don't even really know when it all started. The point is that this seemed like a brilliant game to play while driving down long stretches of highway. The rules are simple, and I thought it came from a cute beginning, that was until I found out that her nephew was not 4 or 5 (like I had always imagined), but was rather a teenager when he invented this game. Needless to say the game caught on with me and every summer my "nephew" Zach and I play it on every car ride we take while I visit his family in Utah, and let me just tell you how passionate a player Zach is, I am sure it drives his parents crazy when he and Auntie Shawna play it.

So, the next time you find yourself driving in a car (or walking, or just doing whatever it is you do) any time you see a cow yell out "Cows, I win" and see what reaction you get from people. It is a simple "game" and doesn't involve any special equipment. Some extra rules have been created for more advanced players, or for situations where more than one herd of cows are present, but you will have to ask for those rules!