Nightingale Nominee

Ok, I get to brag about Mike for a little bit. Last night we attended the 2008 Denver Nightingale Recognition Banquet. The Nightingale Award recognizes outstanding performance in the nursing profession. Mike was among about 7 nurses nominated from Parker Hospital. There are about 50, 000 nurses in Colorado and only 290 nurses were nominated for this award this year, 170 being from the Denver region. Last night we went to the banquet where they honored all the nominees and selected 8 finalists from the Denver area. Unfortunately nursing is one of the few professions where men are the minority, and Mike was one of only 3 men nominated, so all night people kept congratulating me on my nomination and saying to Mike that he must be so proud of me. Don't worry, I did correct them, it was Mike's night after all, and I was very proud of him!

The Miracle of Easter

For the past few days I have been preparing a talk for church on Easter Sunday about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Invevitably my thoughts are turned to my little sister, Katie - especially during this time of year. Last Saturday, March 15 was the 9th anniversary of her passing. Katie died as a result of inujuries she sustained in a skiing accident during her freshman year at BYU. Katie Merlene Bills
September 17, 1979 - March 15, 1999

Despite the 9 year lapse, my memories of that weekend are quite acute, and I can recall every detail from the moment I received the initial call informing me of the accident, to the moment my family said our last goodbyes. When I think back to that time, a time in my life of such deep sorrow, I also think of it as one of the most spiritual moments in my life. It was during that time that I felt closer to my Savior than I have ever felt before. I knew He was with me and my family, and I felt His love for me continually as I learned how to deal with the loss of one so dear. There were days when He carried me, because I could not walk alone, and I felt His spirit near in the form of many angels sent to comfort me in so many ways. Though time has made the loss easier to bear, the wound will never be healed, and there are still days when my heart aches from the pain. As I did 9 years ago, I still feel my Savior by my side pushing me forward. I am so grateful for His compassion and love for each of us. The miracle of Easter always lives in my heart, and I know the Resurrection is real, and that He lives! I know that because of His sacrifice I will see my sister again! I will see her sweet face and I will feel her arms around me as we meet again one day. Until then, I will continue sending kisses to heaven each night, and hope that you are sending them back! I love you, Katie!
Happy Easter, Everyone!

A Weekend With Just the Girls!

I guess there is some good in getting older. For my - dare I say it - my 30th birthday, my sisters treated me to a trip to Disneyland! It was a bit cold in December, so we decided to wait until the weather was nice, so last Thursday I flew out to California for a long weekend with my sisters. My mom surprised me and came too - so it was all the girls together for 5 days - and no kids! I so needed this!! We got up bright and early Friday morning and were off to Disneyland! I haven't been there since I was about 12, so I felt as giddy as a kid when we got there! Yes, we all wore the same shirt - we didn't want to lose each other! :) We had a perfect day and our longest wait in a line was only 20 minutes! I just have to say, fast passses are the best things ever! We had lunch at Goofy's kitchen and I don't think we stopped laughing the whole time we were there. I even got to dance a little solo with Goofy and pose for a few pictues with Genie, Aladdin, and Jasmine. That afternoon we watched the parade, and I even remembered to click a few photos of the princesses just for Sami! We were able to ride everything we wanted, and we didn't forget Mr. Toad's Wild Ride! Ok, that one has lost a little of it's excitement in the past 18 years! We stayed until closing and didn't get home until 2:00 am. Pretty crazy for a bunch of old ladies!
Saturday we went to Hollywood and enjoyed being tourists among all the glitz and glamour! No, we didn't see anyone famous, but we did see a few of their "stars". Of course Mickey was the star of my trip so I had to have my picture with his. The picture with Jackie Chan's star was just for Mike! That night my sisters and my mom surprised me and took me to Wicked! Kristen and my mom had already seen it, but it was the first time for Kari and I. I LOVED it! Mike is making fun of me since I can't get "Popular" out of my head. That was definitely an awesome surprise! As all great things must come to an end, so did my fun trip and I came home Tuesday afternoon, but not before we spent the night playing the Wii until 1:00 am . I was definitely paying for beating my sisters at Tennis the next morning! They were no match for Shane (my brother in-law) and I. Let's just say it was my first time playing a Wii and my arm is still sore! We definitely have to get one! Well, in a very big nutshell that was my trip. I had the best time! I was even lucky enough to get to see one of my old friends from BYU as well as my cousin's new baby boy while I was there. It was so nice of them to have the baby while I was in town. :) It was a crazy few days and I enjoyed every second of it! I've already warned Mike that we just might have to have another girls weekend next year! I can tell he's already thrilled. :)

I Got Tagged - Twice!

Ok, so it's about time I got on the ball and answered my tags:

Double Tagged

Book Rules:
1-pick the nearest book of 123 pages
2-Open the book to page 123
3- Find the 5th sentence
4-Post the next three sentences
5- Tag at least 5 other 'people.
Answer:

She would look to it every day and try to guess which star the boy was following in search of his treasure. She would have to send her kisses on the wind, hoping that the wind would touch the boys face, and would tell him that she was alive. That she was waiting for him, a woman awaiting a courageous man in search of his treasure.

I'm not done with this book yet, but it is very interesting. I've got a lot of pages marked for inspirational quotes I want to write down and remember. Very interesting concept.








The Rules: Take a picture of your purse and all the contents inside. No cleaning allowed!!!

Sad thing is, this is pretty clean! Yeah, how many cough drops and lip glosses do I really need? (No, I wasn't too embarassed to hide my unmentionable item - we all go through it!)

Now your Turn!
(Ok, since I'm tagging twice, I'm only putting 3 people down)
1. Kari
2. Camilla
3. Ashley

Now For Round Two!

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player tags some people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know they are tagged.

10 years ago I was: 20 - not feeling so old! Sophomore in college - taking Calculus with my brother in law (and not doing so well), just starting to write Mike again who was on a mission in France

5 things on my to do list for today: 1. Clean the house 2. Cook dinner for friends 3. Update my blog 4. Cry that it was snowing again 5. Tuck in the kids

4 things I would do if I became a billionaire: 1. Pay off the debt 2. Decorate my house exactly the way I want to 3. Buy a bigger house 4. Take a European tour ( 5. Start a charity, Fight for world peace, Feed the homeless - aren't I supposed to say that?)

3 bad habits: 1. Still biting my finger nails - not all the time! 2. Staying in bed later than I should 3. Not always being as productive as I should

5 places I have lived: 1. Utah 2. Virginia 3. Germany 4. Texas 5. Jerusalem - for 2 months

5 jobs I have had: 1. Gymnastics coach 2. Olive Garden "To Go" girl 3. United Way Campaign Manager 4. Wine Distributor receptionist 5. HHP College Budgeting/Scheduling Manager

6 Things most people don't know about me:
1. I actually enjoy reading - much to the amazement of those who knew me when I was younger
2. I want to get a Masters Degree
3. I want to learn a foreign language
4. I want to write a book
5. I would love to live in Europe again - ok, many of you probably already knew that one
6. One day I want to run a marathon - (probably in the distant, distant future)

And another one: One word. First word that comes to your mind. No explaining. Not as easy as you think.
1. Where is your cell pone? purse
2. Your hair? down
3. Work? constantly
4. Your Father? FFOAM!
5. Your favorite thing? kids
6. Your dream last night? sad
7. Your favorite drink? Dr. Pepper
8. Your dream car? SUV
9. The room you are in? living room
10. Your fears? plenty
11. What do you want to be in ten years? thin
12. Who did you hang out with last night? Mike
13. What you are not good at? art
14. Muffin? French
15. One of your wish list items? travel
16. Where you grew up? Germany
17. Last thing you did? mouthwash
18. What are you wearing? PJs
19. What aren't you wearing? bra
20. Your pet? Beta
21. Your computer? Mac
22. Your life? busy
23. Your mood? tired
24. Missing? lots
25. What are you thinking about right now? bed
26. Your car/truck? Honda
27. Your summer? Texas
28. Your relationship status? married
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When was the last time you laughed with meaning? today
31. Last time you cried? today
32. School? someday
33. Least favorite weather? freezing
34. Soup? stew
35. Movie? Emma

Ok...your turn...TAG...YOU'RE IT!!!
Heidi
Michelle
Mel

My Little Superstar!

For those of you who remember back in the day, I thought you might get a kick out of this little picture. For those who have no idea what I am talking about, which will be most of you, this was one of my costumes from my dancing days way back when I lived in Virginia and before I became a dedicated gymnast. I wore this when I was about 11 or 12 years old and was a "Jr. Superstar" (the younger group of gymnasts with our dance troop). Our dance troop was call the Superstars and along with our dance numbers, I also got to perform the gymnastics numbers too. Ok, plug for the past, we even got to perform on national television! Yes, I was cool once.
Anyway, Sam and I were cleaning her room - yet again - and I found my bag with a few of my old costumes in it. Sam was dying to try them on. And here you go - MY MINNIE ME! She thinks it is the coolest "superhero" costume and can't decide on whether she wants to wear this, or my dentist costume (another one of my costumes I had when I performed a solo to "I'm a Dentist" from Little Shop of Horrors) for Halloween. At least she has a few months to decide. I have to admit it's fun to rumage through the past a bit, but even more fun to see Sam excited about my old costumes too. I showed her the video I had from when I performed my Dentist solo at a National competition in Las Vegas (yes, I won - brag, brag) and she was so excited through the whole thing. When it was over she wanted me to show her the dance from the video. How I wish I could still bend that way! She will just have to settle for watching it again.