Cruel Intentions

Yes, definitely.

Although that's not what "they" say. Who are they? The mass retail chains in the U.S.

And what are "they" talking about?

ClOtHiNg SiZe LaBeLs!!!!

Here is a little excerpt from an article "As nation gains, 'overweight' is Relative" I read on CNN.com about America's weight problem.

That's why, in recent years, as the American population has become
generally more overweight, brands from the luxury names to the mass retail
chains have scaled down the size labels on their clothing.
"You may actually be a size 14 and, according to whatever particular store you're in, you come out a size 10," said Natalie Nixon, associate professor of fashion industry
management at Philadelphia University. "It's definitely to make the consumer
feel good."

Feel GOOD???? Are "THEY" CRAZY????

Yes, I think "THEY" ARE!

That is so CRUEL.

I have been obsessed with my weight since college. For the first time I will admit that I have been known to weigh myself several times a day. I will even "trick" myself into thinking I am heavier by moving the scale up 10lbs (okay, I never said I was sane and no I'm not bulimic or anorexic--trust me on that one).

Do "they" have any idea what this has done to me? Do they really?

I always liked the fact that I could go and put on a size 8 or even 6 pant and think, "Okay, I'm fine with that".

But now, am I really???

NO, because now I'm thinking...that's really a 12 or a 10! What trickery. Just to make me "feel good".

SURE, RIGHT.

I'm BUYING IT. And "they" are happy aren't "they" because really that's what "they" want---"me to BUY it". They don't care if I "feel good". Marketing was my minor in college. The real story here is that consumers will try on a pair of pants and think, "WOW, these are an 8". I've never been an 8, maybe I'll buy another pair."

Stop the insanity! If you want me to really feel good, don't let me think I'm skinnier than I really am. That will just make it worse for me and my health. Instead of thinking I need to exercise. I'm gonna tell myself, "You're fine. You still fit in that size 8".

DECEIT. LIES. CRUELTY. Well, guess what? I'm not buying it! So, thanks, but no thanks! It's a cruel, cruel world.


***Before you go and think you need to call my husband, R.S. President, bishop, a shrink, or start praying for me (well scratch the last one, I could always use prayers) on my behalf, don't worry, this was a little tongue in cheek, but I do think it is a disservice to the American public.

So, This is What IT Feels Like

To go stir crazy!

Help me! I think I'm losing it.

For the past week, we have been home bound due to and illness Ariel has been trying to fight off.

What is this illness? A virus that turned into bronchitis!

It all began last Wednesday, apparently. She had started coughing really bad, but I did not think much of it b/c the day before we were swimming at a friends house and I thought perhaps the cough came from that (You know what I mean, right? Sometimes after a LONG day of swimming the congestion sets it...or does that only happen to us?).

Anyway, on Thursday, we went to the beach (SURPRISE,SURPRISE, I still did not have my camera). Ariel seemed find except for that horrible cough. She told me she thought it was her sinus'
(she has ALWAYS had problems with them).

So, I ignored it (I know BAD mom).

However, I could not ignore it for long. My friends noticed Ariel being quiet and keeping to herself and asked what was wrong (if you know Ariel, she is RARELY quiet, or alone---that girl loves to be in the center of activity). So, I was like, that is weird.

I asked her is she was okay and she said she was fine.

Well, not for long. She comes up and tells me she is FREEZING COLD! It was probably over 100 degrees out that day with the heat index. Then she said her throat hurt. Ugggh...

So we left. She started running a fever. Great! We still had a friend with us who spent the night.

When we got home. I rushed the friend to get her stuff together (didn't want to infect anyone else, plus I needed to get Ariel to BED).

I called the doctor and they were booked for the day, and I thought she could wait to be seen by the doctor the next day instead of after hours.

Plus, we had just been in to see the doctor 3 days prior for a rash (never change laundry detergents when you have family members with sensitive skin).

Well, when we went in Friday morning. The doctor checked her for strep and also drew some blood to check her iron (she had been feeling faint etc. and the doctor thought perhaps she could be anemic.)

NO strep. Just a virus. But she needed to stay away from people as long as she had a fever.

We were suppose to go to Mike's mom for the 4th. Not happening. Poor Ariel. She wanted to go so bad. She tried to pretend to feel better, but the 102+ temp was not allowing for that!

The fever subsided, but jumped back up on Sunday night. I watched her on Monday and Tuesday--thinking it was just the virus, but the cough was not better, and the fever spiked back up to 102.

So back to the doctor for the third time that week (so grateful, we have a great insurance with only a $10 copay). Anyway, that's how we found out she had bronchitis. Her lungs sounded horrible. They gave her a breathing treatment in the office. Then sent us home with an inhaler and a "Z-pack" prescription.

I think it's working. Fever has subsided. Still a cough, but the doctor said that would be normal until she gets all of that stuff out of her lungs.

Should be able to get out an about by the weekend.

Poor Ariel.

The good thing is, she has finished 2 of the 3 books for summer reading (BTW, she liked both of the books) and half of her math packet. I guess that's what you turn to when boredom sets in. lol

So much for making a story short. Wish I could blame it on being stir crazy and not being able to be out in the world, but I can't. I'm long winded in all facets of life. Don't worry though, it's not contagious. :)

So Much Going On

but so little time to blog. Not much to blog about. No pictures...

Well, not really.

Hello, fellow bloggers in the great WWW! I've missed you. Thanks, Coty for your sweet words and to Mike's co-workers who have been asking about me. I'm here.

I've been lazy, as you can tell. I haven't blogged in a while. I guess I have been bitten by the Facebook bug. It's not that I like it better than blogging because really I don't. Blogging is much better; it just takes more effort (and a bit more time, but not really...I'm really being lazy).

Facebook is Andrea Tobias Odom is.....and I just fill in the blank for today.

See what I mean? Not much effort at all. One thing that I thought was odd at first was that I always wrote in 3rd person about myself, but I think I've overcome that. Let's see, here have a look at some of my FB status lines to get a look into my life lately:

• Andrea Tobias Odom is happy for the little rain we got and I think the grass and garden were even happier to have the natural water from God. :)
• Andrea Tobias Odom is really sad that Michael Jackson is gone. His music was BIG part of my younger years. sniff, sniff.

Okay, let me go off on a little tangent, that I'm so well known for, on the FB status above. I know, Michael Jackson went more than "off the deep end" in the past decade or so. I did not like any of that (and you know what all the "that" is). But it still doesn't take away, that Thriller was the first album that I owed. That I loved singing his music with my sister at the top of my lungs and "trying" to dance the moonwalk, and all the other dance moves that he so effortlessly created. Many childhood memories encompass the music that he put forth. So, "Say, Say, Say what you want", but there is a little sadness in my heart for MJ. Not because of what he was in the latter part of his life, but for the wasted talent, and for the "good memories" that his music provided for me in a not always so "good life." End of tangent.

• Andrea Tobias Odom had fun with the YW and my girls at AJM community night tonight. Be Your Best Self!

Yes, you read that right, the YW. For those of you who do not know, I was called to be the YW President for our ward back in May. I love YW and have served in there many times, including the Stake YW, but never as President. I guess the Lord is trying to teach me to be the leader that he tells me I am, but in reality I'd prefer to be the Indian instead of the chief. Seriously... The interesting thing about all that is the Bishop told me that he and his counselors were inspired to call me after I bore my testimony in sacrament meeting. I almost did not bear my testimony that day, and waited close to the end. Then, I bore my testimony again in June. After sacrament meeting, I was asked to give a talk two weeks later. Moral of the story....no more bearing my testimony. Just kidding! lol

• Andrea Tobias Odom is wishing it would rain. My poor yard is craving more than the sips of water we have been giving it every evening.

So true, until today, it has not rained for about a month (at least). We have been having to water our poor grass and garden daily with the hose. The grass was so dry that you could hear that crunching sound when you walked on it (which we rarely do b/c we have the sidewalk). Plus, the brown spots are horrible on that once bright green grass. But, I'm happy and grateful to have a house with brown grass because many people don't have that.

• Andrea Tobias Odom is going to save a life, or two, or maybe even three in a few minutes. Going to give blood at the Red Cross. :)

Many of the people who commented on this post were talking about how wonderful and awesome I am--that I'm a good woman for giving blood. I really felt weird about all that because in reality, I'm not. I have not given blood in over a year, and faithfully, the Red Cross Volunteers call me sometimes twice a month begging me to give blood. I got so guilty for not giving, that can you believe, when I saw their number pop up on Caller ID, I would yell to my kids, "DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE, IT'S THE RED CROSS." Now I'm thinking, "GREAT, not only am I not willing to help save a life, but my guilt of the fact is putting fear of the RED CROSS in my dear children. Yup, they are definitely going to need therapy. BUT, I keep telling myself that I have legit reasons for not wanting giving blood:

1. My iron has been low several times when I have tried to give blood that they turn me away, and
2. The last two times I gave, I got really sick after. So much, that I had to go to the doctor. I think it was because my iron was low.

But...this time, I felt more guilt than usual (plus, I thought it might not hurt to have my blood checked again for free--the hypochondriac that I am. lol) so I answered the phone even with the girls yelling back at me, "BUT IT'S THE RED CROSS, MOM!" So, I actually set up an appointment to give blood.

They told me they have missed me. Like we are old friends.

I told them why I haven't been coming around as much. I gave them the "it's me, not you" kind of answer.

The volunteer told me to drink a glass of OJ before I come and I should feel better. Who knew?

I told them I'd have to bring my kids. They said, "No problem." Guess they really are desperate. Who can say no to someone willing to watch your kids while they are drawing blood out of your arm and taking the chance that you may pass out and not recover. J/k. :)

So, I went. However, they did have to prick my finger and check my blood TWICE. First time, iron was too low (12.1--you have to be a 12.5 for the Red Cross to take your blood). Thought to myself, "Yup, well, at least I tried, and I prepared myself for the "You are still a hero for trying speech."

But no, they told me to hold this hot pack in my other hand and that they would have someone else come in and check it again by pricking that hand. OKAY... they really are desperate.

Low and behold, when they pricked the other finger it was 13.5. So, I got to help at least one person that day, even if guilt was the underlying factor for doing so. Service is service, right?

• Andrea Tobias Odom is hoping we will get another great neighbor to move in next door to us. Anyone looking for a great house in a great neighborhood? It is brick (over 2,000sq ft.)---, has a built in pool, BIG fenced backyard and a detached mother in law suite that is an approximately an additional 1,200 sq feet. Let me know. The thought of unknown neighbors scares me a little. :)
• Andrea Tobias Odom is HAPPY, even when cleaning a messy house b/c at least I have a messy house to clean. :)
• I'm still HAPPY. Yesterday, in my talk at church I used a quote by Marvin J. Ashton. He said, "Being of good cheer builds contagious enthusiasm." So what are you HAPPY about?

All the "HAPPY"ness from above came about from the above mentioned talk that I was given on D&C 68:6. Preparing for that talk really has given me a new prospective to try to be better about choosing to "be of good cheer".

That talk really gave me a new prospective on AGENCY and using it wisely, as well as strengthening my testimony of the fact that when we truly recognize the hand of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father in our life, we can overcome all things.

They are there for us. They want us to succeed.

With them we can not fail. We can't.

Isn't that all the reason in the world to be HAPPY? I think so!

• Andrea Tobias Odom says: Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. You really do make a great difference. I'm so happy my girls have a daddy that loves them, plays with them, counsels them and takes care of them. What a blessing!
• Andrea Tobias Odom forgot to make cookies for the dads at church tomorrow. Gotta go bake some cookies. Ahhh.. (It was almost midnight. I did not finish the cookies until about 1am--YIKES!)
• Andrea Tobias Odom : To my sweet husband and all the other wonderful fathers out there who strive everyday to take care of and love their families through good times and hard: Happy Father's Day Weekend. :)

I wrote this status line after watching "A Father Indeed" on Mormon Messages. Oh, man that brought tears to my eyes. If you have not seen it, click on the link and watch it. Really good, but trust me, you'll need tissues.

• Andrea Tobias Odom had some fun in the sun today at the beach with friends. Could life be any better?

We went to Gulf Shores. It was such a fabulous way to spend a REALLY HOT day (It has been over 100 degrees nearly everyday. Today, we did get some relief). The breeze coming off of the gulf was awesome. So much fun. A lot of great memories, but in true fashion of me...NO PICTURES! My friends got some though. lol

• Andrea Tobias Odom hates shopping for a swimsuit! I wish I could design and sew my own. Bathing suits are horrible!

Okay, in all fairness, this could be a complete blog post in itself, and maybe it will be. This comment I posted after sums it all up. "I really hate the swimsuits. I mean, my body could use a little help too, I'm sure, but there is really very little to chose from that is cute and modest and not going to break the bank at the same time."

• Andrea Tobias Odom loves CHILDREN'S LITERATURE!

What can I say about this except that it is true. Oh, how I love it. From picture books like Good Night Moon and The Giving Tree to YA literature like Belle Prater's Boy, Fever 1793, Tuck Everlasting, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and Out of the Dust (all books my sweet and smart girl Ariel has urged me to read, and I'm so glad I did. AWESOME).

• Andrea Tobias Odom is loving that the our garden is starting to produce some fresh vegetables. YAY. Growing a garden has helped me to better recognize the "everyday" miracles that surround us.

All I can say about this is YUM, and the lessons learned from gardening are so wonderful. I have learned that tomatoes don't need nearly as much water as cucumbers, that patience and hard work lead to great things.

• Andrea Tobias Odom is is up early to get Ariel ready for Pirate Camp!

No, not what you are thinking. No swashbucklers involved in this camp. It is a camp that is offered at the Magnet Middle School Ariel got accepted into (don't remind me, my baby is entering Middle school. Sniff. Sniff). It is two days and they get to switch classes, learn a little of what is expected of them, go to P.E. , learn about policies and procedures, practice opening lockers, and receiving HOMEWORK to be completed by the first day of school! Yes, homework which will be graded.

Phillips is a magnet school in which your name is selected from a "lottery" for acceptance. Not grades, not if your gifted, just the luck of the draw. We applied, and were happy for Ariel's name to be selected. Although, Mike calls the school a Nazi camp because their policies are VERY strict, they have A LOT of homework and even skip 6th grade math an go straight to 7th grade math. It will probably be a challenge for Ariel, but I know she can do it. She is very smart. I worry though, that she will not conform to the rules. She is not a conformist and likes to do things her way, but we will see. When she found out that if you don't do your math homework EXACTLY the way you are told, you will get a zero; she got mad and said, "That's not right. We live in a democratic society." lol.

Well, I could keep going on, and on with these FB status quotes, but I'll save you. Heck, I probably lost you at HELLO! lol

But, if you are still here, I guess things have been going on in my "non-productive" life. My biggest thing is that my girls are really getting older, and it makes me sad but happy too (crazy, I know). Ariel had her 50's day at school (which I can post a few pictures of) and Honors Day. We are very blessed that the Lord has given her a GREAT mind. She received Honors in all of her subject areas except math (even though she made A's--they take the top 4 letter grade in each class). So we are happy for her. She LOVED E.R. Dickson. It was such a blessing for her. She actually cried on the last day of school because her teacher, Mr. Baker, pulled her aside and told her what a great student she was and that he would miss her. She has had some great teachers! The slide show that was put together for the kids since kindergarten brings me to tears still! I can't believe how much my "little girl" has grown. Plus, Ariel got accepted into the Mobile Strings Academy this year. She plays violin. Still debating if she want to go back next year, since Phillips is more rigorous and she is going to play the flute in the band. If not, we are going to make her practice to try to keep it up as much as she can.

Cecily has jumped leaps and bounds in reading this year thanks to her teacher, Mrs. Burden. We love her and are going to miss her so much! Plus, we received exciting news that Cecily got accepted into the gifted program (PACE). Even more impressive is the fact that she scored REALLY high on her test. The PACE teacher said, maybe as high as Ariel (but, we'd have to go back and check the scores on that one). Cecily is also really doing great at her piano lessons. She has almost tackled, "How Firm a Foundation" thanks to her great teacher, Philip Jones.

I do really miss blogging. When I was blogging, I think my mind was a little sharper and my writing definitely got better. Plus, the fabulous friends I have made in the blogging world can't be beat.

So here I am. Trying to get back in the blogging groove (again), and give myself a little FB intervention (trust me, it can be a little addictive, especially when you get in touch with friends you have not seen in 15+ years.

And I said, I had nothing to blog about....Yeah, right! I hope this fits on one page. lol

The next one will be shorter. Promise. :)

Create

If you have not been to the lds.org site lately, you are really missing out on a lot.

Here is a favorite treasure in our family that we just came upon (when you click on this link you will go to lds. org and you will see the video that says create. I would have downloaded on here, but I don't know how) . It is a video that has been made from President Uchtdorf's October 2008 talk given at the General R.S. Broadcast titled Happiness, Your Heritage .

Enjoy it. Like I said, my girls and I have watched it several times and have not tired from it. A great message on who we are as daughters of God and our ability to make the world better. Such a great message of hope. Funny, each of us get a different message from the video. :)

It Truly Is GREAT To Be 8!

This is one of my favorite pictures of her baptism. Cecily and Dylan Parkes (another great buddy of Cecily's) looking into the font filled with water before the baptism starts)

Our little baby is no longer a baby.

Sniff, sniff again. (I've been doing that a lot lately).

Cecily turned 8 last Thursday and on that same day at 6:30pm, she was baptized.

She was so very excited about it all (as were all of us). When she woke up that morning, all she wanted to talk about was that that night she was going to be baptized. So very sweet.

It was a wonderful night. Sis. Emmertson played the piano with Ann Jordan leading the music. Payton Emmertson and Kendal Ottinger gave the prayers.

Here is Cecily with Payton. Payton and Cecily have been pals since babies, and they both go to the same school. Payton is such a sweet girl and a great example. She played such a sweet part in Cecily's baptism. When Payton was baptized, Cecily gave the closing prayer. Cecily knew from that moment on when her baptism happened she would have Payton give a prayer.

****We don't have a picture of Cecily and Kendal (from this point on, Mike was in charge of the camera. LOL)

Her Aunt Carolyn (on the left) gave the talk on Baptism, Lisanka Parkes (on the right) gave the talk on the Holy Ghost. Posing with Cecily. Cecily especially loved that both talks came with some extra special goodies. :)

We were blessed to have many of our family and friends present and two of Cecily's teachers, Mrs. Payne (her kindergarten teacher) and Mrs. Burden (her current teacher) both came out to support her on her big day.

I actually took this picture of Cecily, and her teacher Mrs. Burden before the baptism. Mrs. Burden has been such a wonderful blessing in our life this year, and we are so happy she came out to support Cecily on her big day. Cecily loves her and we will miss not having her next year!

***I know I asked Mike or someone to take a picture of Cecily with Mrs. Payne, but not sure if that happened. :)

Even Oma drove down from Meridian for the special occassion (not sure why Mike got a picture of him and Lee with his mom and not Cecily and Oma...oh well, we got more pictures with Cecily's baptism than with Ariel's for sure. lol)

Mike of course baptized her and confirmed her a member of the church and also did the confirmation of the Holy Ghost. I loved listening to the sweet prayer that went along with it.

Those who stood in the circle during the confirmation.

From L to R: Marc Ottinger, Jason Jordan, Michel Odom, Lee Odom,

Charlie Madison, John Bedwell and of course Cecily is up front.

The table with some of her favorite things. We had the guest sign around the mat of the picture frame, and we will put a picture of her in it so she can hang the picture in her room to help her remember that special day and those who were present.

...and we had to have a cake, which Cecily decided upon by herself. Chocolate is under all that frosting. We served water bottles and Capri Sun with it. I know that punch is nicer, but this was so much more kid friendly and so much easier for clean up too.

A very special night for a very special girl. She has blessed our lives for 8 wonderful years and we are so happy to have her in our family. Now that Ariel and Cecily are both baptized, we are now waiting for that special day in 4 short years were we can all be in the Temple together as a family. I can't wait for that special day...for I know that too will be GREAT!

It's all part of growing up

or so they say.

Shaving. Ariel began shaving at 9 1/2. Against my better judgment.

So how did she start doing something as grown up as shaving her legs at that age?

Easy...she asked her dad (she knew I would have said NO). I love him, but that silly man said he thought it would be okay. It wasn't hurting anything and they were her legs.

All I can say is silly man. We started off trying things like Veet. However, with Ariel's sensitive skin it was a DEFINITE no go. So I told her let's just wait till she's a little older.

Nope. Nada. No such luck. She wanted to rid herself of all that hair that was causing her so much grief.

So 1 1/2 years later Ariel often has razor burned legs. I warned her that once she started, she would not be able to stop and she would HATE it. Did she believe me?

Nope. Nada. No such luck.

Just this past week, she begs me to help her shave her legs. I tell her no. She was the one that wanted to start shaving.

However, I ended up caving in and helping her out when I saw how bad her legs were looking. I have shown her and told her a million times that she does not have to press down really hard. So, I end up helping her. ugghhh.

"How did this happen?" I ask myself. "I hate shaving my own legs and now I have to help my 11 year old daughter so that she doesn't end up hacking her legs to pieces.

Silly man...I wonder if we had had a son, Mike would have let him start shaving his face at 9?

Probably not. Silly, silly man.

I hate this growing up stuff. sniff, sniff.

NO REGRETS!

I've never quite understood the above phrase. I mean, I've heard people say it a lot through my life and I know WHAT it means, I just don't understand how someone can actually say they have "NO REGRETS".

I guess perhaps it is because a little part of me wonders what that would be like. As I sit here pondering back over my 35 years of life, I wish those words could cross my lips or even be typed here on this keyboard in relation to my life.

I'm not saying there has been no good in my life, because clearly there has BEEN, much more good than bad, and even the bad things that have occurred I'm not sure that I would change because undoubtedly they have helped shaped the person I have become (well, and even thinking back on that, perhaps I would change the bad qualities about myself if I could).

Perhaps those individuals who can look back on their life and say the phrase, "No Regrets" believe that focusing on regrets or things that could have been and never were are a waste of time for they can't change what has happened in the past. Perhaps they believe it to be best to live in the moment. Perhaps...

I mean I get it, I really do, if that is their reasoning, but I still can't help but wonder what that feels like--to have a life of no regrets. To not have one thing-- that if you could take it back, you would. I don't know what THAT feels like.

I do know, that I do wish I could say I have lived a life of NO REGRETS. But if I'm honest with myself, I can't.

My first memory of regret, that has never left me, even after all these years, happened at the rare age of 7. I remember all the neighborhood kids playing outside one day and one little boy, who no one ever wanted to play with-- Kevin. He had blond hair. He was a cute boy (from what I recall), he was just younger and he TATTLED a lot. One day in particular has never left my head. We were all playing and it began to storm really bad and we all ran into a screened in patio, except for Kevin. We (the group of neighborhood kids) locked him out in the rain and left him there crying begging us to let him in, but we didn't. We were so mean. Oh, I knew it was wrong, but I never went to let him in either. I let him run home in that storm where luckily he made it back safely.

The biggest part of that regret is that that day, I was a bully--luckily I don't remember ever being a bully at any other time in my life, perhaps it was because little did I know, that less than one year later, my life would have me in a different part of the country and I would be the little girl no one wanted to play with running in a bush crying my eyes out. Karma.

Maybe to some, it seems crazy for me to have an ache in my heart over that for all these years. A regret that can't be changed or taken back, but a regret none the less. What if I had had the courage to open that screen door? Does Kevin ever think back on that event in life, as much as I do? Perhaps yes, perhaps no. I don't know. But if I could change it, I would.

That is just one regret. I have others.

I regret... not being kinder to my parents as a teenager, more respectful---especially to my step father whom I acknowledge as my dad. He married my mom when my sister and I were 10. We were brats with a lot of baggage, but when he married my mom, our lives changed for the BETTER. No we were not rich, far from it. However, for once we had some stability in our lives, he had love for us, he taught us values and manners (and how to write a thank you note) but most of all, he gave us hope for a better future and often times what I gave back was disrespect. I know, many say that's how most teenagers behave, but I regret it. At the time, I did not realize the difference he made in my life, not fully and don't think I really did until I was older--after he had passed away. Another regret---not telling him thank you while he was here. Also, I wish I understood that my mom was just being overprotective because she did not want my sister and I to make the same mistakes in life that she had made. Thankfully, I have been able to thank her.

I regret... not being the kind of sister my twin was to me, as a young child, when she needed me the most.

I regret... some of the words I have spoken to others (my husband, my children, my friends and yes, even strangers). I have sadly learned words are sharp and cut deep and often leave a scar that stays for ever.

I regret... being a follower--falling to peer pressure--- instead of a leader.

I regret...caring too much about what people think---caring too much as to whether someone liked me, and forgetting that the one I should be pleasing the most is Heavenly Father. So much wasted time spent on worrying on what someone said, or was saying about me. Thankfully, I now have the confidence to realize they are the one with the problem.

I regret...not having complete confidence and sometimes when I say too much about myself to others. Will I regret posting this post on regrets?

I regret...dictating my life towards others when I was young because I thought it would bring me friends--something I desired. However, it held me back.

I regret...changing my degree from History to Communication Arts. I wanted to be a history teacher, and even thought about law school.

Amid all those regrets, I would regret if I did not recognize that there are tons of JOYS, and things I will NEVER regret---My membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and all the blessings it has brought to my life, marrying my husband, having children and my family, having true friends are just a few. Thankfully, I have a lot more joys than regrets.

The thing about regrets is that they can make one stop and reflect as to how she can make better choices in the future. How can I be a better daughter, a better wife, a better mother and a better friend today.

I also recognize oddly enough that some of my regrets in life have made my joys possible, so maybe that's what people mean when they say, "No Regrets?

Again, Perhaps. I'm not sure.

But, maybe, just maybe me sharing some of my regrets can help someone else live a life of "NO REGRETS". Is that possible? I hope so.

PROSPERITY, Do You Have It?

Was the question asked last Sunday by Sis. Annie Emmertson during her fabulous talk in sacrament meeting. Actually, she may have said, "Do you consider yourself prosperous?" (My memory is not that great and I did not start taking notes till about half way through). Her talk derived from Mosiah 2:22, "And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you."

Since she has given that talk, there has not been a day, sometimes hour, that has gone by that I have not thought about it. I will try to paraphrase it a little, but don't hold me to being word for word. Remember I was listening and people hear things differently, but this talk touched me. I told her so, and she jokingly said, "You say that to everyone."

But I meant it. It really did. Well, I should not say it touched me, but the spirit touched me as she spoke. So much so that I want to journal about it so that as my memory wavers, I can have something besides my little scribbled notes that I took to look back on.

Annie in doing so, I hope I don't embarrass or offend you. I am writing it on my blog, b/c I really believe everyone can benefit from it--and you are too humble to post it on your blog.
Having said that, if you are reading this, I could not remember your talk word for word, so, I hope I am not misquoting you in anyway, I'm just saying things the way they came to me. So please forgive me if it is not all 100% verbatim).

I never thought about prosperity in the way she spoke about it, but as I said, the Holy Ghost bore witness to me of the truths she spoke about. The crazy thing is, the more I ponder it, the more crazy I feel that I had never taken the time to look at it in that sense. Perhaps I'm the only one, and if so I'm grateful to the Lord for having her speak to me that day.

For those of you who are still reading, and were not able to hear the talk, you are probably thinking, "In what sense was she speaking of it?"

She asked us to think about what prosperity meant to each of us and do we consider ourselves prosperous. When she asked the question, I did honestly answer, "Yes, I am prosperous." to myself. After all, we have a nice home, our health, the gospel, Mike has a job, outside of our home loan, we are debt free (I want to stop and say right now, that every one of these blessings are only with us because of the Lord. Somehow, he sees fit at this time to bless us with them. Without Him, we would have and be nothing).

Then, Sis. Emmertson gave us the definition of prosperity: the condition of being successful or thriving (I could not remember the definition word for word, so I looked it up again).

She then asked us to stop and think of prosperity in a different light, not from a monetarily or temporal view, but a spiritual view. She went on to say that when we keep the commandments of the Lord we will be and are a prosperous people. It was at this point that I began to realize that I am much more prosperous than I had ever imagined---prosperous in a more important sense---a spiritual sense.

Here are some of the examples she gave of how we are prosperous when we keep the commandments. (She recited scriptures that backed up each of these, which I did not write down, but trust me if you start searching, you WILL find them---many of them. Plus, if you stop to think in your own life how these things come to play, you WILL realize that you have a greater prosperity than money can ever bring even during harsh economic times.)

What we receive when we Keep the commandments:

• Constant Companionship of the Holy Ghost
• Promise of Eternal Life
• Joy
• A Testimony (Mosiah 23:9-10 I did manage to get that one jotted down)
• Prayers answered
• Success in missionary work
• Peace

As I have stopped and pondered the above gifts from our lovingly Heavenly Father, I have come to realize even the poorest of the poor can be prosperous. The opportunity to be prosperous is in everyones reach. It all depends on our actions. Are we striving daily to keep the commandments?

The above gifts are wonderful, aren't they? When we have these things , aren't we a prosperous people? I definitely think so, and joy comes to me in knowing that. A feeling of contentment.

As I have reflected on this talk so many times this week (I even brought it into our V.T. lesson) I have come to realize that we can find many more things to add to our list. One that I have received is:

• Personal Revelation

OH, this talk was great. I know I did not do it justice, and I am very wordy. I wish everyone had the opportunity to hear this talk. It truly has been a blessing in my life.

Bro. Jones finished up the sacrament meeting on prosperity too, but he helped me to remember the things we have and to show gratitude for them. People with very little have been very happy and content in their lives b/c they are grateful and they look at the glass as half full instead of half empty.

As I have reflected many things have come to my mind. Such as with Spiritual Prosperity we can feel like we are FULL. I was reminded of a 20/20 show that I saw about millionaires who do not believe they are "prosperous" b/c they are wanting to be like the billionaires. They don't feel like they are rich at all. And for some reason it hit me, with money, most people are always seeking for more, but never get to where they want or need to be. However, with the gospel and spiritual prosperity--we can all attain the highest degree, we are all on equal standing.

I'm rambling b/c as you can see I am still pondering about this lesson. I hope perhaps it will touch you, and make you stop to ask yourself, "Are you Prosperous?" It is my hope that we can all answer with a resounding, "YES"!

Thanks again Annie for always being in tune with the Spirit!

International Food Festival With Ariel

The same day that Cecily got to meet Suzy Kline, Ariel's Pace class went on a field trip to the International Food Festival. It was a lot of fun. Many countries all over the world were represented. It was fun trying the yummy food, seeing all the booths of different cultures that can be found all within our wonderful country too. The children were given passports that could be stamped at each of the country.
Ariel bought this hat from China (she has a fascination for Asia and all its culture) or the Philippines can't remember as well as some chopsticks for Cecily. Can you believe what she really wanted was a flavored water bottle from China. Just because of it's cool shape. I was a mean mom and said, "No". Hey, in fairness to me, I gave her a budget and she already spent all of her money and we had tried lots of other yummy treats including candy from China and sweets from Germany and empanadas from South America. I could keep going, so don't feel too bad for her.

Here are some pictures of Ariel with some of her PACE friends. Ariels friend in the white shirt on the left is holding one of the infamous water bottles. LOL.

Ariel loves PACE, and will miss Mrs. Fox, her teacher, next year. She is awesome!

Horrible Harry and Cecily

For those of you with small children, and maybe even a few of you without, you probably know all about Horrible Harry.

For those of you who don't, "Horrible Harry" is a popular children's book series written by Suzy Kline. It is based on a 3rd grader named Harry, and his misadventures are told through the words of his best friend, Doug. Cecily didn't really know much about Horrible Harry either until this past November.

At the girls school, the library holds a "Reading For Fun" contest every year, in the fall, for grades 3-5th. However, this year the contest was for grades 2-4th. The premise of the contest is to get kids reading. During this time, children are encouraged to keep a log of how many pages they read every time they read. The log has to be signed by an adult. For every 50 pages read, and/or for every time they visit the public library, the child gets to put their name in a drawing to meet an author. Then at the end of the month, about 4 names from each grade level is drawn to meet the author. Some years the authors are very popular. For instance, last year Ariel got to meet Barbara Robinson author of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever".

This year the author was Suzy Kline. Cecily is not our big reader, she will read, but she doesn't really enjoy it. She loves being read to, but just to go and read by herself for hours on end, not so much Cecily. That would be Ariel. Give Cecily a math problem and she's there.

Well, we always encourage reading in our home, like most parents. We buy lots of books, go to the library etc. So when the contest came around, I encouraged Cecily to do it. So she did. However, unlike Ariel who in the past had tons of pages read, Cecily probably had maybe 200. We did not think that she would win. However, luck of the draw, her name was selected.

Cecily was thrilled to win and meet the author . I got to attend as well. The assembly was held on Dec. 5th in our school gym. Suzy Kline was great! She told the kids to never stop trying to reach their dreams even if you get rejections along the way. She told the children that she got over 100 rejection letters (which she still has in a folder labeled as such--she showed it to us and even read a few) before she found someone to publish her first book. It was a lot of fun listening about how she received many of her ideas for the books she has written.

Cecily received a free Horrible Harry book along with an Suzy Kline's autograph. Mrs. Saleeby, the librarian also gave each of the children a really good picture of themselves with the author and a close-up of the author, but I don't have a scanner so my poor pictures will have to do.

Here is Cecily with the group of students who won the contest from our school. Our school actually host this contest every year, so all the other children are the children who won from other schools.

OH, and guess what? Cecily likes Horrible Harry, not as much as Junie B. Jones, but close, and she is reading a little more. So hats of to reading and Hats off to Horrible Harry!

Christmas with Oma

Christmas has come and gone and I have yet to mention any of it, well, except for my sofa set. Very materialistic of me.

I do want to capture Christmas 2008 before I lose memory of it, and trust me that happens fairly quick.

This year, Christmas was different than the usual Odom family Christmas. When Mike and I had Ariel, we had decided that we would stop travelling for Christmas. We would just stay at home with our little family and anyone who wanted to join us was more than welcome.

It was just easier. The thought of packing up all the gifts, then unpacking the gifts, just to re-pack them up again seemed a little tiresome. Plus, I thought this would be a great time for us to start some of our own traditions. We have tried many different ones over the years. Some we've held on to and some we have let go.

In the past, my mom usually comes up for a few hours and has Christmas dinner and visits, which is always nice.

This year was to be no different, except something happened.

What?

The First Presidency Christmas Devotional. Well, that's not new. Just the words spoken during it. It is always held the first Sunday in December and as usual, it was very good. We ALWAYS go to the church to watch this. I know, we can watch it from home, but for me, there is always something special about watching it in the chapel and hearing Silent Night at the end with other members (even though every year fewer members come together to watch it. This year, we were grateful to watch it with the missionary couple from our ward along with the Emmertson's and the Campbell's.)

On our way home, we were all reflecting aloud, as a family, what we had learned from the Prophet and apostles. I love doing this because we always hear something different, but at the same time it helps our family to start the Christmas season with the Savior in our hearts and mind, and reminds us that we need to keep Him at the center at all times. Our dear prophet gave me food for thought with his words, "Are we making room in our "inn" for the Savior?"

This year, we all felt a greater need to serve, but for me this year, I learned that service does not have to be something grand as long as it is "drawing hearts to the Savior or an act of kindness" as Pres. Eyring mentioned in his talk. I often think service needs to pointed outward away from our family, but this year, our family was reminded that sometimes the greatest service is needed within our own families, and with that the greatest lessons can be learned.

After hearing Pres. Monson's talk, Mike said all he could think of was his mom. Mike's mom lives alone with Mike invalid grandmother about 3 hours away. Because she is the sole care giver of Mike's grandmother, she seldom gets away and is lucky to be able to get away long enough to attend church. Due to this, she would be alone for Christmas.

Mike said he could not shake the fact that we needed to be with his mom on Christmas. That we should take Christmas to her. That we needed to break our "tradition" of staying at home and render service. Yes, service, not the kind we normally think of, but service just the same. He has never asked this of me, and I felt that if he felt that strong about it after hearing the words of the prophet, then we should listen.

So, that is just what we did, and we managed to keep it a secret from her.

It was our thought to leave early (5am) Christmas morning (we wanted the girls to open up the gifts from Santa at home since our car would not be able to hold all the stuff for Christmas dinner and Mike's mom's gifts along with the gifts she sent to us back so we could open them there with her), and arrive at Mike's mom at 8 am. We brought the entire dinner. I did not want Mike's mom to have to cook for us, so I preped all the food aside from the turkey the day before and put everything in throw away dishes and that way all that would need to be done was cook the food when we got there.

The girls were up early (Ariel at 2 am, but we managed to get her to go back to bed until 4am). We got the coolers and gifts loaded up and ended up on schedule. The funny thing is, with all the excitement, we forgot to get the camera out--so we have no pictures of Christmas morning except those engraved in our mind.

As we drove up to Oma's house, we were all excited and giddy. It was really fun. We decided to go up and ring the door bell and start singing Christmas carols. When she opened the door, she was very surprised!

We had a great Christmas. Once again, I am thankful for a prophets voice. I know that talk was inspired and I'm grateful that Mike felt prompted to not just listen to those words spoken by Pres. Monson, but to take them to heart and put action behind them.

I know it was one of the best Christmas' ever for our family. I know that we do need to reach out in the community and serve, but sometimes in our efforts of reaching out to the community, I forget to serve those right in my own family or home. I need to remember to balance it. I hope this year that our family can reach out together all year to those in need--whether it be those close to our hearts or those we don't know-- to be of more service to each other and to all of our neighbors. For when we do this the spirit of Christmas---the light of the Savior-- is not only felt in December, but all the year through.

***Here are a couple of pictures we took just before taking down the decorations. LOL. This first one seems to be our generic Christmas picture pose. I guess we will be able to see how we change over the years.

Here is a picture of our house. I tried to get Mike to put up the lights along the roof, but he wouldn't. So we didn't.