200 things...

I found this list on my friend, Lisa's blog. If you want to do it, just copy and paste it onto your blog. Then just high-light or bold the things you have done!


1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it!
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing (indoor and outdoor)
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie (self production or local)
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone - verbal not physical
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people .
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe.
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent ) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (miniature golf)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz (waltz)
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Tagged....

I have been tagged! I have seen these blog posts where people get "tagged" to post things they have done and so on. I was asking how on earth people get tagged until it happened to me. Thanks Lisa! :) I may actually have a little fun with this!

I honestly don't remember much about what was going on 10 years ago. I had just had my first baby, Megan. :) So between covering from an unplanned c-section (32 hour labor and 2 hours of pushing and then a C-section) and having a new baby, I honestly don't remember what was going on 10 years ago. It was all...baby stuff. So I agree with Lisa, and I will do 5 things you may not know about me.

5 Things you may not know about me:

1. I was on the swim team in high school. It was my life. I made varsity my freshman year. I also DQed my first race on varsity. My feet in the breaststroke were wrong. Oh, well. I swam for 3 years. I was always on varsity but never lettered. I was incredibly consistent but never a stand out.

2. My movies and DVDs have to be in alphabetical order. It's just logical to me. My great room could be trashed but as long as my movies are in order there is some sense of order for me. Crazy I know.

3. I do not like chocolate ice cream. I love chocolate, the candy kind. But I do not care for chocolate ice cream, mousse, pudding, or anything like that. My sister, Karen, says that I am just weird. Okay, I will give her that one.

4. I just barely bought my first pair of tennis shoes in almost 8 years. I do not like tennis shoes. I do not like wearing socks and shoes. I love flip flops. I will wear them in freezing weather if I can avoid stepping in the snow. I just don't like the way shoes fit my feet. I did buy a pair hoping to get in better shape. Baby steps, people, baby steps.

5. I make homemade pizza. The frozen ones are fine and I do buy them for a quick and easy dinner. But for real pizza I make my own dough. It is my sister, Susan's recipe. It is very good but I have to start the dough about 2 hours before dinner. So if dinner is at 6 then I have to start the dough about 4. As it has been said before, I am weird.


5 things on my do-list today:

1. Take Katelyn to and from preschool. Make sure she is wearing her costume for the party.
2. Go grocery shopping. Every Thursday with a weeks menu planned.
3. Take Monica to afternoon kindergarten.
4. Do the dishes, pick up the great room, and clean the kitchen.
5. Pick up my kids and 2 others (carpool) from school.

Only five, huh. I could keep listing if needed.


5 snacks I enjoy:

1. Tootsie Rolls
2. Cheesecake!!
3. Chips and dip or chips and salsa
4. Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie ice cream (I said I didn't like CHOCOLATE ice cream)
5. Fruit (mainly apples, strawberries and pears)


5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:

1. Hire a housekeeper and part-time nanny.
2. Pay off my house sooner.
3. Make sure our parents (Mike's and mine) can retire comfortably.
4. Give some to Humanitarian Aid, General Mission Fund, and Perpetual Education Fund.
5. Set up HUGE saving account and trust funds for my kids.


5 places I have lived:

1. Rowland Heights, CA
2. Rexburg, ID
3. Provo, UT
4. Riverton, UT
5. Clearfield, UT


5 jobs I have had:

1. Barro's Pizza in Diamond Bar, CA
2. Carrows in Diamond Bar, CA
3. Western Insurance (data input for my Dad :0)
4. Casa Blanca Mexican Restuarant
5. Rowley & Co. (Produce company after I got married. Bankrupt now and not because of me!)


5 people I tag:

1. Stacy
2. Jenifer
3. Crystal
4. Amy
5. Rebecca

And of course, any one who does want to do this for fun! I tag you too! :)

Mikayla turns 1...

Here are some pictures of Mikayla's 1st birthday. I can't believe she kept the hat on the whole time! She is such a ham for the camera already that is she is so much fun to take pictures of. I don't know why she is the main subject of pictures around here. Maybe because I am pretty sure she is our last baby, I take a lot of pictures. A friend said it best about this age..."All personality and no back talk!"

4th folder, 4th picture...

My friend, Stacy, had a post on her blog where she posted the 4th picture from the 4th folder in her pictures file on her computer. I decided to do that, too. Thanks Stacy! ;)

Here is my picture. It is of Megan and my new and only sister-in-law, Nikki. My brother, Mike, and Nikki got married in the Portland, Oregon Temple on July 19, 2003. This is after the ceremony. Megan matched the colors of the wedding so the photographer asked her to be in a picture. Megan looks so little here. She is only 5 years old. I love my sister-in-law, Nikki. She is a fabulous person and makes my brother very happy. They have 2 beautiful kids, Ryan and Lydia. She is a good friend of mine. I always felt sorry for the girl Mike would marry. I mean, the poor girl is marrying a guy with 5 sisters! But Nikki is great and we all love her (and Mike,too). ;)

"I'm the little sister"...

After Mikayla was born her sisters brought her a present. It's the shirt the says "I'm the little sister." Mike wanted to get all the girls shirts that said "I'm the big sister" for all the girls but decided that was crazy considering how many shirts that would be.

In the top picture Mikayla is 2 months old and look how huge it is on her. I just took the bottom picture this week. She is wearing the same shirt! Look how much she has grown! My baby is getting so big! *sniff* She is a very cute and easy going girl. She is a complete ham for the camera. She hears the sound of the zoom or sees it and she starts posing and smiling! These past 14 months have gone by so fast. I still need to post pics of her 1st b-day. Okay, it was 2 months ago but who cares!

That's my Monka...

We got back from Park City today. I will post more about that later when I actually get the gumption to download that pictures from my camera.

Anyhoo, I sat down today to read with Monica for kindergarten. She is reading those "I See Sam" books that I read back in kindergarten. By the way, the copyright on those is 1972! Older than me I'll have you know! ;) So we started reading and for some reason the words Sam and am throw her off. When she tries to guess what they are we get all sorts of answers. So far, we have had Ammon, salmon, and sandman replace those words that are actually there. My favorite has to be Ammon. She put her arm around me today and told me, "Don't worry, Mom, I'll get this." We have to read each book 5 times for her to pass it off. At the end of the last reading she was telling me, "Look Mom, I can read with my eyes closed!" So she was trying to remember what the words were on the page. Ammon was not in the 3rd and 4th readings but he was sneaking into the 5th reading because she was guessing more than reading. Crazy girl!

I know the picture of her above is silly but that is who she is. She is a very friendly girl who has a lot of friends, even if she can't remember all their names. :0) Her teacher asked her to befriend a girl in her class that no one was playing with and Monica did it gladly. She started playing with her everyday and now they are good friends. Monica can try my patience but she is a very sweet, loving, and active girl who can be a lot of fun to be around. I just love my Monka Rose Jakin. (That's how she used to say her name.) :0)

Good Times...

I have all of the kids home with me right now. They are on fall recess, formally UEA. I don't know why they they changed it from UEA to "fall recess." I was probably told at some point why it changed but I can't remember why. Anyways...It is very high pitched around here right now. I have already had Monica and Katelyn come to the door crying something about Megan while I was in the shower. And less than 5 minutes after I got out of the shower and dressed, Monica was crying again because Katelyn stepped on her head while she was under a blanket. Monica stepped on Katelyn's stomach last night while they were watching TV, so honestly I don't know if I have too much sympathy for Monica. I know that sounds mean and awful of me but I hope she now knows what it feels like and won't do it again. I love my Monka but she is the type of kid that after you tell her not to do something, she will look you in the eye and do it anyway.

We are going up to Park City on Saturday to spend the night in my sister's, Karen, timeshare. Mike has worked 7 days a week for the last 6 weeks so when Karen offered it to us we decided to take her up on it. He wants to get away and go someplace different. And we are taking the kids with us. Call us crazy but you try finding someone willing to watch 5 kids overnight. It is not easy. The kids are actually really excited. Megan wants to go shopping at the outlet stores and Karly wants to go swimming. Monica just likes to go places and Katelyn doesn't care. Mikayla has no idea what is going on and doesn't care, as long as people keep adoring her. :)

There's so much more...

Anyone who knows us well knows we are very close to Mike's office manager, Linda Hill. She is a fabulous woman who my kids adore. She is like an adopted aunt to them and her 7 kids are like cousins to my kids. Linda's youngest daughter, Hayley, is also our usual babysitter. You get the idea, right?

Well, Linda is also a 3 time cancer survivor. She was first dianogsed with Hogkin's Lymphomia at 19. She underwent chemo and radiation and beat it. But she was also more likely to get other forms of cancer because of her Hogkin's treatment. She was also told that she could be sterile and not have could not have children. Obviously, with 7 children (Jennifer, Kelly, Lauren, Molly, Jake, Bubba, and Hayley) that did not happen. :0) She then got thyroid cancer and had her thyroid removed. Then in March 2008, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a double mastectomy in April. She has recovered nicely but cannot undergo reconsruction because of the risk of infection and she has no speen (again due to the Hogkin's).
She has a great sense of humor and has decided to help others find humor in the horrible, life-changing diagnosis cancer can be.

She now has her own t-shirt company. Linda was on the Glenn Beck show on October 14th. She was featured on the Real America segment of his show. She told about her company and had pictures of her parents, brother, all her kids, Chad(who she works with also), and Mike. :0) Her company is called So Much More. The motto of the company is "Cancer does not define us, we are so much more." For every t-shirt that is sold, a $2 gift from that sale is given to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.


We are very proud of Linda and are thrilled with her her beating breast cancer. But what frightens me is the number of people that I know and love that have battled cancer or have had cancer scares. I know that October is breast cancer awareness month, so please check out her site.

I'm sorry to go all sober and sad on this post. I will try to be more upbeat next time I promise.

I found it...

I found the 5th comic strip. I was so excited that I had to do another post just to put it up. I know, my life is sad and pathetic and the little things give me joy. But I'm okay with that and I have come to accept it. ;)

Again, I'm sorry about the yellow age of this.

That explains a lot...

I found these in our paper a long time ago. I thought that they were so funny and so true. So please excuse the yellow color from the paper. It was that long ago I cut them out.




There was one more about dinner. I can't find it now because my children found it of the utmost importance one day to go through my desk. :) It was the mom saying that dinner was ready and the they must hear part was "Please start critizing my cooking now." And the 2 kids were making all sorts of comments.

This just lets me know that most of the time my kids are normal. They are just kids. ;)