Food for Thought

I was on the stair master today at the gym, reading SHAPE magazine.  I usually have to read something to keep me going for 25-30 minutes on that machine.  It is BRUTAL, but such a great work-out.  Anyway, as I was reading a lot of silly but not completely pointless things, I came across something that has had me thinking most of the day.
There was a short article entitled "Conquering your 'To-Do' list".  I have never been a list-maker, I like doing whatever feels good that day and I do get a lot accomplished. Every once-in-a-while if I am feeling really overwhelmed, I will make a list to help me prioritize and then I get work at checking things off.  That feels good, too!
Okay...so you're wondering, "Where are you going with this?"  I'll get there....just a second.
How many of you women out there have YOU on your "to-do" list for the day?  Are you penciled in between "take baby to the doctor" and "grocery shopping"? Or somewhere in the afternoon around "pick up kids from school" and "clean bathrooms"....these are all good things and definitely important! The article was short and sweet and up-lifting.  It helped me to see that all the things we do as wife and mom still have to get done, but what about putting ourselves on our "to-do" list?!  Aren't we worth it? I think so.  It suggested that it doesn't have to be a LONG activity or even a grueling work-out.  Take 20, 30 minutes, or however long you can "budget" for that day and make it count for YOU. What a great little article and I'm so glad I read it!
So....remember, you are worth it! Put yourself on your "to-do" list and see if you don't start to feel even better about your already fantastic and blessed life!

Odds 'n' Ends

This blog may seem a little random...and it is. But hey, at least it's a post...WITH PICTURES! While I was uploading pictures I was reminded, however, WHY I don't like to do this blogging thing. I have NO patience for things I don't understand; things like technology! Anyway, I have a friend who helped me figure a few things out and maybe (no promises here) just maybe, I will do this a little more often. 

Here are a few pictures of my little sweet-heart! 

This is the first picture of Christmas Day. Funny thing is...SHE woke US up! Doesn't she look like she's slightly disgruntled about being awake at 7am? She was wide awake and then I flipped on the light. If she could talk she would probably say "AHHH! My eyes! Turn off the light!"

 Here she is with her Poppy and "her" dog (that lives at her Mimi and Jojo's house) Gizmo.  She thinks Giz is HER dog and he is just so loyal to her! When she is napping he gets very concerned that she is not part of the "party" and will walk all around the house trying to open doors and find her. When she would take a bath, he would be right there...laying on the rug in the bathroom.  It was really pretty cute.

 And this is how Sediva feels about traveling...

This is how much she LOVES being at Grannie and Grandpa Teichert's house! There were KIDS there to play with! Not quite the same as Gizmo, since Giz would "play fetch" with her for quite sometime. However, she really loves her cousins Mylie and Mariah, and they are sooo good with her. I wish I would have snapped a few pics of them all together.

Here she is making messes because now she is a CRAWLER!! DVD cases all over the place, but a big smile on her face! She is so much happier now that she is on the move. 

Reaching for the very....last....one....all the way in the corner! You should have heard her grunting :-)

...and her sweetest "trick" of all!! Giving kisses to everyONE and everyTHING! Here she is giving her toy zebra a good-morning kiss.  I just love this little angel!

Well, that's it for today! I do want to do a post about our newest "adventure"....JUICING! Okay, so it's not MY newest adventure. In fact, I think adventures are supposed to be fun and honestly, it really doesn't look like any fun at all. So it's really Austin's "adventure" and I drink it only in the mornings.  I like to eat, okay?! So sue me!

A New Year

2011 was a fantastic year for the Clift family. We've been given many wonderful blessings...and challenges...but mostly blessings. I did not get a Holiday Greeting sent out this year and I thought I would after New Year's, but who am I kidding?! I won't get it done, so I'll do one on here and hope that too many people won't be bummed not receiving yet ANOTHER photo to tape to their door/refrigerator that won't come down until late February.

We started our year off with the most wonderful blessing of all...Sedona Rose! She is now 11 months old and is FINALLY crawling! Yep, that's right, crawling! It has been a frustrating couple of months waiting for her to finally MOVE. Our entire Christmas break she had at least one, sometimes 3 or 4 people trying to help her learn how to crawl. When we returned home earlier this week she finally started on her own. I guess it took removing the "audience" for her to finally do it. She is now tearing into anything and everything that is within reach but she is much more content for longer periods of time. That makes for one happy Momma!! She has also learned how to give "kisses" although some are open-mouthed and slobbery. She gives kisses to anything she plays with, including her train! Sedona LOVES her "Poppy" (aka Dad) and squeals with delight every time she sees him. (makes me feel like chopped liver, but hey...she's with me all day so I can't blame her for being excited to see Poppy.) She is the light of our lives and I somehow cannot remember WHAT I did with my time before she was here.

Austin finished another year of school, worked 20 hours a week, and took 16 credits both semesters! Squeeze in some snowboarding and being a new Daddy into all that and he was one busy man! Over the summer, he worked as a sales rep and manager for Safe Home Pest Control company in Dallas, TX. It was the hottest summer on record in the last 50+ years and he was out working hard in it every day! How I love that man!! We ended our summer on Vacation with the Clift family at Wallowa Lake in St. Joseph, OR. It is so beautiful there!! Austin works hard to play hard and he did do that! He woke up early every morning to be the first one on the lake jet-skiing with Uncle Curtis. Austin is a very devoted father and husband and is working hard to finish his under-grad at BYU-Idaho. He has 2-3 semesters left and then Dental School!! So, basically, we'll be in school for a really long time but it has its pay-offs.

I have been busy being Mom to the cutest baby I've ever given birth to! haha....Sedona is so much fun and is the center of my daily tasks and all my attention and I LOVE being Mommy. I really do believe it is the best job in the whole world. It is the HARDEST job in the whole world but nothing that is easy is every really worth it. On top of being Mom and wife to a very busy husband, I set some goals this year to focus on being Violet. I have a tendency to lose myself when I dive into whatever I'm doing at the time. I morph into my work and it gets all my devotion and I forget who I am. When I stopped working at the beginning of the year I knew it would be important to set goals that would help me remain Violet as well as being Mom and Wife. There were only 3 goals, and they may seem kinda silly to some of my readers but they have accomplished what I needed them to and so I will share:

1-Read something uplifting every day. Preferably from the Scriptures or Ensign, but as long as it helps me be better THAT DAY, it counts.

2-Run a half-marathon.

3-Get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

Goal #1 was really hard! I'm sure I missed several days throughout the year and those were probably my hardest days to get through. But, I read a lot of really good things this year and fit in a great series "Faith of our Fathers"!

In July, Goal #2 didn't look like it was going to happen and I was so sad! I love to run. I love how it touches all 5 aspects of a healthy life: physical, emotional, social, spiritual, mental. But when I started running with my Mother-in-law in August I found a new resolve to get this one done! We both registered for the Zeitgeist Half Marathon in Boise and on November 5th, I accomplished this goal. I cried tears of joy and pain when I finished. Running does so much for me and my personal "center of balance" and I am so glad I didn't let this goal die in the ditch...

Goal #3 was accomplished by late July and as I started training hard for my half marathon, another 10 pounds came with it. I haven't been where I am now, physically, since high school and it feels so good! Being healthy is the top priority and I have never felt better.

So, now that you are all bored stiff I will end this post with a few of my resolutions for 2012:

1- Keep doing "Violet" things!

2- Run another half marathon.

3- Live in the moment.

I hope you all had a fantastic 2011 and may the Lord bless your 2012 with success and happiness!

Love,

the Clift Family