Can you do NOTHING for 2 minutes?

Barbados on our Cruise in 2011

Seriously, I dare you to do this. Can you do NOTHING for two minutes? I will be honest it was hard I failed 3 times...advice: don't actually look at the countdown of time. I stopped in the middle of my day when I could of done homework, cleaned, watched a television show, organized stuff, make a new list (because we all know I love lists) or do all sorts of things. But instead I just sat there for 2 minutes listening to the sound of waves. Heaven.

Just go here and try it.

My Thanksgiving List: 9 Things I am Grateful for in 2011

Since next week we will be in Cancun for Thanksgiving hallelujah this break is needed I will be presenting you all with my Thanksgiving Gratitude List for this year. We are so excited to go to Cancun tomorrow! And I haven't even packed...I usually am the week before kind of a packer not the night before. Anyway here is my gratitude list IN NO ORDER I have a hard time rating things or choosing anything really...ask me my favorite food and I will probably give you like 5 answers or ask me my favorite movie and I could maybe just maybe narrow it down to 8. I am grateful for all of these things. Warning: I may get emotional.

I am grateful for...

Family- I am so grateful for all my family. I would write something for each of them individually because they each deserve one, but that would just be boring for you. My husband, parents, siblings, in-laws, and all our family are the ones that make the biggest difference in my life on a day-to-day basis. They are the ones that make the good days even better and the bad days a little brighter. I seriously love all my family so much and all that they do for me.

Matson's Family - January 2011

My Family (@ My Brother's Wedding) - April 2011

Rookie - I know what you are all thinking..."Your dog really? She gets one whole list herself?" Yes, she does. She seriously brings me so much joy. I can be feeling so down and then I see Rookie dance to a musical greeting card or bury a bone in the dirt in an indoor plant and BAM! just like that I am so happy. She not only brings me joy but she brings it to so many others too. Like, watching Matson play with her is the best thing in the world. Rook loves Matson so much. And no matter how many times my mom says that she doesn't like cleaning up after her and I can't count how many times my mom has said, "She's YOUR dog, not mine!" But my mom loves her so much. I mean just look at those ears...

Friends - We have some of the greatest friends. I hope that we have been just as good of friends to them as they have been to us. Thankful for all the laughs, the advice, the times where they just let us vent, the text messages, the fun dates, the parties, and just everything. 

T*, C*, Matson, and I Skiing - January 2011

M* and Matson - April 2011

Me & J* - Her Wonderful Wedding Day August 2011

Matson & K* - July 2011

Halloween Party with Friends - October 2011

The Church and The Scriptures - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is such a blessing in my life. I am so thankful for the gospel, the scriptures, and that I am able to go to church every week and take the sacrament where I get to renew my covenants and pretty much start over again and again each week we just taught our sunbeams class about the Sacrament last week, it is fresh in my mind! I am thankful that I was raised an LDS member and I am thankful for my testimony. I know that with daily scripture study your life is strengthened daily. I know that Heavenly Father loves me and that he knows me personally. I also know that Jesus Christ is my savior and that he died for me. I know that I can be with my husband and family for eternity if I am obedient and keep my covenants with God. All in all, it may not be the strongest testimony but I am so thankful for it.  

Our Health - I am so thankful that I am healthy, Matson is healthy, and our family is healthy. My grandpa has had some health problems this year and I have cried multiple nights in fear that he will not be ok. I love him so much and I actually have some tears forming in my eyes now just thinking of him. Health is such an important thing. Matson and I try our best to go to the gym daily and eat as best as we can. Minus Matson's occasional Dr. Pepper and my horrible obsession with rolls and homemade sweets!

Vacations - This year we were lucky to go on a few vacations and like I said earlier, we are leaving to Cancun tomorrow! It was so much fun to see different sites, visit family, catch some sun, eat yummy foods, and spend time with each other all day long (instead of just a few hours). Traveling is something that we love and will always do. I am sure when we are old and retired I guarantee that is what we will be spending our money on. 

Seattle Pikes Place Market - May 2011

Caribbean Cruise - August 2011

Cancun Honeymoon - August 2010 (Going there in 24 hours)

Pillow Talks - Each night after our bedtime routine, we lay down, and instantly I start talking unless I am dead dog tired. Most nights Matson says something like, "Erica I have work at 6am. I have to be up in 4 or 5 hours" or "Erica...I am exhausted." BUT some nights Matson falls for my trap and we talk the night away. Those nights are the best. We talk about everything and usually laugh hysterically. These pillow talks are some of my most favorite memories with my husband and I am so thankful for them. 

Thanksgiving Break November 2010 - We were feeling chidlike so we made a fort, watched a movie in it, and pillow talked in it until we fell asleep!

 
Pinterest - This year I was introduced to Pinterest. I guess you could say I am a little addited, but I do not spend all my time on it. Only when class gets boring or Matson is doing homework and I am not. I love it and it provides me with great holiday decoration ideas, recipes, fashion tips, hair tips, and so much more! I may waste some of my time away on it, but I really do enjoy it! My new hobby...
 
Children - No, we are not pregnant, yet we look so forward to the day when we will have our own children. But I could not forget children in this list. They bring me so much happiness, laughter, and they are so dang funny when they aren't even trying to be funny which is even more funny (wow I just funny 3x in a sentence...did it even make sense?). From the kindergartners I volunteer for 2x a week (I wish so badly that I had a picture of this little girl in the class that talks just like my sister when she was little, she has the same haircut as my sister did at that age, and she is very independent like my sister was...she is so precious), to the boys and girls in our Sunbeam class, and to the children I nanny - they all bring me such happiness and daily I have a smile on my face from these children.

E* and his family white board drawing. I am the one in the yellow dress with the orange flower. Too cute.

H* and I both aren't too great at making fishy faces.

Our sunbeams dressed in our clothes on our "We are Thankful for Clothing" lesson.

I am sooo blessed and therefore need to be sooo thankful!

I hope you all have such a wonderful Thanksgiving!

My one Thanksgiving tip:

Let the Holiday eating start now.

Erica's List of 22.

Usually people make their own resolutions on New Years, I have never really stuck to those resolutions I  mean who does? but just kind of keep them in my mind as reminders on what goals I want to keep throughout the year. My sister in law, T*, has made a list on or around her birthday for the past 2 birthdays. Her lists include a certain number (the number she will be turning the next year) of things that she wants to do before her next birthday. You can see her list for this year's birthday here. You all know my obsession with lists so of course I {heart} this idea.

So here are some small and reachable goals and things I would like to do before I turn 22 in a year.

1. Eat less carbs, More veggies and protein My food intake as of lately is sweets, breads, and cereal...ugh need to change that. Plus I do not eat nearly enough protein. - Only eat 1 sweet or treat instead of grabbing 2 or 3 treats. And eat whole wheat not white.
2. Read a church book every Sunday with Matson - whether it be 1 page or 1 chapter JUST read and learn.
3. Try 1 new recipe each month (I would say each week but with our school/work schedules that just won't happen and is not reachable, we often eat on busy nights our "Go To" meals like soup, cereal, or lean cuisines)
4. Try 5 new foods
5. Make a quilt
6. Turn my blog from the past year into a book
7. Catch up on all my journaling so not a word, but it should be. I am 3 months behind. AH!
8. Get back to writing in my journal daily
9. Run a 5k
10. Read at least 8 books I know some of you are thinking what the 8 books? I didn't start reading for fun until this past year so this is a reasonable goal here people.
11. Go on a road trip with Matson
12. Visit all my grandparents - finish their life interviews that I started back in May 2011
13. Go to a play at Tuacahn in St. George
14. Make pillows for our couch and chairs
15. Go to all the Utah temples
16. Prepare my sunbeam lessons better and make each sunbeam feel special. 
17. Go to the Manti pageant
18. Give Matson more back scratches he always asks for them and honestly I probably say yes 1 out of 10 times. I don't know why but I just never do. I am horrible. so really this one means Be a more selfless and caring wife
19. Get mostly all A's in school (1 or 2 B's are ok)
20. Buy, repaint, redo, or whatever it takes to new dressers
21. Hold craft nights with cousins, friends, and whoever wants to come!
22. Travel to somewhere new

Welcoming Fall in with a List

My toes are chilly in my sandals which means it is time to pull out the fall boots and clothes and put the swimsuit cover ups away. I feel more and more like soup instead of ice cream. The leaves are no longer green but yellow. I have to wear a sweater at night to keep myself from freezing. This all means it is now officially Fall.

As many of you know I have mentioned this many times before I kind of like making lists. This summer I had a list of fun activites in my phone called "Summery Fun" for Matson and I to do together. I did the same for fall but actually made it cute and I hope to check all of these things off this fall!

Feel free to print this list out and use it this Fall! I am going to print it out and post it on our fridge or maybe frame it and use a dry erase marker to check each thing off each year!

Listography

for those of you that know me i mean really know me like spent more than 72 hours with me and not just a high school math period listening to my ramblings kind of know me then you know that i make lists. yes, lists like with bullet points actually more like little boxes as the bullet points so I can check the box off once it is done and random tasks and reminders one after another and after another. i have this serious obsession with making lists. i make them every single day. more like night. every night before i go to bed i make a list of every single thing i need to do the next day. Plus, each week i make a "Week To Do" list (yes every weekly list is titled with that exact title i also kind of have a little obsession with naming every single one of my lists like "Monday To Do", "Do Before Work", or "Finish before Vacation"). Plus, I make lists in my journals, phone, and just random lists for goals, keeping track of expenses, and grocery lists. Plus, i make lists for Matson with random Saturday chores or homework/things he needs to get done for the day (these lists I make for him are not always "Honey Do" lists, but sometimes just to help him stay organized).

Ok right now all of you are either thinking, "what the heck, this chick is crazy pants about lists," or "wow, what a waste of time!"

But let me just tell you there is this huge sensation about checking something off a list, about getting something done, and then feeling totally accomplished! Matson hates it sometimes though because he says once i check one thing off i have something[s] to replace it. he is right there always is something to do, something to get done...which leads me to this list I am going to share with you.

this is not just your average erica obsessed list. this is a fun, relaxing list. a list of things i want to do this summer.

so here you go. enjoy my list, take these things i want to do and you do them too, or even better call me and we can do them together!

Erica's Summer List

• Make homemade root beer (sugar, dry ice, water, extract exact measurements somewhere in the internet world)
•  Run through sprinklers
•  Have a "Change Competition" with friends: for FHE or any night have everyone walk around in the mall or somewhere for an hour to find loose change. Whoever finds the most wins!
• Go to the Creativity Art Studio
• Put a sprinkler under a trampoline I did this as a child and want to do it again!
• Go to Strawberry Days, Orem Days, etc.
• Float down the Provo River on a tube and then go another time and float down on a blow up mattress i saw some teenage girls doing this once and it looked hard and fun
• Go on a nice drive: Nebo Loop, Alpine Loop, Provo Canyon, etc. 
• Put goldfish in the swimming pool I know how horrible of us but my siblings and I do this every summer...it's like scuba diving in your own pool
• Bike around Utah Lake
• Fish on Provo River
• Go Ice Skating
• Pick my own berries and veggies!
• St. George Weekend with friends or something-maybe go see Grease or Little Mermaid at the Tuacahn
• Go Ice Skating
• Have a Girl's Day in SLC & go to the Grand America for Afternoon Tea 
• Play a lot of Laser Tag I need to go more and get a better score than the last time we went it was only 300.
• Go Star Gazing with Matson
• Make beautiful art with sidewalk chalk
• Point of the Moutain Paragliding
• Go on the Heber Valley Railroad (I have never been on it)
• Try Roller Blading
• Go to Molly's Cafe
• Try Roller Blading for the 1st time since I was 8
• Have a Backyard Drive Inn Movie Theatre party with friends
• Make little cardboard boxed cars
• Have fun little popcorn bags
• and use my parent's huge outside screen and projector
• Have many BBQ's
• Have a Game Night Party with friends (Flag football, kickball, steal the flag, etc)
• Go to an actualy drive in movie
• Go to the Provo's Farmers Market
• Go horseback riding
• Sundance Moonlift Ride (once again I think I have done this for the last 4 summers and love it)
• Go to This is the place!
• Make homemade ice cream
• Try a new craft
• Enjoy all of the events that are part of Provo's Freedom Festival
• Go to as many Utah LDS Temples as possible

Well enjoy your summer and my list. 

Nice weather has finally hit my neck of the woods!