Day 18 - I have a dream. . .

Day 18-Plans/dreams/goals you have


A Sunday evening is the perfect day to think about goals, plans, and dreams.
At church I spend a lot of time reflecting on my life and who I want to be.  I get to think outside of myself and put my life back into true perspective.


-My first goal is to be a better mom. With the addition of our new baby coming this May, I am terrified a little bit afraid of how crazy life is going to get with 3 kids. I know it is going to be hard on both of my boys when the new baby comes, but especially life-changing for Ryan. I am praying that I can help him understand the changes that come with his new brother's arrival. I will be taking a break from my business for a while so I can devote my undevided attention to all 3 of my children when little Mason is born.
Along with being a better mom to my children I want to be a better wife to Jeremiah. He puts up with so much from me. I am grateful everyday for his companionship, friendship, and love. 

-My long list of personal goals/dreams also includes becoming a better cook. Occasionally I really enjoy finding a new recipe and trying new ingredients, but when I'm pregnant I would usually rather make mac and cheese or frozen pizzas. When life comes back down to a semi-normal level, I really want to start cooking great meals for my family!
-Also on that list, is becoming a better photographer. I want to have beautiful memories to look back on. Plus it sure will come in handy when taking pictures for Cantaloupe Corner.

And,

-I have a dream.

My dreams looks like this:

-I want to take my handsome hubby on a getaway to a tropical island. Sit in the sun, swim in the clear blue water, smell the salty air, and just enjoy the view.  

-I also want for Jeremiah and I to own our own home someday. We are in a verry blessed situation right now. We have the privelidge of renting for the best landlords, Jeremiah's parents. But someday I would love to have a place we can truly call our own.

-Some other goals include: Going back to school to get my bachelors degree, writing a children's book, becoming a food storage expert, running a marathon, and organizing my house.


-But above anything else, I want to be happy with me. I want to love who I am. 


All these things will happen. Maybe not tomorrow, or next week, or next year, but they will happen!!

That is my dream.

Day 17 - A day in her shoes.

Day 17-Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why

First I have to say that I am a grass-is-greener-on-our-side type of girl and I wouldn't want to trade anyone places for more than a day.

But, I would love to be miss Taylor Swift, just for a day. She is young, beautiful, and famous.
I dreamed for so long of being a professional singer when I was younger.   
If only. . . *sigh*

I would love to rock out on a stage in a packed arena and sing to all of my adoring fans, wearing glamorous clothes, having my own personal stylist, and looking this darn cute . . .

Only for a day.

Then I would want my life back.
It may not be glamorous but I can't imagine life getting much better than this!

Nice Caboose! (And Day 16)

We went up north to RV for President's Day weekend and didn't touch the laptop once while we were there. Hence the reason why I am so far behind on the blog challenge, and why I have brand new pictures to share!

This works out perfectly because the next blog day says:

Day 16-Another picture of yourself

I'm sure there is a picture of me somewhere. . .

yep, here's one!

Wait! That is a nice caboose, but it's not mine (thank goodness!)

Here we are.

I'm glad I'm sitting down because that belly is much bigger in real life.  I've only got 3 more months to go and our little guy will be here!

Jeremiah convinced me to ride up north with him so we could help Veronica move her spa to a bigger place. I told him I would go if it wasn't going to snow.  He assured me that the storm had passed and it wouldn't snow. So me and the boys tagged along.

And it snowed.

Just a little bit. But it was freezing cold!

On our way up we stopped for a bathroom break at the park in Superior, you know, the one with the caboose.

They also had some old rusty mining train equipment that we hadn't seen before.

And some HUGE tractor tires.

And an old steam engine boiler! Simon's favorite!

 I chased Ryan around trying to get some shots of him and the caboose. Come back!

Gotcha Ry!

He was hitching a ride on the back of the caboose.

We detoured through St. Johns to visit our friends Nic and Shelly Finch and their cute little daughters. Shelly got me excited to start canning again so hopefully I will get going on that before the baby comes.

We also stopped by the St. Johns Court House to see Jeremiah's mom , a.k.a. Grandma Sue.

 It was my first time to see the inside of this historic building, and my first time seeing the inside of a court room in real life.

On Sunday night we attempted to drive back to Mesa from Springerville and we got hit by a HUGE snowstorm. About 20 minutes out it was white-out conditions and we thought it best to turn around and go back. Jeremiah is a brave driver and he usually doesn't mind the snow, unlike me. But he even felt uneasy, like we needed to go back.

So we spent part of Presidents Day with family, waiting for the roads to thaw.

I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Day 15 - Do the shuffle!

Day 15-Put your ipod on shuffle and list first 5 songs that play

 
1. Wish You Were Here -by  Incubus
 
2. Love Alive - by Heart
 
3. So She Dances - by Josh groban
 
4. The Ocean - by Led Zeppelin
 
5. Last Kiss - by Taylor Swift
 
 
A little of this, a little of that. All of these songs are so good! 
-I love Incubus and I will never ever get tired of their music.
-I used to sing at the top of my lungs along to Heart every time I drove home to Eagar. Love Alive is one of my favorite Heart songs!
-I have a soft spot for Josh Groban. He has a beautiful voice. I think Jeremiah may be a little jealous of how much I love Josh's voice. 
-Zeppelin is probably my favorite band of all time. 
- I just got the new Taylor Swift album and I listen to it more than anything else right now. It is just chill enough that I can listen to it with the kids and they like it too. :)
 
 

Day 14- Me and my family

Day 14-A picture of you and your family

Day 13-Dear Sue,

Day 13-A letter to someone who has influenced you recently


Dear Sue,

Thank you for being such a beautiful, happy, loving, and strong person. I could never have asked for a better mother-in-law. I am thankful every day that you have come into my life and that you raised such an amazing son to be my husband.

As long as I have known you, I have been lifted up by your glowing positive attitude. Your optimism is contagious!  You always bring sunshine with you wherever you go. Our boys love you so much and they get so excited to go see "Grandma Sue", especially when we get to visit you in the mountains.

Thank you for instilling good morals and values into your son. He has been such a great husband and I see a lot of your good traits in him.

Thank you for your patience. You have been so patient with us, your family, and the sweet boys that live with you.  You have made a huge difference in all of our lives and we will be forever grateful.

This simple thank you can never stretch as far as my feelings of respect for you.

Thank you for influencing our lives for the better!

Love,
Jeni

Day 12-How and why

Day 12-How you found out about blogger and why you have one


Blogs have been around for a while. I remember hearing about blogs on the news and thinking "what in the world is that?" It sounds like some you find in a tissue. Blog.
 
Then I started hearing about my friends and families blogs, namely my sister Melesa. She had just started hers and she was telling me how great it is that she can have an online journal that the family can follow so we always know what is going on.
 
What a great idea!!! I thought.
 
So I started my own.  I chose Blogger because it was free and easy to use.
 
Now my parents and grandparents can just click on a link and read all about what's happening with our fam.
 
And now I have a way of looking back through the last couple of years to see where we were and how far we have come. I can't believe how much our family has changed since the first day I blogged, June 10th 2008.  Simon was turning 2, and Ryan was on his way. Now we are onto baby #3 and have had so many adventures along the way.
 
 i heart blogging.

Day 11-A picture of you and. . .

Day 11-A picture of you and your friends


So . . .
I almost skipped day 11 and went straight to day 12.
I checked all over my computer and, sadly, I have no pictures of me with my friends.
Usually we spend most of our weekends with our family, who are the best friends we could have. Karissa and Cabrena, Jesse and Randi, Heidi and Austin. . .

But unfortunately our family friends are camera shy, or maybe it's just me. I'm either behind a camera or hiding from one. lol.

So, here is a picture of me and my bestest friends in the whole world.

PS. Jeremiah, don't hate me for posting this picture. I LOVE it!

Day 10- What I listen to when I'm . . .

Day 10-Songs you listen to when you're bored, happy, sad, mad, hyped


 
When I'm bored I turn on my ipod dock to shuffle and jam out to whatever comes next. We have quite the array of music so it's always fun to see if the next song will be Led Zepplin, Garth Brooks, or the Imagination Movers.
 
When I'm feeling happy I usually turn up silly songs to dance to with my boys.  I also love some Taylor Swift, Jack Johnson or Josh Groban. They make me happy too.
 
I don't usually listen to music when I'm sad, except for maybe church hymns or classical music.
 
Hyped? hmmm. I always have my kids around so my "hyped" music is much different than it was in college. (I just don't feel like my 2 and 4 year old are ready for Linkin Park and P!nk.)  So, I guess my "hyped" music is the same as my "happy" music: kid songs. But sometimes I turn up some classic rock, I think the kids can appreciate the classics. 
  

Day 9-Something I'm proud of

Day 9-Something you're proud of in the past few days


Proud mommy moments come along every now and then. I had one yesterday.


I was busy finishing some Cantaloupe Corner shirts. Printing, packing, or something like that. I had been working in my office for at least 30 min while the kids were watching PBS.

Then Simon turned the TV off and it was quiet for a while. A little too quiet.

So I stopped what I was doing and went to check on my boys.

Simon was in the kitchen carrying a bag of snap peas and a bag of grapes and he was grabbing a bag of carrots from the fridge.
Then he sweetly asked me if he could put his nice quilt on the lawn, or if the grass would poke through it. lol.

He had planned a picnic for him and his little brother. And the best part was that he was very proud of himself for choosing healthy snacks!

So I got them out a picnic blanket and 2 juice boxes and I let big brother Simon do the rest. He and Ryan had the best backyard picnic ever! (On the patio, since the grass was wet.)

I was so proud of him for thinking of his little brother and taking care of him while I was working. And most of all I was proud that he knew what foods would be best for them to eat. It was such a simple thing but it was definately a proud mommy moment!

Day 8-This months goals

Day 8-Short term goals for this month and when you'll accomplish them


January is the month for New Years Resolutions and this is the first year in a while that I haven't had my yearly goals written up in January. This year, with a new baby coming and so many things changing I am taking it month by month.

Goals for February 2011:
1. Spend quality time with my adorable boys. (More park days!!!)
2. Get Cantaloupe Corner up and running again. (it will be open through April 30th).
3. Now that I have an appetite again, I want to start cooking healthier meals. Goodbye Digiorno pizzas!
4. Make space in our house for our new baby.
5. Finally choose a name for the new baby. We talk about names every day but still haven't decided on what we are going to name little boy #3. Right now his name is baby.
6. Continue my goal to simplify and organize my home. a.k.a. de-junking the house.
7. Try one new recipe a week.
8. Finish "baby's" quilt. I really want to add his name to it so I have been waiting to finish it.
Most of these goals will start in February and I don't have a date I will accomplish them by. I just want to ban some bad habits and add some good habits to my life.

Day 7-What makes the biggest impact on me

Who/What has impacted my life more than anything else?
This is the hardest question yet.

I have to list a few because I just can't narrow it down.

This little book has made a huge impact on my life:

I love this book. It teaches about hope.

I also love the church that goes hand in hand with this book. I love it's teachings of righteousness and goodness. Most of all I love knowing where I come from, why I'm here, and where I will go after I die. It really is a gospel of love and peace.

Next is my Family:  These little boys have turned my life upside down and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for that! They are silly, mischevious, fun, adventurous, smart, and loving.  I am so indescribibly happy to have them in my life, and I can't wait until this May when we will have another little boy to join us!

 Another member of my family that has had a tremendous amount of influence on my life is this lady right here:

My lovely Grandma Udall. She is everything that I want to be.

And last of all I have this:

Cantaloupe Corner started out as a way to earn a few extra dollars while I am at home with my kids and grew to become a creative playground for me and my boys! It has been a lot of work but it has taught me so much about myself and what I am capable of doing when I put my mind and heart into it. Most of all, it is so FUN!

Day 6-Favorite super hero and why

I was never one for comics books or super hero cartoons. But there is one hero that was always my favorite. He's the all American hero. None other than . . . Superman!

I loved watching the Superman movies as a kid and I remember tying a blanket around my neck for a cape and trying to fly. Over and over again I would jump off the living room coffee table and I would never get discouraged when gravity would always win.

I promised my sisters that when I learned to fly I would fly them to school the next day.

Today I have some new Superheros in my life.



Day 5-A picture of somewhere you've been

We aren't exactly world travelers. Far from it.

We have only been on a few real "vacations" since we have been married. When I was 5 1/2 months pregnant with Simon we went to New York City. I loved every second of it, except that I was pregnant and still sick and the February weather was chill-you-to-the-bone cold.  My favorite parts of this trip were riding around the city on the double decker bus and taking the ferry to see this lady:

Our first family trip we have been on since we have had our 2 kids has been right here in AZ. We took a trip up to Williams AZ to take the boys on the Grand Canyon Railroad. If you know Simon you know that it was the best trip EVER!

And we detoured through Sedona on the way back home and spent a day there. It was breathtaking.

Day 4-A habit that you wish you didn't have

There are so many. . .

The bad habit I have that bugs me the most is not finishing what I start.

I get really really excited to start a new super cool project, get halfway through it and set it aside, never to be touched again.

For example: I painted a lovely landscape painting soon after I had Simon (4 1/2 years ago) and I still have not finished the painting. I hung it up in my house unfinished, unsigned, and unframed.

When I cook, I get out all of the ingredients, make a yummy something-or-other, and then leave most of the ingredients out on the counter when I'm done. It makes for a messy kitchen.

I have painting projects, sewing projects, knitting projects, home and yard projects, that all get started and never get finished.

I'm going to make a goal for this year (and the rest of forever) to do my best to finish everything that I start.

The end.

Day 3-A picture of you and your extended family

If it weren't for weddings we would have no family pictures of our family. Thank goodness there were 3 weddings this year.  I just yoinked this pic from Melesa's blog because I didn't have any others. lol. Thanks Melesa! 

We have one member of the family missing: our newst bro-in-law Josh Nicholsen, Marie's new hubby. Besides that, we have the whole gang together!

Simon must think the camera can't see him, he's digging for gold. lol.

I love this group!

Day 2- Meaning of my blog name

Hmmmmm

I am just now realizing my lack of creativity when it came to naming my blog.

J and J Hall Family

I just thought it sounded cool.

Also, when Jeremiah and I were dating way back in high school I used to sign notes to him with a J connected with a backwards J. Together they made an upside down heart. 
This makes me feel old. Kids don't write love notes to each other anymore, they send love texts.  i heart u.

So I guess "J and J Hall" started waaaaay back then.