Monday, October 25, 2010

Loving Life

kind over matter photo

Have I ever told you how much I love this life?

I really do....and I'm grateful for all the experiences big and small that have taught me how amazing, precious, and fragile every moment here is. Think about it...it's beautiful.

The laughing the crying, the trees, the stars, the smiles and precious moments, the friendships, the lessons, the stretching and growing, the bubble gum and fireworks, the childhood games and falling in love, the changes and new days, the opportunities and firsts, the sand in your toes, the leaves crunching under your feet, the classes and learning, the baby skin and kisses, the music...oh the music. The conversations and ah-hahs, the embarrassing moments and hilarious stories, the look in your loves eyes, the wind and trampolines, the Christmas Eves and Thanksgiving dinners, the walks and bike rides, the best friends and cheese cake, the families and love, the difficult times that make you stronger, the way God is in it all.

I seriously love this life and am thankful for every minute I get to spend here, the good and the bad.

The other night I was thinking about it; how this time right here and now is our one chance, our one big shot at life here on earth and how the moments we spend are all we have to spend here. It made me want to really experience it all, take it all in, drink deeply from life and all it has to offer me......and give all I have to offer it as well: )

So I pulled out a notebook and pen (two of my absolute favorite things in this life) and I just started scribbling out a list of things I want to do with the moments in my life. It's not extensive and definitely in no particular order, but it's things I want to experience, things I want to do, ways I want to come to love and appreciate this amazing life even more.

So here it is..... don't judge: )

Have more kiddies
Go to Hawaii with Chad
Get a Masters degree in Counseling or Social Work
Be an EFY speaker
Teach seminary
Learn to jump a wake
Take voice lessons
Practice the guitar and piano at least 30 minutes a day.
Write more music-share it with people
Record a cd
Learn how to dance
Run a half marathon
Watch more Documentaries
Learn more about history
Teach my kids something new about their life and world as often as I can.
Take and make more teaching moments for my kids
Share what I really believe with them often
Go on fun dates every week with Chad
Record the precious, tender, happy, fun, difficult, etc. moments in our life in journal, camcorder, pictures, etc.
Take a picture everyday
Surprise people
Figure out a way to get Chad to stop smacking his lips in his sleep! ha : )
Blog more frequently and inspirationally
Go on a mission with Chad
Ride bikes more
Do something like this
Actually eat my fruits and vegetables everyday
Talk with my family more
Be the favorite Aunt ; )
Be a group leader
See Melissa again
Do this sometime soon
Start a friends reunion every year
Go mud digging with Chad again
Run
Play more sports
Learn how to really help people more
Visit my old room mates from Snow often : )
Lift weights and get toned-actually have muscles : )
Exercise and eat healthy all my life
See my high school friends more.....you know who you are and I love you
Deepen and strengthen my testimony of the temple
Some to know my Heavenly Father and Savior even more deeply and personally
Live my life for Them
Bring people to Them
Go back to Snow
Write Emily a song- give it to her family
Make a big difference
Go back through the Manti Temple
See more sunrises....this means I'm going to have to learn to actually go to bed early: )
Laugh with my kids and Chad everyday
Only grow closer and closer to Chad
Have a close, open, fun loving family- Be our own best friends
Be in Young Womens
Do girls camp
Give meaningful gifts
Make people laugh
Make people feel good about being themselves
Go shopping with my girls- have girls night out often
Teach my kids how to love and respect people and stand up for truth and help people out and give people the benefit of the doubt
Be an example of a believer
Help my kids come to know their Heavenly Father and Savior for themselves
Go to another country with Chad
Have slushies and popcorn with the family every Sunday
Record Chad doing one of his goofy dances without him knowing
Go on a service vacation with our kids
Follow the Spirit
Play games with family and friends over and over and over again
Make yummy food
Take more pictures of Chad and I
Spend time outside
Lay under the stars more
Take my Mom to a Parade of Homes show
Take my Dad to a concert he'd love
No matter where I live, find my special spot
Make things
Learn to sew better
Really be there as a sister and sister in law
Tell my kids stories about their great grandparents
Get dirty
Listen
Still make my kids laugh, even when they're teenagers
Build something
Take some chances
Go on walks with Chad and the kids every Sunday
Find a way to do something for Chad everyday
Kiss and hug my kids and tell them how much I love them even when their too old or too cool for that : )
Never under appreciate hot water and toilets and all those fantastic "little" things.
Love and love and love

What do you want to do with your moments here?

10 comments:

Stephanie C. said...

Wow! What an inspirational list! Thank you for this!

Jen said...

Seriously Vandi, You are so awesome. Thanks for such an uplifting post and thanks for being such an amazing person.

Anna said...

wowza vandi! you are one incredible gal. i get so inspired by you and LOVE when you post. that's quite a list. sounds like you'd better be making your way to manti one of these days! :) I will learn how to get some photos of Emily to you someday. If I sent you a dvd of Em that we made would you be able to get the photos from there? I have no idea how that stuff works... I LOVE YOU!

Brittney said...

Vandi, I'm not really sure you could write more inspirational blogs than you already do. You're awesome. You make me want to be better.

Mandy & Brian said...

Love ya!! I just love how you are so sincere in everything you do or say. Way to be so positive in such a negative world. Miss ya and hope I get to see you soon!

mckell said...

Vandi, you're one of those people I always wish I knew better. Thanks for sharing! I'm feelin' uplifted for sure. :)

McKay and Ashley Pearson said...

You are such a beautiful person, inside and out! thanks for your awesome posts

vandi said...

Wow everybody! Waaay to nice to me: ) I wasn't searching for compliments, but I'll take em; ) Love you all...I really do.

Jeana said...

What an awesome post! I too love this life, even more than I thought possible. Just a testament to me that the sorrow we may pass through makes the joy oh so much sweeter! I'm telling you, I LOVE when you post, all your posts bring the spirit into my life and I'm so happy when I see you come up on my google reader! Keep it up! I'm with you on a few of them, jumping the wake...(I think I'm up so high and then I watch the video and realize how far I've got to go), having more kids, parade of homes, voice lessons and Hawaii!

Zac & Chelsea said...

I think that you already do most of the things. I don't think that you see how truly amazing you are, but don't worry. The rest of us see it. I can see you accomplishing every one of those things on that list.