80% of Life

I bet you are probably wondering why I have a picture of this guy on my blog...well, I am a big Oprah fan. Watch it about everyday. This week there was one that really made me stop & reflect. They had a Carnegie Mellon professor on the show who is suffering from pancreatic cancer and basically has 3 months to live. Professors usually give a "Last Lecture" before they leave. He literally had to give his last lecture last month & now it is one of the most popular downloads on the Internet. He basically talks about all the important things in life: people not things, family, pursuing your dreams, etc. Sad to know he is pretty young and leaving behind a wife & 3 kids under the age of 5.

Anyway, a point he made that really hit me was his little theory on life. He sees life as being 10 percent white, 10 percent black and 80 percent gray. He said, "You can go through life and say, 'Gee, that 80 percent gray part, that's black, and life is a bad thing,'" he says. "Or you can say that 80 percent gray part's part of the white, and it's the goodness and the light. I want to view life that way. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. That 80 percent in the middle really can go either way, and if you decide you want to make it go good, not bad, you have a lot more power to make that happen than you might think." He said even though he is dying, he wants to look back at this time in his life and have it be happy. This really rang true to me because I look back on my life and it's true; there are some really good times and some really hard times, but most of it was how I wanted it to go. I like this theory because it places the power & decision with us, not our circumstances. I mean I don't think there could be any harder time in life than facing death and you wouldn't believe how composed and positive this guy was. But, like he said, he is making a choice to live life the way he wants. So, I like to think that with the 80% of my life that's gray, hopefully, I can turn most of it into the happy part of my life. I am going to try and create a link for anyone who wants to listen to his lecture: Watch Randy's famous "Last Lecture." Maybe it will work...

Tagged..

Jess tagged me awhile ago & I'm supposed to post 6 things that people wouldn't know about me. I really couldn't think of 6 interesting things, so I'm going to post 6 of my current favorite things.

1. Tivo. I think this has to be the best thing to happen to TV. I love to be able to come home from work & watch Oprah w/o commercials. Pretty great! It could also can be kind of a bad thing though b/c I end up justifying watching more shows b/c I'm saving time not watching commercials. Great justification. Anyway, I love it!

2. Piano. One of my highlights every week is on Wednesday when I get to go to my piano lesson. Jen Stagg's sister, Wendy, is my wonderful teacher. I always got out of going to piano lessons when I was growing up & now I regret it so much. So, I figured better late than never. I just started a couple of months ago. I am improving, but I think I'm still pretty bad. For example, one night when I was practicing at the church, I had a dad & his son wander into the room where I was playing and the dad said, "Oh, sorry, I thought there was a 5-year-old in here playing!!" Yeah, that really blew my self-esteem, but whatever I still love learning!

3. Haircut & color. I think only a woman can appreciate the feeling of a new haircut & color. For weeks I had seen my roots coming back in & I felt my hair always looked so bad. Finally, this week I got it done & I swear it is one of the best feelings to have it looking nice & fresh. Such a good feeling!

4. Less than 30-minute commutes. I really don't like the drive to & from work in traffic. It always takes so long & I get pretty impatient waiting. It is always bound to happen though b/c there is no easy way to get work w/o traffic (I try to avoid I-15). Anyway, I think 3 times this week I got to work in less than 30 minutes! This is pretty amazing b/c usually it takes me a lot longer! I love when I don't have to try & fight traffic. I was pretty happy when I had those easy drives!

5. Colbie Caillat. I just got her CD & I can listen to it non-stop. It puts me in a good mood. She reminds me of a girl-version of Jack Jackson. I like listening to "happy" music, so I really enjoy her.

6. Free fish burritos. Lone Star Taqueria is a wonderful little place in the Ft. Union area by my work. They have the best fish burritos! I mean I am not a big fish or burrito fan, but this burrito is so good, I think I could have it everyday. And, my boss likes it too, so if I pick it up, he buys...I got 2 free ones this past week! Yes!

Weekend at Sundance

This weekend we went up to Sundance for my brother, Tyler's B-day! My parent's friends have a beautiful cabin up there that they so generously lend to us. Phil and I went up after we were married. Anyway, it was really pretty with all the leaves changing color. Also, the fresh, clean air of the mountains! Ahh, I love that smell. Usually when my family gets together we are a loud, noisy bunch. However, I think this was the most quiet we have ever been around each other. One of my family's friend from Virginia was in town, Terryl Givens and him & his daughter came up to the cabin with us. He is a theological scholar, most known for writing "By the Hand of Mormon" and was recently on the PBS Documentary on Mormons. We would just ask him question after question. I couldn't believe the depth of knowledge he could effortlessly recall on every subject! It was amazing! I feel like such a baby in the things I know compared to him. I just know so little. It was a fun, enlightening trip!

Addiction

I think addiction is the best word to describe my obsession with the Twilight series!! I heard about the books from a lot of different people, then last week Jessica let me borrow her copy. Let's just say Phil didn't have a wife for all those days I was reading! Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. I would stay up pretty much all night reading, think about it all day, read in my car at red lights, dream about it...I could not stop thinking about it!! But, now I'm finished and my life can start again, which is probably a good thing for my marriage. It stinks to have to wait a whole year for the 4th book to come out. Anyway, if you are reading this and by some small chance you haven't read these books...pick it up, read it, then call me because now my favorite thing to do is talk about the book since I'm not reading it!!!

Here it goes...

Well, I feel like I'm the last one to jump on the blog bandwagon, but better late then never. I have actually been looking at blogs for quite a few months, but could never quite figure out how to start my own page. So, I finally sat Phil down this Sunday morning and had him help me get one started! I love blogs because it's a good way to keep in touch with friends, especially since I am pretty bad at staying in touch. Also, I think blogging takes focus off the daily grind in life and helps you see the good, fun & happy times. Blogging is a way to remember the good and forget the not so good. Sometimes I focus too much on the things in life that aren't so good and forget the great things in life, so here's to blogging!