Thanksgiving Challenge--The List

I tell you, typing this list up takes way less time than writing it out!  To the Utah Beorchia peeps, I have completed the Thanksgiving Challenge!  Wahoo!  All 1000 things are accounted for, and I can now rest easy and prepare for some great food on Thursday!

1. Dane 2. Enzo 3. Mom 4. Dad 5. Kelli 6. Kayla 7. Patrick 8. Josh 9. Grandma Bonnie 10. Grandma Sucher 11. Emery 12. Mary Anne 13. Romeo 14. Kade 15. Brei 16. Brylei 17. Addy 18. Cruz 19. Make-A-Wish 20. buying our first house 21. emergency fund 22. Heavenly Father 23. Jesus Christ 23. The Book of Mormon 24. President Thomas S. Monson 25. a healthy family 26. education opportunities 27. Dane's work ethic 28.  getting to stay home with Enzo more 29. a great caregiver McKenzie 30. our piano 31. being able to teach piano lessons 32. piano student Hayden 33.  piano student Devena 34. getting to teach primary 35. primary kid Mabry 36. primary kid Brooklyn 37. primary kid Xander 38. primary kid Jacob 39. primary kid Whisper 40. having been able to be a recruiter 41. Guillermo 42. Josh Sak. 43. Josh Whit. 44. Craig 45. Shawnee 46. Larissa 47. Danessa 48. Dana 49. Pat 50. Shante 51. Kerry 52. getting to sell Mary Kay to help with some income 53. Stacy 54. Lisa 55. Ashley 56. Courtney 57. my husband's faith in me 58. a baby who has slept so well 59. prayer 60. personal revelation 61. Facebook 62. The Bible 63. The Doctrine and Covenants 64. The Pearl of Great Price 65. my favorite student affairs class 66. Dr. Pouslon 67. Meg 68. Kyle 69. Jamie 70. Lance 71. being a part of the counseling program 72. Becky 73. Nicole 74. Kim 75. getting to help with CSI 76. Bountiful Baskets 77. Zaycon Meats 78. Pinterest 79. Getting to decorate my house 80. Nacona 81. Maurice 82. Dr. Vereen 83. Dr. Jones 84. Dr. Crews 85. Idaho State University 86. blogging 87. letters of recommendation 88. getting to write letters of recommendation 89. scholarships 90. our washer and dryer 91. not watching television this week 92. two working cars 93. getting to use the truck for a few months 94. pictures of Enzo 95. my nice camera 96. help with my homework assignments 97. getting to lend out my textbook 98. heaters 99. getting to see high school friends recently 100. Hillary 101. Heather 102. Brooke 103. Amy 104. Jackie 105. Becca 106. Cherie 107. Erin 108. Danielle 109. Krystal 110. Becky 111. Jessica H. 112. Jessica K. 113. text books 114. being able to rent a textbook from the library this semester 115. Dr. Hill 116. sunshine 117. crunch leaves 118. a dishwasher 119. getting to paint my piano yellow this next summer 120. our 12 free television stations 121. bananas 122. chocolate brownies 123. Pinterest for recipes 124. a husband who isn't a picky eater 125. Enzo eating what Dane and I eat for dinner 126. adorable baby pajamas 127. the most comfortable bed in the world 128. playing catch with Enzo 129. green smoothies 130. our countdown to moving chain 131. cookbooks 132. our Sonicare toothbrushes 133. wet wipes 134. naked baby bums 135. a baby who sleeps 10 hours per night still 126. great teachers growing up 127. Mrs. Kane 128. Mrs. Bybee 129. our exercise bike 130. P90X 131. spending our nights as a family 132. great treats from friends on a Saturday night 133. Google Maps on my phone 134. friends who are willing to host Mary Kay parties 135. Dani Johnson 136. great books 137. a warm home 138. safe, working vehicles 139. a truck from Dane's dad to haul things around for a few months 140. shape sorters 141. Miss Zinzer 142. Mrs. Carlson 143. Mrs. Almond 144. Mr. Hagert 145. Mr. Anderson 146. Mr. Gleave 147. Mr. Chappel 148. Mrs. Blackburn 149. Mr. Watson 150. when Dane changes a poopy diaper 151. when Enzo is peaceful for a diaper change 152. volleyball 153. basketball 154. softball 155. football 156. getting a backyard 157. tennis 158. cute baby boy clothes 159. a supportive spouse 160. tons of blankets 161. my sewing machine 162. craft projects with sisters 163. drinking water 164. slippers 165. no more scraping the windshield 166. book club with Britt 167. the person who took care of me when I was pregnant 168. pictures of Enzo 169. a fenced yard 170. Perry's scheme 171. Adlerian counseling 172. Gestalt counseling 173. Existential counseling 174. Person-Centered counseling 175. a working vacuum to clean up little messes 176. Enzo's nap time 177. the shape-sorter 178. reading books to Enzo 179. making crafts with Dane 180. getting to blog 181. personal finance books 182. encouragement from home to try new things 183. one of my first original ideas 184. a warm coat 185. roads that melt off by noon 186. bottled water 187. watching Enzo drink out of Dane's plastic bottle 188. cardboard boxes to play in 189. plackers 190. Dane's Movember beard 191. playing with Enzo's toys together 192. baking 193. having new appliances to cook with 194. Pinterest for recipes 195. making meals with Dane 196. text messaging 197. hey tells 198. getting to apply for the Dr. Pepper scholarship 199. enjoying graduate school 200. debit cards so I don't have to touch cash 201. antibacterial hand gel 202. when Dane changes Enzo's diapers 203. family who loves Enzo 204. being an aunt 205. getting a new niece in January 206. Mr. Scott 207. extracurricular opportunities I have had 208. having a bed to make each morning 209. being able to take a warm shower 210. having curly hair that is super-easy to do 211. a cuddly little boy 212. taking personal finance classes as an undergraduate 213. Dave Ramsey 214. Missy's little girls who name their baby dolls Enzo 215. the good old Sucher family reunions 216. the Hobley and Sucher t-shirts from elementary school 217. Abba 218. Ace of Base 219. friends that help me with Enzo 220. Google search 221. having such easy access to information 222. living close to a college campus 223. Idaho State University 224. Hillcrest High School 225. Sandcreek Middle School 226. Hillview Elementary School 227. sharing McCowin Park with Dane last week 228. Ammon Girls Softball 229. Bobbie Sox Softball 230. bolo 231. playing catch with Dane outside 232. having an athletic husband 233. playing mini-catch with Enzo 234. the veterans who served our country 235. The Thanksgiving Challenge 236. Thanksgiving 237. Christmas 238. Valentine's Day 239. gnocchi 240. Independence Day 241. working out at home 242. watching Enzo play the piano 243.  flexible professors 244. getting good grades on tests 245. tests in general 246. Shut-The-Box 247. Settlers of Catan 248. getting together with the Nyes and Wolfes each Christmas 249. our MacBook Pro 250. Fill-Or-Bust 251. playing Fill-Or-Bust with Josh and Guillermo over Christmas break a couple of years ago 252. ice cream 253. chocolate 254. my dad's military service 255. my grandfather's military service 256. my Grandpa Steve 257. my Grandpa Jerry 258. my Grandpa Wayne 259. Darlene 260. music 261. the radio in my car 262. 90s music 263. my dad sharing great music with us 264. listening to Poco and Journey on camping trips 265. the annual Miller family camping trip 266. camp fires 267. roasting hot dogs and marshmallows 268. s'mores 269. Cafe Rio 270. Plum Loco 271. Italian food 272. Mexican food 273. Gandolfo's 274. Rumbi's Island Grill 275. how quickly my phone can charge 276. the shape sorter Enzo has 277. reading books to Enzo 278. getting to have a library area in the new house 279. getting to create an entire home for Enzo to play in 280. insurance 281. Dr. Cilfford 282. Senior Iguanas 283. El Herreradero 284. tri-tip beef cuts 285. Mary Anne's prime rib 286. spaghetti soup 287. free ISU t-shirts 288. having enough ISU shirts to make a quilt 289. my sewing machine 290. having enough space to organize in the new home 291. getting to have a big backyard 292. my summer of 2013 garden 293. getting to can in the summer of 2013 294. Joy School 295. having family videos 296. how much Enzo loves watching family videos 297. car seats 298. parking a car in a garage 299. not having a car payment 300. Nephi 301. Moroni 302. Abraham 303. Moses 304. Ruth 305. Chi Sigma Iota 306. people willing to forgive me 307. homemade cards 308. pictures 309. a sister who will take our family pictures 310. now making our own family blankets 311. making family books online 312. coupons 313. increasing my key word search with this 314. having some really fun goals 315. increasing my self-awareness 316. the color pink 317. really feminine things 318. finally wearing makeup 319. a husband who is going to color and cut my hair next week 320. email 321. my phone 322. Harold, our ficas tree 323. our unnamed plant (who really needs a name--Sheila?) 324. not writing the list this year--this is so much easier 325. running water 326. the color blue 327. the color green 328. green grass 329. clean carpets 330. warm winter coats 331. how Enzo looks in his marshmallow coat 332. The movie Tommy Boy 333. Disney movies 334. my Disney Pandora stations 335. watching Enzo dance to anything 336. our future golfer Enzo 337. riding in golf cards 338. birds 339. the Pocatello Zoo 340. highlighters 341. good pens 342. getting to sell back a textbook this semester 343. daytime naps 344. Instagram 345. homework--yes, I can't believe I am saying that 346. clocks 347. alarms 348. Thanksgiving turkey 349. potatoes and gravy 350. turkey stuffing 351. pumpkin pie 352. pumpkin ice cream 353. Mike 354. Becky 355. Jean 356. Karen 357 Doyle 358. Melanie 359. Scott 360. Steve 361. Britt 362. Ethan 363. Seth 364. Hannah 366. Brandon  367. Judy 368. Ben 369. Matt 370. Marshall 371. Pepper 372. Jen 373. Angie W. 374. Trent 375. Jason 376. Justin 377. Jake 378. Kelsie 379. Katie 380. Kinley 381. Angie M. 382. Ron 383. Hailey 384. Kaitlin 385. Denise 386. Shawn 387. Cordell 388. how great Kaitlin was with Enzo when we were camping 389. getting to see family on the holidays 390. Enzo's baby pictures 391. Enzo's first birthday pictures 392. Enzo's many faces 393.  Enzo kisses on the lips 394. getting to tickle Enzo's back 395. receiving back tickles 395. getting head tickles 396. attending live concerts 397. crunchy fall leaves 398. not having to rake leaves this fall yet 398. being able to manage the apartments 399. Dane finding a way for us to get in when we were locked out 400. hide-a-keys 401. crossing items off my to-do lists 402. daydreams 403. socks for cold feet 404. General Conference 405. getting to watch Conference talks online 406. Mormon Messages 407. YouTube 408. getting to teach Primary 409. getting to work in Young Women's 410. online banking 411. ATMs 412. budgets 413. LoToJa 2013 414. Dane loving his teaching job 415. Enzo getting to play with other kiddos 416. paying bills online 417. bath time with Enzo 418. sharing my food with Enzo 419. watching Enzo walk around in his Batman mask 420. my Halloween penguin 421. still getting to celebrate Halloween in November with pumpkin carving 422. playing Annie-I-Over 423. Night Games 424. Mike 425. Jeri 426. Ace 427. Sasha 428. Mykel 429. Maury 430. Marq 431. soup 432. pasta 433. tacos 434. kind customer service people on the phone 435. having our kitchen unpacked 436. all of the people who helped us move 437. moving boxes 438. having internet again 439. having Enzo and Dane on the grocery trip this week 440. having a few more channels 441. Costco pumpkin cheesecake 442. having a garage 443. our big yard 444. the new appliances 445. getting water out of our fridge 446. having a room entirely of my own 447. our dishwasher 448. the gas fireplace 449. Dane's beard 450. getting family pictures this week 451. turkey 452. stuffing 453. pumpkin ice cream 454. Madison's state championship 455.  watching Kelli coach her cheerleaders 456. all of the help decorating the tree 457. apple trees in the yard 458. my Patriarchal blessing 459. Enzo's newborn pictures 460. colored jeans 461. a clean bathroom 462. ingenuity 463. nieniedialogues 464. personal finance books 465. my current independent study 466. Thanksgiving Break 467. Enzo's dance moves 468. my naturally curly hair 469. lip gloss 470. my Mary Kay opportunity 471. my ISU blanket 472. my first professional job at ISU 473. Dane doing my hair this week to save us money 474. grocery shopping trips 475. local news 476. Highland High School 477. flats 478. boots 479. Enzo's snow boots 480. Community 481. double hand claps 482. the Ambassadors 483. Jenna babysitting Enzo so I could go to my meting 484. my sweet dance moves 485. Jimmy Fallon's humor 486. hashtags 487. my conversation with Dane about hashtags 488. not having cavities at my last dental exam 489. late night munchies with Dane 490. staying up late with Dane 491. the free high chair for Enzo 492. Ikea 493. my health 494. my green eyes 495. hair mousse 496. my up-on-the-head bun 497. taking pictures 498. writing 499. my childhood journals 500. a sexy husband :) 501. Mitt Romney 502. President Obama 503. freedom 504. the opportunity to vote 505. home videos 506. math 507. my college general education classes 508. Mr. Risenmay 509. Jason Schlegel 510. Val Davids 511. my Relay for Life team 512. great art 513. cars 514. airplanes 515. cell phones 516. fast shipping 517. amazon.com 518. my free hotels.com hotel stay 519. fun fashion blogs 520. Stuart 521. Nicole 522. Graydon 523. Dane's Mr. Fix-It-ness 524. starting some home improvement projects 525. getting to play in couples league with Dane next year 526. being continually watched out for by Heavenly Father 527. receiving blessings that I don't deserve 528. good health insurance 529. Rubbermaid containers 530. my Pyrex containers 531. music videos 532. Spotify 533. maps 534. globes 535. popcorn 536. Edward's movie theatre in Idaho Falls 537. Pocatello 538. Idaho Falls 539. fingernail clippers 540. garage sales this summer 541. how Enzo reorganizes my phone 542. having a new opportunity to start afresh 543. hats 544. braids 545. my face routine 546. John Steinbeck 547. To Kill a Mockingbird 548. young adult fiction 549. Saturday Night Live 550. being an American 551. getting to travel 552. the stay we received when we bought our appliances 553. camping 554. Scout Mountain camp ground 555. having plenty of fruits and vegetables in the fridge 556. Kelli's photography business 557. Kayla being almost done with school 558. Enzo's car seat 559. getting to play volleyball on Tuesday nights 560. pumpkin bars 561. our nice blinds 562. more storage 563. not feeling cramped anymore 564. hearing Enzo bark like a dog 565. sharing my food with Enzo 566. Enzo's hugs 567. Enzo's kisses 568. family bear hugs 567. kick balls 568. the chandelier in the dining area 569. museums 570. Harold our tree 571. our plant 572. the truck from Romeo 573. living close to Winco now 574. our new neighborhood 575. the neighbors from across the street who introduced themselves 576. flowers 577. when the trees in Pocatello turn fire-red 578. sweat pants 579. having a spot to do my crafting 580. Tautphaus Park 581. family walks 582. having an area to work out in 583. living in a safe area 584. Enzo's snow ball puffs 585. finding new healthy foods to share with Enzo 586. opportunities to improve 587. lakes 588. rivers 589. Island Park 590. Ririe 591. my golf club set 592. wearing Dane's clothes (they are so much more comfortable) 593. guitars 594. Pandora 595. our mailman 596. getting mail 597. Dr. Dyer 598. Milli 599. Macey 600. Angela 601. Sarah 602. Makayla 603. having never gotten in a crash 604. growing up in a loving home 605. receiving so much help from Heavenly Father in school 606. financial help with my program 606. getting to work and go to school at the same time 607. getting to stay home and go to school at the same time 608. such an easy-going little baby man 609. calculators 610. toys for Enzo 611. the giant black bear rocking horse 612. getting new windows next week 613. actually getting ready in the morning 614. a husband who loves me as I am 615. how Enzo can entertain himself so well 616. Enzo's smile--it's just like mine 617. Enzo's laugh 618. rough-housing with Enzo on the bed 619. not having to buy bottled water anymore 620. our fabulous mailbox 621. how much money we are going to save on our energy bills 622. getting to create a home that is perfect for children 623. Enzo's pajamas 624. when Enzo is really good about getting his bum changed 625. free ISU gear from the job 626. getting to be a school counselor someday 627. student benefits 628. sunsets 629. sunrises 630. the sun 631. science 632. TED conferences 633. Dane being a great provider 634. good food 635. enjoying cooking more 636. getting to take pride in my home 637. productive time during Enzo's naps 638. getting to unpack and organize 639. Up All Night 640. The Voice 641. The Office 642. Modern Family 643. my Nike Frees 644. bags of sports cards from my elementary school bus driver 645. finding treasures at my parents home 646. getting to spend the holidays with my family 647. when Josh, Kelli, Patrick, and Kayla came to visit on Friday night 648. getting to eat lunch at home with Dane 649. saving money by always cooking at home 650. Arrested Development 651. Glee 652. listening to the radio in the car 653. car dancing with Dane 654. Dane's singing voice 655. road trip music 656. girly clothes 657. wearing t-shirts and sweats around the house 658. mascara 659. pillow talk 660. Enzo's socks with the sticky bottoms 661. Enzo using the stairs the right way so that we don't have to put up a gate 662. the dogs in next door yards for Enzo to play with 663. yummy salads 664. the diet plan 665. getting rid of sugar mostly next year 666. sugar-dusted 667. living in a neighborhood of babysitters 668. all the babysitting help from my mom and Mary Anne 669. my phone conversation last night with Mary Anne 670. planning out all of the playing to be done in our backyard 671. getting to build forts out of boxes and blankets 672. having a room just for guests 673. Enzo's bum rash being cleared up--poor guy 674. Dr. Carlson 675. having a husband who loves sports 676. getting to play around with Enzo 677. a delivery that went well 678. a good pregnancy (and hopefully the next one will be the same) 679. the fireworks 670. our 4th of July tradition 671. living so close to Pocatello's fireworks 672. sparklers 673. sparkler pictures 674. the kitchen table from Jean 675. getting to see my Grandma Sucher this week 676. flashlights 677. our ginormous tent 678. being 15 minutes from camping 679. going snowboarding this winter 680. warm coats 681. Enzo's puffy coat 682. my hair straightener 683. my fuzzy socks 684. our card table from Mary Anne 685. our chest freezer from Romeo 686. having room for food storage now 687. decluttering things 688.  getting to simplify 689. playing games with Dane this weekend 690. Romeo teaching us how to make gnocchi 691. freezer meals from Mary Anne 692. leftovers 693. my undergraduate Western Civ class 694. "mental airplanes" 695. working on my financial counselor certification 696. channel changers 697. not having to buy cable 698. trimming the fat in our budget 699. having what we need 700.  tithing 701. fasting 702. fast offerings 703. tithing settlement 704. attending the temple 705. my endowment 706. my temple sealing to Dane 707. having a worthy priesthood holder as a husband and father 708. father's blessings 709. a more organized closet for my clothing 710. garage door openers 711. scholarship help 712. Debbie 713. Craig 714. the Dr. Pepper scholarship 715. cookable tortillas from Costco 716.  pumpkin pie cheesecake from Costco 717. cooked chicken from Costco 718. frozen yogurt from Costco 719. Enzo's sassy little attitude 720. romantic comedy movies 721. comedy movies 722. movie theaters 723. playing cards 724. longer shirts in fashion 725. clean carpets 726. the guitar lamp 727. statement necklaces 728. the black shelves 729. stepping stools 730. my brown corduroy jacket 731. having a clear face 732. Enzo's little run 733. Cafe Rio 734. Pasta Vino's Italian nachos 735. E Fresh 736. Papa John's Pizza 737. Elmer's fruit crepes 738. Enzo's looks of excitement 739. how I feel when I eat healthy 740. Friends 741. musical movies 742. the music from my childhood 743. a savings account for Enzo 744. Dane's lunch breaks at home 745. a freshly made bed 746. colorful clothes 747. singing 748. my MK planner 749. Costco membership 750.  opportunities to overcome my shyness 751. quiet moments 752. that Enzo still takes two naps per day 753. that I can turn this list from this blog into a book to keep forever 754. Enzo's littlest feet 755. Enzo's littlest hands 757. Enzo looking out his bedroom window 758. reclining on the couch 759. the television fast 760. brightness 761. Nativity sets 762. gingerbread houses 763. the interest rate we got on the mortgage 764. when I am able to comfort Enzo 765. when Dane is pleased with my homemaking skills 766. Twitter 767. a faithful spouse 768. my testimony 769. Kelli gets to stay home 770. living close to family 771. getting to bring a dessert for Thanksgiving 772. anything chocolate 773. home-baked food 774. the speaker phone function 775. completing this list early for the first time 776. iMovie 777. checking the mail each day 778. the opportunity I have to manage the home 779. early mornings (I need more of them) 780. the nights I get to bed before 10:00 781. Missy 782. the ISU campus community 783. Catina 784. Dr. Hill 785. my macroeconomics undergraduate course 786. What Not To Wear 787. afternoon naps for me 788. Sunday afternoon family naps 789. my domestic duties of cooking and cleaning 790. cake batter ice cream 791. when ice cream is on sale at Albertsons 792. the possibility of couponing now 793. a good chimichanga 794. the infamous California trip 795. taking Dane to Colorado with me for work 796. getting to put my feet in the Pacific Ocean 797. a good hug 798. kisses on my forehead 799. Hershey kisses and hugs 780. hula-hoops 781. playing basketball with Dane 782. how much Dane's students like him 783. getting to be in a new ward 784. the Pocatello 6th Ward 785. the Pocatello 12th Ward 786. the Ammon 8th Ward 787. the University 5th Ward 788. Bishop Whyte 789. Bishop Garvin 790. Bishop Davenport 791. typing in place of handwriting 792. getting to make a to-do list for the rest of the week 793. Idaho 794. the good old USA 795. the California trip family video 796. dogs 797. Scruffy 798. Cookie 799. spending lots of quality time at G&G Sucher's house growing up 800. Grandpa's homemade salami 801. Enzo's sign language 802. animal rescuers 803. opportunities to serve 804. having a little boy who is "all boy" 805. Enzo's mischievous smile 806. my Gap jean jacket from high school 807. Jeff's military service 808. Jesse's military service 809. the pride my dad takes in being in the military 810. Dexter 811. baby pajamas--they are so cute 812. Enzo's little diaper bum in jeans 812. NBC 813. ABC 814. PBS 815. the times Enzo doesn't cry when he goes to sleep 815. President Uchtdorf 816. President Eyring 817. Elder Packer 818. Elder Perry 819. Elder Nelson 820. Elder Oaks 821. Elder Ballard 822. Elder Scott 823. Elder Hales 824. Elder Holland 825. Elder Bednar 826. Elder Cook 827. Elder Christofferson 828. Elder Anderson 829. The Work and the Glory series 830. Twilight series 831. the Hunger Games series 832. The Maze Runner series 833. the classics in literature 834. my elementary school nickname 835. movie theater popcorn 836. going to movies with just "the girls" 837. bookshelves 838. having books everywhere 839. helping Enzo develop a love for reading 840. looking over and seeing Enzo looking at books 841. girls skirts and dresses 842. being "regular" 843. my middle name 844. seeing Kade and Brei's family in the summer 845. campouts in Mary Anne's backyard 846. Dane's smile 847. Craig's designs for ISU shirts 848. the Ambush 849. canoeing in Jackson Hole with Dane 850. carbon monoxide detectors 851. smoke detectors 852. spending nights at the movie theater with my dad when I was young 853. the box of fireworks we would get from Joan each 4th of July 854. shopping trips with Jean growing up 855. the George Strait concert 856. Rice Crispies with sugar sprinkled on top 857. Great-Grandpa's famous sugar cookies 858. the American flag 859. The Star-Spangled Banner 860. sheet music 861. violin music 862. The Moldau 863. Shakespeare in the Park 864. the Summer Concert Series 865. the ISU quad 866. living right next to an elementary school 867. The Blue Box 868. being almost done with the semester 869. ISU women's basketball 870. ISU women's soccer 871. free tickets to the Idaho State Symphony 872. reduced-fee tuition 873. getting to have jobs that I love 874. ping pong 875. billiards 876. croquet 877. bocce ball 878. ISU's smoke-free campus 879. Buster 880. Oprah Winfrey 881. Ellen DeGeneres 882. police officers 883. firemen 884. the horse races 885. Crystal Light 886. soft water 887. good neighbors 888. my birthday 889. my vision 890. good sense of smell 891. my taste buds 892. expanding my range of tastes 893. Dane not having cavities at the last dental checkup 894. Bishop Isbell 895. Bishop Hall 896. great Young Women's leaders 897. Sister Anderson 898. riding to church softball games in Sis. Anderson's Buick 899. Sister French 900. homemade movies with my friends in middle school and high school 901. french toast 902. fried eggs (sunny side up) 903. my Portneuf water bottle 904. Dane's natural smell 905. how Dane smells right after a shower 906. Enzo's fun ears 907. my classical music CD's 908. sticky notes on the computer 909. being able to bank online 910. forever stamps 911. fast shipping 912. the good old weather phone number 913. putting the sprinkler under the trampoline 914. Peterson Park 915. Ross Park 916. Ross Park Drive In 917. running through the sprinklers 918. missionaries 919. getting to feed the missionaries dinner 920. balloons 921. party hats 922. how Enzo turns the bucket into a hat 923. live musicals and play 924. middle school plays 925. my super-warm blanket right now 926. the opportunity to make new friends 927. realizing the need to grow 928. being blessed abundantly 929. receiving blessings I definitely don't deserve 930. knowing the proper way to pronounce "harassment" 931. getting to sleep in on Sundays now 932. 11:00 church 933. church dances 934. my awkward years (still in them :)) 935. doors that lock 936. funny YouTube videos 937. Dane potentially working out an alternative for the year 2 programs 938. finding change when we moved 939. being able to borrow Dane's debit card in a sneaky manner 940. Enzo having a little Sucher in him 941. Enzo's fun-loving personality 942. support from Stacy in Mary Kay 943. the opportunity to go anywhere with Mary Kay 944. great quotes 945. memorizing the Articles of Faith in Primary 946. being in Primary classes with Michael 947. having temples so close by 948. working at Big 5 949. my Big 5 bosses 950. daily inspiration through Mary Kay training 951. things not working out the way I planned 952. blessings we receive when we are set apart 953. the way I feel when I am grateful and happy 954. getting to give back in scholarship creation 955. getting to work on a children's book 956. focusing on using my time more productively 957. investing in myself 958. my "me time" 959. having been married for 6 years 960. The Salvation Army 961. The First National Bar offering a Thanksgiving meal to less fortunate individuals 962. having a full belly and a roof over my head 963. being placed in a situation where I can help others 964. getting to learn from so many others 965. having my nails painted 966. passion 967. promptings 968. becoming a Mary Kay director by July 1, 2013 969. my family's health 970. Scentsy 971. the Love Languages book 972. Elie Wiesel 973. Man's Search for Meaning 974. locks on doors to help me feel safe 974. having memories of my Grandpa Miller and Grandpa Sucher 975. my knowledge about life after death 976. the relative nature of knowledge and truth 977. the beautiful sounds of other languages 978. the shed out back 979. the Harry Potter series 980. watching Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings in the movie theater 981. the Percy Jackson series 982. Mere Christianity 983. ward choirs 984. Primary Programs 985. getting to edit papers for people 986. my love for grammar 987. the Oxford Comma 988. laughing so hard that I cry 989. Chris Farley 990. the SNL scenes that people can't help but laugh in 991. the smell of a fresh-cut lawn 992. snow-machining with my family 993. taking Enzo sledding this winter 994. moose 995. elk 996. deer 997. the person who blessed me during my pregnancy so many times 998. having so much time to keep improving--not having to be perfect today 999. rainbows 1000. finishing this list before Thanksgiving

My Hope

I would like to say that I am happy that the election is over.  Whew!  We made it!  As weird as this sounds, I am also so very grateful for the opportunity I have had to hear so many sides of the story.  It is compelling to see how passionate we all are about our country.  We care about the future of our blessed United States. That is beautiful!  We live in a place where we are able to have opinions--and we are can share those personal truths with others openly.  That is also beautiful!

I just hope we will remember one thing (myself included).  There are very few actual truths in our world; we each hold our own personal truths and views of the world--to us, these truths are so real. Now, isn't it wonderful that we can each believe something different, that we can each have personal views of the world around us?  Instead of instantly taking offense or passing judgment on a view, why don't we consider the view and the person it belongs to--then we can choose whether or not to accept that as a personal truth ourselves? We may not agree, and that is just fine. 

By doing this, I can focus on the one person who really matters--me.  It doesn't matter what anyone else believes (though it is so important to listen to others and really consider what they say) because, in the end, I am responsible for myself and my little family.

I am so grateful that we have been given the wonderful gift of creating families.  Heavens, that is such a blessing! I am grateful for the incredible responsibility of raising this little boy--of helping to build him into a giving, loving, intelligent, focused, hard-working person through teaching and loving him alongside incredible parenting partners.   He is my hope for the future.  He can be better than I am--more confident, more giving, more thoughtful, more driven--and I certainly hope that he will choose to be a better person.  I can already sense his loving heart, and I hope that I simply won't mess everything up for him. He was built to be a leader before he even came to me, and I just hope to respect his own divine heritage as his mother.

I hope that he will be open-minded and loving but still guided by strong values and great purpose. I hope that he will show love to all people around him.  I hope he will find happiness in being a spiritual man and also take pride in working for a dream.

I hope he will always know that his parents are proud of him and love him, unconditionally and positively.

So, I will focus on what I can--myself, my family, my community.

God bless the USA!

"all boy"

Last night Dane and I were talking about how this little guy is ALL BOY.  He is rowdy, active, rambunctious, athletic, physical, loud, messy....I think you get it!  He loves to throw any type of ball, climb up on anything (including the kitchen table--yikes), get chased around the house, dance to music, wrestle with his parents, be outside, and run all over the place.  He is so much fun.  I think he is everything Dane could ask for in a son!  I can just tell how proud Dane is of him!  I think he is a hoot too!  He is strong-willed and independent too--it is so fun to see his little personality coming right in!  Oh, he is sure a handful sometimes, but he is so sweet and charming.  I have to take advantage of his downtime, when he is full of cuddles and kisses.  What a lucky mom I am!



Our life is changing so much in the next week with the purchase of our first home.  I will admit that I am a little nervous, but I am so excited.  We have worked for a long time for this, and I can't wait to see the fruit of 5 years of money-saving labor!  I think I am most excited for Enzo to have a great home though.  There is a giant backyard and a ton more room to run around.  Our home is going to be kid-friendly for our energetic little person.  I laugh so hard that one of Dane's most frequent comments is the need for a giant tube slide off of the porch for kids (and event the two of us, I am sure.)  Honestly, when he talks about making home improvements, he talks about spraying insulation, building a butcher block island, and installing a fabulous slide.  He is definitely going to make this one fun house to grow up in!


*We have a countdown chain to our closing date (this Friday, shut up), and this reminds me that it is time for Enzo and I to pull a ring off our chain.  (Packing boxes and pulling off rings on the paper chain are the two best parts of moving for Enzo so far--more on that later!)

A Different Kind of Fast

Whew!  What a Monday and what a weekend!  I am just grateful that I am alive right now--counting my blessings! :)

Enzo is napping, and I just got dinner in the oven (ribs, twice-baked potatoes, and brussels sprouts) thanks to the M-I-L--she sent them home with Dane last night).  I finished a case study (which stressed me out way more than it needed to, thanks to my perfectionistic and also anxiety-ridden self), and I finished listening to the MK Hotline (ready to book something--fingers crossed).

Before I switch gears from school to work then back to school, I decided to write a few thoughts down.  I am so loving really writing on the blog lately.  It has been a little therapeutic, to be honest (coming from a future counselor). I can just stop--completely break--from my day and spend a few minutes just writing my thoughts down.

And that is the exact purpose this is serving right now--a break--a quiet, slow, peaceful few minutes of writing.  I am just soaking this in for a few minutes!

This stay-at-home business is tricky, I tell you.  I have more and more respect for you mothers each minute.  You can feel like you are in a whirlwind type of busy but still not look like you got much accomplished.  Because of this, I am giving up my to-do lists (or at least condensing them to a very small list of tasks)--that is the only way to keep my sanity.

But I still want so desperately to be productive, to be engaged, to do well in school, to help supplement income at home, to be a good wife and mother--so, I am doing a little bit of a different fast this week.

I think Dani Johnson once called it a "thief," and I just love Dani's wisdom on this one--because it really is a thief--

Dun, dun, dun.....

The television.  

And I just don't have time to let this guy (as adorable as he looks in the picture above) steal any more motivation, time, happiness, energy, attention.  

And another thing Dani Johnson taught that I just love--what are we doing with our free time?  Are we using it to be productive, to learn talents and skills, to make money, to be a great family member--or are we wasting it as we become experts on Facebook or television or video games?  (You get the point.)

So, this week I am fasting from the television.  This week I am hoping that will help me be productive, live a bit more authentically, enjoy my relationship more with Enzo.

So, adieu to the TV.  Ooh, that is a little scary for me--a week without The Office, Up All Night, Revenge, Parks and Recreation, Saturday Night Live, The Voice, Modern Family, Downton Abbey, and Mockingbird Alley.  Whew--I guess you can see that I need a break!  :)

It Takes a Village...

I have heard the phrase "It takes a village to raise a child" so many times.   I have definitely seen it in Enzo's life, but last night was truly the first night that I recognized it right away.

Dane is in Oregon this weekend for the annual Oregon Ducks game with his buddies.  This weekend has been crazy so far, and a little stressful, but Enzo and I are making it, especially with this help of others.

Last night was the Halloween party for my program at college.  We got our costumes ready really quickly, prepared quickly for our part (the cupcake walk), and got to the party just a few minutes early. 

Enzo was a little star of the party and was loving the attention.  He was hamming it up and spent half the party in the middle of the room dancing away.  The "squat and stand" move was definitely a hit was his go-to move. Since he was feeling so comfortable though, he started just doing his very own thing--leaving the room and heading down the hall himself, for example.  It became difficult to keep track of the little man!

And then came village member example #1:  Britt Hanson  Oh, she was truly a lifesaver, and I don't know if she will ever truly know how much she helped.  She fed Enzo, painted his face, took him "fishing," helped him decorate a cookie, and chased him throughout the building.  After a day spent trying to knock out a million things with the little guy, I had been so tired.  I didn't have as much energy as I needed to watch over him.   She was seriously like his second parent and made up where I lacked.  And Enzo just loves her!  Oh, thank heavens for that God-send!

 It was fun to see classmates outside of the classroom and was fun to run into a coworker from my Recruitment Services days.

And then came village member example #2:  Shawnee Burt and company Shawnee is an example of a wonder mom! She works so hard, and right now she and her husband are living apart during the week.  Being a recruiter was difficult to balance with a young one, and Dane was there each night too.  I really admire her family, and I know they are doing just what is best for their little girl.  That's what being a parent is all about, though sometimes the sacrifices we make can be so difficult!  One thing I especially love is her support network.  Shawnee is surrounded by some great friends and family members who continue to help in so many ways.  She is easy to love, and it is even easier to see why others truly want to help her.  There are so many village members in her life.  Now that I have much more time, I really need to jump in and be there too!

Thank heavens for good people in our lives who are willing to jump in and help!  Oh, we are so very blessed!

My newest goal:  Be the one who will jump in next time!  

My Favorite Food Right Now

I have decided to use this little bliggity-blog as a journal.  No one really needs to read it, and I really don't write about anything super-cool on here.  No recent trips to Cabo, no amazing DIY renovations--just little everyday anecdotes. I can type way faster than I can write, and I can make this into a book.  Check, check,and check.  Anyway, I have these aspirations of having an artsy little journal (like a Smash book) too, but I have pretty much packed everything up that I could use for that little book. So, the blog it is.

Maybe I jumped the gun a little on this packing thing, by the way.  Yesterday Dane and I made a little countdown chain to keep track of the days until we close on the house.  Seriously, I packed nearly everything up that we needed.  At least some card stock, packing tape, markers, and pair of kitchen scissors were handy.  They saved the day.

Now, for the real purpose of the post! I love remembering my favorite things from growing up--tv shows, toys, foods, school supplies, bands, etc.  Memory lane is such a fun place to stroll down!  Seriously!

So, in an effort to make up for the cake mishap and to remember a current favorite, I give you MY FAVORITE MEAL (and I think Dane's too, to be honest).  We made this last night too--let me tell you, it really lifted my spirits.  I was kinda-sorta-not really devastated after the cake experience.

Complete with my very own Instagram picture of the meal (to add originality and artistic flair--haha)!

COPYCAT CAFE RIO SOUP

(Tell me you don't want to eat that right now.  Martha would even be proud of that!)

Oh, Martha!

Martha Stewart, how do you make everything seem so easy?  I have dreams of becoming just like you, but this time I most certainly didn't measure up.  :(

Dane's birthday was yesterday, and I was so excited.  I had an entire day of little surprise planned out, and one by one, each idea somehow went awry.

1.  Dane was going to wake up to a room full of balloons!  Cute, right?!  Well, some of our apartment neighbors were partying at like 5:00 this morning, so Dane woke up with them.  My 6:00 alarm went off, giving me plenty of time to get everything in order before Dane's typical wake-up time came around, but Dane was already awake. NOOO!  (Well, I used the balloons later to decorate the entire living room instead.  Good, but not great.)

2.  Dane's real birthday present is going to an Oregon Ducks game this weekend with some of his buddies.  Well, I wanted to get him a gift on his birthday, so I picked up a pair of jeans that he wanted.  Of course, I couldn't find his size in some of the washes, but I was certain that he had wanted the pair I went home with.  Again, foiled--he wanted a different wash in the denim.  My poor gift-giving ability strikes again.  (In my own defense, my love language isn't gifts.)  He tried to take them back, but no luck last night.

3.  I told Dane that he could have anything he wanted for dinner--homemade or at a restaurant.  He chose this Cafe Rio copycat soup that is killer good and just a little work intensive.  Only problem, I totally ran out of energy after I finished his cake and annihilated our kitchen with an onslaught of dirty dishes.

4.  Dane came home from work an hour earlier than expected.  What a nasty surprise (usually pleasant, but in this case nasty)!  The cake wasn't finished, and Enzo hadn't yet colored his birthday card.  (I had made a white card and was going to have Enzo "color" it--cute idea again, right?)

I am telling you, Martha makes it seem like planning a little birthday celebration would be a cinch.  Truly.  Well, I am here to tell you that I have at least a little more work to do before I can truly emulate that woman (maybe even the rest of my life, sheesh).

However, Dane did say that this birthday was great--and that he will never forget the cake (recipe courtesy of Martha too).  At least we both got a good giggle about the cake as we ate "ladies night" nachos from Mama Inez on the couch last night.

One note before I show you the final disaster of the day:  I only had one breakdown (just sat on the kitchen floor and almost cried) before I realized that at least I could laugh about all of this.

Actually, one other note:  Martha really should have noted to beat the egg whites and sugar until peaks formed, not just saying to beat for a specific amount of time.   (I am trying to assign blame to someone other than myself for something, okay.)

5.  The cake (Do I dare even show it? -- pictures speak louder than words)

For my own insecurity, I will probably post a picture of a rockstar meal that I made sometime soon--you know, I am supposed to be taking this domestic role very seriously now!  :)