Christoffersen Family

Bucket List

Today is Jessica's Birthday and I should be doing a post about her. However, I am really not in the mood to fight with the pictures. Hopefully tomorrow I can do that. I have some super fun pictures through the years that I would like to share. In the mean time, I am stealing something from facebook.

Here is a list of things that someone (not me) recommends that everyone does in a lifetime. I am going to check off the ones I have done, but with no explanation. Some are REALLY good stories, but if you want to know the stories, you will have to ask me about them. In the mean time, you will just be left wondering. Overall, you will find out that I have lived a rather boring life.

( ) Gone on a blind date.
( ) Donated Blood
( ) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
( ) Been to Canada
(X) Been to Mexico
(X) Been to Florida
( ) Been to Hawaii
(X) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a helicopter
(X) Been lost
(X) Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Ridden in a Police Car
(X) Hugged a homeless person
(X) Swam in the ocean
( ) Swam with Stingrays
(X) Been sailing in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
( ) Played cops and robbers
(X) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Ran a marathon
(X) Sang Karaoke
(X) Volunteered at a soup kitchen
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only
(X) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
( ) Seen the Northern Lights
( ) Been Parasailing
(X) Been on TV
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( ) Made prank phone calls
( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
( ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Fed an elephant
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Fired a gun
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Been to the Opera
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Serenaded someone
( ) Seen a U.S. President in person
(X ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone
(X) Driven a race car
(X) Been to a National Museum
(X) Been to a Wax Museum
( ) Eaten caviar
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone to the movies
( ) Been deep sea fishing
(X) Driven across the United States
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
(X) Gone snowmobiling
( ) Lived in more than one country
(X) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars
(X) Seen a falling star and made a wish
(X) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful
(X) Seen the Grand Canyon
( ) Seen the Statue of Liberty.
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
(X) Been on a cruise
(X) Traveled by train
( ) Traveled by motorcycle
(X) Been horse back riding
( ) Ridden on a San Francisco cable car
(X) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World
(X) Truly believe in the power of prayer
( ) Been in a rain forest
(X) Seen whales in the ocean
( ) Been to Niagara Falls
( ) Ridden on an elephant
(X) Swam with dolphins
( ) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
( ) Saw and heard a glacier calf
( ) Been spinnaker flying
( ) Been water-skiing
( ) Been snow-skiing
( ) Been to Westminster Abbey
( ) Been to the Louvre
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean (French beach)
(X) Been to a Major League Baseball game
( ) Been to a National Football League game
( ) Swam with sharks
( ) Been White Water Rafting
() Written a book or screen play
( ) Been to a Tournament of Roses Parade
(X) Lived in more than one state
(X) Become a parent
( ) Been Bungee Jumping
(X) Been to Vegas
(X) Been to a minor league baseball game
( ) Worked on a political campaign
( ) Been to the top of the World Trade Center or Empire State Building
( ) Ridden a Subway
( ) Been to your High School Reunion

New Year's Resolutions

I've been thinking a lot about New Year's Resolutions. I don't usually set resolutions. I fail at plenty of things and I don't need to give myself one more thing to fail at. Last year I did set a resolution though. You can read about it here. Anyone want to wager on this one? You'd think that would be an easy one to achieve, but this one too was an utter failure.

So here we are a year later and trying to decide what resolutions, if any, to set for this next year. I have put a lot of thought into this and I have come to a conclusion. If I don't set any goals for myself, I will make no forward progress. If I set some goals for myself, even if I don't accomplish them 100%, I am better off than not doing them at all.

So, here are my resolutions:

1. Strengthen relations with extended family. We have decided to give Skype a try. Technology is such a fabulous thing. Why not use it for good?!

2. Take tons of pictures of my girls. I am coming to the realization that they are growing up WAY too fast and before long they won't be home to take pictures of them. I find myself getting so caught up in the moments that I don't remember to take the pictures. However, in a few years, these pictures will be fantastic to have.

3. Update my blog weekly. If I'm taking tons of pictures, I really should save the stories behind these pictures. I didn't realize how many pictures I do have until I copied them from the old computer to the new computer. Over 6000! However, many of them have lost the story behind them. I'm sure there was a reason to take them, but who remembers now? Not me!

4. Read, read, read. I generally don't enjoy reading. However, I know that it is important to increase my knowledge. I have a lot of personal, professional, and spiritual things to learn. Reading is the key to opening some doors for myself.

5. Improve my relationship with Jesus Christ. This will be a daily task. I need to make my scripture study and prayer more meaningful. I need to come to know Him as more than my Savior, but as my personal friend. I love this picture. I so look forward to the day that I can hug my Savior and friend and thank him for all He has done for me!

Am I going to accomplish any of these goals to the level that I need to? Absolutely NOT! Will I make progress this next year? YES! Will I be a better person next year for the progress I make this year? ABSOLUTELY!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

The need to simplify through the Savior

In our last house, I decorated three different rooms with three different holiday themes (trees and all), snowmen in the dining room, Santas in the family room, and nativities in the living room. My current home doesn't have a living room and our dining room doesn't have much decorating room, thanks to a seminary sized table. All decorating must happen in the family room. The last 3 years I have put up all three themes in the family room. This year, I wasn’t feeling the Santas and the snowmen. I just wanted my nativities. I just feel the need to be surrounded by Christ more. Yesterday when we sorted through the Christmas things, I left the Santas and snowmen in the attic and brought out the Nativities. The decorations are much simpler this year. There is only 1 Christmas tree in the main area of the home. (The girls still have their trees in their room) The Christmas theme is much more simple and not “in your face”. Reminds me of a conference address by L. Tom Perry in October 2008 in which he says, “In our search to obtain relief from the stresses of life, may we earnestly seek ways to simplify our lives.” We don’t need anything but the Savior. This year, I have beautiful reminders of the Savior surrounding me that will add joy to my life this Thanksgiving and Christmas season.

Simplicity.

Isn't this what Christmas is really about.

Love this one because it's easy to set up. It's all glued together into one piece.

When Addyson was younger, she wouldn't leave my nativities alone. When I found this one a few years later, I had to buy it. Even though she doesn't play with it, MANY visiting friends have.

This is the set I always let my kids play with. Hours of entertainment.

Found this sweet nativity at a flea market. Other children had loved it for years and so have my children. Made of indestructible wood.

Love the children dressed up as the nativity. Reminds me of the pictures I see from my husband's family when they re-enacted the nativity with a different baby Jesus each year.