Best of '08

There are a lot of great things that happened and things that I learned in the year 2008. I thought maybe I would try and inumerate them for me and all of you who where not as involved in my life as I would have liked you to be. So here they are the top 7.

1. My children became the center of my life again. I loved being a stay at home mom before but now I love it even more. I have the best of both worlds. I got to be the success that I always wondered if I could be AND I am home with my kids again.

2. I learned what it is to succeed and be who I really wanted to be. I got to do this working in the car dealership. I enjoyed this experience more than I like to admit. My dad asked me on New Years Eve if I missed selling cars and as I thought about it I really do sometimes, but not because of the reasons you might think. I really got to know myself better when I was there. I found some of the best parts of myself, and some of the worst and found a way to get rid of the worst and make the good better. I also loved knowing that I really was that good with people!

3. My sweet husband is one of the greatest gifts of my life. He is so kind and attentive. I learned in the past year what we can do together and what we can't do without each other. Paul is the amazing cook that makes it fun to come home from church and smell that great smell coming from the kitchen. I remember my mom would always have dinner ready for us as we walked in the door. I for some reason didn't inherit that talent, but all is not lost Paul has it in Spades!

4. I can have fun just staying home and spending time hanging out with the kids. Nothing is more fun to me now than having my kids, their friends and a movie in the DVD player.

5. Sunday really is the best day of the week! Every Sunday Paul and I have a nap just like my parents did when I was a kid, but part of the ritual at our house is the getting to bed part.

We finish dinner together, I make assignments on who is to clean what part of the dishes, and Paul and I head into our room. The next part isn't planned but always happens; the kids follow us and jump into bed with us. We sit and laugh and play for 20 min. I make threats that all will die if they don't go get to work, and then they head off to the kitchen and they auctually DO their chores. (I am making a leap here telling you all this, but this is my favorite part of the whole week, I love that they always come in and dogpile us! I'm going to be in trouble now that I've let my kids know that I love this, it maybe impossible to get them to do their chores now!)

6. Life is the simple things! On my 35th or 36th birthday (I can't remember which) we were in California with Mark and Shari and it was our (mark's and my) birthdays. We went out to dinner and in the course of the night Mark asked me if my life was all that I wanted it to be to that point, if I was where I wanted to be and had hoped to be. This question threw me off guard, because my life was NOT where I had thought it should be at that point. As I looked back on it I was very disappointed with where I had been and where I was.

Well not this year! I am exactly where I want to be! I have learned what I think I should have by this time in my life, things are more simple and I don't have as much as I thought I would, and I may even be loosing much of what I have accumulated up to this point on account of the economy, but I have to say I have never been so happy! I have never cared so little about the stuff! I am officially not a Stuffologist anymore. I could care less now where I live, how much we make or how many vacations we take a year.

Would I enjoy more if it was given to me? Yes, of course who wouldn't, but I don't need it anymore to be happy! I have the most amazing family and the perspective to bring me all the joy that I need.

7. I love that I know who I am and what I can do. I didn't use to know this sweet morsel. I thought that I was just another girl that came out of Logan Ut. Just one more of Gods children that are all original. Not too special. But not anymore. I know now that I am different. The same but different. I can do lots of things that maybe not everyone else can do. And I am loved by my Heavenly Father as much as all his other wonderful children. My talents are not what all of your talents are and that is ok!

The first 40 years old of my life has been for me just as it was for Moses, a time of preparation for the next 40 years. I think I will really love the 40's! I may not know everything that I am to do in this life but I do know that I have been prepared just as I was told I would be. I am ready to do what ever it is that I am asked to do. Teach the 14 year olds in sunday school or take on the world! It's all good!

ARI "The Lion of God!"

My Ari is one of the most beautiful boys I know. He is so fun and full of life. When he was younger I was always worried that he would get lost in the shuffle of the Prier home. He was so quiet and unpresuming. Well, there is no need to worry about this! Ari knows how to get his fair share of attention and he does it well. He still has his moments when I worry that he will be lost in the commotion but he seems to do well with his older brother and sister getting their face time first.

Ari's name means "Lion Of God" and that is a good description of Ari. One of my favorite stories about Ari is when he was about 8 years old he decided what he wanted to be in life and told us that he was going to be a Barbarian! We asked him what a barbarian does and he said "Well if I get hungry I'll just throw my ax and kill a deer!" (Duh mom!)

I'm not sure if the name created the boy or if we just picked the perfect name for the boy, but which ever he really is "the Lion of God!"

Seth and His Girls

Seth has decided that he needs to announce to the world on facebook that he has many girls that he likes and that have liked him over the years. This is interesting as it comes at a time when we are watching and waiting for his facial hair to come in. He has what we affectionatly call a mexi-stash. It is his almost mustach. If he would stop growing we would all have a bit more food in the house and a bit more quiet on the western front.

I do have to remember that he is one of my best friends and is so much fun to have around! He is funny and clever and interesting. He helps his dad without a complaint or a word of harrasment. I wonder if all 14 year olds are this wonderful!

The New Me

Here it is, I did it... What do you think? I have never been brunette before but have always wanated to be. Now I auctually look like the rest of my family. Someone in the ward today told me that I now look like I belong to the kids. (or maybe they belong to me.)