Author: runlittlejo

My head is filled with jumbled thoughts – like usual. Organization seems a thing of the past – so here are some of the odds and ends of my thoughts today.

Fasting – I have developed a greater appreciation toward fasting the older I've become.  Believe it or not, I actually look forward to fasting each month. I am grateful for the ability it gives my spirit to better recall & understand gospel truths while strengthening my testimony. I like the way it makes my spirit sensitive and I feel closer to Heavenly Father and my brother, Jesus Christ. I like that we can choose to deny/sacrifice our physical needs temporarily and focus on our spiritual beings and commitment to follow the Savior's example.  

JT funnies – Tonight we walked into the bathroom and found JT sitting on the toilet facing the tank singing – it was a priceless picture in our heads. He really likes to hang out on the toilet. Tonight at my parents house JT was outside standing by the cats and proclaimed, "mom, the kitty knows my name." I guess he can speak "cat" now. Also, last week, he and Olivia were eating lunch when Olivia decided to tell a joke. She said, "knock, knock, JT". He said, "Come in!" He got the last laugh on that joke! Me and Olivia laughed a lot at that one. On Friday we went out to pick some things up from my parent's house. JT took off his shoes and coat, walked directly to my mom and exclaimed, "I need some chocolate!"

Lexi Independence – I have always known that Lexi is an independent soul,  but being independent and a teenager is really pushing it. 🙂 She is getting ready to put the Youth Etiquette dinner for our ward this coming Wednesday and is very determined to do as much as possible by herself. It is great to see her want to soar, but also forcing me to learn a lesson I wasn't ready to learn yet: I need to hop in the back seat now and give the least amount of input as possible. It's a good thing we are both patient – hahahaha. Really though, she is amazing and I admire her.

Handy Man – I am married to the most awesome man. He changed the break pads in my van yesterday, tidied the garage, and also made me shelves in my laundry room. To top the day off he helped Lily clean the bathrooms and also stayed up late with me and he mopped the whole entire wood floor! You can't imagine how big my smile was even though I was soooo tired. Some are probably thinking – what was she doing all day?!! I will keep you guessing, but I really wasn't sitting around eating chocolate cinnamon bears and reading a book – that does sound nice though! 🙂

Mason growing – Mason is officially done with Primary! Holy cow – I can't believe his 12th birthday is Wednesday. He wrote a wonderful testimony down today in his Faith in God Book and has a lot of depth inside his quiet demeanor. He still makes my heart melt when I see him smile – he is a sweet boy in a tough shell. Just the way I would order a boy if we did that kind of thing. He had his first winter camp experience with the Scouts on Friday night. He loved his snow cave and said he stayed warm all night. When eating dinner Thursday night, he told all of us, "this is the last night I'll be sleeping with you guys this week." I think he was hoping to make it through until Saturday….

Olivia's Date – Stephen and I decided it was about time for Olivia to go on a date with her parents Friday evening. It was a good call. Alexis helped her get ready by fixing her hair fancy and get all dressed up – she even put on sparkly fingernail polish! This meant a lot to Olivia. We all had a blast going to dinner and a movie ("Tangled"). She is a great conversationalist. She told us her Pre-School teacher taught her that there is a country named Bolivia and that she knows how to spell it – she proceeded to spell B*O*L*I*V*I*A. She was sooo excited get her own soda – a rare delight for our house.  We got the daily special to eat from Costa Vida. While we were eating she said, "I'm special because I got the daily special." Stephen also bought her a $2 box of CareBear gummy bears at the movie – that is true love! She sat on my lap and I cherished the moment. On the way home we all talked about what it is like to be the fourth child of the family – Me, Stephen and her are all fourth in birth order. I think that made Olivia feel even more special than she did at dinner.

Lily Tattle Tales – So this morning Lily was upset because JT and Olivia were eating all of the popcorn that was brought home from the movie last night. She really wanted to eat some, but she was fasting. I became impatient with her whining and soon she began crying. After trying to console the inconsolable I told her to go cry somewhere else, not by me – I know great parenting on my part, NOT! I had an appointment with getting ready for church and left her to crying. She showed up to church with puffy eyes and the question, "do you think everyone will notice I've been crying?" I said, "Just smile really big and they won't notice your eyes."  After sacrament meeting we each went to our own classes. Stephen and I ended up in Primary after Sunday School for opening exercises to help congratulate Mason on advancing from Primary and earning his Faith in God award! As I was out in the hallway, Lily's teacher approached me and asked, 'is everything ok?" I was puzzled and said, "sure". He explained that Lily told their class that I've been stressed out. OOUCH – the truth hurts and is embarrassing! I realize that sometimes I allow the pressures of normal life to get me overwhelmed. "Meeting life's demands with frustration" could be a tag inserted beneath my name often times. I told him briefly of the morning happenings. I told him that, "Yes, I am pretty much a walking stress case," while I smiled and laughed at myself. Inside I was humiliated and left a mental note to myself: "YOU'VE GOT TO CHILL OUT!" When driving home from church, I asked Lily what her lesson was on. She told us that they were listening to a story about a family that needed to pray for their dad because he was having a hard time. She said after the story, she rose her hand and said – "We need to pray for our moms too." I guess that is when she spilled the beans about her stressed out mom – me. As I listened, I realized that I had a few different choices of reactions to go with and settled on saying, "That's right Lily, I am really glad that you would pray for me. Mom's need to be prayed for to." And I really meant it! I feel like a dog with its tail between its legs. If anything could motivate me to change – this is it! I am really going to give an honest effort to keeping calm! It is obviously something Lily would appreciate. p.s. I never really wrote down anywhere that Lily also approached the Bishop on the stand after sacrament meeting the Sunday before my birthday and let him know that my birthday and name were left off of the weekly bulletin. She is always looking out for me – such a thoughtful girl!

Yesterday I asked Lex if she wanted to run around the block with me when she arrived home from school.  She said, "YES". I was happy. I have been itching to go for a run outside in the fresh air. As we walked down our lane and the wind attacked our hair I started having second thoughts, but we continued on. Turning to the west we felt the sun shine its beautiful rays our way and we hooked up our ear buds and shook it down the rode. We were both listening to the same mix of music – a Zumba playlist. Every once in a while we would shout out a lyric or do a hand gesture and we knew which song the other was listening to – it was funny.

Lexi is such a good friend to me. I have loved having her for my new exercise companion. She is such a wonderful girl with a desire to do what's right. When she messes up, she is humble enough to admit it and seek forgiveness. She is a nurturer to her brothers and sisters and we all love her jokes and quick wit. She is determined girl and finished the whole 4 miles without walking once – it was her goal. She proved to herself that "it's a good thing she's tough." She is also proving to be an up and coming soccer star and is the youngest on her team. We all love to watch her play indoor soccer – she even made a goal on Monday night.

When we were finished running, we both decided we love the way it feels after you have a good work out. I also enjoyed (while running) looking across the field of snow and seeing the brightness reflect off of it from the sun. I didn't enjoy almost stepping on a mouse and spotting 3 others! I very much needed my lungs to breath in the fresh air – It made me anxious for spring and the return to my running schedule. Never thought I would actually miss running – weird!

Comments:

Riley said…

Lex is very amazing. I hope that one day I can be as good as her at Soccer. She may be younger than me, but she is a tremendous example to me.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 5:05:48 PM

Anne said…

Ahh…the fresh air is SO nice! Sounds like fun for you and Lexi :).
Tuesday, March 01, 2011 1:43:17 PM

Jodi said…

Anne – I am really missing you right now to run with! Do you want to move back?
Monday, March 07, 2011 8:22:25 AM

Once upon a time a seventeen year old girl named, Jodi, decided to surrender her heart to a handsome, strong, and smiling young man of eighteen named Stephen.  

Though this story sounds simple enough there was a conflict for Jodi in her heart surrendering because two of her close friends really admired Stephen and thought he was extremely attractive before she did. Jodi loved her friends, she would never want to loose their friendship, but she eventually couldn't resist the charming smile and serviceable attitude Stephen portrayed. She was flattered that this boy named Stephen seemed interested in her when he asked her to the Junior Prom her Junior year, even though she did her best to discourage his attention. She tried to ignore him when he came to see her in a play or tennis match, she tried to discourage him as she worried about her friends feelings, she tried to act uninterested in the things he said to her during their P.E. class together. But he was pulling out all of the stops and he had unintentionally gone straight to a super source: her mom. Stephen would go to her house for visits and while there fixed things – cars, doorknobs, chairs, etc. He came with his smile and good works and Jodi's mom basically told her she was a crazy head if she didn't think he was the best. Finally, she surrendered and her friends understood – of all the people they understood! Just a side note: they still remained her friends and were kind enough to be interested in her found feelings and encourage her affections.

Stephen was a strong and hard worker and left town for the summer after his senior year in high school to work on pipe lines in Island Park, ID while he waited for the summer months to pass. He had received a call to serve an LDS mission to Dallas Texas, departure date in September. During the summer he would come back once in a while and stop in at Jodi's house. He would write her a letter once in a while too and she would write back. Little did Jodi know that this trip to the mailbox would be a path she traveled often.

One of her most memorable summer dates with Stephen that summer was when they rode to Island Park to see the place Stephen lived at during the summer. Stephen thought he would be impressive and bring out a couple of sticks of dynamite and blow up a few tree stumps for Jodi. She was basically terrified but acted like it was no big deal. What really caught her eye was the engraving he had etched into the back hoe he drove. It said "Stephen + Jodi". Now that pretty much made her heart flutter. As they drove home, she watched him drive. She was looking at him with different eyes, because something had changed, her heart had completely surrendered. She took note of his profile as he drove – his strong muscled arms poking out of his t-shirt were steering the wheel of his little ISUZU truck, a blue BYU baseball cap was on his blonde head, but his smile was big and bold and happy. They wrote notes back and forth all the way home. He tried to play songs on the radio that would send her subliminal messages and he would insert words to brain wash her to like him. It worked!

Time came for Stephen to become Elder Parker and leave on his mission for two years. The last few weeks before he left he invited Jodi to play tennis. They would play at the Ricks College (now BYUI) upper courts. Stephen was clever and thought it was fun to say "love-love" or "you 'loved' me".  Jodi enjoyed the conversations that followed a game of tennis. Stephen talked about serving his mission, reading the Book of Mormon, and life. She loved these conversations and was impressed with the dedication Stephen put forth in preparing for his mission.  

She also was privileged to travel to Logan, UT with him to pick up his suits for his mission from the store his brother, John, worked at. She loved the ride and the talk and the time they spent together. When he dropped her off at home that night he gave her a hug. Her heart was happy and the hug lasted in her memory long after she said good-bye. It felt like a perfect fit. 

Another special night spent right before his departure was going to the Sand Dunes. They ran along the dunes with their friend Dave Sanford and his date Lynn. They jumped and played in the sand and then they decided to roll down the hills. The sun was just going down. As they were rolling Stephen asked, "how far will you go?" Jodi replied, "forever's as far as I'll go".  Jodi was quoting one of the new country music songs that Stephen and recently  introduced her to. This meant a lot to Stephen and the words spoke volume to his heart. After one time of rolling down the hill they ended up next to each other. A perfect opportunity for a first and memorable kiss.

The time finally came and Stephen departed on his mission to Texas. Jodi cried at the loss of a dear friend and more… He told her not to wait for him because his dad told him that wasn't fair and girls' very rarely wait for missionaries. She appreciated the non-pressure, yet her heart was still committed and determined. He gave her his ghost bead necklace and a summer full of wonderful memories and left for the Mission Training Center (MTC) in Provo, UT.  Back in these days, young men were dropped off at the MTC and then their families would come to say good-bye at the airport. While in the MTC, Stephen wrote Jodi a letter and asked her to come to the airport. She wanted to, but her dad and mom said the only way she could go is if she asked permission from his father. She had been taught and witnessed from seeing two of her own brothers leave on missions, that this was a special time just for family good-byes. Failed to be mentioned previous is the fact that Jodi could be shy and self-conscience around Stephen's family. She really liked them all, but felt uncomfortable in this new role as "girlfriend". She worried way to much about what people thought instead of living in the moment- (which she would change if she could go back now and do). But because the idea of seeing Stephen outweighed her self-awareness, Jodi mustered up her courage and went to speak with Brother Parker (a seminary teacher) at the High School Seminary. He was kind and easy to talk to and consented. Her mom drove Jodi & Stephen's friend Dave down to the airport. The last memory Jodi took with her for two years is the hug Stephen gave her (even though he was suppose to stay at arm's length). 

Jodi went to dances and on dates & parties during her senior year of high school. She has fun and made lots of great memories with her friends the first year he was gone. The second year she began College and dated but still hoped that things wouldn't change or be weird when Stephen returned. She remembered the cologne "Obsession" he wore and went to the mall and sprayed it on a card. Whenever she missed him she would smell the card she put in the back of her journal, read letters, and look at his mission pictures he sent to her that were on the mirror in her bedroom. No other boy could compare to Elder Parker – especially his hugs. Meanwhile, Stephen was busy in the mission field – strengthening his testimony, serving others, sharing the knowledge of the gospel, converting & baptizing those seeking the truth. He also got homesick for his family once in a while and tried to "wade through" Jodi's sent letters – some he claimed were like General Authority letters. But she had also been growing in the gospel and desired to be spiritually mature and ready to meet her life with faith. It was a long time to be away from each other and they both loved the letters that came each week.

Finally Stephen returned home. Jodi was nervous. Again she was worried about going to the airport to welcome him home and interrupting a family moment. Lucky for her Stephen's good friend Dave wasn't half as worried and offered to drive her down with him and his girl friend, Lynn. She seized the moment – she still had a lot to learn about doing this, but did it! His family was super nice to her and excited to see their brother. His parents weren't there because his dad had a meeting in SLC and had made arrangements to see him at the SLC airport on Stephen's layover there. After two years Jodi was about to see him face to face and she was hoping she would make a good "first" impression. She was surprised at what she saw descending through the doors. A boy with a giant cowboy hat & boots, large silver belt buckle, and giant smile. She was so happy to see him, even though he was decked out in all of his Texan costuming. She was also surprised to see when someone took of his giant hat, his thinning dark hair! She wasn't a super huge fan of country styled stuff, but she was a huge fan of Elder Parker. His talked excitedly to his sisters and little brother who eventually told him they needed to go visit his Grandma Parker at home because she wasn't feeling well. He smiled at Jodi and was glad she came but also happy Dave was there to talk to and keep missionary minded. Stephen's sister, Stacie, insisted Jodi go with them to Grandma Parker's house. Inside Jodi was putting on the brakes because she was worried about imposing on the family time – but of course she went. She sat in the back seat and Stephen was in front. She watched him interact with his family and was so proud of him. At Grandma Parker's house Jodi felt awkward, especially when Stephen's grandma exclaimed, "Who is she?" Stephen's sisters were kind and explained Jodi was a friend and that helped Jodi feel less self-conscience.

They left Grandma Parker's house and went to the Stake President's office for Stephen to get released from his Mission. Jodi had been stranded and was at the mercy of the Parker family. She was happy to be with them, but feeling more and more awkward by the minute. She waited in the car while they all went into the Stake Center to meet with the Stake President. Jodi felt a little sad that Stephen was without parents, but understood the situation. Stephen's parents would be moving to South Carolina where his dad would be an institute director. They would leave behind Stephen, twin daughters – Stacie and Stephanie (who happened to be Jodi's age), and Lance (Stephen's brother) and his wife. It was bad timing, but sometimes there is no control over things like that. They all came out of the Stake Center and Stephen was now officially off of his mission. He drove to the new house his family had just built and that he and is sisters would get to live in while attending College.  He walked his suitcase down to the basement and changed his clothes – into P-Day clothes. He showed his family and Jodi a few items and then offered to take Jodi home.

They took a short detour to the home that Stephen had left on Barney Dairy Road. It was sold and empty. He was sad and reminiscent, but happy to be back in the town of Rexburg, ID. Stephen & Jodi talked about random surface things and they soon found themselves parked in Jodi's driveway – a familiar setting from a distant time. He walked her to her door and left her with a smile and a hug. It wasn't just any hug for Jodi – it was THE same hug that she remembered from two years ago, the one that made her feel like she had found a match. As she walked in the door with a beaming smile she had a thought that two puzzle pieces were finding there way back together again.

Three weeks later, Stephen spontaneously proposed to Jodi on an unplanned Sunday drive to Island Park. The setting was the cabin on the hill.

Three months after that, on October 28, 1994, they were married in the Idaho Falls Temple for time and all eternity. 

Their lives have been full of amazing ad wonderful blessings – including five beautiful children: Alexis, Mason Stephen, Lily, Olivia Michele, and Joshua Taylor. Their lives have also held various discouraging trials, but they find that as they trust in their Savior Jesus Christ and become one in purpose they can do all things – even hard things!

The need to create urges inside me every January and this year is no exception. I feel like I'm in a race to produce as much as possible. It's what keeps me excited on days when the sun doesn't come out to play- which seems to be often this time of year. I'm gearing up for one of my favorite months: February. It is almost here!

This week I had so much fun making some new Valentine Decor for the house. It is fun to update and I love all of the ideas that are inspired from other people off of the internet. The pink rose ball ("kissing balls" as they were called online) is really my favorite of all! It was made with a Styrofoam ball and a roll of crepe paper! So clever…and I think it looks professional. 🙂

Give me a,

C – creative outlet unleashed

give me an,

R – race to see how many stitches I can do before I have to go somewhere

give me an,

O – opportunity to sit & hibernate during the cold months while staying busy

give me another, 

C – compulsive desire within to keep twisting more yarn with my hands

give me an,

H – hooks, small and large – I like them all

give me an,

E – everywhere I go, it goes too

give me a,

T – time (lots of it) spent with yarn

 

What does it spell – Jodi's addiction.

 

Today is a special day. It is 1-11-11. I just thought that was cool. I decided in honor of that I needed to make this entry.

Comments:

Diana said…

fun post. It’s fun to see all your creativity come out and I get to be a recipient! Thanks
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 4:03:56 PM

Magan said…

Love the quit! Come to Boise and teach me, lets have a girls weekend at my house.
Saturday, January 15, 2011 9:40:10 AM

Michelle said…

Yeah-you finished and it is soooo cute! I love your collection. I’m with you on the addition!
Friday, January 21, 2011 8:27:20 AM

My Goals:

SMILE!!!

Spiritual – attend temple as frequently as possible, Personal Daily Prayer & Scripture Study

Physical – Eat Less Sugar, Zumba Class, AMA Challenge

Emotional – Try to stay positive & speak positively

Intellectual –  Learn how to use photoshop elements and see how far I can catch up on scrapbooks

Social – Plan fun couple dates every quarter (4 total this year)

Musical – Learn how to play one song on the guitar

Household – Plant, Grow, and Take Care of a Garden (Revamp Current Garden)

Financial – Try hard to stick to budget and continue to build savings account; help children remember to pay tithing and provide opportunities for them to earn money

Food Storage – First Aid supplies, 72 hour kits assessment, water purification & storage, hand grinder

Last but not least – SMILE More, especially around the house

Bleacher seats were hard! We were excited to stand up when the “Hallelujah” Chorus was sung.

We were lucky enough to get tickets to Handel's "Messiah" presented by BYU-I students tonight. It was as fabulous as I always remembered it. We went with both of our parents and also took Alexis, Mason, and Lily this time. The spirit of the music from the Messiah is rooted deep inside me as it brings up layered memories from past Christmas seasons. The final song, "Worthy is the Lamb" just bundles the entire oratorio together with perfect majesty (for me).

My dad and mom took our family as often as they could. It is the place that my dad asked my mom to marry him 45 years ago – so there is some nostalgia involved. 🙂 As I watched as a young girl of nine or ten I remember committing to myself that some day I would be in it. I am certain that I had very good feelings inside, that I wouldn't have been mature enough to realize, testifying of the magnificent purpose & love offered from our Savior. I wanted to be a part of it though! I watched the orchestra and choirs both and felt a desire to be one of them. Back when my siblings and I were in high school the music faculty, at the then Ricks College, invited local surrounding choirs to perform a specific selection each year. My sister, Michelle, was first to perform, then Eric, happily it was then my turn (our choir sang, "Lift of Your Heads") and Scott followed after me. This was my first chance to participate and I thought it was great.

When I entered Ricks College a couple of years later, I auditioned for Concert Chorale and Acapella Choir (both choirs were highly esteemed in my head). To my dismay and great sadness, I did not make it for either! I felt like my bubble had burst and it took me at least one semester to get over it. Because of not making the choirs I decided to audition for the Symphony. I was very nervous because of the rejection I had from choir auditions, but I did it anyway because I was desperate and had to be in some sort of musical outlet. (I later found myself signed up for Women's Choir that semester too) And I found my name among those listed who made if for the Symphony! I was very delighted and enjoyed my involvement with the symphony – my stand partner was awesome. The crowning moment for me, of course, was when the Overture started at our performance in the Messiah presentation.  My heart was overflowing with happiness as I realized the commitment I had made to myself as a young girl had come true! I was also able to sing with the Women's Choir that year, singing, "I Know that My Redeemer Liveth." (FYI – I auditioned for Concert Chorale the following year and made it! Kids, this is a message to you to never give up or take no for an answer if you want something bad enough!)

Handel's "Messiah" has been a part of my Christmas for as long as I can remember. It reminds us of the miraculous birth, the passionate crucifixion and atonement, and the joyful resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Take time to check out the December Ensign this year (2010) and notice the article written on Handel's Messiah. Did you know that Handel wrote the score to the Messiah in 3 weeks? WOW! It is well worth the read.

Everybody went home with a new finished hat!

We had a good time on our Girl Retreat. Thanks to Michelle and Karma for putting it together and the John Parker Family for letting us occupy their basement for 2 days!

Loved the trees at Festival of Trees, Hat making was super fun (for me at least), and really liked the Hobby Lobby trips. I think we went to Hobby Lobby 3xs! It is my new favorite stop in Utah.

I also loved eating at a couple of my favorite places: Zuppas & Sweet Tomatoes!

	festival of trees

I had the fortunate opportunity to participate in the community Thanksgiving Choir this past Thursday. This year was extra special as I was able to have the company of Alexis to and from. She decided to sing soprano and I sang alto. It was an opportunity that makes my heart warm as I think of the ability of single individual voices blended together to produce magnificently beautiful sounds. Little pieces of heavenly feelings to warm my soul. It is a concept that provides for my mind many analogies for life – analogies I will have to write about on another blog entry someday. ..for today it suffices me to say that my soul delights in singing (with a talented choir to back me up and cover my inadequate attempt! 🙂 ).

Top 3 favorite songs in order from this year:

"Make our Garden Grow" by Leonard Bernstein, from opera Candide – love the story behind the song!!! It makes my eyes sweat.

"Carol to Beauty" by Steuart Wilson and arr. by James Mulholland. The lyrics are fabulous and the prayer of my heart.

"Look at the World" by John Rutter – Simple & profound words.

Comments:

Stephen said…

It sounded amazing! Well worth the time you put into it.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 11:24:38 AM

Stacie said…

Rick took the girls and they said it was great! They were excited to see you up there. Thanks for sharing your talents.
Monday, December 06, 2010 8:21:17 AM