November

I must say this month went much smoother than last year at this time - no client attacks, no car crashes.  Let's be honest, if we are comparing to last year, there wasn't a lot of room to go but up.  Started out by going to Desert Star for Legally Brunette: Not All Dumbs Are Blonde.  It was fabulous.  I loved it.  Always so good to be laughing and enjoying myself.

Next thing was celebrating Tyson's first birthday.  He is so stinking cute.  However, he is keeping with the Ottley boy family tradition of not going for it with his cake - our girls have been into it.  He was kind of back and forth with being the center of attention, but was pretty sweet all over.  Brian and Hollie lucked out with their little ones, they are all so sweet.

Dad and the birthday boy.

He looks so sure about everything doesn't he?

He would not stop waiving his hand while I was holding him, which makes it really hard to get a good picture with him.

This one was a little bit better.

Big brother.  He would try to play with one of Tyson's toys then come sit on my lap until he got permission.

Getting ready for the gifts - he never really did go wild with it, but he enjoyed the toys.

If nothing else, he very patiently waited while his Dad opened things.  Logan and Briley took their job of handing over the gifts over very seriously.

But he did seem to like the lion for a little bit.

Stripping down and getting ready for the cake - although, in all honesty, he didn't make enough of a mess to really make this necessary.

His own little cake.

Which he had his daddy feed him?

He was really into this.

Actually, when I set my cake and ice cream down he tried to grab it.  He would just raise his hand and wave me over when he was ready for his next bite.

Some of the party guests.

So, a little bit more into it, after we pushed his hand into it.

Our bonding moment after he found my drink.

I actually had to pull it out of his mouth in order to get him to take a break and then his dad had to hide it from him.

Grandma taking charge of playing with the toys.

Getting some help from big sister, who wasn't feeling great that night.

The next night, we all met up at Maddox Restaurant in Brigham City and gave Dad a surprise birthday party.  He turned 65 this year, so we figured this would be a good way to celebrate.  Russ completely outdid himself with the cake - we even got to sign it, just like you would the Berlin Wall.

Everything was completely edible.  The front was made of two types of cake and had the decorations and graffiti.

And the back, East side, was clean and all white cake.

Kind of a fun little sign.

Aimee signing the cake.

And we were successful in our surprise.  It was a really nice evening.  Good food and good company.  We enjoyed ourselves.

The gang is almost all here.

Yep, he's still pretty dang cute.

Zacher showing off Dad's hat.

These two are pretty cute as well.  I did not ask for the pose, but isn't it fabulous.

Ryder eating his cup of ice cream.  It was a fabulous night and just another amazing reminder of how wonderful my family is and how blessed I am to be a part of them.

Book club was held early because of the holiday.  So really enjoyed the second book, not so much on the first book.

Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul by John Eldredge

God designed men to be dangerous, says John Eldredge. Simply look at the dreams and desires written in the heart of every boy: To be a hero, to be a warrior, to live a life of adventure and risk. Sadly, most men abandon those dreams and desires--aided by a Christianity that feels like nothing more than pressure to be a nice guy. It is no wonder that many men avoid church, and those who go are often passive and bored to death. In this provocative book, Eldredge gives women a look inside the true heart of a man and gives men permission to be what God designed them to be--dangerous, passionate, alive, and free

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.

Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life

Then it was time for round two of Time Out for Women.  This time I met up with Aimee for our girl's weekend.

Brad Wilcox:

• We may be content to stay where/who we are, but They are not.
• The miracle of the Atonement is that we can be changed/transformed.
• We love the Savior because we understand what He has saved us for not just from.
• The Parable of the Ten Lepers (ten were cleansed and only one was made whole).
• Erasing God's expectations does not reveal His love; it's revealed as we allow us to meet His expectations.
• Our motivation to stay on the path comes as we look not at the path but at the goal.

Emily Watts:

Develop Habits of Happiness:

• Develop a thick skin.  (If beauty is only skin deep and you have a thick skin, think how beautiful you will be).
• Do your children/yourself the honor of expecting hard things (the road to accomplishment is paved with whining)
• Learn to think of yourself as a person (Do you treat yourself the way you do a friend or a house guest)
• Catch yourself/your children doing something right.

Stephanie Nielsen:

• Choose to recover (How is your story going to end? Think about the small and simple things you do each day)
• Choose to become happy  (Where is your testimony?  What is it based on?  Nobody's trials should be compared to others)
• Choose to make your relationships with those you love better and stronger.
• Whatever ME is good enough, CHOOSE TO BE YOU

Jericho Road (Still love them and their music)

Laurel Christensen:

• No matter what we think, we are on His plan A.
• Where you are is no surprise to God.
• Your faith needs to be centered in Jesus Christ, not in the outcome.
• Hope = wanting what you want; Faith = what God wants for you.
• If it was right then, it is right now.

S. Michael Wilcox:

• The desire for knowledge is the key to life.
• We must pass through sorrow - it is a continuous journey.
• Open your mind to the possibilities and try to become.

Sheri Dew:

• Young Women's theme (do we know it's true? do we really believe it?)
• How deep are your spiritual roots?
• What does the thing about you that no one can see look like (faith, courage, etc)
• Some things are simply more important than others -- don't get caught up in the things we can see - our image may only be temporary.
• Lessons from the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb:  If you want to see the spectacular view, you have to make the climb; It was much better doing it together; Completely safe because we were tethered

Wendy Ulrich:

When was the last time you laughed at your own belly?

To be Truly Happy:

1. Stop worrying about your weaknesses; get happy working on your strengths.
2. Don't get motivated to exercise - motivation follows action.
3. Stop trying to find friends; instead develop the skills of friendship.
4. Don't try to feel happy; try to feel grateful.
5. Celebrate failure - if a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing it BADLY.
6. Don't get help with your problems - instead help someone else.
7. Don't endure to the end - savor everyday delights.

I spent Thanksgiving with my right arm in a sling - at that point in time, I had been told it was tendinitis in my shoulder and I got to wear the sling until I could get into see the orthopedist.  Dad was nice enough to come down and pick me up and take me home.  Staci and her kids and Mikale and Ammon came up to Smithfield.  People came over for desserts.  I have to admit, I felt a bit stupid having Mom cut my meat, but I am so not left handed.  I still managed to figure out how to pick up Tyson with just my left arm.  Ryder kind of gave me a weird look when I opened my arm for a hug and he realized there was only one arm, but he still gave me the hug, which was great.

The Thanksgiving table.

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A closer view