potty. Usually she is pretty good and finds a spot on the grass and then runs back inside a few moments later; but not this time. I opened the door and then closed it just enough for me to not get cold but still be able to see her. My neighbor was visiting with our other neighbor next door and Khloe quickly noticed. She loves people and always wants attention from strangers. Despite my frantic yelling of "Khloe come!" she ran over to their door. She shook her little bum in excitement and then ran inside to see if there were anymore people. I didn't feel well that morning and was still in my pajamas and pulled-back bed hair, but I reluctantly ran over to get her. I apologized profusely and tried to get out of there as quickly as possible. Once home, I sat down on the couch and began to tell Erik how embarrassed I was. Then, it got worse. I touched my cheek and realized I had a piece of toilet paper on the spot where I had picked my zit earlier that day. I was and still am mortified! Hopefully my neighbors will forget about what I looked like and my ill behaved child....I mean dog. Now, if only I can forget what happened.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Embarrassing Moment
I often hear how children embarrass their parents with crazy antics and I'm here to say that dogs are no different. Yesterday, I let Khloe outside our front door to go
potty. Usually she is pretty good and finds a spot on the grass and then runs back inside a few moments later; but not this time. I opened the door and then closed it just enough for me to not get cold but still be able to see her. My neighbor was visiting with our other neighbor next door and Khloe quickly noticed. She loves people and always wants attention from strangers. Despite my frantic yelling of "Khloe come!" she ran over to their door. She shook her little bum in excitement and then ran inside to see if there were anymore people. I didn't feel well that morning and was still in my pajamas and pulled-back bed hair, but I reluctantly ran over to get her. I apologized profusely and tried to get out of there as quickly as possible. Once home, I sat down on the couch and began to tell Erik how embarrassed I was. Then, it got worse. I touched my cheek and realized I had a piece of toilet paper on the spot where I had picked my zit earlier that day. I was and still am mortified! Hopefully my neighbors will forget about what I looked like and my ill behaved child....I mean dog. Now, if only I can forget what happened.
potty. Usually she is pretty good and finds a spot on the grass and then runs back inside a few moments later; but not this time. I opened the door and then closed it just enough for me to not get cold but still be able to see her. My neighbor was visiting with our other neighbor next door and Khloe quickly noticed. She loves people and always wants attention from strangers. Despite my frantic yelling of "Khloe come!" she ran over to their door. She shook her little bum in excitement and then ran inside to see if there were anymore people. I didn't feel well that morning and was still in my pajamas and pulled-back bed hair, but I reluctantly ran over to get her. I apologized profusely and tried to get out of there as quickly as possible. Once home, I sat down on the couch and began to tell Erik how embarrassed I was. Then, it got worse. I touched my cheek and realized I had a piece of toilet paper on the spot where I had picked my zit earlier that day. I was and still am mortified! Hopefully my neighbors will forget about what I looked like and my ill behaved child....I mean dog. Now, if only I can forget what happened.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Utes WIN!
I am proud to say the Utes beat BYU yesterday, 48-24. The game was so much fun! Surprisingly, the stadium was so loud that Erik's cow bell wasn't even annoying. I really enjoyed going to all of the home games this year. Being in the MUSS (Mighty Utah Student Section) is always exciting, although I am looking forward to the time when we have regular seats and can sit down during the game. Erik and I are anxiously awaiting to hear what BCS bowl game Utah will be going to during the first week in January and hope to get tickets. It will either be the Orange Bowl in Miami, Sugar Bowl in New Orleans or the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix. Here are some fun pictures from last night. GO UTES!
(Gearing up for an exciting game)
(Crazy Utah fan)
(Erik and his brother-in-law, Steve)
(Ute fans storm the field. You can also see/hear Erik's cow bell.)
Friday, November 21, 2008
Get Ready For The Holy War
Erik and I can't wait for tomorrow's University of Utah football game. The Utes are undefeated (11-0) and face the BYU Cougars at 4pm MST. A BCS bowl, national rankings, conference championships and an unbeaten regular season are at stake. It is going to be a very tough game and I am praying the Utes can get a win. The quarterback, Brian Johnson, seems to perform best under pressure and with only a minute or two left on the clock. Experiencing a 4-hour heart attack is never fun and this game is going to be even worse. Erik bought a cow bell to use so he won't yell as much and lose his voice. So not only is my heart going to be racing the entire time, I'm going to go deaf as well! I hope Erik lasts through the game....I might knock him out with his cow bell for my own sanity.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Invisible Mother
Here's a great story for all you mothers out there....
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously, not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England .. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me unt il I read her inscription: To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.' In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that They will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.' As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. Great Job, MOM!
Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does. We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously, not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England .. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me unt il I read her inscription: To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.' In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that They will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.' As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. Great Job, MOM!
Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does. We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
LDS Church Receives Support...At Last
“Like our friends in the Mormon faith, the Catholic Church has long championed and promoted the sacredness of traditional marriage and the importance of the family in our society. While acknowledging that this position is not universally held in our society today, our churches are committed to proclaiming the truth and we cherish our ability to participate in the Democratic Process.”
Rev. John C. Wester
Bishop of The Salt Lake Catholic Diocese
Rev. John C. Wester
Bishop of The Salt Lake Catholic Diocese
Friday, November 7, 2008
Photo Shoots
I have started to do more photography and as soon as school is over, will be doing it fulltime. Here are some of my favorites from recent shoots. Hope you like them! Stay tuned for more pictures and a link to view my new website. 
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Khloe Turns 1
Today was Khloe's first birthday! My little baby has grown up so fast. I love her so much. We went to her sisters house tonight for a quick party filled with dog food, candles and party hats. We gave them soft food for the first time and they devoured it in seconds! Here are a few pictures from today's party and Khloe's first year.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Are You Serious?
Our country made history last night. We elected the first black president of the United States of America. Well, I shouldn't say "we" because I certainly didn't vote for him. President Barrack Hussein Obama.
Honestly I'm a bit scared. I'm scared of a man who refuses to put his hand over his heart when the flag is raised. I'm scared of a man who thinks our flag stands for oppression and not freedom. And to tell you the truth, I'm terrified of his wife, who says that when Barrack was nominated as the democratic presidential candidate - "this is the first time in my adult life that I have been proud of my country." In her adult life, she has never been proud of our country?
I'm also a little scared that black people across the nation were shown singing "there ain't no stopping us now." (And they say whites are racist? If the white man won this election and we sang that we would be called racist.) These are people who want change; that's what they ran on - vote for change.
They want to change everything I love about my country. They want women to have the right to kill a fetus that is born alive (otherwise known as a baby). They want those who work their butts off to get where they are now, to "share a piece of their pie." Actually, they want them to share almost their entire pie. What about giving people a motivation to work hard, instead of a motivation to be lazy, sit around and wait for their hand out.
Soon, Obama will be president and I will pray for him and the other leaders of our country. I will continue to live my life the best way I can and hope that everything will be okay in the end. But in case it doesn't, I will be adding to my food storage and preparing for emergencies.
Good luck America.
Honestly I'm a bit scared. I'm scared of a man who refuses to put his hand over his heart when the flag is raised. I'm scared of a man who thinks our flag stands for oppression and not freedom. And to tell you the truth, I'm terrified of his wife, who says that when Barrack was nominated as the democratic presidential candidate - "this is the first time in my adult life that I have been proud of my country." In her adult life, she has never been proud of our country?I'm also a little scared that black people across the nation were shown singing "there ain't no stopping us now." (And they say whites are racist? If the white man won this election and we sang that we would be called racist.) These are people who want change; that's what they ran on - vote for change.
They want to change everything I love about my country. They want women to have the right to kill a fetus that is born alive (otherwise known as a baby). They want those who work their butts off to get where they are now, to "share a piece of their pie." Actually, they want them to share almost their entire pie. What about giving people a motivation to work hard, instead of a motivation to be lazy, sit around and wait for their hand out.
Soon, Obama will be president and I will pray for him and the other leaders of our country. I will continue to live my life the best way I can and hope that everything will be okay in the end. But in case it doesn't, I will be adding to my food storage and preparing for emergencies.
Good luck America.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Our Little Bumble Bee
Halloween isn't much of a holiday in the Olafsson household. It usually consists of working all night at the laundromats because it is the last day of the month, but now that we have another member of our family, this year had a little more excitement. I thought it might be a little korny to dress up our dog, but when I saw this little bumble bee costume at Walmart for only $7, I couldn't pass it up.
I wish that all of my nieces and nephews lived close to us so they could have taken Khloe around trick or treating in her costume. How cute would that have been?!
Khloe's sister, Zoey, came over to play and we took a few pictures of them in their matching costumes. It was the cutest thing ever!
The costumes even had a hat with little antennas and holes for their ears. It didn't fit very well and was hilarious to see them with it on (I liked it better with the hat off anyway). This picture is so funny with the two of them looking at each other. I'm sure they are both thinking, "what the heck did our parents do to us?"
I wish that all of my nieces and nephews lived close to us so they could have taken Khloe around trick or treating in her costume. How cute would that have been?!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)