10. Go to a Theatre

On Christmas Eve my family helped me check something else off my list: To go to a theatre. We went to the Granville Island theatre in Vancouver and watched "It's a Wonderful Life". A true Christmas classic and wonderfully performed. The production followed the film very closely and was both touching and entertaining.

I actually went to see the same production with my parents a couple of years ago and last year we saw the Nutcracker Ballet at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre which was also amazing. I think Christmas is a great time to watch a theatre production with all the wonderful classic Christmas-themed stories.

9. Go Christmas Caroling

 

One of the things I love most about Christmas are Christmas carols. I love listening to and singing along to them on the radio. I also love Christmas Caroling. Its not something you see a lot of people do now-a-days but something I have enjoyed participating in many times whether going with a group of people from church or going door to door to sing to neighbours with my family.

Tonight I went to a friends home who had organized a caroling event. She got a list, from the  stake Relief Society president, of elderly people in our stake who might enjoy a visit. We first visited a lady at her home and sang a couple of Christmas carols from the hymn book and then left with "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".

We then went to the Good Samaritans Centre to visit a couple of people there who were on our list. We were later invited to sing in various parts of the building. I loved watching as people came out of their rooms to listen to us sing and to join in. I feel that Christmas carols really do help to spread Christmas cheer and emulate the love of the Savior while spreading the good news of his gospel.

Buddy the Elf was right when he said, "the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear".

*December 24th Update*

Mikayla and Couper getting ready
 to go Christmas caroling

On Christmas Eve we continued our family tradition of going Christmas caroling around the neighbourhood. Mikayla and I made cookies to hand out to the neigbours. It was a lot of fun and I especially enjoyed hearing people say that they were excited to have us come back or "when I heard the doorbell ring, I knew who it was". We also met new neighbours who had recently moved in.

It is a family tradition that has brought many good memories and one that I hope to continue for many more years to come.

Sariah tells me that it's time to get married

I just got off the phone with my 6 year old niece that included the following conversation:

Sariah: "How old are you?"

Me: "How old do you think I am?"

Sariah:"Are you 30? .... Mommy is 30 so I think that means you are too."

Me: "Well we are twins"

Sariah: "Yes, so that means your 30 too."

Me: "Yes, I am"

Sariah: "You need to get married then. Mommy got married a long time ago".

I laughed and then we talked for about an hour about other things including Christmas, their upcoming road trip to Alabama, school and her siblings. Then she goes back to the above topic and says (while giggling):

"I know what you can do, find someone at church and just kiss him."

hahaha ... thanks for the advice Sariah.

8. Buy a toy for a child in need

It’s Christmas time! I love Christmas time: I love the lights, the carols, being with my family and others I care about and I love how much of the world reflects (at least a little bit) more on the Savior. Many Christmas traditions reflect the teachings of Jesus Christ, including showing love to, serving and giving to others.

I know of individuals and families who will choose one or more people to buy something special for whether a gift or meal and leave it anonymously at their doorstep. I love that idea and it is a tradition I would like to start. My sister actually suggested I add something like this to my list of 30 things to accomplish but I decided not to because this is a public blog and I would want it to be an anonymous act. However, it led me to think of what else I could do.
 
I decided to buy a toy to donate to the Santa’s Anonymous Campaign to be given to a child from a low income family. Some of my most memorable Christmas gifts where baby dolls and Barbie dolls. I loved playing with dolls as a little girl (maybe I still do ... haha). I naturally searched the doll aisle and choose a Snow White Disney princess doll in hopes that a little girl will spend endless hours playing with her doll and recognizing that she too is a princess.  

7. Put Together a Shadow Box to Display My Grandpa's War Medal

The shadow box I put together

Soon after I started researching my family history, I was visiting my Uncle George in Keremeos, BC and asked him if he had any information that could help me further my research. He is 20 years older than my Dad so he was a great person to get some info from and stories. He was also really happy to see someone take interest in the family history.

A couple of years later during another visit we were talking some more about family history and he told me that he had something for me. I was surprised and excited to find out that it was my Grandpa’s medal he received for his service with the Canadian army during WW II. I have kept it in a Ziploc bag for all these years and have wanted to do something special to preserve it.

Putting together a shadow box for my Grandpa’s medal got put on my list so I could make sure it got done this year. It became my Remembrance Day project that I worked on during the week of Remembrance Day which added more significance to the project for me.

My Grandpa passed away when I was 6 years old so I don’t have many memories with him (I mostly remember him sitting in his armchair while I chased his big cat around the house with my twin sister and brother)  so it’s nice to have a day to remember him and others who served our country each year.  At a young age my Dad taught me the importance of attending Remembrance Day Ceremonies and to remember those who fought to preserve our freedom. I have always made an effort to attend the ceremonies whenever I am able to. This year I attended the ceremony at the University of Alberta’s Butterdome before I went to church. It was a great ceremony and I liked how one of the speakers encouraged people to share the stories of those who have fought in the wars.



My Great Grandparents to the Far right

I will share a little bit of my Grandpa’s story. Harry George Arthur Johnson was born April 16, 1906 in Fulham, England to Harry Johnson and Florence Bennett. He was 8 years old when World War I began. His father joined the 1st Battalion of The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment to serve Great Britain in that war.

Less than 3 years later my Great Grandfather returned home to England as he was too ill to continue his service. He died on April 7, 1917; one day after my Grandpa’s 11^th birthday. Two days after his father’s death, My Grandpa’s uncle Richard was killed in Flanders and seven months later his uncle George was also killed in Flanders. Three Years after his Father’s death my Grandpa’s mother passed away, leaving the children orphaned.

My Grandpa set out on a new adventure to Canada when he was 17 years old, landing in Halifax and living in several places including Medicine Hat, Alberta; Dawson’s Creek, BC and Vancouver, BC. During World War II my Grandpa served with the 10th Field Squadron Royal Canadian Engineers. As far as I know he remained in Canada throughout his army service. My dad travelled to England with his dad one time who took him to the Fulham Cemetery where Grandpa’s father is buried among others who lost their lives in the First World War and many years later I travelled to England with my Dad and visited the same cemetery. This time to honour the memory of two men who fought for peace and freedom.  

6. Ask someone on a date

When I was putting together my list of 30 things I asked some friends, family members and co-workers for suggestions. Almost everyone said “get married” but I wanted the things on my list to be things I had control over so that “goal” is not on this list. A few people then suggested I include “Ask someone on a date”, I decided that would be a good goal to have as it is something that allows me to step out of my comfort zone a bit.

I am pretty traditional when it comes to going on dates. I like it when a guy asks me on a date and I like it when he comes to pick me up and walks me to the door when he drops me off. I also like it when he plans the first date and pays for it (if there is a cost). I think most girls want a guy who they feel will be able to take care of them and when he is willing to take the initiative to ask you out, plan a date and pay for it he is showing that he is willing to take care of you. However, I do prefer dates that don’t cost a lot, especially if it is a first date.

The only times I have asked someone on a date is during the Preference Dance that the Young Single Adult program of my church has once a year. The Preference Dance is a dance where girls are to ask a guy on a date and bring him to the dance with them. Because it is expected that girls ask a guy on a date for that evening it does make it easier to ask someone. I decided that preference this year would be the best opportunity I have to accomplish this goal on my list, so I did. :)

I have gone to preference several times. The first one I went on was a double date with my twin and most after then were group dates with friends. My current roommates weren’t able to go this year so I was on my own but I was ok with that.

I really tried to put myself in the “asking/planning” mode of going on a date and I do feel that I have a greater appreciation for this “role”.  This was also my first time going on a preference date where I had a car so I decided that I should probably pick him up and drive to our destinations. I wanted something a little more low-key and planned to have some dessert at Block 1912 on Whyte Ave and then head over to the dance. I think the date went well; he was a fun guy to go with.

He asked me if it was ok if he paid for the dessert so I let him. He later told me that he is also pretty traditional when it comes to going on a date which is why he wanted to pay. It was also funny to hear about his interpretation of being on the “other side” and waiting to be picked up.

I do think it is a good experience to be on the other side every now and then but for now I am going to sit back and wait for guys to ask me out.

5. Go to the Calgary Temple Open House

When the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints builds a new temple they often hold an open house and invite the public to tour the building before the temple is dedicated. I had never been to a temple open house and to make sure I made it to the Calgary temple open house, I added it to my list.

This past Saturday I travelled down to Calgary with some friends from my ward. It was great getting to know them a bit better. Being the last day of the Open house it was pretty busy, I heard that there were over 10,000 people that went through on Saturday and over 100,000 during the 3-week open house. I think it’s great that so many people were able to go. It would be interesting though to know the percentage of LDS vs. Non-LDS people who toured the temple.

The tour began at the nearby church building where we watched a video on temples and the history of the church in Calgary. We were then taken by groups of about 30 to form a line to tour the inside of the temple. The line moved fairly quickly which was nice because it was cold and snowy. We then ended up back at the Church where we ate cookies and visited with people we knew who also happened to be there. The interior and exterior design of the temple is so beautiful, it was worth the trip down!

Some may wonder why Latter-day Saints build temples. That question can be answered thoroughly on the official church website under the section on temples. I will give a quick introduction by sharing that it is recognized by LDS people as the most sacred place on earth. I love the statement on the back of the pamphlet we received which states, “Everything in the temple testifies of Jesus Christ’s divinity and sacrifice and teaches us to follow His example of love and service.” I can testify that that is true.  

It is a place of peace, where we can go to gain a greater understanding of the purpose of our life, where we make covenants with God to live our life in a certain way and where couples and families can be sealed together for eternity. We also believe that baptism and other ordinances can be performed by proxy for deceased people which is why we are encouraged to research our family history so that these ordinances can be completed on behalf of our ancestors. As Christians we believe that in order to receive Eternal life we must have faith in Christ and be baptized. However, there are many people who have never heard of Jesus Christ and also many who did but were not baptized. Does that mean they have no chance at salvation? We believe that the answer is no. One scripture I love is found in John 5:25 which reads, “Verily, Verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” Now, we don’t believe that because we are baptized on behalf of a deceased person that that individual automatically accepts the gospel, they still make that choice for themselves. The same chapter in John also discusses how Christ will be the one to determine the salvation of each individual after the resurrection.

While church buildings are open for anyone to worship with us on Sundays or attend activities throughout the week; once dedicated, temples are only open to members who hold a temple recommend (meaning that they have already made temple covenants and are living in such a way to reflect those covenants). The Calgary temple will be dedicated this Sunday and will become the 140^th temple of the Church worldwide and the 8^th in Canada (3^rd in Alberta!).

I feel that I should also add the significance to me of a temple in Calgary. I was born in Calgary and lived there for the first 6 years of my life and although I grew up in the Vancouver area and consider that my home, there is still a soft place in my heart for Calgary (Even though I now live in the rival city of Edmonton ... hahaha). My dad is from Vancouver and my mom is from Scotland so I don’t really have any other connections to Calgary, well maybe except for my love of Country music.

However, it was while living in Calgary, soon after my twin and I were born, that LDS missionaries knocked on our door. My mom let them in and told them that she was LDS but that her husband was not and she didn’t think that he would be interested in what they had to say. It turns out that he was interested and was baptized. Three years later we travelled down to Cardston, Alberta and were sealed in the Cardston temple as an Eternal family.  

For those who may not be familiar with LDS temples, I hope this write up made sense for you. If not, feel free to ask me to answer any questions you may have. J

I love this video because it also shares other religious leaders views on temples.

4. Invite someone over for dinner

I love cooking and baking so I wanted one of my goals to have something to do with cooking and/or baking. It is even more enjoyable to cook for others and I don't invite people over for dinner as often as I could so I decided to set a goal to invite someone over for dinner.

When I was thinking about who I should invite the first people I thought of were Elder and Sister Taylor, who are currently serving as LDS missionaries in the Young Single Adult (YSA) wards in Edmonton. They will soon be completing their 18 month mission and will be going back home to Utah at the end of the month. They will definitely be missed. They are wonderful examples of people striving to be Disciples of Christ. They are also fun to be with and have been very involved in the activities and helping out any way they can. Although, they enjoyed their time here they are excited to see their family soon and I am sure that their children and grandchildren will be happy to have them back home.




It was so nice to have the Taylors over last night and also to have both of my roommates join us. Great company, good conversation and yummy food!

Because my goal was to make dinner for someone, I should include what I made. For dinner I made a squash medley with butternut squash, red peppers, onions and green beans with a sauce made from balsamic dressing and Dijon mustard. I love squash so much! I also made apple pie bars (apple pie made in a rectangle pan and cut into bars) served with ice cream. It was a meal fitting for a crisp autumn day.

3. Go on a Charity Run

One thing I wanted to do to challenge myself a bit was to go on a charity run, which also meant that I needed to start running. I spent the last month or so going jogging approximately 3 times a week and pushing myself a little bit more each time. I would go to the park across the street from my house which I think is really pretty and peaceful (even with the construction that has been happening there this summer). About 4 years ago a few of my roommates, other friends and I spent a summer going jogging together, and I have gone on my own periodically since. There are some things that I like about running with other people but I think I mostly enjoy running on my own.  

I decided to run the 53^rd annual Turkey Trot in support of the United Way. The Turkey Trot is organized through the University of Alberta and has a 4k route or 8k route. I ran the 4k. I chose to run the Turkey Trot for a few reasons: It’s on a Saturday, there are quite a few people from my church who also do this run (we run under the name Chimichanga), I support the goals of the United Way and I ran the Turkey Trot 3 years ago and thought it would be fun to try again.

Compared to my last experience I didn’t think there was as much excitement this year. It could be that I am not a student at the U of A anymore so I wasn’t exposed to the pre-Turkey Trot excitement/ advertising. It could also be because 3 years ago was the 50^th annual Turkey Trot so it was an anniversary celebration as well.

I didn’t run as well as I had expected but I was still ok with my time. My time was 27:19. The good thing about that time is that it was over a minute faster than my last time.  The bad thing about that time is that I know I could have been faster, I kind of wimped out between 2k and 3k. However, I mainly went for the experience and overall it was a good experience, I am glad I did it.

I plan to continue my running routine, well as long as the weather stays nice and it’s not dark by the time I get home from work. J

Surprise Party!

Last weekend my friend Barb told me that she wanted to take me out to Red Robins for a belated birthday dinner. I thought it was nice of her to want to take me out for dinner and I do like Red Robins. While we were out last night I had no idea that my roommates and other friends were at my house preparing for a party. When I walked into the house, I was definitely surprised ... in fact, I am kind of embarrassed by how I screamed. 

Looking back there were some clues but they weren’t odd enough that it would have made me think. Including my one roommate saying that on Saturday night she was staying home in her pajamas with a bowl of popcorn; I even invited her to come out with me and Barb. It was a good surprise though.

It was a fun party decorated with pink streamers, Disney princess cups and cupcakes topped with strawberries. We played “Do you love your neighbour” and a few of us watched “Snow White” (which is actually part of a 10 part goal on my list). On a side note, my roommates and I took a “Which Disney Princess are you?” quiz and I came out as Snow White. We also took the “Which Disney Prince should you marry?” quiz and mine was the Prince from Snow White, so it seemed fitting that we watched this movie last night.

In the past couple of weeks I have been working on a few of the things on my list and will continue to update this blog as I complete them.

 

The friends who came to surprise me (Yes, they made me wear a princess sash)

Princess poses

Remembering my Grandma

One year ago today I was in Scotland celebrating my Grandma’s 90^th birthday. She always wanted to have a surprise birthday party and last year her children planned one for her. It was so much fun and she was definitely surprised. My uncle and his wife told her that they were taking her out for dinner for her birthday but on the way they had to “stop by” the church. She walked into the cultural hall with family and friends waiting to wish her a happy birthday. She kept saying things like “I thought we were going for a meal” ... it was great!

My Grandma passed away on June 21 of this year and I was really sad that I missed the funeral but if I could  choose to be at my Grandma’s funeral or at her 90^th birthday party, I would choose to be there for her party and I was there. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

I feel blessed that I was born less than 2 weeks before my Grandma’s birthday, she has always been a wonderful example to me of faith, following Christ and serving others. She always told me that I was special because I was named after her (my middle name is Elizabeth). Although, when I started researching the family history I discovered that my Grandma's name is actually spelled Elisabeth so when my little sister was born, she was given Elisabeth as one of her middle names.

One of the things my Grandma loved was the birdie dance so we made sure to do the dance at her party, with a little variation. I love the memories this video brings to me!

2. Eat at a restaurant I haven’t eaten at before

On Friday my friend Kristine and her husband (who is also my friend) took me out for dinner at The Urban Diner. What they didn’t know at the time is that they actually helped me check something off my list. I had heard that The Urban Diner had been featured on the food Networks show “You Gotta Eat Here” so I had high expectations. I ordered the lasagna and it did not disappoint.      

Kristine and Taylor also gave me a box of "Cookies by George". My favourite was the lemon! I am grateful to have them as my friends; it’s nice to know that people care about you.  

1. Can Something

I have made and canned jam and applesauce before but it had been awhile since I have canned something so I made that one of my goals. I spent Wednesday evening making and canning cherry-raspberry jam. It was pretty fun and it tastes really good too so I think that it was a success. J

Here is the recipe I used: Cherry-Raspberry Jam

Turning 30

Well, it has been a week since I turned 30 and a week to adjust to being 30. I started the day off with a bowl of oatmeal and because it was my birthday I added some chocolate chips. I then went to work. Being that my birthday is in August I have never had to go to school on my birthday and today was only the second time I went to work on my birthday. I was happy to go to work today because I enjoy my job and I love my co-workers. The Family Support team that I work with have a tradition of going out for lunch when it is someone’s birthday. The birthday girl chooses where they want to go and we spend the lunch hour together at the restaurant which is fun. I chose Cora’s, I had been to the one on the West End earlier this year and really enjoyed it so I was excited when they opened one close to where I work. Later in the day my supervisor surprised me with strawberry Ice Cream from Cold Stone.

When I got home I Read some happy birthday messages on facebook and talked to my twin sister (it was her birthday tooJ). I made myself a yummy dinner of grilled chicken with fresh salsa (that I also made) and grilled peppers. I went to FHE for a bit and got some more happy birthdays and then my parents called me. My Mom, Dad and the dogs sang happy birthday ... hahaha.     

Last Sunday when I was talking to my twin sister she told me that she told several people at church that it was her last day of her 20’s and asked if I did. Ummmm ... no. Well, except for one person who asked me how old I was turning (Now I am telling everyone how old I am ... hahaha). Maybe, if I was married and had 4 children I would be excited too but to be honest it was a hard day for me. Partly because I felt like I spent it alone (besides going to work and the time I was at FHE) and partly because of unfulfilled expectations. It is hard when all you have ever wanted is to be a mom. Although it does bring me comfort that my mom and both of my grandmother’s had children into their late 30s, even early 40s. In fact, my Grandma got married when she was 30.   

I have decided that I am going to make this a great year! I have spent the last couple of months coming up with ideas of things I want to do in the next year. I got some input from friends, family members and co-workers. I have finalized my list with 30 things to accomplish and I am really excited about accomplishing these things. I wanted to share my accomplishments on this blog to help make me accountable as well as invite those who are interested to read about each goal as I accomplish them. Also, there are some things on the list that would be fun to do with others so if you want to join me in an activity let me know. J  

P.S. For those who may not know the title of this blog is a quote from the movie “13 going on 30”.