Tagged--2.0 version

How This Game Of Tag Works:
~Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
~Share seven facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird, whatever you are brave enough to share.
~Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
~Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Man, they don't even give any guidelines or ideas.... this is going to take some thinking. Alright, Kim, this one's for you :)

1. During the day, I will literally think of 10-20 different things I could blog about. Less than 1% of what I think actually gets blogged, which always creates a twinge of guilt. However, I love blogs and immediately dismiss the guilt so that I will still want to do it.
2. If my world were the perfect world, I think it would be how it is. Don't get me wrong, my toddler throws tantrums, is turning 3 soon and is not potty-trained, Dexter is viciously teething, we drive old cars, don't own a house, we don't have cable, I can't ever seem to stay within my monthly grocery budget, my laundry is NEVER complete, I'm 2 years away from 30 and still have acne like a pubescent teenager, despite my recent gym efforts I can't lose weight, my home-dyed hair has serious roots, I can never have enough sleep, and we have a large amount of school/business debt, ...our life is a far cry from perfect, but it is just how I would want my life to be...with Shaune and my boys. Which brings me back to the point that my life is perfect for me. Everyday I look at Shaune and realize how God has blessed us, as He wants to bless all of us, if we just seek Him out. There is never a day that goes by where I don't remember when I almost lost Shaune...he is still alive, and that is good enough for me everyday.
3. Just got on to be a volunteer for Make-A-Wish foundation!! This involved a background check, LOTS of reference checks, surveys sent to friends to find out what kind of person I am, 4 page application, and at least a 1 year commitment. There are only 7 MAW volunteers here in St. George, so I'm excited to be a part of this great cause which is really personal for me.
4. Shaune surprised me last week by signing me up for a photography class!! YAH!!! He doesn't usually do stuff like that so this made the surprise just that much better...thanks, honey!!
5. I'm a little OCD about how my floors look. When I vacuum, I like the lines to look straight and even. My dad was always SO picky about this growing up that I think it is forever seared into my brain that if you are going to vacuum, make it look good :) How is it that I can be so crazy about my carpet lines, and yet never get my laundry folded???
6. Kim, I LOVED your story about the "4 Splurges" in your marriage. I think I will copy that---in my marriage, we have had a few splurges...my most recent was a Crate & Barrel kitchen table. I bought it lightly used with 8 chairs for $500. This was a major debate...especially since we couldn't consider it a tax write-off (like we can for all of Shaune's electronic goodies)--but, we got it and I LOVE it!!! Eating meals together is way important to Shaune and I. We didn't have a kitchen table for a few months after we got married (we didn't have much of anything actually). Then our friend Kanani, gave us her parents old kitchen table. One Sunday after church, Shaune found 4 matching chairs in the dumpster, dug them out, and refinished them. That is what we used for most of our marriage (I tried to make a table once...it was pathetic), until I bought this table. Which brings me around to another splurge we made...a true memory foam bed topper ($140--included tax and shipping). We really had NO furniture when we got married...including a bed. A few weeks after we'd been married, I found a queen sized mattress and frame for $50 in the PennySaver. I offered them $40 and it was a done deal. The mattress and frame were in perfect condition, but the mattress was a little firm...so, we splurged on that memory foam topper---it was one of the best purchases we have ever made. Still to this day it is wonderfully comfortable. The last splurge that I HAVE to share was our trip to Hawaii. We went totally on a whim...we found a SMOKIN' deal online ($450/person--included airfare, hotel, rental car for a week) and went for it. It was too perfect since the week it was being offered was Shaune's reading week and I had enough vacation time saved up to go. I was 6 months pregnant, and Shaune would be diagnosed with cancer 6 months after our trip. I will be forever grateful that we lived in the moment here. You just never know what can happen in your life, so take the chance to live...I mean really live each day. When the doctors were all telling us that Shaune's cancer was most likely terminal (since it was end-stage), I remember thinking about our trip to Hawaii and how thankful I was that we went for it. If I was going to have last memories with him on earth, that week would be the best memory to have had with him...he was totally in his element (surfing, hiking, exploring, eating at fancy restaraunts). Now, we try to look for any opportunity to celebrate a day. I wouldn't want to live any day with regrets.
7. I think that blogs are a great way to make personal declarations. So, I just want you all to know that I know that God lives. He is as real as the flowers or the sun or the mountains that we see. At some point in your life, you will have to decide if you really believe this or not. It can only be true or false, real or not. After I came to know God as a loving, real Father, everything changed for me. I can never be the same again because of this. He is everything to me. Life is not perfect. I am not perfect, but we all have access to He who is perfect through prayer, scripture, and faith. I just hope that I can always live and do the things He would want me to.
He lives.

Alright, anyone who made it through all of this is tagged...I really enjoyed reading Kim's tag...it was conversational and personal. It's always nice to learn a little more about your friends. Hopefully, you've learned a little about me :)

Clear View Eye Care Wall Pics

I have been wanting to put up some pictures of my family in the office to warm it up a bit. Also, I have been wanting to do some kind of marketing in the office that is different than the standard posters that contact lens companies give you. What came out of it is this new ad campaign. Hopefully, this new series of pictures will let people know what we do and let people see how cute my family is. Here's a few examples so you can see what I mean.

Wow!

Thanks to my beauty panel of friends, I have now instantly been made a babe :) Ok, so, really, Photoshop needs to be thanked (oh and the bodies of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey). But, now that I am finding the right products, it is easy to say GOODBYE to Mrs. Frumpy Wallace. Watch out Jessica!

Thank You in "High Definition" (Clinique Style)

Thank you SO much to everyone for the beauty tips and tricks! Wow! I loved reading all the advice...in fact, I would seriously like to pass on the suggestion of purchasing Clinique mascara (High Definition)--what a dream come true!! The brush has two sides...one side that looks like a typical mascara brush and the other side has really stiff, short bristles (for separating your eyelashes). It is AMAZING! I haven't tried Bare Minerals, but that one also came highly recommended by several of you, so that will be my next "Practical Beauty Purchase." Thanks again, girls! I am feeling more beautiful already :) As far as a Courtney Rating goes based on practicality and price (only $14), this one gets an A++++.

Busted!