He's a little bit country......I'm a little bit rock and roll!

Last night Ken and I went to the Brad Paisley concert at the Spokane Arena and two questions immediately come to mind:

1) Why do we pay high prices for good seats, and yet stand for the entire concert?

2) What am I doing at a "country artist concert"?

Well, I can't answer the first question: pretty crazy that we stand when we have great seats! I must say after over three hours of standing, I shouldn't have been wearing boots!

The second question's answer is much easier. Over the past 30+ years, Ken has allowed me to drag him to ballets, broadway plays, the symphony, and sporting events. I thought it was time I make it to "his arena"......

I've never been one for country music in the past. But I've tried to be objective and appreciate it more. Heck, I even voted for Scotty McCreery, last year's American Idol winner and opening act for Brad Paisley! (Although he has a great bass voice, I don't think I'll be contributing to his platinum sales!)

All evening I heard lyrics about dirty dishes in the sink, piles of laundry, big trucks with gun racks, checking for ticks, alcohol, fishing trips, and discovering "guys are just like that"!

I looked around me all evening and viewed people enjoying these lyrics. I wondered if it was because they were drinking beer, being unified through the wearing of  Wrangler jeans and cowboy hats, or if I was just "missing something".

Then Brad gave me the definition of COUNTRY MUSIC.....He said it's, "VIRTUAL REALITY"! As I looked around the room I realized that almost everybody could relate to something he was singing about. And they could laugh about it, too! 

Here's something I could relate to: "And I thought I loved you then".....

Ken may be a little bit country, (and I'm a little bit rock and roll) but he is my everything. I thought I loved him THEN -- 30+ years ago--, but I love him more than ever now! He is my whole world. We've come so far, and I thought I loved him then! I never dreamed I could love Ken MORE today!

**Side note: I'm probably not gonna convert to country, but I gotta say that was one great show! 3+ hours of clean entertainment! Great graphics and lighting show! What a generous artist Brad is.....during the performance he signed one of his many guitars and gave it to a fan in the audience. Later he took off his big, white hat and gave it to another! He really knows how to stroke that guitar and his fans! 

Another opening act, The Band Perry, sang this #1 hit. I loved all their numbers. I don't really consider them "Country"........or perhaps I'm in denial and crossing over after alll???

You can call Me "MIMI"!

YAY! We're going to be Grandparents!

Jeremy and McKensie will be parents in August!

We are so happy for them!

If we have the calculations correct, this baby will have 7 living Grandmothers!

Because of this statistic, I choose to me called "MIMI"!

It's positively true!!! Wahoo!

                         When I heard you were on the way,

I smiled and wiped a tear away.

I cried the tear because I knew,

My heart had held a place for you!

Love, ~MIMI

Families can be together forever...

On our trip to Utah we went to an LDS temple that we had not attended before. It is in Sandy, Utah -- The Jordan River Temple. This was a milestone for us as it was the first time that all of us have been able to go inside together.

I

Our faith teaches us that ordinances that are performed on earth and in a temple of the Lord can be "sealed" or  bound in the next life. This is why we believe it is so important to marry in God's temple -- those who are united there can be together forever -- for eternity. Once this ordinance has been performed we must remain faithful and endure life and it's challenges while here on earth. The greatest reward will be to be united with our families and live with God again.

Imagine my joy to have my family all together inside this temple. It truthfully felt like heaven on earth. My favorite scripture in the New Testament is found in 3 John 1:4 -- I find no greater joy that to see my children walk in truth.

This day was truly a day of joy for me. Families are the unit that teach us how to be more loving, compassionate and charitable. It makes sense that God created us to dwell in families so we could grow together and become better through our association. I love my family and am grateful to know that 

we can be together forever!

The thing I'd change....

I recently went to the broadway play, "Beauty and the Beast". One of the songs performed was called, "A Change in Me". I haven't really been able to stop thinking about its message. It's made me ponder, what is the thing that I wish I could change?

The list is long,  but the one thing I would like to focus on is that I should have lived a more healthy life -- meaning eating better and exercising more through the years. Now that I've reached the age of 50, I'm feeling some sense of urgency. I realize I am in the "final 3rd of my life". I don't have a lot of time to accomplish the things I want to do while I remain on this earth. For that reason I am getting very serious about what I do with the time that is left. I want to be healthy and live life to the fullest.

I have been reading the book, "Younger Next Year", by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, MD. It mainly is a book about nutrition and exercise. Oh, how I wish that I could go back in time and live a different lifestyle. But I can't change the past and I have begun to make the most of my time through exercising EVERY day and eating right.

I've joined a gym, SNAP 24-7 and having been participating in aerobics and weight training. I haven't missed a day in 40 days! If you want to join me, you can find me there at 5:30 am.! I also joined Weight Watchers (again - hopefully the last time) and am making some  lasting life changes.

To stay accountable I often post on Facebook my goals and accomplishments. It's not meant to brag but to keep myself in check. I thank those who support me in this effort.

Because I don't have a lot of time left, I've gotta get "Crackin". I've always wanted to make a difference and change the world. Perhaps that's not possible, but I am confident I can make the CHANGE in ME!

A "Zags" Reunion

On February 2, 2012 the Assmus clan gathered at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah! We journeyed to watch the Spokane Gonzaga Bulldogs play the Provo Cougars. What a facility this arena is! Crazy that we can purchase a ticket for our home team only out of town. The Marriott Center can entertain 22,700 fans, whereas the kennel (McCarthy Athletic Center) here in Spokane only holds about 6,000 fans. Buying a ticket here is nearly impossible!

Unfortunately, the Zags didn't perform very well in Provo, and the crowds booed us and razzed us for being "in their house". But our shirts were a hit! Everyone loved them and we became famous quickly throughout the stadium. People were asking to take our pictures. They were very amused. We are guessing we were on many Facebook pages that night. If you saw them, let us know! LOL!

We can only hope that in a couple weeks when we host that BYU Cougars here in Spokane that we can give them a payback and score better than we did that night!

We will always be Zag fans. Sorry, BYU, we cannot cheer for you! But we do love your stadium! And, what a great way to have a reunion! Love my kids.....love my Zags!