Saturday, November 26, 2011

True Beauty

As women, we are bombarded with images of the perfect woman. We are brainwashed into thinking that we have to look exactly like what we see. Having these 'canons of perfection' everywhere we look can make us feel terrible about ourselves. But we need to remember that true beauty is so much more than what is on the surface. 
I recently read about 2 absolutely beautiful, amazing inspiring women:

I'm sure you know who Stephanie Nielson is by now. You might know her as Nie Nie. 
In 2008, she and her husband were both severely burned when the light plane they were in crashed in Arizona. She escaped the plane with more than 80 percent of her body burned. 
After months of excruciating pain and recovery, she finally decided to look at her face. Holding a mirror, she started at her neck, not recognizing it. The reaction was the same from her chin all the way up to her eyes. 
"I looked at myself and I saw God in my eyes," Stephanie said. "It was as if he was looking right back at me, and he was saying, 'Everything is just fine. You can see yourself, and I can see you. I know who you are, and you're beautiful to me."
Nie Nie is truly beautiful. To read more about her story, visit www.nieniedialogues.com


The next beautiful woman is Irena Sendler. During WWII, Irena worked in the Warsaw Ghetto as a plumbing/sewer specialist. Irena smuggled Jewish children out; infants in the bottom of the tool box she carried and older children in a burlap sack she carried in the back of her truck. She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers wanted nothing to do with the dog, and the barking covered the kids’ and infants’ noises. Irena managed to smuggle out and save 2500 children. 
She eventually was caught, and the Nazis broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar buried under a tree in her backyard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived and reunited some of the families. Most had been killed. She helped those children get placement into foster family homes or adopted. 
A couple of years ago, Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize. Unfortunately, she lost to Al Gore.
Now that is true beauty. Someone brave enough to stand up for others. You can't tell me that when you look at this sweet woman, you don't see true beauty.



My purpose in this post is to just remind all of us that we shouldn't get so caught up in image and vanity. True Beauty is inside of us and is one of the most important things we an possess. I am grateful each and every day for a Father in Heaven who loves me and has given me talents and gifts to share with others.

Remember that beauty isn't in your measurements, it's not how long your hair is or how thick your lashes are. True beauty is what is inside of you. It's how you live your life, how you treat others and how happy you are. 

"Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart." -Kahlil Gibran


Thursday, November 3, 2011

Trick-or-Treat

Can my little Harrison really be old enough to go trick-or-treating? Going around with him from house to house was the cutest thing. I loved watching him pick out his own candy- he never chose what I wanted him to. Watching him walk up the sidewalk just put a big smile on my face. I look forward to the many more Halloweens to come with my little guy.




Oh, and here is Brian as Slash. Nailed it.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Tillmann Fam

Recently, my whole family got together for some family pics. My cute sister-in-law, Amanda, took them for us. She's becoming such a great photographer. 
It's amazing how much our family has grown over the years! Hope you enjoy.

All 9 grandkids!

 The original 6


The whole group!


"I want you"

My little fam

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Angry Birds

Okay, so I realize that I am way behind the times.... but I love Angry Birds. I recently started playing it and it's so addicting! I may have neglected the dishes today to play!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Dash

I'm sure you've seen The Incredibles. Well, Harrison is Dash.  On the go and super fast! You can imagine what my life is like! Always chasing a little boy.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Stretchy Pants

Being a stay at home mom has it's pros and cons. Some pros include being able to play with your son, being outside in the sun and getting some "me" time during nap time. Pros are laundry- it never ends, feeling like you aren't contributing to society and little adult interaction. There is one thing that is giving me problems and it  falls under both categories: Stretchy Pants. They are a pro because hey, there are days when you just throw them on and get your work done. Why would stretchy pants be a con? I'll tell you- they make you fat!! Yep. They do. After months of wearing my stretchy pants I have gained some weight. When you put them on you have no idea that your thighs might be expanding (like mine). I put on my black pencil skirt for church on Sunday and it was snug. It has never been snug. It was a big eye opener. So.... no more stretchy pants for me! My diet starts tomorrow :)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Feeling Inadequate

We all go thru times when we just don't feel good enough. I am stuck in one of those ruts. I feel like I can't get anything right. There are days I don't feel like a good mother, wife, housekeeper- everything. Do I even have talent? Maybe it's just the weather, maybe I need a really great vacation. Whatever the reason, I am blue. Please leave me some words of encouragement!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Pump It!

Working out can be so rewarding- once you get the motivation to get up off the couch! Tonight I actually did it! I left Brian and Harrison at home and headed off to Crossroads fitness. It felt amazing to push play on the Ipod and just pump it! I felt like I was the only one there. What would we do without our Ipods? It would be really hard for me to get going. Music can just get the blood boiling and revving to go. My recommended song for an intense, dare I say extreme, workout? Imma Be by the Black Eyed Peas. Download it and you won't be sorry!  Hopefully I can keep the momentum going!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Making Changes

Yes I know, New Years was a month and ago, but it's never too late for resolutions!
I have been making changes here and there. The first place is my living room. Strange, I know. You probably expected something like weight loss. Don't worry- I'll get to that. Back to the living room.... I have never loved my living room. It's only been so so for me. I decided that I really need to get it to where I like it. It's the room I spend most of the day in with Harrison, so it needs to be enjoyable. I also want it to be a pretty, calming room for Brian to come home to at night. So why not change it up and make it a place I really want to be. I'll probably be happier and more productive. I am currently in the process of a re-do. So far, so good. I'll post pics when it is all done.

My second change is fitness. Let's face it, we all could do better with taking care of our bodies. I could do a  LOT better! I really need to get into gear. Brian and I are going to join over at Ogden Athletic club this month. I am pretty excited. One of the biggest motivators for me is just feeling tired all the time. I can't stand it! Other motivators- jiggling thighs, tight jeans and The Sleeping Beauty. The Sleeping Beauty? Yes. I made Brian to the ballet with me this weekend. You should know that I secretly want to be a ballerina. And secretly I think that I probably would have made a really good one. You can laugh now, as long as you aren't making fun of me :)  But watching the ballet made me really want to tone it up- they are so long and lean!  So after we get over our colds, it's off to the gym! I'll keep ya posted on my fitness progress.


Last change (for now) is incorporating more gospel discussions in our house. We haven't really done FHE, but now that Harrison is getting older, I realize we really need to get in gear. Not just for him, but for us. Having gospel discussions in our homes is so important. It invites the spirit, increases our knowledge and helps us grow closer to our Father in Heaven and our Savior.

I've got some changes happening in my life and it feels great. I'll try to keep updating you all about how things are going. I'll need your support to keep me going! Wish me luck!

Oh, and Happy Valentines Day!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

California

Well, it's been about a month since I last posted. It's been a while because I thought that no one really cared about my blog anymore. No comments= no readers in my book. But I have been requested to make a post, so I guess there are some people who care about our happenings.


This past weekend we went down to California for Jeff and Amanda's sealing. The trip was a fairly complicated one, but well worth it in the end.  We were able to be there for Jeff and Amanda on their big day. It was a beautiful sealing in the Newport temple. I just love sealings. It always reminds me of my wedding day and being sealed to my best friend! 
We also got to go to the beach. It was Harrison's first time and he loved it. We had to drag him away kicking and screaming! The weather was absolutely gorgeous- we couldn't have asked for anything better. I found my bliss laying on the sand. 
 Our last day we went to Griffith Park. Harrison went on a pony ride there. He was a little nervous at first, then loved it. He had a ton of fun, but was pretty worn out and tired at the end of the trip (me, too). It was fun to have a good little trip, but it also feels great to be at home.


Here are a few pics from our weekend in the sun. Sorry if there are a lot, you know me, I am obsessed with pictures!