29 Things About Me

In honor of my 29th birthday- here are 29 things about me...... A mix of things you may have not known and things that I just really like about me!!!



1-I have never dyed or highlighted my hair. (I'm scheduled to get auburn highlights on Nov 5th-we'll see if I go through with it)

2-I have lived in Taiwan and the Philippines and have visited: Canada, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia. Still really want to visit: Mongolia, Hong Kong, and Switzerland

3-I love making people laugh

4-It's important to me for people to know that I care about them

5-I spend more money on sneakers than any other item of clothing


6-The first book I reccomend to people to read is: Letters for Emily

7-I love running because it requires less athletic skill to be able to do it!!!!

8-My favorite childhood book: Calico Cotton (probably out of print by now, it was an OLD book)

9-I have run 6 5ks, 2 10ks, 1 half marathon- and plan to do more!!!!

10-I love being an aunt to 28 nieces and nephews, 29 in December!!!!!

11-My dream job is a motivational speaker for teens with disabilities and their parents

12-I (tried) ballet for four years when I was younger. Loved it, but never made it past the beginning ballet class

13-I enjoy eating BBQ squid on a stick but detest jellyfish

14-My favorite movie is: Remember the Titans (I love most any movie based on a true story)

15-Diagnosed at 21 with having sustained a brain injury at birth

16-Have 28 journals

17-Completed life histories for 3 of my grandparents

18-Theme songs for my life? Two of them: Defying Gravity (Wicked) My Little Girl (Tim McGraw/Flicka)

19-Never ate sauce with my spaghetti until I was 12 years old

20-Played the violin and piano. Piano stuck (kind of) vilion didn't)

21- In my last year of grad school (For real!!!!!)

22-Have been in 2 car accidents (only was my fault)

23-Have yet have my own car (borrowed or bought)

24-See life optomistically

25-So grateful for my friends!!!!

26-Have dated several young men, have yet to become officially engaged or married

27-Love different colored pens (more fun to write in my journal that way)

28-Have a thing for stilettos and high wedge heels

29-When I was little, I was convinced that "bad guys" lived behind the hot water heaters in the basement and would grab me whenever I went down to the basement to get something. So..... after I retrieved the item from the basement, I would barrel up the steps (loudly) and sing "I am a Child of God (also loudly) to scare off any would-be "child grabbers"

And as a bonus......
30-Have started writing a book about my experiences of living with a disability, "The Ultimate Poster Child for Optimism" Hope to give it out at Christmas time-so if you don't want one, let me know!!!!

Love to all my family and friends!!!!!!

Book of Mormon Teachings Applied in Preschool Settings

There is a boy in my parents stake who also happens to be in my Head Start class. He's a lively child so on occasion I try to redirect him with comments such as, "What would Jesus do?" However, while telling him "sit like you sit in Sharing Time" has got him to stop kicking under the table, it has backfired in other situations....

A few days agao when he hit a friend, I asked him "what would Jesus do?" His response: "Jesus wouldn't do anything. He's up in heaven with all the old people waiting to be resurrected."

Today he and a friend were playing with plastic linking cubes, he wanted some of his friends cubes. Asked the friend, friend said no. Boy took them anyway. His explanation for his behavior? "It's just like when Nephi took the brass plates from Laban." (They say no, take it anyway) I don't know what my response was- I think I was too shocked to respond!

Another story, non-gospel related, but equally entertaining! We were making popcorn at circle time. I was doing everything wrong- putting in only one kernel, forgetting to put the lid on, putting the bowl in back of the popper instead of in front. It was fun and kept them engaged. But a boy appeared to have reached his "teacher entertainment quota" when he turned to his neighbor and said, "She doesn't know anything!!!"

It's moments like this that keep me going- I love my job!!!!

Something Money CAN'T Buy..... Pt. 2

OK- so after Sunflower Market, I stopped at my parent's house where my mom loaded me up on fresh vegetables from their garden. And I LOVE fresh produce. (Again, thanks Mom! I'm sensing a theme here.....) Then it was on to my cousin's house to help her prep for Midvale Harvest Days Bingo tomorrow. Good times.

BUT..... the best part of the day hadn't happened yet. My mom picked me up from my cousin's house to drop me off at my apt and asked me if I wanted to go with her to my Grandpa Morley's house where she needed to pick something up. I haven't been there since he passed away so I quickly agreed.

I am not sad that my Grandpa is no longer alive on earth. I am so happy that he is in Heaven now, that he is reunited with his wife after 20 years. So, am I sad? No. But do I miss him? I truly do. He was a very real part of my life during all of my life. And even though I know that he still mindful of me even though he is no longer alive on the earth, well.... Sometimes I need a reminder. After wandering and reminscing in the basement I rejoined my mom in the spare bedroom upstairs. I randomly noticed a stack of wrapped gifts and picked up the one on top. And then I noticed that it had a tag on it and it read.....................................................................................



TO: Heather FROM: Grandpa Morley

Can you believe it!!!!!!!!!! To add to it, there were other wrapped gifts in the pile, but the only one with a label on it- was MINE. (And it was a book, by the way) As near as I can figure, he had that ready for me the Christmas I was living in Taiwan. But I know without a doubt, that the gift had a message. He didn't forget me when he was in Taiwan and he certainly is still just as mindful of me now!


And the blessings were still coming, on our way out my mom and I stopped by the fridge to clean it out. I came home with 3 grocery bags of food and condiments. So, I went from frustrating finances to coming home with food from Mom and Grandpa. And then when I did get home, I had lots of gratitude prayers to offer.


Really though, finding that gift from my Grandpa was the sweetest moment of the day. A gift tag may not seem like much to someone, but to me, it's priceless. It reminds me of my Grandpa and it reminds me that God is always mindful of us.

Something Money CAN'T Buy..... Pt. 1

What a day I had today! It came in extremes, from high to low.... Well, first I'll back up to yesterday.

The boy with autism that I take care of has a younger sister, 5, named Rebekah. I taught her in Head Start and she's wanting to play with me when I'm at her house so I thought I would give her some "alone girl time." I also invited my niece Sara, 5, to come spend the night, too. The morning was fun, but full, particularly getting the girls back home via bus and TRAX.


Then I was home for awhile, about an hour, before going to the dermatologist, follow-up for my acne. I was waiting for an hour (and for the record, I prefer being in the waiting room than in solitary white appointment room- next time I'm taking a magazine in with me!!!) . Towards the end of the hour I was practicing glares in the mirror. I did manage to be polite and respectful when the time came, though!!!!


However, when the appointment was over I was feeling mad again- 3 new medications that cost money, bringing the total to 7 meds. Which maybe wouldn't matter as much if I wasn't paying extra rent and saving for school. As I said to my mom (and God bless her for waiting for me during my appt), "I don't WANT to buy more medications- I want to buy an Ipod!!!!"

But it was hard to stay mad for long, though because the next stop was one of my all-time favorite places... Sunflower Market!!! It's esp good to go there on Wednesday's because it's "Double Ad Wednesday" Again muchas gracias to my mom who took me grocery shopping because I can get a lot more groceries home in my mom's car than I can carrying them on my own........

Stay tuned for part 2......

Litster Reunion- Let the Good Times Roll!!!!!

The report on the first of two family reunions this summer........
Litster Family Reunion: July 9-10, in Salt Lake Valley Area: We met on Friday at Copperton Park for a potluck dinner, playground fun and talent show. Seriously, the playground there is..... amazing. Not to mention big, and fenced in. So we didn't see much of the kids except when they hungry, thirsty or needed a bathroom. The adults enjoyed shade and conversation under the pavilion while the kids played.

Unknown to me, that weekend we celebrated Grandpa Errol Litster's 100th birthday. So in addition to a giant Costco cake (my favorite) we had two of his favorite snacks: Red Licorice Nibs and popcorn, freshly popped and buttered. Yun!!!!

The talent show had a wide range of talents- from 9 year old soccer tricks, to piano solos (courtesy of the portable keyboard) to father-son-daughter & guitar-drum-vocals trio. I love seeing my neices and nephews exploring their talents, trying new things, etc. It's a great feeling!

Saturday morning we met a Melanie's for juice and breakfast casseroles, sort of a delicious spin-off of cinnamon french toast, supposedly easy to make. Then off to Kennecott Copper Mine for a field trip. It really a fascinating place to visit, starting with the size of the trucks they use. Just the size of the tires alone is immense. A school bus can't hold a candle to a mining truck, size-wise.

We watched a movie about the history of Kennecott, so big it can be seen from space. The thing that stuck out to me was how technologically savvy mining has become, how many jobs are needed, that it's so much more than people digging underground, riding trains up and down out of the mine, etc. Basically how I pictured mining up to this point.

We spent time touring the museum, it was big and full of information, I'd love to go back when I have more time..... I had no idea that copper was used for so many things! Pipes, Coins, all the Medals from the 2002 Olympics, sink fixtures, etc. Surprisingly though, my favorite parts of the museum had little to do with copper. My nephew Carter's comment to his cousin, "I wish we could see some diamonds here!" and they had a little house model to help show all the things that copper helps make. But even copper usage wasn't the best part. Nope. It was all the little details that went into the house! No detail overlooked, seriously. They even had a storage room with a food pantry and you could clearly read the Betty Crocker cake mix labels, recognize the cans of Campbells soup, etc.

The end for now..... Still to come, swimming and adults only BBQ dinner!

A Beautiful Scene......

What a fabulous 4th! It began with a pool party at my aunt and uncle's. I stuffed myself on good food- Joe Morley's BBQ beans and potato salad, fresh fruit salad, chips and dips, pasta salad, burgers and hot dogs, rhubarb crisp (that my mom made- with my recipe) and in Grandpa Morley's honor: lemon pineapple sherbet.

After splashing, swimming and shooting hoops in the pool, we got cleaned up to hear the Salt Lake Symphony (the orchestra that my mom and Aunt Elizabeth both play in) perform and see the fireworks.

During the night, I kept looking around and feeling amazed and grateful at the scene around me. Me on the phone working out details with my future roommate (housing is not always easy here, but SO much easier than obtaining housing in other countries) my cousin sending/recieivng texts (communication is not restricted here as in other countries) officers out directing traffic (in other countries that I have lived in, traffic is not always enforced, bribes tend to be more importatnt.......) reading newspapers and magazines (freedom of the press), thinking about school (not only am I not restricted, but there are resources to help me get through school)

But the most touching part of the night? Sitting with my family, immediate and extended, watching beautiful and loud fireworks cracking and lighting up the sky, seeing my niecie and nephew, wrapped up in blankets, both fast asleep. (How they did that- I don't know.....) Realizing that at that moment I really had a not a care or fear in the world. I felt safe. I felt happy. Beautiful. Simply Beautiful.

Being Christlike- A Must Read!!!!

I read this article in the Deseret News this morning. FYI- it's not a happy, feel-good article at first, though there was a reunion between a woman and the man who saved her life, a father and three children were killed in 1952.

So, why am I posting this? The mother in the story, Christal Litster Young Mathis, was my great-aunt. She passed away when I was (16?) but left an incredible legacy. She stood at 4'11, if that, had a head full of snow-white hair, always had a smile, a hug, always wanted to know how I was doing.

I can't begin to know or even imagine what it was like for that family, but I do know that Christal's example makes me want to be a better person, to not get so caught up in petty disagreements or other disgruntlements. Resolve, and then move on.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705314976/Tragedy-and-triumph-Utahn-reunites-with-officer-who-saved-her-life-when-dad-sisters-were-slain-in-1952.html