Monday, August 10, 2009

Sweet Tastes of Heaven

*Hugs from my sweet baby girl
*Listening to her say 'mama' and squeal with delight when I play with her
*"Thanks Mom"
*Splashing in the puddles in a rainstorm today with Tyler
*Holding hands
*Dancing to our "favorite songs"
*Tickling my kiddies when the line "touch of a precious child" comes on the radio during our song 'Chicken Fried'
*Eating dinner together
*Reading stories
*Listening to my Jedis play 'Star Wars'
*Pushing happy kiddos on the swings
*Singing the ABCs with a chorus of young singers
*Laughing at silly jokes that don't always make sense
*Getting the play by play of what's happening in their world
*Being sought after to listen to news, accomplishment, hurt, or just for a hug
*A soft touch on my face
*A train whistle
*Looking in each of my children's beautiful faces as I watch them learn and grow
There is not one place I could dream of that would be better than being surrounded by my sweet children and dear husband. These are just a few of those moments I wish I could hang on to forever.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Who I Am

THE RELIEF SOCIETY OF
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS


are beloved spirit daughters of God,
and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction.
As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion
to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar.
We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who:

Increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ
through prayer and scripture study.

Seek spiritual strength by following the
promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Dedicate ourselves to strengthening
marriages, families, and homes.

Find nobility in motherhood
and joy in womanhood.

Delight in service and good works.

Love life and learning.

Stand for truth and righteousness.

Sustain the priesthood
as the authority of God on earth.

Rejoice in the blessings of the temple,
understand our divine destiny,
and strive for exaltation.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Why I Love Him



1. He goes to work every day to support our family.
2. He works as much as he needs to in order for me to stay home with my children.
3. He loves life.
4. He loves to laugh.
5. He has awesome hands.
6. He takes good care of himself.
7. He does anything I ask.
8. He encourages me to go out with my friends.
9. He leads our family.
10. He takes us to church each Sunday, sings the hymns, and participates.
11. He volunteers his time to serve others.
12. He is always first on the list to offer to help someone move.
13. He serves our country because he feels it's his duty.
14. He loves our children.
15. He takes care of all our finances so I never have to worry.
16. He sits at the dinner table long after dinner's over because he knows how much I enjoy chatting with him.
17. He takes me dancing.
18. He makes sure we're touching as we fall asleep- even if it's just our feet.
19. He tells me I'm beautiful and there's no one else he could ever want.
20. He encourages me when I want to try new things.
21. He goes out of his way to make sure I'm happy.
22. He has gorgeous eyes.
23. He's incredibly smart.
24. He likes everything I cook, and wouldn't say otherwise if he didn't.
25. He writes me letters because he knows how much I enjoy them.
26. He takes me to dinner, and makes dating a priority.
27. He appreciates life and is grateful for what he's given.
28. He can do anything with cords- I've never seen so many possibilities with things hooking up to other things.
29. He is incredibly sexy when he works out.
30. He keeps our lawn looking beautiful.
31. He changes the oil in our cars because it saves money to do it himself.
32. He's a guy. He's not into clothes or hair or anything girly- but he lets me be girly, and appreciates things for my sake. :-)
33. He's very straightforward- no hinting, no games.
34. He loves lots of types of music, but usually lets me choose.
35. He's taught me about politics, and allows me to make an opinion on my own.
36. He compliments me.
37. He teaches our children to be gentlemen.
38. He takes his responsibilities seriously.
39. He knows how to have fun.
40. He can laugh at himself.
41. He's fun to be with.
42. He can eat an entire meal in about four bites (but he doesn't because it wouldn't be polite.)
43. He can dance.
44. He has a look of complete contentment that melts my heart.
45. He is good to his family.
46. He takes me to the temple.
47. He honors his vows.
48. He sees the big picture and is working to attain his goals.
49. He loves me.
50. He makes my world worth living in. I love him so much- I am grateful to have such a good man in my life. He deserves the best, and I need to do my best to give him just that.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Smoothing those Edges!


Water is an amazing thing. It can cleanse. It can refresh. It can sustain life. It can carve canyons out of stone. It is used as a representation of the blood our Savior spilled as He pleaded for the redemption of each of our sins.

Water removes all the rough edges- those edges on this fallen tree, and those edges on our soul that we turn over to Christ and He washes away.

Every now and then I find myself in situations that allow me to see myself with more clarity than I did previously. I wonder if I am going to internalize the entirety of the understanding before me, or if it's going to merely pass as a fleeting thought. To name a few of the things leading my list this week: I am blessed to have such a strong, loving family- not only the family I grew up with, but also the family I've created. I can be responsible for much more than I knew, and to be fair I should do it without complaint. I interrupt people entirely too often by assuming I know what they're going to say. Doing this really annoys me and I want to change that habit as soon as possible. I don't have to put nearly the pressure on myself that I thought- things will still get done, and I will feel so much less stress. I love to be busy. I love to plan my day. When I plan my day to be busy, I end the day completely exhausted, but happy and full of accomplishment.

I have lots of rough edges- hopefully this week I will facilitate some 'smoothing' by admitting there are places I could start....and then figuring out how to start....and then starting.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Good Friends






I am blessed to have many people I call dear friends. Not acquaintances, though I have those, or regular invite to a gathering friends, though there's a place for them as well. I mean those really, truly, do anything for you, love you no matter what friends. The friends I spend hours talking with. The people I try to emulate. Those people that I can watch as they deal with things and want to ingrain it into myself. I love this picture- these two little ducks were quacking so noisily as they swam around the lake. How fun to see them swimming side by side looking at one another as they did. I wish everyone could know the joy of having at least one true "love you no matter what' kind of friend. They truly are more precious than any one thing on this earth.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Fake It 'til you Make It!

If someone hands you a million dollars, you'd better
hurry up and become a millionaire. A very rich man once said, "If you took all the money in the
world and divided it equally among everybody, it would soon be back in the same pockets it was
before."


TO HAVE MORE THAN YOU'VE GOT, BECOME MORE THAN YOU ARE.

The above quote is from Kirk Weisler. I've often liked to think that if I "fake it until I make it" I will eventually make it. The only thing left to determine is this: what exactly does "making it" entail? If you don't have a goal in mind, you can't know when you've gotten there.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Think Before You Speak


"Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second." -William James

I have goals I set a million times- every new year, every birthday, every Monday :-). I wish I could complete those goals the first time...but for right now, I'll just keep starting.

Controlling my tongue is tough. I often let my responses to things be determined by those I'm around- not because I change my mind and believe what they say, just because I don't want to cause conflict, so I'll agree to move on with the conversation. I worry about offending people, about giving the answer the person I'm speaking with wants to hear- I want people to feel comfortable, which oddly enough can leave me feeling uncomfortable if I find that I don't know what I think about the subject, and I feel like I need to respond. It's scary, in a way, to imagine stating my own opinion- or even stating that "I haven't really thought about that"- but liberating just the same.

As of late, I've been trying hard to weigh each thing that leaves my mouth. It's difficult- I'm a talker by nature- and I slip into my old 'jabber jaw' ways here and there, but as I review the past few days, I feel proud. There's class in thinking before you speak, so I plan to keep trying. I have to think that eventually I'll run far enough on my 'first wind' to hold my tongue, so that I can devote my 'second wind' to developing my vocabulary- thereby saying more with less.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Sticking to it


"This one step - choosing a goal and staying to it - changes everything."
- Scott Reed
Setting goals? No problem.
Planning how to accomplish them? Easy.
Actually staying with the goal? Yikes.
As I've read about accomplishing goals, these are the things I've learned:
1. You have to have a core belief tied to that goal. Without it, the goal is more of a wish...not something you MUST accomplish.
2. You should tie it to something you already do, so it just becomes a part of your already established routine.
3. Visualize what life will be like once you've accomplished your goal.
4. Divide the goal into manageable steps with criteria you can measure.
5. Write it all up- your core belief, how you're going to do it, what life will be like when you've done it, and the steps to tick off as you move forward.
So could it really be possible that I could stick with it? Time will tell!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Keep Moving Forward


Happy Birthday Luke! We sent you balloons today, just as we do every year on your birthday. We watched until they made it to Heaven. Katie touched my face today- the way you always did. I knew it was you. Sometimes the days stretch so long that the day I'll see you again seems like it'll never come. Other days fly by, and I think, 'see, I can handle this!' And we can handle it- with our Father in Heaven guiding us and our Savior Jesus Christ supporting us, I know we can handle all things. We just keep moving forward. Love you Baby!

Monday, June 8, 2009

I've Only Just Begun


The last day of my 20s is here. I feel bittersweet about this- I was excited, but now I'm feeling a bit apprehensive. Thirty? Really? That's so old!!! It was a good decade- many of my 'life goals' were accomplished- If life was a recipe, I'd say I've added the major ingredients, and now it's time for the seasoning. :-) The fun has just begun!

In short, my twenties entailed:
- Living away from home
- Having my heart broken
- Finding an amazing man and marrying him
- Learning more about my body than I imagined possible (there's so much no one tells you....)
- Giving birth to three boys and one girl (including twins!)
- Learning how to live on very little sleep
- Graduating college with a bachelor's and a master's degree
- Owning a few homes
- Moving a few times
- Closing on a house by myself while hubby was serving Uncle Sam
- Owning a pet
- Giving pet to 'another family where he can have a friend'
- Learning to keep a plant alive
- Becoming a landlord
- Living outside of the country
- Earning a real salary
- Learning to cook
- Learning to bake homemade rolls and gigantic chocolate chip cookies....they melt in your mouth!!
- Undergoing surgery more than once (only twice dealing with child-birth)
- Learning to care for a home
- Come to appreciate the need for 'girl's nights'
- Hugging a shark (how crazy is that?!)
- Learning to accept the circle of life
- Learning to trust God and His path for our lives
- And so much more!!

To live up my final twenties, my hubby and I stayed up until midnight, ate ice cream and hot fudge, watched a movie, and enjoyed each other's company. We also made breakfast casserole so we wouldn't have to cook in the morning. He doesn't often join me in the kitchen, so this was a special treat he gave me for my birthday. :-) It was a wonderful end to an event-filled decade.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

A glimpse of perfection

Peace.

Joy.

Serenity.

Family.

Love.

Calm.

Happiness.

Perfection.

Matthew 5:48 states, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven which is perfect."

Heavenly Father wants us to receive all these things. He has said, "The Lord giveth man no commandments unto the children of men, save He shall prepare a way for them that they might accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7)

A command to be perfect, and a promise He will help us accomplish that command. Wow!! Just like this lighthouse, our Father in Heaven is always there providing a beacon, lighting our way, guiding our path....but we have to trust Him- seek out His direction- and follow where it leads.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Happiness is a Choice


Choose to be happy!

I LOVE pineapple. I usually eat it until I burn my mouth. I don't like when my mouth is burnt. So if I know what will happen if I down half a pineapple, why do I do it?

Self-control is a hard thing to exercise when it comes to something so EASY to indulge in. Pineapple, for one. Attitude, for another. Sometimes I think, 'I really shouldn't let this get to me'...and then I can't stop thinking about it, and it puts a damper on my whole day. I believe this is one of those instances where the easy thing is to indulge in the bad attitude. The hard thing is to smile amidst adversity and decide to be happy regardless of what happens.

As my Mom says, "The glass is ALWAYS half full."

Today I'm going to choose to be happy.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Steamrolling


Take care of it now or deal with it forever.

My sis says, "Eat the frog for breakfast." How often do I allow those things that need to be done to weigh on me before I finally bite the bullet and take care of it? It's such a release to finally do whatever it is that needs to be done, so why not do it NOW?

Or you can always Steamroll....

I am a steamroller at heart- someone who likes to get started on a project and go and go until it's done. If I run out of steam...the chances of me getting back to it and finishing it are SOOOOO slim. And this is why I steamroll. Plus- I love the feeling of completion. It's AMAZING how many things you can steamroll. Freezer dinners. Meal planning. Photo books for the year. Preschool curriculum. Party preparation. Home organization. The possibilities are endless!

A couple of days ago, I had every speck of laundry in my house fresh and clean... and folded neatly in the drawers- it was AWESOME! It lasted approximately 2 hours. Then my honey came home, took off his work clothes, and lovingly tossed them in the sparkling EMPTY laundry basket. Now, he did exactly as he should have- and I'm grateful. But a teeny part of me whispered *sigh.*

The thing is...like laundry, there are very few things in life you can steamroll through and call it good. Most of the time you are going to HAVE to do it again- and herein lies my problem. I'm never truly done...PLUS, if I'm steamrolling, typically the rest of my responsibilities fall to the wayside, so there's more to do now than there would have been had I kept up with the usual. Oops!

So what to do?! Time to slow down the steamrolling...as much as I love it....and figure out how to fit in time for a new project while keeping the rest of my responsibilities under control. We'll see!

Today I am grateful for sweet smelling lotion following a great workout and a long cool shower!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Welcome to Thirty


I'm here. Well, not quite- but in 5 more days I'll be here. THIRTY. The big 3-0. I'm excited, to tell the truth- a little nervous- but excited. 30s seem dignified. Grown up. Smart. Respectable. Less fun than 20s- more reserved- not because they HAVE to be reserved, but because they're less in need of the approval of others, so when someone wants them to do something crazy, they can respond with the answer they want to give- not the answer they think they SHOULD give. I think 30s begin to realize "being cool" is a bunch of fluff. 30s begin to have their "own way" and people learn to expect it from them.
So my quest for my 30s is this: discover who I am meant to be, and then....be. :-)