This Weekend

Today I am Grateful for...

General Conference!

Watch it. You will be so glad you did.

Thursday

We bleed blue around here.

This week I am thankful for...

My Body. I know I say this a lot, but I really am. Our bodies are amazing. I ran a half marathon on Saturday, and was again reminded of the incredible capacity they have. The very first time I ran, a mile seemed like an eternity. My first 5k (just over 3 miles) six years ago was a huge feat, and I was so proud of myself! I always thought that people who run marathons are just plain nutty and have no respect for their bodies, but I am learning that we are incredibly adaptable. To be able to run 13 miles without doing irreversible damage when I use to struggle with just 1 is amazing to me. Of course, if I had trained correctly, I might have been able to walk the following four days, too. We live and learn, I guess. So there you go. Bodies. Amazing.

Food Storage. I spent the day Tuesday canning chicken for the first time. I have put up 30 jars of peaches, and I have four boxes of pears waiting to ripen. In a few weeks I'll splurge on some apples, and make the Bug's favorite--applesauce. I feel so ridiculously fulfilled when I'm canning. Like a chubby little squirrel who has just finished stalking up on acorns for the winter. It just feels good to do something productive, to save money, and to know that in an emergency, my family will have food. It's tasty, too. Definitely a perk.

Back-up Milk Supply. Adam is a no-chocolate baby. Good thing I had some milk frozen so he can survive while I get the it all out of my system.

Free fruit. Thank you, Carlynn, for the goodies--I've been eating nectarines for a week-and-a-half. Isaac loved the apples. Thanks, Beth for the pears!

Kids. They keep me laughing. According to Isaac, we eat too-nut fish for lunch, Mom uses dental flop to flop her teeth, and on Tuesday night we ate at Chuck-a-Grandma.

SBB

Grateful to be

Another year older















Growing up, my friend's mom would never own up to her age. She just kept turning 18 every year. I asked her once what was so shameful about getting old, and she told me that we live in a society that values youth and beauty. It's sad that she's right, especially since most of us spend so little of our lives in both categories simultaneously. At least according the the world's standards. The Mr. tells me that I just keep getting prettier and prettier. You know what the funny thing is? I think he actually believes it.

When people talk about being in the 'prime of your life', they generally refer to somewhere between the late teens and early thirties. I say it would be a pretty sad thing if that were true! Physically? Maybe. Mentally? Probably. But where it really counts? Not even close, I sure hope. In my little world, life just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. Life is harder now than it use to be, it's true. I have more responsibility, less time, and I feel like I can never get ahead in some regards. But I am happier than ever, at a deeper level than I use to be.

The more I come to truly know myself, the more I come to know others and feel real love for them, the more alive I feel. The longer I live, the more I learn; the more bonds I create with others. If a husband and two children bring me this much joy, how much happier will I be when I have four children? Six? Fourteen?...Okay, I'm kidding about that last one. The day that I become a grandma, I expect to feel like the luckiest person in the world.

The rest of my life is filled with opportunities to love. I hope that when I am 80 I can say that I am in the prime of my life. Until I'm 81, at least, and I realize what I've been missing.

Today I am 28, and I choose to wear it like a badge of honor. Until I can trade it in for an upgrade next year.


28 Reasons I'm grateful to be Alive

1. Isaac. What would my life be like without that little rascal? Calmer, that is for sure; cleaner, I think. Less stressful, maybe. A lot more boring for sure. A lot less fun and full of joy and laughter. Man I love that kid.

2. Adam. We are sure thrilled that he's a part of our family. What a sweet little boy!

3. Edward. I couldn't ask for a better husband. Really.

4. Family. It has been really fun to be so close to so many family members.

5. Financial Security. I think I will always be stressed out about money--even when we're billionaires. But in all reality we have been immensely blessed to have all of our needs met.

6. Friends. We are loving our new neighborhood and ward. So many people have reached out to us, and I'm actually having fun here.

7. As of the 14th, I have accomplished my 6 months without chocolate goal. Go me, I say. Thank you Ed, I say. It is a giant of a man indeed who will commit to such madness for the love of his wife.

8. Exercise. So much cheaper than anti-depressants. So much more enjoyable than dieting.

9. The most AMAZING news that my dear old friend Delbert has decided to come back to church after probably 50 years away.

10. The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

11. Horseback riding.

12. Volleyball.

13. General Conference is coming up again.

14. Hand-me-downs.

15. My Mom. I'm not kidding--if you want to paint a bright spot on your soul, go spend some time with her. I've never met someone so selfless and caring. And it's okay--you can call her Mom, too. You wouldn't be the first.

16. Women.

17. Priesthood blessings.

18. The fact that kids take naps.

19. Cilantro

20. The beauty of nature. Seriously, think about it. Why did God put flowers on the earth? Do they serve any purpose besides just being lovely and lifting the spirits? That was awfully nice of Him to do.

21. Cool bed sheets.

22. The written word.

23. Good days when I can stay happy even if things go wrong.

24. Music. Ah, music is a wonderful thing.

25. Melted cheese. Oh, yeah.

26. Thunder storms.

27. Animals.

28. Eternal life.

Some things I am looking forward to accomplishing this year:

Go on a cruise

Can peaches, pears, and applesauce

Run a half marathon

Do a triathlon

Potty train the Bug (yikes!)

Sing in church

Sew a cute dress

Do 8 pull-ups in a row

Horseback ride

Meet our goals for paying down our mortgage

It's a secret...

Grow my hair out (pretty sure I'm always doing this one)

Love your life!

SBB

This Morning

Today I am grateful for healthy, happy, rested kids
(As opposed to the sick, grumpy, sleep-deprived ones I had a few days ago)
I'm so glad they're back!

And...

A two-year-old nudey-pot running around the house kicking a bouncy ball and yelling:

OoooH!

Holy Moly!

Holy Mackerel!

Oh, yes!

...He even threw in an 'I'm on fire!'

I didn't even realize he knew half of these phrases. It made for a happy start to the morning, even though he had just wizzed on the carpet.


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Still Thankful

Poor little guy. I'd be traumatized too, if I saw something like that.

I am sitting in the dark while the Bug watches the Aristocats for the second time today. But don't worry, I'm a good mother. We took a break and watched Toy Story in between.

He's got some funky virus that started with a rash on his feet and crawled up his body. We visited the Instacare and then, per instructions, he and the Mr. took a trip to Primary Children's at about 3:30 last night when his fever spiked. Never fear, nothing that a little couch time won't fix.

So I'm thankful that he's okay and it's nothing serious. We were worried he had been bitten by a tick on our campout last weekend.

Which leads me to the next think I'm grateful for: time away. We had a fabulous two days camping up AF Canyon. We got a good long hike in (I'm not sure the Mr.'s shoulders have recovered yet from hauling the Bug up 7 miles of mountain), and even convinced some family to come visit one evening. It was nice to be away from everyday life for a minute.



I'm thankful for having running water and a kitchen sink. Ours is clogged at the moment, and after attempting to can peaches and make dinner with six inches of someone else's chicken soup in my sink, I have gained a new appreciation for pioneer women who had to go 'fetch' their water. Holy cow--dishes would be such a chore! Especially in the winter.

I'm grateful for the Bug in general. He has taken to photography lately. We think he's got a real talent for it.

Higher

Higher

Still a little higher, Buddy

There we go! If the camera won't come to you, come to the camera

Hope you're enjoying the tail end of summer!

SBB