Category: Yearly Goals

If there has been a Sunday night when I felt too tired and busy to type this post, tonight is it.  What a wild ride this week has been, and yet my heart is so full of gratitude for my blessings.  But I’m here.  Habits are habits, and there’s no sense in missing a week.

My report:  74 steps.

Highlights:

1.  We rose at 4:30 a.m. on Monday morning to drive to Rigby, Idaho for the funeral of my Uncle.  I’m so glad we were there.  Funerals are events you’re never sorry to have attended.  It was a privilege to hear my 4 cousins pay tribute to their father.   We then drove to Malad for the graveside service.  I had my camera in the car all day, but somehow forgot to use it.  My heart, however, took so many pictures of the day.  Images like the quiver on my cousin Mark’s chin before they closed the casket, Mindy’s performance of “O Divine Redeemer”, the moment when Dave told the BEST story ever in the funeral, the line of sons and grandsons placing a last flower on the casket, the presentation of the United States flag to my aunt.  So many extended relatives were there to briefly connect with.  We drove home Monday evening, making a very LONG day in the car, but it was completely worth it.

2.  Because of the funeral, we had the privilege of having my parents stay with us Monday night.  We were all exhausted and only did a little visiting, but I’m always so happy to see them.

3.  Believe it or not, this is a picture of our yard.


In addition to finishing up a contract for work, my husband spent many hours in the yard this week completing the installation of our sprinkler system, with him being incredibly productive and me wanting to be productive but mostly just assisting and running in and out of the house to care for the little ones.  On Friday, however, we took everyone out with us and spent more than 12 hours in the yard.  The sprinkler heads were installed, the trenches filled, the lot smoothed again, rocks raked, sod delivered.

We laid 7,400 square feet of sod.
Yes, you read that right.  It was a massive project, and we’re exhausted.  We’re also incredibly thankful for friends who came and helped.  Believe me when I say that I’ve never loved the color green as much as I do right now.


4.  My brother and his boys came to visit for the weekend.  They drove in about 30 minutes after we finished the yard.  It is so much fun to have my nephews here.  My children love to play with them.  I also enjoy time spent talking with my brother.  He’s an awesome guy.

5.  We soaked up General Conference with eager hearts.  The Saturday morning session was a combination of watching on television and listening on the radio as we drove to and from soccer games, but by the afternoon session we were all gathered in for the weekend.  This morning my sister and her husband drove down from Logan to watch the morning session with us. It is great to have everyone gathered together to listen to a prophet’s voice.


6.  One of our General Conference traditions is to make cinnamon rolls on Sunday morning.  This morning as I put the frosting on the last pan, I had a sweet moment.  Facing my stove top, my back to the room, I could hear the voice of Boyd K. Packer and the quiet but happy sounds of people I love serving and eating a hearty breakfast.  I looked down at the cinnamon rolls and felt honored to have the privilege of preparing this meal, honored to have this gathering in my home, grateful beyond words that we have traditions surrounding this weekend, traditions that my children love and count on.  I was filled with a feeling of peace, a feeling of total contentment, a realization that I’ve done better than I thought, and a witness that we were doing exactly what we should be doing at that moment in time.  It felt so good.




And so the week is over.  Kristen and Jake headed to his parent’s home, Rich and his boys packed up to head back to Colorado.  My heart swelled with pride and love as I watched my almost 12 year old daughter gather her brothers and sisters together to “run” her cousins down the street.  It’s a little tradition she’s created just for them.  As they drive away, they all run alongside the car waving and smiling and yelling good-byes to the end of the street.  There they stop, watch them drive away, and then slowly turn and walk home.  The smiles on their cousins’ faces betray their delight at the “run.”

As suddenly as it began, the whirlwind ended and we were left, just the 10 of us, to pile in the family room together and watch the last session of Conference.  A bit of tidying the house, a simple dinner, a brief chat with neighbors and the day drew to a close.  The children are in bed, a new school week awaits in the morning, and I am happy to enjoy the pause.  Tomorrow brings another storm of activity that will last all week long, but tonight is low tide and my heart rejoices.

Have a wonderful week.

Jennifer

This picture is  a pretty good snapshot of our week.


It’s been a week packed full of expected things, made busier and more complicated by a host of unexpected things.  Unexpected things both minor and major in their scope, all of them wearing us down more than anticipated.  Time, thought, schedules, routines have all been shaken up in the process.  Still, during those moments when nothing could be done about the 1,000 things breathing down my neck, we tried to breathe deeply and just live in the moment.  Traditionally I’m not very good at doing that, but I’m consciously working on it and am slowly improving.  Looking back at the week, it was probably those moments of life and breath that saved us.

This week’s report:  72 steps.
Highlights:

1.  My eyes and heart feasted on the sky this week.  With all the time spent working in the yard, plus many hours of driving and soccer games, I had countless moments of glancing at the sky.  Each glance fed my spirit, a feast I needed.

2.  I’m getting better at being my own cheerleader, boosting myself back up when I feel discouraged.  Early in the week I had a tough morning with the little ones, and was tempted to let frustration and discouragement fill my heart.  Instead of give in, I listed over and over to myself all of the good things about motherhood as I cleaned the house.   It worked.  When I was done, I realized I had not only a tidy house but that my heart was full of gratitude and faith in my calling as a mother.

3.  It’s running shamefully late, but I managed to baste a baby quilt for a friend.  It was, perhaps, the most interesting basting experience of my life thanks to my four year old who sat on my back and kept raining safety pins down on my head while I worked.  It’s funny how much I dislike basting, yet love the look of a quilt covered in pins, all ready to go.


4.  The whole week changed with an early morning phone call on Thursday announcing the sudden and unexpected passing of my Uncle Dennis.  I still feel stunned.  The thoughts, feelings and memories that have followed created an interesting emotional backdrop and lens through which to measure many of the activities that filled the week.  A lot to ponder.

5.  I had a good bedtime talk with one of my daughters who was in tears because she feels stress over so many things.  I couldn’t help but think how much she is like me, worrying about things that many give no thought to.  She is a really wonderful little girl and I felt blessed to be her listening ear for a few minutes.

6.  Yesterday I piled my youngest two girls and my oldest girl, along with a couple of other soccer players and we drove to Logan for a game.  It was a great drive, a great game, a gorgeous day.  We stopped at the coolest vintage McDonald’s ever, ate lunch at the Old Grist Mill, and spent some time hanging out with my sister and her husband in their cute old house.  It was a really nice day.


7.  I must also mention that my littlest ones were absolute angels on the trip to Logan.  All day long.  I have never seen two little ones be so sweet, happy and entertaining for so many hours.  At the end of the day I told my two year old daughter, “You were really sweet today, and I think you made a lot of big people really love you.  I’m proud of you.”  Her response, “I’m really proud of you too.  I am.”

As I look back at the week I’m somewhat amazed that we managed to keep so many commitments, get to so many activities and stay on top of so many things.  It really was a mind-boggling week.  I feel a little bit anxious because what I desperately need is some down time to plan, prepare and carefully weigh things, but there simply isn’t time for them and as I look at the calendar EVERY SINGLE DAY is like this for the next 2 weeks.  Will we make it?

I hope so.

Actually, I know so.  It may get ugly (actually, one glance at my laundry room says that it already is) but we’ll make it, and hopefully find a few minutes here and there to live in the moment, breathe deeply, and laugh.

That’s my goal.

Have a great week.

Jennifer

My heart felt drawn to this leaf tonight. It seems to illustrate how I feel about life right now.  I know that fall is just around the corner, or, rather, at my doorstep.  Yet still I find myself hanging onto green, not ready to welcome the hints of red and orange gathering at the edges of my life.  I feel like I need more time for end of summer routines to become habits, more time to focus on organization and functionality.  I love fall, but it also represents to me the beginning of a whirlwind.  We have four birthdays between early October and Christmas, in addition to Halloween and Thanksgiving.  This year we’ll have a baptism as well.  As the red and orange work their way in, my heart cries out “Not yet!  I’m not ready!  There is still so much for me to do!”  Once October starts, my life will be one long sprint to January.  I know that when I open my heart and welcome it in, I love this season completely.  Cool temperatures, crunchy leaves, warm jackets, soup, fresh bread.  Oh, it’s a glorious time of year, but tonight I’m holding fast to green.

This week’s report:  82 steps.  Sounds better than it felt.  It was a rugged week.
Highlights:

1.  The entire week was one long experience in how to measure .  While my house was undoubtedly on the losing end, my heart came out ok.  I’m calling that a victory.

2.  The little ones and I didn’t feel great, as we were all fighting the same frustrating cold.  On Tuesday I followed their lead and we had a lazy day.  I let them stay in their pajamas a little longer, and they all sort of snuggled on the floor together and fell asleep at different times.  Not good for the schedule, but good for their bodies.


3.  I attended an annual parent meeting at the charter school my elementary-aged children attend .  I feel fortunate to have them learning in an outstanding environment and came away motivated to be a better mom.

4.  The driving, driving and driving of this season got to me this week.  I hate feeling like I’m operating in a mental fog (due to my cold).  By Friday night I felt like I was on the verge of getting really sick, purely due to exhaustion.  I prayed my way home as I drove the 45 minutes from our soccer game with a van full of tired, hungry children and a Mom who had nothing left to offer.  I asked for a priesthood blessing, and an hour later felt fine.  I have a grateful heart.

5.  Yesterday I drove my son and the two littlest ones to Heber for his soccer game.  (And they won! I was praying the entire game for a good experience.)  On our way through Provo Canyon I was awed by the beauty of the leaves and kicked myself several times for leaving my camera sitting at home.  My son and I both saw one view on the way home of the evening sunlight filtering through some red leaves that left us quiet with reverence for the beauty of our world.

6.  In spite of feeling lousy most of the week, I had a few opportunities to be of service, and a few moments when I recognized a reminder of Heavenly Father’s love for me, left behind where I would notice it.  I didn’t deserve them, but wholeheartedly accepted them.

7.  Tonight we packed a picnic dinner and headed back up the canyon (with camera in hand) for a few hours of basking in the scenery of the season.  It was a wonderful night.  We watched the moon rise over the red, orange and golden mountains before we headed home.


As I look back over the week, the overwhelming feeling that remains is the absolute fact that, when Mom is off her game, the whole family is off.  Whether I like it or not, so much depends on me.  That said, it’s also true that even when the house is a mess and we all feel disorganized, tired and stressed, if Mom can smile and find a way to see the good in every situation, the whole family pulls through.  So while our physical environment has taken some hits over the past 7 days, in general we’ve weathered it cheerfully and made some good memories along the way.  It’s been a good experience for me, one that has given me cause for reflection and also prompted yet another evaluation of my priorities.  One thing’s for sure:  I’m learning a lot.

And slowly, ever so slowly, I’m getting better at it.  The flashes of understanding and revelation are far ahead of our habits.  I know that insight is not change, but it’s a start, and I’m willing to work.

So we’re off on another week’s adventure.  My best wishes to you in yours.

Jennifer