schedule change

I was thinking about my life just a month ago and how things have changes.
School schedules, church schedules, activities schedules, work schedules...just about anything I once had down has been turned over.

Let me just compare my morning schedules for now.

Sahuarita Monday schedule
5:15ish - 6:00 am - kiss Luke goodbye as he drives off to work for the rest of the week and then go Run!
6:10 am - Wake kids, Feed Kids, Make Lunches for Kids, Kiss kids
6:45 am - Be at Bus Stop just down the road.
7:00 am - Help Lainie get ready for school
7:28 am - Shut the door behind Lainie on her way to the same bus stop, only this time for Middle Schoolers
7: 35 am - Wake Memphis, feed him, dress him and then I get Breakfast.
8:00 am - Drive to the Church for the weekly Volleyball games with the ladies from the Stake.
8:30 am - 11:00am - Play vball with wonderful ladies and 6 to 8 Missionaries from our area.
11:00am - 2:30pm - Fix lunch, Clean house quickly, take a nap & Shower.
2:30pm - Walk to bus stop to collect the three younger kids, take them home and have a snack and start homework.
3:30pm - big sister gets home from school so we fix another snack
4:30pm - panic because I don't have dinner planned..fix quesadillas quickly and leave for soccer.
5:00pm- 7:00pm Soccer practise for the older 4 kids, coach the boys team and try to keep an eye of Memphis.
7:30pm - Quick 2nd dinner, showers, prayers
8:15pm - BED for the kids
9:00pm - BEd for Mom

Mesa Monday Schedule
5:30am Run with Luke around the neighborhood
6:30am Make lunches for all the kids and Luke
6:45am Kiss Luke as he leaves for work for the day
7:00am Shower
7:15am Wake the kids, Help the find socks, do hair and have b-fast
8:00am - walk all 4 kids to the bus just around the corner
8:10am - Feed Memphis and I some oatmeal and turn on Fox News for the daily's
9:30am - Unpack a few boxes, dust the house, vacuum.
10:00am - 12:00pm - maybe read, or hang a picture, or sit with little guy
12:00pm - Take a nap with Memphis
3:30pm - Walk to the bus for the kids, return to feed them a snack
4:00pm - Start Homework
4:30pm - Kids go out to play and I panic because I don't have dinner planned yet. I avoid the kitchen and just await LUke's arrival.
4:45pm - Luke gets home
5:pm - Kids still play outside and I really panic because I still haven't started dinner
5:30pm - Start dinner and laundry and dishes all at once ( I didn't have any free time during the day) (:
6:20pm - dinner
6:30pm finish up homework/reading for the kids
7:30pm - shower, pj's and think about bed.
8:00pm - bed for kids
9:00pm - Bed for ME!

Then the Groundhog day starts again!
I feel like I have gained 10 lbs with all my free time during the day. I use to volunteer at the school twice a week and with volleyball twice a week and then watching neighbors kids so that mama can get to her child's class....well...I jsust want to eat!

My goal this week is to find the keys to our church and start a volleyball group here in my area for Mondays and Fridays. AND....only eat when I am hungry.

Here's to being busy.

The Same Only Different

I went for a hike with my family just a few days ago and taught myself a lesson!

It's amazing what happens in a brain when you start thinking.

I love to see things in nature and learn a "natural" lesson or learn something about life that has always been there, you just have to see it differently.

Would you believe that these two paths are the exact same? 

I could hardly believe it when I came back down the trail. I remember the stairs on my way up the hike...but when I came to this path on the way back down, I said out loud to my  Lover, "I don't remember this part of the trail". He said "it's the stairs that we went up." I didn't believe him until we got to the bottom of the rock path and I looked back up the trail and sure enough confirmed that it was the same.

It kind of surprised me that I didn't see it from the top.

But, I didn't!

I had to stop and take a photo of the paths that were the same...only different, depending on how you saw it!

 

I instantly started thinking about the past few months and the different conversations that I have had with different people in my life. Women that I long to be like, woman that I strive to be like, woman that enrich my life, woman that are working to get right with life, woman that encompass such passion for life, woman that are all about strength, woman that are working to get out of a hole, woman that are cruising along in life & woman that just are trying to keep their head above water.

I had a conversation with a great friend of mine. She has just recently had a great loss in her life. We started thinking about pushing ourselves to places that are scary. We talked about the responsibility that comes with going there,  and how things are scary when you know you have to go to those places within yourself, but just don't know how you can get there.

We discussed the possibility of failure when we start a task and how scary that can be. And so we avoid starting, so we don't fail. but in the same breath we talked about how that's not where we want to be in our lives right now...yet it's so scary. We don't want to fail...but how can we fail if we don't try?
How could we find the strength within us to push past the "not wanting to fail" point and just do it?
How can we sort through different thoughts in our minds/lives/Spirit?
Where do we put them?
Is it to much to deal with?
Could we do it?
Our lives, at this current junction are very different. She is mourning a loss of a family member and I am mourning my losses or changes that are small in comparison but...seem to effect me.
We talked about different ways we can sort though things in our minds and lives and what seems to work for us individually. Each having different things to sort through.
Is it: Writing, Reading, Praying, Running, Drawing, Pondering, Meditating, talking, sleeping?

I have thought about this conversation and how we are so different and then in the end when you look at things from a different angle, we are very much the same.

Don't get me wrong...I am NOT in ANY way comparing our lives and our struggles and trying to make light of her situation. I am just saying...we are a both daughters of a loving Father in Heaven that wants us to make our lives brighter and lighter. And I believe HE is cheering for us to figure this life out so we can return to loved ones.

I think about another friend of mine that has gone through life changing experiences over the past 2 years. She has taught me so much about living life to it's fullest, loving your family beyond and just being content and excepting of ME. I have learned from her that some things just DON"T matter.
Really the saying "don't sweat the small stuff" is a lesson I am learning from her.
I have learned that even with her challenges we are the same.
We have so much in common when it comes to striving to be closer to the Spirit. We might be in our different elements and parts of life and we look different...but we're the same.
She is such a wonderful example to me on listening to the Spirit and just being willing to hear promptings that will guide her through out the day. That's what I strive for....therefore we are the same. Two women trying to do and be better within ourselves.

So many different conversation with so many different woman over the past few months that have overloaded my brain. I get overwhelmed with the information that I feel like I need to learn. I feel like the Lord is putting me in different places to learn something so important.
One thing I am seeing that is similar with all these friendships and relationships and encounters is that we are all living this life that we sometimes feel we are all alone and nobody could possibly understand what we are feeling. BUT...when we are honest with those we trust and love...we can start to see that we are so much a like.

I love that.
So, my goal this year is to see things differently. Step back and try to see the similarities that are there between me and another person.
Try to be more transparent in my life.

Let people know I love them, appreciate them and that we are never alone.

MLK Day

Today we had NO school and NO work so we decided to get out of the house and discover for ourselves some new places around our new home. I had heard a few things about this "Usery Pass Park" just north of us about 10 miles and so off we went.

We decided on a 3 mile, round trip "easy" hike that everyone did fantastic on...even Memphis. It ended up to be pretty steep in some places but over all...manageable. Memphis walked a bit of the way and Luke or I carried him on our shoulders. I should give Luke more credit...he carried him most the way. At one point I put Memphis on my shoulders right when a group of people walked by. They looked at Luke walking ahead of us and I could just hear their thoughts. I know they were thinking "why is this guy allowing his wife to carry that child on her shoulders while he carries a jacket and a small backpack." I informed Luke of my mind reading skills and so he made sure they knew I just put him on my shoulders. I had to laugh out loud. "UM...yeah, she just started carrying him....I have carried him up and down, until now".
The older lady just laughed and said "Yeah, right." She was joking...but it was funny.

The kids did great and had a blast. They were exhausted and many complained, when we were finished, that their feet were HOT. (ya think?)
The weather was amazing the views were over all the valley...which was super cool.
We could see the Cardinals stadium way over in West Phoenix, the Downtown Buildings, San Tan Mountains & almost to Tucson (:

Good times for a day off school and work!

Christmas 2011

Christmas this year was ultra special for me.

There was an amazing Spirit that was with  me for the month of November and Dec.

Even with all the hustle and bustle of shopping, living the weeks with the children by myself. Luke still working in Mesa during the week and then coming home for Sat. and Sunday. Even with what could of been a crazy life....there was something sobering about this season.

It could of been that there was so much on my mind.

When traveling home to Utah for Thanksgiving I stopped by my cousins home and we just talked for a few hours about life and family. I was informed that she is fighting for her life. She is suffering from a SUPER rare blood disease that can be fatal. Five People in the US have this disease and she is one of them...they are on these crazy study groups and meds.  She has been fighting for her life..with the help of her family and wonderful husband. But it seems that the church/community hasn't known about her plight and so there has been no outside help. She is a teacher at the school in a small community and their should be help....but knowing my cousin the way I do. She "thinks" she can do it all by herself. (sounds familiar) Anyhow...she is strong and is going to win this battle...but it's taking a toll on her. I was amazed by the lessons that she is learning and teaching others. I am amazed by her Spirit of resilience and determination. She touched my being wtih her knowledge of the Gospel and the love that Heavenly Father has for us. She is amazing!!

While I was getting ready to leave her home...I received a text that there was an accident at one of my dear friends home back in Sahuarita. Her son had been injured and had been life flighted to the Hospital. My heart was already full  and then this just sent it overflowing with love, pain, sorrow, humility & pray. I still had an 1+ to drive with no service and it was so nerve racking not knowing what was going on back in AZ. I knew I couldn't do anything for this family and so I prayed and drove in a quiet car as my children slept. My thoughts between two families ,  my cousin and my friend. Both fighting for life!

My heart was so soft that evening! I later found out that my sweet friend had lost her son in this tragedy. He was 18 months old and went back to live with his family in Heaven. He was a doll and he was Luke's church buddy. So sad!

With this on my mind over the past few months and then to top it off...I was moving my family away from a place that we love. Nothing in comparison to the trials of my friends and family...but a thorn in our families shoes, at this time.  A place, my kids have known as home for 3 years. A place they have developed friends and talents and courage. So I have been slightly melancholy bout that as well. 

Christmas morning we decided to get the kids up early, church being at 7:30am, get dressed and then head on down the street to the Chapel. We allowed the kids to check out the tree and see if there was a gift from Santa for them. All of them found one, except Shelby, of course. IT was there...she just didn't look hard enough. 

Off we went to Church...Sacrament Only on this day. We sat there with the Spirit thick in the air. Everyone sitting there in their pews. Some barely awake, some dressed to the nines in their new church clothes...but it didn't matter...we were all there and that Spirit could hardly be choked down.

The Primary children sang a few songs for us, a few Christmas stories were read then the closing pray was given. OH...I couldn't breath during this pray. The family that had just lost their little 18 month old...the big daddy of the family offered us our closing pray. What a pray. I felt like I was sitting in Heaven. It could of been the man giving the prayer, it could of been his words, it could of been his families situation at this time, it could of been that this was our last Sunday among these wonderful people,  it could of been this time of year, it could of been all our hearts were turned the the Savior on this morning. 

I think all of thee above were in effect. 

Whatever it was...it was beautiful and set the mood for the entire day...for me!

Once we got home..we changed back into our pj's, had breakfast and got busy on opening gifts. We opened them one at a time...watching carefully as everyone opened their gifts and their reactions. We just sat there in our family room enjoying the day. Not rushed, not crazy, not sugared out (YET). We enjoyed one another and I so enjoyed this morning!

We spent the rest of the day goofing off in the house with one another, sleeping, having a wonderful Christmas/Sunday dinner around the table....and of course ending the day with a sugar high.

PERFECT!

Christmas Eve PJ's



Christmas morning!