Dan's Happy Birthday

 My "baby" turned 14 on the 29th of August.  It turned out to be a pretty good birthday for him.

Kayli made Dan some ginger cookies and Dan and I made peach sorbet.  He got to blow out some trick candles.

Then he got to blow out his trick candles again and again!

I took this picture of him wearing his new shirt.  His hands are covering some of the letters.  It says ANIMATION.  Dan loves animating things on the computer.

This is a bench for his art desk.  Honestly.  His art desk is mostly used as a catch all for stuff, but I refinished this bench for him and I think it turned out pretty cool!

This is a picture Dan took of most of his other presents.  It was a good present year for Dan.

Dan's favorite gift was probably the gift of an adventure.  He wanted to ride a horse!  Thankfully we know nice people who own horses and who gave Dan the chance to ride one.  This is our friend Dave (also our builder) who is leading Dan.

This is Kayli, Derek and Jake headed to the zip line that they went on even on this windy evening.  We also visited some pigs and horses and cows and saw the chickens.

Dave was trying to teach Dan how to saddle a horse.  Dave rode the dark brown horse and Dan rode the other one and we can't remember their names!  Kayli rode the light colored horse too.  Dave told Dan and Kayli both that "next time"...

Dan wondered if Dave was going to call and have them come again.  I think probably we will call and see if we can go again.

Dan is a smart boy with a good heart.  He loves to tell people about the things he is interested in, which unfortunately, often go right over our heads.  He loves animals and enjoys communicating with cousins and friends when he can.  We love him and hope he has a happy year to go with his happy birthday!

Mike Had a Birthday Shout Hooray!!!!

 Mike (my son-in-law) had a birthday the day after my Mom!  We didn't really get to celebrate until almost a week later -- but it's never too late to celebrate!  

I pulled out my cake decorating skills and made Mike a cake.  I tried an experiment of mixing vanilla and chocolate frosting for a swirl effect.  Mike wanted a piece with a rose.

Mike opening his presents while sitting next to Tia.

I like how he makes getting Mountain Dew look like the best gift ever.  I just wanted something to wrap his gift card with!

This exciting present was a remote control flying thing with motion sensors so it can be controlled with your hand.  It worked pretty well and Teddy wasn't allowed to catch it.

Mike with his cake and Connor looking on from the exercise bike.

Mike blowing out his candles.  He did not want trick ones.  And I really think sympathetic candle blowing is a thing.  I think I always capture other people who look like they are blowing too!

We are happy that Mike is in our family.  We love him.

Can You Win An Argument With Yourself?

Maybe I should be asking if you ever argue with yourself?  I do.  A LOT!  It is exhausting!  The funny thing is, I am often arguing with myself against my own harsh thoughts -- but I always seem to lose!  How can that be?  Well, I am learning that arguing just isn't the way to go.  I should know that because I hate arguing out loud.  How could it possibly be helpful just because nobody else is hearing the argument?

Here's an example argument.  Something that could easily happen while I'm hiking.  "Wow.  I am slow and exhausted.  I am pathetic.  I really should have exercised more."  Then my own answer to myself, "Stop thinking like that!  You should think of something else.  Be grateful!  Look.  A tree!  You like trees!  And you can walk!  Some people can't!"

Have I successfully argued anything?  Only maybe that I "should" be better at pretty much everything.  That "should" word should stay out of arguments!  

So what am I learning to try instead?  Listening to my thoughts like I am my own friend, and treating myself accordingly.  If a friend said to me, "Wow.  I am slow and exhausted.  I am pathetic.  I really should have exercised more." and I knew their situation as well as I know my own, I might say, "I'm so sorry you are feeling pathetic, I don't think that is true!  Everything seems so hard when you're tired!  Lets take a break until we feel more ready to go on."  I could even go so far as to point out the legitimate reasons energy may be low, or the exercise I do manage to do to help with energy.

It turns out that, if I am as compassionate with myself as with a friend, there is nothing to argue about.  There is just kindness and understanding, which helps get rid of the harsh feelings that crop up and try to take over my life.  

On an unrelated note.  Guess who is getting married Friday!!! Yay for Connor and Amanda!

Foreboding Joy

Tia, Dan (in the back), Kayli, and Trisa with Chewy in the back too.

This has nothing to do with this post, I just liked this picture taken on the way to a hike in Payson Canyon.

 Have you ever felt joy, and almost immediately squashed it with, "What ifs?"  I think most of us have tried this as a technique for not getting hurt.  We somehow believe if we don't have the joy of hope, we won't hurt as badly when we don't get what we really can't help hoping for.  Instead we think of all of the things that might, and, in our minds, probably will go wrong, which I know from experience does NOT make the hurting any less if bad things happen. 

I have had some experience with this before, once rather recently.  We are working on building a house.  I had the feeling that if we worked for it, and did what we could to move forward, that things would work out.  I found a lot of joy in the moving forward until the "what ifs" started to rear their ugly heads.  What if we can't afford the house we want to build?  What then?  What if I end up feeling stupid, frustrated and afraid?" And then I read about foreboding joy in Daring Greatly by Brene' Brown and realized I was squashing my joy to protect myself -- to try to avoid being too disappointed if something does happen that we didn't want to happen. So what is the solution?

Gratitude.  I need to remember that I am not superstitious.  I do not believe that feeling joy is going to cause something bad to happen.  I believe in God.  Joy is a gift, and therefore the proper response is not "what ifs" -- it is "Thank You".  Thanks to God who is giving me whatever opportunity that brings joy.  Trust that if my joy turns into -- "uh oh, what now?" He has my back.  He will help guide me to the next joyful thing and it will be okay.  

Being Real and Beautiful

Derek and I in the Uintas at Provo Falls

There is a quote in The Velveteen Rabbit that I really like.  The end of it says that "...once you are Real, you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."  I think this is true.  There are always going to be people to judge us on what we look like, or what we have or haven't accomplished, but there are also going to be those who love us and think that who we are is beautiful.  

I know that I have often been a harsh judge of myself, but if people know how harsh I am with myself, are they going to believe me when I am not harsh with them?  If I can't see my own beauty, what is to make someone believe I can see theirs?  It was a bit of an "Aha!" moment yesterday when I was thinking of this.  I have justified being harsh with myself, because I am NOT harsh with others.  I seem to see other people's beauty (of character and looks) a lot easier than I see my own.  

The thing is this.  God created me, and He created you, and He loves us.  We are all "fearfully and wonderfully made"(Psalms 139:14).  We have every reason to praise Him because when we are Real (loved), we are beautiful.

The House We Moved Out Of

 

Derek and I and our then much younger family built and moved into this house at the end of February 1998 and moved out at the end of July 2020.  I took lovely pictures of all of the rooms so that we could use them to sell the house, and I thought I'd put them on my blog so we would have a record of what our house looked like (minus the usual clutter) right before we moved out.

This is the "Piano Room" -- mostly used for playing the piano or reading / doing computer things in the chairs.

The Master Bedroom

Jake's room.  The place he liked to be better than almost anywhere.

Kayli's room -- sometimes referred to as her "Cave".

The Library which used to be a kitchenette, and will be again before too long.

The downstairs family room.  Many hours of fun have been had doing tricks on the giant balls, playing the Wii, and making forts have been spent in this room!

Upstairs "Main" Bathroom -- the one everyone was hopeful we had cleaned when they needed to use it :-)

Dan's room, which had at one time been Trisa's and Connor's.

The upstairs family room.  Many pictures were taken in front of the fireplace, including the annual Christmas Eve Pajama picture.

Family / Dining / Kitchen.  It was almost never this tidy, but it witnessed a lot of life.

Ah, I like how this kitchen looks when it's clean!  It is much different than the one we originally chose with it's white floors, tan countertops, white appliances, and oak cabinets!

The "Guest" room which in this picture was Connor's room.

The Laundry Room.  Just imagine how many loads of laundry have been done in this room in over 22 years!  For the last few years we've averaged probably 8 loads or more a week.

The office.  This is where Derek worked during Covid 19 until we moved.  Now he works in the unfinished basement of the rental.  This room was a bedroom for years.

The storage room where food, decorations, paint, and miscellaneous other things have been kept over the years.

This is the green backyard.  There was a firepit near my feet when I took the picture.

And last -- the pantry.  We couldn't keep the door shut to save our lives, and it became a joke that when Derek came home from work and came in through the garage, he was greeted by an open pantry door.  The kids used to run and open it if they heard him coming if the door was miraculously closed in the first place!

We have loved this house, and the people we have met while living there!  All of our boys were born while we lived in this house!  Now it is time to take the happy memories, hopefully keep all of the friends we have made, and move on with the next adventure!

Live For God

Derek and me on our 32 Anniversary adventure in May
In front of the Jordan River Temple where we were married.

Me and Derek
We went to the conservation gardens in West Jordan.  It was fun.

I haven't written in a long time.  So many important things have come and gone, and we are in the middle of busy, stressful, joyful things.  Not only did we decide that during what we affectionately(?) call "The Apocalypse" was a good time to sell our house, I also decided this was a good time to go off one of my anti-depressants and caffeine to try to figure out what side affects are coming from which of my medicines.  I haven't quite pulled off the caffeine yet since for sure I get super pounders once I get down to less than 30 mg a day.  Still -- progress has been made.  Connor is getting married to Amanda next month, it is time to register Dan for school, and we are trying to keep everything in the yard alive until we move and can pass that responsibility to someone else.

Connor turned 22.  That's how old Derek was when we got married!  Connor will be
almost two months older when he marries Amanda than Derek was when he married me!

Dan, Connor, and Amanda for the "This is what Connor got for his birthday" picture.
Teddy is there too of course.

I have felt a huge variety of emotions, sometimes all on the same day.  This morning I woke up with my head pounding and received the immediate tender mercy of hearing my sister Tina (via Marco Polo) saying how much she wished she could come help me, and a little later my sister Jenny talking about how exhausting it is to move.  I cried -- but mainly because I felt thankful to have people I love talking to me, and caring about me.  Life is so busy and complicated and the people we love make a huge difference!

Here are some of the people I love!  Trisa, Jake, Tia and Mike.
I love the animals too.  Jake is snuggling with Teddy, and Mike is by Chewy.

This day was very productive.  A lot got done, but as I went at noon to pick up my groceries I was feeling tired and stressed.  The Christian radio station was on and someone was giving a talk about "getting on the love train".  Mainly he was saying that Heavenly Father sent His son who died for us and who loves us.  Essentially, once we accept Christ, we are His.  We are living for Him.  I don't even know if I can explain well how comforting I found this.  I think that it reminded me of God's character -- His compassion and love.  It reminded me of the fact that we are here to love.

The last year I get to take a picture of my rose bush.

God created us, and He knows what He has to work with when we are living for Him.  He doesn't expect us help everyone, and solve world hunger, and create world peace all by ourselves!  He doesn't even really expect us to get through hard days with a perma-grin -- because I'm pretty sure if we tried that our grins would start to look like grimaces.  He loves us for who we are, and He loves to help us help others and to help us become the best us possible.  I love Him, and I love those who share good messages of God's love to remind me in the midst of a chaotic time that I can live for God, and love the best I can, and that what I can do is good enough.

More of the roses!
Love to you from me!

Jake Graduates From High School

Jake technically graduates from Salem Hills High School on Thursday, but he already has his diploma and he doesn't plan on attending graduation. I am still hoping to get him in his cap and gown before he has to take the gown back -- but it might be hard to get Jake to put on anything called a "gown"!

Jake would prefer that I not say anything about him. He doesn't really love being the center of attention, and would be okay if nobody knew he was graduating. He missed going to school with his friends but smiled really big when he knew he didn't have to attend graduation! Jake is a very good person and we are very proud of him.

Jake has always been exceptionally coordinated, and he finally figured out that fact and has enjoyed taking various physical education classes. He likes to run and is good at it. The track coach tried to convince him to do track -- but he preferred not to. He has taken a few college classes and I am impressed that he was able to finish his college math class at home during quarantine and get an A.

One of my very favorite things about Jake is that he is a really, really great brother. He loves his siblings -- who love him back. If Kayli sees a spider she says "Jake, Jake, Jake, Jake!" and he comes and takes care of it. He is really great at fixing things and figuring out how things should go together. He is great at helping around the house and has a great sense of humor. We love Jake!

The Opposites in Happiness

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

I like thinking about happiness, as may be evident by the fact that last year I focused on "living after the manner of happiness" and this year I am contemplating joy.  For Mother's Day Trisa bought me a book that I wanted called 52 Lists for Happiness by Moorea Seal, and I have been reading (not for the first time) The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  I really enjoy thinking about happiness and joy, and what kinds of things I can do to bring more of those things to me, and to others.

The very first list I am to make in the 52 Lists for Happiness book is what makes me happy now.  As I have been thinking about, and writing this list, I discovered that sometimes happiness is found in total opposites and so what makes me happy right now, might not make me happy tomorrow. 

Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash

I find a lot of happiness in having the sun shining.  I like the warmth, I like lifting my face up and feeling its rays warm my skin.  I find sunshine to be cheerful and comforting.  On the other hand, I also love dark clouds, and pounding thunder storms.  I like gentle rains that smell fresh and new.  These can remind me of God's power and how He takes care of me.

Photo by michael podger on Unsplash

I love talking to people, but I also love solitude.  I love organizing which means that I can see a room stacked full of mess and, if I have energy, can be happy at the idea that I can make it better!  Sometimes books where I can learn a little something helpful make me happy, and other times they just seem like work, and it is something romantic and funny that brings out the happiness.

In The Happiness Project Gretchen sometimes talks about finishing a nagging task.  Obviously, the nagging task itself doesn't bring happiness -- or it would likely already be done.  But finishing something that I've been dreading does bring happiness -- or at least enough relief that it feels happy!

Add to all of this the fact that helping others is often a great way to feel happy, but if I am tired, and hungry then helping others might seem like a chore because I feel more like I need to be taken care of than like I should take care of someone else.  That's not to say I shouldn't help when I don't feel like it, but I think I do need to take into account whether or not I have taken care of myself.  Maybe eating a sandwich and taking five minutes before I go to help can help me be a more willing and better helper!

I suspect that if there were not ever rain, I would not enjoy the sun as much, and if I was always alone, I would not enjoy solitude at all.  It is fun to find things that make me happy.  It is also fun to discover that if I look at the opposite thing, I might find something else that makes me happy.   I also might find something I don't enjoy like sickness which helps my happiness by helping me to appreciate and find joy in health.

I didn't know what to end with -- so here are some happy horses!

Derek Had a Birthday

Derek with his Ginger cookie.  The homemade peach ice cream was too soft for holding a cookie with a candle.  

You will probably notice as you go through these pictures that Derek has a real stubborn streak when it comes to looking at the camera.

Here is the blown out candle and that is Jake relaxing in the background.

This present was from Dan (except he still needs to work to earn the $s I paid for it :-)
It says To:  Dan Man.  The Present you always wanted.

And here it is.  A helicopter.  That was Trisa and Kayli's first guess!

This was on May 6th.  On Derek's actual birthday he made us all dinner, and cleaned it up and then we went and the boys and Trisa hit some balls at Peteetneet.  Tia and Mike were not there.  It was their 2nd anniversary.  They came on the 6th and made us all some yummy churros to go with our ice cream and cookies.   That day I bought pizza so Derek didn't have to make his own dinner on both days of birthday celebration!

Is God Really There?

The other evening, after a particularly hard day, I sat in bed flipping the pages in my scriptures, trying to find a thought I could share the next morning in a Zoom meeting.  I felt listless, and discouraged, and nothing struck the right chord until I read Mosiah 4:9

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."

Peace settled over me as I read this.  It reminded me that just because I can't understand why something is or isn't happening doesn't mean that there isn't some good that can come from the way things are.  It also reminded me that just because, in any given moment, I might not feel believing, I can choose to believe!