Super Sunday

Recipe for a Super Sunday:

Make it through teaching Relief Society lesson. Thank Heavenly Father for the gospel.

Gather all your favorite people:

Beautiful sister, Kelli,

Hailee and Kate,

Super Dad Brandt and Jilly Bean,

the Handsome Husband,

Jilly Bean and Emma (Jill's 'face coach'),

Beautiful Sister Jodi and Britty

My Momma,

an excuse to get together;

Birthday wishes for the college girl:

Mix in pizza on the grill, fresh peaches and raspberries, and Olive Garden salad.

Add a fire in the pit, golden toasted marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers

and then top it all off with the most perfect weather nature could possibly provide.

I am a happy, happy girlie.

I even heard this:

Talk about a 'cherry on top'!

Soccer on Saturday

Lucky me.  This is the way I spent my Saturday morning. Sitting in my lawn chair, basking in the sun, trying not to drink Gabe's water bottle, and loving watching my boy apply the skills of team play. (Check out the super cute player in the white jersey)

I also love watching this boy:

Gabe's friend and teammate Nick.

Note to the dad:

Traveling stinks.

You missed out.

Happy Birthday Britty

Brittney

Bold

Beautiful

Blue eyes to melt your soul

and a couple of little freckles around her cute nose

Loyal friend 

who can talk to people of all ages, races and creeds

Cool as a cucumber on the outside

but internalizes and worries inside

Casual and low-maintenance

Loves a sweatshirt instead of a sweater

flip-flops over a heel

and a pony-tail 

Plays harp from her heart

with precision and passion

i-pod listener and channel changer

tennis player and casual runner

snow skier and wake-boarder

sun-lover, tan seeker, cliff jumper

Loves to go new places

try new things. 

Supporter of missionary friends

and representative of the Lord

Relief Society member

Family night attender

Night owl

night reader

lover of wizards and vampires

Movie lover, popcorn eater

Fun seeker with a

Healthy appetite for food

and for life.

We miss Britt.

Hey Miss Britt...

We miss you. Do you miss us?

Scenes from a family night... without one member of our family.

Miss us?

Do you miss us now?

What about now?

A Birthday in Boston.

For my big 4-0 I was indulged (by my very indulgent hubbby) with a trip to Boston and Martha's Vineyard. I have been dreaming of visiting there for quite some time. I was not dissapointed. First day was Boston.

Next stop: Martha's (wet) Vineyard

"Enough!" you say.  Yet there is more. Oh, so much more....

THIS is what was waiting for me when I got home:

Reality? Check.

Let me just come right out with it. I'm 40. There was no stopping it. But it still just doesn't seem right that I am now the same age my own mother was when I got married because, honestly, she was...well...OLD. 

I had a few moments to think about this impending birthday several days ago. I wondered what it is that I could say that I have accomplished in these 40 years of living and what exactly I hoped to accomplish in the next 40? 

Do I wish there was more on the "What I have accomplished list"?. Truthfully, yes. But I am content to know that there is not a lot on the list of "What I Wish I Hadn't Done." Here are some of my most happy accomplishments:

*Graduation from High School in Texas without ever compromising my standards.

*Earning a diploma from Brigham Young University with a 2 year old and one in the oven.

*My marriage to my friend and husband of almost 20 years.

*My home

*My 4 kids

*Learning to slalom ski, snow ski, play tennis and golf.

*Getting up every morning rain, shine, cold, or snow to run.

*Learning to bake yummy breads and goodies.

*Making dinner for the fam 5 nights a week.

*Sewing the occasional apron, tablecloth, or halloween costume.

*Not ripping our lastest dog's head off for destroying all of my most expensive pillows, blankets, shoes, placemats, and baskets.

*Having the courage to call people on the phone. (Okay, so this is a work in progress, but I am MUCH better than I used to be).

*The time I spent with the Young Women in our area. 

*The wonderful friendships that I have developed. 

Accomplishments I would love to add to the next 40 years.

*See my children happy, healthy, contributing members of society.

*Learn a second language.

*Redo both upstairs bathrooms.

*Cure my scleraderma.

*Finally run a marathon, play tennis, do yoga, play golf, and all things physical once again.

*Read all 4 of the standard works.

*Serve a mission with my husband.

*Go on humanitarian trips with my husband and kids.

*Be a better wife, mother, sister, daughter and friend. (and I would add aunt, grandmother, mother-in-law etc.)

*Learn to be more artistic.

*Learn how to be a better cook, photographer, writer, gardener.

*Keep life in perspective. 

*Recognize and express gratitude for the blessed joy in my life everyday.

Angie.

This is my friend. If only you could all be so lucky. Wait a minute..many of you are. That is the kind of person she is...everyone she meets thinks of her as their friend. 

Angie took me to our favorite pancake house for my birthday breakfast. For a little over an hour, time took a back seat to the unloading of our hearts and the filling of our souls. Ahhh, the world has been set right again.

Some things I love about Angie... (or "How to be a good friend")

*She's real. There is no pretense. 

*She's funny. Plus, she can laugh at herself.

*She's beautiful. She has great shoes.

*She makes being domestic an art form to be envied. Not kidding. She makes you want to bake your own bread, quilt, smock, embroider, sew, scrapbook and cook.

*She listens and then she acts. (This is where you have to be careful with what you tell Angie.  "So you're feeling overwhelmed?" "Well, I'll just come over and clean out your storage room for you." "So, your hands hurt? Leave the sheets and I'll put them on the bed." "Not feeling well? Here's a 5 course meal to tide your family over.")

*She loves being a mom and reminds you that you really do too. 

*She has so much faith.  She shares her testimony in all that she does but is never preachy or self-righteous. 

*She asks your opinion-even when she doesn't need it.

*She lets her kids and husband hug on her, lay on her, and sit on her lap and she acts like she doesn't even mind. 

*She brings me diet cokes-just because. 

*She has handsome and talented boys the same ages as my two girls and would make a fabulous mother-in-law.

*And in the words of Dan Garland...she is that friend who gives me a sense not only of who I am but what I truly can become.

GOOD Morning.

As Jordan left this morning, he grumbled something about how "it" never ends. The "it" of course is the "daily grind," the monotony of daily life and stress. We reminded each other that "it" is why we must find joy in the little moments of everyday life. Those "tender mercies" from above...

Today, mine just happened to be in this bowl.

Christian said it was the best breakfast he ever had.

To blog? Or not to blog? That is the question.

What am I doing? Is this stupid that I'm starting a blog? Well...It is a good way to keep in touch with Britty who's away at college and the hubs who travels extensively, and extended family...but what if someone else reads it?....but what if no one else reads it?....