Quick thoughts

So I didn’t get many pictures taken this week, which made me pause and try and remember what I did this week. It was so busy! Aside from gym trips nearly every day, I spent a good chunk of time running errands and working on the house, Maverick’s upcoming baptism, our trip to Hawaii that is now less than two weeks away, and a few but fulfilling moments with friends. Since Christmas, my girl friends and I have been so busy we haven’t had our weekly walks (also cause it has been quite cold until this week) or even our monthly game nights. Well we made up for it this week. We got pedicures on Wednesday which was lovely. I don’t remember the last time I got one. Then on Friday, I threw Andy a birthday party. We played two truths and a lie, but mostly just talked, ate homemade pizza (which turned out great, thanks for the recipe Sara!), and laughed A LOT! Saturday, after spending the morning helping my kids (mostly Mav 😉 work on their rooms, I had a church leadership training in the afternoon. It was good and focused on getting youth involved in the church. Afterwards, I zipped home, grabbed Andy and we headed to the comedian, Drew Lynch. Here’s my quick review of that. Drew was pretty hilarious. If you haven’t heard about him, he has a stutter, which can make for some great comedy, but also you admire him for his bravery in standing up in front of everyone and making jokes. Of course, his first hour was a recited skit, but still funny, but the last half hour he basically did open mic. I thought he was the most funny during this portion. It was a little weird because about forty five minutes into his bit he started over from the beginning and went about ten minutes in to his original bit. Then said, “Did you get the shot?” to his director, who then gave him the thumbs up and we moved on. He is trying to get a deal with Netflix, and I hope he gets it, but it was a little weird to have to listen to the same jokes a second time. The introductory comedians were not as great, which I guess is to be expected. The first one was adequate but chose cheap easy laughs and was too crass. The second was even more crass and not funny at all, but he bit was much shorter, so we were grateful when he got off the stage and we moved on to the reason we were there- Drew Lynch.

So, aside from the fun times this week, I was doing a lot of menial tasks that required very little brain power and a lot of physical effort, so I listened to audible. It’s my go to lately while folding laundry, doing dishes, mopping the floor, etc. I’m currently listening to the book Christy. I highly recommend it. My good friend, Holly, recommended it to me years ago, then brought it up again recently in a conversation we had and I thought to myself, alright I’m gonna listen to it! I’m glad I have! I am not quite finished, though close. In the picture above you’ll see a bit I highlighted. I borrowed the book from the library, but have mostly been listening to it, but I heard this bit and stopped what I was doing to take a picture and highlight it because it really resonated with me. I love being out in nature. It is rejuvenating and brings me so much peace and joy. I believe I have had some of my greatest moments with God while looking at the stars, the sunset, sunrise, the ocean waves, or the majestic mountains. I feel very blessed that I’ve seen a wide variety of God’s creations in person. This is mostly due to my dad’s adventurous spirit. He took us to countless state parks in Georgia, Utah, Hawaii, and more. He provided my way to live in Sienna, Italy where I had a very spiritual experience that gave me a desire and the courage to serve a mission. He paid my way to England and Scotland when I was 16. Most of the states I’ve visited are because of him. He even began a theater where I joined a traveling acting church group that would put on LDS firesides about a young couple who fell in love and brought an extended family to the gospel. We went to Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina (if I remember correctly) as well as across Georgia. Every Spring or fall we’d make the trek down to Panama City Beach, Florida for a family vacation since our extended family was so far away. We’d eat shrimp instead of turkey. Those are some of my favorite holidays growing up. While I never got to go to Alaska as a child, my dad traveled there a lot for work and a couple of times with my mom on vacation. He would bring back souvenirs and stories of the amazing wildlife of that huge state. When we moved across the country as a kid, we’d stop along the way, making it a journey rather than a trip. I know we stopped in Lake Powell, but I’m pretty sure we hit other state parks along the way as well as the not so exciting, “but hey I’ve been there,” four corners monument. Anyway, I’m grateful to my dad for providing those experiences, but also I am so grateful for the beauty of this earth. I see its majesty and it fills my soul with so much light I know it is from God.

As a side note, my mom says I’m not good at proofreading. She’s right. I don’t. I barely find time to write each week, but I do it to keep myself consistent and continue a record of our family’s life. So bear with me!