PROCRASTINATION

I love the mail. (MONDAYS ONLY) I love the sound of the mailman coming around the corner. Then I hear his sliding door open and shut. If it is Monday, that means we are getting a letter from our missionary. He officially has his flight plans and will be calling us next Monday during his layover. He is calling between 2 and 3:30 so don't call (I really don't get calls during the day anyway), I can't answer. Pretty exciting. He is loving life and his big excitement is wondering which Apostle will be speaking to the elders and hermanas at the MTC for Thanksgiving. I know part of him is dying to be playing in the Turkey Bowl but the fact that he is looking for the good makes a mom's heart proud. Grateful for letters from my son is the though for Tuesday.

Monday I didn't write but here goes. On Monday mornings, I teach a water aerobics class. As I was leaving with my wet suit and towel wrapped around my lower half, I noticed a blind man with a stick wandering through the parking lot. I asked him if I he needed some help. (Obviously if he was blind he could not see my hot body in the lime green swim suit so I had no qualms about talking to him) He said he was looking for the Dept. of Rehab.. He was in the wrong parking lot so I told him I could help him around the corner where the building he needed to go to was located. He said he would love some help so off we went. It took about 10 minutes, so I did a good deed and had a chance to contemplate all that I have that is good and the laundry was able to wait for 10 minutes. The simple things like arms, legs, eyes, and all the things that work just because I am blessed. So thank you to Heavenly Father for an amazing body that only stops working when I stop taking care of it.

Today I am thankful for---

What am I thankful for today? I have so many choices, but right now it is a clean sink. I just dumped lots and lots of ajax in my sink and scrubbed all the nasties away. My fridge is a mess. My bathrooms are worse than the fridge but if anyone stops by I will tell them "close your eyes and look at this beautiful sink", No dishes or tootpaste remnants just sparkling white ceramic.

A Week Of Thanksgiving

Every night when I say my prayers, I thank my Heavenly Father for our home that gives us shelter and keeps us safe. Often I think my children wonder why I continually thank Heavenly Father for this blessing of shelter and comfort. This picture speaks volumes as to why every day and every night I will continue to thank him for what I have. Tonight I am speaking on budgeting and Christmas (which is pretty much an oxymoron and a topic that no one should have to listen to) but it has given me time to think about what I have and what I do with what I have. I gave my children some suggestions about what they could give me for Christmas and I am adding this one. Anything from hopeprojects.net- I think a goat is a fun gift. My sister and her family as well as my parents have been involved with this charity for years and everything given goes directly to help villagers improve their village. I am hoping that as my children read about others and their struggles to survive they will come to understand that a daily prayer offering thanks is really a gift to ourselves as we slow down enough to realize all we need is right around us. Be grateful, more grateful today for one thing than you were yesterday.

2 Weeks/2 Months

Well in 2 weeks Elder D Jordan Urmston will be in Paraguay. I have to apologize to all the people who told me that the time would go fast. (I wanted to tell them "that was only because they didn't love their missionary as much as I loved mine") So here it goes, you were right and I was wrong. We are almost 1/12 of the way through this wonderful experience and it really has been more than wonderful. Some pointers for the mothers of young boys. #1 Make your sons learn to type. Really type, where your fingers are on the right keys and your eyes are on the keyboard. Jordan is able to type a very small letter and then his friend with typing skills can send home a discourse. I am happy for the letter for the message still is there but the details are pretty sketchy. #2 Read them the Book of Mormon. Jordan ends every letter with the church is true and the book is blue-So if any of you have an old blue Book of Mormon I will trade you a batch of homemade rolls for it so it can go in his Christmas pkg. #3 Hug all over them everyday (tears rolling down my chubby cheeks) cause even if they still let you hug them when they are in high school when they leave and aren't around to hug it really hurts. Okay I have to stop!!! The words are all blurry and my mouth is not enjoying the salty sensation of the tears.
The 2 month is in reference to Courtney. Courtney is now getting married in January and not June. I haven't posted this even though I have known for a month is because I am in a brain spin. I love this girl and she is marrying a wonderful young man who treats her the way you want a young man to treat your daughter. I am in major stress mode and am thinking that I might need an addiction to make it through planning a wedding in 2 months. Marc thinks only having two months of a stressed out wife is not such a bad thing. Obviously he doesn't understand shopping for a wedding dress with a daughter is something that will take me two months to decompress from.

Original Family Runner

Before there were Marathon Runners, Triathletes, All-American Swimmers, League Champion Football Players-there was a little girl who loved to run and run and run. She would go to the back of the pack and wait for the right time and then run like the race was a sprint. With her proud parents watching-Dad at the edge yelling encouragement and Mom yelling encouragement into the camera, she would thrill us everytime. Well she did it again. She has coached many fantastic runners to a few valley championships,but today she decided she would try running a race for herself. Only four months after giving birth to a new baby boy, she ran a Half-Marathon. As her father I am amazed (amazed that anyone enjoys running or wants to go through that punishment)! Well, there she was. She finished the race, very tired, but proud that she could still do it. Time to run 13.2 miles-Me-still running into next week-Nicole- 2 hours and 8 minutes. Way to go Nicole, I am proud of you. Love Dad

A Grateful Mom

It is so hard to breathe when I sob. Is this a personal challenge or does everyone else have this problem? I have been reading cjane for months and praying everyday for this sweet wonderful family who are daily an example for me. Today while blog hopping (it is my defiance to the house I don't want to clean)I came across another family whose life has been turned upside down and they have turned to the Lord and the internet full of angel blogger. Visiting the sites I do gives me great faith that the Lord knows we are doing a pretty good job on this earth,even with it's messed up problems. I just want to keep going forward-loving my family-loving the Lord and trying to then keep going forward when I lose my focus on why I am here on this earth. It's a test and sometimes I forget that and think that I signed up for a "day at the beach". With Thanksgiving right around the corner and then Christmas, I want to look at life and find all the big and little reasons to be grateful. Then when my children ask what I want for Christmas, this year I can have a new answer. Every year I tell them a clean house and happy kids is what I want. They always roll their eyes and I do get happy kids most days but the clean house wish is pretty sketchy. I want them to donate to either one of these families or to the perpetual education fund. These blogs have touched my life for good and I hope that by my children perhaps reading about these families they can learn that even when life is hard LIFE IS GOOD. If you want an emotional cleansing go visit Mia or CJane.

Is it True?

Oh my baby boy is 15. 15 is not quite sixteen but it is peeking around the corner and I want it to go away. My sweet, adorable, funny, huggable, Logan is 15. It took me a whoe day to post because when I think about it I want to cry. In my mind he is still the little boy looking up at Mom with those big brown eyes. In reality he is a teenager who snickers at "that's what she said" opportunities. I love and adore this boy and the fact that he loves his family and cousins so stinkin' much. He loves to hang out with his friends and wants to find a game of basketball, football, baseball, or soccer everyday so he can play. He runs non-stop for 14 hours and then drops dead into bed. He lights up our home with his laughter and I feel lucky to be his mom!