Valentines's Day - We Skipped it

This year I was just too busy/tired/distracted to think much about Valentine's Day.  I let Glade know a day or so in advance that I was letting him off the hook this year.  I thought I might regret it as the day went on, but I didn't!  It was actually nice to not be thinking about it.  My kids school was brilliant this year and is having their party this Friday.  So, I waited till the day after and bought my kids Valentine's for 50% off.  Sweet!  Some years I really care,  but not this one.  Happy Non-Valentine's Day to us!!

On a side note, I bought chocolate at that same low price and have eaten almost all of it.  Not good.  Since I took a break from dieting, it's been hard getting back to it.  I could really just eat chocolate all day long.  Did I mention "not good!"?  Must. Re. Commit.

Tissue Please

I have had many reasons to need a tissue these last couple of months.  I'm not sure exactly the rhyme or reason  for all of it, but my emotions have definitely been on the surface.  Almost a day doesn't go by that I don't tear up for some reason or another.  So when the opportunity came to go see a warm and fuzzy chick flick with my girlfriends, I was so happy to have an outlet to just let the tears flow.  Nope.  Not a single tear.  Seriously??  I felt it, but the eyes were dry.  Ok, so maybe I've finally got a handle on all this emotion that's been so prevalent in my life.  That's a good thing!

So I thought.  We have been going through a lot of changes with our ward splitting these last weeks.  There are inner struggles that I have to battle with myself all the time that are really exhausting.  Trying to keep perspective and stay logical is hard work.  Along with this hard work have come the tears again.  Tissue please. Only little ones here and there, but it's so not fun.  When I'm rational, it's so obvious how irrational I can be.  But when I'm not....oy!  I just want to get on with it.  Point me in a direction and say GO!.  This no-mans-land sucks. 

Today I got the privilege of teaching the 5 year olds until they get a permanent teacher called.  Whatever, I like little kids.  I tried to make the best of it, but after sitting through an hour of sharing time where no one paid attention..including me.. and then another hour of trying to teach to a sweet group of little ones while ONE kid spent the whole hour giggling and talking and rolling on the floor about put me over the edge. I guess I hadn't mentally prepared for that.  Right after church, they were going to set Glade apart so we were waiting in the hallway all together as a family.  Whitley came over with tears in her eyes, hugged me and said "young women's wasn't the same without you."  Tissue please.  Now that we are in a new ward, I'm not her Laurel advisor anymore.  I thought maybe she was ready to move on without me, even though I wasn't.  I guess not.  I have no idea where they will put me next but sitting around doing nothing is killer.  Thinking of endless weeks of restless 5 year olds instead of spending them with my very lovely daughter is also killer.  I know change is good and necessary and I will do whatever is needed of me, but I miss her already. 

Tonight at family dinner, Chelsey came bounding in all crazy excited.  She flashed her newly issued temple recommend.  She has to get it signed by the Stake President Wednesday and then she can go to the temple any time after that.  She was so excited.. as were we all!  Then Sherry brought out the wedding announcement she had been working on for Chelsey.  It was super cute, no shocker there, but when I actually was reading it.... tissue please.  The words "joyfully announce their MARRIAGE, in the Mesa AZ Temple for TIME AND ALL ETERNITY" really got me.  I read that all the time and it's sweet and you have fun thoughts of when your own children will do things like that.  Only this time it IS my child.  She's going to the Temple!!!  I was so proud and excited and blown away all at the same time.  My baby girl made it to the temple.  Life is good.

Lastly.. my allergies are out of control!  I'm on benadryl and Clariton and I still just sneeze all day.  It's embarassing.  All through church it was *sneeze, sniffle, blow* repeat.  Tissue please. My eyes were red and itchy, so even though I hadn't been crying it looked like I had.  All that put together just makes me want to sleep.  Only I can't... cuz I keep sneezing! 

Three Hours

Due to may very lazy nature, I have let many things in my home go to pure chaos.  Closets and shelves the worst.  I have been wanting to organize my pantry and "under the stairs" closet for some time.  It always seems silly to start a project like that when there's laundry to do and paperwork not done.  Running I haven't accomplished that day... always a good excuse.  Today I ignored them all.  I did get 3 loads of laundry done, but they are all now sitting nicely in baskets in my living room.  Our pantry had gotten to the point of not knowing where anything was because where things were "supposed" to go, were crowded with things that were just stuffed anywhere there was room. 

I started at the bottom and worked my way up.  Once I had sufficiently emptied my pantry, I went to work on my other storage space.  Before I began, you could barely even walk into the room.  My kids find this a nice place to stash things they don't want to actually put away.  When I was done, I had given away almost 30 #10 cans of food we will never eat, and two very full boxes of other random stuff I hold on to knowing if I ever actually fixed it, most would end up being scraped into the disposal.  Instead, I decided to find a nice home for it!  I didn't take any before pictures... embarrassing... but this is what I was left with after 3 hours of sorting, stacking and filtering.

It's a little barren, but I now have a new list of things I'm short on.

This was the garbage and stuff that I pulled out that shouldn't even be in there. 

Perfectly good food my children won't eat.

Weirdo

Katy bought this ball for her birthday.  Somehow they managed to pop it the very same day.  No worries though!  There are always alternative uses for everything. 

Superbowl Monday

Last year we tried out having our Superbowl party on Monday and NOT watching on Sunday, thus keeping the Sabbath day Holy.  I think it worked out pretty well so we tried it again this year.  Unfortunately there weren't many who could resist watching the day previous.  I was saddened by this only because I know these people are really good people who try to do what's right.  How one spends the Sabbath is absolutely a personal choice, I know that and I'm not being judgemental.  I, personally, feel that watching 5 hours of football with intermittent racy commercials and rowdy half time music (which I loved!) is not keeping with the "lay the things of the world aside" council the Lord gives us when asking us to keep this day Holy.  I know it's only one Sunday and the Superbowl is a "big game", but it's the same game on Monday.  Do I think anyone is going to Hell for it, no I don't.  But do I feel like the Savior is up there with slightly sagging shoulders wondering when we will finally "get" it.  I do.

With all that said, we had a great time on Monday.  I didn't take a single picture!!  We ran out of food way too quickly and had to make a pizza run during the game but that wasn't a big deal.  The kids loved playing together and we girls always love getting together for whatever reason.  We'll try it again next year and maybe a few more people will be able to refrain and wait to watch it with us.  If not... the party goes on!!

New Everything

The past week has been spent speculating and "worrying" and being excited all at the same time.  It was announced last Sunday that our ward would be splitting the following week.  They admonished us to not speculate about boundaries or our new leaders.  Yah...right!!

Of course, our little pea brains thought we had it all figured out.. it's only logical!  The biggest concern was that our little foursome would be divided.  But logistically it didn't look like that was going to happen.  There's another couple that have started to hang with us a lot and we knew they would probably be separated, but we were going to make sure we still included them.  Then Thursday, Glade got an email asking him to come meet with the Stake President on Sunday morning. Now the real anxiety begins.  He spent several nights laying awake wondering what this would mean for him.

The week seemed to go very slow, even with all the things we had going on.  Finally the big day came.  Glade had found an app on his phone that showed all the callings of everyone in the ward.  Ours and several of our friends were labeled with no callings.  That must mean we will no longer be in that ward.  We figured that, no big shocker.  Then we noticed our good friends still had their callings listed.  Of the four of us, only one got separated.  Very sad.  It won't change our friendships of course, but still sad to be the only ones left out.  That was a toughie. 

We had a very spiritual interview with Pres. Richardson at which time he called Glade to be the Elders Quorum President.  We "speculated" that this would be the calling.  Such a big responsibility.  We also were told who our new Bishop would be at that time.  It wasn't who we speculated, or course, but my heart was so happy when he said his name.  Earlier in the week as I was scanning the neighborhood in my mind, I came across this man and had the thought "oh how I miss him at the podium.  I miss the spirit he brought to the meetings." I promised myself that the very next time I saw him, I would tell him all that.  Little did I know he would be my new Bishop and now I get the opportunity to experience all that again.  So grateful for Bishop Jensen! 

Now it was time for the big meeting where everything was officially announced and ward boundaries were clearly defined.  We will be in a new ward, at a new building (our old, new building), at a new time with lots of new friends and many old ones as well.  I no longer have a calling, which makes me sad but I'm sure a new one will be coming.  That gives me a little anxiety as well.  Luckily I believe that every calling is needful and is of the Lord. 

Change is hard and change is good.  What it really means for us, is that the church is growing and the work is progressing.  How can one complain about that?  We are so blessed to be surrounded by such outstanding people and leaders.  Looking forward to all the exciting things change can bring about!

Off the Wagon??

I'm not sure if you fall off the wagon or get back on it... which one is the good one?  Whichever is the bad one is what I've done with my diet.  Seriously frustrated with all of it.  4+ weeks and only 6 lbs.  I've been so strict and done it all just as I was supposed to including running at least 3x a week.  Well this week was a tough one to stay on task.  Start with Sunday dinner and yummy dessert, go to birthday party, then date night, then all you can eat buffet at the Sun's game.  Not good!  Today is fast Sunday so that's a little bit of a start but I am getting back on the wagon? tomorrow.  Some days I just want to never think about it again and be happy with where I am, but then I see a picture and think "NO!". 

My running is finally getting better.  Not good, but better.  I'm disappointed I wasn't able to run London's Run like I have the last couple of years.  I did the half both times but this year, even 6 miles is a challenge.  I'm at least getting a little faster.  I have a 7, 6, and 5 mile runs for Ragnar in three weeks so I'm hoping it doesn't kill me.  It's staring to feel good again though.  The other night we did a 3mile night run and I loved every minute of it.  I felt strong and like I liked it.  It's been a while for that!  Let's hope it continues and Ragnar is a good experience.