Table for Eight

This spring/summer, I took a vacation --all by myself --for the first time in my life. And during that time, I had a lot of, well, quiet TIME. (LOL!) I had time to think. Time to listen. Time to work. Time to play. Time to sleep. Time to pray and meditate. Time to laugh. (Even time to cry.) Basically, I had time to just BE. And you know what I learned? I learned that "we" ( translation : me--and most people I know) don't have near enough quiet time in our busy modern lives . We fill absolutely every minute of our lives with noise--activities, phone calls, texts, television, movies, the internet, music, busy-ness, discussion . . . and more. Our lives are so noisy. And I think that the quiet time I had on my vacation was actually a good thing. A really good thing. So much so, that I'm determined to build more quiet time into our family life. (How? By turning off the electronics and building in "quiet time" each day.) Do you think you ne

The Dave-man and Me (yes, that's grammatically correct), Thanksgiving 2010. I came across this phrase, "There is only love," in Gretchen Rubin's book, The Happiness Project . Is that the most beautiful phrase . . . ever ? There is only love. I think it is. And it's made me think for a very long time . . . about how our only real job in life is to learn to love people. All people. (Well, okay, and animals, plants, and Planet Earth. You get my point.) It seems like such an easy thing to do: to love. Well, that is, if you only have to love the people that are loveable (like your spouse). But, truthfully, I think it takes a lifetime to learn to live with that philosophy as your guiding principle. I'm just hoping I can sear it into my noodle and really begin to apply it in my daily life. Heaven knows the world would be AWESOME if there really was ONLY LOVE . Have a beautiful day! Remember to get out there and challenge yourse

This summer our family has decided to challenge ourselves in some way EVERYDAY . And yesterday we did that -- we challenged ourselves by hiking  Y Mountain . The hike was so cool (and hot)! And sitting at the top of the actual Y was THE BEST feeling ever! (I can't wait to hike it again.) At the base of the trail. LuLu and Bam. Papaya helps ZuZu cool off. ZuZu, Jr., Bam, Papaya, and LuLu mid-way. (Jay was already at the top waiting for us.) The whole gang--at the top. Jr. and Bam. (2 out of the 6 bambinos have braces right now.) View of BYU, Provo, Utah Lake . . . the whole valley. View from the hike, looking up (east). The Provo Temple is in the distance. Jay . . . waiting for us at the top.

Jr. got his braces yesterday!

There are so many "reasons" to have a heavy heart: Wars. Global Climate Change. The Economy. Family struggles, pains, losses, grief. Personal challenges. And yet, everything--truly everything--is okay in this very moment in our lives. It's not perfect. It's by NO means pain-free. But it is okay. And if I have any say in how I spend my hours on Planet E, I want to spend them focusing, emphasizing, cherishing . . . the things that are good and right and happy and beautiful in life. So, give yourself permission today: Let your heart be light. "You don’t get rid of darkness by hitting it with a baseball bat. You get rid of the darkness by turning on the light." --Marianne Williamson

10. The Y on the Mountain . 9. The fact that its in Provo--which, in 2011, still feels like the set of Happy Days . 8. The Creamery on 9th . 7. That The Dave-Man and I graduated here. 6. Y Sparkle (BYU's own pink SPRITE ). 5. Fall football games . 4. Seeing former teachers of mine (who still remember the day our kids were born). 3. The Barbershop--complete with a stripy pole. 2. Tuesday Devotionals. 1. The Games Center (AKA: Bowling Alley). Papaya and Bam. Jay, Jr., The Dave-Man, Bam, and Papaya. ZuZu, LuLu, and Me.

The more I think about Jay and Bam's Pioneer Trek Experience , the more amazed I am! What an incredible thing to--trek 21 miles in the blistering June heat--in order to recreate the original Mormon Pioneer Treks. I love you Jay and Bam (and leaders who went to watch over the kids!)--you are so incredible for taking this adventure!

One thing I have been thinking about lately is just how many incredible women I have in my life. And one of them is my friend, Janae, who has a story in our local newspaper. I hope you will read about her--it's a short piece, but it will certainly inspire you: http://www.southvalleyjournal.com/pages/full_story/7052/-Local-woman-inspires-others-through-positive-attitude-about-terminal-disease/ PS: Jeff, Janae, Erik, Claire, and Megan--thank you so much for your unconditional love, friendship, advice, hair-braiding hook-ups, trek pick-ups, overnighters, swim dates, wakeboard teaching, support, Indian food, carrots, humor, and perspective. We heart you.

"Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not demanding more from yourself - expanding and learning as you go - you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip ." Dean Karnazes        Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner This summer our oldest two bambinos, Jay and Bam, were able to be part of a church activity called Trek --the re-enactment of the crossing of the plains by the early Mormon settlers. Trek is a pretty all-encompassing experience. It's physically, mentally, spriritually, and emotionally challenging. It requires you to literally DIG DEEP and see what you are made of. And in my mind, it's hard to believe that teenagers (and their incredibly SELFLESS leaders) would take a week out of the summer vacation to participate in this really REALLY challenging event. They walk for miles and miles in

I've been thinking a lot lately (LOL) about just how remarkable life is . Because, while I have always felt like my life was good, blessed, happy--often, I would live my life kind of overwhelmed, stressed, and worried about all that life was not. I'd think about the things I lacked. I'd think about my own weaknesses--my mistakes. And, I'd focus on the ways that I was LESS THAN someone else (or some thing). But, that is all different for me today. And I really mean it . My perspective is so different today . Now I know that LIFE is   REMARKABLE! Every day gives us a new opportunity to LIVE the HECK outta this journey (life). And that journey isn't always perfect or filled with butterflies and rainbows, but it's so so so dang beautiful and wonderful. Every day is filled with its own wonderful. We just have choose to see it. And from here forward, I choose to see the WONDERFUL in each new day -- and be thankful for it.