Table for Eight

Thanksgiving Day, 2010. Me. (Throwback Thursday) I was thinking this morning that I really love Thanksgiving; I have so much to be grateful for this year. Now I'm not sayin' my life is perfect. (I know, until now you thought it was--hahaha.) Like many of you, our family has had our share of "hard" this year: Saying goodbye to our oldest son for 2 years as he left to serve a service mission ; health problems ; hospital stays ; loved ones w/ mental health "things" to face ; tragedy in our neighborhood ; the suicide of a dear friend; my own experience being WAY humbled after Survivor Caramoan aired--and the anxiety and sadness that accompanied it ; theft . . . and the list goes on an on.  And on. But despite all of these hard experiences, I still feel super grateful today. Because I have a really strong belief/faith that God is good, life is beautiful, and people are kind (so kind). So today I want to make sure and let my family (especially my ...

Lu and her new specks. About a year ago Lu got her first pair of glasses ... and she didn't like them at all . Or I should say, she didn't like wearing them at all. But that all changed about a week ago when we were driving and had this conversation: Lu: "Do you think I'm getting headaches because I don't wear my glasses and everything is blurry." Me: [Slam on brakes.] "BLEEPITY BLEEP. What in the honk? What do you 'mean everything is blurry?' Honk yes, I think there's a REALLY good chance your headaches have something to do with not wearing your glasses and straining your eyes to see. Eeek!" So thankfully after a few eye exams, some fun eye dilation, and a few trips to Costco with her dad, Lu got her new and improved glasses yesterday. And now she can SEE! And the best part: she actually likes her glasses this time.  Why? Because they aren't from the kid's sect...

Elder Meehan and other service missionaries in his area. (At dinner with some people from their ward. So kind--they are often provided dinner.)  Reasons I'm Excited For Thanksgiving 1. My family is coming to dinner. (From out of state!) 2. Even though it's our first Thanksgiving without Elder Meehan, he told us he'd been invited to SEVEN different homes for dinner that day. (We love Indiana peeps!) 3. I have a reason to bake a lot of bread--and cook some of my favorite things.  4. Thanksgiving reminds me of some of my most favorite Survivor friends. (It's an interesting phenomenon, but when people "starve" for a period of time, one coping mechanism is to talk about food. A lot. And both times I played Survivor that was the case; I always ended up talking about "Your Ideal Thanksgiving" with the other players. I think Sophie, Whitney and I bonded over some Thanksgiving menus in the South Pacific. And Michael and I definitely talked t...

I am so grateful for days like yesterday. It wasn't anything special, in fact someone else may even call it a boring day. But for me, it was perfect. We were able to do the things we needed to (work and school), but still spend time together, laugh, make food we love, and just BE. It was awesome. And it was made even awesome-r by the addition of our toddler friend Chico. (Chico's mom--and whole family--are super special to us. Like family.) Anyway, my point!   We're so glad Whitt and Jason were willing to share Chico with us yesterday. We'd forgot (forgotten?) what it was like to have a mini-person running around the house. I'm telling you, it's pretty hilarious. There's just something funny about having a person who is slightly taller that the dog tell you to "Let ME smash the beans" as you make dinner. Chico and LuLu. PS: If you are new to the blog, Chico's mom, Whittney, was my back-up Loved One for Survivor both tim...

There are so many good good people in the world. And sometimes I think I forget to take note of all the extraordinary kindness that's shown to me or my family. So, I wanted to take a second and write down three really special moments we had this week, moments I hope I will try and reciprocate for other people.   1. Introduction To A Service Dog. We saw a "service dog" on our way to the store Wednesday and we were immediately smitten. The puppy's name was Rarlyn and she was a beautiful dog; we were eager to learn more about her and what she does. But I was a little nervous about taking the trainer's time, because I imagine a lot of people stop them as they go about their work. (This probably comes a little from my experience post-Survivor. I am usually reluctant to stop people in public places now. Ha.) Anyway, we ended up in conversation with Rarlyn's trainer and I couldn't believe how kind she was. She gave us a mini-overview of the work she ...

Zu practicing piano this weekend. We're not sure how this happened, but one year Zu asked us for a keyboard for her birthday. And the rest is history. She literally SLEPT with that keyboard at the foot of her bed until this past weekend (when our friends gave us a piano they were not using--so so kind). She loves playing the piano. It's kind of all she thinks about. And as she practices each week, I'm left thinking, "Where did this interest come from? And does everyone have it?" It is amazing to me that some people discipline themselves enough to develop incredible talents (in all areas, not just music). (And it's equally amazing that some of us never ever push ourselves to see our potential. But that's another post!) I hope I will follow Zu's lead and work hard to be really good at something that is a gift to other people. (Because when I hear her play an Adele song, I'm in heaven. It's awesome!) (PS: Just so our...

Sometimes I feel like life is literally RACING by--I can barely catch my breath. (Like when any of our teenagers mention they need to "practice driving." And I'm thinking, "Right, like a 10 year old needs driving practice. Wait a minute, you're not 10!") And yet at times, the hours pass so slowly.  (Like when I'm coming down with the flu during office hours, and I have 7 more students to meet with.) These contrasts are nutty. And life is full of them: the contrasts. I used to hate it. I wanted life to be Even Steven. Stable. Predictable. The Same. All The Time. But after the experience of Survivor--where the contrasts are SO stark and cycle rapidly--I learned to appreciate the contrasts in life. I learned to kind of ride them out and appreciate them (as best as possible). So even though I absolutely cannot stand to have the flu and throw up for 24 hours, I know that the minute that flu has passed, I have a literal over-the-top apprec...

Lu and Zin playing with snow ... inside the bathtub, in 2010. (Much warmer than playing IN the snow outside.) I've been down with the flu this week, so I haven't been able to blog (or eat, PS). But I think I've turned a corner. Phew. And now I'm excited because I realize that it's almost Thanksgiving! (And Hannukah--which is unusual. First time in 125 years that they overlap.) The holidays are almost here and I am loving it. PS: CBS is participating in the American Red Cross fundraiser for the Philippines tonight. Several Survivors in the LA-area are going to be part of the phone-manning: Cochran, Phillip Sheppard, Malcolm, etc.  I am so happy they are helping raise funds for the people impacted by Typhoon Yolanda. We filmed our season of Survivor Caramoan there, and Survivor has filmed 4 seasons there total, so we love the Filipino people and their beautiful country/islands.  I love the Philippines and pray for their healing.

 Once a year the youth program for the young women in our church celebrates the girls' accomplishments with a program called An Evening In Excellence . The goal is to honor the different activities, hobbies, sports, and other good works the girls are accomplishing--as well as encourage them to pursue new goals in the coming year. (And each girl puts out a small display of projects they have worked on during the year. Papaya put out her school books, a volleyball, and some writings. Bam put out her song-writing journal and a CD of her singing.) The program is always BEAUTIFUL and truly inspiring. This year Bam was part of a musical number that was incredible. And Papaya gave a talk that made us so proud.  As I sat and watched them both I thought to myself, "When in the world did they stop wearing size 2T? Where did our 'babies' go?" Life moves so fast. Holy cow. Thank you to all of the Young Women leaders who prepared for the program. It was ...

Lu, Bam, and Zu at the Grand Opening of Dunkin' Donuts. I realize on the heels of yesterday's post about over-indulgence that there's major hypocrisy irony with my post today. But, we have a new neighbor in our 'hood. So I HAD to take the kids and make proper introductions. Right? Tap. Tap. Tap. Anyone still here? I'm telling you, life is a lot more complicated than I ever expected it to be. Even though we went here today, I still haven't tried a donut. Holding out. ***** PS: Elder Meehan had a great Halloween week on his mission. (They actually had a tornado warning, so Halloween was celebrated on November 1st. Eeek!) We miss him so much, but know he's having an amazing experience there, so it's all good. November 2013.

Our Gratitude Tree: thanks to my mom and Pinterest. (We write what we are thankful for on little tags, then hang them on the branches throughout the month.) This weekend I watched a documentary on NetFlix about ways we can improve or contribute to life on Planet E. And this one quote, or analogy, in it really has me thinking. A lot. So I thought I would share it with you and see if you think it's as DEEP as I do: "In nature, living things don't take more than what they need to sustain life. For example, the Redwood tree only takes the nutrients (from soil) it needs to sustain life. No more, no less. And the cheetah only catches/kills one gazelle to sustain its own life. Not three or four at a time.  So in nature, the practice is 'Use only what you need to sustain life.' And yet, in human society we violate this practice every day: we consistently take/eat/claim more than what we need to sustain our lives. And ironically, there's a word in...