This has been a sad week. Not really an easy week. A week in which I have been reminded on three separate days of how incredibly precious and tenuous life really is. A week in which I have cried a few times...
The funeral was Monday for my friend (he is also the father of two of my friends). He passed away a week ago today after a long battle with breast cancer. He was brave and strong and faithful to the end. So very faithful. I was honored to be asked to lead the music at his funeral. It was beautiful -- a very beautiful funeral and one that was so fitting for him...music and love and laughter. Tears of sadness for my friend's family who miss him so...but also joy because he is reunited with his daughter who died so long ago, and because he is finally free of the cancer that ravaged his body.
Yesterday, of course, was 9/11. I was surprised to find only one replaying of the horrible images of that day on TV...and that was late last night on the History Channel. Have we forgotten? I hope not. I have not. We cannot. We cannot afford to forget.
And then last night, a friend of DH's was struck by lightning and is in critical condition. He is a kind man -- he greeted me with a smile everytime he saw me...kept a distant eye on our daughter while she was in middle school...coaches basketball with my DH and so they spend a lot of time together. Please keep Coach Martin in your prayers. The entire thing is so random and so tragic. A total of 13 people were injured in the lightning strike. More tears.
Sometimes there is more rain in a week than there is sunshine. That is how this week has felt for me. But the wonderful thing is that rain brings with it the promise of rainbows.
I love rainbows.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
I Love Technology!
A couple of weeks ago I started a Facebook account. I really didn't think much of it at the time -- I did it because my Dad and two of my sisters had Facebook accounts.
Imagine my surprise when I logged into my account on Sunday and saw messages from several of my high school friends -- friends I had lost touch with a long time ago (and no, I won't tell you exactly how long ago, LOL)! SO exciting! So now I'm able to be back in touch with some of my close friends. It's so much fun to read their blogs and see what they're up to...one of them has SIX boys -- yes, six! Another has four boys and just found out she's having a baby girl. Isn't that exciting?
When you stop and think about it, our lives seem to be ruled by technology these days. I have to have my cell phone with me when I'm away from home, particularly if the girls are at home and need to get in touch with me. I'm permanently connected, non-stop, to my e-mail at work. My work phone seems to ring off the hook. We have ready, instant access to so much information on the internet. Cook dinner without my microwave? Craziness. Digital cameras that instantly show us the picture we just took. Thank goodness I have a washer and dryer (that reminds me, I'm behind on laundry again)...a TV to keep track of the weather (looks like tropical storm Hanna might miss us after all) and watch all of our favorite shows...DVD players to watch movies when the hundreds of channels on our Dish Network don't have anything really good to watch (how sad is it that that happens more often than it should?)...
And yet, with all of this technology that is supposed to make our lives easier and free up time for us, we still have trouble squeezing the truly important things into our busy lives....
Yes, I do love technology...I love that it's put me back in touch with friends I had almost lost hope of ever talking to again because I didn't know how to find them. I love that I can contact my husband or kids almost anytime, anywhere...I love that I can find information online...but maybe it wouldn't be so bad for me to learn to better use all of the "free time" this technology has supposedly created for me!
Imagine my surprise when I logged into my account on Sunday and saw messages from several of my high school friends -- friends I had lost touch with a long time ago (and no, I won't tell you exactly how long ago, LOL)! SO exciting! So now I'm able to be back in touch with some of my close friends. It's so much fun to read their blogs and see what they're up to...one of them has SIX boys -- yes, six! Another has four boys and just found out she's having a baby girl. Isn't that exciting?
When you stop and think about it, our lives seem to be ruled by technology these days. I have to have my cell phone with me when I'm away from home, particularly if the girls are at home and need to get in touch with me. I'm permanently connected, non-stop, to my e-mail at work. My work phone seems to ring off the hook. We have ready, instant access to so much information on the internet. Cook dinner without my microwave? Craziness. Digital cameras that instantly show us the picture we just took. Thank goodness I have a washer and dryer (that reminds me, I'm behind on laundry again)...a TV to keep track of the weather (looks like tropical storm Hanna might miss us after all) and watch all of our favorite shows...DVD players to watch movies when the hundreds of channels on our Dish Network don't have anything really good to watch (how sad is it that that happens more often than it should?)...
And yet, with all of this technology that is supposed to make our lives easier and free up time for us, we still have trouble squeezing the truly important things into our busy lives....
Yes, I do love technology...I love that it's put me back in touch with friends I had almost lost hope of ever talking to again because I didn't know how to find them. I love that I can contact my husband or kids almost anytime, anywhere...I love that I can find information online...but maybe it wouldn't be so bad for me to learn to better use all of the "free time" this technology has supposedly created for me!
Friday, August 29, 2008
It's so quiet in here.....
Since DH and the girls got back from their trip to Utah this summer, I have made it a point to NOT be in the house alone. That month was just too long and too quiet. But here I sit, in an empty, quiet house. DH and A are at a softball game, B is playing at a friend's house, and the dogs are outside. The only noise is the washing machine in the background (yikes, I have a lot of laundry that needs to be done!).
Laundry...with A and DH both doing softball, plus A having PE every day this semester, there is LOTS of laundry to do! Fortunately they both do their own laundry. I do mine and B's, and with her in soccer again there is lots of laundry to do for her. I don't mind washing and folding -- it's the putting away that drives me crazy!
Both girls continue to do well in school. As has been the pattern since A left elementary school, the only teacher we have an issue with is her social studies/civics teachers. Every year since 6th grade...why???? The sad part is, that's my favorite subject and it could be so much fun if the teacher would put something into it besides lecturing. She showed me all the pages of notes she's taken since the school year started about 3 weeks ago -- it's crazy!
I love our new computer, except for one thing -- some of the keys on the keyboard are in different places so I keep hitting the wrong keys (the end key, delete key, page up, page down). It's driving me crazy.
Work is going fairly well...typical crazy end-of-fiscal-year stuff, and trying to get a huge new contract up and running, and starting a new project that is getting a lot of attention...so there is no shortage of work, stress, or insanity. Seems to be about par for the course. In the last two weeks I have been offered/asked to apply for three different jobs...all of which would take us away from here. Sometimes I wonder if that's a sign...but none of them feel right at this time. I wonder why it is that people at other locations are interested in promoting me, but no one is here? The mysteries of life...
I read The Host by Stephenie Meyer last weekend/early this week. Wow! It's unlike any book I've ever read. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Twilight series, but I definitely enjoyed it and have been going back through, rereading sections and analyzing it with a friend of mine. There are some interesting themes in the book -- agency vs. choice, inner beauty and attraction to what's on the inside vs. outer beauty and attraction to the physical, the importance of kindness, the need to have opposites (and opposition)...very interesting things to think about and discuss. Because Stephenie Meyer is an LDS author, I think she can't help but weave her personal beliefs and values into her stories. She isn't preachy at all, and there are no LDS characters in her books (although I wonder if Angela in the Twilight series might be...)...but I love that she includes moral themes, even if it is not intentional. Things like chastity before marriage, agency, the concept of eternal love...
Reading these books has reminded me how much I love reading -- how relaxing it is to me and how much I do enjoy analyzing a good story. My friend has even convinced me to read some Jane Austen -- can you believe I've never read anything by Jane Austen before? (No, I haven't seen the movies, either)
B is supposed to be on TV during the muscular dystrophy telethon this weekend. She'll be interviewed Monday morning. No idea what time they'll show her "snippet," though. She was involved in a muscular dystrophy fundraiser at her school last year so they're interviewing her for that. We went shopping tonight and bought her a cute new outfit. I am SO glad school is going better for her so far this year!
Tomorrow A and I will be going to a youth activity about 2 hours away. They're calling it a youth conference, although when I was a youth, youth conference was 2 days long at least. It will be interesting and I hope we have a good time. I didn't know how I would feel about my calling as YW President, especially because I love Primary so much and spent so many years there, but I have found that I really love the girls that I work with. It's amazing to spend time with them and see the potential they each have...and it's painful to watch when they do things that bring them short of that potential. I think this must be how Heavenly Father feels about us...He knows our potential, he knows our talents and gifts and abilities...and it must pain Him when we fall short, either because we just don't try or because we intentionally choose another path. And yet He still loves us, unconditionally. I almost feel like these girls I work with are an extension of my family -- about 18 more daughters! I felt that way about my Primary children, too, and thought that surely I could never feel that way again after I left Primary. I was surprised at how quickly -- almost instantly -- I have grown to love these girls.
A sweet man at church is dying from cancer. Two of his daughters are my friends -- one of them is a very dear friend and I haven't spent as much time with her as I want to over the last few years...I need to change that. This sweet man sang in our ward choir as long as I can remember, until the cancer took that ability away from him. He has not been able to be at church regularly for a while now, but he brings a smile to my face each time I see him. It has saddened me deeply, his suffering...and his family's sadness and suffering. As I have thought about him and his family, including my dear friend, over the last few days, I have been reminded of how grateful I am for the sure knowledge I have that families can be together forever, that this does not have to be the end of those relationships. It does not make things less painful, at least I don't think so, but it does make them more bearable.
I didn't mean to leave this blog entry on a sad note...maybe it's being alone in this house, with it so quiet, that gives me a rare moment to reflect and really think about things. I don't know.
So I suppose I'll leave off on this note -- think of me tomorrow as I drive 5 giggling, shrieking, squealing teenage girls about two hours in a minivan -- I'll probably need a serious dose of Excedrin before the day is out!
Laundry...with A and DH both doing softball, plus A having PE every day this semester, there is LOTS of laundry to do! Fortunately they both do their own laundry. I do mine and B's, and with her in soccer again there is lots of laundry to do for her. I don't mind washing and folding -- it's the putting away that drives me crazy!
Both girls continue to do well in school. As has been the pattern since A left elementary school, the only teacher we have an issue with is her social studies/civics teachers. Every year since 6th grade...why???? The sad part is, that's my favorite subject and it could be so much fun if the teacher would put something into it besides lecturing. She showed me all the pages of notes she's taken since the school year started about 3 weeks ago -- it's crazy!
I love our new computer, except for one thing -- some of the keys on the keyboard are in different places so I keep hitting the wrong keys (the end key, delete key, page up, page down). It's driving me crazy.
Work is going fairly well...typical crazy end-of-fiscal-year stuff, and trying to get a huge new contract up and running, and starting a new project that is getting a lot of attention...so there is no shortage of work, stress, or insanity. Seems to be about par for the course. In the last two weeks I have been offered/asked to apply for three different jobs...all of which would take us away from here. Sometimes I wonder if that's a sign...but none of them feel right at this time. I wonder why it is that people at other locations are interested in promoting me, but no one is here? The mysteries of life...
I read The Host by Stephenie Meyer last weekend/early this week. Wow! It's unlike any book I've ever read. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Twilight series, but I definitely enjoyed it and have been going back through, rereading sections and analyzing it with a friend of mine. There are some interesting themes in the book -- agency vs. choice, inner beauty and attraction to what's on the inside vs. outer beauty and attraction to the physical, the importance of kindness, the need to have opposites (and opposition)...very interesting things to think about and discuss. Because Stephenie Meyer is an LDS author, I think she can't help but weave her personal beliefs and values into her stories. She isn't preachy at all, and there are no LDS characters in her books (although I wonder if Angela in the Twilight series might be...)...but I love that she includes moral themes, even if it is not intentional. Things like chastity before marriage, agency, the concept of eternal love...
Reading these books has reminded me how much I love reading -- how relaxing it is to me and how much I do enjoy analyzing a good story. My friend has even convinced me to read some Jane Austen -- can you believe I've never read anything by Jane Austen before? (No, I haven't seen the movies, either)
B is supposed to be on TV during the muscular dystrophy telethon this weekend. She'll be interviewed Monday morning. No idea what time they'll show her "snippet," though. She was involved in a muscular dystrophy fundraiser at her school last year so they're interviewing her for that. We went shopping tonight and bought her a cute new outfit. I am SO glad school is going better for her so far this year!
Tomorrow A and I will be going to a youth activity about 2 hours away. They're calling it a youth conference, although when I was a youth, youth conference was 2 days long at least. It will be interesting and I hope we have a good time. I didn't know how I would feel about my calling as YW President, especially because I love Primary so much and spent so many years there, but I have found that I really love the girls that I work with. It's amazing to spend time with them and see the potential they each have...and it's painful to watch when they do things that bring them short of that potential. I think this must be how Heavenly Father feels about us...He knows our potential, he knows our talents and gifts and abilities...and it must pain Him when we fall short, either because we just don't try or because we intentionally choose another path. And yet He still loves us, unconditionally. I almost feel like these girls I work with are an extension of my family -- about 18 more daughters! I felt that way about my Primary children, too, and thought that surely I could never feel that way again after I left Primary. I was surprised at how quickly -- almost instantly -- I have grown to love these girls.
A sweet man at church is dying from cancer. Two of his daughters are my friends -- one of them is a very dear friend and I haven't spent as much time with her as I want to over the last few years...I need to change that. This sweet man sang in our ward choir as long as I can remember, until the cancer took that ability away from him. He has not been able to be at church regularly for a while now, but he brings a smile to my face each time I see him. It has saddened me deeply, his suffering...and his family's sadness and suffering. As I have thought about him and his family, including my dear friend, over the last few days, I have been reminded of how grateful I am for the sure knowledge I have that families can be together forever, that this does not have to be the end of those relationships. It does not make things less painful, at least I don't think so, but it does make them more bearable.
I didn't mean to leave this blog entry on a sad note...maybe it's being alone in this house, with it so quiet, that gives me a rare moment to reflect and really think about things. I don't know.
So I suppose I'll leave off on this note -- think of me tomorrow as I drive 5 giggling, shrieking, squealing teenage girls about two hours in a minivan -- I'll probably need a serious dose of Excedrin before the day is out!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Update...
Yes, I know -- that's a terribly exciting, descriptive title for a blog entry! LOL
A's team won their first softball game...A was the starting pitcher as well as lead-off batter...she also scored a run. Yea! B had a fundraiser "fun run" at school and ran 2 1/4 miles. Wow! She was sore for a few days after that. DH's team also won a game this week...so that's two wins, one loss for them.
I decided not to do the job interview. It just wasn't the right timing, nor was it the right job. I'm happy with the decision. Interestingly enough, I was approached this week with two other job opportunities...both would involve leaving here so I'm not pursuing them right now. Of course, the one that I really want the most is the one I'm not qualified (I would have to be promoted to the next grade and be at that grade for a year before I would be eligible). But it's nice to know that people "at the top" know who I am and are interested in my abilities and what I have to offer.
And in other news...I have a secret to share. While DH and the girls were gone this summer, I got hooked on the Twilight books. Seriously hooked. As in really, entirely, completely, and totally hooked. Yeah. Bigtime hooked. LOL I have spent a lot of time analyzing, dissecting, and discussing the books and characters with one of my friends and it reminded me how much I love literature and doing that kind of analysis. Darn, maybe I should have been a literature teacher! Seriously, I have really enjoyed our discussions. I have to admit that I am 200% on "Team Edward" and was so glad when Bella finally got that entire thing straightened out (for those of you who have read the books, you know what I'm talking about -- and for those of you who haven't, you'll just have to read them). I'm looking forward to seeing the movie on opening night...going with a friend and taking a bunch of the YW with us because they want to see it to. We can't wait!
But these books have reminded me, again, how much I love to read. Not just anything...but I do love to read. I love the Harry Potter books and have enjoyed reading, analyzing, and discussion them with my sisters and friends. And now I have another series to read, analyze and discuss. I can't wait to start reading "The Host," Stephenie Meyer's latest novel. I find it incredibly refreshing to find books that are not filled with profanity, sex, drugs, drinking, etc. I must admit to loving the Shopaholic series, but there are things that leave much to be desired. And there really isn't any analyzing that can be done with those books, LOL! But with Harry Potter and the Twilight books, there is so much to think about. I love books like that. I love that the Twilight books convey romantic intensity without immorality...What can I say -- I'm a sucker for a beautiful love story, and Edward and Bella's love story is about as good as it gets (at least in the reading I've done in the last several years).
And so we prepare to begin another week here...with me reading bits and pieces of my favorite scenes from the books late at night...dreading this weekend because A has a birthday that not only reminds me that my first baby is growing up, but that I am also getting older (don't you just hate how that happens?), and wondering if there is any way I can get DH to read the Twilight books and pick up a few romantic hints.
OK, quit laughing. I know that last one is just a dream! LOL
A's team won their first softball game...A was the starting pitcher as well as lead-off batter...she also scored a run. Yea! B had a fundraiser "fun run" at school and ran 2 1/4 miles. Wow! She was sore for a few days after that. DH's team also won a game this week...so that's two wins, one loss for them.
I decided not to do the job interview. It just wasn't the right timing, nor was it the right job. I'm happy with the decision. Interestingly enough, I was approached this week with two other job opportunities...both would involve leaving here so I'm not pursuing them right now. Of course, the one that I really want the most is the one I'm not qualified (I would have to be promoted to the next grade and be at that grade for a year before I would be eligible). But it's nice to know that people "at the top" know who I am and are interested in my abilities and what I have to offer.
And in other news...I have a secret to share. While DH and the girls were gone this summer, I got hooked on the Twilight books. Seriously hooked. As in really, entirely, completely, and totally hooked. Yeah. Bigtime hooked. LOL I have spent a lot of time analyzing, dissecting, and discussing the books and characters with one of my friends and it reminded me how much I love literature and doing that kind of analysis. Darn, maybe I should have been a literature teacher! Seriously, I have really enjoyed our discussions. I have to admit that I am 200% on "Team Edward" and was so glad when Bella finally got that entire thing straightened out (for those of you who have read the books, you know what I'm talking about -- and for those of you who haven't, you'll just have to read them). I'm looking forward to seeing the movie on opening night...going with a friend and taking a bunch of the YW with us because they want to see it to. We can't wait!
But these books have reminded me, again, how much I love to read. Not just anything...but I do love to read. I love the Harry Potter books and have enjoyed reading, analyzing, and discussion them with my sisters and friends. And now I have another series to read, analyze and discuss. I can't wait to start reading "The Host," Stephenie Meyer's latest novel. I find it incredibly refreshing to find books that are not filled with profanity, sex, drugs, drinking, etc. I must admit to loving the Shopaholic series, but there are things that leave much to be desired. And there really isn't any analyzing that can be done with those books, LOL! But with Harry Potter and the Twilight books, there is so much to think about. I love books like that. I love that the Twilight books convey romantic intensity without immorality...What can I say -- I'm a sucker for a beautiful love story, and Edward and Bella's love story is about as good as it gets (at least in the reading I've done in the last several years).
And so we prepare to begin another week here...with me reading bits and pieces of my favorite scenes from the books late at night...dreading this weekend because A has a birthday that not only reminds me that my first baby is growing up, but that I am also getting older (don't you just hate how that happens?), and wondering if there is any way I can get DH to read the Twilight books and pick up a few romantic hints.
OK, quit laughing. I know that last one is just a dream! LOL
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Two Weeks Down...How Many Left?
The first two weeks of school are over. I am thrilled to report that they have been great! A has taken to high school like a fish to water -- truth be told, DH and I have been pleasantly surprised at how much she absolutely loves it and how much she has blossomed in the last two weeks. She is doing well in her classes and has lots of friends. Seminary is going well -- other than the fact that she's exhausted all the time! Seminary plus softball practice makes for a very long, exhausting day. And on the softball front, she made the JV team and will most likely be the starting pitcher. She is also one of the fastest runners on JV or Varsity and may get to be a base runner in some varsity games. She's very excited!
B is also off to a great start. We worked with her teachers and the school to put some things in place this year to help keep her interested and challenged and we're looking forward to seeing how those work out. She also had her first soccer tournament yesterday (in Alabama of all places). The first game didn't go so well -- they played against an older, more experienced team. But they tied the second game and she was happy with it all. She got a sunburn, which isn't fun, and her legs are sore today, but she enjoyed it.
We had the opportunity to go to a water park as a family with some of A's friends last weekend. It was so much fun! We really enjoyed it. Due to a mixup with the tickets, A and I went back again yesterday with most of the same friends. I was able to work up my courage to go on 3 water slides I hadn't tried before. That may not be a big deal to anyone else, but I'm a wimp when it comes to rides! We had a great time.
I'll be teaching both the Mia Maids (14-15 year old girls) and Laurels (16-17 year old girls) at church today. Guess I need to get started on the lesson...
I also have an interview tomorrow for a job that I really don't want, but I decided to do the interview to get some interview experience. There are a couple of jobs coming up relatively soon that I really do want, so I need to warm up my interviewing skills. We'll see how it goes....
B is also off to a great start. We worked with her teachers and the school to put some things in place this year to help keep her interested and challenged and we're looking forward to seeing how those work out. She also had her first soccer tournament yesterday (in Alabama of all places). The first game didn't go so well -- they played against an older, more experienced team. But they tied the second game and she was happy with it all. She got a sunburn, which isn't fun, and her legs are sore today, but she enjoyed it.
We had the opportunity to go to a water park as a family with some of A's friends last weekend. It was so much fun! We really enjoyed it. Due to a mixup with the tickets, A and I went back again yesterday with most of the same friends. I was able to work up my courage to go on 3 water slides I hadn't tried before. That may not be a big deal to anyone else, but I'm a wimp when it comes to rides! We had a great time.
I'll be teaching both the Mia Maids (14-15 year old girls) and Laurels (16-17 year old girls) at church today. Guess I need to get started on the lesson...
I also have an interview tomorrow for a job that I really don't want, but I decided to do the interview to get some interview experience. There are a couple of jobs coming up relatively soon that I really do want, so I need to warm up my interviewing skills. We'll see how it goes....
Friday, August 1, 2008
Tagged!
I was tagged by my sister M!
How To Play This Game of Tag:
Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!
3 Joys
1) DH -- gotta love a man who cooks, cleans, and gets up in the middle of the night to let *my* puppy out!
2) A - even though she's growing up too fast
3) B - even though she is also growing up too fast
3 Fears
1) Being alone
2) Losing a family member
3) Death
3 Goals
1) To be a good mother
2) To get a PhD
3) To get out of debt
3 Current Obsessions/Collections
1) Shoes
2) Shoes
3) A Coach wallet to match my handbag...maybe for Christmas!
3 Facts About Me
1) I'm going to the Breaking Dawn release party tonight
2) I wish I had more children
3) I love school
I tag Jamie!
How To Play This Game of Tag:
Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!
3 Joys
1) DH -- gotta love a man who cooks, cleans, and gets up in the middle of the night to let *my* puppy out!
2) A - even though she's growing up too fast
3) B - even though she is also growing up too fast
3 Fears
1) Being alone
2) Losing a family member
3) Death
3 Goals
1) To be a good mother
2) To get a PhD
3) To get out of debt
3 Current Obsessions/Collections
1) Shoes
2) Shoes
3) A Coach wallet to match my handbag...maybe for Christmas!
3 Facts About Me
1) I'm going to the Breaking Dawn release party tonight
2) I wish I had more children
3) I love school
I tag Jamie!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Back to Life, Back to Reality....
My family beat me home Monday...they had just gotten home when I arrived from work. It was so good to see them! I swear, the girls each grew four inches while they were gone! A got a beautiful new haircut/highlights by one of her aunts, and B got an adorable haircut by another aunt (talented people!). A has an amazing tan, and B has a few new freckles but, thankfully, no sunburn! It's interesting having one daughter who tans and another daughter who burns badly. We fight to get sunscreen on A, and can't seem to find strong enough sunscreen for B! We have three different sets of sunscreen in our house -- some for A, some for B, and some for DH and myself.
I can't believe how wonderful it feels to have my family home again. The house is filled with life (and bickering...lovely sibling rivalry) and activity and things feel normal and whole again. It's a good feeling. I think I understand a bit more how important the gospel principle of eternal families is. After spending a month without my family, I realize now, more than ever, that to me the true definition of "hell" (pardon my language) would be to spend eternity separated from my husband and daughters, not having the family bond and relationships that we have now. The thought is truly miserable. I was talking with a friend at work about this. Her fiance's church teaches that after this life, marital and family relationships cease to exist and even though you will know your wife/husband/children in Heaven, you will not have those same relationships with them. She doesn't like that idea. I don't either. We talked about it and I had the opportunity to share a bit about our beliefs on that subject with her. It truly reaffirmed my testimony of the eternal nature of temple covenants and eternal families and the importance of living up to my covenants so that I can have an eternal family.
In other news...A had conditioning workouts with the high school softball team this week. She didn't play as well as she wanted to but she's feeling more comfortable and getting better. B had her first Academy level soccer practice today and came home exhausted (and a bit pink...fortunately that was from heat and exertion and not sunburn). DH was impressed with her coach and the trainer and the skill work they did. I think this will be a great season with lots of learning and improvement for her.
We finished up the back-to-school shopping yesterday...I love shopping for school supplies. I don't know why -- I have some kind of weird love affair with school/offices supplies. LOL I love the cute notebooks, colored paper clips, packages of pens and pencils, etc. Love it. We're now ready for school with new clothes, new shoes, and new school supplies. The beginning of the school year is always a fresh start and we are very, very hopeful that this will be a good year for both girls.
Today we also bought a new computer. Our laptop is several years old and is getting to be incredibly slow...not to mention the fact that sometimes it just shuts down in the middle of whatever I happen to be working on. That's so annoying. So we put part of our economic stimulus check to good use and bought a new computer (computer, monitor, and printer bundle). We haven't set it up yet but we're excited to get it up and running.
One more week of summer vacation for the girls, and then school starts. The summer has flown by...much too quickly. It's time to get back to our crazy routines.
I can't believe how wonderful it feels to have my family home again. The house is filled with life (and bickering...lovely sibling rivalry) and activity and things feel normal and whole again. It's a good feeling. I think I understand a bit more how important the gospel principle of eternal families is. After spending a month without my family, I realize now, more than ever, that to me the true definition of "hell" (pardon my language) would be to spend eternity separated from my husband and daughters, not having the family bond and relationships that we have now. The thought is truly miserable. I was talking with a friend at work about this. Her fiance's church teaches that after this life, marital and family relationships cease to exist and even though you will know your wife/husband/children in Heaven, you will not have those same relationships with them. She doesn't like that idea. I don't either. We talked about it and I had the opportunity to share a bit about our beliefs on that subject with her. It truly reaffirmed my testimony of the eternal nature of temple covenants and eternal families and the importance of living up to my covenants so that I can have an eternal family.
In other news...A had conditioning workouts with the high school softball team this week. She didn't play as well as she wanted to but she's feeling more comfortable and getting better. B had her first Academy level soccer practice today and came home exhausted (and a bit pink...fortunately that was from heat and exertion and not sunburn). DH was impressed with her coach and the trainer and the skill work they did. I think this will be a great season with lots of learning and improvement for her.
We finished up the back-to-school shopping yesterday...I love shopping for school supplies. I don't know why -- I have some kind of weird love affair with school/offices supplies. LOL I love the cute notebooks, colored paper clips, packages of pens and pencils, etc. Love it. We're now ready for school with new clothes, new shoes, and new school supplies. The beginning of the school year is always a fresh start and we are very, very hopeful that this will be a good year for both girls.
Today we also bought a new computer. Our laptop is several years old and is getting to be incredibly slow...not to mention the fact that sometimes it just shuts down in the middle of whatever I happen to be working on. That's so annoying. So we put part of our economic stimulus check to good use and bought a new computer (computer, monitor, and printer bundle). We haven't set it up yet but we're excited to get it up and running.
One more week of summer vacation for the girls, and then school starts. The summer has flown by...much too quickly. It's time to get back to our crazy routines.
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