the nicest thing ever

my kids know how much i love going to my storage unit to retrieve & return boxes. going there doesn't really bring out the best in myself. we all have our issues, and i know this is definately one of mine! breanne & jake have good hearts- they took my car full of christmas boxes and unloaded them for me today! you guys know the perfect way to brighten my day! thank you, thank you, thank you! i love you two!

christmas is in the air

(click on pic to enlarge)

it is so magical! temple square during the christmas season may very well be the loveliest place imaginable. i am so happy. it was perfect!! there was a nip in the air but we were all bundled up, sipping our hot cocoa & enjoying the bustle around us. it was so fun to watch charlotte looking at all the lights with her childlike wonder. we wandered inside the visitors center & were greeted by carolers, it brought back memories of when i came with my high school choir each christmas to share our youthful angelic voices with the world (well- anyone that would listen really). christmas just wouldn't be complete without christmas songs- the music is definitely one of the things i enjoy most during the holidays! we loved the santa who helped spread christmas cheer playing his bagpipes. the christmas tree inside the joseph smith memorial building was magnificent! we sat around the tree and listened to the beautiful sounds coming from the baby grand piano. I'm telling you- it was so very lovely! I wish you all could have been there to enjoy the evening with riley, mary, charlotte and i. i guess there is always next year! i hope you are all spending time this christmas with those you love most & doing the things that make you happy!

i'm loving sunday

i started my day with this. ( you should really listen to it- it's better that way!)

at church i learned what i need to do to be a forever family with these folks.





then bre, jake and i had this for a late night indulgence.





i loved it all! hope you had a lovely sunday.

yep - i still cry

last night i was home by myself. i turned the tv on and started flipping through the channels & finally something caught my eye. it was a movie i had watched in my early childhood days. i loved it then and i wanted to watch it again to see if this movie still had the same impact on me now as it did then. you probably have seen it a time or two. it was the 1974 version of "where the red fern grows."



i suppose i have always had a very soft spot in my heart for puppies. pee wee was our family dog growing up. i'm not quite sure what breed pee wee was. but one thing i really liked is that pee wee had red hair like the majority of my family. he was such a sweet pup & i loved him.


my kids and i have had a few family dogs to love on. and i have shed tears every time one of them has had to leave our family. just ask the kids, i still cry when we start talking about our cute pups. i just can't help it (you guessed it - i'm doing it now.) our dogs have loved us unconditionally, no matter what!

back to the movie. i think we can learn a few things from billy and his two coon hounds old dan and little ann. i love the themes that run throughout the movie. determination, spirituality, sacrifice, love beyond loyalty and family. i'm not embarrassed to say that i cried and cried at the end of the movie. when we went to costco today i was telling breanne about my tv experience last night and i even started crying then. she just smiled. thanks bre for indulging me.

i love these quotes from the author of the book, wilson rawls.

"Although they couldn't talk in my terms, they had a language of their own that was easy to understand. Sometimes I would see the answer in their eyes, and again it would be in the friendly wagging of their tails. Other times I could hear the answer in a low whine or feel it in the soft caress of a warm flicking tongue. In some way, they would always answer."

"People have been trying to understand dogs ever since the beginning of time. One never knows what they'll do. You can read every day where a dog saved the life of a drowning child, or lay down his life for his master. Some people call this loyalty. I don't. I may be wrong, but I call it love--the deepest kind of love.'"

"I'm sure the red fern has grown and has completely covered the two little mounds. I know it is still there, hiding its secret beneath those long, red leaves, but it wouldn't be hidden from me for part of my life is buried there too. Yes, I know it is still there, for in my heart I believe the legend of the sacred red fern."

unfinished

over the years i have been a collector of quotes and inspirational sayings. i have several pretty journals at my fingertips. to open at any given time. reading these treasures gives me moments of clarity, moments of humor, moments of peace, moments of creativity, moments of hope - the list is endless.

i fall in love with this every time i read it. i hope you love it too!

"unfinished"

the laundry is unfinished, the schoolwork is unfinished. everything is unfinished, but it's not a bad thing because it's the work & the progress & the unfinished results that train our character to that of a contented soul. knowing it's not going to be finished until i am in heaven, makes it all okay. it makes the laundry & the dishes & the mess all okay. it keeps it all in perspective. this life is short, our eternity is, eternal. so for this life, unfinished is my word to remind me to keep working, keep striving, but never beat myself up for what simply can not get done.

new home

i've changed my address. i decided to take my bed and have a few sleep overs with breanne and jake! i am so blessed to have their daily love and support. although i really do miss the excitement i shared with charlotte, riley and mary. my family- they are amazing! my parents, siblings, and my kids have all helped me in so many ways to make this move go as smooth as possible. i am grateful! thank you from the bottom of my heart!

safety nets

couldn't make it without them. i wouldn't even want to try! sisters. each beautiful in their own unique way. i love them all for the same reasons -
different reasons too. they love me without any hesitation, wholeheartedly. together we comfort, encourage & empower each other. my sisters want what's best for me. whatever that may be. i know i can trust them with anything. even with my deepest imperfections. they will always have my back. that i am confident. with these girls i can count on laughter, hugs and kisses, a few tears shed & meaningful conversation (or not so meaningful- and that's OK too.) that's what we sisters do! i realize how abundantly blessed i am to have three amazing sisters that i can also call friends. i love you dearly!