New Pencils and a Pink Pearl Eraser

My girls ran for the bus on their first day of school this week, hardly even looking back to see their mom bravely trying to hold it together. I'm doing really well, if I do say so myself (after a few days' perspective).

I have grand plans of accomplishing much and doing much good while I have a few relatively quiet hours with just me and The Guy. I'll let you know how I do. I'm trying to think of some activities we can do together to keep both of us engaged and entertained during our quiet day and take advantage of this precious time I have left with him. We've done the park, the library . . . and way too much screentime! I've only got two years until he starts kindergarten, too!

Deep Thoughts . . . While Weeding

We had the amazing opportunity yesterday to sit here yesterday and listen to a Prophet of God. It was, well, amazing. (OK, so I'm not one of the professional writers in our family, I'll admit.)

As I stood on the front steps of this temple, I saw this (which is also where I had just been to drop off #2 and #3 Messmakers, a short ten-minute drive away):

From that same spot, I saw this:

On a clearer day, I most likely could have seen this:

And about a 25 minute drive away, just around the bend in the mountains, I knew this temple stood:

When I walked out of my garage this morning, I looked across the valley and saw this:

Within an hours drive from my home, I can attend one of eight temples. In my state there are 13 operating temples (well, come Monday).

At the temple dedication, BJ's dad spoke about families in Mongolia, who in order to receive the blessings of the temple, sell literally every one of their earthly possessions, and travel by train for three days (and this is no Amtrax, people) to receive their endowments and be sealed as a family for time and all eternity in the Hong Kong temple. Add the three-day train trip home, this family has traveled by train for one full week and sacrificed everything they own to attend the temple. It takes me 10 minutes to drive to the closest temple. And talk about a temple district: the Hong Kong temple serves half the population of the world. Our temple district serves the population of one small county in one small state in the U.S.

As I took a painfully honest look back at my temple attendance over the last 11 years of my life, I was not exactly thrilled. We have not been horrible in our attendance, but it sure wasn't a track record I'd be comfortable presenting to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, given my amazing access to temples here.

How many people do we know who, while living in the shadow of the temple, have chosen to walk away from those covenants? And do you think that family who sacrificed everything they had and spent an entire week just to go to the temple once would ever dream of betraying those covenants after those sacrifices had been made?

IT OCCURS TO ME THAT (wow, this had better be good, I'm using all caps here) the things that matter the most to us in life are the things that we have sacrificed the most for. Maybe when things are just a bit too easy, we end of taking them for granted. Perhaps if we really had to sacrifice for what we believed, it would mean that much more to us. Perhaps.

Maybe if I had to run away from a mob with my three children, leaving my house and everything in it behind, just because I believed in a book; or maybe if my entire family treated me as if I were dead, or even tried to have me killed, because I listened to two white, Christian missionaries from some strange church; or maybe if I poured my own actual blood, sweat and tears into building a temple so that one day my great-great-great grandchildren could pass by six temples in the course of a day . . . maybe I'd make that temple an absolute center point in my life. Maybe.

So, next time you're weeding or scrubbing your house or exercising or any one of those tasks where you distract yourself by letting your mind wander, think about what really means the most to you in your life, and the sacrifices you make every day that make those things so important to you.

11 Years Down, Eternity to Go!

It truly does seem like yesterday, even though this picture screams otherwise.

Happy Anniversary, Honey. I love you!

Happy B-Day to the B-Jay!!

My darling hubby turns ____ today. In truth, he doesn't have the same age issues I do, but since we're the same age, I can't tell you how old he is today!

BJ is my best friend and the person I want to tell everything to. Sometimes he doesn't want to hear it all, but I want to tell him all the same!

We love watching movies (Star Wars and Star Trek are two of our favorites), road trips (Canada and maybe even Alaska?!), and anything we probably shouldn't eat! Topping our favorites list there is Chinese and Mexican, and did I mention dessert?! Sad but true, our house is the house where every good-intentioned diet goes to die!

I'm a little bit embarassed to say he's the master chef at our house. Man do we eat good around here! Remember how our house is a diet graveyard? Yeah. Anyone who's stayed with us knows exactly what I'm talking about.

BJ refuses to do anything for himself, and spoils his children outrageously. They love him for it! The Guy can now turn on the crocodile tears on demand and get just about anything he wants from his dad. Truly, anything. Pray he can't do that when he's 16 or we may have a Mustang sitting in our garage on his birthday.

He works so hard every day and has made my dream possible of staying home to raise our short, noisy roommates. I 150% respect him as the priesthood leader of our home and express gratitude every day in my prayers to have a worthy priesthood holder in my home.

I love him a million swedish fish. His kids love him a million blue M&M's.

Happy Birthday, BJ!

How Is This Possible?

My baby turned Nine over the weekend!

(She was obsessed with the sand at our uncle's lake in Calgary.

Apparently a trip to Hawaii is in order.)

We bought her a hat which she immediately put on and pulled a very teeager-ish attitude, for about 5 minutes. She now insists on ordering for herself when we go out to eat, can't be bothered with anything with a "character" on it (except for The Jonas Brothers, heaven help me) and carries a purse with her wallet, lotion and lip gloss in it everywhere she goes. Where did my little girl go?!

The beautiful thing about my Bug is that we are becoming better friends the older she becomes. Knock on wood that we can keep that up over the next 12 years or so! She is so helpful with anything I need, much more than any other child her age I've seen. She's beautiful and talented and just about perfect, as least as far as this mother's concerned.

I've loved every minute of the last nine years (yes, even the gross, frustrating, tiring ones) and I am so glad that this sweet little spirit is mine for all eternity! I guess I can let her go to school next month, but she'd better hurry right home at the end of the day!

Why We'll Miss Hong Kong . . .

Totally unique, one of a kind bath linens!

(Don't worry if you don't get it . . . it took us three years and a six year-old to figure this out.)

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in my life!

My father is an amazing guy, probably because he'd think you were crazy if you said as much to him. Everyone needs someone like my dad in their life, someone who loves you totally unconditionally, no expectations or judgments attached. I honestly can't remember many examples of my dad sitting me down and teaching me things as I was growing up, but so much of what I know today came from watching him work and serve. His testimony is borne everyday by the way he lives his life and serves him family.

My two brothers are also fabulous dads. It's so interesting to see their differing styles with their children but how they both have managed to raise incredible kids, who I'm so happy to now call my friends. Our favorite bit with my Guy is to ask him "Who loves you?" His first reply is always "Daddy." His 2nd answer is always "Uncle Paul and Uncle Tom."

My father-in-law is such a great example to us and so loving and caring to all of his family. You will never hear him talk about the sacrifices he has made to serve Heavenly Father wherever he's been asked, because to him they are not sacrifices. He has a fabulous way of knowing what each of his children need and does whatever he can to help and support his family as they work to accomplsih their goals. His testimony and example of service are a fabulolus gift to myself and my children.

The father of my children is my favorite person on this planet (obviously !) So much of what I'm able to accomplish everyday is because of what he does everyday. Because of some struggles that he has that most people do not know about, everyday tasks are much harder for him than for the rest of us. I know I should tell him this a lot more, but everyday in my prayers I express gratitude to him for all he does everyday for us. He is a such a tender parent, spoiling his children outrageously because he just can't stand to be the mean parent! (Don't worry, I pick up the slack there.) He's a pretty stoic guy, but you'll often see tears in his eyes if one of his kids has to be seriously disciplined. Most families will say they always needed to know where their mom was, but in our family it's a daily countdown to when Daddy comes home, particularly for my Guy, aka Daddy's Shadow. My kids are so incredibly blessed to be able to grow up with his loving influence in their lives.

So, I've been pretty serious and poetic today, but I seriously love all of these guys. Us moms usually think so much about our rolls, all the work we have to do everyday, all the pressures heaped on our heads, you know the drill. But these guys of ours labor daily under such incredible pressures. They are painfully aware of how much we rely on them, and how great their responsibilities are.

So, give your dad a hug today and tell him he did a great job . . . just look at how spectacular you turned out!