Living the Unexpected Life

For many reasons I am severely stressed the first few weeks of December.  This year, I took control and started reading a book about tidying up.  Then, I decided to try what it suggested once a week when I was excited about making a change.  I have to say, I am shocked that it has been working for me!  I do not spend countless hours tidying up but 20 min. here and there and I love the peace and quiet.  The book recommends tidying up with silence and without TV and music.  It has relieved a lot of stress and I am changing small habits. I confess, my dresser did not use to look this way! One night at 11:00 p.m. I even did this! I have also found that my quiet time tidying up is when I think about what I believe in and what my actions are doing for my life.  And since it is Christmas, I have thought of the Savior often and even asked myself what more I can do to show my love for him.  I guess you could say I have been tidying up my mind and...

Here are some things that have happened in the last month.  It is amazing how fast time flies! 1.  David had his first Jazz Concert and I was blown away by the sound.  Of course I am a proud Mom. Fall Jazz Concert  2.  The wind has been blowing extra hard this week and we are finally feeling the temperature drop below 73. I am also enjoying watching the leaves fall from our neighbors yard into ours.  The boys don't find this entertaining because they end up cleaning it all up but I love all the colors.  3.  Evan looked at me the other day and said, "Mom, you have failed me.  I don't even know how to make a quesadilla."  Well, he was right so I taught him this week.  That now means he can heat up a can of chili, pour cereal, make Ramen, a sandwich, and quesadillas.  I feel accomplished for now. Evan can cook!  4.  Every year Evan talks and talks about what he wants to be for Halloween. ...

Some days I feel like I am barely keeping up.  My job, my house, my kids, my husband, and my personal time are all extremely important to me and balancing all of it is the hardest part of my life right now. Usually on Sundays I look back at my schedule and realize how much I got done in 7 days and I feel accomplished.  Then, I think about all the things I did that were not on my google calendar and I amaze myself! A long time ago I was able to let go of being the perfect housewife and working woman and I glory now in things I have taken the time to enjoy.  Like watching Evan run in his new "man tights", as he likes to call them.  Or listening to David play the trumpet out on the football field while wearing his band uniform that he actually hates to wear.  (I had no idea.) I also listened to an amazing podcast on depression & music, learned two new pieces on the piano, played the organ horribly today in sacrament meeting, and joined a transracial a...

School has been running for three weeks now and I think we are settling in to our new schedule.  This is a good thing because we seem to find more time to relax when we know what to expect.  Sometimes settling in can be a bad thing however, because you become complacent and even lazy.  It is a fine balance. We have taken on the challenge of observing the Sabbath more intensely and have found a lot of joy in weekly scripture study and prayer.  I love hearing my kids pray- I actually feel like they are mature when I hear them ask for things we need as a family and also pray for the needs of others. I have learned that it is not hard to implement these things into your family life and someone has created an app for it which helps a lot!  I just love technology. Our next adventure as a family will be during Christmas when HOPEFULLY we take a trip to California to visit some old friends.  I am going to be taking Dramamine to cope with riding in the back sea...

Our household has been rather busy the last few weeks as we prepared for and successfully executed the start of another school year. David is 15, a JR in High School and 5 months away from driving alone.  He is also a part of Jazz Band and Concert Band this year.  Being the oldest can be both demanding and rewarding and David seems to do it well. Evan is 12, a new deacon in our church, a member of the cross country team, a percussionist in band, and in the 7th grade.  He is the baby of the family which apparently comes with a lot of perks! Yesterday Jason & David went on adventure together and hiked 14 miles  round trip to Mount David. Elevation Gain:   5800   ft. Highest Point:  7420  ft To read more click here. Here are a few pictures to describe the trip. Ready to spend time with Dad. Enjoying the views. Half way there! Signing the Summit Register David hiked Mount David! Jason an...

Jason and I woke up at 4:30 a.m. this past Tuesday to hike up to the ENCHANTMENTS.  It was one of the hardest hikes I have ever done.  In fact, it was a good thing I had no idea how hard it would actually be! To find out- Click Here I am use to pushing my body because I love to run long distances and recently I ran the entire loop trail which is 10 miles.  I thought I was pretty hot stuff for doing that last week but now I have impressed myself even more since completing this hike. I don't want to give you the wrong impression that I did not complain while hiking, I actually had to put a spin on my complaints to pull through.  For example, after hopping giant granite boulders and magically getting through without a broken ankle I would say, "I 100% did not like that part but I did it." The hardest part of this 18 mile hike was the 5th mile which required me to climb Aasgard Pass,  It was God's idea of a stair climber, except I also had to use my hands t...

Tonight family is on my mind.  My Grandpa Brackett is on the far right.  He looks a lot like my Dad and I have never met him.  I found this photo after sifting through the ENTIRE internet while hoping to find just one photo.  I was so thrilled when I found this that I immediately sent it to my Dad for verification but I knew all along I had found him.  It felt just like finding gold I tell ya! I am thinking that if I were to meet him in person he would find me rather interesting and something tells me that I would be blown away at how much he was like my Dad!  I love that thought that my Dad is like his Dad.  It gives me goosebumps and teary eyes. I think my Grandfather would want to know all about my amazing life and I could talk for hours about growing up, getting married, having kids, and living my religion.  I think he would be proud that I have worked my tail off to do the things my Heavenly Father had planned for me to do.  It wou...

My Mother's Day was amazing! We went on a hike an hour from home  near Leavenworth and I took at least 100 pictures of Mother Nature.  I am trying to learn names of plants and animals which is not as easy for me as playing the piano.  Still,  I enjoy the challenge. I was in heaven being outside with my children who amused me the entire time.  We are an extremely close family and staying that way is most important to me.  I am happy to say that my boys still call me Mommy, hold my hand, kiss me in public, hug me, ask for my help, and talk to me about their interests and concerns. I love being a Mother and I know that the kids can feel that.  I am also still in love with their Dad and it is important to me that they know that too! The cedar trees were gigantic. Lots of mosquitoes here and we forgot the spray! Looking out over Tall Timber Ranch Mr. V.-a handsome guy. Mr. Cool Candy Flower? Indian paintbr...

I see things differently from anyone else on the planet.  Because of that, one thing I enjoy doing is going down to the river to explore and take pictures.  Even though I have no training as a photographer I am happy to pretend that I do!  My kids usually come with me so I get a lot of shots that are no good because they try to confuse me and poke me with their walking sticks.  Dang boys! My son Evan always has some kind of pose for me and anytime I yell "Turn around!,"  he shows me something new.  Gotta love a 6th grader who isn't shy. David on the other hand rarely shows me a decent face.  Today I captured this which made me happy because he didn't pose with his tongue hanging out.  I just think he is a heart throb ladies! The rest of my pics are of nature which I love for reasons I cannot fully explain.   The river peacefully exists while I struggle daily with my weaknesses. I often think about that when I have a rough day...