First Monday of 2016

Did I mention I'm going sugar free for 10 days. Today is day 1. Ha! And it's 10:33 AM and things are GREAT!

I truly am worried about my ability to stick to this; however, I know the benefits will help me enormously so I'm feeling motivated.

My work fridge is stocked with turkey, swiss cheese, carrots, a pear, an orange, natural peanut butter and cream cheese. I wish I would have brought my celery (to go with the cream cheese and peanut butter....oh well, another day).  My home fridge is PACKED with fresh ingredients and I'm excited about that.

I should note that the sugar free thing is not fat free, nor do I count calories.

I've noted to myself that my usual daily diet consists of carbs, sugar and fat.

So this SF plan makes me eat protein, fruits, veg and fat.

I had a smoothie this morning consisting of blackberries, an orange, a banana and 1/2 C of greek yogurt. It was pretty bitter.

I keep wondering if my taste buds will make any real changes in 10 days. I am so used to NOT liking the taste of fruits and veggies because my tongue is so overloaded with sugar, ya know? I'd like to enjoy fruits and veggies again.

Anywaysssssss.......it was hard to come back to work today. Having two weeks off really messes with my head. I stay up late, I do what I want, I cook, I clean, I spend time with kids and hubby. I LOVE IT! And I'm mourning the loss of those two weeks.

I got online this morning and got my reservation for our family to tour the Provo City Center Temple Open House on Jan 16, which happens to be my dad's 69th birthday but he will be out of town that weekend.

Journal 2016

The other day my dad was telling me about how he had read in his journal back in 1994 about me bringing home a boy named Harold Nichols. It was fun to hear his thoughts and we reminisced about the events surrounding Harold's proposal and our wedding day.

A few days later, Harold pulled out his old journal and started sharing things with me. It was fun to hear about the little things we did together and as a family.

I was feeling a bit blue about my lack of journaling when I realized I had a terrific journal that I was pretty faithful to from 2008-2011 and it's THIS BLOG!

The original plan for this blog was to document my weight loss. That was back in 2008. And I'm still worrying about weight loss.

However, I've decided to start blogging again because the blog is my journal. I may not share everything on this blog due to it's non-private nature, but events and general feelings about those events are and will be shared. This is the easiest way for me to journal. I may share weight-related stuff...but only if it's super important to me that day. But I want to share the day-to-day stuff on here. I want some kind of record for my to look at when my memory is completely gone and hopefully this blog will spark a glimmer of recognition in my failing years. And I'd like my kids and husband to read about what was important to me and the goings on of our every day life.

Here goes, events of note:
1. I am going to sugar detox for 10 days. Jan 4-Jan 13, 2016. I am completely sugar addicted and I'm hoping this will boost my energy and hopefully curb some of those nasty cravings.
2. Harold started a new job on June 29, 2015 at LexisNexis. We are super glad for this change in his employment and despite a very large learning curve, he is really enjoying the new job. It is stressful, to be sure. But he is closer to home, getting a decent paycheck, and we are hopeful that this is a long-term employment situation.
3. Savannah started a cosmetology apprenticeship in Payson at Cloud9 Salon with Holly Despain Amuse. Holly is a great teacher and Savannah is loving her schooling. She will test for her state boards around May or June of 2017. The apprentice costs less but takes longer to complete. She attends the young adult ward and was called to teach 3rd Sunday Relief Society, which we feel will be a really great challenge and blessing for her. She is dating a pre-mission boy named Jacob. We are hoping he leaves during the first half of 2016 and are supportive of this desire. :)
4. Mack is midway through his junior year. He enjoys club and school soccer. He recently attended the NY Eve youth dance and loved it. He looked super fly in his new navy floral shirt with navy blazer and jeans. Best dressed kid there and the best looking. He is the 1st assistant in the priests quorum.
5. I am still at BYU and really love where I work, not just BYU but the dean's office of education. I work with hard-working people who are dedicated to their work and are really great people. They are supportive and kind. I was called to serve in the Stake YW back in September-ish and serve as the 2nd counselor. It is a BUSY calling.

2015 was a very eventful year for us.

Harold and I celebrated our 20th anniversary by going to Paris, France from January 30 until Feb 8. It was so very cold but we bundled up and just completely enjoyed our visit. We stayed in a small little flat we rented online and it was perfect! We ate great food, saw amazing sites, and spent some super quality time together. We went in the Louvre, walked down the Champs d'Elysees, went to the Eiffel tower twice (once at night and once during the day), toured the Musee d'Orsay, walked ALL OVER Versailles (the city and the palace grounds and saw the temple site/construction), took a day trip to see Chateau de Fontainebleau, and walked to the Sacre Couer. Amazing trip! We really stressed over whether to take this trip and Harold's defining moment was, if we don't do this now something could happen and we won't end up going ever. I'm so glad I listened to that advice because.....

Harold was laid off from the University of Phoenix on April 2 and was without work until June 29. He handled it pretty well and worked like a champ to gain employment. He was at the LDS Employment Center daily sending out resumes, making contacts, etc. He was offered the job at LexisNexis mid-June and since we had a couple of weeks before his start date, we altered our family vacation plans (originally scheduled for end of July) and.....

We took the kids to Seattle for our family vacation. We stayed with Britty, Wyatt and Ro. They are gracious hosts and we loved spending time with them. We went to the top of the Space Needle, took a ferry to Victoria, BC, Canada and toured Buchart Gardens as well as the touristy parts of town. We went to Pike's Place Market a couple of times. It was a great trip.

We were able to get new carpet in the house and Harold also tiled all the linoleum areas in our house (back hall and bathroom, two upstairs bathrooms). The new carpet and tile makes us feel like we are living in a brand new house and the feeling is fabulous!

Despite unemployment, financially we did just fine this year. And the only thing I can attribute this to is that we pay our tithing. Many would call us foolish for this belief, but we have always felt strongly that the law of the tithe is an essential part of our faith building and heaps blessings upon us. We have not always been blessed financially through tithes, but we do believe we still own our house because of our obedience to this law of God.

I have nothing bad to say about 2015. We had our share of stress, to be sure. But in the end, we saw God's hand in our lives daily and are grateful for the knowledge of the gospel that sustains us through our trials.

Gratitude

I feel a great deal of gratitude in general lately. The biggest piece of news is that Harold got a great job offer. The job is closer to home than his previous job and we are pleased with the salary.

One thing I'm looking forward to is having him home at a decent hour every night. We have not had a standard 8-5 schedule since our first year of marriage. All his other jobs were at an airline, in retail, out of town, or crazy weird hours. Yay for 8-5!!!

I have a post in the making about the Cultural Celebration for the Payson Utah Temple.....what a great experience. More later...

I found myself this past Sunday feeling completely full to the brim with gratitude for the blessings Heavenly Father has given me and my family.

My lesson this past week was on avoiding being a hypocrite. There is no difference between me and the Pharisees because they 1. Attended their meetings, 2. Paid tithes, 3. Helped the poor, and 4. Attended the temple.

The difference is.....my heart. I hope my heart continually seeks to be in the right place. I have had times when I do the right thing and hope others see me. Then there are times when I do the right thing because I want to serve the Lord. I just hope as I get older and time goes by that I worry less and less about the world and more and more about what Heavenly Father thinks of me.

Blessings Large and Small

Sometimes I wonder how I got so blessed. I mean that sincerely so when I type up the next sentence, please do not think I am being sarcastic.

Harold lost his job.

I mean....he didn't misplace his job, but rather after 12 years he was let go. As in, they used to hold him like a balloon string and suddenly like an absent-minded toddler.....they let the string slide away from them and Harold is now floating, untethered.

He has been earnestly seeking employment and has technically only been out of work for three days, today is day four.

He has had one interview and has another scheduled. He has attended the LDS Employment Center's Career Workshop (today is day two of two at the workshop). He has applied at numerous places for numerous jobs.

He has had experts look at his resume and suggest a MAJOR overhaul, which he is working on.

Sometimes there is underlying unease in the pit of my stomach, but on top of that is a very real sense of calm and peace....and of blessings I am unable to count.

Financially we have a bit of time, not a lot, but some time.

I feel like I am unable to adequately express how blessed I feel right now.

We have a temple opening soon. My family will be volunteering for a day at the open house. My son will be able to participate in the cultural celebration.

Here are four of my greatest blessings:

1. Harold, 2. Savannah, 3. Mackson, 4. The temple.

I have no doubt that Harold will find the right job at the right time. He is probably the hardest worker I know. He is relentless, dogged, earnest, kind. Any company would be lucky to have him.

Funny how blessings come in ways we never expected and never asked for. Heavenly Father knows me, He knows us. He knows what we need. I have faith in his plan for me and all his children.

There is a reason the gospel is called the great plan of happiness. I feel joyful and happy when I follow the plan. The fear comes when I lose sight of the plan.

At this moment, I feel peace, hope, joy, gratitude, love, calm.

Gospel Doctrine

Have you ever sat in Gospel Doctrine class on Sunday and thought, "I am so glad I don't have to teach this class. What a nightmare!" 

Well, I've thought that. Numerous times. In fact, I've often thought if I ever got that calling that I would probably die and that would be the end of me. 

As it turns out, I got the calling. And I did not die. 

Interesting note: Not only did I NOT die, I realized pretty immediately that the calling was a direct answer to my prayers and would be a major blessing in my life. 

I've only taught one lesson so far. That lesson was pretty funny. The first half was me just blazing through material. This wasn't happening because I needed to get through the lesson, it was happening because I was so incredibly nervous. Once I calmed down a bit I was able to enjoy the lesson more and listen to comments and incorporate the comments into the lesson better. 

I teach my second lesson in two days and I'm super excited. The lesson is about Matthew 5; The Sermon on the Mount. What a goldmine! I mean, the Savior really dropped a massive gift with this chapter. And, the importance of it was emphasized when he repeated the same things to the Nephites in 3 Nephi. 

Even though I am quite nervous to teach again, I cannot being to explain how grateful I am and how excited I am. 

Heavenly Father knows each of us. He knows our struggles. And he wants us to be successful in this life. He aids us by giving us scriptures, prophets, apostles, the priesthood, church programs, the Holy Ghost. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of God on the earth. I know because when I study the gospel and truly apply the principles in my life, I am happier. I feel more at peace. I have more joy. And I know that the gospel gives me the tools needed to protect my children. They have the ability to make their own decisions and may walk away from all I've taught, but I will know that I did all I could by teaching them what I know to be true. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ and enhances and illuminates the Bible. 

I am loving my calling. I'll probably need reminding of this every time I get crazy nervous to teach. 

The Sun on my Face

Do you ever worry about things you cannot control? I do this ALL the time. And to be perfectly honest, I am completely sick of it.

Currently I am worried about a myriad of people, situations and problems. And there is nothing I can do about any of it. So I wake up worried, go to sleep worried, worry in the middle of the day. Worry while I'm driving, while I'm eating. Currently Christmas worries plague my mind...are we still in budget? Did we get everything we need? What about this person or that person? What about that handcrafted idea I had and am in the middle of...will I finish on time?

It's no wonder that I find solace in mindless activities like television and dumb game apps on the iPad when I'm home at night.

I'd like to quit worrying, if only for a moment.

So I headed on over to lds.org. This is my go-to place when I'm feeling introspective, have a question, or just need some peace. Today the answer came in the form of a hymn,

Ere you left your room this morning,

Did you think to pray? … 

When your soul was full of sorrow,

Balm of Gilead did you borrow

At the gates of day?

O how praying rests the weary!

Prayer will change the night to day;

So when life gets dark and dreary,

Don’t forget to pray.

It's time for me to remember to pray every morning, every night. I need the Balm of Gilead it brings to my soul. While my life is not dark or dreary, it could use more sunshine and currently I am the only person blocking the light by turning my back to the sun rather than turning my face to catch the light. 

Love to all during this season. There have been moments of profound spiritual blessing in my life lately and those have come in the form of videos, FHEs and talks with my little family about beliefs and testimony. I love the Lord and his gospel. 

Today's blog has done it's job, I can feel the sun on my face again. 

Playing Catch Up

I've never been good at journaling. When I was younger I would sit down to (finally) write in my journal and I would have this feeling that I needed to write about everything that had happened in my life since the last time I wrote. Unfortunately, so much had usually happened that I couldn't possibly remember or write it all and I would get frustrated. Then I wouldn't bother writing much at all.

I feel that way about this blog. I've let it lapse. Social media and a full-time job drew me away from my precious blog. I'm not going to promise that I'm back, but I would like to get a few thoughts and events written down for posterity.

Thoughts/Events:
1. I quit Facebook. I'm not sure when it happened, some time earlier this summer. At first I quit for a week to get me out of my bad habit of checking statuses every few seconds. We had discussed bad habits during Family Home Evening one night and I pledged to stay off FB for the week. After the week was over I went back but I definitely did not check FB as often as I had before. Then I decided to try another week or two. The next thing I knew I was having this realization that FB wasn't any good for me. I like being in touch with family and I especially love seeing pictures. But FB had become a.) an addiction, b.) a detraction from my real life, and c.) a place of frustration and sometimes full blown anger. So I dropped FB, for good. They do have a cool feature on FB where you can have them send you a link to download all your pics and statuses, so before I left for good I got my download and filed it in my computer. Then I left. Honestly, I miss it sometimes. But other times, I don't miss it one single bit. I'm lucky to have friends and family that keep me informed of events that are important.

2. Savannah started college. What? I had someone tell me yesterday that I don't look old enough to have a college freshman. How sweet! And how true! Ha! And I wasn't even young when I had her, I was 26. Anyway....this #2 is supposed to be about Savannah. She is loving BYU. She loves her professors, her classes and her job. She doesn't have any crazy roommates, which we consider a plus. She has been doing well on most tests and assignments but had her first bump in the road yesterday when she realized that the time spent studying for a major test just was not enough. The transition from HS to university is HUGE. We are very proud of her and know she will succeed!

3. Mackson is a sophomore in HS. He is a good kid and tries very hard to Choose The Right. He's fairly quiet, but will be open about most things if we just ask. Which proves the point that kids really do want to have a relationship with their parents. Thankfully, when we ask, he will give us information. And he is quite funny, which we enjoy.

4. I serve in Nursery in my ward. I love it. The children are so fun, so full of energy, and have such a variety of personalities. Nursery is a great place for me right now. Currently I am trying to figure out how to serve the children during the week, not just on Sunday for two hours. I was reminded of a really great quote, which was attributed to Maya Angelou,

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I want those children to FEEL good in my class and FEEL good around me. I know that involves striving for the spirit in my life so that I SHINE. I'm working on this.

Looking forward to hearing from long lost blog-reading friends. Love to all!