What I Wish I Could Say

There are days when I have no words to express how or what I feel. Today as I perused the blogging world, I came across this video on Stephanie Nielsen's site. Though I'm not a wife or mother at this time, the thoughts she expresses couldn't be more true for myself. What she describes as everyday life is the life I desire most.

Until then, though, we carry on. We live the life we're in, we make decisions that will hopefully bring us closer to our goals and to the people we want to be. 

As I sit at my desk, I watch a bird sitting on the power line outside my window. As he flies away into the bright, blue sky, I feel my heart take flight, I feel as if I'm soaring. My mind begins to move, my dreams awaken again. Moving to Georgia has given me new perspective and brought more joy to my life than almost any other decision I've made thus far in my life. Today, I feel as if I'm that little bird, taking off and soaring above everything!

Seriously, So Blessed

Well, life is crazy busy right now. But, I can’t help but feel like the luckiest girl in the whole world, and I’m pretty sure I am. Now, I’m not trying to be arrogant, just realistic…perhaps I should explain.

It started a several months ago. I knew I wanted to move to Georgia, but I just had to figure out the timing. Then I figured out the timing and had a plan. Then I changed the plan back and forth, but still knew I wanted to move to Georgia. In that timeframe, I went to visit Georgia and fell completely in love with it (probably because it was in the 60’s and 70’s consistently). So, I came back to Utah and knew what I wanted, had prayed about it and felt that it was okay for me continue heading in the direction I was going.

Once that decision was made and a date was set, the next thing was to find a job (and quit a job, I guess). In my head I had this idea that I would give notice and they wouldn’t want to lose me so they would offer me anything to stay on. I already had my “demands” in my head…let me do my job – from home in Georgia. It was ideal…too good to be true. I knew this likely wouldn’t happen, so I started looking for jobs in Georgia and was having very little (read: no) success. Then, the time had come…the day to give notice. I personally don’t believe in giving just 2 week’s notice. I have always given several weeks notice since I work for people/companies who generally take good care of me. In this instance, I was giving 5 weeks’ notice. When I met with my boss, she basically said ok, and that was it. No counter offer, no trying to convince me not to leave, nothing. I was so upset, but then again, I knew that my idea really wouldn’t have been accepted anyway.

Fast forward two weeks…I’m in having a meeting with my boss. She asked me how things were going with preparing for the move and finding a job. I told her that things with the move were fine, but that I wasn’t having any luck at that point in securing employment. And then it happened. My mouth opened. The words started spilling out. I knew then, just as I know now, that it was me speaking, but it wasn’t really me speaking. I told her that I would love to see me be able to stay with the company in a work from home position in my current role. I kept talking and spilling the plan of how I thought it could work. I kept waiting for her to stop me, or to look at me and tell me I was crazy, but it never happened. Instead, she looked at me and said “interesting…let me think about that”. 48 hours later, we had approval. This is definitely the very abbreviated version of this story, but even so, I can’t help but think over the events of the last 3 weeks, and really – the last year – without realizing how I was guided and led, and ultimately…so blessed.

So, beginning April 25, I’ll be working at home. I get the best of everything. I get to keep the job I love (stressful though it may be), I get to see my parents every day, and I get to have a new adventure. 

Reality Check

This has been the most draining work-week ever...and it is only Tuesday! I thought that once I gave notice I would feel completely stress free and happy...and I did for a while, but that has worn off and it's MISERABLE. I'm learning some cold, hard facts about the company, and people, I work for and I'm realizing things aren't what I've been led to believe and I'm completely frustrated. 

If you know me, you know that I am usually a happy-go-lucky optimist, so this week is throwing me for a loop.

So, in an attempt to regain my optimism, sanity, and all-around happy demeanor, I have collected a few thoughts (thank you Pinterest!!).

 

 

 

 

And one more, just because I like it...

Ok, I'm good to go. Make it a great week!

Man's Best Friend

My parents recently adopted a new dog (I suppose it was more dog-commandeering from my brother...), an adorable Jack Russell/Lab mix puppy named Boomer. Dad and Boomer have become very good buddies. For the most part, wherever dad goes, Boomer goes too. He like to run, and run, and run, and bite, and play, and run (do you sense the pattern). He also likes to ride in the golf cart.
For your viewing pleasure, please enjoy this lovely video.

Georgia Vacation - December 2011

I am one lucky girl. I got to take a SECOND vacation in 2011 to go to Georgia. The vacation we took in June was wonderful, but this time it really felt like going home. Mom and I were talking about how, when they moved to Georgia, I said it would never feel like home and I would never want to live there. With each trip I take, I want to move there more and more. Anyway, this trip felt more than ever like I was HOME! I am ashamed to say that out of the two weeks I was there I only took one picture on my camera and about 10 on my iPod…and they were mostly of food we made and two of my niece and nephew.

So, while I would love to give you pictures to break up the monotony of my words, you will have to use your imagination.

Dad and I visited several cemetery’s to decorate or work on relatives graves. Each time we went he would tell me a little about each relative and how I was related to each person.

Over the summer they had the trees on the farm land cut down and sold and they had several big burn piles. One day dad decided to burn 4, but while he was at it he decided that he could burn 4 more. Let’s just say things got a little bit out of hand and he was out there on the tractor late into the night (after 10 PM) trying to keep the fires from spreading into the woods. When I left a week and a half later, the fires were still smoldering.

The day I got there it was rainy and made a lot of good mud. Dad took me out bogging in the golf cart (this is one I WISH I had a picture of). We were sliding all over the place and laughing so hard. Daddy was just like a little kid out there. He has been busy making a track out in the open land complete with jumps for our brother to take his dirt bike out on. Yep, we took the golf cart over ALL of them. Granted, some of them were so big the golf cart didn’t really want to go over, so we kept going back and forth, packing in down so we could. Dad took me down through the canal…again, no small feat for a golf cart. When we were headed back to the house, dad took me to the last jump he had made (this is actually the one we had to pack down…from both sides). We were both certain that at any moment, one of both of us was going to be thrown out of that golf cart. At one point, we got high centered and we had to jump out (on the jump) and push the golf cart off. I’m pretty sure dad was running on pure adrenaline at this point because he took the jump and came around again as if he were going to jump again, but instead he got this crazy look in his eyes and headed for a tree!! I thought he was joking for the first three seconds but quickly realized that we were doing this! He kept hitting the tree, not at full speed by any means, but it was constant and within 30 seconds we had pushed a pine tree over! It was so cold and rainy out there, but it was one of the BEST highlights of my trip!!

Daddy took me to breakfast at Jerry J’s for THE BEST steak biscuit EVER! Seriously, if you find yourself in South Georgia, find a Jerry J’s!

Mom and I made road trip pillow cases for Macee, Clayton, and Will. They turned out SO CUTE!

Mom and I went to our neighbor Ann’s house. We went down and made Christmas cookies with her – Swedish teacakes and bonbons. I even splurged one day and made Chicken Cordon Bleu Bread Bowls. Have you seen these before? They are amazing!! I actually even made the bread bowls because not one of the grocery stores carried them. Actually, we called one bakery in a store and asked if they carried them and the girl on the other end said that we would need to talk to house wares because they didn’t sell dishes…it was at that point that I lost hope of finding them. Luckily, this recipe comes with a GREAT recipe for bread bowls…try it!

We made breaded egg bread as a family. I made the dough and then the THREE of us braided bread, even dad (we love getting him in on the baking action!). Serve it with blueberry butter…AMAZING!

I was invited to play a piano solo in Church on my second Sunday. I am still not sure why I agreed (and so quickly) to do this. I didn’t have anything prepared, I didn’t have any of my piano music with me; the logical answer would have been to say “thanks, but no thanks”. However, I agreed and I had one week to find a song and practice it enough to be able to play it the next Sunday. It wasn’t my best performance ever, but it wasn’t bad, and it was a BEAUTIFUL song. I want to practice it enough so that I can play it and call it my best performance!

I got to go to primary! Mostly I just sat in the back, but it was so fun to be around children again. I have missed it sooooo much!

We got to visit with a lot of really fun people…some of these people haven’t seen me since I was 4!

We went to Wild Adventure’s in Valdosta. Believe it or not there is a theme park in Georgia…I didn’t know this! It was so much fun! We rode some really fun rides, and one ride that made me scream like I was 5 (the 9 year old next to me kept talking to me...haha, fun memory), but it was amazing! We couldn’t have picked a better day to go. It was about 70 degrees, sunny and beautiful. There were NO lines! We covered the entire park in less than three hours! I think we all came home exhausted (with scrambled brains) from that.

We drove out to the Okefenokee Swamp Park. We got all the way out there only to find that it wasn’t even open, so I took a picture of the closed sign (yes, the one picture I took on my camera…so sad, I know).

We went to Cracker Barrel down in Brunswick on the way to see Spence and his family. We had just been seated and ordered our food when we saw a couple from Waycross that we knew. They joined us and we all had lunch together! It was such a fun time!

I took several naps, just because I could…and because I would come in and lay down, so did everyone else. I think it did us all a world of good.

Mom and I developed an inside joke relating to the game Mahjong. I could tell you what it is, but I won’t because 1. It wouldn’t be an inside joke anymore and 2. I’d have to kill you. :)

We harvested pecans. It is no longer the terrible back breaking job it used to be. They have this dandy little contraption that you roll along the ground and the pecans pop into it as you roll over them.

We sold pecans. You take them to this building (they buy, crack and sell pecans all on site). Luckily we were just in the business of selling pecans. You dump your pecans on to this special table. One guy has a nifty gadget that takes the end of the shell of pecans so they can check a random few to make sure they are a good batch. Then they dump them into a burlap sack, weigh it and give you the money.

I got to drive the tractor. I wasn’t doing anything useful on it…just driving, but it was still fun.

I sat on the back porch in the sun and read. So lazy and relaxing.

We went fishing! There is a man that lives around the corner from my parents who has a lovely pond. He lets them go fishing whenever they like. We went down one day and didn’t catch a single fish. But the second time we went back, we started getting bites. It seemed that each time we brought in a fish it was bigger than the last! We had such a good time.

I got to play with the animals. I got to snuggle with my adorable Paco. The poor thing is so old he doesn’t see very well and he is mostly deaf. Each morning he would sit at my door and beg to come and jump in bed with me until I got up for the day. Mom and dad have also adopted a cat who answers to the name Kitty Cat (I know, original, but it works). She looks like a cat, but she has to be part pig. The thing eats at least 3 times a day and begs for more each time she sees you! She is very skittish, but loves to be petted and loved…and did I mention fed? Also, mom and dad are currently dog sitting our brother’s dog, Boomer. He is a Jack Russell/Lab mix…he is so cute! He is super hyper and loves to run and bite and eat and bite and, you get the idea. He is 15 weeks old so still very much a puppy. I put him on the little kiddie slide in the back and he kept going down it (seriously, what other choice did he have) and then I put him in the tire swing. Boomer loves to go for rides in the golf cart (not quite like the one we went on) and will chase almost anything you throw.

In less detail, we cleaned the church, played games, went and visited people in the ward, shot the guns, drove the truck (I have a power issue), ate lots of good food, worked out a few times, and basically just fell in love with Georgia! It was an amazing trip and I can’t wait to start planning the next visit (or move…we’ll just have to wait and see).

While we're on the subject...

While we're on the subject of weddings, I thought this might be an appropriate time to bring this back out...

Help Them On Their Way Home

This week for FHE, our ward divided into 3 groups and then went to each of the bishopric member’s home for a lesson. The Morgan’s shared a general conference address with us given this past April by President Eyring entitled “Help Them on Their Way Home” (If you want to read the entire talk, click here). I just wanted to share a few quotes that I liked.
“Brothers and sisters, our Heavenly Father wants and needs our help to bring His spirit children home to Him again. I speak today of young people already within His true Church and so are started on the strait and narrow way to return to their heavenly home. He wants them to gain early the spiritual strength to stay on the path. And He needs our help to get them back to the path quickly should they begin to wander.”
“Foreseeing the needs of His children, a loving Heavenly Father placed directions and rescuers along their way. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to make safe passage possible and visible. He called as His prophet in these times President Thomas S. Monson.”
“The family has an advantage in the first eight years of a child’s life. In those protected years, because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, Satan’s use of the mists of darkness to hide the path to return home is blocked. In those precious years the Lord helps families by calling Primary workers to help strengthen children spiritually. He also provides holders of the Aaronic Priesthood to offer the sacrament. In those sacramental prayers, the children hear the promise that they may someday receive the Holy Ghost as a guide if they are obedient to God’s commandments. As a result, they are fortified to resist temptation when it comes and then, sometime in the future, to go to the rescue of others. “
Hearing this talk again came at a very critical time for me. I’ve decided that I love what I’m doing now, but it isn’t what I want to do forever. Since I was in first grade, I wanted to be a teacher, but couldn’t decide between that and business type careers. Now I see, more than ever before, that if I want to make a difference in the world, it will be through teaching. Teaching won’t always be in a classroom setting, or just at church. I can teach now through my example to those around me, to find ways to strengthen my friends, and hopefully to teach correct principles to my own family when that time comes. I want everyone I know and hold dear to find their way home.

Proof

See, I told you I had a goofy, picture taking personality!

Happy Friday!

Happy

I could (and do) look at these over and over. They just bring me so much HAPPINESS! At least now Lori and I know where we get our goofy picture taking from. :)

Love you dad!

(This is my personal favorite)

The 'Y'

If you live in Provo, you have to hike the Y at least once. Last Friday, Shelly and I did it. We decided at about 9:15 PM to start. It was nice because it was much cooler than during the day.

Here we are before we knew what we were really getting into.

Here's a lovely view of Provo at about 9:15 - still light out!!

Finally, after about 40 minutes, WE MADE IT!!! What an incredible feeling!

Sitting on the Y

July

Every time I sit down to blog, one of two things happens. 1) Everything that I want to write about all of a sudden either doesn’t make sense or doesn’t seem worth sharing/recording, or 2) I totally forget what I had planned to write about. I also love how right before I moved from Boston I said that my blog was going to have more substance and be worth reading. Well, I have decided to truly try to tackle that. I have also decided that I will record whatever I feel like recording because, well, it’s my blog. (I also think I may have said that before, but it must be worth repeating if it keeps coming up. That or I’m trying to convince myself…)

Some fun things that we have been doing here lately…Lori and I went to Lagoon on July 5th because we were both off work due to the fourth of July holiday. We went with two friends and we had a blast. I went on almost every single roller coaster, which is crazy because I’m not usually an adrenaline junky. Some of my favorites were the Rocket, Wicked, Colussus, and the Spider. Lori even conquered her fears and tackled a few! Lagoon also offers this great deal called bounceback. You can return to the park within 10 days for only $10! You better believe we took full advantage of it. We went back the following Saturday with another friend. We didn’t do as many rides, but we picked a few of our favorites, hung out for a few hours, and then headed home.

I found out that I must not pay very close attention to detail. I got an email on July 7th informing me that my jury duty for July 8th had been cancelled. What?!?!? I knew that I was called for Jury duty back in March and I postponed it because we were moving. I also figured that when I received the next notice, I could just tell them that I no longer lived in the state. Well, there was no second notice and I could have been in some serious trouble (what is the punishment for missing jury duty??). I must say, though, that I would have loved to have had a reason to be in Boston, even if it was for Jury Duty.

I’ve become really quite social. I’m really figuring out a lot about me and I love it. I’m also trying a lot more things that I wouldn’t do normally. I recently found out that I’m not half bad at Ultimate Frisbee. I am by no means good at it, and the people I was playing with weren’t too competitive, but it was a lot of fun. Because of my back (and a dislike of sports in general), I don’t usually attempt things like this, but I found out that I really do like it! Another thing on the list of things I’ve recently tried is elk jerky. I couldn’t look at it for too long before I made myself sick at the thought of it, but it really wasn’t that bad!

I have also recently rediscovered my love for the game of Monopoly. Some friends and I have started playing the past few nights. We play for an hour or so and leave it set up on the floor so we can finish it later. We have restarted the game once or twice because we had people leave and/or join, but it has been an absolute blast. It does have a down side because everyone I play with loves to stay up late and I am not tolerating it very well. I just don’t do well without sleep. Oh well, that’s what the weekend is for, right?

My Job

As of this past Wednesday, I am employed again! I am the payroll coordinator for a great company of over 450 people. On top of having a great job and working with great people, I have my very own window! I get to look out at the mountains all day. I have a lot to learn, as you can imagine, but I'm 3 days in and loving it!
I can't help but feel blessed!

You've had a birthday...

Shout HOORAY!!

Lori chose to have her birthday dinner at Cracker Barrel! Good food, good times, good friends!


Since Lori works with cake EVERYDAY, she requested ice cream. We made two batches - strawberry shortcake and tropical fruit! Excellent choices, Lori!!



A birthday wouldn't be complete without candles!


Lori has some INCREDIBLE friends!! Two of them broke into our apartment (so, it wasn't really breaking in because I knew they were coming and I left the door unlocked) and they came in and put cute notes to and about Lori on her bathroom mirror. Good job, ladies!!

Hope you had an awesome birthday, Lori!! Thanks for being you and allowing me to be me!