Change of Perspective

So I've been thinking a lot this past week, about a lot of things. I was feeling a little stressed, weighed down and really busy. Then a week ago I heard the news about Robert and everything changed. Why? Because my perspective changed. Suddenly the things that had seemed hard and heavy in my life didn't look like such a big deal anymore, because my husband wasn't in the hospital fighting for life! One of my favorite talks from conference this past October was Pres. Monson's talk titled Finding Joy in the Journey. My favorite quote from that talk is:

Said one well-known author: “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend . . . when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”

I've been thinking about this quote for months now. The different meanings it has and how exactly to apply it to my life. The application has been the tricky part, because it is not something that I do. No it has to be applied to thought and emotion. I have realized this past week that this quote is simply talking about my perspective. How I choose to perceive things. Do I see life as hard? Or do I see life as Joyful? I has to be applied to my thinking, the way I see things!

I taught my laurels a lesson on Finding Joy Now this past Sunday. It was so interesting teaching it only two days after Robert going back into the hospital. I realized that no matter what our circumstances this quote is still true. Robert and Ashley are such an amazing example of finding the joy in their experiences. They laugh at the funny things Robert says when he is 'high' on pain meds, or revel in the love and support from family and friends. We really can always choose to see the joy and good in each situation in our life. 

So for me, suddenly this week I felt lighter. Nothing changed. I still have the same to do list I did a week ago, in fact it is growing with fundraising things to do too! I still have the same challenges and busyness in my life. It just all looks so different to me. I've learned a little more deeply and clearly what it means to tend the secret garden of abundance in my life. I think abundance might really be rose colored glasses, of sorts anyway! And for that I am grateful!

Sheer Blogger Genius . . .

Occurs for me in the middle of the night. I'm awakened by a painful kick to my bladder, as the little girl in-utero politely requests more room. I drag my sleepy body out of bed and head for the bathroom. As I lay back down to drift off to the bliss of dreamland, I am excessively thanked for the new room with acrobatic adventures by the afore mentioned, little girl in-utero. Now, I'm grateful that she has not yet reached the pinnacle of her strength, when she will surely awaken me from a dead sleep with her karate moves. But her active somersaults and jumping jacks have just enough power to prevent me from slipping into the desired bliss of dreamland.

So instead, as I encourage the madness in my belly by playfully pushing back, to which she responds with more kicking and pushing; my mind wanders to blogging and my next fabulous post. The problem is that generally speaking I conjure up the perfect words and most hilarious funny only to give in to the blissful dreamland. There my blogging posts become my dreams and fairyland, only to be forgotten in the fog of the alarm clock and the morning. It is bittersweet, as I remember that I had such a perfect idea that led to such a wonderful dream and now it is lost! Even if I can remember the meat of the post, gone are the fabulous side dishes of perfect words and the dessert of the most hilarious funny!

Well last night I said, "Enough is enough! Self, get out of bed and write this one down! It is perfection!" And so I did! Now I'm sure this is where you think I add in that perfect post, but alas all you shall get is a link. Because you see, Robert is back in the hospital fighting leukemia again, with Ashley at his side and Karalee and I are going to blog on their behalf. So the perfect post I conjured up at 1:00 a.m. last night wasn't even for my blog, but if you would like to read it you may go here.

And please visit their blog again, often, because we are beginning fundraising efforts very soon as Robert's first round with leukemia nearly wiped out his insurance policy. And of course we always request prayers! Besides, if you are lucky you just might score some more sheer blogging genius from the middle of the night!

25 Random Things About Me!

So about 6 months ago I was tagged by Crystal to do a blog post with 6 random things about me! I did this after being tagged by 3 people on Facebook and figured I would let it count for double! 

1. I considered not doing this, but I feel like a challenge!
2. I can't think of anything to write now, but I thought of lots of things while I was folding my laundry!
3. I think Steve is the bees knees! And I love being married to him!
4. I'm pretty sure that I have the two funniest children alive. There is never a dull moment at our house!
5. I've ridden an ostrich, but not very well!
6. Blue has always been my favorite color, but I currently think that yellow is rather cheery--not a color that I've ever worn though, don't think that it looks good on me!
7. I come from a family of 7 kids (6 girls, 1 boy), and I would like a family of six kids (guess that would make us a family of eight!) I have yet to convince Steve that six is a good idea. He currently holds the number at four. We're cooking #3 so we have time yet!
8. I love adventure, especially when I feel totally out of my element for the first little bit--it always turns out fun and I love having a new experience under my belt. I have to admit that has changed some since I've had children. Not so fun to be out of your element and feel responsible for others at the same time.
9. I'm terrible at lying, but I can embellish the truth with ease at times!
10. One of my favorite adventures was travelling to Australia with Steve. We had no idea where we were staying when we got there! There was also scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef and skydiving in Harvey Bay!
11. I was crushed that the only BLIZZARD to occur in the 7 years I lived in Denver happened while I was in Australia! I would love to live in a snowy place again, and get snowed in to my house for a few days!
12. My first big adventure was travelling to visit my grandparents in South Africa on their mission. We got to see Victoria Falls, and drove the garden route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. Flying overseas for 14.5 hours ALONE was a big adventure when I was 18! (That is where I rode the ostrich!)
13. Like my dear friend Lori, I too wonder if blogs and FB connect or disconnect us?
14. I love food! Especially when someone else makes it and cleans up. Ok, that is only true when I"m not pregnant (the clean up part is ALWAYS true). I love to cook and bake, as well.
15. Some of my favorites are sushi, orange chicken, tamales, salads, homemade cookies, 5 flavor cake, and pretty much any flavor of ice cream!
16. I still get sad sometimes when I go down the ice cream aisle that Dreyer's quit making Dreamery Black Raspberry Avalanche (and I'm pretty sure it has been at least two years!)
17. I wonder what my children will be when they grow up! Which causes me to wonder if my parenting is always up to the challenge!
18. I love words and defenitions, but I don't use a large enough vocabulary on a daily basis. I should work on that!
19. Someday I'm going to rock climb and snow board again, when I'm not pregnant and the weather for both is good. The problem has been these event occuring simultaneously. You don't rock climb in the summer in Vegas! Or snowboard anywhere then either!
20. I would really like to know what the appeal for eating toilet paper and tissues is for Taryn. The chalk and rocks with Byron I understood a little better. I can remember thinking that they tasted good as a kid too! Did you ever lick a rock so it would smell like it just rained? Or was that just me? Paper products I just don't get!
21. I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints aka. Mormon. I also love having friends of other religions--religion is fascinating!
22. I love folding laundry, but don't really care for the part where I have to put it all away!
23. Netflix has made it fun to check the mail again!
24. Homemade Italian Cream Sodas are my favorite treat right now. And sweettart hearts!
25. Being a mom is the biggest adventure of all. I feel totally out of my element at least once a month! It is in those moments that I should remember I have a strange fondess for the experience!

Just Call Me Jo-Jo!

Jo-jo is the affectionate nickname I have for myself when I bounce all over the place, rather chaotically. Lucky for me J0-jo worked for me today! I think I originally got the nickname from a Saturday Night Live skit with Jo-jo the Idiot Circus Boy! I just changed out boy for girl and it works for me! This is the personality of mine that presented herself today. (Bet you didn't know I had more than one personality!) I bounced around my home rather chaotically and magically things still got done. I was upstairs enough to collect laundry, and downstairs enough to keep it running through! I cleaned most of my kitchen, only to reappear in there to find cold soapy water to clean my fridge out, warmed it up! Job done! My closet is almost clean (I'm really hoping Steve lets me get rid of a bunch of his stuff that he never wears anymore!) And my kitchen has been clean all day between meals! I'm getting ready to make dinner right now! I even managed to vacuum my kitchen floor with Taryn's help!

With all the bouncing, chaos and accomplishment I had to sneak in a nap--even my nap felt like I bounced in and out of sleep. You know when you wake up wondering if you ever really fell asleep in the first place?

Most of my Jo-jo days I just have to laugh, so I don't cry because I bounce (now when I say bounce I don't really mean skipping, joyful bounce. No, it is more like the ball in a pinball machine!) through my day and don't see any results at the end of it! Then I just say to myself, "Self! (Because thats what I call myself back home) It will be better tomorrow!" I wouldn't even mind if Jo-jo came back tomorrow, as long as she finishes everything she started today!

Somehow in all of my chaos, my children even picked up on the fact that 'things are happening around here today'! So they pitched in and helped! Here are some pics to liven this post up a bit! Loves!

Taryn cleaned the washer while I cleaned the fridge!

Byron picked up all his dirty clothes and took the sheets off the bed for laundry day!

And this is just one to make you laugh! I don't think Byron had figured this out yet at 18 months, but she does it every time she finds the q-tips!