When was the last time that you woke up in bed snuggled next to your husband WITHOUT kids climbing on you or asking you for food/movies/etc? This morning I woke up slowly. I got the stretch. It was past 7:00 am.
That was nice....
One other comment. I was up last night planning for Disneyland when my brother asked me to help him find the same deal that I got. I checked online and in just 2 days my trip has gone from $1700 to $2000. I am SO grateful that I purchased when I did! I can't believe that airline prices can change so much overnight. That seems just mean and unfair!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Here is what I am thinking
With today being General Conference...I spent a good part of my morning planted on the couch listening to the inspired words of our prophets. In between children climbing all over me, coloring pictures (given to Elijah by the primary) and poking Aaron in an effort to get him to stop snoring I was impressed by the "in-tune" nature of their words in relation to my life. First there was the tithing talk. See Aaron and I were really good about paying tithing until shortly after we had Elijah. Financial it was a bit of a transition for us and we missed a couple of months. When we went in to our tithing settlement that year our Bishop did not offer much encouragement. Instead I left feeling kind of bullied and reprimanded. I know I shouldn't let that impact my choices. I KNOW that paying tithing is a blessing. I KNOW! But when times are tough and you have a husband who is not used to paying 10% of his income to the church it can be kind of a struggle to have the faith necessary to do so. So the tithing talk was good for me...truly inspired and needed.
Then there was the talk about temples. I love the temple. Being raised in the church has instilled in me the wonderful nature of temples--if I remain worthy, I will be able to live with my family forever! As I am getting older and I unfortunately get to experience the unfair, randomness of life I am comforted by that thought. I can be with my family forever. As people pass I know that I can continue my relationship with them after this life. Also, I know that the relationship that i have with Aaron is better because we were married in the temple. We are both (mostly) working towards the same goal. For me, this means to live my life in a way that is pleasing to Heavenly Father. I want to always be someone that he can be proud of--making positive choices, helping others, teaching my children correct principles, doing my best to follow Him, etc. Aaron's details may vary slightly but together we can be better overall. Also, because we were married in the temple we are STUCK. TOGETHER. FOREVER! This eternal perspective makes a difference when we are having disagreements.
One other thought I had about the temple was...why don't I go more often!? Too often I let things get in the way of going to the temple (that is 40 minutes away). I need to work harder at this...
One of my favorite talks overall was the one about taking the time to form relationships, spending time together, listening and acting on the advice of our spouse. (Okay...maybe that wasn't the intended message but that is what I took out of it) I appreciated the story of the husband who came home to the wife handwashing all of the laundry because the washer was broken. His immediate response was to fix the washer in an effort to help his wife but she instead asked him to go and play with his children. He did and enjoyed the time he had to be with his children but said he would not have remembered that moment if it were not for what happened later in the evening when his little girl gave him a big hug and said he was her "best friend" That was touching to me because so often I feel like I am running errands, cleaning house, doing the "responsible things"...maybe I should have more moments being a true friend to my family. I just love the sweet/crazy little personalities blooming in Elijah and Ariana. I hope they will always look to be as a friend (who sometimes has to be a little mean providing direction/discipline)
On another note..I am always getting weeping when I hear about couples leaving secret messages for each other (on a mirror, in scriptures, etc.) My question is this...WHERE ARE MY SECRET MESSAGES?! Aside from the occasional flirting...my husband is lacking in the "secret message department..." Does this get better with age? Will Aaron turn 30 and all of a sudden have the urge to be sweet via messaging? Any advice/insight on this subject would be great!
Final note: DISNEYLAND MAY31-JUNE 4! I cannot wait. Any pointers?
Then there was the talk about temples. I love the temple. Being raised in the church has instilled in me the wonderful nature of temples--if I remain worthy, I will be able to live with my family forever! As I am getting older and I unfortunately get to experience the unfair, randomness of life I am comforted by that thought. I can be with my family forever. As people pass I know that I can continue my relationship with them after this life. Also, I know that the relationship that i have with Aaron is better because we were married in the temple. We are both (mostly) working towards the same goal. For me, this means to live my life in a way that is pleasing to Heavenly Father. I want to always be someone that he can be proud of--making positive choices, helping others, teaching my children correct principles, doing my best to follow Him, etc. Aaron's details may vary slightly but together we can be better overall. Also, because we were married in the temple we are STUCK. TOGETHER. FOREVER! This eternal perspective makes a difference when we are having disagreements.
One other thought I had about the temple was...why don't I go more often!? Too often I let things get in the way of going to the temple (that is 40 minutes away). I need to work harder at this...
One of my favorite talks overall was the one about taking the time to form relationships, spending time together, listening and acting on the advice of our spouse. (Okay...maybe that wasn't the intended message but that is what I took out of it) I appreciated the story of the husband who came home to the wife handwashing all of the laundry because the washer was broken. His immediate response was to fix the washer in an effort to help his wife but she instead asked him to go and play with his children. He did and enjoyed the time he had to be with his children but said he would not have remembered that moment if it were not for what happened later in the evening when his little girl gave him a big hug and said he was her "best friend" That was touching to me because so often I feel like I am running errands, cleaning house, doing the "responsible things"...maybe I should have more moments being a true friend to my family. I just love the sweet/crazy little personalities blooming in Elijah and Ariana. I hope they will always look to be as a friend (who sometimes has to be a little mean providing direction/discipline)
On another note..I am always getting weeping when I hear about couples leaving secret messages for each other (on a mirror, in scriptures, etc.) My question is this...WHERE ARE MY SECRET MESSAGES?! Aside from the occasional flirting...my husband is lacking in the "secret message department..." Does this get better with age? Will Aaron turn 30 and all of a sudden have the urge to be sweet via messaging? Any advice/insight on this subject would be great!
Final note: DISNEYLAND MAY31-JUNE 4! I cannot wait. Any pointers?
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Life tends to unfold itself as it should
All day, I have been reminded of my brother in-laws tattoo that says something along the lines of, 'life tends to unfold itself as it should." As I am getting older and settling into adulthood, I can't help but to agree with that quote. I feel like I have spent so much of my time trying to plan. High School was about planning my future--I wanted to be married by 21, have kids at 23, finish college...etc. Once I had Elijah (at 23 by the way) it only felt natural to move out of an apartment and into our first home (and our own mortgage) which would be temporary because in 4-5 years we would sell and move into a bigger place...
It has been the moments where plans have fallen through that I have seen the Lords hand really visible in my life. I am a music conductor. When I am conducting music I get to create music by calling upon individuals in the ensemble to produce a particular sound. For instance...if I would like to hear more saxophone I could reach into the ensemble and call upon to saxophone section to play louder/fuller. I can also move my hands in a manner that would ask everyone in the ensemble to play shorter, softer, faster, slower, etc. I like to tell my students that I am the puppet master and they are my puppets. If they are following my correctly, the sound that the audience hears will be a representation of the musical image that I have in my head.
I mention this because I feel like the moments that I am letting life unfold or reveal itself as it should are the moments that Heavenly Father becomes the conductor of my "song"
When I got pregnant with Elijah, I had not yet finished my bachelor's degree at WWU. I had every intention of finishing my student teaching after he was born but would I really finish? The day came to say good-bye to my new baby and to enter the classroom--it was heartbreaking. I felt like I was fighting everyone of my instincts, "how could I abandon my new baby? Was this what I was really supposed to be doing? A couple of days into the program and I was given the confirmation that everything was as it should be. I needed to finish and so I did. What a huge blessing this has been in my life. Because I fought to finish, I have been able to see Heavenly Father open up so many doors for me. I believe that Heavenly Father created a teaching position for me. I have the opportunity to teach band/orchestra mon-thurs mornings from 7:30-8:40. While this may not seem like much to everyone else, it is perfect for me. This position gives me the opportunity to show the world what I can do as a teacher. It reminds me of the sacrifices I made years ago and it helps me remember what a blessing it is to work and then come home to be the mother of my children. I feel like I get the best of both worlds--I am a stay at home mom who works in the mornings/evenings teaching music.
Aaron and I are coming upon change. I can feel it...the air in the room is different, we are being prepared for something new. I am not sure what this means. I don't know if we will continue living in our little condo in lynnwood or if we will move. I am not sure if aaron will continue working at his job. I can tell you one thing...this time, I am ready to let Heavenly Father take control. Instead of making plans, I want to follow plans. If Heavenly Father feels like we need to be called upon to do something else...I hope that Aaron and I are prepared enough step it up.
What will this song sound like? ...I guess we will just have to see.
It has been the moments where plans have fallen through that I have seen the Lords hand really visible in my life. I am a music conductor. When I am conducting music I get to create music by calling upon individuals in the ensemble to produce a particular sound. For instance...if I would like to hear more saxophone I could reach into the ensemble and call upon to saxophone section to play louder/fuller. I can also move my hands in a manner that would ask everyone in the ensemble to play shorter, softer, faster, slower, etc. I like to tell my students that I am the puppet master and they are my puppets. If they are following my correctly, the sound that the audience hears will be a representation of the musical image that I have in my head.
I mention this because I feel like the moments that I am letting life unfold or reveal itself as it should are the moments that Heavenly Father becomes the conductor of my "song"
When I got pregnant with Elijah, I had not yet finished my bachelor's degree at WWU. I had every intention of finishing my student teaching after he was born but would I really finish? The day came to say good-bye to my new baby and to enter the classroom--it was heartbreaking. I felt like I was fighting everyone of my instincts, "how could I abandon my new baby? Was this what I was really supposed to be doing? A couple of days into the program and I was given the confirmation that everything was as it should be. I needed to finish and so I did. What a huge blessing this has been in my life. Because I fought to finish, I have been able to see Heavenly Father open up so many doors for me. I believe that Heavenly Father created a teaching position for me. I have the opportunity to teach band/orchestra mon-thurs mornings from 7:30-8:40. While this may not seem like much to everyone else, it is perfect for me. This position gives me the opportunity to show the world what I can do as a teacher. It reminds me of the sacrifices I made years ago and it helps me remember what a blessing it is to work and then come home to be the mother of my children. I feel like I get the best of both worlds--I am a stay at home mom who works in the mornings/evenings teaching music.
Aaron and I are coming upon change. I can feel it...the air in the room is different, we are being prepared for something new. I am not sure what this means. I don't know if we will continue living in our little condo in lynnwood or if we will move. I am not sure if aaron will continue working at his job. I can tell you one thing...this time, I am ready to let Heavenly Father take control. Instead of making plans, I want to follow plans. If Heavenly Father feels like we need to be called upon to do something else...I hope that Aaron and I are prepared enough step it up.
What will this song sound like? ...I guess we will just have to see.
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