all you need is love

My kids are three years apart in age.  Many have told me it's "the golden number" as far as spacing children go (this is open to much debate).  But the pro's are definitely there.  You don't have more than one in diapers at a time; the oldest one was done with the terrible twos (and potty training) by the time number two came along.  And being a "big sister" was very exciting for my daughter.  She was anxious to help take care of her little brother. 

Of course the inevitable happens whether they are three years or thirteen years apart...they are going to fight.  "He's bugging me."  "She won't let me in her room."  "I didn't do it, he did."  The list goes on and on. 

But every now and then, my kids are the best of friends and their love for each other fills our whole house.  Like this morning, when my kids decided that moms bed was the perfect place to play.

It was pure bliss for their mother to behold.  I mean its not like the bed was neatly made anyway ;-)  And the way they were making each other laugh is a sound I wish I could record and playback every day of my life!  Especially the days when they are at each others throats.

I know they will go through times when they'll forget how much they love each other.  I just hope those moments are few and fleeting!  Because when they're like this...

They make each other, and their mom, so insanely happy!

Snapseed! Where you been all my life?

I'm not the most tech savvy mom out there but I've got some game when it comes to photos.  I stumbled upon this app the other day and it was love at first tap!  I'm a fan of instagram but I've definitely found my upgrade! 

Now I love me my photoshop and I can spend hours engrossed in the editing process (just ask my family!) But this little beauty packs a good punch in no time at all and fits on my phone!  

Take this photo of my boy for example: Sitting on his grandpa's Harley and no I did NOT let him take a ride!

In about 30 seconds I had enhanced it to this...

I love it because even though you can tell its been edited when you see it beside the original, if you saw it alone you wouldn't know. To me, thats a great edit. I want people to see my photos and say "wow thats a great photo." Not, "wow thats a great photoshop job."

another 15 seconds, and I had this...

All on my phone!  I just love technology!

Graditude...not only the greatest virtue...

 

....but the parent of all others. - Cicero

I gave a primary lesson on gratitude today to a class of 7 year olds that included my daughter.  It never ceases to amaze me how much more I get out of these lessons than it feels like I give.

One of my favorite things about the gospel is how I feel I re-discover truths at different times in my life. I hear a certain principle once, and its meaningful to me, and then I hear it again at a different stage of life and it hits home for completely different reasons.

One of the scriptures we read together was in  Doctrine and Covenants 78:19 

"And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more."

I have this verse highlighted in my scriptures with a note in the margin that I added during my college institute class.  My chicken scratches read: "Its not happy people who are grateful, its grateful people who are happy!"

 I feel like writing that on my bathroom mirror with a Sharpie! 

We all have our trials in life and one thing I've learned lately is that you never really know the struggles others face.  I found out recently that one of the happiest people I know is one facing a challenge that would have me wrapped up in a permanant fetal possition.  Talking to her about it she told me "I feel like my attitude is maybe the only thing in my life that I have control over, so I'm sure as hell going to have a good one, it makes all the difference." 

I write this entry with a renewed determination to have an attitude of gratitude, knowing it can make all the difference in my happiness!  Afterall, I do have so much to be grateful for!

this day in history...

On July 13, 1930, France defeats Mexico 4-1 and the United States defeats Belgium 3-0 in the first-ever World Cup football matches, played simultaneously in host city Montevideo, Uruguay. The World Cup has since become the world’s most watched sporting event.

1930 USA Men's Team

oh happy day :)

The Women didn't get their World Cup until 1991 - 61 years later.  Crying shame!  Since 1930 the US Men's team has yet to bring home the trophy.  The US women have done it twice...so far ;)



photo credit: schmogel.com

it sucks getting old!

Some things get better with age.  Wine.  A good cheddar.  My perception of my athletic skills. ;-)
But lets face it, there many things about aging that just suck.  Not the least of which is how my body feels after a sporting event.

When I was a sophomore in college our team traveled to play in an invitational tournament at Santa Clara University.  We were all pumped to be going.  Sunny Cali weather, a few days off school & a great opportunity for us to test ourselves. 



glory days

The tournament spanned a couple of days, and I mean, all day.  We got up, ate, went to the stadium, played, ate, played more, ate, went to bed. Got up the next morning, repeated the whole thing.  We did well, taking second place & feeling good about our efforts.  We got on a plane headed home that night.  Now keep in mind, I was just the goal keeper so my level of exertion was somewhat less than that of my teammates, but we had all worked hard.  That didn't keep any of us from getting up the next morning and hitting the gym.

Fast forward 5 years and I'm living in Boston.  Unable to find a soccer team that fit into my schedule, I opted for Ultimate Frisbee. (For you poor unfortunate souls that don't know what that is, check it out here: www.whatisultimate.com)

Nathan and I played together on a co-ed team that we loved.  It was a great time and a great workout! (Especially since there were no goal keepers & I actually had to run my butt off)




photo credit: flickriver.com

We played weekly games and at the end of the season, a weekend tournament.  We played two games each day and it was intense.  Still, I remember waking up on Monday feeling good and making plans to go to the gym that night.

Fast forward 10 years.  The closest I get to playing soccer anymore is coaching my daughters AYSO team (fulfilling, yes; but not the same!)  In fact the most competition I get these days is battling my kids at bed time.

But this spring/summer I had been invited to play in a softball league with some friends who didn't have enough women to fill their office co-ed team.  (Softball was never one of my sports, but I jumped at the chance to play...anything!)
It was a fun team and we had a good time.  Last Monday was the playoffs and if we won our first game, we'd play for the championship immediately after.  Long story short, we pulled off the cinderella story, beating the undefeated team to take home the trophy.  It was awesome and I realized how much I miss competing and being part of a team!  I felt giddy. 

I got up the next morning....& I couldn't walk, or sit, or bend over, or raise my arms, without pain.  Holy crap it sucks getting old!!!

Happy 7-11 Day!

Today is a fun day for our family.  Today the 7-11 is celebrating their birthday by giving away free samples of their infamous Slurpee's! 


And now a brief history of this fabulous beverage...

Machines to make frozen beverages were invented by Omar Knedlik in the late 1950s. The idea for a slushed ice drink came when Knedlik's soda fountain broke down, forcing him to put his sodas in a freezer to stay cool, which caused them to become slushy. Many people loved them, which gave him the idea to make a machine to help make a "slushy". When it became popular, Knedlik hired artist Ruth E. Taylor to create a name and logo for his invention. She created the ICEE name and designed the original logo, which is used today. In 1965, 7-Eleven began a licensing deal with The ICEE Company to sell the product under a different name...the "Slurpee" (for the sound made when drinking them). 
(credit wikipedia)

I should rename them the "mess makers" or perhaps the "how fast can you spill mes".  Other popular choices include the "tongue dyer" and the "brain freezers".  But no matter how you choose to name it, you gotta love free Slurpee day!

Sky Mall...the funny & the "are you freaking kidding me?"

The flight home from Utah is not a long one & my kids have gotten to the age where they are pretty easy to entertain on an airplane (thank you iPad). I have always been pretty good about preparing for travel days; bringing plenty of snacks & activities to help the time fly by for the whole fam. But it wasn't until I sat down in the middle seat that I realized, this time, I had neglected to bring anything to occupy my time. If I'm not playing cards with my kids or doubling as a crayon holder I usually have the sense to bring a book or a magazine...but not this time. I sighed and reached into the seat back in front of me and scanned my options.
1. the barf bag
2. the emergency preparedness card with people looking calm and pleasant as they plunge to their death
3. the Sky Mall

I chose door number 3. As I opened the Sky Mall, the first item for sale was this chair

which can be yours for the low price of $199. I decided the background was more appealing than the chair but the mental image of me in it was certainly enough to get me to flip the page...to this...

and then this...

followed by this...

and who can forget this beauty...


Really? I mean, REALLY?

I realized at this point that I was perhaps being a bit smug about my attitude towards Sky Mall and its content. After all, the last page did have this for sale...

Leaning over my shoulder at this point, my 7 year old informed me that R2 would look "awesome" in our house. That might be true, but for the same price I could buy me 10 of these...

I closed the Sky Mall & put it back, happy to leave that dilemma to the next poor mom who forgot to grab a decent magazine before boarding the plane.

Best part of going to Utah this summer?

I think most moms out there can relate when I say its easy to get caught up in my kids lives and state of happiness and make it my own.  I mean if my kids are happy, it makes me happy. When they're cranky, it certainly doesn't improve my mood either.   So when we went to Utah this summer I knew I would be having fun because my kids would be having fun.

But the best part of the trip, for me, had absolutely nothing to do with my kids. (small amount of guilt felt but quickly abated!)

Don't get me wrong.  It was great to see my family!  My kids had such a blast with their cousins, especially in the pool!

And I got to teach my brothers and dad a thing or two about golf...like how to master the 3 putt!

We drove up to Little Cottonwood and enjoyed all the beauties of the canyon and the summer toys at Snowbird.

We took the kids to grandma's old neighborhood to see the 4th of July parade.  All fun events, all good times.

But no...as great as all those things were, NO, they do not qualify as the "best thing about going to Utah this summer"  So what, you may ask, could overshadow all those great things...

One word...Soccer! 

My sister-in-law is someone I've always placed in the awesome category.   But when she scored tickets to see the US Women's National Soccer Team take on Canada at Rio Tinto Stadium with me, it firmly cemented her awesome status for life & longer!  In all my years of playing and watching soccer I've never gotten to see the USWNT play in person.  I felt as giddy as a little girl getting a pony when I saw this...

and especially this...

photo credit: cbssports.com

An amazing save & amazing game by the girls in red white and blue!  Hands down my favorite part of the whole trip! Here's wishing them all the best as they go for the gold in London. 

Whats a tidbit?

tid·bit

noun

1. a choice or pleasing bit of anything, as news or gossip.

 

 

I've wanted to started a blog for a while but have always talked myself out of it for various reasons.

1. I am not a writer

2. What I do write can't possibly be that interesting to other people.

3. There are so many more interesting blogs out there (shameless plug for my big brother here...watchingatrainwreck)

4. I really don't have the time.

5. Setting up a blog has always been a little intimidating to me.

So, having listed the excuses, I've decided I'd give it a go.  If for no other reason that its a fun way to keep a journal & laugh at myself & my life once in a while!