Dancing with Daffodils

This week my kids were on spring break and we didn't have much planned except a day up in D.C. at the National Zoo. We were going to meet my friend there because it is in the middle of our two houses. I thought it was lucky that it was a nice day after a very rainy week as we packed up our picnic lunch and drove the 90 minutes to get there. Unfortunately, many other people seemed to think it was a good day to go the zoo as well and by the time we got there at 10:30, the parking lots were full. I decided to drive around a bit but couldn't find another parking garage close by or any street parking down by the entrance where luckily Carrie had gotten one of the last parking spots. After 30 minutes I finally did find a spot on the street but only for two hours. Then we got out of the car and saw this long line of people. Since there is no admission fee I figured they must be waiting for a special event. So the kids and I walked to the entrance only to be told we would have to go ...

When I first went to college, my plan was to major in English. I wanted to be a writer and that seemed the best route to become one. I remember sitting in the orientation and all I heard was teaching. It seemed like everyone else there wanted to be an English teacher and I had no desire to do that at all. So I went back to my two favorite things to do: write/read and travel. I considered majoring in travel and tourism and was really in love with the idea of getting paid to plan other people's vacations. But it was 1998 and the internet was really starting to take over tourism; people weren't calling travel agents anymore but looking online for everything so my mom talked me out of it. This lead me to print journalism where my ultimate goal was to write about travel. While in college I subscribed to travel magazines and fantasized about getting sent around the world to rate resorts and find family-friendly activities in big cities. I loved my college experience and did get to ...

Ah, the challenge of a weekly post. I don't have anything brilliant to say today but it was a day filled with wonderful connections. I am naturally a more introverted person; it is hard for me to chit-chat with people I don't know and talk in a large group of people. But I am quite social and love connecting with people that I care about and love. My first connection of the day was with my eldest daughter. She got braces put on yesterday and I went grocery shopping late last night to get food for her to take to school today, like Jello and soup and soft cereal bars. When I was showing her everything this morning she just put her arms around me and said, "Thank you, Mom. I appreciate all that you do for me." It was such a sweet moment and my heart just lit up. I gave her a big hug and told her how much I loved her. Kids so rarely say thank you and often are totally oblivious to all of the time and effort we put into their pleasant existence so I will savor that connec...

This past month our bishop challenged us to think more about our prayers and to make effort to improve them, so it has been on my mind lately. I honestly was struggling to want to pray for a little while there just because of emotional exhaustion. That may seem counter-intuitive but when I'm so down and tired I tend to hibernate and cut myself off from people, which includes God. It was good for me to reconnect and make sure I was being diligent in keeping this important commandment. However, it was a personal finance class that I'm taking that really has made the difference in my prayers lately. My church is amazing and has developed four courses for members to take regarding business and finance in an effort to help each of us be self-reliant. I lack budgeting skills and have wanted to better manage our money for years so I saw this as a great opportunity. This class doesn't have a teacher but we follow a workbook and have a facilitator that keeps the discussion focused...

Last week in the women's class at church, we discussed a wonderful talk by one of our church leaders that had to do with becoming perfect...eventually. This struggle is one I am constantly fighting because my inclination is to do it well or not at all. I hate making mistakes or coming up short. I know that is a common feeling but it has been a challenge for me since I can remember. When I danced on pointe, which was a dream come true, I was so afraid of falling and making a huge mistake that I tended to dance timidly and my movements were small. I wish now that I had put my whole heart into dancing instead of not falling. I struggle playing the piano in front of other people because I get so nervous about making a mistake and the one time I tried sewing it was a nightmare because I could not get the corners to line up just right and the whole quilt was just full of bent corners and other imperfections that made me crazy. With enough time and practice it seems that I should be a...

When I was younger, my dad gave each of us five girls a special name which he felt reflected one of our natural traits. I was named his daughter of love and there were many occasions where he would take us all out for a special dinner and present each of his daughters with a special award, which was a very kind letter sharing his feelings and love for us. I remember those as special times and always liking that love was my special gift. Last night I attended a church women's activity where we discussed the five love languages. It was wonderfully done and while I was familiar with the book and ideas therein, it was a good reminder that there are different ways to show love and all of them are important. My love language is dominantly time. To me, if you love me then you want to spend time with me, and I feel loved when people make that effort. I don't like forcing it though; I like knowing that you want to be with me or it doesn't feel genuine. When I don't get to spen...

Last year when I read The Happiness Project, one of the suggestions the author made was to read stories of people with challenges that help you appreciate how good you have it. Though I didn't mean to, I ended up doing that this week. I just finished Lilac Girls, which is a wonderful story and I highly recommend reading it, and it got me thinking about all that I am grateful for in my life. I know it isn't November but here is some of what I appreciate. 1. The United States of America. I know our country isn't perfect and we struggle with our democratic system and racial, moral and religious issues, but I can go for a walk in my neighborhood without having to be afraid of being arrested. I can send my children off to school without wondering if they will come back or if they got picked up by a government officer to be sent away for no reason. My husband can work, we can attend the church of our choice, we can have opinions and go on vacations and live in peace. I am grate...