30 Days of Thankful: Busted Windshield

I'm thankful for this busted up mess today, because as bad as it is, it means I don't have a busted up husband.

Brendon hit a deer on the way home from work tonight. A deer...on a four-lane, divided, major roadway between two industrial areas--not a tree or grassy area in sight. What the what? Poor deer. Poor Brendo.

But it could have been much, much worse, so we are going to just count our blessings and move on.

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"All of us would like to feel gratitude, yet it is not easy to be consistently grateful in all things in the trials of life. Sickness, disappointment, and the loss of people we love come at times in our lives. Our sorrows can make it hard to see our blessings and to appreciate the blessings God has in store for us in the future.

"It is a challenge to count our blessings because we have a tendency to take good things for granted. When we lose a roof over our heads, food to eat, or the warmth of friends and family, we realize how grateful we should have been when we had them.

"We must ask in prayer that God, by the power of the Holy Ghost, will help us see our blessings clearly even in the midst of our trials. He can help us by the power of the Spirit to recognize and be grateful for blessings we take for granted. What has helped me the most is to ask God in prayer, 'Wouldst Thou please direct me to someone I can help for Thee?' It is in helping God bless others that I have seen my own blessings more closely."

From "The Choice to Be Grateful" by President Henry B. Eyring

30 Days of Thankful: Brendon

Brendon has taken the kids from here (basketball game) to there (a friend's baptism) and everywhere (grocery shopping and errands) today so that I can sit here in a quiet house and get some papers graded. And I am buckling down and getting it done--minus this blog break, of course--to show my appreciation.

But thankful doesn't even begin to cover how I feel for him.

For a dad who dresses up according to the whims of his children and their favorite tv shows.

 Who helps coach their sports teams.

Who sets up lego car races for them and their friends--with marshmallow trophies to boot.

 

For a husband who spends his weekends and nights building bookshelves for me.

 

Who goes back to school to protect his family's future and set an example for his children.

 

Who goes out of his way to demonstrate his love--like when he buys me Diet Dr. Pepper or peanut butter M&Ms but hides them away so that he can deliver them like a hero when I have a craving but the store is already closed or it's a Sunday. Or like when I come home to unexpected clean bathroom and vacuumed floor. These are my love languages, for sure.

 

For a partner in this crazy life who makes me laugh and feel grateful every single day.  

At the Cinco de Mayo party this year, in the sombrero one of the sisters made for him. Ha!

 

Nope, thankful doesn't even begin to cover it.



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"New studies support the idea that gratitude is an integral part of healthy relationships. As marriages move past the honeymoon stage, couples go from appreciating and loving every little detail about each other to taking each other for granted. Amie Gordon, a psychologist from U.C. Berkeley, blames this for the downfall of many relationships: 'You get used to having [your spouse] in your life and forget why you chose to be with them.' We become deadened to our spouse’s special qualities and instead focus on things that annoy us about them.

"Dr. Gordon’s study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology explores the role of gratitude and appreciation in maintaining long and healthy relationships. In the study, 50 committed couples were given a week to fill out appreciation journals. On days when one partner reported feeling more appreciated, he or she tended to appreciate his or her partner more the next day....The researchers concluded that a nourishing cycle of encouragement and appreciation provides extra incentive to maintain our relationships. In other words, when we appreciate our partners, we develop trust and respect. When we feel appreciated, we feel needed and encouraged.

"Luckily, our behavior and thoughts are malleable; just as we fell out of patterns of love and gratitude, we can grow back into them....Start with small and easily achievable goals, such as giving your spouse five compliments a day, or simply smiling at her more often."

From "Does Gratitude Matter in Marriage?" by Dr. Susan Heitler for Psychology Today

30 Days of Thankful: Layovers

When it comes to flying, one is usually much more thankful for non-stop flights than long layovers. But today, I am thankful for a long (but still too short) layover in Dallas that allowed us to see Brendon's parents on their way back from a weekend in Ohio. It was a treasured, fun afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa.

We ate at the Rainforest Café. Alex's reactions to the whole experience were priceless!

 

 

Love them so!

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"Our world is pretty messed up. With all the violence, pollution and crazy things people do, it would be easy to turn into a grouchy old man without being either elderly or male. There's certainly no shortage of justification for disappointment and cynicism.

"But consider this: Negative attitudes are bad for you. And gratitude, it turns out, makes you happier and healthier. If you invest in a way of seeing the world that is mean and frustrated, you're going to get a world that is, well, more mean and frustrating. But if you can find any authentic reason to give thanks, anything that is going right with the world or your life, and put your attention there, then statistics say you're going to be better off."

From "The Neuroscience of Gratitude" by Ocean Robbins

Twinners

Once a week, Brendon takes one of the kids to work for a couple of hours in the morning. (The advantage of being the only person working in your building--and homeschooling!) They've set up their own "office," right next to Brendon's, where they print coloring pages, do homework, call Brendon repeatedly on the intercom, play on the computer, print their own business cards, and "help" him with the occasional odd job.  It's their special Daddy time, and they love it. Gracie has said if she couldn't become a veterinarian, she would take being a janitor for Daddy, because that would mean she could go to work with him every day.

This week it was Alex's turn, and he got all dressed up to go, just like Dad.

 

Of course, Brownie got to go to to work, too, and Alex had packed his own bag to take, again, just like Dad (who takes his laptop bag every day).

 

 



Can you tell he was just a little bit excited and proud? I think--hope--these experiences will be fond memories for our kids when they think back on their childhood.

Ten Years. Always an Adventure.

Ten years ago today, I had run off to Vegas (with sixty close friends and family members, of course) to marry Brendon Moore. During the ceremony, our officiant mistook my tear-choked "Yes" for a conflicted "I guess." :)

Ten years later, I don't guess--I know--that marrying him was the best decision I ever made. I am the luckiest.

Rather than re-posting pictures of our wedding, I thought I would mark the occasion by posting pictures of what we did to celebrate this milestone anniversary. Two weekends ago, thanks to some super cheap airfare and some super wonderful family members who took in the kids, we headed off to Chicago for a couple of days. Why Chicago? See above: super cheap airfare, plus the fact that we had never been before and thought it would be a fun adventure.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon and checked into our hotel, the Park Hyatt. Then we promptly (and very maturely) freaked out over our good luck in scoring this amazing hotel for free through our credit card.

The view from our room of the historic Water Tower and Lake Michigan

Umm, seriously, you always try to tell yourself that the way "the other half" lives can't really be all that different from your own way of life...but I'm here to tell you that, I'm sorry, it is very different. And it. is. fabulous.

I mean, normal people just don't have access to things like a bath butler, bikes for riding at your leisure, automatic black-out curtains, a BMW car service that will take you anywhere within a two-mile radius so you don't have to mess up your designer shoes, or someone who will fetch you neosporin and bandaids for your heels when you do go out in your designer shoes, but can't be bothered with stopping at the Walgreens across the street for the blisters they create. Yup.

(I'm not saying we took advantage of all of those things...some of them we did, and some we just watched others and their miniature dogs do. Equally fun.)

Anyway, for the next two days, I'd say we experienced a pretty quintessential Chicago touristy weekend. We...

went on a Chicago Architecture Foundation boat tour.

ate deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's.

ate divine breakfasts at The Feast and The Bongo Room.

rode the "L" up to Wrigley Field and attended a Cubs' game,

where they came thisclose to beating the Astros. (See? Quintessential!)

Note the score. I snapped this picture just before they reviewed and called back the homerun that would have won the game for the Cubs.

made ourselves sick on Chicago hot dogs at the ballpark and chocolate cake shakes at Portillos after the game.

walked through the park and took pictures at Buckingham Fountain and the Bean.

visited the Art Institute.

and shopped the Magnificent Mile.

My first-ever visit to the Mecca of the blogosphere: Anthropologie ;)

We honestly loved every single minute. It was short, but the reality of our ten years together is that we have created a busy life--that we love--and that we needed to get back to. It was enough.

I love us.

P.S. Many thanks to Mandy, Jenny, and others who gave us such great recs for our visit!

New York: More Adventures

A favorite of our trip was Hamlin Beach on Lake Ontario, where we spent two Saturdays hanging out. It was seriously great. Hot enough that you could appreciate the cool water and feel like it was a real beach experience...

and cool enough in the beautiful shaded park area just behind the beach to just want to stay all day, visiting and eating and relaxing.

So. great. I even got on Mandy's bike for a couple of little rides...I forgot how fun that is! More pictures:

Brendon came back in town just in time to celebrate his birthday. His only request was a home-cooked meal after eating bachelor food like totinos pizza for two weeks.

Doesn't he look thrilled to be wearing the party hat Shelly and the kids made for him?

"I wish I didn't have to spend the rest of my vacation driving back across the country!" Sadly, his wish did not come true.

On our last Sunday in NY we all drove over to Letchworth State Park and hiked around. It was hot that day, but the scenery is gorgeous.

Love our crew in their tie-dye tees!

Friday Photos: A Random Collection

from around our house.

 

Sometimes lunch at Casa Bonita is just a door away.

 

They even offer takeout!

 

The Daddy Switch has flipped. He cries when Daddy leaves for work and runs from me and into his Daddy's arms when he is home. <sigh> Actually, I'm pretty okay with it since he chose to flip the switch right in the middle of a whiny, teething phase. Have at it, Pops!

 

Yummy! Banana split perfection to celebrate Brendo's birthday last weekend.

 

And I discovered I have perfect picture taking light in my bathtub first thing in the morning. How's that for random?

Brendo wants a Windows Phone

So vote for his app idea! You don't have to enter any information at all, just click on the "vote" button below! (You can read a full description of the app and vote by clicking on the "view" button, too.) 

Hey Windows Phone, I Need This App! Sponsored by Windows Phone

You can vote once a day until the contest ends July 8th. Winner gets $5000 and the new Windows Phone 7, plus the app will be offered as a free download once the phone launches.

He found out after he entered that there is a similar app using the GPS for the droid, but he's hoping that his will be different enough with the integration of the calendar to still be considered original.

Thanks, and good luck Brendon! I have some plans for that $5000!

P.S. If you want to post it to facebook for him, too, that would be awesome, as the more "viral" his entry goes, the more likely it will catch the judges' attention. (Winner is determined based 50% on judges, 50% on votes/viral influence.)

Things That are Making Me Smile

Sitting in a quiet Sacrament meeting and hearing a loud catcall whistle...that came from Shayne. He was so impressed with a picture he had just finished drawing that he gave it a whistle without thinking about where he was. I gave him the Mommy Stink-Eye while dying laughing inside.

Aubrey randomly calling Brendon and me "Babe," as in "Thanks, Babe."

A totally random, chance meeting with an old friend I've been wanting to re-connect with and searching for forever. (Tanya Nielson, for any of you who may remember her.) Hooray!

Aubrey singing her favorite (made-up) song, which involves her getting out The Friend magazine, turning to the page with sheet music on it, and quietly singing "Heavenly Father, Heavenly Father, Heavenly Father," over and over again.

These chocolate chip cookie brownies. I haven't made them with the added frosting on top. They really don't need it, but I'm sure it would be yummy!

Aubrey's honest-to-goodness "tee hee hee" laugh.

Shayne goofing around doing Urkel impressions with his pants under his armpits (without knowing who Urkel is).

Hearing Aubrey try to re-tell her siblings' latest knock-knock joke (courtesy of Brendon), which is "Knock knock." "Who's there?" "Steen Keep." "Steen Keep Who?" <Insert wild laughter and fanning in front of noses here.> Aubrey's version: "Knock knock." "Who's There?" "Stinky Poo!" "Stinky Poo Who?" "Baby!!!!"

(Maybe smile isn't the right word here, but this last one is definitely making me very thankful...)

 

The fact that Brendon walked away with nothing but some bruises, scratches and soreness after a horrible crash into the center median of I-35 on his way to Austin Tuesday morning in rainy weather. Not good, not good at all. But God is good, that is for certain.

Friday Photos

Moore snow! Unbelievable!

 

Tuesday we woke to a snowfall that lasted all day. It was awesome.

 

Gracie was so excited that it was deep enough for her to make a real snow angel. (Okay, a snow/grass angel.)

 

Brendon came home early and had some good time with the kids outside. Even I got in on a little of the action while Alex was napping.

 

Of course, I might have lasted longer had I chosen more appropriate footwear.

 

It's been fun to experience these days we just don't see very often down here...days that give us reason to drink hot chocolate and actually use our fireplace. My laundry room was full of soppy socks, gloves, and coats at the end of the day, but definitely worth it for these fun memories.