Walmart on Halloween

Today I made a trip to a Walmart. It is one of my least favorite places to visit.
Walmart on a regular afternoon is not fun. Walmart on Halloween is a nightmare.

I realize there are no written rules about how to push a grocery cart but there should be.
Kids loaded up on too much candy were darting every which way.
Trying to navigate my way to the candy aisle took some guts, actually entering the candy aisle was down right scary.

By the time I found the twenty two items I had come for (thus disqualifying me from the express lane) I was mildly annoyed and more than ready to leave.

When I got in line the people in front of me had already put their things on the belt. They didn't have much so I thought it would go quickly.

I waited and waited.

After a few minutes the dad turned to me and said, "I'm very sorry this is taking so long, we just qualified for WIC today and this is our first time doing this."

His wife also apologized.
Their two little children sat there quietly as they sorted out the paperwork.

A sense of compassion and gratitude came over me.
I felt for them. These are hard times for many people. How humbling it must be to have to ask for help with food.

I also felt so grateful that we have plenty for our needs. I know I need to be much more generous with the things I have been given and I made a commitment right then to do better.

A little family, just trying to get by. Humility, patience, love for their kids.
Those are the things that came to my mind as I watched them today.

It was a good reminder to keep things in their proper perspective.
To remember to be kind, you never know the struggles that others may be experiencing. It made me wish I had been a little nicer and more patient back on the candy aisle.

I'm thankful for a little life lesson that came from visiting Walmart on Halloween.

Life Is Good

You can tell that things are going along pretty well when...

Your ten year old daughter wakes up singing and humming, falls asleep singing and humming and can often be heard singing and humming in the hours in between.

Your ten year old son has decided on his own that brushing teeth is a good thing! You pat yourself on the back when he wakes up out of a sound sleep and yells down to you that he forgot to brush. You can hardly beat the thrill of hearing him run to the bathroom, the water turn on, the sweet sound of his electric toothbrush doing its job.

Your one year old can now use the word "up" when she wants to be held. The number of times she pulls on your leg while crying or grunting is beginning to decrease.

You look at your calendar and realize that you have lunch with a new friend, a girls' night out with your life long BFFs and a dinner date with some of your favorite neighborhood friends all in the same week!

This is the view you get from your kitchen window...

You tuck yourself in bed with a good book at 9:00. Your husband skips Sports Center and joins you.

You curl up next to him,
close your eyes
and think of all the ways that ....

life is good.

That's What Sisters Are For

I am lucky to have four sisters, they are treasures to me.

One of my big regrets in life is that I wasn't nicer to them when we were young.

If I could turn back time, I would be different. I would let them wear my clothes, I would share my make-up, I would spend more weekends hanging out with them, I wouldn't complain about sharing a room, I would tell them how much I love them and thank them for their friendship.

Now that we are grown I recognize that I couldn't get by without them.

Our favorite missionaries (Mark's mom & dad) are coming home on November 1. I wanted to give their house a good, deep cleaning. After a few days of going at it on my own I realized it was a bigger job than I thought.

I sent out a quick email to my sisters. Within a couple of hours we had a date and time organized. Everyone showed up in pony tails and work clothes and we got busy....

Showers, toilets and mirrors were scrubbed spotless.

Blinds, windows and baseboards were tackled.

The place was dusted, wiped down and vacuumed top to bottom.

Baby Sister's husband even came to clean the things we couldn't reach.

My heart was touched as I watched my sisters happily working.

"That's what sisters are for" is what they said as they left.

Yep, I said to myself with a lump in my throat...

That's what sisters are for.

Go Sox

This is the scene at my house tonight....

Mark and the twins, decked out in their Red Sox duds, the mood serious, almost somber.

The ticket to the World Series is on the line and the Sox are down by two runs, bases loaded, top of the eighth.

Tensions are high, stomachs are knotted, any moment one of the three may break into tears.

"Would it really be so bad if they lost?" I asked innocently.
"Tampa Bay has never won a World Series, why not give them a chance?"

I was immediately scolded for such evil thoughts.

"MOM, how could you say that?" Lincoln scowled.

"How could you even THINK it?" Rachel asked in disbelief.

"Have you lost your mind?" Was Mark's reply.

Only one thing to say to all of that...
ummm, go sox....

Lessons In Growing

You know how we all pray for opportunities to learn, to grow, to be better?

I'm not talking about the small things that people try to work on, like being a more courteous driver or returning library books on time. I am talking about those bigger tests in life that come your way every once in a while.

I got one of those unique privileges for character improvement today.

This morning we realized that Mark's golf clubs have been stolen.
It was a very serious blow.

Golf clubs are personal things to guys, almost like family. I wouldn't be surprised if he has secretly issued each one its own name.

Some of the highest highs and some of the lowest lows have been felt on the golf course. Mark and his clubs have really been through a lot together.

Not to mention the fact that it has taken him a few Father's Days and birthdays to accumulate all that gear. About $1,200.00 worth of stuff gone, vanished, disappeared without a trace.

So what do you do at a time like this?
Anger was my first reaction. I can't stand a thief.

"Get a Job!" "Don't you know where people who steal go?"
is what I grumbled to the person responsible for this injustice.

Then the thought occurred to me that maybe that person needed money to make his rent or feed his family.

Either way, it doesn't really matter.

What matters is how we respond.
One of those darn opportunities for growth was starting to emerge.

"Pray for the person" is what kept coming to my mind.
"NO" I snapped back at myself.
"Pray"
"No"

Finally around lunchtime I was completely annoyed with the mental conversation going on in my head. The kids and I sat down to eat our leftovers. I offered to say the prayer.

Before I knew it, I was thanking God for blessing us with so much. I asked Him to help us to forgive the guy who took dad's clubs and to bless that man.

As I said those words I felt the agitation leave me. It was gone, vanished, disappeared without a trace- just like the clubs.

But this time, something good came to replace the thing that was gone...
peace.

Lincoln, the Wall St. Wannabe

A couple of weeks ago Mark gave Lincoln a simple lesson about the stock market. He showed him a few online tools to track the performance of various companies.

Since then, Linc has been enthralled by the whole idea of making money through investments.

He's been watching the ups and downs of the market like a hawk.

He understands symbols, quotes, how to diversify your portfolio, the international market and most of all, he understands that this a good time to buy.

Trust me when I say, he has done his homework on this.

After much research and effort, Lincoln has come up with two very hot stock tips and since you are my friends I am going to share them with you....

Put some money in
Dollar Tree and Family Dollar.

That's right, dollar stores are making money. Who knew?

According to Lincoln, over the past 26 weeks,
Dollar Tree is up 18.18%
Family Dollar is up 29.31%

While many other companies have taken a sharp nose dive,
the dollar stores are alive and well.

So there you have it, courtesy of a ten year old.
Who knows maybe maybe we'll see this kid on Wall Street someday.
Happy investing!

Patience Is.......

Patience is getting up early on a Saturday morning, to sit in the bitter cold, while your son plays a double header.

Patience is coming home to an afternoon of football. Keeping up with BYU and Utah including the post game shows on the radio. PS, who are these guys that call in? Get a hobby, fellas.

Patience is spending the evening watching the Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay. Your son and husband coaching from 2,000 miles away, your daughter cheering.

Most of all, patience is biting your tongue when not one item has been crossed of the "to do" list that you thoughtfully prepared for your husband.

Patience is giving him some credit for making a trip to Lowes and buying the large hook that he needs to remove the latest object that your one year old has flushed down the toilet.

Patience is going to bed with hopes that next Saturday you will not need
SO. MUCH. PATIENCE.

Dear Samantha Sunshine,

Dear Samantha Sunshine,

Today you are one.
I am very afraid that if I blink you will be twenty one.

Today you are new at walking, talking.
The world is full of discovery, curiosity and adventure.

Today you laugh and smile effortlessly, cares and worries are so far away.

Today your most joyful moments will be the twins arriving home from school and Daddy coming home from work, splashing around in the tub, snuggling with me after your nap.

Today you will follow right behind me. You will want to do everything that I am doing, I'll kneel down once in a while so that I can better understand your view of life.

Today I will close my eyes as I hold you tight. I will kiss your cheeks. I will tickle your toes.

I know this time is precious, fleeting. You won't always be a baby. We will never have these exact moments again.

I'll long for a way to freeze time and do it all again, I'll probably cry a little because I can't.

So for the next twenty or so years I will live in the moment. I will be grateful and enjoy each day as it comes.....

Most of all, I will try very hard not to blink.

Signs that a One Year Old May Be At Large In Your House

1. Mysterious items are being flushed down your toilets, your husband is getting slightly irritated at having to plunge and fish out said items.

2. The drawer with the ziplock bags cannot seem to stay closed.

3. Remote controls are found in top secret locations.

4. Your friends must stop by or email you because your phones are often off their hooks.

5. At the end of a long day, while running a relaxing bath, you notice remnants of oatmeal, spaghetti, mashed potatoes and peaches glued to the inside of your tub.

6. Cereal boxes are removed form the garbage and scavenged for remaining bits of cereal.

7. You have nearly given up trying to keep windows clean. Tiny fingerprints are your new window coverings.

8. You find yourself running around like a wild woman between the hours of 10:00 am - noon and 2:00 - 4:00 pm. You know that those are the only hours in the day that you will be able to get anything done.

9. You get more help than you really need doing the dishes.

9. The sound of little feet toddling behind you makes your heart melt. You discover your cheeks are sore from smiling.

10. You are greeted by a friendly "HI!" about a dozen times a day.

11. You can't get enough cuddles and kisses. When new words like ah oh, mine and cup are said, it is an exciting moment.

12. You find yourself tired at the end of the day. You can't wait to climb into bed, but not before humbly thanking the Lord for all the sweetness that has come to your life by having a one year old at large.

First Crush, First Dance