He knows the way because he IS the way...

Today we had a church lesson in Relief Society about faith. The teacher shared a wonderful video clip that really touched my heart. You may have heard of Stephanie Nielsen. She is a wife, mother of four, athlete and an avid blogger who survived a near fatal plane crash. Her blog started years before the crash journaling her remarkable life, but the way she has shared her recovery has been truly inspiring.

Every week our family meets together for a family council and a gospel centered lesson, called Family Home Evening. We take turns preparing the lesson, leading the songs, and making the treats. Tonight was my turn and I knew just what I wanted to share. Stephanie Nielsen’s My New Life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHDvxPjsm8E

What a testament of how from opposition we can be stronger and better people! Though the trials we face will vary in degree of difficulty, we will all face opposition. It is our choice how we handle it. I want to have the faith of the Stephanie Nielsen’s of the world! I pray that we will be able to remember our loving Father in Heaven and our Savior when our trials come and that we might be able to catch a glimpse of the angels standing around us ‘bearing us up.’ What a blessing the gospel of Jesus Christ is in my life! I feel so grateful to know my Savior. I know that no matter what happens in this life, I can turn to Him, be healed, feel love, and have joy.

"I testify that the Savior's Atonement lifts from us not only the burden of our sins but also the burden of our disappointments and sorrows, our heartaches and our despair. From the beginning, trust in such help was to give us both a reason and a way to improve, an incentive to lay down our burdens and take up our salvation. There can and will be plenty of difficulties in life. Nevertheless, the soul that comes unto Christ, who knows His voice and strives to do as He did, finds a strength, as the hymn says, "beyond [his] own." The Savior reminds us that He has "graven [us] upon the palms of [His] hands." Considering the incomprehensible cost of the Crucifixion and Atonement, I promise you He is not going to turn His back on us now. When He says to the poor in spirit, "Come unto me," He means He knows the way out and He knows the way up. He knows it because He has walked it. He knows the way because He is the way."

(Jeffrey R. Holland, "Broken Things to Mend," Liahona, May 2006)

I'm alive! You alive! We all alive!

I walk among the living! Today is a good day!

reproductive issues followed by my husband’s neck injury followed by my nasty sinus infection followed by four year old with the flu for 5 days followed by reproductive issues followed by aforementioned flu transfer to moi =

are we done yet?

On the upside I showered (making sure to call in the lumberjacks to assist in conquering my armpit hair neglect), put on my olive and turquiose sundress and the chunky Tribal necklace my mom gave me that always makes me smile, blow dried my hair, AND put on makeup! Sometimes a girl just needs to get all gussied up to feel better. So where did I go all done up? A PTO Meeting. Livin’ large baby! Good thing I decided against the gold heels.

My day did get a little more exciting. I met up with a few friends at the outlets to do some belated birthday shopping. Yea! The only thing more fun than having your husbands ok to spend some money on clothes for yourself is going to do it with some girlfriends! Muah, thanks ladies!

The best part of my day was coming home to some beautiful flowers that had been delivered for ME! I have the sweetest parents in the world. Today is a great day!

Que is mi problema?

The house is empty, laundry is caught up, my kitchen is all sparkly, I have refreshed my email inbox and checked facebook status updates one too many times more than I care to admit, AND there is homemade granola in the oven. What? I know.

This whole having a little time to myself thing feels...uncomfortable. I should be rejoicing, right? I mean, I have earned a little P&Q! R&R should be my middle name after the past few weeks we’ve had. I do admit to singing a strain of the hallelujah chorus this morning and went back to bed for a bit after all the chicks had left the roost, but then it was like...quiet.

I’m used to the noise dictating where I go and what I do next. The phone rings- I answer it. A fight breaks out in a corner of the house- I go referee. Someone is hungry- I make snacks. A kid

cries- I’m emerge from nowhere armed with the loves. It sounds like a hole is being drilled trough the floor from the boys room- there I go. I’ve got all those mom things down pat. I earned my patch. But the silence thing has really thrown me for a loop!

Don’t you worry about me though. I will figure something out. As for now, this computer was staring at me and guilted me to it’s keys to type something besides an email. See, I’m doing it. Layoff the guilt already, Mr. Apple! It has been over a year since I completed a journal or blog entry. Sad. Especially since anyone who has a conversation with me knows I have no memory, so it is as if the past year has been almost wiped from the history of the Vests. Sorry bout that.

I have had the hardest time just wanting to sit down and type. It used to be a

release. A way to relax. Not no mo. I’m not sure if it is the fact that I can confess to having completely incoherent thoughts (some of them in limited, broken and incorrect Spanish) and am frightened to attempt to put them together OR just that I am hiding from the outside world. Either way, I am here now! Maybe I will try to backtrack and hit some highlights, and maybe I won’t. (I’m not in an emotionally stable enough state to make a commitment like that.)

There, I did it! Post on blog can now be checked off my list! The 'time to myself' rehab has begun. Wish me luck in finding my way and doing something trendy like ‘rediscovering’ myself when all I really want to do is go pick up my kids and love on them like there is no tomorrow. I guess I’ll have to settle for a bowl of granola.

pantyclaus?

Landon has gotten into the bad habit of emerging from the bathroom pant-less

and carrying on with whatever strikes his fancy- sans pants.

I reminded him again of the need

we all have to wear clothes

even if we don’t want to

or they are “annoring.”

I sent him back into the bathroom to get dressed and wash his hands.

After 5 minutes of running water I go in to find this.

All soap and smiles.

No pants.

Any bets on how long it will take until I get a pant-less problem phone call from preschool?