The New Year

New Year, new word. Last year, my word was "follow-through" and it was good to me. With that word posted in a visible place on the kitchen desk, I was gently reminded to finish the task I started. The beauty of the word was that it applied to just about anything from daily life to church life and everything in between. It wasn't a list of goals that were forgotten by March and tossed by June. It wasn't a reminder that I hadn't completed a single task on my list of New Year's resolutions. Just a nudge.

This year, my word is BALANCE. I think one of the things that contributes to my bouts of depression is feeling overwhelmed and off-kilter. Too many things on the to-do list, not enough time in the day, not making good use of the time available. Creating a loose schedule of goals and set days to work on projects, CBH, my doTERRA business (started last week, mostly as a way to help pay for the essential oils I'm using more for myself and the children) and time for exercise will help me to stay focused. For example, knowing that Wednesday afternoon is for the blood bank, I don't have to wonder how or when or if All Valley will be charged in an appropriate time. Actively creating time for each aspect of my life makes me happy since I'm very much a planner and Type A personality anyway. And yes, I'll schedule time for spontaneity as well....

We started 2018 by making a somewhat last minute trip to Utah. I found out that Chadwick's sister, Emily, and her family were going to be in the Salt Lake area for a week and wanted to make use of the opportunity to see them. Emily's daughter, Sarah, just got off her mission in San Diego in December and was heading back to BYU. I totally invited myself and my family to intrude on their time in Utah and it worked out wonderfully. On New Year's Eve we had dinner with Emily's brother-in-law and his family in their home (which, by the way, they had moved into literally two weeks before our arrival). The new house is huge and our kids promptly disappeared for the evening to play with the Davis girls. At one point, I asked Chadwick if he had seen Morgan or Mallorie. With a shrug and sly smile, he responded, "Out of sight, out of mind."

Monday we went to Thanksgiving Point and the Museum of Ancient Life - rooms of dinosaurs and bones and a mud-table, yes please!

 

We managed to meet up with a vet school classmate, Liz, and her little family. Another vet school friend also happened to be in town and joined the fun. The funny thing to me is that of the three couples, none of us currently live in Utah. The afternoon was spent at a park enjoying some sunshine and fresh air. We rested briefly at the hotel before driving back up to Salt Lake City. Experiencing the Christmas lights at Temple Square has been on my bucket list for a while - it was amazing! I've never seen so many lights in one spot. The Temple is beautiful on a normal evening, but the lights added another layer of beauty and spirit. The pictures don't do it justice.

 

 

 

 

 

We passed the window front of the Macy's store on the way to Costa Vida for dinner - each window contained a giant creation of candy!! It was amazing.

 

After eating, it was back to the hotel for another late bedtime. We let the kids swim a bit the following morning, said goodbye to Emily, her kids, and the Davis family and drove back to Meridian on clear roads. As a side note, I love Emily's brother-in-law and wife, Tim and Michelle! Our girls got along fabulously and they are wonderful. "When are you moving to Boise?" I asked. Their response, "You should move to Sandy."

On the way home, we stopped at Subway for lunch. This cup was a little too Oregon Duck for my taste....

The month has flown by with the return to school, resuming of music and dance classes, and a busier work schedule for me. I've made it to the Temple this month, am on my third week of training for a sprint triathlon, and really like my teaching companion for Primary. I scrubbed part of my kitchen floor, have been de-cluttering the extra bedroom closet, and cleared out old toys in the toy bin. Let's keep the momentum going!