Memorial Day - let's remember

We owe our lives and freedom to so many. I am grateful.

Dandelions

This is how a 3 year old blows dandelions:

And this is how a 1 year old does it:

Spring, where are you?

I've been shut up inside all weekend due to illness. This nasty, not niceness of a spring is not making me happy. Although, I do love how fresh and green everything has turned.

Magical

We went in February and it was magical. Sammy still talks about it. I love Disney World.

My mom

She's pretty much the greatest ever.

No fear

Jonny (17 months) has no fear. None. Zip. Zero. Ziltch. Needless to say this little guy has a new bruise, bump, chipped tooth, fat lip, or giant scab every week. Yet he is always smiling.

Doesn't make me a very good aunt letting him go down a big slide by himself just so I can get a picture, does it? I am happy to report that there were no injuries on that little trip to the park.

Oh, and the other week, he managed to sneak off and lock himself in a bathroom stall in the little boy's room at the children's museum. His 3 year old brother had to rescue him. Oh Jonny, we love you so.

God bless the USA

This United States monument touches me in a way unlike any of the others. It is a glorious thing to behold at night, all lit up and serene. When you look at those huge figures with the Capitol and Washington Monument off in the distance, you realize how removed those men who fought for freedom were from home and safety. They, like the monument, were removed from everything that was good and comfortable. And I owe my blessed life to their courage and self-sacrifice.

My running tree

(taken with an iphone)

There is a tree at the top of a hill by my house. I visit it when I go running and look out across the place where I grew up, the place I call home. It transfixes me every time I see it. I have taken several photos of it as the sun sets in the background. I can't seem to get enough of this tree's silhouette, no matter the season. It must be because I know it will always be there and always be beautiful to look upon. A symbol of my home.

Baby Girl

My work life has been meh. Kind of a busy month of March and April.

But with it came the best part of the year. I have a new niece! We snuggie together and take naps tucked together tightly. She is amazing and beautiful. Here she is at one week. I love being an aunt.

Jamie Riley, photographer

I work with ridiculously talented people. One of my team members took these pictures of me and my eye. He just set up a light after a work meeting and started snapping away. Jamie takes incredible photographs and has had some of the most interesting jobs (like backpacking guide in Glacier National Park). I love friends.

Fresh

It doesn't get much fresher than this. Well, picking it out of your own garden would win. But that's beside the point! The produce at this fruit stand is delicious. Especially their local Honeybell oranges. So juicy that they can't be peeled. You need a bowl and lots of napkins. Mmmm...

The lesson of sunscreen

This little guy puts up the biggest fits when he has to get sunscreen put on. Poor thing has transparent skin so there is no getting out of it. He absolutely hates it. He tries to ask other people if he can get out of it, recommends that he'll just stay inside, & suggests that he will wear lots of clothes instead (he's a smart lil guy). As I was putting it on his pure skin at the beach last week, he asked through his cries why he had to get it. I said, "It's like a helmet for your skin." (ps: he loves helmets)

I can't think of one person who likes putting sunscreen on. Especially at the beach. But we have to do it. Some of us more than others. We spread that greasy stuff all over our never ending bodies while sand creeps in and sticks around uninvited. There is no winning in the war against sand. The whole thing is irritating and uncomfortable. But we have to do it.

There are so many things in life that no one likes to do that we have to do. Some of us have more uncomfortable tasks than others, but we all have them. There is no getting around them. Well, actually there is. We could not do them, just like we could not put on sunscreen. But oh how those consequences hurt. And possibly ruin an otherwise pleasant time in our life. Just like a burned lobster red back ruins a good night sleep or time at the pool on our vacation.

So how do we get around these irritating and undesirable tasks? We don't. We just do them and learn that sometimes a little sacrifice of comfort for a short period leads to a better life in the long run. I will still hate putting on sunscreen, just like Sammy. But I'll do it because I know the pain otherwise. And isn't a tan so much more fun than a burn? Thanks for the lesson, sunscreen.

Valentine's Day

I returned from a wonderful vacation yesterday. It was wonderful because I got to spend it with my family in a warm fun place.

Today was one of reading lots of emails, being told all the million changes that happened while I was on vacation, reorganizing messes, and waking up from a nap that turned into a 14 hour nights sleep (in my clothes).

Today I got to celebrate Valentine's in a wonderful way. I got to meet Loraine, Flo, & Elaine. I got to hold their hands, help them with frosting, and hear about husbands. I got to look into their eyes and see the longing for health and love. I got to give love to those who have no one left. It hurt to see their loneliness. But warmed my heart to know that for one hour, I was able to help them remember what it feels like to be loved.

I hope you were able to help someone feel loved today too.

My imperfect perfect life

I don't have a perfect husband.

I don't have 5 perfect kids.

I'm not a model, movie star, or intern for the President.

I'm not rich.

I'm not crafty or trend-setting.

I'm not an Olympic athlete.

I'm not a ballerina or world famous ballroom dancer (goodness, I can barely touch my toes I'm so inflexible).

I don't live in an exotic place or big city.

But...

I've been to some amazing places.

I love to dance with friends.

I am game for some soccer or a run.

I love reinventing my own style.

I invest what I can and try to save up for the future.

I get to work with fun people and learn something new everyday.

I have 2 beautiful nephews and a niece coming soon.

I know the importance of marriage.

Most importantly I have an eternal family and I know that my Redeemer lives.

Life is perfect.

Go Pack Go

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Thanks to mom for snapping this beaut.

Blizzard 2011

Tuesday night we were let out of work early because a giant storm was on the way. That night it snowed and snowed and snowed, but the worst part was the wind! It was hard to tell how much snow we were getting because the snow was blowing sideways. Through the night we heard the wind beat against the house and in the morning we woke up to 15+ inches of snow. Everything was shut down: schools, businesses, governments offices. Everything. All anyone could do was try and dig themselves out of their houses.

I didn't have to go to work because we were closed. Snow day! It was an awesome day.

Boden Family

3 sweet little boys who were so obedient and kind to each other.

TCM Scene-it?

Being a TCM junkie, I had to snatch this when it was on sale. It's a lot of fun but really hard. My dad, of all people, was the best at it. You may be subjected to play if ever in my house, so be ready.

Carl Bloch: The Master's Hand

I was in Utah for a wedding in November. I visited BYU, my alma mater, for the first time since graduation. The very day we were there, this magnificent exhibit opened. It is on the sublime works of Carl Bloch, a Danish painter who painted depictions of Christ's life and other religiously themed altarpieces.

Walking into the exhibit was as if we had stepped out of the Wasatch Mountains and into a Danish museum of art. My eyes feasted on the fineness of the paintings, but my heart was brimming with love for the Savior. Seeing art in person touches you in way no reproduction or print can. It penetrates and humbles you. So when I sat and stared at these pictures of the Savior, I could barely move or look away. I wanted to sit and stare for hours and not leave the warmth I felt in the presence created by Carl Bloch.

The two images above are my favorite prints. If you are in Utah, please go to this exhibit. For yourself. It runs until May 7 at the BYU Museum of Art.