"Keep your heart open to dreams.
For as long as there’s a dream, there is hope,
and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living".
(Marc and Angel Hack Life)
I've been doing a lot of thinking about life lately,
especially,
after we had a big thunder and rainstorm last week and it felt like "The Sound of Music" as Ethan came running into our bedroom and hopped into our bed and snuggled up to us because he was scared of the thunder and lightning storm outside.
I got thinking of the lyrics of "My Favorite Things":
"When the dog bites, when the bee stings,
when I'm feeling sad. I simply remember my favorite things
and then I don't feel... So bad"!
I'm an optimist!
I'm a "glass is 3/4 full" kind of gal!
I could be in a field of weeds and find some little bug, or some pretty flower and focus on that rather than the dry old weeds.
I mean look at my back yard, or that lack there of.
It's one big dry weed patch!!
However, I focus on the green trees growing and our cute chicken coop and garden shed, built by the hands of my hubby
and I love our sweet chickens!
(We are classy people with a beautiful front yard,
but haven't wanted to go into debt for a back yard, so it is coming as we have time and money to put it in.)
Our summer was so hectic with two weeks of
Wood Badge in June,
that our garden didn't get planted this year.
It is just a big box of weeds and I actually looked at it yesterday morning and thought it was pretty and snapped this photo of it because it reminded me of something you would see at an old Homestead.
It is very seldom that I ever focus on the negative,
or ever feel sorry for myself.
Except I do have a confession to make...
I have been SO excited because summer 2013 was going to be the summer that we hiked more trails and backpacked more miles than we ever have had in any previous summer!
We were going to
hike 3 different trail systems in Yellowstone...
Spend an entire afternoon swimming in the Firehole river and climbing all around.
We were going to
backpack in Alaska Basin for a three day adventure just the four of us.
We were going to
spend a day riding bicycles at Harriman Park.
ALL of that BEFORE
we went on our yearly backpacking adventure the second week in August.
It was all on the calendar.
I was giddy like a school girl,
SO very excited, so excited in fact,
that it almost felt too good to be true!
However, my sweet hubby, who truly is the BEST dad to his sons
had this happen to him last week!
(my comment to his Facebook post)
"I think Tracy had experienced one of his most stressful days of the summer on Tuesday. Combine that with an 11 year-old that wants some time with dad and a dad who is trying to be fun and awesome and it's almost dark and just not thinking when he jumped off the trampoline, that we have the rockiest and most uneven ground in the entire universe and it was a total accident waiting to happen! . He was trying to be stupendous when he hopped off the trampoline!
Just grateful it wasn't a lot worse"!
Well, combine a sprained ankle (of which needs 2-6 weeks to heal) with overwhelming and stressful time at Tracy's work and it put a screeching halt to the things we had planned.
I have to admit that I had a few moments of sadness, because, there are only 2-1/2 months each year where the kids are out of school, I don't have to work and Tracy has seven Fridays off.
However, I quickly turned my frown upside
and smiled that frown away!
I have my husband still here with me.
Family events and backpacking trips can wait while he heals.
There is a really inspiring man named Ezra Caldwell
and Tracy and I have been following his blog. (here)
He has stage four metastatic rectal cancer and only has weeks to live and so when I read his story and read his weekly updates, it definitely puts things into perspective and I'm just grateful that none of us has a terminal illness.
Yes, we can definitely put life on hold for a bit to deal with a sprained ankle.
I get to hug, love and kiss my dear sweet husband each day!
Ezra's days with his sweet and beautiful wife are limited.
I have two wonderful sons that I get to be a parent to,
unlike Ezra and Hillary, who because of his five year battle with cancer are not able to have children together and know the JOY of being a parent together.
Life is what you make of it
and we need to make sure to focus on the positive
and treasure,savor and truly CHERISH
each and every day that we have on this earth!
Each and every day that we get to spend with our families,
Each and every day that we get to see and experience
all of the BEAUTY that is so abundantly around us.
SO, here are some happy photos
from my past week!
Cousins very much enjoying their sleep-over.
It's 10:30 pm and Ethan and Bryson are enjoying a bed time snack by flashlight, all cozy on the trampoline in their sleeping bags, talking about Minecraft and looking at the stars!
It felt like "It's a Wonderful Life"...
One of our local neighborhood farmers was in a bind with his pea crop and families from the surrounding area, came and spent the entire day and well into the night, picking peas and boxing them up.
It was an amazing moment to experience
and I'm SO grateful my kids got to be a part of it. It is truly something we'll never forget.
Got to spend the evening with the
awesome YW at our summer retreat.
The night ended with a spectacular sunset
with colors and clouds above the cottonwood trees!
Fresh flowers from one the garden of one my neighbors...
Chocolate chip Banana Bread from a sweet friend...
Temple cupcakes made and delivered to me
for a treat from two of my YW girls...
These sweet acts of kindness just totally
made and brightened my day!
Hostas, Lilies and
Daisies from my yard...
.jpg)
"Hey, It's a grey shirt day"!
(as pointed out to me by Jade on our way in to the store).
I sure do love my boys!
The love of my life came in the door after a long and tiring day and grilled us the yummiest burgers on the grill.
I savored each bite as we sat on the front porch and talked about how GREAT our life is...
We have an abundance of LOVE...
we live in a beautiful area, have a cozy home, good food to eat, money to pay the bills and most of all
WE HAVE EACH OTHER
and all of the things that really matter in life!
I've been doing a lot of thinking about life lately,
especially,
after we had a big thunder and rainstorm last week and it felt like "The Sound of Music" as Ethan came running into our bedroom and hopped into our bed and snuggled up to us because he was scared of the thunder and lightning storm outside.
I got thinking of the lyrics of "My Favorite Things":
"When the dog bites, when the bee stings,
when I'm feeling sad. I simply remember my favorite things
and then I don't feel... So bad"!
I'm an optimist!
I'm a "glass is 3/4 full" kind of gal!
I could be in a field of weeds and find some little bug, or some pretty flower and focus on that rather than the dry old weeds.
It's one big dry weed patch!!
However, I focus on the green trees growing and our cute chicken coop and garden shed, built by the hands of my hubby
and I love our sweet chickens!
(We are classy people with a beautiful front yard,
but haven't wanted to go into debt for a back yard, so it is coming as we have time and money to put it in.)
Wood Badge in June,
that our garden didn't get planted this year.
It is just a big box of weeds and I actually looked at it yesterday morning and thought it was pretty and snapped this photo of it because it reminded me of something you would see at an old Homestead.
It is very seldom that I ever focus on the negative,
or ever feel sorry for myself.
Except I do have a confession to make...
I have been SO excited because summer 2013 was going to be the summer that we hiked more trails and backpacked more miles than we ever have had in any previous summer!
We were going to
hike 3 different trail systems in Yellowstone...
Spend an entire afternoon swimming in the Firehole river and climbing all around.
We were going to
backpack in Alaska Basin for a three day adventure just the four of us.
We were going to
spend a day riding bicycles at Harriman Park.
ALL of that BEFORE
we went on our yearly backpacking adventure the second week in August.
It was all on the calendar.
I was giddy like a school girl,
SO very excited, so excited in fact,
that it almost felt too good to be true!
had this happen to him last week!
(my comment to his Facebook post)
"I think Tracy had experienced one of his most stressful days of the summer on Tuesday. Combine that with an 11 year-old that wants some time with dad and a dad who is trying to be fun and awesome and it's almost dark and just not thinking when he jumped off the trampoline, that we have the rockiest and most uneven ground in the entire universe and it was a total accident waiting to happen! . He was trying to be stupendous when he hopped off the trampoline!
Just grateful it wasn't a lot worse"!
Well, combine a sprained ankle (of which needs 2-6 weeks to heal) with overwhelming and stressful time at Tracy's work and it put a screeching halt to the things we had planned.
I have to admit that I had a few moments of sadness, because, there are only 2-1/2 months each year where the kids are out of school, I don't have to work and Tracy has seven Fridays off.
However, I quickly turned my frown upside
and smiled that frown away!
Family events and backpacking trips can wait while he heals.
There is a really inspiring man named Ezra Caldwell
and Tracy and I have been following his blog. (here)
He has stage four metastatic rectal cancer and only has weeks to live and so when I read his story and read his weekly updates, it definitely puts things into perspective and I'm just grateful that none of us has a terminal illness.
Yes, we can definitely put life on hold for a bit to deal with a sprained ankle.
I get to hug, love and kiss my dear sweet husband each day!
Ezra's days with his sweet and beautiful wife are limited.
I have two wonderful sons that I get to be a parent to,
unlike Ezra and Hillary, who because of his five year battle with cancer are not able to have children together and know the JOY of being a parent together.
Life is what you make of it
and we need to make sure to focus on the positive
and treasure,savor and truly CHERISH
each and every day that we have on this earth!
Each and every day that we get to spend with our families,
Each and every day that we get to see and experience
all of the BEAUTY that is so abundantly around us.
SO, here are some happy photos
from my past week!
It's 10:30 pm and Ethan and Bryson are enjoying a bed time snack by flashlight, all cozy on the trampoline in their sleeping bags, talking about Minecraft and looking at the stars!
One of our local neighborhood farmers was in a bind with his pea crop and families from the surrounding area, came and spent the entire day and well into the night, picking peas and boxing them up.
It was an amazing moment to experience
and I'm SO grateful my kids got to be a part of it. It is truly something we'll never forget.
awesome YW at our summer retreat.
The night ended with a spectacular sunset
with colors and clouds above the cottonwood trees!
Chocolate chip Banana Bread from a sweet friend...
Temple cupcakes made and delivered to me
for a treat from two of my YW girls...
These sweet acts of kindness just totally
made and brightened my day!
Hostas, Lilies and
Daisies from my yard...
I love everything blooming in my yard...
Sad that the daisies are starting to fade.
I'm sure going to enjoy them until they're gone!
.jpg)
Tracy and I took a stroll hand in hand walking around our neighborhood and when we got home we sat and enjoyed the most brilliant and gorgeous sunset.
"Hey, It's a grey shirt day"!
(as pointed out to me by Jade on our way in to the store).
I sure do love my boys!
I savored each bite as we sat on the front porch and talked about how GREAT our life is...
We have an abundance of LOVE...
we live in a beautiful area, have a cozy home, good food to eat, money to pay the bills and most of all
WE HAVE EACH OTHER
and all of the things that really matter in life!
You shared some really beautiful photos. Being an optimist is wonderful. I believe it is a gift given to many. That no matter what life brings they see the good. I have to say the bread with the chocolate chips is calling my name. Recipe please?
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