Big words

Pretty funny these girls of mine. We have a lot of fun together. Sometimes being their mom isn't the easiest thing to be and sometimes them being my daughters is really hard on them! I respect that. We have our moments where we fight and argue (gasp!) but we have those tender moments of putting together puzzles, reading books, or watching Mickey house in the iPad. 

Today was one of those days where I just took each of them in. I got home from the gym and I took scarlett for a bike ride. Ok really she took me for a ride, but we went around the block and then she got tired so I carried a toddler and her bike home around the block. After having a little rest from walking, the baby (scarlett) decided that she wanted to go for a walk in the stroller. I let her sit in the stroller and point which direction she wanted to go. One may think that the baby is tok young to decide where to go but she actually did just fine. In fact she pointed to all the places her sisters request to go when we are out for a walk.

When Savannah got home from school, we had a little sit down chat where she told me that one of her classmates was in the hospital and they didn't know if she was going to live or not. That Savannah  just broke down in tears. She knows what death means. She knows how it feels. I'm not sure she fully comprehends what it all means but I bet she grasps more than I tend to give her credit for. 

Tonight as I was laying by Mikenna and talking about her day I tell her goodnight and that I have to go write a paper. To which she responds, mon why do you have to write so many papers? Well honey I am in school and we have to write papers to show how smart we are (luckily  they are only 5 pages and give me tiny ulcers every time I have to write one). She asked me what paper I was writing tonight and I gladly told her it was about my philosophy of innovation and leadership and how identifying my mission statement and values would drive the heart of my practice (hey that was goooood, I'm going to have to come back to that). To which she responds, mom those are a lot of big words I don't understand. Me too sister. Me too.

This reminds me of the day I went to help out in Isabella's class. They were doing eye testing in the nurses office and Ms K asked if I would run some papers to the office with the kids first and last name on them. Sure! So i pranced my happy little feet to the nurses office where she told me she didn't want that particular paper because she already had it (yet she requested specifically I bring this one)... I turned back to go to the classroom and had a good chuckle... I'm in the doctor of nursing practice program at the university and someday (hopefully) I will be a nurse practitioner.... Yet no matter how important i think I may become or what degree I will achieve, I AM STILL A MOM. That day I was just a mom helping in my daughters class and no one cares what I am otherwise. 

Love being a mom to these crazies and someday Daxton will have more "mothers" than he could ever know what to do with. 

Time out for women

Had so much fun at time it for women with my home girl Michelle Twilley. We crossfit together. And you know crossfitters they just can't stop talking about crossfit.... See? I sad crossfit like 8 times in two sentences. But that is for another post!

I love Time out. It's a great place to be rejuvenated to get away from life for a few days... Aka 24 hours... By the way does that even count? Can you just go away for 24 hours and have it count as being away? I'm going to vote no. Ok I've digressed several times already. Ok. Back to TOFW.

Had such a great time listening to Nashville Tribute Band play their testimony of the Redeemer. It was truly inspirational. And to listen to Jon Byethway talk about the importance of forgiveness and repentance as he told the story of the Prodigal Son. I loved listening to Elaine Dalton talk about the worth of a soul and Emily Watts talk about shining the light ahead. The light of Christ. There were so many great presenters! 

All I kept thinking though was that I needed to be up there. I crave to be up there. Sharing my message and my story with so many women. I don't think I'm better than any of them but I think I have something to share. I hope I have something worthy of sharing. What's the point of it all if I can't share the lessons I have learned through my life experiences. ... So this year I did something different.... No I didn't write a book in one month have it published and then speak at a Deseret book sponsored conference. I wish. No I ushered. I welcomed ladies to the event and showed them where to sit and ensured that no one seat was left opened. It was a really important job...actually maybe I will keep telling myself that. No seriously. I loved it. It was fun to walk around and to take in all the women who were in attendance. 4350. Pretty remarkable. 

But there was one woman who stood out to me. Her name was Brooke Whiting. I heard her name mentioned and then I walked away. Not ten minutes later did a cute girl about my age show up asking where the producer was and where she was supposed to sit. She told me her name and I remembered it so I was able to seat her in the right spot. Come to find out, Brooke had spent the last 7 months in Utah at the cancer institute receiving chemotherapy and radiation. She left her family for 7 months and was now returning to them. I couldn't even imagine. When asked if she could now see the light at the end of the tunnel she replied that she could not but that she carried the light with her through the tunnel.

I thought this was so profound and have pondered it nonstop. The tunnel can be representative of anything. It could be joy or sorrow or a trial or life in general. And the light I thought signified the light of Christ. He is the only one that knows our pains and our sorrows and fears and joys. He laughs and rejoices with us in times of happiness and he mourns with us in those times of sorrow. He is the only one who knows exactly how we feel ALL OF THE TIME. He is our light. We only have to light the torch to ask him to walk with is.