finding peace

i have felt very unsettled not just this weekend but the past couple of weeks. i can't really put my finger on it. i'm sure it's a combination of a lot of things...little sleep, stress, tragedy, change, etc. as a result my mind has been racing. sometimes i wish i could just turn it off.

see this picture circulating around social media definitely brings a feeling of peace.

i had to teach sunday school at church today. the lesson was on faith. i read the material and prepared, but it wasn't until this morning that i thought to look up faith as it relates to tragedy or trials. i searched lds.org and found this conference talk by president eyring. it gave me the peace to some of the things on my mind particularly this weekend. go read it. it doesn't resolve the world's problems, but it might give you some sense of peace.

annual GNO party

the annual GNO party was thursday night. it was a pajama party this year. we all wore our pajamas. i was most impressed with jess's silkies and all the awesome footies. we ate way too much breakfast food, and had some of the funniest white elephant gifts ever. sadly the traditional monkey cookie jar was missing. we hope to find it soon. thanks so much megan for hosting and megan and kristi for all the work. it was a BLAST!

silence and support for sandy hook

there really are no words. when neely tweeted yesterday that she and some other bloggers wanted to organize something i was on board with whatever it was. since the only thing i can think to say is that there really are no words, this seems fitting.

To the Blog World and Anyone Else who Wants to Help,

Yesterday, tragedy struck so many of us in ways we did not foresee. An elementary school and small town in Connecticut was shattered by a mass shooting. We knew we wanted to help and we came up with this:

On Tuesday, December 18th, there will be a blogger day of silence. We will post the button and that’s it. Please try to not post anything else that day if possible.

We are also raising money that will go to an organization in the memory of this tragedy. The organization is called The Newtown Family Youth and Family Services.

Here is the official description of the support service we are donating to:

“Newtown Youth and Family Services, Inc. is a licensed, non-profit, mental health clinic

and youth services bureau dedicated to helping children and families achieve their

highest potential. NYFS provides programs, services, activities, counseling, support

groups and education throughout the Greater Newtown area.

ANY DONATIONS MADE TO NEWTOWN YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES WILL BE DONATED DIRECTLY TO THOSE EFFECTED BY THE SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING.”

Please visit THIS PAGE to make your donation.

We can’t imagine how they must be feeling, especially this close to the holidays. We would love for you to spread the word on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Let’s make a difference and use blogging in a positive way.

Thank you in advance for participating.

Love,

The Blog World

'tis the season

the holiday season is in full swing

bijou market came the middle of november, and i officially started shopping

came back from thanksgiving travels to find we do actually have a tree this year

made a serious dent in the shopping while obsessing over this tree

found a few good sales

more than ever, i'm dreaming of someday having my own house. i will be making these planter boxes for sure...mostly for the holidays (and the flowers too)

i love love love the holiday season! what about you? have the holidays hit yet?

wedding shower crafts

another catch up post.

amber is getting married and moving to oregon next month. she has basically all the essentials for a house so i got a little crafty with her gift.

this is the paper mache letter from the craft store. i spray painted it gold, glued on a fabric flower, and tied a ribbon. i was getting a little sick of the yarn letter so this was a fun change.

high school friend caroline did a blog post about these questions she and her husband discuss every sunday night. they make so much sense. she created a printable so i printed and laminated it as part of my gift.

a year ago

one year ago today I was sitting in a hospital bed recovering from hip surgery.
one month ago I ran my first post surgery 1/2 marathon.
what a difference a year makes.

maybe one day soon i will actually post that running story i keep talking about.

fave post of the (last) month

i swear i am constantly playing catch up these days. i keep hoping to get caught up, but it's probably never going to happen. even though i missed the link up day by a week i still want to post one of my favorite posts from november.

have you heard of the shine project? ashley is the cutest, most darling little thing, and the concept is amazing.

her post http://www.myshineproject.com/2012/11/how-do-i-turn-on-shine.html really hit me this month. check it out. you will love it i'm pretty sure.

the rest of the weekend

i went back to vegas for about a day and a half after thanksgiving. we pretty much just hung out and played with the kids. i always love spending time with them. jeff started working in california this week so they are moving by the end of the year. i'm sad about it but just glad it's california and not somewhere far far away.

playing restaurant with the kids

 trying to get kyler to stand. the little thing is growing up so fast.

attempting some pics with the kids (always fun...)

latest cake

coworker Alyssa and fam ARE GOING TO HAVE TRUCK LOADS OF FUN WITH THEIR BABY...

GIRL. This is only my 2nd girl cake. Yay for pink.

thanksgiving

i'm having storage issues with blogger so this never got posted. so, much after the fact here is the recap of thanksgiving 2012.

we spent the actual holiday at grandma and grandpa mathis's house. the johnsons also came into town so we had a pretty good crowd. i realized this year i haven't been at my parents' house for thanksgiving in 15 years (that makes me feel super old). i am so glad i have family close enough to spend the thanksgiving holiday with.

playing outside with the kids before the meal

 the fam...me, grandpa, andrew, grandma, karlee, avery, marsha, malea, troy, abby, shaylee, chelsea and kyler, jeff and karson, david, leina (apparently john and gale were taking pics)

playing at the park after dinner (tradition)

kickball

kyler getting so big

troy helping karson kick the ball

we stayed in st george until friday night and then headed back to vegas for the rest of the weekend.

announcements

#1...I've been crafty blogging over on my other blog the past couple of years. Lately, I just can't seem to keep up. So, in an effort to simplify (whatever that means) just a tich, I'm combining for a while. I'll still blog my crafting, cooking, and all other things I NEED RIGHT NOW. I'll also still blog about life while DREAMING OF SOMEDAY. It will all just be right here starting right this second. Hopefully it will be easier to read and easier to write all in one spot.

#2...I've been talking and talking about it, but it really is happening. The blog makeover is in process courtesy of the lovely Kate over at a creative cookie. Who knows when, but sometime very soon the sidebar links will be gone...promise to make room for some sponsor swapping.

#3...I still have some catch up to do and then I'll be back on a more consistent basis...promise.

Looks like I have some promises to keep.

thankful

i interrupt this blog catch up to bring you a gratitude post. i can't let this thanksgiving day pass without stopping to think write about it all. i could be here all day listing all the things i am thankful for.

family
friends
job
healthy body
physical necessities
and a lot of non necessities
freedom
technology (did i just write that?)
churchy things
i mean seriously. i could go on for days.

i am one blessed girl

winter wonderland

utah got dumped on last weekend big time. it just wouldn't stop snowing. as much as I HATE the snow, there's nothing like getting up before the rest of the world and going fora snowy run. i kind of LOVE it

snow canyon half

for some reason, i have gotten a little behind in my blogging the past couple of weeks. i'm attempting to catch up in the next few days.

i ran my first post op 1/2 marathon a couple of weeks ago. it was the snow canyon 1/2 marathon down in st george. the weather was to die for amazing. the course was gorgeous. it was a beautiful day. really i couldn't ask for much more (besides maybe a faster time and the right running shoes)

at the start line with alyson, heidi, allison, and teresa

at the finish. brynn ran the last little bit with her mom.

the race went pretty well. i felt good most of the time. i didn't do as well as i hoped which makes me think i better get my butt in gear before i run another full.

weekend recap

Is it acceptable to blog about the weekend when it's almost another weekend? This past weekend was just too good not to document.

I went to St. George with Brynn and Allison to run. I had quite the eventful weekend.

We laughed our heads off when this baby hat turned out an itty bit too small.

i ran my first legit post-op race...snow canyon half marathon. things were going great until a mile or two in when i realized i brought old running shoes. they were fine, and the race went pretty well.

after the race i realized i forgot to pack underwear (kind of a problem) and also got locked out of the house when my phone was 100% dead. a few hours, 2 verizon stores, and $20 late, my phone was semi-charged and i found the group.

i left sunday morning to get home for church. i came home to an igloo of a freezer and a giant melty mess. 

we basically spent all day dealing with and cleaning that up. by 10:30 that night all the ice was gone.

needless to say, i was ready for the weekend to end (never thought I would say that). at least it made for some good stories.