Moms first selfie !

We had a fun annual witches tea at Becky Lucas' today! Mom was here so we went!

We took Mom's first "selfie". It was a fun little party!

The Great Pantry Purge of 2014

It was way past time. The pantry had once again begun to overflow it's boundaries! Every time I walked into the pantry(52 times a day), I would cringe at the horrible state it was in.

It is a very large space. It is not a normal food only pantry. It is a utilitarian space. It is food pantry, home office, art supply, butler's pantry and a myriad of other uses--all rolled up in one space.

Because it is part of the kitchen, it is so easy to be lazy and shove something in a basket instead of taking it to a bedroom or putting it in the correct place. Everyone is guilty but I am probably the biggest culprit. That one left over Christmas ornament? Shove it in the basket instead if taking 15 seconds and walk downstairs! After a year or so, all if that starts to add up!

In the thirteen years we have lived in this house I have been trying to learn how to best use this space. It has evolved and changed. A few years ago I started using the baskets for the food items. I labeled the boxes hoping that would guide us all in properly placing items. It actually does work quite well--till it doesn't. That is the point we were at. The open baskets for food work well.  Rarely do non food items get put into them.  Occasionally the canned goods get put with pasta.  I have come to realize that we do not handle open baskets for the other items. Things like crayons, pencils, chalk, envelopes. The drawers I put into place a couple years ago have actually worked great .  Each family member has a drawer.  When those items that need to be saved for long term are put in there. It seems that opening a drawer makes everyone think before they put something in it.  So I decided to remove all the open baskets and put in more drawers.!  Only time will tell if less open space creates less mess!!

Every single basket was pulled out, emptied and washed. All dates of food was checked. Expired stuff tossed. (Jello had a date but is actually good indefinitely! I looked that up!)

In the process, I dumped at least four garbage bags of GARBAGE! Old papers, bits and pieces. Old tablets, junky this and that's!

The rule for cleaning the pantry is that I can only pull out at one time as much as my large dining table can hold. I have to completely deal with every item before I can move on! This method served me well this week. I was doing the purge along with Dr. appointments for my Mom, massive amounts of laundry, tennis and a ton of football. Oh yes, and actually taking care of and feeding the children!!

All in all it is such a great feeling to walk into the pantry and not feel like it is going to engulf me!!

I still have to sort the individual drawers that are there for each member of the family. They have helped manage all the papers, certificates,pictures etc. All those things that need to be put into plastic sleeves and binders.They are supposed to be for temporary storage!  I have no idea how long that will take!

Now onto the GREAT SCRAPBOOK/CRAFT ROOM PURGE! That one scares me!

Easter 2014

Rarely in the last twenty years have we been home for Easter. It was very different for the Easter Bunny to drop baskets off that don't involve camping or sand toys!!
Where we have often been camping we don't always color Easter eggs. Justin had a ball coloring them this year!

Happy 21st!!!

Wow! Twenty one years old! As the mom of that twenty one year old I get to say that it is hard to believe it's gone so fast! I remember her as a tiny baby! How can she be a beautiful grownup?


Ashley has always had Mitch wrapped around her little finger- he was finishing off the fresh strawberries and she wanted some. You can just see her begging "please Mitchy, please let me have some?"

June HEFY trip for Mitch

In June Mitch left for almost three weeks on a Humanitarian Experience for Youth trip to the Dominican Republic. They helped build a medical clinic for a very poor village.

He loved the experience although it was the most physical labor he has ever done. There wasn't large modern equipment to do things so Mitch became the backhoe! Anything that took some muscle became Mitch's job.

The first word he expressed about the experience was humbling. The people were so poor that simple things like a baseball or a frisbee was a big deal.

The heat and humidity was a different challenge as was eating rice and beans every single day!

At the end of the trip Mitch got a dreaded stomach virus. He had a fever for a bit and was pretty sick. They wanted to take him to the clinic. Mitch said to the leader--" the clinic that American teenagers are helping to build?" "I'll tough it out!"

July 22, 2014. Ashley's wedding

Life is moving at hyper speed so I want to make sure to at least put a tiny piece of our summer! Hopefully I will get more pictures and be able to do a better post!

Ashley's wedding was beautiful! Just like a fairytale! The venue was delightful and the weather was perfect!

Ashley chose a very subtle and neutral color scheme and everything turned out just exquisite!

She was probably the most beautiful bride ever!

Best $10

Sometimes it is worth paying for!!

Ruby!

I have once again been MIA. It has been a crazy summer!

Mitch went on a humanitarian trip to a third world country

We went to lake Powell

ASHLEY GOT MARRIED!

I will try and recap soon!

Today-- I made cookies for the football boys !

My Refocus or Shift

    So- My friend Brook asked me a question yesterday. "What is the SHIFT you have to make?"  I've thought about this for a few days.  I'm not completely sure that I have the full answer but I'm going to start. Perhaps there are a few other people that can relate or are needing a "shift" of their own.

   I'm that girl that was never an athlete. I'm the girl that wasn't fast as a kid, so I had no value. I am that girl that grew before everyone else.  I was always one of the biggest kids so I always felt fat--so funny now-all 5'4" of me!  I wasn't ever picked at the beginning of kickball- usually towards the end. I'm the one that had horrible Mrs. Parrish as a Jr. HS PE teacher. She stole generations of girl's inner athlete. I was the girl that the awful teacher kept on the floor trying to shoot a free throw basket-- and missing-- while everyone else watched. I wasn't the only one this happened to. It is just my story.

   I went through HS not playing sports, except at church. Where actually, I was pretty decent, church athletics didn't count as real, however. I was on the track team for one season. I finished in races with slow times. I felt like a failure. Never once did a coach offer to teach me or work with me to improve.

   Fast forward twenty or so years. A husband, mortgage, four children and a very wide backside were all mine. Throw in there some mild depression and you have a pretty accurate picture of me about 8 years ago.  My husband and I joined a gym. I started going very regularly, dropping my bonus baby off at the provided daycare. I wandered around from elliptical to weight machines. I would walk past the group classes too scared to join. After a year I got brave and started the spin(stationary bicycle) class!   I loved and hated it.   It was brutal.  It was so, so hard that sometimes it would start to jar crazy emotions loose.   Life stuff.   I remember once having a really hard time emotionally in a class, after class the teacher actually asked me if I was ok!  I told her the exercise brought out raw emotions about situations with my then 13 year old daughter.  During this time I joined the gym's boot camp.  It was awful and wonderful!  I also started dabbling in running.  Then I started experiencing awful plantar fasciitis.

   Fast forward a year or two and we had switched gyms.  I was heavier than ever. Was finally getting over the horrible foot pain that had made any weight bearing painful.   I finally started going to the group classes and it clicked.  I liked the misery of a really hard workout.  I started to get stronger and drop a bit of weight. I continued working out with this group of women for the next couple of years. One friend was the trainer. She was the leader and the boss! We all progressed. I lost enough weight that I felt better in my own skin! 

   Enter Crossfit. About five of us started it together.  We all did this for about five months. Then those friends decided to not continue.  I decided to stay-- by myself.  It was very scary to me because I knew no one and I was such a beginner in what seemed (still does) a very intimidating group.  Over the course of the next three years I improved. That isn't to say I was amazing or would win any prizes. Far from that! Truth , I have always been close to the weakest and the slowest at every workout. Most days I was ok with it. Other days I felt like that girl in gym class. I created this in my head.   I was always accepted.

    Two summers ago I was invited to run my first Ragnar relay. Scared to death describes me. I loved it!  For six years or more I had had the desire to run a half marathon. I even mentioned it in our annual Christmas card!  It seemed like such a big accomplishment for a non-athlete like myself. I decided that if I could run three legs over thirty-three hours I could probably run that half marathon!!  I decided to continue and trained for a half marathon. A friend ran with me and it was hard!!! Yet, I loved it. 

 

    The day after my race a huge family situation happened that shook me to my core.  I stopped running cold turkey.  I barely coped with regular life.

 

   I continued with crossfit and still loved it.  The next spring brought with it a desire to run again.  So, I was entered on our Ragnar team again.  I knew that I could do a harder leg.  I ran what I thought was enough to prepare for my longer leg.  In hind sight I was not prepared for the length.  I ended my third Ragnar leg unable to run at all.  My leg/knee would not go. 

 

   I figured some aggressive therapy and a few days off would be enough.  I signed up for Sole Sisters.  The day I pressed "join" I went for my first run since Ragnar.  I made it a mile before I couldn't continue.  I was crushed.  I was unable to run for months.  I had a case of IT band syndrome. 

I continued with Crossfit. 

 

   Crossfit was such a strange place for me--non athlete girl!  I often felt very weak.  Physically and mentally.  I continued to go because when I let myself, I felt strong.  I was doing things that were HARD.  I could lift more than I used to be able to!  I could do a kipping pullup, a handstand pushup(kind of), I knew terms like cleans, deadlift, Turkish get ups, squat, snatch, etc.  I usually felt like I belonged.  Yes, I was one of the older members-not the oldest, I was one of the slower and weaker members, but I belonged.  I was sweating and working just like everyone else was.  We were all in  this weird misery together. I felt like an athlete.

 

   Life continues to move along as it does for everyone.  My kids are geting older and are busier than ever. Christmas rolls around and I started to have the desire to run again.  Joining the online ladies running group Sole Sisters sounded fun.  Then the opportunity to run the Ogden Half was given to me.  I had always wanted to run another half.  I think that most people get the bug and want to do it again!  To improve--or just to prove something.  Not sure which I was after?

 

   Life with a husband, mortgage, four children, church leadership positions, job, etc. makes for a busy life.  I have been blessed that I have been able to be a stay at home mom for many years.  I have had the luxury of having flexibility in my schedule. 

 

   When I decided to run my second half marathon I fully expected to continue going to Crossfit three days a week.  I feel that the strength training is so important.  I did this very well,  until I wasn't doing it well at all.

 

  In March my daughter(almost 21) got engaged.  This was unexpected(should not have been--mother denial).  My Mom has had ongoing health issues and lives four hours away. I've made numerous trips to help her.   My bonus baby( 9 now) had to have eye surgery.

 

   These are just a few of the many, many  things that started to get in my way.  I kept having scheduling conflicts with one thing and another thing.  I was finding that I was just stretched too thin.

 

   I have been training for this half marathon solo.  That is good and that is bad.  Good because I need to be able to run by myself. I need to prove to myself that I can do hard things--alone!   Bad because I have no one to help me stay motivated or to hold me responsible--except ME!

 

  During this training I have had some very difficult runs.  It was as if I had never run or exercised in my life.  I would find myself so angry and upset at myself.

 

  Over the course of my training I started to realize that I had some very negative energy tied up in running because of the events surrounding my first half.  That was a big realization.  After that I thought I had it figured out.  I had some great runs. Then more negative.  I had started to wear my Garmin.  It showed me exactly how slow I was.   Then some more very bad runs. 

 

  This brings me to my current situation.  I have three weeks until my half marathon.  I am feeling scared.  My friend Brook asked my a very serious question---"What is the shift that I need to make to be successful?"

   

   I looked ahead at the next three months of my life.  I have a full calendar. I have a half marathon in three weeks.  My kids will be out of school in four weeks.  We have four different camps-three church, one football, three family vacations, baseball, Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay, a three week humanitarian trip for my son( Dominican Republic-he will be building a school),  and a WEDDING! 

 

   All of that and that doesn't include any laundry, dishes, church responsibilities, swimming lessons, yard work, bedroom painting or toilet cleaning!!!  To say the least, I am feeling frazzled.  So frazzled that I have been letting everything slide.  Barely holding anything together.

 

    So? What is the shift that I am going to have to make to be successful?  I made a very difficult decision to suspend my Crossfit membership for the summer.  I have to drive 20+ minutes to get to my class.  I realistically will be gone about two weeks out of each of the next few months.  That makes it so that I am not attending enough, which then makes me very stressed because I am wasting money. 

 

    As I made this decision I started to cry.   I found my stolen athlete girl at Crossfit.   I was able to mostly stop the voices of the past that told me I was not enough.  I have many dear friends at our class.  We love each other, but our main connection is our class time.

 

    Making this decision is still weighing heavily on me.  However, I know that this is necessary and probably a hidden blessing.  Perhaps I can let more of athlete girl out?  Perhaps I will break some more hidden barriers?  Perhaps I will experience more--whatever MORE happens to be?

 

    Finding what my "SHIFT" is, has taken a twisted ankle, a good cry with the cows and a few days.

I am hoping that the shift sticks and that Negative Nellie that was planted so many years ago can be

quieted as capable Athlete Girl comes out to play.  

 

Onward!

Rose

 

p.s. I have also decided that I must leave the watch at home--it is like having horrible Mrs. Parrish yelling at me!! 

   

Happy 14th Birthday!!

April 19th, 2014--

Still amazing to realize how fast time moves! This girl is getting all grown up!

Emily asked if we could go to dinner for her birthday so we went to Chili's. the next morning as I was leaving to take Justin to baseball I noticed that the Mia Maid leaders from church had given Em a "heart attack ", and put hearts all over the lawn. I planned on taking pictures when I got back.

When we returned she had taken them all down! I made her put it all back up so we could take pictures. She said "oh, mom!" I told her that when she was an old woman she would be glad that I took pictures!!!

That afternoon after she opened her new iPod nano we went shopping for a cute Easter dress and lunch.

Happy happy Birthday to you!!!

Eye Surgery #2

Wednesday April 9, 2014 Justin had eye surgery. This is his second eye surgery. The first was when he was about 5.

Justin had what is called Strabismus surgery. In layman's terms we would say Justin had a "lazy- or wandering" eye. They are both inaccurate terms but people understand them.

When Justin was five, one day before Christmas I noticed his eye looked strange to me. I am a worrier so I thought perhaps I imagined. Later that night Dave asked me if I had noticed Justin's eye. At that point I knew I would get it checked. Over the course of the next few months we visited with Surgeon Dr. Clayson. We were taught what was going on and then he had his first surgery. He had a great recovery.

The eyes tracked perfectly for about a year and then I started to suspect that they had slipped again. Justin was on a 4-6 month appointment schedule. We became regulars in the office. The measurements did indicate a change. It was still within a normal range. Fast forward till this past summer. I was more aware of the tracking issue. We were sent to a pediatric specialist to see if he agreed with Dr. Clayson. He did. At that point he said that surgery wasn't necessary but could be done-- if Justin wanted it or if other people started to notice.

Fortunately, Justin's vision has never been affected. This is often the type of case that the brain shuts down one eye and that eye starts to loose vision. This is where patching comes in. Justin's vision was perfect. Patching wouldn't help him. His problem is all in the muscle and no amount of patching would help him.

About a month ago Justin came home from the bus crying that some boys were teasing him. Calling him "cross-eyed". His eye didn't cross but that was the only thing they knew to call it- to be mean.

It was time to address it again. So, surgery.

Justin was very brave but also nervous on surgery day. He took his monkey George with him but refused the wagon ride into surgery!

After surgery the Surgeon, Dr. Williams came out and explained that the eye muscle that he worked on( opposite eye from last time) was abnormal. Which could be the underlying reason for his problem. The Dr. cleaned the muscle up and said that it should be good to go! Let's hope so!!!

 

Justin came home and literally slept for the rest of the day!  He got up about 8:30 p.m. for about thirty minutes.  We had to turn off all the lights because they made the eye hurt.  He spent the next day with a patch on just taking it easy.  His recovery is coming along well.  However, if you saw him, a week later and didn't know what had happened you would be shocked to see his eye.  It still looks pretty rough!

                         Justin after his dialation

                           Just before surgery--very nervous!

                  In recovery, he was a sleepy head!

                    Popsicles--he tried it--wasn't in the mood!

                     Leaving the surgical center

                                    Looks pretty rough!

                 One week later!  Much better but still
                               pretty sore!

                                           One week comparison

Christmas at Grandma Dalley's-2013

We were only able to stay at Grandma's house for a couple of days.  There always seems

to be so many things that everyone is doing.  I am grateful that we were able to spend some

time there, however.   As the kids get older and older things change more and more.  I hope that

we get quite a few more years of Christmas at Grandma's!

This sweet card has been hanging around at Christmas since the 1970's! 

I love that it is not just a retro looking card--it is actually vintage!!!

We have always taken the shots by the tree.  Sometimes we look

great--sometimes, we don't!  Over the years there have been

screaming babies, p.j.s, and everything in between.  It seems

strange to only have half of my children with us, I guess that is a sign of the times

changing!

By next Christmas Justin will probably be taller than Grandma!

Trying to get everyone to smile as we are leaving--a miracle!!

 

Christmas 2013-