Living Full on Life

I read this delightful passage in a book called, “A Tale of Love and Darkness” by Amos Oz describing childhood, “I started to read almost on my own, when I was very young. What else did we have to do? The evenings were much longer then, because the earth revolved more slowly, because the galaxy was much more relaxed than it is today.” I love these words because they perfectly describe why I read as a child and the eternally long hours I remember from my childhood.

Another quote I just read in one of Rosamunde Pilcher’s books is this:
“Happiness is making the most of what you have, and riches is making the most of what you’ve got.”

It’s conference weekend, one of my favorite times of the year. We heard our prophet, Russell Nelson speak and announce a new focus on “home-centered church” where our Sabbath meetings are now only two hours and the curriculum for church and family observance is streamlined and coordinated. I love this season of revelation where, as Elder Holland said, the prophet is opening all the windows and doors of the church and making necessary changes. Last conference it was revealed that we would be combining the two priesthood quorums for greater unity, and that has been a fantastic change, also, we were introduced to ministering instead of visiting teaching and the young women were invited to participate. I have loved this program as I have conducted ministering interviews. It has been so delightful to see sisters in our congregation embracing the idea of teaching, loving and serving as the Lord would. I also love the greater focus of men and women on equal planes striving and serving together in a coordinated way.

We just got back from a lovely walk in the mountains. We walked along a trail next to a river with the fall colors all around us and the crisp air against our cheeks. It was lovely and so nice to be together. Sadly, Anna got bit by a red ant and was quite uncomfortable for sometime. (still is)

The past few weeks have marked the end of an era in a few ways. On the 15th of September Grant and Sam were leaving to help someone in our neighborhood move in and Kevin (the cat, aged 15 1/2) decided not to get out from under the car. He usually does move as people get in a car, but this time Grant rolled right over his back end. I was on my way home and Grant called me to give me the bad news. I came home about five minutes later and Kevin, the weird, silly, playful cat we have had since he was a kitten and Lizzie was a baby, was coolly laying in the grass, unable to move. I walked over and sat by him. He licked my hand and I could tell that he was pretty broken. It made me cry. I picked him up and brought him inside and he purred as I carried him. After a few minutes he started to struggle and I knew he was in too much pain. When Grant and Sam came home we put him down and buried him. It is still weird that he isn’t around. I miss him climbing up our bed because he was too old to jump. I miss him stalking us at night when he thought he was a panther. He was the best pet.

Then, a week later Sam was driving home from a volleyball game he played in that was two and a half hours away. The Subaru, our first car we ever bought as newlyweds in 2000, sputtered and died. We realized that we had forgotten to remind Sam to change the oil and as he is a new driver, it just didn’t really occur to him either. As it turns out, cars really do need oil! The car was killed. It was so sad too because although it was old, it had very few miles on it and would’ve probably lasted another ten years! We sold the car for $1,000 and cut our losses. We had a lot of good memories in that car. We drove our first born child home from the hospital in that car! Grant drove it to and from work every day for eighteen years. One year, the senior prank at AHS involved completely covering it in sticky notes! It was a good reliable car with great memories.

I have this compulsion that I know I have described in this forum before, I must tuck my little children in right before I go to sleep. It originated from when they were infants and I needed to make sure they were breathing so I could sleep easily, without worry. I’ve been trying to break myself of the habit. I tuck them in at their bedtime, do I really need to tuck them in at mine? Tonight I went downstairs as I was going to bed and kissed William on the face saying, “Mommy loves William.” Kiss. “I love you” Kiss, kiss. and then I held his hand for a second. He stirred and then said sleepily, “Will you hold my hand a little longer please?” I held his hand for about four more minutes when he told me that was long enough. I held it for  couple of minutes more and then left to tuck in Anna. I wish I could hold that hand forever.

School starts in a week. I am mourning the loss of summer. Today marks the beginning of the kids extra-curricular activities. William has a soccer tournament this week. Lizzie (who now spells her name “Lizi”) starts Irish dance again today. Anna is trying a rock climbing course starting next week. She is really excited because it is a 12 week course which is about her threshold for learning a new skill. She doesn’t like to do things for long, but she doesn’t want to be considered a quitter. Sam has volleyball tryouts this week and is excited for a new year of athletics. And William and Anna, our last ones to play and instrument, are resuming piano lessons next week. We have a veritable graveyard of string instruments that makes me sad every time I look at them.

We have friends that moved to Washington D.C. and decided to quit all extra-curricular activities for the two years that they are there and just travel on the weekends together as a family. It sounds so amazing. And so unifying.

Since we are talking about extra-curricular activities, I must share my favorite photo I have ever taken of my kids doing their stuff:

Yesterday, Lizzie and I were at Hobby Lobby getting a few things for the crepe business she is starting with her friends, Rachel and Danielle Saxey. Hobby Lobby has always been like a wonderland for her. Full of potential, and endless creativity. As we were about to check out she said, “I used to think this was a craft store. Now it just seems like a stuff store.”

Another disappointing discovery happened two days after we got home from our month-long road trip to Alaska this summer. Grant and I had been unpacking and catching up from being gone so long and had just settled down to relax and watch a movie together. We were bone tired! Lizzie appeared in great excitement and exclaimed, “I have grass growing in my carpet! Come and look!” I could just see what was inside her brain. She was imagining an eventual lovely, magical fairy glen in in her room. Grant and I looked at each other with dread, knowing that grass growing through the carpet meant a flood had occurred while we were gone. I moaned, “We aren’t coming down.” As if I could put off reality for a few minutes. We got up and went down with her. Sure enough, the window had not been shut all the way for the month we were gone and water had come in and damaged dry wall and soaked carpet and pad at least five feet into the room.

Now, it must be understood that when we moved into this house 13 years ago the carpet was old and needed to be replaced. We waited 12 years to do it and never once had any kind of flood or water damage in all of those years. Last year, we put in new carpet throughout the house. Since then we have had THREE floods, two the insurance didn’t cover since the water came from the outside and one they did, from a water softener we had installed that flooded our basement. (cracked coupling). We are getting really good at flood recovery! This time we pealed back the carpet, cut the pad out, cut the drywall out and we have a guy scheduled to put it all back together again.

Maybe next time we see grass growing through our carpet we will embrace it. Next time visitors come we will show them the beautiful fairy glen that we have cultivated in our basement.

The kids have the day off from school today for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Obviously, the King part of his name is most memorable to our kids because William thought today was King Arthur Day. I’m wondering if we should have some jousting at our house.

My computer is about to die and it is past my bedtime. But I must write at least one thing to mark the passing of 2017 and the arrival of 2018. It was a fantastic year and if I was a better person I would write a wonderful, witty synopsis of it’s events. Actually, if I was a better person I wouldn’t have to write a synopsis, I would have already made a daily record of the happenings of our family for the past year. However, going forward I hope to take the time to process life through writing. It always helps me, and it is wonderful to read back. Resolutions for the year to come? (Or revelations, as William called them yesterday…)
1) Track my expenses for one month. Then move on to the next one.
2) Return family scripture study to mornings at 6:30. Sam and Lizzie had early morning seminary starting at 7:10 this past semester so our early morning devotion took a back seat. We tried to do it at night, but it’s hard to do anything as a family when the family isn’t home. Is it just me, or are teenagers really never home? That is what it feels like. I actually miss them!
3) Spend the first part of each morning (after I workout) on personal reflection for at least a half hour, either writing or just pondering.
4) Ski at least once a week for the duration of the ski season. Hopefully we will get some snow. I plan on checking a different child out of school each week (if they are caught up) for personalized instruction and one-on-one time. I’ve been four times now plus one failed attempt when Sam and I went up and I had grabbed only one of my ski boots and one of Lizzie’s. It was crazy busy anyway so it wasn’t much of a loss. Sam has been close to a dozen times and Lizzie half a dozen. The littles only a few times each.

What am I excited about for 2018? We just decided to take a camping trip to Alaska this summer. We will leave in June and drive up. Grant will meet us in Anchorage ten days later for our tour of the Kenai Peninsula and Denali National Park. We will spend another week driving home together. If it doesn’t rain on us the whole time I think it will be a fantastic trip. If it does rain the whole time? It will certainly be memorable!

Sam played volleyball for the fist time this year. He loves it. His season just finished and they were undefeated. Sadly, they lost in the tournament but he had a wonderful time anyway. I love this clip of Sam and the American Heritage School volleyball teams