Keeping it Real

Today, my sweet husband (and only follower) told me he really liked the post about Charlie because it makes our town seem lovely. I nodded and said something like "mmm, good", after all, this is the purpose of the blog, to highlight the lovely. But in reality, I very much dislike this wretched place (hence the need for the blog and such highlights). Some days I dislike it more than others. Today was a bad day.

On my first post I babbled about potholes in my life and trying to see the good things in it. Well, the major and only pothole as for now, is living in this very boring, isolated, lifeless suburb and having no way out in sight. It drives me crazy. I wonder how on earth I have lasted this long. The constant silence bears heavily on my soul and therefore my mood. Oh mood.

There has got to be more to a town. I long for a place where I can walk most everywhere I need to go and see people on the way. To hear, see, smell everyday life running its course.

If anybody ever reads this and knows of a good place, let me know. We might get there someday.

As far as a highlight for today: Damon asked the girls who is the smartest person they know. Sara answered "Mommy and Daddy". Good answer girl, you might be buttering us up, but still, good answer

Roommaties

Yesterday we had a college roommate reunion of sorts. 4 of us got together and we skyped/phoned with 2 more who live in AZ. What a fun day.
We looked through old pictures and had good laughs. It felt like home.
Those first years at BYU were great for me. Such formative years.
I was clueless in so many ways.
We commented on how some of us have "stayed" a certain age and how for some the 30's seem so dreadful. I like my age. I like the 30's. I like me better now that I am older and somewhat less lost. I have a much better idea of myself, what I want, what I love and dislike.
These ladies helped me during the most crucial time: away from home, in a foreign place, on my own for the first time, trying to grow up.
I still wonder how on earth I ended up there, but I can't imagine what my life would be like now without those experiences.
I met more than wonderful friends who loved me despite my quirkyness (oh, and how quirky I was/am). I only wish I could see them more often.

A walk and Charlie

Charlie is our happy, faithful dog who had not been groomed for well over a year (yes, I will have you know that we are not the best dog owners in town). But today he was pampered and got the works. Tori, Jo and I walked to go pick him up since it was "in the neighborhood". He looks so handsome. We stopped by the school and met Sara and Sofia and walked home together. They were happy to see us there and loved how soft Charlie's coat feels. Tori picked up some pebbles and asked me if she could keep them for her rock collection, which consists of a few pebbles, namely, the ones she had in her hand.
It had been so long since we had gone for a walk. What a nice treat. I was tired after that though... I have got to get in better shape

Learning to Love the Common Life

It was two days ago. I had heard about NieNie a long time ago but it wasn't until then that I looked at her blog. Her life after her accident amazes me, but her life before that made me think about mine in a different way.
Nie's life seemed so absolutely perfect. Everyday filled with happiness. I wondered if her road of life could really be that flawless, especially when mine at times seems filled with potholes.
But there is something I didn't expect to notice: our lives, deep down, were and are very similar. Here's why:
We both:
1.Have amazing husbands who love us madly
2.Have 4 beautiful children
3.Have a home filled with the happiest kind of love
4.Love the gospel of Jesus Christ and know we are beloved daughters of God
I wonder if my life has been just as lovely all along and I have not realized it. Did Nie realize it?
Maybe Nie's life isn't absolutely perfect, but she has this talent of highlighting all the lovely things she is blessed with everyday. The counsel of keeping a journal is so clear and wise to me now. Journaling emphasizes what you cherish and the tender mercies received every day (and so easily forgotten) that make life seem...well, perfect. Perfect for those who live it. And what a lovely legacy it becomes to those who come afterward, wondering who they are.

So, because I lead a life that seems to me very common, filled with routine, and in all honesty, exasperating at times, and have proved to be a terrible journal keeper, I have started this blog so I can show myself that life, even though common, is filled with joys and bits of perfection that tend to be overlooked.

Wow, that was long-winded. But since I am doing it for me (and those around me who are directly affected by my daily moods), I will make it a point to state everything I feel needs to be stated, clarified, defended and remembered.

So here goes nothing...