Keeping it Real

So, lately I've been feeling like blogs tend to paint this perfect picture of your life...or at least mine does. My life is awesome and wonderful, and I have so much to be grateful for, but it is far from perfect. So, I've decided that I'm going to make more of an effort to be more real about me and what's going on.

Last weekend we had a family reunion (more about that in a post to come) with my mom's entire family. It was awesome, and on one of the nights we asked my grandfather to share some of his life with us. For those of you who don't know my grandmother, Claire, battled breast cancer for several years, and shortly after recovering completely she suffered a heart attack and died. I was 7 months old at the time. I've always felt really close to her, and I have no doubt that she has and will continue to be a big part and influence in my life. I find that anytime I can hear someone talk about her, my ears perk up, I tune everything else out, and I am so interested. She was an amazing, beautiful, busy, involved and lovely woman. Everyone is always so quick to sing her praises. Well, back to last weekend...so, my grandfather ended up sharing some things about the time in her life when she was suffering, and he talked about how that was hard and her and her family. As he talked about those negative times, I found myself appreciating that from him because it made her so much more real to me and so much easier to understand and relate to.

So, that is what has prompted me to be more real about my life and the all that is going on rather than sugar coating it all and trying to paint this perfect picture of things. Don't get me wrong, everything I've posted so far is completely true and accurate, but I tend to hide the hard stuff. I'm a true believer in focusing on the positive and not over exaggerating the negative, but there has to be some kind of balance there. So, here's to my new attempt to find that balance, keep it real and honest, and deal with things rather than ignore them, but focus on all the good.

For the stay at home mom's

After a day like today, this is exactly what I needed to end it. So, this morning due to a tough decision that my husband was sick of talking about and an emotional pregnancy, I was doubting myself once again. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my emotions getting the best of me really have been the hardest part of this pregnancy. I tend to take one small problem and let it snowball into a whirlwind of negative thoughts and feelings. So, before I knew it, Parker was watching Sesame Street (thank goodness for that show and his love of it) and I was in the shower crying. I wondered whether I really was a good mom, and whether it was what I wanted my life to consist of so heavily. A call from Brian calmed me down, and after he told me to "get ahold of myself," I did, and the day turned out alright. But, as I was checking my friends blogs for updates, I found a link to this one from my friend Tiffany. Check itout...it's the inspiration we all need sometimes.

The Best Girlfriends Ever

So, almost exactly 11 years ago, I left my friends and family and life in Palos Verdes, CA and headed for Provo, UT to begin my adventure at BYU. I had no idea what I was in for...

Within minutes of arriving at my dorm, I met a girl who little did I know would become one of these amazing friends that I would count on forever. That was only the beginning. After such a short period of time, I found my lifelong friends. We spent that next year doing everything together, talking, playing, skiing, eating, and maybe a little bit of studying. Over the years our lives have obviously gone in different directions taking us to different places, but we've always been there for one another. With some people it doesn't take effort to remain close regardless of distance or circumstance...these are those people.

Thanks to an exclusive myfamily website we are in contact with each other weekly, if not daily, and we get together once a year for our annual Girls Weekend. Of the 12 of us, anyone who can make it comes, no husbands or children are allowed (except for nursing babies), and we do a lot of talking and enjoying each other's company. I don't think I ever laugh more than when I'm with these girls, and the best thing is that I always feel like they just "get" me.

This year we went to Seattle, and stayed at Annie's house. She and her husband bought a couple of years ago, and they have been working so hard to remodel and get it the way they want it. It is so charming and gorgeous. She was the perfect hostess, and amongst all the talking we did this year we were definitely busy enjoying Seattle. What a great city...full of life. The people there just seem to be so easy going and happy about whatever comes their way. I loved it. Thanks to Annie and all my girlies. I don't know what I'd do without you.

And, thanks to Elizabeth, who has really taken up photography over the last few years, we have some amazing pictures to show for the weekend. You can also check out this video she put together to see more.

Happy 4th of July

So, it ended up being a great, but pretty mellow 4th of July for us. That morning/afternoon we went to Farm Country (a petting zoo/picnic area, etc. really close to our house) for a picnic, a pony ride, and a visit to the animals. Later that day we just hung out outside with some of our neighbors letting our kids play in the water. Then we bbqed some burgers and went on a drive. We let Parker fall asleep in the car so we could go watch fireworks from right outside the car. It was a great fireworks show, but little man woke up about half-way through and he wasn't too thrilled about the loud boom each one made. So, we enjoyed the second half of the show from the car. We got home, lit a few sparklers and we all went to bed. It was great to spend the whole day together and enjoy the holiday as our small family.

My Cowboys

So, one of our favorite things about living in Utah is rodeo season. It's just one more thing to make the summer fun. Our favorite rodeo is in Lehi, and it's the first one we went to right after we were married and living in Lehi. This year Brian threw a big bbq and party for his clients in a yard we rented across the street from the rodeo grounds. We brought Parker to the bbq, but I took him home to a babysitter so that he could go to bed and Brian and I could enjoy the rodeo. It was a blast. Don't you just love that picture of Parker wearing Brian's cowboy hat?!

He loved swimming and running around, but at one point I took my eyes off of him for a few seconds, and when I looked back this is where I found him. He loves the horsies!