A Crazy, Wonderful Life

Everyone who reads my blog will know exactly when the batteries in my camera die; they're dead. Hence, the shortage of posts lately. That's not the only reason, though. Life is speeding up for me and our little family. I can't believe how quickly the days fly by, the laundry just keeps piling up, and the dishes move from the cabinets to the table to the sink seemingly on their own. Between my job, Amber's school, and the hundreds of trips to the doctor's office, I feel like I live in a blur. It's a good blur, but it's insane!

I always love November and the heightened sense of gratitude that I feel. This year has been great mixed with not-so-great, and I'm feeling right now like we're stuck in a rut. While things definitely could be (and have been) worse, I'm ready to move on to the settled-down-and-established phase of life. Then again, I wonder if there ever will be a phase like that for my family. It seems like the world has changed significantly in the past ten years. Will there ever be such a thing as job security? Does my lifetime view of "middle class" even exist anymore? Call me a real pessimist, but I am starting to think that we may be scraping by in one way or another for the rest of our lives.

I gave a talk in church last week about President Monson's conference address entitled "The Divine Gift of Gratitude". It helped me remember that the important things in life are the things I already have: my husband, our kids, the gospel, a testimony. I am glad I had to speak on that talk, because I really need that reminder now. This is an awful thing to say, but I feel like we've suffered through the starving student era, had babies, paid our tithing faithfully, and we've paid our dues. I'm ready to be over that!

Here's to a bright future, enduring hope, and a wonderful holiday season filled with love and happiness. I'm blessed to know what I know, and to have a Heavenly Father who loves me. I know that I have a Savior who makes it possible for me to repent of my sins and I feel divinely blessed to have Adam, Amber, Karli, Rex and Case in my life. We have wonderful parents and family members who bless us daily. I appreciate all of their help and kindness. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!