Gorgeous Fall Weather, Grad School, Grass Seed

October 14-20, 2019

I want to return to a weekly recounting of our lives. Life moves so quickly and I don't want to forget the little things that happen in my family.

What a full and busy week we have had! Here are some of the highlights:

Columbus Day
We had a school holiday on Monday. Unfortunately, I spent the day doing a homework assignment for my ProGen Study Group. (ProGen is a year-long study group that studies the book Professional Genealogy edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills. Each month we read 2-3 chapters, complete an assignment, give feedback on one another's assignments, and then have an hour-long group discussion about the readings. I am taking this in preparation for becoming a certified Genealogist.) I was sad about having to do homework because I didn't manage my time better last week. However, my kids were good sports about not being able to go apple picking. Instead, they played outside in our beautiful yard covered in leaves. In the afternoon, I was able to slip outside and get a few pictures of the three younger kids with the beautiful fall leaves and autumn light.

Grass Seed
Ever since all the construction on our home, our front and back yards have been a mess. Both yards were dug up to redo the septic and then install geothermal heating and cooling. There are ruts and its quite dangerous to run in the yard because there are so many holes. Brent ordered several yards of fill dirt that we have used to fill the holes and level the yard. Then we covered the front yard with topsoil. On Tuesday Brent stayed home from work in the morning and he and I planted grass seed and covered the seed with straw. It was hard work, but we are hoping it will yield a better yard. The next project will be our deck.

Grad School
I started grad school online on Wednesday. I am majoring in History and taking courses through Arizona State University. My first class is Oral History. I have already read a couple hundred pages, written some short responses to questions, and conducted my first oral interview. I love it and am so happy that I finally get to pursue this goal.

A Night Out with Friends
On Wednesday evening, my friend Natalie performed at The Winery which is an old stone church turned into a restaurant and bar. They have a stage and host a lot of musical events. Brent stayed home with the kids and I met some friends from my town. My friend and her singing partner did a wonderful job singing and playing for about two hours. It was so nice to get to know some other moms a little better.

Brooke Gets Glasses
At Brooke's last physical, her doctor mentioned that she needed to have a real eye exam. I took her to an optician on Thursday where she got glasses. I think she looks great and she is very happy to see better!

Josef Gets Asked to Talk More in Class
This week I received an email from Joe's Global History asking for more participation. Confused, I asked if he was in trouble and his teacher replied that he was a wonderful student and that she wanted to hear more from him because he had so much to contribute. I had to laugh because I have never had a teacher ask my children to talk more in class. I admit that it can be hard for Josef to be the younger brother of Walter and Trent and that he doesn't often get a word in edgewise with them. I do agree that he has a lot to contribute and encouraged him to speak up more.

Jonathan's Instagram Account
Jonathan asked if he could have an Instagram account. We set up our rules and regulations about social media. He mostly posts pictures of his cat.

The School Musical
Both Brooke and Jonathan got parts in the school musical. Rehearsals began this week and it looks like they both will have a lot of fun.

The Hartford Temple
Brent and I went to the Hartford Temple this Saturday with another couple. It was lovely to spend two hours in such a peaceful, beautiful place doing sacred work.

Trunk or Treat
Our ward hosted a Trunk or Treat event on Saturday. Winter was disappointed with the quality of our trunk and let Brent and I know that we didn't have the best car.

Aches, Anxiety, and Ambition

For several years, perhaps even a decade or so, I have dealt with shoulder pain in my right shoulder. At times it is so acute that my arm seems to go numb and then tingle painfully. Then two years ago, my right hip began doing much of the same thing but unfortunately, the pain has been more unbearable. I have been to physical therapy, gotten massages, taken muscle relaxers, tried acupuncture and have gone to yoga. All these things help to some degree, temporarily. I figure a combination of side-sleeping, sitting down, anxiety and stress all contribute to these ailments.

A month ago at a mental health seminar, one of the instructors was teaching about meditation. She prefaced her instruction with a statement that the most effective way to reduce stress was to be very intentional and selective about what you choose to do, cautioning that all the meditation and yoga will never fully work if we are over-worked and over-booked. Her statement hit me with lightning force. Just that day I had composed a list full of to-dos that made me feel like throwing up because it was overwhelming.

I have been pondering her statement since then and considering the life I have and what I want it to be. This whole year has been focused on that, really. I am blessed/cursed to be very ambitious and full of ideas. (This explains the whole having six kids thing...) Sometimes though, I am so obtuse because it has taken years of unrelenting pain from anxiety and stress to realize that I cannot do it all and be happy. Even worse, I have been sabotaging myself and my goals by trying to do it all.

So this is a season of paring down to my most profound ambitions and essentials. My to-do list is no longer pages long. I don't need to write down every household task because crossing off isn't giving me any joy but rather heart palpitations. One thing I cannot neglect is my physical health so exercise and good nutrition are even more important. Even the simple act of only writing down three things to do daily feels better.