Vacation Week

Last week my sister came to town! We did so many lovely things and I am glad that she came.

Highlights:

I got to show off my guest room, my lilac guest room with the complimentary candy and shower stuff.

We saw a production of "Hairspray", so fun!

She gave Buddy a TON of attention (which he loved).

We had a few tasty dinners including baked ravioli, meatball soup and burritos from Don Pepe's.

We watched a few fun girly movies.

She helped with Jenna quite a bit, and really seemed to enjoy it, which I appreciated.

We (plus Steve and Buddy) went to a big park and had a nice meal and walk.

We went to a used book store and I found these treasures for $3.24.

My sister is such a good listener. I wish she could have stayed longer but I am glad she was able to be here for as long as she was. Hurray for sisters!

The Grass Is Greener

Yes, this is a Cary Grant movie, but I am not talking about that (though the song at the beginning about old English houses is hilarious!).

With me the grass always seems to be greener somewhere else. Not only is the grass greener at the homes of my church friends, but it was greener in the past or it will be greener in the future. "Oh, if only I was working again I wouldn't be so lonely." "Oh, if only I was in school again I would feel like I've accomplished something." "Oh, in 10 or so years when all of my children are in school I can go to a gym." All of these thoughts then end, "it is then that I will be perfectly happy".

I have always had trouble with remembering to be happy with what I have now. I need to learn to savor and relish (or at least ignore!), the "hard" things I have right now in this phase of my life.

Okay, so I don't trust a gym with Jenna, but I can take her to my in-laws house and use their elliptical. We can go on walks around our neighborhood. I have fun exercise videos. My grass is green!

Okay, so my husband has to be out of town a lot (it is busy season) and I am usually home by myself during the week. But he is home on the weekends and we can talk on the phone each night. When he is gone I have time at night to do ridiculous girly things like bubbly baths and movies. I can read scriptures in bed before I go to sleep. My grass is green!

Okay, so I don't have as much adult social interaction as I have had in the past. But I always have Sundays and there are many opportunities during the week to get out of the house and see people - I just have to make them happen. My grass is green!

And what I don't have that I had in the past was an ache. My body, mind spirit, really my soul, ached for the opportunity to raise a child. So much ache that sometimes I was physically in pain. And now I have a little girl to love and cherish and even during her hard times that is enough (though she didn't heal that ache, the atonement did, but that's another story). She is a blessing and we'll just find a new rhythm together.

In conclusion, my grass is green. It is hard to remember sometimes, but my grass is green.