Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts

Thursday, February 8, 2024

My Resolution

I wrote the following piece for my community writing group's January meeting. The theme was New Beginnings. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

My family and I were on vacation in Oregon. It was the summer of 2003 and we were visiting my in-laws before they retired to a new home in a new state. I had five little kids at the time, the youngest was about a month old, if that, and we had all been enjoying our carefree stay at the family farm for the last time. None of this really matters or has anything to do with the rest of this story, but it's ingrained in my mind because I picture where I was every time I think of the phone call. 

One ordinary day on the farm, my dad called. When I look back on that conversation, the first words I think of are my dad saying, "I have cancer." He had been diagnosed with colon cancer and he wanted me to hear it from him. I immediately started bawling which is no surprise because I'm a total daddy's girl. But before you start feeling sorry for me or my dad, let me reassure you - my dad didn't die from colon cancer. In fact, he lived another 13 1/2 years before he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and passed away ten days later. But that is also not the point of this story. I just felt like you might be wondering, so I wanted to share how that all played out. 

So back to the phone call. I don't remember exactly what was said or all the reassurances that were given. But at some point after my dad broke the news about his cancer, he said, "This is the best thing that's ever happened to me! Everyone should have the opportunity to look at their life through this lens." At the time, I disagreed with him, mostly because it felt like the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I couldn't bear the thought of losing my dad. But as I've thought of those words from time to time over the past 20 years, my perspective has shifted. And as I considered them once again last November, I decided on a New Year's resolution: To live like I'm dying.

I'm not dying, by the way, at least not as far as I know. But I'm trying to live my life as if my days were numbered. A little over three weeks into this new year, here is how it's going so far:
  • I have a lot of stuff. I'm one of those people that holds onto things just in case I might need it again someday, even though I haven't needed it in, I don't know, three years? Five years? I mean, you never know! Don't get me wrong. I'm not a hoarder. And I'm not even that sentimental, but there are some things that were really useful in their day and it's hard for me to part with them. I've found it's a lot easier to get rid of things if I know of someone who can actually use them right now. Or if I remind myself that I can always buy it again if I ever need it. Or I think of the burden I'd be passing onto my kids if they're the ones who have to go through all of my stuff when I'm gone. There are some things I think they'll be glad I saved, but that's definitely the exception, not the rule. I'm realizing that now is the time to let go. And the more I get rid of, the easier it gets.
  • I'm trying to be nicer and more patient with others, especially my family. Nobody's perfect and we all have bad days. So I'm trying to be more forgiving and reassuring; to quickly move on from frustrations and annoyances. Regardless of how much time I have left, life is too short to hold a grudge.
  • On that same note, I'm trying to practice kindness. Whether that means taking cookies to my neighbor, paying for the person behind me in line, or simply giving people the benefit of the doubt, I want to be that person. I want to leave people better than I found them. 
  • I've become more deliberate about managing my time. Sometimes I ask myself, "If not now, when?" If my days were numbered then there might not be a better time in the future so I need to make good use of today. I'm getting things done, but I'm also prioritizing so that I don't spend time on things that don't really matter. I'm finally going to finish that quilt I started two years ago... :)
  • I'm more open to new opportunities and spur-of-the-moment experiences. I want to have fun! I want to live life while I still can! I have a reputation for being a tightwad, but there's a big difference between spending money on stuff I don't need and enjoying unique experiences with my family, like driving for four hours to see one of my daughter's favorite musicals. We've already booked our flight to Utah in March so we can hear my son's music group perform live. I can't wait!  

These are just a few of the ways I'm learning to live like I'm dying. I'm sure the fact that I'm not actually dying limits my experience to some extent, but even so, I appreciate the new perspective it's given me and the positive changes I've made so far as a result of my resolution. I'm looking forward to more progress, insights, and meaningful experiences throughout the year and beyond. After all, to quote my dad, "everyone should have the opportunity to look at their life through this lens."  

Sunday, February 28, 2021

Making Peace With February

I don't know what it is about February, but it's my least favorite month. With rare exception, February always and ironically feels like the longest month ever. Plus, I hate to be cold and February is typically the coldest month of the year in my little corner of the world. When I get chilled, I don't want to do anything or go anywhere which makes the days feel even longer. 

Knowing my feelings for February, I decided to challenge myself to three things: 
1) Write a blog post every day (After my long hiatus from regular blogging, that's quite a feat!) 
2) Create one piece of envelope art every day
3) Read at least one chapter from a book each day 

Today is February 28 and guess what? Once I publish this blog post, I will have reached my goals! I can honestly say that having those three goals really helped; surprisingly, it didn't feel like a burden. Now that February is over, I'm hoping to post to my blog somewhat regularly. As for the envelope art, I enjoyed the creative process, but these past few days I've really struggled to come up with people to address envelopes to. So I won't keep that up, but I took pictures of every envelope I designed so it will be easy for me to recreate specific designs when I want to send something fun. And I hope to continue reading at least one chapter a day. In February, I finished reading "Mere Christianity," by C. S. Lewis and "Atomic Habits," by James Clear. I'm now reading "A Grief Observed," by C. S. Lewis which I should finish tomorrow. I just picked up some new books from the library so I have a few choices about what to read next. I love reading and I'm glad to get back into it. It's been a while since I've taken the time.

It's been a good month. Sure, we had our ridiculous cold spell where I just wanted to snuggle up on the couch all day, but I was grateful for the motivation to get up off the couch and do something. I'm just grateful I can finally say that February isn't all that bad. 

One of my favorite envelopes. My friend gave me the dancing stamps so I had to come up with an envelope to send to Sam, our ballroom dancer. He loved it! :)

Friday, February 19, 2021

Envelope Art - Elder Stowell Edition

Since I made a goal to decorate one envelope each day in February, one of the hardest parts is deciding who to address it to each day. Sterling, a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has become my default. Here are most of the envelopes I've addressed to him so far this month. I like some better than others. As I said the other day, done is better than perfect. Without that mentality I'd be paralyzed and never able to start, let alone finish, each envelope. 

For this group, I can't decide if I like the first or the second one best. On the first one, I love the lettering, the orientation, and the color scheme. The second one was fun to make as it illustrates the journey from our home to his, with a Texas stamp to complete the look. The other envelopes are relatively simple; they are more about the stamp and how it fits with the design. A couple of these ideas were inspired by designs I saw on Pinterest or The Postman's Knock, but most of them I came up with on my own.

I mailed one of these to Sterling today. The rest I've set aside and will mail one at a time over the next several weeks. 

I sure hope Sterling likes mail!! :)







Saturday, February 13, 2021

BYU Bound

Soren got the news last night... He's been accepted to BYU!! That was his first choice and we couldn't be happier for him. We're super excited to have another Cougar in the family. 


This picture is from fall 2019 when we attended a BYU football game in Toledo, OH.
It's no secret that we love our BYU!!

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

The Wonky Donkey

I've been a wee bit homesick for Scotland. 

I served in Scotland as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1992 and 1993 and, sadly, I've never been back. The plan was that I, along with 2 friends, would go back last September. I renewed my passport and was more than ready to return to my bonnie Scotland. But then - you know what I'm going to say - Covid hit and never went away and our plans were foiled. 

Someday I'll get there and I can't wait! But in the meantime, I'll remember all the little things I miss, like the accent. Nothing stops me in my tracks like hearing the Scottish accent. It always brings a smile to my face. So enjoy this adorable video of "the Scottish Granny" reading to her wee grandson. I dare you not to laugh...

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Class of 2019


Sterling just finished his junior year of high school. He also just graduated with the class of 2019. Somehow, a year earlier than planned, I find myself with another graduate in the family.

I have to hand it to him. Last November Sterling told me he didn't think he could do another year of high school, and then he set out to find a way to finish early. We have several students at our high school who graduate a semester early, but Sterling wanted more than that. He wanted to be done this school year.

The principal wasn't against it, but frankly told him that he didn't have the authority to change policy, specifically the part of the policy that said a student had to attend for at least seven semesters, so he sent Sterling to the superintendent. Thankfully, the superintendent was on board. The district leaders had been discussing a competency-based pilot program they were hoping the school board would approve. Removing the seven semester requirement was a perfectly natural companion to this, and both passed with the school board's full approval. Now the policy simply reads that students must meet all graduation requirements. At that point it was up to Sterling to comply.

It was a crazy semester at times as Sterling had not only his eight regular classes at school, but also four online independent study classes to complete along with a few other requirements. But he did it and he did it well. He graduated on Friday with high honors.


Congratulations, Sterling! We can't wait to see what your bright future holds.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

ReMix Revisited


Sterling attended the ReMix Vocal Academy during the summer of 2017 at BYU. It was such an amazing experience that he and Soren were excited to attend together this year.

It didn't disappoint.

Sterling was the first one we saw in the show opener.

A whole week of a cappella instruction and rehearsal, team bonding and workshops makes for a really good time. The teams were super tight and both of my boys loved every minute. They are already saving up for next year. 

Here are the numbers my boys were in:
Show Opener (all teams): Kaleidoscope


Blue Team (Sterling): Home For Me


Green Team (Soren): Pieces


Closing Mashup (all teams)


If you are interested in hearing the other team songs, here's a link to the entire ReMix session B playlist.

Sterling had the opening solo in his team song.

Soren had a solo in his team song, too. 

Sterling's team. Sterling is third in the back row.

Soren's team. Soren is first on the bottom row.

Sterling in the awesome Beatboxing showcase. (Sadly, they didn't post the video on YouTube this year.)

The boys' cousin, Trevor, was at ReMix this year, too. He had a great experience and his team song, Maps, was really cool.

Trevor is second in the back row. 

My boys are sad it's over, but they still listen to the music regularly and are in touch with their team members. It's not something they'll soon forget and was the highlight of their summer! (...especially when you compare it to getting their wisdom teeth out the following week before leaving Utah. They had to drive the 1500-miles home on a liquid/soft food diet and a regular rotation of Tylenol and ibuprofen. lol. But that's another story....)

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Saying Goodbye...Again


We said goodbye to our beautiful Savannah this morning. She's on her way to the Missionary Training Center for a few weeks before heading to the Nevada Las Vegas West Mission for 18 months.

Savannah has been home from BYU for a month just waiting for this day. As hard as it was to say goodbye, I know she's ready which made it a lot easier to let her go. There is so much about Savannah that will contribute to her being an amazing missionary. She's funny and smart. She doesn't hold grudges. People feel safe with Savannah; she just loves everyone. She has an amazing testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and isn't shy about sharing it. We miss her already, but I know she's going to be just fine.

Over the last few weeks, Savannah and Sterling have been working together to record an A Cappella cover of "This Is Me" from The Greatest Showman. Sterling wrote the arrangement and the two of them laid down all 8 tracks. They finished it up just in time. It is admittedly amateur, but I think they did a great job!! It was fun and very satisfying as a mom to see them working so enthusiastically together to complete this fun project. :) Here you go:



Friday, December 1, 2017

Light the World - Day 1

Today is the start of the Light the World campaign by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There are challenges each day leading up to Christmas - different ways to Light the World through service. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join in. Just think of what a difference we can make!

Today's challenge is found in Matthew 10:8 - "Freely ye have received, freely give." 

I love today's video. I wish there were vending machines like this in my little corner of the world!



What am I doing today? I'm going to make a donation to my favorite charity, Educate the Kids. It's run by a friend of mine from Scotland. 100% of donations go to help the children in a small village in Kenya. Educate the Kids has built an orphanage and two schools for these kids. They also provide lunch (and sometimes breakfast) each day for the school children. For some, this is the only food these kids get. I've been feeling so, so grateful for all my blessings and know that a little bit will go a long way to help those in extreme poverty. Educate the Kids is working miracles for these children through education.

Go to https://www.mormon.org/ to find out more about the campaign and to see all the challenges. Are you in?

Let's do this! We can #LighttheWorld. :)

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Where in the World? Savannah Edition

Imagesource

And here we go again! :)

If it feels like we just did this, we did. Now Savannah's mission papers have been submitted and we're gathering guesses. No one accurately guessed that Spencer would be called to the Idaho Idaho Falls Mission. He's been making the necessary preparations and is getting excited and a little nervous. (He'll be a great missionary!) He reports to the Missionary Training Center on October 4.

We can't wait to learn where Savannah will serve!


Here's are the guesses so far:

1. Senegal
2. Netherlands
3. Austria
4. Salt Lake City Temple Square
5. Tahiti
6. California
7. Guatemala
8. Washington D.C.
9. Texas
10. Puerto Rico
11. Spain
12. Vanuatu
13. Scotland
14. Kenya
15. Oklahoma
16. Australia
17. East Coast
18. Greenland
19. Costa Rica
20. China
21. Baltic States
22. Japan

Where do YOU think Savannah will go?

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Spencer's Week

We've had a great week! Sam and Savannah were home from BYU for a few days (they haven't been home since January!) and it was so good having the whole family together. It's going to be a while before that happens again. With Spencer leaving for the Idaho Idaho Falls Mission next month, December 2019 is the next logical time we'll be together. That made it pretty hard to say goodbye to Sam and Savannah yesterday, but all the good things we have to look forward to made it a little more bearable.




Spencer's had quite a week and it was so nice that Sam and Savannah could be a part of it. On Tuesday night, Spencer received his Eagle Scout award. Many friends and ward members attended the Court of Honor and it was a nice event to celebrate Spencer's long-awaited achievement. He's really enjoyed his time in Scouting and has been a great mentor to his younger brothers and the other boys in the troop. He'll definitely be missed!

An Eagle Court of Honor wouldn't be complete without eagle cookies.

I forgot to take pictures at the Court of Honor so the kitchen will do in a pinch. ;)

On Thursday, Spencer went through the temple for the first time. We headed out super early that morning to head to St. Louis. It was a beautiful drive and a beautiful day. I was so happy that Sam and Savannah were able to be there, too.


The grounds of the temple were gorgeous with flowers blooming everywhere.



BYU starts on Tuesday. Spencer reports for his mission on October 4. Onward and upward!

Saturday, July 1, 2017

25 Years Ago Today

Twenty five years ago today was a big day for me.

Saying goodbye to my dad at the MTC. (I've always had a hard time saying goodbye to my dad!)

On July 1, 1992, I entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah in preparation for my service in the Scotland Edinburgh Mission (SEM). I was in the MTC for only 13 days. At the time, missionaries going to English-speaking missions stayed in the MTC for 3 weeks. However, the SEM was getting a new mission president and the outgoing president wanted to get us there before the change to lessen the load on the new president.

The classic MTC picture - my district pointing to Scotland on the big MTC map. I'm in the floral skirt.

I loved the MTC. Two districts totaling 21 missionaries had all been called to Scotland so we were a pretty tight group. 

My MTC district. I'm the one in pink.

I have so many great memories of my time in the MTC and my mission. If I had to do it over again, I definitely would!

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Where in the World? Spencer Edition

Imagesource

Here we go again! Spencer's mission papers have been submitted and he's waiting for his mission call. It'll probably take two or three weeks so we're taking guesses while we wait. Leave a comment below with where you think Spencer will be assigned to serve for the next 2 years. (For a list of all 421 missions, click here.) We did this with Sam back here. No one guessed correctly that time around (Arizona Mesa Mission). Maybe we'll have better luck this time!



I'm excited for Spencer. I know he'll be a great missionary! If you want more information about the missionary program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, here's a pretty good overview. You can watch a 5-minute video about missionary work here.

Here are the guesses so far, in no particular order:

1. Texas
2. Finland
3. Hong Kong
4. Ireland
5. Brazil
6. Guatemala
7. Chile
8. Australia
9. Switzerland
10. Japan
11. Arizona
12. Malaysia
13. England
14. Alaska
15. Albania
16. France
17. Iowa
18. Russia
19. California
20. Hawaii
21. Mexico
22. China
23. Spain
24. Scotland
25. Argentina
26. Denmark
27. Florida
28. Democratic Republic of the Congo
29. Jamaica
30. Estonia
31. Czech Republic
32. Vancouver, Canada
33. Honduras
34. Ecuador
35. Louisiana
36. Utah
37. South Africa
38. Germany
39. South Korea
40. India
41. Washington DC


Keep them coming! I'll update the list as we go. 

Monday, May 8, 2017

Violin Recital: Rondo

Jeff's parents drove out from Idaho last week to see Spencer and Sterling in Guys and Dolls. They planned on leaving early this morning for Colorado to see more grandkids, but we were able to talk them into staying an extra day for Sterling's violin recital.

Boy, was it worth it!!!

Sterling played the Kreisler arrangement of Mozart's Rondo. It was AMAZING!!

I hope you love it! (It made me cry.)

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

How To Change the World

It turns out changing the world isn't as daunting as it seems. Here's a quick tip to get you started in that direction.


I hope my kids are watching... ;)

{This message came from a longer commencement address with ten tips on how to change the world. The other tips can be found here - each tip is a separate video and they will play in order.}

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Beethoven's Sonata No. 4, Op. 23

There's a little bit of a backstory to Sterling's winter recital piece. He was invited to play with his friend, Sadie, in a Piano Accompaniment competition which took place on Sterling's birthday in November. Sadie was entering the contest and needed someone to accompany. They both worked hard with their respective teachers on their individual parts and had several rehearsals together. I missed the competition because I was in Utah that weekend, but they nailed it! Sadie won first place. :) (Sterling was also asked to play with another friend, Addie, who won second. Yay!)

Because they'd already prepared and polished the Beethoven for the competition, they played it for Sterling's winter recital last week as well. That is the video you see here - the recital performance. You can't tell in the video, but when Sterling turned the page during the performance, he accidentally turned two. There wasn't time to turn back so he played from memory until he had a moment to fix it. You'd never know he was panicked. He was the picture of calm from start to beautiful finish. Enjoy!

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

#lighttheworld


Tomorrow is Day One of the #lighttheworld campaign for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. #Lighttheworld issues a challenge to follow the example of the Savior and be a light to the world (see John 8:12). There is a different challenge for each day of December through Christmas. 

I love this video. My favorite part is how it shows Christ helping someone and then it shows someone in our day performing a similar service. I got all teary-eyed the first time I watched it because it reminded me of my last days with my dad. I would sit with him for hours, even as he slept, and it didn't feel like a burden. His last night at home, he was up every five or ten minutes - in too much pain to sleep and needing to clear the mucous out of his lungs by gargling and spitting. It hurt too much for him to cough and he couldn't swallow. We wiped his face and made sure he had what he needed. We tried to make him as comfortable as possible, but it was heart-wrenching to be so helpless to relieve his suffering. I know that any of us who were caring for him would have done anything to give him even a few minutes of relief. It was a blessing to serve him. The video above shows that spirit of service.  

Tomorrow the challenge is to participate in the Worldwide Day of Service. Just find a way to serve someone else, big or small. 

If you go to mormon.org, you can download the "In 25 Ways. Over 25 Days." advent calendar. (Just scroll down a little from the video.) It spells out the challenges for each day. 

I'm excited. :)


Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Good Advice

This is the back of a sweatshirt spotted at one of my boys' Cross Country meets. It works great for runners, but I think it applies just as well to life in general. What do you think?

Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Goodbye Again

I was out of town all last week dropping Sam off at BYU for his next big adventure.


It was bittersweet.

Sam was home for less than five weeks. It hardly seemed long enough, but in the end it was time. He was ready for this next step so it was hard not to be excited for him.

Sam got to meet his cousin, Lane, who was born shortly after Sam left on his mission. Lane was a little shy at first, but by the end he loved Sam and happily posed for this pic.


Sam and I got him all moved in at BYU and met some of his roommates. They have an awesome apartment with six brand new returned missionaries. They've all hit it off and are in for a great year.

You can see the dorms where Sam lives through the trees.

Freshman Orientation was filled with fun activities, tours, food, dances, games, and new friends.

Here's Sam, already on the Jumbotron at the stadium.

Not a great angle from where I was sitting, but here's the Freshman class in their Y formation.

It was a beautiful evening at the stadium with performances by Vocal Point, the Cougarettes, the Marching Band, and a pep talk by Coach Sitaki, among other entertainment. Plenty of fun! 

Classes start tomorrow! We're so excited for Sam as he embarks on this chapter.

Life is good!

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

The Looper

Sterling was saving his money for a Looper Pedal. They aren't cheap so he was constantly asking, "What can I do?" to earn some extra cash. He was happily doing things that are typically my responsibility or jobs that don't get done on a regular basis. The money was coming in steadily, but not fast enough.

Then I realized that a Looper Pedal alone wouldn't do him much good. He'd need a microphone going in and a speaker coming out. Plus, the Looper he'd picked out was really set up for the guitar and a vocal one cost a little more. The price was climbing. I hesitated to tell Sterling because I didn't want to deflate his hopes. Then I had an idea.

For years I've thought about getting some sound equipment for these musical kids of ours, but each time I look into it, I get so overwhelmed by the options and the prices and not knowing where to start. I eventually abandon the idea. Knowing all of our kids would enjoy the equipment, I decided to look into it once more and see just what it would take to get Sterling set up.

I purchased a microphone, PA speaker, and a Looper as well as the cords needed to hook everything up. I asked Sterling if he was willing to give me the money he'd earned so far and we'd take care of the rest.* He jumped at the offer. We gave the equipment to the kids on Easter and, no joke, within 10 minutes of getting everything out of the boxes, Sterling was making some cool music.

It's pretty slick. He records one track and then pushes the loop button with his foot and it plays it again so he can record another track right along with it. Then he can add another voice and another and he just goes right on singing with his own self.

I asked Sterling to give me a quick demo of his Looper Pedal so here you go. (The Looper is on the floor.) This is real time just as you see it. Fun stuff!!




*Jeff and I always try to make our Easter gifts meaningful to the holiday. We gave the microphone and speaker to all the kids after we had them look up scripture verses about crying out with the "sound of a trump" (microphone) and "hearing" the word of the Lord (speaker). Here's how I tied Sterling's Looper Pedal in --  We have a children's book called "You Are Priceless," by Stephen E. Robinson. The book retells 'the parable of the bicycle' that's found in his book (a favorite of mine), "Believing Christ." The parable of the bicycle tells the story of a little girl saving for a bike. She saves and saves, but comes to the realization that she'll never have enough. Then her dad says, "Give me all you've got and a hug and a kiss and the bike is yours." Then the book goes on to compare this to what Christ did for us. No matter what we do, we'll always be short of perfection. We simply cannot gain exaltation without the saving power of Christ's Atonement. Christ asks for our best ("Give me all you've got,") and our love ("and a hug and a kiss") and He'll make up the difference where we fall short. We read the story to our kids and then asked Sterling if he was willing to give us all he'd saved so far (and a hug and a kiss) for a Looper Pedal. He was. He didn't know then that I'd already purchased the pedal. I wish I had a picture of his face when he realized he wouldn't have to wait. :)