Life in The Fast Lane

Where has the time gone? Is it really January 1, 2014? How did this happen?


Have you ever been so totally exhausted, mentally and physically, that when you get home, pull into the garage, turn the car off and walk in the house you wonder how you even got there? Like, you cannot even remember driving home? I have more of those days in the last two months than I care to divulge.

I am thoroughly enjoying spending my days at the Orem Senior Friendship Center and find myself loving these people more and more every day. I find so much inspiration, beauty, determination and honor in their actions, words and laughter. They continually teach me to be more patient, more understanding, more gentle and more than what I am today. I am so grateful for those lessons.

There is a wonderful quote that speaks so deeply to me; "When a passion and a career come together, it is a beautiful thing." I have not felt this fulfilled in any other job since being in the throes of raising the girls. It is exciting, crazy, difficult, lightening fast, ever changing, on the tips of your toes, out of breath beauty. 92.7% of the time it is perfect. It's the 7.3% that is giving me a run for my money. Add one little sprinkle of menopause into the mixture and I believe it is what a Weather Man calls "The Perfect Storm".

I find myself asking Heavenly Father to just give me a minute to breathe; please let my brain shut down; please. Unfortunately, these prayers have not been answered quite yet which also signifies that I have not learned whatever it is that I need to learn. Sigh.....


So, how do I catch my breath? That has been the question plaguing my mind for quite some time. I can lay in bed, even with the mental and physical fatigue, combined with a good dose of ambien, and still think of 13 things I need to do in the morning when I show up at work, what will I make for dinner tomorrow and do I need to get something out of the freezer? Pray. Just pray. I decided to try thanking Heavenly Father for everything I have been blessed with. Have you heard that question, "What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked Heavenly Father for tonight."? So I tried this. Several times. Turns out a bit like this... "Heavenly Father, I am so thankful for Kirk, he is my love and I don't know what I would do without him. I am so thankful for Dani and Steven and Bryn and even my cute grand-dog Hank. I am thankful for Crazy and Jazz and especially Buddy, he just makes me smile. I am thankful for the jobs we have been blessed with and that we are able to live in the Non'ts home. I am so thankful for our ward and the Amazing people we have here. I am thankful for the trees because they give us such beauty and shade and....oh, I've got to remember to put the leaf rakes away.....oh, and bag the patio furniture pillows up for the winter and...wait, wait.... I am so thankful for the blessing of having enough food...crap, did I get that casserole dish out of the garage fridge? I cannot believe I have forgotten that again! I will get it tomorrow, when I start the washing machine for the third time with the same load of clothes in it.

Am I the only one?!!

So......I have started my own mind control program. Have I mentioned that I am a control freak? If not......news flash.....I am. My program consists of me......trying to control my mind. So far things are not really going according to plans. Actually, I haven't been able to stop my thoughts long enough to introduce the "Plan" to myself. Truth be told....I am not even sure there is a "Plan". It all sounds really good....and controlled.....but, it's not.

I have read several articles about reducing stress in your life and the following remedies have been suggested; long, warm baths, aroma-therapy, read, write in a gratitude journal, breathe deeply, go outside.

After compiling this list I realized that I could take a nice, warm bath with some of those Dr. Teal's lavender bath salts wafting through the air providing a sense of calm. While relaxing in the tub I will read this month's Country Living magazine which will inspire me to jot down some wonderful things that I am grateful for. Afterwards, I will take some deep breaths, walk outside and realize that I have yet to cover the patio cushions for the winter. Clearly, this is not going to work for me.

Fortunately, I have been blessed with an amazing hubby, fantastic kids and a couple of furry friends that welcome me home no matter what.

I am so excited for the possibilities of 2014. I am certain I will find plenty of crazy days but I am also certain that everything happens for a reason.






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If You See My Brain, Please Return It

What a week! My thoughts have been everywhere....and back again. I found myself sitting behind a car that had "AD8TN2" and I was trying so hard to figure out what it meant. A Date Ten Two? What is that? Who came up with that. Did someone mess it up? 

Then, this amazing thought popped into my mind....why does it have to mean anything? What if (and I know this is a stretch) it was just an average license plate with the actual letters and numbers that came out in that random order? 


This little two minute scenario turned into an afternoon of thought provoking questions. The bottom line was this: Why does everything have to mean something? DOES everything mean something? And, if it does....how much have I missed?

I continued analyzing this for the rest of the week and here I am 5 days later still wondering......was it a random plate or something I didn't get?

Please return my brain:)

Late Nights, Early Mornings, Sleep Texting, Missing My Sweetheart

I realize that several of my late night thoughts come to the tips of my fingers shortly after I have ingested the magical ambien. And believe you me....magical it is!

I had such a wonderful conversation with my sweet Bryndi Boo tonight. Good thoughts about life, what we need to do to succeed and some choices that can definitely make the road a little rougher. She has amazing insight and such tender feelings. The tender feelings are due to Claire, the little girl that Bryn started nannying when Claire was 3 weeks old, possibly going to preschool this fall. This doesn't leave a lot of time for Bryn to continue to be a big part of her life....and of Nate's. Bryn once put a phrase with a picture of the kids that said..."the littlest things that the biggest part of my heart." She truly loves these kids as if they were her own.
I totally understand what she is saying. I, too, have fallen in love with the kids and enjoy moments of pretend grandparenting. I look forward to phone calls from Claire giggling and telling what she has been up to that day and hearing about brother playing with friends or doing his homework.

Kirk is gone this weekend to a shot show in Vegas and he is having a blast! I find I can get some major things accomplished while he's away and try to make every minute count by going to bed late, getting up early and not really stopping in-between. It makes missing the sweetheart go by a little faster.
I think my phalanges are about to start the texting dance so I must end my thoughts and let the rest of them fill my dreams. Love to you all.

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