The Good News

I started a post weeks ago...just an outline really, and with each passing day, the outline has grown old and stale and passionless and I've been wondering if I'm following suit. I've been listening to my husband's audiobook, "Good to Great", which is probably bad timing while trying to acclimate to an intense, new calling and planning for a first childs wedding. Monday morning, already tense, mind buzzing, I took one look at my brand new white board--so full that order had long since fled and decided it was overdrive or bust. I updated Relief Society business, made Visiting Teaching calls, submitted my wedding invitation design to the printer, ordered ties, shopped for dresses, volunteered at the school, prepared for Family Home Evening, registered my son for youth conference, finalized a wedding luncheon menu, created a card for my parents anniversary, worked on bridal shower plans, signed up to feed the missionaries, and irritatingly waded through my house of CHAOS. When my Relief society binder was spread farther than my arm span, my visiting teaching coordination became difficult, the printer sent back the invitation due to low resolution, the ties were wrong and I was too late to cancel the order, the dresses in the wedding colors all had white accents and I needed black, I realized the luncheon menu duplicated the reception menu,  My numbers were off on the anniversary card, I had to cancel our missionary dinner because of a school science fair I didn't know about, I discovered that almost all of the hotels near Idaho Falls were booked on wedding weekend, and realized we would need to be packing up my daughter from college the same day, my nerves were at their brink. A phone call from a ward member reminding me that she was on her way to pick up an assignment I had forgotten to fulfill, put me over the edge and I ended up in tears. The good news? I must not be passionless yet!

The other good news is that in just a few sentences, a vent has opened--steam escaped and at 2:40AM, I can check one more thing off my list and fall asleep in relative peace...for four good hours.

But, the most important good news is, that with the world asleep, I can imagine time is on hold for just a brief moment and be still long enough to reflect on what is truly important. The fluff flies away and I feel blessed by the love and support of family and friends, by the empowering understanding of the gospel, by good health and by the prospect of eternity--I am going to need it.

Abe's snowman fort

Feeling nostalgically old-fashioned with rag rollers

Valentines Day breakfast

Fun creating class caterpillar and seed packet Valentines

Hunter and Eden--ready for Tip Off

It's a good thing he's small--he jumped into her arms without warning

He's FUN!

So are they!

A formal dinner

Saturday work--a sweet, unsolicited task as part of Sophie's Playroom job
(I caught her cleaning the statue of Christ with swabs and knew I must have done something right).

Incoming...

...Outgoing

More snow--and a lovely sculpture by my artist children