Still Being Smelted

Oh I have missed you, my dear blog! Hard to believe that I let two whole months go by without writing! September was the first month since starting Meal Train that I didn't post, and now here we are fast-forwarded into November. As more and more time has passed it has felt overwhelming to even try to get caught up on everything, and despite starting multiple posts…

BYU's Education Week 2023 is in the books! What an amazing experience getting to participate this year as both an attendee (so nice having that all-access parking pass so I could easily come and go) and as a presenter. I especially loved getting to meet and connect with people afterward, to hear their stories and have them share how my words (really the Spirit) had impacted them.…

It's gettin' real now, folks! There are a few dates I have been meaning to put out there for people, except, well, life and all (I may have been a bit preoccupied with other matters lately....). The first is BYU's Education Week is nearly upon us. !!! I have had a few people ask me for details about that, so in case anyone is interested the times…

If you've followed this blog for the past three years then I feel that you have a fairly accurate picture of who I am as a person, how I handle challenges, my general outlook on life, and how important my faith is to me. You've had a window into my struggles and my triumphs as you've followed along with my family's sometimes unbelievable journey (it really has…

I have been incommunicado these past few weeks. Sorry about that. Didn't mean to leave people hanging on how the surgery went! It feels like this surgery has been looming over us for so long, and then preparing for it has been such a focus these past few months, getting her stronger, extra doctor's appointments, prepping our home, adjusting my work schedule, all the things, that it…

Have you ever had a week where you feel like you've lived an entire lifetime because so much has happened and changed and just...everything? That's how I feel after this week. So many new experiences and feelings and realizations, it's well, wow. How was that for cryptic? Amongst other things I had the opportunity to attend the LDS Widow/Widower Conference in Cache Valley last week. I've been…

Bet you assumed any post I wrote today was going to be about Father's Day, dincha? Oh, I'll probably have a few thoughts to share on that by the time I make it to the end of this post, but I've had some other things on my mind this past week. I've had quite a few stark reminders lately that there really are so many things outside…

We celebrated A's 18th birthday yesterday, which was nice if not a bit low-key with my full day of doing new clinician training and then two siblings away at camp. We'll be spreading that celebrating out over this week and next. Birthdays are always somewhat bittersweet now without Kendall there to mark and celebrate them, and 18 is a big milestone birthday (can I really have an…

I love these shoes, guys. Not only are they super cute, but they're comfortable (a rarity with heels!), great for dancing, and they match most anything. And.....I may never be able to wear them in public again. At least not with a straight face. I attended a single adult fireside yesterday with some widow/widower friends. We were a fairly large group, so in order to all sit…

Oh, I like that new background for the main page of my blog so much better! (A big thank you to Justin Lehman for granting me permission to use that stunning photo. You can check out more of his amazing art at www.justinlehman.com.) The original picture and design was only ever meant to act as a placeholder getting me initially up and running as I made the…