Still Being Smelted

I am going to try not to get too overly sappy or sentimental here. (Emphasis on the word try, because may not succeed.) I also don't want to embarrass someone by writing this post. (Sorry, Liz, but surely you were expecting that something like this was coming?) The truth is that I am a hurting puddle of emotions right now. I've been a bit shocked at the…

I just got back from attending an LDS Widow/Widower Conference in St. George. It's difficult to express how important that community has become for me. I still do not have a lot of single friends (at least compared to the number of married friends I have), although I have started attending some single adult activities. But at least thus far the place I feel the most comfortable…

I really love the start of a new year. Sure, there is some relief associated with leaving behind the busyness or pressures of the holidays, or now the grief surrounding them. But I have always enjoyed taking advantage of this time to reflect on what happened the previous year and taking stock of where I'm at, setting and working on goals, determining or reprioritizing what I feel…

I have started a blog post several times and it just hasn't seemed to properly coalesce. The past week has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster, so what I have wanted to say keeps changing. Now to try to catch up! I would say that the buildup to Christmas last year was much harder, at least for me (hard to judge for my kids). But…

How many things do we have in our life that we simply do not notice or take completely for granted, until they aren't there anymore? Really, when was the last time you were consciously grateful for your eyebrows? Bet it's been a while, right? I know, that seems like a silly example, and most people don't wake up in the morning bursting with thanks for having eyebrows.…

I am terrible about sending Christmas cards to friends and family. I think I have maybe managed to send them out a whopping two or three times since being married. With my blogging now I do feel like the people who matter the most to us are generally kept in the loop about what's been happening with our family throughout the year (although I don't talk a…

Currently sitting at an ice rink while two of my children are doing the free skate (with Santa!). It’s pretty crazy here, as it tends to be in December. I opted not to skate tonight, am instead acting as a bystander to all of the skaters, listening to their squeals and laughter, observing some definite (and amusing?) flirting going on (Saturday date night in Provo!) and witnessing…

I had a doctor's appointment last Friday to get a refill for one of my medications. Simple, straightforward. I wasn't looking for any changes with it. As is standard with this office, at the beginning of the appointment the nurse had me fill out anxiety and depression checklists. No problem. Going through the anxiety one I confirmed that I was not, indeed, anxious. And I didn't consider…

That's right, my blog is finally up and running! Transferring over all of my posts from Meal Train proved to be more complicated and time consuming than I had anticipated, but it's DONE! There are still some changes that need to happen (i.e. making sure each post has a featured picture, adding tags, some other cosmetic changes I want to make, etc.), but it feels good to…

I don't know if it is a by-product of the events of the past two years or just part of getting older, but I really am comfortable with who I am. I would even venture to say that in most settings I am a pretty confident person. Unlike when I was younger, I have no problems getting up and speaking in front of a group, or meeting…