On Monday night I had a STRONG prompting to post my testimony on facebook. I tried to get out of it by telling Heavenly Father that I didn't want to offend people and that I'd rather just post it on Sunshine In the Middle, but I felt like God was asking me to DECLARE, and Facebook to all my friends and family was what He was asking for. This is what I posted:
Read MoreI had the privilege to spend some extra time with my Grandpa Joe before he passed in 2015. In fact, when I realized I had a "light" (for me) week, I knew it was to spend more time with him and helping ease the load my Aunt Mary Ann carries as she cares for him in his final days.
Read MoreI believe in a higher power. For me, it's God. That knowledge has brought me more comfort and joy than any human achievement or event. Sometimes I forget or the relationship feels out of touch and I have to work a little harder and pray a little more to re-connect.
Read MoreAbout 11 years ago we bought our first home and our first washer and dryer. After about a month in our new home, we had invited some friends for dinner. After they left, I put the red tablecloth in the washer and then the dryer. When I pulled it out, the entire inside of my dryer was red. Even though it was too late, I read the tag and it said, "Line dry". Sigh. For days I tried various cleaning products, made trips to the store for new "heavy duty" solutions and even called a few dry cleaners to see if they had any suggestions. Nothing worked. I couldn't do any more laundry, I didn't want the red to rub off onto our clothing! After a couple of weeks of desperation, I had the thought to call the dryer company directly. I called the 1-800 number on the side of the dryer and they said, "All you need is a little laundry detergent and a rag, and it will come right off." Sure enough, it did.
Read MoreA couple of years ago I was having a day where I was feeling a little bit sad. It was my fathers birthday who had passed away and I was struggling. I prayed that I would be happy and that I would get through the day. I busied myself with a breakfast with a friend who came to Provo, some shopping for a photo shoot with a good friend and Halloween details for my kids.
Read MoreThis morning I checked my email and burst into tears when I saw a mention from my kid’s school about a safety drill they are having.
I burst into tears. Sobbing. And I still have tears streaming down my face. It’s not an earthquake drill, it’s not a fire drill, it’s some-people-take-guns-to-school-and-start-shooting drill.
My kids and I have talked at elementary school levels about tragic school shootings going on around the country and my heart aches every time it happens. We even had an incident in our own community last year and it really hit home. But this is breaking me today. The reality that I’m sending my kids off into a world I don’t understand, but I desperately want to have faith and not fear. That cowering under my kitchen table and never leaving the house is no way to live.
I need to spend more quiet time in nature. It is so good for my mind and my soul. Reminding me what I need MORE of is QUIET, stillness, and reflection on abundance that God gives me.
Read MoreA couple of weeks ago I felt like I had a break through parenting moment. During a rough week, God taught me something about patience and parenting I desperately needed. I have been a different parent since. I have also been supremely grateful.
Read MoreThe last 4+ weeks have been a little rough, okay A LOT rough. But instead of sharing all the bad stuff, I'm going to share all the wonderful things that made it all bearable. (in no particular order)
1. Family time, especially my brother who flew in from Philly to hang out with us for the holidays.
2. Friends. We truly have the bestest in the world.
3. Pajamas and hoodies.
“Who are we trying to kid [with our polite prayers]? Jesus has just seen the stove where the spaghetti boiled over, and it was pretty obvious that wasn't the only thing that had ever boiled over on that stove. He heard what you muttered when you picked up that one sock, just as you've been doing for the past 8 years…
Read MoreToday I hosted a baby shower for a dear friend that I've known for many years. We were going with a pink/white/black theme so I went to get balloons and spent some time selecting colors and designs. This isn't my first rodeo so I carefully looked at the spotted balloons and stretched them out to make sure I wasn't getting navy blue or purple. I handed the stack to the gal and did some shopping while they were filled with helium. When I got back to the bouquet my heart sank. TWO PURPLE BALLOONS?!?
Read MoreI was asked to speak on Christmas Sunday a couple of years ago. I'm not sure why they asked the teary girl to speak on Christmas, but they did. I typically write out remarks to speak in church, or to speak professionally only in outline format, and yet this talk came out word for word.
Read MoreWhen the prophet issued the challenge to read the Book of Mormon, my eight year old was sitting right next to me. It was her first women’s conference and kind of a big deal. Unaided she said she was going to read and finish with me before the end of the year. Click here to read the rest of the story.
Read MoreI told myself I needed to get the temple before General Conference this weekend. The days started to slip by even though my schedule was relatively open this week. I realized this morning, that today and tomorrow are my last chance. But today and tomorrow became booked with only a 45 minute window before I picked up my kids.
Read MoreI can't stop looking at this picture from last night's breathtaking sunset at Sequoia National Park. It was taken from the window of a moving car because we couldn't take another minute for pictures. But as I look at this picture it's such a parallel for my life right now. So much beauty and I'm so grateful to be on this path even if sometimes it appears to be in motion - that's how my life is…
Read MoreMy grandfather, Richard Gunn (whom we affectionately called Pop Pop) passed away in 2013, but his birthday is September 28th and if he had lived this long, today he would have been 100!
He’s not here, but he taught me some amazing things that contributed to who I am today…
Click to read the
Read MoreI cried twice today.
This morning I dropped my two kids off to school for the first day of both of them being gone all day. I had expected to skip all the way home and be crazy productive. I didn't expect a flood of emotions that landed me into a puddle. For almost two hours. It wasn't pretty.
Read MoreI had the opportunity to write a blog post on mormon.org a couple of years ago. I shared one of the deepest lessons I have ever learned as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. While this experience happened to me many years ago, I think of it often. The words, "If not, will you still believe?" come to my mind many times as I'm seeking for guidance from Heavenly Father. It's a constant reminder that even if I don't get what I want in my prayers, then my faith is still solid.
Read MoreWhen I’m scheduled to speak in the morning, I’m terrified I’m going to sleep through my alarms. I usually dream about oversleeping all night long and as a result I don’t sleep well. Thursday night as I was going to set my alarms (I usually set 3), I had an overwhelming prompting “set a different alarm”.
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