My Special Box

91-100

-Cleaning puts things in perspective for me.

-I admit it-I love "edgy" things. Not naughty. Edgy. That growl in a singer's voice, a primal scream, a great guitar rif, the thought of doing something a little nervy. I think it lets me vicariously live out my "wild side".         *side note-The song Radioactive by Imagine Dragons illustrates this perfectly!

-I know without a doubt that it truly takes a village to raise a child. I have great, wonderful people in my childrens' villages.

-But I also know that it takes a truly dedicated parent with a sense of right and wrong, with strong,  traditional values, and enormous responsibility to raise a child. And TONS of love.

-I am one of those people who tries to put something together first~and then reads the instructions.

-I am efficient.

-I love fireworks and floating sky lanterns.

-I cry during the fireworks shows at Disneyland.

-I believe in God. I believe that everything I am and everything I have came from Him.

-I love life. It scares me to death. But I love it.

 

I'm mixing it up today. It makes more sense after you know the rest of my list...

I need to go on a cleaning binge like no other. I need perspective. I need my special box.

I had a good day. It was long and busy and full of darling children. I made it. I was so excited to come home and see my wonderful family.  I came home beat, but not feeling too bad about myself....It's amazing how instantaneous a day can change from one seemingly small act. I plummeted. I'm angry with myself for letting it affect me.

I'm determined to move forward. Be happy. Spread joy. I am determined that this be an uplifting place to be. I am going to tell you about my special box. Sometimes it saves me. Mentally, physically, spiritually. Definitely emotionally.It is full of letters and quotes and scraps of paper. It contains any physical piece of written evidence I own that validates me. I have cards from children at school, letters from my children and husband, notes from co-workers and friends, awards, a mini #1MOM trophy, and countless other items that tell me I really am worth something. It now contains a nickel and dime that I received from a couple of 2nd graders that wanted to "tip" me for being great in the lunch room. I have letters from my parents in it. I have it out in front of me.

I'm going to ecourage you to do something for yourself. Make your own little box or special place for valuables like mine. I'm breathing again. I feel like I'm a really good person who cares deeply (and that's what gets me in trouble) about others. I'm going to carry on. I'm going to love as fiercely as I ever have. Because I believe that's what counts.    *my ringtone is Carry On by Fun. It inspires me!



 

 

 

A Little Romance

Someone I love dearly is getting married soon. I  have marriage on the mind this week; alot because of her and the excitement I have for her, but also because on Wednesday it is my 21st wedding anniversary. Both things are very exciting to me.

Our Engagement Photo



I married Chad on May 8th 1992. We chose the 8th because our first kiss was on our 8th date.  That should have been my first clue that he was "the one"~waiting that long for a kiss was kind of a record for me ;)

I love being married. It is one of the smartest moves I ever made. I love the companionship and passion it brings. I love the things we get to do and dream together. I love having children because of my marriage. I love learning how to problem solve and work together. I love knowing we have the same goals.  I LOVE LAUGHING with Chad. It is one of the things we do the most in our house. I love having someone to be a nerd with;and we can get oh-so-nerdy at our house.  I love being in love. I love it that when Chad walks across a room I still get all tingly in the fact that he is mine.  I think marriage is a gift and I'm so grateful for that gift in my life.

Just look at us now!



 

In the final countdown  81-90

 

-If Bath and Body Works ran out of inventory they could probably call me for back-up.

-I'm very claustrophobic. I got stuck in Logan Cave one time and truly thought I was going to die in there because I was in such a tight space.

-The color blue calms me.

-So does being in Chad's arms.

-I believe in The Constitution.

-I believe in traditional marriage.

-I've had a scary brush with Ovarian Cancer and I received a miracle in the process.

-I absolutely love fairy tales, romances, and happy endings.

-I don't think one can ever take too many pictures. I'm always upset I didn't take more after any given event.

-I love to bake.

Attitude of Gratitude

I try to be a grateful person. I have a gratitude journal that I write at least 5 things in every day. I love my life. I know what I have and what I have been blessed with. I know that whatever challenges I am facing at any given time could be so much worse. I know that I have experienced wonderful things in my life that some people in the world will never see or know. When I use a fresh towel after a hot shower I realize there are people on earth that will never know what that feels like. When I take a drink of clean, fresh, cold water I know there are places that will never know the feeling of drinking what I get to drink every day. It's very humbling to me.

I could start listing all the things I am grateful for and my list would never end. Today I am grateful for the amazing, wonderful, kind, generous people I am surrounded by in my home, my job, my community, my church. If I ever start feeling that there isn't any goodness left in the world I need to make sure to look around me first. I am blessed. I am grateful.

We're getting closer....71-80

-I love history, especially when it's personal, and involves someone I can relate to, or am related to.

-I cry when I hear children sing. Every stinkin time.

-I'm a germ freak. Especially since my children have developed my asthma. Chad teases me that I have a Lysol Trigger Finger.

-I do not blame anything I have done on the way I was raised. Anything good I have accomplished occurred because of great parenting on my parents' part.

-I dream about cake. I love cake.

-My family and I are always quoting movies that probably no one else gets the reference to~but we do it anyway.

-I am not afraid of age. It's just a number. But I do not like it that my body won't work as efficiently as it used to. I don't like wearing knee braces on the treadmill.

-I don't like mean people.

-I tend to stock-pile.

-One of my favorite words is CLEARANCE.

 

Some of the movies you will hear my family quoting...

The Muppet Christmas Carol-one of the greatest movies of all time!

 

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

The Princess Bride

Elf

Pirates of the Carribean

Heroes

How do you define a hero? We all have them. I have many, many heroes both on the page and in real life.  Here is what defines a hero for me.

My heroes give their hearts. They know broken hearts can be part of the package of living, but they also know it's worth the price of loving. My heroes do what's right in the face of scrutiny and danger, and political correctness is not in their vocabulary.My heroes are kind.They fight for goodness and decency, no matter what is popular. My heroes keep God at the head of their armies. They only fight when there is no other choice. My heroes lift and love, give and serve, work hard, are not afraid of feelings or sentiment, and see the goodness in life. They make sure the good guy wins. They inspire. I want to be a hero.


Getting through...61-70

-I cry about people I don't even know.

-I cannot stand others suffering or being tortured. I don't have to read about or relive or see pictures of atrocities to understand what happened. I can picture it just fine on my own.

-I do love it when the good guy wins and evil is defeated.

-I take things personally and too much to heart. I assume blame too easily. I'm working on that.

-I want to be a person that never says anything negative about anyone. I'm working on that too.

-I'm a trained dental assistant, but I like working with children much more than dental assisting.

-So I'm a teacher's aide instead.

-Strings in music pierce my very soul. I just love them.

-A good song can change a bad day for me in an instant.

-So can a hug.

 

This is just a tiny sampling of my heroes. To put all of them on here would make a never-ending post!

 

My sweet friend Halee

Walt Disney

Gordon B. Hinckley

My sweet Grandmother, Sarah

My sweet family

 

 

The sweet Wilson Family

The Kailings

 

 

Mother I Love You

Mothers Day is coming up soon. It catches me off guard. One of the reasons catches me unaware is that my wedding anniversary (May 8) is always very close to Mother's Day, and I'm usually more excited to celebrate my years with Chad than I am to think about if I have always been the best mother to my children. I hope I am, but I'm pretty good at focusing on my flaws when forced to examine myself. I need to work on that.

As far as my own mother goes, I cannot say enough good about her. My mom (Shary Summers) is one of the most beautiful (inside and out), strongest, faithful, kind and compassionate people I know. She gives of herself from sun up to sun down (and probably in her sleep too!) She is prayerful, insightful, careful about her words and actions, she's a great listener and has carried the world's burdens as her own. She bears her own burdens with grace, dignity and strength. She helps and listens to anyone and everyone who might need kindness and a good friend. Her love knows no bounds and her charity is endless. She is who I want to be like.

There are a group of mothers in the world that I consider to be great heroes, but do not often get seen in the best light. Birthmothers are the epitome of selfless. I admire them. I hurt for them. I know they sacrifice their lives, their sanity, their dreams, and their own desires to ensure that their child gets everything it needs. I don't think they are understood for the most part. I do read a blog of a dear friend who I admire more than she could ever dream. Karli is amazing. She has 3 beautiful girls. Karli adopted her first daughter and has treated the entire situation with grace and dignity and boundless love. Karli adores her children and knows the blessing that each of them are. Karli also loves the birthmother that sacrificed so much. She is always extremely complimentary and loving to this birthmother. Karli doesn't think twice about including this mother in their lives. Karli understands eternal realtionships more than anyone I've ever known. I admire her love and strength and kindness. I admire her humility and grace and I'm grateful to have her as a friend.

Thanks to mothers for being the strength behind the family.

51-60

-I love Sharpies. I'm an avid collector.

-I I love candles. Scents can transport me to places in time and memory. Keeping a stash of candles comforts me.

-I love an empty calendar.

-Creating is therapy for me.

-I believe that Birthmothers are some of the strongest people in the world. Not the most perfect, but none of us are. They have love many will never comprehend.

-If I had my way, every single thing in my life and home would be organized and categorized perfectly.

-Social situations scare the life out of me; which is sad because I truly love people.

~I love sleeping in~especially on rainy days. And especially when Chad is home to sleep in with me.

-I am allergic to bees.

-I cannot stomach the thought of martyrdom. I don't like it. It's not fair.

      My cute mom and Dad getting ready for a Stake dance

 

             Meghan Cassie Heather Shary
         and Sarah

My mom, her mom, me, and my girls



Heartwarmers

Today was a good day. I received 5 thank you notes from some darling 3rd grade girls.

I work as an aide with amazing people and wonderful children. I truly know what kind of time and effort goes into each day of the schooling of our children. There are countless people on any given day that have taught your/our children, given them food, made sure they're feeling good-mentally as well as physically, given them a hug, corrected behavior, made sure they had bandaids, stopped a bully for them, made sure concepts were understood, called a parent for them, and generally just worked all day to make sure things went as smoothly as possible for them.

Along with all the great teachers, aides, custodians, cooks and secretaries, there are wonderful parents who donate their precious time and resources to our children. I am so blessed in my community as well as my school.

I have to interject here that I have a wonderful boss (Kevin Chase). In fact, he just won an award for "Outstanding Administrator".  He deserves it, although he would never put himself out there for public acknowledgement. I have seen kindness, fairness, compassion, a respect for rules while still being open to situations, esteem building and just plain fun come from his time as our principal. He is not afraid of learning himself. I'm amazed as he tries to make parents, staff, and students all feel important and happy. (It's an impossible task by the way, but that doesn't stop him from trying.) Now I'm not saying all this because he is my boss and I want to be on his good side (although I do). I want this blog to  help me realize the good influences and bounteous blessings I have in my life. Working for a good leader  in a great cause is definitely a blessing.

Now for more of me...

41-50

-I can eat a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos by myself in one sitting. My goal is not to do so.

-I'm afraid of  being in water~especially if I cannot see land. That being said, our Disney Cruise was my favorite trip of all time. I get sick when I think my fears may have kept me from that experience!

Docked in Nassau, Bahamas

-I am afraid of life. But I love it.

-I work constantly on battling my fears.

- I think Thanksgiving and Christmas go perfectly hand in hand. If you have Christmas decorations out with your turkeys I am probably applauding for you.

-That being said, I do not think Halloween and Christmas are compatible.

-And I play Christmas music whenever I feel the need. Even in June.

One of my favorite paintings ever. My parents gave it to us for Christmas last year.

We keep it out all year long.

-I believe anything is possible…Bigfoot, Alien encounters, civilizations living in the center of Earth.

-I believe there are mysteries that should remain mysteries just to keep us guessing.

-Fresh fruit causes allergic reactions in me but I absolutely love eating it.

Living is Learning

I love reading blogs. I have a lot of people tell me that they just don't have time to read blogs. I didn't think I did either.

I have found that reading the thoughts and ideas and dreams of people around me has enriched my life more than I thought possible. I find my mind opening to possibilities and dreams I have never entertained before. I find myself agreeing with the deepest, most personal thoughts one can share. I gain deeper admiration for people I thought I knew. I have my testimony grow, I have my heart touched, I laugh, I cry, I have empathy.

I'm going for simplicity today. It's a busy day, but I'm grateful to be able to jot down some of the thoughts that continuously swirl around in this head of mine. It clears my thinking-at least for awhile.

31-40

-I love peach Fresca.

-Tacos are the perfect food.

-I believe I am a Guardian. Of children. Of their dreams. Of their innocence.

-I hate the phone.

-I love the internet.

-I've always wanted an Audi TT convertible.



-I love to write letters-especially ones that will help people see their worth.

-I believe Christmas should be lived all year long. Understand what I'm saying. Not celebrated. Not decorated for. But lived. Giving, loving, believing.

 

-I don't think you can progress very far without an open heart.

 

-Chocolate Ganache is my drug of choice.

Christmastime at Disneyland-Meghan had been crying about leaving the next day. This was our last Disneyland trip before Cassie graduated from high school and we were all emotional about things changing in our family.