new year's catch up

As it stands right now on January 1, 2013, 4:10 p.m., my blog has 17 entries for 2012. There are no entries for January, March, May, or December.

The last year (or two) seems to have gone into a black hole called life with Ben. I like to call it the Ben Factor. He has made everything in the last two years more complicated and overwhelming. That said, as our family's historian, I cannot let things stand as they are. I love reading back through our blog and remembering the details of life, big and small. Therefore, I am pledging to catch up and fill the holes of last year.

I am writing this post though as a reminder of my reality in 2012. I don't want to forget once the blog is all filled that I really only had 17 entries in all of 2012.

give thanks 11

In honor of 11/11, I'm sharing 11 blogs that I love to read. I'm very thankful for blogs. Believe me, there are many, many more in my Google Reader. In no particular order, I present you a few of my favorites.

1. One Pretty Thing
2. Sweet Something Designs
3. Life
4. Pastel Photography
5. Becky Higgins
6. Our Best Bites
7. One Charming Party
8. Remodelaholic
9. Tatertots and Jello
10. Make It and Love It
11. Tip Junkie

for Nie

I seriously love blogging, even though lately I've been a slacker. I love that I have been able to document so much of my life. I love that how it helps me to keep in touch with my family and friends. I especially love how it has allowed me to connect with so many other women, both friends and strangers, who make me laugh, feel inspired and not so alone in this adventure called life.

One such blogger is Stephanie Nielson who blogs over at Nie Nie Dialogues. I have popped into her blog regularly to catch up on her seemingly charmed life. I was coming to her blog just to check in last week only to find the very sad news that she and her husband were critically injured in a plane crash in AZ. I have not been able to stop thinking about her since. I've never met her or even exchanged emails with her but I have enjoyed her blog and felt inspired by her so many times. Since I heard the news, I have thought several times to celebrate my life a little more a la Nie. Her sister is another wonderful blogger and I have been checking her blog often for updates. So many lives have been touched my Stephanie. It is just so powerful to see the outpouring of love.

I have come to the conclusion that the reason this has affected me so much is the very simple fact that this could happen to anyone of us. She was a mother of four, trying to get through everyday life with grace and celebrating the precious parts of it through her blog. She was living a good life and in a moment it all changed forever. Their lives will never be the same.

Another favorite blogger of mine, Design Mom, is hosting Nie Nie Day to benefit the family's long and costly recovery. Thrilled with being able to do something, I am joining in with an auction of my own. I will be auctioning off a photo session for someone in the northern Utah County area. The winner will receive a 1-2 hour photo session at a location of their choosing and my RED collection which includes a disc of all gallery images and a 5x7 print of each image also. You can check out my work on my photography blog or my website.

The auction will start Thursday. Please help me spread the word!

blog party 2008

Saturday night Dave and I were asked to teach a couple of folk dances at our ward International Night. Because of that I was late in getting to this year's Blog Party. Last year, I had never met anyone in person and just went because I felt desperate to make some connections in Utah. I was quite nervous about going again this year even though I had met with some of these women on a few occasions. It is just hard to walk into a crowded room by yourself no matter how confident you try to be. I didn't realize that things were actually just getting started. I just felt awkward and stupid. Jill (bless her!) walked over and gave me a hug. That gesture meant a lot because I felt remembered and welcomed. Through the rest of the evening I was able to talk with old friends and meet bloggers whose blogs I have faithfully read (like Kristi). The time went so quickly with food, door prizes for everyone, a question and answer session, and lots of talking. I tore myself away at 12:30 because I had to be up early for church the next day. I wish I could have stayed longer.

The Blog Party was humbling. Being surrounded by beautiful, accomplished, kind, thoughtful, talented, wonderful women. How could that not be humbling? It was great to hear the "blogimonies" about how blogging has changed people for the better and allowed fabulous acts of service.

The Blog Party was fantastic. Making connections no matter how strong they end up being is energizing. This year I was lucky to see old friends and yet again make new ones. Hopefully, these connections will be strengthened in coming weeks, months, years. Even if they are not, the Blog Party was fantastic because it reaffirmed that blogging is awesome.

I love fall

Fall is in full swing--soccer, football, rain, mountains bright with color. We started the day with Slade's soccer game. He still isn't very excited about playing but his time on the field is increasing. Unless he gets kicked. Then, he just walks off the field and pouts. It was frustrating. I missed the Homecoming parade for this?

We came home and blitzed the house for fifteen minutes. Actually, we got finished in less than ten. The power of fifteen minutes. That is a whole blog post in itself. We ate a quick lunch and headed off to Emma's game which was at noon. My sweet husband, devoted father that he is, chose to watch Emma's game instead of getting to the BYU football game on time. That is true love.

We headed off shortly after 1:00. It was nice to have missed the traffic. We also missed almost the entire first half so there is a definite trade-off. As we were walking in to the stadium, a woman told us to hop in her car and she gave us a ride the rest of the way. She told us we were her 14th shuttle of the day. She had dropped her family off and just kept shuttling others. Now that was an awesome random act of kindness. I stopped to fill our water jug and turned around to see Lucy standing across the way. So fun to see her and recognize her and be able to carry on a conversation with someone I don't really know. I love blogging. How about lunch next time, Lucy?

Though rain is something I love in fall, I really could have done without it during the football game. Note to self, buy a poncho. I wasn't miserable though. Once we got through all the traffic from the game, Dave and I finished off our date at the Purple Turtle with a burger, fries and a milkshake. Good stuff. We came home to find happy kids and all my laundry folded. I love this babysitter. Finally, after several others like this, a babysitter to love.

To end the day, we went to Dave's sisters and played Apples to Apples. Having family close is so wonderful sometimes. Keri and family are coming over tomorrow. Hopefully, I can get through Primary without disaster so I can count it as a blessed Sabbath.

the world gets a little smaller

I was brave and went to a blog party on Saturday. I had never met any of these women, except on-line, and only a few of them at that. But I have been enjoying their blogs and thus their lives and I know that the only real way to make connections is to get outside the good old comfort zone. So I went. I met the fabulous Jill, who hosted the whole event. And I met Amy, who takes the most fantastic pictures. And as if I didn't spend enough time on the computer already, now I have a LONG list of new blogs to read written by the other great women I met Saturday night (Jana, Jenn, Jenny, Michelle, Collette, Jennifer, Crystalyn, Lori, Rachel, Claudia, to name a few).

I came away from the evening with these thoughts/confirmations:
-I am not an extrovert
-its hard to get out of your comfort zone
-you are blessed when you do
-blogging is fun
-blogging can change your life
-I want to develop life-long friendships and the only way to do that is to work at it
-I love the good mail concept and want to start sending it
-I want to start a book club
-I should throw more parties
-I want to be a happiness maker
-there are some amazingly funny, smart, talented, energetic, just plain fabulous women out there

Jill, thank you for putting this together. You were a delight to meet and watch interact with everybody. I am so sorry you ended up with a migraine. I look forward to many more get-togethers with you and the others I met, even if its only in cyberspace.