I love the sound of the earth after a snow storm. It kind of reminds me of life. The other night, the winds were howling and our windows rattled with every gust. I had on a t-shirt, a hoodie, and my coat. But that is not all. I was also covered in a literal mountain of blankets. The world was vicious and unforgiving. And the snow just kept coming. But in the morning, the earth was silent. The snow glissened in the early morning sun. You could hear the wind rush by on it's way to warmer places. It just makes me wonder sometimes, if you can't achieve something so breathtaking without all of the winds and the darkness?
Likewise, when I lived in California, I loved the look of the ocean after a storm. I remember driving through Malibu Canyon. There is a point in the canyon where you come around the bend and on a clear day, you can see the land as in curves into the ocean. After a storm, the water would be a beautiful clear blue green. The sky, an equally beautiful though different shade of blue would meet the water in a perfect union of complentary cool colors. It was the work of a true artist's hand. I loved that sight. But you only got that picture after a storm would come in and toss the waves and drive out the smog from the sky. Once again, an indescribable beauty that was born from a storm.
I like to think that maybe, I could be a work of art as well. We all go through hard times where if feels as if we have no lifeline to hold to. We are, at times, tossed about on a stormy sea. I think that we are so busy trying to control that storm that we don't really see our lifeline. We are only human, so we tend to think of ways that we can have power over this storm of ours. I think it is only when we surrender to the winds that we realize we have had a lifeline in front of us the whole time. We just needed to stop and be still in the mist of the chaos that might surrounds us. Let ourselves be vulnerable. Turn ourselves over to our Heavenly Father's hands. If we do that then he can guide us out of our storms. He is the ultimate artist and we are his masterpieces. Just like the earth after a storm, we too can become a stunning sight full of peace and the confidence of someone who knows who they are.
This is the gift I have been given this Christmas season. I wish to give it to you. If only through my words, maybe I could remind you that you are all beautiful strong women who have taught me so much. We don't stand with our back to the storm, we face it head on, and can stand a little taller for it. We may cry, and we may feel alone at times, but we are so lucky. We understand that it is only after the trail of our faith that the blessings come. We have been promised that our weaknesses will become streagths. Is there any other way to achieve this then by going through a trail that stretches us and, in the end, refines us? I know that we receive blessings and we are ment to share our gifts and talents with others. I think that we tend to hide our struggles. I think that our struggles can also be used to help others as well.
I am so grateful for all that I have learned and continue to learn as I navigate through all the storms that come my way. Things have not turned out the way that I have always planned-sometimes when something comes my way that I am sure is nothing at all I wanted, it turns out to be exactly what I needed. As I drove around Ogden yesterday with my kids in the back seat, all I could think about was all that I have been blessed with in this life. Their laughter filled up the car with happiness, and you know, I really believe that I don't need anything else. It isn't something you can buy or wrap up in a box, but the gift of my children's happiness is priceless.
I wanted to also take a moment to thank everyone who has shown us kindness this past little while. It is only because of all of you (some, I don't even know who they are) that we are starting to get to a more comfortable place. We are still months behind on everything, but we are getting closer to being caught up. No man is an island, and I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many good people in my life.

Christmas Card photo shoot-2009

LIGHTS:




CAMERA:



ACTION-
TAKE ONE:


TAKE TWO:


TAKE THREE:


TAKE FOUR:


RESET:


TAKE FIVE:


TAKE SIX:


CUT! PRINT! THAT'S A WRAP-FINALLY:

Tree Triming

Every year, I get so excited to put up our tree. I am like a kid in a candy store. Ahh the ecstasy of ornaments shinning in storage, just waiting for their own spot on our tree. The tinsel waiting to be hung and the lights ready and willing to shine on as soon as I give them the thumbs up. I get out all of the bright shinning objects and remember Christmas past as I lovingly remove each one from their box. All of this reverence lasts about as long as it takes for Lauren and Evan to discover one that just happens to be both of theirs and then proceed to fight over which one of them gets to hang it on the tree. This goes on until either, Evan gives up in a ball of sobbing tears and a broken hearted expression on his face and Lauren triumphantly places said ornaments on the tree...or in the passion of their argument, said ornaments slips through their tiny fighting fingers and crashes to the ground. Tinselcide. So tragic. In the later scenario, the phrase "Evan did it!" usually follows. And then I remember why last year I got so stressed out and banished the kids to their rooms to watch a cartoon while I vowed that the next year I would wait until they are asleep, only to forget that promise to my self and start the whole cycle all over again. I usually end up counting silently to ten under my breath no less then six times as the evening unfolds. But at the end of the dibacol, Lauren and Evan are full of smiles and pride at what they accomplished, totally oblivious to mom's frazled hair and the far away look in my eyes. I force a semi genuine smile and say "wow, guys! look what you did! good job!" They truely are like little puppies, waging there little tails and fully proud of the tree they helped decorated, totally oblivious to the mine field they left behind then in their wake. But oh, how can you get mad at those cute full of innocence faces? I can't. Not even a little bit. All I can do is promise myself that next year I am going to wait until they are asleep to put up the tree :)












This year, I got Lauren a tree of her very own for the DI. She loved it! She took the task of decorating it very seriously. And in the end, she was more proud of that little tree then anything else. She did a good job. And I too am proud of the job she did.












Our Family Christmas Tree is speacial. At least to me. We have an ornament for when Chad asked me to marry him, and or first Christmas together. We have ornaments for each year of the kids lives, starting with "Baby's first Christmas" and we aslo have family ornaments that show the progession of our family. When Lauren and Evan have their own family's and Christmas trees, I will give them their ornaments. Hopefully they are as sentimental as I am and will love them. It is fun for me to look at our tree because it is kind of like a family history. I love it.









After the tree was all trimed and mommy was all stressed, we sat down and watched Shrek the Halls and just let ourselves unwind and question why we do this to ourselves every year. (by "ourselves" I mean me). It was cute though, because there was Lauren giving Evan a tatoo (don't judge me, it kept them blissfully silent). I love how good they get along. Right now in their lives, they really are each other's best friend. I am hoping that a little piece of that friendship will follow them through out there lives.





And these pictures have nothing to do with Christmas Trees, but it did happen later that night. After I had put Evan to bed, I was on my way down the stairs to put Lauren to bed when I saw Chad and Lauren all cuddled up on the couch with Radley (our dog) and Gracie (our sweet cat). I decided that Lauren could stay up a little longer.

Happy Thanksgiving

I know that I should be thankful for all of my immensely abundant blessing all year round and not just on one day a year. But life gets busy, and I am ashamed to say that I don't always look closely at my life and take time to appreciate all that I have been given. I guess that is why I love this humble holiday that is squeeze in between the revelry of Halloween and the merriment of Christmas. I love the smells of the Turkey basting in the oven and the sounds of laughter and the buzz of conversation that fills the house. There really is so much in our lives to be celebrated. All the small things that make me smile on a daily basis add up to a rewarding life full of love.

I am thankful for my Chad. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't look at him and feel my heart grow. I am so grateful that one day, a boy from the T.O 5th ward saw a little red headed girl from the Westlake ward. A girl that he just had to talk to. His eyes, his smile and his voice were all a testimony to me that I was looking at my future. One girl, one boy, and one mortgage later-he is still here and still my future. I am more in love with him today then on the day he took me for a walk outside of his dad's house and gave me our first kiss.

I am thankful for the two little people who have changed my life in a big way. I love my baby girl and my buddy boy with all my heart. It is a strange and wonderful kind of love. There is no other love that is so all consuming and immediate like the love I feel for my children. I love my piles of laundry and I love all of the toys I trip over 20 times a day. I love there little finger prints on the mirrors and windows. I love the smell of their hair and the feel of their breath as they whisper "I love you Mommy". I love how gently and completely they fall into my arms when they get hurt, or are scared, or just want a hug. And as much as I dread the years flying by faster then I want them to, I feel so blessed that it is me that gets to watch these two amazing little people grow.

And that brings me to an other thing I am thankful for, and that is time. I have all of this time with these people that I love so much. Time is such a precious gift. One to be cherished and not wasted. I live everyday full of gratitude. I know how fast time goes by, and I will not waste it thinking of all of the things I should have, could have, or would have done. I do look to the future, but I live in the present. And at present, I have a cornucopia of beautiful moments that surround me daily.

I am also thankful for the trails in my life that stretch my resilience and force me to grow. I might sound like a masochist, but don't get me wrong. I find no pleasure in the things that try me, but I am grateful for the person I am on the other side of the hardship. I have become more acquainted with not only the person I am, but also my savior. It would be nice if I could travel this life without having neither heartache nor pain, but that is what this life is all about. The people we become by learning and growing and not becoming embittered to our circumstances can be a reflection of meekness and strength, if we let it. I have loved stronger, prayed deeper, and stood taller all while standing in the eye of a storm.

Not the last thing I am thankful for, but the last that I will write about tonight is family. Family isn't just a father and mother, sister and brother. It is made up of step parents and half siblings. It is made up of good neighbors and life long friends. I don't believe anymore that there is such a thing as a functional family. I think we all have a little dis-function is all of us. As there is no one who can claim to be perfect, likewise, no family is either. We may think that the "Jones'" have it all together, but we really don't know. How do you measure a functional family? Is it prestige and positions? Is is a laundry list of accomplishments and abilities? I for one, think that no matter how a family is built-whether your parents sleep in the same house, or two separate houses-the thing that binds us all together is love. I am thankful for my dis-functional loving family. There isn't a lot that I have figured out, but one thing I know that we have is a lot of love. Unconditional love.

As you can see, I have so much to be thankful for. I look back on the road I took to get to where I am now. I see so many forks in the road, different decisions I could have made. And I know with all my soul that I am where I should be. These beautiful children, my wonderful husband, my as-close-to-perfect-as-you-can-get life, they are all witnesses of the fact that I have made all the right choices in life. I have no regrets. I have always acted true to myself. I can't change the actions of others. The happiest man on earth will tell he has nothing he desires, he would have it all already. I keep good company with that happy man, because anything else that might come my way would be a bonuse, because all my dreams have been realized. And that is something to be truly thankful for.

(and on an other note, here are some pictures of Thanksgiving Day. We went to Chad's sister's house. It was a great day. I love my family.)

Haircut

Stop the presses! I have done it. Something I said that I would never do, and I did it. It has been ten years since I had the guts to do it last, but I finally did it. I got my hair cut! And if it wasn't for McGraff's, I would still have my long hair. I kept getting head aches every time I worked. My hair is so thick and there is so much of it that by the end of the night, my head hurt so bad. So I got it cut. I do like it. It feels light. But I miss my hair. My hair has been so much a part of me that I kind of miss it. I am having phantom hair syndrome. I keep trying to flip my hair back or pull it out of my coat after I put it on, only to discover that there is no more hair there. So what do you think?

Thank You.

Chad and I have been strugling with money for awhile now. Our fridge hasn't been working since september. Thank goodness for my dad. He has this little drink fridge that he let us use, and we have been using that. I had to get a job because we just wern't making it. We have been months behind in all our bills. I am grateful that it really wasn't a long process to find a job, and the people at McGraff's have been very good to me so far. Already, we are feeling the benifit of having a little extra money in the house. Hopefully my job will only be a temporary situation. I am sure that we are not the only family that is really struggling right now with unemployment above 10% and everything going up, except everyones income. So we just keep doing what we need to do. The way we look at it, we have no room to complain. We love each other and support each other. We have two amazing little kids with big hearts and imaginations. They are happy and healthy. We can do this. Chad and I can do anything together. And everyone has their own trials. This one, I can handle because I have my family, and at the end of the day, isn't that what is the most important?

I bring all of this up, not for sympathy and not to vent. I am very positive about our future. I believe that this is just a little bump in the road, but not the whole road. I just want to share with everyone a little something. Chad and I are a little overwhelmed with graditude this night. Our home teachers came by yesterday after church to visit. Unfortunatly, I was at work and missed their visit. They asked Chad how we were doing, and asked Chad to be honest. So Chad was. He told him that we have no food in the house. I have a stronger testimony in tithing then ever. It is amazing that when it seems like all the chips are down, you are more able to focus on all the amazing blessings in your life. And little miracles find their way into your home.

I was not home tonight. While I was gone, our home teachers came by again. This time with bags of food for our home. They bought us food. Bought with money that came from their own pockets, not from the bishop, because-as they said-the process takes a little while and they wanted to make sure we had food right away. As I am writing this, tears of graditude are running down my cheeks. I love words, but I have none. At many times in our married life, we have been blessed by many people. I knew that these men that have help us through out the years have helped others, but for us, it almost seemed like they got called to certin postions just for us. Bishop Wadman from the University 2nd ward was one such man, and these two humble home teachers are two more. Not only for the food they brought by, but also the love they have shown our family. They never gave up on us, and for many reasons-the food just adding to the long list-we in the Triplett house love these good men. I only hope that one day Chad and I will be in a positon to follow in their example.

Lauren says...

Those of you who have ever had to sleep in the same room as Chad for whatever reason will know that he snores-and loud! It doesn't normally bother me. I guess I have gotten use to it. In fact, when he isn't sleeping close to me, it is to quite for me to sleep. Every now and then, his snoring is to loud. Usually when he is sick. The other night, it was to loud for me, so I crawled into Lauren's bed and slept with her. In the morning, Lauren asked me why I was sleeping in her bed with her and I told her it is because daddy was snoring to loudly. To which she responded, "Daddy was snoring as loud as a volcano?"


Lauren wanted to know what shape gravity was. I love the way her mind works.


Lauren told me that she wanted to be a mommy when she grows up, and she wants lots of kids. I told her that someday, we were going to have more kids in our house. She surprised me by saying "No! I don't want more kids!"
"Why?"
"Because they will hit me and Evan."
Then it got quite, she didn't really say much more. About 5 minutes passed and she came up to me and said-rather forcefully I might add, "Fine Mommy. You can have more kids. I don't care. I will just stay in my room!"


Lauren loves to say prayers. She wants to say them all the time. When she does pray, she ends up saying the funniest things. Not only has she prayed that "mommy would fit into her prom dress again someday" she has also asked that "mommy will have bright white shinny teeth." I am not sure where she got that from. But I think the funnest thing she has said lately has to do with our cute little puggle Radly. We always say that she is a sweet dog and we love her, but she has such a small brain. So, the other night, Lauren-very seriously-asked that "Radley will get a bigger brain." And speaking of Radleys small brain, according to Lauren, all Radley thinks about is bones!

She is a funny girl and I love her! She has such a unique way of looking at the world. Her observations on life makes me look at things in a different way. What a great little girl she is.