find joy in the journey

team teresa

I've been meaning to share this story for quite some time.  The goodness of so many people overwhelms me and this is just another wonderful example.

Early in September 2017 my friend Lena (who is also the Relief Society president in my ward) texted me and said, "hey - we were discussing something at our presidency meeting, and I want to call you and see what you think."  Sure.  So we got on the phone later that night. And told me that in October there was going to be a 5K for the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation (there is also a man in our ward who helps coordinate the event).  She then shared that they (the Relief Society Presidency) discussed at their meeting a desire to put together a team to run in the 5K . . . and they would like to do it in honor of my mom.  And call it -- Team Teresa.

I was so incredibly surprised, and touched that these women, who didn't even know my mom would want to honor her in that way.  But because they knew me, and loved me, and understood what she meant to me. . . they wanted to do this to show their support and how much they care about me.

(I thought that by writing this story 5 months later I would be okay - but no, there are tears streaming down my face!)

Truly, my heart was so touched by this gesture.  This was the first in what became a series of kindnesses and service over the next weeks, months - when we needed it most - that gave me a true testimony of this quote by President Kimball -- 

"God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs"

We picked a team color - blue.  For the longest time I've had this little idea to make t-shirts to wear for my mom, and this was just the push I needed.  So I designed some simple t-shirts with her trademark phrase - "Happy Day" and the hashtag #happydaysforteresa - and opened it up to anyone who might want one.  I ended up getting orders for 130+ shirts and was just blown away by the response from family, friends, and even strangers!  

Race day was Saturday, October 14th.  Just 2 weeks and 2 days after her passing. When we planned the event, we didn't know she would be gone at this point.  Everything was still felt very fresh. Looking back at the pictures from this day, I'm instantly pulled back to how heavy I felt.  Heavy, yet there was a feeling of floating . . . a fog.  Just letting life happen around me while I was focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

And with caring, smiling people around me those steps were a little bit easier to take.

Kristi, and her friend, me & Anna, Ellis (Kristi's daughter), Sam, Katie

Lena & Jason and Rachel, Tyson, Easton, Myra

John and kids Curtis, Alessia, Micah, Gianluca (their mom Kristine helped organize the team but she was out of town on race day)

Jenny & Dave and Sam & his friends

Maria, Emily, and Michael were there to cheer us on

And there were others who couldn't make it that day.

I even have one long-time blog reader . . . friend . . . who ordered one of those happy day shirts and ran for my mom remotely at her home on the Faroe Islands. (Google it -- it is gorgeous!)

If only mom could have seen this day, she would have been so touched and overwhelmed ..... people loving her from Nevada to Europe .... wearing her shirt ... truly a "Happy Day!"  

At the starting line . . . I was filled with so much gratitude!

One thing you should know about me is, I am not a runner.  I'm more of a walk/jogger. But I "trained" for this the best I could and I was pretty proud of myself for accomplishing the time that I did.  31.25

This was also Anna's first 5K and she was a beast coming in at 27.06!  I told her she needs to do more 5K events and she liked that idea.

Side story:  I say that I'm not a runner, well .... Scott REALLY is not a runner.  He and the two boys registered up for the one mile fun walk.  And they did the whole thing with sodas in their hands. It was pretty hilarious!  They started the race in runner's position and went off at a sprint for the first 10 seconds.  And they also ended the fun walk by running through the finish line like champions.  With their sodas.  Oh dear!  I have a video and it cracks me up everytime!

We gave hugs at the finish line and soon everyone parted with an invitation to come to our house later that evening for a s'mores party.  I'm so grateful for those who came up with this idea.  Who showed up and ran.  For those who wore her t-shirt and still wear it today.  So many honest to goodness, beautiful hearts.  It sure has taught me so much about compassion and how to show it and how to be there for someone. Truly, truly grateful.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Prior to the race everyone received a small swag packet from the race organizers.  Before those were distributed to our team I put together a little something extra to include. I wanted everyone to get a small taste, a small feeling for who my mom is.  

The packet included

• Ghirardelli chocolates - sea salt caramel - in blue packaging to match our team color
• Blue paper straws and Crystal light drink powder that I attached together with washi tape
• A photo of my mom along with a quote from her blog and a message of thanks -- these were also distributed with all of the Happy Day t-shirt orders
• A bookmark/notecard with more quotes from her blog and a quick bio about my mom and a link to her blog on the back.
• A thank you card and invitation to join us for s'mores

I'm pretty sure my mom would have done something just like this.  I'm always trying to channel her thoughtfulness and creativity. I was happy with how it came together - simple and cute.

In case you need a dose of happy today . . . visit her blog and scroll through the archives Teresa's blog

dinner & the mob museum

Scott and I don't usually go out ON Valentine's day.  But this year it fell on a Wednesday night, which meant that all of the kids' usual activities were cancelled, AND there was no school the next day so we decided, why not?  Recently, a lot of our dates have been dinner and done.  Nothing too exciting or creative or adventurous.  Honestly, it's been survival mode for quite a while and any kind of night out, no matter how simple, has felt like a real treat!

I decided it was time to mix things up a little bit.  Make things interesting!  So I came up with a date night plan. A few days before Valentine's I called Scott on the phone and asked him out.  Yep, I asked him out just like we were dating. "Hey, I was wondering if you have any plans Wednesday night?  Would you like to go out with me?"  He was a little confused.  Even more so by the fact that he was sitting in the backyard and I was calling him from inside the house.  Like I said, just keeping things interesting!

Dinner

I looked up Italian restaurants on Yelp and came across this little place.  Trattoria Italia.  I was recently talking to a friend who shared her desire to go to more mom & pop restaurants. But that's really hard to do in Vegas because everything is a chain!  We don't have many of those little, original, homey-type restaurants. 

But this place . . . it fit the bill. By definition, "Trattoria" is a small inexpensive, authentic Italian restaurant that serves simple, yet delicious meals and wine. Upon entering the restaurant the thing that immediately tipped me off that this was going to be a good experience was the staff.  We're talking real-deal, authentic Italian, accents and all. And there was just this overall vibe like everyone is working hard because they care about the place.  It is 100% family run and they opened their first restaurant 40 years ago in Sicily. 

As you can guess, the food was amazing.  The fried mozzarella balls are a MUST for your appetizer!  Caprese salad and garlic knots to dip in olive oil also got us started.  When trying out new Italian places, I typically go for lasagna.  If they can make a good lasagna, I'm sold.  Scott also chose his favorite - fettuccine alfredo.  We were both very, very happy.

I've never been to Italy.  But Scott has and he said that this food reminded him of everything he tasted and experienced in Rome.

And then there is the dessert case! We were much too stuffed - I seriously could not even think about food.  But it all looked so good and I did not want to miss out so we decided to come back later for dessert.

Part 2 - The Mob Museum

The idea for this date was conceived when I saw an event posted on Facebook -- free admission to The Mob Museum on Valentine's Day for all Nevada residents.  I'll take free!  This is a place that has kinda/sorta been on my list of places to see in Vegas, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.  And nothing goes with the mob quite like Italian food. ;)

Part of my desire to visit the Mob Museum is that it's a pretty cool looking old, historic building.  It has undergone extensive renovation, but places like this just don't exist much in Vegas. I loved these post office boxes that lined the main lobby.  Originally built in 1933, it was the Las Vegas Post Office & Courthouse.

As far as the exhibits . . . meh.  Somewhat interesting, but not super exciting for me.  Let's just say that we're really glad we visited on a free day!  Also, I would be leery of bringing kids because there is language in some of the displays, as well as graphic photos (i.e. photographs of mobsters lying in a puddle of their own blood or tied up and disfigured after being thrown into a lake).

That being said, it was different and unique and we got to take our own mug shots!!!

After visiting the Mob Museum our bellies had settled enough so we returned to Trattoria Italia and chose a few desserts to go.  We plopped into bed with this box, turned on the olympics, and just enjoyed.

A happy Valentine's Day for us!

one little word 2018: january

You guys!  I am so excited and happy that I am doing this project this year.  Not just choosing a word and carrying it in my heart through the year, but signing up to do Ali Edward's workshop, dissecting my word, my intentions, my hopes, and creating an album, a visual place where I can document this year of LIGHT for me.  So good.  

I'm keeping things super simple.  I've been out of the scrapbooking world for a while so I'm feeling rusty.  I would like to get back in, and this is a first baby step for me.  To make things easy on myself I grabbed Ali's album kit.  and I'm pretty much copying her pages verbatim.  I already have a treasure trove of scrapbook supplies, and while I may dig into them later to embellish, for now I'm going to stick with the basics of Ali's kit.  Plus, at the moment my scrapbook space is pretty much a disaster. That's another project for another time!

Okay, now that that's out of the way. . . .  Here are my pages for January!

Definition of Light

• something that makes vision possible
• spiritual illumination; truth
• a noteworthy person in a particular place or field
• having little weight

valley of fire // fire wave & rainbow vista trails

It's February.  And if you live in the desert this means you better get outside and do some hiking! Because the heat will be here before you know it.

Last February we hiked Valley of Fire with friends and so we decided to do a repeat in 2018.  Our first few visits to Valley of Fire we have done the Mouse's Tank hike along with some of the fun stops along the road (the cabins, the Beehives). So on this visit we decided to visit a couple new areas. First off . . . 

Fire Wave

Drive up White Domes Road and stop at Parking Lot #3.  The Trailhead for Fire Wave is just across the street.  You start out walking toward this giant rock, around the right hand side, and then you enter a brand new terrain.  Large expanses of solid rock with ribbons of color.

Just a beautiful wide open area!  This is definitely a hike to do in cooler temperatures as there is no shade whatsoever.

Recently my friend, Jenn, told me about grounding.  When you're out in nature you should take your shoes off and walk barefoot on the dirt, rock, sand in an effort to feel connected, grounded to the earth and it's energy.  So Anna and I did just that and it felt great!  I'm planning to be a little more "grounded" on all of our future hikes. 

On our way back . . . for some reason this One Way sign cracked me up.

Super easy hike.  In fact, when we finished I said, "that wasn't a hike.  We need to find another trail!"  Which led us to . . . . 

Rainbow Vista

We have visited this area before, but never set out on the trail.  I'm glad we did!  Because the reward at the end of the trail was pretty amazing.  Just wait and see!  The trail begins by meandering through a desert meadow - as I like to call it.  It's actually really pretty!  I love the contrast in color between the red rocks and the silvery grey/green plants.  The pictures just don't capture the feeling accurately enough.

Conner also takes every opportunity to climb to the top of every rock he can find.  One reason that I love hiking with my kids -- it brings out an active and adventurous side in them!  My boys are not into sports, which is totally fine - we're rocking the nerd camp and proud of it.  But I love that these hiking trails (especially the ones with lots of large rocks) sparks this energy in them.  

Then the trail takes you into a little canyon so many rock climbing/exploring opportunities on either side and little holes and crevices to explore.  Other than one little bird, we did not see ANY wildlife during this trip.  No lizards, no bugs, nothing. Because the area is so dry and stark, we don't worry about exploring those holes and being surprised by any critters.

A few times the kids wanted to give up and go back but I prodded them farther.  Which was a good thing because at the end you reach a lookout viewpoint of Fire Canyon

This photo does not do it justice in portraying the enormity of those rocks.  Just take my word for it, the view is worth it!  But keep your littles close because there isn't much to block or prevent a fall.

Between these two trails, picnic lunch, and stop at the visitor's center we spent about 3 hours in the park.  Which seems to be just the right amount of time for each of our visits.  I love that this place is just over an hour away, so it feels accessible.  We can do a little hiking, and whatever we miss we know we will catch another time.  

If you want to check out my other Valley of Fire posts you can find them right here

Valley of Fire Part 1 - Beehives, Atlatl Rock, Arch Rock, Balancing Rock, Mouse's Tank

Valley of Fire Part 2 - Rainbow Vista, Fire Canyon, The Cabins, Elephant Rock

Valley of Fire with Friends - Six Sisters, The Cabins, Mouse's Tank

A little photo review of the day's hikes if you want to pin them and save them for later!

Next trail on our list . . . White Domes trail!  That was our plan for this day, but the road to it was closed.

grammer teresa memories

Pictures have incredible power.  They bring us back to moments in time in a way that heightens our memories -- not just the moment visualized in the photo, but also the circumstances around it, the feelings towards the people we were with, our senses (tastes, smells, touch), our emotions that day ....  They remind us of things we might have forgotten.  Such an incredible gift!

Even though my kids were teenagers when my mom passed I still worried that memories might slip away too easily. For the funeral we gathered nearly 200 photos of my mom and I knew right away that I wanted to compile a photo album for each of my kids (and each grandchild) so that through photos, they could keep her memory - the feeling of Grammer - fresh in their minds.

This Christmas I did just that. 

I used Chatbooks to make these small 6x6 photobooks.  I have used the Chatbooks app for a long time to compile my Instagram photos into books.  For this project I went to their website and created a custom book.  I chose the Rifle Paper Co. cover art because it just felt like mom.  Doesn't it?

Each book starts with this cover page

Grammer Teresa loves a lot of things

She LOVES Papa Dan. She loves being a mom to her 5 kids -- your aunt Shannon and uncles Sam, Kent, Denver, and Mason.

Grammer loves fall leaves and spring flowers and Christmas traditions and Easter egg hunts and Thanksgiving competitions and 4th of July fireworks.

She loves pretty things, and antique things, and old French things. Grammer loves planning parties, throwing parties, and thinking about any and all reasons to celebrate.

Grammer loves gardening, flowers, and working outside. She loves painting, and projects, and creating a beautiful home.

Grammer loves the temple and Jesus Christ. She loves missionaries and temple weddings and choosing the right.

Grandma loves adventures, exploring, and trying new things.

She loves writing on her blog, taking pictures, and finding a HAPPY DAY everyday.

Grammer loves sending happy mail, hanging happy day banners, and making people feel special & loved.

Grammer Teresa loves a lot of things.

But she really, really loves being your Grammer.

She loves you . . . . . your stories, your drawings & notes, your cute face, your smell, your squishy hugs, your ideas & dreams . . .

. . . . and most of all she loves you because you are KIND.

.

.

.

I made a different set of photobooks for each family.  For the most part, all photobooks included the same photos of my mom. But each family's edition included a gathering of pictures that were specific to them -- pictures of their kids with Grammer.   Here is a look at what some of the pages looked like for our family . . . 

 In the back of the book I created several blank "MEMORIES" pages.  I hope the kids use them to write down their memories of Grammer.

All 13 grandchildren have their own personal copy of this book. My kids keep theirs on a shelf or nightstand in their rooms.  In my heart, I hope that they pull it out from time to time and look at the photos.  I hope that the littlest ones flip through their photo book and are as familiar with her face and the stories (told, remembered, or imagined) as they are with the pages of any other storybook on their shelves.

The grandkids range in age from 2 - 17, with 2 more on the way this year.  My heart hurts a little for the youngest of the grandkids who will not have tangible memories of their amazing, loving, beautiful grandma.  I sure hope that these photos along with the stories that their parents tell will help to keep her memory alive for them.

My grandpa Rene passed away when I was 3 years old.  Remarkably, I actually have 2 very small memories of him.  Because of the stories my grandma Margaret, my dad, his siblings, and my mom told about him . . . I truly feel like I know him.  I have always loved having that feeling.

 

Anyone else bawl in the theater when they said this line at the end of the movie? 

 

payton is 15

Earlier this month we celebrated Payton's 15th birthday!  

15 is kind of an interesting age.  There's nothing that is "big" about it.  No milestones.  No new adventures.  At 12 the boys get to join Young Mens and they receive the priesthood.  At 13 you're a teenager!  At 14 you get to attend dances.  And at 16 you can drive and start dating.  But 15 . . . ya, there's not much happening that year.  So going along with the lack of milestones for this year, it was a pretty low-key birthday.

That being said, Payton got everything he wanted - and more - so it was a slam dunk of a day for him.

Here are 10 things about Payton at age 15:

1.  ON his birthday he received news that he was accepted/invited into Broadcasting II for his sophomore year! He was so excited!  This means that he will get to spend a lot more time on the morning news program at his high school.  This year he's been taking Video Production I, which is basically the back room where they stuff the freshman and give them assignments to produce videos in an attempt to weed out the ones who don't really care.  It has been frustrating for him this year to see the lack of passion for this subject matter in so many of his classmates.  So this invitation was just the pick me up he needed to carry him through the rest of the school year and set his sights on his goals for next year.

2.  He loves playing Splatoon 2 on the Switch.  Words and phrases like "splat-fest", "squid-bagging," and "You're a kid! You're a squid!" are frequently heard in our house.  Pokemon games also continue to be a favorite.

3.  Speaking of video production, Payton's latest baby is his Youtube channel - Woomy Life.  At the moment, he likes to post videos of himself playing Splatoon 2 or Breath of the Wild.  Highlight reels, bloopers, etc.  Honestly, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but if you have a teenage boy in your house who likes video games, I'm sure you have caught him watching similar Youtube videos, listening to the commentary, and laughing uncontrollably.  At least that's what happens in our house. For Christmas and his birthday he received a few pieces of equipment to help him put these videos together.  He has an Elgato for capturing the gameplay, and a pretty nice microphone for voice-overs.

4.  While we're still on the topic of Youtube -- some of his favorites are any of the Star Wars Bad Lip Reading videos (the SEAGULLS (Stop it Now!) video even cracks me up) or Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Modding.

5.  His condiment of choice is Sriracha sauce.  Payton has always loved his condiments.  First ketchup, then BBQ sauce, and just recently he made the conversion to Sriracha and he puts it on EVERYTHING.  Red pepper flakes also make an appearance quite often.  This boy has a thing for spicy!

6. The beginning of his 9th grade year was a bit of a shock (work load, responsibility, focus required in class, so many things to keep track of!, etc.), but we made some adjustments, adopted some new routines and habits, and he has completely turned things around.  He rocked his first semester of high school with all A's. Way to go!

7.  Other than video production, Payton also participates in a service club called Cougars for Change, the Star Wars club (naturally), and is joining the track team this week.

8.  Payton is a happy kid.  Aside from his first 18 months of life (ha!), he has just always been happy.  And as he rolls through these teen years he has become even more relaxed and positive and eager to communicate and let me tell you, it has been such a delight!

9.  Whenever I need help with something or call his name, he responds right away, shows up, and does whatever I need him to do.  With no complaining, no sighs, no push-back.  It truly is amazing how quick he is to obey!  (I am keenly aware that this is not normal so I am savoring it).

10.  For his birthday date he requested that we go see the latest Maze Runner movie (The Death Cure) and we'll probably get some Mongolian Grill for dinner as well.  I sure hope they have some Sriracha!

Happy 15th Birthday!

anna's first talk

In September Anna turned 12, which means that now she gets to give talks in sacrament meeting from time to time.  Last month she had her first opportunity!  The topic was kindness and she wrote her talk completely by herself.  The only advice I gave her was, "Make sure you talk about Jesus Christ, quote a scripture, and share a personal example."

She was so so nervous!  But she did a beautiful job! You would have never known she was "shaking inside", as she reports the experience.

Here is a video of her presenting her talk, followed by the text.

Hello, my name is Anna Brown and I have been asked to give a talk on kindness.

The dictionary definition of kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. We have all been kind or witnessed someone being kind at many times. One great example of kindness is Jesus.  He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, let the dumb speak, gave the deaf hearing, and on top of that He atoned for us so we could repent and return to him someday. He bled from every pore, felt all our pains, afflictions, and heartache, and died for us on the cross. Jesus is the definition of kindness.

In Moroni 7:47 it says, "But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him." I love this quote because of the part that says, "Whoso is found possessed of it." This is interesting because if we are possessed of it we will be with him -- not have used charity once or twice, but possessed of it.

Charity is a synonym for kindness meaning that we need to be possessed of kindness in other words.

One scripture that immediately popped into my head at the topic of kindness was "love one another as I have loved you." John 13:34.  Christ loves us and often he asks us to share love with others who feel lost or alone.

My grandma Teresa was an example to me to share kindness with others. She would send care packages that would make someone happy even though she was suffering through a trial of cancer that should have brought her down. While she was doing the packages she told me her process of assembling them. She said she would pray to Heavenly Father asking for names of someone who needed uplifting and she would send packages to who she was prompted to send them to.  My grandma showed the verse love one another, as I have loved you by loving others to bless their lives.

We can be kind and show love to others by simply being there for them. Recently I had a friend who was suffering because her parents were going through a divorce. Everyday when she had problems she would come to me. At first I didn't know what to do or how I could even help her, but soon I decided to leave her notes and scriptures to uplift her when she was sad. I also began to just listen to her and I comforted her through her trial.

We can also show kindness by helping those who are different from us. Many times when around others who seem or look different we neglect them. We can show kindness through accepting and befriending those who are different from us.

To close my talk I would like to end with a final story that Jesus told to give an example of loving your neighbor. He told the story of a Jew who was walking on the road to Jericho. Thieves stopped him, took his clothes, they beat him, and left him on the road almost dead. Soon, a Jewish priest came down the same road and saw the man, but instead of helping he walked on the other side of the road. Then, a Jewish man who worked in the temple went by, and then again he did not help and walked on the other side of the road. Last, a Samaritan came along the path and saw the man. The Jews and Samaritans did not like each other, but this time the Samaritan stopped and helped the man. He took care of the man's wounds and clothed him. Next the Samaritan took the man to the inn and cared for him till the next day. When the Samaritan had to leave he gave money to the innkeeper and told him to take care of the man. The Samaritan shows kindnesses by loving our neighbors like we should too.

Testimony.

This topic was perfect for Anna because she is one kind and thoughtful girl.