The Blue Angels

My 11-year-old has been telling me for years that he would love to go see the Blue Angels in person. "It's something I've wanted to do my entire life," he told me.

We've spent a lot of time watching videos of them on YouTube.

Well, they finally made it to a town near us, so we spent my birthday checking off an item from J's bucket list. The look on his face when they made their first Mach 1 pass was the best birthday present I could have received. The feeling in my chest as they roared by was a close second.

I've said before that I believe in hefty amounts of horsepower. Our day with the Blue Angels cranked that up a notch. Or twelve. My words fall painfully short to describe the feeling I had as they streaked across the billowy sky that day, but J now has my permission to join the Navy if he so chooses.

 

 

 

Mission Accomplished.

Leap Day

Leap Day came and went last week, and leading up to it, I started thinking that there should be some sort of purpose for Leap Day. After all, it only comes once every four years. So this year I declared (as I am apt to do) that Leap Day should be a day that you do something you've never done before -- in other words, take a leap! I declared it, and so it became.

I had the good fortune of being on a cruise last week, so my options were somewhat more open than if I had been home, complaining about the cold weather. And what did I do? Thanks for asking. I went parasailing! It was incredible! Exhilirating! And yet very Zen-like at the same time. I flew, 600 feet over the Sea of Cortez, and loved every nanosecond of it. I can't post a picture yet, because I'm on someone else's computer. But as soon as I get home, I will post one.

Anyway, the point is this: because I gave Leap Day purpose, I had the best day ever (despite the fact that I had to report my son missing to Mexican authorities -- but that's another post). And you know what I got from that? Every day should have purpose. Don't just wake up every morning and do what you've always done. Except, do eat breakfast, because it IS the most important meal of the day, after all. But do give purpose and meaning to each day. Think about what you're going to do, why you're going to do it, and then DO IT! If you don't know why you're doing something, don't do it. Make things happen. Cause something -- even if it's just making someone else smile.

Go ahead. Take a leap.

I dare you.

Could They Be Cuter? I Think Not.

So 2012 is off to a fabulous start. My adorable cousin, Ben, married an even more adorable girl, named Emry. And they asked me to be their photographer! They got married last Saturday in the Oquirrh Mountain LDS temple. The ceremony was beautiful, and it was such a privelege to be there with so many other family members.

It snowed the night before (a rare thing this winter) and depite the freezing winds outside, I think we got a few good shots.

Congrats to Ben and Emry!

Life is Good

I love the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.There's lots of downtime: staying up way too late, watching T.V.; sleeping in, only to eat breakfast when it's nearly lunchtime; playing games with the kids because they got every imaginable game for Christmas; spending as much time as possible in your pajamas. I would go a little nuts if this was regular life. But for this week, life is good.

Which brings me to my next point. Can you believe it's nearly 2012? Wow. Aside from the fact that there aren't any flying cars out there, and space travel hasn't been brought to the masses, life is pretty good. I know, I know, there's a recession. There are wars and protests and causes and a ribbon for every cause. But I'm an eternal optimist, and there are also lots of good things happening. There are lay-away angels and babies being born and reasons to celebrate every day. And right within my own little sphere of life, it gets even better. I have a happy, healthy family. We have love. We go on amazing trips together. Both of our cars are pushing 200,000 miles, and yet, continue to start up every day. Our pantry is stocked. My countertop is overflowing with homemade goodies and Christmas cards, proof that we have friends! I am abundantly blessed. 2011 was super, and 2012 will be even better. It's a leap year, which means we get an extra day of happiness this year. Can life get any better?

P.S. The photography challenge? Was 30 days in a row very realistic? I mean really? More to come, just not on a consecutive basis.

Happy New Year!

Cheerleader In My Pocket

There's this lady at church. I don't know her all that well, but I love her. She's probably 15 or so years older than I am. Whenever I run into her, she has nothing but the kindest, sweetest things to say to me.

Yesterday, as I was rushing down the hall to find a book I needed, she appeared from around the corner.

"Hi Kaylma," I said.
"Oh look at your pretty hair. It grows so fast! This length looks so good on you because you're tall and thin. And I know because I'm a hairdresser!"

She has no idea that I'm having a bad hair year or that I think I'm a little pudgy in the middle. Or that my four siblings all tower over me by nearly a foot. She's simply my cheerleader. And who doesn't need one of those?

So go out and be somebody's cheerleader. See nothing but the best in them. Make only one assumption about them: that they are doing their best. Go! Cheer! Win!

I Had Nowhere To Go But Up

Today I woke up with that lingering dark cloud over my head, but I was determined to let the sunshine push through. So I wore jeans and a t-shirt to work. Not very professional, but at least I was comfortable. And comfortable=happy(er). When the students came in, one boy handed me an envelope stuffed with about 10 papers of drawings he had made for me. I think they included one of him and I doing karate together. The happiness meter went up a few more notches. I had a few issues to resolve with my principal, which I did, and it was done respectfully and with a smile. I even managed to fill out three referral forms for students who need speech services. If you're not a teacher, let me just say referrals=mountains of paperwork. Riding on that high, I decided that spreading happiness=gaining happiness. I donated a little money to a coworker in need. I let a lady at the grocery store go ahead of me in line. I patronized a local mom and pop shop and paid probably twice as much for an item than I could have otherwise. But they needed my business more. I picked myself up a yummy lunch from a local eatery that was simply heavenly. (Okay that was more selfish-type happiness spreading, but hey - a girl's gotta eat)!

As I type this, a lovely, made-from-scratch chicken pot pie is baking in the oven. Cooking=therapy. And that will make my family happy. I even picked up Sno-balls for dessert. We don't often do dessert, much less coconut-covered mounds of refined and processed sugar, but hey - a girl's gotta eat!

As with most things in life, the more you give, the more you get.