I am never alone

I have asked my friend Veronica to write this post. I have known quite a bit about her life and knew of the obstacles she's had to overcome. I relate with her on so many levels and am elated she chose to be an open book. We all live with our masks that hold us back from connecting with others. I hope that this story touches you as much as it does me. Thank you so much Veronica for being vulnerable and brave. 

   My wonderful friend has been waiting too long for this post and I'm glad I did it. It took me very long to really ponder on her topic: "Find the beauty and how has that specific trial helped me in my life." Well, it has been tough to pick one. Unfortunately my life became a living hell for me at the age of 5, too soon if you ask me, but we don't get to pick our trials. So here goes.... My name is Veronica I am a 32 year old mother of 3 beautiful kids who is truly a sucker for love and a lover of life itself. I grew up in a broken, abusive home where I was invisible. My youth became darker by the hour, my soul seemed to vanish in the darkness, love was not in my world ,and loneliness was my only companion. As life got harder I began to seek love in the wrong places, things, and people. I found myself stuck in a hole that only got deeper and deeper. I became a disposable toy for people to use when they wanted. Life was no longer desired nor wanted in my heart. The day came, raging full of hate, that my 15 year old mind could no longer bear to endure. I had decided that would be my last night alive. I went into my bathroom cabinet taking every pill I could find. Honestly, there were so many I couldn't even hold them all on one hand. I was determined and tired of living.
     

   With every pill I took I said goodbyes in my mind. I thought of how everyone would react or if they even cared. I wondered if it would hurt to take my last breath. Would God receive me on the other side? As I lay down in bed, I smiled staying hopeful that someone would come check on me perhaps saving me from what was taking place. Minutes passed. Then an hour. My eyes got heavier and I started to pray. My eyes burned like a thousand flames from the tears that seemed to never stop coming. Suddenly this rush of comfort came to my heart and a strange whisper said, "get up". I realized then that I wanted to live.  There was nothing beautiful in my life at that time and I had nothing to fight for, but that night God came to my rescue at my lowest point. I'll never forget the joy and the assurance He gave me. I felt that I would live to somehow succeed. Quickly I jumped off the bed running straight for the bathroom to empty my stomach hoping for the best. 

   The next day I left my home to never return. Ever since then life has been a bit better: one baby step at a time. I have had some of the worst trials within my own marriage. Things happened that have almost cost me my life yet again. Sadly, once a person becomes suicidal it's easy to relapse again.  My health has been extremely compromised and this body just keeps breaking down on me. Life is still hard and confusing at times, but in all honesty I tell you now that I have found the beauty in my journey. Not just in one trial, but many. I am a gift.  I am never alone and never was. I have been sent here prepared to live this life and succeed as God intended. I am worth so much and I never fully understood it.  That has been my reason to live. God has blessed me beyond measure and is constantly moving his hand in my life. I'm humbled to recognize it and grateful to live through it. Some days are very hard to go on and it seems as if old habits, traumas, and fears haunt my every step. I know that my foundation is the same and as strong as it can be. God loves me. I am good enough for him. He has forgiven me and so I will forgive my self too. Knowing who I am and why I'm here on earth has given me what I need to refocus each day on the blessings I have in front of my weary eyes. Even if a trial fogs my view, I know that God is leading the way if I live through his will and mercy. That gives me great comfort and strength so I can stand up to fight for my life, salvation, family, and for my savior. Life is the most beautiful gift we can ever have. There's too much good in life to spend it crying or upset. Daily I see on the wall in my home a favorite quote,"never let a problem become more important than a person to be loved".

Hell is real. It is real even when we are still breathing, but fear is a choice. I live with a purpose and to fulfill it is my journey... I am never alone.

Always Wanting Change

I've asked my friend Megan to write this wonderful post. I've known her for almost 18 years (since I was 12!) and seen what a wonderful woman/mother she's become. I love the fact that so many of us have different trials we deal with and it goes to prove that 'a trial is a trial'. It may not be YOUR trial, but it is another's.  

When Keri asked me to write a post for her blog I thought sure, I have been through a lot of trials in my life.  Then when I sat down to write, my mind went blank, that or I've had too many trials that I couldn't figure out which one to talk about.  I think I have come down to one and it is my trial of  always wanting change. I know that you all are probably thinking that it isn't much of a trial, but for me it is an on going trial that never ends. I have struggled with this my whole life, it started when I was young when I would rearrange my room every Sunday.  I went to hair school, so you can only imagine how many hairstyles and colors I have had over the years, I even bought a few wigs because my hair couldn't be changed enough.  Now my change consists of moving my own family to a few different states, a few different jobs, and a few different schools. Something always has to change. If my husband knew this about me before hand he might have run the other way.  It sounds silly as I write this down, but I really have a hard time with this. Since DJ and I have been married (9 years) we have lived in 3 different states, moved to 11 different places. We just moved 2 months ago and I am already itching for something new. I keep telling myself that I need to be happy where we are at and settle in one spot. Having kids in school has helped because I know that I wouldn't pull them out during school, and they are making friends, and I really like where we are at (my home town) But once again for some reason in the back of my head I am always looking for that change, that Adventure. My cell phone is dangerous to me because I am constantly looking at the Realtor App to find a house that I know that we couldn't get, or the Indeed Job app for finding my husband a better paying job so that maybe if I found one that we could move somewhere and have that adventure. These apps get me in trouble with my husband and just make me sad that I am stuck where I am. I just had our 5^th baby 5 months ago and already knowing that she is my last scares me, because I will not be pregnant or have a newborn again. I know I am crazy and loved being pregnant :) The older I get the more I realize that I just am never quite happy with where I am in life. I don't know if Heavenly Father is trying to torture me with always wanting to move for that change and helping me grow in some way, or that I need to learn how to sit in one spot and choose to be happy with where I am in life. We do have an option to buy the house we are currently renting and it scares me to take that leap. What if something else comes up and we have to move? What if something else comes along that is better? I know that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I get told that all the time. I have loved every adventure we have been on and have grown from it, but have found something that I didn't like and got out of the situation. Since this is an on going trial for me I hope that the longing for change will subside and that Heavenly Father will help me learn to be happy with what I have. I have so much to be grateful for and don't have anything to complain about not getting what I want. I have a loving husband that works his butt off for me so that I can stay home with our 5 Beautiful kids. I hope that with the continue of prayer, daily scripture study that I will continue to be grateful and learn to love where I am in life. This post might not be helpful for anyone, but I am glad that I was asked. Writing this post has helped me realize that I don't have it bad at all and maybe I  need to just channel my changes through other things to help change the scenery and go explore with my family to have that Adventure in my life.

Self Love Is Not Selfish

“Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others.”

 ~Parker Palmer

"Remember the old cliché? “Take care of yourself first or you will have nothing left to give others.”  Or, “ we can’t give what we don’t have.” But what is self-care really? Why is it so difficult and why do we feel guilty about doing it?

We were all given this special house to live in… our own body, mind and soul. It is our responsibility to take good care of it and treat it with ultimate respect. It carries within our special gifts and talents that are uniquely ours. Self-care is about seeking and nurturing internal validation. It is finding the sweet child within and giving him or her soothing comfort, reassurance, and warm, loving thoughts and wishes. It is about taking care of the internal emotional side of our being and learning self-compassion."

"There is a difference between self-absorbed, narcissistic behavior and sound internal self-care. Self-care is about taking good care of our own feelings so we don’t project them onto others, act badly, or cause problems in relationships. Being in touch with our own feelings and embracing them is the healthiest thing we can do."

"Allowing others to define you or seeking external validation does not work. It is a short-term band-aid that will not stick. E.E. Cummings wrote, “ It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”  Nourishing yourself in every way possible will help you blossom and grow into the woman or man you are meant to be. We all have our purpose here and special paths to follow. Using healthy self-care to maintain your internal emotional tune-up is a gift worth giving yourself now."

~Psychology Today - Is Self-Care Selfish? Published on February 10, 2013 by Karyl McBride, Ph.D. in The Legacy of Distorted Love

I apologize for the break from blogging I have had to take. Mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually I have had to take a time out to figure what I needed for myself.  I feel the constant need to take care of others and in turn it's caused me to put myself on the back burner. I've been trying to establish internal validation versus external validation for this past little bit; since that is one of my largest struggles. Growing up Stuart has embedded this constant state of guilt within me. As of late, that feeling keeps intensifying with the choices I've had to make regarding what I should and should not do. I've had to make more and more choices to benefit my physical well being and that is starting to take a toll on me emotionally. We are taught to serve others during our trials and in turn our load will be lightened. The battle I have had is: Where do you draw the line and start serving yourself? 


Happiness is something we all strive to have. If we are happy, we exude it. If we attach our happiness to what we can do for others we will always come up short. It's hard for me to say," I cannot do that. I cannot help you. I need a break. I need to relax." When I do say those things I can never rid myself of the guilty feelings I have. Caring for yourself should not be a battle, yet it is. How can we make ourselves a priority in our lives? As a stay-at-home mom my job is 24/7. There are no designated days off, vacation time doesn't seem to be addressed in the job contract either. If I don't take some time for myself, if I don't arrange for a day off here and there (a week sometimes) or if I don't take an evening for myself, I will find myself in a hole that is difficult to climb out of. As a woman in the profession of motherhood, I need to learn how to take care of myself. No one has built that into my job description and no one is going to set boundaries for me. I have to do it myself. As moms, too often we work sacrificially and selflessly to the detriment of our family life. It is then that we become short-tempered and judgmental. I find myself discouraged with the daily duties of a job that never feels finished. My home is a disaster and projects are always on hold. I am constantly questioning the value of what I'm doing and my self-worth. 

"Have you ever been on an airplane and listened to the instructions about using the oxygen masks in an emergency? The flight attendants always give special instructions to those traveling with children: Put your own oxygen mask in place before you place the mask on your child. Those directions seem to go against our very nature. Our first inclination is to take care of that child even if it means sacrificing ourselves. But when we stop to consider the reasoning behind the instruction, it makes sense. If we don't take care of ourselves first, we might not be able to help either one of us and we might both perish in those few precious moments. If we put our mask in place first, we are then in a position to care for others.

The same principle applies at home. We must first take care of ourselves in order to properly take care of others. This will give us the stamina, patience and perspective needed to care for the needs of others over the long haul." -Jill Savage

Not always does that quote apply to mothers. Think of what ranking you give yourself versus others. Do you come in last every time? 

"Another important concept we need to understand is the difference between the urgent and the important. The important things sit and wait while the urgent things scream to us. The phone is a perfect example of this. A conversation on the couch with your husband/friend is important. The phone call in the middle of it seems urgent. Our nature is to choose what seems urgent because we react immediately rather than thinking about the choice we have and determining the best thing to do. Our priorities and goals can help us to determine what is important. But throughout life the urgent will scream louder than the important. In her book, A Mother's Time,

Elise Arndt says,

The urgent matters of life are those that demand our immediate response, the things that constantly bid for our attention. They give no consideration to what is presently being done. They include annoying interruptions at the wrong time for the wrong reason and the pressing needs of people around us. These are the urgent matters of life.

While the urgent continually begs for our attention, the important keeps silent. It patiently waits for us to take notice. While the urgent seeks us, the important waits to be sought by us. The important aspects of life take discipline to perform, while the urgent are accomplished on impulse. We live in constant tension between the two, don't we? Filling the needs of the moment causes us to become weary. We blame hard work for our anxiety. In reality, it is not hard work that produces stress, but doubts and misgivings about what we are doing. We have become slaves to the urgent.

Can you see how the urgent takes us away from the important? So what do we do about it? Discipline is the key." 

I am still learning to say 'no'. This week my goal was to say 'no' before everything came boiling to a head and I came crashing down. Which still happened, but I spent most of the day in bed today. So I am learning. Bear with me as I struggle with this foreign concept. 

Twerking, I mean Tweaking Your Perspective

"The story of Joseph, the son of Jacob who was called Israel, is a vivid representation of the great truth that “all things work together for good to [those] who” love God. (SeeRom. 8:28.) Joseph always seemed to do the right thing; but still, more importantly, he did it for the right reason. And how very, very significant that is! Joseph was sold by his own brothers as a slave and was purchased by Potiphar, a captain of the guard of Pharaoh. But even as an indentured servant, Joseph turned every experience and all circumstances, no matter how trying, into something good.

This ability to turn everything into something good appears to be a godly characteristic. Our Heavenly Father always seems able to do this. Everything, no matter how dire, becomes a victory to the Lord. Joseph, although a slave and wholly undeserving of this fate, nevertheless remained faithful to the Lord and continued to live the commandments and made something very good of his degrading circumstances. People like this cannot be defeated, because they will not give up. They have the correct, positive attitude, and Dale Carnegie’s expression seems to apply: If you feel you have a lemon, you can either complain about how sour it is, or you can make a lemonade. It is all up to you."

Live above the Law to Be Free by Hartman Rector Jr. 1973

"A basketball coach claimed, “If you find a man on top of a mountain, he didn’t fall there.” If you and I are to reach the summit of our divine potential, we must work each step of the way. The path may be rugged, difficult, unheralded; but it can be successfully climbed if we are willing to work with all our strength and commitment.

Next, decide to believe. Believe in God. Believe in yourself. Believe that God is very interested in you as an individual, that he is anxious for you to succeed."

“Never get discouraged, whatever difficulties might surround [you]. If [you were] sunk in the lowest pit of Nova Scotia, and all the Rocky Mountains piled on top of [you], [you] ought not to be discouraged, but hang on, exercise faith and keep up good courage and [you] should come out on top of the heap.” (George A. Smith’s journal, quoted by Preston Nibley, in Church Section, 12 Mar. 1950, p. 16.)

Decide to Decide by REX D. PINEGAR

"Live your life how you want, but dont confuse drama with happiness" Ron Swanson in 'Parks and Recreation'

The decision to be happy is our choice. It isn't a circumstance that happens to us. This has been the hardest lesson for me as of late. Every day I try to wake up thinking," today is the day" and every night I go to bed saying," oh well... Tomorrow is another day." I look at my life and see lack of floral arrangements on my girls' heads, cuts, bruises, and homeless looking gremlins.  

• I see Bella as a liar, when I should see the creativity she had to make up a story about her being pregnant with a cheetah cub and taking pills to stop contractions. Yes, this really happened at school.
• I view Alice as crazy, when I should be grateful she has a fun and entertaining personality. Alice peeing in the tee pee and then telling me about it means she's getting closer to finally being potty trained. She told me. It counts.
• I am frustrated Cecelia is so clingy. My attitude should be gratitude. I am thankful she loves us sooo much. She is here with us on earth. I wanted a Mama's boy and I got that minus the genitalia.

There are so many quotes I keep coming across that I wanted to share, so bear with me as I add one more to this post: 

If you have everything under control, you aren't moving fast enough- Mario Andretti

My OCD has kept me from seeing the beautiful mess I have in my life. Life being messy isn't always a bad thing. The mess allows me to have the ability to reflect on what is most important in my life, which allows for progress and growth. If all else fails, watch Jerry Springer on repeat until you feel better about your life. I am thankful I know who my babies' daddy is. Don't let your faults become your identity. 

Dear you

This post is dedicated to all those who need a pick me up today. I am writing this to my future self for 9 pm tonight, because when my kids are finally in bed I will need this. DESPERATELY. Feel free to share this with someone who needs this or read it over and over until you believe it.

Dear fancy face,
You're insecure. Don't know what for. You're turning heads when you walk through the door. Don't need make up to cover up. Being the way that you are is enough. Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you. Baby you light up my world like nobody else. The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed, But when you smile at the ground it aint hard to tell,You don't know. Oh Oh,You don't know you're beautiful. Oh wait, that's a One Direction song.... I just had to use them because their lyrics are so profound (sarcasm). Ahem.... ( clearing my throat) Ok, now to lay on the good stuff and to make one of the largest run on sentences I've ever created. You are: intelligent, gorgeous, talented in more ways than one, compassionate, loving, a great human being, beautiful without makeup; even though you don't feel it, optimistic, generous, amazing, great at keeping kids alive, a great friend, a great listener, forgiving, a great parker despite the other parents laughing at you ( this may not pertain to anyone else), creative, a great cook, appreciated, forgiving, happy, trustworthy, capable, passionate, enough, able to accomplish anything, thought of, thoughtful, incredibly patient (most of the time), unique, always trying to do good to others; even though bad things happen, positively wonderful, and wildly funny. 

Read this. Believe this. Repeat. If you aren't able to believe this, fake it till you make it. 

Love,

Me

P.S. A lot of these words are not my own like : beautiful, gorgeous, intelligent ...those I got from the dictionary. So just know that they come from the heart and please don't make me cite everywhere I got the context in this post. Spoiler alert: every word came from the dictionary. 

How Cecelia Came to Be

"These fiery trials are designed to make you stronger, but they have the potential to diminish or even destroy your trust in the Son of God and to weaken your resolve to keep your promises to Him. These trials are often camouflaged, making them difficult to identify. They take root in our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities, our sensitivities, or in those things that matter most to us. A real but manageable test for one can be a fiery trial for another."

"President Ezra Taft Benson said, “Every [person] eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there … must make his stand.” Don’t be surprised when it happens to you!"

"By definition, trials will be trying. There may be anguish, confusion, sleepless nights, and pillows wet with tears. But our trials need not be spiritually fatal. They need not take us from our covenants or from the household of God."

“Remember, … it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the
whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

"Like the intense fire that transforms iron into steel, as we remain faithful during the fiery trial of our faith, we are spiritually refined and strengthened."

"Elder D. Todd Christofferson explained what he learned from a personal trial: “Though I suffered then, as I look back now, I am grateful that there was not a quick solution to my problem. The fact that I was forced to turn to God for help almost daily over an extended period of years taught me truly how to pray and get answers to prayer and taught me in a very practical way to have faith in God. I came to know my Savior and my Heavenly Father in a way and to a degree that might not have happened otherwise or that might have taken me much longer to achieve. … I learned to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I learned to walk with Him day by day.”
BY ELDER NEIL L. ANDERSEN  TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH


For those of you who have clicked on this post to learn about the birds and the bees, sorry to disappoint. That talk should be given by your parents. I typed the title of this post that way on purpose, because this post will be about the most hellacious trial I have ever had to go through; Cecelia's pregnancy/postpartum.

I have been extremely reluctant to write about specific trials I have gone through and in doing that I have been hypocritical. Guest editors have been so forthcoming with trials, emotions, and things they hold dear; I should too. After all, this is MY blog.

In October of 2012 I found out I was pregnant with my little babe, Cecelia Esther. She was our 'unexpected' miracle. I had known for awhile that I was supposed to have her, but I wasn't ready mentally for her. You see her older sister, Alice, was the trial of my husband's and my mental stability. To say she was collicky would be the greatest understatement EVER. For 8-9 hours a day she would scream at the top of her lungs. Non-stop for 3 months. I spent the majority of my day driving and the nights were traded off between my husband and I. Thankfully it was during the Christmas season, national parks were nearby, and we knew/know an awesome chiropractor. So you can understand the nervous breakdown I had when there was the 'possibility' I could've been pregnant when Alice was 10 months old.

From September 2012- October 20, 2012 I had lost 25 pounds from a pregnancy disease I acquired called hyperemesis gravidarum. Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a severe form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. It is generally described as unrelenting, excessive pregnancy-related nausea and/or vomiting that prevents adequate intake of food and fluids. If severe and/or inadequately treated, it is typically associated with: loss of greater than 5% of pre-pregnancy body weight (usually over 10%),dehydration and production of ketones, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic imbalances, and difficulty with daily activities. (see:http://www.helpher.org for additional info and resources)
By October 23, 2012 my Ob/gyn had decided that Cecelia's and my health was in danger, so they sent me immediately to the hospital to get a catheter that would assist my body getting fluids through an IV with a medicine pump 24/7. Happy anniversary to my husband and I. I threw up 60 times that day. He had the best present ever of holding my hair as we drove home. Did I ever tell you how much I love my husband? That friday was my second daughter's first birthday party. I was only able to watch most of the festivities from a chair. After the present portion was over I went home while everyone else played at the pumpkin patch; living vicariously through photos that were text to me.

I missed both my daughters birthdays, family members weddings, thanksgiving (due to being in the hospital for 2weeks), most of Christmas, half of my aunts funeral, and the list goes because I was on bed rest for the entire 9 months. HG was debilitating and horrific. I had to rely on my husband and mother to bathe me, hire a full time nanny to watch my other two kids, had nurses calling me daily for vitals, nurses coming to my home weekly, and visited the hospital bimonthly/monthly. During the last 4 months of my pregnancy my body developed gastroparesis and I was unable to eat normal food, leaving me with juicing as the only means of nutrition. That continues on to this day over a year later.

That pregnancy was emotionally, mentally, and physically grueling. I had no idea what to expect from day to day. Most people didn't understand what I went through on a daily basis. I felt utterly alone. I had my few people to whom I could talk to. Now the reason of this post isn't to express how hellacious the past 20 months have been for me. It's quite the opposite. That trial brought so much beauty into my life in so many different ways.

My marriage: Seeing how loving, supportive, compassionate, and honorable my husband was and still is made me create a deeper love with him at such an early point in our marriage. Let's be honest.... Not even two years into our marriage and I fell apart. That would send most every spouse packing. I saw him take care of me in a way that I didn't know existed. He was the best partner I could've chosen for that battle.

My in-laws: I got to know them at an accelerated rate. My mother-in-law spent countless hours at my home taking care of my children and me. My father-in-law constantly provided my family with whatever he could. Both of them took care of the business so my husband could spend more time with us and still do whenever I have procedures. They were two of the most kind-hearted, loving, upstanding people I have ever met and see where my husband learned from.

My children: I appreciate them so much more that I ever thought imaginable. Now that I am unable to have more children, I find myself savoring the small things that I might've taken for granted otherwise.

My mother: She was with me every step of the way. Washing my hair, watching my kids, preparing food, taking me to hospital visits when my husband was enroute, providing emotional stability when I felt I was losing my mind, and loving me unconditionally.

Last but never least my friends: I saw who were my true friends. The ones that stayed with me in the hospital, visited me at home, pushed me in wheelchairs, loved my family, and loved me when I felt unlovable.

Our fiery trials aren't meant to be quick fixes. We don't all go through the same type of trials for reasons of growth meant for only us. Had that trial been a quick fix, I wouldn't have the relationships I have today nor the perspective I now have.

A trial is a trial

This guest editor post is from one of my oldest friends; 26 years and counting! It's to remind us that in everything there is a choice to be optimistic. Enjoy!

We all go through trials. Some are small and others seem unbearable. Sometimes we have a more negative outlook on life during our trials rather than a positive outlook. I am a pretty optimistic person but sometimes during trials I can get stuck (even if it's for a short period of time) having a negative outlook about the trial I am going through. Like most of us we ask ourselves "Why me?", "Really? Another trial?", "Will this ever end?" , etc. The Lord can and will give us the strength we need to get through our trials. Sometimes we might have to wait for Him but He will always come most of the time it's when we can't bare the trial anymore and we turn to Him for help. Another question I like to ask myself during a trial is "What do I am supposed to learn from this trial?" Sometimes I can't answer that right way but there is something in every trial that will help us grow. They will prepare us for future trials.
Here is a personal experience of little trials that seemed to never end on a road trip I took this past weekend. I was driving from Las Vegas to Utah then to Idaho and then back to Utah in a 2 day span and with a schedule of course. The road trip started out totally fine and then we reach Arizona and the traffic was at a stand still on the highway. We find out the highway was closed due to an accident. We were lucky enough to be by an off ramp and we now were on our way on a detour to Utah. I didn't know how long it was going to take but it added 2 hours to our trip. While we were driving one of the cars in front of us had a license plate cover that said, "Enjoy the Journey" that kept popping in my head the whole trip. We finally get to our destination in Utah drop off my friends and my sister and I start driving to Idaho. It's late at night and we decide we should stop and get a hotel. So I was thinking "Great! We aren't on schedule and I am going to be driving more than I want to the next day." I also was thinking "What else could go wrong?" So we got up the next morning and get on our way to Idaho. When we hit the Idaho boarder the weather becomes BAD! No snow really but the wind was ridiculous! On my way back to Utah I get something stuck in my tire and I have to get out and put a spare on. Luckily some random AMAZING guy stops and asks if he could help! That was truly a blessing! Then I had to drive with my spare on to the next town ( 15 miles away) going no more than 50 mph on the highway. When this happened I was like of course this would happen! I was delayed another 2 hours cause I needed a new tires but where I stopped didn't have the tires I wanted so they had to go to another town to get them. So the trip from Idaho to Utah took me 7 hours instead of the 5 hours it usually does. I was tired due to the lack if sleep I had during the weekend. I honestly said, "I am done!! I hope that is all the delays and detours I have this trip." Then I said, " But I am grateful for my safety!" I finally made it home safely! You might be thinking "Man! Those are little things!" Yes they were but for me it was enough! So later that evening I was thinking about the past 2 days and all the detours, delays and tire problems. And I started comparing my little trials to life. I would like to share that with you. So here it is....Experiences\lessons  from this weekend:
Enjoy the journey. Sometimes we have to take some detours in life but we can always get back on the right path. Also there are bumps in the road that need to be repaired or things need to be replaced and we have the perfect repairman (The Lord) to help patch the holes up. Sometimes our journey can take longer than we plan it to but it's ok cause we will always reach the finish line.
Just remember to Enjoy the Journey!

-Jennifer Glad