Hello....ello....ello....ello...........

Sorry for the echo. No, I have not abandoned my blog. But between work, play rehersals, practices, costume fittings, family time, and the little bit of blissful sleep I get, I really haven't had the time, brain power, or energy to be here.

The play will be over near the end of November and hopefully before the Christmas chaos starts, I will be here a little more frequently. I'm still reading you all when I can, and I'm sorry for not being my usual amazing self. :-p

A Love Letter To My Husband

To the man who holds the key to my heart:

If someone would have told me 14 years ago that I would be here, married to you..I would have laughed. Honestly, the summer that we met, the last thing I was looking for was a relationship. But there you were.....tall, handsome, confident. You knew you could have had any girl in town. And yet somehow you chose me.

I'm still not sure how I snagged you. But I'm sure someone else had a hand in it, and I thank Him every day for bringing us together. And if I could go back in time and choose whether or not to marry you again I would.....over and over and over.

Thank you for being you. There is just something about you that I cannot resist. There always was, right from that first night over the pool table. You weren't like the other men, letting me win in the hopes of gaining my affection. You beat me.....badly and repeatedly. You challenged me. You still do.

I’m so proud to call you my husband. It means so much to me to be your wife. I want to thank you so much for loving me. For seeing something in me. For marrying me. For listening to my concerns and working to make our marriage better. For putting up with my moods when I’m dealing with issues.

I love you so very much and am committed to making our marriage last through the eternities. There will always be times when we’re not getting along the best. There will be times that are low on money. There will be trials. That is part of life and God’s plan. But we’ve made it through the stretch that can be the hardest, and now here we are. We've made it. And I love you for it!

Thankful

As (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend is upon us, and even though I have to spend the entire weekend working I’m grateful for many things. Here are a few of them:

Obviously thankful for my hilarious and awesome children, my totally amazing hubs, our good health, a roof over our head and food on our table.

I’m grateful to be living so close to my family. I cherish every moment I can spend with my siblings, nephews, and parents.

I’m thankful that the sun is shining and Mother Nature is showing us the most beautiful display of fall colors.

I’m thankful for the power and inspiration of music, and that my children willingly immerse themselves in it.

I am so very thankful that live in a country where I can be myself, work if I choose, have my own opinions and not live in fear.

I am grateful for my knowledge of the Gospel and for the blessings that have been poured out upon me and my family·

I’m also very grateful that right now I can go give my kids a big hug and tell them I love them. That they say it back to me and squeeze me, too, makes everything perfect.

What are you grateful for today?

Live in Your Season

My friend Megan left her professional life after her oldest child was born.
She told me once that she used to worry about it.

"Will I ever get back in the game? Will I excel again? Will I be a success?"

On one occasion when she was fretting about it, her mentor told her to “live in her season.”
“Now is your season of motherhood,” she said. “There will be plenty of time later for you to focus on your career.”

I think about that a lot… about living in my season.

I haven’t been particularly focused on my career since I became a mother.
Consequently, I’m not winning any awards for my innovation or influence in my field.

Instead, I’m doing what I can at fourty hours a week, and at the same time prioritizing family life in general.

As a result, I've established a good work – life balance.

That feels important... and worth it.

But sometimes I still have moments where I worry that I should be trying harder professionally.
In those moments I try to remind myself...

"Live in your season, friend."

Now is my season of motherhood.