Just Be

It had been a bad day, a worse week, and a difficult year in general.  It felt like I was being pummeled by life at every turn, and I had very little energy left to give any of myself with any sort of grace.  Just the night before, I had laid in bed sobbing, "I can't do do this.  I can't do this.  Please help me."  My wells were all dried up and everything in my life felt like absolute drudgery.  After crying myself to sleep,  I woke up and started the day again, mostly because I had no choice.  I felt like a rat on a wheel that couldn't step off because it was just going too fast, and whose legs just kept running with very little brain connection.  I got the kids out the door and began doing my myriad of daily errands and responsibilities, mostly on autopilot, not really fully conscious of where I was going and what I was doing.  Then something remarkable happened.  Remarkable, in the smallest of ways, yet so profound to me.  I was walking up an indoor flight of stairs where at the top, there was very tall, floor to ceiling windows.  As I got to the top step and looked out, everything slowed, almost as if in slow motion.  In front of me was a pristine field of snow with millions of snow flurries coming down, and for an instant, I was sure I could see each snowflake's journey to join it's friends on the blanket below.  I took turns for a while starting at the top of the window and choosing a snowflake to follow, down, down, down to rest on a blanket of crystals.  I smile now, thinking back on it, wondering what the passers by must have thought seeing me transfixed in front of a window, tracing a snowflake's journey down to the ground.  Hopefully, they were too busy to notice me.  I was completely transfixed at the beauty of something so simple and minute as an individual snowflake, and also strangely jealous at the freedom they had to be tossed to and fro in the light wind and that their only responsibility was to be their own individual, beautiful self.  I wanted to be a snowflake, if only for a moment.  And then a whisper came into my mind with very distinct words, "Just Be", it said.  And then I heard it said again, "Just Be."  I thought, "What do you mean, just be?"  The words jolted me back into reality as I pondered their meaning.  I looked out again at the sparkling field and how it represented so many seemingly opposite things:  simple and complex, the weakness of one snowflake, but the strength of an army of snowflakes, how absolutely quiet it was outside, but how blaring the noise of worry was in my head.  I kept saying those words in my head, "Just Be," and slowly, all of my fears, worries, questions, thoughts, and burdens started flowing out of me.  Within a few minutes, I felt light and care free, like the snowflakes were.  I was somehow renewed and energized.  I can't really put it into words even now how or why those words affected me the way they did, or why the vision of the snowflakes falling transformed me like it did, but they were just the words I needed to hear, and just the sight my soul thirsted for,  and they both spoke to my soul and freed me temporarily from the weight of life.  How strange that something that you can't really understand with your mind, can be comprehended fully by your spirit and your heart.  I was so thankful that day that Heavenly Father picked me up, dusted me off, and reminded me that I was loved and remembered, and that everything in my life was going to be just fine.  Since then, nothing much has changed as far as the burdens of life, but when I lose perspective and start feeling like it's too hard and I am overwhelmed, those words come back into my mind along with the vision of the snowflakes falling, and I am made light again.

A Love Note of Sorts

My Dearest Farmington 10th Ward Family,
      I wanted to get up during testimony meeting today and say this, but I knew I'd cry too much and make a fool of myself so I thought I would at least write what I wanted to say.  I have never been in a ward that I love quite as much as you.  You are composed of loving, wise, and strong people, and have accepted and loved our family unconditionally.  You have given me a place to belong, when I never really felt I did before.  You have allowed me to be myself and even loved me for it.  You have taught me and my family and made us feel like we are a part of an extended family.  I appreciate days like today where someone taught an insight in Sunday School that I had never really thought of before, which is my very favorite gift to receive--seeing something in a new and better way.  You give us a safe place to learn and grow, and be vulnerable.  There are times I have been strong while attending, and times I have been broken while attending and you have loved and accepted me all the same.  I have learned so much from many of you.  Your smiles are warm and inclusive every week and you welcome us with open arms.  We feel we have found so many good friends here, and others which we don't know so well, but admire from a distance.  I have even found my own personal Saint in this ward, Saint Teresa who has become a sort of mentor to me.  She has been through more than anyone else I have ever personally met, and has emerged with incredible amounts of grace, dignity, wisdom, and love.  It is people like her that are so Christ-like that make up this ward.  And I thank you so very much.

Love,
Me

Remarkable

Sometimes what's even more inspirational than seeing someone reach great heights, is witnessing someone get up and keep going in spite of hardship.  I was reminded of this truth yesterday when I took my daughter Madison in to get evaluated for learning disabilities.  Her struggles to learn have been pervasive and consistent throughout her whole life.  We have spent countless hours with her for many years, trying to help her learn, many times there has been extreme frustration and tears.  We hesitated getting her tested over the years because we decided that it was best to not place so much emphasis on grades and labeling her and thought that this might call even more attention to her inabilities instead of focusing on her wonderful abilities.  But at her recent request, we decided to go ahead with testing.  The conversation between the psychologist and Madison went something like this:

Doctor:  "It must be really frustrating to put in so much effort and continually not do well on tests.  Do you ever wake up and dread school?"

Madison:  "Sometimes I'm so excited to go to school because of my friends that I wake up extra early!"

Doctor:  "Do you ever feel like giving up when things are so hard for you at school?"

Madison:  "No, I've never thought about giving up."

Doctor:  "How would you rate your happiness with your life?"

Madison:  "A perfect 10."

At this point, the doctor looks over at me and says, "You do realize how remarkable your daughter is, right?  You almost never see a child with learning disabilities like she has that remains happy, hopeful, and well adjusted."

I had to really get ahold of myself in an effort not to tear up at that point.  Madison has watched her older brother get awards and accolades and straight A's her whole life and somehow, she is proud of him and doesn't ever let it get her down.  She has watched her sister skip a grade and her younger brother easily glide through school with minimal effort.  For as proud of Christian as I am for all of his incredibly hard work day in and day out to achieve great things academically, I am equally proud of Madison for her perseverance and positive disposition in the face of difficult obstacles.  And I am reminded once again why I love being a mother so much:  They teach me more than I could ever hope to teach them.  I am so inspired by them.  Even in their imperfections, they are perfect to me.

Parenting Manifesto

I have recently discovered an author named Brene Brown whose thoughts about vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame really resonate with me.  I saw an interview by Oprah with her where she read a parenting manifesto that I LOVED and thought I would share it.  It probably comes closest to mirroring my own beliefs on parenting.

The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto

*Above all else, I want you to know that you are loved and loveable.

*You will learn this from my words and actions—the lessons on love are in how I treat you and how I treat myself.

*I want you to engage with the world from a place of worthiness.

*You will learn that you are worthy of love, belonging, and joy every time you see me practice self-compassion and embrace my own imperfections.

*We will practice courage in our family by showing up, letting ourselves be seen, and honoring vulnerability. We will share our stories of struggle and strength. There will always be room in our home for both.

*We will teach you compassion by practicing compassion with ourselves first; then with each other. We will set and respect boundaries; we will honor hard work, hope, and perseverance. Rest and play will be family values, as well as family practices.

*You will learn accountability and respect by watching me make mistakes and make amends, and by watching how I ask for what I need and talk about how I feel.

*I want you to know joy, so together we will practice gratitude.

*I want you to feel joy, so together we will learn how to be vulnerable.

*When uncertainty and scarcity visit, you will be able to draw from the spirit that is a part of our everyday life.

*Together we will cry and face fear and grief.  I will want to take away your pain, but instead I will sit with you and teach you how to feel it.

*We will laugh and sing and dance and create. We will always have permission to be ourselves with each other.  No matter what, you will always belong here.

*As you begin your Wholehearted journey, the greatest gift that I can give to you is to live and love with my whole heart and to dare greatly.

*I will not teach or love or show you anything perfectly, but I will let you see me, and I will always hold sacred the gift of seeing you. Truly, deeply, seeing you.

Beautiful, isn't it?  I think I'll have to print it up and put it on the door to the garage so my children can see it every day.

I also recently read another parenting strategy that believes that the relationship between the parent and the child is paramount. Of course it is, you may say, but I mean more important than behavior, it is more important than external success, it is more important than “socialization” or education.  In other words, choose nothing over the relationship with your child and that is the most effective way to guide them and have them listen to us and value our desires for them.  Interestingly enough, studies have found that children who love their parents, who feel they can rely upon them and trust them, are the easiest to parent.  I find this fascinating since there are so many auxiliary things that our children may think that we value more than them because of what our actions say about what we truly value.  I'm going to have to think more about this for sure.  And as with every parenting strategy, much easier said than done.

The Full Monty

It was back when Robert was in dental school and I was feeling trapped at home that I got it in my head to take a drawing class.  I wanted to be able to draw beautiful portraits of my children (fanciful thinking) and so I settled on taking a figure drawing class.  I looked over the art school syllabus and found that in some of the class descriptions, there would be nude models.  Well, I thought, I'm definitely going to avoid that so I picked a class that specifically did NOT mention nude models in it's description.  The first day of class, I was nervous because I knew that many in the class would most likely have drawing experience, which I did not have.  There were 6 of us in the class and so we all set up our easels for the front row experience.  The teacher explained the class objectives and then much to my HORROR, introduced the male model who nonchalantly walked in, in his plush white robe and promptly disrobed, dropping it on the floor.  What the WHAT?!  I was red, sweating bullets, averting my eyes, and looking for the nearest exit.  But wait, wouldn't it be offensive for him to disrobe, for me to see him in all his glory, and then saunter on out?  Wouldn't that be like me saying, "I have seen you, taken it ALL in, and find you simply reprehensible."  I pretended to take it all in stride like my classmates, who seemed to think that seeing a stranger stand 6 feet in front of them completely naked was a normal daily occurrence.  Oh but it got worse, much worse my fine readers.  Apparently, we needed to learn to see and then draw the human body in MOVEMENT!  And my, what strange positions the body can take when it wants to.  I will never forget the following week's class model which was a middle aged man with completely flat buns, totally covered in hair like a wooly mammoth, and confidence to spare.  He decided to challenge our drawing abilities by doing a freaking HEADSTAND for the class!!  I'll let your mind explore what a naked wooly mammoth man would look like standing on his head.  The class would intermittently pause so that each of us could observe each other's sketches and that was always the worst.  Mine were the only drawings in the class that completely avoided all private parts.  My classmates would have constructive criticism for me like, "Hmmm.  It looks like you're missing some vital components in your drawing."  Me:  "Yep."  Now you may be wondering what Robert thought about all of this nakedness.  After I had decided that I couldn't possibly leave the small class, perhaps insulting the naked man in front of me, I came home to tell Robert of my art adventures.  Me:  "Funny thing . . . Turns out it is a NUDE drawing class.  Thoughts?  Concerns?"  Robert, rolls his eyes.  "Let me see your sketches."  After seeing that the sketches weren't half bad, and weren't drawings of only male genitalia, he gave his support and approval for me to continue.

A couple of weeks later, we were at dinner with another dental school couple who were even more prude than me, which by now I wasn't so prude because I was fully tainted from what had been a  wonderful experience with nude drawing.  It's actually really hard to learn to draw the human body if you haven't ever really seen much of it.  Anyway, the wife mentions in conversation how she would NEVER allow her child to tour this particular art school for a field trip because she had heard the rumor that nude drawing classes were there and that was just so evil.   I thought about mentioning how we had anatomically correct human body books that our children regularly read, or that we had art books with famous nude sculptures in them that we allowed our children to peruse at home, or perhaps, that I just happened to be taking a class there at that very school, but at Robert's not-so-gentle nudging under the table, I put on my mask of horror and extra high voice and exclaimed with the appropriate disgust, "That's just terrible!"  And "Yes, I wholeheartedly agree with you!"  And I realized that sometimes, lying by omission, is absolutely the right thing to do.

Malala: Fearless

I can't get this girl out of my mind:

In case you haven't heard her story, Malala Yousafazi is a 16 year old education activist from Pakistan. She is known for her activism for rights to education and for women, especially in the Swat Valley, where the Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school.  In early 2009, at the age of 11–12, Yousafzai wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC detailing her life under Taliban rule, their attempts to take control of the valley, and her views on promoting education for girls. The following summer, a New York Times documentary was filmed about her life as the Pakistani military intervened in the region, culminating in the Second Battle of Swat. Yousafzai rose in prominence, giving interviews in print and on television, and she was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize by South African activist Desmond Tutu.  On 9 October 2012, Yousafzai was shot in the head and neck in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunmen while returning home on a school bus.  She has recovered and is now the youngest nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.  Most astonishing, she holds no animosity towards her attackers and only wishes that their children be educated.  She is fearless and full of light, even expressing "I am afraid of no one."  This statement from a girl that was shot in the head twice.  She was 15 at the time of the attack and here is a quote from her description of the day she was targeted and shot:

"The teenage girls chatted to each other and their teachers as the school bus rattled along the country road. Students from a girls’ high school in Swat, they had just finished a term paper, and their joy was evident as they broke into another Pashto song. About a mile outside the city of Mingora, two men flagged down and boarded the bus, one of them pulling out a gun. “Which one of you is Malala Yousafzai?” he demanded. No one spoke—some out of loyalty, others out of fear. But, unconsciously, their eyes turned to Malala. “That’s the one,” the gunman said, looking the 15-year-old girl in the face and pulling the trigger twice, shooting her in the head and neck. He fired twice more, wounding two other girls, and then both men fled the scene."

And here is her bravery in a speech after the attack:

In early September, Malala addressed the United Nations General Assembly.  Her speech was was filled with a tone of determination.

"Dear sisters and brothers," she said, "we realize the importance of light when we see darkness. We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way when we were in Swat, we realized the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns.

"The extremists were and they are afraid of books and pens," she said.

"The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them."

In an interview with The Daily Show, she explained that "Education is the power for women."

When asked about the moment when she realized that the Taliban was making her a target, she explained that her initial reaction was anger. However, it didn't take long for her to understand that you can't fight evil with more evil; you need to be smarter than that.  When asked what she would do if attacked again by a Taliban gunman she replied, 

"I would tell him how important education is and that I would even want education for your children as well," the Pakistani girl said. "That's what I want to tell you, now do what you want."  Just wow.

Education for girls worldwide, I believe is one of the only ways to stop evil government control and endless wars.  In fact, I think education of all people is the answer to most of the world's ills.  I see the hand of God moving through this girl to inspire change, and I am filled with love and awe that people like her exist in this world.

Just Ask

Sometimes life spins out of control
And you feel like you are barely treading water
And you think, it would be so nice if someone would stretch out a hand
But you don't like asking
In fact, you don't know if you even know how
And you falsely think, maybe someone will just notice
But you realize that if you want a different result, you must choose to act differently
So you put on a brave face . . . and Ask
And guess what?  You get what you needed so much,
In fact more than you ever expected
And you realize
I am loved.

About a week ago, I told Robert that I really needed a pick-me-up.  It felt awkward and unnatural, especially since he was equally burdened at the time.  He does so much for me, but lately it seemed like we just divide and conquer and flop down in bed at the end of the day, too exhausted to have any sort of meaningful conversation.  I thought perhaps he would get me flowers, but instead he created this really elaborate romantic scavenger hunt for me.  I got clues via text all day long and small gifts along the way.  He set up a massage for me and got Hunter to babysit and then that evening we had a dinner at the Roof restaurant in Salt Lake which is where he gave me my engagement ring many years back.  It was a breath of fresh air and renewed me so that I could carry on with a lighter load.  I realized that it's okay to ask for what you need, especially from those closest to you.

The beginning of the scavenger hunt

Clever hiding places

Clue under Jazzy's dog bed

A letter in Italian that I had to translate

Our view at dinner

Ashton drew this picture during Conference.  I love it so much.

Christian all dressed up for Homecoming Dance.

a little bit of writing therapy

AN OPEN LETTER TO ANYONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED MY SON’S MELTDOWNS/INABILITY TO FOCUS AND STRONG PERSONALITY

Dear [Teacher/Family Member/Friend/Stranger/Jackass],
I’m sorry my six-year-old son disrupted your…

a) class
b) trip to the grocery store
c) soccer game
d) spiritual experience at church

As you may/may not know, my son may or may not have ADD, some social difficulties, or maybe just A STRONG PERSONALITY. One, or all of these things may affect:

a) how he communicates
b) his ability to pay attention
c) his frustration tolerance
d) his need for personal space
e) his ability to learn from his mistakes
f) all of the above

I’m sure you noticed one or more of these when he couldn't sit still or focus during:

a) school
b) church
c) any and every conversation
d) soccer practice
e) all of the above


I can tell from your comments and/or the way you look at me that you think I’m…

a) too strict
b) too smothering
c) too permissive
d) not spanking enough


I am sorry (or maybe not) that he is not like your child who is:

a) completely lacking in personality
b) boring
c) perfect
d) "normal" (blahhhhh)
e) utterly passive


In the heat of the moment, when you were telling me of your concerns, it was hard to hear your…

a) self-serving psycho babble
b) succinct analysis of my flaws
c) concerns about the future of my child
d) Un-insightful recommendations for dealing with my son, as if I haven't had 4 other children before him


What you fail to realize is that:

a) Every single one of my children has been deemed "not normal" at one time or another and is juuuuust fiiiine thank you very much
b) You think you are an expert on my child, but you are not
c) What you see as "a problem", I see as a potential strength
d) He's probably smarter than you. Already.
e) all of the above


When he told the substitute that, "You're not the boss of me," I was:

a) Maybe a little bit impressed
b) Slightly amused
b) Wondering if questioning authority is sometimes ok and I shouldn't get him in trouble
c) Wondering if it was slightly mean of you to dock him all of his "stars" for the day for saying this
d) all of the above


I’m sorry he turned down your offer of…

a) a hug
b) speaking in front of the class.
c) sitting in a large group on the floor
d) all of the above

He has strong preferences and a very large personal space that needs to be understood and heeded. At only 6 years old, he has a hard time communicating his needs and occasionally strikes out when he doesn't have the words to express himself.


It's hard for me to believe that in your experience:

a) all 6 year olds pay attention for long periods of time
b) all 6 year olds follow directions perfectly
c) all 6 year olds get along with their peers in perfect harmony
d) all 6 year olds are compliant to everything they are told

This has NEVER been my experience with any of my 5 children. hmmmm One of us must be way off in our observations.


Unlike your analysis of my child, I find him:

a) brilliant
b) interesting
c) unique
d) strong
e) possessing great depth
f) all of the above

And I believe in him. He will be truly great. You just watch.

So forgive me if I seem…

a) bitter at your lack of compassion
b) upset at your blanket statements of what "all" and "every other" child his age does that he doesn't
c) exhausted
d) doubtful of your noble intentions
It’s only because I am indeed, ALL OF THE ABOVE


a) Yours truly,

b) Love,

c) So screw you and your ill-informed advice,

(Answer C is correct)

S. Flynn

Art, A Birthday, and a Sunday Fieldtrip

Hunter and his painting of Messi, his soccer idol

Elisabeth turns 9!

Elisabeth and her favorite present

We have decided to take our older children to explore different churches within our community over the next year so that they can see and appreciate other people's religious views.  First stop was Cathedral of the Madeleine, a Catholic church in Salt Lake.  We also mixed this experience with a service project of handing out care packages to the homeless.  It was a wonderfully uplifting Sunday.

We stopped at Temple Square first

This lady was so so thankful to Christian and Madison for their gesture.  She said, "Praise Be to Jesus!"

Cathedral of the Madeleine

Beautiful.

The Evolution of Marriage

I was interested in learning a little more about the history of marriage and was intrigued to find that what we refer to today as "traditional marriage" today, is not the type of traditional marriage that has existed throughout most of time.  And THANK GOODNESS!!  I believe God has worked through various means in bringing about our current understanding of marriage, which at least in Western civilization, is based on love and equality.  However, this has only be prevalent in force for about 50 years or so.  Here is the rundown.

For millennia, marriage was about property and power rather than mutual attraction. It was a way of forging political alliances, sealing business deals, and expanding the family labor force. For many people, marriage was an unavoidable duty. For others, it was a privilege, not a right. Servants, slaves, and paupers were often forbidden to wed, and even among the rich, families sometimes sent a younger child to a nunnery or monastery rather than allow them to marry and break up the family’s landholding.
The redefinition of traditional marriage began about 250 years ago, when Westerners began to allow young people to choose their partners on the basis of love rather than having their marriages arranged to suit the interests of their parents. Then, just 100 years ago, courts and public opinion began to extend that right even to marriages that parents and society disapproved.  In the 1940s and 1950s, many states repealed laws that prevented particular classes of people—including those with tuberculosis and “the feeble-minded”—from marrying. In 1967 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional for states to prohibit interracial marriage. It has only been since 1967 that interracial couples could marry!

For most of history, the subordination of wives to husbands was enforced by law and custom. As late as the 1960s, American legal codes assigned differing marital rights and obligations by gender. The husband was legally responsible for supporting the family financially, but he also got to decide what constituted an adequate level of support, how to dispose of family property, and where the family would live. The wife was legally responsible for providing services in and around the home, but she had no comparable rights to such services.  That is why a husband could sue for loss of consortium if his spouse was killed or incapacitated, but a wife in the same situation could not. And because sex was one of the services expected of a wife, she could not charge her husband with rape.  Until the 1970s, women could not open credit cards in their own names and had no right to decide on the distribution of community property.  It was only recently, between the 1970s and 1990s that most Americans came to view marriage as a relationship between two individuals who were free to organize their partnership on the basis of personal inclination rather than preassigned gender roles. Legal codes were rewritten to be gender neutral, and men’s and women’s activities both at home and work began to converge.  Today, the majority of American children grow up in homes where their parents share breadwinning, housework, and child care. Some couples even decide to reverse traditional gender roles, with the woman becoming the primary breadwinner or the man becoming a stay-at-home dad.

In the Bible, women are historically treated poorly in marriage arrangements as well.  Here is a chart representing marriage in the Bible.  Just as a summary, in case the chart is too small to see, marriage for a woman included accepting her husband's concubines, marrying her rapist after being raped, of course the practice of polygamy, arranged marriages without consent, if a bride couldn't prove her virginity, she was stoned, and women being taken as spoils of war.

So when I hear things like, "Traditional marriage has been around since Adam and Eve,"  I think to myself, "What are they talking about?!"  Because simply put, it hasn't, at least in a way that is understood in our terms today.  I am thankful for the evolution of marriage through time and hope that the rest of the world will evolve to the same understanding of equality and love in marriage as we have.  It's also probably not accurate to espouse the virtues of "traditional marriage" when defending a stance against gay marriage since our understanding of "traditional marriage" has actually only been around for 50 years, not since Adam and Eve, and much of the history of marriage is steeped in inequality for women and those who were poor.

What I am so thankful for is the peace and joy my own marriage has brought me.  My favorite marriage quote is this:

“The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude, and thus they show each other the greatest possible trust. A merging of two people is an impossibility, and where it seems to exist, it is a hemming-in, a mutual consent that robs one party or both parties of their fullest freedom and development. But once the realization is accepted that even between the closest people infinite distances exist, a marvelous living side-by-side can grow up for them, if they succeed in loving the expanse between them, which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other as a whole and before an immense sky.”

–Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

A Mother There

As I have taught Gospel Doctrine over the past 5 months, I have consciously tried to refer to not just Heavenly Father in my lessons, but Heavenly parents, and also our Heavenly Mother.  Robert and I have always done this in our home, but not as much publicly at church until more recently.  I have always felt a little sadness in the fact that even the mention of Heavenly Mother is at times taboo even though I can't think of why it should be.  Just like our belief that on Earth, families function best with 2 parents, our lives would be more blessed and complete with more understanding of the other parent we have in heaven that we hear so little about.  I believe her virtual non existence in history is because of cultural beliefs based in sexism, and nothing more.  I resent the notion that God is somehow "protecting" her from her children because I believe like me, she is strong.  Simple logic refutes the well-intentioned idea that we protect her by hiding her. Surely it makes no sense that children should be denied knowing anything of their mother, talking about her, loving her and honoring her, during the most crucial period of their eternal journey. Doing so with an earthly mother would be unthinkable; how much more so with our Mother in Heaven? I don't believe this is healthy or the way it was ever meant to be and so changing my language to be more inclusive of Heavenly Mother is one way in which I am trying to change the unfortunate taboo that exists around her existence.  An acquaintance recently put this video together of conference references to our Heavenly parents which I was really touched by and I thought I would share it. Most of the references in the video refer to Heavenly parents, not just Heavenly Mother, but it still made me feel better having it all put together and hearing her inclusion so many times in succession.
(The link may not work on iPads or phones)--And yes, the woman in pink who speaks in the video, bugs.

Cali 2013

Our summer trip this year was to Southern California.  We stayed in a small beach city called Dana Point which was about 5 minutes from Laguna Beach.  Every day we explored a different beach; Crescent Bay, Laguna, La Jolla, Salt Creek, and Crystal Cove Beaches.  The weather was mild and gorgeous.  We also went to Legoland for a day and to Los Angeles for a day where we explored the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Wax Museum, and Griffith's Observatory which had great views of the city.  I am happy to say that this was probably the easiest and most pleasant family trip we have ever had because our kids are all getting older.  Robert and I both celebrated our 40th birthdays while we were there also, or as I would rather think of it, our 39 + 1 birthdays!  Now we are all madly getting ready for school to start back up on the 26th.  I think it's safe to say at this point that I made it through summer with my sanity in tact, although there were several VERY close calls.

Me and the kids at Salt Creek Beach

Beautiful Crescent Bay Beach

These two got along well almost the whole time!!

Beautiful Miss M

Exploring the cliffs

My 5 precious people

La Jolla Beach

Lots of sand digging

These two are inseparable.  I love it.

No one was happier to play in the waves than this boy.

Me and my favorite

Legoland 

Ashton's dream come true

Kids in front of the largest Lego model in the world.  Built with over 5 million legos.

Grauman's Chinese Theater where the movie stars leave their handprints and footprints

Wax Museum with Will Smith

Madison and Justin Bieber

Why does ET remind me of my dog?

Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Christian poses with Hugh Jackman's star

Up by the Hollywood sign

Griffith Observatory

View of LA