I'm baaaaaaaack.....

Yep, I'm back....for how long, well, I'm not making any promises - but I am back!

I haven't posted in a long time. Yes, I have been busy, what with the work and the church and the, well, life...but the real reason it's been so long is because I have a tendency to get overwhelmed.


Easily.





I get busy, then things happen that I want to post about, but I don't do it because I want to do it justice, then time goes on and too much has happened and I want to make sure I say something about everything, but then it gets to be too much and I can't do it and I am overwhelmed and so I kind of....give up.



This is not one of my better qualities. I do this with email, too. I get an email from a friend. I want to respond, but I want it to be thoughful and witty, etc. So I put it off. Then, time goes on, I receive more emails....and then it is too overwhelming - so I stop checking my email. As you can imagine, I got overwhelmed with Facebook within the first 10 minutes of opening an account. It's just too much for me.

So, anyway, I have given up on thinking I will go back and write thoughtful posts befitting all the events that have transpired and thoughts I've had since I last posted....I just have to start again, today. With this positive attitude, I am going to devote this post to a few of the things I wanted to address, but didn't. So, here goes!!!

• Happy Birthday, America!!! My dear home and first love. (July 4)

"This is my country, land of my birth. This is my country, grandest on Earth. I pledge thee my allegiance, America, the bold! For this is my country, to have and to hold."



"God bless America, land that I love, Stand beside her, and guide her, through the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam, God bless America, my home sweet home."

• Happy 38th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!!!!! (July 8)

I am who I am because of these two amazing, loving and wonderful people. They have taught me so much....not least importantly that marriage, while hard, is worth it. It has not been easy for them, but they have shown me that some things are worth incredible pain, heartache, work and sacrifice. Marriage is one of those things. It doesn't come easy and it is hard work. But it's worth it. Thank you, Mom and Dad. I love you more than life itself.

• Happy 3rd Birthday, Belle!!!! (July 16)

Isabella Abigail Sharipov. Baby Belle. My beautiful niece. Man, I love this kiddo. She is stubborn and smart and adorable and funny and an incredibly gigantic dork. She is definitely my type of girl.

• Happy Birthday to Me! (July 27)




• 25th Anniversary of my Baptism Day! (July 28)

I can't believe it's been 25 years! I remember my Baptism Day like it was yesterday...my pretty dress, how good and pure I felt, my sisters singing....my baptism remains one of the most amazing, wonderful, beautiful moments of my life. How grateful I am to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

• Happy 5th Birthday, Sadie!!!!! (July 28)

Sadie Danielle Adams. My more-wonderful-and-beautiful-than-she-realizes niece. How I adore this beautiful little girl. She is loud and funny and unique and sensitive. And she loves me. She's the best. I just hope she is able to see that in herself as she grows. How I wish all those I love could see themselves through my eyes....or, better, those of the Savior.

• Happy 5th Birthday, Maya!!!!! (August 29)

Maya Zulfia Sharipov. This kid is special. Despite how crazy smart and grown up she is, I still can't believe she's already 5. I remember holding her the day she was born with tears streaming down my face, completely overcome by the feeling that I already knew her and with the words of Wordsworth going through my head: "Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting; The soul...hath had elsewhere its setting...Not in entire forgetfulness...but trailing clouds of glory do we come From God, who is our home." Maya came, trailing clouds of glory. She's smart and spunky and funny and crazy and energetic and such a character. She's one of a kind and I love her to pieces.

• Happy Birthday, Kim!!!!!! (August 31)

Kim is my dear, dear sister-in-law. She is one of the most amazing people I know. She is beautiful and strong and funny and fun and kind and loving and thoughtful and selfless and creative and talented and just all-around wonderful. She is a great mom and a great sister. I admire her so much and hope to one day be as selfless and kind as she is. I hope she knows how beautiful she is, in every way. I love her so much and I am so glad she is my sister.

• Happy Constitution Day!!!!! (September 17)

"The Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it is founded in the wisdom of God. It is a heavenly banner." - Joseph Smith

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." - John Adams

• Happy Columbus Day!!!! (October 12)

Ahhh, the kick-off to the holiday season (at least in my world)! I love Columbus Day and I honor the man we celebrate.

"Columbus found a world, and had no chart, save one that faith deciphered in the skies." George Santayana

• The Cody Adams Family Visit (October)

My brother, his lovely wife, Ashley and their adorable children, Addie, Thomas and Samuel, came to visit for 2 weeks in October. It was awesome. I loved seeing them and hanging out and just playing and watching the kids dance and play and sing and just be. They made my day every time they gave me a hug, drew me a picture or asked how to spell my name. I loved having them here!!!

• Happy Birthday Cody (28) and Rachel (26)!!!!! (October 21)

Cody is one of my bestest friends in the world and one of the best people I know. He is my little brother, but I have looked up to him since the day he was born. I remember the day he was blessed as a baby, closing my eyes tight and listening to the words of the blessing and just thinking about what an amazing spirit this little guy had. And he does. He is kind and funny and strong and good. He is loyal and loving and thoughtful and sensitive. He works hard and he loves the Lord. He makes everyone laugh and brightens my day every time he calls. I love him more than I could ever say.

Rachel is my baby sister....I can't believe she's 26. It seems like it wasn't that long ago when my older sisters were waking me up early one Sunday morning to tell me I had a new baby sister. I had wanted another baby sister for years. And that's how I think of Rachel - as my little baby sister - crazy and stubborn and independent and mine. She will always be that to me and I will always love her, no matter how far away she is or how old she gets.

• Happy Halloween!!!!! (October 31)






• Happy 18th Birthday, Dylan!!!!!! (November 10)

I can't believe my baby brother - my little pickle-o - is 18. How I wish I could go back in time and hold him a little longer as the adorable little boy with big blue eyes and sticky-outy ears who couldn't say his Rs. How much I wish I would have told him. How much more love I wish I could give him. But, now, he's 18!! So grown up!!

He is incredibly talented and smart and thoughtful and sensitive. I love him. So much. More than he knows.

My wish for him is that he will do good with all the talents he has been blessed with; that he will become who I see in him, that he will seek to use his gifts to be who Heavenly Father wants him to be and do what He would have him do. Because, more than anything, I want my baby brother to be happy. He's had to deal with far too much in his young life, and I want him to have the happiness that comes from knowing who he is and who he is meant to be.

• Happy Veterans Day!!!! (November 11)

"Oh, beautiful for heroes proved, in liberating strife; Who more than self, their country loved, and mercy more than life."

So, anyway, to all my readers (I'm looking at you, Mom and Amber)...I'm back! This is just a quick post to cover the time I've missed in a nutshell.....but stay tuned for further musings in the coming days!!!

july...where did you go?

Is it really July 28?

Where did July go?

Well, I think I'll just give a pictorial answer.

Yep, put some brown pigtails on that bald head and you've pretty much got my summer. Most days I just feel like...well, like this:

The thing is...I always get it (help, that is!). I am truly blessed beyond my capacity to receive. But, still, I am crazy busy right now and have, therefore, been neglecting my little page here. But, I will be back. I've been thinking a lot about pages like this and their power, for good or ill, and I really want to make sure that the one or two people who come across mine (I'm looking at you, Mom and Amber! :)) get nothing but the good....so I think I'm going to be thinking more about what I post.

I do have so much to write about...it's been an eventful month - birthdays, anniversaries, holidays - hooray! I've had a lot to think about and I will be posting and updating as soon as I stop looking like this:

So, the countdown starts now...I have a trial coming up that takes up most all of my time right now...but come the evening of August 27, this will be me:

and, then, well...my 2 or 3 readers will have updates galore!

I know, you can hardly contain your excitement, right?!?!!

Yes, never fear....I'll be back.

Until then....

father's day

"To her the name of father was another name for love."

Fanny Fern

Father's Day. I think Father's Day is all too often ridiculously underrated. Maybe it's because it follows Mother's Day - a day where mothers are celebrated and revered and showered with gifts and flowers and chocolate and praise (and rightly so, of course) - that it kind of feels like an afterthought. I don't know why, but it seems like Father's Day is treated as less important than Mother's Day - but are fathers any less important than our "angel mothers"...are they any less deserving of appreciation? Of course not! But, as I think about it, the fact that Father's Day is kind of an afterthought kind of fits who fathers are. Fathers do not expect recognition or appreciation for being fathers - it's just who they are. They are content, rather, to work hard with little, if any, acknowledgment - their reward the happiness of those they love. Or maybe that's just my dad.

I am fortunate to have some wonderful fathers in my life. I could go on forever about how super-awesome my dad is and how ridiculously blessed I am to have him, but I want to finish this post at some point today, so I have decided to just list a few things I have learned from my dad - 5 lessons that I am thankful for on this Father's Day.

ANY JOB WORTH DOING IS WORTH DOING RIGHT

My dad taught me this from a very young age. My dad has an incredible work ethic - it is one of the things I admire most about him and hope to emulate. When he does any job, he does it right. And when I say any job, I mean ANY job. He brings this same ethic to anything he does - be it his job at work, doing the dishes, ironing clothes, making the bed, playing a game, packing a moving van, or building a snow fort. If dad is doing it, you can trust that it will be done right - he never does anything half-way. If he does the dishes, not only are they spotless, but the sink is scoured and the counters are sparkling. If he is building a snow fort, it's not just a pile of snow haphazardly mushed together - it will be made of perfectly fashioned blocks of snow, packed tight together and then sprayed with water to make an impenetrable ice fortress. My dad taught me to take pride in what I do and to do it right.

JUST BECAUSE YOU GROW UP DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO GROW OLD

I have always had a fear of growing up - I never liked the idea. My wish was the same as my hero, Peter Pan - I wish we'd never have to grow up. I always wanted to be able to fly off to Neverland and stay 8 years old forever. Unfortunately, that's not how life works. We all have to grow up. And that's how it should be. We grow up and take on responsibilities and learn how to take care of ourselves and others - and that's good. But one thing my dad taught me is that growing up doesn't have to mean growing old. He taught me that you are only as old as you are inside. Yes, you have to grow up and get a job and pay bills and do grown up things and behave like a grown up when necessary. But, you never have to lose the child inside. My dad is a grown up - he provides for his family, is respected by everyone and makes million dollar decisions at work. But, he has not grown old. He is a total kid at heart. His body has gotten older and his responsibilities greater, but inside he is still the sweet, fun-loving, good-hearted little boy he's been since long before I knew him. Because of my dad, I know that even though I have to be part of the grown-up world, I don't have to lose the carefree innocence of the little girl I used to be. She will always be who I am and that's okay. I can be a respectable adult without giving up the essence of who I am - the little child inside.

FATHER KNOWS BEST

My dad knows everything. Okay, maybe he doesn't know everything, but he knows just about everything. Seriously, any time I am in a jam or need advice or have a question or need something fixed - I can call my dad and, inevitably, he will know what to do. It's the same with all my siblings. Any time we are talking and don't know the answer to something - anything - we just say "Let's call Dad." I don't know how he knows everything, but he does. I wish I knew his secret.

Mark Twain once said: "When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years." It's true - it's amazing how much dads know, and it's too bad it sometimes takes us so long to figure it out. Many mistakes and hard lessons could be avoided if we'd just listen to Dad in the first place.

Someday I may be proven wrong, I suppose; but, for now, I am going to trust that Father truly does know best. He hasn't led me wrong so far.

FAMILY FIRST

My dad knows what is most important. Family. My dad lives for his family. He never, ever puts himself first. Everything he does is for us. He has always worked harder than anyone I know to make sure we are taken care of. My dad was in the military and would often be gone from us for weeks or months at a time. I believe this was harder on him than it was on us (not that it was fun for us - but at least we had each other). When he was gone, he always made sure to write us letters. These letters are treasures I keep - written with love in my dad's beautiful handwriting - reassuring me that he loved me and was thinking about us every day. My dad never really had any good father figure in his own life as he was growing up - so I never cease to be amazed at what an incredible father he is. I guess he decided that he would make sure we had what he never did. To this day, Dad's greatest joys come from us - his family. No matter how much he has been hurt by those he loves - he never stops loving us and he never gives up on us. I love watching Dad watch us. The happiest I ever see my Dad is when all of us kids are hanging out together, reminiscing and laughing. Sometimes I look over at Dad and just watch him watching us - nothing makes him happier than seeing us happy. My dad, through his words and through his example, has taught us all what is most important.

ALWAYS HONOR THE PRIESTHOOD

My dad has always honored his Priesthood. I have been very fortunate to grow up in a home where I always knew I was safe and I could always count on my dad to lead us with the proper authority. There has never been a time when I have asked for a blessing that my dad has not been able to give me one. These blessings are always exactly what I need and have comforted me, calmed me and guided me throughout my life. Dad rarely remembers what he says and quite often has no idea what questions are on my mind - but the answers always come, and it's always exactly what I need. Because he honors his Priesthood, I have learned to honor it, as well. For this I am forever grateful.

My relationship with my Heavenly Father is one of the most important things in my life. And it's one more thing for which I am grateful to my dad. I have never had a problem understanding the love of my Heavenly Father - a love that expects the best from me, but accepts and loves me even in my weakness; a love that sees me as who I can become, rather than who I am. I have never had a problem developing a relationship with my Heavenly Father and I owe that in large part to the relationship I have with my earthly father. He taught me to love, respect and trust my Heavenly Father, which is an easy and natural extension of the love, respect and trust I have for him. So, thanks, Dad. You will always be my hero. I am one lucky girl.

So, to all the fathers I love....Happy Father's Day!

"Fathers, yours is an eternal calling from which you are never released....a father's calling is eternal, and its importance transcends time. It is a calling for both time and eternity."

Ezra Taft Benson

i pledge allegiance....

"I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink. It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty, and freedom. It is the history of our nation, and it's marked by the blood of those who died defending it."

John Thune


"You're a grand old flag, You're a high flying flag, and forever in peace may you wave. You're the emblem of the land I love, the home of the free and the brave."

George M Cohan


"Our flag means all that our fathers meant in the Revolutionary War. It means all that the Declaration of Independence meant. It means justice. It means liberty. It means happiness.... Every color means liberty. Every thread means liberty. Every star and stripe means liberty."

Henry Ward Beecher




"Off with your hat as the flag goes by, And let the heart have its say;
You're man enough for a tear in your eye That you will not wipe away."

Henry Cuyler Bunner



"I have seen the glories of art and architecture, and mountain and river; I have seen the sunset on the Jungfrau, and the full moon rise over Mont Blanc; but the fairest vision on which these eyes ever looked was the flag of my country in a foreign land. Beautiful as a flower to those who love it, terrible as a meteor to those who hate it, it is the symbol of the power and glory, and the honor, of fifty million Americans."

George Frisbie Hoar



"'Tis the star-spangled banner, oh! long may it wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

Francis Scott Key


Happy Flag Day, everyone.