He's just over 2 months old and HE. IS. PRECIOUS.

Today was a big day for sweet baby K's. He was given a baby blessing at church today. (Just by way of FYI...He's just over 2 months old and HE. IS. PRECIOUS.)

I was doing some pondering on the whole experience today. The focus was K: showering him with blessings/ support from a loving, Heavenly support team--both on Earth and beyond. My parents flew out from California for this. He had tons of family from both extended sides come. And even friends who observe other faith practices chose to join in the reverence and celebration of this experience. You know me, I was pondering all the unique elements of the entire situation. Probably a little over zealous.

The blessing itself was very special. Kind. Full of love. Full of support for K. I loved it. This religious practice is something Jesus Christ did anciently. We can learn more about this practice in Mark 10:16: "And he [Jesus] took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them". In the blessing, people who exercise the Priesthood surround the baby and pronounce the name of the baby and offer a blessing.

Then, just after the name & blessing ordinance, we were able to participate in a Sacrament Service--an ordinance intended to help us re-focus on Jesus Christ, His sacrifice, and the renewal of the covenants we made with God to try to be a little better.

Sounds pretty sacred. It was. And at the same time, consider a three year old (my other nephew) making quirky train noises, poking you in the back, and the two kids in the row ahead of you making the most concerning faces of sibling-ness (presumably about the fairness of situational circumstances). Oh...and right after the Sacrament meeting, we celebrated with a SCRUMPTIOUS lunch filled with fresh fruit (my fave), grilled delicious-ness, and homemade desserts.

AKA, here is my blog thoughts for the day: BALANCE IS KEY. Who are we kidding? The kid scene and the party after the Sacrament meeting were delightful components of the day. At the same time, the focus of the day was Baby K and the sacred ordinances we were celebrating. One without the other wouldn't seem balanced in my opinion. Just celebrating without the ordinance dilutes the value religious observation. And just participating in religious ordinances without any form of community support or acknowledgement also seems a bit diluting to the holistic support of the family/ child.

In summary: sacred living is worth celebrating. <3 nbsp="" p="">

30 to 30

Either you or I did something right and now...here we are. Well gee....we've got a lot of catching up to do. 2 years has past since the last blog post. I'm eating peanut M&Ms and Halo Top ice cream...and my water has a leftover slice of cantaloupe in it. This afternoon, I had some meaningful "ah-ha" moments at church, and I just finished up watching Oprah online coach me through how I can let things go. #sundayzzzz

Here's the thing-- you're actually taking a little sneak peek into my life goals. I know, 2 years is a long time to "take a break" from the ol' bloggerooski life. But hey, a lot has happened. I buttoned up over 5 years of incredible memories in Hayward, California where I got to serve as a Residence Life Coordinator. My contract was about to end and I sought out to find a job before I lost my job. A series of tough, prayerful, wild, "cheers to adventure" choices have led me to Utah. If you ever wanted AAAAALLLL the details on how that came to pass, you best be calling me up and coming over for some peanut M&Ms and cantaloupe water. 

On to what I came here to talk to you about: my 30 to 30. 30 dreams to make come true before I turn 30. One of those dreams is to post 30 times here on the blog. Some of the other things on the 30 to 30 include: milk a cow. smash grapes with my feet. take a cooking class. learn 5 songs on the violin. I've already had some amazing experiences accomplishing some of the things on my list. Life is full of wonderful opportunities. I'm INCREDIBLY excited to see what the next year will bring! 💕

Stay tuned for more updates. 💕 Gotta get back to The Golden Girls. 

Matches the mood.

Well, it's been a minute since I've been here....

This is the song I've been into lately: Elation by Isabells.

It's a happy song. Matches the mood. Mellow. Content.

That's kind of it for now.

popsicles on the front porch

Blogs provide a certain platform for general musings. I like that. There's got to be somewhere for the extra thinking going on.

It's pretty late right now. My 4-page "to do" list (which, I aptly re-named "It's All Good" instead of "to-do") is burning a hole on my desk. It'll all get done. But it's still burning a hole in the desk. Like a hot potato.

Regardless of how long my list is, I somehow found myself here. Musing away. Perhaps this is a procrastination tool.

Life has been tricky.  I haven't had health care for a few months. If you know me, you know that puts me in a panic. Not because I haven't wanted health care, but really because I have been trying to work with Covered California for a very long time to make it happen. After countless phone calls, failed attempts to utilize the chat portal on the main website and dead-end navigation on the website, I finally was able to talk to someone. She promptly refered me to the 1-800 help line number. I think that was my breaking point. I started crying on the phone with her. Bottom line: there is a lot of improvement that needs to happen in the world of public administration. Lots of good people trying to make things better. Right now, there are lots of systems that are a mess. After all of that, I finally got everything sorted out and will have heatlh care soon. My mom taught me a good lesson. I kept wondering why I have to deal with these sorts of speed bumps. She helped me understand that sometimes we go through hard things to hopefully, one day, be part of the solution to make those hard things better in the future.

So....with that, school, work, volunteering, moving and eating about 20 snow cones, my summer has been pretty wild. I appreciate the things Ben Howard includes in his music. Here's his song, "These Waters". I'm not sure what he originally wanted to get across when he sang the song, but I love the lyrics, "Now if you're bolder than the darkness...let these songs be an instrument to cut, oh spaces 'tween the happiness and the hardness"

Pretty beautiful.

So, midst the hard times, here are some happy memories that have emerged from the tail end of summer 2014. (caveat...I have bypassed some of the most incredible Summer 2014 memories including: good ol' American minor league baseball, fireworks, popsicles on the front porch, singing in the car with all the windows rolled down, pushing my toes in the sand at the beach, listening to Grandpa tell me stories, holding my new nephew, laughing on those triple state conference calls with the Harmer crew, and eating incredible food. I was too busy enjoying the summer that I neglected to make time to properly document the occasions).

THIS LADY. She is incredible. I learn SO much from her. She's happy. She's forgiving. She's sassy. 

  

Summer training at work has been awesome. Filled with sunshine, learning, field trips and lots of Heads Up.

My sister is a celebrity. Here she is signing autographs. And if you missed it, here's that awesome commercial one more time. "Does engaged learning make a difference? You do the math" Go ahead...shamelessly show your friends by the water cooler. Let them know you know someone on TV.

I am SO grateful for Kirstine. It's an incredible feeling to have people like her in my life. She is genuine, authentic and wonderfully optimistic. I appreciate her wisdom.

Mermaid princess sans scales

October really rings in one of my favorite seasons: AUTUMN. For better or for worse, change happens quite often in my life. You'll often find me chuckling over the phone with my mother with whimsical laments like: "I don't even try to make my life this random Mom". Change is healthy. Here's a song to listen to while you read: Blackbird. It's what I listened to on repeat while I put together this blog post.

One year at the leadership seminar I volunteer with, EDGE Youth Leadership, we taught the students an important life principle: "If you do what you always did, you'll get what you always got". (Go ahead, read that phrase again 2 or 3 times...it's a bit of a tongue twister). It's true. I suppose that's why I find so much beauty in ocean waves. (That link has about 3 hours of waves...so enjoy that...). I like the consistency of change that waves embody. Always changing. Never the same. Constantly. You can expect an ocean wave to come into the shore, but we don't have, at a glance, the notion how far the wave will stretch, how fast the wave will approach or if it will bring any sea treasures with it. I think that's how I've been feeling lately. All of the very awesome experiences in my life are happening at a constant and very unpredictable rate. Who knows what the change will bring!

In other news, Mckenzie is going to be a princess for Halloween. Out of practicality sake. That was the *adorable* costume selected (and purchased) for her by her grandmother (my mother of course). Too bad Mckenzie wants to be a mermaid. She can be Ariel in the last 5 minutes of The Little Mermaid. That's my suggestion. Mermaid princess sans scales. She's incredible. I love that little one.

Here's what I know for sure: I am doing things I've never done before. I suppose I will render experiences and lessons I have yet to learn. 

The photos below highlight a glimpse into my life as of lately. Enjoy!

 My 2013 pumpkin patch experience. Very different than my 1993 pumpkin patch experience. Wouldn't have it any other way. Mom and I were laughing so hard the whole time.

Note the double peace signs. That must evidently mean double the peace.

 Go Chargers! Go Brennan!

Again....Blackbird.

 Lauren's hipster pumpkin. Chevron is so in right now.

So grateful for these two. Very terrific catch up day!

 What H.A.M. does best: awkward.

Got to see Trish for a little visit!!

We made it rain. Diamonds.

Wiggin'-out with the Bride-to-Be. Britt Britt in San Diego! The button says it all: Team Bride.

 So grateful I got to spend time with Lisa! You could have plopped us in a field with a scarecrow and we would have that scarecrow busting at the seams.

I LOVE MARCENE.

"We grow, grow, steady as the morning"

Ben Howard sums up my life, as of late, in his song, Old Pine. Pretty accurately actually. The chorus goes: 

"We stood
Steady as the stars in the woods
So happy-hearted
And the warmth rang true inside these bones...."

Lately, I feel like I've been recovering from heart surgery. Sure, that seems a little exaggerated. I have no idea what heart surgery feels like. I do know what emotional pain feels like. And that, Charlie, hurts. The past few weeks/months have been a beautiful, healing process that has left me with a deep sense of contentment. Happy isn't always cheery. Happy to me is feeling like my feet (and conscious) are in the right place. 

Something I have learned this month: the sunshine really does appear (eventually). 

My life has been amazing lately. Maybe it's that everyone else's lives are amazing and I get to enjoy watching it all unfold or be a weird part of it. Biggest fan? I'll take it.

For starters, my best friend in the entire world, Lauren, got engaged this weekend!!! WAHOO!! Brennan was one smooth operator. He is so sweet. SO thoughtful. I was the creeper with the camcorder. Yep. Just Lauren, Brennan, Santa Cruz natives and yours truly. I almost asked to borrow a beach towel to wipe up all the sweat on my neck. I was so nervous! There was no need to be nervous really. Everything was perfect. After 7 happy years, they are officially engaged. So so happy. Lots of tears. Happy tears. I am so grateful for Lauren and Brennan. They are family to me. They keep teaching me so much about how to LIVE. 

Erin left for her new big adventure. So excited for her. And grateful for her. She's hilarious. We sent her off with a bottle of La Victoria's Orange Sauce and a smile. She packed up her truck and off she went. No more Hayward for E.P. She is one of the most thoughtful, simple and reasonable people I know. Here's to many more happy memories to come!!
                                                     
Today I was eating my whole wheat pasta with some delicious tomato/herb sauce from Trader Joe's. I decided to watch a TedTalk (as per the recommendation from NetFlix from my recent view of the Steve Jobs documentary...which I watched when I had the flu, and little sleep. Many tears.) Anywho...I flipped around some TedTalks and landed on Jane McGonigal's talk entitled, "The game that can give you 10 extra years". Honestly, wasn't really hooked for most of it. She is a video game developer. Some things I liked. I appreciated some of her arguments about how people need to play more often and work less in an effort to enjoy life. I forced myself to have an open mind while listening. My gut reaction: video games/alternative lives (opposed to reality)= bad. I admit, I had some change of heart by the end. She drew some pretty lovely conclusions about real life (abstractly, from the vantage point of video games).

Que up her talk from 10:45-11:52. She talks about Posttramatic Growth as opposed to Posttramatic Stress. Fascinating to me. Posttramatic Growth! It's beautiful to think about. Psychology Today even covers it in the article titled: The Key to Posttraumatic Growth. The key to Posttramatic Growth, according to author Stephen Joseph, Ph.D., is story telling. And re-creating our stories at that: 

"Through telling new stories that we are able to rebuild our sense of self—to reconstruct an understanding of who we are, our place in the world, and what our expectations of the world are".

So that's just what I plan on doing. New stories. I'm building and constructing me. That's what's going on in my neck of the woods. I have about 1 year left of my Master's Program in Public Administration. I have about 1 year left of serving with some of the most incredible students in the world here in University Housing. I have been on 3 overnight retreats in the past month with work. I've had so many opportunities and experiences. I keep learning and growing. I LOVE the people I get to learn from EVERY day!

Sardines!! 

this is what we get to do...for "work"

RHA takes on the Boardwalk. I love our RHA team!

The Unequivocal H.A.M.

#BaconCupONoodlesBeefJerkyDoritos

A3 Crew. Always on point. "Let's share our favorite song and our favorite bad word..."

Green.

Let's get closer to the cliff. Totally safe.

I suppose that's why Ben Howard really has resonated with me this week. I keep growing. I really feel like I am standing steady and growing.

"We stood
Steady as the stars in the woods
So happy-hearted
And the warmth rang true inside these bones...."

Things are about to get epic.

World. Let me tell you. Things are about to get epic. Loco. El Pollo Loco. Ya dig? Tomorrow I head out to Pennsylvania for a national housing conference. I have the privilege of serving with incredible student leaders. We try to improve the quality of life for about 1,300 people. Probably more, if you think about their families. Well, we're headed out to Pennsylvania to figure out how WE can improve OUR service. I can't tell you how many times I've tried "Yelp!"ing different restaurants or places in the area we are headed to. We'll see what kind of adventures await us!! I think our first adventure will be the flight crossed the United States of America......get ready in-flight movie...we're coming after you.

So, that's this weekend.

Week 2: Nicolio!! McKenz!! + Steph love week!! :) Mi amiga is getting married!! Wahoo!!

Week 3: Move out week (trying to help 1,300 people move out of their apartments over the course of a few days....imagine that. Who knew that could happen on a semi-regular basis?!) + Loads of bitter-sweet goodbyes. Students that have made a difference here will keep on growing and improving their communities in new places. :)

ALSO Week 3: NCYLS!!! Words can't express my gratitude for NCYLS. I love it. It's one of my favorite things. And the actual seminar is like a weekend of magic. So many special people gather for the most incredibly transformational, energizing and inspiring weekend anyone could imagine.

At the end of the day, here's what it's about: figuring out how to love people a little bit more. In a discussion format, six Latter-day Saint women spoke about how we can bring up children in light and truth. Lots was discussed in these short 12 minutes. A woman in her late 70s shared what she thought was important in how we treat children:

"I think that's one of the main things we can make them feel, is what they mean to us. How wonderful they are. And that they are so precious"

Bam. That hit me. Do the people around me understand, and really feel, what they mean to me? Do they understand and feel how wonderful they are? Do they understand and feel how precious they are? If not, what am I doing about it?

I am grateful for the eternal plan that a loving Heavenly Father has provided for ALL of His kids. That plan has helped me understand that we are all His children. His children that He wants to see again someday. I think He misses us. A lot. Maybe that's why it's so important for us to understand and feel that we are loved.

AND for kicks, my best friend is awesome.

We ate the most delicious treats this weekend. She had fresh caramel ice cream. I had some "frescas con crema"...a little strawberries with cream. There is a new mexican ice cream shop down the street from me. I am obsessed. It's DELICIOUS!!! So many fresh flavors!!

here is the memory:

And if you want some more memories....here's been a summary of my life as of lately:

 

Just a normal hike in the forest

RHA Banquet 2013

Area 2 Team!!

 Chick flick night with Mama. A little Roman Holiday, a cozy blanket and warm socks. Nothing beats that!