Life is hard…

But it can still be awesome.

Welcome to my corner of the internet, where I write about all of it—the hard, the messy, the devastating, and the inspirational.

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The wrong side of history

Wherever there is discord or contention, you can usually find someone warning (or holding a sign) about being on the wrong side of history. I think it is meant to be a persuasive tactic to change minds or opinions.

I find it absolutely ridiculous for a couple of reasons.

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Tennis Matches

Years ago, Brian and I decided to go play tennis.

In my mind, it seemed like it would be a fun thing to do together. I had never played tennis before. Not really. I had barely stepped on a tennis court. Brian did say he had some lessons as a kid, but I had never seen him play.

It was going to be great.

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Scrambled

My youngest son got a Rubik’s Cube a few weeks ago. He was so happy and carried it everywhere. After a couple of days, I noticed that he never really mixed up the cube. He’d move a few things here or there, but only enough that he could easily solve it again. On the third day, I asked him if I could scramble it. He handed me the cube.

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Speaking Up

I think my family chokes down some laughs when people learn I am a life coach. I’m almost positive I see a few rolled eyes.

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Practice makes Progress

I do hot workouts. Not hot like sexy—but I literally work out in 125-degree saunas. It’s hard and intense, and I love it. I’ve been doing this kind of workout for a year. Well, when my shoulder started hurting, I stopped going to the gym. I haven’t been consistent for the past few months.

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Worse before it gets better

Monday afternoon I went to Brian’s office and had him give me a PRP shot. PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma, and it has been shown to produce collagen and growth factors, which promote stem cells and leads to faster healing. Sign me up! I’m all in for fixing my very painful right shoulder.

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The Truth

I’m pretty honest. Probably too honest, if you asked around.

Regardless, I’ll keep it real.

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Plans

The week after Christmas we packed ourselves into the car and started driving to Utah. That drive is never fun, but winter adds a whole new element of excitement. We’ve hit a deer (well, I hit the deer), driven through snow and icy roads, and even plowed through blizzards that were blinding. This year was one of the bad ones and not just because of the weather.

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Seeing the Good

Taking care of eyeglasses sounds pretty easy, but for my nine-year-old son, sometimes the task seems impossible.

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Vulnerability

I go to church every week.

I have responsibilities and things that I am asked to do. Occasionally, I get asked to be a substitute to teach a class. This happened a few years ago, and it was almost the worst experience of my life.

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Trust yourself

Long ago, when I lived in LA, I was a regular patron of the YMCA. I loved the group exercise classes. My favorite classes were the ones with tons of choreography and complicated moves—it felt like I was dancing again. As we learned a new combination, I noticed two different groups. One group never took their eyes off the instructor. Spinning, turning—the moves didn’t matter.

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Driving through tornadoes

I was driving my mom to the airport in Texas. The weather forecast was for thunderstorms and possible tornados.

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Christmas mayhem

“Are you ready for Christmas?”

I’ve been asked this question a thousand times this week. Well, maybe not quite a thousand, but it’s a lot.

Here is the answer:

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Mountains

It was early fall in Utah, and the weather was still warm. Brian and I had plans to hike Mount Timpanogos with some friends. I was pregnant, about 10 weeks along, and no one knew besides the two of us. I’d never hiked this particular mountain but had heard it was difficult. Undaunted, we woke up early and started hiking.

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Priorities

In the 1990s, a linebacker named Rob Morris played football for BYU. He was an awesome athlete and very fun to watch. He became known as Freight Train Morris. At one particular game, BYU passed out wooden train whistles. We were told to blow into the whistles every time he tackled another player.

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Better Questions

What’s in it for me?

How will this benefit me?

Who is helping me out?

What do I get out of this?

Have you found yourself asking these questions before?

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Expect the unexpected

More often than not, Thanksgiving has been an exciting holiday. It doesn’t happen every year, but I have come to expect the unexpected during this week.

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Busy

The holidays are upon me like waves in the ocean, one after the other. Typically, this is the time of the year when I get incredibly busy.

So, sooooo busy.

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Circles

I found a cross stitch pattern of The Nutcracker three years ago, and I was in love. ❤️❤️❤️ I purchased the pattern, and the supplies, and couldn’t wait to get started. Initially, I was so motivated and planned to get it done in a matter of weeks. Well, weeks turned into more weeks, Christmas came and went, and I quickly tucked that unfinished project away. But don’t fret—another project soon piqued my interest, and I was hooked. AGAIN!

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