40 by 40 #33: Eat a Kouing Aman from Les Madeleines

While this was also over 2 years ago, it was a glorious day worth remembering. I had heard so many tales of the Kouing Aman, a flaky Breton pastry not commonly found in bakeries and patisseries. It was even featured on The Great British Baking Show, which only increased my desire to sample this confection. Lucky for me, Les Madeleines, a bakery in downtown SLC, bakes them on the daily. I popped on over with some friends during a delightful afternoon downtown (back when we could have delightful afternoons with friends downtown...).

Friends. This pastry absolutely lived up to every bit of hype I have heard about it. It was flaky, oh so flaky, with oodles of delicious buttery layers. It was sweet but not too sweet, with a delightful crunch. Oh, it was good. If you find yourself in the neighborhood of 500 S and 200 E, definitely stop by Les Madeleines and get one for yourself. In fact, buy a second one for me. I'll venmo you.

40 by 40 #33: Eat a kouing aman from Les Madeleines: ☑

40 by 40 #31: Eat Creme Brulee

Yet another challenge I completed long ago. (PS, I am always up for "challenges" that involve dessert. That's the kind of work I am willing to do.) The photo of this passion fruit creme brulee was taken shortly before it was eaten on my birthday...in 2018. It was delicious, smooth, and sweet. A great little birthday treat.

40 by 40 #31: Eat creme brulee: ☑

40 by 40 #29: Read a Sherlock Holmes Mystery.

It's been a while since I completed this task. I created a blog post for it in July 2019, but then never wrote anything in it. Whoops! 

 For this challenge I selected the Hound of the Baskervilles. It seemed to me that this was an iconic Sherlock Holmes story, being made into over 20 film and television adaptations (including every 90s child's favorite, Wishbone). I was surprised to discover it is one of only 4 Sherlock Holmes novels, most of the famous detective's adventures being in the short story form. 

It's been a while now since I've read it, but I remember I read it in the month of October, and I felt that was a marvelous choice. It had plenty of suspense and mystery, and moved fairly quickly, despite being written over 100 years ago. It would make a great Halloween read if you are still looking for something to spook you this week.

40 by 40 #29: Read a Sherlock Holmes mystery: ☑

40 by 40 #32: Eat a macaron.

 It feels a little funny now that I made this a goal. I had never eaten a macaron when I made the goal, but I've eaten a whole bunch of them now (and not even in one sitting!).I have had some from Costco, some homemade by friends, and even a giant pistachio flavored one in Amboise, France (pictured below). They are tasty, sure, but I don't know that they are worth all the fuss. It takes a lot of practice and work to make them, which consequently makes them expensive to purchase, and it turns out I'm not all about that life. So I think I will enjoy indulging from time to time, but I'm certainly not going to become a macaron connoisseur.

40 by 40 #32: Eat a macaron: ☑

Julia's Favorite Things

Because it was Julia's birthday, I took some time to ask her what her favorite things are. It kind of gets into the weeds at the end, but we were having fun, and listen, we need fun things to fill our time these days! Here's the list:

• Favorite Color: turquoise/aqua
• Favorite Meal:  crepes
• Favorite Dessert: chocolate peanut butter ice cream
• Favorite Song: We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel
• Favorite TV Show: Gravity Falls
• Favorite Movie: all Muppet movies
• Favorite Book: Mistborn Secret History
• Favorite Character: Eldon, the tiny wizard (from her latest Dungeons and Dragons campaign)
• Favorite Book Character: Wayne from Alloy of Law
• Favorite Restaurant: Colonial Cafe in Illinois
• Favorite Season: spring
• Favorite Hobby: reading
• Favorite Animal: tortoises
• Favorite Magical Animal: rocs (I had no idea that was a thing)
• Favorite Game: D&D
• Favorite Holiday: Pi(e) Day
• Favorite Weapon of Choice: sword
• Favorite Number: 16
• Favorite Candy: Peanut Butter M&Ms
• Favorite Way to Eat Eggs: None, I don't like eggs
• Favorite Possession: D&D dice
• Favorite Quote: "You've gotta flaunt the weird, my friends." -Alex Firero, Magnus Chase
• Favorite Mode of Transportation: flying
• Favorite Vehicle: bike
• Favorite Muppet: Miss Piggy
• Favorite Lego Character: Birch (who the heck is that?)
• Favorite Stuffed Animal: Jeffy, the giant stuffed giraffe
• Favorite Pokemon: Eevee
• Favorite Harry Potter Book: #3, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Favorite Harry Potter Character: Luna Lovegood
• Favorite Six Minutes Character: Birdie

40 by 40 #15: Go to a Classical Music Concert

 My lovely sister-in-law Suzanne offered a birthday present of epic proportions: a ticket to see Beethoven's 9th Symphony performed by the Utah Symphony, and a check mark for my 40 by 40 list. Obviously, I jumped at the opportunity.

Beethoven's 9th, aka, Ode to Joy, is one of the most glorious works of music ever written. To listen to it is to love it. To hear it performed live is to understand the power of music. I hadn't ever experienced this until September 22, 2018, and I am still in awe of how much better it is live. I definitely cried. Just thinking about it now, over a year later, I get chills. What a moving experience, never to be forgotten.

 40 by 40 #15: Go to a  Classical Music Concert: 🗹

40 by 40 #1: Run a 5K. (The whole time. No walking.)

To be honest, I'm not sure why I included this one. I have never liked running. And yet it called to me, like a siren, the idea of being able to run for 5 kilometers, without stopping to catch my breath. So I started training in January 2018. I did a Couch to 5K program, which got me ever so slowly up to running 3.1 miles without stopping. It took quite a while, but I did it. But this goal was meant to be met by running a race, and it turns out I didn't do a race for nearly a year.

Finally, in April 2019, I ran the Rex Lee Run, a race near and dear to my heart. Back in my college days, I worked as a secretary (THE secretary) for the Cancer Research Center. As such, I worked closely with the student-run Cancer Awareness Group, who was responsible for the race. I helped organize t-shirts, medals, race routes, registration...basically I wasn't in charge but had my fingers in a lot of pies. So it's been a race that I have continued to follow and participate in, even when I'm not a runner, and even when we have lived far away. I didn't really run, but I walked in the race multiple times. Even when we lived in St George, we often came up for the race. The specifics are fuzzy, but I know I've walked while pregnant (cause I couldn't figure out where to put the bib), and I know I've pushed a stroller (that could have been the same year...). Anyway, the point is, the Rex Lee Run and I have a history. So completing this goal by running this race was extra-special. They also changed the course, making it run right through the middle of campus, which brought back all the memories of running to class and studying on the quad. Basically, this race was full of nostalgia and victory, and that is a killer combination.

40 by 40 #1: Run a 5K. (The whole time. No walking.): 🗹

The New Testament of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

This year's scripture study focused on the New Testament, individually, as a family, and as a church.  I read each week's assigned reading on my own and again with my family. Then we talked about it as a family, and again at church in our classes. You might say we were immersed in that book of scripture. And I am here to tell you that it was a truly sacred experience.

I've read the New Testament before. Multiple times. Especially the Gospels. I went into the year feeling like I was pretty familiar with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and I don't feel like that perception was off. Reading the Gospels I didn't feel like I had any truly new insight, but I absolutely loved reading it with my daughters and sharing my thoughts, insights, and feelings with them. I was so grateful for "Family Home Church," as we call it, and the opportunity to bear testimony and have gospel discussions in our home. Not that we couldn't have done that before this year, but something about being given a specific directive made it happen. I loved reading and discussing the life of our Savior and Exemplar, Jesus Christ. It renewed my desire to become more like him.

But then there was the rest of the New Testament, Acts through Revelation. I know I've read it all before, but some of those stories seemed brand new to me! Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch! Ananias welcoming Saul/Paul into the church! Peter's crazy dream about taking the gospel to the Gentiles! Philemon and Onesimus! There is so much goodness and love and brotherhood to be found in these books, and I had somehow either missed it or forgotten it. But this year, these stories were emblazoned on my heart and mind, never to be forgotten. I will admit, the book of Revelation is still somewhat of a mystery to me (so we ended on a bit of a low note), but the rest of these writings were inspirational and uplifting and wonderful. Shout out to Thomas A. Wayment for his translation that helped when the Old English was less clear, and my friends (ha, I wish they were my friends) at Don't Miss This for their weekly videos to bring even more clarity.

We commemorated our completion of the New Testament with a bearing of testimony, and I'll never forget hearing my girls talk about their love of Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for that book of scripture, and for the experiences we had this year in studying it. It takes effort to make the time for daily scripture study as a family (and some days we were less faithful than others), but it has been so worth it for us to experience spiritual growth together.

On to the Book of Mormon!

Christmas Eve Rumination

This holiday season has been a little rough. Not only have we had regular life swirling around us, with the violin lessons and play rehearsals and work and school and church callings, but then we've added in Christmas traditions and parties and performances. On top of it all, I got pretty sick on December 10th. To say I never get sick would be false, but generally I get a cold or a stomach bug that passes pretty quickly. I rarely get sick like I did this month: sore throat, fever, chills, achy muscles, headache, cough. I was sick enough to miss a day of work, and then I lost my voice which made more an exciting few days in the library (it's hard to read books to kids when you can't talk). Even up until the 20th I was feeling pretty miserable. I also managed to develop pink eye, because of course I did.

This is all to say: I spent most of the Christmas season feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

I so enjoy Christmas. I enjoy the cozy feeling of love and peace that settles over me as I sit and look at the tree, or sing Christmas carols, or read scriptures with my family. I was too tired to sit and not sleep, had no voice for singing, and while we did read scriptures, it felt like a chore to talk about what we were reading. It felt like a chore to stay awake, for heaven's sake. Not to mention, when you're sick, a lot of other things fall to the wayside, like making meals and doing dishes. Christmas is a time of great food and I had no appetite!

This morning, Christmas Eve, I woke up at 5:30am, after dreaming that we were at the airport and my purse went through security, but I was being driven across the airport. (I rarely travel, and yet I have the worst airport dreams all.the.time.) I figured since I was up, I might as well take a few minutes to pray, and to listen. (I often get the words out, but don't often sit and listen for a response. I'm working on it.) I prayed to feel more of that Christmas joy that I'd been missing this year.

Immediately I thought of one of the songs my ward choir sang this year, Come Lord Jesus. It's a song I had never heard before (I guess it's from Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection), but the words went straight to my soul and filled me with that joy and hope that had been missing:

1. Come, Lord Jesus, to the manger;

May we see thy tender face?

Great Creator, here a stranger,

Infant in this humble place.

Darkness scatter, morning swell;

Come, dear Lord Immanuel.

Come, Lord Jesus, to the manger;

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

2. Come, Lord Jesus, to the wounded,

Broken heart and bended knee.

Worthy Lamb, thy love unbounded,

Bid our souls to rest in Thee.

Come in glory to the earth;

Come to us to rule and reign.

Ready us to kneel and greet thee;

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

3. Come, Lord Jesus, great Redeemer,

Light of morning from the East.

We will be Thy children ever;

Dry our tears, all weeping cease!

Come in glory to the earth;

Come to us to rule and reign.

Ready us to kneel and greet thee;

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

I mean, isn't that just beautiful? Our Savior came to scatter darkness, to dry our tears, to give us hope! This, right here, is what it's all about, not just Christmas but LIFE. 

That peace and joy I feel every Christmas did come, just a little late in the season. Now I feel ready for the holiday, ready to spread love and peace and hope and joy. Ready to welcome Him into my home and into my life. Come, Lord Jesus, come!  

40 by 40 #10: Go to Music and the Spoken Word

I lived in Salt Lake City for the first 18 years of my life.  Then I moved all the way to Provo for the next 4 years.  I spent another year in Salt Lake, and another 2 years in Provo.  That's 25 years.  After that, we lived in St George, and visited the Salt Lake area on a regular basis.  Once we moved to the Midwest we spent less time here, but we still made the trek back once a year.  And now I've lived in the Salt Lake Valley for 2 years.  And you know how many times I went to Music and the Spoken Word?  Once.  One time.  That's it.  All those years, all that time living in Salt Lake, and I only went once.  So I slapped it on my 40 by 40 list.

And then my awesome friend Larrie saw my list, and said she would go with me.  This by itself would be a wonderful thing, because it's always better to have company, and especially someone like Larrie.  But even better: Larrie's mom is the Concertmaster of Orchestra at Temple Square!  So we got to sit up close, like 3rd row close.  I don't think I've ever even walked up that close in the conference center, let alone sat there!  It was magical.  The music was beautiful, the spoken word was uplifting, and it was a wonderful addition to my Sabbath day worship. 

It's been almost a year since we went, and now I kind of want to go again.  Maybe take my kids so they don't repeat my mistakes.

40 by 40 #10: Go to Music and the Spoken Word: 🗹

40 by 40 #5: Go Paddleboarding

Last summer, I decided we were going to make this paddleboarding thing happen.  We live close to a lake, and thanks to our HOA we have access to a number of kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards that we can take on the lake, for FREE!  I love free!  So we headed to the lake to check this one off my list.

I think the first day, we had an old guy doling out the boats, who said it was too windy for a first-timer.  We were sad, but we took a kayak out instead, understanding how wind could make things more difficult.  The next time we went, we had someone I'll call Doofus.  Doofus seemed to be completely annoyed that we were there, making him get up from his cozy chair to get a paddleboard out.  Getting the boats and boards out doesn't seem that hard, so I couldn't figure out what his problem was.  When we first approached, he explained that he had heard thunder, and we had to go an hour without thunder before we could go on the lake.  This was fine, we went home, and came back an hour later (during which we distinctly heard no thunder).  Neither had Doofus.  But he said nope, no paddelboards, but he'd be happy to give us a kayak.  We explained that we didn't want a kayak, we wanted a paddleboard.  He nodded, and went to get a kayak.  We again explained that we didn't want to go kayaking, and he basically indicated that he wouldn't be letting us use the paddleboards today.  No explanation, not even a fake one.  So we left.  Clark sent a strongly worded email to the HOA (which he received no response on).  I was not impressed.

We went back a few days later, Doofus was there again.  His attitude remained the same, but he reluctantly got out a couple of paddleboards and let us on the lake.  To this day I have no idea what his problem was, but I have thankfully not seen him since then.

ANYWAY.  The paddleboarding itself was awesome!  It was much harder than I thought it would be, but in a good way.  Clark and I both paddled out while kneeling, then stood up after a lot of effort (and a little confusion, how are you supposed to stand up without tipping over? I still don't know exactly how that happened...), and made our way around the lake.  It was great!

I didn't get a picture of this activity because, hello, my phone would go right into the lake.  Plus, I had to use all my appendages (and my core) just to stay on the board.  But trust me, it happened, and it was fabulous.

40 by 40 #5: Go paddleboarding: 🗹

40 by 40 #35: Eat Pie From Burr Trail Grill in Boulder, UT

I'm pretty sure you all know how I feel about pie. I might just be a tiny bit obsessed. Someone shared with me a list of the best place in each state to get some pie, which is when I first heard of Burr Trail Grill.  I said to myself, "Um, there's no way this restaurant in the middle of nowhere is the best pie in Utah." But then I heard it straight from someone who had been there that it was, in fact, amazing. Thus began my quest to get to Boulder. 

Where is Boulder, UT, you ask? Well, it's close to nothing in the middle of nowhere. When we planned that trip to Capitol Reef, I noticed that Boulder, UT was only 53 minutes away, which is the closest I'll ever be, and so I made it priority to get. that. pie. The rest of my family thought I was crazy to want to go so far out of the way for a piece of pie, but I insisted.  And let me tell you, none of them thought I was crazy after they tasted this pie. 

I got the peach, since peach is my favorite. Oh my heavens, it was fantastic.  The crust was so flaky, the peaches were so sweet and delicious...it was most definitely worth the drive. I don't know when I'll be back, but I plan to be back.

40 by 40 #35: Eat pie from Burr Trail Grill in Boudler, UT: 🗹

40 by 40 #25: Visit Capitol Reef

 Last summer (August 2018) we headed down to Capitol Reef with my extended family for a little vacation.  Clark had to stay behind because he started working (happy day!), but the rest of us had a great time.  We camped in a tent (a first for the girls), went hiking, saw petroglyphs, and even harvested some fruit from the orchards in Fruita.  I had never been to Capitol Reef before, and it was amazing!  All that glorious red rock that I love so well, but without all the crowds you find at Arches and Zion.  We really need to go back, with Clark this time!

 40 by 40 #25: Visit Capitol Reef: 🗹

40 by 40 #40: Go to Gilgal Gardens

  

For our anniversary last year (2018) we took an excursion into town and stopped at Gilgal Gardens.  Because nothing says true love like a jaunt through a weird sculpture garden!

But I jest.  Gilgal Gardens has a reputation of being a weird place, but I actually really enjoyed our time there.  It helped that we had a pamphlet to guide us, giving us insight into the symbolism behind all the sculptures.  It was really quite beautiful, even the Joseph Smith sphynx.

But one of my favorites was this one, the swords and spears changed into plowshares and pruninghooks.  Possibly because the scripture this is based on (Isaiah 2:4) is one I find to incredibly hopeful: "And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."  I can't wait for that day.

Plus, we saw the Face of Boe, so....

40 by 40 #40: Go to Gilgal Gardens: 🗹

40 by 40 #39: Make Homemade Pop Tarts

 A handful of years ago (ok, maybe more than a handful...Like 6 or 7?  How much is a handful, anyway?) I was into making things from scratch.  I was trying really hard to avoid prepackaged foods, partly from a health perspective, but also to save a little cash wherever I could.  Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I have gotten away from that.  Sometimes it's nice to create things from scratch, but sometimes you just need to BUY THE DANG GRAHAM CRACKERS, HOLY SMOKES, WHO HAS TIME TO MAKE HOMEMADE GRAHAM CRACKERS?

Ahem.  Anyway.  During this phase, I pinned a recipe (on pinterest) for homemade pop tarts, which sounded highly intriguing.  I love a good pop tart (they are basically breakfast pie), so I thought making them myself would be kind of fun.  But that recipe sat there on my "Recipes to Try" board for years, through the passing of my "All Homemade All The Time" phase,  into my "I Have No Time For Anything" phase, and finally into my "Oh, I Have Time Again, And Oodles Of It" phase.  (Having kids in school all day is kind of the best.) (Also the worst.  But that's a blog post for another day.)  It had been sitting there for so long, that I decided to slap it on my 40 by 40 list to finally make it happen.  (If it's on a list, then I have to cross it off.  I'm a crazy person.  It's fine.)  (I also love parentheses way too much.)

This is all to say, I finally made some homemade pop tarts back in April, and I loved them.  They were kind of a lot of work, and they didn't taste anything like store-bought pop tarts, but they were flaky and sweet and delicious.  Would I make them again?  Maybe.  But certainly not on the regular.  My pants barely fit as it is.

I even took a couple pictures, amazingly enough!  Don't mind the general mess in the background.  That's what my counters always look like.  We dump everything there.  I don't even see the clutter anymore.

In case you were curious, I used this recipe.  And I went with cinnamon sugar, because it's my favorite kind.  And maybe the fact that it looked the easiest played a small part.  Maybe.

40 by 40

Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for: my official 40 by 40 list.

I've separated these tasks into 8 categories because have you ever tried to make a list of 40 things you want to do?  It's madness.  But if you have a specific category, and you only have to think of 5 things for that category, it's much more manageable.

Some of these things are things I've never done.  Some are things I want to do again.  Some of them might not make a lot of sense to you right now so you'll just have to wait for the write up after I finish them.  But I think this is a feasible list for where I am in life right now.  Obviously I'd love to put "Travel through Europe for 6 weeks" or "Hike the entire Appalachian Trail" on here, but those things aren't really within my reach.  I decided to focus on things that are very possible for me to do in the next 3 years and 8 months.  I may or may not finish them all, but dang it, I'm going to try!  Let me know if you'd like to join me on any of these adventures :)

Physical

1. Run a 5K.  (The whole time.  No walking)
2. Hike a mountain peak.
3. Go snowshoeing.
4. Hike the Fairyland Loop at Bryce Canyon National Park.
5. Go paddleboarding.

Spiritual


6. Visit all the temples in Utah.
7. Read all the standard works again.
8. Finish reading and help scan my grandparents' letters from WWII.
9. Read At the Pulpit: 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-Day Saint Women by Jennifer Reeder
10. Go to Music and the Spoken Word.

Musical

11. Write a hymn.
12. Learn the basics of playing the violin.
13. Perform somewhere with the Blockburger Family Band.
14. See an opera.
15. Go to a classical music concert.

Creative

16. Create some map artwork displaying all the places we've lived.
17. Create a Cherries Virtue recipe.
18. Make pajama pants for the family.
19. Make a new wreath for my front door.
20. Learn to make paper flowers.

Places to Go

21. Take my kids to Yellowstone.
22. Visit Yosemite.
23. See the Spiral Jetty.
24. Visit Canyonlands.
25. Visit Capitol Reef.

Things to Read

26. Finish reading 1776.
27. Finish reading all the Chronicles of Narnia.
28. Read North and South by Elizabeth Gaskill.
29. Read a Sherlock Holmes mystery.
30. Read a book of Emily Dickinson poems.

Things to Eat

31. Eat creme brulee.
32. Eat a macaron.
33. Eat a Kouing Aman from Les Madeleines.
34. Eat a Doner (Doener? I need an umlaut!) kebab.
35. Eat pie from Burr Trail Grill in Boulder, UT.


Other

36. See a play.
37. Finish my denim quilt.
38. Write a short story.
39. Make homemade pop tarts.
40. Go to Gilgal Garden.

Looking Forward to 2018

I sat down on January 1st and thought about what I hoped the coming year would bring.  I had a few ideas on some things I wanted to make happen, resolutions if you will, but they seemed a little too big to complete in one year.  Then I looked back at my list of 2017 resolutions, and felt a bit of chagrin that 30 by 30 ended up being 30 by 36.  Then I realized that 36 is not that far from 40, and well...instead of creating a list of resolutions for 2018, I put together my 40 by 40 list. 

I'm going to create a separate post for the actual list (to make it easier for me to find when I want to reference it), but know that most of my "resolutions" for this year will be to work on that list.  However I've also been thinking of all the things I hope will happen in 2018, and here's what I've come up with.

I hope our little family is in a different situation next January.  I hope Clark has a job, we have a home, and we feel settled.  I hope we remain in the Wasatch Front, where we can attend all the family events, from Sunday dinners and birthday parties to baby blessings and weddings and everything in between.  I hope my girls find themselves at a school they love with friendships that can last for years.  I hope we spend a lot of time in the mountains, in all seasons.  I hope can meet new friends and reconnect with old ones.  I hope I can offer a little more compassion to those who cross my path, and I hope I can send a little more kindness out into the world to ease the pain and suffering that is everywhere.

Here's hoping, 2018.  Be kind to us all.

Remembering 2017

I don't post much on this old blog anymore, but I have been quite consistent with at least one post in January detailing resolutions, old and new.  Can't break tradition now!  So here is my look back on 2017.

I had a nice little list of resolutions for the year.  Let's pull that up:

• Find a family name to take to the temple.
• Learn to play all the hymns on the organ. 
• Learn to play a new song on the guitar.
• Walk 500 miles.  This time, for real.
• Read 14,000 pages.  (Yikes, that's a big number.)
• Pray more often and more fervently.
• Read the Book of Mormon as a family
• Go on dates with each of the girls.

And now, let's go through each item.

• Find a family name to take to the temple.
• Learn to play all the hymns on the organ. 
• Learn to play a new song on the guitar.

The first three items on the list were part of my 30 by 30 project.  I'm so pleased to report that I completed those three tasks, thus finished the entire list!  I wrote about taking a family name to the temple here, but apparently I never blogged about learning a new song on the guitar, or learning to play all the hymns on the organ.  For the guitar, I picked the easiest song I could find, Whole Wide World by Wreckless Eric, which weighs in with a whopping 2 chords.  E and A, over and over again.  I mastered that one pretty quickly, and got to check it off my list.

Playing all the hymns on the organ was a little trickier.  I had started this one long ago, and then I lost my list of hymns played, so I had to start over last January.  I plugged away each week, adding about 10 songs (more or less) to my weekly organ practice.  Once we knew we were moving, I knew I would probably lose access to an organ, so I pushed hard and finished before we left Illinois.  I may not be able to sit down at a moment's notice and play any hymn to perfection, but I now know it's possible for me to play any one of them with a little practice.  That's a good feeling. 

I guess I should rename this project 30 by 36, but oh well.  It's done!

• Walk 500 miles.  This time, for real.

I walked 508.23 miles this year.  Boom.

•  Read 14,000 pages.  (Yikes, that's a big number.)

Sadly I only read 12,796 pages.  I did read 51 books, or at least some part of 51 books.  There were 2 books that I started and opted not to finish: March by Geraldine Brooks and The Book of Mormon Girl by Joanna Brooks.  I really wanted to like both of those books, but I didn't. March because I was ticked at the main character, The Book of Mormon Girl because I had a hard time relating to the author (which was surprising, but perhaps I would have felt differently if I'd continued reading).  Looking back at the books I did finish, I read some great stuff this year.  Care you know more?  Check out my book blog!

• Pray more often and more fervently.

I believe I did pray more often and more fervently than in 2016, but there is always room for improvement.  It's also hard to measure something like that, unless I make a prayer chart, which I guess I could do, but then it feels too much like a thing to check off a list instead of a conversation with God, so I'm hesitant to start one.  However, I know that our current situation has elicited more prayer from me; perhaps you could say that God knows what He is doing when he sends us trials.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to humble myself and improve my relationship Him, even if it comes at the expense of my comfortable life.  We aren't supposed to be comfortable, right?

• Read the Book of Mormon as a family

While we have made some progress in the Book of Mormon, we haven't come close to finishing it this year.  But we'll get there.  Hopefully in 2018.

• Go on dates with each of the girls.

There have not been regular dates with the girls, but we did do this at least twice, so that's something.  For my date with Julia, she requested that we go to the library, write a comic book together, and get ice cream.  That girl is unique for sure.  I think Ella and I got a donut and then chatted at the donut shop.  What I remember most is each child opening up and talking about what's important to them, which is better than a sack of gold for a parent.  We should do that again.


2017 was a year of big changes for us.  Clark lost his job, we moved across the country, I found a job...lots of changes.  While not every change has been ideal, I have seen blessings throughout it all, and for that I am grateful.  I have a good feeling about 2018.

November The End

Well hey, we made it to the end of November.  Did I write every day?  No.  Did I write more often than I have been?  Yes.  I'm calling it a win.

This month has been pretty hard.  Between starting a new job, feeling the stress of our current living situation, and the feelings of loneliness that are always attached with moving, there have been many tears shed.  I have hope that things will improve soon, but I don't have any guarantees, and that is unnerving.  Rather than write, "I'm sad, wah," every day, I opted not to write.

But the thing is, my life is not terrible.  I may not be in my own home, but I have a home.  I have all my necessities met.  I got a job, despite feeling woefully unqualified to do any job ever.  I have my family surrounding me.  And now it's Christmas time, the most wonderful time of the year!  I have much to be grateful for, and I would be a fool not to recognize that.

Here's to a Christmas season full of hope and love.  I could use an extra dose of both.

Listy Thursday...on a Saturday!

The holiday has thrown my writing schedule out of whack.  But here is what would have been my list on Thursday of 20 things I'm grateful for:

1. family
2. my marriage
3. motherhood
4. spending Thanksgiving with family
5. good food
6. pie
7. cozy blankets
8. fleece pajamas
9. faith
10. my Savior
11. the scriptures
12. my job
13. fresh starts
14. libraries
15. good books
16. good music
17. technology
18. rocking chairs
19. babies to snuggle
20. my glasses and contacts (holy smokes, I'd be lost without those)