Slow and Steady

In an effort to organize our lives more and to make sure our future needs are met, Greg and I hired the services of a financial planner.  Over the last few months this financial planner has had several conversations with us to get to know our hopes and dreams, future plans, financial obligations both now and in the future, risk tolerances, etc.  It has been a great experience and while daunting at times, gives me hope for a more secure financial future.

Our financial planner has been around for quite awhile and is good at what he does.  Since he is also my parents’ financial planner he knows the tendencies of skepticism I have inherited from my father.  The mere fact that my dad trusts him gives me good reason to trust him as well, even when I get a bit overwhelmed. 

Last night we had a phone meeting with him and he once again went through steps to determine how comfortable we are with how we invest our money.  Because we are younger, Greg and I have an advantage of time, which is always a good thing when it comes to investing.  Anyone who has studied markets and trends knows that they ebb and flow, but the trick is to not freak out when times get bad and to keep investing even when it seems contrary to what the numbers are telling you.  That’s where having this financial planner comes in as a great tool.  He has knowledge and experience greater then our own and has warned us that the markets will get bad, we will lose money, we will panic, but if we stick with the plan, we will be ok.  We will weather the storm. 

As I watched our financial planner draw a serious of peaks and valleys describing the future of markets, and then a steady slowly upward turning line describing us navigating those markets, I couldn’t help but see a correlation to what I have been witnessing in my church these last few weeks.

As the world has begun it’s march to try and accept everyone and everything anyone feels is right in the name of “love” (more on this in a post to come), there has begun to be a push for the church to do the same.  Two outspoken individual church members have taken their plights to the media and begun rallying others to their cause.  I just don’t like it and it leaves a sick feeling in my stomach.  They are causing a deep valley of doubt and skepticism with those investigating the faith and more seriously, doubt amid the already faithful.

Other then a statement released on the church’s website, the Prophet and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have been somewhat quiet on the subject.  Some may view that as a weakness, as a form of proving these rallyers right.  I view it as that steady upward line amongst the peaks and valleys of public whim. 

Going against the norm, not bending to public and social norms, is no foreign concept to the church, it’s leaders, or faithful members.  The desire and steadfastness to do the will of the Lord no matter what, is exactly what the founding of this religion was based on.  In fact, it’s what this country was based on.  Did not our forefathers flee and then fight a war they never should have won so that they could worship God and religion how they pleased? Democracy was born so that Theocracy would be our true government. I find the push to change God in the name of democracy disturbing to say the least, bordering on blasphemy at most.

Mormons have always been regarded as peculiar and different from the rest of the world.  That fact of being different is the very thing that makes our religion what it is.  It is not an a la carte religion where you pick and chose what fits your life best.  It is actually the exact opposite.  It is the conforming of self to fit the doctrine.  At its head we believe that we are guided and told God’s will through a living prophet.  Just like Moses and Abraham.

My testimony of this Gospel’s truthfulness is not based on the fact that our prophet Thomas S. Monson speaks to God, rather it is based on the fact that God speaks to Thomas S. Monson.  There is a big difference.  One places my trust in a man, the other places my trust in Deity.  With Deity I know this church and those who follow those to whom God speaks will never be led astray.   

Just like our financial planner, our prophet has a good grasp on the trends and fluctuations of the “social market”.  He, his presidency, and the Quorum of the Twelve come with years of experience and knowledge in dealing with the ups and downs of this “market”.  They have seen both great favor towards the church as well as great distaste and disapproval.  Despite everything, they keep their eye on the end goal, they don’t freak out.  They are invested for the long haul and that’s why I know if I follow their lead and don’t get overwhelmed, my spiritual financial future will remain intact.  I and anyone else who does the same will weather the storm. 

Flying the "Friendly" Skies

This spring I ended up doing a lot of traveling to the west.  Two of the trips were planned and the third was not.  It gave me a lot of time in airports and on airplanes that I haven't had in quite sometime.  The following are my "Top 10" bits of wisdom after all of those adventures.

1.  Note to self, if you don't need to fly out of St. Louis in the spring, just don't.  On all three departures the weather was horrible.  For one flight we had a tornado touch down a few hours before and for another the airport closed minutes after we took off.  It made from some choppy ascents and I don't do well with those.

2.  If you are looking for a group of people who seem to hate humanity, fly US Airways. I haven't met a more collectively disgruntled group in quite awhile. 

3.  I pride myself on having children who are great at putting themselves to sleep. For 99.9% of my life it's great. For the 0.01% of my life when they have to be held by me during their nap time, it's awful.  Especially when that 0.01% is on an airplane.

4.  I find the fact that we go to such extremes to keep any form of peanuts out of our schools funny as I watch a flight attendant pass bags of peanuts out like water. I'm thinking of all the places one does NOT want to have an anaphylactic reaction to those yummy morsels, it's 35,000 feet.  Just sayin' 

5.  I love clocks, but whomever built airports must not have. In a place where a collective group of people REALLY need to know what time it is, they should be EVERYWHERE!!

6.  If you happen to be one of the very important people who load and unload baggage, and more importantly bring strollers up for those who gate check them, please perhaps open them. More then likely there's a mom or dad with a kid and a few bags coming off that plane and to be able to plop your kid in the stroller would be super helpful. 

7.  There has got to be a better system for transporting car seats!  They have got to be the least user friendly "luggage" for anyone to take on a trip.

8.  Lids on beverage cups should be standard.  Period.

9.  To the man sitting next to me in seat 9B, putting your laptop between your legs during takeoff and landing is NOT "stowing it under the seat in front of you."

10.  Everyone should be so blessed to fly with a 4 year old obsessed with airplanes at least once.  It makes any hassle of traveling melt away as you watch the biggest grin rise across their face and hear the excitement peak in their voice when they embark on an adventure that is nothing short of "the best thing EVER!"

The Road

A few nights ago the social media circle I’m in was a buzz with excitement as many of us lay in wait for the first glimpse of a much anticipated baby boy.  News had trickled down that his arrival had finally occurred but we waited for official confirmation from his parents.  I must say, it was akin to Christmas.

As I drove that night in silence to pick my parents up from the airport I reflected on why it is that the birth of a first baby is so universally exciting and heavily anticipated.  I remember how excited I was to have our first.  What would they look like and who would they be?  The possibilities were endless.  Yet having done this 4 times now I have to say that my personal anticipation and excitement for each subsequent child has actually grown, while outsider anticipation has decreased.  I don’t view this phenomenon as unique or wrong I just was wondering why.  And then it hit me.

It is undoubtedly exciting to see what a baby will look like, what their name will be, etc., etc.  But really what makes everyone else so excited for first time parents is not so much who the baby is but what they bring with them.  And what every baby brings with them is a road, a road that can only be understood and started down by each individual parent when that child finally arrives. 

The road is not something that can ever be adequately described or captured even by the best of historians or photographers.  The most magnificent views and vistas along it’s path will be ones only meant for the parent’s eyes and ears, tucked deep into memory for them alone.  It’s a personal and sacred road to be traveled by each parent with the guidance of only the acquired cherub. 

The road they bring is certainly filled with sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and meltdowns but it’s also brought with smiles and giggles that melt bad days away, hearing the most clever and funny things anyone has ever said, and seeing on a daily basis the cutest, handsomest, and most beautiful person you could have ever imagined. 

When delay in this journey befalls anyone seeking to travel it, the anticipation is even greater, for both parent and friend.  I would only be able to guess that the road, once acquired, is just a bit sweeter as well.  It’s only fitting and deserved.  And yet to the seasoned traveler who knows how amazing this road is for the new parent they also know any initial experiences are really the proverbial tip of the iceberg with things still to be seen and experienced far greater then any rookie could imagine.

When a first is born we all draw a deep breath and collectively shout with excitement as if at the beginning of a great race.  We want to get the new parents off to the best start possible and encourage them to enjoy it all because it goes by so fast.  When subsequent children are born there is still that excitement but it’s subdued in a way because there is a collective reverence from a seasoned bystander to a seasoned parent of knowing where the road will lead them.  A knowing smile and words of encouragement because the veteran knows where they're going and where to look and stop for the most beautiful and memorable views. 

So with love and a deep breath, welcome to the road B1 & B2.  I am excited to see you begin your journey with Mr. “V”.  And while I’m sure you may already know this, but just in case you haven’t been able to put your finger on it, this road has a name and while unique and individual in many ways to just you, its name is universally known. It's called “True Love” and its views will never disappoint.

As of Late........

I went on a girls weekend trip to visit and celebrate a friends 40th birthday.  It was fun, tiring, and therapeutic.  I discovered "dirty cokes" and ate way too much.

********

We took the whole family to Utah.  This will be a post in and of itself.  We saw friends and crammed more into 6 days then I thought was possible.  If we missed you, sorry.  Promise to feed us and we'll be sure to catch ya next time.

********

Our house is having a yardlift.  We are forcing our hand to grow a green thumb. It will be worth it and I can't wait to see how it turns out.

BEFORE

After ...Coming Soon!

********

Slowly but surely I'm turning this castle into an organization machine.  I've hired help and I'm not ashamed.  True success in life is knowing your limitations and compensating accordingly.  And purchasing a label maker.

Who knew?!?

                           BEFORE

AFTER

********

On impulse and disgust, I finally ripped out all the carpet in our master bathroom.  I mean, who puts carpet around a huge soaker tub?  If you do, we can't be friends.  We are getting new tile and this one is all me.    

Why not?  I got nothing else to do ;).  

Wish me luck!

********

This face, while cute and adorable, is driving me nuts.  He keeps me honest, which is good, but does little for my confidence tank.   A mothering crossroads is quickly approaching and those aren't always fun.

********

On the other hand, I can't get enough of this face.  She is keeping me alive and brings an unmeasured purpose and reminders of God's love that are greatly needed.  She also looks like a little vampire with her sprouting new teeth.  It's the best.

Just wanted to check in and say I'm still here.  I need to write.  It's good for my soul and my soul needs some good right now.

HAVE AN AWESOME DAY!!!

Thin Mints & "The Candy Man"

Last week I stood on the threshold of my front entry and handed a cute little girl from my church a check for $32 in exchange for 8 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. I don’t really need the cookies and I think anyone with any sense knows that their price is outrageous for the amount of cookies you get.  So why do I buy them?

Nostalgia.

I buy them because they’ve been around for as long as I can remember and they are part of my childhood.  I associate good things with them and they conger up good feelings and memories.

*

*

These days if I am ever asked where I am from/raised I always tell people New Jersey.  That’s because New Jersey is where I grew up for the majority of my life and where I graduated from high school.  But if one were to ask me where I spent my childhood I wouldn’t hesitate to answer Minnesota.

From the time I was about 2 years old until towards the end of my 3^rd grade year we lived in a suburb of Minneapolis called Minnetonka.  To me it was a magical place. 

We lived in a three-bedroom ranch on a fitting piece of property.  Our house was on a hill located 2^nd from the bottom.  Over the garage was the biggest screened in porch that made the mosquito-infested summers tolerable for outdoor play.  My back yard had tall trees with one that had little pieces of wood nailed about a foot apart creating a ladder of sorts for climbing up it’s trunk.  The winters brought bounteous snowfalls that always seemed to come on Thanksgiving.   The piles of snow my dad would make from shoveling provided hours of entertainment playing “King/Queen of the Mountain”.  I loved everything about that place.

One of my very favorite activities was riding my bike all over the neighborhood.  If I went to the top of the hill and turned left I didn’t have far to go to get to my sister friends Brook and Molly.  I played with those girls for hours.  I wish I were still in contact with them today.  If I went right, I’d eventually come to a little brown brick house on the left hand side of the road just as the road began to slope down a gentle hill.  In this house lived the man all of us neighborhood kids affectionately called ‘The Candy Man”.  On any given day you could knock on his door and he would always have a treat for you.  I remember red rope licorice being the most common candy he would hand out.

Around the time I was in 2^nd or 3^rd grade my mom signed me up for Brownies.  While not full-fledged Girl Scouts, we still got the honor of selling their cookies.  I was so excited to do this and proudly took my cookie sign-up sheet with the color-coded lines around to each of my neighbors.  I don’t remember exactly how many everyone bought but I know most were willing costumers.

As I traversed the neighborhood my path eventually led me to the doorstep of “The Candy Man”.  My mom was there with me and he welcomed us in after I told him my purpose for being there.  He asked for the sheet, filled out his order, and then handed it back to me.  You can imagine my utter amazement and delight when I looked at it and saw that he had ordered 30 boxes.  30 BOXES!!!!  That was way more then anyone else had even come close to ordering and I was thrilled!

*

*

While I’m sure “The Candy Man” has long since left this world his memory is forever etched in my heart and every time I eat a Thin Mint I think of him.  He is the reason why every year I continue to buy Girl Scout cookies that I don’t need and that are over priced.  And he is the reason why some day I will take an order form, fill it out, and hand it back to some little unsuspecting girl in hopes that I will create as great a memory for her as he did for me when she looks down and sees…………………

…… I have ordered 30 boxes.