Thursday, November 28, 2019

Thanksgiving, Nidra

Not too much happened this past week except for our trip to Rexburg and getting ready to get here in the first place. We got new winter tires for the car and had something minor repaired on it the day before we left. Nothing like the last minute, right? I somehow found a ride back from the shop since James wasn't even home yet when I had to take it in.

I went to my first yoga nidra class on Tuesday and loved it. I think yin will always be my favorite, but nidra was really great for calming my mind. I'm taking part in a 6 week challenge done by my yoga teacher that will hopefully help me feel calm and collected through the end of the year instead of stressed and angry. So far, so good.

Our trip was far from perfect yesterday. We did have a great lunch at Chick-fil-A with Nash, Mara, and Ricky. However, 2 kids threw up in the car, and the snow slowed us down by probably an hour. It was especially frustrating to be stuck right by Rexburg but not really able to go anywhere. We saw 12 cars either off the road or in accidents on the way. About 6 of those were in a 5-mile stretch in northern Utah. Scary stuff. I'm glad James is such a great driver.

It's Thanksgiving! This year, we are staying at "the barn", for which I am very grateful. It means hanging out and cooking instead of being stuck in the car again. I'm making the green beans. I hope the rest of the break turns out to be peaceful too.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

James's Trip, Snow, Dentist

Well, it's been a pretty good week, but it just got a lot harder. James left for Texas this morning and doesn't return until Monday evening. I've done this before, but I'm not excited about being alone for 5 days. The evenings will be especially hard since I won't have anyone to talk to, so I plan on using the TV to keep my mind occupied.

I slept poorly last night and woke up to snow. It's not our first snowfall, but I hate how it makes me feel. People who've had snow all their lives look at me like I'm crazy, but I can't deny that I'm afraid of snow. It makes me feel really claustrophobic. Driving in it is safe 99% of the time, but I hate that 1% where I feel my car slide a little or someone tells me that driving 10 under the speed limit must be because I'm a southerner and too stupid to drive in snow. (Yes, at least one person says that every year, but not in those exact words. It doesn't make me feel any better, especially because I am not bad at driving in snow, just really cautious the first time each season.)

We were waiting for the big expensive medical thing for this time of year. Thankfully, it's a root canal for James and not a trip to the hospital. Having savings makes all the difference. 10 years ago when he needed a root canal, we could barely afford it and ended up moving in with his parents for a year since we ran out of money. This year, it's just an annoyance that will take up some time and savings. I'm really grateful to be financially stable. It took 8 years, but it was worth every sacrifice.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Not Too Busy, Disney+

It has been another low-key week, and I'm glad! We have some crazy weeks coming up with the holidays. The kids didn't have school on Monday since it was a teacher day, but we didn't do anything, really, except talk about Veteran's Day. I added some memories to my family tree.

We got Disney+! So far I'm really liking the variety of kid-friendly stuff. We've missed some old favorites that left Netflix, so it's nice to have them back.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Low Key, Not Christmas, One Nap

I like it when things are boring for a while. Everyone is healthy, nothing is broken, and there's nothing on the calendar for the week. It's a rare occurrence, but I can definitely live with it.

I am one of those people who doesn't believe in celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving. I feel like 2 months of celebrating makes for a disappointing Christmas Day - a lot of buildup for a pretty good day, but not as magical as the songs portray. I know this sounds kind of pessimistic, but I really need for Thanksgiving and Christmas to be separate. In that spirit, I made myself a Thanksgiving playlist on Spotify.

Though I'm not listening to Christmas music or decorating, that doesn't mean I'm not thinking about gifts for my kids. Homemade things especially need to happen earlier so I don't get too stressed right before Christmas Day. I came up with an idea to turn some of those old, string backpacks into scripture bags for my boys. Katie has loved her beaded purse for carrying her scriptures, so I'm hoping the boys feel as excited about theirs.

Samantha and Lewis are both taking one nap now! I love it! This week, I've still been working on family history stuff, like adding memories to my family tree and attaching sources. I need to get working on a photo book for my sister since she's getting married in January. I don't know yet if I'm going to the wedding or reception, which is in March. Hopefully I can decide soon.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Oops, Halloween

I can't believe I forgot to write on Thursday. I guess Halloween threw things off a bit.

We had a bit of a cold snap along with some snow. It was really hard to deal with because it felt just like January, not late October. Still, I made it safely to where I was going without any problems. The street right by my house is always the worst.

Our ward trunk or treat and party was fun, as always. The soups I got were all delicious. I'm all about the creamy, cheesy ones. The kids got a ton of candy, which is now all gone, and I'm not sad about that at all. It makes everyone grouchy.

James and I went on a date yesterday, shooting and lunch. I hurt myself with the slide on the glock and got a cut on my finger. It upset me a bit, so I didn't shoot well the rest of the time. We had lunch at the Asian place, so I got hot and sour soup and sushi, two of my favorite things ever.

We finished the Harry Potter series with the kids last night, fast forwarding through the scariest parts. I forgot how much I LOVE that series, and it was perfect for getting me in the mood for fall and Halloween. I only read books 5-7 because I remember the others so well.

I've been thinking about my progress toward my weight/health goal, and I decided to only focus on my actual progress and not the times I've messed up. I've been dwelling too much on the days where I didn't give 100%, but I shouldn't do that anymore. It just makes me more annoyed that progress takes time. Slow progress is still progress!

I hope this month is a good one. We seem to have an October/November curse, and nothing bad has happened yet. I'm really hoping we can get through these last two months of the year without any mishaps! My pessimism will not get the best of me.