The Princess

The truth is, I always wonder why I came to La Verkin. Time and time again, it is proven to me, that I did not come for me, but I came for Brooklyn. Brooklyn seems to flourish wherever she is planted, but last night confirmed to me, that La Verkin is the place that continues to give her amazing opportunities.



Last night, Brooklyn was crowned Miss La Verkin 2012. With her royalty she will spend the year doing fundraisers, assisting with community events, riding on floats (of which I am required to build two - oh no!), doing service projects, putting on the pageant next year, etc. I am going to be learning a lot! It will be a full year of work and fun.



Brooklyn is an amazing girl and I am so proud to be her mom. She has made life easy for me. I am grateful for her courage which allows her to go for things like this, for her spirit which shines through, and for her compassion. She better have some compassion for me as I fumble through being a pageant girl's mom.



Most who know Brooklyn recognize her as a tomboy. She has two older brothers and is more comfortable in basketball shoes than in high heels, but she has been rising to the occasion. Feeding the dog, doing her laundry, making her bed...all while navigating walking in heels. Just a couple of days ago she said, "Mom if I make it in the Royalty, I will start wearing pink." Our little tomboy is becoming a woman!



One of Brooklyn's assignments was to find a backstage mom. She asked one of her Young Women's leaders, Heather Layton, to fill that role. Heather helped her with clothing changes, her hairstyles, and making sure zippers were up and hems were down. I am so thankful for her and the help she gave to Brooklyn. I didn't have to worry at all and was able to relax and enjoy the evening.



Last night was an incredible experience as she participated in a dance with all the pageant girls, exhibited her talent - sign language to Katy Perry's "Firework", answered an interview question about what she wished was different in the world ( she replied that she wished 9/11 hadn't happened so the soldiers could be home with their families instead of fighting in a war), and she walked the stage while a bio was read of her. In the end, she won the talent competition, tied with another girl for interview, tied with another girl for fitness, and tied with another girl for poise. She was ultimately crowned Miss La Verkin 2012.



One of the judges is the current Miss Washington County. It was a special time as I watched Brooklyn mingle with her and others as she experienced one of the happiest times in her life.



Brooklyn had many family and friends who came to support her.



Here is Brooklyn with Tanda Drake, Miss La Verkin 2011.



After the pageant, the girls and their families headed to Dairy Queen to celebrate. It was nice to just sit back and relax after several weeks of workshops, costuming and the actual pageant!





Brooklyn I love you and look forward to watching you reach new heights as you serve your city well.

The Reality Is...

The reality is, sometimes we need to step away from the technology and pay attention to the people that are right next to us. I love facebook, texting, blogging, emailing. But sometimes the people that live in our home, or next door to us, or around the corner, don't get to share in the love and friendship that should be available to them, because we are so busy conversing with people hours or states or countries away.

A couple of weeks ago one of my friends experienced a terrible tragedy in her life. She said, "Come see me" and little did I know what those words entailed. After that I wanted to see her and help her and be with her every day. Although I had a goal to blog every day in February, reality took front and center.

I do see unity and love coming through technology. When my father died, messages from family and friends were very sustaining. My classmate from high school was diagnosed with stomach cancer and I saw our high school class come together in a beautiful way. While holding a benefit concert for him last week, he passed away. In the last days of his life, he was so grateful for the sweet messages and love he felt through social media. Technology is a great way to stay connected, especially if you aren't geographically close.

I am thankful I can be there on screen, but I am also grateful I can be there flesh, blood, and heart...and sometimes that is what is most needed.

This is her journey, but I want her to know...I am sending hugs and healing to your heart and to your feet ;) You are inspiring, you are beautiful and you are strong. I will continue to be there for you via cell phone and computer, but also in your face, pain in your side, til you get sick of me...and that is reality! I love you friend.

Mine are gone :(

I grew up seeing life through rose-colored glasses. I believed if I lived a good life, followed certain rules, did what I was supposed to do...that life would turn out happy and perfect. It was a great way to live. And then I found out, that most don't spend their life looking through rose-colored glasses.

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball, and you learn to see things differently.

I found that after my life began to hit some pretty hard skids, I needed friends who had also hit some pretty hard skids. I have been blessed in my life to have some really wonderful friends. They have been through much worse things than I have in my life. It makes me sad to see the suffering they have experienced and continue to have. When life gets tough, it is so helpful to me, to be able to talk and share and love and smile with someone who has known great pain and great loss. I know they can feel the depth of my pain. Together we become stronger and together we feel understood.



I wish everyone could wear rose-colored glasses for as long as possible. It is a nice way to live. Yet, at the same time, sometimes we don't get the growth we need or the knowledge we desire. Sometimes, when we are really young, we recognize the rose-colored glasses don't always work. So if you are fifteen or twenty five, newly married or with a new baby, I hope you can keep wearing your rose-colored glasses. The harsh realities of life will touch you soon enough...they seem to touch just about everyone at one time or another.

When we wake up in the morning, we have no idea what that day holds. It may be calm and happy. It might be fun and exciting. But it also may be filled with fear and tragedy. Those days we can lay down at night and feel peace should have our utmost gratitude.



I want to thank my friends who have walked the roads of my life with me. Sometimes you hold me up and sometimes I hold you up. Sometimes we collapse together whether it be in laughter or tears. But the important thing is we are together..encouraging and supporting each other through the good times as well as the hard times.

I hope the day will come - when we are old and grey - that we can put on our red hats, our pearls, and maybe even find our long lost rose-colored glasses! That would be wonderful...and probably very much deserved!

First Sign of Spring

The past few days have been extremely hard for me. I have a friend who is hospitalized with two broken feet from a horrible car accident. I have a cousin who has been dealing with some scary medical problems. Suffering just seems to be swirling around me, although I am fine, the heaviness of my heart for them has overtaken me.

When I came home today from the hospital, I noticed this beautiful little crocus right by my front door. It gave me pause. I thought, "The Lord is good to us. He sends us these little reminders that even in the midst of tragedy, life can be beautiful and good." Spring is a renewal...of hope, of faith, of life.

I planted a couple of hundred bulbs this past fall. I am excited to watch them sprout and bloom, each year naturalizing and providing more and more color and beauty.

We do have much to be thankful for. I am thankful for family and friends who come together at times like this in fasting and prayer for those who need to be strengthened and comforted.

May each blossom remind me that this world was created for us...and that He is ever mindful of each one of us. That is my prayer today.

Sometimes this is all we can do:

Heavy Heart

I have a heavy heart today. So many that I love and care about are struggling with burdens that seem impossible bear. I know God sees the big picture...and that is the only thing I have to hold onto right now.

Perspective and Inspiration

A few years back, I signed up for a BYU class titled "Self-Concept". This class couldn't have come at a more perfect time. My husband had just left me, and I was left to wonder how to navigate being divorced, being a single mom, becoming a bread-winner, etc. One of the early chapters in the class was about perspective. It said, "How come when you are at a football game, half the stadium is cheering and half the stadium is booing?" Then it asked, "How come when it snows half the people are happy they can go skiing, but the other half are mad they have to drive in it?" It is all a matter of perspective. Then the course told this story, "A teenage boy is in the elevator. He has just had his foot operated on. It is bandaged up and he is standing there with crutches. A man comes into the elevator and promptly walks towards the boy and steps on his newly operated on foot." The question was then asked, "If you were the boy how would you feel?" The story continues, "The man was blind." Now all of the sudden, your perspective changes. Sometimes we don't have all the information, sometimes we need to see things differently.

This class changed the way I thought. I knew I could be bitter or mad at my husband leaving. I knew I could think my life was ruined and poor me. I knew I could go into a depression and stay in bed feeling sorry for myself and my kids, but I decided to change my perspective. And it has made all the difference.

Inspiration has played a part in my life when I have needed it most. Sometimes I have made decisions that others did not understand. But when I pray, and I get an answer, I have confidence to go forward no matter what someone else may think or say.



I can actually put my finger on a few times when I have received that sure knowledge that I was to do something in my life. Today sitting in church, I had another one of those moments. When that happens, I go to work. I believe that personal revelation is for a reason and I cannot doubt it.

I am thankful for these two things...one for the mind and one for the heart...but inter-locked so perfectly together.