frazzled & frumpy

Yesterday morning, I filled my car with little boys. Not unusual, except that these boys did not all belong to me. They were decked out in blue shirts with patches on the pockets, sack lunches stowed in the cooler in back. My partner in crime was, Jenn, who is one of the scout leaders in our ward. (Also mother to one of the boys.) We chatted as we drove up the canyon. (I swear, my van knows the way and could drive there on its own- which would be really cool.)  We also laughed as we eavesdropped on the boys as they discussed various topics- swimming, summer, and minecraft. (No talk about girls, they're only 10.) Once at camp we joined the hundred or so other boys and their leaders. I looked around and sighed. Here, I am in my element. I'm not currently a scout leader, but have been. Dirt and I are on a first name basis.  I'm used to boys and the noise level they produce. And, the women? Well, these are 'my people'. They make me feel comfortable. Mostly...

Last weekend I went out with some friends. Beautiful, intelligent, caring women who have recently become a part of my life. I'd been looking forward to this night for weeks . We met, we hugged, we gushed over how good it was to be together again. We sat and in-between talking, ordered, and, somehow consumed, good food. We caught up on our lives and discussed future plans-new homes, campaigns, travel and children. It was glorious. Simply glorious. At the end of the night, as we began, reluctantly, to say our good-byes, everyone whipped out their phones for pictures. We flashed and snapped our happy faces. And, after this amazing evening, with women who clearly care for me and who I am , I looked at the picture and cringed. "Ugh. My hair looks so dumb."  I resisted the urge to delete the photo, mainly because it captured this night that I never want to forget. Later, I looked at the picture again. No, my bangs did not look just-out-of-the-salon perfect, but then, they...

Sunday evening, my son and I drove home from Salt Lake. The windows were down, clean, cool air lifting my hair. My body ached- feet, calves, knees, and back. I am so unused to walking and bending all day long. But, this night, we were done and my heart swelled a bit at the knowledge. My stint as a 'working girl' was hard. We left home at 6:30am and got back about 12 hours later- for 14 days straight. Some days we worked ourselves into a sweat, others we literally sat and read for 9 hours. There was no happy medium. The job was interesting, even fascinating. I worked as a 'helper' at the Salt Palace for the AP Reading. Basically, we organized and set out AP art projects for the teachers to grade. I saw some amazing art. (And, some really, um, sad attempts). We got a few impromptu art lessons from one of the teachers, which made me want to take a class. I met new friends, ate way too much food, and got to spend two weeks with my son, my nieces, and my sister, Heidi. ...

"Your peace will never come from your partner. Your peace on earth will never come from your position, your power, who you know, or your partner. Your peace comes from a  higher power,  and from living correct principles." -Matt Townsend (Matt Townsend is a relationship and communication expert who does spots on a local television show- Studio 5. Matt is a genius and I always learn so much from watching him.  You can watch this interview here , or visit his website here .) {This was not sponsored, it's just  me wanting to share.}

June made me laugh the moment I met her. She is a strong woman with the survival instinct of a lion. Her blog- Simply June - is one part funny, one part inspirational. (Then there's the reviews of Downton Abby, which I don't watch...yet.) Big thanks to her for sharing some of her wisdom here.  Hi, my name is June. I am a Mother, Wife, Sister, Victim Advocate, Survivor, Friend and a daughter of God who thinks a sense of humor is mandatory when dealing with life. I  share all the things that inspire, inform, support of or simply bring a smile to my  face as well as others.  Sometimes all you can do is laugh through the hard times, so why not practice and be good at it?  Dark Blue fades to Clear The saying goes "God will never give us a trial we can’t handle" and I think that's true but, we don't have to get through our trials alone. Once, during a hot summer in Australia, I was driving to pick up Brian at work and while I waited for him in the ...

For my first guest post, I'd like to introduce Polly. We met at the first LTYM rehearsal. She was so quick to respond to my request for posts, kind of like that friend that doesn't shy away from helping you move. She's funny and smart and I'm thrilled to call her my friend. For my first guest post, I'd like to introduce Polly. We met at the LTYM rehearsal. She was so quick to respond to my request for posts, kind of like the friend that doesn't shy away from helping you move.  She's funny and smart and I'm thrilled to call her my friend. As a humor writer, Polly Scott is known for her blunt comedy and honest confessions.  Her funny, yet poignant stories help people reconcile themselves with themselves.   As a freelance web copywriter and editor, she creates concise, clear text.   She studied writing, obtaining her B.S. and M.Ed and perfected her presentation skills teaching middle school English and writing at Weber State University.  Author of...

Spongebob loves work. I'm more like Squidward. The Good - I'm working a temporary job. The Bad -It's 14 days straight , 10 hours a day. The Ugly - What my brain will look like after that much work. The Bad - I won't be blogging during the next two weeks. The Good - I have some fantabulous guest posts lined up. Do you like how I brought it back to the Good? I'm trying to find positives in what is going to be a long couple weeks. I decided to do this to earn a little 'summer fun' money, and for bills, too (which is no fun, but necessary).  The guest posts are from some of my Listen to Your Mother friends. These women are amazingly talented, and funny, and I know you're going to love them. So, tune in on Wednesday for the first post. I promise you won't be disappointed.