Sending Love, Hope, & Prayers To The Ukraine.

 

Closing out February with lots of love and hope especially for the people of Ukraine who are going through so much right now. 

Last week while in Washington D.C. and finding out why people were rallying for Ukraine and hearing their political thoughts and feelings about what’s happening in their country weighed heavily in our hearts. 

I didn’t want to feel guilty for having the “freedoms” that I have and for enjoying my time with my family. So instead I stayed positive and expressed that example to my kids by finding ways to help our fellow man from afar.

Kids today hear everything and exposing them to areas where rallies are held raises questions and I’m grateful that my girls are old enough to understand what’s happening right now & that Noah- who’s a tender hearted 12-year-old was curious about what’s currently happening in the Ukraine. 

So grateful for answers that come quickly to my mind to let him know that life doesn’t have to be this way - but unfortunately things are going to happen like this. That all we can do is find ways to help, have faith that they’ll survive and be safe, stand with them, and to always pray. Because without faith, hope and prayer it’s hard to get through life. At least for me. 

So let’s hope and pray that this week will be a better one for the Ukraine in hopes that there will be drastic change and that we in return will do our part and do whatever we can from our end to help & stand with them! 

A Forgotten Post From Christmas Time in 2020.

Couldn't let the year go by without doing a little shout out for Lexie who continues to valiantly serve her mission in Arizona. Although time in the beginning of the pandemic seemed slow when she first came home cause the borders closed she pressed on and continued to serve the Lord from our home via zoom with her fellow zone missionaries. She truly shined and no matter how challenging it seemed to learn the language from home as opposed to an in person class setting, she was lucky enough to have had some free time after her missionary classes so she can relax and spend time with us. Thanks to a chill and understanding, caring mission president, he didn't expect her to be cooped up in her room all day strictly reading the gospel. Fast forward to today where he continues to be the best mission president and she appreciates him and his wife so much. She is lucky to have them and they are lucky to have her serving in their mission. So proud of her in how she has handled every challenge that has come with this pandemic. She is unstoppable and amidst the challenges she has faced - she has learned to face them and spiritually grow from them. Yup, she is just like me when it comes to facing and learning from hard things because...we can do hard things! 

Eight more months and she's home! Merry Christmas everyone! 

Watermelon House In D.C!

These warm spells we've been having lately have us longing for summer and craving watermelon so this was the perfect pit stop to take a few photos in. Noah was my little model and of course he had fun running back and forth down the alley. He was either jumping or running the whole time! Especially when he read the hashtag #watermelonjumps so naturally he took it literal and began to jump... a lot and I captured him in several different shots!  It is a cute little spot and a happy place for those who are in need of a smile...and watermelon!

President's Day In Washington D.C.

 

This past weekend we took a spontaneous road trip to D.C. to remember our past presidents for all their efforts and hard work in doing what they did for our country during their time as president. We've been coming here since before Noah was born and this spot never gets old. No matter how many times we have visited the Lincoln memorial our thoughts, (at least mine) are always different. The older I get the more I appreciate our nations history and I hope that these kids grow up they will appreciate it just as much as I do. Jon is an avid history buff and he knows so much about our past presidents. He should have been a history professor. I love how he engages with the kids when they have a question about the historical places we've been too. Whether they are in regards to our pioneer heritage, our church, or the civil war Jon is there to answer them. I am bias and I have to say that Abraham Lincoln is one of my favorites. The fact that he abolished slavery was grand and I'm so thankful that he made that happen! Now for a few photos from our day...

Peace, Love, Chelsea.

New Yorkers sure go out for every holiday including Valentines day which is such a beautiful way of expressing their love not only for their loved ones, but for their city as well. Chelsea is one of my favorite boroughs - after all, I did name my youngest daughter after her and we absolutely love coming to this spot where she goes all out for every season and this year it looked like this! This peace sign has become an epic photo op for every occasion, and emblem on W 22nd street and no matter how many times I see this photo shared on Instagram I never grow weary of it. Every New Yorker or out of towner takes the same photo but my excuse is the fact that I have friends and family who live far, far away from here and they continue to remind me to share my love of NYC. These flowers are everything! 

A Little Valentines Day Message....

 

As my husband and I have gotten older Valentine's Day for us has become low key with spontaneous outings. We don't go all out for each other like we used to in our 20's showering ourselves with material gifts, flowers or chocolate but mostly with love letters. What we've realized in our 50's is that our love has become even more sentimental. Our love for others has become stronger. Sure we think of us but mostly we think of our children first. We think of our friends and family and anyone who may be having a rough time when it comes to this holiday. It can be the most romantic but also the most hated. Misunderstood and lonely for some. I just want others to know that you are not alone. Never alone. You have you. Love you. Take care of you. Make time for you. Find things that bring you joy that revive you with energy. Love is always there. It's in your heart. It's in your mind. You just have to know it, because it's always been there.  It took a serious love for God and a marriage to realize that I've always been loved. For me. Love is a beautiful thing and we have the choice to make it a beautiful one for ourselves and for others. Look for the lovely on this day and all the days of your life. 

So no matter what -  celebrate your love today. Whether it's for yourself or with your spouse, your family and friends. I wish you the best of today. And know that your are the first person in your life to be loved...by you. Remember that! 

 Happy Valentine's Day my darlings! 

The New Lego Store In NYC!

The new Lego store in NYC opened up last summer and when we went my boy was in heaven. I honestly believe legos get better with age. Noah loved building with them when he was four and loves them even more now that he's 12. I love that he still loves to find the time to build instead of playing Roblox and watching you tube videos all the time. I honestly miss those days when all he did after school was play piano, play with his transformers, draw and color, and build legos all evening long. But with time kids grow up, they get older, and his generation is all about the digital gadgets and technology. Luckily he has a mom like me who keeps him balanced to the point where he knows enough is enough. That's enough television. That's enough Roblox. He's a good sport and has never, ever thrown a tantrum because of it. He does love the outdoors and we look forward to those spring and summer days when he can ride his skateboard, go to the beach, hike, camp and just play outside! We're also going to squeeze another trip to the lego store and actually take our time and build something instead of just taking photos! LOL! 

Date Nights In Our Fifties...

Lately our date nights have been low key chill. We've gone to the movies, been on simple dates in the city, and even went to a quaint concert at Wellmont theatre which featured two amazing singers telling the Simon and Garfunkel story while they sang their songs! And to tell you the truth those are the best dates! 

In all honesty I sort of look forward till the day Jon retires. He literally works six days a week from morning until late evening. At least we have early Saturday nights to go on dates and Sundays as a family to be together. I am grateful for any little time we have as a family and you better believe I rely on those vacation days to come up so that we can have uninterrupted time as a family. Jon has started to take the kids out on dates as well. These kids of ours are getting older by the day and he realized that it's important to spend one on one time with them. I have sacrificed some of our Saturday nights so that Noah and Chelsea can spend time with him. And I'm okay with that because eventually it'll be my turn. I see a difference in the three of them when they spend one on one time with each other. It really is good for our children's mental health to have that time with their dad. I spend time with them everyday and always have little individual lunch dates with them and I know that they really enjoy that. Dating your spouse as well as your kiddos is the key to great communication and a happier group of kids and marriage. I hope that we can continue to do this until they are grown and on their own. And that Jon and I will continue to date until we are wrinkly, super old, and super grey with no hair! LOL!