Snowshoeing!

I have done so many new and cool things in Logan....thanks to Heather and Josh! Today, Heather took me snowshoeing up Green Canyon...and it was even snowing a little while we were there! It was really fun....and something I never thought I would do!

Happy Birthday Mommy!!!!!

The older I get,

the more I see

the power of that young woman,

my mother.

~ Sharon Olds

Today is a day to celebrate...why, you ask? Why, because it's my mother's birthday!

I celebrate my mother's laughter for that is something she is always doing.

I celebrate my mother's strength for it's strength that's kept her going.

I celebrate her kindness, she loves to give to others.

Her cooking, step aside Martha Stewart, her dinners are like no other!

Were you ever at my soccer game when my mother was not there?

Take a look at her house during the holidays, she decorates with great care.

I celebrate my mother's love for life, for people and for socializing.

It takes me an hour to get home from church so she can finish talking!

Don't get me wrong, the reason for talking is not what you might think, she is checking up on friends and neighbors to offer a helping hand to those in need.

I celebrate my mother's support, her encouragement to reach the stars.

For all of us kids know that without her, we would have never made it this far.

My mother loves her the Gospel, her Heavenly Father and her Savior;

"remember that He's watching out for you" are words from her I will always favor.

I can't forget the man who helped my mother become who she is today...

my dad still loves her more and more, and we know he checks on her from Heaven everyday.

Happy birthday Mom! I love you!

Speed Dating...the Mormon Way!

So last night I got invited to go to a stake activity which was ...Speed dating. I almost didn't go....so many horror stories! But I thought, what the heck, I will give it a whirl! The worst that could happen would be seeing some of my former students...better yet, speed dating with my former students! EEK! Well....it was even better than that. I walked in and immediately spotted two boys who were staring at me, but they looked so familiar...I knew them...but I never taught them and I know I didn't coach them. Well, one of the boys ended up in my speed dating line, and what do you know, he was my last speed date. As he was finishing up his conversation with his "speed date" before me, it dawned on me....EFY 2004! These two boys were in one of the EFY groups I was a counselor of at BYU! He walked up (and I can't remember his name for the life of me) and I said, "I know you!" And he said, "Yes Marla, but do you know how you know me?" I said, "EFY!" And that started a 25 minute conversation about EFY, catching up on life, etc. His friend, also in the EFY group, came over and talked with us. You know, when you are an EFY counselor, you put your heart and soul into 25 kids for four and a half days and you will probably never see them again, but one thing is for sure, those kids cross your mind often and you wonder what happened to them and how they are doing. It was so fun to see these two boys who are home from their missions, getting ready to graduate college and enjoying life!

So here is how the speed dating worked....two circles, guys on the inside and girls on the outside. We were given a topic and we had three minutes to discuss that topic before the boys had to shift 2-3 seats (depending on what they were told). Some of the topics included first job, first car, worst thing you ever ate, coolest place you've traveled, favorite hobby, what historic moment you would want to witness, etc. It was actually a lot of fun and I am so glad I went!

St. George with the Ericksons!

This weekend, I spent time with the Erickson family with a trip to St. George. We started out by driving down to St. George on Thursday night for Kyler's soccer tournament (Kyler is one of the goalkeepers I train here). I was a little nervous at first to go with them...you really get to know people when you spend 3-4 straight days with them....especially when two of those days is in a car! What if they didn't like me anymore after this weekend???!!!! EEK! Also, I worried I would throw off the family routine, dynamics, etc....you just never know when there's a new person around; I didn't have a car so they had to take me to and from the place where I was staying, which meant they would have to be ready a few minutes earlier than planned! Plus, I was worried I'd just be another "kid" totally joining in with the boys when mom and dad are saying, "no more!" OOPS! The weekend was a total blast. I got to watch soccer just to simply watch soccer! Kyler played well and I was really proud of him for his overall performance. His team did not advance out of their bracket, but it was nice to be outside in warm weather and see Kyler play outdoors. It gave me a better idea of how to help him better in training. On Friday, I spent over an hour and half with my little buddy Kasen, who is six, in the pool at their hotel...we had races, contests to see who could do the best tricks in the water, splashing fights....it was way fun! And I was way tired afterwards! On Saturday, I went shopping with Kyli, Kyler's mom, at the outlet stores. It was just us girls for a little over an hour....we enjoye shopping for clothes and shoes!!! Then we went back and picked up the boys and baby Kayt for dinner and more shopping. I had a blast watching little Kaytlin laughing and smiling with her big brothers and parents who were laughing and smiling with her as she said or did different things. Kasey, Kyler's dad, helps coach Kyler's team, so it's nice to talk soccer with someone who understands and has a pretty good idea of the game and what coaching entails. We packed up this morning and left warm St. George to return to the Cache Valley, stopping along the way at McGrath's Restaurant and then Krispy Kreme Doughnuts!!! We got two free doughnuts, and the boys and I got our Krispy Kreme hats! It was so much fun and came to an end way to0 quickly!

Friendship and Prayers

I was looking through an old notebook today and I found some thoughts I had written down in September 2008.  These thoughts pretty much sheds some light on my mindset at that time…not so good.  I listed things I was struggling with, I set some goals,  asked questions about where I was and in which direction I was moving, etc.  One of the things I was really struggling with at the time my lack of social interactions…aka friends.    My idea of “Friends” was people my age, who were single, who I could hang out with, talk to, etc.  I definitely had my definition of friendship, or what it entailed, yet, there were several people whom I was acquaintances with who really didn’t seem to have the same view as I did which made it a little more frustrating and made me wonder if maybe my definition was a little off.  Heavenly Father had a different idea of what I would need in order to meet my needs and what would parallel my views of friendship.   As I look back, I remember friends who are parents of kids I coached and taught and teachers I worked with whom I only saw and talked to at school.   Only one or two my age and single…most had families of their own, busy schedules, kids and spouses to care for, yet all made time for little ol’ me.  How grateful I am for those handful of people who took the time to be my friend.  Now, in Logan, it is the same.  I was hoping to come here, meet people my age, have a group to hang out with….but that is not the case.  I work with two people who are not only my colleagues, but my friends, and I have become part of a family in Smithfield who have taken me in with a couple different roles….coach, sister, friend, and my personal favorite part of the deal….DOGSITTER!!!!!  J   How blessed I am to have these people in my life.  Heavenly Father is very aware.  

Follow-Up

So I'm following up from my "feeling blessed" post....I still feel very blessed, but I can't go to anything because of soccer and class...o.k., so I can't go to anything because of soccer! I am laughing as I write this...I am truly married to soccer! It's a love/hate relationship, but a good one!

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USU Aggie Basketball!

I haven't been to many Aggie Basketball games, but a game in the Spectrum is quite the experience! Check it out! :)