Kiersten’s Blog

Ten years ago today I was serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I was serving in Ontario, Canada.  I was in my last area, Stoney Creek, which is just across the lake south of Toronto.  That day I had gone to help at the church farm near Niagra Falls.  We hadn’t been there long and we were having a good time when the person in charge of the farm came in and stopped the equipment and told us that something very bad had just happened.  In his broken English, he just kept saying, “Something very bad has happened,” over and over again.  He had a hard time even telling us what had happened because he was so emotional.  So many things were running through my mind as he told us that a plane had hit the first tower, then the second tower.  I was scheduled to go home in just a couple of months.  The borders were closed.  For how long, I didn’t know.  We drove back to Stoney Creek, listening to the radio for more details.  We were given permission, even direction, to watch the news.  (Watching TV is not allowed for missionaries.)  We went to the house of a lady we were teaching and sat and watched re-runs of what had just taken place, in shock.  I felt so blessed to be safe.  I was glad that my family was safe.  I remember hearing stories of so many miracles that took place in the midst of this tragedy.  I hope that we will always see the hand of God in our lives, even amid terrible circumstances.  I think days like this remind us of the importance of living each day to its fullest.  I hope I will.

I ran by myself this morning.  My running buddy is on vacation.  When she’s there, we chat and I don’t listen to music.  Today I had music.  I’m kind of indecisive and never really know what to choose.  First I listened to Mumford and Sons.  After I finished that album, I needed something with a little more pep, so I turned to Jason Mraz.  He has some pretty good beats and kept me going, but it was also nice to just listen and think.  I love his song Life is Wonderful.  I thought a lot about the lyrics as I was running:

It takes a crane to build a crane

It takes two floors to make a story

It takes an egg to make a hen

It takes a hen to make an egg

There is no end to what I’m saying

It takes a thought to make a word

And it takes some words to make an action

It takes some work to make it work

It takes some good to make it hurt

It takes some bad for satisfaction

It takes a night to make it dawn

And it takes a day to make you yawn brother

And it takes some old to make you young

It takes some cold to know the sun

It takes the one to have the other

And it takes no time to fall in love

But it takes you years to know what love is

It takes some fears to make you trust

It takes those tears to make it rust

It takes the dust to have it polished

It takes some silence to make sound

It takes a loss before you found it

And it takes a road to go nowhere

It takes a toll to make you care

It takes a hole to make a mountain

Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful

Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle

Ha la la la la la life is wonderful

Ha la la la la la life is meaningful

Ha la la la la la life is wonderful

Ha la la la la la life it is…so… wonderful

It is so meaningful

It is so wonderful

It is meaningful

It is wonderful

It is meaningful

It goes full circle

Wonderful

Meaningful

Full circle

Wonderful

As I listened, I couldn’t help but think of difficulties that  my family is dealing with right now.  I kept thinking about how we really can’t know joy unless we know sorrow.  We have to have difficult times so that we can know what it feels like.  It’s kind of like being healthy.  I would never know how wonderful it is to be healthy if I was never sick.  Then I started thinking about life and the meaning of life.  I thought about Adam and Eve and how they couldn’t have truly known joy until they knew sorrow.  2 Nephi 2:23-26 (in The Book of Mormon) explains a bit.  This section is referring to what would have happened, had they not partaken of the fruit:

23 . . . wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

24 But behold all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall . . . 

I remember that through turbulent times, I can experience more joy because I have experienced more sorrow.  I know more what joy feels like because I know more what sorrow feels like.  Life really is wonderful.  Life really is meaningful.  Sure, life is scary.  Life is hard.  Life is sad.  But all of these things make it even more wonderful.

If you knew me more than a year ago, you would probably remember that I was not, in fact not even close to being a runner.  I hated running.  Soon after we moved into our house, I had a friend running a 10k and invited me to run it with her.  I don’t even know why I accepted, but that’s what got me started.  Fast-forward almost a year and a half, and I’m training for a half marathon!  During my 10k training, I sometimes ran a little bit with some ladies in my ward, who just happened to be on the same route/same time as I was running.  After my race, I kept running with them.  And I haven’t stopped!  My 10k was last April and now I’m actually enjoying running!  I never thought that would happen.  And I never would have considered myself a runner, but I guess I am.  Today I ran further than I ever have at one time.  I ran 9 miles.  Without stopping.  In a 9:17 pace.  You might not think that’s amazing, but I do.  So I’m a runner.  I run.

Part of me wants to be more healthy.  Part of me does not.  The part of me that wants to eat more healthy usually gets thrown out the window in the moment.  You know, that moment that I want a bowl of ice cream, or another cookie.  But the other part of me wants to be able to overcome those cravings and temptations, and just suck it up and eat more healthy.  Why would I not?  Healthy food is yummy.  But it’s not as yummy as that bowl of ice cream.  And when I’m bored, it’s fun to just make up a little treat.  I’ve been working on that.  Somehow lately, I’ve stumbled upon materials and classes about eating proper nutrients.  I don’t think I’m searching these things out, so it must be something I need.

I consider myself a pretty healthy person.  I try to eat a balanced diet and I run 6 miles (or more), three times a week.  I just know that I could be doing better.  Don’t we all?  I have a few obstacles to overcome, though.  First of all, I get a lot of griping when I make healthy meals.  I’m pretty sure London doesn’t really like anything.  Except Taylor packed her lunch a couple of times this week and she seems to eat more of it when he packs it.  Maybe I should make him cook the dinners!  Ashton has stopped eating too.  He used to eat everything.  Now, not so much.  At least both kids still love frozen peas (as long as they’re frozen).  They eat them like candy.  I’ll keep buying them.  Another obstacle is my sweet tooth.  It seems as though healthy is just not as yummy, although I do eat many yummy, healthy things.  I also know that as I eat less junk, I will crave less junk.

In that light, I have set a few goals.  I plan on eating less junk food.  That doesn’t mean I have to cut it out completely, just have one cookie instead of 3.  I’m also going to start going to bed earlier.  I’m usually up quite early (at least on the days I go running) so if I’m not going to be early, I’m definitely not getting enough sleep.  I’m going to start using my water app again and drink at least 64 ounces of water a day.  I’m going to eat more protein (mostly plant based).  I’m going to continue my half marathon training.  I know that my goals aren’t super concrete, but I have to at least put in writing that I’m going to do something instead of me sitting around doing nothing.  So here’s to a healthier family!

I decided to try my hand at square foot gardening this year.  Last year, I planted a number of random things in the dirt by our house and a few things in pots.  Nothing worked.  Not even one of my 12 zucchini plants.  I got one tomato.  That’s all.  And it wasn’t even ripe.  Needless to say, I’m not much of a gardener.  But when I learned about square foot gardening, I thought I would give it a try.  I worked hard.

We planted a week ago.  I really, really, really hope things go better than last year, but I’m not getting my hopes up.  I go water it every day and inspect it really closely to see if anything’s poking through.  So far, all I have seen are seeds that have surfaced (but only a couple).  There are no sprouts yet.  I’m starting to get a little worried about it, but I have to keep telling myself that it has only been a week.  I have to be patient.  But I really want to start eating those yummy peas!  Oh, and I planted my tomatoes in a Topsy Turvy.  It’s getting big, but still no blossoms yet.  Maybe I’m just not meant to garden.

Happy Mother’s Day!  I wanted to post a picture of me and my kids today, right after church.  I am wearing the lovely noodle necklace that London made in school on Friday.  But it’s not just any noodle necklace, it’s made from noodles that have been spray painted gold and silver!  I love it!  And London loves it.  She keeps telling me that I’m the best and most beautiful mother in the whole wide world ever (a far cry from the comments I got from the old ladies at the post office the other day).  I love being a mom today!  I also love the mothers in my life, most especially my own mother.  She put up with a lot when I was growing up (she still does!).  I also have the best mother-in-law.  I have the best husband because he has the best mother!

With mother’s day just around the corner, let me fill you in on the best ways to be a bad mother because, apparently I’m good at that.

1.  Take a trip to the post office

2.  Don’t forget your 2-year-old

3.  Make sure you’re sending mother’s day packages

4.  Don’t purchase cards until you get to the post office

5.  While filling out the cards, let your 2-year-old rearrange the rest of the cards in the display

6.  Continue packaging gifts and writing in cards while said 2-year-old (with pizza sauce on his shirt and dirty knees) looks out the windows, paces back in forth in front of the door, and leaves his sippy cup somewhere on the floor.

7.  Listen to a conversation by two old ladies that goes something like this:

Old lady 1: Look at that little boy.  He’s messing up all the cards!

Old lady 2: I hope she {meaning me} cleans them up.  {In my defense, they weren’t really any more messed up than they were when we got there.}

Old lady 1: Some people need to take better care of their children.

Old lady 2: Yes, and see, his cup is on the floor right there too.

8.  Finish writing cards and packaging up gifts and grab the 2-year-old before he heads out the door.

9.  Get an earful from old lady 1 about how I need to watch my child and be a good mom.

10.  Mention to her that being rude doesn’t help.

11.  Go back to your packages and open one to see which mother it’s for, since you have yet to address the packages that you have already sealed.

12.  Seal back up the package, pay for packaging and postage and finally leave the post office.

13.  Make it to school on time to pick up your kindergartener and then remember that you forgot to pay for the cards before you packaged up the envelopes.

14.  Call the post office to see if you can pay for the cards over the phone.  But you can’t.  So you have to go back to the post office.

I think I’ll wait until Taylor gets home.

Oh, and #15, make sure your 5-year-old tells you on a daily basis that you’re the meanest mom in the whole world (but maybe that is proof that I’m doing something right).

While we were on our trip, we celebrated Taylor’s birthday.  We happened to be in Zion that day and I told him that I would do any hike he wanted to.  My parents were nice enough to watch the kids for us.  He wanted to take me on the Angel’s Landing hike.  If you are unfamiliar with Zion National Park, you wouldn’t know much about this hike, so let me tell you.  People die on it.  Taylor and his dad and brother hiked it two years ago.  They took a slew of pictures and even videos.  After watching the videos and seeing the pictures, I decided that that rock would never be one I would conquer.  In fact, I was mad at them for taking the pictures and videos because THEY COULD HAVE DIED!!!  It was that scary just looking at that stuff.  The hike itself is 2.4 miles each way.  That, I thought, was do-able.  The part that I didn’t think would be, was the rock climbing-holding-onto-the-chain-(or not)-with-a-1000-foot-drop-on-either-side part.  Not my idea of a good time.  But Taylor wanted to do it and I wanted to make him happy.  I was really nervous about the whole adventure for days beforehand.  Still, I persisted.  Friday morning rolled around and we hopped on the shuttle before the kids were up.  We wanted to be some of the first ones on the trail.  It was a strenuous hike, but I’m probably in the best shape I’ve ever been in, so I felt confident and good.  We made it to Scout Lookout without much trouble.  Then I looked ahead and got a bit worried.

But I had psyched myself up before hand and I couldn’t stop there.  I had to make it to the top!  So we went the last half mile.  I looked one step ahead the whole time and held on for dear life to that little chain.  And I made it!

I think I can do anything now.  The view was spectacular, although I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked, just because I was a little freaked out.  Taylor showed me a spot where they had taken pictures when he climbed it with his dad and brother 2 years ago and I wouldn’t even let him get near it.  Those guys are CRAZY!  The whole thing was quite an adventure.

Do you see me?

I’m so glad I did it.  I’m proud to say that I conquered the rock.

Just a side note: On our way up we passed a couple climbing with their two kids.  They were on the switchbacks.

I thought they were crazy (and brave) then, but we passed them again on the way down and I thought they were even crazier.  They were going all the way to the top!  I was sure they would have stopped at Scout Lookout, but no.  They had to make it.  The dad was carrying a backpack with his probably 3 year old son, and the mom was carrying a probably 18 month old girl in a Moby Wrap on her front.  I can tell you I won’t be doing that anytime soon.

We have had a nice (but definitely not relaxing) vacation this week with my parents.  We met them at the Grand Canyon and then went to Zion National Park from there.  We’ll be home soon and I’ll post more pictures and many, many more details.  For now, all you need to know is that I conquered Angel’s Landing yesterday and I’m still alive.  I’m proud to say that I did it with relatively little freaking out.  More on that later.

I started a new blog.  I’ve been thinking of doing this for a while now.  I wanted to make a place where people could go to find fun family friendly activities in San Diego.  I have looked for blogs like that and haven’t come up with much.  In addition, I thought it would be a good way for me to be really motivated to get out and explore San Diego with my kids.  I’m hoping to do at least weekly updates and soon have a plethora of activities and tips for people visiting San Diego with their family.  You can see more about our trip to the zoo today there.  Check it out!

sandiegoforfamilies.wordpress.com