General Updates

Here's Aimee all dressed up for Halloween. She was a hazmat worker. It's cool when your dad lets you borrow his work stuff!

Don't get between this cat and his Dr. Pepper... LOL

Chloe before a ride.


So here's a little of what I've been up to lately:

Trying out new recipes. I found a good lo-mein recipe and a friend shared her fabulous cinnamon roll recipe. I've also made some homemade bagels in the past few weeks. It's amazing how much more cooking I'm doing now that I'm home more often!! (My family is loving it... I'm not sure my waistline is though!! lol)

I've also been doing more reading. I'm slowly working my way through some of Emerson's lectures but have also fit in some easier quick reads in between. One of the best ones I've read lately was "Same Kind of Different As Me." I'd recommend it to everyone.

How about TWO game nights in one month?! We had one last Friday, which was tons of fun, and will have another on Saturday. Soon I'll be re-inviting friends we've had over before (we've been inviting people to get to know them better, but it's time to start having some of our old faves back again too! Makes me wish I could do it every Friday so I could invite ALL my friends! Or that my table was bigger... If you've only gotten one invite so far and want to come back- let me know!) It's hard to believe that someone who struggled so much with social anxiety disorder could come to enjoy get-togethers, but I guess it helps that it's at my house (comfort zone) and in small groups. (Hey, I never claimed I'd end up a party girl who likes large crowds!) Once more I'll ask: anyone want to join us who hasn't so far? I don't want to leave anyone out and I'd love to get to know you better!

I've learned a hard lesson lately. Sadly, this lesson means that I am putting Chloe up for sale. As much as I've enjoyed the experience of working with a horse again, I've found that 1) I really don't like being out at the farm alone. I would rather do an activity that includes someone else (I have plenty of alone time already!) 2) My riding skills just aren't as good as they need to be. If I had an older horse to practice riding on or even an enclosed area to ride Chloe, I might improve. But there have been too many falls and a decline in confidence for both Chloe and me so it's best to find someone who has the skills to help her progress. 3) She's another expense we really don't need. I can't justify even the low amount of board I pay when we've got medical, dental, auto and other needs. I'm sad to give up the dream of owning a horse, but honestly, this isn't quite what my dream looked like. Mostly I'll just be relieved to find Chloe a new home. Maybe someday I'll be wealthy enough to keep a well trained horse at a facility that has other riders and trails and stuff, but for now I'd rather spend time with my husband, daughter and friends.

I'm starting to work on crafts that will be Christmas presents. I love how the Relief Society has helped me do great projects for the past 3 years to make as gifts. This year's is especially cool. I'd give more details, but on the off chance that any of the recipients read my blog, I'd hate to ruin the surprise! (Maybe I'll take pics when they're done and post after Christmas...)

Now I'm looking for MORE crafts to do. So far sewing and scrapbooking haven't really inspired me, but I'm hopeful that I'll find some more neat ideas to try. I've found that I have a real talent for DOING the crafts (my eye for detail means they get cut, put together, painted, etc. very well) but I have no real creativity. So whatever I find has to show an example or be a kit. But I can make it look dang good!

I've also been working on making my yard look loved again. Not like it's going to look great for fall or winter, but at least the lawn got a last cut, the leaves have been raked, and the gardening boxes have been cleaned up. I have hope that next spring my yard will be a fabulous explosion of flowers. Now if I could just make myself sit down and actually PLAN it out so it doesn't look like a hodge-podge of whatever flowers caught my fancy at the gardening center... (Am I the only one loves buying the discounted plants and trying to bring them back to life? I always feel sorry for them and figure I'm only spending a buck or two so it's worth a shot!)

One of my good friends noticed that I look different since being released. She kept staring at me as I sat in Primary, trying to figure it out. So I asked my husband if he thought I looked different. His answer was "yeah, you look a lot more relaxed!" I think he nailed it. I'm glad that how I feel is showing because I AM feeling a lot more relaxed. I'm going to take this time and enjoy myself for a bit. Maybe I'll figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. For now, though, one day at a time is fine by me. Besides, I find plenty enough to keep me busy each day!