Monday, December 8, 2014

Let us be Gentle

When I was in kindergarten there was a boy in my class who peed his pants and for years afterword whenever I saw him my first thought would be, “he peed his pants in kindergarten.”  Sadly, I have very few other memories of him. All I can remember is what he looked like, that he was teased a lot in school, that he lived with his grandma, and he moved away before 4th grade but would come back to visit once in a while. As an adult whenever I think of him my heart breaks for that little boy who was treated so unkindly.

 I wasn’t a bully in school and I got a long with pretty much everybody. For the most part I enjoyed school.  With that being said it doesn’t mean I was always the kindest to people or the most understanding, like most school age kids.

Since graduation I have learned more about what some of my fellow classmates had to face while in high school. The loss of a parent(s), their parents going through a vicious divorce, mental illness, drug addiction, sexual abuse, life threatening illnesses, the loss of a sibling, and so on. I wonder how I would have treated my fellow classmates if I had known the struggles and trials they were facing. Would I have been more understanding? Would I have mourned with those who were mourning?  Would I have treated them more gently?  Tried to not to solely define them by an accident they had in kindergarten?  I know my heartaches for the challenges they face now.

So often we become solely focused on our own victories, burdens, and challenges that we forget to look around at what is happening to those around us. We rashly make rude comments too or gossip about people without knowing their full story.  Honestly, we may never know the full story because people only tell you what they want you to know.  This doesn’t mean we can keep tearing people down because we are ignorant of their challenges.  It means we need to start treating others more gently and recognize we are all struggling with challenges seen and unseen.

I will probably never know why that boy lived with his grandma or even why he peed his pants that day in school. But what I can do is start thinking of him as whole person who grows and changes and has trials just like me. I would hate it if someone judged me solely on how I was in high school or when I was getting off some medication that made me feel like I was losing my mind. I would want them to see me for my whole self. My talents, my strengths, my weaknesses, my growth over the years, and the trials I am facing. I would want them to say “Hi” to me at Walmart even if they thought I was a weird cross country runner in high school and recognize I am not that same person.


Me- during my high school cross-country days
Me (currently)- Mom of two and wife to medical student  




I will be doing that likewise.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Bear Lake 2014

Over the summer while visiting family in Utah, we decided to go to Bear Lake with my Mom and sisters.  Since we had to drive up through Logan, UT to get to Bear Lake we were forced to stop at Herm’s for breakfast.  Seriously, this one of the best places to eat in Logan and you would be silly to not go there as frequently as possible. My personal favorite is the Greek skillet with steak added to it. I don’t have a pictures of the skillet because my food was devoured so quickly. In addition to the great food is the fun atmosphere; the building is a restored and revamped gas station.






When we finally got to Bear Lake we had a blast playing in the water and sand. We rented stand up paddleboards (SUP) and a kayak. I was introduced to SUP’s a few years ago when The Germ and I were in Hawaii for a few weeks. We found them more fun than surfing because the don't take as long to master. They also add a fun technical challenge to paddling not to mention the great abdominal workout caused be the constant balancing. My mom may or may not have lost a pair of nice sunglasses in the lake after losing her balance on SUP. On a side note have you ever wondered how many keys, sunglasses, and wallets have are sitting at the bottom of the lake?



The day before I cut my hair off!


Samson like the water for a little bit but was mostly content napping on the beach. Sienna loved the sand and liked the water. She only liked the water when it was below her knees and not splashing in her face! The instant the water touched her face she would have a complete meltdown.






showing off his beach bod




Our day was cut short when a big thunderstorm rolled in with such strong winds that everything started blowing away. So we packed up and got a milk shake for the ride home. 

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Samsonite at 4 months


Samsonite is 4 months! He is really smiley and LOVES "talking" to men with beards! Maybe is has something with the Germ not shaving for the  last 4 1/2 months before he was born. He is a super laid back little man that is regularly sleeping through the night (hallelujah!)  I could kiss his cheeks all day long!












22 months


Peanut is now 22 months. She loves to color, play at the park, help cook, and ride bikes. She is talking up a storm and is so feisty.  While taking her pictures I would ask her to look at the camera, she would reply, "No Mom."














This might be my favorite






Smiling for a fruit snack (yes, we stooped to bribery the last few minutes)


A cute picture of sienna and her Daddy 

Saturday, May 31, 2014

The Little Man

The past three weeks I have been enjoying snuggles from our newest family member. He is a dream baby and I can get enough of him. Here are some pictures I took of this sweet little man when he was just over a week old.


He is very alert just like his sister





Baby feet are my favorite!













 PS.
He was a little stressed about the Germs finals