Detours and Daily Life

Life is always moving forward. Even when life isn't going as planned (when does life ever really follow a plan?), there is still a forward momentum that keeps us stepping into the unknown future. 

Today I went out for a jog. I was given the go ahead from my doctor to start exercising. My heart monitor results were good, though I do have an irregular heartbeat sometimes, and have ever since running the marathon (maybe I ran so much I threw my heart out of rhythm?) The irregularity is also common with the EBV virus, and anxiety, so we shall see if it fades away over time. Anyway, the doctor said I can start really moving. I have been walking almost everyday for a few weeks, and so I decided to give running a go today. I went around my normal loop with Zoie and it felt great! I felt free again! It really is the very best therapy for me. It just changes me, and I love it. I have missed it. The amazing thing was the muscle memory that my body had, even after so long without jogging. As I was out today, I said a prayer of gratitude for this body of mine. It has been through the gauntlet this year, and though I have been brought very low in body and spirit, my spirit and my body never completely failed me. Thank goodness! 

Sometimes I would go out with just Zoie on walks, and other times I would take the whole family. We had to find new trails to travel since so many of our normal routes are flooded. 

 William was so excited to find this huge "wish."

Summer days are the best. I love not having to follow the school schedule. There have been a few days when we actually watched a movie in the middle of the day! It was amazing!

 Just playing games.

 Henry grabbed some plastic cups and started building. He is quite the creative fellow.

Sammi climbed the tree to set up our new twinkle lights for added ambiance in the backyard. Summer nights are my favorite time, so I am embracing it, and making our backyard a pleasant place to be at night.

 This is the view from the street behind ours.

We got the game Apples to Apples and played for a few hours. It was just me and the boys, Sammi was out on the town, doing something special with a friend.

 I love playing games as a family.

 These cookies from Fred Meyers are dangerously good.

 Nutella won this round

 This was a tough one...

When I went on my jog, the weather was amazing. It has been nice and cool the last few days. It has been Heavenly.

Whenever I take Zoie out, she attracts so much attention. I even had to stop and let someone pet her today. At one point, a man with a dog came up to me, and the two dogs got their leashes wrapped together, as they sniffed each other. Too bad he was not available and in my age-range, because that would be a sweet way to meet someone. Just saying.

She really is a beautiful creature. I try to remember that when she is doing something crazy. She ran the whole way with me today, and I was so proud of her. I foresee many happy runs together.

 The river is absolutely bonkers. It is so flooded in every direction.

 I won't be using this path...

This is not supposed to be the river. The river is on the far side of those big trees, but it has created another river flowing along side it.

Each path I would normally take was blocked by flooding. I was starting to see a life lesson. Sometimes in life, the paths we plan to take become blocked, and we have to find another way.

That river to the left was a cement path I used to love running on. I did find another way to travel, and it was still a pleasant journey, even with the detours.

 The kids wanted to play Apples to Apples again.

I don't normally let Zoie on the couch, but after all her running, I thought she could use some love and cuddles.

Sammi was working on her talk. She gives it tomorrow in church.

 Here is Henry saying, "take a picture of me!"

It is so nice to have Daniel around to mow the lawn. I don't mind mowing, but having capable children is really a fantastic bonus.

I have been studying the scriptures daily. It is changing my life. No more phone scripture scrolling for me. The book is just so much more powerful, for whatever reason. There is a primary song called, "Scripture Power." It is one of my favorites. It makes me cry every time I hear it. The scriptures really are so powerful!

I have been doing family history daily. Now this is where the phone comes in handy. I love the familysearch.org App. I love to use it to try and find missing people, but it really is so much easier to get work done on a real computer with some screen space. I always have familysearch.org and ancestry.com open at the same time. That gets tricky on the phone going back and forth. This work is healing me. It really is, and I am not messing around when I say that family history work has the power to heal. The way I feel now, compared to how I felt before I started: is night and day. It is the difference between feeling extreme anxiety, and joyful peace. If you do not believe me... try it! I was compelled by a 21 day challenge, but you know I will not stop there! I don't want to risk feeling like I did before! I am just making it a habit like scripture study.

 The girls just hanging out.

 Tale as old as time...

One of my favorite things about family history is finding the pictures, and feeling connected to my ancestors.

The tree at night... the lights on the trunk twinkle... like Disneyland. :) 

Oh, and last but not least, Sammi met some special people. Her friend, Katie, had an extra ticket to Studio C live, and last minute called to see if Sammi wanted to go. She had like 3 minutes to get ready, but she slapped on some "real clothes" and flew out the door as fast as she could. She wasn't supposed to be able to meet the cast, but some nice people in charge told her to just go in. She was SO HAPPY! There was a little jealously going on with some boys in our house, and understandably so, these guys are superstars at our house. Maybe one day, the rest of the family will get to see a live show. I know it is a dream for Daniel. He even follows some of the cast members personal vlogs. Studio C is the best, and we are so grateful for their clean entertainment in our home! Laughter is one of the best forms of healing.

Keep moving forward. It's the only way to go!