Small and Simple things

Joy comes from recognizing the sweet little gifts Heavenly Father has sent to show His love.  This morning I am being filled with joy from:

Red heads, Crayola Crayons, sweet smiles.

Christmas time

The plants Rob bought that "represent my flowers to you" and are STILL blooming and attracting sweet hummingbirds (which again are Anna's Hummingbirds which winter over in our area).

Puppies. . . even 90 pound puppies!

Cattitude!

Best Friends

The warm chocolatey smell of Choffy and big mugs to drink it from.

The ocean, seagulls, salty sea air, blustery windy days, hazy grey skies.

 And most of all, I am feeling much gratitude for my growing family!

A Birthday List

I am a list person.  I make all sorts of lists.  Shopping lists, to do lists, already done lists (makes me feel better!), wish lists, and birthday lists.  No, not what I want for my birthday.  I like to make a list of 10 great qualities of each of my family members on (or close to) their birthday.  Marissa just celebrated her 21st birthday.  Here is her list. . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARISSA!

1. Marissa is one of the sunniest people I have ever met.  She has a knack of spreading warmth and peace wherever she goes.
2. She is super cute!
3. This is my spunky daughter.  Bouncy and vivacious are two words that adequately describe Marissa.
4. Gives-the-BEST-hugs-ever!
5. Generous to a fault.  Really.  She works hard for her money then often willingly gives it away for whatever cause happens to present itself.  Gifts, airline tickets, snacks, you name it.  
6. Marissa has a good work ethic.  She believes in working hard.  She once said, "I just figure if a job needs to be done, just get it done!" And she will do whatever is asked with a good attitude!
7. She is a very forgiving person, which for a mother is a wonderous thing!
8. Very creative.  I love how Marissa typically thinks outside the box.  Her creative approach to things is refreshing and generally very helpful.
9. Full of surprises!!!  From gift giving (which she absolutely loves) to personal style, we never know what to expect from Marissa.  She keeps us happily on our toes, and we love it!
10. Genuine.  I believe that there is no deception in Marissa.  What you see is what you get.  And what we see is absolutely Beautiful.

 
        
 

Random thoughts over a cup of Choffy

1)  I LOVE Choffy!  The day just isn't quite right when I don't get to start off with my huge mug of Choffy.  Pure chocolatey goodness without all the fillers found in regular hot chocolate or the negative side effects of coffee and energy drinks.  This is a chocolate lover's dream!

 This is a sample of Choffy. . . in a disposable French Press.  For more information on Choffy, go to this link:www.drinkchoffy.com/hunt

This is my Choffy mug and my own personal French press.  The kids tease me that my mug is more of a bowl.  Well, they do hold the same amount of liquid.

2)  Just did a home sleep test.  Apparently, sleeping disorders are not all that uncommon.  Interesting tidbit:  the risks of OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) are high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, pre-diabetes and diabetes, and depression.  As soon as my diabetes case manager found out I have trouble sleeping, I got a referral to the sleep clinic.  I wondered why the referral came so quickly.  I am, after all, a stressed out, overweight, mother of 8. . .AND wife of a husband that sometimes snores. . .  it is natural that I have trouble sleeping.  But what if there IS a problem--a totally treatable problem with my sleep cycle.  And what if treatment would help me in my little weight loss endeavors which would in turn help me with my little diabetes management endeavors?  What if treatment (which doesn't look all that comfy but if it works???!!!) gave me more energy to get through my day?  Hmmmm. . . .

3)  Christmas time.  I love it!!!  The music.  The blustery, rainy, PNW weather.  The neighbor's lights.  Fun little Crafts with the girls.  But it can so easily become such a stressful season.  Never enough time, energy, or money.  Sooo important to keep my focus exactly where it should be.  On the REAL reason for the season.  A celebration of my Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am so thankful to have a wonderful family who works hard to remember what Christmas is all about. Check out the following video if you would like to recenter your thoughts on the reason for this season.

A beautiful musical video by the Piano Guys

4)  Just a few of the Lord's tender mercies for me today: * No ice or frost on the car.  I was just able to jump in and go!  * We still have blossoms on our fuschia plants.  I have no idea whether or not they should have been cut back and taken in yet or not, but their flowers are attracting a pair of Anna's Hummingbirds that have been living in our neighborhood all year round.  Don't worry, I have checked with the local Audubon society, and wintering over in this region is perfectly normal!  So, the flowers are one blessing.  * The humming birds are another blessing.  I love watching birds!  And our little friends are almost daily visitors. . .right outside our window! * My daughter is pregnant with her second child--MY second grandchild--and yesterday she learned that this one is a BOY!!!  This blessing needs its own paragraph!

5)  Grandchildren.  Aaaahhh!  One of life's greatest blessings.  For me, it is still a surreal experience!  Hard to wrap my mind around.  But I am getting there.  I love having the cutest grandson in the whole world!!!

I have soooo much to be thankful for!  I am truly blessed among women. Every morning spent counting my blessings equals a day worth writing about!

Introducing Tiberious

 Cute little guy just went for a swim at about 4 months.

Here he is gazing at the sunrise at about 6 months.  Beautiful isn't he?

Who am I?

It is a BEAUTIFUL day.  One of those heavily misty mornings when a nice hot cup of Choffy, book, and blanket are a perfect combination.  They weren't my combination.  Nope!  For me, it was running shoes, knee brace, and phone (which I use for both a Nike running app and mp3).  I ran one mile in 15 minute and 15 seconds.  And THAT was accomplished after waging a battle as to whether to even get dressed! (I sometimes like to wear  my jammies around for half the day.) 

So, here is the deal.  I am 45 years old.  I am 5' 4" and weigh between 200 and 205 lbs.  I have type 2 diabetes and am trying to learn how to manage my sugars using insulin, and by changing my diet and exercise patterns.  It is slow going.  But it is going.  My last A1c was 7.5.  Numbers, numbers, numbers.  Not WHO I am at all! 

Who am I?  I am daughter, sister, wife, mother (of 8), grandmother, cousin, niece, aunt, and friend.  Home-schooler, online learning coach, housekeeper, chauffeur, cook, baker, banker, dishwasher, dog trainer, pet feeder, nutritionist, student, spiritual adviser, grocery shopper, scheduler, and household CEO/co-chair. Christian, Latter Day Saint (aka Mormon), Daughter of God, Primary president, Visiting Teacher, Cub Scout helper, choir member, teacher, and student.  Open, honest, contemplative, reflective, simple, complex, silly, deep, and all woman.  I love my family, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the temple, observing people, dogs, cats, birds, the ocean, flowers, trees, beautiful music, art, a good book, a good play, a good movie, warm brown chickens, dandelions, fall colors and earth tones, home made smoothies, spaghetti, Choffy, Christmas music, rain, sunshine, thunder storms, the happy smells of Crayola crayons, cut grass, and the salty air of the sea. Who am I?  I am all this and more.  I am me, and I hope you will enjoy getting to know me!

Quote of the day:  "If you don't enjoy the journey, you probably won't like the destination."  Enjoy your day!

5K. . . Check

Well, I did it!  My first 5K.  Sweet Marissa ran with me the whole time which means she had a hard time of things as my pace is soooo slow.  An older walking lady actually finished before us.  We came in dead last, but we "ran" the whole way.  We didn't stop or walk.  It started off wet and rainy--and cold.  I ended up quite warm, thank you very much.  The moral of the story?  Don't let being slow stop you.  Finishing last is still finishing.  

TO RUN OR NOT TO RUN?

Well, it is 11:05 on the West Coast, which means that it is pretty much morning on the East Coast! The whole reason behind the name "Morning Musings" was that I thought I might have a few quiet moments to think, reflect, and share in the morning.  This past week has blessed me with some peaceful moments AFTER the day has run its course.

Tonight, my thoughts turn to tomorrow.  To run or not to run.  Our local runner's club is hosting a Turkey Trot.  To my utter astonishment, I have been considering giving it a go.  Honestly, I can't say why.  The only time I have even come close to running such a distance was my birthday, on which I ran exactly 3 miles in 52 minutes and 44 seconds with an average "lightning" speed of 17:30 per mile. Yes, most people probably walk faster than that.

Yet, here I am. . . actually THINKING about running a 5k.  I have come a long way, baby!  This particular portion of my journey seems to have begun with Rob just after Tim and Cassie got married.  Our freezer was stocked with some very enticing ice cream.  As customary, I offered some to Rob on that Monday evening.  Oddly, he declined.  Typically, Rob would have been back for seconds.  And he was turning down firsts. This was odd indeed.  "Well," I thought, "He has been complaining of an upset stomach."  But when he turned it down the following three nights, I wanted to know what was up.  So, I asked him.  His answer was odder still.  "I am just seeing what happens when I avoid sugar for awhile."  And, that is when something broke loose in my own thinking.  All of the sudden, I was wondering what would happen if I avoided sugar for awhile too.  After that, the first time I consumed sugar in any form (with the exception of two occasions when my blood sugars went too low), was on Jamie's birthday.  She had requested chocolate cake.  I LOVE chocolate cake.  At least, I used to.  (Reader, beware.  What you are about to read could be considered quite shocking.)   After about a month and a half of a sugar free life, it turned out that I could live without chocolate cake.  I was actually content to call it good with one small piece of cake.

Hmmm, it is now 11:36.  I don't feel like recording the entire journey from 210+ lb couch potato to the amazing 203 lb athlete I am today in this particular blog posting.  Suffice it to say, that here I am contemplating something new, and wondering just what could happen if I decided to.

Quote for the day. . .

Good morning!  I just ran across a wonderful quote.  "Amateurs built the ark.  Professionals built the Titanic."  I don't know who first said this, but definitely a brilliant reminder that I don't have to be perfect to love life and flourish.