Things you wish you knew before you were a mom

Neal and I are not quite to the stage of having children yet, but it is definitely in the near-ish future.  Because I know this, and to keep myself busy, I am trying to find talents to develop that will help me when we do become parents.  So, my question to you, is what do you wish you knew before you were a mom?  What do you wish you would have done differently before you had kids?  What do you wish you had learned how to do before your little one(s) were born?

Thanks :)

Beauty and peace

I'm not one to normally post stuff like this, but I just watched this video and think it is beautiful.  It brought such peace to my heart.

Baby's first bath:
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/04/skip-your-morning-meditation-watch-this-instead/

Today

Today.  Sunday, July 29th.  I am whirling between happy and sad, from one moment to the next. Today was my last Sunday as the CTR 6 teacher.  I looked at all those little faces that I've gotten to know for the last 6 months.  I saw how happy they are, and I can see the changes that have happened since I became their teacher.  I feel and remember the things they have taught me about love and having an eagerness to learn.  Today was our last official day in our current ward, and we got to speak.  Today I found out that my best friend from high school had her little boy, and that everything went well and everyone is healthy.  Today I look around my house and see my house in disarray...half packed, but not really packed.  In a week we will be in our new home, and I will be preparing to start my new job in less than 24 hours.  We are doing and have so much to do this week that I really would rather sit and do nothing.  But unfortunately, we have to do all of these things.  We have to pack, and we are going to leave.  We will all press on...I think.

Want to see a mood swing put into writing?

I promised Neal I wouldn't post anything negative on here tonight, since honestly, I'm in a rather negative mood.

I'm learning that I have a very hard time not becoming offended when someone attacks someone or something I care very much about...and I'm learning there are a lot of those someones or somethings.  I easily become offended and then get defensive and then say hurtful or careless things.  Okay.  I'll work on that.

But seriously, why is everyone so quick to assume they know the whole story?  That their ideas are right, no matter what?  That they know everything there is to know about something, and so there can't be a different side?  Or they're even unwilling to listen to a different side?  Or they're told something about that something that they take to be truth, even though its a completely biased opinion from someone who's had a bad experience, or quite frankly, their "truth" has no validity at all?

I feel like tonight a lot of things that I care about have come up in this manner.  So what did I do?  I got defensive and it put me in a negative mood.

Changing subject.

Neal and I have been very blessed lately.  We've made new friends.  I got the job I wanted.  We were able to be approved for and sign a lease on the condo we wanted, in the ward we wanted, in the stake we wanted.  We've been very blessed financially in this month that I'm not working that we were rather worried about.  We have each other, and that's something I'm very grateful for.  I'm grateful that he listens to me rant, cry, freak out, worry, and be calm.  I'm also grateful for my testimony, and for the faith I have in the Atonement for EVERYBODY...not just people of my religion.  People can change if they are willing to change.  That I have learned so far in my relatively short life here on Earth, and I have seen it.  I am also grateful that I believe in a truly just, understanding, merciful God.  One who in omniscient and therefore sees things I do not see and knows things I do not know.  I am grateful that I truly believe that He judges in a just way, and that everyone, at some point, will answer for things they truly did wrong.  Whether I believe they did wrong or not.  I'm grateful that is NOT my job, and it frustrates me when people think it is their job (if that seems hypocritical and opposite, I was just wondering the same thing as I typed that...)

Look at that.  I'm in a better mood now.  That's right.  You just witnessed a mood swing happen, live, as I was typing.

Good night.

PS.  I didn't write the title until I read the post and thought to myself, "Wow...I hope no one thinks I'm bipolar or something." (Which, was not meant jokingly....bipolarism is a serious thing...seriously.)

Concentration and Anniversary

Since I can't concentrate on the things I really should be doing, I will write a blog post instead!  Productive, right?  Hahaha, ok maybe not, but it will make me feel better.

First of all, my Blogger Dashboard is wigging out.  It says that I'm not following any blogs, which, is a complete lie.  I follow like 30.  It's one of those little annoying things that shouldn't annoy you because, lets face it, it's a total first world problem, but it does anyway.  Then my computer crashed, erasing the long, tedious, project that I've been working on.  Great.

Anyway.

Sorry if this post is a little disjointed.

We went camping the Sunday before Memorial Day and then headed from there to Glenwood Springs (for our anniversary).  We took the scenic route from Estes Park (the Peak to Peak highway) and it was absolutely beautiful.  When we got up there, we checked into the Hotel Colorado, and went and ate some delicious BBQ at Rib City.  Then we went and swam in the hot springs for a few hours.  Then we walked down to Villiage Inn and got some delicious pie.  (Walking back my flip flop broke.  This is of importance because I have had that pair of flip flops for years, and they died.  It was sad.  Even Neal admitted that.)

Funny story about me staying at Hotel Colorado.  I am a little less than obsessed with "haunted" places.  I think its fascinating.  I am okay with most haunted places (with the exception of old insane assylums...they FREAK me out to no end).  So, just before we laid down to go to sleep, I decided to look up what made people believe the Hotel Colorado was haunted, and if there was any validity to it on my fancy new smart phone.  Ya, um, bad idea.  I fell into a very light sleep.  At about 12:45 am (so, like 15 minutes after I had fallen asleep) Neal started wigging out in his sleep.  He kept saying really weird things (which, I'm sure, had I been not half asleep and freaked out by what I had just read, I would have realized that the things he was saying were because he was asleep, not because he was possessed by some spirit in this crazy haunted hotel that we were staying at).  Well, I ended up being in my half-awake, totally freaked out stupor until about 3:00 am.  I kept hearing weird banging noises (which were caused by the guy upstairs taking a shower I finally decided...the plumbing in that place was done in the 40s).  Funny enough, when I finally passed out, I was lulled to sleep by a really strange noise out in our hallway that kept repeating over, and over, and over again.

I woke up the next morning and told Neal about my eventful night.  He looked at me, shook his head, and simply muttered, "I told you so" which, he did, before we went to bed the night previous.

As we were getting ready to head out for the day, Neal received a phone call from his sister, Shauna, telling us his Grandpa Milligan had just passed away.  We had known it was coming for a couple weeks, but none the less, were saddened by the news.  We went and ate breakfast and then headed home to be with Neal's family.

More to continue in the next post...

Quiet moments

I am currently reading a book Neal and I received for Christmas from my grandparents.  It is called "To Draw Closer To God - A Collection of Discourses by Henry B. Eyring."  As I was reading I had a quiet moment where I felt a wonderful feeling of joy and a confirmation that I could not refrain from sharing.  President Eyring says, "Seeking the Spirit can bring you blessings, but seeking to bring it down on someone else also adds the joy of gift giving."

It took a second while I sat back and let it soak in.  I LOVE gift giving, but I guess I had only really thought about giving gifts in a very physical sense, but President Eyring is TOTALLY right.  Praying for other people to have the Spirit to help them throughout the day IS like giving them a gift...a very spiritual one.  One than can help them overcome trials, help keep them safe from danger, and make them happier than a lot of other physical gifts that are given can make them.

It made me so happy :)

One year: already?

On the evening of the 12th, as we were getting ready for bed, I looked at Neal and said, "Tomorrow we'll have been married for one year...weird."  He looked back at me with a sort of quizzical look and then replied, "Wow...that is weird..."  We both agree that it feels like it has been longer than a year, but at the same time, so much shorter.

Yesterday was a wonderful day :)  we received so many well wishes and congratulations for making it through the first year aka "the hardest year."  It was so wonderful to look at each other and think, "hey...this year was awesome, and we're going to have many more awesome years to come." 

So here's to all the awesome years to come!