07/12/15 Balloon Ride - check that off your bucket list!

Kinda tired this week coming off of vacation.  Pretty uneventful week.  Just went to work and kids and dad just hung out around home. 

Katie did baptisms 2x this week -- Wednesday with YW and then again Saturday by herself.  

Holly has been playing with the twins always -- like usual.  Katie has been hanging with Chole and Gwen -- they like to play Harry Potter games.  I'm not sure exactly what that is but they use dolls and the magic wand. 

Friday the girls went and played with their friends and Dad and I got to go to Brick Oven with gma and pa and get the buffet.  Yummy.  We kinda had a super long date because Holly stayed and played at Riley's and Katie went to temple so we got to go to Trader's in St. George and the $ store and then met up with Katie and gma and pa for an ice cream. It was nice to not be rushed and having to run here there and everywhere.  Dad usually has to work Friday evenings so it seems like it's been forever since we've really just had time to "chill!"  I liked it. 

Mr. Ivie got married on the baseball diamond at 10 p.m. Friday night so we got to watch that.  Kinda thought it was a strange idea and now I think it's brilliant.  Tons of seating, great lighting.  No set up, no take down.  Haha.  

Saturday morning gpa and Aj went up in the hot air balloon.  They loved it. They said it is definitely something to do once in your lifetime.  AJ took pictures from up in the balloon and we took picture from the ground.  All in all I think it was a fun present for gpa. Afterward we went to Winger's for breakfast and then came home and everybody had some quiet time for a couple hours. 

I took Holly to the pool around noon and then Aj and the twins and Holly and I hiked Redcliffs before Aj went back up to Provo. 

We had dinner and game night last night.  Skip-bo. I lost both games.  

It was nice to have fun stuff to do and just chill for the weekend!

Me and AJ finished a little patio I've been working on in the back yard.  It's just paver rocks to put the swing on.  I've been working on it for probably about a month just doing like 10 pavers in the morning some days.  It is 100 pavers total.  We just did the last 16 yesterday.  I need to go out and do a little more with it but it's coming along.  I have some more pavers that I may make another little pad type thing for the table and chairs outside or I may make a path to walk through the yard.  Still haven't decided. 

Thought of the week: 

I am reading a book by Richard G. Scott, Peace, Joy and Happiness.  One of the statements stuck out to me.  It talks about how he encountered a young man with great potential who was not really doing anything with his life.  Not getting an education, not going on a mission, not even working.  He was from a well off family and he was just coasting. 

Richard G. Scott said to him: "You are making choices today that appear to give you what you want.  An easy life with abundant enjoyment and not much sacrifice.  You can do that for a while, but what you don't realize is that every such decision you make limits your future.  You are eliminating possibilities and options.  There will come a time, and it won't be too distant, where you are going to spend the rest of your life doing things you don't want to do, in places you don't want to be, because you have not prepared yourself.  You are not taking advantage of your opportunities."

He goes on to say that a mission isn't something we do for ourselves - we got out to help others, yet in order to do a good job we draw closer to the Lord and really learn His teachings -- prayer, fasting, testifying.  And that helps us in all aspects of our lives and we end up really helping ourselves most of all by serving a mission. 

It really touched me when I read that and thought of all the things you are learning and all the growing you are doing and how proud I am of you for really trying and helping others but also helping yourself.  

One other thought from another book I'm reading:

 In the Declaration of Independence it says we are entitled to the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

In 1776 pursue had a different definition that what we think of today.  Pursue meant to practice that activity, to do it regularly, to make it a habit.  So instead of chasing after "things" that make us happy we need to develop choices and habits that make us happy.  Like eating right or meditating or thinking happy thoughts or not complaining or not always thinking you'll be happy when ________, or  whatever. Just work on making habits that make you happy.   Once you replace bad habits with good it is usually pretty easy to continue to do them. 

Love you lots and hope you are having a great week.  I got a picture text of you guys doing a service project this week.  You'll have to tell me what you were doing.  You guys looked great!

xoxo mom