Christmas Past, Present and Future...you be the judge.

This picture is confusing, right?

For my blog followers that have known me the longest, there is nothing confusing about this photo. Except that sofa. What was that about? Some bad decisions were made.

If you know me now, mother of one handsome 6’1” green eyed brunette, you might be very confused. Look again. Spencer did not get a perm in his hair, nor is he likely to be holding any small baby any time soon (age 3 and up are his forte). And given that his body temperature runs as hot as a werewolf with great abs, he would never wear footie pajamas!

Ha! I do have a kid that looks just like me. I’ve thought it all along, but this photo is hard evidence.

And such a fond memory. When I look at this photo, I see a Mom who lovingly and painstakingly made every birthday, Christmas and Easter a very special day in our lives. Handmade gifts, store bought gifts, candy, etc. She loved loving us.

This year, I have time to think, breathe, be still, and reflect. I’m so grateful for the loving family I was born into, and the great opportunity and blessing to be loving the one I’m raising now. I hope my kids will see me in their photo someday.

Enjoy.

It all starts there and ends up here.

Do you ever look back at your life and note similarity between your journey and the storyline of If You Give a Moose a Muffin? I do.

Here goes:

If you grow up in a rural area and find yourself needing a college education but no money to fund it, you go to community college. There, you do crazy things like cheerleading and pageants. Oh, and take a couple of classes.

When you transfer to the “big college” in the “big city”, you live in the dorm to meet people. And you do. You take a couple of classes. What girly, girly, sorority girls you will meet.

Later, you realize those girly girly girls, really have something you would like to have, lasting friendships. You realize they’re not all snobby McSnobbertons, nor are they Richie Rich’s little sister. Perhaps you could be one of them.

And you join. Chi Omega. And you make friends, and have fun. Oh, and take a couple of classes. Then, you Flourish more than you ever thought possible. Later, you realize that instead of counseling college students away from their figurative (and sometimes literal) ledge, you could invest and engage in the lives of college students that are members of fraternities and sororities.

And you do.

Thank you to my sister (Paige) for inviting me to dinner and rekindling this lifelong relationship of sisterhood.

A

This is going to hurt, and leave a mark. In two days.

Yeah. Here is a little nugget of truth I'm slowly learning. If you get sucked into your email, TV, Facebook, and blogs, late on Sunday night you are doomed to a day of dog-tiredness on Tuesday.

Right. Here I am. Reacquainting myself with Heather's blog . Her sense of humor reminded me of how much I like this blog . Then I remembered that my friend Shelle was a guest blogger on SCL, so I had to go looking for that post. Then, I remembered the lovely and friendly ladies Angela and I met at the Adorn It booth at CKC in Bellevue this weekend, and that they have a blog(s) . Then I remembered other "famous" Utah women, and had to check in on this inspiring woman .

Wow. I just had a flashback to roughly one year ago, when I was equally distracted by email, TV, Facebook, and blogs, late on a Sunday night when I should have been reading the latest dribble on leadership, fraternity stuff and sorority junk, then quoting it in my proposal (and later my dissertation).

So, I've come full circle. This time... the only consequence is how much I will really need a nap on Tuesday right about when I am supposed to be an engaging and dynamic professor for a leadership class for Greeks.

Life is so good on this side!

Enjoy!
A