December is always a busy month filled with Christmas Activities, but this month I was able to sneak away to spend some time with friends/sisters. I have been feeling the need to make extra effort to nurture my friendships in this season. (season meaning season in life, not holiday season) I feel the need to connect with other women, to strengthen my relationships, and increase the bonds I feel within my community. I have had some really great women come into my life in the past few years and I have a great appreciation for my sisters/family and the role they play in my life.
Here are a few things that I was able to make time for this month, and a few things that I don't have pictures of, but that I am feeling grateful for anyway.
- An early morning temple appointment with Bethany Zarbock at the Draper Temple. We met up at 6 am to do an endowment session and it was just such a cold but lovely morning. I have always wanted friends to regularly attend the temple with, and Bethany is a gift because she has started initiating an early morning temple appointment and even though we live far from each other - we can meet in the middle and help each other accomplish our desire to be in the temple more. (It is infinitely easier to get up at 5 am to drive to the temple at 6 if you know you have someone expecting you!)
-I went to the theatrical release of the Taylor Swift concert with my sisters. As an update: Taylor Swift is a
cultural phenomenon. She is easily the most successful musical artist of my time. I think she's comparable to Elvis Presley and is doing some really incredible things. I don't listen to a lot of music in general, and although I know some of her songs, I'm not even close to an avid fan. But I have incredible respect for her and what she's accomplished. Even though we weren't going to pay hundreds (thousands) of dollars to see her perform live, I didn't want to miss the chance to be part of this historical experience. Melissa is a "Swiftie" (Taylor Swift fan) and it was fun to be able to connect with her on this, too. We got together and made matching friendship bracelets (a ritual for the Tswift fans) that say "SWIFT SISTER" on them, plus we made a few extra to hand out to others in the theater. I may not listen to a lot of music in my regular day-to-day, but I can definitely appreciate a good performance, and the performance value for this concert/movie was incredible. I had a great time being there with my sisters.
cultural phenomenon. She is easily the most successful musical artist of my time. I think she's comparable to Elvis Presley and is doing some really incredible things. I don't listen to a lot of music in general, and although I know some of her songs, I'm not even close to an avid fan. But I have incredible respect for her and what she's accomplished. Even though we weren't going to pay hundreds (thousands) of dollars to see her perform live, I didn't want to miss the chance to be part of this historical experience. Melissa is a "Swiftie" (Taylor Swift fan) and it was fun to be able to connect with her on this, too. We got together and made matching friendship bracelets (a ritual for the Tswift fans) that say "SWIFT SISTER" on them, plus we made a few extra to hand out to others in the theater. I may not listen to a lot of music in my regular day-to-day, but I can definitely appreciate a good performance, and the performance value for this concert/movie was incredible. I had a great time being there with my sisters.
-I've been making a concerted effort to connect with the women in a MOI group that I was invited to last year. The group is centered fairly far away (Springville) but it's made up of some really incredible women who are well-established in the homeschool world and who have a vision of their homeschools filled with art, poetry, nature, music, and literature. I really love learning from them, and if I'm being honest, part of the draw is that I am not in charge of a single thing in that sphere. I can take off my "in charge of all the things" hat and sit back and listen and learn. It's been a good growing experience for me. MOI stands for "Mothers of Influence" and I love the belief that as mothers, we have great power to influence for good.
-When I drop the kids off/pick them up from Coop, there are several friends who are also dropping off/picking up their kids and we get to stop and visit for a few minutes. It's just been so great, especially lately. I've had some really good discussions with them, albeit brief. We've talked about helping our kids find uplifting literature, troubleshooting problem areas with each other, making plans to go to the temple, and just generally cheering each other on. It is a small, casual, thing. But I'm grateful for it.
-There is an app I have on my phone called Marco Polo. It's a video messaging app, where you can send video messages back and forth. It is my #1 way to keep in touch with Jenna and I really love it so much. I also use it to talk to my friends Amy and Karli, along with others. But I'm grateful that I can send a message when I'm available and then watch their replies while I am doing laundry.
I'm thankful for David's support in helping these moments be possible and grateful for the strong, smart, kind, women that I am surrounded by on this Journey.
