Sunday, November 20, 2016

things that make me smile this week 11/20

so this covers the past three weeks.

- talking with my mom and hearing how much she is enjoying her phone.  it's helping her to reconnect with friends. and she gets to watch her newest grandbaby.  it's fun to get her texts and to video chat with her and my dad.

- pioneer woman's christmas line came out this week. it's so pretty!

- the cubs won! bill murray's face was priceless.

- i was really sick this week for few days with lots of green goo pouring out of my nose and hacked up lung too. J took great care of me all week, and i really felt loved and cared for.

- i got new glasses.

- my husband coming home from work and we hug for a really long time.

- meeting a goal to go to the gym three days this week.

- primary kids singing and sharing their testimonies during our sacrament meeting program. they are so full of light and desires to do the right things.

- deciding that something is not right for me anymore, and following through on it.

- i really love the bbc4 show "detectorists" because it's so quirky, nerdy and human.

- saying i'm sorry.

- prayer. it really does change things, but mostly it's me that changes.

- the late afternoon sunlight slanting through the trees and illuminating the jewel-toned leaves on the almost bare trees. honestly, there's not a more beautiful sight at times.

- crunching leaves on a walk through woods.

- waking up at 4am so i can leave work at 2:30pm. (i'm trying to be positive on my early mornings.)

- pumpkin roll. good earth tea. salted caramel hot chocolate from starbucks. chopping vegetables. thick socks and boots. layers of clothing. heat. hot water. hope. hard work. fall colors.

- this view from my porch.


- this video on faith being a principle of action and power.

Sunday, October 30, 2016

things that make me smile this week 10/30

- lunch with RO at shake shack last saturday was such a treat.  the chicken sandwich from there is best. but best of all was catching up with RO and doing homework together. her little pug is always so excited to see me and i just love them both.

- primary kids practicing for the sacrament meeting program. these kids are the strongest, cutest and most loving kids i know.

- mexican pulled pork in my crockpot, and rice beans on my stovetop. when you combine these in a tortilla with cheese it's burrito magic. plus you can make burritos and freeze them for later. so easy!

- when you're friends with someone since you were toddlers it's always a treat to share a visit. it was so good to see KH and show her a glimpse of my maryland home.



- my husband really likes watching gilmore girls. it's so fun to watch together. AND YES we're both excited for the new episodes coming out over thanksgiving weekend.

- texting with my mom is really sweet. i love her enthusiasm to learn new things.

- i deactivated my facebook account for a couple of weeks about a month ago. let me tell you it was the most peace inducing thing i have done for a while in my life. i am starting to have a love-hate relationship with facebook. i'm honestly considering being with it completely, except that i really do love seeing posts from family and friends. i'm thinking about my way ahead on fb and how i want it to be a part of my life or not. so, thinking about deactivating my fb account again makes me smile.

- i'm doing the pathway program through byu-idaho. it's been so fun to be back in school again.  the dread i felt over the years as i contemplated going back to school is gone. i'm enjoying learning in a school again. i'm grateful for this.

- i had a pretty intense day at work on wednesday. when i got home that night i posted on fb that i needed a shake and fries to take away the stress of my hard day. a couple of hours later there was a knock at my door. i opened it to find my friend AG standing there with a chocolate shake and fries. i was in tears and stunned by her kindness. i know she has health struggles and her day hadn't been easy either, but there she was serving me and lifting me up. i felt so loved and all i could was smile through my tears as i worked on my homework that evening. thank you AG!

- i made a goal last week to not focus on reading about the election and instead read other news or general conference talks. this really made me smile a lot, because i wasn't getting angry. an article i read talked about how angry and uncertain people in the usa are feeling because of the election. i dislike being angry so i wanted to work on changing my focus. i'm not sure how successful i was but at least i felt more aware of how i was feeling instead of just going with the flow. plus, quitting reading an article after the first paragraph a couple times just made me smile.

-  thinking about thanksgiving this year and my list of things and people for which i'm grateful. i decided to begin posting my things that made me smile lists again. i have ignored my blog for a while. i think this will help me get back to it.

- relaxing music. reading the scriptures. herbal tea. lifting weights. gouda is my spirit cheese. homemade burritos. my husband washing the dishes--seriously.  chocolate.  cinnamon. lemon tea. thinking. quiet time. reading. a hot bubble bath.

- this little video on the sacrament.


- this photo on instagram. i love autumn.
A photo posted by Julia (@humphreyandgrace) on


- the lindsey stirling concert on a monday night date with my love.