Life's Greatest Moments

3/12 I sat stunned at my desk, reading the updates coming in on KSL for COVID-19.  First, the NBA suspended their season because Rudy Gobert tested positive for the illness, then every 30-45 minutes another major organization announced cancellations.  When I checked Facebook, I was shocked to see that many of my educator colleagues along the coast were announcing that their schools had been shut down.  Scared, and wanting to be prepared, I feverishly prepared an online Canvas course for my classes, just in case.  I half-jokingly announced to them that day that if--in the unlikely event school was closed-- we would use Canvas as a medium to continue learning.   Honestly, I was a little excited and my students were too.  Unprecedented school closures were unheard of!  How hard could online school really be?  Additionally, I was hoping for the chance to stay home with Tillie and spend time with her and Nate.   3/13  This d...

Let me begin by explaining that I was 12 when my mom had the twins.  Lydia would have been about 10, Eliza was 7 and Andrew was about 3. When I think back on the year they were born, I remember two things.  First, that everyone was excited and second, that it was a hard transition for my mom and dad to go from 4 kids to 6 overnight.  Something as simple as leaving the house took us so much more time than it had before.  Both babies had to be put in their carseats along with Andrew before we could go anywhere, and making sure the diaper bag was sufficiently stocked with diapers, wipes, and extra clothing was another chore all together.  And don't even get me started on how many diapers you have to change when there are two babies instead of one!  Even though I was 12, I quickly picked up on the fact that mom and dad needed help.  Lots of it.  I don't remember making a conscious effort to help out more; I just remember that I started doing it. ...

The summer of 2016 was going to be a busy one for me.  I had been home from Paraguay for nearly four months and during the interim period of waiting to get back into school had been working two jobs since January.  The months leading up to that May had allowed me to rat hole the necessary cash to live away from home for the summer.  I was excited to regain some of the independance I had felt while in Paraguay and was anxious about the possibilites to make new friends and have new experiences (I also hoped that such experiences would include some dating).  One of my part time jobs was winding down, and I had elected to take two classes at UVU in its place at the suggestion of my parents.  In early May I moved into my Provo appartment excited, and a bit nervous about my new adventure.  Now, let me interject that my expectations for the experience of living with roommates in a college town were somewhat jaded by what I now attribute to the mainstream media...

The deer hunt has always been like a holiday in my family.  From the time I was little I looked forward to going deer hunting with my Grandpa John.  Riding around in the truck or jeep eating kippered snacks and unlimited junk food would be anyone's idea of a good time, right?  As I got older he even taught me how to drive the jeep on those cold, often wet, weekends!  When I got to be a teenager, I started to enjoy spending time with the Averett Girls on opening weekend for the annual shopping extravaganza while all the boys went up the canyon.  Even though I didn't go out on opening weekend, my dad would still take me hunting on the horses after the opener.  I shot my first deer when I was about 13 or 14 and one of the first things we did was take it to see Grandpa.  When I met Nate and realized he was eager to get into hunting but hadn't had much of an opportunity, I knew we would be a good match! The Deer Hunt of 2018 didn't start off any diffe...

I’m not sure what motivated me to sign up to run a half marathon.  Maybe I was intrigued by the idea of running 13.1 miles, maybe I wanted to prove to myself that I could finish, or maybe I just had one of those insane snap decision moments to do something at least a little bit crazy.  I told myself when I signed up that I just wanted to get in shape physically but in retrospect I think there was some deeper reason I made the decision. Either way my blaring alarm woke me up at about four thirty AM that crisp July Saturday morning to do one of the hardest things I have ever done and learn a lot about myself and my capabilities in the process. I lay there for a minute, eyes closed, bracing myself to get out of bed when a voice in my head whispered, “Why did we decide to do this?  No sane person would ever CHOOSE to get up this early on their Saturday off to run!” I didn’t know how to respond to the voice, because truthfully, in that moment I was thinking they were right...

I have felt for a very long time that I should start a blog.  I'm not sure why that is, my initial thought is that I simply need a place to write down my thoughts.  That may be true; it also may be true that I need to better document our adventures as a family.  My hope is that I can accomplish both, and in the process if my writings help or touch some of you along the way that will be an added bonus. Life is a funny thing.  As I get older I am learning that there is so much joy to be felt, and along with all of that amazing joy comes what some might call godly sorrow and sadness.  Experiencing both is why I believe we are here.  There is no way to describe the pain and suffering that comes with losing a loved one, and there is no greater joy than meeting a new family member for the first time.  I remember when I graduated high school I was extremely sad that that part of my life had ended; I had no idea that the experiences that lay in wait for me w...