Aidan's Hair Cut Story

A Must Have

I started using MAC products back in 2001. The first time I used their makeup I was sold. Later, I started using their other products. If I had to pick one beauty product that I cannot live without, it would be MAC Fast Response Eye Cream. For $30 you get 0.5 oz of pure heaven. This eye cream instantly takes out the puffiness from your tired eyes. It has caffiene in it which works wonders. This cream is so smooth and moisturizing that your eye makeup even looks better when applied after using this. I have tried cheaper and more expensive eye creams and nothing can touch the way this eye cream makes you look and the way it feels. Try it. You will not be disappointed. Tired moms around the world will look a little perkier in the mornings. Let's face it, as mothers we have late nights and early mornings. When you look good you feel good.

Turning 30

I am a list maker and I have been ever since I could write. When I was 5, I would write lists of things I liked. I laugh when I think back to being 16 and writing a list of what qualities I would want in my "ideal husband". When I was 18 I wrote a list of names for my future children. Everyday I write a "To Do" list. Most importantly, as I grew older, I put pen to paper to list my dreams, aspirations, and goals.

Don't get me wrong, I think that 30 is still very young. I had some anxiety coming up to my 30th birthday because I realized I didn't do some of the things on my list. For example, I hadn't lived in Boston, I hadn't gone to Grad School, I hadn't traveled as much as I had planned, and I didn't have "the big city" job that I had wanted. I began to think that my life hadn't gone the way I had planned on those lists. And then I realized something, which stopped me in my tracks of going down that "should have, could have, would have" path. I did get to travel. I did go to college. I chose to turn down the East Cost job that was offered to me so my husband could finish his BS at BYU.

What I do have is the man of my dreams, 3 beautiful children that are sad to see me leave and happy to see me every morning. I have a house that fits our needs and 2 cars that function well. And most importantly I laugh, smile, and feel gratitude at some point every single day. So the fact that I get to turn 30 is a privilege.

You can have everything you want, but not all at once. What I do have is everything I need all at once. Life does not follow our lists. Isn't that wonderful?

My Granny

I consider myself lucky. I have been able to visit Ireland twice so far in my young life. The second time I went to Ireland I was all of 21 years old and was able to stay for months. I received my Irish citizenship that summer. It was a summer that changed the direction of my life entirely. I had the time of my life. I learned many lessons.

My mom was raised in Avoca, Ireland. A small, quaint little town brought to fame because of a show that aired years ago called "Ballykissangel". My mom moved to Long Beach, CA to be a nanny and go to college in her early twenties. She ended up getting married and staying in America to raise a family. One brother moved to Canada and another brother moved to Australia. Two sisters remained in Ireland to raise their families. For being from such a small town... it's amazing how much they all traveled and how far spread out they are now!

The summer of 2001 was one of my Granny's last. She still lived in her small house up the Red Road in Avoca. I spent everyday with her for several weeks. I got to know her better. She did crossword puzzles every morning. And boy was she sharp! She liked to tell jokes and had very sound advice. I can hear her laugh echo in my mind still. And to be honest I think she was a bit of a flirt! I had big decisions to make and she helped me make some of them. She taught me, through a very funny analogy, that it's not good to worry so much. Sometimes we can be so busy worrying that we are incapable of seeing the solution right in front of us. Let life play out a bit. We can only control how we react to the hand we are dealt in this life.

I know that as a parent my Granny buried two young babies and a husband and a very young age. Even as a widow 40 years later she still wore a wedding band and never remarried. My grandfather heard the click of her heels against the road 60 years prior and fell in love with my Granny "just by the walk of her". I know because of the intense grief which follows death that maybe she didn't make all of the best decisions. But what I do know is that she taught her children that there was a big world out there, bigger than Avoca or Dublin. As a result, 5 siblings reside in 4 different countries today. So here I am, a first generation American, with the luxury of having deep roots firmly planted in Ireland as well.

Dance it Out

Our family is a dancing family. When David and I were dating, engaged, and newly wed, we used to go dancing all the time. Music is a must in our home. Even when we clean there is music playing. It is quite common for us to have dance parties just for fun. And yes.... we have passed on all of those dorky stake dance moves such as "the sprinkler", "grocery shopping", and the "walker". When my sister got married last September she had a proper wedding reception. When I say "proper" I mean there was a real dance floor and dj which means good times to be had! The last people to walk out of the reception, held at The Point, were myself and our three children. Like David and I, our children are cut from the same cloth so to speak, and want to be the very last people to leave a party. To say we had fun is an understatement. I am grateful for these pictures I have posted, courtesy of Melissa Kelsey Photography. (Click here to see her work) I love them. Aidan was break dancing and ended on a pose. She was there to capture the moment. You can see David on the floor busting a move. Like father, like son. Seery is a twirler for sure. Her white flower girl dress is completely fanned out. We held Liam and danced with him for most of the night, he does not like to be left out. And David and I were even able to dance together for one whole song thanks to our wonderful friends who kept the kids entertained for us. I'd like to think that we've still got the moves, but either way it brings us happiness to dance. Which brings to mind one of our unofficial mottos: "When life gets tough, you gotta dance it out!"

Changes are Coming...

I set my blog to private again. Why? Changes are coming to this household whether we want them to or not. In the short term we don't like the changes coming our way. But the hope is that in the long term everything will work out and we will live happily ever after. However, in the mean time as these changes unfold I would rather know that the only people reading this blog are friends and family. I could really do without people in the world knowing personal things about our family for the pure sake of just being "in the know". So there you have it. A preview that things are about to change for us. And I am sorry to make you log in. I know I don't like the extra step myself. But just know that if you're reading this we love you and trust you.

Raising A Daughter

When it comes to raising a daughter where do I begin? I want my daughter to have everything in life, but there are a few things which I consider most important. I want to her to know that she is loved, unconditionally, so not a day goes by that I forget to say those 3 little words. I want her to have confidence in her abilities and have good self esteem. I praise the good she does and tell her she is beautiful everyday. I want her to know that I will stand with her with all that life may throw at her. She's mine and I want her to truly know that she can come to me with everything. She is more important than having a perfect house, so today I will push aside the mess of toys and have a tea party in the middle of the floor anyway. And when I reluctantly think that someday she will be grown and out of my house, there is one final lesson that I want her to have down. I want her to marry someone great, not just good enough. Someone who exceeds all her expectations. So we buy her flowers sometimes as her reward for whatever it may be that week. I want her to expect treatment like that. Flowers are a great gift, but I want her to expect that from someone she's dating. I want her to think...flowers are nice, but I get them all the time. The reason? I will not have her fall for some guy because he buys her the right things, I want her to see past gifts like flowers so she won't get too easily swept off her feet. I want her to be able to appreciate the person's tokens of love but not get overly excited so that she may see the real person behind the flowers. I want her to find the right person because gifts are just things, and they mean nothing if the wrong guy is behind them. I truly believe that if we raise our daughters to feel loved, pretty, confident, important, protected, and appreciated they will always expect that. They will demand those things because they will know they are worth it and they will attract the right kind of people to date. She may only be 3 today, but my husband and I are helping her build the foundation for the rest of her life.

Love Really is All Around

If you want to see that true love exists in today's busy and crazy world you don't have to look very far. It is easy to forget that marriages can last and more than that...some people actually do stay in love throughout their marriage. I love watching elderly couples. I like to see how they interact with each other because I feel we have a lot to learn from them. They often know the secret to making a marriage work. Here are a few things I have seen in the last few weeks.

I was at Costco with my kids. After shopping we stopped to eat hot dogs. I noticed an elderly couple walking out together. The husband was pushing the cart. There were only 2 things in the cart: Depends and 2 dozen roses. So cute! He still buys her flowers!

I was at Applebee's with the family one night. There was an elderly couple in the booth behind us. Their waiter asked if they were out to eat for a special occasion. The wife replied, "We are celebrating our 60th wedding anniversary." Wow, 60 years! I had to ask them what they believed the secret to their success was, and they said "Service".

On July 3 I was in Sandy for a neighborhood parade and BBQ. I saw the smallest of gestures that touched my heart. An older woman's glasses had slipped down her nose. Her husband pushed the glasses back up on his wife's nose.

I know these are simple things, but it's through these simple things that we can achieve a happy and successful marriage. I believe that we can keep the romance going, true love alive, and beat the dismal divorce statistics if we continue to serve our spouses in simple ways on a daily basis. Through acts of kindness, kind words are then spoken, and small gifts are given to show our love. When we act lovingly we want to spend time together which will remind us of why we love our spouse. When you know you love your spouse you will want to be affectionate. And that's how I think we make it to 60 years and beyond.

My Quest for the Fountain of Youth

The number 30 steadily approaches for me this year. I have noticed that as time has marched on, it has begun to do so across my face. What's a woman to do? Call an Aesthetician! I booked a Signature Facial for myself just weeks ago. I have had facials before, but they were just cleansing, masking, and generally relaxing. This facial was supposed to actually do something, like perhaps take a few years off my face. I had no idea what I was in for... To begin she performed microdermabrasion. I had never had that before, I thought it went fine. After the dead skin was taken off it was time for a glycolic and lactic acid peel. This is supposedly a mild peel. She said I should feel "warmth". Well it felt like my face was on fire. So much for my massage while it was supposed to be penetrating my skin. She watched me and after a few minutes she could see the burn I felt. I went to wash my face off at the sink. She continued with the face mask, cleansing, and moisturizing, etc. About 2 hours later I was done. I looked in the mirror. I looked sunburned and you could see the lines of the microdermabrasion. Apparently all normal. Not to worry, just stay out of the sun and don't work out that day. By the next day I looked hideous! My entire face was completely scabbed over. The expensive products I purchased, at a staggering price, did nothing to alleviate the pain or improve the look of my skin. By that evening I called the woman on her cell. She said I should put Neosporin all over my face for a week. She was excited that my, "controlled wound", as she referred to my face was scabbing. "You'll get better results!" However, with this "mild" peel, my results had only happened 2 other times in her 10 years of experience. I'm thinking...that can't be good. I called a friend who works for a dermatologist she said to add some Aquaphor to my face along with the Neosoprin. Did you know that stuff, especially combined, never absorbs? All that week I walked around looking like a freak. Head down, hair pulled forward. I went to the dermatologist, days later, who said those 2 treatments, microdermabrasion and a chemical peel, should never be performed in one visit on someone like me. Well, I didn't know that! So after all was said and done the final results are in: I am out hundreds of dollars, no permanent scarring, and I think 1 wrinkle on my forehead looks less deep.....

My Angel in the Night!

So I have been busy cleaning, organizing, doing laundry, etc. to get ready for my in-laws to come visit for a few days. I am the type of person who cannot stop once I start something. It's a sickness really. So still in a frenzy late at night, I thought I will take the trash out at 11:00 pm because it simply can't wait until the morning. Well I forgot to unlock the door leading into the garage and found myself locked out! With no shoes I might I add. Of course the front door was locked and dead bolted. Of course every window was locked. Of course the sliding door was locked, not that it mattered since the gate was padlocked anyway. And it's not like I could have thrown a rock at Aidan's window to wake him up because he knows not to answer the door. And the snow flurries began to roll in. David works extra late on Tuesday nights and gets home close to 1:00 am. All three kids were sleeping inside. What's a girl to do? In a panic I walked up and down our street, every house had turned out their lights! Apparently no one stays up late. Panic continued to rise. I was freezing. I tried to pick the lock but nothing in the tool bag was the right size. I said a silent prayer and immediately my next door neighbor walked out of her house to take out the trash! Thank goodness we are in sync with the same household chores! I ran to her and asked if she could pick a lock. She went home to grab credit cards and a knife. I tried. She tried. Nothing was working. After 45 minutes she was ready to wake up her husband for help and gave it one last try. And voila it worked! We screamed out with surprise that it worked! So tonight I am so grateful for a neighbor who can pick locks with a little bit of luck. Now that's what we should learn at Enrichment...;)