Bad Hair Day

Ava's hair issues are about to set me over the edge. I love to do hair, I always have and I'm actually quite good at it. I was so excited to have a little girl so I could do her hair...curly, straight, braided, pig tails, bows, flowers...I love it all. Turns out my little girl has a mind of her own. I say braids she says curls, I says curls she says pony tail. Well, today I snapped! I felt like getting out Ben's clippers and shaving her bald (I probably would have if it hadn't taken me so darn long to grown it out), instead I sent her to church without her hair done, I just couldn't take her telling me with her 4 year old attitude that I didn't know what I was doing and that she looked hideous, so as painful as it was for me she went to church with straggly hair and I think it actually hurt her more than me. Hopefully it was a lesson learned.

Friends

This past week I've spent a lot of time thinking about all the wonderful friends I have in my life. I draw so much strength and inspiration from all the amazing women around me. I've recently witnessed two of my closest friends go through some trials that I don't know if I could handle in my own life, and both of these girls have been so strong and so faithful. They both tell their stories on their blogs much better than I could repeat, some may already read them but if you haven't you should take a moment to learn from these amazing women and their families. Mindi and Jamie have very different stories with something very powerful in common, they have both relied on their faith and testimonies to get them through some difficult times.

When Mindi told me about her little guys heart condition, long before he was born, she said, "why not me, why wouldn't my family have to go through this trial?" And now that her beautiful boy has arrived and is doing well despite his sick little heart they now see him as a blessing not a trial.

I've watched Jamie and her husband try for so long to have a child of their own (something so many of us take for granted) and despite all the let downs of fertility treatments she has stayed so positive and so willing to accept what the Lord had in store for her, and now, they have a beautiful baby girl. So I write this to say Thank You to two of my dearest friends for being the wonderful people they are and for letting me share their experiences. I truly admire both of you and count you as two of my dearest friends.

Happy Birthday Annie!

I have the most amazing sister in the entire World. I thought I would share some of my favorite quotes about sisters as tribute to her on her special day.

A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves- a special kind of double. -Toni Morrison

Sisters function as a safety net in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other. -Carol Saline

When sister stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a chance against us? -Pam Brown

Sisters are probably the most competitive relationship with in the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship. -Margaret Mead

Proud to be an American

I have a real passion for politics and have loved this political season. I think I've even become a little obsessed with the race for president. And as I've been researching the candidates the thing that has hit me the hardest is that I feel so proud and so blessed to be an American. I'm so grateful for free speech and for democracy and for my right to vote. I truly believe that both candidates have our best interest in mind, they both see a great need for change. We have so much potential as citizens of the greatest country in the World, and no one man can change anything alone, it begins with the average America. I think one of the reasons I love Sarah Palin is because I see myself in her. I'm not a Harvard grad, but I feel like I'm smart and in touch with many issues and challenges that average Americans are faced with and hopefully one day I'll be able to run for office and make a difference in my community. Although some of my friends have different political views (this is what makes it interesting) and we'll never change each others opinions, I'm so grateful that we sit around the park and share our thoughts and discuss how we plan to change the World.