Too busy to give thanks...NOT!

Hey, it's stuffing...no one is going to notice a little carpet fuzz, right?

I feel like such a slacker! Thanksgiving has come and gone. It seems like only yesterday that it was Halloween, and tomorrow will be Christmas! How does this happen? And why do I seem so surprised that the days fly by this time of year?


I apologize for not publicly expressing my gratitude to family and friends, and if you're reading this, you must be one of them. Thank you for being a part of my life.


Chelsea and I were driving across town last month, and we drove through my old neighborhood in Murray where Tary and I lived for 2 years when we were first married. We really liked our neighborhood, our ward, and the friends we made there. When we started looking for a home of our own, we wanted to stay close by. We even made an offer on a home there, but it didn't work out. We ended up in a town farther than expected, but have loved the home and the neighborhood where we have lived for the past 23 years.


I was wondering out loud to my daughter, how different our lives might be if we had stayed in Murray. Would I be the same person I am today? Would she?


Would I be a chocolatier (that's an exaggeration on my part) if I didn't live across the street from Carla, who happens to make the best chocolates in the world and passed on her trade secrets to me?


Would I be a quilter if I hadn't been a visiting teacher to Sue, who inspired me with her beautiful wall quilts and talent for sewing crafts?


Would I had been able to be a stay at home working mom if I didn't know the sweet ladies in my ward, Devina, and Tammy and Alison, who all convinced me I should get a job at JetBlue?


Would I be where I am today, at the best place to work with the best job in the world? Or would I have stayed at Hunter Douglas because it was just down the street, and in my comfort zone.


Would Chelsea have ever met and married Joe if they didn't grow up in the same ward, go to the same school, and share the same friends? Would she even be married yet? Would I still have my beautiful Paisley who has Joe's eyes?


So many 'what if's'...it reminds me of my favorite Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life". George Bailey gets to see what life would have been like if he wasn't in it. He got to see just how much influence for good he had on the people in his community.


I'd like to think that my community, my ward, my neighbors and friends, have made me who I am today because of their influence in my life, and the lives of my children.


I don't believe in coinsidences. I think someone above knew where I needed to be, to be with the people I needed to be with, to help me get to where I needed to be.


And for that, I am Grateful. And just in case He reads my blog in his spare time, I Thank You.


And so my dear friends, I Thank You for the influence you have had in my life. For the talents you have shared, the laughter, the tears, and most of all, your examples.



For my dear family...your influence is a constant in my life, no matter where I live. You have shaped and molded me more than you know. It's because of all of you that I want to be a better person.


For my three sweet kids...I love you for the children you were, for the people you grew up to be, and for the Mother you created in me.


For my dear husband, who saw enough potential in a silly 16 year old girl to make him want to hang around and wait for me to grow up, and who is still patiently waiting for that day to come....I love you and thank you for choosing me. Thank you for the life we have built together, for the future we are still building...


...and for agreeing to move into our home just because it had a really big kitchen!



I love you all! Happy Belated Thanksgiving!