Life is beautiful.

Crazy, hectic, difficult at times...but breathtakingly beautiful. It seems as though the situations that challenge me the most are often the ones that lead to, not only immense personal growth but, more importantly, to these heart-stretching moments of overwhelming gratitude for this family of mine. Regardless of whatever else may be going on in our lives, we are a happy family. 

Spring semester at LSC began today. My first day back at school after a month long vacation. I felt myself getting overwhelmed by the question I ask myself at the beginning of every semester, "how am I going to do this?" Keeping up with dishes, laundry and household organization is overwhelming when Kurt works more than full time, I go to school full time (and maintain a 4.0 GPA!), we are at practices or games 6 days a week, and we spend every moment we can together as a family. Although I tend to be a little obsessive-compulsive about our house, I am learning to let it go. When I find myself overwhelmed by these things, I take a deep breath and LET. IT. GO.

A few years ago I was talking to my friend’s mother about parenting. Since her children are all grown up, I asked her what her greatest piece of advice was. She said that she regretted spending so much time cleaning her house and so little time on the really important things. Then she said something that I will never ever forget; “When Kyle and Jordan are all grown up, and you look back at their childhood, you will never regret spending time with them over cleaning. You won’t ever want to look back and only be able to say…well, my house was clean…”

So we are the parents who sit and watch every practice and game, who ignore the dishes and laundry for a while and instead go outside to build snowmen and forts, and who can take the time to just “be” without being distracted by other aspects of life that are beckoning. Because as far as I'm concerned, all that other stuff...just doesn't matter as much as I once thought it did.

So, as I was saying before I got completely side-tracked…life, this life, this little family and the enormous way we love each other is beautiful. I am one hundred percent head-over-heels in love with my best friend, and we have two amazing, inspiring, compassionate, intelligent, kind-hearted, hilarious children. That is what matters. I love our life. I am defined by these amazing little people we are raising and by the love that bursts from the seams of our home. It just doesn't get any better than this.

"...These are the moments I'll remember all my life. I found all I've waited for...and I could not ask for more."