A Great And Terrible Flu

It must never be said of me when I die, that I was patient and graceful in sickness…that I never complained and bore my infirmities with dignity. In truth, I’m NO picnic when I’m ill. In fact I’m down-right, pathetically difficult. Sickness is, and has always been, a terribly hard thing for me to go through. This is not something I’m proud of, but it is the truth nonetheless. So needless to say, the past 5 days of dealing with the flu has been anything but pleasant. And not only was I sick, but Lydia and Jack were as well. I swear, every time Jack coughed, I wanted to cry. And his fever broke my heart. As much as I HATE being sick, I HATE HATE watching my kiddies be sick. So I’ve spent many hours in bed. Most of this time has been spent rocking back and forth (my coping mechanism), and just giving into the misery that is the flu. But there were moments when I actually started to think about how lucky I was. So this little post is dedicated to blessings that come to light during sickness.

1. I’m soooo happy that I can be sick in a comfortable home and a comfortable bed with a comfortable down comforter.
2. I’m grateful, beyond words, that Paul is such an amazing man. He totally took over as Mister Mom, which with 2 sick kids is not an easy feat. When I woke up Sunday morning, I woke up to a sparkling clean living room and kitchen. WOW!!! He is my hero on so many levels!
3. I’m grateful for my sweet parents and their constant concern. I’m grateful for the amazing meal they brought in on Saturday night. By the way, the mangos from Costco are like biting into the Caribbean itself. Yummmy! It’s amazing how the simple acts of service mean so very much when you’re not feeling well.
4. I’m grateful for potpourri. Paul made a batch of it and boiled it on the stove. It was very nice!
5. I’m grateful for the morning (this morning) that you wake up and realize you’re on the mend. I’m grateful that I can breath through my nose. I’m grateful that every joint in my body is not aching! I’m grateful that I’m not freezing cold and goosebumpy, or sweating buckets, just waiting for the cycle to repeat itself. I’m grateful that I can walk up the stairs and not feel winded! I’m grateful that my head doesn’t feel like a bowling ball. Aghhhhhhhhhh, the beauty of health. How much more I appreciate it right after sickness!
6. And in the end, even though there were times I wanted to die, and was afraid that I just might live (tee hee)…I’m grateful that I’m alive and have such an amazing, complicated body.

Happy Valentine's Day

Feeling the Love on V-Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day one and all!

I absolutely love this holiday! I think it’s lovely that one day a year is dedicated completely to Love. On this day, we are a little more sweet and tender in our thoughts and actions. We reflect on what it means to love and to be loved. And we appreciate all of our cherished relationships, and the roles we are blessed to play. Today I’m sooooo grateful for the many ways that I get to love those around me, and also for the love I feel in return.

My love as a wife is the ULTIMATE. I have found my eternal companion in Paul. I love the way our love has evolved over the years, and I look forward to growing old with him. He’s the one I can’t wait to lay eyes on in the morning, and the best to kiss goodnight in the evening. He completes me in every way!

My love as a mother is fulfilling and so rewarding. I love my wee ones. I’m so involved mentally and emotionally in all they do. They are the true teachers of patience, innocence, forgiveness, and charity. It is a privilege to be their mom and to watch them grow and learn. It is an amazing love indeed!

My love as a daughter is sweet and meaningful. The love I feel for my parents continues to change and grow as I journey on the path of parenthood myself. I appreciate the sacrifices my parents made for me…sacrifices I didn’t understand or even realize were being made until I became a mommy. I appreciate the friendship that has grown over the years. My parents are such wise, fun, generous, people. How I love and admire them.

I love being a seestor to the most amazing siblings I could ever have asked for. Being a “Clark” is simply FUN. Our conversations are full of laughter, and we are deeply fierce in our relationships with each other. When one is hurting, the others hurt as well. And we couldn’t be more supportive. Ahhh Geeee!

My love as an in-law is diverse and wonderful. I love the whole extension in family thing!!! It’s so great that the family unit continues to grow and grow and grow. You get a chance to really become involved with people that are so different from you. And despite the differences, the family bond creates such strong feelings of affection and genuine concern. It’s so unique and fabulous!

My love as a friend is precious. I have been blessed with true, deep friendships throughout my life. I know many friends were sent my way in times of need, to fulfill things that only they could. I’ll always cherish my friendship with Laura Wood, even though she is no longer with me. I miss her. I thank Stacy Chan for being such a true and loyal friend, my best friend, as well as the biggest goofball I know. I’m grateful for my years of friendship with Amy Chariton. She made highschool and Ricks what they were! Thank you Jill Ottley for being such a great example of motherhood. You are such a sanity saver in more ways then you’ll know and I’m grateful for our frindship!

Thank you all for your influence in my life. It’s lovely to love you on this love-filled day!

2007 Highlights

Joining the Blog Zone!!!!

We've (or rather I've, since I don't know how much Paul will contribute to this site!) joined the world of BLAWWWWWWWG!!!! Welcome! Hopefully I can figure out all the cool things one can do with a blog site, and in so doing keep you updated on our simple life through words, pictures, music, and hopefully video! To begin I'll highlight 2007! What a FABULOUS year. We had a super fun vacation to the Bay Area, a trip to Disneyland with Grandma and Grandpa Clark, Paul opened up shop in Lehi right across the street from where we live and his new office is beautiful, Spencer entered the exciting world of 1st grade at Renaissance Academy, Lydia started preschool, and the best highlight of all--our sweet little Jackson joined our clan! We are looking forward to all the adventures that await us in 2008! It's going to be a super year.

Here's a few of my "right now" enjoyments!
BOOK: Right now I'm re-reading the Twilight series and LOVING it all over again. 12.08.08!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Stacy Chan. I hope you're happy that I've been neglecting my kiddies all week! I also enjoy the CCCC Newsletters and am anticipating next month's installment.
SONG: On the subject of Twilight, I'm a little obsessed over the first track on my playlist, "Somewhere". It could easily be the theme song of New Moon. Oh Edward....
MOMENT: I had a special moment with Lydia on our last night at Disneyland. Just me and her walking through the castle at night. She was sooooooo excited about the crown we had just bought her. It was a priceless moment.
MOVIE: Paul and I went and saw the new National Treasure last night. It was simply fun! I recommend seeing it if you haven't! I also loved Enchanted!
TV SHOW: Overall I LOVE So You Think You Can Dance. But right now Celebrity Apprentice ROCKS!!!!!
TIME OF DAY: I love my night-time nursings. It's such a sweet time with my Jack, when all is quiet and peaceful.
QUOTE: Life is an occasion--Rise to it!
RESTAURANT: Bangkok Grill of course! We ate there just last night!
FOOD: Anything served on a cruise ship.
THINGS TO DO: Be with my family hands down!
SOUND: Jack's growl. It's hilarious.
PURCHASE: I bought my first China place setting for my collection! What's better is that it's the setting that started my whole fetish for China.
WINTER ACTIVITY: A good book in one hand with a tea-cup of hot cocoa in the other, snuggled under a blanket by the glow of our portable heat dish.
PERSON: My amazing sweetie, my prince in rusted chain-mail, my everything--Paul! And no, I was never going to say Edward. He's not really a person. He is my favorite vampire though! And along that line, Legolas would be my favorite elf, my favorite wizard is a toss up between Gandalf and Dumbledore, my favorite witch is Elphaba, my favorite mouse is Mickey, and my favorite Mistborn is Vin with Kelsier being a close second. Yes...I enjoy fantasy!

So there's my introductory post! I'll leave the deep and shallow thoughts for later days. Mostly I'll probably just post a lot of pictures. Since they're worth a thousand words, they'll be more telling then what my little fingers can type. Good Night!