I read the blogs of cousins who probably don’t know that I read their blogs. But I’ve decided to start commenting. My cousin Liz, (she is the only cousin of mine on both sides of my family that is older then me) recently went to a local women’s conference. She got to listen to Sister Kristen Oaks speak. Sister Oaks was single for much longer then I have been until she married a General Authority. She has a book called A Single Voice: The Unexpected Life is No Less a Life. I own it. I need to read it. Anyway one of the things that Liz commented on is that Sister Oaks said we must ‘never disconnect ourselves from the real world’. She said she loves the Internet and movies and books but relationship with friends and family over a hot meal (or a cold one – everyone laughed) are really important.

You know it’s interesting to me how often lately I’ve heard stuff like “we must ‘never disconnect ourselves from the real world’”. This was big in my head last month when I went visiting teaching. About being self reliant, not only mentally and physically but also socially. I don’t have friends. I have such a low self esteem that I don’t think that anyone wants to hang out with the fat girl. I can change that. I need to change that. But it’s hard. Really though, how do you make friends at 33? I spend all my free time with Matt and Aimee and their 3 kids. Which honestly those kids are my most favorite people and I can’t imagine spending time away from them. But what kind of example am I setting but not being social? Andrew is making friends in preschool and primary. He needs that example.
I’m really just rambling now. I’m not sure why I am writing all of this. Other then I wish I could have heard Sister Kristen Oaks speak. And I love you.

Princess Phoebe is out of the bililrubin light which means lots of cuddles. She smiles. What a beautiful baby she is.
My sister and brother in law make beautiful children.

This was the view from my drivers seat this morning as I waited for my car to warm up to come to work. We got about 4 inches of snow this past friday night but a lot of that has melted off. I wasn’t expecting snow this morning. It was a pleasant surprise.

When I was a kid I loved the snow. My sister and I would play for hours in the snow in the courtyard of our apartments. For most of my life I had lived in places that got a fair amount of snow. Except for a few months at a time in places like Arizona and Hawaii there was snow. When I was 20 though, I moved to Hawaii for more then a few months. And in the nearly 3 years that I was there I realized that I didn’t really care for snow.

After I left Hawaii I was in Denver. No avoiding the snow nor the cold. It was hard for me to get used to it again. I mean I had just spent years in a place where you wore a jacket if it hit 60 degrees. (growing up 60 degrees meant wearing shorts).

For the next few years I rode public transportation. I spent up to 4 hours a day waiting for and transferring busses. It was alright in the summer but so miserable in the winter.

It really hasn’t been until this winter, 10 years after I left Hawaii, that I really was excited for snow and winter. I don’t know if it’s my 4.5 year old nephew and my 2.5 year old niece or if it is because for the first time in my life I’ve got a good car which makes getting around so much more easier.

Whatever the reason I am really enjoying winter and am kind of sad to be on the spring side of winter. Even though spring really is my favorite season.