Tag Archives: family

Commitment Is The Stuff Character Is Made Of

“Commitment is what transforms a promise into a reality. It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions, and the actions that speak louder than words. It is making time when there is none; coming through time after time after time, year after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of—the […]

Some Words Of Advice Are Timeless

Some words of advice are timeless…the words in this poem qualify as such… Wear Sunscreen  -by Mary Schmich Wear sunscreen.  If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than […]

Begin With The End In Mind

“Begin with the end in mind.” That was the advice my father gave to my nephew and his bride when he officiated their wedding ceremony this weekend.  Their marriage sealing took place in the Draper Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints where their marriage could be sealed for time and all […]

To Fathers, Grandfathers, And All Those Men Who’ve Influenced Our Lives For The Better

This Sunday is Father’s Day and the subject of fathers is one that is incredibly near and dear to my heart today for several reasons.  One of those reasons is that my father-in-law is struggling still. He had his surgery last week but the nerve and muscle pain down his leg still hasn’t let up […]

I’m Not Givin Up So Don’t Give Up On Me

They’ve been together for nearly 58 years, Boyd and Loa. They’ve had eleven children together. They’ve run their 1,100 acre dairy farm together. They’ve lived in Kenya Africa together where they taught people to farm in order to help them become self-reliant. They’ve had to bury two of their eleven children together. They’ve been through […]

Ask Yourself What Is Really Important

“Ask yourself what is really important and then have the wisdom and courage to build your life around your answer.”  -Unknown There were a million and one things on my to-do list needing to get done, but as I sat by my father-in-law’s side all day in the medical clinic I knew I was exactly […]

IF WE ONLY UNDERSTOOD

Could we but draw back the curtains That surround each other’s lives, See the naked heart and spirit, Know what spur the action gives, Often we should find it better, Purer than we judged we should, We should love each other better, If we only understood. Could we judge all deeds by motives, See the […]

Twenty Seconds Of Insane Courage Or Recognize That In Standing Still We Can Lose The Most

”You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” – Benjamin Mee in movie We Bought A Zoo I was taking the long five hour flight back from New York City to Salt Lake […]

It’s Not The Places We Go, It’s The People We Are With

My husband and I spent most of last week in New York City with the Hale Center Theater Founders Board. The Hale Center Theater is an incredible community theater in Utah that has plays of the caliber of any Broadway show I’ve seen. Each year this board takes a trip together to go and see […]

The Best and Most Uplifting Talks EVER!

I’m so excited about this weekend!  In order to describe just how awesome what I’ll be watching this weekend will be I first have to remind everyone that I am seriously A.D.D. (attention deficit disorder)…anyone who knows me knows I have a hard time sitting still for, well, just about anything…but this weekend not only […]

If You Hold A Cat By The Tail You Learn Things You Cannot Learn Any Other Way

“If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things you cannot learn any other way.” – Mark Twain Today was closing day for my son and his wife on their first home. It’s a starter home that will require some fixing up before they will be able to move in, but once we […]

Time Is A Precious Commodity

We realize the value of our time more and more the older we get…perhaps because we become keenly aware that the time we have left is growing less and less… The irony is that our time right now is, and always has, held the very same value – a minute has always been worth a […]

Jesus Will Make It Grow Back

When my son Dalton was a little boy, for some reason he could not grow bangs.  His hair would grow on top and on the sides and in the back, but it just wouldn’t grow in the front.  So for the first few years of his life I kept him in baseball caps to disguise […]

The Hardest Thing To Do

The hardest thing is watching someone you love suffering and there is literally nothing you can do to make it better…its especially hard when it’s your little 17 month old grandbaby. As I sit here at the hospital again tonight surrounded by my family as we watch the doctors and nurses working on baby Flynn […]

I Never Knew

When I became a parent I never knew I could love another human being so much. I still remember the way I felt when I became pregnant with my second child – I remember wondering how I could ever love another person as much as I loved my first child. But then 23 years ago […]

We Have Less Time Remaining Today Than We Had Yesterday

It has been a crazy few weeks and I was already feeling totally overwhelmed by all I needed to get done when I found out my Great Uncle Mel Dalton had passed away and I would need to travel down to Moab with my parents to attend his funeral.  As stressed as I was about […]

Insanely Exciting News – Bust out the pink bling and sparkles!

Several months ago the day after we’d spent time together as a family (with my two kids and their spouses and our grandbaby) my husband said, “I think we are going to be grandparents again.”  “Of course we will be” I replied with certainty given all the incentives I’ve thrown out to bribe my children […]

My Merry Christmas Card To All Of You

I have never been able to plan ahead early enough to get family photos taken and printed out, gather updated addresses for everyone, and then send the photos out to everyone with a nice letter.  Yet I love it when I receive other people’s cards because it’s so fun to see their families grow and […]

Some Things Are Just Going To Have To Wait

It’s a pretty terrible feeling when you realize that you’ve waited too long to order your Christmas gifts and even with the beloved Amazon Prime account you still won’t be able to have all your gifts delivered in time. How has this month gone by so fast already?!  I’ve still got so much to get […]

Look Up And Enjoy The Lights

December is here and it just happens to be my favorite month of the entire year! I love Christmastime SO MUCH!  I love singing along to Christmas music on the radio. I love watching Hallmark Christmas movies with my hot cocoa and whipped cream. I love the spirit of Christmas in the air. I love […]

For Everything Thy Goodness Sends

For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson As we celebrate Thanksgiving remember to give thanks for every blessing in your lives. Remember to express gratitude to those you love. Remember to set […]

The True Measure Of Our Thanksgiving #LightTheWorld

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” -W.T. Purkiser Have you heard about the #LightTheWorld Worldwide Day of Service?  I want to give you a heads up now so you can get in on the fun!  December 1st is going to be the […]

What I’m Most Thankful For

As we head into this week of Thanksgiving I felt it might be an appropriate time for me to share what I’m most thankful for: My Faith. I am thankful for my faith in God.  My faith and love for my Heavenly Father is at the very core of who I am and it helps […]

There’s No Place Like home For The Holidays

As I’m sitting on my flight back from the Dominican Republic (where I was speaking at a Business Ethics & Integrity Conference), I can’t help but think about how excited I am to just be headed home for the holidays. This past year I’ve traveled to Palm Springs California, Chicago, Simi Valley California, London, Washington […]

Thank You For Your Service

November 11th is US holiday dedicated to honoring military veterans and celebrating their service. And I believe its also a day we should honor and celebrate the families of the veterans who are as much the heroes as those who serve. I am so grateful to veterans and their families for affording me a great nation of freedom […]

Why This Weekend Is One Of My Favorite Weekends Of The Year!

Twice a year, every year, over the course of a weekend, there is a conference held in which around 35 amazingly inspiring speakers give talks on everything from integrity, to attitude, to finding balance, enduring trials, education, forgiving, service, gratitude, family, hope, happiness, and a myriad of other important and inspiring topics.  I get so […]

Only 90 Days Left In 2018! LET’S DO THIS!

WHAT??!! Only 90 days are left in this year?? How is that even possible?! It’s October 1st people – that’s how!  I can hardly believe it’s October already. But the good news is it’s October! And October starts off all the fall and winter holidays! First comes Halloween…then Thanksgiving…and then Christmas…Oh how I love all […]

Imagine Dragons, NASCAR, friends and family made for a birthday weekend to remember

For my birthday last Friday a group of friends took me down to Las Vegas in a private jet to go to a VIP meeting with the Imagine Dragons and then to hear the Imagine Dragons perform an acoustic concert for the Tyler Robinson Foundation Gala (the foundation raises money for the families dealing with […]

Nuggets Of Knowledge. What 47 Years Have Taught Me.

September 14th…I can’t believe I’m turning 47!  Why is it that 47 just sounds so old when I say it… I can’t pretend I’m not feeling how old I am, because I do. Aches and pains come from nowhere, climbing stairs takes a lot more effort, and the wrinkles…so may wrinkles…but with all that, I […]

Another Look Unlimited Day

The day after a holiday is always a little rough. But guess what?! I just found out that the day after Labor Day is actually yet another holiday! Apparently its “Another Look Unlimited Day”, which frankly I’d never heard of before until today, but yeah…apparently it’s really a thing… What is it you ask? Okay, […]