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 […]
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 […]
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Today was a day to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and it was a day dedicated to empowering individuals and strengthening communities, a day meant to build bridges and create solutions for social […]
For Christmas this year my husband made me THE coolest Wonder Woman sign that he made for me out of steel, which is also super fitting given that it’s our 11 year wedding anniversary tomorrow (December 31st) and the 11th anniversary just happens to be our steel anniversary! Perfect right?! Then from the scraps of […]
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 […]
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 […]
Have you ever looked out the window of the airplane as its coming in for a landing and been amazed at how differently things appear from up in the sky? That’s because everything looks different from a bird’s point of view. I’ve thought about that many times when someone frustrates me or when something happens […]
December 1st is #LightTheWorld Day of Service! That day kicks off week 1 of the #LightTheWorld campaign. Over 300,000 people worldwide have already opted in to join the campaign this year and the number is going up in droves each day! The campaign goes throughout the month of December and its purpose is to encourage […]
Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us we can turn our attention to #GivingTuesday . Giving Tuesday is a day when we are encouraged to give of our time, give of our money, give of a gift, or give of the power of your voice – it’s a day we should find […]
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 […]
“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 […]
“Have you ever gone through something difficult and that experience allowed you to empathize with friends or even strangers who were facing a similar challenge? Or have you seen others experience sorrow from difficult circumstances and turn their pain into a moving, empowering cause? The trials we face allow us to develop compassion for others […]
What makes this stand up comedy video clip so funny is that every married man who watches this video will totally relate to it and laugh in that “man I totally feel his pain” kind of way…and every married woman who watches it will relate to it in that “yeah, we know we do that, […]
“The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life.” -Russell M. Nelson Eight years ago this week I received a phone call telling me that one of my very best friends in life, Steve Gasser, had passed away unexpectedly. I remember the pain in my chest and that […]
“We will be known forever by the tracks we leave behind.” -Dakota tribe Riding a bike along a path I found my eyes drawn to a track that someone riding in front of me had left in their wake. I could see exactly where they had ridden before me. Perhaps it was the beauty of […]
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 […]
“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.” ―Cynthia Occelli When I look back at the last few years it is amazing to me to see some of […]
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 […]
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 […]
“Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” – Plato This video clip below is awesome! It is a perfect illustration of why we ought to have a little more empathy for other people. We shouldn’t assume we know what someone is feeling or what they might be dealing with. We can’t […]
The last day of August. I can’t believe summer is coming to an end. As sad as that is, I have to admit I am kind of excited for Fall. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. Of course my birthday coming up in September and the fact I’ve convinced my family we […]
“The opposite of depression is purpose.” –(a blog post from Ashley, daughter of Amy Rees Anderson) There was a book I read as a child called “You Are Special” by Max Lucado that I think perfectly teaches this principle. It’s about a wooden doll named Punchinello, who lives in a town full of Wemmicks (other […]
I love Sunday because it’s always my day I get to refuel my spirituality tank. I’m really grateful I am able to attend church each Sunday as it give me the chance to hear inspiring messages and helps me put everything in my life in perspective by reminding me of my core values and priorities. […]
On a recent road trip I took with my husband down to our houseboat at Lake Powell I found myself getting incredibly bored during the portion of the drive where we lose cell phone and internet coverage. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with my husband but his idea of an exciting road […]
It’s so easy for us to assume that because someone looks fine or appears to have a good life that they aren’t going through hard things. It’s also easy for us to assume that our own struggles are more difficult than someone else is since we are only capable of fully understanding the depths of […]
Starting off any new week, it’s always good to have a really good motivational poem or quote that can help put things into perspective and motivate you to want to be better. A perfect example of one that works well for any given week is these ten rules written by Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson’s Ten […]
Today’s blog is brought to you by Ashley Anderson Hill, recent newlywed, and Amy Rees Anderson’s amazing daughter 🙂 After recently getting married back in May, I’ve learned that my definition of love changes and develops every single day. When we were dating, love was when Alex would surprise me with flowers, or take me […]
Although it’s great to have options in life, studies have shown that the more options we have available to us the less satisfied we are with any option. I actually wrote a Forbes article on this subject a few years ago when I had an experience that highlighted this for me. With all the options […]
We all need help lightening up once in awhile. Here are 12 great steps to help you lighten up: “Approaching your life with a non-serious attitude gives you a clearheaded view of difficulties and the energy to deal with them. Problems are easier to solve, people are more cooperative and you feel more relaxed. You […]
The more life experience you gain the more you come to understand that love isn’t quite like what’s portrayed in your typical Nicholas Sparks movie. This last week my husband and I spent the week hosting a group of 28 people on our houseboat down at Lake Powell. During the trip one night we sat […]
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