thanksgiving 2011

I'll be honest...although I love the REASON we celebrate Thanksgiving, I don't really love the WAY it's celebrated. But that's probably because I don't like to cook, I don't like spending 8 hours in the kitchen on my feet only to eat a huge plate of lukewarm food, I don't like feel bloated for hours afterward, and I don't like football.

We had Kevin's brother Jeff & his family over. They live locally, but unfortunately we don't see them very often. Since they have six kids ages 10 and under (plus our three kids, making that nine kids ages 10 and under), it was chaotic & loud, but fun.

With all the food preparation, serving, and clean up, I didn't even think about getting my camera out until my sister-in-law Kristina mentioned that we should try to get a photo of all the kids together. Thank goodness for a fast camera!

From L to R: Andrew (8), Rosi (2), AnnaLisa (10), MaggieMae (4),
Brandon (9), JJ (7), William (2), Natalie (4), and Tyler (6).

This is the only picture of the food I got. Park family tradition stipulates that every person (man, woman, child) makes a pie, but since that would be 13 pies Kristina and I rebelled and only made 7 (buttermilk, chocolate silk, pecan, banana cream, lemon meringue, and 2 pumpkin). You can see we had plenty leftover!
Even though Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday, it was nice to be with family and remember our endless blessings.

gratitude

We have doing "thankful trees" with the kids each day this month. I should do the same. I am grateful for...

* The best husband ever. There are a lot of good men out there but I thank God every day that my friend Monika set me up on a blind date with Kevin. Anyone who can tolerate me for 15 years deserves a medal of honor!

* Three amazing kids. Yes, they drive up a wall sometimes, but anyone who knows the struggles we went through to get them here knows they are absolute miracles. It also doesn't hurt that they're really cute & smart!

* Really awesome extended family. This goes for parents, sisters, brothers, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins. I hear horror stories about terrible in-laws and fighting families and often find myself thankful that I don't have to endure that. We don't always see eye-to-eye, but they are really good people who set great examples to me. Not to mention they are really fun to be around and treat my kids well.

* My testimony of the Savior. My faith has seen me through trials and emotions and experiences that I could not have endured otherwise. I am truly grateful for the direction the gospel and it's principles give to my life and the opportunity it allows me to have eternal life with those I love the most.

* Good health. Especially healthy children. And good health insurance. I take this for granted often.

* Amazing friends. They uplift me and inspire me to be a better person. They support me and make me laugh. Not sure what I would do without them.

* Our ward. This goes along with amazing friends, but I never been surrounded by so many good people who try so hard to do what is right. They are constantly serving me and my family and each other through little (and sometimes big) acts of kindness. They are probably so wonderful because we have such an awesome Bishop who sets a great example of love and dedication to the Lord.

* Kevin's job. No, it's not his "dream job" but we are blessed that he has been with US Airways for over six years and they have not gone bankrupt or merged. His job has provided us (and others) opportunities to travel, great benefits, and provides well for our family's financial needs. As we have watched too many friends and family get laid off over the past few years, we feel especially grateful.

* Living in a free country and those who serve to keep it that way. Our country certainly has it's flaws but we are free and for that we should all celebrate and honor those men and women who fight to keep it that way.

* Schools (both elementary & preschool). I often complain about the amount of homework that Brandon has. But he & Tyler go to a great school. They have kind, dedicated teachers there who sacrifice their time & effort to help them succeed. And all my kids have attended the Packer Preschool. Mrs. Packer has a wonderful gift of teaching those preschool kids and they love her to death, as do I!

* Our home. It's perfect for our family. Now if only it could magically keep itself clean!

* Scriptures. What other book has all the answers to life's questions and problems? As we've been studying the New Testament this year, I often feel bad for those who don't have the Book of Mormon also and the truth it provides.

* Books. It's no secret that I love to read. If I could do anything for a whole day, it would probably be read and eat chocolate! I'm also thankful for a great public library that allows me to read all I want for free!

* Music. I could care less about popular music, but I really enjoy inspiring music. Whether it's played on the piano, soundtracks, classical, or church songs, music really "speaks" to me.

* Food. This may sound trivial, but I am grateful for food, and plenty of it. I have never known true hunger. I am thankful that grocery stores are always stocked and that we make enough money to afford whatever we want to eat.

* My calling. I was very unsure about being put into cub scouts a few months ago, but I've really grown to love it. The boys are a lot of fun and it's nice to feel like I'm helping them accomplish something worthwhile. Plus I get to serve with one of my favorite friends. And even though Kevin's calling as Elder's Quorum President takes him away from our family for many hours a week, I know we are being blessed for his service and I am thankful that he is a righteous priesthood leader.

* Technology. I have a love/hate relationship with technology, but I am grateful for it. It has allowed me to stay in touch with many people and communicate quickly and easily. It has also provided me an easy way to write my personal history and share my family's adventures through this blog.

* Beauty of nature. We are not blessed to live in a beautiful place (brown, flat, hot desert), but because of that I am in awe most everywhere else we go! God's creations are amazing. I just wish I had time and money to travel to see more of the beautiful places on earth.

Obviously there are hundreds of other things I could list. I am truly blessed beyond measure.

I heard this quote the other day and LOVE it:
"Gratitude is not the same as giving thanks. It comes from a deeper place that knows the story could have ended differently."

Although some things in my life haven't turned out the way I expected or happened in the way or timing I wanted, I am eternally grateful that the Lord knows best and that he is in control of my story.

church basketball

Kevin's weak ankle (originally injured playing basketball on his mission 18 years ago)
+ non-basketball shoes
+ men who are trying to relive their high school basketball glory days
= one very badly sprained ankle

Have I mentioned how much I hate church sports? I don't think there's ever been a game without an injury of some kind. I guess I should just be thankful Kevin's injury was only a badly sprained ankle and not a broken bone or stitches!
When I suggested to Kevin that maybe he shouldn't play basketball anymore (he sprains his ankle almost every year), he looked at me like I was crazy and replied that he just needed better shoes and a better ankle brace! I took these photos just in case he needs a reminder next time of how painful basketball can be...

for good

I never really wrote much about my feelings when we moved houses and wards 3 1/2 years ago. 2008 was probably one of the hardest times of my life. My mom was battling ovarian cancer in California, we decided to put our house on the market and it unexpectedly sold in 2 weeks, my brother & his wife moved to China, and there were several other major events happening in the Park family as well. It was an emotional roller coaster to say the least. In the middle of all of this, we moved. For some people moving wards is not a big deal and they embrace change. For me, it was HUGE and very scary. I had spent 9 years in that house and ward. It was the ward all my babies were born into and were blessed in. I had made many lifelong friends. It was HOME.

I was terrified. I remember clearly the first day we attended our new ward. I HATED it. We only knew two families (who had been in our old ward many years before), but both of those women were in Primary callings so I had to go to Relief Society alone. Thankfully, a sweet girl sat down next to me. I will forever remember her kindness in trying to help me feel welcome. But I still cried each Sunday after church for several months. I missed my old ward and the comfort I felt there. We knew we were in the right place, but it didn't get easier. We never received callings and we felt lost in a huge ward. It didn't help that we were already on an emotional roller coaster with our extended family drama. I felt like I had no support system and no friends.

Two months after we moved in, the stake re-aligned all the ward boundaries. We were then in a newly created ward, basically taking two sections of other wards and combining them. Many people were sad because they weren't going to be with their friends anymore (and I could completely sympathize), but I knew in my heart the boundary re-alignment was a "tender mercy" and an answer to many of my tears & heartfelt prayers. In the newly created ward no one thought we were "new" because they just assumed we were from the "other" section they didn't know before! Plus two more families that we knew previously were now in our ward due to the re-alignment. We received callings, and several months later I finally felt at "home" again. Now I LOVE our ward and dread the thought of ever having another boundary change!

So why am I writing about this now? Several of my friends of currently going through this (boundary re-alignments, calling changes, moving). It brought those heart-wrenching emotions back to the surface and gave me time to reflect. This post will hopefully help uplift them and give them hope. It has also reminded me of how far I have come and how blessed I am. (Plus this will be helpful to go back and read if we ever have another move or boundary change).

Moving or boundary changes (or even a calling change) does not end friendships, it gives us opportunities for new ones. Although I love my old ward friends dearly and still keep in touch with many of them, I cannot imagine my life today without the new friends I have made here in this ward. I would not change one person or experience. They have taught me many things about life, about myself, about my family, and about the gospel. These women are my support system whom I look up to and trust.

I have been listening to the Wicked soundtrack recently and heard this song. It touched my heart and described exactly what I was feeling. Obviously the scenario is very different, but if you don't know the story it's about two women who are very different but become best friends and change each other "for good."Sorry for the cheesy YouTube video - it was the best version I could find that had the song & lyrics together.

There are many people who have changed my life for better AND for good. I don't dare to list them all because I will forget someone. Although I am sure staying in our old ward would have provided different opportunities for growth, I am forever grateful for the things that moving and being forced out of my comfort zone has taught me about myself. It has shown me that change can be good, to love new friends, and that there are wonderful people everywhere. But most of all it has reminded me to have faith and trust in the Lord's perfect plan. Prayers are not always answered how we want or in our timeframe, but they are always answered.