Half Empty vs. Half Full

Why do I always look at the glass as half empty? When so many around me continually encourage me to look at it as half full?

Case in point--we dropped Aubrey off at college yesterday and for the last few days I have been beating myself up with all the "I should have taught him _________" or "I shouldn't have done ______ this way" or "I can't believe I forgot to ________" thoughts. Kind of down on myself as a mom, when in reality, he's a great young man who I am privileged to call my son. So in an effort to be more positive, I'm going to try to think of the good things I did as a mom. And remind myself that even though I can do better, I'm not doing such a bad job.

What About Mom?

Gary & I took Aubrey to move down to BYU today. The only time I got sad was right before I got back home and I wondered if he would have anyone to go to the Freshman BBQ with tonight. I felt the same way when I dropped him off at 7th grade (oh so many years ago) and wondered if he'd have anyone to eat lunch with. Just as he was fine back in 7th grade, I'm sure he'll be fine now. But what about Mom?

OK, now I'm getting a little teary eyed. . .

Mental Jet Lag?

Is it possible to have mental jet lag? I've experienced the slowness of my usual reactions while physically jet lagged, but never just the mental part. This last week I did. After only a day or so to get my body regulated, I thought I was over the jet lag (it's always easier for me to travel west than east anyway). Then I started getting a sore throat which by Sunday had turned into a full blown nasty cold. I could hardly sit up to take tylenol and sudafed, so no church for me. By Tuesday morning I felt much better physically. It wasn't until Thursday morning that I realized that my brain had been on slow mode for a week and I had to get going! I mean, Maren had already had her first day of school, Carson was headed out the door for his first day, I better get with it. I finally came to the conclusion that I was really, finally, over my jet lag--only 8 days later. Whatever.

So I've decided that we're just going to pretend that Monday is the first day of school and I can be prepared with folders, paper, notebooks, etc. I can clean my house today, bake something yummy for an after school treat tomorrow, and all the other things that usually go along with the first day of school. Sorry kids, but it was mental jet lag.

Happy Birthday Carson!

Wow, where does the time go? 15 years ago today you joined our family. You were a big-eyed angry baby that didn't want to sleep--I was so glad when you grew out of that stage and we could be happy together. We've had our ups and downs over the last 15 years, but the last while has definitely been an up. You've matured so much over the last year or so--I'm so proud of who you are becoming. I'm especially glad for the amazing summer you've been able to have--remember it always. It's probably once in a lifetime kind of summer!

Thanks for opening the door for me. Thanks for hauling stuff downstairs for me. Thanks for being so funny. Thanks for being a good friend. Thanks for being such a great son! I love you!

Don't Stop Reading Now

I've come to like this blogging thing. Even though my regular life isn't nearly as exciting (or visually stunning) as the last several weeks have been, I think I will keep this blog going. After all, there just might be some things you need to know. . .

Thanks

And now for a list of thank you's:

Thanks to all the friends and neighbors who helped us out at home while we were gone. Subs for lessons, trash can duty, lawn mowing, car delivery, plant sitting and more I'm sure I've forgotten about were all done by people we care about. You guys know who you are--you're the best!

Thanks to all the students who came on this Study Abroad adventure. You guys were always positive and willing to go on another "adventure." Thanks for talking to someone your mom's age and especially thanks for talking with and including my kids. You guys are great! Be sure to let us know about the next adventures in your life (mission, graduation, marriage, etc.)

Thanks to the other faculty director, Richard Holzapfel. Your knowledge is amazing and I really enjoyed listening to you talk about the New Testament. Thanks for doing so much for the program and for taking the majority of the late night phone calls. Thanks to your wife, Jeni, for being so kind and listening to my whining. Thanks for the example of packing light--next time I'll do better!

Thanks to my kids for being amazing. You guys showed so much maturity it made me happy. I was worried about being cooped up in a tiny apartment, but we made it work without too many problems thanks to you guys. Thanks for listening to all the lectures, guides, & students and learning from them. I'm so glad we could have this opportunity as a family. You three are great!!

And most especially, thanks to Gary for everything. Thanks for being so smart and being able to share your knowledge with others. Thanks for having patience with everyone--especially me. I was probably the whiniest & wimpiest person on the the whole Study Abroad trip. Thanks for taking our family along on this grand adventure. Thanks for helping me to stretch and grow by giving me situations out of my comfort zone--and being there to help me through them. When we met 27 years ago this month, I had no idea what was in store for us, but what a ride it has been!

Going Home Part 2 OR More Nightmares for AnneMarie

I am only going to say that it's never a good idea to plan on the London Tube running on time.

Gary, Aubrey & Carson went into the city after we had checked in at the airport Wednesday morning and only made it back with a couple of minutes to spare. I was pretty much a basket case--poor Maren was trying to comfort me while I was nearly sobbing. But they got on the plane and we all finally made it home to Salt Lake City International Airport. We got in our car (that our good friend Cheryl had driven to the long-term parking for us a couple of days before), and drove home.

From the time we left the hotel in Athens to the time we stepped in our door in American Fork it had been 52 hours. Enough said.