Happy Valentine’s Day!

I blinked. And it was February my friends. Too many big projects on the burner these last two months. Happy to have a couple of them finished, but still cranking away on the last few.

And … par for the course, our valentine cards are late. Half-mailed. Hoping to finish the rest this weekend. But at least here I can wish all of you a Happy Valentine’s Day on time! (Just a few minutes before midnight.)

This year, as I slid paper into envelopes and pressed on stamps, I cherished more than ever the simple pleasure of writing on something tangible and dropping it in the post. Do you think there will be a day when we don’t send letters any more? I hope not. There is something so happy and meaningful about holding a card or letter someone you love held and wrote in a different state, or a different continent, then sent with express purpose, right to you.

It’s different than an email or a text. There is something more connecting about it. And so I continue to send our cards. And every year, the list expands a little bit more. ❤

We really are sending you our love. You have cared for us so beautifully this past year. Thank you for that. Thank you for coming here. For reading and sharing your own thoughts or life with me.

Lately I’ve been listening to some podcasts by Jody Moore. I usually plug in while folding laundry, cleaning up breakfast, or driving. Check her out if you want to feel empowered in your relationships with your family, or life in general. And definitely give her a listen if you’re looking for ways to teach your kids about mental hygiene, confidence, love, and thought work. She is one wise lady.

I really appreciate what she is trying to do. She was explaining recently that love is always the emotion of choice. (And it is a choice.) Love is powerful; it is the facilitator for change. And it allows us to let others think and act how they will, without getting in their business. When we learn to “stay in our own business” (as she calls it) we can continue to love those individuals while staying grounded and drama-free. Love fills us with confidence and connection, and lets us show up in our relationships, ready to give.

Good stuff.

If you’d like to play “i spy” this year, please do! Just match the phrases and emojis below with the images above.

2018     can you spy? 🔎

bob and ronda laughing together, just a few months before ronda passed away 💔 glorious day in may when we celebrated my mom’s brave life 💐  doug leading us to the top of mount olympus ⛰  our front yard full of flower planters, perennials, and bulbs, given in memory of my mom and the garden she loved 🌷 spencer and gordon in their spiffy suits, ready for baptism into the LDS church 👔 (sorry, no birthday suits this year 🙈 ) s & g eating gelato 🍦(not pictured: the boys making snowmen on the roof ⛄ shooting each other with recurve bows, 🏹 running around the house in their underwear calling themselves “mowglis” 👬 and a  plethora of sports games ⚽ 🏀⚾🏈) yellow balloons with love notes sent into the sky for my mom’s 70th birthday🎈 ali and sami at camp tracy (not pictured: lots of dance lessons for ali💃🏽 piano for both 🎹 sewing and basketball for sami 🏀 👭) my dad recovering from a 5-level lumbar fusion with indefatigable humor and positivity 👴🏻 (bald guy emoji just for you dad ☺) treasured painting of my mom by friend and artist, rebekah smith 👩🏼 first backpacking trip with all five kids to ibantik lake – 4 miles in with heavy packs (translation: slight overshot) 🎒 (not pictured: the many hours doug spent prepping and packing for the trip, large pile of gear purchased in place of a summer vacay, tears and tantrums on the trail 😩 and the fish everyone caught but refused to eat 🐟) trekkers back at the parking lot ready for a shower and burger 🍔 crazy kiddos top of millcreek canyon 🍂 high fives to the boys as cath crosses the finish line of the st. george marathon 🖐🏻 cherished running friends/marathon finishers! 🏅doug and cath in key biscayne right after hurricane irma 🌴 domed sand dollar found on the beach 🌊 hiking to hidden canyon in zion’s national park 🍁 five trick-or-treaters 👻 all seven of us finally on the slopes together! ⛷ first dinner out at a nice restaurant with all the kids 🍽 🙌🏻 stockings hung by the chimney with care 🎄 une nouvelle aventure vous attend! 🎡🇫🇷 (not pictured: monthly swim meets for liza, 💦 a junior high locker, and high honor roll 👏🏻 ) daddy-daughter sweetheart ball 👑🎩 and a whole lot of people and kindness, for which we are so very grateful. 💗😘 thank you for being part of our happiness. xoxo

And how about the Olympics?! Are you watching? I was in tears tonight during the pairs skating. The couple from France got me going. I found them absolutely stunning. To see her fall then keep going, giving it all she had! So stirring. And then the couple from Germany that won the gold? They were flawless! Their bodies moving in total harmony, entwined, without a single mistake. I was awestruck.

Happy Heart Day! ❤