AWESOME WEEKEND!!!

I feel like a completely different person than I was on Thursday. I kind of hit my breaking point that day. A good friend gave me a lot to think about along with a well needed dose of reality.

Friday I headed to Time Out for Women with my SIL, H. We met the rest of the family there and had a very yummy lunch at Olive Garden. We got checked into our hotel and my youngest SIL, A (who is still older than me) and I got to go swimming for a little bit. We could have had a longer time, but neither of us knew that the other wanted to go. Off we headed to the venue for Time Out. Here is my favourite part of the whole weekend. I got to see C and hug her for the first time since placement. It was the most special part of the whole weekend. As mothers go, she is second in my life only to my own mother. LOVE YOU, C:)

I loved Time Out. The presenters talked about everything I'd been needing to hear and I feel so renewed. I got a couple of books for myself:
In Trying Times, Just Keep Trying by Merrilee Boyack
The Mother's Mite by DeAnne Flynn (Why Even Our Smallest Efforts Matter)
There are many other things that I would have loved to have bought but they were either sold out when I went to get them (TOFW journal and Another Testament of Christ) or else I just couldn't afford to get them (Book of Mormon for Families). I love what I got, though and am fine waiting for the rest another time. I got to see C again on Saturday, which happened to be Birth Mothers Day.

John and the boys gave me a gift card for Chapters Indigo earlier in the week in case I wanted to buy a book for the trip. I chose Season 2 of Stargate Atlantis. This morning they made me breakfast in bed of bacon, croissants, Turtles, Tootsie Rolls and orange juice. It was really yummy. I also got a card from the boys and one from John. I had a wonderful day at church. We got great snacks in Relief Society and scented candles from the youth. John didn't take long with tithing today so he let me go and take a long nap when he got home. It was a wonderful day, the best Mother's Day that I've had.

Happy Mothers Day to any woman that is nurturing to anyone and helps teach the rising generation.

I'm Going

So I decided shortly after writing my last post that I'm going to go to church on Sunday. The reason I'd been avoiding it on Mothers Day doesn't bother me anymore, so I have no reason not to go. I think I'm just used to not going.

Caleb picked out my gift last night and gave it to me early so I could order what I wanted. He picked out a gift card for Chapters/Indigo. I used it to order Season 2 of Stargate Atlantis. Now I just have Season 3 left to buy:)

Also, at some point when I'm feeling a bit better I've decided to have a party. I can't decide between a Harry Potter theme and a Lord of the Rings theme. A friend suggested making it both. I'm still not sure. However, I need to get this move over with first.

Anyway, I'm off to feed the baby and enjoy snuggling him.

Mothers Day, UGH!!!

I've said it every year. I hate Mothers Day. I don't even think it has anything to do with L anymore, I think it's just a disappointing day in general for me. Last year went okay because I made a last minute decision to go to Wainwright and spend it there. Can't do that this year because of John's calling (finance clerk). I think I just need a really good Mothers Day one of these years to change my opinion of it...

Also, I realized in the last couple of days that because C is going to TOFW this weekend and I am as well, that we will be in the same building together on Birth Mothers Day. Odd coincidence for our situation, since our openness includes no meeting in person. However, if you are reading this C (I have no idea how often you check my blog) I just want you to know that if I do see you that day all I want is a nice big hug:)

I have until Sunday morning to decide. Am I going to brave church this year on Mothers Day, or not?

Election Day 2011

I'm impressed. I didn't think they'd ever actually be able to kill bin Laden. I'm grateful that such a man is dead. However, I do worry that the fall out could be worse than expected. I guess time will tell on that one.

Still waiting for the final word on moving. Caleb came back home on Saturday and reminded me again this morning that he's happy to be back home.

Our plans for today are to...VOTE!!! To be honest, I'm praying for a majority government just so that we won't be heading back to the polls again in a year or two. Personally I'd rather have a scheduled vote every 4 years.

So if you're Canadian, please go vote today.

I Finally Use The S-Word On Here (Not the 4 letter one)

This quote was recently in an Ensign article about infertility. A woman facing that challenge in her life remembers hearing a bishopric member during Sunday School say:

“When someone has an ailment or an illness and they are healed as the result of a blessing, their faith is being strengthened. But for those who aren’t healed but continue faithful, their faith is being perfected. The first is a faith-promoting experience. The second is faith-perfecting.”

I obviously don't have the challenge of infertility in my life. For all of the complaining that I do during my pregnancies about the difficulties I face during them, I am truly grateful that I haven't been faced with this challenge. However, anyone who's followed my blog for any amount of time knows that I am have been diagnosed with Type II Bipolar Disorder and have struggled for the past few years with trying to hold on to my sanity (even at times when there was barely enough left to hold on to) and being suicidal. WOAH! I finally used the s-word on here. I'm sure I've alluded to it, but I haven't come right out and said it. Yeah, it has been a HUGE, almost daily, struggle for the past 2 years or so. Anyway, a blogger that I follow had this quote on her post and it really spoke to me because it doesn't just apply to infertility. It applies to all ailments and illnesses, a category which bipolar certainly falls into. So when things are a struggle for me, I will do my best to remember this quote. Maybe I'll find some way to display it in my new bedroom when we move, since I'll be losing my beloved vinyl of "Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured".

All of this being said, I found out recently (because I specifically went looking for it, actually) that May is Mental Health Month. So instead of posting a status about it on my Facebook for an hour and trying to convince people to put it as their status as well, I'm going to issue a challenge to them and on here as well. Please, please, PLEASE find someone during the month of May who suffers from any kind of mental illness and do something nice for them that will help make their life a little brighter. Suffering from mental illness royally sucks and it's so easy to feel alone. When someone does something nice to show me that they care, it makes my day (possibly even my week or month *ahem, Alana and the cheeseburgers*). It means so much. So please do something to let someone who will struggle for sanity for the rest of their life know that you care about them. It could make a HUGE difference.

Attitude of Gratitude

I didn't end up taking pictures because I had Brett in the Snugli and so I didn't feel like adding something else into the mix. We left our security deposit with them and should hear back with the 100% either tomorrow or Monday. Anyway, here we go with the Thursday routine:

1) I am grateful that as long as the employment and landlord checks come back fine (which they should) that we will be moving to a better home. It means that I will have a LOT to do in the next couple of weeks, but it will be worth all of the effort.

2) I am grateful that Caleb is enjoying his week in Magrath. He's only talked to me once since we came home on Monday. Apparently he's outside all of the time, which I'm very happy about.

3) I am grateful that there was no damage done to my father-in-law's van when we got rear-ended on the Deerfoot on Monday. The only thing that was damaged was my SIL's book that I was reading when we got hit. It's got quite the tear in one of the pages, but that's it.

Have a great weekend. I'll be spending mine cleaning and downsizing.

YAHOO!!!

It's happening, it's really happening. Don't have a 100% on June 1st yet (I'm hoping to get it tonight), but we're officially moving. We are going tonight for the formal viewing (but we've been there before and have checked out the online virtual tour) and will give them our security deposit. We're moving just south of where we are (like 1 block away). The company that we are going to be renting from is reputable and efficient. HomeEd is seriously lacking in the efficency department, which is one of the reasons why we're leaving. The best parts are that it is still in our ward and still in Caleb's school boundaries. So my SIL can still drive him to school next year like we'd already planned because it's no more out of her way than this place is, maybe even less so. I will try to remember to bring the camera tonight to take some pictures. I think we're looking at a unit that's already empty, but the guy said the layout is almost exactly the same in all of the units. We're off on another adventure!