No pictures, just some thoughts!

I tend to think like a 2nd grader sometimes, that if there aren't any pictures, it's not as fun to read! Haaa! Well, today will be one of those days, but I just had some thoughts and wanted to put them down.

Some of my experiences today are rather silly and insignificant, but I find that those small moments in life are usually the ones that teach the greatest lessons and give the best reminders. Today, I left work to go pick up Kaiya from the babysitters house. When I got there, little Kaiya was laying there on the floor playing with her ball, so content and happy. I thought to myself, what a BLESSING! You see, knowing that I was going to come back to work full time for a little while gave me sweaty palms and much anxiety because I had no idea how I was going to make things work with Kaiya. Even though my work has been great about me bringing her with me, I felt guilty having her cooped up in her car seat while I worked all day. I wanted to be able to leave her with someone I knew and trusted for half the day and then would bring her to work with me the other half of the day. I didn't know anyone that would be able to watch her and I was too timid to ask anyone. About a month ago, I got an email from a neighbor a few houses down who actually OFFERED to help out, not having any idea what our situation was or that I was stressed about it or that I was too shy to ask for help. And today, when I picked up Kaiya and saw her so well cared for and happy, it brought such peace to my heart and such gratitude for this caring and kind neighbor who reached out and who is so good with Kaiya and for a loving Heavenly Father who heard my prayers and worries over this matter. I am reminded of what a blessing this is every time I drop Kaiya off in the morning and can leave her knowing I have nothing to worry about! Today I was reminded of what a blessing this is!

Next, after I picked Kaiya up, I was pulling back into work and with as crazy and busy as the new semester is at our university, there were absolutely NO parking spots left in any of the employee lots. I started thinking I was going to have to park out in the boonies, which if it were just myself, I would not mind and could certainly use the exercise. But when you're lugging all your child's gear while pushing her in the stroller, the thought of walking a mile in the freezing cold does not sound like the funnest idea. I was feeling rather frustrated, wishing as I do on a regular basis, that there was special mommy parking right up next to my office. Anyway, just as I was about to pull out of another isle, jammed packed with parked cars, out pulls someone who is parked in the closest stall possible to our building! A small thing? Yes, of course. But today, I was so thankful for that parking spot! I thought to myself, how even in the smallest ways, Heavenly Father blesses us and seeks to make our lives more comfortable and pleasant. It was a little tender mercy that meant a lot to me today and helped me to realize that even in such seemingly unimportant ways, we can see the Lord's hand in our lives. And when we recognize those little gifts He sends along the way, it's easy to realize how much He loves His children!

Finally, on a much lighter note, as I was walking back into work, I had a good inner laugh! You see, today is cold. It's beautiful and clear, but it's cold. Like Alaska in the dead of winter cold. And the wind is blowing. And the snow has frozen over into ice. That cold. And as I'm walking along pushing my stroller, I start to notice that several of the students around me are in short sleeved shirts and I'm feeling incredibly over-dressed. One girl in a tank top. Another girl in a short skirt and flip flops. I thought to myself, I must be getting old because to me, these young freshman kids are CRAZY and not so smart. (No offense to any crazy or not so smart freshman who might be reading this!) I mean, come on people, it's not ALL about how you look! Put a jacket on! Do you realize that your arms are purple and that your teeth are chattering? And that it's January and COLD?! But to be truthful and honest and fair, I have to admit to being a crazy and not so smart young college student at one point in my life too. The winter after I returned home from living in Hawaii, I wore my flip-flops in the snow. Every day. All winter. And by the way, in those days, I WALKED to school from my apartment! I had written off ever wearing shoes again, even if it meant a lifetime of cold feet. I wonder how many people were looking at me and thinking about how I was a young, crazy, not-so-smart college student. Luckily I got smart and got grown up and now my feet are snuggled up warm in my Uggs and I am covered up in a maybe not the sexiest, but oh so very warm coat! Hopefully some of these kids around here will get smart and get grown up too someday!

And there you have it. Some thoughts swimming around in my head for the day!