Becoming A Single Mom of 4 and a College Student all in 1 DAY!

Weird title huh?? I am sure it has all of you intrigued. Well, let me enlighten you a little bit. There is this really nice family in my mom's ward who needed someone to watch their 4 kids for this week while they are on vacation. Being the delightful person I am of course I agreed....plus we all know I love playing with kids, mostly because I am still a kid myself. I did not anticipate how hard it was actually going to be to balance the kids and schoolwork and training for my marathon. A neighbor watches the kids while I am in class (which by the way commuting to Provo everyday just for a class for 2 hours is so not worth it) but I have to make it back as soon as it is over because she doesn't have all day to watch them; which leads me to no time to study on campus. So, my day went like this:
1. School, come back for to McD's because the kids love it and I did not feel like cooking
2. Go for a Walk outside and play on their swing set outback
3. Put the baby down to bed while the boys proceed to play in the sprinklers and get wet...kids have so much fun, although the past couple of weeks I have played in the sprinklers a little bit myself, so fun!
4. I get the joy of 3 boys running through the house soaked as I tell them to go back to the front and let me get some towels to dry off with (this is at about 8:30)
5. We get everyone in their pj's and ready for bed and have scripture study and watch Peter Pan
6. That is when I saw my opportunity to go downstairs and go running and work out PERFECT!
7. 9:45 bed time for everyone! YAY!
8. 10:30 Getting them in bed took longer then expected...now I get to work on my paper that is die before midnight tonight, finish and catch up on reading and complete my survey for a research class....and here I am blogging about it all.
You will be happy to know I did just finish my paper and am starting on the rest but I just wanted to thank my Mom for all the work she has done and my Dad. They are a great team and from them I have learned how to be strong and responsible to balance crazy times like this in my life. Moral of the story: Don't get pregnant before you get married, being a single mom is hard, and do not have quadruplets...just start with one and work your way up:)

One Week Sober

From my recent post about Facebook (FB) you should all be up to date now with the knowledge that I got rid of my FB. Well, it has been a week now and many people (my family) did not think I would make it this far. No one had faith I would last more then a couple of days, they thought I would crumble like a dried up piece of bread and establish my account with FB again.Well, I have not and I plan on having many more weeks without it. Now my goal is to get all the rest of my friends and family to join me in this revolution!

There were many reasons I was afraid to get rid of my FB account: I love looking at friends pictures, what about all those friends that I keep in touch with through FB, I find out when my friends get engaged, married or drunk, and some status's can be very entertaining, oh and dont forget about the message parties I would have with my friends about random stuff that would go on for months....and my favorite sending videos to Craig (he is in Korea) of Nat and I singing. I really was having a hard time thinking about giving up this new way of communication and a new way of life, really.

But, to my surprise this last week has been so fabulous! Yes it sucks that I am not in "touch" via FB with friends but then my real friends take the time to call me or text me, and it is such a relief to not have 20 something notifications or messages to respond to throughout my day. When I am at work and studying I do not have any means of distraction (excluding blogging) anymore to procrastinate so I actually get my work done on time or ahead of time! It is this whole new way of life I have not experienced since high school and its great. And lets not forget the benefit of people making assumptions about my life from my profile...even if I did not post much I always had people from high school or my past that I don't care much for getting their nose all up in my business. My friends, get rid of your Facebook and Join me in living life with real communication amongst friends and family, the way it is suppose to be.

Days Go By

Here are some pictures from my rockin weekend!!! There are a lot of them so you might want to grab some popcorn and a soda and make yourself comfortable:)



Yeah, that really happened! No photoshop necessary.



Yay for old and new friends all becoming friends!



Dylan picked up wake surfing real quick. I think he could go pro in no time.



Sean, Kinsey and Dylan



Whoever said that you needed mayonnaise and mustard to have a good sandwich was wrong....it is perfectly fine with just meat and cheese. Right Mom??



Working on my tan with Nat...really Boating is the most relaxing thing to me and I think when I am all grown up I am just going to live on one.



GO LEANN!!!!!



Alyssa (Marian's Best Friend) impressed us with her superman moves.



But she did get up and that was awesome!



I am always very happy when I am out on the lake...RECYCLE!!



We enjoyed some Texas BBQ in lil ol' Heber and the natives were actually impressed with it...that is saying something. Not only was the food fabulous but the live music helped make the atmosphere so relaxing and lively at the same time.

Highlights of the Day

1. I actually convinced a friend of mine, David Bean, that we had a motion sensor trash can. Watching him waving his hand over and over with a weird look on his face was priceless. And now that I have an embarrassing story to write about him on my blog and share with the world...priceless:)

2. Going boating with a lot of people I love being with and watching them enjoy learning to wake surf and soaking in the sun.

3. Delicious sandwiches with just meat and cheese, who needs other condiments....so overrated!

4. Imagine this: Me hopping down onto the back deck of the boat to grab the surfboard (keep in mind I am wearing my clothes totally dry and warm) and I don't know exactly how it happened but I jumped/fell into the lake...it was almost like a natural reaction to just hop in like it was nobody's business.

5. Sitting in the kitchen with my closest friends and family talking and laughing and enjoying life. I do not think it can get better then this!

pictures to come

Facebook

My Grandma (I will not specify which one) has a phrase she uses a lot when we harass her for her addiction to Diet Coke "I can give up Coke anytime I want to, I just don't want to". Once upon a time my Grandma did give up her Coke for "health reasons" but I think it was to just prove all of her grand kids wrong! Well, for the past 4 years that I have had facebook I have thought the same thing many times, I can get rid of my account anytime but I just don't want to. Well, as of late I have realized that I am on facebook way too often for one's own sanity and it takes away from my schoolwork, I tend to make assumptions about my old and new friends lives but I would rather not have to make assumptions. Is it too hard to call up a friend and have a quick conversation to catch up....apparently so, but not for me anymore! I am going to be old fashioned, use a phone, no more texts, with the exceptions of emails and my blog:) Oh, so here is the real news that this whole post is about...drum roll.....I GOT RID OF MY FACEBOOK!!!! It has only been a few hours, but I am feeling pretty free, and having some withdrawals but with everyone's support I know I can do it (sarcasm). Thank you Grandma for being my inspiration! I think I will give up texting next (more to come).

I cant sleep

Don't you just hate those nights when you are so excited to go to bed early, you get all dressed in comfortable sweats, and a big sweatshirt, take out the contacts, cuddle up with your Teddy bear (hypothetical of course) and as you sink your head into that fluffy pillow and get so comfortable just to discover that you will be lying awake in bed for hours because your brain just wont shut up and let you get some beauty sleep.....and as you get so so close to that moment when your brain is starting so silence your phone rings, and VOILA! You are awake again and blogging about it because you do not know what else to do. So, for all of you who can't sleep and reading this I feel for you and good luck, and for those of you who are asleep while I write this, I dont like you very much right now.....ok thats a lie, I am just green with envy. Sweet Dreams!

The Fray!

I was so lucky that I got to go see The Fray in concert last night and it was incredible!!! I am not exactly sure what made it so great but I am pretty sure it had something to do with the awesome music, lyrics, great performers and really good company. I do not have much to say about it just thought my blogging fans would like to know:)





You can see we were not really close to the stage but I have always preferred sitting on the grass....there is something relaxing about it and just a different feel from sitting in the hard, plastic seats. And the volume is just right, so your ears aren't ringing for an hour after.

Disclaimer:

The post below is kind of all over the place and choppy....I just wanted to keep writing the thoughts that came to my head so sorry if it does not make sense or seems choppy:)

Uncle Bob

I have been wanting to write a post about my Uncle for a couple of weeks now but I have been having a hard time. There have been so many thoughts and feelings racing through my head and I was not sure if I could even express how I feel. Well, to start off I just want to say that I love my Uncle Bob very very much! He always made me feel so much a part of his family....there was many a time that he, Dylan and Marian created plots to keep me in Texas somehow, my Mom would not allow it. But every time without fail he promised me free room and food and to help me find a job and a summer filled with awesome fun!! Which, I do believe he would have pulled through with, but my Mom did give birth to me, so she had final say:) I always found it interesting that every time I left Texas to go back home (wherever that is) I always felt like I was leaving a home. Bob, along with my other family in Texas, created a second home to me that will always be dear to my heart. The summers at the lake house, always having some kind of boat trouble, card tournaments, sleeping under the stars, feeding the deer, appreciating country music and dancing and loving the BBQ!!!!! Those are just a few things I learned to love and enjoyed over the time I have spent there. Most recently what Bob has taught me though that is more important above all those other memories is to live life to the fullest, appreciate your family and never let go of the gospel, your testimony or stop being a missionary no matter what!! Watching him live his life and embracing every moment, while he carried the burden of knowing he would one day leave his family behind and fearing for them, has given me something so special and incredible I do not know if there is any way I can truly thank him.

I am so grateful for our Heavenly Father's plan and for the knowledge, and faith, that my Uncle Bob is in Heaven being the missionary he has always been and seeing his lovely wife Lauren again. I know that death is not the end, it is just the beginning of something new and beautiful.

Dear Uncle Bob,
I just want you to know I love you and your family.
And thank you for always making me feel a part
of it and teaching me so many valuable lessons. Your
fun spirit and knowledge will be missed greatly in
this life but I know someday I will see you again and
you will greet me with one of your hugs....and I am
sure you will find some way to keep me around.
During your last couple of weeks here on earth I
was blessed to be able to come and visit you in
Texas one more time. I am not going to lie, that was
a very difficult trip for me. I did not like seeing you
so weak and lacking energy. Even though you
looked somewhat different and was exhausted
most of the day you still made a point to spend as
much time as you could with your family and me.
Thank you for doing that, and thank you during that
hard time for still laughing, smiling and even
throwing a joke out there. It reminded me that you
are still my Uncle Bob and nothing can change you.
You are so strong and brave! And not just for
yourself, but for your family. I really could keep
going on but I should probably stop now. I love you
and you are dearly missed here, please give Aunt
Lauren a big hug for me!!

Sincerely,
Kinsey (your favorite niece)

Water Games

For FHE yesterday we had a water games activity. My calling is co-chair so I helped plan this one and to be honest I was not too excited. I was just not in the mood to get wet. But last night I was reminded what it was like to be young and carefree again. I was in jeans and a nice shirt and my friend Josh thought it would be funny to soak me since I was the only one who came with the intention of not getting wet. When he dumped that bucket of water over my head I just laughed and the war started. It is so exhilarating to not worry about how you look or driving home in wet jeans and to throw water balloons and race/fight over the hose....because we all know whoever gets the hose wins! It was just nice to have a lil reminder of my childhood and just relaxing. It actually gets me excited to have kids when you can play with them and be a kid all the time!! Or maybe Rachel and Christian should just keep having kids for me to play with...that would be my preference:)

A Man's Search for Meaning

I just finished an incredible book that I think everyone should read...yes it is called A Man's Search for Meaning and it written by Frankl, a philosopher. It put a lot of things into perspective for me and just brought a lot of thought into my life. It did make me look more into the meaning in my life. There is just one quote I want to share from that book that to me says so much in so little....."He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how." ~Nietzsche

4th of July Weekend

I had a really awesome 4th of July weekend. I spent a couple of days at my friend Cody's cabin which consisted of canoeing, swimming and cliff jumping. It was really awesome, plus there was so cell phone service and I cannot even tell you how refreshing that was. The evening was finished with attending the Stadium of Fire which was fun but I dont think I would ever go again. It was too crowded for my taste and the only reason I went was to see the firework which I could probably see from my apartment. I gotta say though the boys definitely made it a fun fun night with their Jonas Brothers FANS outfits. If you cannot tell Marshal's stomach says "Jo is a Hoe" (because he broke up with taylor swift) and Parker's stomach says "Jonas Brothers Rock" and on both of their backs they declare their love for Taylor Swift....its almost like that whole Brad Pitt and Jennifer thing where their fans declared on their shirts which side they took.....well since Taylor is beautiful I wonder whose side the boys were going to take? Anyway, HAPPY 4th of JULY!!!!!!!! I love America!