Happiness

I haven’t blogged in here for awhile. But, now I’m back! Hopefully you are all still with me.  Life has been busy! I’ll just briefly hit the highlights and then move on from there! Elizabeth turned 23! Hooray! Ethan came home from selling pest control and started working at In n Out. He and Jonah left together for BYU Provo in August and are rooming together. They are having the best time! We sure miss them though.  Asher had three areas and four new companions and hit his one year mark in September! He’s doing awesome! School started and with is Declan started 6th grade and Rosie started Kindergarten half day in a Montessori program. They both love school and say those exact words “I love school!” What a blessing to have found a great fit for these kiddos. Josh continues to work and take a few classes each semester for his PhD program in Complex Adaptive Systems. He absolutely loves school too! I have been staying home- cleaning the house, exercising, resting and reading. It’...

Looking at Fine Art is one way I de-stress for the Holidays. This painting of the Nativity is one of my favorites and Jonah is standing by the original at the BYU Art Museum. Love! I read a newspaper article today on how to avoid stress during the Holidays- something I often get. It said to not only do the things that you love, but to do them MORE. I completely agree. I hadn't played the piano for a couple of days and when I sat down to play yesterday, it was like a different world. I was lost amongst the notes, the melody, the harmony, and I came away a happier me. Books do that to me too. I'm reading Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freeman for our Book Club. I only had about a week to read it, so I've been reading as much as I can. It takes place in Northern Canada and it's about a woman, her husband and their adventures in the wild. Again, when I read I get whisked away into another place, with new people, new thoughts and ideas and when I stop, I am a happi...

I've discovered, of late, that many of the problems that I have, or feel like I have, can be overcome through Gratitude. Even if I don't feel grateful, this exercise of naming off things I am Grateful for almost always puts me in the mood of Thankfulness. Usually I can't stop once I get going. God is Good. And so, without further ado, today's edition of What I am Grateful for: -that I didn't get stung by that scorpion that was hiding behind a stack of frames and that my hand tried to clamp down on. -a righteous husband who leads our family in righteousness. -4 healthy children. -A library full of good books to read and love (which reminds me to try their book club!). -A piano in my home to play daily (a new music to play too!). -A family who loves me- Parents, Sisters, Brothers, Nieces and Nephews. -The Church that gives us all the support it can give to help support our families. -Jesus Christ and His Constant Awareness of us. -Quiet Mornings (the kids leave at 7:3...

Asher enjoying a cone last year at DQ Considering this blog is entitled Happiness, I should post some things that make me happy. This is from a list I wrote in 2005. It still holds true and I've added some more since then. 1. Spending time with Josh 2. Fun family Activities 3. Alone time 4. Shopping 5. Eating Chocolate 6. Praying 7. Reading the Scriptures 8. Going to Church 9. Using a new shampoo 10. Getting e-mail 11. Getting letters 12. Getting phone calls 13. Drinking hot chocolate 14. Talking on the phone with family 15. Seeing a new baby 16. Holding a new baby 17. Being pregnant with a new baby 18. Having a new baby 19. Watching the boys 20. Playing with Elizabeth This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott. -Those new baby ones reminded me of how much I love babies! At Ward Conference last Sunday the Stake President told us we were the 2nd ward with the most babies- 44 babies! The other had 47. Wow! I knew I saw a lot but I didn't know it was that many! At a Relief Society d...