Just to Stop and Listen!

This past weekend I had an experience that I wanted to share...

It was last Thursday night, July 2nd, and I was getting ready to leave my house to meet some girlfriends for a movie. As I was walking out to leave, my sweet little girl Mya was chasing me down the hall crying. I yelled out to Jed and asked him to come and grab her so I can leave, but he just told me what I always tell him when the roles are reversed and she is chasing him down the hall when he is trying to leave. He told me, "let her cry and I need to learn to tell her goodbye", (hmmm... that sounds familiar). So I get to the door to go out to the garage and I lean down to hug and kiss her, but instead she screamed and ran away because she knew she wasn't coming for this ride. Although I was sad that I didn't get that hug or kiss, I was running short on time and had to go. I jumped into my Suburban, put the key in the ignition and fired up the engine. I went into reverse, but kept my foot on the brake as I looked in the mirror to fix my earrings. Here's when it gets crazy........ At this point, my earrings are in, my car is on, I am now in reverse, and all I have to do is lift my foot off of the brake to back out of the garage and down my drive way. Right as I was ready to do this, I heard a voice say "LOOK AT THE DOOR!". Before lifting my foot off the brake, I leaned as far over as I could go and looked at the door going from the garage into my house. I was shocked and confused when I saw that the door was WIDE OPEN! I hurry and put my car into park and opened my door to get out, when right then my baby girl came running from behind my Suburban, yelling "Mommy, Mommy!". My heart seriously stopped beating... If I wouldn't have stopped to look at that door, I would have reversed out of my garage and I could have backed up on my little girl! I jumped out of that car and picked her up and gave her one of the LONGEST and HARDEST hugs I have ever given her!

I keep thinking of that moment, all of the "WHAT IFS" and how in that split second my worst nightmare could have came true. I know with all my heart I heard a voice at that very second telling me to look at that door. When I told Jed this, I think he believes me that I heard a voice, but he thinks it was my own voice subconsciously telling myself to look, but I totally disagree. I can't remember the sound of it anymore, whether it was a man's voice or a woman's voice, but I know it was not my own thoughts that were loud enough to stop me. Maybe this is when my religious views come into play, but I truly believe I had an ANGEL in that car with me at that very moment. Maybe it was my Sister, my Grandpa, Grandma Murray, or even my brother-in-law Wedo. Whom ever it was, I know was looking out for my Mya and our family and I thank God for that!

The other day I was telling this story to Jed's mom Vicki, and she said something that truly made sense. She said that " I think it is very possible that we get these messages and can hear these voices, we just don't always take the time to stop and listen!"

"Some things have to be believed to be seen." - Ralph Hodgson

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." -- Corinthians 5:7

"I am one of those who would rather sink with faith than swim without it." -- Stanley Baldwin

I'm down with the Bloggin!

So, I officially gave into the "Blog HYPE"! I have always heard people talking here and there about their Blog, or so & so's blog, but I honestly thought "What is so important about these peoples lives that they feel they need to write about it and post it on the Internet for other's to read?" Seriously, I am all for reading about people's lives and getting the dish on what they did over the past weekend, but I'm talking Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie here!!!

Well it was probably about 6 months ago when my cute sister-in-law Annie announced that she was starting a blog after she read one of her best friends blog and fell in LOVE with it! I told her that it was a great idea and it should be exciting and tons of fun.............FOR HER!!! Honestly I still didn't understand why people blog? Don't get me wrong, I love Jake and Annie, and my Beautiful Niece Gracie and Cute Garrett, but what are they doing that is so exciting? After Annie had started her Blog and was probably just a few postings into it, we had a good bye party for some friends who were moving out of the state. We were all sad and talking about how we were going to keep in touch with each other and know what's going on, especially when we all have kids and such busy lives. (Who has time to talk on the phone anymore or even check your PERSONAL email?) Of course Annie spoke up and suggested that we start a Blog! I was still a little close minded to the idea, and my friend had commented on how Blogs have seemed to become the Utah way for people to brag about their lives and how perfect it is.

After a few months of keeping up with Annie's Blogs and reading all the fun stories, I was really starting to warm up to this whole Blog thing. It was really crazy reading some of these stories about Gracie or Garrett, that I haven't already heard even though I do talk to Annie everyday. I feel like I am pretty close with my family and try to call them every day, if not every other, to say hi. I started to notice that we all rush our conversations and only call people to say what we need to say and that's it! We are all far too busy with our hectic lives and schedules to take a moment and brag to our friends about how great our family and life is and vice verse! I realized if I wasn't so busy with my own life I probably could of took a moment to listen to Annie talk about the kids rather than read it on her Blog. BUT....... Real Life sank in and I came to the acceptance, it wasn't that I didn't want to hear about Annie's family, it was that my own family had their lives going on at that exact moment too. I noticed that when I finally had a moment to breathe and actually have a conversation with someone, they had chaos at that moment and no time to talk. I would find myself on my downtime getting on my laptop and reading Annie's Blogs to "catch up".

Then I found out it gets even better!

Still not 100% on board with the Bloggin, Annie tells me that apparently there is a way to save all of your postings and pictures and print it out into a book! Since the day my son Turner was born I have always wanted to begin a journal of our family and everything we have done. THAT WAS 10 YEARS AGO and 3 KIDS LATER!

Not very many of our parents recorded in a journal, the story of our family. How neat would it be to sit down and read about yours and your families whole life? From all the HUGE milestones in your life, like the day you were born to when you were baptised, or when you lost your first tooth. Even the little things like how one year for Christmas you got a fake piece of poop as a present from your prankster Uncle. (I will never forget Gracie's face when she opened that!) I thought how great would blogging be, not only to keep my family and friends updated on our lives, but to also make this into a journal for my children to enjoy 30 years down the road. Or 50 years down the road when me and Jed are no longer here to tell the stories and the kids don't remember, but they can read it to our grand kids.

So have I stated my case?