Swagger Wagon

I feel so cool in my minivan now! No seriously, this makes me want a new van!

Friday Flashbacks - Tri, Tri Again Edition

Let's flash all the way back to 2008 - when Geoffrey signed up for the Jordanelle Triathlon and trained for it by walking from the house to his car in the driveway every morning. I was nervous we would be scanning the bottom of the lake looking for him - seriously, how many years had it been since he had swam a lap? I should have had more faith, he did fine.

This of course only serves to add more pressure to my foray into the tri world, scheduled for next Saturday.

May is a terrible month to sign up for a tri in Utah - I have had very few chances to train outside - we were snowed/rained out all this week and relegated into the gym. Except, ironically, for the swim training, which has been in an outdoor pool during snow/rain/hurricane force winds. I really hate swimming. The other downside to May is that life is so busy with end of the year school events it is very difficult to carve out that training time every day. Some nights I have been in the pool under falling snow at 9:00 at night. That's just wrong.

The upside to a May tri is that I have been working out during this busy time. If I wasn't committed (and by committed, I mean I PAID MONEY for it) to this tri, there would have been zero working out this month. So yea for me. I'm grateful for a great training partner. Lots of mornings I would have bailed if I wasn't meeting her.

Now the last week is upon me. Time to figure out what I am wearing and start praying that I can finish. Wish me luck.

Friday Flashbacks - Mother's Day Edition

It is almost the day we honor mothers. Today, I was so busy mothering, I almost didn't have time to do my Friday Flashback. I wasn't just burning the candle at both ends this week, I was setting another bonfire every time I turned around. Our next two weeks are a solid block of baseball, Jr. High plays, orchestra concerts, Jazz Band concerts, band concerts, Honor Society ceremonies, Jr. High Shakespeare plays, and who knows what else!

My mothering philosophy is similar to my living philosophy - we are here on earth to progress, to be a little better tomorrow than we were today. We are humans, so we frequently stumble on this path, hence the need for a Savior and the Atonement. As I live, or mother, I believe in starting where I am and doing the best I can, and having faith that the Savior will make up the difference for me.

I come from a mother, and I count many other women as influencers of the mother I am today. I know they each do the best with what they have and I strive to do the same. I may never be perfect, but hopefully I am improving. Hopefully, my daughter will do the same and be a better mother than I am. Hopefully, her daughter will continue the tradition. As the world changes, so do the challenges to motherhood and improvement is necessary to navigate the murky waters of pressing time commitments and less than desirable influences that creep into our lives. I love this quote from this amazing talk from Elder Ballard at the April 2008 General Conference:

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family... What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."

I am proud to be a mother, proud to love my children deeply, and proud to prioritize them above all else. Happy Mother's Day to all of you!

Karen and Jean Fredericks - in the 1950's

Jean Fredericks, Karen Markin, Sara and Jennifer Barber - 1990

Rachel, Tami, Carol, Geoffrey, Krista and Kara Barber - 1980

Sara, Easton, Nixon and Jennifer Barber - May 2009 -Pico Beach