Sunday, December 18, 2011

Mothers Gift

Last night we had  our yearly family PJ party. Every year my Mom gives us a little gift with a poem to go with it.  This year she gave us a few gifts though. She printed the poem "Desiderata" and framed it for us. I don't believe I have ever read it before. I am so grateful to have read it and now I can hang it in my home.  So many true statements to live by. 


Please enjoy the poem below.  

Desiderata


Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, 
and remember what peace there may be in silence. 

As far as possible, without surrender, 
be on good terms with all persons. 

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; 
and listen to others, 
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story. 
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, 
you may become vain or bitter, 
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. 

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble; 
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.


Exercise caution in your business affairs, 
for the world is full of trickery. 
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals, 
and everywhere life is full of heroism. 

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love, 
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass. 

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, 
be gentle with yourself. 
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here. 
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.


Therefore be at peace with God, 
whatever you conceive Him to be. 
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life, 
keep peace in your soul. 


With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world. 

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.


Max Ehrmann, Desiderata





Friday, December 2, 2011

Black Hawk Soccer.

We are nearing the end of yet another great soccer season.  Jilllian really came out this season and played hard. She scored several goals this season, and really came out of her timid soccer playing shell.  She loves soccer and she loves her team.  
Way to go on a great season Jillian!





Monday, November 28, 2011

My little pilgrim

Baden is doing so well in school. He has made huge improvements in his speech. He was so cute last week when he came out with his little pilgrim hat on. I love this little boy.


Saturday, November 26, 2011

Thanksgiving / Turkey Trot


Yet another Thanksgiving has passed. It was a great day! I made my potatoes the night before so I could get up and run the Turkey Trot.  This was my first race since I started running in minimal shoes. I loved it! I ran faster than I have run in a long time. I ran in my Vibram five finger shoes, and my time was 48.22 for a 10k.  My legs are a little sore, but other than that I feel great! 
After the race I went home, cleaned myself up and we headed to my parents house for a relaxed, yummy Thanksgiving meal.  
We went to the park afterwards and met more family. We had dessert, the kids played, and we had great conversation.
I love Thanksgiving. I am so grateful for a wonderful family and the many blessing that I have been given. 

My Dad and I after the race
Mom and Dad (Jennifer and Larry)
My Mom and I after the race. 

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Running Shoe decisions???

I know this topic excites everyone, so I thought I would share. 
I am looking for a new running shoe. Below are my 3 top choices. All 3 are completely different so if I had a bazillion dollars I would buy all 3. 
Below are slight descriptions of each. 
The Newton MV2. Their newest most minimal model in the Newton line. They are 5.2 ounces I really haven't liked Newtons in the past but maybe I will like these.


The New Balance Minimus Trail shoe.  No I would not be using this for trail running. These come highly recommended.  They are 5.5 ounces. They do have a little more cushioning in them and they still have a slightly raised heel which I feel is a con. 

These are the Zem 360 rounds. They are 2.5 ounces with a very thin rubber sole. I have read that these are the shoes that come closest to barefoot running.  Since barefoot running is the only way that feels good to me this might be the perfect shoe.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Halloween.


The kids had fun this year. It was a simple but sweet Halloween. 
I feel like all the Halloween activities are overkill but I really do enjoy the day of Halloween. 
The kids went trick or treating with their cousins Annie, Ray, and Corina.
This year was the first year that Baden really got into Halloween. I didn't walk with him but I was told he was pretty cute and excited.  
I am glad they went trick or treating because now I have 3 bags full of candy that I can munch on for the next few months. Someone has to help the dentists pay their bills, why not me?

Jillian was a pirate.
Bradley was Mario
Baden was Superman.
Annie was Guinevere
and 
Ray was a Ninja

Friday, October 28, 2011

Jillian's Room Redo.

I wish I could take a wider shot of her room! It looks so cute! I have been planning, creating, and sewing for over a month now.  Finally the project is complete! I love it! Jillian loves it!  Jillian was speechless, which was awesome! I can't wait to do another design surprise. 
Hmmmmm I wonder which room I will do next????

Not a great picture of the before but this is before

This is After







Tuesday, September 13, 2011

We Loved Disneyland!



On the 10th of May 2011 we took a trip to the Magical Kingdom. We had such a great time and are so grateful for the opportunity we had to go. 
We stayed and the Disneyland Hotel. Which was newly renovated.  We had 3 day park hopper passes. Two of the days Bill was able to go with me and the kids, and one day I took the kids by myself. Sounds insane but it was actually a blast.  The kids were well behaved and Baden did better than expected.  I can't recount everything we did at this moment, but we really had a good time and hope to go back soon!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Happy To Report......


After 7 weeks of looking for work Bill got a job! We are thrilled! He is thrilled.
He is going to work for a company called Infusionsoft. His position title is "Account Manager."
We are so grateful for those who reached out to us with kind words, prayers, and leads for work. We truly feel blessed and humbled from this whole experience. Life is interesting, and it doesn't always go the way you were planning but that is not always a bad thing. We are amazed at the way things played out, and wouldn't have asked for it to go any other way. My word for the week has been "perspective." Going through this experience has given Bill and I perspective on what is important. Bottom line is, we are excited and grateful!




Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Experiences

It has been a while since my last post. I would like to say we have been busy this summer with fun vacations, fun outings etc. etc. This summer has actually been a summer that I did not plan on. You could say that the story of the Graves family life has taken a little twist and turn. On June 30th 2011 Bill lost his job. It came as a little bit of a surprise, and took a few days if not a week to get over the shock. We are going into our 5th week of unemployment and we are hopeful that something is just around the bend. This last Sunday I had a thought about the whole situation, I decided that instead of calling what we are going through, "a trial", I was going to call it an "experience" or an "education." When you are gaining an education, doing homework, studying for tests etc. it is hard work, at times it is even frustrating. But when you have completed the work, finished the test and gained a reward, or a good grade for your hard work, you feel accomplished. The knowledge, understanding, and work ethic you have gained is invaluable. I can tell you right now that we feel the knowledge and understanding we have gained thus far has been invaluable. We are amazed at the blessings and answers to prayers we have received through this experience.
On June 5th I gave a lesson in church called " Our Stories... Our Full Potential.. Our Divine Nature." This was a subject I had to come up with on my own. As I prepared, I kept telling my self that I didn't want to prepare this lesson, because I felt like I was being prepared for something to come. So I fought it a little bit. I thought maybe I should change the topic but I kept going back to the same topic. As I look back at this lesson that I prepared and taught, I am so grateful for the inspiration I had on picking this subject. I know it was a tender mercy from my Heavenly Father preparing me and giving me understanding before this experience came to pass. I would like to share a few quotes from my lesson, the first 2 are from Paul V. Johnson of the Seventy given in the last general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

"Sometimes we want to have growth without challenges and to develop strength without any struggle. But growth cannot come by taking the easy way. We clearly understand that an athlete who resists rigorous training will never become a world-class athlete. We must be careful that we don’t resent the very things that help us put on the divine nature."

"We don’t seek out tests, trials, and tribulations. Our personal journey through life will provide just the right amount for our needs. Many trials are just a natural part of our mortal existence, but they play such an important role in our progress."

-Elder Orson F. Whitney said: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. … All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable. … It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.” 5

I am so grateful to all of you who have shown your kindness and love during this time. We are so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family.
We are also open to suggestions and thoughts on places that Bill would be a good fit for work.
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Hayley

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Bradley's Sonic Birthday.

Bradley turned 6 on June 10th. Bradley loves Sonic the Hedgehog so we decided to have a Sonic birthday. We came up with 6 levels that the boys had to pass to win a prize. Each of them had a treat bag and when they finished each level the boys got a prize to put in their bag.
Level 1 - Sonic Races - reward was a milky way
Level 2- Find the Chaos emeralds hidden by Dr. Eggman - Prize was starbursts hidden in a egg.
Level 3 - Obstacle course - Prize was a glow ring (sonic collects rings)
Level 4- See who could jump the furthest - prize was an airhead
Level 5- Defeat Dr. Eggman (played by me) they attacked me with water balloons - prize was trident gum.
Level 6- Find pieces to the master emerald and put it together - Prize was a ring pop

I think the kids had a fun. Later that night we had a yummy dinner with cousins and opened family presents.
Watching a Sonic game before the fun began.
Cake time.
Attacking Dr. Eggman.
Dr. Eggman.
Sonic races ( doing the crab walk)
First ones to arrive.
The Cake! I made it the night before. The eyes are slightly funky but I had fun making it.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Wanting to Post....


Hi there whoever follows my blog! I have been wanting to post pictures from Bradley's B-day and Disneyland but my computer decided to throw a tantrum. So I am waiting until it calms down and allows me to load the pictures on.
Besides that exciting part of my life, we are having fun here in the AZ heat. Living it up in the A/C, Spending time at the pool, movies, etc.
Nothing else exciting going on but sometimes that is a good thing.
I will be posting pictures soon. I hope you all are having a fabulous summer!

Hayley

Friday, June 3, 2011

Catching up!

2 new posts below!

Baden's 3rd Birthday

Baden turned 3!
I wish I could say we did the most amazing things for his birthday but it was simple.
I made him a moon cake because he likes moons.
We had McDonald's for dinner because Baden said, " I want cheeseburger fries slide."

We sang happy birthday, ate cake, and opened presents with the party people (Grandma and Grandpa Gardiner).

It was sweet and simple. My favorite kind of birthday.
We love you Baden! Happy Birthday!


















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End of School year


Bradley graduated from Kindergarten! Jillian finished Second Grade. It was a good year. The kids had great teachers.
I wish I would have taken Jillian's picture with Mrs. Z. Bummer! Other than that enjoy the pictures below.

Gifts for teachers.


Bradley's promotion


Bradley and Dejan


Bradley and Ms. Falson


Jillian getting an award from Mrs. Z
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Thursday, May 19, 2011

While we wait for Disney pictures........

Another furniture redo. I refinished my 2 family room side tables. The top is stained with the color provincial like the kitchen table, and the legs are painted in soft candlelight like the kitchen chairs. It took about 3 hours total.
I am hoping to start and finish our biggest furniture project sooner than later, but it will have to be when Bill is on board because I don't think it is a one man job.

Enjoy the before and afters below.

Before



After




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