Do Hard Things...

This is my theme for the year. Maybe the following year also. I got this idea from Christy at www.everythingispink.com She started picking a theme word for her year to help her better herself. I think last year was "stretch". I've picked "Do Hard Things". And yes I realize it's 3 words not 1! It's my way of doing things my own way.
So I stole the "term" from a book I'm currently reading entitled "Do Hard Things". It's written by twin teenage boys who have started what they call a "rebellution" against low expectations towards teenagers. It's a little dry but a great book. {I'm a sucker for self-help books thought} I should have put that down on my previous questionaire}
Already this book has helped me with my pre-teen son. I've raised the bar in what I expect from him and in turn have gotten so much more back. Then he feels much more pride because he's accomplished something "hard". Now my respect for him has risen, see the pattern?!?!? Nice.
Yesterday at church he did something hard. He sang a song in sacrament meeting with his dad. They harmonized the last verse and it was great! He sure fought me on it though. Funny thing is it was one of his best Sundays. He smiled all day.
I did something hard too. I spoke in church. Well, I bore my testimony. I wrote out what I wanted to say and my sweetie translated it to Spanish for me. Then I praticed reading it tirelessly! {Well from late Saturday night until about midnight.} That part of me that loves to procrastinate stepped in. Anyway, I spoke {read} Spanish from the pulpit yesterday. I did a hard thing! I can't tell you how many times I've gone to back away from something difficult these past few months and then the words "Do Hard Things" came to mind. These words have given me power to do what I might not have done otherwise. Woooo whoooo!!!

I'm counting down to U.S arrival time. See many of you soon!

Becoming Accustomed...

It is hot and humid here in Costa Rica. More so in Jaco where we are.

When we are out running around, I can walk in a house that has had the {so called} air conditioning on and be hit by a wall of cold air. It is so relaxing and refreshing. One of my favorite things here.

However in about ten minutes in the same room, I will start sweating. Did I say sweating? I meant perspiring. Once my body has acclimated to the temperature {the temp I used to think was COLD} it didn't seem to appreciate it anymore.

I've thought about this a lot lately. When we first moved here, I loved the drive to church. I loved bouncing along the crazy road. I enjoyed the gorgeous trees, vines and other foliage. The sky was such a bright blue with fluffy clouds.

Now I dread the drive.

When did that all change for me?

Sunday as we were starting our 6 hour church adventure, I realized I haven't appreciated any of the above mentioned benefits of Costa Rican life in quite awhile.

Why you ask? Maybe it's having to make all three meals for our Sunday and have my 5 kids dressed and ready in church clothes by 7:45 am. Or the fact that munchkin number 5 gets car sick now and pukes every time on our drive there, no matter what I do to avoid it.

But here is the thing. All the above mentioned difficulties are reality. So are the "beautiful" benefits attached to life here. When did I become acclimated to this beautiful environment?

Maybe the trick is to see the bright blue sky, gorgeous white fluffy clouds and green foliage even while your hands are scrubbing vomit.

Yes, I think that is the trick. Then life becomes more beautiful because of what you choose to focus on.

Easier said than done, however. "Focus Shawna! Focus!"

What to do, what to do...

I’m trying so hard to get online but the stars just haven’t been aligned in my favor. Hopefully by next week I will have an “internet access” system down. Hopefully.
Things are going better for us. I have to apologize for my post last week with complaining under tones. {o.k., I was completely complaining, we all have our breaking points!}
Today has been a new day! I have a purpose now. I mentioned a little about my struggle here. Short story, shorter, I need to do something for Costa Rica. They have a bi-lingual women’s group that meets once a month to socialize and volunteer in the community. I’m going to that next Thursday. Do you think it matters that I’m not bi-lingual yet???? So much is needed in this community. Children without school uniforms can’t attend public school. High school students in the neighboring city don’t have a building to meet in so they learn outside with their desk and books minus things like a chalkboard, and a roof over their heads when it rains. This is a beautiful country but there is so much trash around. We as a family our looking for our niche; what we can help with. It already has given our life here more purpose and who doesn’t need a life with more purpose other than mother Teresa? It’s interesting to me when you focus on other’s and their needs, your needs become out of focus. My mother new this well.
I remember the former president of our church, right after he lost his wife, with a quivering bottom lip, he spoke about work being the only balm to heal many of our problems here on earth, including a broken heart. (as his was broken with the death of his wife)

It is so true. Another one of my favorite quotes is from his father. President Hinkley was a young man, serving a mission for our church at the age of 19. It was difficult and he was struggling. He wrote home to his father of his trials. His father’s return letter was only this…

“Forget yourself and get to work!”

So I will get down off of my soapbox and stop preaching to myself! I know what I need to do, forget myself and get to work! Already the horizon is glowing with possibility!
Yeah hooo!!!

My only thing to do now is pick how I'm giong to help.

Don't Give Up On Me...

I'm sorry that I haven't posted! We have moved and I don't have internet access yet! The flood helped to facilitate that. I have so much to tell you!!! Hopefully tomorrow.
Love to you all.

It's Been a Good Day...

Thank you for all the concern yesterday. We are doing well. I haven't been back to the houses since the flood. Wes and Rusti had a crew there yesterday clearing out furniture, mattresses and anything else that couldn't be salvaged. As I was trying to fight the mud from coming in Monday, I was picturing how many times I've seen images like this on my T.V. when living in the states. WOW! It was crazy to be fighting it and by myself. In fact Landon was still sleeping in our backroom when the water really started rising fast. I knew then I needed to get the kids out. I fell quite a few times with all the slippery mud, once Dallin saw me hit pretty hard. We got a HUGE laugh out of it and I said something like, "What, I'm not as cool as Indiana Jones?" From that point on I used the "Indiana Jones" card. Laughter does make everything easier don't you think?
I have been impressed with Wes sister. She has handled this situation well. She came in on the truck with Wes. She saved what she could and got her dogs out. Her family should be very proud!

So that is the end of that. No more posts on our flood. Tomorrow, you'll hear about our sweetie's baptism.
Our view for the next few days. I can't complain!

It Has Been a Crazy Day...

It's morning. Don't you hate when you wake up and remember how horrible the day before was? I hate that.


This is the view from my friend's condo of the front of Rusti's house. By the gate I've lodged a log, a huge 5 foot tall candle, an ironing board (that Dallin was sitting on) and this lounge chair to try and stop the water.


So yesterday my Dad and his wife Rosie came over about 1 pm to say goodbye. It began raining quite hard. When they left at 1:30 pm it was still raining hard. I let the kids go out and play in it. Oh the fun the rain brought for us. The patio became a large slip n slide. The water was even a few inches over the path steps in backyard. That's never happened. However we went in the house. At 3:30 pm I got the impression I needed to look at the backyard. When I did, I saw the water level had risen so much, it was a few inches over the last ledge and a few feet away from entering Rusti's house. From this point on I was struggling to creatively try and keep the water out of her house, her client's furniture (that was all over her porch) out of the deluge and my little ones from panicing. I'm grateful for my oldest son that was a true hero in this "trial" by water. At first just a few inches entered the house, then I saw a muddy wave come up and over the top of her driveway. From that point on it was all over!!!! The couches that I fought to lift and put on pots and pans were floating headed to the backyard. From this point I grabbed the kids and Troy and I walked them across the muddy river that used to be our street. I have a great friend that lives in a new two story condo across from our soggy house. She watched the younger 4 as Troy and I tried to make sandbags, unplug everything, pull our important things out of our own "house pond" and raise important things away from the rising water. I found Wes' missionary journal floating in our bedroom. So sad. I watched as a few of my beloved blue bins floating around my kitchen and the backyard. That's when I got the idea to float my computer out. I packed it in with a towel, put the lid on and here I am, typing away and still contected with all of you. New use for blue bins, they make a great boat!
Wes and Rusti headed off this morning to the houses to check out the damage. I'm completely sore from my muddy water battle that lasted about 5 hours. We are here safe in a multi million dollar condo over looking the ocean. Oh how I could fill pages about the contrasts in my life here in Costa Rica.


If you look in the middle of the picture you will see the top of the handrails to the pool.


This is our front door.


And this is Wes and my bedroom. It's also a storage unit for all of Rusti's decorating items.

I Was Going to Post...

I was going to post about Paige's baptism but then this happened!


We are all o.k. We are staying in a condo away from the water.

This is Wes coming in to get us out. My knight in shining (car) armor.


I'll post soon. As you can see after saving my little ones, I went
back and saved my computer. I floated it out in one of my blue bins. :)

Paradigm Shift...

In an attempt to tell you where I was the other night, I’d like to start with this.
Stay with me, it might take me a few posts to do so.

From Wikipedia
The term "paradigm shift": a radical change in personal beliefs, complex systems or organizations, replacing the former way of thinking or organizing with a radically different way of thinking or organizing.

This is the “buzz phrase” that has made it’s way around town and back these past 10 years. Lately I have been pondering the “big” learning moments in my 30+ year existence. (I won’t tell you how many pluses belong there!)
These moments all fit inside the paradigm shift category. I believed one way, strongly, until I was shown the light.

I’ll briefly describe one “learning” Shift.

Our oldest was only 10 months old and he had been teething, cranky and was cranking out the dirty diapers with amazing speed. My husband and I were even surprised to find out he could easily scale the walls of his crib and get out of his room. My little guy still wasn’t sleeping through the night and things were stressful. There isn’t a mom out there that can’t see how deprivation of sleep could be a source of torture. During this, one afternoon after naps I turned the knob to his room and I will never forget what I saw. His little body was inside his crib, but his head was outside. His neck was caught between the sliding rail and the headboard of his bed and he was slowly strangling. His eyes were swollen shut, he was barely breathing and his lips were blue.

I won’t say more here other than after we got to the hospital and I was able to leave my husband with him to have a breather in the bathroom I had my “paradigm shift”. No longer was the crankiness, dirty diapers or sleepless nights an issue. I wanted my little one back. Like the icons on an iphone, my mind had instantly rearranged my priorities. My finger had dragged, stinky diapers, crankiness, no sleep and the talk I needed to give at church the next week to the insignificant area of concerns within an instant. The icon of a healthy baby to raise became large and the only thing on my screen. In fact I will share one part of my prayer to my Father in Heaven; “please let me change more of his dirty diapers, please!” What before was becoming a chore, now I saw as a blessing. I was pleading with all my strength to have that opportunity again.

I am pleased to say that this sweet baby is now a thriving 11 year old. I’m not the perfect mom, he will tell you that I’m sure. And I’m not suggesting that after that things weren’t tough. But I will tell you that with my “learning shift” difficult situations were easier to handle with my “icons” in order.


{and no, I don’t have an iphone}

I Have a New Use for My Blue Bins.

They do a great job at catching the rain leaking through our roof! I love those bins.