Where are we now?

Time and life has continued although blog posts have not.  We have moved on while the blog sits and collects dust and cobwebs. A few attempts of dusting off the cobwebs have been made, but quickly the dust once again settles and there is silence on the wall.

Where are we?  We are still in Arizona, for 11 years now, it is hard to believe. The LuLu has graduated  from high school and has moved on to greener pastures of school, work and life of a young adult.  The MyMy is in her first year of high school, and anxious and ready to get her driver's permit.  Derrick is still banking, Kiwanising, and refereeing not only at home, but on the court and field. Me? I no longer do housework, although I should.  Occasionally I get the desire to cook up a good meal, or go on a walk, but mostly my time is spent working, studying and preparing for some event that is suppose to be important.  When I get the chance to do nothing but stay home, I do.  I am liking the hermit life, probably because it has no demands except for quiet, which is a nice reprieve.

What would I like to be doing? Gardening, walking, and blogging come to mind.  Reading again would be lovely.  Studying the scriptures and offering service here and there would be wonderful too.  Relaxing with my family without feeling guilty that there is still laundry that needs to be folded and toilets scrubbed.  Lounging in the pool at night under the stars listening to the hum of the crickets also sounds inviting.  I think I would also treasure an occasional lunch with friends without the guilt of things that still need to be done.  Life has been busy.

But, with that busy things have been accomplished.  I am now cerified to teach Montessori, an educational philosophy that I really am learning to love.  A beautiful school has been established and is now completeing its 3rd year of running.  The LuLu is now a citizen of the good ole' U.S. of A.   She is enjoying the benefits of education, work and driving that are offered because of that citizenship. The MyMy is growing in her talents of music, swimming and art, and is learning that hard work pays off. Youth have been driven to camps, youth conferences, temple open houses and other temple trips,  and they have been given many opportunities to grow and learn because of endless hours of activities and service. A beloved bearded dragon, Lizzie, has even survived three years of life under our care.  Fundraisers, and events to help kids are always in the works at our house too.  The landscaping is finally being finished, and hopefully soon, the house will once again be clean.

Hopefully a blog post or two will also show its way onto the scene.  Until then, I better go fold some laundry.

Sick

Cough, cough, cough, sneeze, sneeze, groan, are the sounds that are coming from my body today.

Head, throat, and body aches, stuffy nose, fever and sore tummy muscles from coughing. My body has felt better days.

I am sick. In bed, unable to sleep, already used two boxes of tissues, anticipating my next dose of DayQuil sick. I think I cursed myself when I told my sister a couple of weeks ago that I just don't get sick anymore since I had sinus surgery and do a daily waterboarding treatment. I haven't been sick in a little over 2 years, but yesterday and today that record has come to an end.

But misery loves company, so my company has been listening to General Conference, House Hunters and blogging.  I wish dreams and sleep would also be a visitor, but the other three have been great pass-the-time distractors.

This is what I have learned:

The more distractions surround us the easier it is to treat casually, then ignore, and then forget our connection with God.- Donald L. Hallstrom

No matter what are circumstances are, it is essential that our preeminent identity is as a child of God.- Donald L. Hallstrom

If we are not careful the things of the world can drown out the things of the spirit.- Mary Durham

The Savior lovingly acknowledged the widow whose contribution was only two mites because she did what she could.- Linda K. Burton

Be someone who reaches out to know and serve others- throw away the mirrors and look through the window. - Cheryl A. Esplin

Our present circumstances may not change, but through God's compassion, kindness and love, we will all receive more than we deserve, more than we can ever earn, and more than we can ever hope for. - Dale D. Renlund

If you listen with the Spirit, you will find your heart softened, your faith strengthened and your capacity to love the Lord increased. - Henry B. Eyring

It is crazy fun to look at houses and dream that the grass is always greener on the other side.

Blogging still haunts me because so much time has passed and I am at a loss as where to begin...


Sometimes life gets crazy and wishing for better pastures seems to be an easy way out, but simplifying, serving and knowing who we really are the real keys to living a good and happy life.  Although being sick has not been fun, the slowing down, really listening and learning has filled my soul with resilience and strength which feels much better than mucous and chills.  Sometimes sick has its benefits too.

Quiet

Sitting on the couch, under a warm blanket, as the afternoon sun streams in from the windows on the west side of my house, I realize that the house is quiet, very quiet.  The only sound I hear is the heavy breathing of my dear, sweet MyMy sleeping on the couch across the room and the occasional hum of the fridge.  It is Sunday afternoon at the Voss household and everyone is tucked away in soft, warm beds for a coveted nap.

Me, on the other hand am not able to seek the solitude of slumber today.  Thoughts of folding laundry, making dinner, planning primary music, lesson plans, girls camp, are interrupting my desires to sleep.

Still wanting the quiet solitude, and feeling short-changed that I am not getting a nap for the week, I began browsing the internet looking for something to read. I finally ended up here.  It has almost been a year since my last visit.  My promise then was to come back, but I can see that I have failed miserably.

Since then, I have completed my training, without the Master's degree, and realize that I do have some available time to dust off the cobwebs and begin blogging again.  But, where do I begin?  I have lost two years of many happenings.  Do I try and catch up, or just blog from where I am right now?  This question will haunt me, and has haunted me for some time, and I may never be able to answer it.

I can say this, my blog has been calling for me, and I have ignored it for some time now because I don't know how to answer the question above.  The urge was too strong to ignore today, and so here I am dropping in for a short moment to see how it feels.  It feels good to be back, but daunting on where to begin.  All I hear right now is the quiet,  but hopefully soon, the posts will begin to take shape and the stories will come.  I have been quiet too long.