intentional living Archives - Page 3 of 14

Family friendly hiking. Stewart Falls.

We make a pretty conscious effort to get our kids out into nature as much as possible. It’s just good for the soul. Not ~~ever~~ always easy with little kids, but what is?

It’s worth it.

Picture taking doesn’t often take priority right now. Quick cell phone pics while trying to keep all the children from “dying”.

We make sure to always take PLENTY of water. Camelbak’s for the girls make a huge difference.

Mike and I love to hike. Our kids aren’t always as enthusiastic. One time while hiking I honestly wondered if I needed to take one of my kids to the doctor for the amount of “extreme pain” their legs were in. There may have been a pretty spectacular fit in the middle of a dirt trail. It wasn’t the first. And won’t be the last.

But continue we will. Because nature, and hiking, are good for the soul. Did I mention that already?

A “family friendly” hike we went on to Stewart Falls in Provo Canyon (by Aspen Grove). Family friendly meaning our girls who were 8 and 6 at the time were able to hike the whole way in and out. We carried the boys on our backs in hiking packs. There are a few steep parts, but overall, relatively easy. Not AS easy while packing 50 extra very wiggly pounds on your back.

And the waterfall at the end is pretty cool. I’m not a hike just to hike kind of person. There has to be some sort of “reward” at the end. A waterfall. A lake. A ridiculous view. We usually pack lunches with us and spend 30-45 minutes letting those little kid legs rest. And then head back down.

Utah is most definitely rad!

TED. Ideas worth spreading. And listening to.

I listen to TED talks when I’m doing laundry, washing dishes, walking on the treadmill, driving in the car. It’s a great way to get through other things I’d rather not be doing. A nice distraction from some of the mundane things I have to do.

Here are a few TED talks I think are worth listening to.

I love Brene Brown. Her books are amazing. Her speeches are equally amazing.

This one is surprisingly funny. And definitely made me think about the direction our schools are going.

I REALLY loved this one by Amy Cuddy. Powerful message about how our body language can shape how we think about ourselves and how successful we may become in our aspirations. Although it has now made me super conscious about how I stand, sit, and interact with my body. 🙂

Tony Robbins is always great to listen to.

I laughed out loud several times during Shawn Achor’s speech. Really funny, but also spot on about how happiness works.

This one is a little different and dramatic, but if you stick with it until the end, she ties it all together nicely with some talk about compassion. Something our society desperately needs right now.

There you go. Some “easy” listening during your chores or workouts.

For another amazing TED talk, check out this one my FRIEND did about how to have more energy each day. I’ve been following her advice and it truly makes a difference.

And if you need a pick-me-up for the day, check out these videos that are sure to inspire you.

Double surf

We’re super busy having as much fun as possible this summer. Makes it hard to find time to write.

Mike and I surf on opposite sides behind the boat so we thought we’d see if we could do it at the same time. We put Mike’s rope a few feet behind mine so we wouldn’t pull up at the same spot. One time when we were pulling up, the rope slipped out of Mike’s hand and nearly decapitated me as it slung forward. And I was worried we’d run into each other, or over each other. For the record, no one was hurt. This time.

In this one, it appears Mike has more faith than I do. Walking on water. Or levitating. Either way.

There ARE good strangers in this world. I have proof.

Here’s a story worth telling. And remembering.

We spent the weekend at Starvation reservoir camping and boating. Despite the hurricane force winds for 48 hours and buckets full of dirt Caleb managed to scatter around the tent, we had a great time.

We of course stayed out on the lake longer than we should have and were in a rush to get back home for Father’s day dinner at my parents house.

But we were “way low on fuel, Mav” (more like coasting on fumes) so we had to stop for gas about 20 minutes from home. Mike filled up the tank while I walked around to figure out how we were going to get the boat back out of an awkward gas station driveway.

We got back on the road and headed home. After backing the boat into the driveway, I was pulling kids out of the car as cups, crumbs, clothes, and toys toppled out with them.

And then a man and a woman in a silver SUV pulled up in front of our house. I didn’t recognize them. The man got out of the car and said “Where’s your husband?” in a cheerful voice.

Mike came out from the back of the boat and the following conversation took place.

Man: “Hey. I saw you on the freeway.”
Mike: Blank stare. Thinking “oh great, I cut him off and he chased me down”.
Man: “We saw you pull out onto 800 and something flew off the top of your boat. We realized it was your wallet so we stopped. Everything went flying out everywhere, but we think we got it all back in.”

Now Mike and I were both just staring. Completely surprised by what he was saying.

Then we just kept saying “Thank you. Thank you so much” Over and over and over again.

I was honestly so surprised I didn’t even know what else to say. We certainly should have given him some cash for his trouble and asked his name and baked him some cookies and taken him for a boat ride. Something. Anything. But we just stared. And said thank you.

When Mike filled up the car, he must have set his wallet on top of the boat and forgot it there. A very uncharacteristic thing for Mike, completely normal for me.

Here’s the thing. If I’m being completely honest, and I had witnessed this happen to someone else, I would have thought “Oh man, what was that? Looked like a wallet. That super sucks” and kept driving. On a really good day I may have thought “I should probably stop and pick that up for them” but then I most likely would have come up with a dozen excuses why not to. The road is way too busy. I’ve got a sleeping kid in the back. I’m in a hurry to an appt. How would I even get it back to them? And on and on and on.

But not this man and woman. They saw Mike’s wallet. They were on a large, incredibly busy road. They must have stopped traffic. They were obviously headed somewhere. For all I know, they were headed in the opposite direction headed to a Father’s day dinner of their own.

But they stopped. And they chased down all the cards and cash they could find. And put it all back in the wallet. And found our address from Mike’s drivers license (at least I assume that’s how they found us) and DROVE THE WALLET TO OUR HOUSE and gave it all back to us.

In situations like these, I think we often say God was watching out for us. But even more accurately, these PEOPLE were watching out for us. They stopped. They gathered. They drove. And there was nothing in it for them. No reason to do it other than they obviously know WE ALL BELONG TO EACH OTHER. And God watches out for us by expecting all of us to watch out for each other. To take care of each other. To help each other. To stand by one another. And make life just a little bit more bearable.

My faith in humanity was restored a little last night. After a particularly hard week and feeling as though kindness towards one another is crumbling beneath our feet, this couple proved otherwise.
I’ll never forget what they did. It changed my heart. It restored some of my hope and faith in other people.

This wasn’t about a returned wallet. It’s just a wallet. And we could cancel the cards. Sure it’s a hassle, but not that big of a deal.

This couple obviously knows love doesn’t just say things or think things, LOVE DOES THINGS.
A seemingly small thing made a huge impact on my heart. They did what we all should do. What would this world be like if we all made a little more effort to watch out for one another?

And the best part, it all happened right in front of my kids, who were able to see first hand there are GOOD people in this world who do good things for one simple reason: we should take care of each other. It’s always the best use of time.

What am I so “busy” doing anyway?

I’ve made a new addition for my wall.

I’m putting this in a spot I walk by and look at often in my home. To remind me to slooooooow down.

I’ve been focusing a lot on my WHY. Why I do what I do. What’s most important. How I am using my time. What is consuming most of my time. Am I just busy or am I doing what matters most? And does it all support my underlying why?

What can we eliminate as a family to have less “busy” and more intention? What things will get us where we want to be? And what things won’t?

In his book, More or Less, Jeff Shinabarger says there has been “a recent cultural shift: we now determine the significance of a person by how busy they are.”

Something I think of often: If Satan can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy. Either way, he keeps us from fulfilling a purposeful life.

If I were to strip the purpose of life down to the bare bones, I would say the only thing that counts is how we treat other people. How we make other people feel. What kind of real, authentic relationships we created. How approachable we are. How we LOVE other people. How we love ourselves. What we give back to other people (time, attention, love).

Bob Goff

Am I available? Am I accessible? Am I present? Or am I too busy doing too many other things (even if those things are seemingly important)?

For some reason, when I (we) become increasingly busy, the first thing that suffers is my relationships. My time for other people, for service, for FUN, for leisure time just BEING with the people I love is often the first sacrifice.

So I ask myself, if a friend calls and needs support, will I drop everything and go? Will they even call me in the first place if they think I’m “too busy”? If one of my kids needs some extra love and attention, can my “to do” list be put aside?

Do I make sure I get quality time with my husband? Do I make sure I take care of and nurture ME ? Do I have enough time, and energy, to serve people around me?

What makes my soul come alive and how am I proactive in making time for those things? The same for my kids and husband? What makes us come alive as a family?

What do I spend my free time doing? And why? Do I even have free time? If not, why? Does my use of time reflect who I am and who I hope to become?

“We give lip service to the idea that people are supremely important. But what does our use of time say is important?”
Jeff Shinabarger

It’s okay to slow down. It’s okay to not be busy all.the.time. It’s okay to take things off the schedule that don’t support my WHY or the goals and ambitions of our family life. It’s OKAY TO SAY NO. Because when I say “no” to one thing, I say “yes” to something that supports my why. Something that matters MORE.

So I’m trying to slow down. BE STILL. Listen. Pay attention. Notice details. Be deliberate with my time. Nurture relationships with family, friends, and strangers. And solely focus on what really matters to me. People. And love.