Thanksgiving Shootout



Park City Vs. Lightning game




Max exploding on Defense




It was a close game 3-2 until the last 20 seconds when Cody (Coach Volker's son from last year) from Park City scored on an open net




Max really had a great game though and told me afterwards that he was glad that, at least it went better, than last time his team played them.



I wish he could see the bigger picture of just how much he is progressing each and every game. I asked him at In-N-Out, where we stopped for dinner on the way home-what his favorite part of playing hockey was and he said, "Shooting and winning." Then Markus said, "I don't care if I win or score, I just have fun playing hockey!" This stage of my life at times seems so challenging and intricate. Every day I just feel like I am breaking down, bit by bit. Am I doing enough? Am I putting my career too much on the back burner? Does my butt look big? How can I pay off my debts faster? Did what I just say come across as offensive? I haven’t spent enough time with my sons today. Is the house seriously dirty, again? The list can go on and on and it usually does. About six years ago, I think I really needed a MOMENT. A moment to feel free from all the worries of life, and by doing that, to really feel life. After living so many moments for my children, I wanted something that was purely for myself, something that I could savor without any responsibility to anyone else.

I hear so many women say, “I would never do anything risky now that I have kids,” or how I felt as a working mother, as stay-at-home mothers have sometimes given me the “eye.” It’s the pressure I’ve felt at times to be a crafty mom, when really I’d much rather be at the park or on a hike with my kids. It’s those day-to-day moments as we navigate parenthood that sometimes have me wanting to pull my hair out and say “Am I doing anything right?”

While being a mother is my top priority, greatest joy, and a blessing, I think I sometimes lose a part of me in it. The part that happily welcomes opportunities to learn, grow, remember, and celebrate moments in my life–even if it means leaving the house cluttered a little longer or involves the boys wanting to eat sticky candy after brushing their teeth. I want to feel rejuvenated, motivated, excited, and spirited, like that feeling you get after reading an entire book from cover to cover or when you enjoy a nice, brisk six-mile run to clear your head. I had been doubting the joyfulness of parenting. I needed to take a moment to remember who I was, not who everyone else thought I should be. I wanted a moment that would help me recapture some of that enthusiasm for life I was missing, and that would make me a better mother, a better friend, a better sister. A better person.

So I decided to do a triathlon.

It’s funny how the force of the air quickly synced to the intense pounding in my chest as I peddled my bike. The clear blue skies hit my eyes and the crisp St. George air hit my face, and I smiled from ear to ear. My lungs spilled out during that sixty-second downhill as every inch of my skin bounced up and down in wave-like formation. I was flying.

My adventure renewed me. As quickly as I can close my eyes and recall small details of my adventure, I can bring myself to capture moments more readily as I (hopefully) continue to grow in my parenting. A moment to let my son skip practicing piano because the sun was shining and he really wanted to play outside with his friends. A moment to hold onto a hug a little longer. A moment to forget about homework and drop dinner off to another mother down the street (even if it was just Papa Murphy's pizza). A moment to turn off the TV, lie in bed with my thoughts and talk to God about my day. A moment to express to my sister, Darlin, who wants to have a baby, just what a wonderful mother she will be. Just today, I opened a little note that she sent me in the mail and inside was a magnet that says;

MAY YOU ALWAYS BE BLESSED

WITH WALLS FOR THE WIND,

A ROOF FOR THE RAIN,

A WARM CUP OF TEA BY THE FIRE,

LAUGHTER TO CHEER YOU,

THOSE YOU LOVE NEAR YOU,

AND ALL THAT YOUR

HEART MAY DESIRE.

(Irish Blessing)

 Moments like that, now that I’m embracing my life, help me believe in my heart.