Some Thoughts, in no particular order

So the next thing on my to do list says "blog." I love it when I get to that line! We're gonna have a marathon, so hold onto your hats. ;)

First, some random things.

On running - it's warming up and staying light longer. I'm squeezing in a run twice a week when I'm lucky. It's so good for me. My favorite thing to do is run down to the Jordan River and watch the water go by and listen to the birds. Today the ripples hit the sun's light in just the perfect way. It was mesmerizing. It's so calming to take time to be quiet, to listen to the air and feel your body work hard and warm up. I love it. I'm thankful for running because it makes me feel powerful and like I can do just about anything. It prepped me for childbirth and helped me be courageous and strong. It gives me an opportunity alone to think about great ideas. And it's helping me get back into my pre-preggo jeans (almost there!).

On China - the craziest thing happened when I emailed the people I work with at Legacy Tree. One of our project managers told me that a couple days before she had gotten an email from someone wanting help with Portuguese ancestry in Macau. Wow. I don't know yet if I can help her but I'm looking into it and the timing is so perfectly amazing it's hard to dismiss as happenstance. Maybe it will help me learn more about helping people internationally, beyond just this one person. I've been going to a nearby Portuguese ward for the last couple Sundays. It's been reassuring to know that I can understand almost everything they say (though I still can barely speak it anymore). I think with some more visits I'll be able to speak it ok too.

On Cairn Parenting - I've been wrapping up the project, at least for now, and we've been visiting a Cairn Parent each week (at least the ones we can drive to). I've loved meeting people I've grown close to over the last year or so - there's an instant connection. I've been thinking about trying to convince one of them to write a book - we'll see. Lately I've been mulling over the idea that parents need to see themselves and their kids more in terms of the sales/client relationship. After all's said and done we're basically trying to sell our kids the belief that what we've decided is the best way to live an adult life is good for them too. Not in every detail, of course, and maybe some people would deny that. But I think if you want to "parent" your kids you should decide what your goals are, and those goals will reflect what you personally value. Anyway, so particularly regarding what this project's focus has been, we're trying to convince ("sell") our kids of the idea that they want to and can finish college, get married, and participate in the gospel. There are many ways that selling takes place, but if we remember that they are like clients then we better remember that we need to keep them in mind and that if they don't want to do something, they won't. We can help them buy by being people they admire and by being both interesting and interested in them. We can help them feel comfortable with what we value - if they have little personal experience or training in what we want them to do, it will feel foreign to them. I've never parented teenagers so it's not like I really know what I'm talking about here, but it's what I've been thinking about lately at any rate.

On Grandmas - I'm feeling thankful for our moms and how much interest they take in our girls. It's sad that our girls don't have a lot of grandpas still around, but they got great, loving grandmas and they're very blessed because of that.