Day 30… November 30

Today I am grateful for the love of my life, Robert.

I like to save the best for last.

It is hard to believe that I met Robert when I was a teenager!! I mean I was 19, nearly 20 when we met but still!!

So where to even begin with all the ways I am grateful for Robert?

And of course I will have to include some pictures through the past 32 years….. 🙂

I am grateful that he is willing to be a good and faithful man. I know that is a special thing and I don’t treat it lightly.

Not only is he faithful but also faith-filled, more than he sometimes acknowledges. I can see more of his faith-filled activity than I think he sees. He sees it as being a good person.

But his moments of faith have really shown up for me when I am in desperate need of being upheld by that faith because mine is wavering.

I am grateful that he is willing to put up with me. I am not the easiest person at times.

He has endured my perfectionistic tendencies, my severe independence, my crazy plans, and my emotional tidal waves.

Robert is a pretty easygoing guy unless he is competing in a sporting event. It’s fun when we are on the same team 🙂 According to him, while we were dating when we competed in a three-legged race at his company picnic and placed 3rd against all the guy teams, he KNEW.

I am grateful that he is active and thinks about the importance of being active for everyone. It has impacted our lives to have this shared philosophy while raising our kids. It makes life very fun when we do these types of things as a family.

He has endured my perfectionistic tendencies, my severe independence, my crazy plans, and my emotional tidal waves.

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I’m Michelle. I am learning how to minimize my overwhelm, perfectionism, and people-pleasing and I am ready to help you do the same. I’m a certified Life Coach and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Come with me and learn how.

I am grateful that he has taught our kids that the most important relationship in our family is our relationship with each other. We have always joked with our kids we can’t miss them if we don’t leave AND when they leave we still want to like being with each other.

The life we have created together just keeps getting better and better. I am grateful for what we have and look forward to what we are working toward for our future.

We have some plans and lots of possibilities for what that could look like. I can’t wait to see what we do.

Whatever we do, I am just glad I get to do those things with him.

Day 29… November 29

Today I am grateful for this month of November.

With only 2 days left I am grateful for the challenge I posed to myself to write a blog post every day.

Was I perfect?

No. Far from it! But I did post every day since October 31 except for 3.

I am grateful for the opportunity to share the people and things that I am grateful for with all of you. Thank you for taking the time to read any of these posts.

I am grateful for the things that I have learned about myself in the process.

Rest assured, one thing I learned is that I am not one who has the desire to post on my blog every single day, at least not at this point in my journey.

I am grateful for the time I have taken to focus on these 26 specific topics (27 with tomorrow’s topic). I am grateful that I have been able to share some thoughts with my kids and family.

I am grateful for the focus this has brought me that has allowed me to be more present in my life.

I am grateful for the mental drama I have been able to work through as I have spent time posting and reading those posts to see spelling or grammatical errors. My “performance-based” brain has made some large strides this month as I work towards B- work.

I am grateful for friends and colleagues who encouraged me and helped me work through some of that afore mentioned mental drama.

I am grateful that I have learned how to talk to myself in such a way when I am not perfect (which is quite often) that is compassionate rather than demeaning and critical. That is a big shift for me, and still a work in progress.

I am grateful that I have been able to show up for myself in a way that allows me to continue to keep growing as an individual.

I am grateful that I can show myself that I am capable of change and evolution. I can create the future that I want for myself. I can become the person that I want to be.

I am grateful for the things I have found this past month that I don’t want to keep repeating, specifically, sacrificing my bedtime to make sure that I post to this blog.

I now know that cutting into my sleep schedule is not beneficial for me and I want to continue to improve the way I care for myself in that regard.

I have narrowed down most of the parts of a morning schedule that I like, but starting at 4:45 or 5:00am requires me to get to sleep before 11:00pm if I want to be rested and energetic the following day.

I am grateful for these lessons and more. I look forward to creating more of what I want in my life and I believe that can come from being more grateful for the things that are already in my life.

I am grateful for the science behind gratitude and I hope to be able to share more of that science with others. The benefits are far-reaching and long-lasting for those that make a regular practice of gratitude.

Mental and emotional health as well as noticeable physical health benefits are all the wonderful side effects of a gratitude practice.

There are so many more things I am grateful for and I will continue to look for ways to be grateful every day. It is the person that I want to become.

I am grateful for the opportunity to share the people and things that I am grateful for with all of you. Thank you for taking time to read any of these posts.
I am grateful for the things that I have learned about myself in the process.

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I’m Michelle. I am learning how to minimize my overwhelm, perfectionism, and people-pleasing and I am ready to help you do the same. I’m a certified Life Coach and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Come with me and learn how.

I am grateful for the mental drama I have been able to work through as I have spent time posting and reading those post to see spelling or grammatical errors. My “performance based” brain has made some large strides this month as I work towards B- work.

Day 28… November 28

Today I am grateful for my oldest son Karai.

Karai was the one who made me a mom. He is more than just a good hairdo.

He was and is a gentle soul. Probably the most reserved of all of our kids….although most of the time that is not a high bar in our family 🙂

As the oldest, he had to teach and train us to be parents and that was no easy task for him. But he has always been so patient and understanding.

I always thought of Karai as the first of our “renaissance men”…participating in sports, being a big reader (for at least a couple of years 🙂 ), being in the choir, playing in the orchestra, and then the band… He wanted to do it all. It was an example to his other siblings of how to love so many different things.

He is a competitor, especially in soccer starting very early. It was fun for him to be able to continue playing all through college. Growing up he also played basketball, and baseball as well as participated in summer swim team. In high school, he lettered in football, soccer, volleyball, and choir.

He has always been one to play at 110% which lead to a few injuries at times but he hardly let those slow him down. He is a good team leader as well.

He has a beautiful singing voice and has said that some of his fondest high school memories are in the choir.

Then there was the time while he was at UofA when he was in a band and performed at the Spring Fling. That was fun!

As the oldest he had to teach and train us to be parents and that was no easy task for him. But he has always been so patient and understanding.

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I’m Michelle. I am learning how to minimize my overwhelm, perfectionism, and people-pleasing and I am ready to help you do the same. I’m a certified Life Coach and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Come with me and learn how.

He has at times put a lot of pressure on himself as the oldest, but hopefully he knows how grateful I am for him and who he is. He is a good man.

He has always been a thoughtful and kind big brother looking out for his siblings, even when there were times they might not have wanted him to. And he has been good to include everyone when he can. He is kind-hearted….probably why he and Julie get along so well.

The first of our college graduates, he wasn’t too sad when Covid made his commencement virtual. He was afraid I would make him walk, but that wasn’t even an option.

Now he has taken a position with Gilbert Public Schools teaching in one of the junior high schools, so he is working towards his teaching credentials.

This also gave him the opportunity to coach the first 7th-grade boy’s volleyball team, as that was added as a new junior high sport this year.

Day 27… November 27

Today I am thankful for my body.

While I have always been grateful for my body on some level, there were times I was perhaps less appreciative of my body.

I spent far too much time finding and focusing on all the “flaws”. I noticed all the things that “should” be different about my body.

I should be stronger.

Why do my teeth seem so disproportionately large? I’m not Julia Roberts so it’s just weird.

I should lose weight.

Why can’t I do the things I used to do?

I should color my hair (but I am too lazy and too cheap for the upkeep that requires).

This scar…….that cellulite……all the wrinkles…..

My eyes don’t work like they used to.

The list could go on and on with limitations and flaws and all the ways I could pick myself apart.

I should also say that none of this was helpful or motivating toward any change. It didn’t lead me to take better care of myself. It mostly left me feeling worse about myself and not appreciating the gift that my body is.

And though it has not been a quick process, I have been able to change the way I view my body in many different ways.

From about junior high on I developed a love for science, specifically biology, microbiology, genetics and heredity, anatomy and physiology, and more recently, neurology.

The human body is full of wonders and mysteries that I have yet to understand. But that is perhaps a topic for a future post.

Today I want to focus on the gratitude I have developed for my body, even with all of its previously perceived flaws.

My body is an amazing feat of science. There are many things that can be studied and understood and we can try to explain but we would fall short.

My body was strong enough to deliver 6 beautiful children into this world. The gift of pregnancy and the opportunity to be a co-creator of another life is nothing short of miraculous.

It is something that for a long time I took for granted. That was until I was actually pregnant with my first. A common test that used to be done at the time came back abnormal for me.

In my studies of science, I wanted to find cures for congenital defects and here I was, now on the receiving end of genetic counseling.

After further testing, it was determined that this pregnancy didn’t show any greater risk of problem. And our son, though a few weeks early, was perfect and healthy. Miraculous.

There are stories of one kind or another with each of my pregnancies….. the breech/emergency c-section …..the one born six weeks early…..the one born after we buried his brother.

And that is just one area of amazingness that is my physical body.

My body, my hands, in particular, have been able to create wonderful things, beautiful things, and practical things…..portraits, scrapbooks, writings, paintings, woodworking items, jewelry, light fixtures, refinished furniture, clothing, blankets, home decor, gifts for family and friends,……..just one area of amazingness.

From about junior high on I developed a love for science, specifically biology, microbiology, genetics and heredity, anatomy and physiology, and more recently, neurology.

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I’m Michelle. I am learning how to minimize my overwhelm, perfectionism, and people-pleasing and I am ready to help you do the same. I’m a certified Life Coach and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Come with me and learn how.

My body is an amazing gift and I want to take care of it. I want to appreciate all the wonderful things my body can do. I want to appreciate how my body has gotten me to this point in my life. I want to appreciate the strength and endurance my body is capable of.

Day 26… November 26

Today I am grateful for my oldest daughter Ally.

Ally is the third of our six children. Today is her birthday. 🙂 ❤

I am so grateful for the woman she has become.

If you have met Ally and you don’t know, it will probably come as no surprise that her favorite color is yellow. She is pure sunshine. With a 1000-watt smile and warm inviting personality, she is always ready to help someone else feel welcome and included.

Ally is a determined woman who is wiling to go after the things she wants to do in life.

Like all of her siblings she was a good soccer player, and probably still is. But in junior high and high school she found she was also good at running, distance running in particular.

The high school cross-country coach was excited to have her on the team. But when the track season came around Ally didn’t want to be “just a distance runner”. She wanted to try pole vault.

She was worried that the distance coach (also the cross country coach) would be mad at her but she still chose to pole vault. It was love!!

This was her senior year when she got a PR 11’9″. Yes I know the board say 11’3″ but it was 11’9″ 🙂

If you have met Ally and you don’t know, it will probably come as no surprise that her favorite color is yellow. She is pure sunshine. With a 1000-watt smile and warm inviting personality, she is always ready to help someone else feel welcome and included.

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I’m Michelle. I am learning how to minimize my overwhelm, perfectionism, and people-pleasing and I am ready to help you do the same. I’m a certified Life Coach and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Come with me and learn how.

I am grateful that her love of God took her in a difficult, different direction. She decided to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for 18 months which abruptly ended her pole vaulting.

Day 22… November 22

Today I am thankful for music.

Music has always been a part of my life. Growing up our family was always singing and playing instruments, creating music.

Silly songs, classical songs, holiday songs, songs from church, songs from the radio, musicals, old songs, new songs, you name it ….my family sang it.

Our house was always filled with music growing up. Records (now referred to as vinyl :)) playing on the stereo, cassettes of our favorites, piano lessons, piano practice, violins, and violas. We all learned to play for at least some period.

I do regret that I have not kept up with the instruments, specifically piano and violin, that I learned to play in my youth. I think that might be a goal for next year. And maybe one day who knows, I will do something about my dream to play the flute.

I love that my kids all played instruments at various times. Not necessarily for very long but that’s okay.

Lots of violins, but we also had at one time or another a couple of trumpets, a baritone, percussion instruments, an alto saxophone, and a few piano players.

Tegan was the only one who chose to continue playing her instrument into junior high.

But after all the struggles to practice, we mostly stick to using our voices as our instruments. 🙂 All the kids have been in choir since elementary school. It has brought me so much joy over the years.

Silly songs, classical songs, holiday songs, songs from church, songs from the radio, musicals, old songs, new songs, you name it ….my family sang it.

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I’m Michelle. I am learning how to minimize my overwhelm, perfectionism, and people-pleasing and I am ready to help you do the same. I’m a certified Life Coach and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Come with me and learn how.

Day 21… November 21

Today I am grateful for our “bonus daughter” Julie.

Julie is Karai’s (our oldest son) girlfriend. I would love to say daughter-in- law ….. but no pressure Karai 🙂

Julie is maybe the smartest and kindest person I know.

As I said before, it is easy to love the people who love your people, and I am so grateful she is one of our people. She is easy to love!

Hanging out with our family has been a little rough sometimes I’m sure. We can be what you might call “abrasive”. But she hasn’t given up on us yet.

She is so thoughtful and kind that she is a vegetarian (leaning toward vegan) because she would hate to harm anything. Our kids have openly debated on which of the siblings they would eat first in a crisis. Haha

Julie and Karai met at the University of Arizona when they both worked at the campus Rec Center. It is hard to believe that was nearly 4-1/2 years ago now.

After graduation from UofA, Julie began law school at Louisiana State University. But that first year she missed us so much (or maybe it was HER family and her twin sister!) that she transferred to Arizona State University – Sandra Day O’Conner College of Law.

She only has some finals and one more semester before graduation. Then she just needs to take the bar exam. Easy peasy. So exciting!!

Julie is determined and hardworking. She began her first internship the summer after her first year of law school, finishing in the top of her class. She did such a good job for them that they kept her on part time throughout the next school year.

She had an internship that second summer doing more great work as well. So much so that she has already received a full time job offer post graduation.

When she is not busy with work or her actual classes, she is busy as one of the Managing Editors for the ASU Sports and Entertainment Law Journal. You can enjoy one of her articles here.

She loves Disney, especially Wall-e, and ALL the animals, most especially her dog Ozzi and cat RockoRoo. If she could meet the Erwins it would be a dream come true!

She loves the law, the beach, travel, Harry Styles and family. She loves to find thoughtful gifts for others. I’m just glad she loves our family.

She is so thoughtful and kind that she is a vegetarian (leaning toward vegan) because she would hate to harm anything.

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I’m Michelle. I am learning how to minimize my overwhelm, perfectionism, and people-pleasing and I am ready to help you do the same. I’m a certified Life Coach and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Come with me and learn how.

She loves Disney, especially Wall-e, and ALL the animals, most especially her dog Ozzi and cat RockoRoo. If she could meet the Erwins it would be a dream come true!