Getting to Know...

This year I have had the opportunity to regularly contribute over at "Or So She Says.". It has been such a positive experience. If you don't already make the site a daily stop, you should. The contributors are amazing and their ideas are fantastic. Today, all the contributors are participating in a blog hop. We all answered the same 10 questions. You can hop around, meet each of us, and get to know us a little better. I hope you will play along. And stay tune, because coming up is an amazing giveaway. Think family vacation and taking a trip. Stay tuned.

What inspired you to start your blog (or shop?) 
Starting FamilyVolley wasn't my decision. There was a much Higher Power in control. It hit me one day that it was something that I HAD to do. The material I was able to learn in graduate school, and was teaching at BYU was changing lives, and the feeling kept coming that more people needed to hear the message I was sharing in the classroom. I would lay in bed every single night, unable to sleep, and unable to shake the thought that I needed to start blogging. There was hesitation. I didn't know anything about blogging. I knew it would be a time commitment, and with small children, I didn't have free time. The list of "why not's" went on and on. Regardless of the excuses I came up with, I couldn't shake the promptings. Finally after months and months of no sleep, I brought it up to my husband and asked what he thought I should do. He gave me the obvious look.  He said, "You know what you need to do. I can't believe you waited this long to start." He gave me a big hug and that was that. We laid in bed each night trying to come up with a name. You can read about my very first choice for a blog name here. And why I didn't use it. After much thought, FamilyVolley was it. "Family" because it is all about family, and "Volley" because I played lots of tennis in high school and loved to play the net.

Our last formal family picture. Two years ago. We really need to get a new one. 

Our newest edition. Born last December.

What's your favorite and least favorite thing about blogging?
My favorite thing about blogging is getting a comment or email telling me that something they have read on FamilyVolley has helped them, and their family. That makes all the long nights worth it. Making new friends is a very very close second place.

My least favorite thing about blogging is the guilty feeling when I am not blogging regularly. I feel guilty when I don't post, when I don't attend events, pretty much all the time. I used to stay up all night if that is what it took to publish. When it started to take over life, I had to scale back. And now, even though there is still constant guilt and nagging in my head, sometimes a few weeks will go by when I don't post. I have had to get over it. The constant guilt is my least favorite part about blogging. The pressure I put on myself. Yuck.

Tell me with only 20 words, 20 things you love. 
God, Husband, Children, Parents, Brothers, Beaches, Lemon, Tennis, Golf, La Jolla, Sewing, Cooking, Reading, Teaching, Speaking, Laughing, Crossfit, Date Night, Smoothies, Learning

Us

What is the one recipe you are most often asked to share? Please share it with us! 
There are a couple recipes that come to mind, but whenever I take my Lemon Cookies to any get together, I am always asked for the recipe. The easiest cookies you will ever make and perfect for summer. You can find the recipe here.

5 favorite beauty products, right now... what are they?
Bare Minerals Makeup: Anything and everything from this company is perfection. It is all I use.

Hair Spray: I have tried ALL of them. Expensive and cheap, and this is my favorite. You will love it.

Big Sexy-Big Sexy Hair Powder Play Volumizing and Texturing Powder: This will not only volumize your hair, but it will give you a perfect day two AND three, when washing your hair is out of the question.

Sensationail-Best manicure EVER. Will last for weeks and weeks, and weeks. And you can do it yourself.

Nail Nippers: Can't live without these. The link is to a really fancy pair, but I get mine at the local drug store.
  
What's your personal mantra(s)? 
Always take the high road and treat others the way you would want to be treated.

Something you tell yourself on a regular basis?
Have Faith, it will always work out. 

What movie made you laugh more than any other? 
I am going to have to pass on this one. Nothing is coming to mind.

Our family at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club a few years ago. 

If you could recommend one family vacation, what would it be? 
Hands down, the best place to vacation as a family is The La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club in La Jolla California. Our family has been going there for years. You can read more about the resort and our vacations there. If you need the best place to go if you want to take a Family Ski Vacation, you MUST go to Deer Valley, in Park City, Utah. You will not be disappointed. 

What goals are you currently working on? 
1. Get Control of the Laundry: After adding our 5th child, 6 months ago, the laundry has officially taken over my life. I am always behind and have set a major goal to stop the invasion.

2. More Speaking Engagements.

3. Sew More. I love to sew. Love every single thing about it. Plus it is rejuvenating and my favorite way to create. I have goals to make coordinating dresses for our four girls this summer and shorts for our son.

Please share links to 3 blog posts (or items from your shop) that are special to you (or favorites of yours), and explain why.
The Day I Got My Groove Back: Reading this post still makes me cry every. single. time. And women and mothers who are lost, still email me about its message on a weekly basis. It describes the day I found myself again, and I am most grateful for it. Plus, the pictures are awesome.

How to be a Happy Mom and How To Be Fun Mom. These two posts still bring in the most comments, Pins, and emails. I love them. I know they are true, and I have both of them printed and posted above my desk where I see them and read them every single day.

A True Valentine: The story of the first Valentines Day my husband and I spent together. My husband is air for my soul. He was then, still is, and always will be.

Family Fun Friday's Game and Activity Book: A labor of love, the book is filled with the very best games for families and friends. The games are fun, original, and will take all the guess work out of what you and your family can do together. Promise, you will love it. Just click on the red "Buy the Book" button on the top right of the screen. 

Help me out here. What is your favorite funny movie?

Get to know my fellow contributor friends too! They have fantastic blogs that will keep you pinning all day. (There are just a couple that couldn't participate in the blog hop, but pay them a visit anyway. You'll be glad you did! :))
  Packed with Fun
  What's Cooking with Ruthie?
  Blissful Roots
  Darling Darleen
  Prepared Housewives
  Lemon Tree Dwelling
  Tips for Family Trips
  Five Heart Home
  Double the Deliciousness
  Nine a Plenty
  Kleinworth & Co.
  Creative Carmella
  So Festive
  Blahnik Baker
  Shopgirl
  The Connection We Share
  Bits of Everything
  Kiki and Company
  Or so she says...

The Day I Got My Groove Back!

I lost my groove. I don't really know what my groove is, or exactly what I lost. I just know that over the last few years, through having kids, and some major life stresses, something has been off. An unsettled, who am I, searching for myself, feeling. No one else really knew my groove was gone. I didn't even know at first. But over time I could feel that something has been off.

A month or so ago I attended Breathing Spaces. A retreat for Bloggers. It was a great experience. In the swag bag there was an entry for The Dirty Dash. I had no idea what The Dirty Dash was, so I checked out their website and found that it is a mud race. With obstacles. 5.5 miles of mud and obstacles.

If you recall, a few weeks ago I briefly shared with you how I felt about mud and dirt and the bugs that live in mud and dirt. In case the post wasn't clear, I can't stand it.

Naturally you wouldn't think that I would sign up for a Mud Race, disliking mud and dirt and all. Maybe it was the catchy name of the race, or the bright yellow race registration card with the pig face, or the catchy music on the race video website, but one late night, I took that registration code and typed it into the registration form. I didn't really think it would work, but it did. All of a sudden I was signed up for The Dirty Dash.

I told my husband the next day and he laughed, kindly. He didn't think I would really go through with it. He knows I don't like dirt. I think that is why I did it. Because he said I probably wouldn't and didn't need to. Everyone said I probably wouldn't do it. I knew inside I needed to do something out of the ordinary that pushed me and stretched me and scared me. Something that made me dig down deep.

Side note, besides the mud, I had to run. I haven't run in years. 12 years to be exact. I used to run. Everyday. Every single day but Sundays. Religiously. Running was a part of who I was. It was therapeutic and healing. It helped me clear my mind and made me feel strong physically, spiritually and mentally. That was then.

I needed support, so I called my brother who has experience in these types of things, and who is just all around, one of the coolest guys and the best athlete I have ever seen. I wanted to know if I should expect chaffing.
You know, mud, in neither-regions. I wondered. 
Too much information? Sorry.

He loaded me up with advice and then asked who was running with me. "No one, I am running alone". He told me I couldn't do that. He said I needed to find someone to run with, or it wouldn't be any fun at all. Otherwise, he suggested I find a new friend(s) at the starting line and stick with them.

Still planning on running alone I happen to mention the race during a phone call with my closest friend. We have been friends through the most difficult of trials. She told me that she had always wanted to run a mud race and would fly out and run with me. WHAT!!! Fly out and run with me. She IS the BEST friend ever. I must tell you, she is the type of friend that no matter how bad something is, a chat with her makes everything okay. It makes all the world right.

So, long story shorter, she flew out for 48 hours and we went running and swimming in mud, together.

5.5 miles later, I was a new woman.

In the mud, next to my best girl friend, I found my groove. It was around the first 1/2 mile that I could feel it coming back. I was strong, I was confident, I was laughing like I did when I was a child. Those deep gut laughs. I was not holding anything back. We ran together side by side, we slipped and slided in mud side by side, we talked, we scaled walls and swam under cargo nets. And when we swam through two huge mud pools to cross the finish line, I was different.

It sparked something inside that I have been looking for. My groove, it was back. In full force.

It wasn't the mud, the running, or the friend. It was all three.

My friend had to go back to California, and I have not been running in mud, but I have been running, every day but Sunday's, since. I have to run early in the morning, when the house is still asleep. When school starts again I have no idea how I am going to fit it into our schedule. But for now, it has become a part of my every day life again.

Since the race that day there has been more clarity. I am more patient. My mind is clear. And there is a sense of strength and hope and faith that was growing weak. When I look in the mirror I recognize myself again. I am more comfortable with myself. I know I do hard things. But this was a different type of hard thing, and I did it.

I don't know if you have ever lost your groove?
I do know that as women and as mother's and as daughters of God, we are special. And sometimes amidst the house and diapers and dishes and husbands, we loose sight of that. We don't mean to, it just happens, secretly. It sneaks up on us.

I do know that a little individual, push yourself to the limits, laugh until you cry experience can help you find yourself again. What ever it might be for you, go try it, find it, do it. Even if it is scary. You will feel better. I promise.

And, if you happen to live in Utah, and have lost your groove. Might I suggest running in mud. Let's do it together. I have already signed up for the next race in September, because I have decided I need more regular reminders of who I am. For fear I loose my groove again.

Before the race, bright and early. Being silly.

 Showing my husband the mud on my hands. He couldn't believe it. 

 There was only a few inches between the top of the mud and the cargo net. I just didn't want it in my mouth. 

 I was just hoping I didn't loose my shoes in the mud. There was no way we would have found them. 

 There we are, right behind the dance troop. And in front of the tie-dyed. 

 This was so fun, I ran back up the hill and slide down twice. Shhh, don't tell anyone. I don't think I was supposed to do that. 

 The end of the slip and slide. You just kept sliding down the mud hill.

  

 Don't be fooled. That is not water. That is mud, mud, mud, and more mud. 

 I was happy and sad to get to the end. I wished we could have kept going.

 Mountain of mud before the finish line.

 See it, on my face? My groove, it is back baby!

 What I found inside my shoes when I took them off. Yes, the socks started out white.

They were selling hot showers for 6 dollars, instead of the ice cold showers. My friend bargained, 2 for 10. Almost felt as good as my first shower after having babies. 

Have you ever lost your groove?

How did you get it back?

DON'T MISS THE FOLLOW UP POST, WHERE I SEND YOU SOMETHING TO HELP YOU REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR GROOVE!