Knowing that Tabetha was going away to college at the end of summer and that this would be our last chance to take a family picture before she left, I desperately wanted to get out and get a great family picture. I tried all summer, but with Tabetha and Jarom each holding down summer jobs and Logan playing football it was nearly impossible to get everyone’s schedules to match up to make it happen. The stars eventually aligned in my favor, however, and I was finally able to get everyone together for a few photos the day before Tabetha left for school. Talk about waiting until the last minute.
For the pictures, I set the camera up on a tripod and then set the timer on the camera and ran back and forth from the camera to the family, camera to family. I seriously need to get a remote.
I love how they turned out. The top one is my absolute favorite and I want to print it out really large and hang it in my entry way above my door.
Hey, look me up on Instagram. My user name is KimberlyMLowry. I’ve been posting there a lot more lately. It’s so easy, which is why my blog has been so neglected for a while.
KateLynn is the child in the family that keeps a close eye on the few wild blue berry bushes in our yard and alerts us the second they are ripe and ready to be picked. They were ready earlier this year than usual, by about 3 weeks. I think it is due to the warm spring we had. It is a good thing she has been keeping such a close on them or we could have missed them altogether.
I know I am looking forward to making a smoothie with these juicy, balls of deliciousness really soon.
I’ve been reading a fantastic book on money management called, “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clason. In the third chapter the author is talking about the importance of making a budget and he says, “It is to enable thee to realize thy most cherished desires by defending them from thy casual wishes.” As I read this I thought how this also applies to how we spend our time. If we budget our time wisely it enables us to do those things that are most important to us and to make our dreams come true, but if we squander our time we are only fulfilling our casual wishes and we will find we haven’t made time for the things that truly mater. My goal this month is to be more intentional with how I spend my time, and to stop forfeiting the best things for my casual desires.
This is just the way my life is sometimes, okay, most of the time. Life is happening, life is messy. The kids take over, they make messes, they are underfoot, or on the counters, helping, laughing, crying, and it’s hard for me to take pictures of real life. Real life means things aren’t always perfect. Real life means there are real messes, and real problems, and real life means I’m not perfect and neither are my children. On the other hand, real life can also be beautiful, because it is real. It isn’t a fake put-on show for other people. To me, real life is the nitty, gritty of everyday that we are submerged in, and it’s beautiful because it has purpose and meaning. I’m trying to be more intentional with my photography about capturing my real, everyday, life because I want my children to know that I thought my whole life was beautiful, not just the picture perfect days. The day I took this picture, this boy was my helper. He thought it was so funny to shake the nutmeg in my pot over, and over again. Every time I told him no, he would laugh and put the nutmeg back in the cupboard, but as soon as I turned my head he had it out again, shaking it into the pot. It was a great moment, one I want to cherish forever, and it would be a pity for me not to take a picture of it because my kitchen wasn’t perfectly clean.
This time of year, I crave being outside. I try to get outside for a walk when it’s above 10* which helps, but I sit and daydream about the grass being green and about going outside without boots and a coat on. BFF Amy once said that she is a plant. That’s how I feel. I need light and lots of fresh air or I start to wither and die. This time of year is hard because everyone else is starting to post their spring pictures and I know we still have 2 good months of winter left. It makes me nuts to see people on T.V. swimming, camping, or even just walking down the street with the sun shining, no snow on the ground and the grass beautiful and green. I think all pictures of people outside in warm climates should be totally banned from facebook and instagram from now through the end of April. It is a slow painful torture seeing those pictures for those of us still suffering from winter.
This time of year the weather is fickle. It’s 30* above right now and in 5 days it is supposed to back down to 30* below zero. That’s a 60 degree difference. Last week, it was so warm we had rain, but as soon as it hit the ground it froze and the world became a giant ice skating rink. Driving was extremely dangerous and church was canceled on Sunday and school was canceled on Monday. It’s funny that school doesn’t get canceled for 40*below, but if it warms up to 40 above everything turns to a sheet of ice and activities are canceled.
I can tell that the days are getting longer, though. When I dropped Hannah off at her gymnastics class the other night at 6:00 it was still light outside. It was awesome! At least that’s a sure sign that things are moving in the right direction. We are on the downhill side of winter, hopefully, with spring in view. Here’s to hoping we have an early, wonderfully warm spring.
My kids are all pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. It has been so fun and exciting to see their passions and talents emerge as they grow up and take on life. I want to be more intentional about enjoying them and their incredible gifts. I seem to get stuck in the “mom correction” mode of life when what I need to do is relax, step back, and just enjoy how fabulous they really are.
Total Hours of Daylight: 8 hours, 38 minutes (+6m 49s)
I can not tell you how excited I am that it is supposed to be close to 30* ABOVE zero today. The last few weeks have been rough, with temperatures as low as -47*f. For those of you who haven’t experienced temperatures this cold I did a little break down of how things change as it gets colder.
-20* Temps.
Life carries on normally
must keep car plugged in if you don’t have a heated garage (we don’t)
start car 15 minutes before going anywhere
public school kids don’t go outside for recess
We blanket our horse
-30* Temps.
All non-Sunday church activities and meetings canceled
keep car plugged in, and start it and let it run for 30 minutes, at least once during the day if not going anywhere
start car 30 minutes before going anywhere
kids dress in full winter gear even for a car ride
dead batteries in a car are very common (I had to have my car jump started 3 times this last cold spell)
Church meetings on Sunday are shortened to Sacrament meeting only
Our internet and phone stop working (the cable people are supposed to be working on this)
Things just don’t behave normally. Last week Jarom closed the truck door a little too hard and the window shattered into a million pieces
-40* Temps.
School and businesses carry on normally
Other then school or work there is no reason to go anywhere. Stay home and hibernate next to the fire.
If I have to go to go anywhere, I try not to take the kids
Start your car 45 minutes before going anywhere
If you aren’t going anywhere you still need to let your car run for a couple of hours a day. If you don’t it can be very hard to get started, especially if you have a diesel. We have a big heater we have to put under the car/truck when this happens
Leave car running when you go into the store or anywhere else
It’s hard to keep the house warm. We burn a ton of wood and the cold just seeps in under the doors and through the windows.
Frost accumulates on inside of the door knobs
Church meetings on Sunday are shortened to just the sacrament
Lettuce and other grocery items freeze going from the store to the car, or from the car to the house
Exposed skin can get frost bite in moments
Your whole life becomes consumed with staying warm and keeping things running properly
Living life at 40 below is just hard, cars don’t work right, its hard to stay warm and you just don’t want to leave the house unless you have to. We are lucky we don’t have problems with our pipes freezing. Some people have no running water for half the winter up here. Welcome to life in the Arctic.
Can you think of anything I missed, or do you have any questions about things I didn’t cover? Let me know.
Intentional:
1. done with intention or on purpose; intended 2. of or relating to intention or purpose
Synonyms: designed, planned. See deliberate.
Since today is Valentine’s Day I thought it would be fitting to feature a picture of my sweetie. I took this picture of him while he was out splitting wood in the 20 below weather so that we would have enough wood while he was away for a few days. I am trying to be more intentional about telling him thank you and to tell him how much I appreciate all he does for us every single day. It can be so easy for me to take what he does for granted because he does it all without any pomp and ceremony, just hard work, day in and day out. I love you Shawn Douglas. You are my world. Thank you for such a beautiful life.
4/52
Hannah’s birthday was yesterday and Logan’s is tomorrow. We are celebrating both birthdays tonight with the cousins and chocolate cream pie. Yum, yum, yum!
Sometimes you have a crazy week and the best you can do is to just be intentional about continuing to try. And that was my week this week.
I would love it if you would join me in Project One Word this year! All you need to do is choose a word to describe the coming year, take one picture a week centered around your word, and post it for us to see. Next, leave me a comment with the link to your blog post. You can also post it on instagram using hashtag Projectoneword.
This is a picture of my husband signing us up to for the 2015 Honolulu Marathon in December. It makes me sick to my stomach and a bit light-headed just thinking about it.
My plans to be more intentional with how I treat my body are something I started last year, and I am excited to be carrying it over into 2015. In June 2014, I decided to hire a trainer to help me become healthier. I didn’t want to go on a diet, I wanted to make healthy lifestyle changes that included eating better and exercising. I could have gone and gotten a gym membership, but just having a gym membership doesn’t make you go to the gym. I needed to be accountable to someone, and I needed a program tailored specifically to my needs and goals. Working with a trainer was the best move I could have made toward being healthier. She wasn’t as expensive as I thought she would be. I went to her home once a week, she worked out with me, and showed me how to correctly do the workout moves she was sending home with me. She talked with me about my food choices, and taught me how to plan my week for the greatest success. All the exercises she gave me were things that I could do at home, I didn’t have to go to the gym for anything. I made a lot of progress and she taught me so much. I began to have the confidence in myself that I really could loose weight and feel great. I found I was tougher than I thought I was and that I can do anything I put my mind to.
About that time, I told BFF Amy, that we should do something fun together like a bike race or maybe a 10K. I was thinking something that I would have to train for but that wouldn’t have to work too hard for. Amy dreams much bigger dreams than I do and she suggested we run a marathon. While we were discussing what and where over the phone she googled marathons for 2015, and after looking at several, we settled on the Honolulu marathon. There were several reasons why we chose Honolulu, not the least of which is: what better motivation could there be to train for a marathon than a trip to Hawaii. As we were discussing all of this and making plans, my stomach started to churn. Could I really do a marathon? It sounded too crazy, and like WAY too much work.
I stopped working with the trainer in November, and then slacked off of my workouts. The cold, dark winter combined with all the good food at the holidays about did me in. I was disappointed in myself for backsliding, but was having trouble getting back into the habit of exercising and eating like I should. Then my sister suggested we do an 8 week fitness challenge. It has been just what I’ve needed to jump start the new year and get me back into the habit of consciously working on my own health. I’m exercising and eating well and I’m feeling good.
A few days ago, Amy called me and said that registration for the Honolulu marathon was open and that she and her husband were signing up. My stomach dropped. Thinking about doing a marathon and actually signing up are two different things, and signing up makes it all so much more real. As I thought about it, I knew I had to do it. I need a goal to work toward so I don’t give up when our family fitness challenge is over, or when things get crazy or hard. I have to push myself. I have to value my health and make it a priority, and even if I walk 100 percent of the race, I will be there, and I will be better for it. Wish me luck!
I want to be more intentional about my relationship with God this year, and I’ve been thinking a lot, lately, about how to do that. There is a difference between knowing of someone and really knowing someone. To have a relationship with someone you need to know them, and the better you know them the better that relationship can be. God already knows everything about me, He created me, He is my loving Father, and I know He wants me to make an effort to get to know Him better. When we spend time with God by reading the scriptures and praying we come to know Him better and our relationship with Him is strengthened. This is what I have been trying to be more intentional about this week: spending real meaningful time with my Father in Heaven. When I do spend that time with Him my knowledge of Him increases, my faith in Him is strengthened, my trust in Him and His plan for me grows, and I can better feel His presence and love for me. It’s awesome!
I would love it if you would join me in Project One Word this year! All you need to do is choose a word to describe the coming year, take one picture a week centered around your word, and post it for us to see. Next, leave me a comment with the link to your blog post. You can also post it on instagram using hashtag Projectoneword.
You can also follow me on Instagram. My username is KimberlyMLowry.
Welcome to my blog. My name's Kimberly. I moved to Alaska from Utah, when I married my wonderful husband, and I've been in Alaska for 14 years now. Little did I know, when I got here, what an eventful life it would be. Surviving the "Last Frontier" while raising and home schooling 7 kids is an everyday adventure.
