To journal or not to journal....

Last week in YW I taught the lesson on keeping personal records.  It was an interesting lesson for me to teach because I am definitely not one that diligently keeps a journal.  I brought a couple of the journals that I have kept and even read a couple pages out of one to the girls.  My first journal entry was September 15, 1989 and back then my entries consisted of things like this:

As I looked through the scattered journal entries from high school and college, there were a lot of things that I wondered why the heck I wrote them, some good memories and some things I want to forget.  While prepping for my lesson I came across this quote:

"Your journal should contain your true self rather than a picture of you when you are “made up” for a public performance. There is a temptation to paint one’s virtues in rich color and whitewash the vices, but there is also the opposite pitfall of accentuating the negative. Personally I have little respect for anyone who delves into the ugly phases of the life he is portraying, whether it be his own or another's. The truth should be told, but we should not emphasize the negative. Even a long life full of inspiring experiences can be brought to the dust by one ugly story. Why dwell on that one ugly truth about someone whose life has been largely circumspect?" - President Spencer W. Kimball, Oct. 1975 New Era

I am an emotional person.  I feel a lot and I feel deeply.  I started this blog as a bit of a journal, but as I've written on it I have found that some things can't and shouldn't be shared in a place like this.  Some things have come back to bite me and other things I want to get out, but don't feel like this is the appropriate place.  There are times when I want to get it out.  The good, bad and really ugly, but 50 years from now I don't want my kids reading my journal and thinking that their mom was a fruit cake.  So how do I find the balance between being honest and not writing down experiences from a "made up" life and not dwelling solely on the negative?  It interesting teaching these lessons to twelve year old girls when you aren't really sure yourself.

So much to see....

Today was my last day of work...well for a week.  Then summer school starts and we're back to the grind.  It seems I've been so busy these past few months and especially these past couple of weeks, that now that I have time to just sit...it's kind of weird.  But here I sit...a little bored...a little lonely...and what better to do with my new found free time than plan road trips and daydream.  I have the road trip itch something fierce right now.  There is so much to see!

A couple years ago we drove up the Pacific Coast Highway from LA to San Francisco.  It was a life changing trip.  I think I want to continue it.  Only this time we'll start in San Francisco and continue north.  Oregon is the only west coast state that we still need to visit.

Andy and I actually considered doing this one this weekend.  Just for something to do.  Unfortunately, prior commitments made it impossible.  Maybe soon.

This is ultimate road trip #1.  We figured from Virginia and up the east coast would be a separate trip.  Then there is most of the middle states that we'll have to hit too, but for now we'll just plan on this one.

Someday.

Random bit of catch-up...

My family came down to visit  May 11 & 12.  It was the first time we had all been together since Christmas and I was so excited to see them that I jammed the weekend full of activities.  By the end we were exhausted, but we had a lot of fun.  I love spending time with my family and seeing us become better friends.