Facebook... My Conclusions

This photo really doesn't have much to do with this post... except that I recently posted it on facebook and got so many great encouraging comments about it. That makes me happy... that makes my day brighter.

So, here's the thing. I spent a good share of my summer trying to decide if I share too much about myself online, and trying to figure out if the way I use the internet has hurt my relationships, or helped my relationships. And I think I've got it figured out... at least for myself. I'm definitely not saying that this is how everyone should use social media... I'm just saying this is how I use it.

Overall, my relationships have been strengthened because of blogging and facebook. There are the few people that it has not been a good thing with, but when I look at the big picture, I realize that I wouldn't want to give up the good things, because of a few miscommunications. Miscommunications happen in real life too. All the time.

What about privacy? Well, some things I don't share as much anymore... like my workouts. I've decided that will be more for me, and the few who really care. But ultimately, I'm just an open person. I share things, because I love and trust people. Do I get burned? Yep, sometimes I do. Do I have friends who are close to my heart because of it? Have I helped others who are going through similar things because of my openness at times? Yep, more often than not. I am still private about some things, and with some people, but I'm going to share what I want, and not worry about the few who won't like me because of it.

Some people are up in arms about the new facebook and the privacy issues there. Here's my take: facebook isn't meant to be private. Whoa. I know. It's a weird concept. If you have private things to share with others, or record for yourself, you do it in a private message, or in your own journal. Facebook can be an amazing way to share GOOD. I wanted lots of people to watch the RS General Broadcast... I shared the link and had so many people thank me for sharing it. If I "like" something, or comment on something, and someone discovers a good quote, or an inspiring story, or has a good laugh because of it, I think that's a good thing. And yes, like I said before, some are going to find fault with the things I like or say, but the majority won't.

Anyway, I've heard so much negative about facebook lately, that I wanted to put another perspective out there. I've made so many new friends, become closer to my friends, ward members, and neighbors, been inspired and enlightened, discovered things I never would've found on my own, and reconnected with cousins and friends that I probably wouldn't even know anything about it it weren't for facebook. What if, instead of being afraid of it, and jumping ship, and wanting everyone to hide everything we do... we used facebook to lift each other up? To encourage and to cheer? To share things that touch and inspire us? To connect and show love?

Thoughts While Waiting

So, I'm sitting here waiting for Brandon to be ready to go camping. I thought I'd be the one holding us up this time, but nope. I'm ready. Ready ages ago.

So, I got a bike. I'm trying to write that like it's just a little piece of news and I'm not even excited. The way my brain thinks about it is this: I got a bike!! I got a bike!!! I, Mindy, have a road bike!!!! I've gone on two 10+ mile bike rides and I've only fallen over a few times. ;) It's a little bit hard for me, apparently, to get the clipping in and out thing down. Being a photographer has many many perks. I love it. I got this bike in trade for photography for a bike shop. Pretty darn cool if you ask me. They're awesome there... if you want a bike, you should totally go to Salt Cycles in Sandy.

Well, maybe it's time to go. So long... I'm going camping!!

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

This last weekend was a good one for me. Yay! :) We got to visit a bit with Brandon's brother, Tanner, and Leisha and Maylee. It was so good to see them, and see how cute Maylee is and how much she has grown. She's very good at saying "cracker". It's impressive. :) I had a blast taking their family photos & Maylee's one year old photos. Is this not the perfect one year old capture? Just about walking on her own... but still hanging on to daddy. :)

We got to hang out a little bit with the Oyler family too, which was great, since we don't get together as often as we should. :) It was fun to go out on a triple date one night to Dinosaur Brew Haus, and eat breakfast together on Labor Day. We saw June take a few steps on her own (I swear that she was born yesterday) and the kids had fun running around with Molly and Annie.

One of the highlights of my month... maybe my year... was going to the temple for my friend, Tasha. She was sealed to her husband and four sweet, adorable, children. I was so grateful that she let me be a part of that...  it was such a neat experience, and so so needed in my life right now. I can't even express what a wonderful two days I had in the temple.

One of the things that hit me the most was when they had the chance to say yes, that they want to be married to each other for time and for all eternity. I thought how neat it was that they said yes years ago, and four kids and lots of life later they still say yes. :) It made me think of my relationship with Brandon ... how grateful I am for him. How if I had the chance to say yes to him again... after 16 years, 3 kids, 6 pregnancies, ups and downs, highs and lows, lots of loving and some fighting too... I wouldn't even hesitate. It would be a yes, and I would mean it even more than when I said yes the first time.

A couple of my amazingly amazing friends (did I mention that they are amazing??) are going to come have a painting party with me for my kitchen. I am so excited to have it done, but I still don't know what color to paint it. I think I did the wrong floor, but I don't know, because really, anything I think of goes with the floor I have, but it's just not quite right. I don't know what would have been right, though.

I am so anxious to get things nicer with my house lately that it feels like I'm nesting or something. But NO, I am not nesting, and not joking about it, especially in light of the facebook controversy that has been going on lately. (To bring awareness to breast cancer (ha. ha hahaha. tell me how this brings awareness in any way) people are posting "secret" status updates about how many weeks along they are and what they are craving... decided from their birth month and day. It's created uproar among the infertile community, which I get... Anyway, if I were to help spread breast cancer awareness, I'd write a facebook status that says, hey, check your breasts for lumps. Anyone can get breast cancer... women and men. Donate to help find the cure. Hug your grandma who is a breast cancer survivor. Be grateful for benign lumps. Be grateful for life.)

Wow, that was a tangent. Is it even okay to say that much inside parenthesis? ;)

Back to my house... I have too much stuff, and I started really looking at my decorations. Some of them are like 15 years old. I started pulling stuff down yesterday and putting what I don't want in a box. When I look in that box it looks like junk that I would turn my nose up at if I saw it at DI. I'd say, who would buy that?? Ugh. I don't know why I still have some of it. I guess it's memories... that's what Brandon says anyway. I asked him if he's tired of me, since he's had me around for so long. He said that he'll keep me... cause of the memories and stuff. ;)

Gosh, I'm chatty today. I'm supposed to be working on photography stuff, and I am... I'm just taking breaks to blab on here every once in awhile when things pop in my head. I think I'll put some music on and quit writing. I've probably said way too many embarrassing things already. ;)

Family Night with Cedar

Yesterday Brandon got all of the burrs cleared out of Cedar's pasture, so we brought her back to the pasture last night for a little riding and fun. (You should have seen her mane with all the burrs in it... I should've taken a picture. All I know, is if I looked in the mirror and saw that my mane was matted into one big burr-mess, I would cry. Poor Cedar. It took Brandon a very long time to pick each one out.)

Brandon rode first. We were worried that Cedar would probably only be good for Brandon, at least for awhile, but she's actually really gentle. She's good with commands, just a squeeze with either leg will turn her, and she is patient. She spooks a little sometimes, so we have to be careful, but I'm happy that she's turning out to be such a good horse so far. Brandon thinks she's a little smaller than what he would like for him eventually, and thinks she's just right for my size...maybe by the time I'm actually good at riding horses, she can be mine and he'll have a bigger one.

Cedar had just run through sprinklers... to explain the dots on her. ;) Cooper was so excited to ride! He had a grin on his face almost the entire time.

Can you see the grin? Yep. He loves loves loves her.

Brandon got his exercise running everyone around for awhile.

And Tyler rode a bit by himself. He did a great job!

I handed my camera over to Tyler to take a few photos of me riding. I forgot that I'm not supposed to talk while people are taking my picture. They're either blurry, or I'm talking. And I'm not pretty when someone captures a still photo of me talking. It kind of scares me... do I look that bad when I'm talking in real life? Oh, the horror. Anyway, I loved riding. I'm excited to get better at it, and thinking about learning to ride bareback.  I sat on Cedar without a saddle the other day, and I think I liked it a bit better. We'll see... she doesn't seem to mind either way.

We all love Cedar, and are glad that she's part of our family. :)

Oh, and we do love our daughter, Aubrey, too... she's just never around anymore. ;)

Straight to the Heart of the Matter

First, before you read any of what I write, you have to go over and read this post over at Brave Girls. It made me cry. I related. I thought. I cried.

One time, a long time ago... Brandon worked at Inkley's in Rexburg. I was going to visit him at work, and for some reason the traffic was ridiculous that day. I waited in the left turn lane, with a parking spot right there in my sight, for what seemed like forever. It was the only parking spot on the road, and I was signaling, showing it was mine. When it looked like traffic was about to clear, someone turned right, right into my spot. I was so mad. I flipped around on the road, had to drive a block away and walk to the store. Couldn't they see that I had been waiting and signaling for that spot?

Then, I walk into the store, and a man comes up to me and says "I am so sorry, I didn't realize that you were there until after I had already pulled in." I forgave him immediately, but the real lesson came later... he had come into Inkley's to bring photos to be developed. Photos of his wife and newborn baby... his wife, who had died right after childbirth just days before.

I could not believe that I had even had one thought of anger. When his whole life had been ripped apart, turned upside down... I had been worried about a parking space. A parking space! I would have stood there for the whole day saving it for him, if I had known. But that's the thing... so often we don't know. We don't even have the blessing of finding out after the fact what "sign" a person might be wearing most of the time. We just judge, treat harshly, and think of ourselves.

I've had my own struggles... times where I smile to everyone, but I am wondering how I'm going to make it through the next day... times where my pillow is wet from crying and I can't sleep, where my fears are so great that I can't breathe. Times where I wish somebody could really know what I'm going through and not say things that make everything that much harder... even when they have no intention of hurt. I'm willing to bet that more of us are struggling in private than any of us will ever know. We can't share everything... we don't want to share everything... but wouldn't that make the world a little kinder, easier place if we just knew when gentleness was needed?

Here's my challenge for myself... to remember that there is never a time when gentleness isn't needed. Yes, it's that simple, yet so complex. I will do my best... will you?