Zoom! Zoom!

 

 

A Powerful Rebirth and Personal Transformation or Midlife Crisis?

Just a year away from turning 50, I am now the proud owner of a Can-Am! I even passed the written exam to obtain my motorcycle permit—something I never thought I would do in my life. Is this a powerful personal transformation, a new hobby, or just a classic midlife crisis?

This is a new hobby my husband and I get to enjoy together. Not only I get to enjoy it with him but his brothers and our sister in-law that also ride motorcycles. Since we moved to North Carolina, they have been asking when we were going to join the "pack". I've never been interested in a two-wheeled motorcycle; still not. So, we started looking into the 3-wheel options. I had an opportunity to test-drive one, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it- there was no turning back!

Through this experience, I have learned that turning 50 isn't about slowing down; it's about rewriting the story. Passing my motorcycle permit exam and bringing home a Can-Am is proof that you can always surprise yourself. This isn't a midlife crisis—it's the next chapter of the Rising Phoenix, and the view from the open road has never looked brighter.

Beneath The Ash

                                  (Me in my new Halloween outfit.)                                         (Shaurie Ann the Upside-Down Clown.)

The Invisible Worlds That Shape Us

"You're wondering who I am (secret, secret, I've got a secret)."

("Mr. Roboto" Song by Styx ‧ 1983)

This Halloween season, we spend time searching shelves and scrolling online for the perfect Halloween costume; the truest masks are the invisible ones we wear every single day. From sunrise to sunset, we cycle through different versions of ourselves, subtly shifting who we are as we move between work, school, social groups, and/or home. It makes you wonder how much the people around us actually know about the real person beneath the surface—and honestly, how much we even want them to know. True vulnerability can be terrifying, so we keep our secrets close, using our daily routines as protective armor and making our everyday lives the ultimate masquerade.

Exploring these common social masks is a fascinating look at human nature, though it's worth gently noting that this everyday adaptability is quite different from clinical conditions like Dissociative Identity Disorder, which carry a much deeper weight and reality for some.

One thing is certain: we are all trying to discover our purpose. Daniel Beaty wrote, "We are the unlimited potential to create, do, or be anything" (Transforming Pain To Power, p. 177).  He states that we are "agents of change and transformation"... "of our own thoughts and feelings" (p. 177). Therefore, we are the authors and creators of our own purpose. "Our purpose becomes the bridge over our limiting thoughts and feelings." (Beaty, D., "Transforming Pain to Power, pg. 177). 

Building that bridge to our purpose isn't something we do out in the open for everyone to see. It starts much deeper, away from the noise of what other people expect from us. To truly act as the authors of our own lives, we have to look inward and tap into that hidden space where our potential is quietly taking root.

"Beneath the ash of who we used to be, and far behind the personas we present to the world, lives a fiercely guarded inner world. This hidden landscape is not fragmented; it is a private sanctuary where our rawest thoughts and quietest transformations unfold. We all carry this invisible back-stage self, quietly shaping who we become when we finally step back into the sun."

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"Crack Cookies"

"CRACK COOKIES," a.k.a. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.  The food blog debate: lead with the story, start right away with the recipe, or hide it somewhere in the middle? I opted to share the story first and make you hunt a little for my famous recipe. Why the nickname "Crack Cookies"? You can thank my kids for naming my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies "Crack Cookies". They claim you can’t eat just one, two, or three—before you know it, you've eaten a few dozen, and you're begging for more. Apparently, it's a total addiction! (For the record: neither I nor my kids have ever done street drugs, so we are purely guessing here). Just how addictive are they? One autumn, my husband took a batch to work. It instantly became an annual fall request, turning into a tradition that required baking over 12 dozen cookies a year. Now, whenever I bring them to an event, I have to bake a separate stash just to keep at home. I always leave with requests for the next gathering, along with a few special orders. These cookies honestly turn people into monsters. This is the very first time I am making this recipe public. I dare you to try them and not get hooked. Bake a batch, let me know what you think, and tell me: did I make an addict out of you? 

1 15oz can pure pumpkin

1 box spice cake mix

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all 3 ingredients. Scoop onto a prepared cookie sheet and flatten a little bit. Bake 12-15 minutes. Let cool, or not, and enjoy. Yes, they are that easy. Share or don't; that's up to you. 

DISCLAIMER: "COMPLETELY LEGAL INGREDIENTS INCLUDED IN THIS RECIPE! NO NEED TO REPORT TO ANY 3-LETTER NAMED AUTHORITY!"

Rising Phoenix: The Next Chapter

Restarting after nearly ten years and using the title "Rising Phoenix: The Next Chapter" may seem a bit cliché, yet it feels appropriate as this blog is being restored following a long hiatus.

I've gone back and forth about restarting ye ol' Blogger and my daughter convinced me I should. I'm unsure of it's contents of yet, but it will be informative and hopefully entertaining. 

BASEBALL GAME

KC ROYALS vs

TEXAS RANGERS

KC WINS 6 - 5

H&R BLOCK NIGHT @ THE K

PLAY BALL !!!!!

After enjoying an all you can eat dinner buffett provided by H&R Block we got to enjoy the hot SUN for awhile before the game. Then the game it self. We got to witness David DeJesus hit his 500th Hit and actually witness the Royals win a game. Which this season comes on very rare.

Birthday 🎂

Kansas City Temple Celebration

KANSAS CITY TEMPLE CELEBRATION

"When you come to the temple, you will love your family with a deeper love than you have ever felt before. The temple is about families."    Richard H. Winkel

In February, we got to see the temple under construction with Grandma Murray. 

In April, we went to the open house. 

In May we got to go to the celebration and the dedication.

After the celebration dance that Kristofer performed in, he got to take a private ride to Children's Mercy. Dehydration and heat stroke!

Kristofer's Ambulance Ride

"In addition to temples, surely another holy place on earth ought to be our homes. The feelings of holiness in my home prepared me for feelings of holiness in the temple."  —James E. Faust

"Just as our Redeemer gave His life as a vicarious sacrifice for all men, and in so doing became our Savior, even so we, in a small measure, when we engage in proxy work in the temple, become as saviors to those on the other side."

—Gordon B. Hinckley

"The temple endowment was given by revelation. Thus, it is best understood by revelation, prayerfully sought with a sincere heart. "

—Russell M. Nelson

October 2010 - Pumpkin Patch

A few pictures from last years trip to the pumpkin patch!

We didn't have a chance to go this year. This year we are

going to visit the farmer down the road and choose some

of the beautiful pumpkins he grows. I love the fall time.

Lost, but not Forgotten

I noticed the last post was Aug 2009. That is when I started back to school and this blog got put on a shelf and forgot about, not meaningfully, if just happened. So much has happened over the last two years and I wanted to get my blog back up and running and caught up with the highlights of the last 2 very busy years. So what has happened in the last 2 years? Well, where do I start? 2 years ago my children were 4, 8, and 10 now they are 6, 10 and 12. They moved from Preschool, 3rd grade and 5th grade to 1st grade, 5th grade and 7th grade. They have moved from short and squatty, to tall, handsome and cute. I moved from having children at home with me to just me with all 3 in school. That adjustment is sad for me. I did a home childcare for 1 1/2 years until my class schedule brought me to an internship and other circumstances has brought it so I needed a job outside of the house. It hasn't been the easiest thing for me, being home when my kids are home has always been a passion of mine. I have been called some hurtful names for making the choice to stay home with my children, but I have known that is where I am suppose to be and hope that is where I can be again at sometime in my life. I have lots of pictures from our last 2 years of adventures I want to share but it will take me some time to post them so you must have some patience with me! I love my family and my friends and I hope and pray you will all enjoy my "catch up" project! :)

S.A.L.'s 1st Concert!

Shaurie and two of her friends got to attend a concert at the Sprint Center in Kansas City!

She got to go see KSM, David Archuleta, and Demi Lovato from Disney Channel's Sunny with a Chance and Camp Rock!

Cub Scout Day Camp

Mom and Kris at Cub Scout Day Camp in Blue Springs, Missouri July 13 - 17

As the Den Leader for our ward, I got to attend every day with Kris!

We had a lot of fun as you can see! He was the only one to catch a fish in his pack! He got to shoot BB Guns, Bow & Arrows, Rubberband Guns and Marshmellow Guns! He loved everything that had shooting something as part of the activity

Vocab Parade

Every year Blue Hills Elemetary has a Vocabulary Parade. These are the pictures from Wednesday April 30, 2008!


Kristofer with his Passport Posterboard! Aidan the spectator!


Shaurie with her Compass Poster Kristofer with his Passport Picture!

Christmas 2007

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We welcome the newest member to our home! Frosty! Whom only comes and visits around the Christmas holiday!

Kristofer's new tent, lantern and blanket! Which is too small and his feet stick out the door! OOPS!

Thanks Uncle Preston for the four wheeler for Aidan! He loves to try to run over anyone he can! As you can see he almost got Kris, thank goodness he jumped in time!

Shaurie new art & craft desk! Hopefully she will now
leave mom's scrapbooking desk and supplies
alone now that she has her own!


Aidan got a Lightning McQueen race track! He loves the movie "Cars" and loves cars in general. He is always carrying 5-10 cars at a time and dropping 1/2 every time! The cars have to take a bath with him, eat with him, sleep with him, go in the car with him.

The kids sure did have a fun Christmas! We thank everyone who sent them a gift! I have more Christmas pictures some where, not on my computer so they must still be on the memory card. We replaced the floors shortly after Christmas so I am behind on scrapbooking and up dating anything. Hopefully one day I can get caught up!

St Louis Trip

Our Amtrak Train


Sunrise from our Hotel Room


At the Cardinals baseball game vs LA Dodgers
Cardinals win 6 - 2


The Old Court House


Sunday Mass at the old Cathedral!
Park where you want!