March Scenery

I love the month of March.  

It's full of freshness and new life.  

It makes me happy.  

It makes me want to get outside and DO stuff!

Of course I was recovering from surgery most of the month.  

But I was still sneaky and did what I could to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. ☼

..................................................................................................................................................................

At the beginning of the month, I was SO excited to go cast my GOP Primary vote.  Yes, I was *really* excited to vote for my main man Mitt.  But even more excited at the hopeful possibility of removing Barack Obama from office.  Plus, I had to counteract all of the prideful Georgians wasting their vote on Newt Gingrich.  Or Santorum for that matter.  If you followed me on Facebook during the beginning of the year up to this point, you know all about everything I had to say on the subject.  Needless to say, I was really into the primary election.  Now I'm just dreading this slow summer of a battle against Obama.  Can't we just skip these months and head straight to November??  Oh well, I don't want to miss out on summer fun anyway. :)

A little Sunday sight seeing.  ☼

My daddy always calls slow drivers "Sunday sight-seers."

 I love driving over to my mama and daddy's house on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

There's no place like home.

Speaking of my daddy... He turned 73 this past March.

I invited him over for some yummy grilling and a plate full of cupcakes to celebrate.

He is so funny and cute!  I am very thankful he is still in good health.  My parents will probably go out like the old men in Secondhand Lions.  Screamin' and kickin'.

 March became a little more frustrating with regards to church callings and service.  Even though I was recovering from surgery, I was still doing all 3 of my callings, plus being asked to help out in a few other areas.  I was being pulled and stretched too thin.  I felt burned out with ward music.  I was tired of the pulling of arms and legs...and teeth...to get people there to participate.  And my arms and legs and teeth were all being pulled in every which direction, and there wasn't enough of me to go around.  You can read where I vented some of that frustration here.  It was a sad day when I came home and discovered that the door to the office wasn't shut all the way, and Royce had nudged his way in and pulled my brand new hymnbook (that my sweet mama gave me for Christmas) out of my church bag and proceeded to use it as his chew toy.  I sobbed like a baby, I felt so defeated.  It somehow seemed symbolic for the way I was feeling about church stuff.

Me and that hymnbook aren't the only things tattered around here.

My Spencer SLAVES, not only at work everyday, but even more so at his calling as Young Men's President.  He's been having to perform his own duties and then some.  He is a hard working conscientious man.  He has a will and a drive to fix things and make things work the way they should.  To go and do.  He's been going and doing in turbo drive speed for 3 years now.  He is faithful and keeps trucking on despite the hardships.  But I don't know how much longer I'M going to last.  I miss my husband.

Pictured below are his tattered work pants and scuffed up shoes.

And here he is with my sweet friend, Leah Brown's baby, Lila Jane.  They were having a cold stare-down competition.

Another annoying problem in March... the WAR with the ANT BEDS!  

*shudder*  I hate ants.

But you can dadgum guarantee that I won that war.

{mwaahahaha!}

Evidence as to why I did not recover as fast as I probably should....

Hey.  Dogs still gotta play.

And dressers still need to be moved.

I know.  I'm a bad girl.

 Thank goodness for the peace of an early morning sunrise.

More evidence... 

....I also reorganized our closet top to bottom, putting away the winter stuff and busting out the summer stuff.

It took me all day.  I lifted things I shouldn't have.

I think I collapsed on the couch after it was done.

But doesn't it look so pretty??!

I didn't know my wardrobe was so colorful!

I did relax a lot too.  Like a good girl would. : )

I borrowed The Help from my sister Allyson.  That's actually her there with me in that "laugh" picture frame. It's a picture from a 5K race we ran together back in 2009.  And we indeed do love to laugh.  And I definitely recommend The Help as a good read.

I ended up having a little chat with my Bishop to discuss reducing the amount of stuff I had my hands in at church.  It was a much needed conversation, and it went great!  I love our Bishop!  He decided to release me from my callings as ward music chair and ward choir director (it had been 3 years).  I went home that evening knowing I had to round out and finalize things before I could turn it over to someone else... I sat down and selected the hymns for April.  The same long searching and organizing process I do every month.  I study the hymns.  I dig and read and sing and pray.  And this was the last time I would do all of that for our ward... for now. This notebook with this paper is what I've had to stare at for 3 years straight.  In many ways, it's been my life.  It was a bit of a sentimental moment for me and I had to take a picture.

But I've moved on to greener, happier pastures. ☼

My new ward calling is to be the.... {drum roll, please}

...PRIMARY CHORISTER!!!!

The *best* calling there is!!

I love it SOOOO Much!!  I love the children so much. ♥

Primary is always where my heart is.

(PS - I am still working as the Stake Music Chair too.  Hooray for only 2 callings!!)

Poor Spencer, on the other hand, is still slaving away.

In fact, if he wants to get something accomplished around the house or yard, he has to take off a day from work.  This particular day at the end of March he was lifting these heavy railroad ties and setting up a bigger garden area in the back.  Getting the ground ready to plant.  Isn't he a sexy red-headed workhorse of a MAN?!  ;)  Of course he didn't like his picture being taken.  But how can I resist?!

I admire him so much.  And I am so thankful for his goodness.  ...Even if it means we don't get to see much of each other.  I know he is doing good things, and helping others.  And it makes us try harder to make the most of the time that we do have.

So WORK ON, you handsome hunk of a strong man. ♥