About Me

photo credit Rachel Lacy

Welcome to my little blog! Thanks for visiting. My name is Kristina and I like to write. I like to talk too, but I'm kind of an introvert so I'm better at listening than storytelling. So here's my place to tell stories and share things I've learned; as the oldest sister in my family, I sometimes wished for an older sister who would have guided me.

I've lived in California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Texas. During college I also lived near Guangzhou, China and in Asuncion, Paraguay. My husband and I lived in Utah County for sixteen years and had our four children there. Two years ago we moved to Texas and my youngest is already learning southern manners like, "Yes ma'am." I'm sure she'll claim Texas as her home state.

I started this blog three years ago because I have two younger sisters and dozens of friends who may travel the same roads I've already walked, and I wanted a way to share some of my journey with them. For example, my last baby is slightly older than my sister's first baby. Where my mommy journey is filled with "lasts," (as in, this is the last kid I have to potty train!) my sister's journey is filled with "firsts" (first baby teeth, first steps, etc...). When both of these kiddos were two, I wrote this post:  So you have a two year old? This blog is my attempt to pass along what I'm learning on my journey through motherhood and marriage.

I majored in psychology and while I'm not a real therapist, my life has definitely been better for what I learned in college. I've learned some pretty serious life lessons in the years since graduation, one of the most important being to be okay with progress instead of perfection. For more on that see here:  Work in Progress or church music where I talk about facing my own demons.

It hasn't been too long since I left my thirties behind! For more about that milestone, check this post:  Turning Forty. I've concluded that every grey hair on my head is a reflection of wisdom.

Last but certainly not least, my faith and my religion is a huge part of my life. As you read some of the experiences I'm sharing, you might realize that I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love my church and am so glad to be part of it.

So why write a blog? When Virginia H. Pearce submitted her mother's stories in a book called, Glimpses into the Life and Heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley, she explained it really well in the introduction: "This book is not a recipe for others to follow, but just one more example of the gospel in action in the life of a fellow sojourner... And to the final question, "Why publish it?" I respond with what I told Mother, that the gathering and editing of the material had somehow changed me for the better." Her words sum up my thoughts. I hope to share notes with my sisters, neighbors and friends. Often writing and thinking on deep issues is transformative for me personally, and if this provides one more example of faith that resonates with you, then I'm glad. Thanks for visiting!

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Leaving Utah

Norm and I are at a crossroads. It's time for our family to take the next step. But first a quick trip down memory lane. We first came to Utah sixteen years ago. We were young and cute and pregnant with baby #1. Norm had been accepted as a student. I had a lot of fun during my first two years of college, and I imagine the admissions board looked at my transcript and said something like, "yeah right!" (More details about getting a D in organ lessons over here .) So my first BYU application was rejected. They let me attend classes as a visiting student, and one day an admissions officer called my phone. It was a landline, and we were living in BYU married student housing. He had two questions for me: Is your husband a full time student? Yes. And you live on campus? Yes. End of interview. A few days later I got my acceptance letter. We finally graduated together in 2004. We bought our first home in Lehi, not too far from Willow Creek middle schoo

Thorns and gifts

We've been reading in the New Testament as a family lately, and Paul has some great advice and counsel that's still applicable today. In his letter to the church in Corinth, he talks about a thorn in the flesh. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. It's kind of a moot point to speculate what Paul's particular thorn might have been, but I've often wondered. More importantly: what is God's purpose in giving his children such difficult stuff to learn? Why does life have to be so hard?

One More Syllable

It's been a year. One year ago we moved to Texas. One year ago I started asking people to call me Kristina instead of Kristy, thus adding one more syllable to my name. August is our anniversary. Last year we celebrated that anniversary by adding a cool new memory. That day we drove up to our house, found the keys and walked inside with the kids. We spent the night in our house without any stuff. Isn't it funny how places seem bigger when they're unfurnished? And that pool in the backyard? We knew nothing about pools and maintenance but just jumped in carefree. It was great. It was like being in a hotel but with room for everybody to spread out. Maybe it's time to explain the name change. For me, I had decided before moving to Texas that I wanted to quit using Kristy as my nickname. It served me well for many years and I still like it, but it's mainly for simplicity. When I'd first meet somebody, maybe I'd mumble or maybe I don't speak clearly enou

Meek Warhorse

Norm's last church talk/sermon in Utah before moving to Texas July 2018, Lehi UT, Traverse Mountain 8th Ward Hello brothers and sisters, it’s my privilege to speak to you today. I guess this is our good-bye address even though we haven’t moved yet, which I’m taking as a personal sign that the bishopric can’t wait for the next family to move in. (that was a joke, guys) In my remarks today, I’m going to cover an alternative definition of meekness that really struck a chord with me. Once I’ve introduced this idea, I’m going to share my supporting argument for meekness as a strength, and then I’m going to talk about how I believe we can develop this form of meekness in our lives. As Kristy told you, our topic is “being meek and lowly of heart” which, in the terms I normally think of meekness or lowliness, is a subject that does not come naturally to me. I am not naturally what I consider to be meek, quiet or, as Kristy would tell you, all that well behaved. While I

Notes for my sister