Wow.

Wow is right. It has been a serious minute since I’ve written here and I’ve missed it! I love this little journal space and it’s so fun to look back on the memories here and read over what has happened. Life is still grand, I still love Trent to bits and I’m so grateful for this little life we have. It’s far from perfect in many ways and we always have our ups and downs but I’m grateful I get to be on this journey with T. It would definitely be a lot lonelier without him.

This year has been full of new jobs, new adventures and some of the same old same old. I started my new job teaching Preschool up at the U of U and I love it! It’s been so much fun to stretch my mind and find new ways to teach the little ones. They have already grown and changed so much since just the beginning of the year! We’re already coming quickly to the end of the year and I can honestly say that I’ve loved it!

Trent found a new job in November and he is loving it! It’s such a great fit and he is learning so much from all of the experiences he is having! Bonus, it’s like 2 minutes from our house.

We have yet to travel anywhere super crazy this year but it’s been fun to find time to go on small adventures together! Fall came and went in a flash and we are already in March but I wanted to remember some of these fall adventures together.

This fall brought some sadness as we lost a sweet family member unexpectedly. It’s been a somber couple of months and we try to piece together all of our feelings. Through it all I am reminded that life is fragile and changes in the blink of an eye. Hold your loved ones tight and enjoy every minute life has to offer.

Lots of love,

Eliza

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St. George, Utah

Dry, hot, beautiful St. George, Utah was the perfect location for our Jackson Family vacation this year. We stayed in a darling condo and had a blast soaking in all the sun. With the new babies in the family, things are starting to look a little different but it was still just as wonderful to be surrounded by family. I’m so blessed to have such incredible siblings and great parents.

 

We started the trip off spending two days at Sand Hollow State Park and it was a blast! Trent and I have been boating a lot this summer and I wouldn’t have it any other way! There is something so perfect about sitting on a boat out in the middle of the lake. It’s the best. We cracked out the old Skurfer (definitely look that up and be entertained) and I love it! It’s a mix between a wakeboard, slalom ski and surfboard. So fun! It was definitely hot but being surrounded by water made that a lot easier.

 On the 4th of July, my favorite Holiday, we took off to Gunlock Falls and it was incredible. The amount of water that was still pouring down the falls in mid-July was incredible. Some St. George locals said that this is the most water they’ve seen in July ever. We explored the falls, found a very safe place to cliff jump and had a great day! We finished the 4th by watching fireworks across the entire city from a balcony up high. It was so much fun!

The last night we went to the Sand Dunes in Snow Canyon State Park. We went around dusk and it was perfect. The sand wasn’t hot at all and we could have stayed and played all night long. We played KanJam and Frisbee and sat and chatted. It was a great ending to a perfect trip.

What a great trip and what a great summer!

It’s been a minute.

It’s been a long time since I’ve updated around here because there’s been a lot going on. Life is crazy as usual but I’m grateful for the crazy because it keeps us going.

I finished out the school year and learned so much along the way. I learned new levels of compassion, understanding and found a strength that I didn’t know existed in me. I’m grateful for the wonderful opportunity that I had to teach 5th grade and I will forever be grateful for how my teaching experience shaped me. The people that I was surrounded by will hold a special place in my heart forever and I learned so much from this incredible experience. Teaching is the most incredible career even with the roller coaster of emotions that comes along with it.

Next  year I’m excited to say that I’ll be teaching preschool! It will be a big big change but I’m ready for the challenge. I think it will be neat to experience teaching such young minds and I know it will be a big stretch from teaching 5th grade.  Along will teaching preschool, I’ll also be diving more in to my photography. It’s been a passion of mine and I’m thrilled to be able to devote more time and attention to further this hobby of mine.

Trent is working full time as a marketing manager for a company here in the valley and loving it! I’m so proud of how hard he works and all that he is doing. We still find time to adventure and for that I am so grateful. Trent’s so good and making life fun and I am so lucky to have such a wonderful partner on this journey.

This adventure was a Saturday spent off exploring and getting muddy and I am grateful for this little online scrapbook of mine to keep these memories!

Life is a grand adventure!

Snow Day!

I want you to think back on a happy memory, maybe even the happiest of memories, now times that by a million. That is how I felt getting the text stating that the heavens had opened up and dumped enough snow on the ground for Granite District to call a snow day. I was so happy I couldn’t fall back asleep, which was frustrating because I was so excited to sleep in…I attempted to sleep for a couple more hours and then we decided to do what Trent and Eliza would do on a snow day, go snowmobiling!

Its been a weird winter, meaning that I haven’t been able to go snowmobiling with T as much as I would have like to, so this snow day was a happy miracle. Not to mention I’ve been run ragged this year and I really needed a day with T. Tender mercies are REAL people.

We grabbed breakfast and drove up to Midway. It was still stormy down in Salt Lake, but it was blue skies and perfect up there. We bundled up and hit the mountain. It was absolutely incredible! The snow was fresh, we were cutting trails the entire way. No one was around and it felt like we owned the mountain. At one point we saw a Mama moose with her baby only a couple yards away. (Trent wanted to take a picture and I wanted to get the heck out of there….) Everything was perfect. I’m still quite inexperienced when it comes to these scary big machines but I’m so grateful for a patient husband who slowly leads the way as I follow along.

I’m reminded of the people in life who lead the way. They guide and direct us in so many aspects of our lives, creating the path for us to carefully follow. Other times, we’re the ones cutting the trail and guiding others to success. I’m so grateful for the leaders in my life that have set the example for me to follow. My hope is to continue to find them as well as be them.

The day was perfect, even with bumps and bruises and snowmobiles stuck in the snow. I woke up sore and exhausted the next day as I returned to work but it was 100% worth it.

Beginnings

2019 is already a month shorter and I can’t believe it! Time seems to be flying by quicker than I can manage and I’m always so shocked by how quickly it slips away. Life, as usual, has been a tad crazy but we have learned so much and I’m already excited for the changes that are coming up. 2019 is going to be a wonderful year for the Ward family!

 

We began this year full of time with family and I hope the rest of the year will be no different. I feel like just within the past  2 months I’ve heard story after story of families being separated by tragedy and loved ones lost. It makes me want to hug my loved ones a little tighter and remind myself just how fragile life is.

This year, I hope for a couple things. I hope to be present. Whether it be in conversation with my coworkers, family or with Trent, I want to be present and involved. There is so much distraction in this world and I want others to make sure they feel listened to and loved when they are around me.

Second, I hope to choose what’s best for me. This may sound odd, but I have a tendency to put all others feelings and wants before whats best for me and my family. This has often led to unnecessary feelings of guilt and mixed up priorities. This year, I hope to make decisions based on what I feel is best for me and my little family unit.

Lastly, I hope to be sharer of light and goodness. This little space has been so fun for me to put my thoughts and feelings down. I hope to continue to be a reminder that there is goodness and light in the world.

May your year be full of wonderful beginnings and hope fulfilled.