road trip

This past week Zi and i 'tripped it all the way to Ioway and back through terrible snowy weather and then through just excessively cold weather.

It was a wonderful trip. Zion did marvelously both ways and rewarded my mom with familiarity and extra hugs around strangers.

I don't know how to describe it -even though at times he can be downright frustrating- my love for Zion continues to grow. It makes me feel so close to the face of God.

My son is a gem with many facets that we are allowed to delight in.

Being a parent has brought about many new struggles and I think that the Coach on Friday Night Lights said it best when his wife was stressing about the burden of childcare for their baby girl: it is our gift, not our burden.

Childcare is probably my biggest "gift" as of late. I just got back this week and KJ is leaving to go away this weekend so I need to ask for help during his usual Zion-time when I work Saturday mornings.

Over the trip I completed two audiobooks/memoirs: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris and Mommies Who Drink by Brett Paesel.

Both were stunningly good. I was also in the mood for introspection and real-life sharing.

David Sedaris is just plain excellent and hilarious at sharing family dynamics and his own story. Brett's book was so familiar in many ways as she tells her tale of being a mother and a wife. She also reminded me of my friend bethany lavoo (i miss you!) out in LA working the acting realm.

I have often remarked (recently) how I am a nonfiction kind of girl. I think this is because I love being a part of people's lives (and maybe without actually being is someone else's life). As a girl I loved books because they took me to many different places and I lived so many different lives; as an adult I feel the same way; their truth, their experience becomes my own.

I remember in junior high, in particular, I would often wonder what everyone else's lives were like. I knew that they had to be having some incredible experience that I was missing out on.

Now I know that is not true. Now I feel the opposite most of the time. However, the idea still creeps into my head. Memoirs, nonfiction, allow me into these private spaces.

And, ironically, I think this is why i feel the need to keep a blog. I want to share what I am thinking, sometimes, at least for myself. I want others to live my life with me.