WELCOME

Hello there! If you're reading this you are probably either one of my daughters or a reader of their blogs. They are my inspiration for foraging into the blogosphere. I vocalized several weeks ago that one of my resolutions was to once again journal. When I was a teenager I was pretty faithful at it, and have journals from about age 16 to my mid 20's. Once motherhood took over in earnest, I didn't write nearly as much, but I do have recorded some important events like each of my children's births. Sadly, one of the last entries I made was when Jace was born, and that was almost 21 years ago. In an effort to repent, and with the encouragement of these women, I am jumping in.

Here are some facts, disclaimers and thoughts I want to share:

• Camille kindly set up this blog for me. I appreciate her talents and creativity. As mentioned, both she and Brittney are my inspiration--they are witty and wise writers whom I admire. If you read their blogs, you may find some duplication. So much of life revolves around family, as it should.
• Yes, my name is really Angela Joy. When I was born, I was the first daughter, and my sweet Mom lovingly thought I was "An angel of joy." How precious! However, I am not a Christmas baby--my birthday is actually July 24th which is Pioneer Day in Utah where I was born. As I've grown older, I've come to understand what a wonderful word joy really is, as in the scriptural phrase "Joy and rejoicing in my posterity." Happiness and joy are doctrines of my faith that I strive to incorporate into my life. My hope is to have some joy in my life every day.
• As stated above, my main motivation for blogging is personal--a journal of memorable as well as mundane events and thoughts that I care to remember. If an entry is boring, I apologize beforehand. I won't feel bad if you don't continue reading. One thing about this whole blogging phenomenon is balance and the temptation of disclosing too much information. I have learned from many blog authors that writing can personally be very therapeutic and insightful. Perhaps that's the irony in all of this--we blog supposedly to share with others, when we are really just opening up to ourselves. Somehow writing something down just makes it so much more real. Kind of like the advice to always write down goals. . . otherwise they are just a wish.
• I promise not to make this blog a brag book. However, when one becomes a mother it is virtually impossible to not get caught bragging a bit. I, therefore, humbly state right here from the beginning that I will probably be just a wee tad prideful at times! In the coming weeks and months I'm sure there will be posts about our children and extended family. That said, one objective is for me to share just what goes on up here in the great northwest, and to document that life as a Mom of young adult children does indeed go on. (By the way, am I the only one who hates the word "empty nester?" I'm not a bird and my children are not chicks! Any suggestions?)
• While this blog is my adventure, it really is also vicariously Brent's. His life is on super speed right now, so it may be a while before he may actually write a post, so we'll see! He will probably just end up being the subject of many of my posts. My family knows that if I were to write a book in the future it would be entitled "Waiting For Brent." So much to say about him! I chose to include as my first post picture a shot from last winter when Brent and I went snowmobiling with some friends. If he had his way, we would be spending all our spare time on a snowy mountain. This picture is for him! Love you sweetheart!
• I'll also try to not post only travels and adventures. Those are great and fun to share, but sometimes the best learning/teaching/light bulb moments come at home doing housework on a Tuesday.
• This past Christmas I was surprised with a fancy DSLR camera! We also took advantage of the no sales tax in Montana and picked me up a new computer on our way home. That is part of the reason why I feel like I can finally join the blogging party. After all, if I have a good camera and a faster computer, I have no excuses anymore. Also, a few days ago, Brent and I had a date at the T-Mobile store and he convinced me to upgrade my phone to a smart phone (we couldn't pass on the buy-one-get-one-free deal.) You know Brent, "upgrade" is his middle name. So now I have the world at my fingertips. Let me tell you, for someone who was perfectly happy with my 7-year-old desktop, point and shoot camera, and basic Samsung phone, I feel very techie. Oh my! So much to learn. I'm coming kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
• Speaking of centuries, I turned 50 in July! I'm half a century old. . . put that way it sounds crazy, but I like to think of it as half a century young. I feel good and am grateful every day for good health. We have a kitschy sign in our bedroom which says, "Grow old with me, the best is yet to be."

Wow, I didn't think this first post would be so long! Maybe this blogging thing won't be too hard at all. Who knows I may be one of those annoying bloggers who write long meaningless posts daily. If I do, remember that I'm not easily offended and tell me to cool my heels! Stay tuned--more to come. Seeyouloveyoubye! (That was in honor of Jace. . . he signs all his letters from Japan that way.)