Making The Best Of It

When life hands you "no-bake cookies with too much butter" --- Make Truffles!

'Tis the story of our life here. We try to do things, they don't always work out, so we make the best of it. What else can you do really? 

I had to let my disaster of an attempt at making no-bakes stew for a little while. It's how I deal with things. Then I scraped them off the counter and into a bowl. Now what? Well. They tasted fine, they were just too moist. Do I try to add more oatmeal? Too much work. So I decided to roll them into a ball and coat them in powdered sugar. The result: Delish! 

Things are always going to be a challenge no matter where we live or what we are doing. Life is like that. It's challenging and ever-changing. I've struggled this weekend to deal with the fact that I am missing out on my life back at home. I missed the birth of my sweet little nephew. It KILLED me! But it isn't the first time, and probably not the last. A little part of my heart breaks when I miss those new little bundles every.single.time. I want to be there for those things. Especially the big things. 

But the fact of the matter is there isn't work for us in Missouri or Utah. The job is where the job is, and that is where our family resides. Not living close to family means you miss things. We don't get to go to soccer games and gymnastic classes. We don't get to be at birthdays and births. Family can't see my kids at their events either. It's not perfect. But it's not the end of the world either. 

The world gets smaller and smaller each year. We are connected almost daily via Skype. We communicate via email and an internet phone. I can text my sister and friends using WhatsApp and send photos and talk like we would back at home. It's getting easier every day. 

Through these moves, my family has had life-changing experiences. Our ideas and visions of what our world was were so limited and compartmentalized before this. Knowing and understanding people from all over the world has opened our eyes. We've learned that no matter what - your family is there. Distance doesn't change that. Language doesn't change that. 

We know without a doubt that no matter where we go, or what we do, we can be successful. Who knows where jobs and families will take my kids in the future. I feel that they are better prepared to meet whatever lies in their path, with a strong sense of self and the tools that they need to be successful. 

Things will be hard in life, but we've learned (and continue to learn every single day) that with diligence, we can overcome those challenges. Everyday it's something new, and everyday we take that challenge and make them into Truffles. 

It's a good thing.