10 Things About Enoch

1. Loves the movie Cars. Loves to point out all car, trucks, and buses. AND... says, "Go, go, go, go!" when we get in our car. (Like in the movie when the cars are racing.)

2. We have annoying ants that have some nest under our whole apartment (here when we moved in and are here all but winter)---and must have a tunnel system under the carpet. Enoch has learned to announce every time he sees them, and says, "Uckie!" or "Ahnz." He will kill them if we don't get to them fast enough. 

Secret Murray Family Recipe REVEALED!

This Memorial weekend marks the anniversary of when Shaun and I really met in Bothell, WA at a Memorial Day BBQ. Shaun needed to "home teach" (LDS church thing) my friend, Annika, who brought me, after the BBQ.

10 Things About Shaun

1. Shaun loves fall spices-- like nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, molasses, and allspice. So, pumpkin pie, molasses cookies, and apple cider gets him drooling.

10 Things About Lindsay

1. I have NEVER mowed a lawn in my life. I grew up with two brothers who always got that weekend chore. (I think my sister, Laurel, is in the same boat as me.) Both of us learned to just stay quite and keep volunteering to vacuum. (We got the inside chores.)


2. I don't really like sweet gooey pastries-- like danishes and glazed scones. I like breads--but without the extra sugar. I get a headache if I eat a pastry for breakfast. (If I'm in the mood for a donut- or a cinnamon roll-- I'll request something warm and specialized.)

Finch Elementary School in Spokane, WA

3. In 4th grade I moved across town during the school year. My old class had been writing to a "pen pal" class in the city. I moved into the very 4th grade class we'd be writing to. At the end of the year we had a party and I knew everyone. I felt soooo cool.

Audubon Elementary School, Spokane, WA

4. My first kiss was in a play in college--age 18. So, it wasn't a REAL relationship kiss (that came when I was 20), but it was a great way to practice. But, I was really nervous for rehearsal. My director found out and ended up telling the boy. Anyway, I thought it felt like sticky rice. Not that great... but honestly, very educational. 


5. My parents got divorced the last few months of my senior year of high school. I was busy --in the middle of "hell week" (drama term for the long and late rehearsals before opening the show) of my senior year musical, Anything Goes. I came home one evening to find my dad moving out at 10 pm. I cried and asked him to stay. He said he would for one more night. The next day I hugged him goodbye, went to school and right into opening night of our play-- knowing that he wouldn't be there when I got home. I cried off my makeup before our group warm up, had to excuse myself to reapply it and refocus--forgetting what was going on in my home life for a few hours. It all worked out--the show went on, and so did I. I am glad I did. It gave me joy to connect with the audience and my cast rather than feel sad at home. To this day, I have a very close connection with my dad.


6. Shaun and I got engaged after three weeks of dating. Then married in 3 months. Why? Because I knew I was suppose to marry him. Because I prayed about it, and because I couldn't find anything wrong with him--and I didn't want to be in a serious relationship if I was going back to college in a few months. The Lord's timing was very precise. Looking back, everything in our lives fell into place days before we met. It was our chance to fall in love and commit for eternity.


7. I like spicy food! I won't pretend I want to eat hot peppers or anything, but I like a good 4 out of 5 stars from my Thai Food orders. Luckily, so does my husband!


8. I like to draw! I really like to do cartoon-y images. I don't get to do enough of it. Unfourtunately, in elementary school, I had to pick ONE type of art--and I chose theater/drama. They won't let you take drawing/painting/ceramics too. But, I've REALLY found from a very young age- that I liked architecture and have always drawn house floorplans to relax. (I like to create new ones.) So, imagine little 11 year old Lindsay at the grocery store with her mom--looking at the shelves of magazines--an then asking her mom if she's buy her the most recent residential floorplan magazine instead of Tiger Beat or Seventeen. (the usual suspects) In fact, in high school, if I was in a play and had a small role, I'd use my rehearsal time interviewing my friends to see what they would want in there dream home. THEN, I'd draw it for them during the week. I thought it was so fun!


9. I never liked reading in school because of the deadlines. In middle school I skimmed "Matilda" by Ronald Dahl and wrote a book report on it. I got an A. A few years later, the movie came out and I was blow away because I hadn't realized she had special powers (allowing her to use her mind to cause things to move) when I'd written the report. I remember thinking, "It's a good thing my teacher let us pick our own books and she hadn't read mine." So, sad. 


10. I really like Family Feud and Boggle. For my 20th birthday, I had a Family Feud themed college party at my apartment. It was epic! Really fun!! I even gave away toy cars to the winners of the live game-show all party members got to play. In the past, I have taken the Family Feud board-game questions with me camping to keep the fun going in the boring moments. Boggle is fun because there are so many words to find...with only short spurts of focus. That's good for my brain. I don't get excited for long games of RISK or Chess. I quickly loose on purpose and go get a snack while others play the long games.


That's a little more about me!

Motherhood

Me as a young 20 year old--before my mission. Likely considering my future.

My friend, Karen, posted on her blog a some beautiful reflections about motherhood in her own life. She referenced an LDS talk, which I read over and loved too. I wanted to share a few things from the talk as well.

Karen is on the left. Taken at my pre-mission party.

A FEW THINGS ABOUT KAREN: I met her when I started college (when I was 18) and she soon was my friend. Karen has a very soothing voice, great height for enveloping friend hugs, and best of all--a desire to seek out humor and joy. I liked going over to her house back then. Currently, she's a middle school math teacher who will post about some of the student's middle school drama from the teacher's perspective. She makes me wonder what my teachers were saying about me. (I could be weird sometimes...)


Now onto my thoughts on motherhood. Honestly, I don't have a relationship of trust with my mother.  So, when people talk about the role of a mother- I think of an imaginary woman in my head, not my own mother. I see the ideal mother...made up of all the traits I liked from different women in my life. When people say, "It was so good to talk to my mother..." I say, "Yeah." I say it not because I relate, but because I could IMAGINE how that could be nice with the ideal mother. I didn't realize I was doing this until I was married. 


Karen, and several other women in my life, have given me the nurturing I needed. I deeply appreciate mentors and strong women who pass though my life--sometimes just for a few days. I've had protectors, nurturers, coaches, pushers, jesters all whom weren't my own mother. 


Now here I am, a mother of a 22 month old little boy. I feel so blessed to have been able to have gotten married to the perfect husband for me--someone who I get along with, who I trust, who loves me, who shares the same big goals with me. Without him, I can't picture being a mom.


A quote I often think of as a woman is the following from a October 2000, General Conference Talk by Maragret Nadauld:
Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.


The guidance from this quote humbles me and causes me to reflect on my intentions, and reset my focus towards my eternal goals. I feel energized and ready to take action again.


The talk that Karen referenced was by Sheri Dew. She said:
Have you ever wondered why prophets have taught the doctrine of motherhood—and it is doctrine—again and again? I have. I have thought long and hard about the work of women of God. And I have wrestled with what the doctrine of motherhood means for all of us. This issue has driven me to my knees, to the scriptures, and to the temple—all of which teach an ennobling doctrine regarding our most crucial role as women. It is a doctrine about which we must be clear if we hope to stand “steadfast and immovable” ² regarding the issues that swirl around our gender. For Satan has declared war on motherhood. He knows that those who rock the cradle can rock his earthly empire. And he knows that without righteous mothers loving and leading the next generation, the kingdom of God will fail.


Shaun and I have read this talk and agree that mothers have a great influence for good---and for bad if they are not careful. As Enoch gets older, I know the problems will get more complicated. I am glad to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I know that I am loved and that I have an responsibility to make a good faith effort to positively impact in the life of my son, and also in the lives of those meet.


I wasn't thinking much about mother's day until this last hour, but am glad I did.