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Lynnette Sheppard

Dear Grace

All About Me· Letters· Motherhood· Parenting

I have always been a writer. When I was in third grade, I wrote a story and won third place…
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Today, I am sick at home instead of at my nephew’s wedding in Utah.

Maybe hiking 23.5 miles on 3 hours of sleep was too much??

Or a year and a half without so much as a sniffle has caught up to me??

But do you know what is awesome about today?

1. I got Elder Sheppard’s flight plans. He is coming home four weeks from tomorrow! The past two years have been a whirlwind, and he has weathered it well.

2. As of Sunday, I have another 19-year-old! She’s planning for a summer mission, so we are gearing up for round three.

3. Engagement photos! That means son number one is actually going to marry the girl of my dreams in December! I could not be happier!

What’s awesome about your day?? I’d love to hear!

One day. Rim to Rim. 23.5 miles. 5761 feet of ele

One day. Rim to Rim. 23.5 miles.

5761 feet of elevation gain.

The hardest thing I have ever done times 100.

The views were beyond spectacular. They exceeded my expectations by a million percent.

But the last four miles about killed me.

Each half mile felt like a marathon.

My legs and feet were doing surprisingly well, but I could not breathe.

The altitude combined with hours of exertion on 3 hours of sleep the night before had caught up to me big time.

Months of near-daily training hikes had not prepared me for the mental and physical exhaustion of these never-ending steep switchbacks.

Our group had spread out by this time, and I was alone. The sun eventually disappeared and the trail was speckled with the glow of headlamps. For the last couple of miles, I had to stop for a few seconds every 100 yards to catch my breath. My progress was excruciatingly slow.

Looking above me at the zig zags of headlamps was discouraging because I could see how far I had to go, and it felt entirely out of reach.

“You are so close! You can do this!” I told myself with every step to fight off the growing gloom of despair.

Finally, I reached the last long switchback. I radioed my group to let them know where I was.

A couple minutes later, I saw the headlamp of someone coming down the trail. When I got closer, I saw it was Greg. He hugged me and said, “Let me carry your pack.”

I had never been more grateful to see anyone. He had dropped us off at the north rim and driven over to the south rim to pick us up. He had been waiting for hours for us to reach the top. And he had come to my aid.

That last quarter mile felt doable because I was no longer alone.

Climbing that rim was grueling, but I did it!! I CAN do hard things. Like REALLY hard things.

And maybe…just maybe…I will do this hike again. Now I know my weak spots and how to better prepare.

But first, I need to be able to walk again. 🤣

I LOVE rain. The smell alone is, perhaps, my favor

I LOVE rain. The smell alone is, perhaps, my favorite thing in the world.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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That probably stems from living most of my life in the great state of Arizona, where rain is a novelty.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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But, when the clouds come in and the thunder rolls, I get a little giddy.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I woke up yesterday to thunder and a downpour, which made my heart happy. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I even pretended it was fall and ate soup for lunch. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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90 degrees is fall, right?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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But then, as I sat down to write my membership content for next month, I came across this mic-drop quote from @dieterfuchtdorf⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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"How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?" ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I am always thankful for actual rain. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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But today, I will try to be thankful for the storms in my life, too.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Because rain will make the flowers grow. (Who can name the musical?)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And rain will also make ME grow. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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5'9" is not tall enough. :)

Teens are hilarious! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ P

Teens are hilarious!
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Parenting them has taught me all sorts of lessons. Swipe to see some of my favorites.
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What would you add to this list?

“Stop dawdling!” I clearly heard those words

“Stop dawdling!”

I clearly heard those words last week when I prayed to know what I could stop doing to most transform my life.

And I was like, “Do you even realize how many things I do in a day to keep all the plates spinning?!?”

Maybe I heard wrong.

But then, I heard the same message in a business podcast on Friday.

I heard it in #generalconference when Elder Uchtdorf said, “If you want to change the shape of your life, change the shape of your days (and hours).”

I heard it when M. Russell Ballard asked, “Lovest thou me more than these,” as if he could see the time I spend on things that don’t matter.

I heard it when Michael Dunn taught about the power of being 1% better each day.

I heard it when Elder Sikahema talked about the importance of order.

And then, I was like, “OK, Lord, I hear you! I will stop dawdling and use all my hours in pursuit of things that matter.”

But here’s the thing: I have historically been no bueno at planning my days and sticking to a schedule.

All that structure feels like a vice that is keeping me from spontaneity and fun.

I have tried one million times to use a planner because I know it will help me make better use of my time. But then I give up because I hate it.

Except this time. I am resurrecting my Full Focus Planner from Michael Hyatt, and am determined to make it work for me.

Do you have any planning tips for those of us who struggle to stay consistent? Drop all your wisdom right here , and I will love you forever!👇🏻💕

T minus 7 days until my Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hi

T minus 7 days until my Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike.

24 miles. Over 5000 feet of elevation gain. Nearly 50 degrees of temperature change.

I have been planning for this for seven months.

I have hiked almost every day during that time, even through the crazy hot AZ summer.

But, a couple of days ago, I was freaking out just a little. I have done nothing of this physical magnitude before.

What if I wasn’t prepared? What if I got down into the canyon and couldn’t make the trek back out?

What if I didn’t have enough energy to climb the last four steep miles after having hiked 20 miles already? (A real concern when I have no thyroid to help sustain my energy!)

Then, I talked to my friend who has done this hike 20 times.

“You will be fine,” she assured me. “It is 80% mental, and you are absolutely ready physically. Now, you must believe you can do it.”

I felt better, but then she added: “You will also feel like you’re going to die at some point (or many points) during the hike. You will curse me for telling you that you can do it. But I promise you that you can, so keep going when you feel like the next step might kill you.”

I have yet to test her words but I believe they are true in hiking and in life.

It’s 80% mental.

Whatever the challenge, you can do it even (and maybe especially) when it feels like the next step might kill you.

So keep walking, my friend. The best view is just up this steep stretch.

You’ve got this, and I am cheering you on!

Highlights of last week: Seeing a pod of wild spi

Highlights of last week:

Seeing a pod of wild spinner dolphins from a parasail (I thought they were sharks at first until they came up for air)

Swimming nose to nose with puffer fish, eel, and every type of tropical fish you can imagine. I even saw Nemo!

Hiking to the most beautiful valley (Pololu) with a picturesque black sand beach

Walking a mile through a lava field (aka Mordor or the Lone and Dreary World) to get to what some say is the best beach in Hawaii. (How does fine white sand emerge from black lava rock? I have no idea.)

Zipping over waterfalls

Hiking through the rainforest while it was raining

Watching sea turtles in action

Speeding through the ocean on a boat with no seats. We sat on the side of the boat and held a rope for dear life. Nobody fell out.

Eating dinner overlooking the ocean almost every night

Sharing breakfast (to-die-for local mangoes)with a gecko

“Adventurous” accommodations (another story for another day)

The night music of the coqui frogs

A million mosquito bites (Or were they bed bugs? I cannot be sure.)

Shave ice and Gelato

Only a tiny sunburn (yep, you can burn when it’s cloudy!)

Not doing my hair or makeup (cuz what’s the point?!?)

Fire knife and hula dancers

Hawaii will always have a piece of my heart. When can I go back?

This is the third most dangerous beach in Hawaii.

This is the third most dangerous beach in Hawaii. That is what the lifeguard said every few minutes.

Swipe to see what happened to me at this beach, and the important lesson I learned.

P.S. It is perfect for the week before #generalconference

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