This week, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Lesa.  She offers proof that there is life after the diapers stage.  🙂  She is another blog friend that I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting in real life, but I think you’ll enjoy getting to know her better as much as I did.  Here’s Lesa:

Hello, I’m Lesa. I’m a Wife, Mom, and Grandma.  I live in Utah and I’m in my mid-forties. I have one daughter, two sons, one son-in-law, one granddaughter, and one awesome husband. I grew up in Northern Utah. I graduated from USU with a degree in Business Information Systems. After we both graduated, my husband and I moved to California for nine years and then moved back to Utah where we have been for the past 11 years. My husband and I have been married for 25 years. I love being a Mom to two teenage boys! (Yes, I really typed that) I am a piano teacher. I teach piano lessons during the school year and take the summers off. Our married daughter lives in Hawaii. Her husband is starting Pharmacy school this fall. We are happy for them but we miss them dearly.

What’s your favorite part of motherhood? Everything! I love raising two teenage boys right now. (Yes, I really did type that – again)

What part of motherhood would you subcontract out if you could? The worry part. I worry too much about my kids: are they safe, happy, doing good things.

 Name 2 or 3 items on your “bucket list.”  (Some things you’d like to do before you die.) I recently put a new thing on my ‘bucket list.’ My husband and I just returned from a 10-day Church History tour. I thought I wanted to serve a mission with him one day, now I KNOW I want to serve a mission with him some day. We visited with lots of couple missionaries. I want to be just like them someday. 🙂

Brag for a minute.  Do it.  What are a few things that you’re pretty good at?  I’m pretty good at sight-reading piano music. Also, it has taken us years, but we are good at reading the Book of Mormon every night as a family.

What do you gravitate toward during your unscheduled time?  Blogging, playing the piano, and reading!

Tell us some of your best mom-tricks  (things you’ve figured out that work well for you). Communicating. It has taken me lots and lots of years because communicating is pretty tricky. I think I do a better job with it now.

What’s something you don’t usually want people to know about you, but that they need to know if they’re going to be your friend? I like to talk, but I don’t like to talk negative about my husband or your husband.

 If you were in charge of a girls’ night out, what kind of activity would you love to plan? First we would go to dinner (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, or TGIF). Next we would go shopping at Target and wander around with no real purpose. After that we would go for frozen yogurt and if it wasn’t too late we would go to a girl movie.

 Friends are great for venting.  What’s been frustrating you lately? Body image: Comparing myself and being too hard on myself for all my faults. I wrote a post about my feelings regarding this HERE.

What parts of your testimony are you the most sure of? I might change my furniture around, my bank account changes (daily, sometimes hourly), my size may (does!) change, I will change purses and wallets, but the one thing I’m firm in is my testimony of Jesus Christ. I have a knowledge of its truthfulness and I am going to continue to stay on the path. You can read my testimony HERE.

Let’s say you’re dying in your sleep tonight.  What would you eat for your last meal? Cheesecake, peanut butter cups, Fried Chicken with ranch dressing to dip it in, and a large diet coke. (I know what you are thinking – that would make anyone die in his or her sleep after eating all that)

What homemaking job/task gives you the most satisfaction? Laundry! I love seeing folded stacks of clean clothes. Bathrooms on the other hand….

Give your best advice to a newlywed or expectant mom. From one woman who has been married 25 years to a newlywed: As you get older, your problems don’t ever go away they just change. Don’t wish your life away thinking, “When I don’t have little kids or when we have more money.” You will always have problems and worries. They just change over the years. You will never arrive at a point in your life when you can say, “Now life is good and everything is perfect.” [I seriously thought that for several years when we were first married] On a positive note, enjoy life because life is really, really good, problems and all.  It has taken me a long time to realize that it is okay to enjoy life. Finally, pray for a good marriage, thank Heavenly Father for the opportunity to go to church, and give your husband a pat on the back once in awhile. Even though husbands are tough and manly, they need lots of hugs.  From a Mom of 3 to a married women thinking of having children: Take a leap and have kids. It is a scary endeavor that will change your life, but do it. Don’t put off having kids.

What’s something unexpected in your life, and how have you dealt with it? Wow, I know just the post to tell you about a very hard experience in my life. It came about 3-4 months after we were married. It would take a lot of room to type it here but I did write a post about it, that you can read HERE.

My blogs: I sometimes hate to admit it, but I have three blogs. I know, how many blogs does a girl need? I’ve had several personal blogs that have come and gone, but I currently post on a regular schedule at Journey of the EveryDay. Last year I started a music blog. I hope you will stop by and visit. You are welcome to submit a guest post. Notes about Music Notes is all about enjoying good music. Finally, a couple months ago my daughter moved to Hawaii and we started Mailbox Moments as a way to write letters back and forth between Utah and Hawaii. Come by and read a letter or two. All three blogs are comment and follower friendly. I’d love to meet you. I enjoy getting to know people better in real life and in blogland. I’ve learned so many good things, from lots of great women, through blogging.

Thanks, Stephanie, for letting me post here on your blog! You are one of those great women. (Yes, you need to leave this in my post!)

Have a great day, enjoy some good music today, and write a nice letter to your son/daughter/husband/friend.

Your new friend,
Lesa
Personal blog / Music blog / Mailbox Moments 

Thanks so much Lesa.  Thanks for your participation and your perspective.

Tell Lesa hello, or share some common ground with her in the comments below or over at her blogs.  Have a great weekend everyone!