Party with the Daughter

My oldest daughter called me last night and invited me to her exclusive party today, an organize my classroom party. I told her it didn't sound all that fun, but I'd come anyway because that's what good mothers do and I'm trying harder to be a good mother. This is what the classroom looked like when we got there at 7:45 this morning.


This is what it looked like 4 hours later when we were getting ready to go to lunch.

I'm sure you are noticing that it doesn't look that much better. In fact, you might even say it's looking a little (or a lot) worse. This is a very common problem I have when I try to organize. Things get worse, instead of better. Now, I do want you to know that I worked very, very hard during this time. I emptied everything out of the one metal, storage cabinet that she has in the room and then tried to figure out what should go back in and where. Here I am participating in one of the fun party games called "sort the construction paper".

Why when you buy an assorted package of construction paper do they package it with the colors all mixed up? Then you have to go through and pull out all the yellow or all the blue to use for your project. It would make more sense to me to put a group of red, then orange, then yellow,then blue... Nice and color coordinated like my finished product shown here.

I also helped empty the stack of boxes that you see in the first picture. Then all we had were empty boxes and stuff all over the room (see exhibit 2). This is why you shouldn't call me when you want to get organized. You would think my daughter would have figured this out by now. However, she learned to organize from me and this seems totally normal to her.

After our lunch break we got back to work. When we left for the day this is what the room looked like.

Hopefully you can see that we did make some progress. No more stack of boxes and look, you can actually see the tops of a few of the desks and the decorative tile pattern on the floor. I have to admit, I did spend some of my time today trying to figure out how the tile placement was determined. I finally decided there was absolutely no thought at all put into the design. What do you think?

Today I am grateful for

People - who volunteer to be on the Band Parent Board so I don't have to.
Online Classes - so I can feel smart that I know my student's ID number and none of the other parents filling out paper work at the band parent meeting do.
A son - who played chauffeur, for the other son, in my place today while I had fun at my daughter's "party". What am I going to do when he goes back to work next week?

Lunch with the Bunch

Today I went to lunch with a few of my friends. It never ceases to amaze me first of all, that we are friends and second, the topics we end up discussing in a public place. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love my friends. Each of them for different reasons and that is what makes our friendship so amazing to me. We are a bunch of such totally different personalities who somehow became friends. We have some extroverts, some introverts, but luckily no perverts. You would never have guessed that if you had been sitting at the table next to us at Cafe Rio today though. A few key phrases you might have heard were "Speaking of Marijuana..." Um, I didn't know we were. "Did you hear she married a ... guy?" Is that so unusual? "When I took my son in for his mammogram..." What?? "I spent several hours this weekend at the ASU library looking up pornography." Uh, huh. "Last weeks topic was swingers..." Topic, where? Let me just say that one of these friends is a graduate student majoring in Marriage and Family Therapy and she did most of the introduction of discussion topics. It was interesting, to say the least. We also discussed a lot of "normal" subjects that hopefully better reflected that we are just a group of middle-aged Mormon mothers trying to do the best we can with what we've got. That's what binds us together and see, I fit right in. Thanks for the opportunity to hang out with you today friends. I enjoyed it!

Today I am thankful for

Pork Barbacoa Salad - YUM! YUM!
My Friends - even those who couldn't come to lunch because of their important responsibilities.
A husband that bought cat food so I didn't have to.

Odd One Out

All of my friends have kids that will be Seniors in High School this year - 5 Seniors.

2 years from now there will be 4 Seniors.

When my youngest graduates next year, he will be the only one.

He is the odd man out and it doesn't seem like he should be by looking at all their age differences. Some of my friends have started their kids in school late or chosen to have a child repeat a grade for one reason or another or just have kids with birthdays that miss the cut off by a little bit or just barely squeak in.

When this son turned 5 I really debated keeping him home another year. He was just barely 5, with a birthday in June. He didn't know how to write his name and had absolutely no desire to learn. He was my baby and played the role to perfection. He definitely wasn't ready for Kindergarten. Then I started thinking about the benefits of holding him back. Would he be able to write his name in a year? Maybe, but who knew. His 3 siblings and I had been trying to teach him for over a year already with no success. Would he be older in a year? Yes, but would he act like it? Probably not. Would he no longer be my baby? Pretty much no hope of that. When could I realistically see him being ready for school? One year, two, possibly three or four? Nope - I couldn't really see him ready and willing to start school even in five years. He was never going to be more ready than he was right now. He was pretty much never going to be ready. So, I just sent him. About 3 days into his school career he asked me. "What day is tomorrow?" I said, "Thursday." "Do I have school?" "Yup." "What's the next day?" "Friday." "Do I have school?" "Yup." "The next day?" "Saturday." "School?" "Nope." "Next?" "Sunday." "School?"
"Nope" "Next?" "Monday." "School?" "Yes." He thought for a few minutes and then my little boy, who had always dreaded Sunday and going to church, said, "I'm sure going to be happy when it's Sunday!" Every once in a while I stop and question whether waiting a year would have made a difference and the answer is always the same in my mind. NOT ONE BIT. This child is never going to love school and he's never going to be ready to be there. He just goes and hopefully, someday, he won't have to go anymore and can actually do something that he enjoys and perhaps 13 years of school will help him be ready for whatever comes next. Plus, the fact that he's the only 2010 graduate of the group means my friends might be more inclined to give him a graduation present.

Today I am thankful that

I have a son who is old enough to take the other son with him to get haircuts, pay for both of them, and I don't even have to be involved. They both look very handsome! I'm also thankful that they both like short hair and I don't have to fight with them to get haircuts. They are the ones that want them.
I actually didn't feel horrible and got dishes washed and laundry done.
I have a son that stomps black widows for me.

Book Distribution

Tax Credit Fee

$1.00

Activity Card - for the few sporting events he has to pay for

$25.00

Hall Locker - perhaps he'll use it THIS year

$5.00

Replacement ID - remember the lost wallet story

$3.50

Yearbook - gotta have one to collect dust until the 30 year reunion when he'll really need it

$50.00

Band Course Fee

$30.00

Band Activity Fee - I get to pay to hear him complain about marching band

$50.00

Marching Band Shoes - size 13 (are his feet done growing?)

$38.00

Marching Band Gloves

$3.50 x 4

Marching Band Shirts

$25.00

Flip Folder

$6.00

Extra Flip Pages

.50 x 5

Band Uniform Cleaning Fee

$25.00

Indian Education Credit - perk from the papa

$180.00

Grand Total

$95.00

Having my teenage son out of the house from 6:00 AM until 2:30 PM

Priceless

Today I am thankful for

Health Insurance - so when I go to the doctor and she tells me "I don't know what to do to help you feel better." I only have to pay $10.00 and not the $100.00+ that the insurance gets billed.

My husband's genes - that qualify our kids to be registered as Native Americans.

A Friend - to visit with at book distribution so a long, boring process doesn't seem quite so long and boring.

Sunday Sermons

Today we went to listen to the daughter and the son in law speak in their sacrament meeting. They are actually in the same stake as we are, but the demographics of their ward is a little different than ours. I think almost every family there had a baby under a year old and I bet their nursery is LOTS bigger than ours. It was fun to see so many new families and remember going to the BYU Lamanite Married Ward when we were in that phase of our lives. The nice thing about that ward was that we met in an old church building in Provo that came complete with a cry room at the back of the chapel, where you could sit with your loud infant or toddler and still see and hear what was going on in Sacrament meeting without them hearing you. Evergreen Ward could use one of those. There was a dad who got up to take his toddler daughter out of the chapel. He got about 10 steps from his seat when his son (who looked about 3) started screaming "DADDY! DADDY!" and burst into tears. The dad motioned for him to come with him, but he just stood there screaming while the other son, about 4, mowed him over and took off down the aisle to the dad. By this time the dad had started back for the screaming son and the older son passed him by and then started crying too because his dad was going the wrong way. Dad grabbed the 3 year old and the 4 year old and finally made it out the door with the toddler who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying all the attention. The entire congregation was momentarily distracted from the son in law's amazing talk, but just momentarily. I think I am glad that I am past that phase of my life.

They both gave very good talks. She talked about Sharing the Gospel by doing good and focused on service and standing up for what you believe is right. He spoke about testimony and what a testimony is and how we can share testimony through music. I enjoyed both messages a lot. Unfortunately this daughter inherited the Cheever women tear ducts and got a little emotional when she was talking about one of her friends from college. Of course there were no tissues on the pulpit. She is going to have to start carrying her own or checking and requesting them ahead of time. That is what I always do now. I have learned my lesson. I firmly believe there is nothing wrong with being tender-hearted though, as long as you are equipped with lots of Kleenex. It's just the way some of us are made.

Our home teachers came to visit today and shared with us a story from this month's Ensign that really touched me. It was called something like "Lessons Learned From a Milk Jug". The woman in the story had found out that her husband was involved in Pornography and she just couldn't seem to forgive him and deal with all the emotions she had. She was embarrassed to ask for help and just kept trudging along but was not sure she could keep it up much longer. One day she and her 3 year old went to the store and when they got home the little girl was helping carry the groceries inside an item at a time. She did OK with the bread and the eggs but when she tried to move the gallon of milk,once she got it out of the car, it was just too heavy. The mom offered to help, but the typical toddler insisted on doing it herself. Finally she gave up and told her mom it was just too hard. She couldn't do it alone. When she said that, the mom thought how much she was like her stubborn little girl. Unwilling to ask her Heavenly Father for help when her burdens became to heavy to carry alone. The daughter asked the mom to carry her while she carried the milk.

So often I stubbornly refuse to accept Jesus Christ's atonement in my life and just try to struggle along, dragging my heavy, heavy burden behind me instead of admitting I need help and accepting what he has already done for me. We can all learn a lot from these noisy, stubborn little children in our lives if we just take the time to look for the lessons.

Today I am thankful for

A daughter and son in law who have testimonies and are able to share them with others.
Dedicated Home Teachers - who come every month even though they don't always get the warmest welcome from out youngest.
Kleenex - for the obvious reasons.

A funny Kleenex story - today one of the little girls in nursery needed a tissue, so I gave her one and then went back to picking up the toys. All of the sudden, something came flying at me. It was the dirty tissue delivered by the little girl who then turned her back and walked across the room. I called her name. She ignored me. I called her name again. She ignored me again. This is the same little girl who recently can't be more than 3 inches away from me without calling for me to sit by her. She continued to ignore me a few more times until finally she looked up and I asked her to come and throw the tissue away. She looked at me and at it and then went right back to ignoring me. I called her one more time and she stomped over and took the offensive item between the tips of her fingers and threw it away before running back to sit in my lap. What a stinker! Speaking of stinkers, we had 3 dirty diapers in nursery today. We haven't even had one before today. What's with that?

Treasure Box on our Doorstep

My teacher daughter is always looking online for promotions for teachers. She found an offer on the post-it website and had to go for it.

"A teacher treasure box full of 10 pounds of post-it products - approximately 10,000 post-it sheets."

Who could resist??

She was kind enough to have it delivered to my house so I could share in the excitement of opening it with her.

Here it is:

and here's what was inside!

The son in law could not understand our enthusiasm, but WOW, I think this is pretty cool! Especially since I didn't have to pay for it and just got to enjoy the unveiling.

Today I am thankful for

Post-its - there are so many good uses for them.

UPS Drivers - that deliver packages right to my front door. I think this one tried to throw it right through.

A home phone that has worked for almost 24 hours now.

Employee of the Quarter

Today my wonderful hubby won the Employee of the Quarter Award at his work. I am very proud of him for being a dependable and dedicated employee. He tried to act surprised when they presented him with the plaque, but that was a little difficult since one of his responsibilities at work is to print the award certificate and assemble it. He is a hard worker and crafty too! Just so you all know, he makes the awards, but he doesn't choose the winner. There was nothing questionable about him receiving this recognition. He received a $25.00 Harkins movie gift card and a $50.00 VISA gift card along with the certificate. I hope he plans on sharing his prizes with his loving wife! CONGRATULATIONS Sweetheart. I love you (and I'm not just saying that so you'll share). Thanks for working so hard to provide for our family. Does this mean you get to park in the covered parking spot everyday??

Today I am thankful that

My daughter is feeling almost all better. She was a sad, sick girl for a few days.
I have a husband to go to work and earn money for our family.
My hubby had salad left over from his work luncheon that we could take to the band, football, spirit line pot luck tonight and I didn't have to come up with another one.

Happy Pioneer Day!

Living in Arizona it is sometimes difficult to remember Pioneer Day since it is just another day of the week here and nothing special. I was reading a friend's blog and was grateful for the reminder she gave me that today was a day for reflection. I am grateful for my pioneer ancestors, the Smiths, the Cheevers, the Braithwaites, the Martells, the Stokers, the Rileys ... all those that were probably afraid, but were still willing to take a step (or 2 or 3 or thousands) into the dark because of the faith they had in Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. I often wonder where I would be and what my life would be like if it were not for them and their faith. Did they realize how many lives they would impact when they took that first step? I have been listening to a CD about faith by Jack Christianson. He asks a question in this talk that has caused me to pause and think. "What have I done today in faith?" What choices do I make every day because of faith? Do I read my scriptures because I have faith that it will make a difference in my day and my life? Do I say my prayers having faith that my Heavenly Father is there listening and wanting to bless me? Do I get out of bed with faith that I will eventually feel better if I just get up and make an effort to do something? Do I let my 16 year old get behind the wheel of our van with faith that we will reach our destination safely? Will the choices I make in faith today make a difference in the lives of those that come after me? Do I have faith that they will? Not all pioneers lived a hundred years ago. There are pioneers all around us. My friend's mother has cancer and she is in the process of having her stem cells harvested so she can beat this disease. She is grateful for medical pioneers who spend their time and energy in looking for ways to fight other people's battles. The pioneer that has touched my life the most this year is my son's girlfriend, who is also my daughter's roommate.

She has recently taken a huge step in faith. She made the decision to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was baptised despite opposition from her family. She had faith that this decision would make a positive difference in her life. I sometimes wonder if I would have had the courage and the faith to join the church if I had not been blessed to be born into a family that had already found the gospel. I admire the pioneer spirit I see in this young woman.

I am grateful for all of the pioneers in my life. Hopefully I can remember their faith and follow their example. I really liked the thought my friend ended her blog for today with. I will steal it to complete mine as well.

"Thank heaven we can look backward to remember, forward to hope and be present to find peace and joy!"

I hope you remember what I'm thankful for today from reading this blog. I'm too lazy to write them again.

It's Official!

The online Health class is truly and totally DONE! The son, with a little help from his mom, (picture a gun placed to the back of his head) even squeaked by with an A. 90.41% still translates into an A. Hip, Hip, Hooray! Today is my HAPPY day!

Royalty?

Today I went back to the dentist to get my crown put on my tooth. It's lovely. I do have to say I enjoyed this visit a lot more than the last one.

Since I now have a crown, does that make me a QUEEN??

I'm pretty sure it doesn't.

If I were a queen my telephone wouldn't be broken again and if it were it would be repaired immediately and not "sometime tomorrow".

If I were a queen I could order my teenage son's head chopped off for his nonstop complaining about having to go back to Marching Band Camp in a little while. It's his first whole day of camp and he's already driving me bonkers.

If I were a queen I wouldn't have to do laundry or pay bills or be a chauffeur or wash dishes or cook dinner or take out the trash.

Nope, I'm definitely not a QUEEN,

but I do have a very expensive crown.

Today I am thankful for

Dentists - even though I don't enjoy visiting mine, I am grateful that I live in a day where teeth with holes in them can be fixed (by making bigger holes in them and then covering them up with expensive materials) rather than just yanked out!
A Cell Phone - so I can call Qwest when my home phone doesn't work.
Being able to say "YES" - to my teenage son even though it led to me having to drive through 22 green lights to take him to Phoenix to play basketball with some old friends and then having to hang out in the hot, scary, dark church parking lot for awhile waiting for him to be finished after all the stores closed at 10:00 PM. It was still good to get to say Yes to him for a change. He thinks I enjoy telling him No all the time, but I don't.

Sharing Spiritual Food with Some Sisters

Since the change in the Relief Society program to only having an organized Enrichment night four times a year I have really missed the opportunity to gather together with all the sisters in the ward and visit, bond and share ideas. Especially now that I am in the nursery on Sunday, it seems like I never see anyone at church unless they are under 3 or have a child under 3. Tonight we had an Enrichment meeting and I really had to talk myself into going. Even though I miss being with my ward family it's just easier to stay home than to make the effort to go. I am glad that I went though because I had a really fun time just laughing and learning and I even came away a little motivated to be a more compassionate person. We'll see if I can actually put that motivation into action. We had a sister share some stories and thoughts about service and it was so wonderful to sit and be taught and to join in a discussion with the other women who were there. I love my primary calling, but tonight I realized that my spirit right now is very undernourished and that I really miss being taught the gospel in Relief Society and Sunday School each Sunday. I need to make a more concerted effort to be sure that I include spiritual food in my life every day. It felt good to be fed tonight. One idea that was shared that I want to remember is when you visit someone who is faced with adversity rather than ask if there is anything you can do for them ask, "What are you most worried about right now?" Their answer will give you an idea of where they need your help most and then you can figure out a way to help address that worry. Tonight I am grateful for My membership - in the largest women's organization in the world. A husband - who takes out the trash. Glad Press and Seal Plastic Wrap - that was finally cheap enough that I didn't feel extravagant buying it. This is amazing plastic wrap that is tacky on the back and actually sticks to the bowl instead of popping off. I have wanted to buy some since the first time I saw it, but it is always so expensive. I think the decorative snow men are a nice, cool touch when it is 108 outside, don't you?

Noise!

Sometimes noise just drives me crazy. It seems like there is always so much noise in my house. The TV in the family room blasting in surround sound. The TV in my bedroom loudly sharing the trauma of the night first thing in the morning. Not my favorite way to start the day. The computer playing loud music (albeit good music) while the son sings along or the revving engines, police sirens and crashing sounds from the car racing game the boys are into at the moment. The youngest complaining or tapping or listening to the radio while we try to get his health class finished. The buzz, beep, or musical tones of the constant text messages being sent or received. The ceiling fans, the air-conditioner, the washing machine... How are we suppose to hear the still, small voice when we can't even hear each other most of the time?? It all gives me a really bad headache. Oh how I long for peace and quiet! Then I think of my mom who has way too much peace and quiet and has to turn her radio on now and then just to break the silence. I guess all this noise means I am surrounded by people I love. I am glad they are here. It means I have a cool house to live in and electricity to keep it that way. I am happy for that. It means I have clean clothes to wear. A very good thing. I guess I'll just appreciate my quiet moments that much more for the fact that they are so rare. Today I am thankful that Health is technically finished!! The son still needs to take the final before Wednesday, but all the assignments had to be turned in by midnight tonight (and we were submitting at 11:57). I can appreciate and enjoy quiet. I don't need constant noise to be happy. Our little car is back from the shop and working again, at least for the moment.

A good place to be

It was nice to be back in our own ward for church today. I'm glad we go at 9:00 AM and not at 1:30 PM like my mom. Our favorite row (right hand side under the clock) was there waiting for us and it felt like where I belonged. Summer seems to make our ward even smaller than it normally is, but we had 3 priests to bless the sacrament and 6 actual deacons to pass it. It was wonderful. Our young men program is the only average size organization that we have, I think. The senior primary sang for the special musical number and there were only about 6 kids. Kind of sad. It was fun to be back in nursery. I think a few of the kids were happy to have us back and the rest couldn't have cared less. We got 2 new 18 month olds in our class while we were gone and they change the dynamics of our group a little bit. We're not used to having "babies" since most of the other kids are 3 by now. We had to keep a close eye on them because they wanted to eat the crayons and the play dough as well as the snack on everyone's plate but their own. We got a 3rd person called to work in nursery with us today and that is exciting. Sometimes we just need one more pair of hands and eyes. She is someone we have watched grow up and now she is married. She actually use to babysit my kids when they were little. It's fun to get to spend time with her again. Today one of the little girls told one of the few boys there to stop touching her blocks and he got his feelings hurt. He curled up in a ball on the floor and played dead. I tried a few things to get him to come around and after about 15 minutes I finally picked him up and sat him on my lap. The whole time he had his eyes closed so no one would see him and didn't move a muscle. It was time for snack and so I asked him if he wanted snack. No response. I told him I needed to get up to help with snack but I couldn't get up with him on my lap. He stood up (still with his eyes closed) while I got up and then I put him back in the comfy chair to resume his imitation of a sleeping child. After snack, and a few more attempts by the adults to get a response out of him, we had the lesson and my husband moved to the chair to hold him on his lap. When the lesson was done I said, "Let's go color our picture." and he hopped off the hubby's lap and walked to his chair at the table, never opening his eyes, and curled up on the kid size chair and colored with his eyes closed and his nose about an inch from the table. I whispered in his ear did he want his snack and he kind of nodded so I put it between his nose and the table and he ate it with his eyes closed. When the coloring was done, he sat up, walked over to do music and was his old happy self. It was pretty funny. These kids already have such unique personalities even though they are so little. It makes me happy to see how they go about being their own person. It's good to be back in my favorite ward.

I am grateful for

A husband - that cooked me scrambled eggs and zuchhini for lunch.
A ward - where I feel loved, accepted and needed.
Young Men - in white shirts and ties who honor their priesthood and fulfill their responsibilities for my benefit.

What's Down in the Dumps?

Although I could probably do a pretty long blog on the phrase "down in the dumps" in regard to the way I feel about life far too often, today my focus is literally about what can be found down in the dumps. I am a person that has always been intrigued by trash. My husband makes my boys take the trash out, not so much to be nice to me, but because I often come back with more stuff than I took when I go out to the alley. I have found some pretty good stuff and the silky black outer space PJ's that I made my 4 year old out of trashed fabric were his very favorite. When I was growing up it was my brother's job to burn most of our trash in a big metal barrel. It was sometimes a dangerous job, but that's a story for a different blog. Even though we burned most of our trash I do remember taking trips to the dump just outside of Midway with our excess garbage. It was always so hard for me to leave all the exciting stuff I saw there behind. It was OK though because up and over the hill behind our house was a treasure trove of really old trash if you knew the right place to dig. I always found interesting things there such as broken china, a syrup can shaped like a log cabin, old silverware... I had a whole collection of marvelous stuff that I kept in the "play cabin" out behind the pheasant pen in our backyard. Now that old dump is a housing development and I am always jealous of the back hoe operators that got to dig up all the treasures that were buried there. They probably just scooped the dirt up and didn't even notice what was hidden in the piles. Yesterday my 16 year old son got to take his first trip to the local dump along with some other scouts who were helping with an eagle scout project. I was disappointed when all he could say about it was that it "smelled horrible"! Where is his sense of adventure? Last night we went to a nephew's birthday party and one of the family friends there was listening to a new ipod nano. He works at the land fill on the reservation and there is a local discount store whose loads all of the workers apparently wait for to arrive. Rumor has it that they just throw away all of their returns. When that trash gets dumped all the workers descend like vultures to see what great things they can acquire - ipods, portable DVD players, a 52 inch plasma TV, an air compressor- are just a few of the things they have come away with. When my teenager heard that story he immediately decided he could probably get use to the smell! Me too! 3 things to be grateful for today. Opportunities to serve - I am so glad that the church and the scouting program give my kids, and me, lots of chances to serve and make a difference in our own little world. Recycled Treasures - that's my new name for cool trash. My immediate family - all back home in Arizona where they belong for now.

3 "Men" and a Lady

When my youngest daughter has a problem, a question or she doesn't feel good she doesn't come to me, she goes to her dad or one of her brothers. Actually, she pretty much has all the males in our family wrapped around her little finger. They would do most anything for her. Especially now that she lives with one of the brother's girlfriends and can threaten to tell on him if he doesn't treat her nice. I think it's wonderful to have boys to watch out for you and she is pretty lucky to have 3 who love her and care about her so much. I'm not saying I don't love her too, but sometimes she thinks I'm mean and not very sympathetic. (Isn't that the job of a mother?) Today the daughter has a bad earache. She and her roommates decided to sit in the chest deep rain water pooling in their apartment parking lot last weekend and somehow she ended up with swimmers ear. I hope she wasn't really swimming in those puddles. Tonight she called her dad and brother to come and give her a blessing. Maybe that's why she turns to them instead of me, because they have the priesthood and I don't. It's great to have 2 worthy Melchizedek priesthood holders in our home now because it simplifies the blessing process (and for lots of other reasons too). I am thankful for the lives the men in my family live so they can have this sacred power that has been restored to the earth. They gave her a blessing and bought her medicine, Jello, chicken soup, and a thermometer. Hopefully all this love and attention will help her feel better very soon.

Today I am thankful that

I got to stay home while my husband and son took care of the sick daughter.
The men in my family are living worthy to hold and exercise the Priesthood.
My kids didn't get earaches a lot when they were little.

Studying the Birds and the Bees

The unit the sixteen year old was working on today in health focused on Human Sexuality. You would think he would be embarrassed to have his mother looking over his shoulder while he studied this topic and perhaps he was, but that didn't stop him from requiring my assistance in getting it completed. I know that this son is my baby and he is probably more immature than most 16 year old boys, but after spending a day with him working on various worksheets, I find it scary to think that boys as stupid and silly as he is think they are mature enough to have a relationship with a girl and that many of the adults of the world don't see anything wrong with this idea. SCARY, SCARY, SCARY! One of the worksheets was about the stages of childbirth. He refused to believe that the 2nd stage, when the baby is actually born, usually lasts 30 minutes to 2 hours. He has seen a lot of TV deliveries and these only take 2 or 3 minutes. We all know, of course, every thing we see on TV is the absolute truth, right?! The fact that I have had 4 children didn't seem to increase my credibility at all. Obviously the text book and I are both wrong. Oh well, we can all hope he has grown up a lot before he has a wife to prove to him how wrong those TV shows really are and we can also hope that she has a lot of patience for dumb boys and will love him anyway. Tonight I am grateful that I am naive. I don't believe everything I see on TV is the way it is or the way it should be. I have a son I can talk to about serious things, even if he is sometimes a little silly.

This is FUN!

I am really enjoying this Adult Summer Reading Program at the library! I read books and write them down and I win a $10.00 movie gift card. This time I even got a free popcorn coupon. Hooray for Reading!!

Disappearing Gas, Doing Health, DI, a Disgruntled Daughter and Death Records

I guess today's post could be called the 5 D's. This morning I got a call from the hubby who was on his way to work. "I hope I make it to the office". Apparently when he got in the car the gas tank read half full (or half empty if you tend to be a pessimist like me). When he was almost to work he looked down and the gas gauge was past empty, thus the phone call. He did make it to the office and after discussing the situation with our mechanic he decided since he didn't smell gas or see any kind of leak he would put $5.00 worth of gas in the tank and see if the gauge went up. If it didn't then he would know something was wrong with the gauge and could fill it up the rest of the way and know he had gas until he could get it to the shop to get looked at. However, when he went out and got in the car the gauge immediately popped back up to half a tank. Who knows what was going on this morning. I asked him if he was wearing his glasses and he said he was. While we were in Utah the online health text book was off line being updated and so the teacher extended the class an extra week. The teenager thought this was a perfect excuse to ignore the fact that he was in summer school and not do any health, even though there were things he could do without the textbook. I mentioned to him every now and then that we should work on health, but he was always "too busy". I did manage to get him to do online indexing for family search with me for his service hours that needed to be turned in by the 14th, but that was the extent of his school work. Well, today I invited him to the computer and "gently" encouraged him to get busy. We spent over 2 hours working on projects that didn't need the textbook with him complaining the whole time that he didn't know why we didn't just do this in Utah so he wouldn't have to be wasting his time now that he was home. Why didn't I remind him that there was stuff he could do without the book? Why didn't I tell him to do health? Why am I such a horrible mother? It was so much fun to have some quality mother/son bonding time. It's a good thing I love him!! Then we tried to log on to the textbook. We no longer had access. The e-mail from the teacher said we had to re-register. We re-registered and it still wouldn't let us log on. Oh joy! Finally I called the text book support and had a nice man talk me though it. I was a little frustrated that I was the one making the call, but when I dialed the first time and got a sex chat line I was glad it was me calling and not the 16 year old son who might not have hung up as quickly as I did. I rechecked the number and I was off by one digit. I guess I shouldn't make fun of my husband and his glasses. After listening to complaining for the entire morning I was ready for a break so I went to the post office to pick up our mail that was on hold and then took a side trip to Deseret Industries. I felt kind of cheated that I didn't get to visit more of these stores while I was in Utah. I usually get to hit a few of them, but this trip I only managed to fit one in. I enjoyed browsing and relaxing for a while. All I bought was a church talk on CD about faith, but I had a good time. I stopped at the grocery store (have to start cooking again) and went home to listen to more complaining about what I was fixing for dinner. Daughter had dropped by while I was gone and left me monetary gifts in various places around the house. Last night she asked me to print off a job application for her after we got the Internet working. I was surprised that it was 8 pages long, but I do want her to get a job. After I printed it she said she needed one from 3 other school districts. I thought 8 times 3, that's 24 pages and made the mistake of saying "Why don't you print them off at your house instead of using our ink and paper?" Big mistake. Today, in her righteous indignation, she left me a 5 dollar bill on my printer, $1.50 on the bathroom counter for using the facilities, 50 cents on the cooler for the soda she drank and a check on my pillow for her phone bill. I don't know if she meant to be funny or not, but I found it rather funny. I have now started putting rental notes on her belongings that are laying around my house. One on the car parked in the driveway. Another one on the dog food in my fridge. Heck, I could get rich if I did this with all my kids! I do feel kind of bad because she did take care of a lot of things for me while I was gone on vacation, but should I feel bad when she pays the phone bill that she can't ever seem to remember to pay? No, I should be ecstatic! Tonight I decided to do some Family Search Indexing while the boys were all watching TV. I was doing death records and couldn't seem to tear myself away from them. As soon as I finished one set I would download another one. I don't know what it is I find so intriguing about learning how and when people died, but it is very interesting to me. I felt like I was part of a diphtheria epidemic (all those poor mothers who lost children) , a homicide (did they catch the person who bound and gagged that man and stabbed him to death?), a runaway team (was he driving the team or just in the wrong place at the wrong time?), a fall from a railroad trestle (was there a train involved?) a hanging (what brought that man to the point that ending his life seemed to be the only option?) and several premature births and tubal pregnancies (how grateful I am for all the advances in medicine that make surviving pregnancy and birth the norm). I guess we all know where my youngest daughter gets her morbid streak from. My son-in-law thought I was very strange when he caught me reading the obituaries in the newspaper in Utah (more than once). I think Utah obituaries are much more interesting than Arizona ones. Here they just give the basic facts - birth, death, survivors. In Utah they give you a life story, usually including what caused their death. They are much more entertaining, but then are obituaries supposed to be entertaining?? I can remember when I was in school one of our English writing assignments was to take something from the newspaper and write a letter based on the information we had or something like that. I don't remember the specific assignment details, but I remember I used an obituary of a young girl who had died of leukemia and took the perspective of her little brother who wrote a letter to the president making a very small donation to fight cancer so other little brothers didn't have to see their sisters suffer and die. I guess this obsession goes way back. Now, can anyone tell me how I can use this interest of mine as a money making vocation? 3 things I am grateful for today. A sense of humor - it makes life a lot easier to enjoy when I can laugh about things. Medical advances - that make living to a ripe, old age a reality for so many more people than 75 years ago. Family history - that helps each one of us connect to our families as well as to the time and place they lived in.

Home again, Home again

This morning I sat on my mom's front porch, one last time, enjoying the cool morning breeze while I waited for my family to get ready to head for home. I'm afraid that I'm not going to be that cool again for a long, long time. Last night the boys were all for leaving for Arizona at 3:00 AM, but today they had a hard time getting out of couch or off the floor, as the case may be. We finally got everything loaded up and were headed out about 8:30 AM Utah time, which was only 7:30 AM Arizona time, so not too bad. It's always hard for me to say good bye to my mom and this morning my sister was there too so that made it even harder. I always feel like I am going to miss out on something fun when I leave. My mom was probably waiting for the front door to close so she could start singing the Hallelujah Chorus. I'm sure it is a relief to get rid of all the company and get back to her quiet life. (However today we left just in time for my sister, brother-in-law, their 2 sons, 1 wife and 4 kids to arrive. No peace and quiet yet!) The newlyweds headed north, and then east, to Colorado to visit with the son-in-law's grandparents while we headed south toward home. It was another uneventful trip, which I was grateful for. The sons decided that maybe if they took control of the driving we would make better time so the oldest one even drove the stretch from Hurricane to Flagstaff and the hubby and I lounged in the backseat watching a movie and a couple of episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger. I have to admit, the time did seem to go a lot faster. We made pretty good time and arrived home about 7:00 PM, following a stop at Cafe Rumba in Glendale for my favorite Tropical Chicken Salad. The salad was good, but not as absolutely delicious as I remember. Perhaps the fact that I had been snacking all day made the difference. I just wasn't hungry enough to fully appreciate it. The cat-feeding, house-watching, nursery-teaching daughter and her roommates/son's girlfriend and her puppy welcomed us with much enthusiasm. I think Poky was the most excited. She had to share all her toys with us that she had hidden under the chair. However, the girlfriend also seemed happy and the other 2 girls were enthusiastic about the Rumba salads we delivered to them. The daughter had bought "welcome home cake" and we celebrated together after the hubby spent 30 minutes on the phone with Qwest getting the internet fixed. They talked him through the steps and although he didn't follow all of their instructions to the letter it is now working again. Hopefully for a LONG time. I guess it is good to be home. I just which I could figure out a way to not let the extreme heat get me down. As we were driving into Maricopa county things started looking like home and I do like living here, but honestly - which would you choose??? Actually, the 61 degrees was while we were enjoying a brief rainstorm in Flagstaff. When we left Payson it was 68 degrees, so technically if I want to be cool I only have to move 2 and a half hours north and not 12 hours north, but then I wouldn't be by any family. The past week Phoenix has had below normal temperatures (low hundreds) but now we're home and they're going up! Less than 4 months more of 100+ temperatures and then I'll remember why I live in Tempe. We have beautiful winters! Tonight I am grateful for A mom - who lets my family and me invade her home so we can have a vacation. A welcoming committee - who made us feel missed and loved. An uneventful trip - Those are the very best kind to have.

Siblings

This is a picture that we took tonight

of my mom, my brothers,

my sisters and me.

These are the same people about 48 years ago. I definitely think I have changed the most. Can you tell who's who?

Dominos

My mom likes to play games. She says she doesn't know why because she never wins, but regardless - she likes to play games and so we usually play games a few times whenever we visit. Today we decided to play Dominos. I never really played Dominos when I was growing up. My mom taught us how one year when we came on vacation. I learned the game from her, but today she kept telling us we didn't play the way she plays. She taught us how to play. How can we play different? Anyway, we had a fun afternoon together trying to outsmart one another. I don't know why I like to play games either. I never win. Today I am grateful for the time I get to spend with my mom and other family members. a fridge with an ice maker and a water dispenser. lunch at the Brick Oven.

Pebbles in my Pocket Warehouse Sale

I sometimes feel bad that I no longer live in Utah - the home of scrapbooking. I always think I am missing out on great deals or ideas or supplies or something. So I was glad when I found out that one of the local scrapbook stores was having a warehouse sale while I was here. Something fun that I could actually go to and not just read about! The daughter and I enjoyed digging through lots of boxes looking for the best deals we could find. We were even more excited when we saw the prices there compared to the prices we had seen in their store a few days earlier. What a bargain on all sorts of stuff we really didn't need. What fun!! We even spent the evening being creative with the supplies, so our hubbies would know it was money well spent. I made birthday cards and the daughter worked on a calendar for her first year of marriage. This is the most productive I have been in a long time. Good for me! I am thankful for a husband - that lets me spend his hard earned money. a hobby - I can enjoy and share with my daughter. a son - who buys me Dr. Quinn - Medicine Woman on DVD just because he knows I want it.

Up the canyon

Today we took a little trip up Payson canyon to enjoy nature and the cooler temperatures. We all, including mom, managed to fit into our van. It's good that the newlyweds like to sit very close. Our first stop was at the Grotto for an "easy" hike. One family member questioned this rating but it was relatively flat for the most part and only .3 miles long. The last time we made this hike (more than 10 years ago) my brother was the leader of the pack and led us up the wrong trail to start with and then the actual trail was in need of some major improvements so the trek took quite a while. They have really improved the path with log bridges and a wider trail so I thought the trip was much easier this time around. The pool and waterfall at the end was definitely worth the trip. We had to share the limited sitting rocks with some other visitors, but managed to spend some enjoyable time there. My youngest son demonstrated his rock climbing ability and climbed up to the top of the waterfall and I was impressed. He and the daughter and son-in-law then took the trail up to the top and got to look down on us all, literally and not just figuratively speaking this time. We left mom in the van reading her book while we hiked and even though we were parked in a cattle crossing she was still there when we returned. She said the largest creature she saw was a fly. We continued up the canyon and down the Santaquin side. We stopped at Tiney Flats for a picnic and potty break. I enjoyed both immensely. After we finished eating, mom and I were content to sit and appreciate the cool breeze and the beautiful scenery. The people under 25 weren't quite so happy. The fact that you can't get cell phone service when you are sitting between two very tall mountains really bothered the sons. They were certain they were missing some very vital text messages. My mom asked why they were in such a hurry to leave. She said "When we get home we will just have to work." The sons told her, "You don't have to work, you just choose to work." When we started expounding on why someone had to work ie. to pay the bills, wash the clothes, prepare food... They said, "Well of course the moms and dads have to work. That's a given." How is that choosing? If the hubby and/or I didn't choose to work, would someone else pick up the slack?? Sometimes I don't think life is very fair! It was a fun trip, even if I did have to leave before I was completely ready. I chose not to work when we got home and we still all survived. The oldest son took us all to the Polar Queen, his favorite Utah restaurant, for dinner tonight (so none of us would have to work). He and I really like their Fish and Chips. The chips are English fries and yummy. We were disappointed when we got there and found out that they no longer sell English fries. It was a sad, sad moment. Today I am grateful for Trees - I love trees. They are so green and provide shade that makes it cool. Canyons - that are close enough to drive up in just a few minutes and feel the temperature drop 15 degrees. My minivan - it is nice to have a vehicle that we can all fit in together even if some of us are a little squished.

Salt Lake Valley for the day

This morning we got up and went to the Jordan River temple. The daughter and I and our hubbies did a session and the sons did baptisms. It was nice to be back in the temple where our family got it's beginning. A lot has happened since my husband and I tied the knot there 25 years ago. It is fun to see my daughter now in about the same place I was then - a newlywed just starting out with the next 25 years still to be experienced. New beginnings are always so exciting and also a little scary. I hope the temple plays an important role in her next 25 years. It's a great place to ponder the whole picture and focus on the eternal perspective rather than the day to day trials. It was a wonderful morning. We met my sister and her roommate for a lunch treat at Cafe Rio. I enjoyed the Pork Barbacoa Salad a lot. It is one of my favorites. Then we took a scenic trip north across the valley past the new Oquirrh Temple (not sure of its actual name) that is under construction and to a store I had been wanting to visit. It was called Market Square (I think) and it wasn't quite as exciting as I had hoped it would be but now I can say I've been there and won't have to feel bad for missing out on something fun. The most exciting part was trying to find it. I was in my sister's car with her and my family was following behind in our van. They were pretty sure we had no idea where we were going and they were right. Then we headed east to another part of the city to locate Ye Olde Dutch Store for the son-in-law. He served his mission in the Netherlands and wanted to pick up some of his Dutch favorites. Once again the exciting part was in the trip and not the destination, but once we figured out it wasn't really called "Ye Olde" it was a lot easier to locate in the phone book and get the actual address. Our next stop was suppose to be to find out if there is still a Snelgrove's Ice Cream Parlor in Salt Lake but after 3 failed attempts to find an open road going under the I-80 we gave up on that adventure and just headed back to my sister's house. We drove really slowly past the Deseret Industries to make my family nervous, but we didn't stop. We did manage one more stop at the Deseret Book Bookcellar Outlet store on Redwood Rd. in South Jordan. This is a must on any trip we take to Utah. I love church books and when I can get them for a bargain, I love them even more. I bought several fiction books for $1.99, a Dowdle puzzle of San Diego for $1.49 (I could do it at the beach next year if I were going back), and quite a few music CDs for $1.99. It was the highlight of the day for me -after the temple of course. We hadn't taken enough scenic routes during the day so we decided to go back to Payson past the Draper temple (which is also under construction, but further along than the Oquirrh one) and over the mountain to Highland. It was a fun and exciting route and we saw lots of big houses and dedicated bike riders pedalling up hill. It was a fun day. I am grateful for a sister - who is willing to buy me and my family lunch and drive me all over tarnation too. Temples - where I can go to remember why I am here on earth. Daylight - until 9:00 at night so I can see all the scenery on my scenic trips.

Family Fireworks

Every year our family tries to time our summer trip to Utah sometime around the Fourth or the Twenty-Fourth of July so we can shoot off some fireworks while we are here. It used to be the hubby that was the most excited, then the first son and then the second. This year it was my youngest nephew who could hardly wait for the show to begin. While I enjoy watching the fireworks, I think I enjoy being able to sit outside and enjoy the cool evening even more. I'm glad my mom has nice neighbors that don't complain too much about all the noise we make in their quiet neighborhood. It wouldn't feel like summer without this yearly event. Today I am thankful for Cool Summer Evenings - such a thing doesn't exist at my house. My Sister-in-law - she is the kind of mom I wish I was more like. It is obvious how much she loves her kids and she seems to always take life in stride and with a smile. Time - to spend with my family having fun.

The Intrepid Snake Catchers

This morning the youngest son and the eldest daughter took a walk around grandma's neighborhood. On the way home they cut across the grass and the daughter stepped on a poor, defenseless garter snake. I'm not sure which one of them was the most scared.


The "brave" son ran in and got grandma's snake catcher (it's actually a tool she uses to reach items on high shelves, but the grandkids think it was created for catching snakes and it does work pretty good). His first grab was less than stellar, but eventually he caught the snake and held him as far away as possible so I could take some pictures.



Eventually, the snake was smarter than the catchers and escaped under the neighbors porch. Just one of the many adventures to be had on vacation.

I learned something I never knew today. My husband of 25 years is a snake hater. Who would have guessed? He always puts on a very brave front.

Country Girl

I think the saying goes, "You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl." Driving into Utah County past Santaquin, where my mom grew up, and into Payson, my dad's home town and where my mom lives now, still feels like coming home to me. I haven't lived in Utah County for over 20 years, but a part of my heart still hangs out here. I love to sit on my mom's back patio and look out over the fields at the cows and the horses and the empty spaces and the mountains in the distance and just let my soul drink it all in. This is where I come from and I am glad.

When I was a little girl, our closest neighbors were dairy farmers. I spent a lot of my free time running down the hill that separated our houses and hanging out in their barn, jumping off of their hay stacks or in the calf pen with the new baby calves.
Cows and cats have always been my favorite animals. I have to say that I am partial to black and white Holsteins, but these tan cows that were living in the field behind my mom's house came in a close second. It was more than I could do to stay away and so I took a walk out to visit. They seemed to be as interested in me as I was in them. After they had all gathered around I started walking down the fence line and they all followed along behind me. One of my mom's neighbors said she counted and I had a parade of 24 cows taking my walk along with me. It was almost like old times and lots of fun.

Today I am thankful

to be in Utah with my family.
for the view from my mom's backyard.
for Cows, of course.

Two terrific trips to Tuacahn

The reason for our stop in St. George on our way to Utah county was so we could attend the "Broadway in the Desert" shows at Tuacahn. Tuacahn is an outdoor theatre that has a huge red rock mountain as the backdrop and I think I could be content to just sit and gaze up and down the hillside for a couple of hours, so actually getting to watch a play too is an added bonus. Our family came here once before, in 1997, to watch the musical "Utah". We had a family reunion in St. George and most of my family (mom, dad, brothers, sisters and kids) were together which was really fun. During the performance part of the set was blown over by the wind and they had to stop the show. It was lucky for us that we were staying around for another day and could come back the next night to see the entire play. It was a memorable experience and I have wanted to come to another performance for a long time.

Last night we saw the "Sound of Music". I am a big fan of this story and the music in it and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I especially like watching little kids living out their dreams of being on the stage. The marionette show was also a lot of fun to see portrayed by real people.
I wondered if going to the play was a patriotic way to spend the 4th of July but I was able to have feelings of gratitude for the wonderful country I live in while I was there. I am always stirred by a feeling of love for the country you call your own as I listen to the song Edelweiss. Captain Von Trapp is so willing to risk the lives of his family and himself to support his country and the values that he holds dear to his heart. During the scene in the play at the music festival they had actors dressed as German soldiers walking up and down the stairs of the audience keeping us all "under control". When someone near us booed at the announcement that the Captain was being sent to join the German Navy he was threatened and ridiculed by the guard and I started thinking how difficult it would be to have your country invaded by an enemy and to lose your freedom to voice your opinions and to live your life the way you chose to. I am truly blessed to be an American. They concluded the play with a fireworks display that was great. The live orchestra played "Stars and Stripes Forever" and the fireworks boomed just long enough to be enjoyable. It was a very "Happy Fourth of July". At least for most of us;)


Tonight we went to "Les Miserables". I had never seen this musical before and wasn't too familiar with the story or the characters so sometimes I felt a little lost, but I enjoyed it also. I thought the actors/singers did a great job. However the story was very sad and a little depressing in my opinion. Once again, it made me grateful for the life I have been blessed to live. My life could have been very, very different if I had been born in a different time and place.

Today I am thankful for
Family - to do fun things with.
Freedom - to do what I want and to live my life according to my values.
Motel rooms - that are nice, air-conditioned, not too expensive, I can share with my mom, sister and hubby who have money to help pay for them, and that my kids are all old enough to have one of their own!

Modern Technology

The jury is still out in my mind as to whether or not technology is a good thing. I will be the first to admit that there are times when I love my cell phone, my computer, my DVD player and so on. It was so nice to have the boys watching the computer the whole trip to St. George and not complaining to me, it is great to be able to be in contact with people you are looking for or meeting or leaving at home to take care of things, and it is fun to get to blog about all my experiences. However, at other times these advances seem to make life more complicated and less enjoyable rather than easier and more fun. Take for instance when my hubby would rather watch his TV shows on DVD rather than cuddle with me or when the cell phone doesn't work because you don't have a signal or when I would prefer to have a conversation with my children rather than text them or watch while they text other people.

My daughter and her husband used some of their wedding money to buy a Garmin GPS system for their car. The husband really wanted one and my daughter said it was OK as long as they bought the pink one. He was fine with that. They were excited to use it on the trip, but it kept telling them to go a different way than we were choosing to go and then it would have to recalculate. It recommended going through Las Vegas and that would never be the route I took to St. George by choice. I got to ride in her car today and she used it to give us directions to the bookstore and scrapbook store we were going to visit. Although it was nice to have a "talking map" I kept trying to figure out why it was sending us the way it did and second guessing what it told us to do. I also got a little annoyed having this "British woman" telling me where to go in Utah. Heck, I AM from Utah. I think I would probably throw the cute little box out the window pretty quickly even if it is pink. I don't like to be told what to do or where to go and I often enjoy taking the scenic route. Just ask my kids. Apparently I come by it naturally because my sister took the newlyweds on some scenic routes with my mom's help. Perhaps when the newlyweds get rich they can buy all us Cheever women a GPS of our very own.

Also, I think each one of us has our own opinion of what modern technology really is and how much is really necessary. Is it a high speed hook up in every motel room, a GPS system in every car, a cell phone in every pocket or this fine example I happened upon on our road trip.

Road Trip

Most of today was spent traveling from Tempe to St. George, Utah to meet my mom and sister for a couple of fun days together. Nothing too exciting happened, but nothing bad happened either. The two boys, the hubby and I were in the van and the married daughter and son-in-law were in their car. The plan when leaving home was that they would follow us, but apparently the new husband never played Follow the Leader as a child because that lasted about half an hour. It wasn't a problem, because we all knew where we were going and how to get there. It was just funny. We did meet up again in Flagstaff and must have put some fear into him because he didn't dare pass us after that. The boys were very nice traveling companions despite the fact that they were in the vehicle under duress. They watched the newest season available on DVD of "Walker Texas Ranger" on the laptop with headphones and all we heard from them were random comments relating to the show which were sometimes interesting considering we couldn't see or hear what they were watching such as "Was that a gun they just threw out of that car?", "We've all got to die sometime." "Watch out for that rattlesnake." "I'll meet you at the campfire in the sky. Save a marshmallow for me." "Why did that car just explode?" and so on.

I have always believed that the trip from Arizona to Utah would be much more enjoyable if we could get rid of the section between Flagstaff and the Utah border. I can see why the United States was so willing to donate this area to the Indians. There's not much out there and although the red rocks are gorgeous, the ground doesn't look like it would grow anything. We usually choose to go through Jacob's Lake because at least that way you get a little change of scenery. One of the problems I have with traveling is passing by places that sound interesting but never stopping. Someday I am going to drive the path from home to Utah and stop and explore every single place I feel like looking at. I'll actually visit Lee's Ferry, Pipe Springs and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon rather than just use their facilities and if I want to I will drive the 3 miles to 6 mile village just to see if it really is 3 miles each way. I would probably have to plan to take a week instead of a day. Whenever I travel this route I always wonder who figured out that Lee's Ferry was the best place to cross the river and did that first person have to trek for miles up and down the river before he figured it out and did he drag his wife and kids with him? I am always grateful that I didn't have to be a pioneer and take the "Honeymoon Trail" from Mesa to St. George to get married in the temple or get sent to settle a brave, new frontier.

I think it's interesting on road trips that people who never, ever eat breakfast are starving and wanting to stop for breakfast 10 minutes after the trip starts, how Cheez-its actually taste good to me about the time we reach the Vermillion Cliffs, how we can have a cooler full of soda but I want a 32 oz. drink from the service station and how I always need to use the rest room right after we drive past the rest area. Ah, the mysteries of life.

I am grateful today for
A car - so I can travel across the desert in air-conditioned comfort and not in a covered wagon.
TV shows on DVD - to keep my boys entertained and not bugging me.
A husband - who likes to drive.