Pool Noodle Bead Delivery

The Activity Day Girls delivered their pool noodle beads to the nursery today. Everyone had a lot of fun trying them out.

Even the grandson got in on the act since he was Grandma's primary helper for awhile today.

Today I'm thankful that

my hubby and my youngest daughter arrived home safely.
my children enjoy each other's company.
there are so many beautiful christmas carols for me to enjoy.

Today I am grateful that

the youngest son didn't burn up in the burning building he practiced fire fighting in today.


photo by David H. Barehand

my youngest daughter remembered her grandma's birthday by putting flowers on her grave as she and her dad drove past.

my oldest son owns lots of movies that I can borrow when I am in a movie watching mood.

The Tallest Christmas Tree in the Nation!

This morning I took the hubby to the airport to fly to Idaho Falls to meet the youngest daughter and drive home from school with her. Allegiant Air just started flying out of Mesa Gateway Airport directly to Idaho Falls and since it is A LOT cheaper the hubby decided he would give it a try. The airline and flight were both good, according to him, but he did end up leaving 2 hours late due to the heavy fog - not in Idaho but in Mesa. Yup, we had some unusual fog this morning. Oh, and by-the-way don't always trust that map quest knows how to get you somewhere. It sent us on a non-existent road. Luckily the son-in-law had given me some basic directions that got us back on the right path.

After I returned home the youngest son decided he felt bad that he wasn't going to Idaho and wanted to go on a road trip. I am always ready to go for a drive and the grandson likes to go ( said dew, dew, dew with the head waving side to side). We finally decided on a jaunt to witness the tallest Christmas tree in the nation at the Anthem Outlet mall.

Read all about it -

The grandson was a lot more impressed by the tree than the youngest son was.

This is my view looking up from the base, probably about the top 2/3rds fit in my view finder.

Here I'm using the 6 foot 2 son as a height gauge. The toys at the base of the tree were as tall as he was.

And, here you have it - the nation's tallest fresh cut tree. All 110 feet of it.

The son was generous and decided we could visit the Nike store and the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory which were on either side of the tree. I took the grandson to Toys R Us the other day and he almost went hysterical with excitement. He jabbered non-stop about everything he saw. I was surprised that he felt the same way about the shoe store. He was thrilled with all the orange shoe box stacks, the little sample shoes attached to the rack with stretchy cords and the floor mirrors that he could see himself in. It was SO exciting!

Today I am thankful that

my son actually wanted to do something with his mom for a change.

the grandson likes to nap in his car seat.

Cafe Rhumba was kind of on the way home from the mall. I love their tropical chicken salad. Yum! Yum!

Activity Day Girls Project - Pool Noodle Beads

A couple of months ago the other counselor in the primary presidency was released. The new counselor preferred to be involved with cub scouts and so my responsibilities changed to being the counselor over the 8 to 11 year old girls activity days (HOORAY!). I have enjoyed spending time with these girls. They have been working really hard to memorize all of their articles of faith the past couple of months and now they are great at reciting them and telling everyone what they mean.

Tonight they finally got to work on something different. The girls, and their adult helpers, made pool noodle beads to donate to the ward nursery. The activity day leader had a friend who suggested this project. I tried to find the original blog, to give her credit for the idea, but I couldn't locate it. Just know that there is a creative person out there somewhere that we benefited from and we are grateful.

First we took our pool noodles and cut them into 1 inch slices with a sharp kitchen knife. We used both smooth pool noodles and ones with bumps in them, which created the flower shaped beads.

Then we cut nylon rope into 2 foot lengths. I am not sure how thick our rope was, more than 3/8" though. It was probably a little too thick in my opinion and possibly cut a little too short.

Next, we cut a small x in the center of a cottage cheese container lid. The x just needs to be large enough to feed the rope through (Think of the hole in the top of a soda lid). This could also be done with a drill, making a circle not an x.

After the rope was threaded through the lid, the adult men in our group used a butane torch to fuse the lacing end of the rope. One of our dads had a very manly torch, but a hand held lighter (the longer kind with a nozzle look) would work just as well. The girls flayed out about an inch of the rope on the opposite end and this was also burned to keep the rope from pulling through the lid.

Notice the decorative heart that the "boys" felt the need to burn into the church sidewalk. It had rained and the sidewalk was wet, so there was no permanent damage done. I just think it's cute.

And ta-dah! Here is the finished product.

The girls are all looking forward to presenting their gift to the nursery on Sunday. Doesn't this just make you want to make some of your own? Too bad it's December and there are no pool noodles in any of the stores.

Today I am grateful for

6:00 PM, when the oldest daughter arrived to retrieve the grandson. He was being a stinker today.
getting to work with the activity day girls.
rain that cooled things off and made it seem possible that Christmas is only a week away. I have a hard time feeling motivated to complete my Christmas list when it is 85 degrees outside.

Today I am grateful

for a van that I don't have to share with anyone, even if the check engine light does continually come on for no apparent reason.
that priesthood holders are capable of "leaving it on the court" after they try to kill each other during a church basketball game. I have a little harder time doing that than they do.
that none of my children have posted anything on facebook that got them arrested and that they aren't wandering the United States looking for handouts to buy booze or picking up girls (or boys) to pay their cell phone bills for them.

Things that made me happy today -

Darcy the Dragon.
a little boy in jeans and Toy Story cowboy boots who walks like he just got off his horse.
the church drinking fountain.
memories associated with our Christmas tree ornaments.
Christmas weebles that wobble, but don't fall down.
grandbaby hugs.

The Grandson Performs

Today I'm thankful for

a young men's leader who is smart enough and nice enough to help the youngest son get his car in running order again.
a light bulb testing gun.
Christmas tree lights - they make even an old, crooked tree look magical.

Scary Halloween

A few weeks ago the grandson and I went to DI and brought home a Halloween book called Jack O'Lantern's Scary Halloween by Robert Kraus. It has become his favorite book at Grandma's house and he makes sure we all get a chance to read it with him every day.

It is a cute little story about a Jack O'Lantern, a ghost and a skeleton who go trick or treating together. They visit all their scary friends and get treats, but you'll never guess what happens when they visit the last house on the hill and come face to face with a cute little girl. EEK!

Today I am grateful for

cool weather.
my hubby's ham and cheese omelets.
evidence that we are finally going to get a new roof.

Today I am thankful for

a living prophet.
a husband who knows how to hook the computer up to the TV so we can watch conference as a family.
my 3 men all dressed up and heading off to the Priesthood session of conference together.

Fire Explorers CPR Training

Tonight the youngest son had CPR training for Fire Explorers. He was looking pretty spiffy in his "uniform" when he left home.

Here is tonight's group (click on colored word to see pictures.)
and the son saving a baby, (after he figured out how to put him together) as well as resuscitating a body-less person.
To view all the pictures that were taken tonight go here.

Today I am thankful for

positive learning experiences for the son.
positive sleeping experiences for the grandson.
positive dinner experiences with the hubby.

Eyelashes

Why is it that some little boys are blessed with beautiful, long eyelashes that any girl would love to have?

It just doesn't seem fair, does it?

Labor Day

It's called LABOR Day for a reason.

As you can see, our lawn is as ready for the long, hot summer to be over as I am.

Today I am thankful that

this weekend had 3 days in it.
the youngest son and the hubby helped me do some yard work.
other people think the grandson is as entertaining as I do. It is going to be a rude awakening for both of us when people stop thinking he is adorable.
the youngest daughter arrived safely in Rexburg.

A Message From the Editor

Can I just say it really bugs me when people have a blog and they don't ever post anything on it. It is so frustrating to want to see what they are thinking about today and see nothing. Come on middle-aged mother - get with the program!

Today I am grateful that

my labwork appointment was at 8:00 AM so it was only 98 degrees outside when I was finished.
I got two pieces of blue corban tape instead of just one.
my friend invited me to go somewhere fun with her.
my hubby helped me clean out the freezer in my fridge so there is enough room for a bag of ice.

Today I am thankful

that I don't have a job where I have to work outside in Phoenix in July.
for debit cards - the ease to use them and the ease to cancel them when you lose them.
for thrift stores = cheap fun.

Today I am thankful that

almost all of my missing family members returned home safe and sound.
I belong to the largest women's organization in the world.
I got to bring the leftover watermelon home from Relief Society.

Today I am thankful for

the Tempe library summer adult reading program. Can you say $15.00 Harkins gift card plus free popcorn - just for reading a book. Hooray!
a postcard from my traveling sister.
leftovers for dinner and a husband who is willing to eat them.

Sunday Dinner at Grandma's (and Grandpa's)

Today we had a pretty small group at our house for dinner. It was just the oldest daughter, the grandbaby, the hubby, and me. The son-in-law has been hiking with the scouts at Philmont for the past 12 days (only 2 more to go), the oldest son and the youngest son and their dinner guests are in Idaho/Utah visiting the youngest daughter and the youngest daughter is in Idaho being visited. The grandbaby is feeling a little abandoned by the men in his life and tried to keep a close eye on grandpa today to make sure he didn't disappear too. His bib may say he loves grandma, but he was definitely a grandpa fan today.

When the grandbaby doesn't get food passed to him quickly enough he has taken to yelling at the top of his lungs to make sure we know he is hungry and being ignored. His mom has been working on getting him to make the sign for more instead of screaming.

She is having some success. After he screams a few times, and she shows him the sign and says more a few times, he will make some kind of motion with his hands (he usually claps) and then he gets more food. Here he is demonstrating. Isn't he just the smartest little boy in the whole world?

The high chair he is sitting in is a hand-me-down from my mom's house. I have not been able to determine if it is the high chair I used, but I know it has been in the family for as long as I can remember. Looking at this picture, it appears to have accumulated a lovely gray tint over the years. The tray is very white and clean though. I know it has been replaced since I have been an adult so I'm pretty sure it's not painted with lead paint.
This is what the grandson looks like when he is tired of sitting in the high chair and wants to get out and go home to bed.
I guess the oldest daughter needs to start working on "all done" soon.
Today I am grateful for

creamed peas and potatoes, even runny ones.
extended family members who try to support my family, even when it's not easy.
all the good visiting teachers and home teachers I have had over the years.

We All Fall Down!

Today at church the primary president and the secretary were gone. The other counselor was doing sharing time, so I was the designated runner. I went into nursery to take the roll and see how things were going. It was singing time and the leaders were trying to get the toys picked up so everyone could sing. The children weren't being very cooperative, so I decided to stay and help get the toys in the cupboard. I guess it has been too long since I was in nursery because as I was encouraging helpers and picking a few toys up myself, I tripped over a little boy who had wrapped himself around my leg. I knew I was going to be sitting on the floor soon and I had visions of this small child smashed beneath me. I grabbed him on the way down and we ended up sitting next to each other. I looked at him and said, "We both fell down, but we're ok, right?" He looked at me and started laughing. He laughed and laughed, stood up, brushed his hands off and said, "Again!" Obviously falling down is easier when you are 2 and 2 feet tall than it is when you are my age. He thought it was a fun game, and I was just grateful that nothing was broken.
It was interesting that as soon as I was seating on the floor I suddenly became every child's favorite person. I immediately had a lapful of friends who wanted to share their toys or tell me their stories. Some of my former nursery children like to pretend they don't know who I am anymore, so it was fun to feel like I belonged again for a few minutes. The nursery leaders probably wished I hadn't stayed to help clean up since I was more of a distraction than a help.

Today I am thankful that

I am not moving.
I am not the Relief Society president.
my family still sits around the dinner table and laughs, every once in a while.

Today I am grateful for

the golden glow over the entire world at sunset.
boys (and girlfriends) who made us pizza for dinner and delivered it to our door.
strawberry shortcake from Church's Chicken.
the scriptures, the conference edition of the Ensign, and time to read both.

I love to see the temple

I'm going there today

To feel the holy spirit

To listen and to pray.


Tonight was our ward Relief Society temple night and I really wasn't too excited about going. I love to go to the temple, but I would much rather go to a session during the daytime and I am lucky enough that that is usually an option for me. It is much more difficult for me to want to go to the temple in the evening and when I do I like to make a point of taking my hubby with me, since that is the only time he can usually go. I have been in a very anti-social mood lately and I really didn't want to go and be friendly with anyone, even my Relief Society sisters that I really like. However, I have come to find out that when I don't feel like doing something that is probably the very thing I NEED to do, so off I went to the temple. I'm glad I did! There were only 5 of us there and 2 of the sisters are much older, nearly blind and not in the best of health. I'm sure they would have chosen to attend the temple at a more "convenient" time, but I was touched by their dilligence and their willingness to give service in the temple. These are 2 women that I believe are close to perfect and I would love to grow up to be like them. I was glad that tonight I had made a choice that moved me a few steps forward along the path to exaltation with these good examples. It was such a sweet experience to share hugs with them in the celestial room and to feel of their love and the love of my Heavenly Father. Today I am thankful for my eyesight. temple night with a few of my Relief Society sisters. an excuse to hang out with some good friends for some food and friendship - doesn't happen nearly often enough.

Father Lehi and the Tree of Life

I ran across this video and felt it was a wonderful Father's Day tribute. Back when this Lehi (the artist) was just a preschooler, his father was the "father" of the BYU Lamanite singles ward and my hubby served as his counselor in the bishopric when we were first married. We learned a lot from Bishop Sanchez and he has been a great example of a righteous father, not only to his own children, but to many, many other individuals over the years.



The other day when I went to the temple, I was impressed with the beautiful sunflowers they have planted this year. They give the temple a very different look, a somewhat masculine appearance. I decided that I would like to go to the temple on Father's day and take some pictures of my kids with their father and the sunflowers. By the time we finished Father's day dinner (and dessert) with the very extended family it was almost too dark for picture taking but we still managed to get a few good ones. We missed the youngest daughter, who still maintains that she is the very best Father's day present her dad ever received. She was born 22 years ago yesterday, on Father's Day. Just imagine her cute, smiling face right there with the rest of them.


My children are very fortunate to have the wonderful, supportive father that they were blessed with. He is a good example to all of us, but especially to his sons. I hope they grow up to be righteous fathers just like their dad.



Today I am thankful for

the father of my children.
cooperative family members.
Pima tacos and banana splits.

Smile!

This is the grandson's new "happy face".

It makes me feel pretty happy too!

My Little Rocking Chair

One of the purposes of our most recent trip to Utah was to collect the remainder of my inherited furniture from where it was being stored in my sister's basement. One of the items we brought home was my little rocking chair.

Here is the grandson taking it for a test drive. He did smile when I rocked him in it, but he was a little bit concerned most of the time.
I have two very distinct memories of this chair from my childhood. One of them is of riding it down the stairs to the basement in our house on the hill. I did this on purpose and I'm pretty sure numerous times. It was a lot of fun.
My other memory is of sitting in this chair the very last time I ever remember throwing up. I was still pretty young because I know I still fit in the chair. I have a strong stomach and I don't throw up - even though there have been times in my life when I really wished I could, because I'm sure it would have made me feel better.
I'm glad my mom has taken such good care of my chair for so many years. My kids used to enjoy going to Grandma's house and rocking her "babies" in it. Now it's time for my grandchildren to have a turn.

Today I am thankful for

a grandbaby to share my chair with.
childhood memories.
my sister's basement.

Family Home Evening Activity

I was hoping that our family home evening activity tonight would include my family all gathering around me and offering unlimited, extremely helpful suggestions for the girl's camp bishopric skit that I have once again been commissioned to write. Apparently my first skit attempt was successful enough to merit an encore. Unfortunately, I am facing a severe case of writer's block or in other words I have no idea what to write. No idea whatsoever and it was pretty much supposed to be written last week.
This exact situation is one of the biggest excuses I use for not writing the novel that I sometimes believe is lurking in my little brain. What if I wrote a book and it was amazing and wonderful and a best seller and the publishing company asked for a sequel and there was nothing else hiding out in my head. Absolutely nothing! What could be worse?
The only thing I can think of that could possibly be more horrible is if my amazing, wonderful, best selling book was so amazing that someone wanted to make it into a movie, but the film company felt that the way I had written my story wasn't quite amazing and wonderful enough for the big screen and they wanted to totally change the underlying theme that I had so purposely and painstakingly developed (as in the movie version of the Christmas Shoes) or wanted to completely change the ending of the book (as in the movie version of My Sister's Keeper). That is reason enough to never ever become an author.
Wow, this blog has totally gone off on a tangent.
Back to Family Home Evening - the male members of the family felt that a trip to the local theater to view the blockbuster film "The Prince of Persia" would be a much better use of their valuable time tonight. While the movie turned out to be better than I had expected, my mind is now full of visions of a bishopric brotherhood waving magic daggers and defying death while jumping off of amazingly tall buildings accompanied by a scantily dressed young woman and a suicidal ostrich who drinks diet Coke and eats buttered popcorn. At least I finally have an idea to build on and I'm pretty sure if I run with it there won't be a third skit to write next year.

Today I am thankful for

bonding time with my youngest son.
air-conditioning.
cheaper family night movie tickets at Cinemark plus free popcorn.

They've Got Their Daddy's Toes

First it was the youngest son,

Twice.

Then it was the oldest son's turn.

Now the oldest daughter has proof too.

They all got their Daddy's toes - the ingrown ones that is.

Today I am thankful that

I have avoided ingrown toenails in my life, so far.
I got to spend some extra time with the hubby today.
my daughter brought me flowers just because.

How We Celebrate

Today was the hubby's birthday. He is now a year older than he was yesterday. It is our family tradition to go out to dinner to celebrate some one's birthday and the birthday boy (or girl) gets to choose where we go. The hubby chose to visit the Golden Corral buffet. We all got lots to eat except the grandson. He kept trying to get Grandpa to share

but finally he just had to resort to eating the table.

After dinner we hung out in the parking lot opening gifts, visiting, taking pictures and entertaining the other restaurant patrons.

Once again the son-in-law had to go to class instead of party. I guess that's what he gets for taking a class on Monday night.

It may not sound very exciting to you, but it's how we like to celebrate and I enjoyed myself immensely.

Today I am grateful for

MY HUSBAND! I am so lucky to be married to the most wonderful man in the world and I'm looking forward to celebrating a lot more birthdays with him.

Surprise sales at JC Penney that made the birthday gifts a real bargain.
beautiful spring evenings in Arizona.

Spanish Fork Bank Breakdown

In the fall of 1975 my family was in the process of moving from Heber City, Utah to Spanish Fork, Utah. My dad had been transferred to the Spanish Fork branch of First Security Bank and he and my mom had decided to build a new house a few blocks away from the bank after failing to find a home in the area that they wanted to purchase. When it came time for school to start my brother was a freshman at BYU and I was a junior in high school. It was determined that even though our house possibly wouldn't be completed until the start of 1976, I should begin the school year at Spanish Fork High School. This was not a very popular decision with me. I was still technically living in Heber, where all of my friends were, but spent most of my days in Spanish Fork, where I knew no one and I didn't like it.

Each morning we would arise early and my dad, my brother and I would head down Provo Canyon. My brother was dropped off at BYU and then my dad and I would continue on to Spanish Fork where he would deposit me at the High School before going on to the bank. I usually rode in the back seat of the car where it was easy to go back to sleep until we arrived in SF. I can still vividly remember the sound of the tires crossing over the cattle guard at the foot of the Spanish Fork freeway exit. That dreaded noise indicated that it was time to sit up and face a new day of anonymity at my new school when all I wanted to do was continue sleeping or go back home. When the school day finally ended I would walk the 2 blocks to the bank where I would check in with my dad, if he wasn't helping a customer, and then I would take up residence in the employee lounge in the basement of the bank until 5:30 or 6:00 PM when my dad could leave work.

As this daily schedule continued I began to feel that the bank was my home away from home. There were frequently treats on the lounge table that I could indulge in and always a pot of coffee percolating on the counter. I have never drunk coffee in my life, but that smell seemed very comforting to me for some reason, and made the little space seem almost homey. As I would sit and do my homework or read a book, the bank employees would wander in and out and ask me about school or my day. There were several women who were especially kind to me and I began to look forward to my visits with them. As I entered the bank in the afternoon I could always count on being greeted warmly by someone as I passed through on my way to the stairs. The bank started to become a place where I felt like I belonged, while I often spent the rest of the day trying to figure out where I fit in. I would still have preferred to be a Wasatch Wasp, but my time at the bank made the thought of becoming a Spanish Fork Don a little less painful.

At the end of December my family finally moved from Heber, where we had sold our home, and took up temporary residence in Payson, Utah with my Grandpa since our house still wasn't finished. Now that we actually lived in Utah County, my days at the bank became fewer and further apart since my mom or my brother could usually pick me up as soon as school got out. Then in February of 1976 we finally became official Spanish Fork residents and my afternoons at the bank became a thing of the past. However, every time I visited the bank, I still felt like I was welcomed as a member of the family and I continued to feel like this was a place where I belonged.

Fast forward 35 years - I haven't lived in Spanish Fork for close to 30 years, my dad hasn't been the manager of the First Security Bank there for more than 25 years, and it has probably been at least 15 years since I have actually been inside what is now the Wells Fargo Bank at 99 North Main Street in Spanish Fork. I have promised my sister that I will stop there on my way to Idaho and sign some papers that need to be signed in order to stop my dad's retirement checks that my mom has been receiving each month. The person I need to talk to is helping another customer and so I take a seat and wait for my turn.

The bank has been remodeled several times since the months that I felt like I practically lived here. The bathroom isn't where it belongs and the back stairs to the basement have disappeared. All of the higher management desks are now surrounded by clear plastic sound walls that present a somewhat stand offish attitude and all of the tellers behind the counter look like they could be my sons. I am treated cordially and with respect, but no one is welcoming me home as their long lost family member. As I sit with my back to the large bank vault, that is still right where it is suppose to be, and watch the familiar wooden gate, protecting the front staircase, swing back and forth behind an employee on his way to the basement break room, I am hit by a wave of nostalgia and homesickness that takes me by surprise.
I miss my dad.
I miss my mom.
I miss my friends at the bank.
I miss the feeling of belonging that I use to feel in this building.
I even miss those long ago days as a Spanish Fork Don that ended up being much better than I could have imagined during the final months of 1975.

I feel the tears begin to well up in my eyes and hope that I can complete my transaction before I have a complete breakdown. Thankfully, it is soon my turn to be helped and I maintain my composure until I walk out the back door, which isn't suppose to be there by the way, and into the parking lot. The youngest daughter seems to be OK with the fact that I feel the need to cry from Spanish Fork to Bountiful and since she is the one driving it doesn't matter that I can't see anything anyway.

Today I am thankful for

a daughter that is willing to stop and shop the sales with me.
a daughter that makes hotel reservations and knows how to order pizza.
extra McDonalds napkins.

Family Night Farewell Picnic

Tonight we all enjoyed a picnic at the park in honor of the youngest daughter leaving the big city to return to small town Idaho. It was such a pretty spring evening and we had fun just hanging out together.

We ate lots of yummy food

and played on the swings.

The youngest daughter thought it would be fun to drink out of the doggy drinking fountain.

Perhaps that's how they do it in the country. I thought it was kind of gross though.

We attempted a group photo on the slide before we left. We laughed and laughed and laughed and took lots of funny shots, but this was the best pose we ended up with. The son-in-law had a class tonight so he didn't get to join us and the extra is the former roommate who is still occasionally a member of our family.

We are going to miss you youngest daughter. Don't have too much fun without us.

Today I am grateful for

a daughter who organized our family picnic.
laughter.
my family.

He Knows Better Than I

A couple of days ago one of my youngest son's Sunday School teachers died. He was quite young and has 5 children, ages 16 to 2, 3 under the age of 5. There is some question as to the cause of death, but it is most likely that he died of a drug overdose or committed suicide. He has struggled most of his life with some mental illness and drug abuse. He served a mission and married in the temple, but has had long periods of inactivity followed by a renewed desire to do what is right. His family only lived in our ward for about 6 months, but it was during one of his better periods and he had a very positive influence on my son's life. His death has been difficult for my son to understand and I have also struggled with how much information I should share with him as I hear rumors and stories from many different sources. I have chosen to discuss openly all of the possibilities that I can reasonably substantiate, believing that I would rather he hear it from me and we talk about it than he hear it through gossip and silently wonder and worry about it.

Today after church my son asked me "Why are some people's lives so much harder than others?" This is a question that I often ask myself. It seems like no matter how hard some people try they always have challenges while it seems that life just kind of flows along happily for others. I didn't really know how to answer his question. We talked about how sometimes choices that we make or that other people make result in consequences that bring difficulties with them. I also told him that I think Heavenly Father allows us to have challenges so we can learn the things we need to know here on earth and become the person we need to be. I didn't really feel like my answers had made a difference and I wondered what more I could say. I asked his dad and they discussed the subject for awhile with a lot of the same ideas brought out again. Still, I wondered what he was really thinking about the whole question.

Later in the day this son was sitting in the living room singing. He enjoys singing and I will often hear him repeating his current favorite song over and over again. As he sang I tuned in to hear what song was number 1 on his list at the moment. As he sang the same portion of the song a number of times, I didn't recognize it, but the words became clear to me. What he was repeating was a chorus that said:

You know better than I
you know the way
I've let go the need to know why
For you know better than I.

I still didn't recognize the song, but the message of the song was familiar to me. I felt that this was in part an answer to my question of where my son stood following our discussion from earlier in the day. To me he was acknowledging his faith that I may not have all the answers, and his dad might not have all the answers, but his Heavenly Father has the answers to why. Along with that, the fact that he doesn't know why right now is OK, because God knows why and he knows better than any of us.

I asked the son what the song was and he said it was from the DVD "Joseph King of Dreams". I went online and looked up all the words to the song and was really touched by the entire message.

I thought I did what's right
I thought I had the answers
I thought I chose the surest road
But that road brought me here
So I put up a fight
And told you how to help me
Now just when I have given up
The truth is coming clear

Chorus 1:
You know better than I
You know the way
I've let go the need to know why
For You know better than I

If this has been a test
I cannot see the reason
But maybe knowing
I don't know is part of getting through
I tried to do what's best
But faith has made it easy
To see the best thing i can do
Is to put my trust in You.

Chorus 2
For, You know better than I
You know the way
I've let go the need to know why
For You know better than I

Coda:
I saw one cloud and thought it was a sky
I saw a bird and thought that I could follow
But it was You who taught that bird to fly
If i let You reach me
Will You teach me.
(Repeat Chorus )

For, You know better than I
You know the way
I've let go the need to know why
I'll take what answers you supply
You know better than I

I have developed a great love for the story of Joseph over the years. I am amazed by all the things that had to happen to Joseph in order for him to be who he was meant to be and for him to be in a position to literally save his family from death. If he had not been sold into bondage or thrown into prison what would have happened to him and his extended family when the famine occurred? Knowing the end of the story helps me to see the power of God's love and watchful care during the entire experience.

If I could know the end of the story would I better understand the difficulties that occur in my life and in the lives of others? Maybe, but I don't believe I am meant to know the end of the story yet. I need to have faith that Heavenly Father is aware of what is going on. I need to remember that He loves each one of His children, he knows the individual challenges that we each face and he sees the whole picture much better than I do. For right now that is enough for me to know and hopefully it is something that my son is learning as well.

Today I am grateful for

the opportunity to be at church in my own ward. Does it mean I have spent too much time on the road recently if the first thing I do when I sit down on the church bench is look for my seat belt and then I can't concentrate during the meeting because I don't fell safe because I'm not buckled in?
movies that contain positive messages and children who are willing to watch them.
a lesson reminded of by my son.

Random Questions from my Week

What is it I am looking for that I can't ever seem to find?
Why does the car seat always seem to be where it's not suppose to be?
Why does everything seem simpler in theory than in real life?
How was I so lucky to find the man I married?
Why don't I always appreciate him like I should?
Where am I going to put it?
How do you teach a baby to crawl?
Why would I want a baby to know how to crawl?
Why am I such a loser visiting teacher?
Why do I have a debit card in my purse that expired in 2008?
Do I have another one somewhere that hasn't expired?
Why tell me half the story if you're not going to tell me the other half?
Why does prom have to cost so much?
Why does a baby sleep so much better in someone's arms than in a bed?
Where is my son ever going to wear that ribbon shirt?
At what age do people stop smiling with their whole face?
How would I feel if my son didn't come home at night?
Why is General Conference not being broadcast on public television where I live?
Why does an airplane ticket from Idaho Falls to Phoenix cost $500 and require 2 layovers?
Why does punishing your children frequently require punishing yourself as well?
Why is it so hard for me to push the publish button on all the blog drafts I have written?
What's for dinner?
Who's eating dinner here?
Why did you buy pizza 30 minutes before dinner?
Why do people think making a bad choice will make their life easier?
Why do other people's choices have to affect so many people besides themselves?
Where could my library card be?
Why do we buy toys for kids when they would rather play with an empty soda cup, a water bottle and a pile of junk mail?
Why would anyone choose a hard boiled egg over one filled with money or one made of chocolate?
Why can't I enjoy the beautiful 80 degree weather instead of worrying about when it's going to hit 100?
Can post-partum depression last 26 years?
and the ever popular...
Why do I do the things I do when I know the things I know?

Free Zoo Trip #2

Today the oldest daughter and I took the grandbaby on his second trip to the zoo. Perhaps you remember that his first zoo trip was rather boring, in his opinion, and he slept through the entire visit. The baby enjoyed this outing a lot more. He loved looking at everything. Here he is looking at all the cute kids looking at the elephant.

Now he is checking out the really nice fence surrounding the same elephant.

In this picture he is completely intrigued by the water bottle on the stroller.

He loved looking at everything - except the animals.

Try as we might, we couldn't get him to look at a single animal.

As we were heading for the exit, at the end of our visit, we paused in the back of an animal show for a few minutes. All of the sudden the grandbaby started squealing and throwing himself around with excitement. I momentarily thought he was impressed with the snake on the stage, but then I looked around. Nope, it definitely wasn't the snake. It was an entire stroller full of water bottles.

Now, that is something to get excited about.

It was a good thing that the daughter and I had decided right from the start that we were going to the zoo for our enjoyment, to get some exercise and to bask in the beautiful spring weather and not for the baby. The trip definitely met our criteria and was worth every penny we paid for it and a little bit more. Free is hard not to enjoy.