HOT

Tonight we were all sitting in the living room,
along with the oldest daughter and her hubby,
when the youngest son declared
"I am so Hot!"
Now, we all know that this child
sometimes has a fairly high opinion of himself
but we were a little taken back
by his announcement.
Then he asked
if he could open the window
and we all realized he was talking
about the room temperature
and not his looks.
Whoops.
Our bad.
We were suppose to have
a record breaking high temperature
of 90 degrees today,
but it only got to 88.

Later on I took this picture of the son
because I thought
he was actually doing homework
and I wanted to document the moment.

However when I looked closer
I realized he was
just checking his face book page
and not doing homework at all.

My bad again.

His fashion consultant sister
bought him this
new amazing purple shirt
that he wore to school today.
He had about 39 people
tell him he looked nice
and got at least 4 or 5 hugs.
Who knows?
Maybe he is hot
or maybe it's just
the long sleeved shirt.

Road Block

The oldest son's wedding has hit a road block.
The road block is not really a surprise.
We have been aware that it existed for a while now.
There have been warning signs flashing
along the road as we have moved toward our destination.
Every now and then we have even caught a glimpse of it
off in the distance and wondered
if there would come a time when it
might impede our forward progress.
Road workers were consulted
and they predicted that most likely,
with caution and some help
from an experienced road crew,
it could be navigated around.
That's why most of us were a little taken by surprise
when today we got right next to the road block
and discovered it's actual size.


What had appeared to be rather small and manageable
from a few miles away
now appears quite massive and a little scary.
And the hardest part of all
is that while many of us can stand here
and offer support and suggestions
the heavy duty road block removal
has fallen on the tiny shoulders of the fiancee.
It is her road block to conquer.
At the moment she's not sure if she is up to the task.
The road block appears huge
and she is so small.
She has known for a long time that this road block
was going to have to be approached
and dealt with at some point in her journey
but now that she is face to face with it
she doesn't have a clue how to make a dent
in this gigantic mountain before her.
She is feeling overwhelmed and discouraged.
It seems like it would be easier to just give up.
Perhaps turn around and take a different route,
but now that she has acknowledged the road block
it seems to stop her progess
no matter which direction she turns.
She is stuck.
I hope she can realize
that she doesn't really have to remove
this road block all by herself.
Her loving Savior, Jesus Christ,
is an expert at getting rid of
seemingly insurmountable obstacles
and he is waiting right there
ready and willing to help
as soon as she asks.
We, on the other hand,
are just waiting
and praying.

Milkshakes and Movies

The oldest son had some oral surgery done yesterday. He had 2 spots in his mouth where there were holes in his bone and they had to cut his gum and fill the holes with cadaver bone. He has been spending a lot of time sitting on the couch with an ice pack held to his mouth.
I stocked up on lots of soft food for him to eat during his recovery and he has been using this as a good excuse to consume a few milkshakes as well.

Today he decided to host a Mighty Ducks Movie Marathon. Somehow I was sucked into the excitement of the event and spent most of my day keeping him company. It had been a long time since I had watched one of the Mighty Ducks movies and I can now say I've watched all three of them in about 5 hours. The sacrifices we mothers have to make for our children.

No More Merit Badges

Tonight our scout troop had a Court of Honor that I attended. It is always fun to see all the young men accept responsibility and accomplish their goals by earning merit badges and rank advancements. There were a lot of awards given out tonight. It often seems like in the church once boys turn 14 their progress in scouting seems to really slow down or stop completely. Tonight all the Life Scouts were challenged to not quit but to keep moving and receive their Eagle Rank. My youngest son was one of these scouts. His Scoutmaster officially told him that he could "stop earning merit badges". He has enough.

Now if he can just push himself a little bit longer and harder and get that Eagle project completed. He is so close. He is not sure that this is important to him, but I know that someday it will be. I hope he can hang in there and just do it!

Today I am thankful for

the scouting program that has helped my sons learn to set goals and accomplish them.
scout leaders who expect my son to rise to his potential.
friends to sit by at church meetings.

Food Affection

Last time I was in Utah my sister-in-law made the comment that a lot of my blogs and the blogs of my children seem to include a great number of posts concerning food. Unfortunately, I had to agree with her. My family seems to have a strong affection for food. I like to use the excuse that I only take pictures of the family when we are eating out, but that really isn't totally true. It just seems like many of our memories and activities center around food. Each year when we visit Utah, I'm afraid our agenda is based more on where we are gong to eat than what we are going to do. I realize this is a problem and I have tried to change at times, but it is a hard habit to break.
I have been doing some sorting and organizing in my bedroom recently and I ran across my life history that I wrote for a Genealogy class I took at BYU. It was somewhat discouraging to realize that this "completed" personal history, that was written in 1983, now has more missing years than recorded ones, but that's beside the point. I read the first page and immediately figured out where my food affection came from. There was a paragraph with some memories my dad had written of my birth and this was part of his description of the hospital where I was born "the cook who worked in a rather large kitchen on the ground floor fixed excellent meals and mother always enjoyed her stay which generally lasted four or five days." There it is. My birth was celebrated by my mother with delicious hospital food and my father associated my arrival with that memory. It appears that both of my parents would have had a lot of food posts as well if blogs had been around in 1959. Apparently it's a genetic thing.

Orange Blossoms

My husband, 3 of our children and I moved to Arizona 20 years ago this month. This really wasn't a move I was excited about since I was leaving behind a lot of my extended family and many friends. However, this was where my hubby had a job, so I knew I needed to adjust and learn to be happy. It took a while for this to feel like home, but I did quickly find some things that I appreciated about my new residence. The very first thing I fell in love with following our arrival were the orange blossoms. I can still remember the evening when I walked down the street to the church to attend an enrichment meeting and was almost overwhelmed with the sweet, wonderful scent of all the orange trees in bloom. I had never smelled anything like it before. I still love to breath in that marvelous fragrance every year as Spring arrives.


Today my companion and I finished up our visiting teaching for the month. After we were done talking with our sister she suggested that we go out in her backyard and pick ourselves a bag full of oranges. She wanted the oranges off the trees before the new buds actually turned into blossoms and we were happy to be of help after all visiting teaching is all about service isn't it? I enjoyed the fragrant aroma as I stuffed my bag with large, beautiful fruit. After we left her home and were driving down the road those wonderful blossoms hit us in full force though. My companion and I took turns sniffling and sneezing all the way to my house and could both hardly breath by the time we arrived. Those orange blossoms may smell fabulous, but they sure set off my allergies. I still think it's worth it though.

Today I am grateful for

my son(s) that loves to sing.
free oranges.
boys that aren't afraid to watch "The Little Mermaid" for family home evening and enjoy it.

He's Back!

My oldest son has been fighting a bad cold and cough for a while now. That, paired with a disappointment concerning his future educational pursuits, has caused him to be unnaturally solemn and very quiet over the weekend. I was extremely happy this morning when he started the day singing songs from Annie. The sun may be going to come out tomorrow, but I felt like it was already shining today when I got my loquacious son back. Sometimes his younger brother complains about his singing, but my home just doesn't feel quite right without it. Welcome back boy!

Gone

I just heard that the husband half of the couple that I enjoyed lunch with on Wednesday passed away this afternoon. He has had heart problems for quite awhile, but it's still hard to believe I just saw him and now he is gone. Usually when I go to someone's funeral I find out all about the life they lived and I wish that I had taken time to get to know them better when they were still around. I am glad that I had the chance to spend some time with this gentleman and share some of his memorable experiences while I could still comment on them and discuss them with him. I will always have a great last memory of him.

One Year Older

Tonight the hubby and I attended a Luau

in honor of the 50th birthday

of our neighbor, friend and bishop

as well as the 50th birthday

of the state of Hawaii.

It was fun to spend time

with lots of good friends

visiting and eating Hawaiian Haystacks.

One of my favorite parts of the event

was singing "Happy Birthday".

At our Arizona family birthday parties

the birthday song singing

is usually a painful experience.

I have a hard time figuring out

if we are all very horrible singers

or if singing off key

is just a beloved family tradition

that we want to preserve.

Tonight however "Happy Birthday to You"

actually sounded happy.

In fact, we sounded so good

that the honoree requested an encore.

We then endeavored to see

how many Primary Birthday songs we could come up with.

"You've had a birthday; shout "Hooray!"

We want to sing to you today.

One year older and wiser, too.

Happy Birthday to you."

"This month is such a special one;

It's birthday time for you.

We'd really like to celebrate

your happy day with you.

Zip-a-dee-ay and heigh-dee-ho,

Here's something we can do.

We'll sing a song that we all know,

Happy Birthday to You!"

"'Feliz Cupleanos'

that's how they say it in Spain."

I thought this one was especially appropriate

since the bishop served his mission in Spain,

but that's the only line

we could remember from the song.

We also couldn't skip

the old favorite

"Happy, happy birthday bishop dear.

Happy days will come to you all year.

If I had one wish then it would be

a happy, happy birthday to you from me."

It's amazing to me the flood

of warm memories

that these silly songs

bring to my mind.

Thoughts of enthusiastic actions,

specific individuals

singing with all their hearts,

little children growing older and older

each year until they left primary

and moved on to young womens

or became priesthood holders.

Oh, so many, many happy moments

and special people I remember

all because of some birthday songs.

Today I am thankful for

primary music.
old friends, and I'm not referring to someone turning 50 because I no longer consider that old.
one clean window.

Beach???

For the past two years I have spent a week at the beach in June with a few other women. The first year I took my oldest daughter and last year my younger daughter accompanied me. At the end of last year's trip we were informed that the condo that we have stayed in was going to be torn down and replaced with a time share hotel and we would need to find a new place to stay. We were all very heartbroken.

For the past couple of weeks I have heard rumors that the condo is in fact still standing and that a beach trip was being planned. Even though I hadn't been invited I was feeling sad that I had my oldest son's wedding scheduled during "Beach Week" and I wouldn't be able to attend. Today I received a message on my answering machine that the beach trip is on and taking place a week earlier this year (June 6-June 13) and that I am invited to join the fun if I am interested.

Interested??? Why of course I am!

Do you think it's selfish and unrealistic to consider going to the beach the week before my son's wedding? The daughter who's turn it is this year to go thinks it's a marvelous idea. I'm still tossing it back and forth. Decisions, Decisions.

On the Inside

Most mornings after all my family members have departed for their respective destinations, I sit in my living room chair and read my scriptures and an Ensign article while the sun streams in my big front window. It is a very pleasant part of my day, except for the fact that this window really needs to be washed. It is covered with dust and smudges and all manner of debris that interferes with my view. Each morning I lament to myself the fact that I live in Arizona with its dust storms that are extremely hard on windows. This morning I finally decided that I needed to quit mentally complaining and do something about the problem. I filled a bucket full of warm water and vinegar and headed outside to tackle the task. I was curious how many times I would have to empty the bucket and refill it with clean water to get rid of all the dirt. I washed and wiped and washed and wiped and washed and wiped some more. I was a little surprised that even though I was working really hard the windows weren't looking that much cleaner and my water really wasn't getting that dirty. Finally I realized that the majority of the problem wasn't on the outside part of the window, but rather on the inside. I finished up outside and went inside to see what I could accomplish. It was amazing how almost immediately the view was so much clearer. I started thinking about how this experience might apply to my life. How often do I perceive my "messes" as being on the outside? Someone else is the problem and if I could just get rid of that outside interference everything would be so much better. However, considering what I realized this morning, I wonder if perhaps the biggest problem might not actually be an internal one. Maybe if I started with myself and got rid of the dust and dirt and smudges on the inside, within myself, my vision and my life would immediately improve. It's something worth thinking about.

Stiffnecked

I have had a sore neck for the past couple of days. It never fails to amaze me how frequently and relatively painlessly I turn my head every day and then one morning I wake up and "Ouch". If something is not directly in front of me I don't need to see it. My neck it not moving.
I asked my youngest son what I should do about my neck and he said I should stretch it. I have been doing my giraffe imitations, but they don't seem to be helping.
I decided to ask for my youngest daughter's opinion. She used to really be into anatomy and read medical dictionaries for fun. Maybe she would have a helpful suggestion. I told her "I have a stiff neck. What should I do?" She thought about it for a minute and replied "Perhaps you should pray to Heavenly Father to soften it." While that wasn't quite the response I was looking for I thought it was a good one.
Sometimes I can't help but think how totally right on discriptive words in the scriptures are. When someone is called stiffnecked I know exactly what is meant. I can relate with that condition, physically and yes, probably even spiritually once in a while.
Now if I could just figure out how to say the word stiffnecked I would be all set. Is it stiffneck-T or stiffneck-ED. I know it's repent-ED, repeat-ED, and post-ED. I know it's search-T, ponder-D and pray-D. I would say it is stiffneck-T since it is kick-T and cook-T, but then when the word is stiffneckedness that just doesn't seem to work. It has to be stiffneck-EDness not stiffneck-Tness, doesn't it?
I admit to being a hick from a small town in Utah who doesn't always speak correctly, in the opinion of some people, so can someone please help me out here?

No Such Thing As a Free Lunch?

The saying goes that there is no such thing as a free lunch, but even though I understand the sentiment expressed in this statement, there are times when I feel inclined to disagree.

This has been a week of free lunches for me so far.

Monday the oldest daughter had the day off of work for President's day, but her hubby still had to go to school, poor guy, so she asked me if I would like to take a road trip in her new car to Glendale for a salad at Rumba Cafe. Once, a long time ago, there used to be a Rumba Cafe in Mesa and my family, friends and I frequented it often, but one day it closed and we were all sad. Every now and then we get the urge to take a drive and eat some good food. This was one of those every now and thens. The daughter drove and paid for lunch.

Free Lunch - Day 1!

Yes, I probably have bought her lunch in the past and yes, I will probably be expected to do something nice for her sometime in the future, and there is always the possibility that that lunch will put her over the financial edge and she will end up having to move in with me to save money, but for today, my lunch was free.

Thank you dear daughter.

My visiting teaching companion and I have been helping one of our visiting teachees sort and pack and organize her belongings as she prepares to move to Missouri. This project has been going on for a l-o-n-g time. We are finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel or more accurately the taillights on the 3rd moving van heading for the new home and so yesterday we celebrated and the recipient of our help treated us to lunch. We went to a restaurant called Iguana Macks in Mesa. It calls itself a roadhouse and had some very eclectic food and unique decor. They are known for their ciabbata bread and dipping sauce and I will agree that it was very tasty, as was my soup and salad lunch special. At the end of lunch the bill passed right over me.

Free Lunch - Day 2!

OK, I do realize that I definitely invested more time and energy in this endeavor than what the lunch probably cost, but the lunch was a bonus and somewhat unexpected, and therefore I am calling it free.

Thank you dear Relief Society sister.

Today brought my visiting teaching companion and I together once again armed with packing tape and a sharpie marker. We were surprised when we arrived at the almost empty home to discover that we were invited to be guests at the next door neighbor's house for lunch. The neighbors are a very hospitable older couple who are also members of the church. The wife is Hawaiian and Japanese and grew up in Hawaii and she and her husband spend at least a few months every year in Hawaii where they own a home, store and restaurant which they lease to a cousin there. They are a delightful couple with lots of interesting stories that they enjoy sharing. We were served Teriaki pork sandwiches and fried rice and it was delicious. I don't really know this couple very well, since health problems and travel have kept them from attending church on a regular basis since our wards were combined, but I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with them and hearing about all the adventures they have had during their lives.

Free Lunch - Day 3!

I do honestly believe that this could truly be considered a free lunch. I didn't do anything to deserve this and I don't think there is anything expected from me in return. We were told that we were eating leftovers that would otherwise have gone to waste. They can feed me their leftovers anytime.

Thank you dear neighbors.

Today I am thankful for

nice people.
an upbeat phone call from my mom.
the freedom to sit and listen to stories if I want to.

How Does He Love Me?

I think perhaps the title of this post should be "Why does he love me?" rather than "How" because often I realize that I am definitely not the easiest person to love. I am grateful for a husband who is willing to overlook by many quirks and love me anyway, in his own way. My morning started with french toast lovingly prepared by my man. Later on in the day he was seen up to his elbows in the kitchen sink. How can you not love a man who washes dishes? His finale was taking my van to the carwash so it would once again be its beautiful, sparkly, valentine red.

To his credit he did ask me if I was interested in dinner out or a movie, but I don't enjoy fighting the crowds on this special holiday. I was totally happy to sit at home with my signigicant other feeling very content and very, very loved. Thanks Sweetheart!

Today I am thankful for

my sweetheart.
three day weekends.
events that get my whole family together.

Back Off

We had a ward talent show tonight and it was fun to get to go and enjoy some time with the other members of the ward. The hubby and I went as a two-some since all of our family members had other plans. I like to see our nursery children in settings other than nursery and see how they respond to me. I sat on the floor of the gym and played ball with one of them, and another one enjoyed sitting on my lap and melting ice cubes in his hands all over the two of us. They make me feel loved and important. It is kind of sad though that the nursery group that moved up to Sunbeams in January don't seem to want to be bothered by me any more. I started talking to one of the little boys and he held up his hand in front of him, in a stop sign, and firmly stated, "I'm in primary now." In other words, "Back Off. I've moved on and I don't need you to hold my hand or wipe my nose or dry my tears or build block towers for me to knock down or take me potty anymore. I am bigger now." It took me back for a moment and then it just made me laugh. For the rest of the night, when I would see him, I'd say "Oh, you're in Primary now." and then the two of us would both giggle about it.

Backing Off is something that I have a very difficult time with. Just ask my husband and my kids. It is hard for me to see my own children, as they grow up, raising their hands signifying stop every now and then. So many of their words and actions and gestures seem to say "I'm bigger now and I don't need you". It always takes me back for a moment and their unintentional snubs are harder to laugh off than those of the nursery kids. It is kind of funny when you think about it. This is what we work for all of our children's growing up years. To raise responsible, independent, self-assured children who are capable of taking care of themselves. Who don't need their mommy to hold their hand or wipe there nose... When they are moving forward in this endeavor I should applaud and pat myself on the back not feel sad. And yet, there is something about not being needed that is a little unnerving. I do want my children to grow up. I do want them to be independent and self-assured and responsible. I do want them to have their own lives and their own friends and their own families and their own homes and their own dreams, but every once in a while I want them to remember that they still need me, even if it is only to wipe their tears when someone knocks their tower down or to share their joy when they get it to stand up tall and steady.

Message to my children - I love you. I am learning to let go, but sometimes it is hard. Please be patient with me.

Today I am thankful for

a ward family.
good food that I didn't have to prepare.
a husband who still likes to go places with me.

Insignificant Flaxing on the Left

This was the message I received from my doctor's office today. Would anyone like to interpret it for me??

Today I am thankful for

that first blast of light that comes through my living room window when I open my blinds. That one little thing makes my morning seem so much better!
a good friend to share work with.
a mint oreo shake from Carl's Jr.

9 to 5

This morning I left my house just before 9:00 and didn't come back until after 5:00. I was feeling so sorry for myself and was so worn out and then the thought hit me - this is what most people do everyday!!! I am so spoiled and so lucky. I am grateful that my 9 to 5 days aren't the norm at the moment and admire those of you who do this day after day and still seem to be sane.

Power Restored

Today after the ENT appointment
the son and I went to the DMV
to get him another permit.
We tried out a different DMV
than we usually frequent
since this one on Greenfield Road in Mesa
was very close to the doctor's office.
Although the lines didn't seem
to move any faster at this location
than any of the others I have visited
the people did seem to be competent
and even somewhat friendly and helpful.

The small one only missed one question
on his test and is now the proud owner
of his 3rd learner's permit.
Hopefully someday he'll score as well
on his school exams
and will actually get to possess
a full fledged Driver's License.

As the boy walked out to the van
with the keys in his hand
and the permit in his wallet
he exclaimed, "I feel so powerful."
I'm glad that being in the driver's seat
can do that for him.

Most Likely Not the Last Time

So, after 2 hours at urgent care,
2 hours getting an x-ray,
2 hours trying to find
an ear, nose and throat specialist
that could fit us into their schedule within a week,
an hour filling out paper work
and then cancelling
the no longer necessary appointment
with the ENT specialist we found
since the urgent care doctor
got an appointment for us
with the specialist he recommended
who apparently was no longer
totally booked for the month,
and 2 hours visiting the ENT specialist
the final decision on the boy's nose is -

Yes, it is fractured in two places.

However, chances are good
that it could very possibly happen again
before this child reaches adulthood.

The recommendation is to do nothing.

Hmm... I'm pretty sure that's what
I suggested the night it happened.

I guess I'm glad to know for sure
that no necessary breathing apparatus
has been damaged
and that I am not just being
a cheap, neglectful mother
intent on ruining my son's chances
of ever finding a wife
due to his hideously deformed nose.

Oh, and the souvenir x-rays seem to show
a good sized brain in this boy's head
so maybe that,
in of its self,
was worth the time, money and effort spent.

Here is the nose before the break.


and here it is after


It does look a little different,
but rugged is a good look for men,
isn't it?
Perhaps if I teach him to smile
he'll still have a chance of finding a wife.

Eighteen Months Old

In our church most parents look forward to the day that their toddler turns 18 months old with great anticipation. This is when their child can start to attend nursery and these parents can once again begin attending their classes rather than hanging out in the hall with a miserable child. I wonder if other parents, not Mormon, celebrate this milestone in their child's life? Our very young group of nursery children remind me every Sunday that this is definitely an age worth celebrating. Right now I am falling in love with this age group. Now, keep in mind, I only spend 2 hours a week with them so perhaps that makes it easier to enjoy them, but enjoy them I do.

These kids tell it how it is. Most of them without using any words at all. You know when they are happy with you and also when they aren't.

If they want something they go after it, with both hands and sometimes feet and teeth as well. When was the last time I wanted something that bad?
They are so comfortable in their own skin. They think they are handsome or pretty and like to flaunt what they've got whether it's a brand new pair of shoes or a face covered with various shades of markers. It's all "prity" to them.

These kids aren't afraid to admit they need comfort at times. It's amazing the difference a worn, fuzzy blanket can make. I think that we all should have a blanket to hang on to in life.
Learning is an adventure to them. They are so, so little and the world is still so new to them, but each week they all return to nursery with a new word or a new skill. Everything has to be examined, touched, thrown, and often tasted.

You can just see the wheels turning in their little heads.

Think how smart we would all be if we kept learning at the rate an 18 month old learns.

You might remember that at the start of January I set a nursery goal and estimated that it would take at least 3 months to accomplish it. Well, today it happened! All of the nursery children were sitting in their chairs with their arms folded for snack prayer - all 5 of them. I know it sounds like such a small step, but this group of kids is teaching me to appreciate little things. Now if one of them could just learn how to talk so someone can say the prayer.

Colonoscopy Prep

Today I am getting ready for my Colonoscopy tomorrow. For those of you who have "been there, done that" you know what I mean. For those of you who haven't, be grateful that this is not a descriptive post. Overall I would have to say it hasn't been as bad as I expected it to be. My only thought is that it might be more enjoyable to drink 2 liters of frigid medicine, 8 oz at a time every 10 minutes, if it were during the hot summer and I was actually thirsty. I am freezing and I am very tired of drinking!

Today I am grateful that

there were only 5 kids in nursery.
I have lots of blankets.
this procedure is only a screening and that I'm not too worried about what they'll find.

Coronation

The youngest son and his date didn't get pictures taken at the dance so this is the only documentation we have that he actually went. I thought they both looked nice.

It's often hard to get information out of a 16 year old boy, but as far as I can tell he had a good time.

Broken or Not Broken?

The youngest son had a run in with an elbow while he was going up for a rebound tonight at basketball practice. Is the nose broken or not broken? We have a difference of opinion at our house.

Draper Temple Open House

My sister was nice enough to take me to the Draper Utah Temple Openhouse on our way to the airport today. This was her second trip in two days, since she did the same thing for my other sister when she arrived in Salt Lake yesterday. In case I haven't said it before, "I love the temple." It was fun today to take the tour and see all the little touches that make this temple unique in it's own way. The best part of the visit though was watching as parents got down on their children's level and talked to them about what they liked and how they were feeling. It is a blessing for children to have the opportunity to be in the temple and experience the spirit that is present there. Hopefully they will remember their time spent there and have a strong desire to return when they are older.

Today I am thankful for

a sister to drive me to the airport.
another sister to come and stay with my mom.
a chance to have all the girls in the family together for a day.

EFY registration

This morning one of my friends, who is also the mother of one of my youngest son's friends, called around 8:00 and asked if my son had talked to me about going to EFY. Especially For Youth is a week long program sponsored by the church with social activities, spiritual classes, and lots of fun for teenagers. There are many different sessions in many different locations. She said she was trying to get a group of boys together to go to the session that was being held in Ogden, Utah the second week in July. Of course I had heard nothing about this from my son, but in his defense he was in Arizona and I was in Utah. I have always thought it would be wonderful for my kids to go to EFY, but it wasn't financially an option at times and other times they really weren't interested. I told her that it sounded fun to me and I would see if I could register him. Registration started this morning at 9:00 AM.
I texted the son to make sure this was something he wanted to do and he seemed excited so at 9:00 I attempted to sign on to the website and register him. At first the website wouldn't even open and then after trying for about 15 minutes I got on to the website and was greeted with the message that basically everyone else was trying to register their child for EFY and there would be a "wait in line". That was to be expected, so I waited.
Our mother/daughter plan for this morning was to go to the back and get all of the daughters authorized on my mom's bank accounts before she had to go to physical therapy at 11:00. I was patiently waiting for my turn to register and everyone else was patiently waiting for me to be ready to go to the bank. Finally just before 10:00 I said let's just go. I left the computer on and thought maybe we'd be back before my turn popped up.
The bank took quite a while and we dropped my mom off at her appointment and went home to find the computer looking just like we had left it. What we didn't know was if my turn in line had come and gone or if I was still waiting for a turn. I didn't want to close the page in case the line was really that long and it was going to let me on any second, but I wasn't sure so I opened the same page in a new window too and waited to see what happened.
My sister who arrived yesterday had come with the assignment from her family at home to buy a web cam for my mom's computer and set her up with a SKYPE account so they could make video phone calls to her and she could see them and their families and they could see how she was doing. She bought the camera on the way to mom's house yesterday so while we were waiting for the EFY Website to let me in we decided to set up everything and see if we could get it to work. I was a little bored sitting by the computer watching the 2 screens count from 60 down to 0 over and over again so I starting trying out some of the fun photo effects that came with the camera.
This is me trying to look nice in case someone calls.

Here's the rainbow effect. Do you think green makes my skin look a little purple?


This fishbowl effect was my favorite. It made us all laugh and laugh, which by the way is a very healthy thing to do.

We decided that when my mom feels sad and discouraged she can just get on the computer and make faces at herself and that can't help but make her feel better. When my mom came home she said this picture looked just like her. I always thought I looked like my dad.
I decided we needed to document the three sisters being together so we took our picture too.

We have all spent quite a bit of time with mom recently but we haven't had the chance to be here at the same time. It was fun to get to be together and watch movies and laugh and catch up on life. I am lucky to have such nice sisters.
My mom and the sister that was staying left to go to my mom's club luncheon just before 1:00 and my other sister and I tried to decide how long we should hang out to get the son registered. Finally she decided she would call her roommate and have her turn her computer on and check it for us every now and then. As soon as the roommate came on the phone, the registration page FINALLY popped on. Hooray! When I got to the part where I actually had to commit and pay the money for the week I vacillated for a moment if this was really such a good idea (the price had gone up from years ago when I had considered trying to get my other children to EFY, but I decided it would be a good experience for the boy. Hopefully he'll still be friends with all these guys by the time July rolls around. Maybe that's not as big a problem with boys as it is with girls.

Saturday Afternoon Ride

Today my oldest brother and his wife came to visit. We decided to go to the Polar Queen to have some of their yummy fish and chips.

They use to be even better when they served them with English chips, but they still fulfill that greasy fish and chip craving. I have never figured out why they think they need to serve them with toast. Not enough carbs and fat in the fish and the fries?
Then mom felt like she was up for a ride so we drove out through Spring Lake, Santaquin, and Goshen. My brother is pretty smart and he remembered how to get to the group of white birch trees out in the fields where the bald eagles roost.

I was surprised at how many of them were hanging out there.

We counted 7 in one tree. The trees were in a field a little way from the road, but the eagles had to know we were there and they were perfectly content to have us gawk at them.
Then we drove on through Elberta to the thriving metropolis of Eureka, nearly running over a group of deer in the process. Some of them looked before crossing the road and some of them didn't.

Of course, by the time I got the camera out and working they had gotten pretty far away. It was interesting how in this one spot there was hardly any snow, but the rest of the ride there was still a lot.
It was a really pretty ride. The snow had started to melt and then refrozen and the hills were so shiny and beautiful. It looked like it would be nice, slick tubing snow. Then all the sagebrush bushes were covered with snow and they looked like little snow rocks dotting the landscape. Along one section of road there were some rock cliffs all covered with frozen water falls. So pretty.

On the way back home we stopped at the Red Barn in Santaquin for some ice cream. It was a very fun few hours of visiting, exploring, reminiscing, and eating, of course. My favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Today I am thankful for

history. Both my family history and the history of the world that I live in.

nature. It's so nice to get out of the city and just enjoy all the living things that share our world with us.

small towns. I am definitely a small town kind of girl. They each seem to have their own unique personality.

Passing of the Notebook

I am very blessed to have two wonderful sisters with flexible schedules and big hearts who take turns, along with me, staying with my mom while she recovers from her recent health problems. One sister came from her home in Seattle while my mom was in the hospital and for the transfer to the rehabilitation center. She doesn't enjoy driving in the snow anymore than I do, but she did it to transport my mom to her new, temporary home. While she was here she started keeping a notebook with information about how mom was feeling, what medical procedures were being done on her, how she was eating... so she could pass the information on to us. My other sister continued making additions when the notebook, along with mom's care, was passed to her. Since mom has returned to her home the notebook entries have slowed down, but when I arrived I read through the notebook to catch up on what had transpired since I was here last month. It was interesting to read about mom's progress as her health improved and there were a few other interesting tidbits. One sister had made a notation about how the nurse had taught her an easy way to put mom's elastic hose on that made the process so much simpler, but that was all that was said. This morning as I was helping mom get dressed and I came to the socks I began to wish that the notebook had contained a little more detailed information. I commented about it to mom and she said, "Oh, it's easy. You just turn the socks inside out and they roll right on." That didn't sound too difficult so I jumped right in. I turned the socks inside out and then tried to figure out how to get them on so they ended up right. It definitely wasn't as simple as my mom made it sound. Things improved once I figured out that her toes weren't suppose to poke out of the hole at the end of the foot, but I still got a headache concentrating so hard on how in the world this was suppose to work. My mom teased me that she wished she had a camera so she could record my look of concentration and determination as I tried to figure it out. I think I am glad she didn't. We did get them on, but I'm still not sure how I finally did it. Hopefully tomorrow I'll remember what I did. Perhaps if I get it down right I can draw a diagram in the notebook as my contribution. I am also thinking there are a few other things that need to be recorded in the notebook such as how long that cream cheese, bacon, milk,... has actually been open in the fridge and maybe the last time the plants were watered. I just watered the plants, so I guess I better go write in the notebook.

Today I am thankful for

a fireplace. It's so fun to sit next to my mom's fireplace and enjoy the warmth and a good book.
physical therapy that gives my mom something to get up for.
pancakes!

Guess Where I Am?

First I looked at this for a while.

Then I focused on this for a while longer.

Finally, I was greeted by this.

I'm back in cold, snowy, beautiful Utah with my mom for the week. It was 19 degrees at 11:00 AM when my plane landed,
but the sun was shining and my mom felt good enough to come with my sister to pick me up at the airport. Life is good!

Today I am thankful that

my family can take care of themselves pretty well.
my sister is willing to pick me up at the airport.
I get to spend time with my mom and see for myself how she is doing.

New TV Excitement

Tonight the oldest son and the hubby went out and purchased a new 32 inch Digital TV. They hurriedly ate dinner so they could get it up and working. Pretty soon they were watching it and enjoying the improved picture and sound quality. I thought my husband was containing his excitement pretty well until he came to bed and we started to read the Book of Mormon together. I reminded him it was his turn to start reading and he promptly read Channel 9 (instead of Chapter 9). He can try and hide that excitement, but I still know he is thrilled with his new toy.

May I Borrow ...?

I came home today to find the oldest son and the fiancee preparing to make Snicker doodles. They were searching the cupboard looking for Cream of Tartar without much luck. I was 99% sure that we had some, so I dug through the cupboard too. No luck. We searched some other cupboards thinking perhaps it got misplaced. No Cream of Tartar. Luckily two doors down I have a wonderful friend and neighbor who keeps very well stocked shelves. I told the son I would call her and borrow some. When she answered the phone I asked if she had any Cream of Tartar I could borrow. There was a little giggle on her end of the phone. "Just yours that's been sitting on my counter for a week." Then I remembered where my Cream of Tartar had run off to. Apparently I'm not the only one who uses the "grocery store" two doors down.

Today I am grateful for

oranges and grapefruit from the Orange Patch.

Snicker doodles.
church basketball because it makes my sons happy and it makes me laugh.

Church Basketball

The new, extra-special basketball shoes finally got some game time. Church basketball has officially begun once more and the youngest son is a happy guy.

Coronation Invite

Today the youngest son got invited to an upcoming dance. I think he was excited, but he has an image that he has to keep up so it was kind of hard to tell.

Today I am thankful for

a clean refrigerator.
a "B" in math.
helpful siblings who assist with coronation acceptance activities.

Today I am thankful that

all days aren't like today.
my husband cuts raw meat.
my friends share their good recipes.

Today I am thankful that

my youngest son is home safe and sound.
my mom is back home and improving daily.
my husband called the phone company tonight when the phone didn't work.

Where Were You?

January 20, 2009
10:00 AM Arizona Time

My youngest son was here.

I was here.
Where were you?

Digital TV

Perhaps I should begin this post
by saying that I am not a big fan of TV.
I'm pretty sure I could very happily live
without even one TV in my home.
Unfortunately I am the only member
of my household that feels this way.
My husband is a major TV fan.
I have to admit that I have known
since my very first encounter with him
that TV is a very important part of his life.
In fact, if it weren't for the fact
that he didn't get TV reception in his basement apartment
and his TV was "living"
in the apartment that I moved into
when I returned to BYU following my mission,
I might have never even made his acquaintance.
I should be grateful for TV
because it brought us together,
but usually I'm not,
because most days
I feel like it drives our family apart.
The boys in the family room
watching their shows
and the hubby in the bedroom watching his.
Me talking and never being heard.
Because of my dislike of TV
we have 2 very old, very small
analog television sets with rabbit ears.
Because of my dislike of TV
we do not subscribe to cable or satellite.
Because of my dislike of TV
I haven't been all that worried
about the switch to digital TV.
So what if the TV
doesn't work after February 17th?
Hooray!
Because of my dislike of TV
when my husband ordered coupons
for converter boxes
I put them away in a safe place
and then forgot where that safe place was.
No one told me they had expiration dates,
which by the way,
I think is absolutely ridiculous.
Well, the other day
when the hubby was talking about going out
and buying converter boxes at full price
I slipped and said,
"Maybe it would be smarter to just buy a digital TV."
You should have seen his face light up.
Ever since that thoughtless moment
all I've heard is "I better go look at TVs".
Well, tonight he suggested we go by Walmart
and check out their TVs.
I do try to be a supportive wife,
every now and then,
so I said OK.
We walked into the electronics department
and there on the far wall was a sea of TVs,
all big enough to view from across the room.
I tried to act interested
and walked closer with him
and the closer I got
the more I realized
I am definitely not a fan of digital TV either,
especially not on a big screen.
There were snowboarders
on every screen and I was sure
I was going to plunge to my death momentarily.
It was all very, very well defined
and I felt like I was on
the STAR TOURS ride at Disneyland
(which I will admit here,
but no where else,
I usually ride with my eyes closed)
and was going to loose my hot dogs any second.
Maybe it was the number of sets,
all showing the same highly defined image,
but I got vertigo like you can not believe.
My husband thinks it was just an excuse
to not buy a TV, but I am not lying.
It just about did me in and
I had to get out of there.
The oldest son says it's OK
if I can't watch the TV.
They'll put it in the family room
and I won't ever have to look at it,
except to dust it I'm sure,
but at least then it will be turned off.
Such a thoughtful child.
The family says they'll "only" get a 32 inch screen,
so maybe that won't send me over the edge.
I'm pretty sure we're getting a new TV
any day now
and my husband works hard and deserves one.
Those are my words not his.
See I am a supportive wife.
I also buy him TV shows on DVD
because I love him and he loves them,
even though I know he'll ignore me
when he watches them.
As long as he doesn't watch them
in high definition maybe I'm OK with that.

One last thing.
Can anyone tell me why
the government cares
what kind of TV reception I get?
I just don't understand
why this is a government issue.

I just finished reading a book
about a new government
that is ruling earth
after earth as we know it is destroyed.
The centralized government
doesn't like the fact that the
districts around North America
rebelled against them and
they squash the rebellion and
then as a reminder of who's in charge
each year the government requires
each district to send 2 of their young adults
to the hunger games -
a reality show
where the last person alive wins
and gets to stay alive.
The citizens of the districts
who can't afford food,
who live without electricity most of the time,
and work to provide luxuries for the leaders
are required to watch day after day
as these games transpire
and the youth kill each other
one by one.
Amazingly, there is always enough electricity
to power TV sets
either in homes
or in the public square
during this time.

Please hurry and explain to me
why the government cares
what kind of TV reception I get.

Marching in the Snow

When McClintock High School decided to travel to Washington DC for a band festival and the Inaguration they applied to march in the Inaguration Day Parade. They were not selected to perform in that parade, but they did receive an invitation to march in the Leesburg, Virginia MLK Day Parade. Following the parade, the son texted us that he could now say that he had marched in the snow, which is an experience that I think every marching band member should have in their lifetime. I remember marching in the Santa Claus parade at University Mall in Orem, Utah one November and thinking that my fingers were going to freeze to my clarinet, as well as my lips. After viewing the video link, I don't know if I believe there was snow, but it does definitely look cold. The son is playing a trombone in the middle of the second row of the red and navy blue band toward the start of the video.

Today I'm grateful for

a clean family room and the son who cleaned it.
hotdogs "burned" on the grill.
my husband that takes my van for oil changes.

Party!

Happy Birthday

Martin Luther King,

Kaily, and Yasmine.

Trepidation

There are some words that I really don't care for and other words that I just really like the sound of. I don't like the word anxiety. It sounds like a disease. Wait, it actually is a disease. At least they have pills to treat it so that seems to indicate that it's a disease. I also don't care for the word worry. I am very familiar with this word because I do it way more than I should. I am a chronic worrier, even though I really try not to be. Fear is another word that isn't one of my favorites. Fear frightens me. However, I really think that the word trepidation is a great word. First of all, it's fun to say. It is similar to anxious, or worried, or fearful but to me it is a little bit different. In my mind it is a little more positive . When I feel anxious or worried or fearful I tend to draw into myself, hunker down and refuse to budge but when I hear the word trepidation I think more of proceeding with caution than coming to a sudden halt. Be prepared for what might possibly happen, but keep going. I can work through trepidation easier than the others.

Now, with that said, I will actually begin this post by saying that with some trepidation I shipped my youngest son off to Washington DC this morning to perform in a band festival and also to attend the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. When this band tour was first announced, back in September, I was more concerned about the amount of money it was going to cost and where it was going to come from than with the safety of my son. However, as events have transpired and things have fallen into place it has crossed my mind once or twice that perhaps the nation's capitol on January 20, 2009 might not be the safest place in the world to be. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago though, when I attended the mandatory parent meeting, received the trip schedule, heard about the plans for Inauguration Day and was given the option to have my son remain at the hotel and watch the proceedings on TV rather than in person that I actually started really thinking about the whole safety issue. Was I being an irresponsible parent and putting my son in danger by allowing him to attend this historic event? The hubby and I discussed the possibilities. The boy and I discussed the possibilities. The hubby, the boy and I discussed the possibilities. We all know that unfortunately there are crazy people in the world who have their own ideas and agendas who might feel like this is a perfect opportunity to make a forceful statement about how they believe. There is the possibility that something dangerous might happen, but should that cause us to hide? After our discussions and some prayer concerning the matter we all signed the permission slip that said he would attend the Inauguration. My trepidation did cause me to give my son a little more advice on safe and cautious behavior in large groups than I'm sure he wanted to hear, but it didn't stop me from allowing him to have this experience. The new president will be happy to know that I will be offering my most heartfelt prayers for his safety (and my son's) on Tuesday morning, but I hope he will forgive me if I choose to attend the temple during his swearing in rather than watch the proceedings. One never knows when trepidation might actually turn into one of those less positive words and I'm not taking any chances.

Today I am thankful for

a husband who played taxi driver for the 4:45 AM trip to the airport and the later trip to another airport to pick up the daughter and son-in-law.
a son-in-law who's smart enough not to fly a plane that is having issues.
a more upbeat report from my mom about how she feels.

21st Century Coat

My youngest son is leaving this weekend to go to the East Coast on Band Tour. Since we live in sunny, warm Arizona his idea of a winter coat is his McClintock Basketball Hoody. It's plenty warm for our temperatures, but not quite as warm as he needs for this trip. His dad has a coat that is warm and he told the son he could borrow it. Unfortunately, the son is more concerned about keeping up his image of looking cool than he is about staying warm. He said he would freeze to death rather than wear that coat. I'm not really sure what is so wrong with this coat. I actually like it. Perhaps that is exactly what is wrong with it. In the boy's opinion he needed a new "cool" coat. However he isn't all that sure what constitutes a "cool" coat. When I asked him for more information all he could come up with was "Something that looks like it was made in the 21st century." I'm pretty sure the hubby's coat was purchased in the 21st century (or pretty darn close) so that wasn't all that much help.

Well, JCPenney was having a clearance sale on coats and I got a coupon in the mail for $15.00 off a $15.00 or more purchase during my birthday month (I'm not sure why it was good for the month of January since my birthday is in August, but heck I wasn't going to complain) so I headed off to Penneys. After some extensive searching I came up with a navy blue coat that I thought the son might approve of. I checked the price tag. The coat was originally $100 but it was on clearance for $50. Clearance items were an additional 40% off which made it $30 and I could use my coupon which would make it $15. I decided maybe the coat was worth $15 to me. The clincher however was when I looked inside and realized there was a cell phone pocket on one side and a IPOD pocket on the other. This was definitely a 21st century coat so I bought it!

"Do you think this jacket makes me look Pooffy?"

Today I am grateful for

a completed physical for 2009 and no pap test needed.
visiting teachers.
shopping bargains, especially surprise ones, and gift cards. The hubby decided to go with me to Penneys to spend the gift card the oldest daughter gave him for Christmas. He bought 2 pair of pants which were suppose to cost $40 each, but the second pair was going to be half price. When the cashier rang them up they were on clearance and ended up costing $11 each. He actually had money left over on the gift card instead of having to add to it. Hooray!

Today I am thankful for

Sunshine.
Sonic Diet Cherry Limeade.
a husband that cooks.

Today I am thankful for

Temple Promises.
the Peace of the Celestial Room.
Carpools.

First and Last

This is a picture of my oldest daughter
and her brand new 2005 Toyota Corolla
on the first day she ever drove it.
It wasn't her first car,
but it was her first NEW car and she was excited
even though she doesn't look it in this photo.

Fast forward about 4 years. This is a picture of what this same car looked like today, the last time she drove it.

This morning she was involved in a car accident on the way to work. There was a chain reaction 4 car crash when the front vehicle decided to make a u-turn and didn't quite manage to get out of the way fast enough. The speed limit on the road she was on is 65 and she apparently hit pretty hard even though she tried to swerve and slow down. She says she is fine. She is sore in the areas where the seatbelt hit, but it definitely could have been so much worse. These kind of experiences always make me stop and realize how fragile life really is and how quickly things can change. Luckily this time all that really got hurt was her car.

Today I am grateful for

Seatbelts, and a daughter that uses hers.
a son-in-law who gets called in an emergency instead of me.
Cell phones with cameras.

Today I am grateful for

a heater in my car.
people who are willing to be chaperones for band tour so I don't have to be.
tax credit money.

Today I am thankful for

medical insurance.
dental insurance.
my hubby's job that lets us have said insurance for a nominal fee.

Nursery in the Afternoon

Our church schedule changed today and our block of meetings is from 11:30 to 2:30. Now, I don't really mind this time usually, but I have already decided that nursery during nap time is not my favorite thing. It's my nap time. It's the kids' nap time and nobody gets to take a nap. We had 9 children "graduate" to Sunbeams today (hooray for them on being so big) and that left us with a nursery full of mostly babies. We are down to 8 kids, which is a nice change, but most of them are so little. We only have one child that can really talk and she left early, before we needed to come up with someone to say 3 prayers. It took 20 minutes to pick up the toys because the buckets got dumped as fast as I could fill them up. When it was lesson time no one wanted to sit on the blanket. When it was action singing time no one wanted to stand up. No one wanted to sit on their chair, but every one wanted to ride on them upside down, or stand on them, or climb on the stack of them, or knock each other down with them, or fight over them. When it was snack time no one wanted to eat. When it was coloring time we couldn't keep the crayons out of our mouths. By 2:15 today we were all ready for our mommies and daddies to come. Most of us ended up spread out around the room with blankets and books trying to keep our eyes open for those last 15 minutes. It will be interesting to see how this schedule evolves. It will be fun to watch these little ones grow into their personalities. My first goal is everyone sitting in a chair with their arms folded for snack prayer. That should take us at least the first 3 months. Wish me luck!

Today I am thankful for

a husband who holds the priesthood and is worthy to bless babies and a son and son-in-law who can assist him.
a nephew who wants his baby blessed even though he's not active in the church at the moment.
the stalwart members of the Papago Ward.
the opportunity to hear my daughter share her testimony.
the chance to attend church with lots more family members than usual.
a "new" two year old whose smile and sweet "Hi" can melt my heart and everyone else's as well. She is such a cutie!