JOY FOR YOUR JOURNEY

It's a boy, and a boy, and a boy . . .

2012-01-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

No, we are not having triplets, but we do have three baby boys on the way!! My daughter in-law, Kali is expecting a little boy in early May. And today Kristen found out her twins are both boys!!

So, when you add those three to Camden, (5 months old), and Enoch (1 year), we will have five grandsons born within 18 months!! After only having one son, Wes finally gets his boys basketball team!!

But poor Carly. She is the oldest grandchild--at 3-- and will have to wait a few years before she gets a girl cousin to play with at family reunions. But I am already planning fun days with her, while grandpa watches all the boys. :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news . . . I have been busy trying to re-learn Spanish. Vocabulary is coming back rather quickly, but I am pretty sure I never really knew or understood the grammar. That is progressing much more slowly.

But I have good help. Twice a week I meet with a man in our stake and his wife for tutoring. The man, Grandpa C, taught Spanish in college and is a great teacher! I am so thankful for him as he helps me make sense of it all. And learning with his wife is so much fun.

In addition, I have tutoring from the MTC, via skype, three times a week. This is not very much fun! My tutor is nice, but really thinks I am better than I am and it ends up being very frustrating. The tutoring sessions are each an hour and about at the 45 minute mark I have to start holding back tears.

Today was a good day though. I was supposed to converse with a lady from Chile for 12 minutes, then discuss our conversation and get pointers on how to do it better, and then converse again, hopefully making the corrections. But she was very enthusiastic to share with me all about her country and her conversion. I loved it!! She was so sweet and fun to visit with. (Although I didn't understand everything she was telling me:-) And the time passed by quickly, with me actually having to say very little.

That was a relief! But next week I get a break due to my having gum surgery.

Not fun.

My Response to KMS

2012-01-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

Dear KMS,

I don't know your name and I can't find a way to reach you other than posting again, so I hope you are able to read this.

In your comment to me you asked if I wanted to go on the mission and if I could just say no. The short answer is yes, I want to go, and yes I could say no, but I never would do that, even if I weren't happy to be going.

Usually married couples choose to go on a mission (or not) and choose the time they want to serve. They then fill out medical and dental forms to show they are capable of serving without serious medical issues, are interviewed by their church leaders and then wait for our prophet (leader of our church) to send a letter back telling them where they will go. In these instances, couples serve anywhere between 1 and 2 years at their own expense.

My husband and I have always planned on going on a mission, but our plan was to leave in a few years. In our case, we did not turn in papers requesting a mission call, but instead were asked by our church leaders to go and serve for three years.

Since we believe that our prophet speaks for God, we also then believe that it is God's will that we go. We could, of course, say no, but then we would be going against God's will for us, and we do not want to do that.

Now that said, I will admit that I didn't readily embrace this assignment. My mother is in poor health, and my children are having babies. The thought of leaving them all for three years was heart wrenching to say the least. But I am also getting very excited. We could go to any of 30 missions in 12 different Spanish speaking countries. And at a time when my baby is graduating from high school and leaving home, I will help my husband care for around 400 young men and women (over the course of the three years) who are away from their homes serving as missionaries as well. We will also get to learn a new culture and make new friends.

I have always loved traveling and new adventures and this is like the ultimate adventure trip. :-) So I know I will cry a lot when we leave Arizona, but I am confident that I will cry just as much or more, when we have to leave our area of service and come back.

Because I am sure the mission will bring great . . . joy to our journey.

So, If Anyone Is Still Out There . . . We Are Mission Bound!

2012-01-17T14:18:00.000-08:00

I quit posting nearly three months ago. That was the same time we received a call to serve a mission.

Since then my head has been in a whirl, first trying to celebrate the holidays, put together the ward Christmas party, attend two weddings (one out of state) enjoy all my kids over Christmas break, and worry about my mother who was in the hospital again. While also crying over the thought of leaving my kids and grandchildren behind for three years, (did I mention our daughter Kristen, who got married last summer is expecting twins in July?) going to the dentist and having numerous medical tests, wondering what we will do with our house for that long, and trying to re-learn Spanish.

But rewind . . . . let me go back to the beginning.

Last fall Wes and I thought it would be a great idea to visit our kids in college so we decided to take a trip to Utah at conference time. Then one day, about a week before our trip, we received a telephone call from Elder Oaks' office. He wanted to meet with us while we were in Utah for conference.

Gulp.

Frankly, I was a bit nervous about it all, but also excited to spend some time with an apostle. During our visit with him he told us that Wes was being considered for a calling as a mission president but that they interview many more than they call. However, if we were to be called, it would probably be around December.

A week later we received a phone call from the missionary department asking us to fill out mission papers--which of course included medical and dental. So we began the process, still wondering if it were all for naught. Then about two weeks later, we received a call requesting that we meet with President Uchtdorf. We did and he extended the official call for us to preside over a Spanish speaking mission with service beginning June 23.

We still do not know where we are going but hope to find out in the next month. We were sent a list of possibilities though, and there are 30 missions on the list. About 10 of them I would be thrilled with. Another 6 I would have to pray very hard to be enthusiastic about, and the rest I really don't know enough about to have strong feelings either way. Not knowing is killing Wes, but I am okay waiting to find out. There is one place I really do not want to go, but it is where Wes thinks we will go, so I am happy to live a few more weeks in content oblivion.

For the past seven years Wes has served as the president of our stake. This coming Sunday he will be released from that calling. We have had to keep our new calling a secret until just this past week, when his release was announced. That has been extremely hard for me, as I have felt I was carrying a huge burden all alone.

Now that it is public I feel much better, but I am also sad to see Wes released. When they read the letter in church this past week, I sat and cried. He has served in the stake presidency for 12 years. It will be nice to sit by him in church again, but sad to see this time of our lives come to an end. I have absolutely loved my association with the counselor's wives, the high council, and bishop parties we held each year, and I will especially miss our annual bishop's wife luncheon in the fall. That is always a highlight of my year.

But now we will put it all in the past as we embrace this new adventure. I served a mission in Ecuador so I did know Spanish at one time, I just haven't spoken it since. But I am now working on it--along with studying Preach My Gospel along with a large stack of other books we were sent to study before beginning service this summer.

So that is where I have been. With my head spinning in the clouds all the while trying to get my feet back on the ground. But I have missed everyone and hope to get around to "visit" soon.

When Your Baby Turns 18

2011-11-01T16:11:00.001-07:00

Here she is!! My baby girl!

I can't believe she is 18 already!!

Seriously, where did the years go?

She is a senior this year and will be leaving home next year--hopefully for BYU

We are going to miss her terribly!!

She is always so much fun and helpful, and keeps us laughing all the time.

So here are a few of my favorite recent pictures . . .

Co-captain of the varsity basketball team!

Go Michelle!!

Okay, so I am a bit ashamed of this picture. She just handed me her camera and told me to click. So I did. Then I told her she could never post that picture anywhere--so she promptly used it as her FB profile pic. (I never said she was obedient:-)

But since it is already posted on FB . . .

Letting off a little steam . . .

Ha ha! Good try Michelle.

Can you tell these girls are cousins?

Another "proud" moment. She challenged her male cousin to a pizza eating contest.

And won.

Hmmm.

So last Saturday we celebrated her emergence into official adulthood with a Halloween/Birthday Party

Many of the kids came in costumes and they had a fun time playing games, eating, roasting marshmallows and talking around the fire.

Happy Birthday Michelle!!

We love you!

So you really don't have to go away to college next year, do you?:-)

Love,

Mom

When Blessings Come Incognito

2011-10-25T19:11:00.001-07:00

I was visiting recently with a friend who asked why she was faced with so many challenges, and if perhaps God had abandoned her. It is true she has a lot of difficulties. She has gone though a nasty divorce, has struggles with her children and deals daily with severe physical limitations.

However, I have seen God's hand so often in the small details of my life, I know God will never abandon us during our biggest trials. And so I wondered how often our blessings might come incognito. They are there, we just aren't seeing them.

In thinking about this, the two following stories came to my mind:

When Lehi and his family (from the Book of Mormon) were told to leave Jerusalem in search of a promised land or be destroyed, they all left behind their riches and their comforts of home and headed off into the desert--where they lived for eight years.

Truthfully, camping one night for me is torture. Living for eight years wandering in the desert, sleeping in tents, being deprived of hot running water and eating raw meat (1 Ne 17:2) would be a HUGE trial! I totally get why Laman and Lemuel murmured!

Yet Nephi writes, "So great were the blessings of the Lord upon us . . . " In the midst of his affliction, he found the blessings. They may have been hidden (after all his brothers never found them) but they were there. They were strengthened, fed and guided by the Lord all through their journey. Their trials were numerous, as Lehi often referred to this time as the "wilderness of my affliction" but still, the Lord was there.

Never at any time were they abandoned, although there were times when some of them abandoned God.

Another story I have always gotten a chuckle from is the story of Elijah. He calls down a famine upon the people and then is told by the Lord to hide himself by a brook where he could obtain water and the Lord would provide the rest of his food.

So, then how did the prophet of the Lord eat? Did he eat off the "fat of the land" or in the style to which he was accustomed? No, he ate bread and meat delivered by the ravens morning and night. So I looked up what ravens would be most likely to bring and this is what I found.

"Most ravens eat the dead bodies of other animals. Ravens generally eat some fruit, berries and grains when they are available. They will eat any small animals, small birds and small reptiles that they can find. Ravens even eat maggots and animal poo. Ravens eat anything that is easy to catch!"

I am not sure if this is the type of food Elijah received or if the birds brought him something a bit more palatable, but the idea of living alone in the desert, eating road kill, once again does not sound like a blessing to me.

Yet, just like Nephi, Elijah was guided, nourished and protected until the Lord saw fit to send him elsewhere.

I wonder if perhaps we have the wrong idea about life. I know there are times when I think living the commandments entitles me immediately to the blessings I desire--a roof over my head, food to eat, health, and a happy family life. Yet, that is so often not the case for many righteous people. And when our worlds seem to fall apart, our health or families fail us, we cry out wondering why this has happened to us, and why God does not bless us with those things we deserve.

Raw meat and raven deliveries might not at first seem like great blessings for Nephi and Elijah as well, but they both were. Elijah would have starved with out the food the ravens brought and Nephi and his family were probably being protected by unsavory travelers who might have seen the smoke from the fire they used to cook their meat.

And so I have come to believe that during our darkest days, God will always nourish, strengthen and guide. We may just have to look a little harder to notice it.

And that thought brings great . . . joy to my journey.

Slithering Serpents! Oh my!

2011-10-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

In the past couple weeks we have found four snakes in our house. Make that FOUR snakes!! They are little and harmless, but did I mention they are SNAKES!!

I hate snakes. With. A. Passion.

When I saw the first one, the sister missionaries were standing behind me (they live with us). I looked at them hoping one would step up and volunteer to be the murderer, but they both backed away. So I took a broom and said, "Don't worry sisters! I will protect you!" Then I beat the thing to death, while my ferocious guard dog hid behind the sister's legs.

A few days later, Michelle and I saw another snake in the exact same place!! A resurrection? I think not. We decided it was best not to tell the sisters. But then they came and told me they had killed a snake earlier that day.

So it was time to turn to the man of the house for protection. And he said, "Oh, I found one too. It was upstairs." Upstairs!! That is where I sleep!

Not a good thing to hear. Especially since the other three were all found downstairs by the back door. So if his snake entered the same way, it had to cross the entire house and climb the stairs.

How many more are in here?

I am pretty sure this qualifies as a plague.

I told my husband that he was the man of the house, that he needed to step up and kill these snakes for me. But he was not nearly as concerned as I was. He didn't see why I was upset over a few snakes and didn't think there was anything he could do about it.

So I called my neighbor. He is coming over on Monday to set some sticky traps.

And hopefully we will soon have an end to our slithering serpent plague!

2011-10-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

I am a little behind everyone else in posting about conference weekend but as they say . . . better late than never, right?

First off I LOVED conference. I think I was touched by many of the same talks and quotes that others were. I really enjoyed Sister Dalton's talk, although it made me cry for all the young women who don't have a worthy father at home to love their mother and show them the way.

I also loved Elder Cook's talk about President Monson telling him it is better to look up. And Elder Callister's talk on the Book of Mormon was superb. I was also very touched by Elder Hales talk on trials and tribulations as he was trying to comfort others who were suffering as he is. Ahhh so many good things. So much to study and ponder in the next six months.

In addition to conference, however, my weekend was brightened and made special by three events.

1. The first was being able to spend time with my mother who is not doing very well, and all four of my daughters. We sent the men off to priesthood meeting and then stayed home and ate yummy food, watched a movie, made cinnamon rolls for Sunday morning and visited. My sister Becky came over as well with her four youngest children. What a sweet night that was.

Left to Right

My two SIL, my husband, nephew, brother and father

All the girls hanging out on the bed with Grandma (my mother)

2. Next I was thrilled and touched by the enthusiasm my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter has for the temple. Carly truly believes she is a princess and deserves to be married in a castle. But her mother explained that the best place for any princess to marry is in the temple and so Carly was so excited to see a real, live temple right outside my parent's front door!!

Don't you just love all the flowers!!

We went to the Salt Lake Temple grounds as well and were overwhelmed by the beautiful colors!

A close up

Between sessions on Sunday we took her up to walk around the grounds. She was very disappointed it was not open so she could go inside, but she still found joy in roaming the walk ways and telling us about how she was going to get married there. We asked who she would marry and she said, "I don't know, but he is my friend." Later when Wes pointed out to Carly the statue of the Angel Moroni, she said she would marry him. At least she has good taste in men.:-)

I tried to get her to let me take her picture but she said, "I can't. I have to spin." We laughed at that. Imagine giving that answer next time someone asks you to do something.

And third--the very best of all was being able to be there when my wonderful, sweet, handsome son in law gave his new little son a name and a blessing. In the circle was little Camden's father, grandfather and great grandfather-- three generations of faithful priesthood holders, all coming together to bless this new little boy. And my favorite part of the blessing was hearing Dave bless Camden to serve a mission and be married in the temple. How I look forward to the day this boy will continue the tradition of faithful missionary service and help bring others to the gospel in some part of the world.

Just before the blessing (which was given at my parent's house)

I appreciate they were willing to go there since there is no way my parents could travel to Colorado.

And a close up of our little man.

So for the grandmother in me this weekend was special, for the mother in me it was joyful, and for the daughter in me, it was tender.

How blessed I am to be surrounded by such honorable sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. Just that thought brings great . . . joy to my journey.

Fun Times and Tales From Uganda

2011-09-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

Aren't these women beautiful?!!

All of these women have husbands who are either bishops or in the stake presidency in our area.

One of the highlights of my life is being able to spend a few hours with them every year having lunch and studying the gospel.

We met together a couple weeks ago and had wonderful time.

I always feel so strengthened after being with them.

They are women of honor, virtue and sacrifice.

And between them they have 44 children, which includes a set of triplets!

What a blessing it is for me to know them.

And speaking of wonderful women . . . I have loved reading the emails from my sister who is serving a mission with her husband in Uganda. Below is an excerpt from her most recent letter home.

Last week we lost another baby, the BP [Branch President] of Njeru's wife delivered a full-term still-born. Beautiful little girl which she was looking forward to after having two boys. They are devastated. The medical people I talked to believe it is a combination of the prevalence of Malaria, which the mother had when she delivered, or maybe just poor pre-natal care. It could just be poor nutrition which I think everyone suffers from. I had a misconception before I came here that people who live with a high mortality rate are used to it and don't suffer as much with death. That is completely wrong thinking, I have seen people devastated by the loved ones they lose. Just because it happens more often doesn't make it easier.

I also have learned that living on $70/mo is as hard here as it would be for us in the USA. You beg, steal, or dig up roots to stay alive. Nothing is cheaper here except what you can grow on your own. You make a hut with cow manure and dirt. (Same as we would do if we couldn't just move in with one of our kids.)ha ha

I spent some time Saturday making posters for the upcoming YSA dance for next week. I was one of 3 on the committee, but I was the only one that showed up. Then I entered all 600 names *(YES THERE REALLY ARE 600 YSA in Jinja District), into an excel spreadsheet and had a mass text sent out to them. Pres J wants them all married yesterday.

We also spent some time this week traveling to an area where someone told Pres J there were 27 members and no church. The roads were terrible, some members showed us around the area, and we saw some hospitals. Somehow we didn't feel it was ready to have missionaries come because of the roads. Travel here is dangerous and expensive, and our trip about killed our car. If we didn't have 4-wheel, we would still be in a ditch waiting for triple A - Ha Ha. not funny, but true.

To read more and see some great pictures, you can click on the link below to go to her blog at http://rockandterrifamily.blogspot.com/ She has some great pictures of the area and of when a General Authority came to visit. What an amazing time they are having!

Adventures in Babysitting . . .

2011-09-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

So today I redeemed myself in the "grandma" department.

Last week I went over early in the morning to help K with her kids. Little twin boys were just added to her family, giving her six children in all. But I was not much help in the end. K had been up all night and was exhausted. All she really wanted was a shower (by herself) and a short nap. Not too much to ask, right?

One of the babies was totally zonked, but the other was fussy, so I told her I would take the fussy one out into the family room with me, along with Karly (who is two) and watch them while she slept. I got the baby quieted, and entertained Karly blowing bubbles for . . . oh all of maybe ten minutes . . . when the baby started to cry. Loudly.

I hurried to pick him up before K heard, but in that one moment of not having my undivided attention, Karly made a run for her mom's bedroom door. I ran after her (which the baby did not like:-) grabbing her arm just before she reached out for the doorknob. And so she let out a scream--which startled the baby and got him screaming. She was fighting to get away from me and I couldn't hold her with one hand, so I let go to put the baby down and she immediately started kicking the bedroom door--while continuing her screaming.

So basically within ten minutes I had both kids crying, one of which was throwing a temper tantrum.

K never got her nap. She didn't even get her private shower. The only way we could get Karly quieted down after that was for K to take her into the bathroom with her. And then she spent the rest of the morning giving me suspicious looks while clinging to her mother. Oh, and the baby? Well, I tried to calm him down and he peed all over the front of my shirt.

BUT . . . today was much better. I just went over in the afternoon when Karly was taking her nap, to watch the babies while K slept as well. It was total bliss. One baby slept the entire time but the other was a little fussy so I got to hold him. I loved it!! It helped me not miss my own little new grandbaby so much.

~~~~~~~

IN OTHER NEWS . . . Kathryn is on her way home tonight. She is driving through the night to get here and she is bringing a boy. (Just a friend) He has some business in Mesa so Kathryn thought it would be fun to drive down with him. Oh yea. I am having fun all right. I will be up all night worrying about her!

~~~~~~~

And I loved this . . . As many of you know, my sister is serving a mission in Uganda. She recently visited a school where the boys who lived there all called her "mama" --a term of respect. I love that a name for "mother" is a respected name. It should be of course, but there are those in power who are lobbying to remove the word "mother" from legal documents saying it is demeaning to women. Say what????

May I go on record now by saying that the best, most honorable, and elevating thing I have ever done is be a mother to five children. I love the title and I wear it proudly!

~~~~~~~

And lastly----I find it interesting--but also a bit odd-- that the majority of the people who get on my blog are looking for a picture of a cougar. And they are from all over the world. What is up with that? But I am thinking of posting a picture of an elephant or a giraffe next and see how many hit that gets. :-)

Photo Random

2011-09-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

I was going through my picture files and decided to post a few random ones.

This is where I was last year at this time--Vermont.

I dreamed for years about going there and was so glad to finally get the chance.

I certainly wouldn't mind being out of the heat again. We finally dropped below 100 degrees. This year was the hottest August on record. In honor of the heat wave, my dad sent me the below:

It is so hot in Arizona . . .

the birds have to use potholders to pull the worms out of the
ground.

....the trees are whistling for the dogs.

....hot water comes from both taps.

....you learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding
iron.

....you discover that you can get sunburned through your car window.

....you actually burn your hand opening the car door. (Been there. I also burned my hand opening the door to my house at 7:00 one morning)

....your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out
and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death"?

....you realize that asphalt has a liquid stage.

....the potatoes cook underground, so all you have to do is pull one
out and add butter.

....the cows are giving evaporated milk.

....farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from
laying boiled eggs

The sad thing is that some of those really aren't jokes.

This next picture just makes me laugh. It is vintage Michelle. My crazy child. She is so much fun all the time. It is so sad for me that she is a senior in high school this year and will be leaving me before too long. Where did all the time go? And how can I make it slow down?!

So my nieces probably won't be too happy with this picture. It was taken at Kristen's bridal shower in June. Since then, all three have given birth to beautiful baby girls. Truth be told I was really hoping Kristen would get married in June so I could take her picture on the temple steps in her wedding dress, surrounded by her pregnant cousins and sister, but due to a July wedding, that didn't happen. Camille couldn't come and two of my nieces gave birth within a week of Kristen's wedding. But . . . I am so happy for my nieces!! Congratulations to you all!

And speaking of the wedding . . . this picture was taken at the wedding dinner. I sure love these girls!! All three are my "daughters" one is just by marriage.

This is from our ward Christmas party last year. We did the Polar Express and I about killed myself putting it together. Thankfully I had a TON of help.

But guess what?! I have been asked to do this year's party as well.

The sad thing is that when I tell people I am in charge of the party again, they always say, "Oh, how are you going to out do last year?" And then they answer their question with, "But then you could never out do last year".

And that is probably true. I really don't think I want to ask anyone to put that much work into a party again.

But that said . . . I think this year's will also be great!! And I am getting very excited to start working on it.

(I am just a happier person when I have a project to work on.:-)

And lastly . . . look at this cute little guy--all ready for church!! (Other than needing his hair combed.)

I sure miss him!

Faith and Heaven's Revolving Door

2011-08-31T14:42:00.000-07:00

Any minute now I expect to receive a telephone call telling me that a woman in our ward has given birth to two healthy baby boys. Ever since we got the news K was expecting and unexpectedly it was twins, we have been looking forward to this day. And since Michelle has been helping out with their other four children after school, and the father works with Wes, we have been particularly eager for the good news, and have already put in dibs to hold one of the babies during church.

But my excitement for this family has been dampened a bit by another call I received earlier today. "C", a good friend of my daughter Kristen and her mentor teacher last year, passed away this morning from cancer. The disease was only recently diagnosed, giving a heartbroken husband and two children, a daughter recently married and a son preparing for a mission, barely time to adjust to the news before their dear sweet mother and wife was gone. (9/2/2011 Just heard from Kristen that the son entered the MTC the day after his mother passed away. )

Kristen was devastated. C had been her good friend and supporter all last year. Every day Kristen would go to her office to share the joys and challenges of her first year of teaching. C gave advice and provided a listening ear. She was also the friend Kristen went to excitedly to tell about meeting Peter, their first date, and their first kiss. And when I came into town and visited Kristen at school, C would come and tell me all about my wonderful daughter and how she was such an incredibly gifted teacher. So of course I liked hearing that.

But today she has left this world, much too soon and much too young.

Kristen's telephone call took me back several years to a time when a good friend of mine also passed away from cancer, after receiving several blessings promising health. I questioned for months how that could be and in my prayers I repeatedly uttered, "I don't understand." Then one day the impression came into my mind, "You don't have to understand. That is what faith is." And with those words came a rush of peace. I still don't understand, but I no longer worry about it. I am at peace with my friend's death and I pray that C's family and friends will someday find peace with her death as well.

But as I sit here at my computer still waiting to hear about the two little babies, I can't help but picture Heaven's revolving door. As we mourn the loss of a good friend here, Heaven is celebrating her return. And as we will soon celebrate the birth of two little boys here, I am sure there are some heavy hearts in Heaven who have just said goodbye to two valiant sons.

~~~~~~~~
3:20 p.m. Just got news. They arrived about an hour ago--6 lbs 14 oz and 6 lbs 9 oz. All are doing well.

A Good Reason For a Party and Yummy Cake Recipes!

2011-08-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we hosted a "Thank You Party" for many of the people who helped out the night of my daughter's wedding. It was fun to bring out the table cloths again and spruce them up with some very cool flowers I found at Costco.

For dinner we served Italian--which I loved, and then for dessert I found two recipes in the Better Crocker All-Time Best Recipe magazine. One was this very delicious and decadent chocolate cake. (Recipes will be at the bottom of the post) The other was a banana tres leches, that--amazingly enough--I think I liked even more. It was cool and refreshing, especially when topped with fresh raspberries.
Following dinner we played a couple games. The first was more of a "Get to Know You" activity, since we had 22 people from all over our stake. We had everyone write down one thing they have done that they didn't think anyone else had, and then we guessed who it was. We learned some pretty interesting things. Such as . . .

1. One man was part of a song and dance group that toured Europe. (Seriously, I didn't even know he could sing!)

2. Another man was part of a clown diving act where he would do 1 and 1/2 flips off a high dive and then flop into the water. (And this was fun?:-)

3. We had a woman who won a swimming relay while wearing a cast on her arm and another woman who earned six presidential fitness awards.

4. And everyone was impressed with the ex-marine (didn't know that about him either) who shot an M-60 while strapped to an H-1 that was flying 100 yards above the ground through a canyon. (Of course he had to explain what an M-60 and and H-1 was for some of us).

5. And then there was the man who admitted to belly dancing in Morocco while dressed in a skirt and a bra. (Shameful!:-)

Who knew we were such a diverse group with so many talents?!

The second game was the candy bar game. I heard about this one from my friend Lisa who played it at Doug and Shelly Kings, but when I told my kids about it, they said they played it their entire lives at our neighbor's the Purtymuns. Obviously I was missing out!

I read several different rules but here are a couple to choose from.

Give everyone an empty brown paper bag and place double the amount of candy bars as number of guests in the middle of the room. Using two dice, (you can use more than one set if you have a larger group like we did) everyone takes turns rolling the dice. If they get doubles they can either take a candy bar or trade sacks with another person.

That is the simple version.

Another way to play is to begin with every person having one candy bar in their bag and then have different instructions for each of the double numbers. For instance if you roll double 1's you put a candy bar in the bowl in the middle. If you roll 2's you take a candy bar out, 3's you trade with the person on your right, 4's you trade with the person on your left, 5's you can take a candy bar or trade with anyone, and 6's you take the whole bowl--no matter who might have it.

We actually played with a combination of the two rules, but I think you could make it up however you like.

You need to set a timer for 5, 8 or 10 minutes before you say "go" and then play until the buzzer goes off. Whatever candy bars you end up with is your prize. I set the timer for 12 minutes and it was too long. I think this game is better played for about 7 minutes. If everyone had a good time you can then dump it all in the middle and play again.

But it was a lot of fun and I appreciated all those who came. Thanks for being such great friends and for all your hours of service before, during and after the wedding!

Now for the recipes . . .

Chocolate Lover's Dream Cake

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist chocolate fudge cake mix.

3/4 cup chocolate milk

1/3 cup butter, melted

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 box (4 oz) chocolate fudge instant pudding and pie filling mix

1 12 oz bag chocolate chips (either semi-sweet or milk depending on preference)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease bundt cake pan with shortening (or cooking spray) and lightly flour.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredient except for chocolate chips for 2 minutes. Stir in chips and spoon into pan. Mix will be very thick. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool ten minutes and then turn cake upside down onto a serving plate.

Let cool completely--about 2 hours.

Ganache Glaze

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup whipping cream (not whipped)

Place chocolate chips in a small heatproof bowl. In a 1-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream to barely simmering. Pour over chips. Let stand 5 minutes and then stir until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cake.

Drizzle caramel topping over cake and top with toffee bits, chocolate chips and a cut up snicker's bar. We decided we liked the cake better warmed in the microwave for a few seconds (each slice). I also didn't like the chocolate chips on top so left those off. Since it is very chocolaty, ice cream or milk on the side is also a must.

Banana Tres Leches Cake

1 Box Betty Crocker SuperMoist White cake mix

1 1/4 cups water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 cup mashed banana (two medium)

Place all the above ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees in a 9 by 13 inch pan for 33-38 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean. Cool completely--about one hour.

Tres Leches

Mix together

1/2 cup coconut milk (not coconut cream)

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

Using a toothpick or long pronged fork, poke holes in cake about every 1/2 inch. Then pour milk evenly over the cake. Refrigerate over night (it can be ready in about 2 hours but the longer it soaks the better).

Frost cake with whipped white frosting before serving and garnish with banana slices, toasted coconut or other fresh fruit. (We loved it with fresh raspberries!)

Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Enjoy!!

Meeting Mania

2011-08-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

For twelve years I worked in seminary, where, although it is a ton of work, most of the meetings I had to attend occurred between 6:00-7:30 in the morning. The rest of the day I could choose how to spend my time.

Then I was called to be the ward activities chairman. With that calling I attended the ward council once a month, but all other meetings (which were rare) were at my discretion.

Next I was called to be a Sunday School teacher. Okay, let's admit it. This is the easiest calling in the church. You prepare your lesson during your daily scripture study, so it requires no additional time at all and other than teaching your class, there are no more meetings to attend.

So yes, I have been spoiled. Totally. I know that. But still, imagine my shock when I was recently called to be the first counselor in our ward young women's organization.

There are SO MANY MEETINGS!!

There is presidency meeting, board meeting, meeting with a member of the bishopric, then there is mutual every week (along with the Sunday meeting) stake training meetings, firesides, more training (three times before the end of the year) youth baptisms, a youth conference, a Saturday fall activity, class presidency meetings . . . . In just nine days I will have attended SEVEN meetings!!

Truth be told, there have been times when I thought my husband was slacking on his church job by not attending a meeting or activity that I thought he should be at. Now I just look at Wes in wonder and ask, "How do you do it? How do you attend all your meetings every week and stay sane?"

I have new appreciation for everyone out there who has a church calling that requires a lot of meeting time!! You are truly amazing!!

And now when I head off to yet another meeting, Wes just looks at me and smiles.

A Little Blue Bundle and Answered Prayers

2011-08-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

He finally arrived!

Our newest little grandson (grandbaby #3 and second grandson) came into the world on Wednesday, August 10.

His birth was a rather long, traumatic ordeal and he was not at all very happy about it.

Just after being born, he was placed on his mother's tummy where he looked into her face and proceeded to tell her about his terrible experience.

It was one of the most interesting things I have ever seen. He whimpered in a funny little tone as if trying to say, "I have had the most awful day!"

Below is Camille and Camden, both looking a little happier.

Camille became one of my heroes that day.

Her first delivery resulted in an emergency c-section so she desperately wanted to have this baby all natural to reduce the chances of ending up in surgery once again.

She knew it would be difficult but she and her sweet husband, Dave, did all they could to prepare.

Even so, Camille said it was a hundred times worse than she ever imagined.

Her contractions began the minute her water broke and continued pretty much nonstop for nearly 13 hours until the baby was born.

She was making slow progress, but at least there was some progress until she reached 9 1/2 centimeters and then it stopped.

For almost two hours (5:00-7:00) she dealt with transition contractions with no relief.

Finally the doctor arrived and helped out.

And then the pushing began.

Another two hour ordeal.

One of the people critical to her being able to do this was her doula, Dawn. Dawn was wonderful!! She massaged Camille's legs and feet during active labor, spent a couple hours helping Camille stay focused on breathing during transition, helped her change positions to get more comfortable, and during pushing earned a bruised hand.

Dave was also critical to the process. Camille never let go of his hand for pretty much the entire day. His love and support were essential to her staying focused and able to get through the long hours of labor.

I too was glad to be there.

Although Camille was a little reluctant to have me there.

After all, giving birth is a very personal thing,

so I was happy to accept her wishes and not be in attendance.

After all, her comfort was what was the most important to all of us.

But in the end she decided she could use her mom.

And so I was able to witness his birth.

The first birth I have seen of my three grandchildren.

And it was very hard for me.

I cried a lot.

It was so hard to see Camille suffer the way she did.

It gave me new appreciation for our Heavenly Father and what He must feel watching our pain and suffering in life.

We were so relieved when the baby finally made his appearance.

We joyfully celebrated his arrival.

And then my tears began to flow again as the doctor explained that the birth had caused some complications for Camille and she would have to be taken to the operating room and given general anesthesia while they corrected the problems.

She made it all the way through the birth without any outside interference or medication,

only to end up in the operating room for over an hour in surgery.

My heart ached for her.

The good news is that she is on the mend.

She is home from the hospital, and although it will be a while before she is back to normal, she has a great husband to help out.

We love them all!!

Post Script.

Before the birth I was getting so frustrated that it was taking so long for Camille to go into labor. I knew my prayers were being heard, but I wasn't sure they would be answered how I wanted them to.

But they were.

Not according to my time frame, but all our prayers were answered.

Camille was able to have a successful delivery following a c-section and she gave birth to a healthy little boy. She did not need any outside intervention for her labor to progress (i.e. pitocin), and before the baby came I was able to spend a week with my little granddaughter, (a big treat since I only get to see her a couple times a year).

Plus I had some fun times with Camille going to lunch, shopping in Denver, taking Carly to the park etc.

Dawn was also an answer to a prayer as she helped Camille a lot through the most difficult part.

While watching the two of them conquer the pain, the thought occurred to me that I had been wondering if my prayers were being answered, and yet, my meeting Dawn a couple years ago was the answer to a prayer (Camille getting through the labor) that hadn't even been offered yet.

Yes, God is very much aware of us and our troubles.

And He does hear and answer our prayers.

Sometimes in different ways than we would like,

And sometimes before we even have spoken the prayer.

And that thought brings great . . . joy to my journey.

Still Waiting For The Baby . . .

2011-08-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

They say a watched pot never boils . . . and apparently a watched tummy doesn't contract. At least in labor.

We have tried every idea to start labor we know of, and walked all over Hobby Lobby (twice) Walmart (twice) Ikea (once, but it is a HUGE store!) Target, and out on the street. We have eaten Indian Food (just gave her indigestion, but no labor) Italian and Mexican.

We have grocery shopped for two weeks worth of food, cleaned the house and done the laundry.

And I finished reading my book.

So there isn't a lot left to do but sit and wait and wait and wait . . .

She is having a lot of contractions and they are fairly regular . . . until she lies down. And then it comes to a complete stop.

I was supposed to go home on Thursday but I changed my flight to Saturday, and then I have to go home baby or no baby. But not getting to hold this little boy and spend time helping Camille would really make me sad.

I have said more prayers than I can count and tomorrow is fast Sunday so you can just imagine what I will be fasting for. I sure hope and pray this baby comes soon, and both mother and baby are healthy and strong.

[Comments Turned Off]

Waiting For A Baby. . .

2011-07-31T20:55:00.001-07:00

About two and a half years ago, I flew to Colorado Springs to witness the birth of our first grandchild, Carly Amelia, who was born to our daughter Camille and her husband Dave. Last January, I was privileged to be at the hospital when our daughter in law gave birth to our second grand child, Enoch Wesley.

And tomorrow I am heading back to Colorado for the arrival of yet another grandbaby . . . a little boy yet to be named.

Camille isn't due until Saturday, so I was going to fly out on Thursday, but when I went to purchase my ticket, I had the feeling I should go on Monday, so I bought it for then. I guess now we will see if my inspiration is correct. :-)

I am very excited, and nervous, and worried.

Camille's last baby came via an emergency c-section. This time she is trying for an all natural birth so that makes me a little nervous. But on the other hand, I am so eager to meet this little guy I can hardly stand it!!!

Wedding Reception Advice (Since Now Of Course I Am An Expert:-)

2011-07-27T07:37:00.001-07:00

While still waiting for pictures from the photographer, I wanted to post some things I learned about wedding receptions this past month. Here is some of my best advice after two weddings.

1. Have a Theme

Of course this isn't necessary, but it does make decorating easier--or at least gives it direction. Since it was July in Arizona, being outside was not a possibility, so Kristen wanted to bring the outdoors inside with a garden theme. We collected a lot of plants and flowers from friends and neighbors to use and for the centerpieces we painted ceramic flower pots blue and filled them with fresh daisies. (This was just a picture where I was testing out the colors.)

We also incorporated the theme into the dessert bar. She wanted to have an ice cream sundae bar, so I covered a renovated cupcake stand in moss, and used plant pots to put the ice cream toppings. Her infamous cake sat on top. (Which we do not have a picture of right now.)

2. Make it Personal

I wanted there to be something about the reception that really made it personal to Kristen and Peter. True there were many things that reflected their personalities--we served Pizza and salad, (Kristen's favorite food) along with Peter's favorite punch and had a live string quartet instead of CD's and a disc jockey--but I wanted something more.

So incorporating the garden theme with Kristen's school teaching, we asked her third grade class for marriage advice (that you can read here). My friend Jenny then wrote the advice on canvas boards and another friend, Sonia, turned them into cute garden signs that we placed around the cultural hall. This turned out to be really fun as many guests walked around the room reading them all.

3. Have a Fun Exit Plan

I think it is nice to have a fun way to send off the newlyweds, plus give closure to the reception. My friend, Susan, removed the petals from fresh flowers and all the guests showered her daughter and husband with them as they left the wedding venue. I have also known people to light sparklers, and of course there is the throwing of rice or bird seed.

Being inside a church building, our options were limited. I also didn't want anything I would have to spend a lot of time cleaning up. In the end we chose to make luminaries for the guests.

We used small white paper bags that were trimmed down to about only four inches tall. We punched holes in each side and tied a ribbon through the holes to make a handle, decorated one side with paper daisies that we cut from yellow card stock and then taped a lit battery-powered tea candle to the bottom. (The batteries last for hours so you can turn them all on far in advance.)

At the end of the reception, we turned off the main lights and had all the guests line up in two columns, forming a path from the front of the cultural hall to the lobby. Each guest held up his or her luminary to make a lighted path for the bride and groom to pass as they began their life together. And then everyone cheered for them as they walked through the path.

I loved the symbolism of this. And clean up was easy.

4. Have a Wedding Coordinator for the Reception.

I asked a wedding coordinator what her best advice was and she told me to have a coordinator for at least the reception. I know that sounds exactly what you would expect a coordinator to say, but it turned out to truly be the best advice I received.

My friend Sonia accepted that responsibility. She is very detail oriented and a stickler for schedules so I was confident she would do a great job. And she did. In addition to handling any questions that came up from the many other wonderful friends helping out that night, and any problems that arose, Sonia got the musicians playing when it was time, made sure the young girls who were clearing tables stayed on top of their job, added more chairs when we ran out of tables, coordinated with the Emcee when it was time to cut the cake, etc., made sure Kristen had her tossing bouquet at the right time and handed out the luminaries at the end of the reception.

I didn't have to worry about anything. I just got to sit back and enjoy the reception. It was great!!

5. Looking for Material? There are many websites that sell ready made table cloths for a great price, but Kristen had her heart set on polka dots so I went on a search for fabric.(And then my good friend Lisa turned it into darling table cloths!) While searching, I found two wonderful websites for fabric. One is called www.fabric.com . Another is www.warehousefabricsinc.com . It really has just about anything you might want and you can search by color or pattern.

What I would Do Differently

1. We used the church cultural hall,which I am never excited about, but still it turned out beautifully. However, while at the reception I just saw the decorations, when I look at pictures afterward I just see the walls and that has been very disappointing to me. I think if I have to use the cultural hall again I will definitely tent it. Another option, that might be less expensive is to use all the partitions available and just drape gathered material over them and use them as backdrops all over the room. We did this in a couple places, but I wish I did more.

And since I still have two more weddings to go . . . I am interested in any advice anyone else out there might have to offer. Please, share!!

Georgia On My Mind . . .

2011-07-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

We just got back late last night from a quick trip to Georgia where we attended an open house in honor of Kristen and Peter's wedding.

Lucky for us, Wes has both a brother and a sister who live there, so we received the royal treatment during our stay and had a great time visiting family.

His sister lives in a wonderful neighborhood. Many of the houses look like they came straight from the story books of my childhood. And the thick woods surrounding the houses seem so magical during the day, and almost eerie when you drive through them at night.

(The loud sounds from the tree frogs don't help that eeriness, I must say)

Being from the Arizona desert, looking out her back window to this beautiful, lush view was quite a treat.
While in town, we wanted to soak up some of the local culture, so we made a quick stop at The Varsity, a very popular restaurant in downtown Atlanta, adjacent to Georgia Tech, that specializes in healthy foods like chili cheese dogs, onion rings and orange freezes. This is a really bad picture (my husband took it very quickly) but I got such a kick out of the "tables" which were actually school desks!
We also had to make a quick run by "The Flying Biscuit" for a snack. We got a buttermilk biscuit and apple butter that was delicious!! (The picture is of Wes and his sister, who served as our Tour Guide Extraordinaire)
And in case you were wondering . . . we also ate some southern fried chicken! (Of course)

But our trip wasn't all about the food. We also had a little adventure. We decided to take a tour around downtown Atlanta on segways!!

Here Wes is practicing before we headed out across town.

And here is the three of us near the end of our three hour tour. The segways were a lot of fun and much easier to ride than I had anticipated. You only use the handlebars for steering. To move forward you just gently move your weight to the balls of your feet, to move backward you put your weight on your heels and to stop, you center your weight. That is it!

But as we scurried up hills in the humidity and heat, we did have a lot of fellow tourists give us envious looks. Seriously--I would look for this kind of tour in any city from now on!

And then of course, we also attended the wedding celebration at Peter's parent's house. They have a beautiful home in northern Georgia and just getting there was an adventure--due to bad traffic and gorgeous scenery.

Here they are greeting some of their guests.
We had a good showing from our family as well. Below are two of my nieces who made the drive up. Brittany (r) also brought along her two little boys.
Wes' brother's family also came along with a surprise--Aunt Celeste and Uncle Vaughn. In this picture is Sunny, Lexie and their mother Dawn (who is Wes' brother's wife-and yes, I know she looks like one of the girls rather than their 40 plus mother!!) And also on the right is my husband's Aunt Celeste.
She and her husband Vaughn totally surprised us by driving over from Kentucky!! Following the open house we went to their hotel and visited for about another hour and half.

And then of course we also got to spend a little time (and I mean very little) with the bride and groom who still appear happily married--after one entire week!

I am hoping to soon get up pictures of the wedding and reception in Arizona but I am waiting on the photographer. As soon as I get some though, I will post them.

And now we are back to our heat. I will have a little time at home before I head off to Colorado for the birth of our third grandchild!!

Life is good. And definitely brings . . . joy to my journey.

Summer Salads--Spinach and Teriyaki Bow Tie Pasta

2011-07-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

Need a delicious pasta salad for dinner or a party? Here is a very good one I recently found. I have now made it three times and it was a hit every time!

1 1/4 cups Honey Teriyaki Marinade
1 12 oz box Bowtie Pasta
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup White Vinegar
1/4 cupGranulated Sugar
½ teaspoons Salt
1 bag Baby Spinach
1 cup Craisins
2 small cans or one large can Mandarin Oranges
1/2 cup Cashews

Cook pasta the night before serving. Place in container with 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce and let marinate over night. This gives the pasta a lot of flavor.

30 minutes before serving . . .

Mix cooked, marinated pasta with craisins, nuts and oranges. In a separate container mix together remaining teriyaki sauce, oil, vinegar, sugar and salt. Mix well. Use sauce to lightly coat the pasta mixture. Just before serving, add spinach and toss. Add more sauce if needed.

It is possible to make everything else way ahead of time and then add the spinach just before serving. If you add it sooner, however, it will wilt.

VARIATION--if you want a heartier meal, marinate three chicken breasts in teriyaki sauce for 30 minutes. Grill and add to salad.

Serves 6-8

Sweet Tales from the Wedding

2011-07-17T22:43:00.001-07:00

After months of planning, and countless hours of work on the part of innumerable people, Kristen and Peter’s wedding went off beautifully. I didn’t take very many pictures as I was busy with so many other things, and we had a photographer, but I hope to post pictures when they become available.

In the meantime, here are a few random stories from our weekend that I wanted to be sure to share.

1. Miracles of Miracles!! There were two miracles I witnessed this past weekend. The first is that my back held up through all the work and stress. I have a bad back and usually when I am in a highly stressful situation, or having to do a lot of physical work, my back flares up and I end up flat down in bed. This time I didn't have any serious back problems until the very end of the reception. But even then I made it through all the clean up!! Truly a miracle.

The second miracle was the weather!! It has been very hot here in Phoenix--about 105-110 degrees and somewhat humid. However, on the day of the wedding, I walked outside early in the morning and felt COOL air!! We had some pictures taken around 7 and additional pictures afterward and we never felt terribly hot. It was such a blessing!!!

1. I #2. A League of Their Own. I had a vision for the reception and worked for several months to make it a reality. The day finally arrived for us to set up and while my husband and several others tackled the drop ceiling, I went to work with two friends to create a faux gazebo where the musicians would perform. Before going to the church, I put together a box with everything I could think of that might be needed. I had string, wire, wire cutters, scissors, duct tape etc. I was so pleased with myself for being so prepared and proudly displayed my box to my friends. Sonia Holmes looked in it and then asked, “Where's the chocolate?” A big oversight to be sure. But soon Sonia and Michelle Hill were pulling out screws, screwdrivers and ladders from their supplies, and I quickly realized I was out of my league on this one. I was so glad they were there, and even happier to leave the construction of the gazebo to their capable care. They both were awesome and stayed many hours making sure everything was perfect!!

And here is a little sneak preview of how it looked. This was taken before the centerpieces arrived but gives you a basic idea. The structure in the back is what Michelle and Sonia put together using Kristy's 8 foot posts and 5 gallon buckets.

#3. DIY to the Extreme! I really wish I had a picture of the wedding cake!! Kristen did not want to serve cake and she did not want to pay for an expensive cake that wasn’t going to be served. So, being the resourceful, thrifty person she is, she decided to make the cake herself—with fondant frosting. Now she had never used fondant before, but she had seen several you tube tutorials, so she felt perfectly qualified. Unfortunately the frosting was very hard, did not roll out well, and consequently was rather impossible to smooth over the cake. In some places there were folds, and in other places very noticeable gaps, leaving the chocolate cake exposed. No problem! Ribbon and silk flowers rushed to the rescue. Personally, I voted to throw it out and replace it with something from the store (especially when a pink substance started oozing from one of the gaps in the frosting), but Kristen insisted on putting it on display. (Much to my chagrin. :-)When it came time to cut the cake, they could barely get the knife through it, but in the end they did, each took a bite, and after the reception I happily threw the poor little cake into the garbage

#4. Secret Elves . . . I am so grateful to the many, many people who helped set up for the reception. They truly were a little army and did an amazing job. Wes and I worked from around noon to 4:30 but then had to leave to attend the wedding dinner—the night before the wedding. Our friends kept working, however, and when we returned around 9:30 there were only a few minor detail things that were left to do. Since we had an early day ahead of us, we went home around 10, leaving the mess from setting up in the cultural hall, with the plan to return after the wedding to clean it up. But when we returned the next day, we discovered that everything had been cleaned, the floor swept and the halls and lobby vacuumed!! I honestly started to cry. Thanks so much to the Carlini family and Doug Nelson for all their hard work!! It was very much appreciated. Thanks also to Doug for spending so many hours fixing the electrical problems so we could have all the lighting!!

4. And speaking of thanking people . . . thanks to Lisa Nelson for sewing the cute table cloths, Suzie Jones for the darling aprons, the entire Sheffield family who came to set up, Kristy Rose and family for the posts we used for the “gazebo”, as well as the lights for the ceiling, Jodi Poston for the plastic used for the ceiling, David and Vicky Goss for the backdrops, my daughter in law, Kali for the cute floral swag she made and the other decorations she borrowed from her cousin Becky Stone, Susan Hunter and Jenny Carlini for the food table display, Connie Purtymun for her table cloths, Bryan Purtymun for all of his help with the ceiling along with his son in law Andrew Darrow, Phyllis Leber for loaning me her chair covers, Matt Bullock for serving as Emcee, Jen Collins for the beautiful flowers used by the wedding party and Jackie McAfterty for the gorgeous centerpieces—as well as a thank you to all who helped set up, take down and donated greenery, cut up fruit in advance and served the food at the reception. Whew!!!! ( I have more thanking to do but will save it for other posts.)

It was a wonderful, beautiful day for our family, and there is no way we could have done it without all of your help!! How blessed we are to have you all in our lives!

We love you all!!

Change is in the air!

2011-07-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

I have a new church calling!

I was recently asked to serve as the First Counselor in the YW Presidency in our ward.

In other words, I will be working with the 14 and 15 year old girls in our church.

I am very excited about this, although I will severely miss my Sunday School class of 16-18 year olds.

However the timing on this new assignment is a bit of a challenge.

True, with the ever present, all consuming wedding just a week away, starting something new is a bit difficult.

BUT

that isn't the hardest part.

What makes it harder is the Young Women's president, the Laurel advisor, and the Mia-Maid advisor are all out of town!

FOR THE MONTH!!

So what that means is that we are combining with the 16-17 year old girls for all the Sunday instruction and Wednesday night activities

AND

I am pretty much alone to muddle through and try to figure it all out.

And tomorrow I am supposed to teach both Sunday School and YW!

Yikes!!

The good news is I LOVE the youth!!

And I am so excited to be working with the young girls in our ward.

Just pray for me to get through this week!

Quotable Quotes: (Overheard at the grocery store) "Be young for as long as you can, because once you are old, you are old forever."

So What Is a Haboob Anyway?

2011-07-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

This is what we watched spread across the Phoenix skyline on Tuesday night.

It is called a Haboob

Photo courtesy Arizona Republic

Or in other words . . .

A powerful sandstorm caused when a thunderstorm collapses.

The intense winds then stir up loose sand as it travels across the ground.

This particular storm has been described as the most powerful in Phoenix over the past 100 years.

It reportedly was two miles high and traveled at speeds up to 60 miles an hour.

Pretty impressive, I must say.

And I almost missed it.

My daughter called from Colorado to tell me our storm was on their news. I asked, "What storm?" Then I looked out the front window and gasped. The storm was far in our distance, but we watched it travel about 20 miles in 20 minutes--completely engulfing everything in its path.

We were glad to be north of it and inside.

But storms like this and the fact that you can touch an outside doorknob at 7 in the morning and burn your hand

are good reasons why most of Arizona leaves town in July.

Which also doesn't make it the best time for a wedding.

But, the few people who remain in town should have a fun time when they come to Kristen's reception.

Only one more week to go!

I'm Done!!

2011-06-21T20:58:00.001-07:00

I am not done in the sense that I have completed anything, I am done in the sense that I quit.

Or at least I would like to. Just for a day or two. I actually love doing weddings, but I have to admit I am starting to get very stressed over this. And my house is a mess. The dining room table is so covered in flowers, ribbons, organza and satin, that it has spilled over on to the floor and it is now hard to tell where the one ends and the other begins.

And I am very tired. Bone tired. The kind of tired that makes your body ache, your eyes burn and your muscles rebel at every movement. But . . .

Only three and a half more weeks!!

And things are moving along well. Kristen got the invitations all out this past week and they are DARLING!! Here are a couple pictures from them.

Thanks so much to Christina at Hands Full Mom for taking the very cute pictures!! She did a great job and we love them all!! In fact, Kristen loved them so much she used several on her announcement. Thanks to Craig Steed for designing and printing the announcements. We appreciate you both!!

~~~~~~~

In news outside the wedding . . . (yes, there is life outside of it)

Last week was girl's camp and my husband and I went up for a day. That was so much fun. I loved seeing all my friends who were there as cabin moms and really enjoyed visiting with the girls. And we were particularly glad they caught the two bears who had been sneaking around and relocated them before our arrival!!

In the evening there was a program where all the bishops told how they met and proposed to their wife. It was so cute. One man met his wife when he attended a seminary graduation program for his friend's younger sister. His future wife was also graduating that night. Another met his wife at a 9th grade dance--and she was several inches taller than he was. One met his wife in Boston while they were both attending graduate school and another carried a ring around in his pocket for two months before he worked up the courage to propose.

One of my favorite stories is about my friend Jenny. She set up a lemonade stand outside the boys apartments on the day most of the boys were moving in at the beginning of the school year. Her future husband bought a lot of lemonade that day.

My other favorite story came from a man who is a dentist. After dating his wife seriously for about six months, she was sure he was going to give her a ring for Christmas, but instead his "special gift" for her, was to pay for her to get a tooth fixed!! It was another six months before he got around to actually proposing. Apparently he was waiting for "Memorial Day".

That kind of hesitancy on the part of men, is why I just told Wes I wanted to get married after dating for two weeks. He agreed and we moved forward from there. :-) Easy.

~~~~~~

So my daughter Michelle was up at camp as a second year youth camp leader (YCL). She LOVES camp and will make a great young women leader someday. She is totally cute with the girls, lots of fun, and totally crazy.

So crazy that apparently there were several people who were shocked to learn she was our daughter. I guess they didn't think Wes and I could possibly have a daughter who was so much fun. Presumably because they don't think we are fun.

Seriously?!! We are fun people! We really are. I promise!

Shout Out to Kampala, Uganda!!

2011-06-15T18:12:00.001-07:00

Here is a shout out to my sister and her husband.

This picture was taken upon their arrival in Kampala, Uganda where they will live for the next two years!

And it was taken after two days of travel and before brushing their teeth

(that was what she told me)

Don't they look great?!

BEST OF LUCK

to you both!!

Can't wait for those emails!

If you are interested you can read about their mission on Terri's Blog

It's My Birthday and I'll Leave If I Want To . . .

2011-06-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

I am not sure when it all began. I think early June just happened to be a good time for a vacation and so by coincidence we often left town for my birthday. But now it has become such a long established tradition that the thought of actually being in town on the day I was born makes my heart palpitate, my hands shake and my body break out in a cold sweat.

What it scares me, I really don't know. Do I think no one will remember? That no one will care? Or am I afraid they will remember and I will be uncomfortable being the center of attention? None of the fears seem justified, as I have very good friends who always remember, very kindly accommodate my vacation schedule and celebrate with me on different days--and I really don't mind occasionally being the center of attention. :-)

But no matter what the cause of my anxiety, when a good friend (knowing how I like to be out of town) offered me an excuse to travel this past week, I took it! And I am glad I did as we had a wonderful time.

We began our journey by heading north to Las Vegas. Here we attended a temple session, followed by lunch in the cafeteria and pictures in the atrium.

From there we continued north to St. George, Utah. What fun that was!! We headed straight to Tai Pan Trading--an amazing store I could be happy to live in for weeks!! But eventually our husbands dragged us out and we headed over to meet my older brother for dinner at The Painted Pony. His wife had meetings that night so we talked him into spending the evening with us. During dinner, Randy observed that this was the first time we spent my birthday together since I was ten!

The food was delicious and beautifully presented. (See the onion soup below!) Also a bit over priced. But we had a wonderful meal and enjoyed visiting together.

My brother is an architect and has done some work on the St. George temple. Several years ago he restored the veil room to its original form and designed the visitor's center annex, along with the connecting breezeway (below).

Randy also filled us in on some fun stories about the building of the St. George temple--like how President Brigham Young didn't like the original steeple and wanted it changed. He even said that if it weren't changed he would get it changed after he died. Five years after he passed away, the steeple was destroyed by a lightening strike, and replaced the way President Young had requested.

The St. George temple is the oldest operating LDS temple in the world. It was so much fun to see it, and admire the details, including the beehives found at the bottom of the staircases. I thought they were pretty cool.

The next morning we got up early to attend a session at the temple and then headed quickly over to the tabernacle. Wes heard that his great-grandfather built the staircase there and had always wanted to see it. What a treat that was! (And we learned the same man built the staircase in the Salt Lake and Manti temples, so I am guessing we will be going there someday as well! )

Of course when Wes learned that every prophet from Brigham Young to Howard W. Hunter had preached at the pulpit of the tabernacle, he couldn't resist having his picture taken standing there as well! (I am guessing they all wore ties though:-)

Unfortunately that was all the time we could spend in St. George as we had to head home for three wedding receptions and a baby shower. But on our return jounrey we did a quick drive by the north rim of the Grand Canyon. I had not been there since I was 14 and loved being able to go again. And I really loved all the old dead trees!! I thought they were so fascinating!

But there is nothing more spectacular than the view of the canyon!! Gorgeous!! Astounding!! And testimony building. What a beautiful and wonderful world we live in!

We made it home in time to attend all of the other fun activities--including some great birthday celebrations with family and friends.

Thanks to everyone for your time, your sweet gifts and especially your love!! You all bring great . . . joy to my journey!

The Long Awaited Day--Phoenix Temple Ground Breaking

2011-06-04T15:29:00.001-07:00

Three years after being announced, we finally had the official ground breaking this morning for the Phoenix Arizona Temple. When completed, this will be "our" temple as it will only be 15 minutes from where we live.

This is a picture of a picture so not the best quality, but the best I have. This painting will rotate through the different church buildings in the Phoenix temple district over the next two years until the building is completed.

The Phoenix Temple was announced near the same time as the Gilbert Arizona (under construction) and Gila Valley (completed) temples, but due to neighborhood protests and a re-design, we had to wait three years for this wonderful day.

My husband and I arrived early to get a good seat, so I also hurried over to take a picture of all the shovels waiting patiently to be used.

Elder Ronald Rasband, senior president of the Seventy, presided and was assisted by Elder William Walker, also a seventy and chairman of the temple committee. Elder Michael Pickerd and Elder James Wright, both Area Seventies in the Phoenix area were also in attendance, along with the wives of all the visiting authorities. Elder Pickerd, Elder and Sister Walker and Elder and Sister Rasband all spoke and Elder Rasband offered the dedicatory prayer, dedicating the temple ground for the building of the temple.

After the closing prayer, we all went outside for the official "turning of the dirt"

Left to Right--Elder Wright, Elder Pickerd, Elder Rasband and Elder Walker

After the official turning, my husband and I got a turn.

(we are in the middle of the picture)

Later they invited anyone who wanted, to come up and shovel some dirt or have a picture taken in front of the painting, so our daughter, Michelle, (on the right) jumped up to participate as well.

HIGHLIGHTS

We had a lot of memorable experiences, but one Michelle will always remember is meeting Sister Dibb --President Monson's daughter, and a member of the General Young Women's Presidency who was in town visiting her son and his family. Sister Dibb was extremely warm and kind. Her love for the young women in the church was evident as she made an effort to speak to many of the young women aged girls there. She noticed Michelle was wearing her Young Women's Medallion (which Sister Dibb was also wearing) and congratulated her on earning the award. She complimented her on her clothing as well (which happened to be a $4.00 skirt from a thrift store:-) and for looking like a girl who was "doing it right".

When we turned to walk away, Michelle said to me, "I love her!"

Another highlight was the music! Our stake was given the assignment to provide a choir for the event and they were amazing!! I wish I could have taken a picture of the choir, or better yet recorded them. For the closing song they sang, "Now Let Us Rejoice" and during the last verse the congregation joined them while they sang a descant. I yearned to lift my voice in song with all those present, but I couldn't. Instead I just bawled. I was so overcome with the beauty of the music that I could only sit and cry.

Lastly--we had a wonderful experience last night in that we were able to enjoy a delicious dinner at the Deer Valley Stake Center with the visiting authorities. It was assigned seating and my husband was assigned to sit next to Sister Rasband. I was so impressed at how wonderfully warm and friendly she was. She seemed to be very open, interested in, and kind to everyone. It was certainly a treat to visit with her for the short time we did. (She and Wes actually visited for a long time, I just visited with her for a little while.)

One thing that was interesting is we were told that all three temples in Arizona were approved at the same time (Gila Valley, Gilbert and Phoenix) but that the Phoenix Temple was not announced until the land for the temple was purchased so as to avoid a price hike by those selling.

I well remember the day the Gilbert temple was announced. Those of us in the west valley were astounded since the Mesa temple was only ten minutes away and we are an hour away. But we all rejoiced a couple weeks later when a temple was announced for our area as well.

And today, June 4, 2011 marked the official beginning of it's construction. Finally!

What a blessed day this is. It has definitely been a day that has brought great . . . joy to my journey.

Escaping the Heat!!

2011-05-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

With it starting to warm up in Arizona, and a wedding this summer, we decided to get away for a few days with the WHOLE family before things got too crazy. It has been so much fun having all the kids here together. We ran off to Jackson, Wyoming--somewhere I have never been--and loved it!!

We rented a house for the week and really enjoyed that. The only down side was the lack of privacy in the master bedroom. One wall only went about 3/4 of the way to the ceiling, leaving it open to the loft. And the loft was open to the main floor. So everything said downstairs could be heard in our room, just as if the person were standing next to you. And everything said in our room could be heard downstairs.

But a big benefit is we could do all of our own cooking. And the best part was that each couple had an assigned day to cook and clean up. Here my man is keeping three pans of pancakes going on the day we had breakfast!!

And then there was my son's special breakfast!! Oh, it smelled and tasted so good!! There was also Kristen and Peter's roasted pork loin dinner, and Camille and Dave's corn chowder and homemade bread! Yumm!

We really enjoyed seeing the wildlife. One night we actually had a moose come right to the front of the house where we were staying!! Unfortunately my son accidentally scared it away before we could get a picture.

But I did get this bear with her two cubs!! They were playing right off the side of the street!

And of course every family should have their picture taken with bison. :-)
We felt a bit sorry though, for all these elk who lost their antlers! At the park in Jackson there were four of these arches (one on each corner of the park).

In addition to wildlife, we loved seeing the falls at Yellowstone Park!

And then there were the snow banks!! We just couldn't believe all the snow! In fact it snowed five inches the day before we went there, and the east entrance to the park was closed due to an avalanche.

And of course there were the thermal pools, steam vents and geysers! I know this picture doesn't really show them, but it is one of my favorite pictures. Aunt Kristen and soon to be Uncle Peter were walking the boardwalk when Carly (2) wanted to join them so she took a hold of Kristen's scarf as they walked along.

We all loved the views of the jagged mountain peaks!

But I have to admit the best part of being there was being with my kids and playing with the grandbabies!!

Being with family truly brings . . . joy to my journey!

Marriage Advice From 9 Year Olds.

2011-05-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

My engaged daughter asked her third grade school class for marriage advice. This is what they told her:

Don’t get divorced, have fun living with each other, and don’t ever get in a fight. Just be nice. –A. (Wouldn't it be great if everyone did that!)

Hug and kiss but make sure he likes you first. –T. (It is always good to be sure your husband likes you before you kiss him.)

Love each other, respect each other, and never give up on him. –T.

Never yell at each other or be rude to each other. –R.

Get speakers to get [your husband's] attention. –M. (Now, why didn't I ever think of that?)

Eat lots of cows. –M. (????)

Stick together and give gifts to each other. –K.

Have 28 kids and eat lots of cookies. –J. (I'm all over that cookie idea, but 28 kids???)

Get a 19 layer cake for the reception. –H.

Don’t let [your husband] go out with his friends a lot. – J.

Keep believing in him- And never stop loving him. –J. (Love that one!)

Kiss, have a good time, have kids. –L.

You should kiss [your husband] with lipstick and you should kiss him before you say I do. –J. (I am thinking bright red lipstick is best)

Never fight, play with him, and take each other to a restaurant. –M.

Be nice, eat lots of ice cream, and play Frisbee. –E. (Sounds like a recipe for success to me!)

Be nice and have fun. –M.

Always go to BYU games. –H.

Get 3 children, go on dates often, and go to Chuck-a-Rama. –J.

So there you have it--the secrets to a successful marriage!! I am headed out right now to buy a Frisbee, ice cream and cookies. :-)

In the "Life is Good" category . . .

2011-05-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

Look what has come to America!!

We first discovered Magnum ice cream bars 11 years ago on our first trip to Europe. They were so wonderfully delicious! Later we learned that you could buy them anywhere in the world, EXCEPT the United States.

So, one of the first things Wes always does upon landing in a foreign country, is find the Magnum Bars. It only took him 20 minutes to find one after landing in Beijing! That was pretty impressive.

But now they are here--at Walmart!!

You can get them in all different flavors

Still need enticing? Here is a closeup. Yummy!!

My personal favorite is the double caramel. Smooth creamy ice cream is dipped in milk chocolate, then dipped in rich caramel and dipped in chocolate a second time.

Oh. So. Good!!!

Seriously--you are going to want to run to Walmart and get one!!

And in other good news . . . This is the view off my front porch right now. Okay, so I didn't actually take this picture, but if I did take a picture, this is close to what it would look like. Saguaro cactus and a rainbow!! Yes, believe it or not, it has been raining off and on all day.

I love it!! After hitting a 100 degrees last week, I am really enjoying being in the low 70's! And with moisture!

Lastly--my daughter Kathryn is home for two weeks. Hooray!! I wish she could stay longer but she is an adult and has to work for a living. Still, I am happy with whatever I can get.

Although, tonight after we ate, Wes ran off to his second night of meetings this week (he has meetings tomorrow night as well), Michelle ran off to mutual and Kathryn went over to visit the neighbors.

I was left at home alone to do the dishes.

Okay so life isn't totally perfect. But that just makes me even more grateful for rainbows and ice cream. :-)

Only Nine Weeks To Go!!

2011-05-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

Kristen's wedding is just NINE weeks away!!

Which means . . .

I only have NINE weeks to turn

This. . .

And this . . .

Into something

FABULOUS!

This is going to be one very big

DIWF

(Do it with friends)

Project!

Prayers are appreciated. :-)

If I could go back in time to do one thing over . . .

2011-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

While visiting with friends recently someone asked the question, “If you could go back in time and do one thing differently, what would it be?”

My answer was that I would be more patient with my children when they were tiny instead of getting upset over little things. And that is true. I really do wish I had been as patient then as I am now, as I think it would have saved us all some grief.

But the truth is, given the chance, there is something else I would do.

I would be nice to Marta.

Marta was a little 8-year-old girl with a congenital heart defect from Nicaragua, who came to live with us while awaiting heart surgery.

And she drove me crazy.

I was 12 at the time and found her very irritating. She would follow me around during the day, would often get into my things, and at dinner time would hurry and sit in my seat. I was convinced her bothersome behavior was intentionally planned to bug me.

So I tried to avoid her, got after her for playing with my things and even gave her a dirty look under the table before family prayer when once again she stole my seat.

But after she went into the hospital, I began to feel bad for the way I treated her. I realized she was young and far from home in a country where she didn’t even speak the language. She had to be very lonely and also very scared.

I decided that when she came back to stay with us during her recovery, I would be the friend I should have been in the beginning.

But I never got the chance to apologize. I never got the chance to make her feel welcome.

Marta died on the operating table.

I think it would be hard for anyone to imagine the guilt I carried with me for many years after that. I thought often of the little lonely girl, so far away from her family, so afraid and treated so unkindly.

So if I could go back in time to do something differently than I did before, I would be nice to Marta. At least then, during her last week on earth, she would have had a friend.

So Much Fun in Just A Few Weeks!!

2011-05-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

Life has actually been rather busy lately . . . and so very much fun!!!

We had the baby blessing of our little grandson, Enoch. What a great day that was!! We loved being there with so many friends and family members to celebrate the big day.

And then his father had a birthday! Happy Birthday Ryan!

Unfortunately we were out of town and weren't able to celebrate with him (but we did leave him the dog to take care of in our absence:-) However, we will be celebrating in style later this week.

I flew to Colorado Springs to spend some time with my daughter Camille and her cute little family. I took several pictures of Carly (who is 2) while there, but she wasn't too thrilled with me doing that and didn't smile in any of them.

However, we did have a nice time at the zoo, where we got up close and personal with the animals!
The next day we all loaded into the little Corolla and journeyed over the Rockies through the snow and ice to Utah to attend the graduation service for Kristen! Good job Dave on the driving!! (Camille's husband) I only white knuckled it a few times.

And Congratulations Kristen on being a college graduate!!

Following Kristen's graduation, we went to lunch at a little Chilean restaurant in Provo. The food was so good and fresh. I ordered a mango drink and then got to watch them peel the mangoes!! Yumm!
Easter Sunday was spent at my sister's house where we had a wonderful dinner (and got to Ohhh and Ahhhh over Kristen's diamond ring!). Thank you Melissa and Joe for that delicious meal.

Here I am in Melissa's backyard with my four daughters!! Life doesn't get much better than that. (And in case anyone is wondering--Camille is 6 months pregnant.)
Also in Utah I was able to go to dinner with my two older sisters and their husbands (which was a great time!) and have an Easter egg hunt with my two younger sisters and their children.

Then we hurried back to Arizona where I spent most of my week working feverishly on a Luau we were having Saturday night. I spent hours collecting cute decorations and planning the table settings.

But, the day of the Luau, the wind kicked up and blew all the decorations down the minute after we put them up. After fighting the wind for almost an hour, I surrendered and put the decorations away. The plates and cups were dumped unceremoniously on the serving table (which is my number one sin for party decor!:-) And we ate cold food (wind chilled) on a table void of decorations. Ugh!!

But everyone seemed to have a good time despite the lack of cuteness and warm vittles.

We had a hula hoop contest.
Pineapple bowling with coconuts
A spear throw and Maori stick dance. And then . . . The sister missionaries taught everyone the Hula and the Haka!!
I am still cleaning up the mess in my kitchen from the cooking. But I had a lot of fun that night.

And I have had a lot of fun the past few weeks. These are the times that definitely bring . . . joy to my journey!

Just another one of life's blessings. . .

2011-05-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

Last week my daughter told me she was going to the school dance recital to support a friend of hers who was dancing in it. I remembered that one of my Sunday School girls was also in the recital, along with her younger sister who had been in my seminary class, so I asked my daughter if she would mind if I went with her. She told me she would love to have me go--and not just because she knew I would pay the $5 entrance fee. :-)

I appreciated that. I knew that when I was a junior in high school I would have preferred death over attending a school activity with my mom. I mean I love my mother but going to school with her did not register at all on the "cool scale".

But my daughter and I went together and she even sat next to me instead of with her two very good boy friends who sat in front of us. And I wondered a bit if she were just a little uncomfortable with having her mother there with her.

Then I looked around. Also in the room was our ward Young Women's president who came to support the girls. And across the room sat their seminary teacher. I realized that my daughter probably didn't care I was there at all. She was used to having supportive adults at school activities!

My heart swelled with love. Not just for my daughter, nor just for the girls I came to support, but also for their wonderful leaders who gave up their busy time to be there as well.

And I thought of the words, "their hearts were knit together in love".

How grateful I am for a daughter who doesn't mind going to school with her mother. And how thankful I am for church callings that give us the opportunity to serve each other and thereby come to love and support each other.

It's A Boy!!

2011-04-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, our daughter Kristen not only graduated from BYU

(Congratulations Kristen!)

But she also got engaged!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

To: Peter

6 feet 4 inches

180 pounds

Cause for a little celebration!

Congratulations to you both!!

We know you will have a wonderful life together.

And we are looking forward to the wedding in twelve weeks!!

Easter Gift--Photo Essay of Gethsemane and the Garden Tomb

2011-04-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

GETHSEMANE

And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane, which was a garden . . .

JST Mark 14:36

And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Luke 22

The Garden Tomb

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and others with them.

And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

Luke 23-25

HAPPY EASTER!

And may the message of the resurrection, always bring . . . joy to your journey.

Travel Tales--Final Edition

2011-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

So realizing that everyone might be getting sick of our trip, I still wanted to post about some of our more memorable moments. These are fun, I promise!

So this wasn't exactly a luxury tour!! Although we had a van, when we also had all the luggage, it was a tight squeeze. Sonia was particularly squished. This is how she traveled after Wes "fixed" it to make it more comfortable for her!

Good Sport Award definitely went to Sonia!

Pictured below is one of my most touching experiences. We hired a guide in Bethlehem who was one of three members of the church in that town. My favorite moment was when we went to "Shepherd's Field". After viewing the fields, we met in a cave where shepherds once lived. Here our guide recounted the Christmas story and bore his testimony.

It was so sweet to sit there on the side of a hill in Bethlehem, listening to the story of Christ's birth. You could easily picture the shepherds watching their flocks and hear the angels bearing tidings of great joy.

The Spirit was strong.

It will be an experience I will always remember.

Also in Bethlehem we went to the Church of the Nativity, which is supposedly built over the exact spot where Christ was born.

To view the spot you have two choices.

You can wait in line for hours with 300 other people until it is your turn to descend the stairs into the church basement . . . or . .

you can bribe a guide to take you down the back way.

We chose to bribe.

Here is our rather pricey guide who gave us a very (and I mean very!) quick tour of the church and then sneaked us down the back stairs two at a time where we never really saw "the spot" due to the 300 people filing by on their knees kissing it.

But it was memorable!:-)

And on a much less serious note . . . While visiting Nimrod's Fortress near Galilee, we saw some teen aged boys climb these rocks for a picture. So, not to be out done . . .

Here is one my most favorite (and funny) moments ever!

We rented a house and shared cooking responsibilities.

On Saturday night it was the men's turn to cook.

They made eggs and potatoes.

But these were not just any eggs!

Wil has a special way of making them.

He mixes eggs and milk together and then strains them to remove the "gunk" which he told us is umbilical cords.

Seriously???!!!

So here he is making his umbilical cord-less eggs.

Curious??

No, they are not worshipping the computer.

They are trying to hear a basketball game.

Wes and Wil's brother Ken's basketball team played in the national finals while we were in Galilee and they wanted to hear the game--which was not easy.

Unfortunately Ken's team lost, but hey, second in the nation is still great, don't you think!

Truly--Manna from Heaven!

This was our first schwarma place (love that stuff!!)

Here the bread was definitely fresh!!

See that hole in the roof? After the bread was cooked in the store above, they would hand it down through the hole to make the sandwiches.

Yummy!!

Jerusalem is exhausting!!

It seems like you walk up hill all day long.

Here Wes takes a little nap on the southern steps before continuing on with our sightseeing.

After a few long days of tiring travel, Darren quipped, "Now I understand why Peter, James and John kept falling asleep."

And last favorite moment--meeting so many of the BYU students from the Jerusalem Center.

We were walking down the street one night when we suddenly heard cheering from this group. Turns out Wes was wearing a BYU sweatshirt and they saw it.

Funny thing . . . see the girl on the far left?

Her brother just happens to be one of my son-in-law's best friends,

And the girl on the far right?

Her father was the mission president in Hungary and we know seven missionaries who served there.

Small world.

Sadly, the time came for us to return home.

But the adventure was not over!

While flying between NY and Phoenix, we looked out our window to see this!!

It came toward us, flew along side us and then disappeared under our plane, to appear on the other side where it flew away.

Gotta admit. It was pretty cool to see!

So that concludes my tour of Israel . . .

Well, with one exception.

On Friday, in honor of Easter, I am posting pictures of Gethsemane and the Garden Tomb.

Shalom!!

A full week of great blessings! . . . and photos from the temple mount

2011-04-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

Life has been full this past week. I love full weeks!!

1. First off, last Sunday we attended the baby blessing of our first grandson! His father gave such a beautiful blessing. I was so proud of him. And it was so much fun to attend their ward and have a delicious lunch at Kali's parent's home afterward. I took pictures, but unfortunately I left my camera at their house and won't get it back until later today.

Which is why I don't have any pictures of our good times this past week. BUT . . . pictorially documented or not, we still had a great week.

2. My oldest daughter, Camille, celebrated her birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMILLE! I am going to be seeing her next week and am so excited for that. And (shhhh) but I bought her the cookbook by the ladies from "Our Best Bites" as a gift. I know she will be happy to have that. I am loving mine!

3. Last Saturday, our daughter Kristen and her friend Jayna arrived to spend five glorious days with us!! They both are elementary school teachers (interns) and were on spring break so they came to thaw out from the Utah cold. They hiked, biked, went to the movies, got facials, (thank you Kali!!) and shopped for graduation dresses (as they will graduate from BYU next Friday.) It was so much fun to have them here. Although I learned that with Wes, Michelle, the sister missionaries and our two guests all here, you do NOT want to be the last person to shower in the morning!

4. I found black rice!! I read a couple months ago that in addition to quinoa, black rice is the new super food. So I set out on a mission to find some. Target? No! Walmart? No! Sprouts? No! (But I found some very yummy dark brown rice). But then yesterday I went to a Chinese market looking for cellophane noodles for a luau I am doing later this month and discovered black rice!! I was so excited to eat it and made some for dinner last night. I will admit it just doesn't seem right to be eating black anything (unless it is licorice) but I really did like the flavor and the texture--which is nutty similar to brown.

5. I got back on my exercise schedule, but am having a hard time getting back to healthy eating. I have some treats tucked away in the pantry and was being really good about not eating them until everyone else started to eat them and then I just had to have some as well. But I tell ya, it is a bit embarrassing to be at the gym, pull out your pass to be scanned and have candy wrappers fall out of your pocket!

6. I have also been looking at my pictures from Israel and wanted to share a few more. Here are some from the Temple Mount. This is the same mountain where Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice, and where the temple of Solomon once stood. It is currently under Muslim rule and home to the Dome of the Rock--and is a beautiful place to visit. I really enjoyed the details of the buildings there and watching the people who came to worship.

The last picture of the young girl is my favorite. I love the look on her face. I also got a kick out of the little boy climbing over the wall. Boys will be boys where ever they live, apparently. :-) And notice the girls with the backpacks. One of them says Nike. I got a chuckle out of that.

The Wailing Wall--Just Photos

2011-04-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

For those of you who asked for more pictures, here are some of my favorites from the Western (Wailing) Wall. If you haven't read the post below on our trip, however, be sure to scroll down for that.

This is the wall attached to the wall. I loved all the bird's nest around the Wailing Wall. And during the Sabbath worship, all the birds seemed to come out and circle rapidly high above the worshippers, joining in the celebration.

The wall

A close up of prayers tucked into the wall, in hopes that God will read and answer them.

To the wall come people of all nationalities. Here the faithful wash before offering their prayers.

Two ladies read their scriptures near the wall.

One of my most favorite pictures.

Each time we have been to Jerusalem we have seen young boys brought in groups to the wall to be taught. I loved this picture of these two little ones.

But my favorite scenes are those of the little boys with the Torah in hand and crowns on their heads being taught who they are and who they can become.

It is truly a beautiful and sweet place to visit.

Random Ramblings of our Road Trip to Israel

2011-04-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Miracle of Miracles!

We witnessed several miracles on our trip. One of the most important is that we actually found where we wanted to go. When we were trying to get out of the airport and head to Nazareth, Wes handed me a page of instructions he printed off the Internet. Unfortunately all the street names were in HEBREW!

Driver and navigator checking out the map before we set out once again.

The challenge began all over again when we arrived in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a crazy city, laid out across many hills and with winding roads that suddenly turn into one-way streets, or change names every block—with very few street signs. Even between maps and all eyes on the lookout, we struggled. One time, after several mistakes, Wes told me to put the map away and he would go by feel. In just a few minutes we arrived at our destination. And in the end we found every place we were looking for. Truly a miracle!

Can I get pepperoni with that?

We rented a house in Jerusalem that had a kosher kitchen. Which meant, of course, that besides other things, we were not allowed to eat any pork products or meat with dairy. In fact the kitchen had separate microwaves, dishes and silverware for our dairy meals and meat meals.

We mostly ate at kosher restaurants as well. (Even McDonald's is kosher there) One day we decided to buy pizza for dinner. We scanned the menu for anything familiar to us, but could only find a list of strange vegetables. No such thing as “Meat Lovers” there!! Another time we ate at an Italian restaurant where they had cheese lasagna, and sweet potato stuffed ravioli.

We actually really liked our food in Israel, (we ate a lot of shwarma!) but the first thing we all did when we arrived in the US was buy a sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich!

Where L.D.S. stands for Lay Down Shekles!

My friend Sonia with a a couple of her new best friends

The best place for fruit and vegetables is the Israeli Market, but the best place for souvenirs is the Arab Market in the Old City. The most fun part about shopping there is the shop keepers will haggle over the prices, and they love the Mormons!

With our shopping list in hand, we traipsed into our first store to check out the selection and prices. After hearing the shopkeeper’s “best” price, I suggested to my sister-in-law, Leslie, that we visit a few other stores before buying. The shopkeeper turned to Leslie and said, “You I like. Her I don’t like!”

But he then gave us a better price!

I was only looking for oil lamps for my friend Lisa, but ended up buying some spices as well. I got a cup of saffron threads for $7.00 (my most expensive item) along with spices for Israeli salads, pita bread and shwarma. Now I can’t wait to try them all out. Party’s at my house!!

Make a joyful noise!

One of the most memorable experiences is a visit to the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem. This is simply what is left of a wall that surrounded the temple grounds and since it is all that remains of the temple, it is also the Jew’s most sacred site.

All during the week devout worshippers come to offer prayers, read their scripture and leave notes to God in the cracks of the wall. It is touching to see at any time, but unforgettable to witness on a Friday night—the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath.

On Friday the worship area is packed with people, praying, singing and dancing. Although “reverence” isn’t a word you could use to describe their worship, the energy level was impressive and contagious. If I had known the words to their songs, I am sure I would have been tempted to join them.

But instead, the following night found us at the Jerusalem Center watching the first session of General Conference live with the students there. That was also an unforgettable experience—to be in Jerusalem and hear the “word of the Lord” go out from “Zion” to the world.

Pictures taken during the week at the Western Wall.

No photography is allowed during their Sabbath.

Part II—(later this week) Our Adventure Into Palestinian Bethlehem!

Breaking News . . .

2011-03-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

My Sister Terri and her husband Rock were just called to serve a two-year mission in UGANDA!!

They leave in June and will be working in the office. They just completed a five year mission in Salt Lake City and I guess thought they were ready for a little more adventure.

I am so excited for them--and a bit terrified as well. They were told they have to bring everything with them as you can't buy anything. How do you bring everything for two years?

And my husband and I have plans to fly to Israel fairly soon as well. Although the news out of Jerusalem this morning was a bit scary. We still feel good about going though. . . However if you want to pray for us . . . :-)

I talked with my mother and her comment to me was, "I sure wish you kids would all just stay home."

So, It Started Out Being A Good Day . . .

2011-03-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

The sister missionaries were moving in today and we were very excited!

Michelle and I spent a couple days this week--during her spring break--cleaning out the room they will use, and getting rid of a lot of stuff collected over the past 14 years.

The only thing I had to do today was finish cleaning the laundry room so we could turn half of it into a kitchenette. A stove was being delivered at noon and a refrigerator is coming on Tuesday.

I went to the sister's apartment early to load up my Tahoe with their belongings and then ran home so I could deliver lunch to a friend whose children were hit by a car yesterday while driving a golf cart across the street and just got back from the hospital. (They are okay, but the boy is pretty banged up.)

Then Wes and I were going to hurry and work on the laundry room before his training meeting at 1--that was to be followed by a baptism and then over to friends to watch the BYU basketball game.

A good day, right?

WRONG!

While moving a box in the laundry room I discovered the wall was wet. The entire wall, actually. I groaned, realizing that a wet wall had to mean we had a plumbing leak. I gave Wes the bad news and he started ripping out the drywall to locate the water source.

A friend came by to help him take the cabinet off the wall (the father of the kids who were hit by a car) and later another friend came to help as well.

This is my basement now. The white spot on the wall is where the cabinet once was.

They have taken out a good portion of the wall and cut two holes in the ceiling so they could reach up and cut out a pipe. We believe the leak is coming from the upstairs bathroom, which could also mean my bathroom floor may need to be ripped out as well.

In the meantime--there is no place to put the oven or the fridge. My husband missed his training meeting and will probably miss the baptism, and our bathroom is off limits until the leak is fixed--which will take a couple days.

UGH!!

But . . . I prefer to think happy thoughts. Like about this cute little guy below who is growing up much too fast!

And of course if BYU wins, it will certainly help to bring great . . . joy to my journey!

Letters to Lisa--or the random happenings of my life

2011-03-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't written on my blog very much lately. I think perhaps it is because when you only write once a week or less, you feel what you say has to be profound, and absent a profound thought, you just don't write.

But I was sending an email to my friend Lisa, and noticed how easily words come when I am writing her. They still lack profundity, but at least they come easily. :-) So I decided to just post a few of the things I write her. . . .

In a desperate measure to find clothes that fit, (I am going on a trip in a few weeks and need some clothes for it) I went shopping at the mall today--something I usually try to avoid, especially during spring break. That is when I discovered that men's shirts are much cuter than women's. I was in the ladies section at Penney's and everything was black, tan and white. I went to the men's and they had all these purple and pink shirts. Seriously. What is happening in our culture when men's clothes are cuter than the women's?!! Although, now I am thinking about going back and buying a couple of those shirts. Really.

I also learned today that I am addicted to sugar and cinnamon coated almonds. I received a package of them as a gift. I was going to save them for an upcoming trip, but instead made the mistake of opening the package for just a taste. Now I have to hide them at the top and back of my cupboard so I won't eat them all. But I realized there "ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no river wide enough"--to keep me from eating them. I am as bad as Wes with potato chips.

But the biggest event of my day today is that my mother had a surgical procedure this morning. It is just one more medical treatment in a long line of treatments that she is supposed to have regularly. But the last time it was done, she was in so much pain afterward, she did not want to do it again. However, she finally gave in and scheduled it.

I was so worried about her that I didn't sleep much last night and stayed by my phone all morning until my father called me with the news that all was well. I am so amazed at my mother. I had a stiff neck for a couple days and was ready to call it a good life and move on to the next, rather than continue with my suffering. :-) And yet my mother suffers greatly every single day and manages to still have a good attitude about life. I honestly do not know how she does it. She is truly amazing. But I really hope my future does not hold the same kind of physical suffering she has had to experience. Although with the way my hips hurt all the time, I am afraid it does. . . . Ahhh aging. As they say, "It isn't for sissies."

Lastly--it appears the sister missionaries are going to move into our house. I was talking with them a few weeks ago when it occurred to me that we have all this empty space in our basement and since neither of my college daughters are planning on coming home this summer, the house will stay empty. So, why not fill it up with missionaries, right? :-) I am very excited about it actually.

So that is the latest from our house . . . not overly exciting, and certainly not profound, but just enough good to bring . . . joy to our journey.

Parenting Tips From Our Conference Visitor

2011-03-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

We had our stake conference yesterday and Elder Ballard from the Quorum of the Twelve and Elder David LeSueur, an area authority from Mesa, addressed us. I loved both their talks--on both days---but particularly wanted so share a few stories/insights from Elder LeSueur. I am not printing up the notes in detail, this is just my summary of his thoughts, comments and advice.

Enjoy!

1. It is the role of parents to introduce their children to the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost introduces them to the Savior and the Savior leads them back to the Father.

Therefore, we must create an environment in our home that invites the Spirit. Wise parents will be careful what music is played, what movies are watched and what TV is allowed, etc.

2. The role of parents is not to raise children to adulthood, but rather to raise them to righteous Parenthood.

He then added a saying he likes, “If you want to know what kind of parents you have been, don’t look at your children, look at your grandchildren.” (If your grandchildren turn out well, then you know you raised your children to righteous parenthood.)

3.We should work 10 times harder to find our kids doing something right than doing something wrong, and then celebrate it. When our kids do something good and we celebrate it, we are not only strengthening that positive behavior, but we are also building their self worth. And later in life when temptations come—as they will—their knowledge of their importance in their family and to their Heavenly Father will strengthen them against the temptation.

4. When we read the scriptures we should not do it for mileage, nor for scholarship (as in we don’t have to be smarter than anyone else). We should do it for discipleship. We need to ask ourselves, what am I supposed to learn? How am I supposed to apply it? How will it change my life?

5. Counsel he received before getting married, “You can be right, or you can be happy.” He said he had no idea what that meant initially, but after being married he did. He commented that the only times he has been unhappy in his marriage is when he was insisting on being right.

He further counseled that we shouldn’t turn 50 cent issues into million dollar ones and then quoted an African saying, “When two elephants fight—the grass always loses".

6.He told a story of having breakfast with his five year old grandson. He was in a hurry to get to work on the farm, but his grandson was eating very slowly. In an effort to speed him up, Elder LeSueur said, “Did you know that it is impossible for a five year old boy to finish his breakfast before his grandfather?” The little boy then looked up at him and said, “Papa!! We are on the same team!.” And so we should be in our marriage—united, and on the same team, rather than in competition with each other.

7.His last bit of advice was that in marriage as long as you are focused on your needs, they will never be met. It is when we forget our needs and focus on the needs of our spouse that our needs will be filled in a much sweeter way than we ever imagined.

My Sister Terri

2011-02-28T16:17:00.000-08:00

Terri's family. Forty-two strong and still growing!

My sister Terri just had a birthday. After reading her commemorative blogpost, I just knew I needed to share part of her life here as well.

She wrote:

"In October of 195x when I was 2 years old, my father dropped me off at the Clark's house to attend Joan's 3rd birthday party. I still remember the day very well. Little did I know that was the day Joan and I would become "Sisters". I waited and waited after all the other little kids went home from the party, but my dad never came for me. It was decided without explaining it to the 2-year-old that since my mother was very ill and could not care for me, I would live a mile away with the Clarks. My Aunt Verona, who I thought was the most beautiful lady I knew, put me to bed that night in the twin bed next to Joan. That was the beginning of many years of nights together giggling in our beds and cooking up trouble, and being partners in crime and fun times."

Whenever I hear that story I cry. Terri's mother was diagnosed with MS when Terri was only 2 and a half years old. Unable to care for her children, Terri was sent to live with Verona (her mother's sister) and her younger brother, Randy, went to live with my dad's sister Emily. Later when another sibling, Ruth, was born, she went directly home from the hospital to Emily's house as well.

Terri lived with the Clarks until she was seven.That is when our father married my mother. A year later, I was born.

From as early as I can remember, I admired Terri and wanted to be like her. She didn't like raisins, so I didn't like them. She wouldn't eat peas, so I wouldn't eat them either.

Unfortunately I never developed any of her wonderful talents.

I am pretty sure Terri can do anything. She is an amazing seamstress. That is doubly impressive to me since I can't sew anything other than a (sort of) straight line. One year, while serving as Relief Society President, she made pioneer bonnets for all the women in her ward to wear while they participated in a service project to commemorate the pioneers. That same year my daughter needed a bonnet. Since I didn't know how to sew, Terri made it for me--in about 20 minutes.

Last year for Christmas she made 28 quilts, she works as a realtor, cooks like a professional chef, decorates like a professional designer, and is a mother to 8 and grandmother to an ever increasing list of grandchildren. She is a great mother who has kept her family close to her. Most of her children live in Salt Lake and twice a month they get together for dinner. (And I am so very jealous of that!!) And every October they meet in St. George while most of the adults in the family run the marathon.

For the past five years she and her husband have served as directors of the inner city mission in Salt Lake City. They have put in countless hours training other missionaries, raising money for scholarships, putting together education classes and in every other way possible, helping the poor.

They have had struggles and set backs, but through them all, they have kept moving forward. And through it all, she has been my mentor and friend. Terri is the one sibling I have who responds to my family updates. When I am frustrated, she is the one I turn to. When I am mad or upset, or want to share something fun, she is the one I write.

And when my daughter got married a couple years ago in Utah, followed by a reception in Arizona, Terri drove by herself to Arizona to spend the day helping me decorate, attended the reception, and the next day drove back home.

And so it is always with a full heart I think of her. How grateful I am to have her in my life!!

Happy Birthday Terri!!
Thanks for bringing so much . . . joy to my journey!

So We Met the Boyfriend . . .

2011-02-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Wes and I took a quick trip to Utah to meet "The Boyfriend". We did not go at our daughter's request, And let me clearly state (so I won't get into trouble) that we do not know at this time if this relationship will be temporary or permanent.

However, being the overly protective, highly curious mother that I am, I felt it was time to meet the man who was taking up so much of my daughter's time. And since Wes didn't want to miss out on the fun, he came with me.

I found it odd how I was filled with such conflicting emotions during our long drive there. Of course I am happy for K, as she is certainly smiling a lot these days, and I know having a daughter get married in the temple to a worthy young man is what I have been praying for since the day she was born. But I still felt sad at the thought that if not this young man, another will someday marry her and take her away. Probably far away. And oh, how I will miss her!!

Luckily by the time the meeting took place, I had worked through my emotions and was ready to be nice. Which was a good thing since he is a very nice boy.

And very diplomatic.

We met at the bowling alley as we thought that would be a safe and comfortable place for everyone to get acquainted. It ended up being rather humorous though. Wes is usually a fairly good bowler but was not having his best day. At the end of the first game he scored a 110 and The Boyfriend scored a 109. In the next game Wes was playing just about the same. The Boyfriend, however, had two consecutive strikes.

And then a funny thing happened. He decided to try and spin the ball for the next frame and guttered both times. Later he tried the spin again, and once again guttered.

The final score that time was Wes 99, The Boyfriend 95.

As we walked away Wes said to me, "Well, at least we know he is good at math."

And diplomacy.

Wes really would not have cared if he had been beaten, but we did think it was rather smart of The Boyfriend to lose. It also made me think that he must really like our daughter.

And here come the sad emotions again.

~~~~~~

In other news . . . being at BYU was a complete diet-buster!! Of course no trip to Provo is complete without buying at least one mint brownie!

Unfortunately Wes went on the brownie run and came back with TWELVE of them!! Of which I am pretty sure I ate four. (Over the course of three days)

And then there were the chocolate chip cookies my mother made on Saturday night.

And the chocolate fudge pudding cake that my sister made for Sunday dinner.

And the peanut M&M's we bought to help us stay awake during the drive home.

But I am back to healthy eating today. We had black bean soup, tilapia and a green salad for dinner.

I just wish I weren't also going through sugar withdrawal. I sure wouldn't mind one of those dark, chocolatey, chewy, minty brownies right now!!

But I will be good and go find an apple instead.

How To Eat A Cougar and Other Valentine Stories

2011-02-14T10:33:00.001-08:00

But first . . . don't you just love a man with a heart?!

This is one of my favorite pictures. I took it at a party we had at our house last year following a Friday night fireside. There were about 30 people over, and when I saw all these men sitting on the floor holding the balloons, I couldn't resist whipping out the camera! So cute!

But . . . about that cougar . . .

Question: If you attended BYU and eat cougar, does that make you a cannibal?

Saturday night we had a neighborhood progressive dinner. We started at B&C’s with yummy chicken nachos, fresh homemade salsa, pico de gallo and guacamole. Oh, and grilled cougar. YES!! Cougar.

Gotta say it creeped me out a bit.

Another neighbor, who is a big hunter, killed the cougar in southern Arizona a while ago and thought he would bring some over for us to enjoy. (cough, cough)

I was brave and ate three bites. It really wasn’t bad. It was sort of like slightly tough pork. By the third bite though, just the thought of what I was eating made me gag a bit.

I thought Wes would be excited to eat it. After all, according to Louis L'Amour (who is frequently quoted in our house) cougar is supposed to be the best meat ever.

Wes only had one bite. One little bite.

I think Louis has lost just a little credibility.

The rest of the evening was a lot of fun, just maybe not as adventurous. We went to my house for the main course, where we had rice, teriyaki pork, a salad and rolls (the salad and rolls were brought by other neighbors) and then we ended up at the home of the cougar cooks for strawberry shortcake and games.

It was a great way to share some “neighborhood love”!

~~~~~~

AND . . .Since Valentines is today, Wes and I celebrated together Friday night. He is such a sweetheart!! He planned the whole evening on his own. (It isn't a shock that he can do it, it is just that I usually plan all of our dates.:-)

First, on Wednesday he brought me home a big bouquet of flowers and told me it was a clue to what we would be doing on our date. Finally I guessed that we would be going to see My Fair Lady at Arizona Broadway Theater, a dinner theater near our house.

The dinner was so yummy and the play was fantastic. They really did a great job. That play is one of our favorites so it was a lot of fun to go see it and very thoughtful of Wes to plan the night.

I sure love that man!!

Tonight we are having all RED food for dinner. . . salsa, enchiladas, Spanish rice (all family favorites)

Happy Valentines to Everyone!! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

A few things I will probably get in trouble for sharing . . .

2011-02-06T18:01:00.000-08:00

I have had a hard time writing lately. It isn't that nothing is happening, it is just that my family doesn't like me telling the world about their lives.

For instance a few posts ago I mentioned that we were expecting a new grandbaby in August. Since it was pretty much announced to everyone at the family Christmas party, I didn't think it mattered if I mentioned it on my blog. But apparently Camille had not yet told any of her friends so when they read it on my blog and called/emailed her about it, she was FURIOUS with me.

Actually, FURIOUS might be a bit of an understatement.

I really did feel bad. I didn't want to steal any of her thunder. But now she has posted about it herself, so I am authorized to say . . . Camille is pregnant and due in August. This will be her second child and we are so very excited!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But, . . . that experience made me bit apprehensive to share another event that has been happening in our family. A BOYFRIEND.

One of my daughters at BYU--who shall currently remain nameless :-) has met a young man she is interested in and I am DYING to meet him. I mean seriously----when they have gone from dating once a week to seeing each other every day I think it is time for us all to meet.

But until that happens, I have been getting reports from other family members. The younger sister has met him and thinks he is great. And yesterday my parents had lunch with him. Afterward my mother called in her report and my father sent an email listing his many positive observations--with the final comment that the boy got his vote.

And of course, I have also checked him out on Facebook. Unfortunately he isn't much of a FB person, so all I have been able to find out from there is that he likes to fish. A Lot. Almost every picture he posted, had a fish in it. Which is why I told my daughter that I am not going to take the relationship too seriously until she replaces the fish in his pictures. :-) Then I will be speed dialing Southwest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lastly--for this post . . . I have been spending a lot of time working on my "healthy life style" goal. I have been exercising twice a day almost every day and searching --and then preparing--healthy meals for my family.

They have eaten a lot of salads, chicken, fish, brown rice, quinoa, and fresh fruit and veggies. They were brave with the spicy black bean soup and even ate my homemade totally from scratch (as in fresh tomatoes) spaghetti sauce where I sneaked in some butternut squash.

Although I kept waiting for them to ask why their plate turned orange.

It has been working for me as I have also lost 12 pounds (hooray, hooray!) and I thought they were also enjoying the meals as both my husband and daughter had expressed a desire to be healthier as well.

But . . . apparently not complaining is not the same as enjoying.

Last Friday I offered to cook dinner instead of eating out so we could save money and I would be in control of what we ate. My husband suggested that it was good for us to eat out so I could have a break from cooking. I told him that I didn't need a break and as we were going out with friends Saturday night anyway, I could have my break then.

But he insisted we eat out. It was after all, out of consideration for me that he was suggesting it. He even called our neighbors and invited them to come with us.

Then he ordered mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob and a large plate of greasy, honey barbecue, deep fried chicken fingers. And he ate it all.

And then exclaimed, "It feels so good to EAT!"

Say what?

It's not like I have been starving him. He was welcome to eat as much of that salad as he wanted. :-)

So I am headed back to the cookbooks. I found a WW recipe for Cuban pork and sweet potatoes that I am going to try out tomorrow.

Sounds yummy to me!

Facebook Reality Check

2011-02-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

I recently attended a presentation intended to educate parents on the evils and benefits of Facebook. Although I found the presenter and much of her material disturbing, I did feel we benefited from attending.

First off, let me say I have a Facebook account and I love it. I have been able to connect with friends from high school and one from as far back as grade school when I lived in Costa Rica. I am also able to check on my children and send them notes like "Why were you out in the snow with a cookie sheet?" or "I thought you were studying for a test all last night, so what is up with the hurdling contest in the dorm hallways?"

My kids love it. :-)

I am also able to keep updated on nieces who are expecting babies, cousins who are on vacation and aunts and uncles who will be in town visiting.

So I went to the presentation fully supporting Facebook. But during the presentation I became more and more uncomfortable.

The presenter very strongly suggested (ordered) everyone in attendance to open an account that very day. She said we would all be out of touch with the times if we did not have one. She even went so far as to suggest that when Christ appears at His second coming, we will probably be notified via Facebook. Huh? Seriously? At any rate, the more she pushed, the more uncomfortable I became--and so did my daughter sitting next to me.

After covering the many benefits, she then addressed some of the draw backs. This is where I felt I benefited the most from attending. She pulled up her FB page and then called a 12 year old boy out of the audience to come up and do a search for his name. He did, and his page came up. She then clicked on "wall" and all of his information popped up in front of us.

Turns out all his privacy settings were set on "everyone", so with one click of a mouse all his information was up on a screen available for everyone in the room to see. He then went to one of his "friends" --which in this case was his mother-- and suddenly all of her information was available as well.

I later thought about the times I have surfed FB looking for information on someone. Whenever one of my daughters mentions the name of a boy she is interested in, I usually turn to FB to find out what I can about him. (My kids call it stalking, I like to call it "responsible parenting":-) Most of the young men have their information blocked, but I can still access their pictures. You can learn a lot about someone from pictures.

One time we looked at about 30 photos. From those we learned the approximate age of the boy, where and when he served his mission, his major, where he lived, some of his hobbies and what campus clubs he had joined. That is a lot of information in just a few pictures.

And it is certainly more information than I would want a stranger being able to access about one of my children.

So here are some guidelines we were given to help us use FB more responsibly.

1. If you have children on FB, you should have an account as well and "friend" them so you can see what they are doing/receiving.

2. If your children are minors, you should also know their password.

3. Discuss with your children their "friending" policy. I have daughters who have 800 plus friends. This means that 800 plus people can potentially access all their information and share it with their friends. It may be wiser to have your children limit their friends to close friends and family members. (When we came home, my youngest daughter "de-friended" over a hundred people.)

4. Check your privacy settings. If needed, update all 9 basic and multiple granular privacy settings to "friends only". (Go to "account" and then "privacy".)

5. Review the fan and group pages you belong to. These are always public. Un-join as many as possible.

6. Review the apps that you use and think twice before using them again. Some make information (like your location) public.

7. Check the privacy settings on your photo albums. It is possible to make "lists" of people and limit the viewing of pictures to just those on the list. (To make a "list" go to "account" then "friends" and up on the right hand corner click on "lists". )

8. Un-tag yourself in random pictures.

9. Be very, very careful what information you put on your account and what you write on your wall. Many employers, the FBI, insurance companies and others currently use FB to gather information about people. Be sure what you post adequately represents you in the way you want to be presented.

And then enjoy connecting with friends and family!

The Cheering Section

2011-01-24T17:44:00.000-08:00

At my daughter's recent basketball game, the star was playing with a 102 degree fever, the center had been feeling sick all day, and for whatever reason, Michelle was a bit sluggish.

I noticed she was running slower than usual, and her reactions were a bit delayed, but it still bothered me when a man a few rows down started yelling “Michelle!! Get the lead out!” I wondered who this man was and what made him think he could yell at my daughter.

And that wasn’t the only thing he said. He had other corrections for her as well. She should have gotten the rebound, she should have stolen the ball, her passing should have been better, etc., etc. I noticed Michelle glancing up at him while she played and I grew irritated with his yelling.

Then I noticed something else. He wasn’t the only one yelling at her. There were others who would yell, “Good job, Michelle!” when she scored. There was a group of men at the top of the bleachers yelling to the ref to watch the throwing elbows of the girl guarding my daughter, and there were those who would yell, “Nice try, Michelle!” when she would attempt to steal the ball and fail, or shoot a free throw and miss.

I realized that with just a few exceptions, I didn’t know any of these people.

It struck me how people I didn’t even know were cheering for Michelle by name, offering suggestions on how to improve, and buoying her up when she failed. I began to think about all the school teachers she has had, all the coaches, friends, and church leaders who have cheered her along from the bleachers of her life, and I wondered how many others there were who I had never known.

And my heart swelled with gratitude for their love and concern.

Then, in my mind, I saw numberless people beyond the veil, watching, prodding, and cheering. I could hear them say, “Come on Michelle, get the lead out!”, “You can do it, Michelle”, and “Good job! That’s the way!”

And tears welled up in my eyes.

How grateful I am to know that through out the day, there are many people, some I know, and many I don’t, some on this side of the veil, and some on the other, who want to see my daughter succeed and are cheering her on.

How grateful I am for cheering sections!

Sweet Pictures

2011-01-15T06:47:00.000-08:00

10 Things I learned about myself this past week

2011-01-11T17:36:00.000-08:00

Here are a few random things I learned about myself and my life this past week.

1. 1. 1. I can have all the resolutions I want, but nothing is going to happen unless I have a plan and work that plan.

2. 2. 2. I can waste a lot of time on the computer.

3. 3. 3. I absolutely love my church calling teaching the 16/17 year olds in SS. I truly think someone in Heaven loves me.

4. 4. 4. I LOVE a full house. Whether it is all my kids home, or Michelle and all of her friends hanging out. Having a house filled with people warms my heart.

5. 5. 5. I don’t do well the first week all my kids go back to school. Can you say DEPRESSION?

6. 6. 6. The birth of a grandbaby brings out all your maternal instincts. You want to cuddle him, feed him, take him home. And of course you know so much more than the parents and so you want to tell them how to do everything. BUT . . . the best thing you can do is give them a little space, bite your tongue and say “Good job!!” Eventually they will figure it all out. After all, our kids survived us.

7. 7. 7. When it comes to the different love languages, mine is definitely TIME. Nothing says love to me more than having someone make time to be with me. And nothing says “I don’t care about you” more, than when someone is always “too busy”.

8. 8. 8. That said . . . date nights with my husband, going out on weekends with friends and lunches with girlfriends are some of my most cherished activities.

9. 9. 9. I loved my life when all I had was pre-school children. All my friends were the same age and we spent our time with play dates, FHE groups, American Mother’s Association, Joy School etc. I was positive life would never get better.

Then the kids got older and could care for themselves. We had a little more money and a lot more freedom and our weeks were spent attending school activities, helping with homework and weekend dates where we didn’t have to pay a babysitter. I loved my life and was positive it would never get better.

But I decided the other day that I am in the very best phase of life right now. With Michelle home, we still spend our weeks at school activities, (basketball games) but we also get to play with grandchildren without the responsibility of raising them, can travel, have fairly good health, I am not wasting any effort trying to measure up to someone else, and I no longer care if company shows up and my house isn’t clean. I am absolutely positive life can't get any better, which I guess means . . . it is all down hill from here.:-).

10. The best part of trying to incorporate a healthy lifestyle is exercising with friends. The worst part—by far—is the lack of rich, creamy chocolate!!!

It's A Boy!!

2011-01-05T18:59:00.000-08:00

Enoch Wesley

Born January 5, 2011

5 lbs. 15 oz, 19 inches long

This picture was taken just a few minutes after he was born.

And this picture was taken about 45 minutes after his birth.

Today was one of those days you hold in your heart forever.

Although three weeks before his due date, due to some complications, the doctor decided today would be a good time for our little Enoch to be born. His parents checked into the hospital around 3:30 this morning and I followed them there several hours later.

Around 11:30 they broke Kali's water and at 12:3o she was at 4 cm. We were told to relax. Since this was her first baby and she was on an epidural, it would be about another six hours or so. But Enoch had other plans. At 2:40 Kali was at a ten and at 3:06 he made his entrance into the world.

I stayed in the delivery room until just before the doctor arrived and then joined Wes (who had just arrived) and Kali's dad in the waiting room across the hall. Kim, (Kali's mom) remained in the room for the birth. Kali invited me to stay, which I appreciated, but I know that when you are at ten centimeters, you wouldn't care if the high school band was in watching, but afterward you do, so I decided to wait outside.

Truthfully, I could barely stand being outside the room. I kept creeping closer and closer to the door so I could hear what was happening. My heart was with them as they cheered Kali through her pushing. And I completely burst into tears when I heard the little cry.

It has been a very long and difficult pregnancy so to have the birth go so effortlessly was more than we could have hoped or prayed for. We appreciate all the friends and family members who have kept Kali and little Enoch in their prayers these past several months.

Today was truly a blessing and one that brought great . . .joy to my journey!

A New Year--something to dread or eagerly anticipate????

2011-01-03T18:37:00.000-08:00

I used to always hate January 1. There was something about a new year that terrified me. If I made it through the previous year primarily unscathed, I felt there just had to be something ominous lurking in the year to come, and I was not eager to meet it.

And to be truthful, we have had some difficult years.

We have also had some very good ones.

But either way, I am beginning to learn to view the start of a new year as an opportunity for growth, expansion, and adventure, rather than a potential carrier of bad news.

This coming year already holds promise of good things. We are expecting a new grandbaby in a couple weeks and another in late summer. Those events are certainly happy ones to look forward to. Also, Kristen graduates from college in April, and if all goes according to schedule, Ryan should graduate in December. Now, that is exciting!

And so after reading many blogs about goals/plans/resolutions and words for the year, I have decided to select my own word for 2011.

It is LIVE.

One of my favorite movies is Ever After, (I have always been a sucker for Cinderella), and one of my favorite lines from the movie is when the queen says, “The important thing, is that she lived”. I love that! When I die and return to Heaven, I want to feel that my time on earth was not wasted, that while I was here I truly lived.

So I am going to "live" this year. Which to me means . . .

L. I am going to learn new things, go new places, meet new people, develop new skills, and hopefully learn how to use my new computer and get better use out of the camera I got last year.

I . I am going to incorporate a healthy and active lifestyle.

V. I am going to value the important relationships in my life—beginning with my husband, my children, friends, those I serve in church callings and people in need.

E. I will exercise faith. I will read, pray, study, and face whatever challenges this new year may bring, with courage and trust in my Heavenly Father.

And so when this year dwindles to an end, I want to be able to say that I truly, deeply, and courageously . . . lived.

Best wishes to you all on a very happy new year!!

Our Polar Express Party

2010-12-18T07:21:00.001-08:00

I just couldn't resist reporting on our Polar Express party. It was so much fun and turned out perfectly--thanks to about 70 people who helped put it together!!

We decided to hold the party in the morning. Everyone met at the "train depot" (the pavilion behind our church building) for hot chocolate and oatmeal (cookies) while waiting for the train.

Our Bishop (leader of our church congregation) punched the tickets and gave a tour of the parking lot while the train traveled to the "North Pole". My favorite part was when he would say, "Thank you for choosing the Polar Express. We know you have a choice in your Arctic Travel . . . " Our good friends the Purtymuns, put the train together. It was pulled by a skip loader and had a coal car, and they rigged it all so it made a whistle like a real train!!

At the North Pole (notice the "pole" in front of the building), everyone was greeted by one of Santa's elves. A child from each group was chosen to ring the bells to open the doors.

Then two additional elves would throw open the doors and others inside would yell, "Welcome to the North Pole!" It was very exciting.

The women who decorated the lobby did an amazing job!! They had such a cute place for pictures with Santa.

Also around the room were other displays, like the "nice lists" containing all the names of the children in our church congregation. There was also a naughty list--but we are keeping those names confidential. :-)

After greeting Santa and having pictures, everyone was whisked away to help out in Santa's workshops. We also had decorations all through the hallways, "street" signs with names like "Candy Cane Lane" and "Jingle Bell Way" as well as signs on the doors that said things like "Mrs. Claus Kitchen" and "Elves Break Room".

We had four workshops people could help out in. They included coloring pictures, making red and green paper chains and making snowflakes to be used to decorate rooms at Phoenix Children's Hospital, making blankets for a dialysis center, and stuffing stockings for homeless teenagers at a shelter.

Here some of Santa's helpers are coloring pictures. I think my favorite moment of the day was when a little boy about three years of age, colored his picture and then went down the hall to show it to Santa.

At 9:00 we all stopped for breakfast. All the snowflakes you see were made ahead of time and also donated to the hospital. Breakfast was delicious and I thought the room turned out really cute.

After breakfast we were all ready for a little fun and entertainment. One thing we did was sing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with every table being assigned to act out a day.

Here are some of the "Lords a Leaping"

And this was my favorite--a partridge in a pear tree.

We began the party at 8:00 and finished at 10:01. And amazingly we were all cleaned up one hour later ( a little different than the six hours it took to set up!).

I think everyone had a great time. We collected a large car load of decorations for the hospital, made 28 blankets and had 29 stockings. But the best part of the entire party, for me at least, occurred yesterday when I delivered the Christmas stockings to the homeless shelter. The staff was so sweet and appreciative that I got in my car and started to cry. I wish everyone who had helped put this party together could have been there with me. It was a wonderful feeling.

Now I have been released from this calling--since activities chairman is no longer a calling in our church. And although I will miss doing it, I am looking forward to new adventures.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL

And may your always find . . . joy in your journey.

A Farewell of Sorts

2010-10-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

When I started my blog, I really didn't know anything about blogging. I just knew all my nieces were doing it and I thought it would be a great way to keep in touch with family.

But now two years and 278 posts later, I have learned a lot. One thing I learned is that there is a vast blogging community filled with wonderful women, and many have become friends. Some of you I have had the blessing of meeting personally, but all of you have blessed my life in some way.

I have had women who were once complete strangers offer to take dinner to a sick child at BYU, another offer to run to Walmart in Utah to find a Christmas tree ornament the stores in Arizona were out of. I have had women send me recipes, ideas for parties, and suggestions for helping with children and other challenges. I have had women pray for my mother when she was ill, and celebrate with me on the birth of a grandchild.

But, I have also learned that not having a plan for my blog wasn't the best idea. Over time my blog has seemed to have gotten away from me and evolved into something that I am not really very happy with.

I have considered just moving forward with this blog, making the changes I would like to make. But in the end decided it was better to just start over. So, beginning today I will be shutting this down, and in January I will debut my new one. (I decided starting it now before the holidays might not be the best choice).

However, between now and then, I still plan on making frequent visits to all of you, as I cherish your friendship and the things I learn from you.

May you all have a wonderful holiday season, and may your life always bring . . .

Joy to your journey!

[Comments have been turned off]

The Not At All Scary Wes

2010-10-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

My husband's birthday is in a few weeks. It is also our stake conference on the same day. And he is one of the speakers.

He is just lucky like that. :-)

Personally, I think Wes is an amazing speaker. He never has a single note. And most of the time he doesn't even know what he will be speaking on until he stands up to the pulpit. He just prepares by reading the scriptures and conference talks and praying--a lot. And then he gets up and gives the most wonderful sermons.

At least that is my opinion.

I have heard from a few sources that there are some people in the stake who think he can be pretty scary. I admit he can be forceful, but that people find him scary is a bit humorous to me.

Seriously, this is not a scary man. And here are two stories about Wes that illustrate what I mean.

First Story
There is a woman in our stake who is a good friend and a great bread maker. On occasion when she would bake bread, she would share her delicious talent with us. One Friday night she told me that she had made bread but it had not turned out (a very unusual occurrence) and so she could not bring us the loaf she had intended.

I shared with Wes our friend's sad story before heading off Saturday morning to all day meetings. When I returned, I found four loaves of bread sitting on the kitchen counter. They weren't the prettiest things, but they tasted great. When I asked where they had come from, Wes told me he had made them.

Now, Wes had never made bread before. But when he heard our friend's plight he decided to make bread for her family. So he got out the wheat grinder and went to work. He told me he knew his bread wasn't pretty, but he was sure our friend wouldn't mind. And of course, she didn't.

I thought that was the sweetest thing! And since that day he has been making bread every few weeks so we continue to enjoy the blessings of his service.

Second Story
A few years ago a family of birds built a nest on a pillar on our front porch. After the eggs hatched, however, one of the babies died and the birds knocked the nest to the ground. We assumed all the remaining babies were killed by the fall.

However, I was outside the following morning and noticed the mother bird was very distressed and kept flying around a bush. As I listened closely, I could hear the faint chirping of a baby bird and realized one had survived. The mother was trying to rescue the surviving baby but had no way of doing so.

My son and I were able to get the baby out of the bush and place it in a shoe box. Then my husband got a ladder and climbed up to the top of the pillar, where the nest had been, and taped the shoe box to the pillar.

If I had not been in love with Wes before that moment, I would have fallen head over heels in love with him right then. It totally melted my heart to see him doing that, but what even touched me more was hearing him talk to the baby bird. It was obvious the baby was scared, and so Wes attempted to calm it by talking to it in a soft, sweet voice. And after he taped the box to the pillar, he asked the bird, "Now is that better little kiddo?"

Now does that sound like a scary man? :-)

By the way, the story has a happy ending. The mother resumed care of the bird and about a week later it flew away.

So there you have two not at all scary stories of my "scary" husband. Two stories that have brought . . . joy to my journey!

Super Easy, Super Delicious Pumpkin Cookies

2010-10-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

Want a super easy recipe for delicious (and low fat!) pumpkin cookies?

Here it is!!

I got this from my friend Viki. Viki is totally cute, fun and loves to party. She has made these cookies for me before, but it wasn't until she brought them to our stake service project yesterday that I learned they are a Weight Watcher recipe--and VERY, VERY easy!! (And sorry but the picture was taken at the service project which is why the cookies are not sitting on a cute plate. :-)

The Reality Of It All . . .

2010-10-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

Dawn at Momza's House accepted a challenge to write the "Real Deal" of her life. I am pretty sure Dawn always writes the real deal as she is very open and honest in her posts which is one reason I always enjoy reading them.

After reading her post yesterday, however, I decided that for today I will write some things in my life that do not bring me any joy--not in the least. I don't mean to be a downer, I just intend to give a more accurate view of my life.

I also may not leave this post up for more than a few days but . . .

So, here is "The Reality Of It All" or the "Real Deal" and the joyless side of my life. I am leaving out some of the details out of respect for the privacy of those involved.

1. We have an immediate family member who was just recently diagnosed with cancer. The seriousness of it will not be determined until after a surgery that will be performed next month. This has made for a very teary week for me.

2. We have another immediate family member who is currently in the hospital undergoing a stem cell transplant for cancer. He is sick beyond sick at the moment--dealing with not only the cancer but the ravages of the treatment. This has resulted in considerable worry, concern, tears and prayers in his behalf.

3. I have a daughter in law who is six months pregnant with their first child--a boy. She is currently suffering from health complications that have severely restricted her activity and require that someone be with her at all times. Although her health and the health of the baby are our primary concerns, the mounting medical bills, the increase in health insurance costs and the fact that my son is only working part-time while going to school full time, brings additional stress to their little family.

4. My husband is a partner in a construction company. Since construction in our area is nearly dead, the company has had to lay off hundreds of workers over the past year (at considerable angst to my husband) and cut back on costs in all areas. In an effort to keep as many families on the pay roll as possible, the owners have cut their own salaries this past year to practically nothing.

5. I suffer from chronic back pain that restricts my activities and requires me to spend a lot of time with a chiropractor, and walking. If I do without either, the pain gets rather unbearable.

6. And I have a great big zit on my chin! :-)

I was visiting with a friend yesterday who asked me how I can feel any happiness with so many difficult things happening. My answer--I pray for peace, and when the feeling comes, I hold tight to it.

That, and I try to focus on the things that bring . . . joy to my journey. :-)

While I Was Gone . . .

2010-10-20T18:54:00.001-07:00

This is what I missed while out of town . . . Homecoming!! When we planned our trip six months ago, I didn't know we would be gone on such a big night!

But thankfully Ryan and Kali came over, took pictures and then spent the night so Michelle would have someone to come home to after her date. Thank you so much both of you!!

Here is a picture they took of Michelle and her friend Preston. I think it is a cute picture, but if I had been home they probably wouldn't have been standing so close together. :-)

And here are a few more pictures from the trip.

Whenever we travel I like to do the local thing. I like to eat where the locals eat and stay at B&B's so we can get to know more people. I think that is the funnest thing for me about traveling. Here is a picture of Wes and Cory fighting with their lobsters at a local lobster pound. Notice it took deep concentration.

I wanted to upload pictures of the two farm houses we stayed in. Both were over a hundred years old!! Unfortunately my computer had other ideas and wouldn't let me upload them. Hopefully I will get them loaded sometime. They were both darling and the owners were wonderful. We also met great people at both.

One of my favorite stories was when we got up on Sunday. We were traveling that day to Vermont, but stopping to attend church on the way, so we came down for breakfast in our Sunday clothes. A fellow tourist asked us why we were dressed up so I told him we were going to church. He turned to his wife and in laws (who were traveling with him) and said, "We should be doing that." After breakfast we made sandwiches to take with us. When they asked us why we were making our lunch I explained that since it was Sunday we didn't want to stop to eat at a restaurant so we were taking our lunch with us. He once again turned to his travel mates and said, "We should be doing that." Then his brother in law said, "You young people are setting a good example for us older folks."

At that moment I thought he was a wonderful man! I loved being called a "young people"! We very much enjoyed getting to know them. We sat up the night before in the living room for over an hour visiting with them. I love that!

But since I don't have pictures of the farm houses, here are some more of the scenery.

Wes took this one on our hike up Great Head in Acadia Park. I thought it was beautiful. And see those rocks on the left--that is what we were climbing up--just not quite so steep. Almost though.

This is one more picture of the beautifully quaint town of Deerfield, MA. I love this picture. If you don't look at the leaves very carefully you will think it is spring in stead of fall.

This is just outside Acadia. I love the color!! At night when I would close my eyes to go to sleep I would still see all sorts of colors in my mind. It was so beautiful!

These next two are closeups. This one is my favorite. I love all the different colors of leaves you can see against the bright blue sky.

A tree in Vermont.

And lastly, this isn't a very good photograph but it is pretty amazing when you realize that I took it very quickly out the car window while driving down the freeway. You can't tell very well but those are deer.

So there you have it . . . the last pictures I will post of our trip. The rest I will print up for our photo album. :-)

A Visit To My Neighborhood

2010-10-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

My neighborhood is a little unique.

I live on a cul-de-sac in the county, on a street with no name, that has seven houses all facing different directions and is also home to five dogs, several chickens, numerous jack rabbits, an occasional rattle snake, a large family of quail, and about 30 other birds that live in the orange tree in my front yard, eat all the oranges and greet me each morning with a cacophony of squawking.

When we first moved here, we were on the outskirts of civilization. We were the “edge of the desert” where teenagers went to have drinking parties, and an occasional dead body was found. We didn’t have cable TV or Internet service and every time the wind blew, our electricity went out—which also meant we had no water since our well pump requires electricity to run. The nearest grocery store was twenty minutes away, and going to church each Sunday was a half hour drive.

And the one road out of our neighborhood, when flooded, would become impassible.

During those early years we also suffered through what I call “the plagues”.

We had the mouse plague (which recently returned), the scorpion plague—where thankfully no one got stung-- the black cricket plague, the Indian house cricket plague and my most favorite—the plague of the centipedes. During that time, every morning I would awake to centipedes crawling across the floor, or hiding in my shoes. On two occasions they didn’t even wait until morning to pester me, but rather during the night, climbed into my bed!

It was then I wondered why we had willfully moved out to “the prairie”!

But civilization has since come out to meet us. Cable lines run under the ground, a Super Target is only a half mile away, a church building is down the street and monthly pest control has eliminated most of the unwanted creepy crawlers.

And I no longer wonder why we would ever want to live out in the desert. For besides the incredibly beautiful sunrises and sunsets that bless us each day . . .

We have our neighbors

Wonderful, fun, and very good neighbors.

Everyone on our street has lived here at least 10 years, and some as long as 15. Five of us belong to the Mormon Church, and all five were in the same ward (church unit) at one time before moving out to the county. The other two families actively participate in other religions.

But all of our kids have grown up together. In the beginning, there were Friday night “Capture the Flag” games, “secret” clubs, dance parties, and bake sales where we all got to buy back the items we just made. And we have all been the victim of the occasional prank—from the harmless toilet papering to the more destructive time when a garden hose was put inside a car window, the water turned on and left running over night.

Now we mostly celebrate prom dates, weddings and the birth of grandchildren.

We have had up times and down times, achievements and heart breaks. And through it all, we have been bound together by car pools, tragedy, sickness, health, and love.

I love that I can walk over to my neighbor’s home at any time to ask help with anything, and they are always willing to help. Whether it is shoveling 20 tons of rock on a Saturday morning, or help with a sick child in the middle of the night, someone will be there.

Our next door neighbors are particularly close friends. We have lived by each other for 24 years, served in many church callings together and have children who are best friends.

I count as one of my greatest blessings our friendship with Bryan and Connie. We are welcome in their home at any time whether they are there or not. If we go to their house while they are there, they will always feed us (something my kids learned very quickly) and if they aren't there we are still welcome to go in and watch TV (they have cable and we don't so my husband often disappears to their house to watch sports).

There are no walls between our houses and there are no walls between our hearts.

It is an honor to travel through this life with all of my neighbors. For they are definitely people who have brought, and continue to bring great . . . joy to my journey.