A Story In Time

Week in Review October 19-25, 2009

2009-10-29T13:40:00.007-06:00

Dave worked his company’s convention this week up in Salt Lake. He drove back and forth one day and decided it wasn’t worth it so he just stayed up there the next two nights. That’s two weeks in a row he’s been gone the better part of the week. Hopefully he won’t decide he likes that and make it a habit – smile. We miss him when he’s not here.

DJ has been staying after school everyday for either Rock Band or Drama to practice the play they will be putting on this week. He is one busy kid. They had a Masquerade Ball at his school on Saturday. He got to set up for it and then went to it as well. He even made brownies to take – they asked the kids in the drama class to help bring refreshments.

He really enjoyed the Ball. “Intense” was the word he used. That apparently is the new slang word for when something is awesome, cool, groovy or whatever the passing catch phrase may be. I didn’t get his picture yet because he had to stop at the store on the way there and thought they might not appreciate him walking in wearing a mask, hat and poncho, but he’s promised to dress back up and let me take it. When he does I’ll post it here.

Dee now has a free period at the end of the day since soccer season has ended – and “it is not fun!” according to her. That will hopefully change here in a couple of weeks when they have basketball tryouts. She’s excited to try out for basketball. She hasn’t had a lot of experience playing it but she has a lot of heart – plus she comes from a line of fiery basketball players - on both sides. This is totally random, but Dee makes the best brownies, even when she forgets to grease the pan and you have to chisel them out- they’re still worth it. The other night she made some and had on my apron and she looked so cute I just had to take her picture.

I am still working on trying to get the house organized – I told you it was no small task. I’m also still trying to get my business going – maybe eventually it will actually be going. I’m also working on some digital books that I need to finish in the next couple of days, so I’m staying pretty busy too.

We had spaghetti for dinner tonight. After filling his plate Dave headed to the table to find DJ sitting in his seat, so he headed around the table to a different spot. When he turned the corner at his seat, he stopped, but his spaghetti didn’t. It slid right across the plate - sauce, cheese and all and went flying! Out kitchen went from a no fly zone to a flying free for all. There was spaghetti everywhere – table, chair & floor – everywhere, that is, except his plate. The picture shows the kitchen after a reconnaissance clean-up mission had begun.

WeekS in Review Sept 28 - Oct 18

2009-10-20T13:56:00.008-06:00

I’m so far behind I decided I should title this entry Weeks in Review instead of Week in Review. Things have gotten really busy and a little crazy around here – oh sorry, that’s the way it’s always been. * smile *

Maybe I should try to just hit the highlights and add a little detail when necessary – who am I kidding, we all know I’m too long winded to keep this short and sweet.

Since I last blogged:

Dave has played more basketball and soccer; cleaned out the garden; went to Las Vegas for a work seminar- ate REALLY well (but still didn’t gain a pound – how fair is that?!!!! * smile *); visited his sister and her family he was while there; and took us on a Sunday drive to see the beautiful fall leaves - love those!!!!; and is trying to help his company get ready for the convention they have coming up this weekend -no rest for the weary, and deserves a medal for putting up with my moodiness. * smile *

DJ is officially licensed and is able to drive himself on his own errands now- YEA!! He also performed in his school’s Shakespeare Showcase – who knew he could act? (He did really well.) He played the guitar in the Fall Sing at his school – in the Jazz Band and Show Band, and even soloed. He threw his pick into the audience as he finished up and there was a frenzy of kids trying to grab it – it was great.

He went with his drama class down to Cedar City for three days to the Shakespeare Festival and competed in a high school competition down there. They didn’t win but he said one of the judges was in tears after one of the really sad scenes they did. Thirty-four kids went and only eight were boys, the rest were “hot babes” – he loved those odds!! I don’t think he really wanted to come home when it was over. That’s ok, he still has Anaheim to look forward to in the spring.

He decided he wasn’t taking enough performing classes so he added a ballroom dance class and was considering an art class. He decided against the art class since he’s running out of spare time to practice and do his assignments.

Dee read the fourth book in the Fablehaven series in less than two weeks – that says a lot considering this is a child who doesn’t like to read. She sewed the cutest pillowcase and a drawstring duffle bag in one of her classes. She really likes to sew and wants to sign up for a sewing class next semester.

She finished up her soccer season. They went to state down in St George. They didn’t win but they had a good time. She’s planning on going out for the basketball team next month. There’s no keeping up with her. * smile *

She was planning on being an I-Pod for Halloween but when we went shopping for the costume or materials to make it we came across another costume that we had to get! She looked so dang cute in it. It’s a surprise so you’ll have to wait for the pictures to see what she was.

I’ve been a little busy too. I picked 80 lbs of peaches off of the little tree in our yard, and either canned them or turned them into peach butter- love, love, love that stuff.

I burned my thumb, ran out of gas and forgot to put the spices in the spiced peaches I was canning. This is the second time I’ve run out of gas in the last couple of months. My gas gauge is not working right. This time I was still in the neighborhood when the car started to sputter so I flipped a U-turn and headed back to the house, praying all the way up the hill that the car would make it. I got to the top and came to a brief stop at the stop sign turned the corner and then into the driveway and coasted into the garage as the car died. The Lord was looking out for me.

I gave myself and the kitchen a granola shower as I pulled out a bowl of homemade granola and gave it a good shake to break it apart, not realizing that the lid wasn’t on tight.

I realized that maybe life had gotten just a little too busy when my husband told me that maybe he should start reading my facebook wall so he’d know what was going on in my life.

I burned a batch of homemade bread because I forgot to turn the timer on and went in the back room to work on the computer. After a while I kept thinking that bread sure smelled good and kept wondering when it was going to be done. Finally a while later I decided to go check on it only to discover the timer hadn’t been set and that the bread that smelled so good could now be used as a lethal weapon. * smile *

I got released from the Relief Society Presidency, and have since been called to serve in the Primary and on the ward activities committee.I signed up as a Creative Memories Consultant (love it!) and am currently looking for people to host a couple of Get Togethers for me, and am trying to get my business up and going.

I finally broke down and signed up for a facebook account. Rearranged the family room and living room and cleaned out the basement family room. I’ve been working on getting the house organized and dejunked – no small task, let me just tell you!

I gave the outside of the house and myself a bath. Dave said it looked more like I’d just turned the hose on myself after taking one look at me as I went around back to get another hosepipe. The sprayer attachment I was using leaked and when I held up the hose to spray the house the water ran down my arm and all the way down my body – brrrrrr. Dave, when he stopped laughing, went and found an attachment that didn’t leak and fixed that for me.

Well I think that brings you pretty much up to speed. I’ll see if I can’t do a little better about keeping our blog updated. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!!

Exploring Anyone?

2009-09-27T16:58:00.013-06:00

Dave and DJ got invited to explore a mine this weekend. They went and had a ball. They came home tired, dirty and happy. Scroll down and take a "virtual" tour with them.

Dave and DJ at the main entrance. This mine opened in 1860 and closed in the 1970's. They mined copper, iron, silver and other ores. There wasn't much gold found in it.

All decked our and rarin' to go!

About forty people showed up to go through the mine. The mine is privately owned and you have to know the owner, or someone who knows the owner to get in. They divided the people into groups. Dave and DJ's group had seven people in it.

The picture at the bottom shows another entrance to the mine.

The picture on the top right is a map of all the tunnels in the mine. There are about four or five levels in the mine.

The picture on the bottom left is the view looking up one of the shafts. DJ is climbing down one of the shafts on the bottom right.

The picture on the bottom left is water with copper floating in it and a shovel that is disintegrating sitting in it.

The picture in the middle on the right shows one of the ladders they had to climb down.

The picture on the bottom right is flow stone with copper in it. The ores in the rock made for beautiful scenery.

Top Left: DJ going down a shaft. Top right: some of the equipment they used to run the mine. Bottom right: Sulfur on the walls. Bottom left: It's a long way down!

The mine was two hours away. I didn't find out exactly where it was or even what it was called until after the fact.

One of my friends asked mr where the mine was and I said, "It's two hours away...somewhere. Maybe I should have found out where in case they don't come back." My friend said, "Ya think?"

The pictures on the left are of more of the equipment that was used to run the mine.

On the top left, what looks like two big crates are actually two giant batteries. In the picture on the bottom left, if you look closely you can see the old tracks for the mine cars on the left side.

The views from the top were spectacular, especially at this time of year. Maybe next time They should invite the girls....Nah!

And that concludes our tour!

Running Shoes

2009-09-27T16:00:00.009-06:00

Anyone who gets a ride from me or is waiting for me to pick them up better have on their running shoes!

This past week, both of my kids needed theirs. On Monday I was dropping Dee off for school along with some things that we were donating to her soccer team for a raffle her team is having. There was too much for us to carry in so her coach had told me to have her come in and get him when we got to the school that morning and he’d come out and carry the stuff in.

Dee decided to carry part of the stuff in as she went to get him so she left her lunch, her backpack and duffle bag in the car. She came back with the coach and both of them grabbed another armload of stuff.

After they left I decided to go park so I could go into the building and take care of some school fees. As I pulled out into traffic, I decided that I didn’t want to fool with it that morning so I just kept going out of the parking lot. I’d forgotten I still had all of her stuff in the van.

At the school the kids go to there have three different buildings beside each other. There’s an elementary school, a Jr. High school and a High school. In front of those three buildings are two huge parking lots.

As I was driving out, Dee came back for her stuff and saw me leaving, so she takes off running across both those parking lots yelling, trying to get me to stop. Now keep in mind this is in the middle of the morning “rush” traffic. People were turning around looking at her as she tore across the parking lots, weaving in and out of traffic while trying to avoid getting hit.

Meanwhile back in the van, I got almost to the seminary building which is right across the street from the entrance to the first “driveway” of the school and I happened to glance down and saw Dee’s stuff sitting there. I thought, “Oh no! You’ve got to be kidding.” So I stopped and tried to turn, across traffic back into that driveway.

Of course no one was in the mood to stop and let me turn in – which was actually a good thing, because it gave Dee a chance to catch her second wind and catch up with me. As I was sitting there murmuring about no one being courteous enough to let me in, I glanced over right as someone ran up to the passenger side door and tried to open it. There was Dee, huffing, saying, “What are you doing?”

I let her in right as the crossing guard stopped traffic so we got a break and I was able to turn back into the school’s driveway. I decided the least I could do was give her a ride back to where she’d started from.

Then on Friday I went to pick DJ up. I pick him up at different places at different times of the day. Sometimes I pick him up in front of the Jr. High and sometimes in front of the Seminary building. On Friday I was running just a little behind schedule and I had been working on something that I still had my mind on.

When I got to the school there were kids in the cross walk going over from the Seminary building towards the school buildings. There was also a football player just about to cross and another kid standing to his left. The football player waited for me to pass, so I turned in to the drive drove over to the Jr. High and turned off the car to wait for DJ.

A minute or two later my cell phone rang. It was David. When I answered he said, “What are you doing?” I said, “Picking you up.” He said, “Are you kidding me? Mom, you drove right by me.” He was the kid that was standing to the left of the football player.

I decided to play it cool and said, “Oh ok, well I guess I’ll come over and get you unless you’d like to come over here.” I’d have to pass by right where he was standing to get back to the main road. Needless to say he wanted me to come pick him up.

So if you ever need a ride or need to be picked up and you need me to be the driver, just make sure you have on your running shoes. * smile *

Week in Review Sept 14 - 19

2009-09-25T23:15:00.006-06:00

Things got a little wild and crazy at our house during School Spirit Week. Every day the kids got to dress up in a different way.

First there was Rock Star Day. DJ went complete with guitar and leather pants. I was planning on taking a picture after school but forgot Dee would change into her soccer outfit for practice so I missed it.

Next there was Pajama day. The kids enjoyed going to school looking like they were ready to lounge all day.

Then there was the craziness of Disco Day. Dee got voted as one of the best dressed in her class. Needless to say DJ made quite the impression with an afro and hot pink bell bottom, skin tight pants. Everyone wanted to know, "WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE PANTS!!!!" He borrowed those pants from his cousin who swiped them from his younger sister a couple of years ago.

They finished off the week with backwards/crazy sock day and finally spirit day. Oh to be young and daring again. * smile *

Week in Review Sept 8 - 12

2009-09-14T13:25:00.025-06:00

So what’s new with all of you this week? We’ve kept ourselves busy. Dave ran another 5K on Friday with his work – this year he ran it without painting himself orange * smile *.

Last year there was a contest to see who could be the most orange. So Dave ran the race painted full on orange – his skin and his hair- with orange pajama pants, an orange hoodie. He was dripping orange by the time he was done. I think this year was a much more enjoyable experience for him. He finished in 21:44 and took second place overall.

DJ has added yet another class, drama this time. He says he’s really enjoying it. They are working on The Seven Brides of Dracula, if I’m not mistaken. I’ve never heard of it before. They’re hoping to have it ready to perform down in Cedar City when they go down for the Shakespeare Festival next month.

We’re still waiting to hear about when he can do the road portion of driver’s ed so he can get his license. He has switched his seminary class over to the same school he’s taking the other classes from which helps make his schedule a little less hectic and he is s still looking for a job – I think….I hope.

Dee is working hard in school and at soccer. She had a chance to play a little in the Varsity game this week. The coach put her in at forward and that surprised her a bit. She prefers defense or goalie.

She volunteered to write a script for her group in history class about how the mythical character Echo became an echo. She was kind of worried about it because she had to get it done very quickly and had soccer games and other homework to take care of as well. She had a friend from her group come over and help her and it turned out dang cute.

I did something this week I haven’t done in years. I sat on my porch and shucked corn. It was a gorgeous crisp day with just a hint of autumn in the air. As I sat working and watching the bees hum through my little flower garden in front of the porch I found myself singing Rascal Flatts song, “I Miss Mayberry.”

You know, the one that says, “I miss Mayberry sitting on the porch drinking ice cold cherry coke; where everything is black and white. Picking on a six string, where people pass by and you call them by their first name; watching the clouds roll by. Bye, bye.”

I got some jam and peach butter put up this week – can I just tell you I love peach butter! It’s the first time I’ve ever made it and I’m hooked. David can eat by the jar full – of course he can eat most things by the jar full so that may not be saying much *smile*.

Dave and DJ hiked to the top of Mount Timpanogus on Saturday. They got up at 4:00 in the morning (they couldn’t find the winter gloves so I got up at 4:00 in the morning too * smile *). They made it to the top in 2 hours and 55 minutes, the elevation was 11,774 ft. However, it was on the way down that the real adventure began.

There’s a huge snowfield near the top that people like to “slide” down as they’re coming down. Usually that’s not too much of a big deal, although I have heard of people getting hurt on it, but on Saturday the snow was packed hard and frozen. It was bumpy and unforgiving.

They’d tied garbage bags around them to sit on. DJ went down first. Dave said he could tell DJ was almost in trouble. He was flying down the mountain and just barely in control. DJ put his forearms down trying to slow himself down and stay in control. He noticed when he stopped his arms were hurting.

Dave went down next and he got bumped around pretty good. He started out sitting on his backside and before he got very far he was on his stomach going down feet first. He finally got to the bottom pretty much intact.

Another guy went after him and he had a pretty rough ride but the guy after that got really messed up. He ended up going down end over end – doing somersaults. When he got to the bottom he had a dislocated shoulder and scrapes (Dave said they looked like gashes) all up and down his arms and his legs. They were burning really bad – Dave said they were like ice burns.

DJ noticed his arms were burning too and he pulled up his sleeves and he had scrapes up and down his arms too – but not as bad as the other guy. His arms were still hurting him when he got home several hours later.

You’d think after these four no one else would have tried it but Dave said there was a group of people that went down after that but they seemed to do pretty well. Either they saw what had happened to the others and were trying to be careful (okay how are you careful sliding down the side of a mountain on a snowfield?) or Dave, David and the other two guys softened up the snow for the rest of them.

Man, the things guys do for fun – yikes.

Week In Review Aug 30-Sept 7

2009-09-08T17:04:00.010-06:00

The picture here and the one at the bottom have nothing to do with what I wrote. I just thought they were cute and included them. Sorry- it's just been that kind of week. * smile *

Not much to report this week. Most of the week was a total blur to me. We had a big Enrichment Meeting at church that I’m kind of in charge of and a week before it I decided to change the handouts (small gifts) that were to be given out at each class (there were four of them)- a couple of which I ended up designing from scratch and all of which were put together from scratch.

I felt kind of bad asking anyone to help at the last minute so I ended up doing all four of them by myself. I spent five days straight working on those things. The Stake Relief Society Presidency was coming as well – no pressure there * smile *.

I finally got everything finished and the night before started to stress a little bit that maybe I should go over first thing in the morning and set up the chairs early. We were going to be changing rooms and so about 130 chairs needed to be set up, plus we needed to pull some tables in and decorate and we’d only arranged to meet 45 minutes early.

But I forced myself not to go over early and started focusing on some of the things I’d been neglecting at home. I was actually quite calm until I got a phone call at about 1:00 or 1:30 asking if I’d mind taking care of the Thank You notes for the four people presenting in each of the classes and then told that the person who was gluing the papers on the front and back of the shopping bags hadn’t even started them.

At that point I started to stress just a bit. I went over and set up all 130 chairs by myself, pulled in all the tables and arranged the rooms and stuck the signs on the doors. It’s a good thing I did because there’s no way we could have gotten that done and the decorating done in the 30 minutes we had before the meeting started – we were all late getting there.

Everyone said the evening was nice – I hope so. Okay sorry, enough about me.

Dave ran a 5K on Labor Day and finished 3rd in his age group - and that's without training, go figure. DJ added a concert choir class to his schedule and is currently seeking earnestly for a job. Dee is working hard in school and playing hard on the soccer field.

I’ll try to be a little more attentive this week so I can share more in the next update.

Week in Review Aug 23-29

2009-09-01T11:49:00.033-06:00

Wow! This has been a busy week; but then again I bet everyone could say that.

DJ finished up his Diver’s Ed Range course only to find out that he now has to sign up and wait to take the Road portion of the class. (murmur) So for a while we’ll still be doing the chauffer thing. We have come to a compromise where he’ll stay at the school all day a couple of days so I don’t have to make so many trips back and forth (yea!)

He’s enjoying his classes and has changed his advanced guitar class to a voice class with two other kids in it. I guess in the advanced guitar class, the students kind of needed to start over where they started from last year due to lack of practice over the summer and he was bored, so he changed to the voice class.

He’s still teaching guitar lessons and is looking for more students. Due to the fact that I tore up the basement and have yet to put it back together (oops) he’s having his lessons in the front room. Let’s just say it gets little loud sometimes. Although that should be good motivation for me to get that basement straightened back up again. * smile *

Dee is loving soccer still although she still says she hates the conditioning they do. She was proud of herself the other day because she did the “dirty dozen” (I gathered that was a series of twelve conditioning exercises, like high knees, plunges [taking a step and bending your knee to the ground without letting it touch and then repeating it with the other leg all the way through the course], etc as they ran around cones placed on the 5 and 35 yard lines and after all twelve ending with a sprint.) and came in fourth. She said she was not going to come in last because who ever came in last had to run again and it wasn’t going to be her!

Although she did say she would rather do the “dirty dozen” or even a “dirty eighteen” rather than run tiger stripes. I’m not exactly sure what that is but it has to do with running the entire length of the football field on the diagonal, and if they get passed up by a teammate they have to start all over.

Dee is interested in learning to drive since in a few months she’ll be old enough to get a permit. So her dad took her to practice a little bit in an empty parking lot early one morning. When they came back I asked how it went and Dee said she didn’t think her dad had liked it. When Dave came in I asked him how it went and he said she scared him.

I decided to let her back the van out of the garage ( I tend to park very close to one side so there’s plenty of walking room so you have to be careful not to hit the mirror as you go out.)
So we get in the car and Dee started cranking the wheel to the left as she’s hitting the gas. My response was to yell, “Dee, Dee, Dee, Dee, Dee, …” as I grabbed the wheel, which just made her panic and frustrated her.

I explained that she needed to just back straight out to which she responded that her dad told her she needed to turn the wheel when backing out (of parking spaces) so that’s what she thought she was suppose to do, and why didn’t I say “Stop” instead of grabbing the wheel and saying her name over and over again. Then she informed me as she got out of the car and headed to the house that I would NOT be the parent teaching her to drive, she just couldn’t handle me. She said her dad would have to teach her.

The picture on the left shows Dave in one of his soccer games. He's the goalie above everyone else going for the ball with both hands outstretched. It must run in the family because Dave and both of the kids have played goalie. And whether it's basketball or soccer, as you can see, Dave can still jump!

Dave has been sick for the past few days. He has a really bad cold that has settled in his chest. He shared it with me and now I have a cold that has settled in my head.

We went to the “Wind Fest” in Spanish Fork on Friday. Spanish Fork is a city where the wind blows relentlessly from about 7:00 PM to 11:00 AM – and sometimes during the day as well.

It blows hard enough that it feels like your house is going to come down around you or that there is a freight train heading straight for you. Seriously, the trees grow at about a 30 degree angle.

Most people complain about the wind but a couple of years ago the city after having built like six HUGE windmills decided to celebrate the wind. So last year they invited people to come up and make and fly kites and had professionals come up and show and fly their kites (Ok, is there such a thing as professional kite flyers?).

Anyway, this year they had the festival run for two days. The first night they had a Luau. We went up and had a yummy dinner and then got to
watch Polynesian dancers while band played and sang – it was awesome!!

Dee and I got pulled up on stage and got a chance to try our hand at hula dancing. Kayryn did good – she had a class last year where she learned some of the dances.

Me? Well I don’t know, but I gave it a shot. I thoroughly enjoyed it though. If the studio these people were from wasn’t an hour away I would have asked Dave if I could take some classes.

Dave and the kids went up the next morning and tried some of the things they had going. They got to go on a zip line, ride segways and v-shaped scooters (sorry, don’t know what those are called), test drive an electric car, and were even going to go sailing but the wind was too strong.

It’s been a pretty fun week.

Garden Mysteries

2009-08-29T20:34:00.010-06:00

We discovered some very interesting things growing in our garden this week. Both were cucumbers who decided to march to the beat of their own drum. What does this first one look like to you?

It makes me think of a baby duck who’s tucked its bill under its wing to go to sleep. What does it look like to you?

The second one is just…I’m not even sure what the right words are…maybe just an example of sheer determination to grow and thrive despite difficult circumstances. Maybe there’s another life lesson there. Maybe: Blooming no matter what circumstances life hands us.

The March of the Tomatoes

2009-08-26T20:42:00.008-06:00

I’ve been working on catching up on the canning this week. I decided to give homemade ketchup a try. I didn’t have quite enough tomatoes in the fridge so I went out to the garden to get a few more. An hour or so later I came back in with 32 lbs. That was the day before yesterday. I’m afraid to go out and see if there are any more. * smile *

We planted about 7 plants along with a cherry tomato and a tomatillo plant, and the vines have taken over. It’s a jungle out there. There are tomatoes growing in the cantaloupes and in the summer squash; they’re in the winter squash and in the cucumbers. They’ve taken over the watermelons and they’re now after the strawberries. All I can say is beware The March of the Tomatoes.

Week in Review

2009-08-23T18:31:00.014-06:00

School started on the 17th. I think the kids were both excited and apprehensive to go back. Dee went into the 9th grade and started high school this year. She’s switched to a new school but fortunately she has some friends there already. DJ is 11th grade age and is taking some classes at one high school and attending seminary at another one.

Dee is playing on the high school soccer team. They don’t have enough girls to field the varsity team with 10th – 12th graders so she gets to play a little in some of the varsity games as well as in the junior varsity games. She would really like to be goalie or defense but she has ended up playing midfield a couple of times.

She loves playing on the soccer team. It’s a lot of hard work and

they have to practice hard. There’s been a couple of times when I’ve picked her up and her face is bright red, she’s covered in sweat and you can tell she’s exhausted. Being a person who never cared for playing soccer – I hated running, and running is not her favorite either- I’ve asked her if she wants to quit. She quickly gives me an adamant “NO!”.

Friday’s will be the worst because that’s when they do most of the conditioning and the coach figures since they won’t have practice over the weekend he needs to work them extra hard. All I can say is she must really love soccer.

They’ve already had a couple of games. The first one was a home game and ended in a last minute tie after going into two overtimes. The second one was with a private school about an hour away. Dave and I weren’t able to make that one, but Dee said they got killed in that one. The other team was “really good”.

Dee was a little worried about her classes at first. The teachers have some high expectations and are very strict about late work; but by the end of the week she’d decided she likes her teachers, especially her English teacher.

I’m excited for her. I hope she has a fantastic year.

DJ started the year taking an advanced guitar class, a recording and arranging class and rock band (after school). By the end of the week he’d added a Show Band/Jazz Band class, and a musical theater class.

With the show band class he’ll be playing the guitar with a professional drummer, horn player and keyboarder along with some other students playing horns. I believe the Jazz band portion of that class is all students. In these bands they’ll be playing for the show choir (DJ was torn about whether to try out for the show choir or show band, but decided to try out for musical theater to perform vocally and do show band so he could play).

They will be traveling to LA and New Mexico to perform this coming spring. He’s very excited about it. I think they’ll have a blast. His only problem now is finding a job so he can come up with the money to pay for all that traveling. * smile *

It sounds like he will also be traveling around with the musical theater group this year as well. We don’t have that schedule yet. The teacher would like to take them to Branson, MO to try out for the opportunity to perform in one of the theaters there, as well as traveling around doing shows locally. That will be fun!!

Dave and I think we should start saving so we can go too. * smile *

DJ will finally get the chance to take the driving range portion of Diver’s Education (a required class to get your license here) Hallelujah!!! So hopefully by the next weekly update he will officially have his license or be getting ready to go get it. He is very excited, as am I.

Dave is keeping busy with work, soccer, basketball, Weeblos (cub scouts), and Scout Committee Chairman (Boy Scouts). He is still working hard and is still enjoying it. He still plays basketball on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 5:30 AM. On Tuesdays and Thursdays he heads up towards work at 6:00 AM to go play soccer with some guys from work.

Dave’s also been working hard in our garden this year. I helped get the garden in this spring but then I pretty much abandoned him and let him handle it after that. * smile *

Dave and DJ hiked to the top of Mt Nebo yesterday. They enjoy hiking to the top of mountains. Again I just don’t see it, but to each his own. They’re thinking they’ll hike to the top of Timp in a couple of weeks before it gets too late in the season.

Since school has started (okay even before it was pretty much the same but just to different places) my time is spent running the kids to where they need to be. Two to three days a week I make five trips back and forth to the school in a single day, the other two to three days (the schedule alternates each week) I make only three trips back and forth to schools. Then I run them to voice lessons, or appointments or stores to get something they have to have for this class or that, etc.

I’m hoping when DJ gets his license some of that will change. What I really want to start doing is canning some of the produce we have coming in from our garden or that we can get from the local farmers' markets. That and catching up on some things around the house, like de-junking, organizing, journals, family histories, scrapbooking, etc; the possibilities are endless.

And that my dear friends and family is our week in review.

“Oh, good”

2009-08-20T17:22:00.008-06:00

Have you ever had one of those moments when you realized what you thought you heard wasn’t really what you heard?

I had one a couple of nights ago. I had been to Dee’s first soccer game of the season and I had a meeting to go to that night but I really wanted to see her game so I stayed later than I should have. The game went into overtime and I ended up leaving before it ended because I needed to get home and get something on the table before rushing off to my meeting.

I knew I wouldn’t have time to cook anything so I decided to stop at the local market and pick up something quick for dinner.

As I pulled into a parking space and started gathering my purse to go into the store, I noticed out of the corner of my eye someone in the car beside me. When I got out I realized that it looked like a lady from our neighborhood. Her seat was in a slightly reclined position and the door frame was partially covering her face. I thought it was her but wasn’t completely sure since she never leaned up so I could get a full view of her face.

I said “Hi” and asked her how she was doing. She spoke softly or maybe I was just overly distracted but all I heard was “Good”. I smiled and said, “Oh good” and walked away.

Halfway through the produce department a question popped into my mind; did she say “Good,” or “Not so good”?

The more I thought about it the more I wondered if she’d actually said, “Not so good.”

I hurried and made my purchases and the headed out to the parking lot but her car was gone. When I drove past her house the garage was just closing so I knew it had been her.

When I arrived home I called her house and her husband answered. I asked if I could speak to her he told me she wasn’t feeling very well. She had a kidney stone. I felt awful. I explained what had happened to him, indicating that I hadn’t heard exactly what his wife had said, and then I apologized profusely.

Can you imagine? You’re sitting in a parking lot while your spouse is inside, probably picking up a prescription and dinner for you, when along comes your neighbor (a member of the Relief Society Presidency), who politely asks how you are doing. You say, “Not too good,” to which she responds, “Oh good,” and walks away smiling.

I was mortified. In my defense I don’t always hear people very well if they speak softly and particularly if their face isn’t facing me when they do speak softly; but you can bet, the next time I ask someone how they are doing I’ll make sure I hear their answer before replying, “Oh good.”

Life Lessons

2009-08-18T21:54:00.015-06:00

(This picture and the one below is from www.weforanimals.com)

No matter where you look or what you're doing it seems that there are life lessons all around us just waiting to be discovered. I ran into one just a couple of days ago.

We were headed out the door on our way to church when we noticed there was a humming bird in our garage. Despite the fact that the back door was open, as well as one side of the garage the humming bird was flying repeatedly into the same window.

We knew from past experience that if this little bird didn't get out of our hot garage it would dehydrate very quickly and could even die if there wasn't intervention. So I ran into the house to grab something we could use to try and catch it in without hurting it. A wide mouth mason jar didn't seem like a good option and a medium sized plastic bin didn't seem very practical.

When I went back outside Dave had grabbed a large push broom and was headed to the window. He took the broom and pushed it up under the bird until the bird landed on the upturned bristles.

Dave carefully started towards the open door only a couple of feet away, but every time Dave moved the bird away from the window the bird panicked, flew off the broom and flew back into the window pane repeatedly banging against the invisible barrier that kept it from it's goal.

This scenario was repeated a few more times, and even though Dave was trying to help the bird, because it wasn't the path the bird thought it should go it refused to be helped.

Finally Dave changed his strategy. He once he got the bird to land on the bristles he kept the broom up high and moved slowly towards the open garage - a lot further away than the open door but still an exit none-the-less.

Once again when the bird got too far away from where he thought he should be going he panicked and this time flew up on top of the open garage door.

Dave once again coaxed him onto the bristles, and headed for the other open garage.

Again when the bird couldn't see the window he panicked and flew from the broom but this time didn't fly quite so high and after a minute or two finally discovered the wide open garage that had been available to him all along.

I think there are times when I'm a lot like that humming bird. There are times when I know, or at least think I know where I should be headed or what I should be doing and I run into obstacles. At those times I know the Lord tries to help me, but sometimes when He takes me a different way than I think i should be going or if I can't see what it is He's trying to do to help me I panic, leave his care and throw myself back against the "window pane".

Sometimes I make the journey a lot harder than it needs to be. I think it's time to start praying for a more trusting heart.

Tender Mercies

2009-02-05T10:35:00.007-07:00

I had an experience yesterday that caused me to stop and reflect on the events of the past couple of months. Before sharing that I’d like to preface it with an explanation of the phrase that came to mind after my experience yesterday.

In the April 2005 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder David Bednar gave a talk entitled, “he Tender Mercies of the Lord.” He spoke of an experience he’d had the previous October where he realized that the Lord was aware of him and his concerns at that present moment and he said the following:

“Near the conclusion of the singing, to my mind came this verse from the Book of Mormon: “But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20).

My mind was drawn immediately to Nephi’s phrase “the tender mercies of the Lord,” and I knew in that very moment I was experiencing just such a tender mercy. A loving Savior was sending me a most personal and timely message of comfort and reassurance through a hymn selected weeks previously. Some may count this experience as simply a nice coincidence, but I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often, the Lord’s timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them.”

He went on to say, “Since last October I have reflected repeatedly upon the phrase “the tender mercies of the Lord.” Through personal study, observation, pondering, and prayer, I believe I have come to better understand that the Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, the Lord suits “his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men” (D&C 46:15).

Yesterday I experienced one of those “Tender Mercies”. Actually as I began reflecting over the last couple of months or so I realized January and February have been full of tender mercies.

Yesterday I went to pick up Dee from school. At her school some of the kids are picked up in the back and some in the front. I pick Kayryn up in the back. The driveway behind the school consists of basically two “lanes”. The lane closest to the school is for pulling as far forward as you can and then wait for your child(ren) to come out then pull out into the second lane and go on out so others can pull forward.

With all the snow we’ve had over the last couple of months – it just keeps hanging around- that second lane has gotten pretty narrow and the wheels on the driver’s side of the vehicle are riding on snow that has been packed into a slippery solid mass.

After Dee got in the car I pulled carefully out into the second lane and began to leave. Just as I was almost to the end of the “driveway” I came up beside a very large (it sat quite high) van. Just as I got nose to nose with it a petite little first grade girl darted out from between it and the car in front of it right into my path. I wasn’t going very fast but I basically had no reaction time. I didn’t see her and she didn’t see me until she darted out.

I drew in a sharp breath – there was no air in my lungs to scream at that moment – and slammed on my brakes. I wasn’t completely on the snow pack but I still slid what felt like a couple of feet but was probably only a few inches. I slammed on the brakes, gripped my steering wheel in a death grip -there was nowhere for me to go, I had a huge van on one side of me and a large snow bank on the other – and waited for the sickening thud of my van hitting that little girl.

The thud never came. When I began to breathe again and time started to move once more, I realized that I had come to a stop, I could see the top of the little girl's head. She had to be standing with her nose just about touching the van just over the front wheel well. She turned and ran as fast as she could back onto the sidewalk. When she turned to look at me - oh you should have seen the look on her face, it was pure fear- she made this little pitiful gesture like she was waving me on, conceding the ride of way to me.

I don’t believe the driver in the van next to me was even aware of what happened. I don’t know if she was sitting too high up in her van or had not been looking our way. I rolled down the passenger side window and you could tell the little girl thought I was going to yell at her. I simply asked, “Are you ok?!” She answered in the most pitiful voice, “Yes,”

So I took a deep breath rolled up the window and tried to calm my pounding heart and drove out of the school parking lot. If I’d hit that little girl even though I wasn’t going very fast at all, as little as she was it would have sent her flying and I believe it would have hurt her pretty bad.

Dee hadn’t even seen the little girl until we stopped. She was in the front passenger seat and was looking at me when the little girl darted out. Afterwards she said, “Mom you should have seen the look on your face!!!” I asked her if it was as terrified as the look on the little girl’s face when she was standing on the sidewalk afterwards. She said, “Yes!”

I told Dee I didn’t know how in the world I hadn’t hit that little girl. Then I realized yeah I do. There was divine intervention there. That little girl and we had just experienced a tender mercy of the Lord, for which I am so grateful!

Birthday Bash

2009-01-04T21:14:00.009-07:00

We had Dee’s Birthday party this past week. I can’t believe she’s fourteen. She wanted to decorate the house for the party and I was more than happy to let her handle that. We found the cutest cake.

She had eight of her friends over. We’d told her when she turned 14 she could start wearing makeup so we had her Aunt bring a Mary Kay Rep over and do makeovers on the girls.

They got some instruction on how to properly apply age appropriate makeup and got to put on makeup and take home some fun “goody bags” filled with some of the things they’d tried on. Hopefully they enjoyed it. I know if I was a fourteen-year-old girl I’d been thinking, “Score!”

After the makeovers the girls headed downstairs while we cleaned up. A few minutes later I heard Dee say, “Whoever that big black bag belongs to, you may find some gum in it.” We turned around and looked at her. The bag belonged to the Mary Kay Rep. Dee continued, “My friend was trying to spit her gum in the garbage and it landed in your bag. I just thought I should tell you.”

The lady pulled everything out of her bag and sure enough down at the bottom was a chewed piece of gum. Fortunately, it was “hard” and hadn’t stuck to anything. The lady thanked Dee for telling her. Imagine finding that little treasure a few days later and wondering where it came from.

Christmas Time

2008-12-24T10:40:00.021-07:00

It’s that time of year again and Christmas is in the air. Some don’t like that it seems to come so early, but I just can’t seem to get enough of the feelings it brings. When there’s even a slightest possibility that the radio stations may be playing Christmas music, I start scanning the airways.

When I see the lights and hear the sounds of Christmas, memories flood my mind as remembrances of times long past wrap me warmly in their embrace.

When Christmas songs play on the radio I’m once again snuggled by my grandpa’s side as we drive through our small town searching the neighborhood roofs for Santa and his reindeer. I’m almost positive we spotted him one year.

We’d laugh and chat as we wondered what treasures we’d find under the tree the next morning. Then we’d make our way down Main Street, “Ooohing” and “Aaahing” over the brilliant lights and decorations covering the streetlamps and storefronts, while the sweet sounds of “Silver Bells” drifted dreamily from the car radio.

My grandpa has been gone for several years now and though there are no more Christmas rides through the small town I grew up in, I still have those memories to bring him close once again.

Looking back I can’t recall many of the gifts I’ve received through the years but I still remember and cherish the memories of the time spent with my family and the traditions we’ve shared.

I have children of my own now and we’ve started traditions with our children in hopes that they too will have memories that they will treasure throughout their lives.

One of our traditions includes an annual Christmas Eve trip to Grandma’s for dinner and a “talent” show with all the cousins. The cousins have a gift exchange (they draw names earlier in the year and all the presents must be under a set amount).

Then finally, the best part of all, they all open their present from Grandma and Grandpa. Every year it’s the same present – pajamas. The kids laugh and giggle as they watch to see what kind of pajamas everyone gets and then they race to an empty room to put them on and come out for pictures.

Grandma has asked the kids over the years if they wouldn’t rather have something different “this” year and each year she is met with the same answer, a resounding “NO!” Each grandchild whether they’re 9 or 23 insists that they must get pajamas from Grandma and Grandpa. It’s tradition and they’ll have no part of changing it.

According to the article, “Family Traditions Are Important” by Marsha K. Weaver, “Family traditions are the threads of life that bind us together as families.” Traditions not only strengthen us, they help connect us to our pasts and give us a sense of who we are and where we come from.

Our families are a great blessing and the holidays are a wonderful time to thoroughly enjoy them and help create memories that will bind us together and last a lifetime.

Marathon Men

2008-12-23T14:22:00.009-07:00

Do you ever feel like some people are just gluttin for punishment? Some days I think that would describe my husband and my son.

They ran their marathon in September. They did pretty well but didn’t finish in quite the times they would have liked to so DJ is saying he wants to run another one, Dave’s not so sure. He’s done this twice already.

As part of the preparation for their marathon Dave and DJ decided to ran a half marathon the month before the actual marathon. On the day of the Half Marathon Dave ran the race in the morning, then went and played a soccer game afterwards and then they both hiked to the top of Mount Timpanogos, coming down the mountain that night in the dark – that’s 33 miles in one day. I heard the trek down the mountain in the dark was quite an adventure.

They started their day at 4:30 AM and got home the next morning at 2:30 AM. Some people’s kids…

It was cold and rainy on the day of the Marathon but Dave said the rain didn’t last long. The cold however stuck around. One of Dave’s best friends from High School flew in to run the marathon with them. Dave said they ran together the first mile and he didn’t see his friend again. His friend has been running regularly and Dave told him to go on ahead.

Dave’s knee locked up at about mile 8 and he at times was dragging his leg to keep going. Some of the other runner’s offered him some Ibuprofen but he doesn’t like to take pills so he turned them down. Finally at mile 18 he accepted a big horse pill of Ibuprofen. He didn’t have any water so he had to just put it in his mouth and let it dissolve. It was disgusting. He finally found someone with some extra water so he could rinse his mouth.

The pain finally stopped at mile 19 and Dave could finally stop running again. He finally caught up to DJ at mile 22. DJ was having a hard time too. He was very sore. They both said if they do this again they’ll train more.

Suffice it to say they limped around for a couple of days after the marathon. The things some people do for fun!

Autumn Time

2008-09-08T20:45:00.015-06:00

This is my favorite time of year! I love the crispness in the air, the excitement of a new school year and the memories of past holiday seasons as they begin to tug at my consciousness and dance through my thoughts trying to entice me to revisit the excitement, anticipation and wonder I felt as a little girl.

The other seasons are wonderful in their own way but there's just something about Autumn that's like a soft comforter around my heart as it connects my “here and now” to wonderful memories of times past and the anticipation of all that's yet to come.

I hope you are having a wonderful autumn as well!! Take a few minutes, step outside in the fresh air, close your eyes, take a deep breath and just be. Be in the moment and just enjoy it.

Hooray For Haircuts!!

2008-09-07T21:01:00.037-06:00

Okay, I’m running just a bit behind. I originally wrote this July 13 but am just getting it posted. It has been a crazy but fun summer. I can’t wait to see what happens next. At any rate here’s the July post.

Believe it or not we’re still here. This month has been so jam packed I can’t even believe it – more than I could possibly tell in one sitting so I’m going to start with haircuts.

Jake, our 75 lb Great Pyrenees, Australian Shepherd mix started it. It has been extremely hot and he has been extremely miserable. So, in spite of the fact that the lady we adopted him from told us to never cut his “hair”, we finally took pity on him and took him in for a shave.

He looks so cute. He looks like a cross between a big puppy and a small bear. I love it. I think we should keep him like this always – but I don’t think he’d be too happy with us in the winter if we did. But for now he’s a much happier camper.

Then miracle of miracles, DJ got his hair cut. We’ve been after him for quite a while to cut his hair (we’re talking months and months and months), but he’s asserted his free agency and refused. Some may think we should have cut it off in his sleep and while I’ll admit that thought crossed my mind and that threat even crossed my lips, we figured that if that’s the worst thing he ever does we’re doing pretty good.

At any rate while he was in Japan, he finally saw the light – actually he felt the humidity and his hair refused to do anything except lie limp on his forehead . So he decided to let one of the teenage girls that was there with his delegation cut it. Now that wouldn’t have been so bad but, this particular girl had never cut hair before – all I can say is she must have been cute, because this is a kid who will not let anyone but his Aunt Cindy touch his hair; needless to say the cute girl butched it.

So he let another girl try it, she’d never cut hair before either. She didn’t do much better. Finally they found another girl in their delegation that said she cut hair in her basement so she tried to fix it. It looked okay but it still needed some help. However to be fair, the only thing the girl had to work with was a pair of office scissors.

Picture it if you can, DJ sitting out in a parking lot in the hotel they were staying in surrounded by about 30 girls watching him get a haircut with a pair of office scissors wielded first by two girls that don’t know what they’re doing and the third trying to fix the mess with inadequate scissors. Meanwhile standing to the side is their Japanese liaison watching apprehensively – okay worried to death - that his hair is going to be slaughtered and his parents are going to freak out. Meanwhile the staff of the hotel is laughing in disbelief and taking pictures to put on the hotel’s website.

Actually it didn’t turn out too bad but the second day he was home he had his Aunt Cindy fix it for him. It looks so much better than it did before he had it cut. I really like it and believe it or not, so does he! YEA!!

Not to be left out, Dee got her hair cut too. Actually I encouraged that one. Her hair is so long and so thick it’s almost unmanageable. I talked her into getting about 5 inches cut off and getting it thinned. Then she wanted to put some natural high lights in it. I think it turned out way cute!! Though I have to admit, when her aunt went to thin it I was on the phone and just happened to glance up right as Cindy had what looked like a pair of regular scissors poised three inches from her scalp and cut! I about had a heart attack right then and there and the phone almost hit the floor!

I didn’t realize the “scissors” were thinning shears and only took out strands of hair, 11 or so inches long, every so often and not the entire section she was holding. Boy I’m telling you my heart stopped for a split second.

Everything turned out well and everyone looks terrific. All I can say is “Hooray for haircuts!!!!”

Shopping Adventures

2008-06-10T13:34:00.005-06:00

The kids needed some summer clothes so last week I decided to be brave and take them both to the mall at the same time. Dave had a soccer game so he was planning on picking up DJ on his way to his game and taking him with him; so I figured it wouldn’t be too bad.

When we got there I looked for clothes with DJ while Dee went and looked in the girl’s department. DJ picked out one shirt and one pair of shorts and he was done. There was nothing else he wanted. That left us with a lot of shopping time before his dad got there and I knew he’d get bored quick. I also knew he’d be leaving when his dad did arrive so I took the shorts and the shirt from him.

Dee on the other hand was anxious to shop but she’d gotten taller and thinner since our last shopping trip so we weren’t sure what size she was and she wanted me to come help her look. DJ of course had no desire to stand in the girls department while we searched through an endless assortment of racks in search of the perfect outfit. (Ok, Dee doesn’t relish that either, but it’s just got to be done.)

DJ said he’d just go stand outside and wait for his dad but I hated for him to do that since it would still be a while before his dad arrived. I asked DJ if there was anywhere else in the mall he’d like to look. There wasn’t.

I knew he needed shoes and ‘Penny’s didn’t have any he liked so we thought we’d try another store in the mall and see what they had. I figured we’d go back to Penny’s afterwards and shop for Dee’s things.

I forgot all about the shirt and shorts, which were still on the hangers, lying in my arms. We walked out of the store halfway across the mall, past the security and info desk until we found a mall directory. Then we took the escalator to the second level walked halfway back across the mall again and just as we reached the other store I happened to look down and to my horror saw the shirt and shorts with the anti-theft devices still attached lying in my arms. I just about had a heart attack.

I couldn’t believe I’d walked out of that store with those things in my arms! I also couldn’t believe no one had stopped me. I’m sure the Lord was looking out for me because I don’t think anyone would have believed I’d accidentally taken those things from the store or that I had every intention of going back and doing more shopping.

I sheepishly walked back into JC Penny’s, found a sales associate, told her what I’d done. I explained to her that I still wanted the clothes but had some other shopping I needed to do first and asked her if she would hold the clothes for me until I returned so that I could purchase them then. She had the funniest look on her face but she took them and didn’t call security on me. (I don’t know what it is with me and funny looks from store clerks.)

The clothes were still there when we finally made it back to retrieve them and I didn’t get arrested. However I did notice a young man who was trying to look like he was folding and straightening clothes sticking kind of close to us.

Then today at the grocery store – the same one I had the memory lapse in as I was signing my check – I was checking out. I’d unloaded my buggy (for those of you unfamiliar with that term that’s a shopping cart.) and pushed it through the lane so the gentleman bagging my groceries could start putting them in it.

After a second the checker looked at me kind of funny (I’m telling you I’m getting a complex about the funny looks) and asked, “Do you want your mushrooms?” I looked back at her blankly and said, “Huh?”

She repeated her question, “Do you want your mushrooms?” Now I was confused. Two thoughts ran through my mind almost simultaneously: 1) Do I want my mushrooms where? and 2) Does she mean do I want to hold onto the little treat I was buying. You see, when you buy a candy bar or something they always ask if you want to keep it with you or if you want it in the bag; so I was expecting that question but the mushroom question totally threw me.

When I looked at her again this time with a totally baffled look on my face she said as she pointed to my cart, that I’m telling you just moments before was completely empty and said, “Do you want your mushrooms?”

This time I looked where she was pointing and to my surprise saw a package of mushrooms, sitting pretty as you please, in my cart. Somehow I’d missed them and pushed them through the line without paying for them. Feeling sheepish once again, I apologized and told her I hadn’t even realized I’d missed them. Then shaking my head I proceeded to tell her about my little adventure at JC Penny’s. I somehow don’t think that lent much to my credibility.

The moral of the story – always check your arms, shopping cart, top of your purse or anywhere else you might have laid something before exiting a store and think twice before sharing your “adventures” with uninterested third parties.

Has Anyone Seen May?

2008-06-06T22:02:00.003-06:00

Where did May go; has anyone seen it? Mom use to tell me that the older you get the faster time goes. When I was a kid and the days just seemed to drag by I couldn’t imagine how that was possible. Now I find myself wondering where the time goes!

May was a very eventful and busy month for our family. At the beginning of the month I got to go with one of my friends to the BYU Women’s Conference. Let me just say that that many women in one place vying for limited seating at each venue is a scary thing. The event itself was terrific. I loved listening to Sheri Dew and Julie Beck. After listening to them you felt like you could take on the world or at least beat it back for a while.

I also listened to wonderful presentations on discovering and nurturing your personal gifts, the power of personal prayer, creative family reunions and blogging (hence the creation of this one – Thanks Travelin Oma!)

We also got to attend a family reunion for my husband’s mother’s side of the family. It was wonderful seeing relatives we don’t get to visit with very often. I wish families weren’t so spread out these days.

The kids love going up to the Chalet, playing games, exploring the countryside and watching for the train after leaving pennies on the railroad track. This year the kids got to tie dye t-shirts and break open a piñata. But I have to admit my favorite part was watching “the sisters”, Dave’s mom and her six sisters, compete in a sack race. It was marvelous and they were all such good sports about it!! We always cap off the day by roasting marshmallows and hot dogs over an open fire. You might think the kids would be getting too old for it, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Dave and I also got the opportunity to go to a seminar, “The Total Money Makeover” by Dave Ramsey and we had a blast!! – at least I did. I think Dave enjoyed it too but I know he was a bit worried when we first got the tickets (my friend gave them to us for Christmas). He wondered what in the world we were going to do for six hours while some guy talked to us about budgeting and finances.

Dave Ramsey is from Tennessee and he was hilarious. For me it was like a little taste of home. I loved the accent, the jokes and the references to things I grew up with. My friend who was there too came up to me during one of the breaks and said, “This is so funny. He keeps saying things and I keep thinking – that sounds just like something Wendy would say!” I had to laugh because I’d been thinking the same thing.

DJ is driving now. I have to admit it was very weird to sit in the back seat and look up and see my son in the driver’s seat while my husband sat on the passenger’s side. I finally told Dave, “Okay, you need to take your seat back because this is just too weird!”

DJ’s doing pretty good. He insisted that he go get his permit first thing in the morning on his birthday and then be allowed to drive home on the freeway. I told him that if I took him that was not going to happen. I remember how I felt the first time I drove on the freeway and I knew my heart couldn’t take him doing it his first day.

His dad however is more laid back than I am and he was willing to do it. Dave did have him drive around on the streets for a while after he got his permit and then drive half-way home on the back roads before he let him get on the freeway.

They made it home just fine. Dave said he did pretty good. He got to drive on the freeway three times that day and the only thing we were concerned about was when he almost challenged an eighteen-wheeler for his lane on a curve at 65 mph. We told him that was a battle he couldn’t win and we advised him to let the trucker keep his lane. He did.

DJ wanted to go see the new Indiana Jones movie for his birthday so he got to drive the family to theater as well. The movie was good and the kids seemed to really enjoy it. I could have done without the ants! Sorry to those of you who haven’t seen it yet. I won’t say anything else except – EEEEWWWW.

Dee (one of the nickname’s I call my daughter), decided to take the summer off from karate. She loves Karate! She’s been begging for us to let her take it for the last couple of years or so. So last November we let her drop out of dance and sign up for karate. She is now a yellow belt with a white stripe – she’s advanced two belts so far. It’s fun to see her self-confidence grow along with her skills.

A couple of the kids at school knew she was taking it and sometimes she’d have boys that didn’t know come up and start to teasing her (in fun). The boys who know about the karate would say, “Hey, you better leave her alone! She knows karate and she’ll beat you up!” Which is really funny because for the most part Dee is pretty easy going. But I have to tell you I’d hate to rile her, karate or not! She may be easy going but you don’t want to tick her off – I just can’t imagine where she gets that from.

Dee walked up to me the other morning, got nose to nose with me and said, “Woe mom! You’re getting short!” I think I’ve only got her by an inch now. I can’t believe how tall she’s getting. It won’t be long before I’m the shortest one in the family and I’m not really that short at 5’7.

Those are a few of our highlights for May. Throw in the dentists appointments, soccer games (Dave’s not the kids), church callings, hair appointments (DJ does not take his hair lightly), Mother’s Day, service projects, Dave and DJ’s races and all the other day to day activities and you’ll probably understand how I seem to have misplaced May.

All in all it was a great month. I hope all of you had a great month too!!

All In A Days Work

2008-05-31T09:25:00.003-06:00

We’re getting our garden in late this year – the weather hasn’t cooperated. The garden actually should have gone in a couple of weeks ago but it was still snowing a couple of weeks ago.

I enjoy working in the garden. I love to plant things and watch them grow. I love to see those tiny little plants and seeds that we painstakingly planted and nurtured at the beginning of spring turn into a veritable jungle, and then go with childlike wonder and gather the produce that seems to have magically appeared. I love ooohing and aaahhhing with our children over the treasures we’ve collected, and we especially love biting into the wonderful delicacies that our garden gives us each year.

( There's another small row to the left that's not covered in plastic yet, but we'll get there.)

In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, I’ve discovered that working in the garden offers other gifts as well. Do you ever hear a song or a sound or smell something that takes you back in time? Yesterday as I was working the garden (for the fourth day in a row) I was down on my knees in the dirt surrounded by the privacy of our back fence when I became aware of a symphony of crickets going on around me.

For a brief moment the present melted away and I was back on the small farm I grew up on. I could see the tree-lined fields and smell the freshly tilled dirt. The fresh spring air was sweetened with the scent of honeysuckle and a symphony of crickets filled the evening with their spring concerto. The woods we played in, built clubhouses in and explored as children were just beyond the fields. The sun was setting just beyond the peach orchard and just for a moment the feelings and memories of childhood flooded my consciousness in a welcome breath of fresh air.

Many are the gifts that working in the garden brings.

Running On

2008-05-26T11:28:00.004-06:00

My husband and son ran another 5K race this morning despite the cold and the rain. This is a tradition that started when DJ was seven. Their first race together was the “Canyon Ice-Breaker” in May of 2001. It wasn’t raining that day but it was extremely cold, hence the name of the race.

Today’s race left DJ with his best time so far; 20 minutes and 54 seconds. He took third in his age group. Dave finished in 21 minutes and 43 seconds, taking third in his age group as well. DJ thinks it’s kind of cool that he’s starting to beat his dad’s times now.

They’ve run lots of races since that first race seven years ago. They average about 6 or 7 races a year. They’ve run 5K’s (3.1 miles), 10K’s (6.2 miles), a two-day relay called the Wasatch Back Relay (3 legs that total between 15 – 17 miles), a half marathon (13.1 miles) and my husband has run a marathon (26.2 miles).

DJ was about eleven when they ran their first half-marathon (13.1 miles). He finished in 1 hour and 45 minutes, actually a little before his dad who finished in 1 hour and 57 minutes. That could’ve been in part because Dave was running in terrible shoes and his legs were killing him. I seem to recall those shoes being duct taped together, but my husband says no, the bottoms were just falling off, but assures me that he wasn’t aware of this until after the race.

The two are currently training to run a marathon together in September. They are quite excited about it. All I have to say is, “To each his own!”

Congratulations guys!!

Some things never change

Under Attack

2008-05-25T19:19:00.001-06:00

I don’t know about the rest of you but for the past few weeks we’ve been under attack. Our enemy knows no bounds, is no respecter of persons, and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Just when we think we’ve beaten him he pops back up in full force. The enemy I’m referring to is the dreaded common weed.

Every year we try to figure out a way to get the yard, flowerbeds and garden prepared in such a way as to not have to work quite so hard the coming summer. But every year our enemy returns and he brings his friends.

If we cover, treat or cement one spot he finds a crack or crevice to pry his way through. If he can’t find that he’ll be so bold as to pop up straight through the weed block – that is not suppose to be possible, but he is a cunning, determined, resourceful enemy.

There are times I find myself wanting to run, screaming from the battlefield, and others that I simply want to barricade myself in our home and pretend he doesn’t exist.

Yesterday however it was time for a counterattack. The conditions were just right - it had rained the last couple of days and the ground was soft, unlike the normal cement like texture it possesses when dry – so we gathered our weapons - gloves, kneeling pad and garbage can and headed for the front lines.

My husband and I decided it would be more efficient to attack in different places, so we wished each other luck and headed in opposite directions. The jungle was dense; it was hard to tell who was friend and who was foe. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to find my way out. Things started to look grim; I didn’t think we’d ever be able to win this battle.

Just when I was ready to throw my hands up in surrender our children decided to send out a search party and came to our aid. They joined us on the front lines and helped us turn the tide. When the dust cleared and the weeds were swept away, imagine our delight to discover that our front flowerbed, in addition to previously being the home of an innumerable host of weeds, also contained a rosebush, bleeding hearts, peonies, salvia, delphiniums and mums.

In an attempt to help thwart the re-infestation of weeds we are planning to beef up our defenses next week and bring in alyssum, that sweet innocent looking flower that spreads quickly to take over any unoccupied ground, and snapdragons, the name alone should strike fear into the hearts of the attackers. We’ll hedge up our weak spots with weed block and mulch and as a final result we’ll booby trap the ground with Preen.

We know this is only one small victory and there are many battlefields yet to conquer; still, small though our victory may be, it is nonetheless sweet, as we look out over our front flowerbed and enjoy the beauty.

How do you defend against the weeds?

Revisiting the Past

2008-05-21T08:25:00.000-06:00

Just recently I read about the value going back through our journals if we have them. In the book, Life Lessons for Women, from the creators of Chicken Soup for the Soul, the reader is encouraged to “…look back over your life, not with a critical eye, but rather to discover the connecting thread that gives your life rhythm and meaning. In recalling our lives we re-collect ourselves.”

I don’t know about the rest of you but I don’t remember a whole lot from my past. Oh, I remember some things but there’s a lot that I’ve forgotten. So I decided to round up as many of my old diary and journal entries as I could find – thank goodness for the counsel from my church to keep a journal and for the schoolteachers who “made” me do it.

I’ve spent the last week or so traveling back in time and revisiting my past. It’s been an enlightening journey of contrasts. I’ve laughed and cried, stood in awe of strengths forgotten, shook my head at foolishness and silly worries, rejoiced and sorrowed, felt gratitude and remorse. But most important of all, I reacquainted myself with a girl that I had all but forgotten existed.

I am just to the end of my second year of college right where I’m getting ready to leave to serve a mission for my church. I’m excited to see what new adventures will be brought back to my memory next. I find myself repeatedly saying, “I don’t remember that!” I’m especially excited to get to the part where I meet my husband and reminisce about our courtship, wedding and early years of marriage. I hope I wrote lots, we’ll see.

For some, the thoughts of revisiting the past may not be a very inviting prospect. Sometimes the past holds painful memories, but I love what Jack Canfield said about that in his book, The Success Principles, “Just take a deep breath and realize that this is all part of the process of your journey. Everything in the past has actually been perfect. Everything in your past has led you to this transformative moment in time. Everyone – including you – has always done the best they could with what they knew at the time. Now you are about to know more.”

So if you have a minute and are so inclined, take some time and revisit your past. If you don’t have a journal, look through old pictures and see what memories come to mind; call a relative and chat about the past; or just take some quite time and reflect back over your life. Try to capture some of those memories on paper or tape. You’ll be glad you did and so will your loved ones.